Presentation
Lions de Suduiraut has been specifically designed to reveal the pleasures of tasting Sauternes wines. To produce this wine, we selected a specific plot of Château Suduiraut vineyard, with vines on average 20 years old.
This wine has a unique personality thanks to a singular blending style made of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, depending on the vintage.
Smooth, subtle, fresh and mineral, with a creative profile, Lions de Suduiraut is modern and pleasant to taste young.
The vintage
The winter was rainy and mild, with the last days of March relatively warm. The growth cycle of the vine started early.
In early April, a long and severe cold spell affected the vineyard, especially on 7th and 8th April with sub-zero temperatures. Frost damage was very serious: apart from a few plots that were spared, in others the damage caused 30 to 100% losses depending on location. Heavy rains in May and June caused a virulent outbreak of mildew, with some new losses. July and August were fairly dry, but cool overall, and veraison took place on 10th August, as in 2019. Late August and early September were more in line with usual conditions, and were conducive to good ripening, while maintaining high acidity.
Rains and frequent fog in the last ten days of September provided the right conditions for Botrytis to start developing.
Harvest
The harvest of our Sauternes wines took place between 1st and 27th October with a total of 3 selective pickings, in favourable weather. The second picking started on 8th October, during which the majority of the botrytised grapes, of excellent quality, were harvested.
The yield was unfortunately extremely low for the Sauternes (1 hectolitre per hectare), and 4 hectolitres per hectare in total for the whole vineyard.
The 2021 is of the finest quality, though we were only able to produce extremely small quantities as we were struck by severe frosts in the spring.
The wines are very promising. 2021 has a lovely fruit like 2016 and a high acidity like 2007 or 2001, very harmonious, with great length and elegance.
Ageing
10% in new barrels,
90% from old barrels, for 12 months.
Varietal
Sémillon : 100%
Specifications
Alcohol content : 14 % vol.
Residual Sugar : 116 g/l
Total acidity : 4.23 g/l
Tasting
A deep golden yellow in colour, Lions de Suduiraut 2021 has an open nose with scents of acacia flowers, frangipane, lime, candied orange and a touch of vanilla. The palate is unctuous with notes of candied citrus fruit, reflecting the freshness of the vintage. The finish is clean, with discreet oak and a hint of orange peel.
Pierre Montégut - Technical director - February 2024
Bottling date: June 20th 2023