I could have sworn this was a.. Tokaji. With the acidity being quite mellow, I even guessed, its a 2000. Totally wrong!
Turns out this is a Sauterne, and a blend of Semillon (About 64%), Sauvignon Blanc (Circa 34%), with Muscadelle (1-2% only).
Lovely honey and sweet orange marmalade aromatics, with an immediate hit of stonefruit and peaches on the palate. I liked the oily texture and density on the mouthfeel which is beautifully textured.
I did find the acidity which was medium- to be lacking, and could have better lifted the wine.
For chateaus producing sweet wines, situated in the commune of Barsac, breathed a sigh of relief at the end of the 2012 harvest.
The sweetness levels are more alike to 2008 (lower than in 2009 and 2011), and presents a very pure botrytis character.
2012 was a tale of two communes, with many Sauternes properties deciding not to release a grand vin at all. Thanks to Barsac’s limestone plateau, it was better able to withstand both the summer drought and the periods of intermittent rain during the harvest.
A lovely end to the 4 small "Livita" pours shared by SKT to myself, it seems this Sauterne was originally opened by him 2 months ago. And its still rather lively and good today.. amazing!
31 Aug 2023 (Happy Merdeka Day, Malaysia is 66!) Home, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Lovely golden colour. Sweet fruit nose and a sort of cooked fruit. I notice people saying baked Apple and can go along with that. Anyway that was unusual but nice. Good length and weight and acidity just right. Possibly a bit one dimensional but then still young and not the greatest of vintages.
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Fabulous golden colour. So alluring. Luscious, oily, hugely weighty. Not excessively sweet or cloying. Wondrously multi-layered. Nuts, almonds, baked apples and pears. A tiny touch of orange marmalade and tangerines. Fascinating. Very very good.
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Aromas of butter, dill, peach, granny smith apple. Flavours of hay, cotton candy, iron, caramel, ripe banana, banana peel, almonds, cinnamon, honey. Finish is long with some spice. Full bodied, alcohol is a well integrated 13.5%. Sweet, but not over the top. Perceived acidity is medium but must actually be high to balance out the sweetness. Group tasting note with all four neighbours + Paul and Dana.
Not a whole lot of evolution since my last bottle of this five years ago. Many of the same descriptors eg peach, apple, honey. Still lovely!
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Très discret au nez, mais belle concentration en bouche qui est d'abord marquée par le sucre et suivi d'une belle acidité lui apportant une certaine longueur. Pas un très grand Sauternes, mais très bien compte tenu du millésime.
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82% Semillon, 17% Sauvignon Blanc, 1% Muscadelle. Sus 18,2 hectáreas se replantaron en gran parte durante la década de los 50s y 60s. Cultivo orgánico y respetuoso con el medioambiente. El suelo es atípico en la zona, poco profundo, formado por arena arcillosa sobre un subsuelo de roca caliza. Se vendimia 3 a 6 pasadas, buscando el punto óptimo de maduración. Vinificado en barricas 33% nuevas. Crianza de 10 meses en barricas, luego trasvasado a depósitos de inox donde permanece 9 meses más antes de embotellarse.
Ligero, le falta concentración tal vez debido a mala añada.
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Nice expressive nose of honey, peach and citrus. Similar on the palate. Good silky mouthfeel. Sweetness well balanced with acidity. Some botrysis spice. Medium long finish.
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MW 2012 Annual Bordeaux Tasting San Francisco,, nose of peach, and honey, and a touch of forest floor, same on the palate, medium body, tasty, three years to peak, medium finish.
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Colour: light gold. Aromas and flavours of pear, peach, honey/beehive, cherry, granny smith apple, and something musty. Acidity was high enough to balance out the sweetness. 13.5% ABV. Very long finish. Overall, very nice, neighbours loved it too! Will save my second bottle for a few years and try again.
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2012 UGC Bordeaux Tasting (Palace Hotel, SF): Tropical fruit, intense nose, complex; palate is a bit disjointed but has great acidity and great fruit, hasn't come together yet. Hard to evaluate. 90
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UGC 2015 (Chicago, IL): There was a prominent cat pee note on the nose -- yes, you get it from sauvignon blanc all the time, but I really didn't expect it in Sauternes. Almost green on the palate, this is quite clean and thin in texture, but tastes a bit like liquefied pineapple gummy bears.
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Citrus and orange blossom on the nose; super concentrated on the palate with complex orange peel and citrus oil flavours. Thick and rich. Impressive. 91-93
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8/31/2023 - Juliansi Likes this wine: 88 Points
I could have sworn this was a.. Tokaji. With the acidity being quite mellow, I even guessed, its a 2000. Totally wrong!
Turns out this is a Sauterne, and a blend of Semillon (About 64%), Sauvignon Blanc (Circa 34%), with Muscadelle (1-2% only).
Lovely honey and sweet orange marmalade aromatics, with an immediate hit of stonefruit and peaches on the palate. I liked the oily texture and density on the mouthfeel which is beautifully textured.
I did find the acidity which was medium- to be lacking, and could have better lifted the wine.
For chateaus producing sweet wines, situated in the commune of Barsac, breathed a sigh of relief at the end of the 2012 harvest.
