2016 Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes 375ml (Ex-Chateau 2024) (Pre-arrival)

Antonio Galloni 97 – The 2016 Suduiraut is fabulous. Crème brulée, passion fruit, tangerine peel and exotic floral notes all race out of the glass. I marvel at how Suduiraut can deliver so much flavor intensity and yet remain so gracious and classy. The 140 grams of residual sugar are very well integrated. This is such a gorgeous wine. (Drink between 2024-2046)

Wine Enthusiast 97 – This is a dense wine, full of rich fruit, bitter orange and apricot. Its ripe fruit is balanced by the intense botrytis while it is also freshened by the wine’s acidity. This is a great wine with a long-term future.

Barrel Sample: 95–97 Points

James Suckling 95 – A very concentrated Sauternes with a cornucopia of dried papaya, pineapple and mango, plus candied orange and tropical flowers that bowl you over. Although it stays in the background, there’s great acidity in this wine that keeps it very straight and clean, in spite of the luscious extravagance. Bright, citrusy finish. Drink or hold.

Jeb Dunnuck 95 – As to the Sauternes, the 2016 Château Suduiraut boasts a medium gold color and a fresh, clean, beautifully perfumed bouquet of orange blossom, honeyed pineapple, and flowers, with notable botrytis, which can be lacking in a number of Sauternes in 2016. With moderate acidity, a fleshy, full-bodied texture, and loads of fruits, it’s geared more toward drinking over the coming 10-15 years than any over-the-top cellaring.

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate 94 – Yet another distinctive wine, the 2016 Suduiraut reveals a spicy, intriguing bouquet of licorice, acacia, curry leaf and exotic fruits mingled with ripe orchard fruits. Moderately weighted and perfectly balanced, it’s charming and round, with a rich core of fruit framed by a gastronomic bitterness and a long, penetrating finish.