Half bottle, deep gold. Very viscous. Drank together with a half of '11 Climens (which was not particularly fair on the Rayne Vigneau!).
An absolute tidal wave of sugar - pretty massive initially, albeit with not a particularly long finish. Pretty syrupy. I suspect this would have (and indeed has on previous occasions) fared much better if not drunk as a comparison.
I've got a bottle left, which I'll serve in lieu of pudding. It's very good pudding wine, just a bit OTT on the sweetness and didn't feel particularly balanced.
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Nose big fruit of apricot and rhubarb, seawater. apple on palate, apricot, rhubarb, plenty sweet, but has acid supporting sweetness - nice mix, and no obvious oak to mess with it.
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After having actually visited this winery during an August, 2018 AMA Waterways Bordeaux cruise/land and consuming the split we bought there, ran into the last full 750 bottle at Applejacks in the Denver area and went with my wife's pecan pie so well, even though it is 12 years old now. Sweet orange zest/sweet pineapple with a wonderful finish. Highly recommend, but don't see this aging further, so drink now. God Save Rayne--Vigneau as the sign inside the winery says! A first growth/cru classe' still well-deserving.
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Complex and interesting tropical aroma. Juicy orange juice flavor with notes of dried apricot and mango. Intensely sticky sweet with not enough acidity — lacks balance. Dense and concentrated. Good, not great.
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Lovely honeyed flavours, but (as noted by others) not enough acidity and a bit cloying as a result. But improved significantly for my taste after a few days opened in the fridge. Just finished after open a week and drinking at its best.
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Very well balanced, but lacking some acidity which would make it exceptional. Nevertheless, it is excellent and should hold up for a long time. Notes of ginger, honey and orange zest all the way through the finish.
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Delicious now! The fruit is very well balanced, and the sweetness is properly integrated. I feel a slight lack of acidity, which is probably due to the hot vintage, yet this certainly has some time left on its side.
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Brought this to La Braca to celebrate Mothers' Day with my wife, her sister, their mother, and her sister.
Gold in colour with notes of nuts, honey, caramel, apricot, peach and orange jam. Wonderfully balanced, well structured and all the elements are singing in harmony. Delicious!
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Day and night in London (London): Apricot and orange marmalade, vanilla, sweet spice. On the palate though there is a tiny lack of acidity that takes it to the wrong side but it's a marginal call. Otherwise a pleasant, if not forward, good quality Sauterne.
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Medium bodied, with good, fresh acidity, honeyed tropical and orange fruits, vanilla and floral notes. Forward, sweet and easy to drink, enjoy it now, if you like more tropical tones. Age it for a decade if you prefer more caramel and custard in your glass.
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A little disappointing. Primarily brown sugar and pineapple, with a little stone fruit and orange. Not enough acidity to balance the sugary sweetness. Still quite drinkable and a decent value, but not a memorable Sauternes.
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Gotta go with Winedoctor on this one. Love the honey, orange, and apricot favors, but its a little out of balance to the sweet side at the expense of acidity. Finish a little shorter than expected as well. Good, not great.
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Exceptionally high level of residual sugar for a Sauternes, 160 g/l. Aged for 12-18 months in oak barrels, of which 40-50% were new.
Oily and concentrated golden yellow appearance. Incredibly expressive, rich and even massive nose with opulent aromas of ripe peach, dried apricot and pineapple, some botrytis, a little spicy wildhoney, a hint of mushrooms, a touch of aromatic herbal nuances and an undulating backdrop of oak, revealing notes of carame, vanilla and roasted nuts. Very sweet, powerful and intense on the palate with super-rich, oily mouthfeel. Sweet flavors of intense honeyed notes, dried apricots, candied tangerine zest, orange marmalade and overripe pineapple with seamlessly integrated oak notes of caramel, butterscotch and vanilla. The wine's acidity is moderately high, but unfortunately it still can't stand up to the high residual sugar, concentrated fruit and oily mouthfeel, making the wine appear quite plump and even a bit fat - although not flat nor flabby. The finish is really long and elegant with persistent, textured aftertaste of honey, Asian spices, lemon marmalade, botrytis, some fruit salad syrup and a hint of dried pineapple.
