Guiraud 2009 (750ML)

97 VM / 96 WS / 96 JS / 18 JR

Wine #5 on Wine Spectator's Top 100 of 2012

The 2009 Guiraud is one of the gems of Sauternes this vintage, one of the finest offerings in recent years. It has a wonderful, beautifully delineated bouquet with expressive scents of wild honey, orange pith, Seville orange marmalade and just a hint of pineapple. The palate is beautifully defined with pure botrytised fruit, supremely well balanced with a vivacious, ginger and white pepper tinged finish that lingers long in the mouth. Outstanding. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting. March/2019 - Neal Martin - Vinous Media

This is a bird of a different feather, with an exotic, vibrant aroma of toasted coconut, followed by an almond cream note that gives way to the core of green fig, papaya, Cavaillon melon and honey. There’s stunning richness and mouthfeel, with the power to be one of the longer-lived wines of the vintage. Very impressive. Best from 2015 through 2040. - James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

Tasted as part of a vertical held at the chateau. The 2009 Guiraud has a complex, precocious bouquet with honeysuckle and jasmine notes, hints of dried honey and white peach. It is tightly wound but very precise. The palate is pure and tense in the mouth – great precision here once again with superbly integrated oak and a lovely, seductive, very viscous botrytis-laden finish. In many ways the 2009 represents the wine that every vintage since 1983 would love to be. Drink 2018-2040+ Tasted April 2013. - Neal Martin, Wine Advocate

Gorgeous aromas of dried apricots, apple pie crust and pineapple. Full-bodied, with medium sweetness. Dense and layered. Beautiful now but will improve with age. Drink or hold. - James Suckling

Mid gold. Complex, lifted nose. Lychees and delicacy. Good balance. Lovely savoury stuff underneath. Racy. Sinewy finish. Deliberately made a little drier than usual. - Jancis Robinson