Suduiraut 2009 comes from a Premier Cru Classé estate in Preignac whose vines adjoin those of Yquem. It is rich and heady but kept lively by firm acidity.
About This Wine
The 2009 is 93% Sémillon and 7% Sauvignon Blanc, picked in three passes through the vines at a yield of around 19 hectolitres per hectare. It was aged for 18 to 20 months in barrel, about half of them new. With roughly 150 grams per litre of residual sugar and 14% alcohol it is a big, sweet wine, yet its acidity keeps it poised rather than heavy.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Honeycomb, quince paste and pear, with chamomile, yellow flowers and a note of clarified butter.
- Palate: Satiny and dense, with dried pineapple, apricot and exotic spice carried on a sharp line of acidity.
- Finish: Composed and lingering, with clementine, honey and a faint salty edge.
Serving & Food
Serve at 10 to 11°C in a tulip-shaped glass. It is drinking well now and has decades in hand. Foie gras terrine, a wedge of Stilton or poached pears with almond cream all suit it, and honey-glazed char siu makes a fun local pairing.
How to Enjoy
Sweet wine lovers after a mature Premier Cru Sauternes, to open now or keep for years.
Product Details
Producer: Château Suduiraut
Classification: Premier Cru Classé (1855)
Appellation: Sauternes
Region: Bordeaux, France
Vintage: 2009
Grape Blend: 93% Sémillon, 7% Sauvignon Blanc
ABV: 14%
Format: 750mL
About the Château
The property takes its name from a 1580 marriage between Nicole d'Allard and Léonard de Suduiraut. Late in the 17th century Count Blaise de Suduiraut rebuilt the house and replanted vineyards wrecked during the Fronde, and the formal gardens are credited to André Le Nôtre. Suduiraut was ranked Premier Cru in 1855, and AXA Millésimes, owner of Pichon Baron in Pauillac, has held it since 1992. About 90 hectares of vines grow on sandy-clay gravel planted roughly nine parts Sémillon to one part Sauvignon Blanc. That thin, free-draining soil keeps yields low and forces roots deep, while autumn mists from the nearby rivers encourage noble rot. Pierre Montégut, technical director here for many years, now also oversees Pichon Baron.