This wine too, had to be decanted back into the bottle over five hours prior to tasting. At that point, the medium intense nose still displays distinct chicken excrement and a hint of pebbly minerals. Prior experience with this bottling prevents me from being surprised at its mostly closed state, but notwithstanding all that the pronounced acidity is already being adequately buffered by a layer of fatty clay; or butter, if you will. Extended aeration brings more vinosity on the nose in the form of medium intense notes of peach, some cream, toast and saline -quite pointed- minerality. En bouche, beyond medium-plus intense flavours of minerally laced grapefruit better envelop the acid spine, which process is aided by the thoroughly glycerinated viscous texture. On the 35-plus second finish, the mineral expression makes the roof of my mouth tingle and as usual, I am left with the problem of how to score these wines. They really are in a class of their own, so it is difficult to judge it against any sort of peer. Furthermore, I’ve never tasted one older than the 2004, so do these Aligotés mature in any way? For what it’s worth, this excellent bottle was worth at least 90 points to me .......... TN Mike de Lange.

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