2004 Arbois Pupillin Savagnin

The 2004 Arbois Pupillin Vieux Savagnin Ouillé is a Savagnin bottling that aged for a much longer time than the others in topped-up barrels. It is recognizable because it comes in a 0.5-liter Burgundian bottled sealed with yellow wax, which is used to denote the wine is a Savagnin aged in oak for 16 years before it was bottled. It has a pale mahogany color and a nose of caramel and pollen intermingled with notions of mushrooms. It has an incisive palate and a salty twist in the finish. It is super pungent (pungent, pungent!) and concentrated, very complex, developing further nuances with hints of blue cheese, nuts and varnish. This had an even longer élevage than the 2003 that I have tasted and drunk on multiple occasions, and this seems more complex. It opens up with time in the glass and seems to get younger and fresher with air, revealing notes of salted caramel, toffee and spiciness (from the ambient yeasts?), which might make you think of a Vin Jaune. It's a great wine! It should live forever...