Semillon

Always a privilege to be able to drink Yquem.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  Great nose with honey, slight caramel, apricots, slight pineapple and slight ginger.  Full bodied.  Viscous.  Sweet not cloying with good acidity.  On the palate, honey, slight mandarin orange, apricots and a bit of burnt sugar.  Long, long, finish.  Stunning if young.  Drink this over the next fifty years.  This will work with some desserts but really deserves to be served on its own.  It will improve a bit as it matures.  

This is a "Bordeaux Blanc" styles wine from Washington state.  It is 69% Sauvignon Blanc and 31% Semillon.  Very impressive and a dead ringer for a Bordeaux white in style and quality.  Light golden in color.  The nose has apples, wax, sweet herbs, minerality and a touch of cedar.  Light to medium bodied.  Nice texture.  On the palate, apples, slight citrus, wax with underlying minerality.  Fresh and lively.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  Versatile.  This drinks great on its own and will work with with sea food, pork or fowl and also spicy Asian foods.  Drink over the next few years for its

A nice white from Bordeaux.  A blend of Sémillon 20%,  Sauvignon Blanc 40%, Sauvignon Gris 30%, and Muscadelle 10%.  Medium golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has a nice lemon streak with a Schist rock quality to it.  On the palate, this has a slightly oily texture.  Lemon fruit although there is a bit of a bitter quality especially on the finish.  Also a touch of lemon candy.  Drinking well now, but this probably should be consumed in the next year or so.  Nice on its own, it will work with lighter foods.  

This is a Barsac which is the next commune over from Sauternes in France.  Still going along just fine.  Made from 100% Semillon grapes.

Perhaps the best "non-sauterne" made, this is in a great place.  Light iced-tea in color, clear and bright.  The nose is very nice with honey, apricots and slight Crème Brûlée quality.  Medium bodied but viscous.  Sweet not cloying.  On the palate, honey and caramel notes with good acidity.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This drinks great on its own and will work with less sweet, non-chocolate desserts.  

What more can be said about one of the truly great wines made.  Golden in color, deep and shimmering bright.  On the nose there is honey, some dust, pineapple and orange marmalade.  Viscous.  On the palate, this is so smooth as it coats the mouth.  Notes or apricots, honey, pineapple and slight caramel.  Long, long finish.  This is not an opulent year for Yquem nor is it lean.  It drinks great on its own.  It would work with a less sweet dessert, but this is one of those wines that deserves 100% attention.  Drink over the next thirty years.  

One of my favorite dessert wines.  At age 12, this is drinking beautifully from a 375ml bottle.  Light to medium golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is gorgeous with oranges, blood oranges, honey and spice.  Full bodied.  Viscous texture.  Excellent balance and acidity.  On the palate, oranges, orange peel and honey, layered and complex.  The finish is quite long.  Delicious.  As good as this is, it may still get better with age.  This is contemplative on it own but will work for less sweet (not chocolate) dessert.  A polenta cake would work nicely.  

From a tremendous vintage, but this Sauternes is great in just about any vintage and one of the more reasonably priced ones at that.  This was purchased on release and well stored.  Medium golden/orange in color.  The nose is great with honey, slight pineapple, slight saline and canned peaches.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, this is sweet not cloying.  It has dropped some of its sweetness in the 19 years since release.  Lots of depth and complexity.  Layers of peaches, minerals and honey.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This is great on its own and will work with a not too sweet frui

It can be really fun to taste older wines.  At age 47, this one is drinking nicely.  Deep golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose shows just a hint of oxidation with apricots and honey and white raisins.  Full bodied and slightly viscous.  Nice acidity.  On the palate, this is sweet with honeyed apricots.  Nice finish.  The bottle was then stuck in the fridge for a few weeks.  Upon re-tasting, it was still fresh and vibrant.  Who know how long this may last.  Drinks well on its own and worked well with various cheeses.  

A lovely wine.  Light golden in color.  The nose is gorgeous with honey, quince, slight orange peel.  On the palate, this is viscous.  Sweet not cloying.  Lots of depth with enough acidity to keep things lively.  The honey and quince carry thru to the palate.  A very long finish.  This is delicious but also contemplative.  It drinks great on its own and would work with less sweet desserts.  This should continue to evolve and drink well for the next thirty years.  A real treat.