Philippe Delesvaux: Tasting & Drinking
In my early drinking days much of my experience with the wines of Philippe Delesvaux seemed to revolve around the 1998 vintage, purely by chance rather than by design. It was a difficult year, nevertheless Philippe proved his skill by turning out a delicious Clos du Pavillon, and the quality in the aforementioned celebratory Le 20 cuvée was similarly high. In more recent times, however, I have been tasting more contemporaneous vintages, and the quality seems to be higher than ever. The style is unctuously rich, especially in the Sélection de Grains Nobles, but the wines remain fresh with handsome acidity. This is also true in Les Clos, although here the balance is helped by the inclusion of 50% desiccated fruit. They are long, rich and yet lively, and they place Philippe Delesvaux at or at least near the top of the tree in the Coteaux du Layon appellation, which of course means he is one of the top vignerons for sweet wine in the entire Loire Valley.
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