Chateau Rieussec Sauternes 2011 375mL

Scores

97-96 / 100

"This shows incredible freshness and power, with dried pineapples, mangoes and papayas. Full body, medium-sweet with electrifying acidity. Vibrates your palate. Barrel sample still."
- James Suckling

96 / 100

"Intense, with ginger, yellow apple chutney, dried pineapple and papaya flavors coursing through a finish that brims with singed almond and lemon chiffon flavors. This retains a touch of youthful rawness, featuring a bitter orange note that's yet to be absorbed. No need to rush or worry here. Best from 2018 through 2040."
- Wine Spectator

95 / 100

"asted blind at the Sauternes 2011 horizontal tasting. The Château Rieussec 2011 transcends its somewhat “middling” performance from barrel and delivers a knockout wine in bottle. For sure, it demonstrates a lot of vanilla from the new oak on the nose, complemented by almond, French patisserie and touches of white peach. The élevage is more expressive than the terroir at the moment, although there is clearly a lot of fruit underneath. The palate is very well balanced, with thickly textured honeyed fruits that lacquer the inside of the mouth and stay there. This is extremely well balanced but very young and primal, yet the crescendo of flavors is very impressive. Tasted blind, I hazarded a guess that this might be Yquem ’11. Enough said."
- Wine Advocate

95 / 100

"Brilliant golden yellow. Knockout nose combines peach, citrus fruits, white flowers, saffron, honey and stone complicated by very pure lemony botrytis. Extremely deep and concentrated but youthfully closed, showing a powerful floral character to the peach, passion fruit and marzipan flavors. Finishes very long and perfumed; a laser beam of acidity gives this Sauternes exceptional clarity and cut."
- International Wine Cellar

95 / 100

"Layers of complex botrytis give this wine an immensely aromatic character. It is sumptuous and generous, ripe and full-bodied. The essential acidity comes through the dry structure of botrytis and sweet honey. The fruit is only just beginning to show and the wine is obviously very young. Drink from 2022."
- Wine Enthusiast

Tasting Notes