Giovanni Accomasso & Figlio – Barolo Riserva – 1997

Black in colour, bitter and powerful on the nose, this is clearly a serious wine. Dry coffee and medicine cabinet notes dominate the opening, with orange pith rather than fruit. Very drying on the palate, to the extent of reminding me of whisky. Not initially fruit-driven, the opening bitterness does begin to smooth out, allowing notes of blackcherries in tea to emerge, along with some discreet spiciness and a showing of oaky vanilla. As the evening progresses, a more chutney-like relish appears along with Bordeaux-like lead pencils. Powerful, smooth, and built to age. 

Château Carbonnieux 1971 – Blanc – Grand Cru Classé

Given that, by and large, red wines are supposed to live longer in bottle than their white counterparts (with the signal exception of Riesling) I’ve been recently amazed by the staying power of white Bordeaux. I’m tempted to say Sémillon goes the distance, but there’s often as much Sauvignon in these wines.

The Carbonnieux ’71 opens with a slightly waxy, slightly floral nose, with notes of dried orange and creamy vanilla. There is a slightly empty mid-palate where I presume the fresh fruit once was, but a beautiful delivery of those drier orange notes at the back of the tongue.

I would have expected the wine to have nowhere left to go, but it continues to open beautifully over the evening. The remaining floral note disappears, but the orange becomes more intense, reminding me of Puligny-Montrachet. N1 finds passion fruit and white chocolate. A slight but unmistakeable whiff of matches accompanies a final explosion of star anise that only appears as we are draining our glasses. Overall, very reminiscent of white Burgundy. The waxy (Sémillon) note is certainly present, but not as dominant as in e.g. Château Bouscaut, and we hazard a guess that it is a Sémillon-Sauvignon blend. That would certainly tally with more recent vintages, which have been 60-70% Sauvignon and 30-40% Sémillon.