Climens 2005 (375ML)

97 WA / 96 DE / 95 WS / 94+ VM

Tasted blind at the 10-Year On Tasting in Sauternes. The 2005 Chteau Climens just soars from the glass with layers of clear honey, marmalade, nectarine and minerals all beautifully carved. The palate is medium-bodied with fresh, vibrant honeyed fruit that builds and builds in the mouth in tandem with a killer line of acidity. Even though it is a convincing, great Climens, you also have the impression that it is only just beginning to show what it is capable of. Berenice Lurton and her team excelled in this vintage and it comes strongly recommended. Neal Martin, Wine Advocate

Opulent apricot nose. Plump and robust, with rich mandarin fruit. A long, spicy finish. Drinking Window 2012 - 2030. (19/20) Stephen Brook, Decanter

Toffee, dried lemon rind and tropical fruit on the nose. Full-bodied and very sweet, with a dense palate of candied fruit and a long, sweet finish. Very concentrated. The botrytis spice creeps up on the finish. Best after 2013. 2,300 cases made. - James Suckling, Wine Spectator

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. - Stephen Tanzer, Vinous Media