This is a really impressive, complex and tasty example of a well-made Cru Sauternes - although the feeling of a bit too modest acidity costs the wine a point or two. It is really hard to say whether the wine will slowly fall apart in the cellar due to the inadequate acidity, or whether the wine will shed its baby fat after some aging, starting to show more acid-driven character. Although the wine is really impressive now, it is still way too young and I'd let it sit for at least a few years, preferably a decade, before opening it. Probably not one meant for the really long haul, but still one that'll keep for a few decades. Good value at 56,20€ for a full-size bottle.
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Beautiful tropical aromas, lots of peach with a bright fruity palate and a nice finish. Lacks the structure for long term aging, but this is drinking very well right now. Why wait?
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2009 UGC Bordeaux Tasting (San Francisco): Dense but has light minerality; fantastic acidity, great aperitif style today, nice balance between lightness and acidity that makes it fun to drink and complexity that makes it intellectually interesting. Rayne-Vigneau is not normally on my radar for sauternes, so this came as quite a surprise. I will certainly be watching for this. Stellar with much potential, especially at a reasonable price. 93-95
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Union des Grands Grus 2009 Bordeaux Tasting (Petersen Automotive Museum, Los Angeles): Some nice floral aromas on the nose, along with honeysuckle, orange marmalade, caramel, almonds, and a hint of spice. More orange marmalade on the palate, as well as caramel and some tropical fruits. A pleasant surprise, and a nice wine for the price. Very good.
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12/29/2022 - Chiefwino59 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent layers of flavor, dried apricots, floral nose, great with duck liver pate
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3/25/2022 - Jamieson12o wrote: 89 Points
Half bottle, deep gold. Very viscous. Drank together with a half of '11 Climens (which was not particularly fair on the Rayne Vigneau!).
An absolute tidal wave of sugar - pretty massive initially, albeit with not a particularly long finish. Pretty syrupy. I suspect this would have (and indeed has on previous occasions) fared much better if not drunk as a comparison.
I've got a bottle left, which I'll serve in lieu of pudding. It's very good pudding wine, just a bit OTT on the sweetness and didn't feel particularly balanced.
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12/31/2021 - lake.vino Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nose big fruit of apricot and rhubarb, seawater. apple on palate, apricot, rhubarb, plenty sweet, but has acid supporting sweetness - nice mix, and no obvious oak to mess with it.
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11/25/2021 - Z1nnfull Likes this wine: 92 Points
After having actually visited this winery during an August, 2018 AMA Waterways Bordeaux cruise/land and consuming the split we bought there, ran into the last full 750 bottle at Applejacks in the Denver area and went with my wife's pecan pie so well, even though it is 12 years old now. Sweet orange zest/sweet pineapple with a wonderful finish.
Highly recommend, but don't see this aging further, so drink now.
God Save Rayne--Vigneau as the sign inside the winery says!
A first growth/cru classe' still well-deserving.
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8/21/2021 - Wine_Poobah wrote: 90 Points
Complex and interesting tropical aroma. Juicy orange juice flavor with notes of dried apricot and mango. Intensely sticky sweet with not enough acidity — lacks balance. Dense and concentrated. Good, not great.
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1/24/2021 - MattHo Likes this wine: 91 Points
Lovely honeyed flavours, but (as noted by others) not enough acidity and a bit cloying as a result. But improved significantly for my taste after a few days opened in the fridge. Just finished after open a week and drinking at its best.
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1/24/2021 - jfarley3 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very well balanced, but lacking some acidity which would make it exceptional. Nevertheless, it is excellent and should hold up for a long time. Notes of ginger, honey and orange zest all the way through the finish.
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11/27/2020 - Z1nnfull Likes this wine: 92 Points
Orange peel, sweet pineapple and minerality.
One of the best dessert wines we've ever had and drinking perfectly now.
Bought at winery in August 2018.
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3/8/2020 - Matt_D Likes this wine: 89 Points
Candied orange, honey and ginger.
