1949 Clos de Tart

The 1949 Clos de Tart Grand Cru was a beautiful old Pinot Noir, perhaps eclipsed by the auspicious company it was keeping, but a pleasure nonetheless. Quite deep in color considering its age, one had to counter the heavy sediment that it had dropped. The nose gradually unfolded with scents of bay leaf, Earl Grey and black fruit rather than red. It does not quite deliver the precision of an ethereal 1945 that the late John Avery once popped open, but it offers something more...enigmatic. The palate is medium-bodied with a touch of orange rind infusing the dark fruit. The tannins feel firm, a solid Clos de Tart that perhaps forgoes finesse for longevity through a slightly heavier extraction at the time? Yet it continued to improve and gain more and more harmony in the glass, sultry in personality yet utterly captivating. There is a sense of timelessness about this Clos de Tart that triggers the intellect as much as the senses. Tasted November 2016.