Nose

At first the nose is fresh and delicate. Initially marked by notes of fruit such as yellow peach, candied apricot and kumquat, it leads into aromas from barrel ageing like vanilla, light caramel and spices. On airing, floral and spicy fragrances develop, in particular rose and curry. The attack is soft and fresh.

Palate

The palate is smooth and velvety with aromas of red fruit, orange and candied pineapple. The finish perpetuates this fresh and elegant mouthfeel. It is invigorated by spices, candied fruit, acacia honey and liquorice.

Château Suduiraut 2016 is still very young, but it displays an appealing and very elegant character that already make it most enjoyable. It benefits from great ageing potential.

Growing Conditions

Years come and go, and no two are ever alike. After a very dry 2015 vintage, 2016 was characterised by a damp beginning to the year: the first four months of 2016 saw the equivalent of the entire rainfall of 2015. The sun returned from June onwards and nature quickly made up for lost time.

Warm, dry weather set in for three months from July, resulting in water stress which delayed the harvest, but the old vines withstood the conditions with ease.

Harvest

The harvest period ran from 22nd September to 9th November, with four selective pickings in total.

A welcome storm on 20th September triggered botrytis which allowed the first selective picking to be performed on 22nd September. The summer's very hot and dry weather dried out the grapes in various areas. We harvested the plots most heavily affected by this form of concentration from 22nd to 28th September and from 4th to 7th October. The batches were rich and offered vital acidity. The second selective picking began on 11th October following a second period of rainfall, and the third was staggered with its predecessor until the end of the month. The last two weeks offered the highest quality and the most prolific quantity, with more than 75 % of the harvest being gathered during this period. We began the final selective picking in early November, finishing on the 9th of the month.

The 2016 harvest was generous at more than 22 hl/ha and is extremely promising, complex, rich and gourmand.

Bottling

Bottling date: July 31st 2018

Aging

50% in new barrels,
50% from barrels of one vintage, for 18 months.

Appearance

Château Suduiraut 2016 reveals a fine golden colour.