x
  • Country ranking ?

    511
  • Producer ranking ?

    6
  • Decanting time

    3h
  • When to drink

    now to 2040
  • Food Pairing

    stollen cakes

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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96-98 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

 Picked in just two tries, 90% picked in one trie, tasting through 13 separate lots, the core components of a great Climens appear to be in place. Paying particular attention to the lots that constitute a large percentage of the blend (usually around 15%) the common themes are ones of great purity, persistency and precision. The aromatics display pure honey, minerals, occasionally a faint scent of spearmint and white peach, most with spellbinding precision. On the palate, Berenice Lurton has some stupendous lots at her disposal, with ample botrytis, ethereal definition, one or two more powerful, quite spicy lots and others that are shorter and will undoubtedly lend the blend an acidic cut. It will be a joy to taste this after bottling. (4/2010) 

97-99 points Wine Enthusiast

 A tasting from several barrels, because the chateau has not made the final blend, so the rating is provisional. But the wine is so rich, with an almost perfect balance of acidity and ripeness, allied to a complete purity of honeyed botrytis. However the final wine turns out, it will be magnificent.  (8/2010) 

95 points Wine Spectator

 Rounded and broad in feel for now, with richly layered toasted almond, ginger cream, brioche and glazed apple notes that all glide through the viscous finish, where a flash of green tea can be found. This has the buried zip for the long haul, which it will need to assimilate fully. There's lots in reserve. Best from 2015 through 2034.  (3/2012)

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The Story

This noble sweet white wine, graceful and weightless, is a subtle wine that is like no other. If it is the very expression of the quintessence of this appellation with balance and freshness, it also has the strength and magnificence among the greatest Sauternes. Climens is characterized by brilliance or depth, borne only of its unique terroir.

This special grace, the result of tightness and minerality is also blessed with an extraordinary aromatic palette, mingling perfumes of flowers, fruits, spices, and often even a hint of eucalyptus or fresh mint. In their youth the wines, which have a pale colour that is reminiscent of the aromas, are dominated by citrus fruit (grapefruit, lemon, citron), fresh fruit and white flowers. Sweet spices and other deeper, confected fruit flavours will develop with the passing of time. Whatever the vintage, the wines continue to age slowly, retaining their harmonious blend of sweetness and freshness for decades, which signs their inimitable charm.

Climens is most famous for the elegance of its wine, but also for its sustained excellence: even in less than great vintages, the wines produced are always magical.  

 

Appellation: Barsac (Sauternes)
Classification: First Growth of Sauternes – Barsac from 1855
Area under Wine: 31 hectares
Grape variety: 100% Semillon
Soil: ferrous clay sand on fissured starfish limestone sub-soil

Yield: Global Yield (on average over 20 years): 13hl/ha
First Growth yield (average over 20 years): 7hl/ha (i.e. 25 à 30 000 bottles per year)
Average age of vines: 38 years
Density of vine planting: 6 600 vines/ha
Vineyard management: Biodynamic since 2010
Vinification: in small lots in French oak barrels with 30 to 40% new oak each year
Barrel maturation: 20 to 22 months
Second Wine: Cyprès de Climens

 

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Vintage 2009

Much like 1947, 1961 and 2005, 2009 is a year of almost overly (for Bordeaux) flamboyant and opulent wines with high maturity and low acidity. The tannins are exceptionally ripe, while the wines are quite voluptuous in style. The Left Bank recorded more hours of sunshine than legendary vintages such as 1947 and 1982, and the grapes had higher sugar concentrations than in 2003 and 2005. The key was significant diurnal temperature variations that allowed the grapes to withstand hot daytime temperatures. An exceptional vintage on all levels.

 

 

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Tasting note

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Written Notes

Tasted seven times - last time in April 2016. Consistent notes. It offered fantastic botrytis flavours (orange peel, acacia honey, pear and pineapple), ranging from delicate ones to concentrated ones, fabulous sweetness and acidity, richness and breathtaking purity and sophisticated touch. Incredible stuff as well.

  • 99p

As usual, there was no final blend of Climens to taste, but a succession of barrel samples representing each picking, rather fewer than usual in 2009 since the vintage was so successful. The first lot, picked on 28 Sep, was incredibly rich and pure and full-bodied. And then the 3 Oct lot was, amazingly, even richer and heavier. Apparently 90% of the crop was picked between 2 and 9 Oct in unusually warm conditions. Two lots picked on 5 Oct showed that the afternoon lot was nervier than the morning lot. Unlike in 2005, for example, the last lots, such as the one picked on 8 Oct, were less rather than more concentrated, and delightfully racy. Great blend of richness, raciness and life. This should be very special indeed and I may be under-scoring it.

  • 95p

Golden. Apricots, vanilla, pineapples, fruity and intense nose. Fresh acidity, fruity, rounded, intense, creamy texture, after lovely palate it feels just a bit short for this vintage. 93

  • 93p
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Origin

Barsac, Bordeaux
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