1989 Château Suduiraut Sauternes “Crème de Tête.” The Wine of the Summer

Now that September is here and the nights in my part of the earth are chilly I can confidently proclaim this as the best wine I tried this summer. Château Suduiraut only made a “Crème de Tête” bottling twice, in 1982 and 1989. The ‘89 was everything you want from aged Sauternes. Baked peaches, dried apricot, marzipan, orange tea, clove, nutmeg, burnt sugar, and dark honey, with lively acidity still pulsing through its veins. It was much more vibrant than the 1998 Yquem I tried in the spring. Gorgeous wine.