Community Tasting Notes (5) Avg Score: 91 points

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  • The Altesse grapes are sourced from the famous Marestel Cru, the vines averaging 45 years in age. Fermented spontaneously in stainless steel, aged for 11 months in old oak foudres and bottled in September before the wines of the new harvest. 13% alcohol. Tasted in Marestel 2016-1994 vertical tasting.

    Surprisingly evolved, medium-deep golden yellow color - noticeably deeper than any other of the surrounding vintages. Sweetish, concentrated and slightly oxidative nose with aromas of honeydew melon, some buttery notes, a little bit of diacetyl, light sappy herbal nuances and a hint of Sultana raisins. The wine is broad, dry and moderately evolved on the palate with a full body and quite complex flavors of cooked cream, stony minerality, some browned butter tones, a little bit of flint smoke, light honeyed tones, dried-fruit hints of wizened yellow fruits and Sultana raisins and a touch of bruised apple. The high acidity lends great freshness and sense of structure to the wine. The finish is quite long and moderately evolved with flavors of stony minerality, some honeyed richness, light peachy tones, a little bit of creaminess, a hint of browned butter and a touch of Sultana raisins.

    I was surprised how evolved this vintage was - all the other 2010's Marestel bottles we had were still very youthful, fresh and light in color, while this vintage showed quite a bit of maturity in its deep, golden color and rather tertiary notes. Based on the previous TNs in CT, it seems our bottle wasn't an exception but in line with the vintage. I wonder what is going on here? Nevertheless, the wine is pretty lovely, showing good tertiary complexity, bright cool minerality and nice sense of structure. However, based on the evolved overall feel, I wouldn't let the wine age for much longer - at its best it just won't continue to improve from here, but at its worst it will only fall apart. A curious but ultimately quite enjoyable effort, although lacking a bit in depth compared to the older vintages that were more or less equally evolved in style.

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  • deep gold colored. big nose with gobs of honey and white raisin. medium bodied with medium plus acidity. delicious palate with rich honeyed flavors, bruised apple, caramel, and lemon jelly. finishes long and sour. a delight.

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  • Alle Achtung, da spielt sich so einiges in Nase und Mund ab. Bienenwachs, reife Birnen und Quitten, garniert mit mineralisch anmutenden Nuancen. Den Schluck möchte man noch mit der Zunge extra zerdrücken. Könnte noch einige Jahre länger lagern, hervorragend zur Käseplatte oder als Solist auf der Couch.

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  • beautiful, age-worthy white. Savoie whites are like Muscadet in that they are complex, age-worthy and superb values. Pleasant when cold, but with warming it opens up uncommon depths of flavor and texture. Versatile and would be fantastic with a variety of foods. Superb with tempura garlic scapes and aioli and a variety of fresh veggies tonight, but also would be sublime with traditional mountain food - raclette, fondue

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