Color
Neat, medium forest green with glints of peridot. A strong level of color but not overdone. Perfectly crystal clear and bright. Louched, lemony-yellow light green with beautiful soft amber, rose, and powdery blue highlights.

Louche
Absolutely beautiful. Restrained, with nice translucence. The allowed light really creates a classic kaleidoscope of all the expected louche tones. A slow and steady build thanks to 68% and restrained anethole. Really a treat for those into the theatre.

Aroma
Neat, a honey/vanilla coated wormwood dusted with baby powder. Louched, some of the most beautifully floral wormwood I have experienced. Just the right sense of camphor to make it assertive, but not pushy, and really give it focus. Terrific balance of the coloring and distillate herbs. A sense of tangerine at lower dilutions, a tremendous sense of flowers at the higher dilutions. A hint of conifer leaf. Very "outdoorsy" in general impression. All this is wrapped in a subtle veil of citrus confection.

Flavor
A wormwood yum-fest. Spicy, some pepper, and nice pontica. A lemony background note. Round, smooth mouthfeel with some weight, but still very "spirity", satisfying, and refreshing. It's great at a wide range of dilutions, but my favorites are in the 4.5:1 to 5:1 range. Lots of teasingly playful nuances that come and go. All impressions exhibit a very mature restraint. This is a very "grown-up" drink.

Finish
An immediate bloom of slightly drying, powdery, and spicy sensations in such a wonderfully controlled way. That georgeous Jura wormwood, center stage, and just the right measure of anise and fennel, supported by a persistent nano-tingle. Not highly complicated, but very long and tremendously satiating.

Overall
If only I could afford it, I'd buy a case of this. Seriously, one of the most beautifully nuanced absinthes I have had. It might not be the desert island choice, but it certainly would make the desert island five. Much has been made of the foraged wild wormwood used here, and it is terrific. But I think the even greater influencing factor with this offering is the extreme care and thought that went into it because of that wormwood. Every facet of the assembly of this is obviously well planned and expertly executed. In every category I gave a "4", it would be pretty easy to cave and give it a "5". A beginner may not necessarily see all this has to offer, but would still probably find it pleasing, and the experienced absintheur will reap a refined experience that only the top-tier offerings provide. However, anyone would be leading a more charmed life for walking down this path.

Done with a 1 ounce dose, diluted 3.5:1, 4:1, 4.5:1, 5:1, and no sugar.

Sauvage Extrait d'Absinthe 8/13/11, 8/15/11, 8/17/11, 10/08/11, 10/09/11.
All evaluations had consistent notes.

Appearance: The greenish yellow hue of first press extra virgin olive oil. The aging has obviously taken out some of the fresh peridot colors, but it still looks attractive.

Louche: I didn't get the clear line mentioned in the other review, but I believe I louche with a bit more turbulence based on the distance between fountain and glass. A nice even build ending up in a somewhat thin yet still attractive louche with whites and several shades of yellow. Thicker than the previous experiment, Roquette.

Aroma: room filling scent of herbal, minty wormwood. It retains the normal scent of what many would describe as the characteristic 'Pontarlier wormwood' aroma, but there's also a bit of teas leaf aroma that denotes the wild character of this wormwood. Slight scent of anise as well. Very enticing.

Flavor: Like another recent Emile Pernot release (Berthe de Joux), the flavor is bold and herbal with huge wormwood notes that are nicely complimented by the sweet anise. The aging has married the individual herbs' flavors beautifully.

Finish: The wormwood exerts more force here, but in a minty, not bitter way. Pleasant warming. Hints of anise, fennel, and white pepper.

Overall: Yet another intriguing antique absinthe recipe from David Nathan-Maister with the wild wormwood twist. This is an absinthe that is for the experienced absintheur, as it is quite complex and bold. Simply wonderful. I'm glad I ordered multiple bottles, as this will go quickly.