Château Suduiraut Sauternes Lions de Suduiraut 2013

The lighter of the two second wines of classed-growth Suduiraut, this is a more accessible reflection of the richness of the grand vin. At four years old, it's still young, its acidity and crisp lemon flavors contrasting its core of botrytis and delicious fruit. Drink this balanced wine from 2020.

(85% semillon and 15% sauvignon blanc; 25% of the total production): Bright, pale yellow. Delicate aromas of quince, pear and yellow apple are complicated by ripe grilled plantain and honeyed peach. Offers lovely richness and very good length but the clean flavors of quince and pear lack a little complexity. This strikes me as denser than some other vintages of Lion (at 130 g/l of residual sugar and 5 g/l total acidity). This is not Suduiraut's third wine but rather an effort to make a lighter-styled, more modern Sauternes that might also appeal to the younger set. Two thousand thirteen is only the third vintage made (2010 was the first), and this year it's much better than the Castelnau.