Rarely has it been so hard to pick a wine, so it will have to be two. The other week-end I tasted through what could be called the heaven of a wine cellar. Basically, all the wines could qualify for the Wine of the Month a normal month.
I tend not to rate, or give numerical scores to wines but this is probably the closest to a 100 point wine that I have ever come, Chateau Cheval Blanc 1982. This wine is as close to perfection that you can come, with a fragrance that captures, is spell-binding and seduces with a taste with a deep concentration, softness and amazing structure. Choose any superlatives you want and it can be used in the description. Amazing. I was convinced with this that I would not have any problems choosing the Wine of the Month.
The following day, however, a wine was served blind…
That it has reached a certain age is obvious. That it is a pinot noir is obvious too. That it is from Burgundy is also clear. However, there is a small element of brett on the nose, just a hint of farm-yard, reminiscent of biodynamic wines. At the first sip, however, it is fairly clear that here we have something wonderful, something personal and multi-layered in the glass: Domaine de la Romanée Conti Echezeaux 1991.
This is not as perfect and flawless as the wine above, but contains so much personality and a hint dirt that makes it particularly enjoyable. It all becomes a dance of flowers and berries, with touches of earthy flavours, of peach, of orange and of red grapefruit. And of herbs. In summary, a complex, elegant experience that goes beyond most other things you can drink.
Wine of the Month thus becomes Wines of the Month.
(Ed. note: If you are curious you can take a look at Buridan’s paradox.)
Magnus Reuterdahl writes on wine on BKWine Magazine and is an avid wine blogger. You can read more of his thoughts on Magnus Reuterdahls wine blog, or follow him on twitter where he goes by @reuterdahl. In daily life Magnus is an archaeologist.
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