Suduiraut 2013

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.

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.

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