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

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. — 7 years ago

Evan Bienstock

9.2

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

Debbie Shing

9.4

Beguiling. This evolved after a few days, as it should. At first, this had the nose of Irish whiskey and/or Calvados, the dry palate of an Amontillado, the sweet, dried fruit flavours of a Barsac or late harvested Pacherenc du Vic Bilh. The components joined more thoroughly in the bottle after being opened for 3 days, a mellower, yet no less complex wine. Very cool experience. Aug 9, 2016 — 9 years ago

Eric Egan

9.0

The spitting image of a Barsac (thinking a light Coutet) but slightly more flabby and with less focused fruit and acidity. Very good though! — 10 years ago

Michael Fuller

9.0

27 year old vintage for my 27th birthday. Still has all the stone fruit and honeycomb. Missing a little acid on the finish. But considering the age, still holding up well. — 10 years ago

Sam Shepard

9.7

What a beautiful wine! — 10 years ago

Swii Yii Lim

8.9

Has years ahead of it. Quite light in style for a Rieussec - almost Barsac-like. Nice. — 11 years ago

Champagne Spy

9.8

Silky, succulent, chic. Finesse et fraîcheur! Dried-tropical-fruits-on-toast nose. That buttery mouthfeel! Harmony of ripe stone fruits, snappy minerals and an elegantly balanced rich vinous force. Chassagne-ish with a Barsac hue. Heavenly! Drunk oio. — 11 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%. — 5 years ago

Mike Beltran

9.1

Nice color and aromatics of caramel and toffee. 39 years and shows a mix of age and soft maturity. Best with a light fruit based dessert like lemon or lime based cake perhaps. Fun to share at Bourbon Steak @ Levi Stadium. — 6 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

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. — 8 years ago

with Cassie

Drew DiMatteo

9.2

A beautiful #WhiteBordeaux from @PCorkscrew #SauvignonBlanc #Barsac #DoisyDaëne #DenisDubourdieu — 10 years ago

Phil Kessling

9.3

2011, Chateau Doisy Daene, Barsac, Semillon Sauvignon Blanc. Candied tangerine, honey, apricot and excellent acidity. Too bad it was only a half bottle. Drank over 5 days and it kept getting better, more complex. — 10 years ago

Andy Tam

9.0

My birth wine. Aged beautifully with a port like ruby color that is slightly losing its luster. Once you taste it, it's heaven on earth. Exactly like me :-) — 10 years ago

Ludovic Anacleto

9.0

Quince like nose, very tropical at first. It truly need oxygen. The mouthfeel is Barsac-like, on a austere vintage. Torrent of melon,cantaloupe marmalade, cavaillon over ripe melon. The name is spot on: Quintessencial ! — 11 years ago

CK Vong

9.0

2006. Color deeper than expected, very light as a barsac at the beginning which I love, coconut nose not overly sweet. Next day the Sauternes sweetness really showed without good acidity to balance, thus no complexity. Text book Sauternes, buy. — 11 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

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! — 6 years ago

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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) — 7 years ago

Milos

9.0

Sings on the palate, sweet but not cloying, retains a subtle acidity, lovely nutty, retained its character, lovely and light, delicious dessert wine, very satisfying — 9 years ago

Daniel Mahdavian

Consulting Somm-Daniel Mahdavian Ventures

9.9

The old '89 Chateau Coutet Barsac. Golden amber and just perfect. — 10 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.2

2002 Vintage Carl von Schubert Maximin Grunhauser Abtsberg Riesling Beerenauslese, Mosel, Germany -From half bottle. From Jay. Total production of this wine was limited to 144 half bottles for the 2002 vintage. Vey golden amber and rich treacle in color. Bordering on molasses. Could easily have confused the appearance with a Barsac or Sauternes with healthy bottle age. Fresh on the nose with strong hints of freshly cut stewing apples, rhubarb. Grated young marmalade. Some tropical notes present towards the end, especially after the wine has had a chance to open in the glass. Glides across the palette with remarkable finesse but is lacking in overall presence and structure. You can't help but feel that something is missing. Balance is well derived with great acidity and a racy finish that is both enjoyable and satisfying. Drink now to 2025. — 10 years ago

Jbatten

9.0

Sticky Barsac from the 2009 vintage. A delicious ending to a fantastic Kings Day tasting menu! — 11 years ago

Willem Booij

9.3

What a fine wine, huge quality and low price — 11 years ago

CK Vong

9.8

1975. Easily wotn. Almond, shredded coconut, hints of stone fruit. Barsac's lower sweetness suits me very well. Only complain a bit short. Buy. — 11 years ago