TNs: Two unique wines.

Not often I have two such unique and fundamentally out-of-the-ordinary experiences in one evening, so thought I’d share them here.

1988 Mas de Daumas Gassac blanc.
Their third vintage and, though I know their wines age well, this was a revelation. I suspect most of their wines are drunk 25 years too soon - this was bone dry with ample acidity and great balance. The nose was amazing; honeysuckle, acacia, apricot stones, and fresh strawberries(!). Despite 60% Viognier, this is quite different from anything from the Rhone. The first time I’ve encountered this combination of aromatic complexities anywhere.

1959 Moulin Touchais, Reserve de Fondateur.
So light yet so much depth and complexity - a wine that keeps putting you right. Every time you think you get a sense of it, it confronts you with another perplexing layer. A combination of honey and the kind of fruit that you’d expect to find (apricot, mandarin) accompanied by layer upon layer of Loire valley spring flowers, but also an unmistakable streak of honeysuckle running through it. It brought me straight back to the Gassac, drunk a few hour earlier. Placing the two wines side by side, the similarity was unmistakable. They were clearly different of course, but this common thread made them intriguingly similar. That similarity ends as soon as you drink it - the former wine was bone dry, whereas this has an amazing depth of sweetness, backed up with amply virile acidity. I got a bit carried away, thinking about taking an ice cold dip in the Loire at bud burst, and a nap in a deep summer meadow, somehow encapsulated in the same experience. Spellbinding.

Wow

Nice

Splendid. My limited experience, 60 years sounds like it would be just the right time to drink a Moulin Touchais Your note seems to bear that out.

Recent 1971 Moulin Touchais was young and licking that depth you write about. Maybe needs more time.

Perhaps indeed - I had a '64 a little while ago that also seemed to be a little on the young side(!) Certainly seemed like it had more to reveal. The back label does mention the ‘privilege’ of drinking 100 year old bottles…

Thanks for the really nice report, Eric. I’ve been able to sample about 10 vintages of Moulin Touchais over the past few years, and it does indeed seem that the oldest ones are always the most rewarding. 1975 and 1976 are two of my absolute favorites, but I can see now I need to go even older!

Michael

Yup…I’ve had the Moulin Touchais back to the '21. They’re pretty much ageless.
Tom

Just had my last bottle of the 71 Moulin Touchais and it’s in a great place - definitely many years ahead still.

You’ve been following them since then?

You did a great job of expressing such a unique experience. Very, very well done.

Great notes! Pretty sure Moulin Touchais never dies? My oldest is 1986 and still going strong.