3 | Wine | Barsac / Sauternes, $20 to $50 | Page 2

"This has a much more precocious nose than other 2007s: honey, apricot, peach, a touch of spice, mandarin and a soupcon of warm alcohol, in other words, quintessential Doisy-Vedrines. The palate is full-bodied, viscous on the entry and maintaining good balance, fine acidity cutting through the rich honey, quince and apricot fruit, with great definition and vitality towards the botrytis-rich finish. There is real pedigree here, and the 2007 surely represents their best wines since the triumvirate of 88, 89, and 90. This is a benchmark Doisy-Vedrines."

"The palate is well balanced with fine minerality, bright citrus fruit, orange zest, a touch of white peach and apricot, good tension towards the finish with a dash of lemongrass on the aftertaste. There is very good weight and botrytis on this Lafaurie Peyraguey that linger seductively."

This wine was named #5 of Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2012.

"This is a bird of a different feather, with an exotic, vibrant aroma of toasted coconut, followed by an almond cream note that gives way to the core of green fig, papaya, Cavaillon melon and honey. There's stunning richness and mouthfeel, with the power to be one of the longer-lived wines of the vintage. Very impressive."

"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."
-Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate, 91 to 93 pts.

"A very ripe, juicy, spicy style, with bold apricot, tangerine, toasted almond and papaya notes. Shows lots of power, with the length to match. A winner in the making."