Château Guiraud 2024

Cloudy yellow; fresh bouquet still slightly marked by the lees, candied fruits, raisins, apricots, bitter oranges; rich palate, top balance of acidity and sweetness, almost two mouthfuls of wine, yet with striking freshness and great length. Shows excellent potential.

A luminous yellow-gold in the glass, the 2024 Guiraud strikes a perfect balance between vibrancy and depth. The nose is elegantly restrained at first, gradually revealing layers of yellow peach, lemon curd, and bitter orange zest, underpinned by subtle aromas of dried apricot and saffron. On the palate, the wine is notably fresh and lifted, showing no hint of cloying sweetness. 124g/l residual sugar.

60% Sémillon, 40% Sauvignon Blanc. Cask sample. Rich, gold hue. Nose restrained but with lovely depth of fruit. Rich and concentrated on the palate. Huge depth with honey and tropical-fruit notes. Plenty of botrytis but good balance as well. A stellar performance this year. (JL)

Apricots, pineapples, flowers, spices, and candied lemon, with a hint of caramel, form the attention-seeking perfume. On the palate, the wine matches the aromatics, offering vibrant, sweet, tropical fruits, candied orange rind, and lemon curd notes in a racy, honeyed style. The wine is made from blending 62% Semillon and 38% Sauvignon Blanc. Drink from 2027-2047. 94-96 pts

Score: 92–94. What complexity in this gentle, bucolic nose! We find beeswax as well as very ripe stone fruits, saffron as well as roasted pineapple, mango as well as candied orange peel, acacia honey as well as flowers (linden, elderflower). Extremely pure, the palate largely reprises the nose’s aromatics, but in XXL form and, above all, highlighted by a line of cheeky freshness that prevents any heaviness, with a caressing, brushed-silk texture. A very accomplished wine.

Subtle nuances of saffron and acacia blossom, together with rooty notes, roasted pineapple, thyme, rosemary and fresh mango, immediately highlight the bouquet’s complexity and depth. Slightly saline on the attack, the wine is suave and compact, carried by a incisive structure that goes hand in hand with noble bitters, underpinning the persistence and aromatic intensity of the finish. A complete wine—powerful, impactful and serene. A great Guiraud in a good vintage!

Dark burnt orange gold, spiralling white flower aromatics, this is great quality, thoroughly enjoyable, subtle spiced cumin and tumeric, sweetly succulent apricot and nectarine juice without being heavy. 12.6 hl/ha yield, Sandrine Garbay estate director.

Pale yellow colour with green highlights. An intense, refined nose—subtle, noble and complex. Incredibly precise on the attack, with great class on the palate and a tremendous amount of flavour; the wine melts across the palate, at once delicate, delicious, noble and deep. Very long, inimitable persistence. Blend: 62% Sémillon, 38% Sauvignon Blanc. Alcohol: 13.5%. Residual sugar: 124 g/L. pH: 3.8. Yield: 14.5 hl/ha. Selection: 1/3 of the grand vin. Production: 30,000 bottles. Sandrine Garbay focused on purity, selecting the lots with the most dazzling fruit expression. Her aim was to reduce the presence of acidity as much as possible. Of the 4 pickings carried out between 19 September and 22 October, the blend comes one third from the first picking (19–25/09), one third from the second (2–6/10) and one third from the third (6–16/10). Bravo!