2019 Asphodele, Château Climens, Bordeaux

The 2019 Asphodele de Climens has a pretty green apple and Anjou pear nose, well-defined with good intensity. The palate is well-balanced with a crisp gooseberry and nettle entry, touches of white tea and quite a complex finish. Very fine if early drinking. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.Drink 2024 - 2040Neil Martin, Vinous.com.com (January 2023)

A crystalline and mineral-touched nose - apple skin, lemongrass and white flowers. Just so pure and lifted with notes of elderflower and rose, reminding me of an English garden. This is so complete on the palate, fleshy but well-defined, with a soft honey edge supported by stone fruit and a clear minerality. Excellent acidity, it's quite a 'white' style, not exuberant but nicely refreshing and inviting. Clear, bright and lively, but simultaneously a soft powdery minerality gives it a texture like velvet that sweeps across the tongue. Elegant and finessed with a real personality - you wouldn't guess it's from Sauternes or even Bordeaux. A nice expression of a dry white from the sweet region. Winemaker Pascal Jolivet consultant.Drink 2025 - 2044Georgina Hindle, Decanter.com (January 2022)

Mealy nose with a definite suggestion of Sémillon waxiness. Lovely rich palate entry. Quite an extraordinary wine in that it’s light in alcohol, sweetness and acidity – yet tastes like Sauternes/Barsac in so many ways. Not having been able to make any sweet 2021, Climens deserves our support!Much more interesting than the BBR Loire whites at the same price, it’s sui generis. It seems to have gained in interest.Drink 2021 - 2025jancis_robinson_mw MW, JancisRobinson.com (June 2022)

This is only the second vintage of this dry white wine made from the Chateau Climens's vineyard in Sauternes, in collaboration with Pascal Jolivet from Sancerre. It is 100% Sémillon, fermented and aged in stainless steel. The nose has a lovely, soft-spoken restraint, offering notes of lemon peel, fresh hay, Bosc pears and paraffin wax with touches of coriander seed, honeysuckle and toasted almonds.The medium-bodied palate has beautifully understated savory and mineral nuances accenting the citrus and spiced pears flavors with a lively line of freshness and a satiny texture, finishing long and perfumed. I'm seriously smitten by this uniquely fragrant, uncontrived style of dry white coming from Sauternes—bravo!It is delicious right now, but I'd like to see what this does with 5+ years of cellaring. As with Chateau Climens, this wine is certified both organic and biodynamic.Drink 2020 - 2025Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate (September 2020)