2003 Arbois Pupillin Chardonnay

There was another blind bottle sealed with white wax, so it was a giveaway that it was the ouillé Chardonnay, but what vintage was it? It has honeyed notes, hints of beeswax, with a bright, almost fluorescent yellow color. A smoky note developed slowly with time in the glass, together with some herbal flavors and fine chalkiness. It feels like a warm vintage, and it certainly was. It turns out that this was the 2003 Arbois Pupillin Chardonnay (white wax). It's a bit evolved but didn't really feel like 20 years old; it feels a lot younger (other people in the tasting were guessing 2015). It fermented in stainless steel, followed by 24 to 26 months in oak. With time, more notes of pollen and herbs developed. It's a different vintage—"particulier" in Houillon's words.