Highlights: Catherine & Pierre Breton Vouvray Demi-Sec 1989
On Tuesday I popped into the Sourcing Table to taste through some wines and discuss content for the website with the team. One of the bottles that was on the counter was this: a 32 year old Vouvray from one of the region’s top producers: Catherine & Pierre Breton. Alas, we couldn’t taste it. But by way of coincidence I was out at dinner with Doug Wregg and others on Wednesday, and he had a bottle of it with him. It was delicious. He explained that Catherine had found 240 bottles of this hiding in the cellar, so she decided to release them – hence this bottle has been perfectly cellared, and the pristine nature of the wine is testimony to both the ageing power of Chenin from limestone, and also the benefits of a cold cellar.
Domaine Catherine & Pierre Breton Vouvray Demi-Sec 1989 Loire, France
Fresh, bright and lemony. This is so pure for a 30 year old wine, and has a bit of sweetness as well as crisp, herbal, citrussy flavours. Grainy and juicy with grapefruits and lemons, this is lively, precise and quite delicious. Such finesse. 93/100 (£79.00 The Sourcing Table – I declare an interest as contributing editor.)
