Domaine Belargus Quarts de Chaume Grand Cru Ultra, Loire, France 2018 375ml

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Deep amber. This is rather stunning! Aromatically, it is incredibly spicy, taking me to the Middle East, to spice souks, to old baskets laden with dried apricots; mounds of ground cinnamon, sweet pepper, cardamom, nutmeg, clove, smoked chilli; brushing past twisted plaits of dried bay leaves; the sweet scent of chai filling the air as you round a corner, and then a tumble of honeysuckle in full bloom down a hot stone wall. It smells, tastes, of honeybush tea, of gingernuts dipped in sweet sherry, of candied orange peel and quinces poached in vin santo. It is crazy complex, uncompromisingly concentrated, a kind of jagged painful perfection. It’s exquisite.