Château Guiraud 2022

The density and balance of a Sauternes Premier Grand Cru Classé

The estate

"La Maison Noble du Bayle," the first name of Château Guiraud, was owned by the de Mons de Saint Poly family. In 1766, Pierre Guiraud, a Bordeaux wine merchant, bought the property. Over 80 years and three generations, Château Guiraud has become a prestigious name, consecrated in 1855 as Premier Grand Cru Classé of Sauternes.

Taken over in 2006 by four personalities (an industrialist, Robert Peugeot, and three winegrowers, Olivier Bernard, Stephan Von Neipperg and Xavier Planty), Château Guiraud is an essential name.

In 2019, Xavier Planty handed over the management of the estate to his son, Luc. In April 2022 Matthieu Gufflet, owner of Château de Callac (Graves), became the majority shareholder of the estate, and in May 2022 Sandrine Garbay, cellar master at Château d'Yquem, took over the management of Château Guiraud.

The vineyard

A benchmark among the great wines of Sauternes, Château Guiraud looks after a 54-hectare vineyard with sandy gravel (80%) and clay gravel (20%) soils. The vines, which are on average 25 to 30 years old, are planted in a biodiverse setting and have been managed using organic methods since 1996.

The vintage

The mild winter advanced an early budding of the vines. The vineyard was little affected by the intense frosts of 3 and 4 April thanks to the anti-frost towers. The warm and dry conditions recorded during the spring and summer were ideal for ensuring the health of the vineyard. The moisture of the clay subsoil of the Sauternes region limits the hydric stress, ensuring a slow and gradual ripening of the grapes. A first sorting is carried out in mid-September. The grapes were concentrated by passerillage, giving freshness and purity to the blend (25%). The rainfall at the end of September advanced the development of Botrytis Cinerea. A second and third complete selection (75%) were carried out between 17 and 27 October.

Winemaking and ageing

Harvest done by hand from 15 September to 27 October 2022. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts at 80% in new French oak barrels and 20% in one-wine barrels. The wine was aged for approximately 18 months exclusively in barrels.

Blend

Sémillon (65%)
Sauvignon Blanc (35%).

Characteristics and tasting tips for Château Guiraud 2022

Tasting

Nose
The nose releases a refreshing fruity framework conferred by the first selection made in mid-September to tasty candied notes from the two botrytised selections at the end of October.

Palate
A fruity (exotic fruit) and floral attack give way to a dense and perfectly balanced palate.