Freddy R. Troya

9.5

Château Suduiraut, 2023, Sauternes BDX, France 🇫🇷

Overview
Premier Cru Classé Sauternes delivering pure botrytis luxury blend of 80% Semillon, 15% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Sauvignon Gris with remarkable tension and precision. Lush honeyed richness balanced by vibrant acidity and a beautifully layered texture that feels both decadent and weightless. Sensual, polished, and deeply expressive, this is a dessert wine that seduces rather than overwhelms.

Aromas & Flavors
Orange blossom, acacia honey, apricot confit, ripe peach, saffron, candied citrus peel, subtle vanilla bean, almond paste, and a whisper of ginger spice. Floral lift intertwines with botrytis-driven sweetness and fresh citrus brightness.

Mouthfeel
Silky, viscous, and coating without heaviness. Glycerol richness glides across the palate while acidity keeps the wine lifted, focused, and endlessly drinkable. Long, luxurious, and caressing finish.

Food Pairings
Foie gras torchon, blue cheese (Roquefort or Stilton), apricot tart, almond pastries, honey-drizzled chèvre, citrus-based desserts, or simply enjoyed solo as a contemplative finale.

Verdict
Sublime, sexy, and impeccably balanced. A masterclass in tension between sweetness and freshness, delivering pleasure, elegance, and emotional impact in equal measure. A benchmark nightcap wine.

Did You Know?
Château Suduiraut sits adjacent to Château d’Yquem and shares similar gravelly terroir and noble rot influence, often delivering First Growth-level finesse at a more approachable price point.

🍯 Personal Pick
This wine feels like a French kiss, seductive tension, velvet weight, and honeyed decadence wrapped in electric freshness. The viscosity caresses the palate while the acidity keeps everything irresistibly alive. — 4 months ago

Neil Valenzuela

9.5

Still bubbly! This 50 year old champagne is amazing! Almond, brioche and citrus finish. — a year ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

8.9

Big and broad. Some tartness, meyer lemon, almond, hint mandarine. A little hot 14%. — 2 years ago

Tom Garland

9.2

2nd annual harvest luncheon. Favorite Napa Valley Chardonnay. YUM!

Wines
2019 reisling
2006 chardonnay
1996 chardonnay
2020 chardonnay
2013 chardonnay
2019 cabernet sauvignon
2012 cabernet sauvignon
2019 semillon

Lunch:
Pickled strawberry salad
Miso marinated NY Strip
Grilled organic vegetables
Meyer lemon almond cake — 3 years ago

with Brenda

Jay Kline

9.4

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2006 pours a deep straw color with a persistent mousse. On the nose, the wine is developing with lovely notes of slightly bruised apple, white flowers, lemon curd, brioche, slivered almond and a mix of chalk and limestone minerals. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and creamy. I wish I could drink this all night long. Alas, only a single 750mL and not a Methuselah. Drinking well now and will only be taking on more secondary and tertiary character. But if that’s your thing (and I can get down), this will deliver well past 2036. — 4 months ago

Vanessa

9.2

🤩 Benanti is an iconic, family run estate with a front-seat majestic view of Etna’s terrain, founded by Giuseppe Benanti in 1988, now carried forward by Giuseppe’s two sons Antonio and Salvino. Preserving the heritage of Etna’s unique terroir, the Benantis devote themselves to making wine with local varieties. 🍇

After delicate pressing, the free-run juice underwent fermentation with an indigenous yeast and aged on the fine lees in stainless steel for 30 months with regular bâtonnage (stirring). 😆

📝 The result is divine with a bouquet of harmonious aromas and flavors featuring ripe papaya, mango, cantaloup, white nectarine, kumquat, bergamot, lemon oil, cherry blossom, cream, toast, gunflint, fresh tarragon, sage, crushed stones, oystershell, sea spray & blanched almond notes.

💫This wine has verve & elegance!

😋 On the palate, it’s dry, with electrifying acidity, a medium body, textured mouthfeel, medium alcohol (12.5% ABV) & persistent finish. — 9 months ago

with Deked1

Andrew Cullimore

9.3

Medium lemon colour . Very little perlage . This is quite mature on the nose with some orange rind , touch of honied brioche , dried chanterelles and some oyster shell . Some roasted almond , really quite intense on the palate , high refreshing mineral tinged acidity , orange peel , nutty , slightly honied long and quite electric finish. This holds up pretty well in the glass becoming more chalky and mineral. Drink now and over the next few years, at least on this showing . — a year ago

David Koenen

9.5

Glue in the smell. Big, complex and delicately sweet. Long, and very rich in botrytis. Beautifully dramatic. Almond flavour, canned peaches. Honey all over. Great. — 5 months ago

Jay Kline

9.5

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2019 pours a pale yellow color with medium+ viscosity. On the nose, the wine is developing with intense, ripe notes of Comice pears, baked green apple, mixed fruit cup, lemons, white tree flowers, lanolin, raw almond, tarragon, a touch of raw honey and minerals. On the palate, the wine is off-dry(?) with high acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and the texture is waxy. I questioned the off-dry call because I actually think it’s dry but the power and ripeness of the fruit, not to mention the 15% ABV(!!), give the impression of sweetness. An utterly balanced wine despite the big personality. A wine that gives main character energy. I wish I had a week or more to track the development because this is such a wee babe. Drink now to experience its youth and enjoy through 2049. — 9 months ago

Vanessa

9.6

Birthday weekend bubbles! 🥂🍾

With notes of candied pear & orange peel, yellow apple, lemon curd, nectarine, yellow cherries, raspberry coulis, fruitcake, toast, smoke, brioche, pastry, biscuit, dried rose petals, anise, nougat, roasted almond, wet stones.

A creamy mousse and mouthfeel — stunning. 😍 — a year ago

with Deked1