Intense, with ginger, yellow apple chutney, dried pineapple and papaya flavors coursing through a finish that brims with singed almond and lemon chiffon flavors. This retains a touch of youthful rawness, featuring a bitter orange note that's yet to be absorbed. No need to rush or worry here. (Web-2015)

Tasted blind at the Sauternes 2011 horizontal tasting. The Château Rieussec 2011 transcends its somewhat “middling” performance from barrel and delivers a knockout wine in bottle. For sure, it demonstrates a lot of vanilla from the new oak on the nose, complemented by almond, French patisserie and touches of white peach. The élevage is more expressive than the terroir at the moment, although there is clearly a lot of fruit underneath. The palate is very well balanced, with thickly textured honeyed fruits that lacquer the inside of the mouth and stay there. This is extremely well balanced but very young and primal, yet the crescendo of flavors is very impressive. Tasted blind, I hazarded a guess that this might be Yquem ’11. Enough said. (NM)

Brilliant golden yellow. Knockout nose combines peach, citrus fruits, white flowers, saffron, honey and stone complicated by very pure lemony botrytis. Extremely deep and concentrated but youthfully closed, showing a powerful floral character to the peach, passion fruit and marzipan flavors. Finishes very long and perfumed; a laser beam of acidity gives this Sauternes exceptional clarity and cut.