Stefan Dolhain

9.5

2010 vintage. Technically a Barsac, but sold as Sauternes ( Barsac being the only Sauternes commune allowed to do so). Much deeper, more evolved colour compared to the 2010 Guiraud (in half bottle!) tasted alongside. Intense perfume with wild apricot, roasted pineapple, and caramelised nuts. Richer than the Guiraud, this is a very impressive effort that is definitely of Cru Classé quality. Superb value too. — 2 years ago

Shay A

9.2

Alexander Vineyards has a great selection of wines, all at great values. This is their only dessert wine, and it has been delicious every time I’ve had it.

Last bottle of mine. This is from the Barsac region. Richly colored gold in the glass. Viscous, but not overly so. If comparing to a Climens, I’d say this doesn’t have as much of the orange-honey roasted cashew type note, but lots of orange marmalade, honeyed tropical fruits and honeysuckle. This showed a more powerful core than a 2009 LaTour Blanche I had a few weeks ago (which I enjoyed how bright it was). Paired with truffle salted popcorn at the end of the night, and it was great. — 3 years ago

Alexandre Pagliano

9.3

Oh, so good. Elegant, fresh, complex, more Barsac than Sauternes. Very exotic too with flowers and spices.
If you are into Sauternes or Barsac buy a case or two, it does not get much better than this. Fantastic now but no rush. — 5 years ago

with Adriana

Jay Kline

9.0

Served double-blind. The wine appears as a deep golden color. Medium+ viscosity. The nose is a fascinating combination of intense honey suckle, orange blossom, coriander, candied oranges, and candied nuts. The palate follows suit with more honey suckle, citrus blossom and a slight nutty characteristic. There is definitely some residual sugar here. There is really good acid keeping everything afloat. The finish is long and short of cloying. Really impressive texture. Based on the color and the somewhat oxidative notes, I figured this had at least 10-15 years of age on it. I vacillated between Sauternes and Riesling…ultimately calling Sauternes from Barsac (feeling as though this was more Semillon than Sauvignon Blanc). I chose, poorly. But the wine is good and it positively begs for spicy Asian food. — 5 years ago

Severn G

9.2

Quite consistent with my notes from ~6 months ago:

Nose has over-ripe apricot, almond oil, marzipan, meringue cookie and cold butter.
Palate has warmed apricot pie with extra flakey, buttery crust, sweet sand, white flower honey and mango.

Admittedly I love Sauternes and have many bottles, yet it's a rarity on opening and posting to the Community. We paired this bottle with a hard, smoked goat cheese from a local, Hudson valley producer, a solid match of sweet and salty. — 6 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.6

The 1988 d'Yquem is almost identical to the bottle I tasted in 2016. This is almost Barsac-like in style on the nose with scents of barley sugar, complemented by marmalade and mandarin, fresh and vibrant with a palpable sense of energy. The palate is medium-bodied with a viscous texture but it is not, and has never been, as unctuous as either the 1989 or 1990. However, what the 1988 does possess is a surfeit of vitality and tension. There are layers of blood orange, quince and marmalade towards the finish that as the aromatics suggest, comes across as quite Barsac in style. Superb. Tasted at Château Batailley. (Neal Martin, Vinous, May 2018) — 8 years ago

Erik Nordman

9.2

Awesome Sauternes. Definitely on the lighter and slightly less sweet side, I think this is Barsac even though it's labeled Sauternes on the front. (the cork and back label say Barsac). Orange marmalade, ginger, honey, poached peaches and pears, and a bit of baking spice. Very rich but not too cloying as far as Sauternes goes. Medium to medium + body, medium + acid, plenty sweet as you'd expect. Wonderful soft texture. Amazing alongside the post-dinner cheese plate. — 9 years ago

with Cassie

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

Second Sauternes pairing with my homemade Pineapple Upside Down Cake. Didn’t use the additional crushed pineapple this time. Both preparations are very good. I think I prefer it w/ less pineapple.

In 2014 I attended the Bordeaux En Premiere. One of the six days, we toured 8 Chateau’s tasting multiple vintages at each in Sauternes & Barsac. Then, went back to Chateau Guiraud for dinner. Before the dinner, Bill Blatch then arranged for a Sauternes tasting after tasting at 8 Chateau’s in Saternes & Barsac. We tasted 50 Sauternes in basically in 60 minutes. After that, my hand was like Winne the Poo in the honey jar from dumping. After, my wish wasn’t necessarily for the forthcoming dinner, but rather wished to go to a Dentist for a teeth cleaning I had so much RS in my mouth. None the less, dinner was fantastic and started with warm Foie Gras & gravy. Perfect as is w/ the Pineapple Upside Down Cake tonight.

This 05 is everything that you taste in the Pineapple Upside Down Cake. Perfect paring. Newly a quarter century and no fading in its evolution.

Dry; stone fruits, pineapple, orange citrus, pineapple. Marmalade, caramel, saline, limestone, honeycomb, beeswax, coconut, vanilla, saline, round acidity with yellow florals, toasted nuts with round acidity for days. Elegance, balance, structure and round, rich polish that goes in and on. Coravined from 375ml.

