Château La Vieille Cure: Tasting & Drinking
The grand vin from this estate, Château La Vieille Cure, is easier to track down than you might think, and as a consequence I have enjoyed a number of bottles over the years. It is instantly recognisable by its distinctive label, with its prominent and ornate decoration over a yellow background. This is one feature of the wine that has not changed over the years.
As for the wine itself, it can be very good. Both the 1995 and 1996 (I had quite a few bottles from both vintages tucked away, all drunk now though) have drunk very well over the years, and although I no longer have any left I have since put away wines from other successful vintages, such as 2000 and 2005. They have performed well on the whole, so while there is no need to squirrel these wines away in the cellar for an age before pulling the cork, they will show nicely with a little bottle age if they are given the opportunity.
More recent vintages have proven the value of this estate, which is worth following. The 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020 vintages are all worth investigating. I have also been taken by the ability of the estate to over-perform in weaker vintage, especially 2012 and 2017. I suspect the estate’s position was advantageous in protecting against the effect of frost in the latter of these two vintages.
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