Robe jaune dorée, tirant très légèrement vers le brun. Nez riche, sur l’ananas bien mûr, l’abricot sec, la pêche jaune et une touche de cire d’abeille la bouche est d’abord marquée par un côté un peux pâteux, puis une explosion aromatique de fruits secs, pâtes de fruits. A l’aération en bouche, surgit heureusement un feu de fraîcheur et des arômes plus fins, plus aériens. Évolue ensuite sur un amer léger, toujours accompagné de fruits jaunes séchés. Plutôt un concentré de fruits séchés qu’un vin botrytisé, encore un peu pâteux. Peut encore se garder 5-10 ans.
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From 37,5cl P+P, did not change much in glass. Now darker (of course) than it was 3 years ago. But the caramelisation has definitely helped this previously unattractive wine. There's still the strange "concrete dust" scent, but now I find enough ripe almond-apricot fruit to make me believe it is indeed a 1er cru classé. The mid-palate is distinctive: apricot, botrytis, peach, almond—it tastes at once concentrated and oddly attenuated; the finish is better, very persistent and moreish—even some bright acidity pokes through. I don't have much experience of rival Barsac/Sauternes from 2004—it was a pretty dodgy year elsewhere, so just possibly this is a fine achievement in a difficult vintage. Or, more likely, a middling achievement from an underperforming "1er cru classé de Sauternes"? Certainly not a "Grand Vin." 88-89P
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From 37,5cl, good cork. Sauternes "light", a medium-bodied dessert wine with fruity quince jelly, rose petal, maple syrup and a touch of honey, well in balance with gently bright acidity. So far so good. Barely any botrytis perceptible, no glycerine, little weight, no complexity —all of which might be seen as an asset or a liability according to taste and culinary pairing ambition. This would definitely not be my choice with classic pairings (Roquefort, foie gras...) but if you have it in your cellar, try it as an apéritif or as a pure, maple syrup-like after-dinner drink, served in the German fashion without cheese or dessert. 86-87P
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From 37,5cl, perfect cork. Maple syrup, lemon, a tiny touch of herbaceous bitterness; the texture is troubling, concrete dust and wallpaper paste on the palate don't fit well with the more attractive taste/aromatic features noted above... Hardly a bargain; a Sauternes for fans rather than neophites. 86-87P
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Delicious! Peaches, honey, maple syrup, solvent. Do not drink at fridge temperature. Drink at a temperature closer to coolish room temperature. $30 for a half bottle. Expensive but may buy again. Costs more now I believe than when I bought mine.
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From 37,5 cl. This smells like a really good Sauternes, but the palate is a diappointment: Barley sugar, underripe pineapple and an unattractive, turnip-like texture and finish. VinoMe noted "concrete dust" on 04.02.2014 and I'm afraid he nailed it... This might be good to drink as an apéritif, with foie gras perhaps, but not after dinner. I wasn't convinced by this in 2011, and can't see it improving much as it approaches full maturity. 84-85P(?)
There is a reason why Sauternes is a hard sell. When it is truly great, there is no experience like it. But sugary wines from lesser vintages like this bottle ("1er Grand Cru Classé" it may be, and expensive to produce it surely was...) don't offer all that much pleasure for the ca. 20 EUR/half bottle they cost on release, let alone the price charged after retail or restaurant markups.
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Golden colour. Honey, peach, minerally, hints of citrus, lots of botrytis. Enough acidity to keep balance, but it can not fully hide its alcohol. From the normal bottle it will last through this decade for sure, may be longer. But on the other hand there is no reason to wait for this. It is fully mature. The 87 points from Neal Martin at TWA are rated to low in my opinion. Worked very well with honeyed goose, flambéed with Grand Marnier.
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Fellow users, what do you think is the outer end of the drinking window for this wine? I have the half bottle. The wine seller told me another 15 years but the window average here says till 2023. Also, what would you say is the peak year or years? Thanks!
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Opened by John at the Peking Duck House offline in NY. 1st time I have had the 2004. A pale yellow color and lighter than the 2003 which we drank next to it. More tropical than the 2003 with notes of orange marmalade and some concrete dust. Not sure that last taste belongs in a Sauternes but it added some interest. Good botrytis. 91-92 points.
gold. nose of lemon tarte, apple compote, saffron. very dense, tastes of pie, apples, nectarines, liquorice. Finish on the acidity and the ripe fruit. would have liked more acidity but perfectly satisfying.
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Scent of tropical fruit, white peaches, honey and pineapple. Medium to long finish. Honey and sweet pineapple. Still some tarts and great balance alcohol and tannins. Love it....a great wine to have it as a dessert by itself. Do not mix it with the desert....
