Bellivière 2020 Coteaux du Loir "Vieilles Vignes Eparses"

Vieilles Vignes Éparses is Bellivière's oldest-vine cuvée, with ages ranging from 70 to 90 years old, across multiple parcels in the Coteaux du Loir: the name "éparses" is in fact in reference to the parcellation of the vineyards. These old vines on flinty clay soils, rich in tuffeau (soft limestone), yield a maximum of 25 hl/ha. The fruit is direct-pressed and barrel-fermented with native yeasts and minimal sulfur; the wine is aged in mostly 1-to-3-year old barrels. Each parcel is vinified and aged separately and blended before bottling. VV Éparses tends to be the most dry, powerful and structured of the Bellivière line-up; it will inevitably have at least a little residual that will not always be perceptible. "This old-vines cuvée opens with an aromatic profile of scented wild flowers, rose petals, white peach skin and a touch of perfumed Cripps Pink apples. It continues this divine character on the palate, which combines a core of floral white fruits and crystalline apricots with a full-bodied texture and powdery grip. Lychee and liquorice complexities abound, and I also sense a faint hint of botrytis character here, but it is deeply buried within the middle of the palate – for the moment anyway. It finishes very long and acid-fresh. All in all, fabulous. The residual sugar is 17g/l and the alcohol on the label 13.5%." Wine Doctor 2/23. Drink over the next 20 - 30 years.