October 20, 2023 - très beau chenin liquoreux, belle évolution avec robe brillante orangée et reflets ambrés.
Arômes d'oranges, ananas, miel et une liqueur très digeste à l'acidité agréable rafraîchissante.
Longueur de 60 caudalies et plus.
Peut encore se garder en cave. L'unique défaut de cette demie-bouteille est son bouchon : de petite longueur et aux 4/5e imbibés.
January 4, 2021 - After 23 years of waiting, finally it is the day to shine. And it certainly does perform in a passionate tango with a tartetatin with pear, blue cheese and pecan nuts. Orange brown colored. Smell of marmelade, apricot and nuts. And the taste of the same added with salty flavours, honey and ripe figs. A claire obscure in the glass. Close to perfection.’
🍽Tarte Tatin 5🌟
🛠11.7%Alc 🍇💯Chenin Blanc
December 2, 2020 - Blind, honey brown color almost like a Brandy, notes of pear compote, honey, apricots, shaved coconuts, brown sugar, viscous, very complex, rich and thick silent wine with a fantastic lengthy finish. Bottled at 11.7% alc. it should hold until 2035.
August 21, 2019 - 1997 was a very exceptional vintage for sweet wines in Loire, and none less so for Delesvaux. 11,7% alcohol.
Deep, intense reddish coppery color. Very rich, complex and rather unctuous nose with aromas of toast and smoke, some reductive gunpowder, a little bit of bruised apple, light orange marmalade tones, sweet notes of raisins and pear compote and a gaseous touch of SO2. The wine is oily, quite full-bodied and rather oily on the palate with very sweet and unctuous flavors of maple syrup, roasted nuts, some dried figs, a little bit of steely minerality, light raisiny tones, a hint of orange marmalade and a touch of molasses. The overall feel is quite soft and sticky as the relatively high acidity feels rather modest in comparison to this much sweetness; the high residual sugar makes the wine feel pretty cloying and the sweetness is so intense it almost feels like it burns on the tongue. The finish is long, sticky and gentle with intense, super-sweet flavors of syrupy molasses, some caramel, a little bit of roasted nuts, light notes of orange marmalade, a hint of sultana raisins and a touch of butterscotch.
A very rich, complex and unctuous dessert wine with lots of weight, sweetness and botrytized power. The overall feel is rather heavy and ponderous due to the level of acidity that feels just inadequate in comparison to the through-the-roof levels of residual sugar. Nevertheless, a very complex and rewarding wine. The modest acidity makes the wine feel lacking a bit in balance, taking its small toll on the score, but otherwise it is a very lovely and enjoyable effort. Outstanding value at under 20€ for a 500 ml bottle.
March 4, 2019 - Dark color, almost bronze. Nutty flavors. Very well developed.
May 4, 2017 - Delesvaux is one of the most consistent producers of the highest level of dessert wines in the Loire - Selection de Grains Nobles. At 20 years old, the color is amber, but the taste is not oxidized. Very dense and concentrated by botrytis, which removes the water and leaves the flavors in the grapes. Carmel is the primary flavor and apricot jam is the main fruit. Goes magnificently with pecan pie, creme brulee, dark chocolate, and rolled nut bread. The only thing that would make it even greater is enough acidity to clean out the residue of sweetness left in the throat after swallowing. For that, you need to drink the great Riesling dessert wines, primarily from Germany.
September 21, 2016 - Translucent gold color, with a viscous, concentrated, and powerful dried apricot flavor, plus secondary flavors of caramel, English walnut, candied orange, and honey. At the enormous level of sugar that has to reached in the grape to be a Sélection de Grains Nobles, almost any level of natural acidity will be smothered by residual sugar left in the wine after fermentation. While the acidity may fail to be separately tasteable, we can still tell that ample acidity is present because no layer of sugar is left in the throat and mouth after swallowing, thereby saving the wine from ever becoming cloying. Light desserts will be overwhelmed by wines with this level of concentration, but a heavenly out of this world match is a multilayered pastry filled with apricot paste, guava paste, dried black currants, black walnuts, raw brown sugar, and a sprinkle of squeezed lemon and lime.
December 21, 2015 - Wow, a sweet toothsome wine with just enough acidity to make it an excellent wine but just shy of outstanding. It can be so much better if there is more acidity and minerality to counterbalance the sweetness. In any case, the rich caramel and peach notes is the perfect foil to end a truly fantastic meal.
September 19, 2015 - Chenin Fest: 28 Loire Chenin Blancs from 1995 - 1997. (Don Rice's.): Whaddya know? A "sugar hunter" wine has made it into the lineup. It definitely lives up to its designation. There is a lot of residual sugar here. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of acidity to back it up. It's definitely too cloying and over-the-top for some, but I'm really digging the silky/syrupy mouthfeel and, hey, I like sugar. Think of your typical late harvest Chenin fruit in preserve/marmalade form with a dose of honey and that pretty much sums it up. Drinks like an essencia minus the acidity. Low A-.
April 4, 2010 - Lovely. Better than '96 Anthologie. Just a brilliant bottle with excellent balance.