PERRIER JOUET, BELLE EPOQUE 1971 |

Perrier Jouët, Belle Epoque 1971 Slightly worn foilTasted from magnum. This was the fourth vintage of Belle Époque and it conformed to the textbook recipe with regard to grape varieties. The marked acidity of the year may be due to a lack of full malolactic fermentation as it was difficult to control at that time. In fact, I could not detect it on a recent tasting. The colour was deep and the nose had a touch of mushrooms, but more toasted country bread - Paul Poilâne comes to Champagne! The taste was all French toast, as served in New Orleans but never, seemingly, in France itself. Serena Sutcliffe, MW1 mag (cn)Estimates are per lot