Tasting Notes
Vinous 91
(65% semillon and 35% sauvignon blanc): Medium yellow-gold. Exotic aromas of honeyed apricot, pineapple and crystallized ginger are complicated by marmalade-y botrytis, a rarity in 2013, in which the noble rot is usually fresher and more lemony. Very sweet and suave on entry, then intensely flavored in the middle, with an almost bitter botrytis character to the rich tropical fruit flavors. This has terrific concentration of fruit but is not hugely acidic and comes across as a little foursquare presently. It’s certainly impressively dense and long on the back. This is Guiraud’s third vintage to be organic-certified; a total of five passages were undertaken, beginning on September 26 and finishing on October 24.
Robert Parker 90-92
The 2013 Guiraud has a generous bouquet of rich honeyed fruit interlaced with quince and hints of marmalade, though I would like to see more mineralite and tension by the time of bottling. The palate is well-balanced with a spice-tinged entry, touches of Seville orange and mandarin emerging with time. There is good depth here, fine density with plenty of sinew toward the saline-tinged finish.
