| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Sauternes and Barsac |
| Colour | Sweet White |
| Type | Still |
The 2011 Rieussec has a lifted patisserie, almond-scented bouquet, touches of wild peach coming through with aeration. The palate is well balanced with a very unctuous entry, powerful and intense, almost heady in style with a persistent finish that coats the mouth. What a fabulous Sauternes. Tasted blind at the annual 10-Year-On tasting.
This is a fabulous Sauternes with dried peaches, pineapples and mango. Apricots and hints of spices. Even jam. Full-bodied, medium sweet with intense and powerful palate. This wine has 147 grams of residual sugar. So balanced and long. We will see what is better -- Rieussec or Yquem?
Rieussec is always one of the most popular names of Sauternes and, after Yquem, usually the best wine of the appellation. 85% Semillon, 12% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Muscadelle.
People who normally have to buy Rieussec to get their hands on a case of Lafite may decide that it's not worth the aggravation in 2011, but that would be a mistake. This isn't the best Sauternes of the vintage, but it's still rich and concentrated with notes of barley sugar and honey and just enough acidity for balance. 6+ years.
Departing from its usual unctuous style, this vintage displays great purity and lifted, elegant flavours. Great concentration of flavours and amazing complexity. Exotic fruits and floral notes are typical of Rieussec. A precise, detailed wine with a long finish.
Tasted blind at the Sauternes 2011 horizontal tasting. The Château Rieussec 2011 transcends its somewhat "middling" performance from barrel and delivers a knockout wine in bottle. For sure, it demonstrates a lot of vanilla from the new oak on the nose, complemented by almond, French patisserie and touches of white peach. The élevage is more expressive than the terroir at the moment, although there is clearly a lot of fruit underneath. The palate is very well balanced, with thickly textured honeyed fruits that lacquer the inside of the mouth and stay there. This is extremely well balanced but very young and primal, yet the crescendo of flavors is very impressive. Tasted blind, I hazarded a guess that this might be Yquem '11. Enough said. Drink 2017-2045.
The 2011 Rieussec has a lifted, at the moment quite oaky, bouquet with scents of honey, almond and pineapple. Hopefully it will develop more definition by the time of bottling. The palate is medium-bodied with tropical fruit and mandarin on the entry and a satisfying viscous core of honeyed fruit. It seems a little disjointed towards the finish, although I am sure it will become more cohesive by the time of bottling. For me, it just seems a little predictable. Drink 2015-2028+.
