It’s a fact of wine life.
They all march on it time, heading to maturity and death. It’s not a gloomy subject, as it is
inevitable, and along the way, positives can and usually occur. Wines become softer, smoother and more
mellow, and develop greater layers of flavour, becoming more integrated along
the way.
The Tall Swan surprised us all with a gift one evening,
opening a bottle of 2002 Rene Engel Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru. The domaine has long gone now, with Philippe
Engel passing away, but his legacy remains in bottles of fine burgundy for us
to remember him by. By all rights, this
should have had everything in its favour for long term aging. A great year, a great maker, with fruit from
a great site. Other wines of similar
pedigree are just coming into their own and have a long way to go.
Not this bottle. Some
orange-red with bricking. Distinctly
mushroomy and secondary, if not tertiary in aroma and flavour. Too old, one might think. But no, this was deliciously sweet and
rich. Hedonistic, supple and
mouthfilling, Juicy with just enough acidity, and melt-away tannins. Rather elegant and not a blockbuster or
ungainly. This had headed down the
inexorable path to full maturity, and gloriously so. One could be disappointed that it was so far
forward, but then again, you couldn’t be disappointed with its appeal. Time moves on for us all, but sometimes at a
different rate…
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