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3/7/2020 - Rallerboy888 Likes this wine: 88 Points
Delicious now! The fruit is very well balanced, and the sweetness is properly integrated. I feel a slight lack of acidity, which is probably due to the hot vintage, yet this certainly has some time left on its side.
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12/30/2019 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
Special evening with close wine friends. (@ RW): A lot of apricots, caramel and sweet peach. Tangerine peel. Good and fresh acidity and also a lot of sweetness.
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8/10/2019 - stayhappy21 wrote: 91 Points
Drank this at Teochew Restaurant Huat Kee last night with my whole family.
Golden in colour with a sensual sweetness. Nectar like viscosity with beautiful floral and honeycomb notes. Lush, elegant, soothing and satisfying.
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7/3/2019 - mnrando Likes this wine: 91 Points
Coravin Pour on 7.3.19. Very smooth and taste explosive
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5/29/2018 - stayhappy21 wrote: 91 Points
Brought this to La Braca to celebrate Mothers' Day with my wife, her sister, their mother, and her sister.
Gold in colour with notes of nuts, honey, caramel, apricot, peach and orange jam. Wonderfully balanced, well structured and all the elements are singing in harmony. Delicious!
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3/18/2018 - Kris G wrote: 87 Points
the balance isn't there : the sweet component is too dominant
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12/12/2017 - GTFreek wrote:
Quality stuff, especially for the affordable price point. Wish I could get more.
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12/2/2017 - d'Yquembe Mutombo wrote:
Open a bottle and then forget about it in the fridge for about a week. Lackluster at first pour but explodes from the glass after significant airtime.
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9/30/2017 - chatters wrote:
Day and night in London (London): Apricot and orange marmalade, vanilla, sweet spice. On the palate though there is a tiny lack of acidity that takes it to the wrong side but it's a marginal call. Otherwise a pleasant, if not forward, good quality Sauterne.
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9/15/2017 - lumpyelbow wrote:
PnP. Good nose but a bit disjointed in the mouth. Came together after an hour. Leave remaining for 2 years.
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3/13/2017 - RayOB wrote: 88 Points
Drank at P&G
Rich and sweet with a mouth coating palate. Maybe too sweet.
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6/18/2016 - Kris G Does not like this wine: 87 Points
lacking the necessary acidity to balance the sweetness
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11/12/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
Medium bodied, with good, fresh acidity, honeyed tropical and orange fruits, vanilla and floral notes. Forward, sweet and easy to drink, enjoy it now, if you like more tropical tones. Age it for a decade if you prefer more caramel and custard in your glass.
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4/5/2015 - budh wrote: 88 Points
A little disappointing. Primarily brown sugar and pineapple, with a little stone fruit and orange. Not enough acidity to balance the sugary sweetness. Still quite drinkable and a decent value, but not a memorable Sauternes.
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11/17/2014 - khmark7 wrote: 91 Points
2nd bottle in 2 months. Complex, rich and drinking very well.
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10/15/2014 - khmark7 wrote: 90 Points
Bottle variation? This bottle is vibrant and exciting. Excellent.
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7/11/2014 - khmark7 wrote: 85 Points
Pungent apricot at this stage. Lacking focus. The lack of acidity is glaring.
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5/31/2013 - DrewM wrote: 88 Points
Gotta go with Winedoctor on this one. Love the honey, orange, and apricot favors, but its a little out of balance to the sweet side at the expense of acidity. Finish a little shorter than expected as well. Good, not great.
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5/18/2013 - Vintomas wrote: 93 Points
Sauternes 2010 (and reference vintages) at Le Week-end des Grand Crus (Bordeaux): Nose: citrus, liquorice, honey, dried apricots, discrete flowery notes.
Palate: honey, powerful citrus notes, liquorice, some spice, botrytis, good acidity.
Summary: 93(+) p
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4/21/2013 - Marc wrote: 89 Points
50/70 Celebration continues at Clooney Restaurant (Ponsonby, Auckland, New Zealand): Excellent young Sauternes - super clean, fresh, beautifully judged oak handling. No botrytis but a smooth and sweet palate balanced by acid adds up to a very enjoyable young dessert wine that was a treat with the rosemary scented dessert.
