Tarragone Jaune 1973-85
⏳ wine.drinking_window
This historic bottling is fully mature and at its peak, capable of maintaining its extraordinary complexity and drinking beautifully for decades to come.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
Dark chocolate tart, Blue cheese, Almond biscotti
✨ wine.spec_sheet
The legendary 'Tarragone Jaune' represents a fascinating chapter in the history of Chartreuse. Following their expulsion from France in 1903, the Carthusian Monks established a distillery in the Catalan port city of Tarragona, Spain, where they continued to produce their mystical liqueurs until 1989. The bottlings from the 1973 to 1985 era are highly coveted by collectors worldwide. Crafted from the secret recipe of 130 botanicals, this yellow expression is sweeter and milder than its green sibling, characterized by prominent notes of saffron, honey, anise, and soft mountain herbs. The unique climate of Tarragona and the use of local Spanish spirits for maceration imparted a distinct, warmer character to these bottlings. Over decades of bottle aging, this liqueur has undergone a magical transformation, integrating its sugars and alcohol into a seamless, silky, and incredibly complex elixir.
🍾 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.