1921 Marc Brédif Vouvray Moelleux

BY NEAL MARTIN | MARCH 25, 2019

You might well assume that last week’s 1990 Moelleux Goutte d’Or from Foreau constitutes the best Vouvray that I have ever drunk. There are a couple of challengers, Marc Brédif’s 1921 Vouvray Moelleux being one of them, albeit much older. It was generously poured by the same gentleman a couple of years ago over a bibulous Sunday lunch, and it remains as vivid today as it was back then. The brilliance  of the 1921 is difficult to put into words. Although it did not state "Moelleux" on the label, I’m pretty sure it was. It shows very little sign of aging in the glass. It is still so refulgent, not unlike a 20-year-old Chenin Blanc. The bouquet is stunning: honeysuckle, jasmine, hints of praline and traces of clementine. It becomes slightly resinous with aeration, melted wax joining the chorus line. The palate is perfectly balanced with sensational acidity that lends so much tension. Yet it is discreet and nuanced; imagine a perfect chord that hangs in the air in an empty church. Hints of white peach, orange pith, passion fruit and almond lead to a crystalline finish that is breathtaking. It is quite simply one of the greatest wines from the Loire that I have ever encountered. 98/Drink: 2019-2050.