Two bottle night for me!
I was unexpectedly made aware of my WSET level 3 success (pass with distinction!) today while with a good, rosé-appreciating friend drinking a Tavel rosé with a dinner get-together, and I simply had to bring out the good stuff at sunset. Let the color fool you not, this 1989 rosé (yes, really) is still so very alive, with fresh sour cherry, wild strawberry, white peach, and rosehip vibrating above a veritable ocean of aged white tea, dried orange peel, old wood, earth, wet leaf funk (pleasurable but quickly blows off), and a slow, wonderfully nutty-oxidative note that never tips into fatigue while it lingers on the palate.
The original neutral oak elevage is fully integrated with the later gradual oxygen contact, while the fruit is still there but no longer dominant; the acid still absolutely shines on the palate and still makes itself known, and the structure feels good enough that I wouldn’t be shocked if a sound bottle had another decade in it. This bottle is undeniable proof that when well-stored, the best rosés can age, for decades even, and showcase unbelievable complexity and unique notes.
by IceCreamConsider