With its dazzling straw yellow colour, Château Suduiraut 2008 offers a ready nose with a combination of hints of orange, candied lemon and grapefruit, backed by a refreshing tang. The crisp freshness is enhanced by touches of white blossom and frangipani. On the palate, the wine recalls all the vivacity of the vintage with a repetition of the range of aromas on the nose, plus hints of pineapple and a note of vanilla from its barrel ageing. The density reveals its discreet lusciousness. The finish, despite its roundness, carries above all a very fruity, fresh and sharp impression.
THE 2008 VINTAGE’S CONDITIONS
The winter was relatively mild and much drier than in 2007. The mild, rainy spring nonetheless surprised everyone with the extensive cold snap of April 7 affecting two thirds of the harvest. A wet spring followed by a gloomy summer resulted in widespread downy mildew. Successive treatments and leaf and crop thinning were required to maintain the healthy condition of the vines. Full ripeness in satisfactory conditions was only reached as from September 15.
The first two pickings (up to October 15) of the harvest were marked by a combination of shrivelled grapes and very pure botrytis. That made for some very rich must and above all, as a characteristic feature of the vintage, a touch higher acidity than usual. The miserable weather meant that picking had to be halted and it was not until October 20 that the third ‘trie’ was undertaken, with a slight drop in alcohol content, but musts boasting all the characteristics of botrytis. The subsequent light rainfall considerably slowed down the pace of picking. The batches picked in early November were very pure, but had lower concentration levels. The harvest was completed on November 19, 2008, one of the latest in the last twenty years.
BLEND 92% Sémillon - 8% Sauvignon
COMPOSITION Alcohol Content: 13.5° - Total Acidity: 4.3 - Residual Sugar: 135 g/l
AGEING 40%