Moulin Touchais Coteaux du Layon 1996 Bottle size: 750ml

‘Sweet lemon cream biscuits, herbs and sappy, leafy complexity, but fine, pithy, fresh tart core. Nice intensity, finely poised, showing great appeal. Lovely and youthful.’ – Greg Sherwood MW, 94/100

‘The 1996 is an excellent vintage for this estate, and the wine is just beginning to blossom at age thirteen, as it offers up a nose of yellow plums, sweet apples, honeycomb, citrus peel and a complex base of chalky soil tones. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and rock solid at the core, with a still youthful profile, great acidity and focus and impressive length and grip on the finish. With a bit of air this wine is a lovely drink today, but it will continue to improve for the next few decades. This is the youngest current release from this fine estate, that continues to age its wines for a full decade prior to release. 2013-2065+.’ –John Gilman, View From The Cellar, 93+/100

‘Nineteen nighty six wasn't a legendary vintage unlike the season that would follow. The 1996 Moulin Touchais Coteaux du Layon, a product of a fairly warm season, it is not overtly warm in its fruit profile with some lightly botrytised spice character, plus a rose-like scent, apricots and almonds. With just 76g/L of residual sugar it's not the sweetest interpretation, but its joy is its super smooth, refined texture. Medium length. 2021 – 2030.’ – Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous, 90/100

‘The most recent release of Moulin Touchais (for more about whose unusual operation, see my report in issue 172) is a 1996 Coteaux du Layon that illustrates the striking combination of mineral and nobly sweet characteristics that were possible in this unusual vintage, though its notoriously high acidity is scarcely noticeable thanks to the balance lent by high sugar and the harmony conveyed by time in bottle. Alkaline and wet stone aromas here approach the effect of sticking one’s head down a moss- and algae-covered cistern, accompanied by scents of lily, narcissus, quince preserves and musk. The rich quince character is carried and complimented by a juicy and not at all heavy palate impression, and this finishes with remarkable refreshment and pronouncedly alkaline and stony minerality, as well as snuffed candle wick smokiness and bitterness of quinine. Prices for these wines continue to be quite reasonable considering their combination of quality and late release that permits access to mature nobly sweet Chenin. Such access was still nearly universal in the early ‘80s, when Terry Theise first piqued my interest in nobly sweet Loire Chenin, but gradually the art of holding old stocks died, along with the fashion for these wines – indeed, along with many once-renowned domaines.’ – David Schildknecht, Wine Advocate, 90/100