Vouvray, Le Clos de la Meslerie 2016 (Loire Valley, France)

75-year-old Chenin vines on clay and flint. Hand-picked. 12 months in oak barrels on lees.Lime-pickle dry and sorrel sharp compared with so many of these much sweeter moelleux. This has the lime and stone and petrichor power of a Grosses Gewachs Riesling but with the underlying wax and lanolin and lazy-flower strata of Chenin. Hay, chamomile, pears cut from stone, stone carved from honey. A wine that, utterly, tastes of the earth. I feel as if I am licking late summer soil and cellar air and cellar stone steps in every lime-tangelo-candied-lemon-peel mouthful. The texture is wax thick, but the acidity is needle sharp. A fascinating wine. A sommelier could havesomuch fun with this!