Château Rieussec 1er Cru Classé, Sauternes, 2009

For Rieussec, 2009 stands as one of the defining vintages of the modern era. The conditions were nearly perfect: a dry summer that built concentration and flavour intensity in the grapes, followed by autumnal mists that introduced noble rot with an evenness and completeness rarely seen. The result is a wine of symphonic richness. Crème caramel, baked apple, chopped nuts, and intensely concentrated apricot on the nose; a palate that is full, creamy, and yet somehow poised, the sweetness lifted by acidity of real energy. Notes of marmalade, honeyed quince, and spiced pear carry through an extraordinarily long finish. This is one of the great Rieussecs, a wine that will continue to gain complexity for decades.