Ratafia 1996 Michel Gonet

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 At the recent wine fair of the Vignerons Independants at the scenic Altona Cruise Center I have came across a new kind of wine that I have never heard of before: Ratafia.

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 Produced in the Champagne region by adding neutral tasting brandy to not fermented must it is a different approach on the creation of sweet wines, differing from the classic Port or the late harvest methods.

This one, produced by Michel Gonet in 1996, is made exclusively from Pinot Noir grapes following an extraordinary year.  

What has impressed me the most in this wine was how the dominant raisin flavours revealed themselves tremendously fresh and vigorous, with pristine acidity that grants it a long and parfumed ending.

I always find it interesting to see which wines stand out after a long and more than interesting wine fair, filled with great wine projects from all over France. 

Even though I was positively impressed with the Champagnes from the Gonet family and with the cativating personality of Sophie Gonet, specially with the artworks she imprints in some of her bottles, the complex taste of this Ratafia has chased me for quite a long time afterwards as this post is a proof of. 

 

 

18/20
Country: France
Region: Champagne
Grapes: Pinot Noir
18%
Winemaker: n/a

Website: https://en.gonet.fr/ratafia

 

 

 

 

Location: Hamburg, Germany

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