2019 Lions de Suduiraut Sauternes

Suduiraut has often been described as a close runner-up to Sauterne’s clear leader d’Yquem because the wine has a viscous ripeness that coats your mouth as if the whole were wrapped in melter butter and cream. Add to this delicious fruit, like pineapples and peaches soaked in syrup, and you can get some idea of the expansive lusciousness of which Suduiraut is capable…OZ CLARKE, Bordeaux   

2019 Sauternes Vintage: The 2019 vintage is strong for the sweet botrytis-affected wines… NEAL MARTIN 

In general, the 2019 vintage should make all the Sauternes and Barsac wine lovers like me happy. The main caveat with 2019 wines is that careful selection of the grapes at harvest time was tantamount to making good wines… Careful sorting was necessary, but this means that yields throughout Sauternes and Barsac were even smaller than usual (at a paltry 10 hl/ha, the average yield of the crus classes of Sauternes, you have to wonder how these estates manage to stay in business). IAN D'AGATHA terroirsense.com 

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The potent luscious elixir of a great Sauternes is one of life’s pleasures. In the eyes of the beholder, the fact that these come in 375ml bottles could be considered an unwarranted handbrake – but it plays to their intoxicating intensity, a little goes a long way. We tasted the Sauternes great, Suduirat’s second wine last week – Lions de Suduiraut and it stopped us in our tracks.

All I could think was – if this is the second wine, then wow, what’s the big dog Suduiraut like?! And then the rep told us the price, we were astonished and didn’t believe him (even the boss Alex got on the portal to check the pricing). So today I have the pleasure of offering the 2019 Chateau Suduiraut Lions de Suduiraut.

A neighbour to d’Yquem, people often compare the lusciousness of the pair. It’s checkered past changed gears in the 2000s thanks to stable ownership and intent to awaken this sleeping giant. Wine critic Neal Martin confirms, ‘There is no question that post-2001, Suduiraut achieved long-overdue improvement in techniques and quality, proven by several verticals that I have conducted over the years…’

The vineyards cover 92 hectares across gravelly soils, with clay on the periphery. Lions de Suduiraut makes up about half of the estate's production, that’s a very large amount considering they could use the fruit for the first wine and reap triple the money. It shows how focused they are on keeping only the very best fruit for Suduiraut, with their second wine Lions being the lucky benefactor.

Long term technical director (oh how the Bordelais love a title), Pierre Monteguit has been with the estate for twenty years and has been instrumental in its rejuvenation. He knows the wine very well and has this to offer “I do not think that the style of Suduiraut has changed a great deal, there is always a sense of linearity, often a base of citrus fruits and a mineralité and/or a bitterness that lightens the finish and renders the wine more flavorsome. The length, more than its unctuousness, tends to defines Suduiraut. The richness of vintages varies the gras in the mouth, but it always remains a common trait….’  

A labour of love they need 130 to 140 pickers each year and make three to five passes through the vineyard on average. 2019 has been hyped as one of the greatest vintages in Bordeaux in the last decade (eclipsing 10, 15 and 16 perhaps?). It was a little out of the box as it combined a warm growing season with a respite downfall of rain (helping bring freshness but also wiping out yields). Botrytis came late in the season so its presence is more subtle, offering nuances of complexity to ginger spice and caramel flavours. Their freshness and evocative natures are standouts.

This will age beautifully, shedding some of its baby fat but as Galloni says (and we concur) ‘It’s absolutely delicious today.’ This is incredible value from one of the great Sauternes estates, I’ve even managed to work in a dozen deal buy – bringing a 375ml bottle to $31!

Don’t think twice on this, buy six if you're curious or a dozen if you’re a diehard.  

Cheers

Michael McNamara