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| | Vintage | 2004 |  Label 422 of 423 
(NOTE: Label borrowed from 1912 vintage.)
 | | Type | White - Sweet/Dessert | | Producer | Château Rieussec (web) | | Variety | Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend | | Designation | n/a | | Vineyard | n/a | | Country | France | | Region | Bordeaux | | SubRegion | Sauternais | | Appellation | Sauternes | | UPC Code(s) | 000001944051, 087000332652, 087000337510, 2076581601156, 3296361000231, 3296361006301, 3296361016300, 3394150016965, 3609050859971, 4000115859568, 722358281442, 722358281503 |
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.5 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 87 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Paul D on 4/15/2024 & rated 90 points: Jonathan’s 2004 Bordeaux (Hawksmoor, Guildhall, London): Notes a bit sparse on this I’m afraid but it was a rich wine with stone fruits and barley-sugar, offfset by lovely vibrant acids which carried a good length finish. Lovely. (540 views) | | | Tasted by oenanthe on 4/15/2024 & rated 92 points: Bordeaux 2004 20 years on Part 2 (Hawksmoor Guildhall): Medium gold, more youthful colour than I was expecting, this retains freshness and balance, and has so many levels it is hard to describe (Especially with my notes at a standstill by this point). Suffice to say this was an excellent Sauternes at 20 years old but could keep for 30 or 40. Delicious match with sticky toffee pudding. (600 views) | | | Tasted by Vinumming & Ahhing on 4/15/2024 & rated 92 points: Jonathan's 2004 Bordeaux Check In (Hawksmoor Guildhall, London, UK): Such an underrated wine. There is a delightful sweet / savoury balance brought to life as this evolves. Initially pleasant nose of barley sugar, spearmint dominate. The palate is rich and mouth coating and balances the citruss freshness with a rich multi layered fruit component. With air there is a nutty creaminess that reminds me of Pistachio macaron. Yummy. (512 views) | | | Tasted by Richard.schmit on 4/7/2024 & rated 93 points: nice color. maderin and citrus in the nose. well balanced on the pallet withsufficient sweet and character. paired very well with the desert. (421 views) | | | Tasted by chanukha on 12/3/2023 & rated 93 points: Borders on excellence. Secondary notes well developed and I actually like the minimal botrytisiness. (720 views) | | | Tasted by aagrawal on 9/23/2023 & rated 89 points: From 375mL. Golden-orange color; medium intensity aromatics, a bit of orange marmalade, orange peel, not much botrytis or baking spice though there is a bit, a bit of alcohol peeks through the aromatics; palate is medium-full bodied, citrus/orange marmalade, a bit of honey and slight caramel, richly textured at first then medium-plus acidity kicks in with great freshness, midpalate thins out a bit and the alcohol shows through; finish has a bit of orange liqueur and medium length. 5 years since my last half bottle, this seems at early maturity, enjoyable and drinking well now but lacking the complexity of Rieussec in good years (or even average years). More of a food wine now, and while this will last 5-10 more years, I don't think it will develop significantly more complexity. 89 (911 views) | | | Tasted by kfinsrud on 5/25/2022 & rated 91 points: Fra 375 ml. Frisk nese med appelsinskall, ananas, fersken, botrytis og aprikos. Mye tropisk frukt i munnen også. Lang avslutning med honning og edelråte. Ikke for søt og ikke for tung. Meget pent balansert. 04 har en friskhet jeg savner i mange andre årganger fra tidlig 2000-tall (unntaket er selvfølgelig 2001!). Denne har drukket bra i flere år allerede, men ser ut til å holde seg i mange år til. Jeg elsker undervurderte årganger! (1892 views) | | | Tasted by Mr. Montrachet on 4/28/2022 & rated 92 points: Walnut, orange peel, maple syrup, nocino, botrytis.
Wonderful. Good length. (1807 views) | | | Tasted by Loathesome on 3/6/2022 & rated 92 points: 2004 is such an underrated vintage. The Rieussec is pale gold and just so elegant with a clean fresh vibrancy and perfect botrytis from start to finish. Acidity ideal and those it may not be as complex as some vintages it is a real success. (1797 views) | | | Tasted by RGCM Gananda on 11/21/2021 & rated 94 points: Pineapple, orange and a lite caramel/nut quality on the nose. Nearly full bodied with a great variety of tropical notes both upfront and through the middle, especially pineapple, orange and mango. Mid-body has excellent density and richness with the fruit notes feeling like they layer upon layer of depth and nuance. This complexity, married with the acidity, tart fruit/citrus notes gave the wine great balance as well as length through the finish. The fruit through the mid-body and into the finish felt perfectly rounded, while showing expressiveness, depth and contrast. This wine is really in a great spot now and while it certainly has some years in front of it, considering how harmonious everything showed, I won't wait too long and I'll probably open my next bottle in June/July 2022. (1661 views) | | | Tasted by rjpbath on 5/1/2021 & rated 91 points: I really like this wine. It has grown into a lovely bottle. Still there and no hurry. (1973 views) | | | Tasted by bunhiong on 2/13/2021: just starting to mature, this is complex and not sickly sweet, easily another 10 years (1591 views) | | | Tasted by OenophilistMN on 11/20/2020 & rated 90 points: From a .375. Bottle was refrigerated for 2 days, on ice for 3 hours and then left on the table for 40 minutes before consuming. Deep golden hue. No tartrate crystals. Nose of honey, apricots, pineapple and orange blossoms. In the mouth, more apricot and honey with an almond counterpoint. Good acidity kept the wine from being cloying. Plenty of depth and intensity with a long finish. Very nice dessert wine. (1550 views) | | | Tasted by zindhum on 5/16/2020 & rated 93 points: Deep copper gold. Nose of ripe peach and apricot. On the palate rich concentrated with tropical fruits and super ripe peach. Honeyed focussed with perfect acidity to balance. This is in a perfect place and defies all the rules about vintage. This is a great aged Sauternes and one to buy and drink over the next two to three years. Deliciously long on the palate and shocked the room with its complexity and class.