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From 37,5cl. Lovely quince jelly and butter-caramel scent. Middle-bodied, with intense botrytis and dried apricots fighting it out on the mid-palate, quite powerful acidity but still quite a lot of baby-fat sugar covering it up. This has good mid-term potential, but will never be a blockbuster. 86(-88)P
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From memory. Half bottle. Quite pale aspect. Drank with very sweet Tunisian dessert which overwhelmed the wine. Tasted quite ordinary and lacked sweetness for me. Not harmonious and generally disappointing for a 1er Cru. Perhaps too early but what concerns me is the lack of weight on the palate.
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Lifted nose with honeyed richness, apple purée, some white flowers, burnt sugar and fine mushroomy character. Sweet and fullbodied palate with good balancing acidity. Waffle, apple purée, honey, caramel and botrytis spice. Long and pretty complex aftertaste. Very approachable and aromatically open. Lighter and more earthy expression. @Château
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This Sauternes is open knit and giving now, showing good complexity and balance. There are notes of honey and what Mark described accurately as barley sugar. I found quite a pleasant waft of lavender on the nose and the palate was rich and detailed with decent cut to the finish.
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10/8/2023 - RolandFranz wrote: 87 Points
Robe jaune dorée, tirant très légèrement vers le brun. Nez riche, sur l’ananas bien mûr, l’abricot sec, la pêche jaune et une touche de cire d’abeille la bouche est d’abord marquée par un côté un peux pâteux, puis une explosion aromatique de fruits secs, pâtes de fruits. A l’aération en bouche, surgit heureusement un feu de fraîcheur et des arômes plus fins, plus aériens. Évolue ensuite sur un amer léger, toujours accompagné de fruits jaunes séchés. Plutôt un concentré de fruits séchés qu’un vin botrytisé, encore un peu pâteux. Peut encore se garder 5-10 ans.
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7/23/2023 - honest bob wrote: 89 Points
From 37,5cl P+P, did not change much in glass. Now darker (of course) than it was 3 years ago. But the caramelisation has definitely helped this previously unattractive wine. There's still the strange "concrete dust" scent, but now I find enough ripe almond-apricot fruit to make me believe it is indeed a 1er cru classé. The mid-palate is distinctive: apricot, botrytis, peach, almond—it tastes at once concentrated and oddly attenuated; the finish is better, very persistent and moreish—even some bright acidity pokes through. I don't have much experience of rival Barsac/Sauternes from 2004—it was a pretty dodgy year elsewhere, so just possibly this is a fine achievement in a difficult vintage. Or, more likely, a middling achievement from an underperforming "1er cru classé de Sauternes"? Certainly not a "Grand Vin." 88-89P
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7/25/2020 - honest bob wrote: 87 Points
From 37,5cl, good cork. Sauternes "light", a medium-bodied dessert wine with fruity quince jelly, rose petal, maple syrup and a touch of honey, well in balance with gently bright acidity. So far so good. Barely any botrytis perceptible, no glycerine, little weight, no complexity —all of which might be seen as an asset or a liability according to taste and culinary pairing ambition. This would definitely not be my choice with classic pairings (Roquefort, foie gras...) but if you have it in your cellar, try it as an apéritif or as a pure, maple syrup-like after-dinner drink, served in the German fashion without cheese or dessert. 86-87P
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9/11/2016 - honest bob wrote: 87 Points
From 37,5cl, perfect cork. Maple syrup, lemon, a tiny touch of herbaceous bitterness; the texture is troubling, concrete dust and wallpaper paste on the palate don't fit well with the more attractive taste/aromatic features noted above... Hardly a bargain; a Sauternes for fans rather than neophites. 86-87P
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5/1/2016 - Ombibulous Likes this wine:
Delicious! Peaches, honey, maple syrup, solvent. Do not drink at fridge temperature. Drink at a temperature closer to coolish room temperature. $30 for a half bottle. Expensive but may buy again. Costs more now I believe than when I bought mine.
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3/22/2015 - honest bob wrote: 85 Points
From 37,5 cl. This smells like a really good Sauternes, but the palate is a diappointment: Barley sugar, underripe pineapple and an unattractive, turnip-like texture and finish. VinoMe noted "concrete dust" on 04.02.2014 and I'm afraid he nailed it... This might be good to drink as an apéritif, with foie gras perhaps, but not after dinner. I wasn't convinced by this in 2011, and can't see it improving much as it approaches full maturity. 84-85P(?)
