Château Guiraud 2016

Guiraud has truly found its style: crystal-clear, exciting, perfectly balanced, with minerality, freshness, and great length.

This delivers a rather solid punch of glazed peach and mango flavors, with notes of white ginger and pear chutney on the juicy finish. Approachable, but no real rush. Best from 2021 through 2032. 5,000 cases made.

Guiraud walks the line of minerality, florality and richness effectively for me. Lime juice oozes through, you can't hold it back, and your mouth responds. Succulent, with a well-judged salinity. Very good.

Masses of candied citrus and marzipan, plus a touch of mango chutney, make this full-bodied Sauternes easy to enjoy. Generous and succulent finish. Moderately sweet for this appellation. Drink or hold.

Spicy and fresh, with a pure intensity of orange and apricot. Almost syrupy in texture, but it has the freshness to balance. (JH)

The 2016 Guiraud has a very attractive, complex bouquet of lemon curd, orange blossom and light lanolin aromas that gently unfold in the glass. The palate is very well balanced with a spicy opening. This feels concentrated and harmonious, delivering good grip and a tangy, marmalade-driven finish that begs you back for another sip. Excellent. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

Bright, candied citrus rind, pineapples, mango, and honey-topped oranges with caramel, flowers, and ginger accents. This is one of those Sauternes that can be paired with spicy meals, or buttery seafood, as it balances its sweetness with vibrant acidities. Drink from 2024-2045.

Medium green-yellow. Bouquet of white apple fruit, delicate hints of orange zest, and a touch of honey. On the palate, juicy and round yet elegant, with a hint of oak in the background and juicy tropical fruit. Good length with a mineral finish.

One of the top Sauternes in this report is the 2016 Château Guiraud, a brilliant wine from a more challenging vintage for the Sauternes region. Beautiful, powerful notes of sugared peach, blood orange, caramelized pineapple, and honey all give way to a full-bodied Sauternes that has loads of sweetness and richness, yet good acidity as well. It does everything right and will offer up incredible pleasure over the coming 25–30 years.

Radiant gold with a green shimmer. What an aroma of fresh mirabelle tart, mango and acacia honey, with peach nectar and quince jelly in the background. On the oily palate, orange zest and passion fruit. Then it explodes with grapefruit and greengage compote. This year it stands out for its finesse and balance!

Kunz Barrel Sample 17: Silky, dense, finely creamy bouquet, cooked pears, Alka‑Seltzer, grapefruit, vanilla. A silky, dense, fresh, elegant, powerful palate with pronounced sweetness, a finely opulent structure, well‑integrated acidity, diverse aromas, and a long, full finish. Has room to improve further.

Velvety, dense, finely creamy bouquet, cooked pears, Alka-Seltzer, grapefruit, vanilla. A more velvety, dense, fresh, elegant, more powerful palate with pronounced sweetness, finely opulent structure, well-integrated acidity, diverse aromatics, long, full finish. Can still improve. 18/20 2022 - 2050

Candied yellow fruits, honeyed nose, a touch of citrus. Balanced, lively palate with a very long finish.

Pale golden yellow. Guiraud’s bouquet is still marked by its élevage and reveals multiple facets. Notes of saffron and chestnut. On the palate, the attack is delicious and compact. The wine has breed but little aromatic expression. Everything is in place for this to change; patience will suffice.

Floral and perfumed with sweet pear, peach, almond, discreet oak, vanilla and butterscotch. Medium weight with a nice freshness underneath, balanced sweetness with confit of citrus, yellow fruit, vanilla and a long, pure finish.

Bright golden-yellow color. Intense, refined, complex nose with fruit and spice. Very delicate on the attack, with a melting, airy texture mid-palate; the wine caresses and unfolds with noble depth in the latter part of the palate. Long, juicy, impossible to spit out, with great precision. For the record, you never feel the 127 g of residual sugar.

94–96. Barrel Sample. This wine is hugely rich while having wonderful acidity at its end. Dense botrytis and a powerful structure go along with the honey and marmalade flavors. It will certainly age well and long.