Château Rieussec 2005

No tasting note given.

Shows enticing aromas of toffee, cream, dried apricot and caramel. Full-bodied, very sweet and thick, with honey and caramel flavors. Long and rich, oozing with sweet, ripe fruit, this is like liquid candy. Best after 2016.

91-93 Barrel sample. Spice and light wood flavors dominate this delicious, poised wine, but it also has dense fruit, some light marmalade and a bit of sweetness, but more in the way of dry botrytis.

What a balance in this wine, notes of apple pie, honey, and spiced lemons. Full-bodied and sweet, with a bright acidity and dried citrus with honey and orange marmalade. 140 grams of residual sugar, but very fresh still. Beautiful now, but wait to pull the cork in 2012.

Tasted blind. Deep, coppery gold. Rich and round with a savoury undertow. Exciting without being particularly sweet. Some bruised apple-skin character. (JR)

The 2005 Rieussec has a petrolly nose with quince, fig and Clementine scents that blossom in the glass. Good intensity. The palate is well balanced with a viscous opening and fine grip, very pure in style, with fig, dates and peach towards the harmonious finish. Lovely. Tasted at the 2005 Sauternes horizontal held at Château Coutet.

Vanilla bean, honey coated tropical fruit, apricot and macadamia nut aromas move you into a lush, fat, sweet, dense wine with lots of sweetness, yet enough, much needed freshening acidity. Still young as expected, it's a lot of fun tasting these wines in their youth.

Medium yellow. Fine, complex, with great breeding, showing lots of apricot, freshly extracted honey, gently floral, almost perfumed notes, with orange blossom. On the palate, rich yet elegant, with plenty of richness in the extract, a superb, well-knit sweetness, and maximum complexity. The only Sauternes that directly recalls the 1990 vintage.

Medium yellow. Fine, complex and showing real breed, with plenty of apricot, freshly extracted honey, and gentle floral, almost perfumed notes of orange blossom. On the palate, rich yet elegant, with lots of weight in the extract, a superb, well-knit sweetness, and maximum complexity. The only Sauternes that directly recalls its own 1990 vintage.

Velvety, dense, opulent, creamy bouquet: apricot jelly, honey, biscuit dough, vanilla, linden blossom. Dense, generous, creamy, full palate with powerful fruit, lavish sweetness, a rounded structure, fine acidity, complex, intense aromas, and a long, full finish. 19/20 drink through 2050.

A wine of magnificent power and immense ageing potential, a classic of this exceptional vintage.

Golden, coppery color. Fruity nose, with a hint of herbal infusion. Round, smooth and fruity on the palate, with notes of citrus zest and smoke. It lacks structure. Medium finish. Disappointing for the vintage. Alcohol content: 14%. Residual sugar: 140 g.