There's always something a bit sad about opening the last bottle of a loved wine but, as all good things must come to an end and no wine lasts forever, it has to be done at some point. Of course there is something even sadder: opening the last bottle only to find it's gone too far. So, will it be good or should I have drunk it up a decade or more ago?
 |
Inspired by our current promotion of Brusset wines, I pulled out the very last bottle of their 2001 Les Hauts de Montmirail Gigondas last night. Yes, 2001: twenty five years and counting. Should it sill be going? On paper, probably not, especially as it's not a bottle I stored in a wine fridge (not sure why but it's too late now to feel bad about that). Looking back, Parker gave it 7-8 years when he tasted it in 2004. Could the great man have been wrong? What a revelation! It's a meal in itself, that's for certain: seared beef fat/gravy, rich and aromatic. It's lost its youthful cherry-ness although there's still cherry/plum fruit there and the tannins are still lively but, at the same time, soft. The residual sweetness coats the tongue. And really elegant. |
One thing further intrigues me: this wine no longer reeks of the Rhône but, simply (not the right word in this context), great wine. This could be an old Burgundian Pinot, Nebbiolo from Piedmont, possibly an aged Cabernet but Grenache? It really is so all you Grenache nay-sayers, think again. If you sniff your nose at Grenache, you won't get to experience wine this good at prices that cost less than a London parking space (try saying that about Burgundy or Barolo!).
Does it need food? Maybe but it's lovely to experience it on its own. It's so fresh still. Having anticipated a shot-to-pieces bottle, it's rather jolly to sit back and reminisce. Thanks Laurent (and Daniel, of course!).
0 comments