1998 Château Tirecul La Gravière Monbazillac Cuvée Madame, France, Wine Review

Vintage: 
1998
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$76.00USD

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.  

2010 Château d'Yquem, France, Bordeaux, Sauternes, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2010
Score: 
98
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$385.00USD

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.  

2009 Château Suduiraut, France, Bordeaux, Sauternes, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2009
Score: 
97
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$99.00USD

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.  

2001 Château Guiraud, France, Bordeaux, Sauternes, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2001
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$44.00USD

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

1973 Château Doisy-Dubroca, France, Bordeaux, Sauternes, Barsac, Wine Review

Vintage: 
1973
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$40.00USD

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.  

2014 Château Coutet, France, Barsac, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2014
Score: 
95
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$45.00USD

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.  

2018 Robert Mondavi Winery Fumé Blanc, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$20.00USD

Robert Mondavi long ago started calling his Sauvignon Blanc as Fume Blanc, but it is the same wine.  This is always a quality Sauvignon Blanc for a fair price.  This is actually 87% Sauvignon Blanc and 13% Semillon.  Pale golden in color with some green and copper hues to it.  Clear and bright.  The nose is pretty with oranges, limes, minerals and with air, a bit of dust and mint.  This has a rich, creamy texture that gives it a presence that most Sauvignon Blancs don't have  On the palate, there is lemon-lime, melon and a quality that is sort of like mint tooth paste (in a good way).  Very

2016 Château Climens, France, Bordeaux, Barsac, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
96
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$75.00USD

Always a treat to try this wine which is one of the best, if not the best, wines made in Barsac (next to Sauternes).  This is young but gorgeous.  Light golden in color.  The nose is so pretty with cantaloupe and honey and a slight salinity.  On the palate, this is sweet, not cloying with an unctuous texture.  A nice bit of acidity to keep it lively though not a lot.  The melon and honey come thru to the palate along with some apricot.  Long finish.  This will easily last another 25 years or more if well stored.  It drinks great on its own but also would work well with a less sweet (and non

2017 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Le Petit Blanc, France, Bordeaux, Pessac-Leognan, Wine Reviewc

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$40.00USD

This was consumed against a 2016 La Carte de Haut Brion Blanc and the crowd seemed split.  Although these are very similar wines on paper, they were quite different in the glass and everyone seemed to have a clear favorite.  An 80/20 split of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.  This is a rounder, softer wine with a bigger profile.  It is light golden in color.  The nose has plenty of vanilla with some lemon creme and a slight floral quality.  On the palate, this is soft with tart red apples and some peach.  A bit of minerality.  Nice finish.  This is drinking well now although I don't know that

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