WTN: 2005 Chateau Rieussec

[David M. Bueker]

Delicious, young Sauternes with honey, coconut, pineapple, and a wonderful creaminess. This is not a blockbuster, but rather a gorgeous expression of what a sweet wine can be - balance & complexity from the first sip.

From the couple of sips I had, I can say that definitely did not suck.

Really tasty though - I should have given it more attention at the table, but I had a hard time with more bottles of Riesling and Syrah in front of me than glasses.

[David M. Bueker]

The Rieussec was not slatey enough to hold your attention.

Geez, slaughter of the innocents. I trust you guys didn't sacrifice this baby (I can't blame you for stepping up if someone else popped the cork).

Drinking young Sauternes is like drinking young vintage Port, only more so - it takes age to manifest anything much but primary sappy juice (not that that is unpleasant, I just prefer the complex wine after years of aging).

[David M. Bueker]

It was me, but I plead innocent by reason of having a 12 bottle case. Nothing wrong with a sample to make sure the case wasn't cooked or something.

[Jenise]

Drinking young Sauternes is like drinking young vintage Port, only more so - it takes age to manifest anything much but primary sappy juice (not that that is unpleasant, I just prefer the complex wine after years of aging).

Normally I agree with you, but if you ever have a chance to taste the 2003 Climens, you want to. It has an amazing nose that time will alter, and it should be appreciated at both ends of its life.

I always like about a decade on a Sauternes as a general rule of thumb.

My objection to drinking them young is limited to the act of uncorking, however. Once the stopper is out, I figure what the heck, I may as well enjoy the wine too.

I've posted on 2005 Ch. Clos Haut-Peyraguey, and a 2001 Ch. Monbazillac recently as evidence of my liberal interpretation of Welles' First Law (No wine before its Time).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5LkDNu8bVU&feature=related

Bill,

I agree with you. I don't think it makes a heck of a lot of sense to drink 2005 Rieussec (I wait more like 20 years) but as I said somewhere else lately "not everyone likes chocolate ice cream".

Tom T.

Bill,

I agree with you. I don't think it makes a heck of a lot of sense to drink 2005 Rieussec (I wait more like 20 years) but as I said somewhere else lately "not everyone likes chocolate ice cream".

Tom T.

Let's amend our rule of thumb to:

It makes pefect sense to drink anyone else's bottle of Sauternes whenever they open it.

It makes no sense to open your own bottles until they are showing at least a modicum of complexity (15 +)

[Jenise]

It makes no sense to open your own bottles until they are showing at least a modicum of complexity (15 +)

I repeat, the 2003 Climens is an exception. It has complexity to spare and is particularly fetching, never thought a young Sauternes could show like that. Bruce H. called it the best Sauternes he'd ever had. And yes, he and I drank the whole bottle (a 500 ml, too!) at Gavroche one night.

The 2003 Myrat is another example: completely approachable now despite have decades ahead of it.

[David M. Bueker]

Bill & Tom,

While I appreciate your comments to a degree (and I am cellaring over 2700 bottles, so a lot of my wine is aging...I think I know a little about maturing wine), there is no reason to not open a single bottle just to see what it's got. And it was freaking delicious. There's plenty more where that came from though.

Bill & Tom,

While I appreciate your comments to a degree (and I am cellaring over 2700 bottles, so a lot of my wine is aging...I think I know a little about maturing wine), there is no reason to not open a single bottle just to see what it's got. And it was freaking delicious. There's plenty more where that came from though.

And even if it hadn't been delicious,which would have been bizarre for this type of wine, it would still have been an entirely sensible thing to do.

Why wouldn't it make sense to follow a case from its early days through its adolescence, middle age to full maturity? It doesn't matter how many times one observes how great wine changes, usually delightfully, as it matures it is still interesting and fun - particularly if one is sharing such things with friends and family.

As is usually the case I am entirely with you on this one. I have had bottles from all my cases of the recent vintages of Sauternes I bought en primeur in 2001 and 2003 [my last en primeur year for reasons of age] and if I had any 2005s I would certainly have broached them too.

Of course the best do age fantastically but, as others have said, infanticide is a greatly under-appreciated experience.

Bill & Tom,

While I appreciate your comments to a degree (and I am cellaring over 2700 bottles, so a lot of my wine is aging...I think I know a little about maturing wine), there is no reason to not open a single bottle just to see what it's got. And it was freaking delicious. There's plenty more where that came from though.

David,

As you know electronic forms of communication are not great because sometimes there's a disconnect between what the writer writes and the reader reads. What I tried to say was that for me I don't think it makes much sense to drink young Rieussec but everyone is different. That's why I said "not eveyone likes chocolate ice cream".

Who am I to tell you what to do with your wine and your money!!

My preference is to cellar them much longer (I still have 4-6 bottles each of '88, '89 and '90 that I think will improve) but I never intended to suggest that you're wrong and I'm right.

Tom T.

[David M. Bueker]

Tom,

No problem. I do intend to cellar at least half (likely more) of the 2005s until age 15, 20, 25...

Who am I to tell you what to do with your wine and your money!!

I agree...although if I did get a vote, I'd tell you to open them whenever you felt like, but only when I was around......