Vientiane treasures.
Part three of the Kuala Lumpur to Laos journey.
Finding wine bars in faraway places is one of my favourite pastimes. Every city has something to offer if you look hard enough. This tiny place seemed impossible. Tucked away off a busy Vientiane street, owned by an old Italian gentleman. The shelves stocked with Italian wines from all sorts of back vintages. In the corner was a fridge full of imported Italian charcuterie.
I browsed the shelves for an eternity. So many treasures. Finally, I selected a Brunello from an excellent vintage. Shell sat at the bar looking stunning. We chose some meats, drank our wine. Wonderful.
This is what wine can create. Opportunities like these present themselves when we looked for a decent bottle, in a decent bar in a place where it is most unlikely. Some of my fondest memories are of the two of us, in strange places enjoying wine. Wine can bring people together in times and places they would never be otherwise.
We were offered a decanter, but for some reason declined.
Deep red in colour with clearing bronze rim showing signs of age. The nose is savory, but fruit still sits nicely at the forefront, gentle cranberries. Dried flowers, leather and coffee support the fruit with interesting forest floor notes lingering. This wine remains intense, but is beginning to soften. Typical Brunello, it is rustic and savory. Medium acid frames the fruit and dusty tannins that provide a persistent finish. The savory notes dominate the palate, with dried fruits sitting in the background. Leather, dried herbs and compost dominate the palate.
A wine that will score highly purely because of the moment it captured.
Drink now – 2030.
92 pts.
