FROM THE CELLAR | Great Wine: 2001 Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes

By Johannes Marlena

The turn of the 21st Century brought about a remarkable vintage for sweet white wines in Bordeaux. The year 2001 also brought upon the downfall of Enron, the launch of Wikipedia, the introduction of Apple’s iPod and the first Harry Potter movie. Clearly, remarkable times that set the tone for what was, and is, to come. 

As the year 2017 wraps up, it felt appropriate to dig into the past—into, perhaps, sweeter times. The vintage 2001 CHATEAU SUDUIRAUT Sauternes, it turns out, is a beautifully sweet reminder of what was. After a moderate amount of aging of 16 years, the wine’s color is now a luminous amber-yellow gold. You can see the wine’s viscosity in the glass—it’s a prelude to the super smooth and powerfully rich experience one has on the palate. The vintage 2001 delivered highly aromatic Sauternes, and the Suduiraut’s remarkable bouquet delivers an intoxicating mix of raw honey, orange marmalade and dried apricot notes—completely living up to the character of the vintage. It’s amazing how vibrant this wine is at present. 

Suduiraut is always a most luxurious kind of Sauternes, and 2001 is a vintage that plays to the Chateau’s strengths. A peach nectar of the gods, the wine’s sustained richness is so in-balance, never veering to the bombastic, and the grandiose finish is like the triumphant last stanzas of the final movement of a great symphony—lots of brass and definitely in the key of C major. 

2017, like 2001, had that feel of being a big year of transition. May we all move forward, together, into the new year triumphantly.  –J.M.

 

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December 30, 2017