2010 Climens (Barsac)

I had not tasted the final blended version of the 2010 Climens, as the last time I saw this wine was in its constituent components at the chateau back in the spring of 2011. As readers may recall, I was not wild about this vintage in the Sauternes and Barsac region, finding that the torrid heat and drought conditions of the summer of 2010 were not ideal for great Sauternes production. The 2010 Climens had shown promise back in the spring of 2011, but was also a bit atypically broad-shouldered and powerful in style and likely to lack some of the charm and elegance that makes this property many people’s absolute favorite in the region. The finished wine has turned out quite well, offering up fine depth and refinement as well, with the bouquet a blend of orange blossoms, pineapple, tangerine, honey, chalky soil tones and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, complex and very elegant for the vintage, with a fine core, bright acids and very good length and grip on the powerful finish. This is still slightly `blunt` in profile, which may be a reflection of its adolescence, or it may end up always being part of the calling card of the 2010 vintage, but this is a very, very successful example of this difficult year. 93 points