Pinon, Francois & Julien 1990 Vouvray Goutte d'Or 750ml - Pre-arrival (Arrives Mid-September)

1990 was the second of two hot, dry years in the Loire, permitting the production of beautiful sweet wines from very late-harvested grapes. Generally speaking, the 1989s showed a bit more acidity, due to more moisture in the soil from the previous year, while the 1990s were a bit fatter and riper. Francois Pinon made a brilliant 1990 Goutte D'Or as we see in the review from our friend John Gilman in The View from the Cellar:  "I had never previously tasted the 1990 Vouvray “la Goutte d’Or” from Domaine François Pinon and this has to be one of my absolutely favorite wines from the vintage! This is not as heavily botrytized as say, the 1990 la Goutte d’Or from Domaine Foreau, but it is so deep, intensely flavored and precise that it has to be ranked at that same exalted level, despite it not being as rich and powerful. In fact, this has more of a 1989 character than a 1990 one, which is as high a praise as I can come up with for Vouvray, as 1989 is unequivocally my favorite vintage in the Touraine in the last forty years! The wine offers up a stunningly beautiful and vibrant bouquet of apricot, tangerine, tea leaves, salty soil tones, barley sugar and a top note of orange peel. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and laser-like in its focus, with a great core, bright, zesty acids and stunning complexity and balance on the refined and endless finish. Sheer brilliance! (Drink between 2019-2070)"