One of the best CDLR’s in the biz showing beautifully tonight with an ultra complex and seductive bouquet of candied red cherries, rose petals, coffee beans and game meat. The palate is luxuriously silky with obvious grand cru and old vine concentration, particularly for the vintage, and there is beautiful purity and elegance to balance its power. Its spice and mineral inflicted finale just keeps on going. 07 Burgundy are in such a great spot. — 2 months ago
Medium lemon , hints of gold , quite a healthy colour with fine pretty persistent bubbles still . This quite intense with candied lemon peel , brioche , oyster shells , touch of porcini . On the palate this is intense ,with good volume and vibrant acidity. Buttered brioche , oyster shell , candied orange and lemon peel . Really quite lovely and intense , long and toasted brioche , chalky finish . This is at peak now , but no rush from here over the next 5 perhaps 10 years . — 3 months ago
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. — 3 days ago
I have posted a number of older vintage Jones Family Cabernets. Many 20 yrs and older. Three to four 97’s…none better than this one. I give few wines a score above 96. This is different. It is so close to perfect. Some might give it a 100. I struggle to give a wine a perfect 100. I have only done it 4 times in an estimated 25k wines tasted or bottles I’ve enjoyed. One was a port made before 1886 and tasted in Oporto at Taylor Fladgate’s tasting room in 2015, it was their Scion. Only sold there and at the time 5k at bottle. You end up there purchase the Scion taste regardless of the current cost. They put on a tasting show for you. I am half tempted here to give out a 100 but will refrain.
I am not sure what to add to that but will attempt to do so.
The nose is a beautiful, perfectly evolved Napa Cabernet. Nothing overpowers any of its singular components. I think the word I am looking for is harmony. Lush, plush, ruby dark currants/cassis. The best, mid, subtle/gentle/soft, dark spice box I certainly can remember, lush blackberries, both plums, dark, not quite liqueur cherries, a mix of subtle purple fruits, poached to baked strawberries, some light hints of raspberries, dark sweet tarriness, melted dark chocolate, anise to black licorice, steep fruit tea leaning into black tea, sweet/soft leather, moist tobacco, sandalwood, dark, rich forest floor, sweet graphite, hints of dry twig, a flutter note of eucalyptus, dry, withering & slightly candied florals that are; dark, red & blue & framed in light lavender with more pronounced liquid violets.
The palate wire to wire is even & stupidly, gloriously, grand. It mirrors the nose very closely. Lush, plush, ruby dark currants/cassis. The best mid, subtle/gentle/soft, dark spice box w/ some light palate heat, best I certainly can remember, lush blackberries, both plums, dark, kirsch not quite liqueur cherries, a mix of subtle purple fruits, poached to baked strawberries, some light hints of raspberries, dark sweet tarriness, melted dark chocolate, anise to black licorice, steep fruit tea leaning into black tea, beautifully layered baking spices-clove, nutmeg, cinnamon stick & vanillin, caramel, sweet/soft leather, moist tobacco w/ a hint is ash, sandalwood, dark, rich forest floor, dry, crushed rock powder, dry top soil, crushed limestone powder, sweet graphite, hints of dry twig, a fluttering note of eucalyptus, dry, withering & slightly candied florals that are; dark, red & blue framed in light lavender with more pronounced liquid violets, perfect, rainfall acidity, extremely well balanced, even & subtle tension-structure that stands up on the long set, refined elegance with a finish that goes on and on and eventually lands on spice & beautiful, refined earthiness.
What a bottle! 98 that leans into 99. I paid somewhere between $80-$90 on the secondary market for this bottle. — 2 months ago
Château Pavie Macquin 2023 – Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, Premier Grand Cru Classé. BDX France 🇫🇷
Overview
A refined and confidently composed Saint-Émilion driven by a 78% Merlot-dominant blend with 20% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon support, showcasing noble structure, polished fruit, and effortless balance. The wine emphasizes finesse, reliability, and clarity rather than sheer power, delivering a harmonious expression that feels immediately approachable while retaining long-term pedigree.
Aromas & Flavors
Black cherry, blackberry, red plum, crushed limestone, violet petal, subtle graphite, cocoa powder, gentle spice and fresh herbal nuance.
Mouthfeel
Medium-plus body with a supple, graceful entry, finely woven tannins, beautifully integrated acidity, excellent mid-palate harmony, and a long, elegant finish that glides with precision and calm authority.
Food Pairings
Roast chicken with herbs, duck confit, filet mignon, mushroom risotto, aged Comté, grilled vegetables with olive oil and thyme.
Verdict
A beautifully proportioned Right Bank wine emphasizing elegance, consistency, and structural purity. It delivers high-level craftsmanship without excess drama, a wine that earns trust and admiration through balance and restraint.
🍷 Personal Pick
This feels like a wine you can always count on, noble, polished, quietly confident, and endlessly drinkable. Tons of finesse without any rough edges, making it both comforting and impressive at the same time. The kind of bottle that never disappoints. — 3 days ago
2014 vintage. 375 ML format. Tasted with @Neil Valenzuela Gorgeous, somewhat candied and dominant melon fruits evident currently. In the youthful, know it all phase now. Has the basis/structure for the long haul. Load up the truck now or in three decades. Thank you @Neil Valenzuela So good. 12.10.25. — a month ago

NOSE: muted, red fruit, oaky vanilla, graphite
TASTE: super smooth, the fruit is candied and dried (cherry and maybe some fig?), mild spices and earth and fragrant wood — still enough acidity to keep it balanced. I like more fruit and oomph, but it is good. 92. — 3 months ago
Still high acid, rich ripe red fruits with a hint of mushroom. Silky. — 4 months ago
Andrew Cullimore
Medium lemon , light copper hue . Some light but persistent bubbles still. This is quite serious and rich on the nose , with some orange rind , walnut , touch of mushroom and meaty , soy hints . Quite rich , intense and dense on the palate but with good freshness still , long with orange rind and walnut. Perfect now and over the next 5 years or so . At Noble Rot , London , 15th Jan 2026 — a day ago