Moulin Touchais Coteaux Du Layon 1997

The vineyards of Coteaux du Layon are situated along the banks of the River Layon in France's Loire valley. Here, some of the finest sweet wines of the world are produced exclusively from Chenin Blanc.

"Generally considered to be the vintage of the decade and a year defined by botrytis levels in the vineyard. Like all great vintages, it was a copious year, although stocks are now diminishing, so the cellar is starting to elevate the price annually in an attempt to slow down the sales.

Polished. Mid-depth and not an obviously botrytis vintage based on the appearance alone. Yellow, moving through to orange. The nose is still really brooding but shows orange peel/rotting orange and even dark chocolate and honeycomb. A faint terpene element adds to the overall complexity. Very attractive. The palate builds well, with a profile more towards Sauternes than Layon. Broad, rich and concentrated. This is approachable but in reality this is still in an adolescent state." - Richard Kelley, MW

Moulin Touchais traces its roots back to 1787, sharing a long, illustrious history that accounts for the estate's breath-taking collection of historic vintages. Speak to other merchants who remember the wines from old and they were viewed with a degree of suspicion. How was it that ‘unlimited’ amounts of pristine-looking stock could be so readily available?  The answer is innocently apparent, since each bottle is labelled to order and old vintages are checked and reconditioned (topped up with the same vintage and given a new cork) before they are despatched. The cellars here must contain one of the largest and oldest collections of any winery anywhere in the world, with the miles of underground cellars containing close to two million bottles at any one time, including a rare collection of ancient wines; the oldest dating back to the mid to late 19^th century.

This wine has been shipped directly from the estate's cellars, ensuring perfect provenance.