Ch.Suduiraut 2007 750ml

Wine Advocate #227, Oct 29, 2016, by Neal Martin
The 2007 Suduiraut is a Sauternes that is just beginning to "motor" as it approaches its tenth birthday. The bouquet is much more open than when I last tasted this wine in 2011, with upfront honey, lemon rind and apricot blossom aromas that pack a punch. The palate is powerful and intense, layers of honeyed fruit, crisp acidity and the Sauvignon Blanc component now giving way more to Sémillon. This is a Sauternes of width and girth and as such it deserves another decade in bottle. Just superb.

The responsibility lies with Leonard de Suduiraut, a Bordeaux parliamentarian, who in 1580 married Nicole d'Allard, whose family owned the land that is today the site of the eponymously named chateau. This fine property was not where the 16th-century newlyweds lived, however, as this was not erected until many years later.
This construction of the fine chateau, was a response to the local Governor, the Duc d'Epernon, who having fallen out with the Suduirauts expressed his rage by flattening their property, forcing the family to redesign and rebuild. In the process the Comte Blaise de Suduiraut, Leonard's grandson, created one of the finest properties in all Bordeaux, and he surrounded his pristine and elegant chartreuse-style two-storey chateau with an expanse of gardens. These are still a notable feature of Chateau Suduiraut, having been designed by Andre Le N'tre, who was also responsible for the creation of the Sun King's gardens at the Palace of Versailles, the Tuileries Gardens in Paris, as well as the gardens at a number of other historic estates.

Cheese, Blue Cheeses