2023 Climens
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Tasting notes
A riveting sweet wine that's up with the crème de la crème of the vintage, the 2023 Château Climens comes from tiny yields and is all Sémillon raised in 30-40% new French oak. It offers up awesome ripe apricot, honeyed orange, spice, brioche, and tons of floral nuances on the nose, and opens up with time in the glass. Full-bodied on the palate, it has perfect balance, integrated acidity, and a gorgeous finish. This knockout, sensationally complex, richly textured, yet also pure and precise Barsac is a thrill to drink today, yet it’s going to evolve for 40-50 years on its concentration and balance. Drink 2026-2046.
Critic scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent
More reviews and scores
The 2023 Château Climens is superb, notwithstanding its tiny yield of just 2.7 hectoliters per hectare and a mere 4,000 bottles produced of the grand vin. It reveals a complex, delicate and perfumed bouquet of beeswax, exotic fruits, ripe orchard fruits and spices. Medium- to full-bodied, fresh and crystalline, it is seamless in texture, animated by lively acidity and concludes with a long, precise and ethereal finish. This is not the most powerful rendition of Climens but rather one defined by precision and meticulous attention to detail. Entirely crafted from Sémillon, it contains 130 grams per liter of residual sugar.
High spice, orange zest, caramel, burnt orange, truffle, creme brulee, a tiny yield of less than 3hl/h. Biodynamic. Just 4,000 bottles produced instead of the normal 10,000, 130g/l residual sugar, amazing success but the tiny yields means heavy concentration.
The 2023 Climens is 100% Semillon and has 130 g/l of residual sugar and a pH of 3.8. It has a medium lemon-straw color and offers notes of lime cordial, lemonade, and fresh grapefruit, leading to an undercurrent of acacia honey, candle wax, and fresh ginger. The palate delivers vibrant citrus flavors with spicy sparks and great tension, finishing long and fragrant.
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.