Château Guiraud 2010

Shows an oily yet silky-fresh texture, with surprising depth while remaining immensely elegant and balanced, restrained, almost mysterious: the finest wine tasted so far from this top estate.

The Guiraud 2010 seems a little more loose-knit on the nose compared to others, with lanolin and dried honey aromas gently unfurling in the glass, before revealing its mineral core—as if this wine is teasing you. The palate is well balanced with a fine line of acidity. There is abundant, clean and pure botrytized fruit and a crisp, linear finish that is very appealing. The oak appears to have been absorbed in recent months, leaving a very accomplished Guiraud. Drink now–2035.

A thick, unctuous style, with marzipan, dried pineapple, mango and dried guava notes leading to a good bolt of toasted almond and pie crust on the finish. A muscular, well-stuffed version that will need some time to settle in. Best from 2015 through 2030. 6,000 cases made.

Lively and expressive, with floral and citrus notes – there’s even a touch of lemon sherbet. Round, full and textured, with bitter-orange freshness and persistence. Pure and complete. Organically grown.

This shows a lovely amber color with beautifully complex aromas of pineapple, marmalade, crystallized ginger, honey, and dried mango. Rich and spicy, with intense sweet spices and tropical fruit balanced by freshness. Very long and still youthful. 65% semillon and 35% sauvignon blanc. 150 g/L residual sugar. Drink now or hold.

The 2010 Guiraud is a little closed on the nose like the 2010 Climens and demands a lot of coaxing from the glass. Eventually it reveals scents of dried honey, fig and ginger but they feel muted at the moment. The palate is much better and more expressive with tangy marmalade and quince notes, good depth and fine tension. It is just a case of waiting for the nose to open because the palate really shows the potential here. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.

A decade in the bottle has added a lot here. This fabulous sweet wine hit it right out of the bottle. Flowers, dried apricot, vanilla bean, roasted cashews, and honey-coated pineapple with candied pear notes are all over the nose and palate. The balance between sweet and acidity is right on target. This is a beauty! Drink from 2022-2050.

Medium golden yellow, silver reflections. Intense honey note, fine herbs, some coconut, orange zest, already well developed, a multi-faceted bouquet. Substantial, good complexity, white pepper, delicate caramel, it seems opulent, powerful, persistent, and has a good future.

Medium deep golden colour. Sweet nose showing bergamot, tea, saffron and spices with tropical fruit. The palate is rich and concentrated with high extract, layers of tropical fruit, well integrated oak, fine toastiness and a long unctuous finish. A ripe and bold style, yet with freshness and elegance all along.

Medium yellow with the first golden glimmers. An intense, rich bouquet with a wonderful Williams pear note, a hint of grapefruit, expansive apricot and peach sweetness, and freshly spun honey. Rich attack on the palate, voluptuous fullness, opulent flow, perfect maturity, intelligent minerality.

Medium yellow, first glints of gold. Intense, rich bouquet with a gorgeous Williams pear note, a hint of grapefruit, all pleasantly overlaid by expansive apricot and peach sweetness and freshly spun honey. Rich entry on the palate, Rubens-like fullness, fully creamy with an opulent flow, perfect ripeness and, at its core, an intelligent minerality. With all this rhapsody, only one conclusion remains — the same score as the 2009 vintage:

Silky, powerful, fresh bouquet, dried apricots, botrytis, honey, vanilla. A rounder, velvety, finely opulent palate with powerful, creamy sweetness, generous structure, fine acidity, and a very long, full finish with good retronasal aromas. Can improve further. 18/20 2016 - 2040

Pale to medium gold in color, the 2010 Guiraud bounds out of the glass with exuberant notes of pineapple upside-down cake, candied almonds, praline, and spiced pears, with lemon marmalade and clover honey. Full, rich, opulent, and spicy, it has a lively backbone and an opulent finish.

Both ample, with a well-defined and elegant noble rot, one of the estate’s most elegant wines. It doesn’t have the volume of the 2009, but it is longer and fresher.

The nose is elegant, nicely fresh, and offers a certain intensity as well as complexity. It reveals notes of candied peach, crystallized lemon and, more lightly, candied pear, combined with touches of small yellow fruits, quince, verbena, as well as fine hints of yellow flowers and honey, very subtle notes of pastry/caramelization, and a refined minerality. The palate is fruity, balanced, rich and slightly unctuous, very discreetly tight, and offers a zesty framework, indulgence, richness and substance, tension, energy, lovely freshness, precision, definition, and lovely acidity. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of candied lemon and, more lightly, candied pear, combined with touches of roasted pineapple, quince, crushed mirabelle, as well as hints of pastry/caramelization, brioche, hazelnut, a subtle touch of nutmeg, a very discreet hint of verbena/bergamot, and an imperceptible hint of peach blossom. Good length.

Golden, crystalline color. Delicate nose with pure, ripe, spicy fruit. A hint of very ripe pineapple. Beautiful, broad attack on the palate and the wine unfolds with a crystalline feel, full of flavor and airy power. Long, sappy, perfumed finish lifted by a touch of peppermint. It's delicious.

92-94 A closed up wine, although all the elements are there, promising great final balance, richness and power.