2005 François Chidaine Vouvray Le Bouchet

The Chidaine 2005 Vouvray Le Bouchet – from a botrytis-prone site where Fouquet often harvests a superb moelleux – is itself effectively a super-rich demi-sec or moelleux. Heady honeysuckle and gardenia mingle with subtly pungent, prickling spice and citrus zest and the pure honey of botrytis in the nose. Honey, lime cream, candied ginger and tangerine rind, cinnamon, and persistent sweet florality fill the mouth and combine for a long, honeyed, floral, spicy finish. This opulent entry lacks the clarity or mineral dimension of the best Chidaine 2005s, but it also needs several years to shed its puppy fat and for its botrytis-inflected personality to be fully revealed. Importer: Louis/Dressner Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 334-8191