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Wine Description
The Story
Classed as a Premier Cru in 1855, it is made from grapes selected from the finest terroirs of the property. This wine is hand crafted at every stage of its elaboration and reveals remarkable finesse and complexity and a golden colour reminiscent of the sun that made it possible. With age the bright gold evolves to a dark amber colour.
With an extensive life-span, it powerfully and harmoniously combines fruit and floral aromas with roasted and candied notes.
Its superlative elegance comes from a match of total opposites: a voluptuous texture, mineral freshness and the heat of spices. Château Suduiraut is designed for all those who enjoy sensory and emotional experiences that are both rich and full of surprises and leave a lasting memory.
Wine Information
2019 was marked by a rainy late autumn and early winter, very mild temperatures and just one week-long cold spell during this period.
Particular vigilance was required to prevent any damage from mildew after rainfall at the beginning of the growing cycle in April. The weather conditions during flowering, at the beginning of June, were mixed and we observed some coulure in certain plots. From mid-June onwards, temperatures rose sharply and we were faced with two heat waves, at the end of June and the end of July, which the vines fortunately bore well. On 26th July, a heavy thunderstorm with more than 100 mm of rainfall brought temperatures down and restored some water reserves to the soil. Ripening resumed in August, which was largely dry. The entire vineyard was very healthy.
The harvest began on 17th September and ended on 30th October, with a total of three selective pickings.The very dry weather in September favoured passerillage rather than Botrytis at this stage. On 17th September we began a first vineyard clean-up that lasted a week. We finished on 24th September with 32 hectolitres harvested. Around 30 millimetres of rainfall at the end of September triggered the start of Botrytis cinerea. Its development in our sector was slow and concentration was long in coming.
As we resumed harvesting on 10th October, the highly satisfactory quality of the different batches, worthy of the finest vintages, was evident. As the selection was very meticulous and slow, and in view of the forecast rainfall, we decided to concentrate our efforts on our vineyard's great terroirs. This picking ended on 22nd October before heavy rains on the 23rd and 24th (more than 50 mm). We were able to resume on 28th October for a third and last picking, which ended on 30th October before more rainfall. Ultimately the yield was 7 hectolitres per hectare, with some very fine batches from the second picking.
Bottling date: June 24th 2021
Vintage 2019
BORDEAUX 2019 VINTAGE
When I was visiting Bordeaux early March, Corona was a threat on the horizon and France has been more concerned by a strike of the air traffic control. However, I was travelling to Bordeaux and had the chance to get some first insights to the 2019 vintage. I was very much looking forward to the “en primeur tastings” which were scheduled for March 26, 2020 but the tastings were cancelled mid-March. Immediately I contacted the different associations and wineries in Bordeaux and asked for samples.
The result was a small number of wines which arrived in Essen before the shutdown of France made shipments rather difficult. These first samples of the vintage 2019 were tasted under pristine conditions to assure a fair and equal assessment of all qualities. In fact, the samples proved right the opinion of some of Bordeaux’ leading figures. Bruno-Eugène Borie from Château Ducru-Beaucaillou sees 2019 in a line with the excellent vintages of 2016, 2010, 2009 und 2005.
Henri Lurton talks about his best vintage, along with 2016, he has ever vinified at Château Brane-Cantenac. Philippe Dhalluin from Château Mouton-Rothschild asses the vintage as rich and abundant in quality and also in quantity. After some smaller crops they came back to an average production.
Emmanuel Cruse from Château d’Issan sees that 2019 has a lot in common with 2016 yet preserving more freshness. It is a very good vintage but appearing at a very difficult time on the market. In fact, the start of this vintage was very positive. Enough precipitations during winter were retained by soils like chalk and clay. Vineyards on these water retaining soils had a huge advantage in the future growing period. With exception of a wet June, the vintage has taken advantage of a rather dry climatic condition, which prevented diseases in the vineyards to a huge extend. No chance for powdery or downy mildew. Even the heat waves were not really harming the vines as rain set in, always at the last moment but still early enough to prevent massive water stress and a slow-down of the maturity. The late physiological maturity brought a lot of alcohol, but the wines show more freshness as in the previous years.
Fabien Teitgen, Winemaker of Smith-Haut-Lafitte relates this freshness to the good acidity “due to cool night temperatures during the ripening period”. This fact is also good news for white wines. „They are the big surprise “, says Olivier Bernard of Domaine de Chevalier.
At Château Coutet in Barsac, Philippe and Aline Baly were harvesting in three passes with a total of 19 harvesting days. They judge the conditions as rather ideal: “These climatic conditions have generated a harvest whose quality is indisputably present.” Same samples made their way to Essen and I have tasted them. Some more samples are announced and will hopefully arrive during the current week. There will be a weekly update of my tasting notes, whenever samples will arrive.
Unfortunately, 2019 arrives in a difficult time, the Corona virus puts the world in fear and makes trade more and more difficult. Trade berries and new customs duties create a difficult frame for this vintage. However, we should not forget one thing: there are wonderful 2019s waiting for us, wines with ageing potential and charm which will survive every crisis.