Authentic duet

From Epargnes to Val-de-Vigne

bottlings from Authentic Spirits

Barely known estates, IBs, 50yo+ FB and BB. Cask strength. Could it be more geeky?

La Prenellerie Bons Bois Lot 73 52,6%

Located in Epargnes, close to Mescher-sur-Gironde, La Prenellerie estate is nestled a few kilometers away from the Gironde estuary, a privileged clay/limestone terroir. Let’s see what this 70s BB can give!

Colour: Amber, orange lights. Irregular heavy tears.

Nose: Full of waxy notes at first, even malted. A certain kind of rusticity. Nice exotic shades of overcooked banana and papaya stew. Humid rancio, with damp cellar scents. It tends to get brighter with air, revealing some pleasant fresh fruity notes (vine peach, young pears).

Palate: Extra-oily texture. Immediate acidulous rancio on cola sweets, prolonged by heavy liquorice aromas. Slightly oaky in the aftertaste, but it remains reasonable considering the pedigree. Charming exotic notes again. It ends on passion fruit and cherry sweets.

Last Notes: Vivid juicy notes of tangerine. A bit more on the rustic side now. Cinnamon hue. Nutmeg powder. Back on the palate, you still get a smiling kind of acidity (confining to a PC freshness), a delicious mix of apricot juice and orange zest jam.

Nice kind of rustic BB. Not the depth of some other stuff from this area, but a lovely profile.

89/100

Les Grandes Jouberteries Fins Bois Lot 65 49.5%

Les Grandes Jouberteries is facing the very southern PC (12 kilometers from Barbezieux). Don’t think I’ve tried many Fins Bois from here. Even more from the 60s…Let’s go!

Colour: Dark amber, orange lights. Irregular heavy tears.

Nose: Full of exotic notes at first. A kind of exoticism you find in some VT bottlings, like Rue 75 or even their Hors d’Age. And something slowly confirms these impressions: hints of minty and herbal notes in the background. It reminds me of a certain kind of basil in my uncle’s garden, which gives a stunning bouquet with surprising lemongrass aromas.

Palate: Great jammy shades of plum and quince. Light tea-ish notes, quickly replaced by heavy tobacco aromas. Great spiced notes of caraway and candied ginger. Love the precision of those spiced notes.

Last Notes: A tad more oaky with air. A hint of stable notes, mainly dry hay scents. Bright fruity notes of apricot and plum. Back on the palate, you get fresh spiced notes of peppermint and cardamom. A little touch of chalky character, trying to fake a GC. It ends on maraschino and violet sweets.

Precise, quite deep, with a strong structure. A very nice kind of 60s FB.