2005 Vouvray Moelleux Le Mont 1ere Trie

The 2005 Moelleux 1ére Trie Le Mont is in a gorgeous place right now. Deeply pitched aromas of orange confit, burnt sugar, vanillin, spice and honey are so attractive. The 2005 is rich and viscous on the palate, but not at all heavy. Its balance is simply marvelous. Ideally, it is best enjoyed over the next few years.

Full points for the bright and vivacious shimmering yellow-golden color of the 2005 Vouvray Le Mont Moelleux Première Trie! The wine is still discreet on the precise and coolish, floral and minerally scented nose where herbal aromas are indicated, whereas the fruit flavors are fresh and precise but still restrained if the wine is poured straight from the bottle instead if a decanter. This full-bodied, concentrated and highly elegant Le Mont is sweet, smooth and concentrated on the highly elegant palate; it is very precise and piquant in its fruit and mineral expression and reveals a remarkable finesse, tension and persistence in the powerful and structured finish, which is still somewhat dry in its firm minerality though. This Le Mont tastes significantly more dry than the corresponding Clos du Bourg (bottled in April 2006 with 78 grams per liter of residual sugar, whereas the Clos de Bourg has 81 grams per liter).

From fruit with a high percentage of botrytis for the vintage, the 2005 Vouvray Moelleux Le Mont 1er Trie smells of quince preserves, marzipan, licorice, and honey. Creamy in texture and with a slightly milky suggestion as well as honeyed, viscous richness, it finishes with brown-spiced apple and quince jelly, hints of caramel, and a touch of both sizzling pungency and warmth of botrytis. Rich and imposing though it is, this loses some clarity, lift and refinement vis-a-vis its stable mates, on account of its heavier load of botrytis. Wine Advocate.August, 2007