There is a reason why Sauternes is a hard sell. When it is truly great, there is no experience like it. But sugary wines from lesser vintages like this bottle ("1er Grand Cru Classé" it may be, and expensive to produce it surely was...) don't offer all that much pleasure for the ca. 20 EUR/half bottle they cost on release, let alone the price charged after retail or restaurant markups.
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11/2/2014 - Caruso Likes this wine: 90 Points
Golden colour. Honey, peach, minerally, hints of citrus, lots of botrytis. Enough acidity to keep balance, but it can not fully hide its alcohol. From the normal bottle it will last through this decade for sure, may be longer. But on the other hand there is no reason to wait for this. It is fully mature. The 87 points from Neal Martin at TWA are rated to low in my opinion. Worked very well with honeyed goose, flambéed with Grand Marnier.
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10/22/2014 - Ombibulous wrote:
Fellow users, what do you think is the outer end of the drinking window for this wine? I have the half bottle. The wine seller told me another 15 years but the window average here says till 2023. Also, what would you say is the peak year or years? Thanks!
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2/4/2014 - Vino Me wrote: 91 Points
Opened by John at the Peking Duck House offline in NY. 1st time I have had the 2004. A pale yellow color and lighter than the 2003 which we drank next to it. More tropical than the 2003 with notes of orange marmalade and some concrete dust. Not sure that last taste belongs in a Sauternes but it added some interest. Good botrytis. 91-92 points.
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11/17/2013 - carlkallen wrote: 91 Points
11/17/2013 Wine really very good right now. Hard to hold it further. Lauren's favorite during dinner. Maybe to 2020?
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10/17/2013 - Turn Does not like this wine: 89 Points
Hardly any botrytis
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9/1/2013 - rwpalmer wrote: 90 Points
Quite pale gold. Nose showing relatively mature marmalade notes. Some primary fruit still. Medium weight. Not especially intense but nicely balanced.
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12/16/2012 - Muvrino wrote: 93 Points
Light golden, yellow fruits, vanilla, apricot. 'Finesse' and freshness, never-ending finish, just at the start of its career. 93/100
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11/22/2012 - carlkallen wrote: 91 Points
We thoroughly enjoyed you, Lafaurie-Peyraguey. Just lovely!
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3/20/2012 - elledeca wrote:
gold. nose of lemon tarte, apple compote, saffron. very dense, tastes of pie, apples, nectarines, liquorice. Finish on the acidity and the ripe fruit.
would have liked more acidity but perfectly satisfying.
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2/17/2012 - bpobric wrote: 92 Points
Scent of tropical fruit, white peaches, honey and pineapple. Medium to long finish. Honey and sweet pineapple. Still some tarts and great balance alcohol and tannins. Love it....a great wine to have it as a dessert by itself. Do not mix it with the desert....
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10/22/2011 - bpobric wrote: 91 Points
Caramel on the nose. Apricot, orange and honey on mid palate. Light pineapple...Medium plus finish...Honey at the end...Nice wine for the money///
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10/8/2011 - honest bob wrote: 87 Points
From 37,5cl. Lovely quince jelly and butter-caramel scent. Middle-bodied, with intense botrytis and dried apricots fighting it out on the mid-palate, quite powerful acidity but still quite a lot of baby-fat sugar covering it up. This has good mid-term potential, but will never be a blockbuster. 86(-88)P
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12/5/2010 - Turn wrote: 90 Points
Nuss, Apfel, kaum Botrytis
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11/13/2010 - Capt Cutlass wrote: 84 Points
From memory. Half bottle. Quite pale aspect. Drank with very sweet Tunisian dessert which overwhelmed the wine. Tasted quite ordinary and lacked sweetness for me. Not harmonious and generally disappointing for a 1er Cru. Perhaps too early but what concerns me is the lack of weight on the palate.
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4/24/2009 - avp wrote:
Lifted nose with honeyed richness, apple purée, some white flowers, burnt sugar and fine mushroomy character.
Sweet and fullbodied palate with good balancing acidity. Waffle, apple purée, honey, caramel and botrytis spice. Long and pretty complex aftertaste.
Very approachable and aromatically open. Lighter and more earthy expression. @Château
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10/19/2008 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
This Sauternes is open knit and giving now, showing good complexity and balance. There are notes of honey and what Mark described accurately as barley sugar. I found quite a pleasant waft of lavender on the nose and the palate was rich and detailed with decent cut to the finish.
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1/5/2008 - DRL01 wrote: 88 Points
Disjointed.
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1/22/2007 - winefool wrote: 93 Points
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2004 Tasting (The Drake): Pale yellow with green hints. Pale clean aroma of white fruit. Full deep sweet yello wfurit with botrytis hints.
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