2002 Pouilly Fume Silex
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
Extremely heavy bottle! Really excellent. Probably the best Pouilly-Fumé I have ever tasted. High-toned blackcurrant leaves on the nose with creamy rich fruit underneath and wonderful persistence. So concentrated and lively. Positively pungent. It lost a little bit of fruit overnight but was truly remarkable for a 22-year-old Sauvignon Blanc. I see that Richard and Julia gave this wine 19 in 2017 and 2015 resptectively. I was less impressed the first time I tasted it in 2008 but it certainly grew in stature. So sad that this remarkable wine personage died so young. Many people remember our film of him in the Sauvignon Blanc episode of Jancis Robinson's Wine Course on BBC2. (JR)
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Outstanding ripeness of fruit plus toasty notes on the nose. Still shining brightly on the palate. Amazingly alive and eloquent. Awe-inspiring. (RH)
Fermentation in 500- and 600-litre demi-muids, also 600-litre cigares. 25% new oak, 25% 1 year old, 25% 2 year old. Aged in oak and tank. Fabulous aroma, honeyed quince and cedar. Creamy and honeyed on the palate but just the most incredible balance on the palate between fruit intensity and tertiary complexity. Deep and long and so fresh it is almost tart on the finish but the flavours are sufficiently deep and long that the whole is in magnificent balance. (JH)
Fully evolved blackcurrant leaf but I would decant this wine for maximum clean expressiveness. Great density. Palate scrub. (JR)