Wine “Blanc Sec de Suduiraut”, Bordeaux AOC, 2018

Introduction

Le Blanc Sec de Suduiraut, Bordeaux AOC was developed by a well-coordinated team of technologists who set out to demonstrate a strong, memorable wine originating from the Sduiro Sauternese vineyards. They carefully selected the sites giving the berries with the potential of a distinct, recognizable Bordeaux taste. Such qualities were provided to the grapes by specific soils, as well as mature 15-year-old vines. The future wine passed a nine-month maturation in barrels, of which 10% were new, 10% were used from the previous vintage, and the remaining 80% were old. The result of the work was Le Blanc Sext de Xudhiro – a young wine, surprising with cleanliness and roundness of taste.

The family of Siduiro begins its history from 1580, when Leonard de Suduiro married Nicole d’Allard, who owned land in Sauternes. However, the building of the Chteau that has survived to this day was built by the grandson of Leonardo, Count Blaise de Xudhiro in the middle of the 17th century, on the site of an old fortress that was wiped off the face of the earth by the order of the Duke of Apernon, ruler of Aquitaine under Louis XIII. The family of Syduiro owned the estate before the Great French Revolution (until about 1789). After that, the Guiyo family owned the estate for a long time. In 1855, Syduiro was given the status of “Premier Cru”. In 1875, the Chateau passed into the hands of Lucy Raurbin and her husband, engineer Emil Petit de Forest. At this time, the Syduiro wines were a great success and were awarded numerous awards – the governmental Gold Medal, the first prize of the General Council of the Gironde in 1887 and the Gold Medal of the Meeting of the Podensak in 1890. The Wines of the Chteau participated in international exhibitions in Paris, where they also received many awards, and in 1897 Petit de Forest was awarded recognition for his work on the reconstruction of the vineyards of Suduiro, using the vines of the American rootstock, as well as for new innovative solutions to fight the phylloxera.

In the late 80-ies of the XX century, the estate was purchased by the insurance company AXA-Millesimes, which carried out extensive reconstruction of the estate, as well as improvement of the winery and vinification methods. The estate’s vineyards occupy 92 of the 200 hectares owned by the Chateau. They are located in the southern part of the Prienyak commune on sandy-gravel soils. Here, 90% of Semillon and 10% of Sauvignon Blanc are planted, the average age of the vines is 25 years, the density of planting is 7,000 vines per hectare. The nearby Garonne River provides fogs that breed noble rot. Harvesting in Chateau Suduiro passes earlier than in many other Chateaux. Fermentation of wines is carried out mainly in stainless steel tanks, and aging – in oak barrels for 2 years.