Comment (79 views) (1811 views) | | | Tasted by vinero on 5/28/2019 & rated 93 points: Superb drinking! In the glass straw yellow. An exotic nose. On the palate abricot, honey, nut. Still very fresh and thick, this is a huge pleasure to drink. (2513 views) | | | Tasted by Binkey on 2/23/2019 & rated 90 points: The nose has tropical fruits,apricots and honey, the taste is more balanced from the 2010, lower acidity and nice aftertaste. (2273 views) | | | Tasted by chbeaumont on 9/23/2018 & rated 90 points: Good colour; restrained, with a real presence; sweet, plenty of acidity to counterbalance, on lean side; drinking well, no hurry. (2606 views) | | | Tasted by RKCam on 12/10/2017 & rated 91 points: 13 years old and 3 years since my last note. Not much change that I can taste. Still very broad, tropical fruit, apricot. A bit less defined that other r vintages tasted recently, but very enjoyable (3888 views) | | | Tasted by rossi.wine on 5/13/2017 & rated 92 points: From magnum. No formal notes - over lunch. Lovely colour, deep golden-yellow. A bit of evolution on the nose - notes of tropical fruit, orange peel, caramel, nuts, honey. On the palate well balanced - great richness of fruit, lots of weight and concentration, but also lovely, well-integrated acidity. Fairly vibrant, smooth and very long. Very good. Drink or keep. 91-93 (4445 views) | | | Tasted by aagrawal on 4/15/2017 & rated 89 points: Epic 2001 Sauternes Horizontal (San Francisco): Tasted single-blind. From a 375. Golden color; nose is moderately aromatic with some slight white fruits, slight glue; palate is rich, dense sweetness that is slightly cloying at first, nice medium acidic bite that kicks in through the midpalate to clean up the wine a bit, medium finish. This shows a bit of class on the palate. I would pick this up as Rieussec based on the density on the palate, on the nose I couldn’t tell. 88. Compared to my last half, the oak is better integrated, and overall it seems to be evolving better than I expected.
Day 2: Nose is slightly more aromatic with its fruit; palate seems almost even a bit less evolved with a little vanilla showing, nice balance. I think this is going to need another 5-10 years of bottle age but will end up being a nice wine. Will try to wait that long before getting to another half. 88-90. but likely to improve a couple of points with age. Not nearly as unbalanced as the first bottle that I tasted years ago. (4714 views) | | | Tasted by portman63 on 3/21/2017 & rated 90 points: Was yellow gold starting to go a little caramel. Had medium body and a good texture, but didn't quite have flair in the finish to push it higher in my regard. Looked and tasted mature for the age. Good, but have had better vintages of this. (3529 views) | | | Tasted by Argrath on 10/21/2016 & rated 94 points: (Blind tasting)
Complex, invinting, deep and rich nose. Perfect balance between botrytis, saffron, pine-apple and citrus. Oak beautifully integrated. Lovely.
Very balanced palate. Harmonius, pure and rich with just the right amount of saffron. Generous, sweet fruit and freshness. In a perfect Place. Oak fully integrated. Not as full bodied as some othter vintages of Rieussec (which made us guess on Climens, actually).
After time in glass some elegance is lost which may suggest that it's not for the long haul. Drink from now and 5-10 years into the future. (3372 views) | | | Tasted by Nubian on 1/10/2016 & rated 91 points: A Wine of Interest. On a good way: youngish color, promising, accented nose, very fine overall, some lightness and slightly bitter, good signs for further development. Will improve. 91+ (4203 views) | | | Tasted by Wineteacher on 10/26/2015 & rated 91 points: Very sweet and rich. Slight plastic on the nose. On the palate the wine is very sweet with nice botrytis and a hint of bitterness. Excellent dessert wine. (3533 views) | | | Tasted by Alex H on 10/24/2015 & rated 88 points: Sweet honeyed ripe apricots and lychee pineapple in syrup. Touch of white florals. Still thick and rich. Needs more time. (3682 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Château Rieussec Producer website | TheWineDoctor on Rieussec - Read more about Chateau RieussecChâteau RieussecBeing owned by Domaines Barons de Rothschild (of Lafite fame) has been a boon for Chateau Rieussec. Since taking over the property in 1984, the planted vineyard area has increased from nearly 40 hectares to roughly 90 hectares today. Investment has also been made in the cellars, and the winemaking team are now better placed to work with the multiple small lots stemming from various parcels and picking runs through the vineyard. The vineyard is planted to 90% Semillon, 7% Sauvignon Blanc, and 3% Muscadelle, and the wines are aged in roughly 50% new French oak.
