1983 Climens
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
The 1983 Climens has a lucid golden colour. The bouquet is initially backward and finally offers attractive scents of freshly sliced mango, quince and lanolin. Very complex. The palate is powerful and concentrated with effervescent fruit: Seville orange, apricot and mango with a nice bitter edge on the finish. Great length with hints of marmalade lingering on the aftertaste. This is a beautiful Climens. Tasted at Château Climens.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Half bottle. Very nervy nose with quite high VA. Very intense and golden creamy. Edgy and interesting. Just a touch of positive decay. Not actually that sweet, but beautifully balanced. Probably on the way down? (JR)
TA 4.6 (sulphuric) RS 99g/l. Wonderfully inviting nose – pure, delicately and lighty spiced dried apricots with a very slight note of linseed oil and honey on toast. Youthful blend of bittersweet orange flavours and bright acidity, giving a mouthwateringly fresh finish and great length. (JH)
The 1983 has consistently improved since bottling and is a far greater wine than I ever imagined after tasting it from cask. It exhibits the classic honeyed pineapple and spicy oakiness that makes Climens so profound. In the mouth, this wine is opulent, extremely rich, with gobs of glycerin, yet enough acidity to give it plenty of definition and crispness. It is a beautifully made, even stunning Barsac that is eclipsed by the great 1986 and 1988. Anticipated maturity: Now-2009. Last tasted, 11/90.
About the producer
Château Climens is one of Sauternes-Barsac’s leading producers of sweet wine. Classified as a Premier Cru or First Growth in 1855 it sits alongside just 10 other Premier Cru estates in Sauternes, only bettered by Ch. d’Yquem, which was granted its own elite classification of Premier Cru Supérieur.