Petit Guiraud Sauternes 2020 Half Bottle

Petit Guiraud Sauternes, Bordeaux, 2020, Half Bottle 

Grapes: The wine is a blend of 65% Semillon and 35% Sauvignon Blanc, 25ha vineyard on mostly sandy gravel soil, 25-30 year old vines, partial fermentation in oak, aged 12 months in oak barrels, 86.8g/L residual sugar

A second wine to the first growth Sauternes Chateau Guiraud. From another excellent year for Sauternes, this wine has an unctuous feel, with apricot, date, meringue and almond cream notes all rolled together and lingering through the rounded finish. Ripe, polished and long. 

Producer Tasting Note:

"Attractive golden color with a beautiful sheen. After an initial fresh, lemony nose, notes of dried apricot and pink grapefruit develop. The palate is airy, delicate and very zesty, inviting you to take a second sip. This wine is pure indulgence for totally uninhibited drinking." Sandrine Garbay (Director)

Critic's Tasting Note:

"Pale golden yellow, silver reflections. Some honey, subtle nuances of lanolin, a touch of botrytis, candied grapefruit zest. Medium-bodied, white peaches, a fine acidity, lemony on the finish, elegant."

90/100 points, FALSTAFF, January 2023

Petit Guiraud is a modern Sauternes made by Xavier Planty, a co-owner and Château Guiraud oenologist since 1982. It is made partly from batches that have been fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats and partly from batches fermented in new French oak barrels, which provide and restore freshness and minerality to the wine. This perfect balance, which results in an extremely refined sweetness, is given extra freshness by a high proportion of Sauvignon. 

Château Guiraud was also certified organic in 2011, the first Chateau in Sauternes/Barsac to achieve this certification, they have been using organic farming methods since 1996.

Food Match: Roquefort blue cheese.