1999 La Conseillante

This is my only bottle of the 1999 Ch La Conseillante, which was brought to Amarone to celebrate Monster’s 14th birthday, 6 April 2013, where we had practically the entire restaurant to ourselves, with Osvaldo the man himself helming the kitchen. Decanted on-site. Medium-bodied initially with reticent notes of earth and mild medicinal aromas, rather unresolved in the mid-body. It took a while to open up when predominant notes of red fruits began to emerge and dominate whilst the herbal characters began receding, following which a mild salty minerality developed that firmed up the wine, along with some cedar, violets and blueberries amidst subtle velvety tannins that teased the palate, the whole wine turning into a vibrant, well-integrated, highly attractive proposition with a lasting finish. Typically for a Pomerol, this wine would have been difficult to place in a blind tasting, save ,perhaps, the distinct absence of the dryish tobacco note of the Left Bank. Quite the perfect accompaniment to a quiet meal of spaghetti with bamboo clams and wagyu ribeye, and the wonderful hospitality of Osvaldo and everyone at Amarone that brought the evening to a memorable conclusion.