by Covert » Fri Sep 30, 2011 5:19 am
Well, harking to my 'China Beats Bordeaux' post, last night before supper I went ahead and opened one of my eight bottles of 2008 Château Boutisse (St-emilion). I have often remarked on this Forum that I consider some bottles of wine to be art forms, not unlike great paintings and musical pieces, that speak to me on unconscious as well as conscious levels and murmur new awareness and memories that go beyond what I can articulate, and summon the terms “profound” and “transportational,” the latter of which I particularly like because of its “kicked out of Eden” connotation. Michael Broadbent once wrote of a friend who broke into tears after tasting the 1947 Cheval Blanc. This sort of reaction is not the product of a liquid merely tasting good. The Boutisse did not have as dramatic an effect on me, but it tilted in that sort of direction for both me and my wife, whose reaction harmonized with mine. It was probably a coincidence that Decanter profiled the mythology of 1947 Cheval Blanc on the last page of its awards issue in which it extolled this Boutise. One of the factors contributing to Boutisse’s richness is that its blend includes 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, rather than Cab Franc. The tannins were pronounced in this baby, but sweet and not too much in the way. Likewise, the slightly pronounced, beautiful new oak danced into sensual conjugation with its concentrated, dark, rich fruit. Aromas hinted at truffles and asphalt on the way and the taste finished long and classily. Lastly, the visual of the bottle itself, with its minimalistic, evanescent, wood-etched rendering, as opposed to Daguerreotype, of the chateau contributed to the mood and bespoke the special class of the entire experience. I do not have adequate long-term, before-and-after experience to know how this wine will evolve, but I am betting on its future greatness enough to purchase additional bottles.
