At 40 years old, with 14.3% alcohol, the 1980 Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay from the Belle Terre Vineyard in the Alexander Valley, scored 17 Dionysian Points out of 20.
Rich, creamy, oak-laced with apple and pear, the wine (with too much alcohol) still held together. I got it on December 24, in 1983 for $16. It was one of my favorite Sonoma wines back when I drank much more wine from California.Its caramel notes and spicy elements from the aging, provided a unique wine.
I usually savor really old examples by themselves, but this became a food wine as soon as I tasted it. I was happy it held together for so long.
When my wife smelled and tasted it, she made a coconut crust over cod with sweet potato and the food enhanced the wine.
What started as a simple meal, turned into a unique very special dining experience and proved that you should age some wines. It was my last Chardonnay from 1980. In Vino Veritas.
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