The 1983 has consistently improved since bottling and is a far greater wine than I ever imagined after tasting it from cask. It exhibits the classic honeyed pineapple and spicy oakiness that makes Climens so profound. In the mouth,... Read More
The 1988 reveals layer upon layer of honeyed pineapple-and orange-scented and -flavored fruit, vibrant acidity, high levels of botrytis, and a fabulously long, yet well-focused finish. It is a great wine. Anticipated maturity:... Read More
Ex-chateau bottle tasted blind in Sauternes. The Climens '03 has always been a capricious Barsac: brilliant out of barrel but found wanting under vertical conditions. Here, amidst a blind horizontal, it fell somewhere between... Read More
Ex-chateau bottle tasted blind in Sauternes. The Climens '03 has always been a capricious Barsac: brilliant out of barrel but found wanting under vertical conditions. Here, amidst a blind horizontal, it fell somewhere between... Read More
Tasted single blind against its peers. Chateau Climens always tends to go into its shell after bottling, which is probably why I was not dishing out an even higher score to this still, spellbinding Barsac. The 2007 is endowed... Read More
Tasted single blind against its peers. Chateau Climens always tends to go into its shell after bottling, which is probably why I was not dishing out an even higher score to this still, spellbinding Barsac. The 2007 is endowed... Read More
Tasted single blind against its peers. Chateau Climens always tends to go into its shell after bottling, which is probably why I was not dishing out an even higher score to this still, spellbinding Barsac. The 2007 is endowed... Read More
I tasted two bottles of the Coutet 2001. The first had a distinct, rather pungent aniseed element on the nose and a slight bitterness on the palate. Calling for a second example, this is much more representative. Here is a typical... Read More
Tasted single blind against its peers. This has a very floral, exuberant bouquet with white peach and grapefruit soaring from the glass. It is very pure and vivacious. The palate is harmonious with what feels like more sucrosity... Read More
Tasted blind at the Sauternes 2011 horizontal tasting. The 2011 Château Coutet has a distinctive but attractive bouquet: clear honey, rosewater, peach and just a touch of barley sugar that pins it down to Barsac. The palate is... Read More
Tasted blind at the Sauternes 2011 horizontal tasting. The 2011 Château Coutet has a distinctive but attractive bouquet: clear honey, rosewater, peach and just a touch of barley sugar that pins it down to Barsac. The palate is... Read More
Space limitations preclude including tasting notes. 2003 is a rich, sweet vintage of powerful, full-bodied wines that possess huge levels of glycerin, alcohol, and residual sugar. RP
Tasted at the Sauternes 2006 ten-year on horizontal in Bordeaux. The 2006 L'Extravagant Doisy Daene has a rich, opulent and honeyed bouquet that seems to not so much seduce the olfactory senses, but get down to business straight... Read More
Ex-chateau bottle tasted blind in Sauternes. The La Tour Blanche '03 offers yellow flowers, melted candle wax and honey on the nose with Muscat-like aromas developing in the glass. The palate is well-balanced on the entry... Read More
Tasted blind at the Sauternes 2011 horizontal tasting. The Château La Tour Blanche 2011 has a more reticent bouquet compared to its peers: traces of wild honey, Clementine, hints of petrol and tree sap coming through reluctantly... Read More
I remember how one-dimensional, diffuse, thick, and alcoholic this wine tasted from cask and immediately after bottling, but it has progressed enormously. The 1990 exhibits a deep golden corn-like color, followed by sensational... Read More
The 2001 Lafaurie-Peyraguey has a very refined, elegant bouquet that demonstates more mineralite than the previous vintages: great tension here with marmalade, quince and dried honey scents. The palate is medium-bodied with a... Read More
The 2005 Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey offer apricot, fig jam and touch of almond on the focused bouquet, grilled walnut coming through later. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp acidity, quite structured and almost austere in... Read More
The 2007 Chateau Nairac is a little pinched on the nose, which is surprising considering the growing season. There are pure honey, guava and quince scents wanting to spring forth, but it does not quite happen and I suspect a couple... Read More
The Rabaud-Promis has a lovely bouquet with hints of dried honey, nutmeg and crème brûlée blossoming in the glass. The palate is well balanced with a viscous opening: a surfeit of botrytis here that vibrant mandarin and dried... Read More
Pale-medium yellow. Exotic, very ripe and enticing aromas of stone fruits, pineapple and oak. Fat and plump in the mouth, with a dominant pineapple flavor firmed by edgy acids. Could use a bit more lift and definition, but finishes... Read More
Tasted at the Sauternes 2006 ten-year on horizontal in Bordeaux. The 2006 Raymond Lafon felt rather reduced on the nose, quite resinous in style and lacking a sense of joie de vivre. The palate is better with honeyed, lightly... Read More
Light golden with just the slightest tint of green, the 1983 Rieussec, from an excellent year for Sauternes, is certainly one of this property's greatest wines. Well structured with excellent acidity, and a deep, long, rich,... Read More
This is a stunningly complex and elegant wine, but it is less muscular as well as less fat than either the 1983 or 1989. There are plenty of smoky almonds, peaches, and honeyed apricot fruit in the nose and flavors. In the mouth,... Read More
Although the 1988 received the highest marks of the 1988, 1989 and 1990 vintages, it remains a very backward wine. Full-bodied and powerful, extremely rich and dense, it may be the least evolved 1988. The nose offers enticing... Read More