The week-end was devoted to my children. On Saturday lunch, we were by my youngest daughter. My son in law, proud of recent buys showed me his recent trophies, and we decided to kill one of a case of twelve Chateau Lynch Bages 1982. As soon as the cork goes out, an incredibly generous smell appears. Solid, open, the smell is deep. In mouth, it is an opulent wine, with a strength which is above the memory that I had for this wine. A small bitterness at the end of mouth makes a shorter length than expected, but obviously it is a great wine, filling the mouth with a great pleasure.
When we are back at home, I go to the cellar. I want something that my son and I we would enjoy the two of us on Sunday lunch. I take in a rather hidden corner a bottle which has no label and has a thick cover of mud on the glass. The glass is hand blown and the bottom is very deep. The level is very high as it is top shoulder touching nearly the neck. The capsule is of a gold green yellow, and in the dark, I am rather unable to read.
I go upstairs and I can read « Clos-Batailley, Bounin Propriétaire ». I put some humidity on the glass and I can read through the glass under the capsule a year : 1921. Due to the name, it must be a Pauillac, and it will fit to the “Côte de boeuf” that my wife intends to cook for Sunday lunch.
At 10 am, I open the bottle. My wife had told me that she felt that the wine seen through the mud on the glass was rather light and not deep red. So, by lifting the cork, I was anxious to see if it would be a depigmented wine. The cork comes nicely, even if broken into pieces, but I am used to that. The first smell is of a jam of red fruits, of candied fruits, and I am so in my idea of a red wine that I think : “this is a curious smell for a red. But I have always to learn. We will see”. On the cork is printed : Targon (Gironde) . I must say that I do not know where Targon is.
Before the lunch I google the name of the wine, but nothing concerns this wine.
My son comes at 1 pm, and when we sit at the table I pour our two glasses. The cover of the table has red colours. So, when the wine is poured, it could be the colour of a red wine, very Port like. To have a clearer idea, I put the glass along my white napkin, and then it is obvious that it is a liquorous. We smell it and the evidence of a liquorous wine appears. We taste it and it is as if pure gold is invading our mouth. But I am still wondering. What is it ? It is so heavy, so deep, so distinguished that the idea could be a Sauternes. But it is not possible. I think of Premières Côtes de Bordeaux, of Langoiran or also Sainte Croix du Mont, but I know Chateau Loubens of this year, which is largely lighter than this wine.
After the first course, a pastry with ham whose sweetness goes perfectly with the wine, I go to google on the name Targon, and I see that the wines of Targon are “Entre-deux-Mers”, which are red, white and sweet. So the wine that we drink is a sweet (moelleux) wine of Entre-deux-Mers. I would never have imagined that a Entre-deux-Mers sweet wine could be at this level. Because I must say that in a blind tasting, if I would propose this wine and say that it is a Suduiraut, a Rayne-Vigneau or a Lafaurie-Peyraguey 1921, I am sure that no one would say : you lie. This wine is absolutely splendid and has not the slightest defect. During its life it has not had any accident or any disease. And it is sure that the taste of a wine having its original cork is largely better. I am going to open this week Yquem 1891. I can already say that I am not sure that Yquem will be better than this wine as it is a recorked bottle, recorked in the Chateau d’Yquem in the 80ies.
Needless to say that the Cote de Boeuf with a sweet wine is an experience that I do not recommend to follow. On an apple tart, we finished this incredibly delicious wine with a length that I have still in mouth some five hours later. To meet as we did a perfect wine, with fruits, incredible spices, is a great moment.
But the thing which makes my pride is the hazard. I collect wines. I collect the most prestigious wines and I collect an incredible range of unknown wines. When, looking for a red wine to share with my son, I find an unknown wine, which turns to be one of my greatest emotion with a liquorous wine, I must say that I am immensely happy.