Château Suduiraut, 1er Cru Classé, Sauternes,

The 2005 Suduiraut resulted from five different pickings. Everything was easy in the vineyard, but the wine struggled to ferment because of its richness. Pale to medium lemon-gold in color, it has a fabulously complex nose of creme caramel, praline, apricot preserves, and apple pie with hints of candied ginger and fallen leaves. Full-bodied and yet wonderfully refreshing, it has loads of savory and stone fruit layers, finishing long and nutty.

The 2005 Suduiraut has been a curious vintage, the bottles perhaps a little more inconsistent than ensuing years. Here, the bouquet takes a while to get going, eventually settling with dried honey, quince and a touch of baking powder. The palate is well balanced with a viscous opening, delivering notes of orange rind, Clementine, white pepper and a slight nuttiness that becomes more conspicuous towards the finish. To be honest, I think a better Suduiraut could have been made in this propitious growing season and three or four bottles have tasted better in the past. 163gm/L residual sugar. Tasted at the Suduiraut vertical at the château.