Philip Togni, Ca' Togni Black Muscat, 1997 GERMANYCOUNT326 the cellar merely transforms

the cellar merely transforms

with northern parcels around Serrières - much of it now farmed personally by Chave himself

who actually joined the local Tain l'Hermitage cooperative in 1933

Still young—this wine will improve for another two decades

The 2015 vintage showcases the vineyard's south-facing slope at 320 meters elevation

Philip Togni, Ca' Togni Black Muscat, 1997 GERMANYCOUNT326 the cellar merely transformsA genuine Napa curiosity: a sweet red dessert wine from Black Hamburg (a. k. a. Black Muscat), thought to be the only planting of the grape in the valley. Philip Togni farms it on a quarter acre at his estate near the top of Spring Mountain, the same legendary site behind his ageworthy Cabernet. The wine is grapey and perfumed in the Muscat way but built on a dark, red fruited frame, sweet without being cloying. A 1997 like this has had decades to