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Guiraud 2003

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Sauternes and Barsac
ColourSweet White
TypeStill
Grape VarietySauvignon Blanc/Semillon

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Guiraud

Label

Tasting Notes

94
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (164), April 2006

Ex-chateau bottle tasted blind in Sauternes. Tasting the '03 Guiraud blind, my tasting note is consistent with the bottle tasted later that day, although here there was just a slight adhesive scent that perhaps knocked a point from my score. Otherwise this is a delicious Guiraud from Xavier Plantey, albeit a vintage surpassed in more recent releases. Drink now-2020. Tasted April 2013.

89
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (207), June 2013

This is very sweet and rich on the nose, with toffee, honey and spices. Full-bodied, and thick honey. Spice, dried apricot and syrup flavors. Lasts for minutes on the palate. Big botrytis bomb. Love it. Best after 2010. 8,000 cases made.

95
James Suckling, WineSpectator.com, March 2006
17
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, November 2005
90
Farr Vintners, Southwold Bordeaux Tasting, January 2007

This thick-as-honey botrytis bomb is proof that two decades of improvements have paid off at Guiraud. One of the region's largest estates, with more than 210 acres of vines, Guiraud produces intense wines despite a higher percentage of Sauvignon Blanc (about a third) than many of its neighbors. Four investors, including longtime managing director Xavier Planty and auto scion Robert Peugeot, bought the estate for $25 million in 2006, putting Planty firmly in charge of maintaining the quality he's built. 8,000 cases made.

95
-, WineSpectator.com (Top 100), December 2006

Intensely sweet, luscious, yet racy wine; beautifully defined, prolonged, stylish and vital. A particularly aristocratic Guiraud.

17.5
Michael Schuster, The World of Fine Wine (1), April 2004
Read more tasting notes...
90/93
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (158), April 2005

It is against my better judgment to taste the sweet wines of Barsac and Sauternes at such an early age, as I find they typically require at least 12 months to reveal the definition/delineation so essential in these creamy, creme brulee, and honeysuckle-flavored offerings. Nevertheless, because this vintage is so highly regarded, I tasted through most of the top estates. The 2003s appear to be somewhat in the style of the 1990s, with high levels of residual sugar (higher than 2001 for the most part) as well as botrytis, low acidity, and fat, full-bodied personalities. This region’s harvest began extremely early (early September), and was completely finished within three weeks. It does not appear that the nobleness and racy richness of the 2001 vintage will be found in the 2003s, but readers who like the big, flamboyant, over the top style of the 1990s will enjoy the 2003s even more than I did.

Unlike most of my red wine tastings, this offering was only tasted once. Readers should keep in mind that this a very early, pre-bottling judgment from very unevolved wine that is not nearly as defined and easy to evaluate as the reds.

90/93
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (152), April 2004

This showed loads of wonderful botrytis character, with apple tart and cloves, honey. Full-bodied, very sweet and concentrated. Superlong and honeylike, with sweet mace and sweet tobacco on the palate. Pure bot baby.

95/100
James Suckling, Wine Spectator (April 04), April 2004
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.