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Chateau Suduiraut

Sauternes - Chateau Suduiraut

Château Suduiraut, formerly Cru du Roy and Château de Suduiraut, is a sweet white wine ranked as Premier Cru Classé in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. Belonging to the Sauternes appellation in Gironde, in the region of Graves, the winery is located in Preignac, adjacent to Château d'Yquem.

History

The estate and vineyards were completely renovated at the end of the 17th century by the Count Blaise de Suduiraut. The Count, who was the grandson of the founder, hired the designer of the gardens at Versailles to create something truly special at Suduiraut. With its stunning park like grounds, lakes and greenery, there are few Bordeaux estates that are as beautiful as Chateau Suduiraut. The next big step for Suduiraut came in 1831, when the property was passed to Nicolas Guillot who increased the size of the already vast estate. Like many Bordeaux estates, Suduiraut passed through numerous hands for the next two centuries.

During the 1940’s, 1950’s and 1960’s, the property went through a bad patch. For at a time, the wines were aged in vat, instead of oak, which did not help with the quality of the wine. That practice was fortunately discontinued. The wines had lost interest for many lovers of Sauternes. This changed in 1992 when Suduiraut was sold to AXA, the large French insurance group who count several other Bordeaux wine properties in their holdings. These estates include Chateau Pichon Baron in Pauillac and Chateau Petit Village in Pomerol. 

Vineyards

The vineyard of Chateau Suduiraut is planted to 90% Semillon and 10% Sauvignon Blanc. Although, there is a small amount of Sauvignon Gris planted in the vineyard as well. Located close to Chateau dYquem, the massive 200 hectare Sauternes vineyard of Chateau Suduiraut has 92 hectares under vine. The terroir is mostly gravel, sand, limestone and clay soils that are on sloping hillsides. 

Wines

In 1982 and 1989, the property released a special wine made from their best vines, Suduiraut Creme de Tete. The property makes a second wine, Castelnau de Suduiraut, which made its debut in 1992. They also produce dry white Bordeaux wine, S de Suduiraut, that was first produced with the 2004 vintage.

In 2015, they added a second dry white Bordeaux wine, meant to attract, younger consumers, as the wine is being marketed as an entry level wine, Le Blanc Sec. Le Blanc Sec is the properties second effort making entry levels wines. The estate launched a third wine in 2011, designed to reach younger customers, Lions de Suduiraut, which is produced from almost 100% Semillon and a small, touch of Sauvignon Blanc to create the blend.