Outstanding Sauternes from Recent Vintages

95 points. Medium yellow-gold. Flamboyantly ripe, complex nose combines pineapple, apricot, toffee, clove and vanilla. Hugely sweet and rich, with deep, powerful flavors of honey, marzipan and toffee. A major mouthful of ... more

95 points. Medium yellow-gold. Flamboyantly ripe, complex nose combines pineapple, apricot, toffee, clove and vanilla. Hugely sweet and rich, with deep, powerful flavors of honey, marzipan and toffee. A major mouthful of wine, with great lingering sweetness. Today, this makes the Rieussec seem almost polite by comparison.

93 points. Pale yellow-gold. Orange peel, quince, honey and sexy oak tones of vanilla and spice. Chewy and powerful in the mouth, with highly concentrated flavors of crème caramel, honey and exotic spices. Finishes ve... more

93 points. Pale yellow-gold. Orange peel, quince, honey and sexy oak tones of vanilla and spice. Chewy and powerful in the mouth, with highly concentrated flavors of crème caramel, honey and exotic spices. Finishes very long, honeyed and powerful, not to mention flamboyantly aromatic.

93(+?) points. Pale orange-gold color. Orange peel, apricot, white raisin and spicy oak on the nose. Unctuous, superripe and exotic, with hugely sweet flavors of apricot and caramel. Full, fat and extremely long, but ... more

93(+?) points. Pale orange-gold color. Orange peel, apricot, white raisin and spicy oak on the nose. Unctuous, superripe and exotic, with hugely sweet flavors of apricot and caramel. Full, fat and extremely long, but still a bit youthfully closed and firm-edged. This is less fine than the 2002 but much more massive.

94 points. Pale, bright gold. Knockout nose offers orange marmalade, honey, creme caramel and a whiff of resiny oak. Unctuous and supersweet, with a wonderfully lush, chewy, seamless texture leavened by racy orange flavor... more

94 points. Pale, bright gold. Knockout nose offers orange marmalade, honey, creme caramel and a whiff of resiny oak. Unctuous and supersweet, with a wonderfully lush, chewy, seamless texture leavened by racy orange flavor and complemented by vanillin oak. This remarkably complex and unforced wine opened spectacularly with aeration, showing captivating red berry, rose petal and saline nuances to go with its deeper honey and toffee flavors. Conveys an impression of deep sweetness without any excess weight. Finishes bright and extremely long. A wine to buy by the case, although at press time I had not seen it yet in the U.S. market.

93 points. Full yellow-gold. Expressive aromas of pineapple, coconut, sweet vanillin oak and spices. Then wonderfully thick, fat and sweet, with the exotic coconut character carrying through in the mouth. Finishes sal... more

93 points. Full yellow-gold. Expressive aromas of pineapple, coconut, sweet vanillin oak and spices. Then wonderfully thick, fat and sweet, with the exotic coconut character carrying through in the mouth. Finishes saline and powerful, with palate-staining flavors of pineapple, coconut and spicy oak. Conveys a strong impression of solidity.

94(+?) points. 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 penetrati... more

94(+?) points. 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.