Sauternes Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend

Still fairly primary. The fruit on the nose is remarkable. The purest apricot, and a little lightly burnt brown sugar, lots of flowers. Intense in the mouth. Not that sweet, and pretty good acids. Great length. This will go a long time. Delicious now, and certainly much better down the road.

Lovely burnt sugar and light fruit. A little dilute.

Terrific example of a high quality Sauternes with lemon zest, peach, apricot and pineapple plus dried apricot, honey, beeswax, saffron, ginger, vanilla and butterscotch. Excellent acidity to balance the restrained sweetness of the wine. Still young with plenty of room to develop.

This is still young but drinking superbly. Plenty of acidity to offset the sweetness, very long finish. Aromas and flavors of pineapple, orange blossom, honey, peach, apricot, dried apricot, ripe pear, candied lemon, ginger, saffron, vanilla - so much going on in the glass! Exceptional wine with excellent balance of sweetness, flavor intensity and acidity. Has many years ahead of it but hard to resist now.

The 2010 Rieussec is similar to the previous bottle a couple of years ago. It has since opened with saffron-tinged honeyed fruit, dried honey and almond shavings. This example is more vanillary and oaky than previous ones, and that actually distracts from the terroir expression. The palate is medium-bodied; again, the new oak feels more prominent than previous bottles, prompting me to lower my score. It's utterly seductive but articulates more of the winemaking than I would like. Tasted at the Lia's Wings/book dinner at Medlar restaurant. (Neal Martin, Vinous, December 2023)

Honey, lemon oil, spice (cinnamon, star anise), bright acidity. Lovely balance. Great

One of the bottles I provided for a co-hosting with Mark at the City Club wine group.

Always a treat to enjoy well-made 2001 vintage Sauternes. This was my first experience with Rieussec’s 2001. Deeply golden/amber in the glass. Aromatics fill the room with apricot preserves, honeyed lemons, orange marmalade, little bit of caramel. Bordering on bombastic on the palate, it stops just short of cloying. Commanding and opulent. Honeyed stone fruits, truffle honeycomb, roasted cashews. Excellent acidity. Obviously young, I’d love to revisit in 10-15yrs.

Warm brûlée notes, deep honey and intensity. Rich

Ambrosia, apricot nectar, smoke and game. Salty and sweet, with a mellow satsuma quality. Not too sweet, real balance.

Vintage 2001 | Monumental! Paired with Tarte Tatin | paired with Tarte Tatin