Wine Advisor
Suduiraut 2015
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2015 Suduiraut comes with 123 grams per liter of residual sugar, more modest than some of its Sauternes peers and 4.56 grams per liter of acidity. It has a sense of completeness on the nose already: immense clarity with wild honey and quince aromas that gain intensity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with very pure botrytised fruit, very focused and one of the most intense Sauternes you will find this year. It feels long and sophisticated in the mouth yet never overpowers, never really has to put its foot right down on the accelerator. This is a wonderful Suduiraut, not quite up to the level of the ethereal 2009...although not too far off.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2015 Suduiraut was a little more backward than its fellow Sauternes after bottling, eventually opening to offer dried honey, yellow flowers, hints of quince and a subtle pressed flower scent. The palate is well balanced with a mellifluous opening, a powerful and assertive Suduiraut with layers of botrytized fruit and a captivating, spicy finish that lingers long in the mouth. Outstanding—this is one of the best Sauternes in 2015.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2015 Suduiraut is gracious and wonderfully expressive. Floral, citrus, mint and lightly honeyed notes convey an impression of sophistication and restraint. Beautifully sketched, with terrific delineation, lift and poise, the wine whispers rather than shouts. The blend is 94% Sémillon with 6% Sauvignon.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2015 Suduiraut is delicate, polished and impeccably balanced from the very first taste. Scents of orange peel, candied lemon, white flowers and mint abound. Silky and nuanced, the Suduiraut captures the essence of the vintage in its restrained personality. A closing flourish of expressive floral notes rounds things out nicely.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2015 Suduiraut has a backward bouquet that needs more encouragement from the glass than any other Sauternes. But it is worth persevering as it offers lovely waxy, dried honey and quince aromas with time. The palate is rich on the entry with spice and ginger, thickly textured but never cloying, a fair amount of oak used here but it is perfectly assimilated. Stunning. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2015 Suduiraut has a wonderful bouquet with quince, almond scents, and hints of white flower that emerge with time. There is a sense of roundness to the nose and it gains intensity all the time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with superb precision right from the start. This is full of tension, shimmering in the glass, veins of blood orange and spice rending the finish so lively and effervescent that this will be extremely difficult to resist in its first years of life, even though it will age magnificently. 14.0% alcohol, 138gm/L residual sugar. Tasted at the Suduiraut vertical at the château.
Reviewed by: Yohan Castaing
One of the most singular wines in this vertical tasting, the 2015 Suduiraut possesses a deep, complex bouquet of exotic fruits, pineapple, white flowers and ripe orchard fruits mingled with vanilla pod and menthol hints. Medium to full-bodied, rich and concentrated with an enveloping palate, it has a fleshy core of fruit, controlled power and a delicate, gourmand and penetrating finish. It elegantly combines finesse and power. One of my favorites, this blend of 94% Sémillon and 6% Sauvignon Blanc is a splendid bottle in the making after a minimum of 15-25 years in the cellar, even if it is approachable right now. Matured for 18 months in oak barrels (50% new and 50% one-year-old), it contains 138 grams per liter of residual sugar and was produced at a yield of 16 hectoliters per hectare.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2015 Suduiraut has a wonderful bouquet with quince, almond scents, and hints of white flower that emerge with time. There is a sense of roundness to the nose and it gains intensity all the time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with superb precision right from the start. This is full of tension, shimmering in the glass, veins of blood orange and spice rending the finish so lively and effervescent that this will be extremely difficult to resist in its first years of life, even though it will age magnificently. 14.0% alcohol, 138gm/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.
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