First property of the appellation certified on Biologic Agriculture, welcome to Château Guiraud.
History
The great history of the property really begins in 1766 when, Pierre Guiraud, a rich Bordeaux merchant of Protestant faith acquires the castle, formerly named Château de Bayle. The Guiraud family will not stop developing the property until its transfer in the early nineteenth century.
In 1855, it is the consecration. The castle is promoted 1st Grand Cru Classé de Sauternes, in the 1855 wine classification, under the name Château de Bayle, it was only later that it took the name of Guiraud.
The property will be owned by different owners until 1981, when Franck Narby will get his hands on it. For about twenty years he will be busy developing and making his castle shine again, until then, the quality of its wines was gradually declining. He will put Xavier Planty in charge of the vineyard so that, over time, the property will return to its former glory. He is also a strong advocate of the name, and will not stop promoting it to the world.
En 2006, il va céder la propriété à un conglomérat de 4 associés, dont certains n’en sont pas à leur coup d’essai : Robert Peugeot (famille Peugeot que l’on connaît bien dans le monde de l’automobile), Olivier Bernard (Domaine de Chevalier en Pessac-Léognan), Stephan von Neippeg (Canon-la-Gaffelière en Saint-Émilion) et Xavier Planty.
In 2021, the latest sale date, Xavier Planty will sell its shares to Matthieu Gufflet (wealthy businessman), who will become, at the same time, majority shareholder following the repurchases of other shares of shareholders already in place.
To enhance this setting and its wines that are already shining brightly, he will call on Sandrine Garbay (former cellar master of the castle of Yquem) to take the direction of the property and thus bring all his experience.
The vineyard and its terroir
Like an appellation whose terroir is unique, that of Guiraud is in the line of the greatest.
The property covers 128 hectares of which 100 are dedicated to viticulture. Two flagship varieties are grown: semillon (65%) and sauvignon blanc (35%). Each will bring his character in the final blend, which makes the wines of Guiraud singular.
The soil is composed of gravel on clay and sand.
A viticulture that puts the terroir at the centre of everything
If, from time immemorial, the hand of man only shapes what the terroir and nature offer, here it is much more than traditional viticulture.
Since 1996, the technical teams have become aware of the need to respect biodiversity, a daily commitment to its vineyard and everything around it.
Planting hedges around the plots (promote wildlife development), agronomic plant cover in the rows, no synthetic chemicals, etc.
As proof, in 2011, the château is the first of the 1st Grand Cru Classé to obtain certification in organic farming. Focusing on biodiversity and bringing life back to the vineyard is the mission undertaken for many years. An essential step to understand the best possible way the climate changes that winegrowers are facing.
The vintages are not alike, and more than ever we are witnessing a turning point in the history of liqueur wines.
Work in the cellar
In Sauternes, work at the winery is similar to mistaking it for goldsmithing. As the saying goes, to make good wine, you need beautiful grapes, harvested healthy and at perfect maturity. However, let us not forget that it is the hand of man who comes to sublimate the whole, like a true jeweler.
Arrived at the cellars after having undergone a drastic sorting, the berries are pressed and then, for the first classified cru, are introduced into French oak barrels to carry out their fermentation. On average, 90% of the barrels are new and 10% have already been used to make a wine. For other wines, vinification will be done in stainless steel vats.
The ageing period will last, on average, 18 months. It is he who will come to ennoble the wines and bring them all the elegance proper to the property. Energy, freshness and aromatic complexity, Guiraud is increasingly distinguished.
Once the service life of the barrels has reached obsolescence in the eyes of technical teams, they are recycled as means of breeding in the production of spirits in particular. To attest that these containers have served well for the breeding of Sauternes, there is a real traceability and thus avoid any crapulerie, some of which use ingenuity as soon as there is money to make.
Wines
Like its neighbours, the Château Guiraud produces two types of wine: liquoreux and dry. Let’s start with the liquoreux, real banners of the property.
The 1st cru classé is one of the best in the appellation. Known and recognized for being a wine with great freshness and remarkable aromatic richness, we can easily find citrus notes such as lemon, grapefruit, clementine, mixed with delightful notes of exotic fruits. With a few decades behind it, the wine evolves on notes of honey, candied fruit and fine smoky and spicy notes. The balance is ideal, with a perfectly controlled sweetness. A wine that will survive years with great confidence.
Le Petit Guiraud, second wine, is renowned for its aromatic accuracy, its vivacity and instant drinkability. The sweetness is, like its elder, well controlled and a little less consistent, there is a nice acidity. The balance is there. A real pleasure to taste, it is a beautiful delicacy that allows an approach of the wines of the property. He will be able to age and evolve serenely, however it would be a shame to deprive himself of the vivacity of his young years.
For dry white wines, the Château Guiraud is also very successful.
Le Grand Vin Blanc Sec de Château Guiraud est l’expression la plus identitaire des plus belles parcelles de la propriété, dont l’assemblage fait la part belle au Sémillon. Les grands terroirs de Sauternes ne sont pas exclusivement réservés à la production de vins liquoreux, ce vin en est la parfaite illustration. Il saura parfaitement vieillir et exprimer toute la splendeur des grands vins blancs secs du sauternais.
The G de Guiraud, the dry white history of the property, is a blend, almost equally divided between Sauvignon blanc and Sémillon. It is known as one of the best value for money. A lively, fresh and very expressive nose with notes of citrus, exotic fruits and white flowers. The attack on the palate is round, refined and full of vivacity, all with a magnificent balance. The finish is mineral and very long. It will be better to taste young to enjoy all its passion and freshness.
The arrival of Matthieu Gufflet and Sandrine Garbay, a firm property firmly oriented towards the future and all the future challenges that will arise, allow Château Guiraud to enter a new area. As the name slowly comes out of the water, the great properties are leading the way to better days.
