Dom Brial Gran Réserve 1969

Wine: Dom Brial Gran Réserve 1969
Winery: Vignobles Dom Brial
Appellation: A.O.C. Rivesaltes Ambré (France)
Varietals: Macabeu, Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris
ABV: 15.5%
Winemaking
Vineyards located on the southern slopes of the Corbières massif, featuring clay-limestone quaternary terraces. The wine was aged in large seasoned oak vats (foudres) for 40 years. It was bottled in 2009 as part of a collection of historic fortified wines including the 1959, 1979, and 1989 vintages.
 
Tasting Notes
 
Appearance: A stunning light mahogany color with great luminosity; clear, bright, and displaying orange and copper highlights. It forms an unusual amount of thick, persistent legs.
 
Nose: Forceful and expressive, showing strong intensity and a pronounced rancio personality. It is replete with nuances of old soleras that provide immense complexity and depth: wine-soaked staves, aldehydes, walnut oil varnish, and a refined pastry-like backdrop. Upon aeration, dried fruits (almonds, nut shells) and raisined fruit (dried apricots, sultanas, pajaretes) emerge. Slightly liqueur-like, with an elegant toast that becomes increasingly vanilla-scented and honeyed in the background.
 
Palate: Remarkably vibrant. It possesses a high acidity and a vast palette of tertiary notes. Toasted and filled with very ripe fruit, quince, and candied fruit, it shows a smooth and polished delivery. Extremely savory and persistent, with a pungent, sharp character very similar to a Sherry Oloroso. A classic rancio full of high-quality details. Addictive and excellent.
 
Personal Score: 93
Tasting Group Score: 93

Tasting Notes (2012-04-04)
 
Appearance: Light mahogany hue, slightly cloudy, with copper and amber highlights.
 
Nose: Subtle and restrained. Prominent notes of old solera stand out, alongside seasoned staves, humid cellar nuances, caramel, macerated plums, dried apricots, and raisined fruit.
 
Palate: Medium-bodied and concentrated, displaying marked characteristics of extensive aging. It possesses a very sound acidity that supports notes of raisins, Turkish figs, dried apricots, and vanilla. Bone-dry. Its roundness is reminiscent of an old Sherry Oloroso. Complex and serious, it is replete with detail, showing a traditional rancio expression melded with ripe fruit and curious hints of "auvados" (grape-like) preserves. Long finish.
 
Personal Score: 91
Tasting Group Score: 93

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