Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Chateau d'Epire Savennieres, 1982

The red tag on the bottle tells me that I paid all of $5.25 for this wine. And I bought and drank plenty of it--because of the price and because of the quality. I remember its rich, vibrant fruit when it was young--better than any California Chardonnay could deliver for a comparable price.

The only place I knew that sold Savennieres was Village Corner in Ann Arbor, and the sale booklet produced by Dick Scheer and his staff every other month provided ample information about the appellation, the wine and the producer. What I learned from reading the booklet and drinking the wine is all that more meaningful tonight as I enjoy yet another bottle of a 37-year-old white wine that is seemingly immortal.

The color is incredible for a wine of this age--deep gold but not overly so and still bright and lively. The bouquet has the complexity that you would expect but, again, clean and beautifully focused. Does not seem at all old. White peaches soaked in anise. A touch of honey. The flavors are even better. Sea salt and minerals. A pleasing touch of sweetness that goes right down the middle of the tongue and leaves a long after taste. Silken texture. Still good acidity but no hard edges.

I had a disappointing bottle of this in 2008 and had almost written it off. Glad I gave it another try. This should make it into my top 10 list for 2017.

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