Wines with Age

wines

A wonderful and fascinating wine with a tangy sweet and sour character. Full and very sweet, with a dried citrus character and an underlying orange marmalade note. Long and delicious already. Lovely balance for having such a ripe finish. This can age forever, but why deny yourself?James Suckling | 96 JSIntense aromas of pecan pie, dried apricot, apples and syrup. Full-bodied, medium-sweet, with a dense mouthfeel of very ripe fruit and a long, powerful and spicy aftertaste. Very, very impressive. Not quite the 2001, but who’s arguing? Best after 2010. 6,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS(Château Suduiraut) The 2003 Suduiraut is the finest example of this vintage in Sauternes that I have yet tasted, though this is admittedly from a fairly small sampling of the vintage. The bouquet is deep, pure and very refined in its mélange of pineapple, apricot, peach, coconut, gentle soil tones and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and most impressively light on its feet, with fine mid-palate depth, with lovely focus and just a touch of youthful bitterness still to resolve on the long, succulent and bouncy finish. The acids here are not as zesty as in the 2005, but there are sufficient to frame the wine beautifully and to keep it fresh and lively far into the future. I would give this wine three or four years to fully blossom and then drink it over the next several decades. (Drink between 2013-2040)John Gilman | 93 JGEx-chateau bottle tasted blind in Sauternes. To be honest, this vintage of Suduiraut has never been thrilling and is certainly not in the same class as the 2001 or 2009, to give two examples. The nose is powerful and rich with scents of Clementine, beeswax and quince that certainly pack a punch. The palate is spicy on the viscous entry with bitter orange, marmalade and stem ginger, although the glycerine-rich finish is missing some freshness and tension. This remains an unashamedly hedonistic Suduiraut. Tasted April 2013.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 90 RP-NMThe 2003 Suduiraut has a strange bouquet with melted wax, quince and wet wool aromas, rather smudged and becoming Aszú-like with time in the glass. The palate is fresh and vibrant on the entry and starts well. It is missing some precision, a little spicy in style however, the warmth of the growing season erodes some of the tension towards the ginger-tinged finish that feels a little abrupt. 136gm/L residual sugar, 4.02gm/L total acidity. Tasted at the Suduiraut vertical at the château.Vinous Media | 90 VM

La Tour Blanche’s spectacular 2001 boasts a light to medium gold color as well as a big, exotic nose of tropical fruits, honeysuckle, orange marmalade, and creme brulee. In the mouth, notions of peaches, lychees, and caramelized citrus give way to a weighty, full-bodied, concentrated yet incredibly precise and well-delineated sweet white. It is a tour de force in Sauternes! Anticipated maturity: 2009-2035.Robert Parker | 97 RPSoft burnished gold, and lighter in frame that some in the lineup with excellent concentration and uplift. A gentle scattering of white flowers as you travel through the palate, with an enveloping floral fragrance of honeysuckle and lilies. Smoked citrus zest and the tertiary notes of an older Sauternes come in through the finish, along with the caramelised toffee-edged apricots that showcase the evolution of the wine. This is excellent and would be beautiful paired with an apricot tart. Makes me want to cook an apricot tart in fact, which has got to be a good thing. Holds its nerve when I go back after 15 minutes, showing excellent grip. Drinking Window 2021 - 2042.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2001 La Tour Blanche has a finely knit bouquet of yellow flowers mixed with wild honey, acacia and white peach. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity and almost unctuous in the mouth, showing what feels like more residual sugar than its peers. Voluminous and mouth-filling on the finish but missing the tension that would take it up a level. Still, this is a hedonistic delight.Vinous Media | 94 VMVery intense aromas of candied lemons, fresh flowers and vanilla. Full-bodied, very sweet and spicy. Long, long finish. Excellent. Best after 2009. 4,630 cases made, 250 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

One of Pomerol's resurrected estates, Le Moulin's 1998 could turn out to be an outstanding wine, as well as one of the vintage's sleepers. The color is an opaque black/purple. The bouquet offers gorgeously sweet black raspberry and berry aromas along with smoke and truffle scents. This is a luxurious wine, with a voluptuous texture, admirable fat and concentration, and a sweet, long, impressively pure, highly-extracted finish. It one 1998 Pomerol with the sweet tannin to encourage at least 15 years of longevity. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2016.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RP

