- 1964 De Maizieres & Cie Bonnes Mares - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru (8/30/2014)
An absolutely singular wine. Ordered from a restaurant list and clearly an impeccably stored bottle, with a bright, glistening transparent ruby color. This wine had the appropriate texture for a senior citizen, but the flavor profile of a 5-year-old. It smells and tastes like red cherry pie, with extremely pure, focused, and remarkably fresh fruit. There’s some complementary cinnamon and sous bois notes, but this was indisputably primary. The mouthfeel, though, could only come with a half-century in the bottle. The wine felt airy and utterly weightless, but inched its way down like molasses, methodically coating every inch of the palate and leaving a residue of flavor on the sides of the mouth as it advanced, which lingered well after swallowing. The acidity that kept it alive for so long was at least counterbalanced and perhaps even outweighed by the sweetness of the fruit, making it outright delicious in a kid-in-a-candy-store way, though fortunately without any syrupy or cloying character. In one way I was almost disappointed, since I expected much more aromatic complexity from a 50-year-old Grand Cru. But the combination of fresh fruit, tightrope balance, and killer mouthfeel can’t be beat. A true wine to remember. (93 pts.)
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