JOHN GILMAN 98 POINTS - "The 1949 Hors d’Age from Domaine Cazes is again a touch less dark than the 1954, with more of an orange-amber color that promises great things, and indeed, this is an utterly profound and magical bottle of old wine (if this is indeed an old wine by the timeless standards of Rivesaltes!) with stunning complexity on the nose and perfect pitch on the palate. The utterly spectacular bouquet wafts from the glass in a blaze of rancio spice tones, oranges, white cherries, cloves, a touch of cigar smoke, citrus peel, vanilla bean, a dollop of salty soil and star anise. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and magically complex, with a great core, racy acids, gem-like precision and a nearly endless finish of seamless balance and outstanding grip. This is one of the greatest dessert wines I have ever had the pleasure to taste, and though I actually drank this glorious wine with the duck course at our tasting (and with which it worked perfectly, by the way!), I would tend to want to serve this with a cheese course or on its own before dessert to allow all of its complexity to take center stage. A brilliant wine."
WINE ADVOCATE 95 POINTS - "The white grape-based Cazes 1949 Rivesaltes displays spiciness, verve, and remarkable sheer juiciness at the same time as a complex array of dark and decadent elements. Peat, tobacco, black tea, and decadent forest floor confront spiced oranges, mouthwatering salinity, and an almost crystalline sense of shimmering mineral elements such as I would rarely associate with fortified wines. There isn’t one bit of superfluous sweetness in the penetratingly and dynamically persistent finish of this incandescent beauty. What’s more, as the glass stood open, this elixir’s performance become even more impressive."
WINE ADVOCATE 95 POINTS - "The white grape-based Cazes 1949 Rivesaltes displays spiciness, verve, and remarkable sheer juiciness at the same time as a complex array of dark and decadent elements. Peat, tobacco, black tea, and decadent forest floor confront spiced oranges, mouthwatering salinity, and an almost crystalline sense of shimmering mineral elements such as I would rarely associate with fortified wines. There isn’t one bit of superfluous sweetness in the penetratingly and dynamically persistent finish of this incandescent beauty. What’s more, as the glass stood open, this elixir’s performance become even more impressive."