2018 Quarts de Chaume Ultra

Full bottle (37.5 cl) 809 g. From a 3.08-ha, steep, south-facing vineyard on schist. Rochefort-sur-Loire. Deep amber. This is rather stunning! Aromatically, it is incredibly spicy, taking me to the Middle East, to spice souks, to old baskets laden with dried apricots; mounds of ground cinnamon, sweet pepper, cardamom, nutmeg, clove, smoked chilli; brushing past twisted plaits of dried bay leaves; the sweet scent of chai filling the air as you round a corner, and then a tumble of honeysuckle in full bloom down a hot stone wall. It smells, tastes, of honeybush tea, of gingernuts dipped in sweet sherry, of candied orange peel and quinces poached in vin santo. It is crazy complex, uncompromisingly concentrated, a kind of jagged painful perfection. It's exquisite. (TC)

Belargus's dark, amber-orange colored 2018 Quarts-de-Chaume Grand Cru Liquoreux Ultra is a tribute to the famous Ambroisie by Jo Pithon, an over-concentrated Quarts-de-Chaume with more than 30 degrees potential at harvest, referred to as “Ultra.” The wine opens with an intense and ultra concentrated but still vinous and not overly fruity bouquet with pencil point notes on the first nose that slowly reveals concentrated, syrupy apricot and roasted bacon-rind notes. Enormously viscous on the palate but at the same time so finessed, vital and balanced that the wine never weighs heavily and is not even sticky, this is an exceptional QDC, of which just one barrel was produced. This 2018 is made for eternity and belongs to the finest noble sweet wines I have ever had. Even though I am so much in love with the Les Quarts twin, I have to admit that here comes not only an even sweeter Quarts-de-Chaume but also an even more concentrated and finessed one. The aging capacity is ideal, and due to its balance, I don't see any doubts the wine can age 100 and more years. What a start for Domaine Belargus! 9% alcohol. Tasted in June 2021.