Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  11/11/2008 (link)

  (SEC Jarry Vouvray) 1985 Dear Friends, Out of nowhere, this surprise came along and it's one of the more pristinely cellared parcels of Vouvray you will come across - to say I'm excited is an understatement. I cannot stress enough how reflective these are so take note... From one of the more brilliant cellars in all of France, this very special set of aged wine s like a time-travel experience - a collector's treat par excellence. With Jarry now retired, his underground status as one of Vouvray's master cellar-hands will have to live on in the pristine set of old wine he has stored. Jarry's claim to fame is Chenin Blanc that is so taut and present, it is like a telescope (versus a more blurry version from other winemakers). I consider a fine bottle of Jarry as a special occasion wine and they age as well as his rival, Gaston Huet. Where old Bordeaux can be found nearly anywhere something like this is fleeting indeed. Those of you swooning for the recently released 1989 Pinon Moelleux would be well-served to give this set a very close study. Please see this unrelated blog for photos and more detail: http://livewineblog.com/2008/03/14/daniel-jarry/ VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for rarity and as near-perfect examples of an ideal cellar (Jarry's cave is 51-52 degrees and 82-86% humidity year-round). ONE SMALL SHIPMENT ONLY directly from the cellars at Jarry: 1985 Daniel Jarry Vouvray Sec This wine is ridiculous - 23 year old Sec of this quality? Your kidding? No, I'm not. If you can imagine a tightrope of bone dry Chenin walking a thin wire of aged but still fresh soil and floral aromatics with a palate that lingers for what seemed to be 3-4 minutes, it would be this wine - mysterious and distinctive with loads of life life in the tank. An anomaly for Sec of this age and VERY RARE - a one-time opportunity (this is the last of the 1985). 1985 Daniel Jarry Vouvray Demi-Sec Everything the Sec has and even more - soaring aromatics of juniper, evergreen, spearmint and a saline/sea breeze quality envelop the taster while the nearly resolved residual sugar keeps the palate closer to a sec than a full-blown demi-sec. What is so amazing about this example is the overt freshness of the whole experience - from first whiff to the last sip, it appears 10-15 years younger than it is but it still has the evolution of a 20-25 year old example. The color is still vibrant (no golden glop here) and Loire fans will fall over in their chair when they decide to open the precious bottle they have in reserve. Make no mistake this wine will see it's 50th birthday and be completely dry by then. Tough to compare anything to this except maybe a few old examples of Alsatian wine from north of Colmar. Even rarer than the Sec and simply outstanding. Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Loire8910 Loire8920