TN: The FLDG Grand Jeebus (April 30, 2011)

originally posted by Salil Benegal:
It didn't - the label just said Le Haut Lieu (but it tasted like a Demi Sec).
I'm quite puzzled. '47 has got to be the sweetest Huet wine of the pre-Constance era. Sweeter than '21 or '19, sweeter than anything from '59, maybe there are '89s or '90s that are comparable, but still.... There are sweeter bottlings (some labeled 1er, some doux) from '47, but the basic wine under the wet cork does not taste demi-sec to me.
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
originally posted by Salil Benegal:
It didn't - the label just said Le Haut Lieu (but it tasted like a Demi Sec).
I'm quite puzzled. '47 has got to be the sweetest Huet wine of the pre-Constance era. Sweeter than '21 or '19, sweeter than anything from '59, maybe there are '89s or '90s that are comparable, but still.... There are sweeter bottlings (some labeled 1er, some doux) from '47, but the basic wine under the wet cork does not taste demi-sec to me.

I'll echo that it didn't really come across as sweet at all.
 
originally posted by MarkS:
originally posted by SFJoe:
originally posted by Salil Benegal:
It didn't - the label just said Le Haut Lieu (but it tasted like a Demi Sec).
I'm quite puzzled. '47 has got to be the sweetest Huet wine of the pre-Constance era. Sweeter than '21 or '19, sweeter than anything from '59, maybe there are '89s or '90s that are comparable, but still.... There are sweeter bottlings (some labeled 1er, some doux) from '47, but the basic wine under the wet cork does not taste demi-sec to me.

I'll echo that it didn't really come across as sweet at all.

lightly corked?
 
originally posted by scottreiner:
originally posted by MarkS:
originally posted by SFJoe:
originally posted by Salil Benegal:
It didn't - the label just said Le Haut Lieu (but it tasted like a Demi Sec).
I'm quite puzzled. '47 has got to be the sweetest Huet wine of the pre-Constance era. Sweeter than '21 or '19, sweeter than anything from '59, maybe there are '89s or '90s that are comparable, but still.... There are sweeter bottlings (some labeled 1er, some doux) from '47, but the basic wine under the wet cork does not taste demi-sec to me.

I'll echo that it didn't really come across as sweet at all.

lightly corked?

No. Definitely not.
 
My note from the Huet-a-thon in 11/09. That bottle was indeed drier than some previous bottles and it did lead to a discussion about varying sweetness levels.

Always a rare treat to try this legend and we're blessed with another excellent showing tonight. Every bottle I've had of this wine that comes with a plastic capsule has had a lot of blackish/brownish gunk underneath it and this one is no exception. It doesn't seem to impact the wine, though. There's no sweetness level indicated on the label, but it's assumed to be Moelleux and while there's plenty of sugar in this wine, it does seem a little drier initially than other bottles I've had from the same purchase. That said, with air it did appear to gain sweetness as the wine rounded out. As a number of us at the table have had multiple experiences with this wine, the varying sweetness levels led to a discussion that perhaps there was indeed sweetness variation from barrel to barrel. Dougherty pointed out that the wine still shows a youthful green on the rim. I remember Robert Callahan making the same observation eight or so years ago when Joe opened a bottle at a dinner for a visiting Victor de la Serna. Still showing no signs of decline despite its light amber color. Just endlessly long in the mouth, exquisitely balanced with layers of apricot, earl grey tea, spearmint, orange marmalade, mineral and a dash of shoe polish. A great wine to end a great evening. A+.
 
Old bottles vary a lot.

I can see the wine coming off as only mildly sweet in this context. It would not last long enough really to open and to display its full breadth of texture. Early on, it does show structure before shaking away its bottle rumple and getting into the flow of life in the open air.
 
originally posted by Brad Kane:
Dougherty pointed out that the wine still shows a youthful green on the rim.
As has been discussed here and elsewhere at some length, it's the old wines that get the green Madeira thing. I'll post an RTN of an old note I found.
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
originally posted by Brad Kane:
Dougherty pointed out that the wine still shows a youthful green on the rim.
As has been discussed here and elsewhere at some length, it's the old wines that get the green Madeira thing. I'll post an RTN of an old note I found.

Yeah, I remember these conversations, but for some reason it always comes out as youthful. Must be some sort of blockage in my neural net.
 
Back
Top