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4/10/2013 - forceberry wrote: 92 Points
Exceptionally high level of residual sugar for a Sauternes, 160 g/l. Aged for 12-18 months in oak barrels, of which 40-50% were new.
Oily and concentrated golden yellow appearance. Incredibly expressive, rich and even massive nose with opulent aromas of ripe peach, dried apricot and pineapple, some botrytis, a little spicy wildhoney, a hint of mushrooms, a touch of aromatic herbal nuances and an undulating backdrop of oak, revealing notes of carame, vanilla and roasted nuts. Very sweet, powerful and intense on the palate with super-rich, oily mouthfeel. Sweet flavors of intense honeyed notes, dried apricots, candied tangerine zest, orange marmalade and overripe pineapple with seamlessly integrated oak notes of caramel, butterscotch and vanilla. The wine's acidity is moderately high, but unfortunately it still can't stand up to the high residual sugar, concentrated fruit and oily mouthfeel, making the wine appear quite plump and even a bit fat - although not flat nor flabby. The finish is really long and elegant with persistent, textured aftertaste of honey, Asian spices, lemon marmalade, botrytis, some fruit salad syrup and a hint of dried pineapple.
This is a really impressive, complex and tasty example of a well-made Cru Sauternes - although the feeling of a bit too modest acidity costs the wine a point or two. It is really hard to say whether the wine will slowly fall apart in the cellar due to the inadequate acidity, or whether the wine will shed its baby fat after some aging, starting to show more acid-driven character. Although the wine is really impressive now, it is still way too young and I'd let it sit for at least a few years, preferably a decade, before opening it. Probably not one meant for the really long haul, but still one that'll keep for a few decades. Good value at 56,20€ for a full-size bottle.
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5/12/2012 - Vintomas wrote: 90 Points
Sauternes at Le Weekend des Grand Crus 2012 (Bordeaux): Nose: honey, botrytis, spice.
Palate: spice, honey, some citrus, good acidity. Fresh, but some tendencies to a “foresquare” palate. 90-91 p
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4/28/2012 - khmark7 wrote: 90 Points
Beautiful tropical aromas, lots of peach with a bright fruity palate and a nice finish. Lacks the structure for long term aging, but this is drinking very well right now. Why wait?
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1/27/2012 - lumpyelbow wrote:
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2009 (Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, ON): No Notes. (Purchased)
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1/26/2012 - aagrawal wrote: 94 Points
2009 UGC Bordeaux Tasting (San Francisco): Dense but has light minerality; fantastic acidity, great aperitif style today, nice balance between lightness and acidity that makes it fun to drink and complexity that makes it intellectually interesting. Rayne-Vigneau is not normally on my radar for sauternes, so this came as quite a surprise. I will certainly be watching for this. Stellar with much potential, especially at a reasonable price. 93-95
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1/21/2012 - Redguy wrote: 93 Points
2009 Bordeaux at UGC San Francisco (Bentley Reserve Building, San Francisco): Wonderful elegance and quite refined - a welcome addition to this lineup of heavy hitters. Sweet tropical fruits and good botrytis though not as concentrated as some. Lovely.
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1/21/2012 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 93 Points
2009 Bordeaux Shines at 2012 UGC Tasting (Bentley Reserve, San Francisco, California): Light medium golden color; baked orange, botrytis, honeyed nose; tasty, honey, baked orange, orange peel palate; long finish
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1/20/2012 - MattTM wrote:
Union des Grands Grus 2009 Bordeaux Tasting (Petersen Automotive Museum, Los Angeles): Some nice floral aromas on the nose, along with honeysuckle, orange marmalade, caramel, almonds, and a hint of spice. More orange marmalade on the palate, as well as caramel and some tropical fruits. A pleasant surprise, and a nice wine for the price. Very good.
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10/18/2011 - vespasian wrote: 95 Points
Lovely honeysuckle/butterscotch nose. very expressive; gorgeous texture and so many layers. Really full and complete. Very long. 94-96.
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