1996 Moulin Touchais

The wines are released after ten years in the cellar with some just beginning to reach their peak after twenty years. Many of the great vintages such as the 1953, 1959 and 1969 are still maturing, so it's reassuring to learn that Moulin Touchais are also the only winemakers in the world who give a century long guarantee on the longevity of their wines (subject to being kept under optimal cellar conditions). At frst this seems like a foolish offer and you may well ask "who'll be around to prove it anyway?" The issue can only be resolved by tasting old bottles, which we did, including vintages from 1892, 1885 and 1872. At over 100 years of age, the wines were probably still not at their peak. James Halliday attended our tasting summing up the experience in one word: ‘Euphoric'.

Bright lemon gold colour with golden straw edges and pale gold hue. The nose is a touch restrained at first but opens up to reveal aromas of quince, lemon, apple and spice followed by a touch of honey as an end note. The palate is quite spicy, more so than the previous vintages tasted (99, 98 & 97) and displays flavours of baked apple, spice and lemon honey with spiced honey back palate flavours. Outstanding mouthfeel and concentration. Excellent acidity and structure with a clean finish, looking very youthful and showing no signs of bottle age whatsoever. Exceptionally long aftertaste of baked apple, spiced honey and quince.
Cellar 20-30 years (2030-2040)
Alc 13.5%