Louis Pinson et Freres Grand Cru Chablis Les Clos, 1981

When you have been buying and enjoying wine as long as I have, you always have a few bottles that you know you should have opened years ago. This is one. But, for a 35-year-old unoaked Chardonnay, it certainly isn't the total loss that I expected it to be.

The color is deep gold and gets deeper the longer it's exposed to air. The smells at first are muted but start emerging nicely after half an hour or so: peaches and other stone fruit, butter, triple creme brie cheese. On the palate, it's love at first taste. Very concentrated. Savory rather than sweet. Full of intrigue. Flavors that keep shifting and changing. I am entranced. Very full on the mid-palate and long, long, long on the finish.

Of course, Les Clos is the pinnacle of Chablis, but at 35 years of age, this wine cannot be expected to have much left in the tank. The price tag reads $8.95, but I probably got a 17% discount on top of that from Village Corner in Ann Arbor. I should have opened this a decade or two ago. But I'm sure getting my money's worth tonight.