Marc Bredif: 1986 Vouvray--Grand Annee...

Age DOES matter!

Rated 94 points by the Wine Cellar

In a recent post it was mentioned that I had the opportunity to visit the wine cellar of Marc Bredif wines in Vouvray in the Loire Valley of France this past April. What an an extraordinary experience that was! In the 2 km cellar, Marc Bredic Vouvray wines are perhaps the oldest white wines still available. Most people believe that white wines peak between 5 and 10 years--and that may be true for most wines. But the Vouvray wines we saw and tasted disprove that myth and the reason may be the almost ideal conditions of the Marc Bredif cellar.

We tasted several of the Marc Bredif wines, but the 1986 Vouvray, Grand Annee white was one of the best whites I have ever tasted--perhaps the best. Brilliant light gold color, full body, with all the wonderful complex flavors a 24 years old wine brings. Great balance of sweetness and fruits. A very pleasant lingering after taste. A truly great wine. It was the first time for me to taste a quality wine at a winemaker's cellar and undoubtedly the proper preservation of the wine does make a difference. You never know how well the wines are preserved from the time they leave the winemaker till they reach the consumer half the way around the world...

I have no illusions that I will ever taste wines that are rated in the 95 to 100 points range. And to be frank, I am not sure I would be able to fully appreciate the greatness of such wines. For that reason, I will have to rate this one nearly the top of my scale--94 points which professional wine tasters might find a bit high...I regret that I didn't bring with me a few bottles. Once I return to the US in the fall, I will try to locate the 1986 Vouvray--and if I do, hope I can afford it...