Wine Advisor
Suduiraut 1997
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 1997 Suduiraut has an attractive bouquet with orange pith, yellow flower and slightly earthy aromas. It is missing a little energy after 21 years. The palate is well balanced with a touch of dryness on the back palate. There is decent weight here but it almost stumbles across the finish line with an oxidative element that I have observed on previous bottles. 110gm/L residual sugar. Tasted at the Suduiraut vertical at the château.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Nose shows pungent aromas of fruit salad, flowers, coconut and oak spices, and a honeyed ripeness. Supersweet, highly concentrated and strong in extract, given clarity by fresh acids. Racy botrytis tones of honey and licorice. Finishes firm, long and complex.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Explosive, superripe aromas of peach, toffee, crème brûlée, marzipan and coconut. Fat, sweet and moderately viscous in the mouth, with harmonious ripe acidity framing and carrying the fruit through a very long finish. Very rich but stylish and impeccably balanced. Honey and spice notes on the aftertaste.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the Chateau Suduiraut vertical in London. A bright golden hue, the bouquet is relatively taciturn at the moment, a showing a trace of volatility that detracts from its delineation. Notes of dried honey, mandarin, a touch of wet wool and a touch of almond. The palate is medium-bodied, the acidity not quite in synch with the rest of the wine, toffee-ish towards the finish. There is a slight oxidative element that lends it a surprising rusticity that would not be tolerated now and it is merely a stepping-stone to more recent successes such as the 2001. Tasted October 2010.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1997 Suduiraut reveals surprisingly crisp acidity for its weight, as well as excellent richness. An intense, weighty, moderately sweet feel in the mouth, with copious quantities of buttery, honeyed fruit, impressive power, and a corpulent style, characterize this well-delineated wine. It should develop more complexity, and may merit an outstanding score after bottling. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2022.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A mature amber for a -97 Sauternes. The nose is rather one dimensional with scents of apple blossom, white flowers and a touch of hazelnut. The palate is pretty although comparatively simple compared to recent great wines produced from Yquem's neighbour. Just lacking sophistication for me, although still a pleasant drop. Tasted March 2007.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
This has never quite excelled for me, given how precocious this vintage was in Sauternes. Lots of sticky sweet botrytis in evidence out of barrel, then honey and hazelnuts developing in the bottle. Moderately deep greeny, gold colour. A rather restrained nose, lemon, apple, a little greenness. The palate has a very understated entry, superb balance but lacking that complexity and sophistication of other vintages. Very linear, steely citrus on the alcoholic finish. Tasted May 2004.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1997 Suduiraut reveals surprisingly crisp acidity for its weight, as well as excellent richness. An intense, weighty, moderately sweet feel in the mouth, with copious quantities of buttery, honeyed fruit, impressive power, and a corpulent style, characterize this well-delineated wine. It should develop more complexity, and may merit an outstanding score after bottling. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2022. (No tasting note was provided in Issue 128. We have instead included the text of the tasting note from Issue 122)
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 1997 Suduiraut has an attractive bouquet with orange pith, yellow flower and slightly earthy aromas. It is missing a little energy after 21 years. The palate is well balanced with a touch of dryness on the back palate. There is decent weight here but it almost stumbles across the finish line with an oxidative element that I have observed on previous bottles. 110gm/L residual sugar. Tasted at the Suduiraut vertical at the château.
About the Producer
Chateau Suduiraut is located in the Sauternes appellation of Bordeaux, France, which is known for its rich and sweet noble rot wines. In the 1855 Sauternes and Barsac classification, Chateau d'Yquem is the only Grand Cru classed. In addition, Château d'Yquem occupies one of the 11 châteaux in the classification that are now classified as First Growths. Château d'Yquem has a long history: in 1580, Nicole d'Allard married Leonard de Suduiraut, and the estate took its name. At the end of the 18th century, Jean Joseph Duroy, nephew of a member of the Suduiraut family at the time, took over the estate and renamed it Cru du Roy. The emblems of the two families, Xukin and Duroy, were then fused together to form the present logo of the estate. The château is a palace-like building with a beautiful garden designed by Le Notre, Louis XIV's royal gardener. In 1992, AXA Millesimes, the French insurance giant, acquired Château Xugene. AXA Millesimes is a powerful group that also owns the famous Pauillac estate, Chateau Pichon-Longueville Baron. The 91 hectares of vineyards at Château d'Azur are planted with 90% Semillon and 10% Sauvignon Blanc. Semillon is a traditional Sauternes variety that provides powerful structure to the wines, bringing full-bodied flavors of roasted dried fruit, acacia flowers and candied fruit. Sauvignon Blanc, on the other hand, is an aromatic, high-acid variety with very distinctive aromas of citrus and white peach that add complexity and acidity to the wine. The soil is predominantly gravelly and sandy clay, which is permeable and poor, requiring the vines to be deeply rooted to extract nutrients, resulting in low yields and intense mineral flavors. The gravel on the surface of the soil also absorbs heat from the sun, which helps the grapes to ripen more quickly. The planting density of the Chateau Xugene vineyard is 7,000 vines per hectare, and the average age of the vines is 35 years. The vineyard's proximity to the Ciron and Garonne rivers, with cool nights, early autumn mists and sunny afternoons, creates the right conditions for the formation and growth of noble rot. The winery prunes the grapes short to allow the bunches to enjoy more sunlight. The harvesting process at Château Xugene is very delicate, with workers picking the grapes in batches according to the infestation of noble rot, and even picking a vine several times. In terms of winemaking, Château Xukin adheres to a philosophy of quality first. The hand-picked grapes undergo a long and careful pressing process to obtain the most aromatic juice, and the fermented wine is then matured in oak barrels for 18-24 months to allow the wine to develop its full flavor and structure. The winery has strict quality standards, and if the quality of the wine does not meet expectations in a given year, the winery will even abandon the production of the year's main wine, Chateau Suduiraut, Sauternes, France. Currently, Chateau Suduiraut produces three sweet white wines, including Chateau Suduiraut, Sauternes, France, which are the best expression of the Sauternes terroir.
1948(1)1983(3)1988(1)1989(2)1990(1)1996(3)
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