The sweetness levels are more alike to 2008 (lower than in 2009 and 2011), and presents a very pure botrytis character.
2012 was a tale of two communes, with many Sauternes properties deciding not to release a grand vin at all. Thanks to Barsac’s limestone plateau, it was better able to withstand both the summer drought and the periods of intermittent rain during the harvest.
A lovely end to the 4 small "Livita" pours shared by SKT to myself, it seems this Sauterne was originally opened by him 2 months ago. And its still rather lively and good today.. amazing!
31 Aug 2023 (Happy Merdeka Day, Malaysia is 66!)
Home, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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8/13/2022 - Loathesome Likes this wine: 91 Points
Lovely golden colour. Sweet fruit nose and a sort of cooked fruit. I notice people saying baked Apple and can go along with that. Anyway that was unusual but nice. Good length and weight and acidity just right. Possibly a bit one dimensional but then still young and not the greatest of vintages.
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11/24/2021 - ricard Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fabulous golden colour. So alluring. Luscious, oily, hugely weighty. Not excessively sweet or cloying. Wondrously multi-layered. Nuts, almonds, baked apples and pears. A tiny touch of orange marmalade and tangerines. Fascinating. Very very good.
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7/10/2021 - Dave Dewar wrote:
Aromas of butter, dill, peach, granny smith apple. Flavours of hay, cotton candy, iron, caramel, ripe banana, banana peel, almonds, cinnamon, honey. Finish is long with some spice. Full bodied, alcohol is a well integrated 13.5%. Sweet, but not over the top. Perceived acidity is medium but must actually be high to balance out the sweetness. Group tasting note with all four neighbours + Paul and Dana.
Not a whole lot of evolution since my last bottle of this five years ago. Many of the same descriptors eg peach, apple, honey. Still lovely!
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3/29/2020 - Goodjob! Likes this wine: 90 Points
Très discret au nez, mais belle concentration en bouche qui est d'abord marquée par le sucre et suivi d'une belle acidité lui apportant une certaine longueur. Pas un très grand Sauternes, mais très bien compte tenu du millésime.
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3/29/2020 - MatLot wrote: 89 Points
Aucun nez, en bouche cest mieux mais loin detre grand.
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2/11/2019 - GonzaloManzaneda Likes this wine: 90 Points
82% Semillon, 17% Sauvignon Blanc, 1% Muscadelle.
Sus 18,2 hectáreas se replantaron en gran parte durante la década de los 50s y 60s.
Cultivo orgánico y respetuoso con el medioambiente. El suelo es atípico en la zona, poco profundo, formado por arena arcillosa sobre un subsuelo de roca caliza.
Se vendimia 3 a 6 pasadas, buscando el punto óptimo de maduración.
Vinificado en barricas 33% nuevas.
Crianza de 10 meses en barricas, luego trasvasado a depósitos de inox donde permanece 9 meses más antes de embotellarse.
Ligero, le falta concentración tal vez debido a mala añada.
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12/25/2017 - ccarter5181 wrote: 90 Points
Nice expressive nose of honey, peach and citrus. Similar on the palate. Good silky mouthfeel. Sweetness well balanced with acidity. Some botrysis spice. Medium long finish.
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4/30/2017 - CamWheeler wrote: 88 Points
MW Institute 2012 Bordeaux Tasting: Lemon, slate and apple. The palate is well balanced, nothing sticks out particularly here. Medium-good length.
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1/25/2017 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 89 Points
MW 2012 Annual Bordeaux Tasting San Francisco,, nose of peach, and honey, and a touch of forest floor, same on the palate, medium body, tasty, three years to peak, medium finish.
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7/28/2016 - Dave Dewar Likes this wine:
Colour: light gold. Aromas and flavours of pear, peach, honey/beehive, cherry, granny smith apple, and something musty. Acidity was high enough to balance out the sweetness. 13.5% ABV. Very long finish. Overall, very nice, neighbours loved it too! Will save my second bottle for a few years and try again.
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5/25/2016 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tasting Bordeaux 13-12-11-10 in Hong Kong (Visiting Vinexpo 2016, I finally tasted Bordeaux 2013s from bottle, plus earlier vintages): While the 2013 exuded nuanced freshness overall, and fine botrytis spice, if a touch firm, the 2012 is more opulent yet manages to have balancing freshness.
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1/31/2015 - aagrawal wrote: 90 Points
2012 UGC Bordeaux Tasting (Palace Hotel, SF): Tropical fruit, intense nose, complex; palate is a bit disjointed but has great acidity and great fruit, hasn't come together yet. Hard to evaluate. 90
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1/28/2015 - acyso wrote: 90 Points
UGC 2015 (Chicago, IL): There was a prominent cat pee note on the nose -- yes, you get it from sauvignon blanc all the time, but I really didn't expect it in Sauternes. Almost green on the palate, this is quite clean and thin in texture, but tastes a bit like liquefied pineapple gummy bears.
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10/23/2014 - vespasian wrote: 92 Points
Citrus and orange blossom on the nose; super concentrated on the palate with complex orange peel and citrus oil flavours. Thick and rich. Impressive. 91-93
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