2023 Ch Rieussec 1er Cru 375ml Half Bottle, Sauternes

Lovely yellow gold colour, bright and shining in the glass. Aromatic nose, ripe mango and nectarine with some elderflower and cool, crisp apple scents. Ripe and sweet but so well balanced and harmonious. I love the interplay between almost sherbet lemon sweetness and zinginess with quite pronounced bitter aspects too - grapefruit rind, vanilla bean, pastry and some toasted spice on the finish. A very modern interpretation which begs for food. Not super typical but this has effortless drinkability. Ends clean and light but long with a kick of freshness that immediately draws you back in. Botrytis arrived mid September, the harvest started on 15th September. Grapes were picked in five separate passes just from the first onset of botrytis with no rain after. 3.9pH.

97 points Decanter

An extremely serious wine, yet already very approachable. Cream, pineapple, honeyed apricots, mangoes, wax and a hint of white mushrooms on the nose. Impeccable balance between fruit and botrytis complexity. Luscious yet supple, with a round, full body and an extremely long finish. Subtle cream comes up at the end. Newly designed bottle. Already delicious, but can hold for decades.

98 points Zekun Shuai for James Suckling

Golden, opulent and still remarkably fresh, this is classic Sauternes from one of the appellation’s heavyweights. Château Rieussec, under the Rothschild umbrella, farms meticulously across gravel and clay in Fargues, with Semillon leading the blend and a careful selection of botrytised fruit giving both richness and precision.

The 2023 opens with a rush of ripe apricot, peach and mango, layered with candied citrus, orange marmalade and a touch of pineapple. There’s plenty of complexity already, acacia honey, ginger, saffron and a hint of spice, all lifted by a delicate floral note.

It coats the palate with a silky, almost weightless richness. Full in flavour but never heavy, thanks to a bright line of acidity that keeps everything in balance. The sweetness feels clean and controlled, carrying through to a long finish of stone fruit, citrus peel and a gentle spice that lingers.

Winemaking follows the classic Sauternes playbook, multiple passes through the vineyard to pick perfectly botrytised berries, followed by careful élevage to build depth without losing clarity.

This is a wine to have some fun with. Foie gras is the obvious match, but it’s just as compelling with blue cheese, roasted figs, or a caramelised apple tart. For something different, try it with fried chicken and a touch of spice, prawn dishes with chilli, or even a rich pumpkin dish, where the sweetness and acidity play off the flavours beautifully.

Drinking beautifully now for its richness and lift, it will age effortlessly over the next twenty years, gaining deeper caramel, nutty and spice driven complexity.