JL Pasquet ‘A la main’ Tribot L.T 96 48,1%

Another Criteuil from JLP here, but this time much younger. Second bottling in “À la main” range. Let’s go!

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

Nose: Very welcoming rancio at first. Exotic wave, but quite different from Rateau’s DNA. Lingering cherry and blackcurrant notes. Deep nose, with a touch of old leather in the background. Heady dry floral shades on lavender and potpourri. Hints of strawberry sorbet in the background.

Palate: Quite acidulous, with precious wood notes in the aftertaste. Very sharp profile. Clean and less rancio-forward than the nose would have suggested. 15yo Pineau notes with a dash of verjus to add a kick of acidity.

Last Notes: Full of nutty notes with air, mainly dry walnut. Pear juice. Still very clean. A bit more rancioted on the palate, with strong salted butter aromas. It ends on Sichuan pepper and cardamom.

Criteuil in its “youngness”. Not the easiest to catch, but already a promising one. I miss a bit of depth and alcohol integration to give it more than 88.

My very subjective note: 88/100