Vouvray - Chateau Renault	1959	C. Lefevre

1/98. A present sent by a generous French follower of my Wine Site on the Web.
My experience with Vouvray wines is very limited. My experience with nearly 40-years-old white wines is zilch. Not knowing what to expect (I wouldn't have been surprised if it turned out closer to vinegar than to anything else) we opened the bottle to accompany Friday dinner for two at home.
The tatty looking label had the words "Annee Exceptionnelle 1959" imprinted in red in a manner that suggested it was sur-printed at a later date.
COLOR: Deep rich old-gold color. The first glass or two had big amount of tiny crystal-like elements floating throughout the volume of the wine. They wouldn't settle at the bottom of the glass and neither float to the surface. Never seen anything like that.
NOSE: This is wine, not vinegar! Delicate yeasty nose, with something between an Olorosso sherry and old port. Noticeable flowery tones and those of peaches too. I can't say I found the nose pleasurable, but it had nothing offensive about it. Very interesting to say the least.
TASTE: Sweet! Even very sweet, though perhaps not as sweet as a full-fledged Sauternes or SGN. Rich and mouthfilling on the palate but very clean with good grip and even refreshing acidity. Brought a nice contrast to the salty stuffed pastries but didn't go so well with the seafood lasagna.
LENGTH: Not particularly long, but whatever aftertaste it had was pleasant with a lot of presence.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Very rich and viscous. Resembling a combination of a late harvest white wine, a medium dark sherry and an old port. 13% alcohol that is hardly felt. Sun-ripe fruit and reasonable acidity. A strange bird...
OVERALL: Having no reference to judge this wine by, all I can say is I was amazed that a 39 years-old white wine would have so many qualities. I'd be happy if anyone could shed any light on this wine, the producer or the vintage.
MARK: 17/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Maybe.

Reach Me? yak@yakshaya.com

Copyright 1996-2003.
Jacob "Yak" Shaya.