The 2020 Château Suduiraut Vieilles Vignes Grand Vin Blanc Sec is a standout dry white from a renowned Sauternes estate, crafted from old-vine Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Elegant, textured, and mineral-driven, it reflects both the power of its terroir and the finesse of expert winemaking.

Decanter | D 95
Published: Apr 6, 2023
Drink: 2024-2036

A complex, enticing nose of white pepper, lemon, aniseed, ginger, fennel, flint and grapefruit. A blend of 58% Semillon and 42% Sauvignon Blanc from vines averaging 45 years, this is wide and deep with a shot of spiced lemon, juicy tropical fruit and stony mineral edges. Characterful and still somewhat tense but with a fresh and lifted finish. A serious, confident, cellarworthy wine which will provide lots of drinking pleasure. Aged for nine months in French oak barrels, 10% new.
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 14.00%
Body: Medium
Grapes: 42% Sauvignon Blanc 58% Sémillon

Jamessuckling.com | JS 94
Published: May 13, 2022

This is a creamy, round and delicious white with a full body and notes of white peach, mango, pineapple and almond. Some lemon cream, too. layered and caressing, with good weight, balance and freshness. From vines averaging 45 years old. 58% semillon and 42% sauvignon blanc. Drink now or hold.

Suduiraut.com

Château Suduiraut Vieilles Vignes Grand Vin Blanc Sec is made from our prestigious Premier Cru Classé terroir of Sauternes.
This wine is produced from a specific selection of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc plots, with vines on average 45 years old, specifically identified to reveal the elegance and concentration of these two grape varieties.
It perfectly reflects the strength of our terroir.

Vintage conditions
The autumn and winter of 2019-2020 were very wet. Total rainfall reached 519 mm in March, more than half the annual average. It was accompanied by mild temperatures, leading to bud break more than two weeks earlier than usual. This advance persisted, even with significantly cooler weather at the end of the month and a frosty day on 27th March.
The rest of the season remained fairly mild and rainy, requiring increased vigilance against mildew.
Flowering, although early, took place in unsettled weather, causing coulure. The impact was very irregular, varying according to the terroir, how early the plot developed, and the age of the vines.
Fine weather returned in July, with conditions becoming very dry, and above all very hot. The water reserves enabled the vines to withstand the successive heat waves, and a little rain in mid-August brought the ripening of the grapes back on track.
The ripening process drew to a close about ten days ahead of schedule under very favourable weather conditions: hot days and cool nights, which preserved the range of aromas.

Harvest
The harvest began on 27th August with the Semillon grapes from Boutoc and the Sauvignon Blanc grapes from the plateau. The next day, we harvested the second batch of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. We waited for the perfect maturity of a last plot of Semillon to end the harvest on 2nd September.
In total, it took only 7 days to harvest the grapes for our dry white wines; the 2020 harvest was the fastest and earliest in the last 15 years.

Blend
Sémillon 58%, Sauvignon blanc 42%

Ageing
90% from barrels of one vintage,
10% in new barrels, for 9 months.

Tasting note
A bright, pale yellow colour, this wine has a complex and distinguished nose. Floral and mineral with aniseed aromas, the nose leads into notes of verbena, lemon and grapefruit with a hint of hazelnut, indicative of barrel ageing. The palate has good tautness, with mineral and citrus notes leading into yellow fruit on aeration. The finish is fresh with notes of citrus, particularly lime.
A great wine that is still a little restrained, with very interesting ageing potential. Decant before enjoying it, within the next 5 years.

Pierre Montégut - Technical Director - September 2022
Bottling date: May 17th 2021

Wine Analyse
Alcohol content:14% vol.
Total acidity:3.4g/l