Chateau Guiraud Premier Cru Classe, Sauternes

Consistent with my last bottle. Honey, lemon, a hint of spice. Great mouthfeel and finish. This is really nice but not overly complex.

2004 vintage

Pop and poured. Totally smooth and mellow with no hard edges. Lots of apricot and honey. Not the most complex example but really nice and it disappeared quickly. I don't see any upside. 94+

2004 vintage

Note in progress Intense dried apricot, a little candied lemon peel, saffron and butterscotch. The latter two are emphasized on the palate, unctuous with perhaps just enough acid though feeling a tad heavy.

2001 vintage

Massive and opulent, with oozing golden apricot and peach, orange marmalade flavors, a luscious texture, and a persistent finish. A touch of volatility on this which I often get with Sauternes, but it did not detract.

2009 vintage

Served by my cousin. Beautiful aged Sauternes. Just a perfect blend of sweetness and acidity.

2011 vintage

Tasted from a half bottle. This is outstanding. Deep amber. High acid, full body, moderate alcohol, extraordinarily long finish. Pronounced aromas of dried blossoms, dried meyer lemon peel, stewed apricot, marmalade, sultanas, honey, cedar, toast, almond, marzipan, hay--all of them distinct. Also a touch of sweet baking spices--really delicious. The acid easily balances the rich fruit and residual sugar. It's clearly developed, but nowhere close to faded. Personally I would drink now because I don't think it will improve (at …

2009 vintage

In a really good spot for my palette. Not overly sweet. Served at 38 F.

2011 vintage

In a great spot right now, with notes of pineapple, coconut, fig, vanilla, and honey leading the way. Still on the brawny side, with hints of burnt toast and mixed nuts weaving in. Just enough acidity to keep it rolling. Outstanding.

2009 vintage

Klar ravgul. Intens nese med aprikos, appelsinmarmelade, nøtter, sitrus, mineraler. Svært konsentrert i munnen med aprikos, mango, appelsinmarmelade, sitrus, og noe steinmineraler. Meget lang med flere lag. 95

2009 vintage

From a 375, two years since my last. The nose has begun to evolve beautifully, showing eucalyptus and jasmine tea. M+ acidity, syrupy rs. Candied lychee on the palate, closing long on caramelized honey. Extremely satisfying, perhaps slightly sweet relative to the acid, but that's a minor quibble. Half bottles of this are somehow still available for $30 and are a ridiculous value.

2009 vintage

Long gone

1992 vintage

Likely the best bottle of Sauternes I have had in the last few years. Beautiful botrytis, honey notes, tree resin, sweet, but never cloying, excellent acidity for balance. A style that is similar to the best Austrian TBAs. Drink or hold. From half bottle. Natural cork. - 94 points

2009 vintage

Exceptional.

2009 vintage

Notes of orange, honey, and apple compote. Unctuous, even a bit cloying.

2011 vintage

December dinner for three (Noize) : Half. On the sweeter side, but in such an appealingly gentle and pretty fashion. Intense marmalade on the nose, without any of the harsh bitterness that an older wine might have developed, and the gentle honeyed scent of a just-emptied glass of Dalwhinnie. More marmalade and honey on the palate, as well as lemon curd; it's intense, but so balanced that you don't really notice. Brought proceedings to a very satisfactory close.

2009 vintage

Fantastic finish to Thanksgiving dinner. Deep gold color. Honey, apricot, marzipan notes. Great balance.

2001 vintage

very tires

2001 vintage

tropical and orange/clementine all over with still young colour.

2009 vintage

Viscous mouth feel. Pear and carmel flavors.

2004 vintage

Sadly the last bottle butbat it’s apogee (previous bottle was tired). Terrific balance!

2001 vintage

Rich in flavor, sweet cane sugar at the fore but with hints of mango and pineapple. Good acid and a long finish. As I've noted before this is on the sweet end of my personal range, but a solid Sauternes nonetheless.

2004 vintage

From a .375. Preserved apricot, orange marmalade, dirt, toasted almond, white truffle and honey on the nose. Medium intensity of aromas. Less primary on the palate, which shows flavors of toasted almonds, dirt, white button mushrooms and plastic atop preserved yellow nectarine and preserved apricots. Medium + intensity of flavors. Medim body with medium - acid. Developing. Hold another 5+ years in this format and hope the intensity increases.

2004 vintage

Peaches, honey, notes of caramel and honey. What’s not to like? This has peaked.

2001 vintage

5 years since we had this last ( Papies 90) and finally the 2001 vintage comes through . Colour shows the age but the wine is ever so lively and charming and is not old at all. Soft balanced richness, welcoming and sort of effortlessly delivers. Not majestic though. 91-93

2001 vintage

bottle vanished. fantastic honeyed character with electric acidity

2004 vintage

A gorgeous, mature Sauternes, impressive in depth and hedonism, but for me a little short on tension and lacks the vibrancy to balance the depth. A pleasure to drink, nevertheless.

2001 vintage

Honey, apricot, honeycomb, waxy, sweet candied fruits. A bit syrupy

2009 vintage

Pale amber. Candied apricot, ginger, cinnamon and brown sugar on the nose. Complex. Sweet, but well balanced by the excellent acidity. Very long aftertaste.

2001 vintage

Purchased near release and properly stored. Last bottle. Coravined into a small Riedel port glass at cellar temp. Clear golden in color with, immediately after dispensing, I can only describe as a classic Sauterne nose. On the palate the taste of honied stone fruit with a sufficient dose of acidity to keep it from being cloying. Overall, very enjoyable and pretty much worth the original purchase price and 20 years of cellaring. Not sad I bought it but not wishing …

2001 vintage

Tasted blind. I’m not a fan of Sauternes in general and definitely not of Guiraud. Lots of burnt sugar, some quince, but on the palate lacking freshness. Pass.

