CHÂTEAU SUDUIRAUT
2020 1er Cru Classé Sauternes
What an amazing nose of tropical fruits like lychees, mangoes and pineapples, with botrytis spice, too. Full and very layered with candied apple, tangerines and kumquats. Sweet and so balanced. Super brightness, too. Acidity balances it out. Pure semillon. Production was only 4 hectoliters per hectare. Rating: 98 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2023)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
The 2020 Suduiraut, 100% Sémillon in this vintage, is a dense, tightly wound wine that is going to need a number of years to come around. Passionfruit, ginger, spice, mint, apricot and tangerine peel build nicely in the glass. The 2020 is a blend of four picks from mid-September to early November. All the elements are so nicely balanced. The 2020 is simply exquisite. Drinking range: 2026 - 2040 Rating: 96 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
The 2020 Suduiraut, which is pure 100% Sémillon, has a fabulous, rich and expressive bouquet with wild honey and orange pith, dried mango hints and quince laced with melted candle wax and saffron. The palate is supremely well-balanced with the viscous texture and density you would expect from this estate. Yet there is a sense of control and tension that drags you back for another sip. Of course, we're on the open pages of a very long book, but this is already sizing up to be a very enjoyable "read". Drinking range: 2026 - 2065 Rating: 96 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
The 2020 Suduiraut is a powerful, heady wine. Embryonic today, it possesses tremendous depth and intensity from start to finish. Dried pear, chamomile, mint and dried flowers gradually emerge, but the 2020 is going to need quite a bit of time to fully come together. Even so, its potential is evident. A superb Sauternes in the making. Drinking range: 2030 - 2045 Rating: 94-97 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jun 2021)
The 2020 Suduiraut is 100% Sémillon this year, picked at 8.5hl/ha via four tries through the vineyard from September 16 all the way through to November 5. It has a ripe nose of dried honey, orange blossom and mango scents, plus touches of beeswax and almond. The palate is thick and viscous on the entry, then dense and powerful, with light spicy notes toward the finish. A grandiose Sauternes, very persistent, revealing a hint of white pepper on the aftertaste. Tasted from test tube sample and 75cl bottle, the latter far superior and, I would wager, much more representative. Drinking range: 2025 - 2050 Rating: 94-96 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2021)
(100 Semillon) 50% new oak and 50% one-year-old oak for 16-20 months 14% alc. 137 g/l residual sugar With very low yields of 8.5hL/ha, Suduiraut picked its grapes in four tries in 2020 and the first two, which were a little earlier in the picture, were deemed too light and lacking in concentration and they were downgraded (presumably into Castelnau). However, because of a dry September and therefore a late onset of botrytis, a third trie starting on 19th October and a fourth starting on the 2nd November yielded sensational noble rot-touched grapes. The resulting flavour is amazingly decadent with layers of honey and marmalade, nougat and quince. It is a firm wine, too, with stunning acidity underpinning the lusty fruit. Closed and noble, this will take a good decade to unfurl but when it does I am sure that this will be a great vintage for Suduiraut with exceptional staying power, too. Rating: 19+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2021)
Full of pleasure, silky and richly textured, easy to sink into but carefully measured at the same time, addings its layers of orange peel, bloody orange, white pepper spice and truffle slowly but surely as it inches through the palate. Tiny floral notes accompany the saline minerality on the finish. Almost no botrytis in September, and then when the weather deteriorated at the end of September things really became a bit worrying. But they were able to hold on until October 19 (after stopping at the end of September, I imagine needing nerves of steel). Yields of around 8hl/ha. 3,000 cases of Suduiraut. 137g/l of residual sugar. A great example of what botrytis does - the pH is at 4, so the freshness comes from the bitterness of botrytis not high acidities. Drinking range: 2022 - 2045 Rating: 96 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2021)
100% Sémillon. RS 137 g/l. Essentially produced from the third (19 to end October) and fourth (2–6 November) tris. Cask sample. Golden hue but still a little cloudy. Pure aromatics with peach and nectarine notes to the fore. Palate rich, fat and unctuous but balanced by the zesty, bitter-edged note of the botrytis. Very little acidity but there’s freshness all the same. Pretty long finish as well. Drinking range: 2026 - 2045 Rating: 17+ James Lawther MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2021)
Château Suduiraut
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.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.
Ordering
Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.
Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.
Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (at LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery of 2023 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2026. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.
Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-
- +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
- +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
- +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.
Storage Options:
Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2026. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.