1982 La Violette

The 1982 La Violette comes from a bottle courtesy of Roy Richards and I thank him because old vintages of this Pomerol are difficult to find. Of course, it predates the late Catherine Père-Vergé’s acquisition whereupon it turned into her and Michel Rolland’s “haut couture” wine polished to perfection. In 1982 it was owned by the Servant family and it is entirely different – much more “old school” winemaking here but not a rustic 1982 by any means. Clearly mature in colour, it has a fragrant, dainty rather than fragile bouquet with hints of sandalwood infusing the light berry fruit, certainly showing less vigor than the 1995 Certan de May alongside. The palate is medium-bodied with light tannins considering the vintage, yet cohesive with finely judged acidity and light truffle and tobacco notes towards the finish. It is not going to improve so any bottles you come across should be consumed in the near future.