2022 Bernard Fouquet Aubuisieres Vouvray Cuvee St Jean (Moelleux)

"The color is brilliant with strong yellow reflections. The nose is complex with toasted and winter pear notes. The botrytized appearance is present. The palate has a nice sweetness/acidity balance where the sugar is never cloying."

"1989 Vouvray Moelleux Selection Grains Nobles cuvée, from Domaine des Aubuisières. This is one of the cuvées with which Bernard Fouquet announced his arrival in the appellation, and as the name suggests it is focused on a small harvest of grains nobles, in other words individually botrytised berries.In the glass it displays a deep and burnished hue which feels right for a botrytised cuvée. The aromatics are nothing short of fabulous, combining a sense of fresh vivacity with a rich and evolved maturity. I find notes of dried oranges, toasted almonds, black tea leaves and caramel, freshened up by tobacco and mint complexities. Beautifully textured on the palate, even at over thirty years of age it feels polished and complete, with a rich body of caramelised and toasted peach, with black tea leaves mirroring the nose, spiced with white pepper. It possesses a rather restrained energy at first, but in the middle the complete and seamless poise gives way to a driven freshness and bright acidity. This has fabulous breadth and poise, only yielding to a grained density at the very end. A brilliant showing at this age, and great length too; there is no rush to drink this great, slowly maturing Vouvray. (16/1/23)"