2013 Château Suduiraut, Sauternes, Bordeaux
Critics reviews
13.5% alcohol, 145gm/L residual sugar.
The 2013 Suduiraut, picked from 3 to 30 October, is destined to be overshadowed by the succeeding two vintages. The aromatics feel very “contained” with beeswax, dried honey, and light spicy aromas, but they lack a top vintage’s intensity. The palate is very well balanced with crisp acidity, very focused and poised, perhaps a more approachable Suduiraut since it does not possess the concentration of a more benevolent growing season. But it retains admirable freshness, and the aftertaste has a lovely spiciness and a dab of ginger.
Drink 2019 - 2040
Neal Martin, Vinous.com (March 2019)
92% Sémillon and 8% Sauvignon Blanc; 50% new oak.
Bright yellow with a golden tinge. Deep, pure and rather refined on the nose, with aromas of exotic fruits, hazelnut and honey complicated by a boatload of smoky botrytis. Opulent on the attack, then large-scaled and solidly structured in the middle palate, delivering very pure, precise flavours of caramel apple, mango, papaya, grapefruit and honey.
Big but not heavy, this finishes rich, strong and long, with notes of vanilla and sweet spices framed by laser-like acidity—a knockout Suduiraut. The estate performed three tries from late September to late October, but the wine is made up almost entirely of the second picking. This marvellously balanced wine sports roughly 145 grams per litre of residual sugar and about 5.6 grams of total acidity.
Ian D'Agata, Vinous.com (May 2014)
93% Sémillon, 7% Sauvignon Blanc. Harvested 26 September to 30 October (3 tris). Yield 15 hl/ha. Aged 20 months in oak barrels (45% new, 55% one year). RS 145 g/l, TA 3.6.
Bright gold hue. Lively and engaging with perhaps a greater expression of fruit. Tropical- and citrus-fruit notes with a touch of mint. Rich and intense on attack. Botrytis evident. Pure in its expression. Similar to 2007 but greater purity.
Drink 2022 - 2045
James Lawther MW, JancisRobinson.com (December 2023)
Aromas of grapefruit, confit citron, kumquat and lemon preface the 2013 Suduiraut, a moderately weighted, juicy and textured wine with a sweet, layered and round palate that segues into a long, mineral and fresh finish. Harvested between September 26 and October 30 in three tries, with a yield of 15 hectoliters per hectare, this blend of 93% Sémillon and 7% Sauvignon Blanc was matured for 20 months in 45% new oak barrels and 55% one-year-old oak barrels. It contains 145 grams per litre of residual sugar.
Drink 2020 - 2040
Yohan Castaing, Wine Advocate (June 2024)
This is phenomenal, with superb depth and texture. It is full-bodied and very sweet, yet the bright acidity balances the wine out. The mouthfeel is creamy with phenolic undertones. The finish is great. This wine has a great future—better in 2021, but already great.
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (February 2016)
About this WINE
Chateau Suduiraut
Château Suduiraut is located in the commune of Preignac and its vineyards border those of d`Yquem. The property has a long history stretching back to the 15th century. Only a solitary wing remains of the original château, as it was destroyed by the Duc d`Eperon in the 16th century. The present château was built in the 17th century by the Suduiraut family, who also commissioned a spectacular garden designed by Le Nôtre. Suduiraut was classified as a 1er Cru Classé in 1855.
Since 1992 Suduiraut has been owned by AXA which also owns Château Pichon-Longueville in Pauillac and Château Petit-Village in Pomerol.
Suduiraut's 90 hectares of vineyards are planted with 80% Sémillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc. The grapes are harvested in several "tries" and are fermented in 50-hectolitre stainless steel tanks. The wine is then aged in small barriques (33% new) for 24 months.
Suduiraut's winemaker Pierre Pascaud has produced a series of outstanding wines which are powerful, complex and beautifully harmonious. The wines show at their best with at least 10 years of bottle age.
Sauternes
Sauternes is where arguably the world's finest sweet white wines are produced. The Sauternes appellation actually consists of five communes: Barsac, Preignac, Bommes, Fargues and Sauternes itself. Barsac is also an appellation in its own right.
Sauternes literally has an atmosphere different from any of the other major communes. At the southern tip of the Graves,close to the Garonne, not only is the land hillier and decidedly more bucolic but it also enjoys a specific mesoclimate of evening autumn mists which linger until well into the following day, unless burnt off by warm sunshine.
The mists are caused by the cool, spring-fed waters of the Ciron River meeting the warmer tidal Garonne, and the result is an ideal environment for the growth of the mould botrytis cinerea. When its arrival is felicitous, it feeds on the water in the ripe grapes, dehydrating them and leaving sweet, shriveled fruit.Other regions in Bordeaux (ie Cadillac, Loupiac) produce wines in a similar style from the same method, but none achieve the profundity and complexity of Sauternes.
Recommended Châteaux : Ch. D'Yquem, Ch. Climens (Barsac), Ch. Suduiraut, Ch. Rieussec, Sigalas- Rabaud, Ch. Coutet (Barsac), Ch. de Fargues, Ch. Lafaurie-Peyraguey, Ch. Doisy-Védrines (Barsac), Chateau Partarrieu, La Tour Blanche
Sauvignon Blanc & Sémillon
The blend used for White Graves and Sauternes and rarely encountered outside France. In the great dry whites of Graves, Sauvignon Blanc tends to predominate in the blend, although properties such as Smith Haut Lafite use 100% Sauvignon Blanc while others such as Laville Haut Brion have as much as 60% Sémillon in their final blends. Sauvignon Blanc wines can lose their freshness and fruit after a couple of years in bottle - if blended with Sémillon, then the latter bolsters the wine when the initial fruit from the Sauvignon fades. Ultimately Sauvignon Blanc gives the wine its aroma and raciness while Sémillon gives it backbone and longevity.
In Sauternes, Sémillon is dominant, with Sauvignon Blanc playing a supporting role - it is generally harvested about 10 days before Sémillon and the botrytis concentrates its sweetness and dampens Sauvignon Blanc`s naturally pungent aroma. It contributes acidity, zip and freshness to Sauternes and is an important component of the blend.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
Utter liquid decadence! It feels “naughty” trying this magnificent wine—heady aromas of white peach, passion fruit, pineapple and mango all interwoven with clotted cream. Somebody bring us a spoon! Massive concentration with a tangible weight to it none of the other Sauternes we tried had apart from D’Yquem (our top wine of the vintage), but it will be approximately a 10th of the price. In the last 50 years, 2013 will be regarded just below 1967 and 2001 but above 2007/2005/2003. Nectar of the Gods!
Berry Bros. & Rudd
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