A sleeper of the vintage, this debut effort under the omnipresent management of Jean-Luc Thunevin boasts a dense ruby/purple color in addition to a sweet, chocolatey, blackberry and currant-scented nose, low acidity, a fat, luscious texture, and a heady finish. It is a hedonistic St.-Emilion fruit bomb to drink over the next 6-8 years.Robert Parker | 88-90 RP

Wow. This has a seamless texture and wonderful depth of fruit with dried pineapple, pear and hints of honey. Full body, very sweet and dense. Superb. Sliced white truffles. Fantastic. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JSThis superb, light to medium gold/green-hued Sauternes is a full-bodied, opulent, enormously endowed, moderately sweet offering with plenty of pineapple, peach, caramel, and smoky new oak characteristics. With great viscosity as well as richness, and good underlying acidity providing vibrancy and definition, it should be at its peak between 2008-2030.Robert Parker | 96 RPExotic and ripe with loads of tropical fruit and sweet fruit. Full-bodied, spicy and very long. Sweet and loaded with botrytis. This is a young Sauternes built for aging. Best after 2010. 7,500 cases made, 1,725 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSGentle tawny yellow in colour. The first one where I have a touch of volatile acidity. It's not overpowering, and as ever with Sauternes there is so much else going on that it quickly gets forgotten about amid the abundance of other aromatics but a second bottle (colder in temperature also) works better. On this one, the grated ginger character is beautifully invigorating alongside the lemon curd and caramelised apples richness. This has plenty to enjoy but it is not at the heights that Lafaurie-Peyraguey has reached over the past decade, and is a reminder that this estate today is part of the renewal of Sauternes. Drinking Window 2021 - 2040Decanter | 91 DECThe 2001 Lafaurie-Peyraguey, which just predates Silvio Denz’s ownership, has an attractive nose of dried honey, praline and walnut, displaying good intensity though not amazingly complex. The palate is well balanced with a viscous opening, fine acidity and a touch of orange peel and spicebox toward the finish. Elegant and refined, but it needs a little more length.Vinous Media | 91 VM

Very perfumed with blackberries, currants and vanilla. Full bodied, with silky tannins and a long finish. This is tight and racy. Very fine. Best after 2008.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

(Les Fiefs de Lagrange) The 2000 vintage of Les Fiefs de Lagrange is noteworthy for having had all of the château’s petit verdot included in the second label, and the wine should prove to be quite ageworthy as a result. The bouquet is initially a bit marked by its toasty oak, which may mean that this vintage of Les Fiefs saw a bit more than the standard ten percent, but there is no issue with the integration of the wood on the palate. The bouquet is deep and powerful, as it offers up notes of black cherries, cassis, tobacco leaf, dark chocolate, soil tones and the toasty oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and youthfully reticent, with a rock solid core of fruit, plenty of ripe tannins, sound acids and excellent length and grip on the still very primary finish. This will be a long-distance runner of a second label, and probably demand a good decade in the cellar before it reaches its zenith, but it will certainly be worth the wait. High class juice. (Drink between 2018-2040).John Gilman | 90 JG

Aromas of jam, berry and cherry follow through to a full-bodied palate, with fine yet round tannins and a long chocolate and berry aftertaste. Loads of sweet fruit here. Exciting stuff. This small producer makes fine wines. Best after 2008. 1,165 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSMade in a soft, but not over-ripe style, the deep ruby/plum-tinged 2003 reveals broad, sexy notes of vanilla, black cherry jam, dried herbs, and sweet currants. This fleshy, round, low acid, seductive, luscious effort will provide pleasure over the next decade. Only 1,250 cases were produced, and the 2003 tipped the scales at 13.5% alcohol.Robert Parker | 90 RPGood deep red-ruby. Captivating aromas of black raspberry, violet, minerals, smoke and nutty oak. Fat, broad and opulent but not overly sweet; manages to retain its typical aromatic quality even in this hot year, no doubt partly due to the fact that this wine gets minimal racking. Wonderfully easy to drink already and probably best suited for consuming over the next seven or eight years.Vinous Media | 90 VM

