Château Suduiraut in Sauternes has released its 2020 wine en primeur
Château Suduiraut.
(Image credit: Wikipedia (2012))

Suduiraut 2020, rated 96 points by Decanter’s Jane Anson, has been released in the Bordeaux 2020 en primeur campaign today (20 May) at around £504 per 12 bottles in bond. 

It’s ex-Bordeaux price was €42 per bottle, up by around 20% on the equivalent 2019 release, according to Liv-ex. The 2018 vintage was released at around €40 ex-Bordeaux.

Described by Anson as ‘full of pleasure, silky and richly textured’, Suduiraut 2020 is one of the top-scoring Sauternes of the vintage. Anson reported that around 3,000 cases have been produced.

Yet it’s also ‘the most expensive Suduiraut on the market from the last 15 vintages’, according to Liv-ex. 

There is plenty of choice when it comes to finding previous vintages, it added. Sauternes has generally seen more muted demand on the secondary market than its vaunted red wine peers further north. 

Analyst group Wine Lister also noted Suduiraut’s high scores, but added, ‘Buyers looking for a bottle to drink sooner might note some availability of the high-scoring 2009…at a price lower than that of the latest release.’

While the highlight of the Bordeaux 2020 en primeur campaign so far has arguably been the early debuts of St-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé A châteaux, several Sauternes and Barsac 2020 wines have now been released. 

They include:

Lafon-Rochet and La Clotte 2020 release

One of the latest reds to release is Lafon-Rochet 2020, priced at around £325 per 12 bottles in bond. 

According to Liv-ex, that makes it around 11% more expensive than the current market price for 2019, although cheaper than 2018 and 2016. 

Rated 93 points by Anson, the St-Estèphe fourth growth’s 2020 vintage was also 3% below the ex-Bordeaux price of 2019, at €26 per bottle.

It could be an interesting wine to watch, because it is the first year of collaboration at the estate between two of Bordeaux’s top consultants – Eric Boissenot of Left Bank fame and Jean-Claude Berrouet, former Petrus winemaker.

Back in St-Emilion, La Clotte 2020 was also released. Anson gave the wine 93 points and said it ‘continues its improvements under the Ausone team’.

Farr Vintners and Bordeaux Index were selling 12 bottles in bond for £560. Fine & Rare was selling six bottles for £285 in bond, and reported that production was 10,000 bottles.

Look out for the feature on five Sauternes vintages to drink now in the 2020 Bordeaux supplement, free with the June issue of Decanter. 

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Chris Mercer
Chris Mercer

Chris Mercer is a Bristol-based freelance editor and journalist who spent nearly four years as digital editor of Decanter.com, having previously been Decanter’s news editor across online and print.

He has written about, and reported on, the wine and food sectors for more than 10 years for both consumer and trade media.

Chris first became interested in the wine world while living in Languedoc-Roussillon after completing a journalism Masters in the UK. These days, his love of wine commonly tests his budgeting skills.

Beyond wine, Chris also has an MSc in food policy and has a particular interest in sustainability issues. He has also been a food judge at the UK’s Great Taste Awards.