THE CHÂTEAU RIEUSSEC VINEYARD extends from the border of Fargues and Sauternes, adjacent to Château d’Yquem on the east. The vineyard covers 93 hectares of gravel interspersed with lime.
THE EMBLEMATIC GRAPE VARIETY OF THE SAUTERNES, Sémillon dominates (90%), followed by Sauvignon (7%) and Muscadelle (3%). Traditional techniques from Sauternes are used and the harvests are done by selective pickings depending on the ripeness of the grapes and evolution of botrytis cinerea (noble rot). They last for 6 to 8 weeks from September to November.PRODUCTION IS LOW AND LEFT IN THE HANDS ON MOTHER NATURE. The traditional reference is that a single vine should produce a bottle of wine. Here, though, a single vine produces about a glass of wine!
THE VINEYARD IS MANAGED BY the Director of the Domaines Charles Chevallier, with the help of cellar master Serge Lagardère and vineyard manager Jean de Roquefeuil.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comBordeaux Bordeaux Wine Guide
Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)
History of Bordeaux
History of 1855 Bordeaux Classification
"2009 is all about ripeness, with wines impressively packed with ripe fruit and high alcohol levels. They are showy, in-your-face, and full of pleasure. The 2010s have the fruit and alcohol levels of the 2009s, but with a compelling freshness on the finish that balances the fruit and provides a perfect sense of structure." - Ben Nelson
"2016 is a landmark vintage in certain spots of Bordeaux and it should be remembered as one of the most inspired campaigns of the last 40-50+ years." -Jon Rimmerman
"The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance." - Jancis Robinson
"2017 was complicated, but there are some excellent wines. Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability. But they are likely to be the exception not the rule, making careful selection key." - Jane Anson
"In the past, a vintage such as 2022 may have been overripe, raisined and low in acidity but 2022 had a sneaky little reservoir in its back pocket - a near perfect marriage of cool/cold/rain the previous winter and the previous vintage that literally soaked the soils (a key to why 2022 is not 2003...or 1893)." - Jon RimmermanSauternes Le Grand Crus Classés de Sauternes et Barsac 1855 (Crus Classés de Sauternes et Barsac) - Read more about Sauternes, Barsac and its wines
– Read more about the 1855 Sauternes Barsac Classification
Forty kilometres south of Bordeaux, Sauternes is an AOC that includes together 5 communes, including Barsac. For centuries, humans have been patiently learning to master this region's climate, soils and grape varieties. But Mother Nature did a good job laying the foundation. The Sauternes terroir is distinguished by a geological predisposition to gravel and pebbles that cover limestone streaked with veins of clay. In the communes of Fargues and Sauternes, a layer of hardpan (iron-oxide cemented sand) in which vines flourish can be found. The vineyards at the highest elevations and farthest from the river have the best terroirs and produce the majority of the Crus Classés, including the monumental Château Yquem.Sauternes wines are made from Sémillon (80% of vines planted) and Sauvignon (15%) grapes. A bit of Muscadelle occasionally is used to give the wines an untamed touch. Sauternes have an "aged gold" colour that is denser and darker than other dessert wines. When they age, they develop a stunning amber colour. The nose has aromas of flowers and fruit that melt together to create a bouquet of remarkable complexity and balance. The primary aromas include almond, quince, mango, pineapple, stewed peach, dried apricot and passion fruit. There are also floral notes, with touches of linden, acacia, mimosa and honeysuckle. And as is typical with Sémillon, there are also notes of beeswax, almond and hazelnut. In the mouth, Sauternes wines have a powerful style that is viscous but extremely elegant. Its strong sweetness is captivating. Finally, its aromatic finish is something that simply must be experienced.
2013 Vintage Notes:
"the extractive ratios in th[is] year are in the phenomenal range and there's ripeness/botrytis to cover two treks around the globe [...] so appealing is the immediacy of the wines. Many can be enjoyed now for their sheer joy and delicious nature. [Some] should also age" - Jon Rimmerman
2014 Vintage Notes:
"a golden vintage for Sauternes. It may not have the depth or weight of 2010, but it has some of the richness. What has set 2014 apart is the intense lime and lemon flavors that cut into any overblown cloying character and allow both the fruit and the honeyed noble rot to sing." - Wine Enthusiast |
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