This 15+ acre estate, situated on a south/southwest-facing slope, has been making sensational wines since 2000, when the management of the vineyard and winemaking were taken over by Nicolas Thienpont and Stephane Derenoncourt. The 40-year-old, bio-dynamically farmed vineyard is planted with 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. The 2003 possesses superb ripeness as well as a stony, mineral liqueur-like intensity, a reticent but promising perfume of black raspberries, sweet kirsch, and blacker fruits, a full-bodied, powerful, concentrated attack and mid-palate, and a blockbuster, long, powerful, moderately tannic finish. It is an infant in terms of development. No doubt this site’s clay and limestone soils were the perfect antidote for the summer’s torrid heat and drought. This superb effort should only be purchased by patient connoisseurs. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2025+Robert Parker | 93 RPPlenty of berry and cherry character with chocolate and vanilla. Medium-bodied, with soft and balanced tannins. Lovely balance. This is right next to Angélus and Beauséjour Duffau-Lagarosse. A small property with about 15 acres. Best after 2008. 1,625 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

Intensely botrytised, with loads of allspice and mineral character, yet lively and exciting. Full-bodied, racy and very long. Fresh sweetness.Wine Spectator | 95-98 WSPale gold. Exotic aromas of ripe apricot and sultana raisin, with liqueur-like and candied notes. Very sweet, concentrated and powerful. Extremely young, chewy and dense, with sugar, acidity and alcohol balanced at a high level. Note of licorice. Shows excellent delineation and structure from the outset, as well as terrific length.Vinous Media | 89-92 VMThe Château Nairac 2001 has quite an intense bouquet with dried quince, nougat and hazelnut aromas, slightly more oxidative than its peers and yet still attractive. The palate is well balanced with spicy notes on the entry, well-judged acidity and a lovely marmalade-driven, harmonious finish. This is aging very well and should offer another 10 years of pleasure, possibly more.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 91 RP-NM

No written review provided. | 94 VMA big, generous wine, with sweet black fruit flavors that show well with the acidity and the fresh, open tannins. For a wine from 2002, this has richness and good ripe flavors. There is depth as well as power, and this can certainly be counted one of the success stories of 2002.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WE

No written review provided | 92 WS

Deep medium ruby. Black cherry, violet, licorice and bitter chocolate on the nose. Intensely flavored and rather sinewy, with firm acids framing the fruit. Quite backward and firmly tannic, but has the material and structure to age nicely. Finishes with a note of espresso. This chateau has been making consistently strong wine in recent years.Vinous Media | 88-90 VMA wine with delicious berry, nutmeg and fresh tobacco character, with just a hint of vanilla. Medium-bodied, with silky tannins and a long finish. Impressive. Very fine. Much better than from barrel. Best after 2008. 25,415 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Tasted at the Château Giscours vertical, the 2002 Château Giscours is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot picked between October 1 and 15. There remains that almost Pomerol-like personality on the nose, quite perfumed and floral with sage and burnt toast scents tincturing the dark berry fruit. With continued aeration, there is a just a hint of rooibos. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, quite ferrous in the mouth and lightly spiced. It does not deliver the same precision as the 2001, although there is decent length here. It does not offer great length, but for the vintage, this should be considered a modest success. Tasted June 2015.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 91 RP-NMI like the mineral and blackberry aromas in this wine. Medium- to full-bodied, with a fresh acidity and tannin structure. This is solid and tight. Needs bottle age. Best after 2008. 23,330 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Golden yellow. Butterscotch and vanilla, with hints of ripe apples. Full-bodied, with lots of sweetness and a spicy apricot and honey aftertaste. Excellent concentration and balance. Loads of botrytis character on the finish. Intense. Hard not to drink now because it’s so luscious and rich. Best after 2008. 11,665 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSIntensely fruity and rich with wonderful sweetness and loads of spicy and honey character with a dried apricot undertone. It hasn’t changed much since I last tasted it, just bottled. Great 2001. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSA medium gold color is accompanied by notes of caramelized oranges, citrus, honeysuckle, creme brulee, and smoke. Full-bodied and opulent, with tremendous intensity, good acidity, and a persistent finish that lasts nearly a minute, this large-scaled, thick, heady Guiraud is one of the finest examples from this estate that I have ever tasted. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2025.Robert Parker | 94 RPBurnt orange colour, with a seductive woodsmoke curl out of the glass. More evolved in character than some, but with the shift in gears comes a savoury, walnut, rare books edge that I love. The fruit character comes through as concentrated nectarine and peach pit, giving both texture and concentration to the finish. Drinking Window 2021 - 2040.Decanter | 93 DECThe 2001 Guiraud sports a fragrant but not intense nose, featuring the lanolin and apricot notes that I observed previously; touches of grilled walnut surface with time. The lightly spiced palate is very well balanced with a honeyed opening and ginger-infused quince and marmalade flavors. It builds nicely on the finish without fully letting rip. A commendable, delicious Guiraud that should give another 15–20 years of drinking pleasure.Vinous Media | 92 VM

