The name printed in striking gold type on the front label carries a deep history: Founded in 1766 by the Guirauds, a family of merchants, the estate quickly became the standout name in Bordeaux and, within three generations, was delivering world-class wines that Emperor Napoleon III deemed “Premier Grand Cru Classé” in the still-resonating 1855 classification. Fast-forwarding to modern history, the glamorous estate was acquired by four noteworthy investors in the mid-2000s: automobile mogul Robert Peugeot; proprietor of several high-profile châteaux in Saint-Émilion, Stephan Von Neipperg; Olivier Bernard of Domaine de Chevalier; and Guiraud’s longtime estate manager, Xavier Planty. This quartet quickly worked together to preserve the château’s organic approaches and, by 2011, the entire property was Certified Organic—the very first classified property to achieve this.

Over the course of three weeks in mid-September of 1998, four passes were made through Guiraud’s organically farmed, 40-year-old vines in order to hand-select—and from that tiny selection, heavily sort—the finest botrytized grapes. After all this painstaking work, they yielded a microscopic 18 hectoliters per hectare. For comparison, Château d’Yquem hovers around 10, with each vine equating to about one glass of wine. In the winery, grapes fermented for nearly six weeks in 50% new French barrels (and 50% once-used barrels), crafted from only the best coopers. The wine aged a total of two years in barrels before bottling. It then continued maturing in a dark Bordeaux cellar until late 2018, when we were lucky enough to wrap our hands around a tiny allocation. 

Guiraud’s 1998 reveals a dark, viscous amber with glints of pale gold moving out to the rim. After a few swirls, the wine’s thick, slow-moving tears cling and slowly ooze down the glass. You can expect supple aromas of dried apricot, fig, quince, caramelized Bosc pear, and marmalade, followed by button mushroom, damp white flowers, honey, crushed almonds, dried herbs, allspice, and brown sugar. The full-bodied palate is refreshing and precise, in large thanks to the ‘98 vintage and the 20+ years of maturation that has perfectly integrated the sweetness at play. This is the lush style we all love in Sauternes, but there is impressive finesse that only the greatest châteaux can achieve. With ample lift and mature, yet clean notes of ripe fruit, baking spice, and savory earth, the finish just goes on and on and on—it’s a memory-forming wine. Serve in all-purpose white wine stems and enjoy a bottle over hours, days, even weeks (if tightly re-corked and refrigerated). You can flaunt this ‘98 as a savory main course pairing, a dessert accompaniment, or a standalone, but I believe it to be a soulmate for the first option. Follow the attached recipe to a T and you’ll understand why we proudly wave the Sauternes/foie gras flag.