CHÂTEAU SUDUIRAUT

2017 1er Cru Classé Sauternes

EN PRIMEUR

Unaffected in their top terroir by the frost that was brutal for some in Sauternes. They worked hard at Suduiraut picking over three separate harvests to ensure the best fruit was picked at the optimum moment - and have aimed to make a smaller amount of super-fine wine. This does seem to have been successful as this is one of the top sweet wines that we tasted. Here they feel 2017 ranks with the great vintages like 2013, 2007 and 2001. The Botrytis arrived on the fresh fruit rather than on the ripe fruit like in 05 and 09 - (which is when you get a particularly beefy style, richer than this.) Very pleasing this has good crunch of fresh pineapple - a clean, saline vein and a seamless rounded feel, without being fat or thick at any stage just the odd waft of butterscotch and dark creme brûlée Rating: 95 L&S (Apr 2018)

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Just as impressive as it was in barrel, the 2017 Suduiraut is positively dazzling. Pineapple, orange peel, crême brulée, white flowers, honey, apricot and hazelnut are some of the many nuances that develop in the glass. Rich and heady, yet also wonderfully vibrant, the 2017 is developing into a stunning Suduiraut. The 140 grams of residual sugar is very nicely integrated. Only the fruit from the last two picks made it into the Grand Vin. Drinking range: 2025 - 2047 Rating: 97 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Mar 2020)

The 2017 Suduiraut was picked via three tries, with 75% of the crop picked in the second tries from 4 to 15 October. The harvest finished on 19 October, one of the last in Sauternes and after Yquem. “We were touched by the frost but not in the top terroir,” winemaker Pierre Montegut told me. It is matured in around 50% new oak. It has an expressive, harmonious bouquet with dried honey, white flowers and a touch of gripe water (a children’s medicine for those in the United States. I have been informed there is no equivalent on the other side of the Atlantic). The palate is well balanced with a viscous opening, well judged acidity, plenty of botrytized fruit with a long, lightly spiced finish that feels so fresh and vital. This is a superb Suduiraut from Pierre Montegut and his team. Drinking range: 2023 - 2050 Rating: 94-96 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2018)

The 2017 Suduiraut has a compelling brininess to the nose with a core of lemon curd, lime cordial and green mango with touches of musk perfume and chalk dust. The mouth is very rich and packed with decadent layers, with just enough freshness and great length. Rating: 93-95 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2018)

One of the finest Sauternes I was able to taste for this report was the 2017 Château Suduiraut, from an estate that was unaffected by the April frost. A rockstar blend of 94% Sémillon and 6% Sauvignon, aged in 50% new oak, it boasts a big, thrilling bouquet of orange blossom, honeysuckle, and pure botrytis-laced fruit. Seamless, incredibly polished and balanced on the palate, it has serious sweetness, yet just glides across the palate and is remarkably elegant. Rating: 95-97 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Apr 2018)

What a crazy Sauternes. The density and sweetness are amazing, yet at the same time it’s fresh and bright with an inspirational energy and dryness at the end. Phenolic and textured. Rating: 97-98 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2018)

Preignac. 90% Sémillon, 10% Sauvignon Blanc. RS 140 g/l, TA (sulphuric) 3.9 g/l. Complex aroma ranging from pineapple to rosemary/mint and everything in between. Fat and full in the mouth, fills every corner but draws in to a fresh persistent finish. Lip-smacking. Drinking range: 2025 - 2040 Rating: 17.5 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2018)

Unctuous, offering melon, apricot and fig notes melded together, laced with bitter orange and maple accents, with a spicy, broad finish. Rating: 92-95 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2018)

This is 94% Semillon and 6% Sauvignon Blanc, with an alcohol of 14%, a residual sugar of 140 g/l and a total acidity of 3.9 g/l. The aromatics here display a wonderful intensity, with white peach, lychee and a quartzy purity, along with a little nutty edge. The palate, however has the striking definition and confidence that defines Suduiraut, with quartzy yellow peach, yellow plum and pineapple fruit, wrapped within a great texture, shaped by chalky-mineral veins and a wonderful acid freshness, along with a bitter frame and some very fine acidity. Bright, balanced, energetic and fresh. A really striking wine that will age brilliantly. Rating: 94-96 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2018)

Sauternes Premier Cru 1855 The de Suduiraut family lived on their estate in Preignac at least as far back as 1580. In the later years of the 17th Century, a dispute with the local Governor led to the château being flattened. In response, Comte Blaise de Suduiraut rebuilt in lavish manner, with gardens laid out by King Louis XIV's designer. Since the de Suduiraut's time there have been many owners, but today it is in the very capable hands of AXA Millésimes. The 92ha of vineyard are planted with 90% Semillon and 10% Sauvignon Blanc. There is a second wine, which takes its name from a neighbouring estate that was absorbed into Suduiraut in 1831, and is called Castelnau de Suduiraut.