3 | Wine | Barsac / Sauternes | Page 4

"A sensational Yquem, 1997 may be this estate's finest effort since 1990. The 1997's light gold color is accompanied a gorgeous perfume of caramel, honeysuckle, peach, apricot, and smoky wood. Full-bodied and unctuously-textured, with good underlying acidity as well as loads of sweetness and glycerin, it looks to be a great vintage for this renowned Sauternes estate.

"Subtle and racy, with lemon rind, vanilla cream and dried pineapple. Very spicy and intense. Full-bodied, with great length and flavor. Electrified yet refined, with medium sweetness and a wonderful finish. I love the class of this, and the length. Has afterburners."

"Floral, lemon, apple and cream with dried pineapple and apricot. Full-bodied, but very focused and refined. It starts slowly and then, wham! It goes on and on. Spicy, dried fruits and spices. Full-bodied, medium-sweet. So long and exciting." 95-100 pts.

"Friendly, with apricot, peach and papaya notes and a nice singed almond edge on the finish."

"The 2001 Yquem reveals a hint of green in its light gold color. While somewhat reticent aromatically, with airing, it offers up honeyed tropical fruit, orange marmalade, pineapple, sweet creme brulee, and buttered nut-like scents. In the mouth, it is full-bodied with gorgeously refreshing acidity as well as massive concentration and unctuosity. Everything is uplifted and given laser-like focus by refreshing acidity. This large-scaled, youthful Yquem appears set to take its place among the most legendary vintages of the past, and will age effortlessly for 75+ years." Reviewed by Robert Parker.

"Intense aromas of petrol, spice and honey, with dried apricot. Full-bodied, very sweet, with a green apple and honey character; petrol character comes through on the finish."

"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."