An afternoon in Sauternes

Let's have some visual sweetness first! This typical golden, shining liquid in a cosy tasting room with fireplace, everything looks just perfect with sunshine. This is Château Guiraud 2006 Sauternes (65% of Sémillon & 35%  of Sauvignon) served with foie gras, which you can probably see on the table through my glass. Well structured, full-bodied with a little bit spicy, it's definitely a joyful experience!

 

Château Guiraud, the 1er Grand Cru Classé Sauternes, was awarded Organic Cultivation Certification in 2011. As you can see in the above picture, the small house set up in front of the Château called Insect hotel, built as a nest of insects. It is to protect and encouraging insect pollination in order to create a well-balanced ecosystem for vineyard.

After leaving Château Guiraud, we took five minutes drive to Château Suduiraut, another 1er Grand Cru Classé of Sauternes. While we followed the instruction and walked through the wine cellar with some working area, there was a beautiful garden came into view. Planted with various kinds of fruits and flowers, this garden has been designed by André Le Nôtre, who was famous for his great work of the park of Château de Versailles.

 
 

Inside the Château, I was really impressed by this magnificent tasting room. The indoor light was soft yet dazzling, thanks to the warm color of Sauternes. Somehow I felt like I was an insect sealed in amber! 

The wine tastes undoubtedly great, although the sweetness was somewhat beyond my imagination. With 90% of Sémillon and 10% of Sauvignon, we got a mouthful of aromatic, rich-texture Sauternes, our palates were pleased again, so were our eyes...