Moulin-Touchais Coteaux du Layon 2002

94+ points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The 2002 vintage of Moulin Touchais is really beautiful, and though it is not as marked by botrytis as the legend in the making 2005, there is depth, complexity and personality to burn in this beautiful young wine. The superb nose is still quite primary, but shows lovely purity in its mélange of peach, quince, a touch of wet wool, chalk dusty soil tones, a touch of fresh pineapple and a nice touch of beeswax in the upper register. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and shows off excellent mid-palate depth, with impeccable focus and grip, blossoming complexity and great length and cut on the very, very refined finish. This is more adolescently “dusty” at the moment than the 2005, but with four or five more years, it should start to really enter into its plateau of fine drinking and will be stunning once it does reach this moment in its evolution. It should prove to be an exceptional year of Moulin Touchais and drink beautifully for decades. 2020-2060. (Sep/Oct 2015)"

93 points Rebecca Gibb, MW (Vinous): "Hailing from a cooler vintage, the 2002 Moulin Touchais Coteaux du Layon offers great balance and vivacity. Pale golden and shining bright in the glass, this is sweet yet elegant with a touch of that medicinal character you get from botrytis (c.30%) alongside apricots, orange segments and the merest hint of ground almonds. It's very charming with its residual sugar (close to the 100g/L mark) providing a plump and runny honey-like generosity. Remains youthful, lively and tangy with an almost salty freshness. Drinking well now but still young; it's hard to believe that babies born in 2002 will soon be 21! Drink: 2021-2040. (Apr 2021)"

93 points Wine Spectator: "This is hitting its stride now, with bright chamomile and quinine notes leading to a ripe, creamy core of peach, papaya and melon flavors. The long finish leans toward the racier side of the spectrum, with citronella and honeysuckle details echoing. Drink now through 2027. 2,250 cases made, 50 cases imported. (11/15/16)"

92 points Chris Kissack (Winedoctor): " In recent decades this vintage has always really impressed me in Vouvray, while here in the Coteaux du Layon it has always been just a little notch behind. This example has a fresh, chalky, beeswax and peach-stone nose. The palate shows a charming combination of desiccated fruits, with a chalky substrate beneath, with lots of energy as per the vintage, and some rather restrained botrytis elements. With energy, openness and balance, a bright and pithy energy, alongside some lightly roasted apricot, peach and mirabelle fruits, this certainly has some interest. It seems quite similar in style to the 2007 vintage, but with perhaps not quite the same impact. I like the long, fresh and vigorous finish though. (Feb 2018)"