Beautiful flight of mixed Sauternes and Barsac

2001 Climens (375 mL)

Lightest bodied of the wines, as well as the lightest color. Pure apricot with a hint of coconut on the nose. Lovely acidity on the palate with some more pretty fruits. Long finish. A bit overshadowed in this flight.

2001 Rieussec (375 mL)

I have a soft spot for this wine because we poured it at our wedding. Bottles have been somewhat variable, of late. Shortly after release this felt like it’d give the 01 Yquem a run for its money with immense power and density, but more recently I’ve had mixed experiences. This bottle, however, was firing on all cylinders despite the darker color. It had lovely overripe pineapple and crème brûlée on the nose, with ample acidity and more fruit on the nose. Just a step behind the Yquem with a bit less precision and length, but very good today.

1988 Yquem (375 mL)

I’ve had some lovely 375s of 1988 in recent years as well as numerous 750s that have been super fresh and classic. This one, however, was drinking quite a bit more mature than you’d like to see, again you can see this was the darkest bottle in the entire lineup. Still classic with lovely crème anglais and passion fruit on the nose, with more prominent acidity and a bit less brown sugar on the palate. Finish was long but not as long as the Rieussec.

2001 Yquem (750 mL)

This was just a baby, and realistically full bottles of this should probably sit for another 10-15 years. That said, this was still in the running for WOTN in a very crowded field. My wife, who loves Sauternes and has had this wine dozens of times, thought this was the best bottle we’ve ever opened. Candied apricots, flan and a hint of maple syrup on the nose, with more beautiful fruits and crisp acidity on the palate, transitioning into an endless finish. This grew in power over a couple hours in the glass, and certainly had the most potential of any of the wines opened today. However…

1969 Yquem (750 mL)

Aged Sauternes is certainly less of a minefield than other aged wines. The wines are durable and usually good, regardless of how they’ve been stored, but improperly stored wines can taste over the hill or tired. This was not one of those wines. This was fresh as a daisy, and if someone said it was a 89 Yquem, i could have certainly agreed. The nose was a wonderland of sweet aromas ranging from pecan pie, to candied walnuts at the Christmas market, to cinnamon apple pie. The palate had a core of brisk acidity along with a kaleidoscope of sweet flavor. The finish was incredibly long, but also evolving, with new layers of flavor emerging with time. This was stunning. It faded slightly after 2 hours in the glass, but what a treat.