Château Climens 2009

Bad news first: at this stage, this wine is virtually indigestible. The good news right after: in the bottle lies a wine of absolute, unique greatness. This density, complexity, character, and sensuality are rarely matched on the palate. Crazy and exotic, one of a kind, but to be forgotten for a few decades. Anyone who wants to know what the greatest, most classic of all Barsac tastes like should get a few bottles of this marvel!

The 2009 Climens is certainly more expressive on the nose than the 2010 Climens, with potent honeysuckle, fresh pear, and orange blossom that gently unfurl from the glass. Compared to the 2009 Rieussec, for example, this is powerful but not quite as flamboyant. The palate is just fantastic—so energetic and tensile—with layers of mineral, honeyed fruit laced with spice, sea salt, a touch of licorice, and quince. It will be a multi-dimensional Climens with a very long future ahead, a killer Sauternes that will give a great deal of pleasure for many years. Tasted April 2016.

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. 4,165 cases made.

Rich and opulent, but the Barsac terroir keeps it reined in. Exotic fruit notes, baked apple and confit fruit. Pure, velvety and unctuous, with a bite of citrus zest freshness coming in behind. Biodynamic estate.

The 2009 Climens is much more vibrant on the nose than the 2010, with lovely dried honey, quince, saffron and light chamomile aromas. It blossoms in the glass and gains intensity with each swirl. The palate is very well balanced, with a touch of marmalade on entry, quite tensile from start to finish, with a rather long, viscous finish. This is just beginning to motor. Tasted at the Climens vertical at the château in April 2022.

Beautiful, attention‑seeking aromas of freshly picked flowers, grilled nuts, vanilla, honey‑coated tropical fruit, orange rind and melon were everywhere. Concentrated, with gobs of lush, ripe, sweet, honeyed, overripe tropical fruit and great acidity, this was a treat to end the night with.

Medium golden yellow with silver hues. Refined yellow tropical fruit, fresh orange zest, a honey touch, a hint of light caramel, a restrained bouquet. Powerful, taut and mineral, a fine touch of nougat, an integrated acidity, beautifully salty on the finish, good length, subtle oak on the finish, definite ageing potential, classy. Best left to age for another two to three years.

Medium-deep yellow, fairly intense, with a bright rim. Generous bouquet of mirabelles, dried chamomile, fine straw notes and a cereal sheen that probably comes from the toasty notes of the barrique. On the palate, subtle finesse, showing fine breed and a very concentrated extract. Undoubtedly one of the great vintages of Climens. It can only be precisely judged once bottled, as we tasted the wine from different lots directly from the barrique.

The blend has not yet been made; this is a mix from a few barrels. Mineral, restrained bouquet with dried apricots and marzipan. Velvety, elegant, balanced, opulent palate with dense structure, powerful, plush sweetness and good acidity. Velvety, full, very long finish. 19/20 2018 - 2050

Nothing is blended as usual, a beautiful complexity.

Golden color with light amber highlights. Subtle bouquet with notes of citrus, peaches, and spices. Creamy, generous attack marked by hints of caramel and biscuits. On the palate, this wine is unctuous and rich, supported by a beautiful acidic structure that imparts pleasant freshness. Long, persistent finish. A wine that should continue to slumber in the cellar.

The nose is fruity and elegant, offering freshness, a racy minerality, intensity, complexity, and a lovely fine grain. It reveals notes of crystallized lime, candied lemon and, more subtly, passion fruit, with fine touches of verbena and lemon blossom, as well as discreet hints of white/green tea, green apple, rose lychee, and subtle spices. The wine benefits from decanting. The palate is fruity, balanced, elegant, finely racy, and offers a creamy texture, fine grain, precision, smoothness, indulgence, lovely delicacy, freshness, a tangy backbone, and complexity. On the palate, this wine shows notes of candied green apple, candied vineyard peach and, more slightly, crystallized lime, with fine hints of exotic fruit, white tea, lemon blossom, vanilla blossom, and discreet touches of sweet spices. Good length.

Intense yellow, bright rim. Generous bouquet with mirabelles, dried chamomile, fine straw notes and a cereal sheen that may come from the barriques. On the palate, sublime finesse and fine breed, very concentrated in extract. The wine can only be precisely assessed once it is bottled, as we tasted it in various lots directly from the barriques. It unquestionably ranks among the truly great Climens vintages.

For Bérénice Lurton, this vintage is the perfect equation of wine quantity, grape quality and the speed of the harvest (twelve days)! In total, twelve lots make up the crop, with an average yield of 21 to 22 hl/ha. Despite the higher sugar levels brought on by the intense heat, the musts fermented well. With sugar content around 140 g/L, the generosity of the wines tasted from barrel is undeniable. Once again, the subtlety of the Barsac terroir brings a freshness and energy that the areas of Bommes and Sauternes don’t have. A very fine Climens.

The superb palate boasts richness, with honey and orange zest notes. It shows fine balance between the flavors of orange jelly and the intense botrytis-driven notes. It has a light, delicate texture and acidity.