Château Climens 2023

Aromatic, cool, stony, exotic fruit, saffron; dense palate without any heaviness, creamy texture, delicate fruit, precise acidity, a finish shaped by minerality. A highly elegant sweet wine, with great elegance.

A question mark for this venerable Barsac Premier Cru: Despite their best efforts, respecting biodynamic practices, the château team lost about 75% of the harvest to mildew, including top, old-vine Sémillon grapes (a miniscule yield of 2.7hl/ha) and the cloudy sample that I tried, exuding fine and fresh pineapple and orange notes, lacked expected energy. While very good, it seems to underperform in 2023, at least based on the sample that I had. It has 130 grams per litre of residual sugar and 4 grams of total acidity and a pH of 3.8. Ageing in 100% new oak.

Last tasted in April 2024, and this remains a wonderful quality Climens, and as I said in my last tasting note, impossible to believe that it was made out of one of the smallest yields on record, with just 2.7hl/h of juice. White tea, grilled pineapple, saffron, mint leaf, concentrated apricot and preserved lemons, high concentration with a ton of ageing potential. 33% new oak. Just 4,000 bottles produced instead of the normal 10,000, 130g/l residual sugar.

The freshness expressed by the bouquet is enough to draw attention to this wine’s complexity, combining charm, generosity and character on the nose alone. Notes of ripe stone fruits mingle with aromas of acacia blossom, saffron, citrus zest, coconut and raspberries. Dense, creamy, silky and even saline, Climens brilliantly embodies the idea of a contemporary Barsac wine—attentive to everyone—yet still able to assert itself with a certain authority and show why it is great. The arguments are compelling: tension, bitterness and sweetness come together in an exceptional symbiosis. A commanding wine thanks to its aura, serenity, precision and persistence. It will captivate many generations!

A personality largely built on freshness, with alluring notes of ginger and white pepper that persistently etch the palate. A lovely, refreshing liqueur. Flavors of mandarin and banana emerge on the finish. Racy, elegant, and taut.

Quietly intense and complex with a deep but bright golden hue. Aromas of lush, ripe fruit such as dried mangoes, jackfruit and a hint of minerals, with durian, saffron, honey, wax and cream. Refreshing Barsac elegance and sheer lusciousness in a not-too-sweet, medium- to full-bodied style. Long, round and silky, the finish tiptoes through the palate and up to the nose. Harmonious and quite effortless. Drink now or hold through the next three decades, if not longer.

This is unctuous in feel, with candied ginger, graham cracker and warm piecrust notes forming an ornate frame around a core flush with creamed pineapple, yellow apple, mirabelle plum and papaya flavors. Chamomile, orange blossom and bitter almond accents gild the powerful finish. Drink now through 2060. 730 cases made, 60 cases imported.

A riveting sweet wine that's up with the crème de la crème of the vintage, the 2023 Château Climens comes from tiny yields and is all Sémillon raised in 30-40% new French oak. It offers up awesome ripe apricot, honeyed orange, spice, brioche, and tons of floral nuances on the nose, and opens up with time in the glass. Full-bodied on the palate, it has perfect balance, integrated acidity, and a gorgeous finish. This knockout, sensationally complex, richly textured, yet also pure and precise Barsac is a thrill to drink today, yet it’s going to evolve for 40-50 years on its concentration and balance. Drink 2026-2046.

Sweet and racy, with elegance and lift, the wine is packed with flowers, pineapples, apricots, mangos, nuts, and a touch of saffron that hits every part of your palate. The long finish lets you enjoy the purity in the ripe and overripe fruits all coated with honey. Drink from 2028-2060.

Golden color. An intense, pure, fruity and complex nose. Notes of candied fruit and fresh fruit emerge when the glass is swirled. Delicate on the attack, silky through the mid-palate and highly aromatic as well, the wine melts across the palate, juicy and noble. A very fine, sapid and fragrant finish, with flavors of candied fruit.

The 2023 Château Climens is superb, notwithstanding its tiny yield of just 2.7 hectoliters per hectare and a mere 4,000 bottles produced of the grand vin. It reveals a complex, delicate and perfumed bouquet of beeswax, exotic fruits, ripe orchard fruits and spices. Medium- to full-bodied, fresh and crystalline, it is seamless in texture, animated by lively acidity and concludes with a long, precise and ethereal finish. This is not the most powerful rendition of Climens but rather one defined by precision and meticulous attention to detail. Entirely crafted from Sémillon, it contains 130 grams per liter of residual sugar.