1997 Château Climens
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Tasting notes
The 1997 Climens is a wine that I have tasted three of four times, but it has never convinced me that it is a top-drawer offering. It has quite a powerful, rather mushroom-like bouquet with apricot and dried honey, though I would have liked a little more delineation. The palate is medium-bodied though never really "lifts off", the finish just missing a bit of presence. A rare slipped catch from this estate? It would seem so.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
Golden in colour, golden on the nose. Saffron and turmeric and orange peel. Rich golden syrup and satin heavy, languid, dense. Some nuttiness developing, but still wonderful tension through the core. (TC)
TA 4.3 g/l (sulphuric), RS 101 g/l/ (JH) Intensely spiced and orange-oiled on the nose. Amazingly expressive and complex and inviting. Equally complex on the palate, a bitter orange intensity of fine botrytis, immensely rich in flavour without being overly viscous. Terrific freshness and length
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.