Bill Batch (who worked for Cristy’s & owned his own negotiate company) has somewhere around 5,000 bottles of Sauternes. He does a Sauternes & Sausage party bi-annually. Good luck getting a well sought after invitation. There are more people in Bordeaux who want to attend then there are available invitations. — 2 years ago

Jeremy Shanker

Sommelier at RN74

9.3

One of the best aged sauternes I’ve had in a long time! Candied Orange marmalade, chanterelle, honeycomb. Delicious. — 5 years ago

Aaron Rankin

9.5

Drinking well though seems a bit thin. — 5 years ago

Jakub Kalinowski

8.9

Fresh & fruity in the palate with peach & apricots, candied & honeyed fruit plus a pinch of spice.
Starts very sweet on the palate, with apple & apricot, and follows through with some fruity acidity. Balanced and fine. — 5 years ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.1

2015 vintage. A project started in 2011 by Olivier Bernard (of Domaine de Chevalier fame) in Sauternes from vineyards in 3 different terroirs (Sauternes, Barsac and Bommes). Contrary to classic white Bordeaux, Sémillon is king here, reflecting in this 70% Sémillon and 30% Sauvignon blanc blend, aged in French oak. Lune d'Argent is the middle range of the estate and the heart of the production. It stands for amazing value. Drinking beautifully now, but I suspect this will age gracefully for at least another 5 years. Light brilliant yellow. Very attractive nose combining exotic fruit with minerality, flowers and brioche. Juicy fresh pineapple and grapefruit, balanced mouth-watering acidity and perfectly integrated oak. This shows the potential of great dry white wines in the Sauternes region, where the famous sweet wines are sadly suffering from low demand in lethal combination with high production costs. Grab this one by the case at only 17,90 euros. Abv. 13%. — 6 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

A blend of 75% Semillon, 23% Sauvignon Blanc, & 2% Muscadelle. Golden with complex aromas, somewhat Riesling like, and adding a tropical bouquet. On the palate this botrytis rich wine shows apple, pineapple and honeysuckle flavors. Lingering finish ending with smoky vanilla notes. Was lucky enough to get a taste of this beauty. Will contine to age in the bottle. Tasting Sample. — 8 years ago

Evan Bienstock

9.2

Pretty awesome for a 50 yr old...
— 8 years ago

Shay A

9.4

My second set of wines to provide as part of a co-host event.

I picked these up during a visit to Morlet in the fall of ‘21. Sadly, these are the last of my initial stash. 58 semillon/36 SB/6 Muscat.

Poured blind for a group of 20 people at the end of a wine event, I was shocked that not one single person called this Cali. Many Sauternes, Barsac, and a few South African dessert wine guesses. It’s undeniably sporting botrytis flavors, but the richness has a wonderful spine of acidity. Honeyed mango, white peach and chock-full of orange blossom on the nose, there’s added candied spice and honeycomb on the palate. Didn’t pick up any nutty flavors (which I enjoy in Sauternes), but this was also fairly young. Extremely “fresh” for a dessert wine, if that makes sense. Best Cali dessert wine I’ve had, I think. — 2 years ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.4

1983 vintage. A beauty at 40 years old in this excellent Sauternes vintage. Amber colour. Intense perfume with dried figs, roasted hazelnuts, coffee and caramel and a fresh lemony touch. In the mouth it features a juicy acidity balancing the delicate sweetness. Complexity and balance. Long nutty finish. — 3 years ago

Shay A

9.3

This was a bottle that was Coravined about 6+ months ago with about 3/4 remaining. Although young, I’ve always been a bit conservative when it comes to Coravined bottles and their freshness. Great sweet wine to pair with Thanksgiving food.

My first experience with Doisy-Vedrines, having only had Doisy-Daene previously. Would love to do a side by side. Tropically exotic and rich. Botrytis to the core. Pineapple upside down cake on the nose with honeyed apricots and orange marmalade. Viscous and totally giving on the palate with yellow fruit and and sweet spices. There’s not that honey roasted cashew profile I get with my favorite Sauternes, but this is a delicious and easy going wine that sports a great QPR. Room for improvement. (Also, this is evidently Barsac but labeled as Sauternes). — 5 years ago

Vanessa

9.1

Château Climens’s Bérénice Lurton collaborated with Pascal Jolivet (best known for Sancerre wines) to produce a beautifully complex, dry Bordeaux Blanc made exclusively from the Semillon variety. This dry product is a shift from the famously sweet wines made by Château Climens in the Barsac region.

The wine is pale lemon. At first blush, the nose offers powerful citrus and orchard-fruit notes such as meyer lemon, orange peel, and green apple notes. Also delicate notes of white blossom and cherry blossom. On the palate, the wine comes alive with honeyed characters and orange blossom. It has richness and notes of croissant, cream, and brioche from aging 8 months on the lees. The finish is medium(+) and while this youthful wine is drinking well now, I believe it could age.

Château Climens, Asphodele, Bordeaux Blanc. Vintage 2018. ABV 13%.

@Delectable Wine - this wine is 100% Semillon. Cheers! — 5 years ago

with Deked1

Bill Bishop

9.5

Perfectly aged 1961 Coutet. Nice apricot and honey in nose and on the palate. Sweet finish. Couldn't get much better. Yummy! — 7 years ago

Ken Z

8.9

Drank 4/26/18 at a tasting event.

2nd wine of Climens. Nose of pineapple and honeyed apricots, with some slight volatility that blows off after a few minutes. Flavors of pineapple and some light honey, without the depth or richness of the Climens. Decent wine, but would vastly prefer the Doisy Vedrines for around the same price.

4/22/7/3/3 +50 = 89 pts. — 8 years ago