1996 Château Climens

Château Climens makes one of France’s most admired sweet white dessert wines. Located in Barsac, the 74-acre estate is noted for its extraordinary terroir on the highest plateau in the region. Château Climens makes Sauternes that consistently win rave reviews and it is a First Growth of the Sauternes-Barsac. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that Château Climens “produces the region’s most compellingly elegant wine.” Though the château has been making wines for several centuries, since 1971 it has been owned by the Lurton family, which also owns numerous other estates in Bordeaux. Unlike some producers of Sauternes who use a blend of several white grapes, Climens is made from 100% Semillon. The estate’s high location means it gets a mix of moist and sunny weather making ideal conditions for Botrytis Cinerea, or so-called noble rot, the fungus that causes ripe grapes to sweeten enough to be used for Sauternes. About 25,000 bottles are produced annually.

Sauternes makes the world’s most famous dessert wines. Though the appellation lies within the Graves region of Bordeaux’s left bank, the appellation makes only sweet wines from white grapes, primarily Semillon sometimes blended with small amounts of Muscadelle. The five communes within Sauternes are Barsac, Bommes, Fargues, Preignac and Sauternes. Barsac also has its own appellation and, typically, Barsac wines are slightly drier and lighter than other Sauternes. Sauternes are made when weather conditions result in a mold called Botrytis cinerea developing on the grapes, which causes them to become especially sweet. Sauternes are not produced every vintage, so successful vintages become especially collectible. Sauternes estates were classified in 1855, and Château d’Yquem, the appellation’s most prestigious estate, was ranked in a class by itself as a Premier Grand Cru. Château d’Yquem wines are among the most prized wines in the world.