785. Château de Fesles, Bonnezeaux, 1996

£16.50 / 50cl; 13%

One from one of the leading estates in the Layon – but older than I’d wanted – Four Walls Wine substituting an older vintage of this and a couple of other wines I ordered online, the cheeky beggars, then a 2003 replacement from Laithwaites was corked. Past its best, but interesting. Very deep amber / copper. Smoky ginger and underyling quince, cooked mandarin, some bruised apple. Oxidative buttery / rancio complexity. Some oak spice? Touch of crystallised peels on the palate, with granitic, smoky mineral mid-palate and fairly long finish. Fresh, crisp, bruised apple acidity to balance the (110 g/L?) residual.