Cutxan 2006 - Grape of the Art - L’Encantada - 50,5%
Picture taken at the Amazonienhaus - Wilhelma Stuttgart
Please welcome Release No4 of the Art Collective from Stuttgart and their second collab with L'Encantada Armagnac . Cutxan. What really sounds like a lost Maya culture is actually a village name chosen by L'Encatada as a codename for a bought barrel stock of a closed family operation from Bas-Armagnac, in order to fulfill the wish of the former producers that their family name shall not be disclosed.
NOSE
Holy Berry! (not the actress. Poor joke, yeah yeah). A decent load of raspberries, strawberries, currants, gooseberries and rose oil draw a radiant picture of summer opulence (perhaps far-fetched, but quietly reminiscent of some old, lightly sherried Macallans). After a while we get a bit of glue, a bit of vanilla cream (one with real pods). Exotic roots. And for the very first time: Curcuma! The longer it breathes in the glass, the more it develops, like a good TV Series (called streams these days). In any case, the fun is bound to occur. It's worth giving it time.
Palate
Delicate-Mode on! The initial taste is sweet, rich and convincing like a mexican cartel boss and Frida Kahlo (weird couple, but it works). The 50,5% are definitely our sweet spot between power and enjoyability. Raspberry sorbeet with vanilla ice cream come to mind. To call this texture creamy would be understated. Some drops of black tea as well. Grilled strawberries and precious woods. Lemon cake. Rancio and complexity all over the place (plenty of rancio for that age).
Finish
Four seasons long and very berrylike. The fresh raspberries and strawberries turned into a thick and long lingering marmelade that could even make your grandma jealous.
Rating
Once again, it must be emphasised that Armagnacs can be SO rich and entertaining in their youth, and one can never generalise about both old and young vintages. This fact was actually the greatest and most beautiful realisation after several visits to Gascony!
No rating for obvious reasons (see, we indulge in transparency not only on our back label). For those not in the sprits scene: I was co-owner of the Grape of the Art Brand.
