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2001 Château Rieussec, 375ml

Label condition issue

Removed from a temperature and humidity controlled wine storage unit; Purchased at retail

Ends Sunday, 7pm Pacific

RATINGS

100Wine Spectator

Like lemon curd on the nose that turns to honey and caramel. Full-bodied, very sweet with fantastic concentration of ripe and botrytized fruit, yet balanced and refined. Electric acidity. Lasts for minutes on the palate.

*****Decanter Magazine (stars)

A complex, powerful bouquet of opulent candied fruits. The palate has great beauty –it is rich and complex, yet fresh.

99Robert M. Parker Jr.

Fabulous perfume of honeysuckle, smoky oak, caramelized tropical fruits, creme brulee, and Grand Marnier.

95Stephen Tanzer

...exotic flavors of apricot, minerals and coconut. Wonderfully chewy, thick and sweet...

93The Wine Advocate

The palate is unctuous on the entry with kumquat, quince and barley sugar, almost Barsac-like in style leading to an unctuous finish that is long in the mouth...

18.5Jancis Robinson

Manages to be both tangy and luscious. Broad. Electric vitality. Lovely and slightly brûlée.

REGION

France, Bordeaux, Sauternes, Fargues

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.