| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Sauternes and Barsac |
| Colour | Sweet White |
| Type | Still |
A prodigious offering, the 2001 Climens’ light medium bold color with a greenish hue is followed by ethereal aromas of tropical fruits (primarily pineapple), honeysuckle, and flowers. It is a medium-bodied wine of monumental richness, extraordinary precision/delineation, great purity, and moderate sweetness. The finish seemingly lasts forever. This monumental effort is the stuff of legends. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2040+.
The 2001 Climens has always been one of my favourite vintages of this era. It has a divine bouquet, beautifully defined with quince, saffron, walnut and almond, hints of Satsuma emerging with time. The palate is well balanced with fine acidity, quite tangy with marmalade and quince, saline and spicy with a persistent finish. An awesome Climens with maybe more to offer down the line, hence the plus sign. Tasted at the Climens vertical at the château in April 2022.
Already showing quite a developed colour in the glass (and consistently across several bottles), Climens 2001 is now in its apex drinking window. Laden with the saffron, ginger and marmalade notes so associated with heavily botrytised wines, it is a succulent, smoky and delicious Barsac. Candied citrus meets tarte tatin and spiced figs on the palate, which is satiny and sweet but never cloying. There are hints of cinnamon and caramelised pain perdu on show, this is a pudding-lovers' sweet wine. Decadent but not overdone.
Incredibly racy. Intense! Superaromatic. Honey, dried pineapple, minerals and superlush spice. Medium sweet, Electric to taste. Lasts for minutes.
2001 is an incredible vintage in Sauternes, and one of my tasting highlights of the year was a full horizontal of wines from Sauternes and Barsac at the 20 year window. I tasted this Climens both at the time (in February), and again later in the year. It's a standout wine, with savoury dried herbs and saffron strands alongside still-juicy nectarine and fleshy white peach fruits, all kicked up a gear with freshly-grated ginger and lime zest. The whole thing is mouthwateringly tender and utterly moreish. 117g/l residual sugar, a yield of 6hl/ha, harvest 30 September to October 23 over three passes through the vineyard. 69% of the harvest went into the main estate wine.
The Climens 2001 has always possessed a deliriously complex and intense bouquet that is beautifully defined: dried quince and marmalade, honeycomb and antique furniture. There is an inchoate, resinous element that will surely surface over the next decade or so. This is a bouquet that demands attention and in this blind tasting, sticks out from the crowd, a sui generis. Since I last tasted it, the palate has opened up and is beginning to pump on all cylinders. It is wonderfully balanced with fabulous intensity and a long, citrus-tinged finish that is utterly beguiling. As Kate Bush once sang: "Wow". Drink 2014-2040
