What a fantastic wine. Deep golden in color. Very pretty. On the nose, there is honey, sea air, and apricots. On the palate, this is very complex. Apple, honey, some citrus (almost a burnt sugar-ish citrus if that makes sense). With air, some creme brulee emerges. Long finish. This is sweet but not as sweet as I expected and no where near cloying. Good acidity. The wine has decades left.
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Opened late in the evening (probably should have skipped it) but it was a nice treat. Drinking great right now. Golden in color, but not that dark for an 01 (purchased on release). The nose is gorgeous with apricots and honey and a bit of burnt sugar. On the palate, not quite as expressive but still quite nice. Burnt sugar and apricots carry thru. Viscous but not cloying. Sweet but not overtly. Ok acidity. Long finish. This was from a 375 and even in that format, has a long life left.
Update.
Always a pleasure to taste an aged Sauternes from a top producer. This is iced tea in color. The nose is slightly oxidized with honeys and slight apricots both fresh and dried. On the palate, this is thinner than expected. Slightly sweet. Tastes of slightly burnt honey (in a good way). Long finish. This is cetainly past prime but still provides a lot of enjoyment. It probably should be consumed sooner than later. It will work well on its own or with a not too sweet fruit dessert.
Deep golden on color, not quite brown. The nose has some slight smoke, slight lime and some walnut. On the palate, this is slightly oily. Some lanolin. Not much if any fruit left. Slightly bitter on the finish. I found it drinkable and interesting. Certainly over the hill, but not dead yet. Those more sensitive to oxidation had more issues with it. It certainly was far more oxidized than the 2009 consumed alongside it.
Light golden in color. The nose has smoke, lanolin and lemon peel. Medium bodied. On the palate, a slightly oily texture. Limes. Slight depth. Slightly bitter on the finish. At age eleven this is drinking well but probably past prime. It will last but it seems to be losing its fruit. Probably best to drink now. Will work with lighter food, perhaps chicken salad.
2001 was such a great vintage and the wines from Sauternes or Barsac are in a gorgeous place right now. Golden orange in color. The nose is beautiful with honey and apricots. Slightly sweet on the palate. Oranges and apricots with honey. Viscous with a nice backbone of acidity. Long finish. This is complex and layered and demands ones attention. The first sip tastes good, then evolves on the palate and just does not let go. Works great with blue cheese or a savory dessert.
