Wine Advisor
Climens 1996
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A rather average note in April 1998 but it improved leaps and bounds by June 2004. A slightly darker hue to the 1997. The nose is more reticent, needs coaxing from the glass but it is worth it: minerally, hazelnuts with a touch of apricot. The palate displays far more botrytis than the 1997 with lavish honey and vanillin. Good acidity. A sumptuous, pretty wine that belies its power. Peachy finish. Will go on and on.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at Chateau Climens. The 1996 has a better nose than the 1997 at this stage. Barley sugar, mandarin, beeswax and a little orange blossom. The palate is medium-bodied with very good structure, clean entry with citrus fruits, orange-blossom and a touch of tangerine. Vibrant on the entry with very good length – this is showing better than the 1997. Very fine. Drink now-2025+ Tasted April 2009.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1996 is a light wine, offering a lemony, citrusy, and white fruit-scented nose with notes of minerals and spice. Medium-bodied, with good acidity, lively fruit, some sweetness, and a youthful finish, this wine should be at its finest between 2003-2015.
About the Producer
Château Climens is a wine producer located in the Sauternes village of Barsac on the left bank of the Gironde river, south of Bordeaux. It was classified as a first growth in the 1885 Classification of Sauternes and Barsac alongside other châteaux such as Guiraud and Suduiraut. Climens is one of only a handful of châteaux in Bordeaux that produces its wines from only one grape: Semillon. The wine is characterized by fresh citrus notes, white flowers and spice, which becomes more honeyed and concentrated with age. Semillon thrives on the limestone-rich soils in the vineyards. Botrytis develops on the grapes because of the misty mornings, humidity and warmer afternoons that are typical during the months before harvest. If the grapes are not of the highest quality, or if botrytis has not properly formed, owner Bérénice Lurton and her team will not produce their top wine, the grand vin Château Climens. They have been bold enough in the past to declassify an entire harvest of fruit – either selling the grapes off to other producers rather than bottling as their own or releasing wines under secondary labels. The grapes are harvested and brought into the winery, plot by plot, where they are gently pressed before fermentation in oak barrels. Maturation takes place in French oak barrels on lees for about 20 months. Wines from the best vintages can last decades – a recent tasting of the 1921 vintage revealed a rich, balanced and zesty wine. Château Climens has been owned by the Lurton family since the 1970s (when it was acquired by Lucien Lurton), and in 1992 the estate came under the control of Bérénice Lurton (his daughter). In 2010, Climens began to practice biodynamic winemaking and viticulture, and the 2014 vintage was the first to be entirely certified as biodynamic. Chemical sprays were replaced with natural preparations and plant infusions, from flowers such as chamomile and juniper which are grown on the estate and dried in the attics above the chais.
1929(1)1940(1)1967(1)1986(2)1989(2)1990(3)1995(1)
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