NEISSON 2015 Le Chai The Little Big Book

Nose : refined, complex. Characterized by cane sugar, cinnamon and clove, the first nose quickly develops more vegetal notes (sugar cane, straw). Allowed to breathe, it becomes perceptibly exotic (pineapple, mango, passion fruit). Note that the aromatic palette has a very confident personality. Incense, chilli (cayenne) and heady florals (geranium, gardenia) embody this impressive increase in power.

Palate : lively, distinguished. The very dynamic attack is also exquisitely smooth. Still warm, mouth-watering cane sugar spreads across the taste buds. Like the nose, the mid-palate takes on very beautiful exotic tones. The remarkably balanced end of the palate is delicately liquoricey and above all tropical (guava tree, bougainvillea). Suddenly and unexpectedly, strawberry appears, much to the taster’s delight.

Overall : long, generous. Vanilla pod, fresh walnut and powdered spices (turmeric, saffron) bring lots of nobility to the start of the finish. This very evocative beginning brings to mind a sugar cane field during harvest. Divinely sweet fragrances float through the air. The sunny and slightly rugged retro-nasal olfaction refreshes the palate, inviting us to savour a rum and raisin ice cream. The empty glass is roasted (coffee), grainy (rice), milky (coconut) and fibrous (sugar cane).