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
The 2009 Climens is certainly more expressive on the nose compared to the 2010 Climens with potent honeysuckle, fresh pear and orange blossom that gently unfurl from the glass. Compared to the 2009 Rieussec for example, this is... Read More
Tasted blind at the Sauternes 2011 horizontal tasting. The Château Climens 2011 has one of the most potent aromatics of the flight with expressive honey, fig, barley sugar and grilled almond nose that is reminiscent of Château... 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
WA 95-98 (4/2004): It is against my better judgment to taste the sweet wines of Barsac and Sauternes at such an early age, as I find they typically require at least 12 months to reveal the definition/delineation so essential in... Read More
The de Fargues 2007 delivers 13.9% alcohol and 134 grams of residual sugar. Picking commenced on September 11, with slow botrytis formation and recommenced October 2-24, the picking ale to be conducted at a relatively leisurely... Read More
Coming in at 140-grams-per-liter residual sugar, the 2009 de Fargues was picked from September 28 over three tries until October 19, a day before heavy showers curtailed the vintages. It seems to have gone into its shell since... 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
Delivering 12.0% ABV and 200gms residual sugar, Denis Dubourdieu's luxury Barsac, the 2007 L'Extravagant de Doisy-Daene, does not hold back, born with a lucid golden hue with big fat tears (of joy). The bouquet is very... Read More
With 12.2% alcohol and 212 gms residual sugar, the L'Extravagant de Doisy-Daene consists of 50% Sauvignon Blanc and 50% Semillion. It has a very taut, controlled bouquet that (pardon the expression) is less extravagant than... Read More
The 2015 L'Extravagant de Doisy Daene has a powerful, intense but very pure bouquet laden with acacia honey, peach and quince, yet very defined and not at all overwhelming - remarkable given the richness locked into this Sauternes.... Read More
There is only a tiny amount of the light gold/green-colored 2001 Doisy-Daene l'Extravagant (primarily Sauvignon Blanc). As the name suggests, it is extravagantly rich as well as very full-bodied with extraordinary purity and... 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
A monumental effort, the 2001 Rieussec boasts a light to medium gold color in addition to a fabulous perfume of honeysuckle, smoky oak, caramelized tropical fruits, creme brulee, and Grand Marnier. The wine is massive and full-bodied... Read More
The team at Chateau Rieussec have conjured a stellar wine in 2009. There is a little reduction at first that fortunately blows away, revealing thickly layered scents of honey, Danish pastry and quince that appear to gain vigor... Read More
The 2015 Rieussec, a blend of 86% Semillon and 14% Sauvignon Blanc, was picked over five tries through the vineyard between 9 September and 27 October. "We had a bit of frost towards the end and 10% was harvested afterwards. The... Read More
A blend of 83% Semillon and 17% Sauvignon Blanc, the 2017 Rieussec is pale to medium lemon-gold colored. To begin, the nose blows you away with intense lemon tart, lime cordial, mango and quince notes followed by a second wave... Read More
The Suduiraut 2001 has an attractive bouquet of honeycomb, passion fruit and a touch of petrol that are well defined, if not as complex as more recent vintages such as the 2009. The palate is well balanced with fine citrus lemon... Read More
The 2015 Suduiraut comes with 123 grams per liter of residual sugar, more modest than some of its Sauternes peers and 4.56 grams per liter of acidity. It has a sense of completeness on the nose already: immense clarity with wild... Read More
Classic, exciting Yquem. Silky, creamy and round, yet armed with plenty of intense botrytized flavors--dried apricot, raisin, dried fig. Full-bodied, with caramel and butterscotch complexity, it ends on a very intense finish.--Yquem... Read More
Served from an ex-chateau bottle. While the 1971 Yquem appears to have been overlooked, I have always felt that the much-lauded 1967 Chateau d'Yquem has never quite lived up the billing. Picking commenced on September 26,... Read More
The 1983 ranks among the most concentrated wines from this property over the last 25 years, with a staggering display of extract and a mind-boggling amount of glycerin. The vintage commenced early for d'Yquem, beginning on... Read More