The wine's deep amber color had me salivating as soon as the bottle appeared from the ice bucket. Over the past few years I have consumed several bottles of the very good 1990 Guiraud Sauternes, which most recently tasted off dry and honeyed . This bottle of the 1989 Guiraud Sauternes was also off dry, but the flavors resembled orange rind and nuts. There appears to have been only a little botrytis in this vintage, at least in Guiraud's vineyards. When first opened, the '89 showed none of the honeyed flavors associated with this noble form of rot. The wine did reveal some honey after 24 hours of airing. Guiraud is a very good producer, but the estate's wines never seem to possess the power or complexity of the best Sauternes, such as Suduiraut and Rieussec. I would drink the wines from Guiraud within 25 years of the vintage. After 10 years or so in the bottle the wines begin to dry out and seem older than the year on the label.
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