2003 Climens
By Chateau Climens
2003 Climens from Chateau Climens, Sauternes, Bordeaux
The 2003 vintage in Bordeaux was a year of extremes, with the region experiencing the highest temperatures since records began. This climatic anomaly presented both a challenge and a unique opportunity for wineries. These conditions are intricately echoed in the 2003 Climens from Chateau Climens, a wine that asserts itself as an exemplar of adaptability and excellence in a year that tested even the most resilient vineyards.
A Vintage Par Excellence
Against the sweltering backdrop of 2003, the noble rot necessary for Sauternes flourished, creating a concentration of flavours that are vividly present in each glass of this exceptional vintage. The impeccable finesse exhibited by Chateau Climens' talented team is manifest; they superbly navigated the extremities of the season to cultivate grapes that have produced a Sauternes of profound complexity and longevity.
Investment Worthy Liquid Gold
Accomplished investors will find the 2003 Climens an intriguing addition to their portfolio. It demonstrates how climatic adversity can be transcended, resulting in a wine whose rarity and quality are heightened by its historical context. The vintage tantalises with a lusciously syrupy texture, interweaving tropical notes of pineapple and mango with traditional hints of acacia honey and candied apricot—a testimony to the extraordinary terroir and tenacious spirit of Chateau Climens.
The aftertaste lingers delightfully, offering a reminder of its prudent ageing potential—further enhancing its desirability for fine wine investors looking to enrich their collection with bottles that promise prosperous maturation.
The Essence of 2003 Captured
In summary, investing in the 2003 Climens from Chateau Climens is not merely an acquisition of liquid gold; it is an investment into a chapter of vinicultural history where nature's ferocity is harnessed into a product of unrivalled distinction. Herein lies a golden opportunity not just to diversify one's portfolio but to possess a narrative-rich bottle reflective of the resilience inherently borne by Bordeaux's legendary dessert wines.
Market price (USD)
$740.00
12x75cl
Highest score
90
POP score
60
Scores and tasting notes
Ex-chateau bottle tasted blind in Sauternes. The Climens ’03 has always been a capricious Barsac: brilliant out of barrel but found wanting under vertical conditions. Here, amidst a blind horizontal, it fell somewhere between the two! This bottle offers a sweet ripe bouquet of candied orange peel, dried honey and fig that is missing a little delineation (as discerned on previous bottles.) The palate is ripe and rounded on the entry with a touch of spice that lends it a pleasant edginess. Mango and pineapple form the middle whilst the finish is composed and focused with commendable precision and citric acidity. To repeat comments I have made before, this is a decent Climens, but Berenice Lurton has made far superior wines in recent years. Tasted April 2013.
Neal Martin - The Wine Advocate, 27 June 2013