Wine Advisor
Climens 2000
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at Chateau Climens. Cropped at less than 4hl/ha, this has a light, rather fruitcake nose, lacks a little definition and freshness. The palate is medium-bodied, a little dryness on the entry, some spicy, ginger, dried apricot notes in the middle with a rather conservative finish. This millennial Climens seems to have shut up shop at the moment, but there is certainly an elegant, very pure Barsac that should show itself in several years time. Drink now-2015. Tasted April 2009.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The proprietors are extremely happy with what they were able to produce in 2000. Even though this vintage has a poor reputation, producers who only included the early-picked grapes in their final blends have often turned out nearly exceptional wines. Yields for the 2000 Climens were microscopic (four hectoliters per hectare) and the wine, although somewhat monolithic (I tasted it right after bottling), exhibits honeyed citrus, pineapple, and hints of pears, butter, and honeysuckle. Medium-bodied and elegant, with superb purity (a hallmark of this great estate), it should be at its finest between 2007-2020.
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.