Tarragona Fabriquee Green 1973-85
⏳ wine.drinking_window
Extremely long-lived. This historic liqueur is fully mature and will continue to drink beautifully and evolve for several decades.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
Dark chocolate desserts, strong blue cheese, wild game dishes
✨ wine.spec_sheet
The legendary 'Tarragona Fabriquee' Green Chartreuse represents a fascinating chapter in monastic history. Following their expulsion from France in 1903, the Carthusian Monks established a distillery in Tarragona, Spain, where they continued to produce their enigmatic elixir until 1989. This bottling, spanning the 1973-1985 production era, is highly coveted by collectors for its distinct Spanish character. Utilizing the secret recipe of 130 botanicals macerated in a grape-based spirit, the Tarragona expressions are celebrated for a slightly sweeter, rounder profile than their French counterparts, influenced by the warm Mediterranean climate and the local Spanish brandy base used for distillation. Over decades of bottle aging, the fiery 55% ABV mellows into an incredibly complex, harmonious tapestry of anise, mint, rosemary, pine, and warm baking spices.
🍾 wine.about_producer
Dating back to 1605 when the Carthusian Monks of the Grande Chartreuse monastery received a manuscript containing the recipe for an 'Elixir of Long Life,' Chartreuse is one of the world's most storied and enigmatic spirits. Handcrafted by the Monks of the Order of the Chartreux, production historically centered in Voiron, France, with a significant period of exile in Tarragona, Spain, before moving to the modern Aiguenoire distillery in Entre-Deux-Guiers. The production process remains a closely guarded secret known to only two monks, involving the maceration of 130 botanicals in grape-based alcohol followed by extensive aging in oak casks. Renowned for its complex herb-forward profile, the house is celebrated for its iconic Green (Verte) and Yellow (Jaune) expressions, alongside highly coveted V.E.P. (Vieillissement Exceptionnellement Prolongé) and historic Tarragona bottlings. This legendary producer continues to bridge centuries of monastic tradition with unmatched artisanal excellence in the world of fine spirits and liqueurs.