2001 vintage

Beautiful wine and still somewhat youthful, more so than 2010 in my opinion. Notes of apricot, peach, nectarine, marmalade, vanilla, cedar, slight melon, slight pineapple and a slight caramel (by no means the same as a fully developed Sauternes).

2009 vintage

Deep, rich honey colored. Loads of stone fruit on the nose. Apricot preserves. Enticing, salivating nose. Nice acidit. Tastes line the nose. Not as sweet as I would have thought. Long finish. This is great juice. Drink now, or hold.

2009 vintage

delicious sauterne but not the most complex of wines

2011 vintage

Wow! Golden color wonderful sweetness with remarkable depth and body- everything a dessert wine should be….i think this has an easy decade or more of peak time ahead. This has great power and richness- maybe a ‘best 09 Sauternes” candidate- ok not Yquem but a nose ahead of suduiraut and rieussec. 2009 maybe my favorite Sauternes vintage of the 21st century to date—if not three way tie with 2001and 2011??

2009 vintage

Golden raisin, pears and peaches, pineapple. Botrytis with long soft finish

2009 vintage

Outstanding condition. Energetic, poised, really nice showing.

2001 vintage

A Seat at the Table: Austin Wine & Food Foundation Charity Dinner (Austin, TX) : "A Seat at the Table" charity dinner at the Noel residence in Austin. Tasted alongside the 2005 Château Grillon Sauternes with Chef Darren's dessert of berries, orange, stracciatella, and almonds. The sommelier noted this Premier Cru Sauternes from the 1855 Classication from the exceptional 2009 vintage was drinking extremely young despite being 16 years old. Wine Spectator awarded this wine 96 points and ranked it …

2009 vintage

Apricot, honey, a faint sweet floral note, just a hint of saffron. I think more age would do this well for more tertiary development and depth. Up-front intensity is good although the finish is short.

2011 vintage

Gold in color. Nose was muted with this bottle - takes a while to show classic mix of orange and peach jam, honey, spices and hint of ginger. Rich, viscous in the mouth showing sweet summer orchard pit fruit and orange marmalade, medium acidity and a very long finish with honey and botrytis spices.

2009 vintage

Medium gold colored with high viscosity (13.5% ABV). Medium (+) intensity aromas of honey, apricot, orange marmalade, white flowers, and green almond. The palate is sweet, with medium (+) acidity, and a full body. Medium (+) intensity flavors of spun honey, apricot, orange marmalade, white tea, spicy chai, white blossom, and preserved lemons. The finish is medium (+) in length, unctuous, and delicious. It is evolving nicely and will continue to do so for a few more years. It begs …

2004 vintage

Mid gold, both nose and palate seem round and complete. Mature. In 2017 I picked out all sorts of delicious primary flavours, but this is now fully melded into a less defined, mature whole. As I feared in 2017, delicious as it is, maybe more has been lost than gained with the added years. But that is wholly a matter of taste.

2009 vintage

Corked

2011 vintage

The wine looks caramel colored. The legs are slow. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like raisin, prune, fig, apricot, apple, peach, pear and butterscotch. It tastes like raisin, prune, apricot, apple, peach, pear, honeydew and butterscotch. The body is full. The wine has round texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has low acidity. 5/5 FANTASTIC, BOLD SWEET AND COMPLEX, GREAT BODY, DEEP GOLD COLOR

2004 vintage

Spicy, exotic and very flavorful. Less sweet than most which was a surprise.

2009 vintage

Dark golden color Sauterne with some balance residual sugar level and grape flavors. Oily texture. Paired well with cheese.

2009 vintage

Deep gold, full body, fully sweet, honeysuckle, apricot, banana, mango, orange peal, blossom, nectarine, dried banana, dried apricot, ginger, honey

2004 vintage

Last Bottle: This gorgeous dessert wine from Chateau Guiraud is awash in luscious honey, citrus, and a bit of tropical fruit. The incredibly long finish brings in a touch of peppery spice to create a beautiful and complex experience. The winery can trace itself back to 1580 (!) making luscious, long-lived, honey-drenched dessert wines. An INSANE buy. 97 points, c'mon!!

2009 vintage

Parents wedding anniversary supper 2025! Paired with some foie gras, datte puree and pistachios. Crazy dark amber color on this wine. The nose is decent classic for Sauternes, peaches, apricots, botrytis, honey but maybe a touch richer than others I've had. On the palate this had candied peaches, apricot jam, white mushrooms, caramel, buckwheat honey and a touch of dried raisin. Good Sauternes, not the best and maybe not my favorite vintage but very enjoyable and paired with the food …

2009 vintage

Bordeaux tasting (at my home) : transparent amber color pronounced aromas and flavors intensity of apricot, honey, candied orange peel, and acacia flowers, alongside hints of saffron and vanilla. the palate is lush and full-bodied, offering layers of ripe tropical fruits, marmalade, and almond paste, balanced by vibrant acidity. its silky texture and precise sweetness lead to a long, lingering finish with notes of caramelized citrus and spice. can drink now or age further.

2009 vintage

Nice, but missing some acidity. Can taste the oak and age. Doesn’t seem like it would be getting any better.

2004 vintage

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Chateau Guiraud Premier Cru Classe, Sauternes

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