2005 Chateau Climens Barsac

There was a time when the best of Barsac would not achieve the heavily concentrated character found in wines from the heart of Sauternes, but, as this wine so handsomely shows, such is no longer the case. Its intensely honeyed, golden apple and ripe peach aromas are nicely complemented by nutty notes of botrytis, and the wine's thick, rich flavors follow perfectly in suit. Still, this wine is too young and direct to be more than a sugary cameo of what it will become over time, and we very much urge you to let it age into the layered perfection that surely lies ahead.

Good full golden-yellow. Musky, very fresh aromas of crystallized citrus peel, minerals and toasted bread. The palate offers incredible sappy concentration and a saline aspect, not to mention a penetrating quality rare for this fruit-driven year. In fact, this begins almost light, then builds inexorably toward the back, finishing with a tactile impression of extract and an extraordinary sweetness that almost reminded me of the Suduiraut that I tasted just before it. Should go on for decades.