That was until I discovered wine critics, retailers and decent plonk.
Wordsworth at his worst has nothing on the wine industry.
But sometimes that's justified, almost.
So it may prove with Rieussec 2001 from Sauternes. I'm not a huge fan of sweet wines.
Give me a Negroni anytime, or a Marsala, so I used to think. Even a decent port.
Yes I know they are aperativos, (Port excepted) but generally I'd rather drink them than most sweet wines.
Many are just, well, too sweet for me. I tried the Climens 2006 at New Year, and was largely disappointed.
But I've been lucky enough to try a few of the top Sauternes in the last year or so.
Climens 2001, which I attempted to write about here, is one of the greatest wines of all time.
Rieussec 2001, which scores between 95 and 100 points (see here) is also amazing.
Parker's Wine Advocate apparently says "A monumental effort, the 2001 Rieussec boasts a light to medium gold color in addition to a fabulous perfume of honeysuckle, smoky oak, caramelized tropical fruits, creme brulee, and Grand Marnier. The wine is massive and full-bodied yet neither over the top nor heavy because of good acidity. With intense botrytis as well as a 70-75-second finish, this amazing Sauternes will be its apogee between 2010-2035."
It's a truly wonderful drop. On balance I preferred the more subtle Climens. But that is perhaps splitting hairs.
It may also have been that my palate was somewhat affected by the all the Calon Segur we had tasted just before it, reviewed here in a recent vertical tasting.
No comments:
Post a Comment