Château Climens Barsac 1855 1er Cru 2001

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.