A terrific sleeper value, Stephan von Neipperg’s 2001 Clos de l’Oratoire boasts a deep blue/purple color as well as a rich nose of melted licorice, espresso roast, black currants, minerals, smoke, and earth. This opulent, medium-bodied St.-Emilion exhibits abundant quantities of fruit and glycerin along with a fleshy, ripe, expansive finish with no hard edges. Some tannin lurks beneath the surface, but this is a beautiful wine to drink now and over the next 10-12 years.Robert Parker | 90 RP

Good deep ruby. Complex, sauvage aromas of black raspberry, smoked meat and leather. Soft, sweet and expressive; shows a considerably stronger animal aspect than either Canon La Gaffeliere or Mondotte, Stephan von Neipperg other St. Emilion wines. Quite suave and fresh for the year. Finishes long and ripely tannic. Half of this wine was fermented in wood cuves, which von Neipperg feels has resulted in a more successful integration of the tannins.Vinous Media | 89-90 VM

Even better, the 2001 Château Barde-Haut offers a full-bodied, beautifully textured style on the palate as well as incredibly complex notes of blackcurrants, chocolate, tobacco, and Asian spices. With resolved tannins, a great mid-palate, and a concentrated, rich, powerful style, it’s another 2001 that’s drinking brilliantly today. As with the 2000, it’s drinking at point yet is going to evolve nicely over the coming decade.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDThe 2001 Barde Haut has an open-knit nose of black plum and crushed strawberry; subtle, almost gamy aromas develop in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with a pliant texture and fine acidity, fleshier than some Right Bank wines but nicely balanced. While not a complex Saint-Émilion, it has bags of charm and feels carefree and malleable. A 20-year-old that is now à point.Vinous Media | 90 VMBeautiful red with soft, silky tannins and delicious berry, cherry, vanilla and light tobacco character. Full-bodied, with a caressing texture and a long finish. I like this better than the 2000. Best after 2006. 3,080 cases made. —Wine Spectator | 90 WS

The 1988 exhibits superb richness, plenty of botrytis, creamy, honeyed, tropical fruit (pineapples galore), wonderfully integrated, toasty oak, crisp acidity, and a rich, full-bodied, long finish. The wine is just beginning to evolve and it is clearly capable of lasting for 25-35 years. Last tasted 11/94Robert Parker | 92 RP

This is so creamy, almost milky in feel, with toasted coconut and cashew notes giving way to sweet peach, apricot and glazed pear flavors that glide along, while ginger, green tea, lychee and kumquat flavors extend through the finish. Shows terrific range and definition. Feels like it’s just starting to open, and is in no rush. Drink now through 2035. 2,665 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSTasted blind at the 10-Year On Tasting in Sauternes. The 2005 Château de Fargues has a rich and intense bouquet with layers of honey, dried peach, beeswax and acacia that soar from the glass. The palate is powerful and authoritative: intense botrytis-rich honeyed fruit with compelling mineralité underneath. It fans out in glorious fashion – a stunning de Fargues that is now beginning to show its talents. As I remarked a couple of years ago, just afford it a couple more years so that it can fully absorb the vestiges of oak.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 95 RP-NMThe nose is sumptuous but still conspicuously oaky, though the oak doesn’t suppress the lovely apricot fruit. Indeed it confers aromatic elegance. Very sweet and intense on the palate, this is creamy and concentrated, with excellent purity of fruit, but a lively acidity, which gives the wine its finesse. Well balanced. Drinking Window 2021 - 2030.Decanter | 93 DECMedium yellow. Exotic, high-toned apricot, spices and flowers on the nose, complemented by coconutty, toasty oak. Very sweet and unctuous, with exotic, nobly rotten flavors of pineapple, apricot and coconut and an impression of elevated alcohol. Not quite as racy, fruity or structured as the 2007; conveys an impression of softer acidity, and yet this maintains a light touch. Finishes with suggestions of vanilla and marzipan.Vinous Media | 92 VMNo written review provided. | 92 W&S