This was served blindly at the end of a brown-bag tasting. Not surprisingly, it was WOTN.
There was just a trace of coffee in the nose. The color was like prune juice, but there was nothing remotely pruney about the aromas or flavors. To the contrary, this was fresh and lively from the first impression on the tongue through the long finish. Structurally, it was like an excellent Beerenauslese with many decades under its belt, with oodles of acidity and botrytris to balance the sweetness. There was no sign of riesling flavors and, being Suidaraut, it’s lighter than some Sauternes, so we weren’t sure about what it was. There wasn’t the typical Sauternes/Barsac honey or banana, but the body was the tipoff to its origin. This was pure, full of life and in perfect balance. 95 points for me.
Note: This was purchased at Sherry-Lehman two decades ago for about $300. These days it’s hard not to be suspicious of wines that age, and from 45 in particular. But, given S-L’s ties in those days to Chateau & Estates, I would think they’d be as reliable as anyone for anything from Bordeaux.
This evokes fond memories of the oldest Suidaraut I ever had; the 1959. When I last had that bottle, it was not nearly as evolved as your 1945, and its color was amber, still on the yellow side and not pruney at all. It was ridiculously cheap for its quality, but nothing at all like a BA or TBA…far more substantial in body and worlds away from the seeming weightlessness of great German wine. Nonetheless, this Suidaraut was a phenomenal wine in its own right.
The 1959 Suidaraut is a very well known wine, perhaps not quite legendary. I’ve still a couple bottles left. Wonderful wine and I agree, very young tasting.