4th March 2008

Jebsen Fine Wines had organized a special tasting held at the newly opened Ritz Carlton Hotel in Beijing’s Chaoyang District - the second Ritz Carlton in the city, in fact, the other being on Financial Street - of the wines of Tenuta dell’Ornellaia, the great Tuscan producer based in Bolgheri and responsible for the legendary Ornellaia.

On tasting were:

2005 Le Volte, Toscana IGT

Appearance: medium red-purple, slight orange rim.

Nose: bright red cherry fruit, possible unoaked (on first nose). Certainly no evidence of new oak treatment.

Palate: nice acidity here, soft red fruits, low-medium silky tannins. Nice length.

Conclusion: this wine is a blend of Sangiovese 50%, Merlot 30% and Cabernet Sauvignon 20%, vinified separately with the blended wine then being aged in 2-4 year old barrels for some 10 months. In other words, not much oak flavour is imparted, if any, as desired. We expected a bit more structure to come through from the Cabernet Sauvignon, but it’s clearly well-made. Drink now or over the next couple of years. Retail RMB255.

Rating: 16/20

2002 Le Serre Nuove Bolgheri DOC

Appearance: medium purple with red tints, slight orange rim.

Nose: bright red and black fruits, noticeable oak, savoury and relatively complex for the vintage.
Palate: nice acidity again here (as you’d expect), angular medium-high chewy tannins, but only medium-bodied throughout. Nice length too.

Conclusion: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, this wine’s malolactic fermentation began in stainless steel but was finished in barrique (25% new oak, the remaining 75% in once-used barrels). It was then aged in barrique for some 18 months. It’s impressive they were able to produce such a nice wine in the rain-prone 2002 vintage, a bit of a wash-out in Tuscany. Strict selection would have had to be necessary. We preferred this to the Le Volte 2005, however. Jebsen currently offers other vintages of the Le Serre Nuove (2004 and 2005) for RMB616 and RMB633. We’d hope the 2002 is cheaper, if they still have it.

Rating: 17/20

2005 Ornellaia (1985-2005 anniversary bottle)

Appearance: dark purple-red.

Nose: very elegant nose of myriad red and black fruits, toasty oak prevalent at present as well.

Palate: medium-high chunky tannins, lovely acidity, complex fruits gradually revealing themselves. Long.

Conclusion: this must be a special blend for the occasion, as we couldn’t find anything on the Ornellaia website about the constituents or vinification of the 2005. This wine has some of the restraint and elegance of fine Pomerol or other Right Bank Bordeaux, but with more vibrant acidity. Will age for many years, but is approachable now. Retail RMB1915.

Rating: 18/20 [but should get better]

1995 Ornellaia

Appearance: medium red, marked orange rim.

Nose: fading red and black fruits, leaves, decaying oak and other complex savoury smells (mushrooms etc.).

Palate: complex palate which is more youthful than the nose suggests, lovely acidity and great length. Tannins have precipitated out and it’s very smooth and very appealing!

Conclusion: 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, this wine was aged for about 16 months in French oak barriques (39% new, 61% once-used), bottled without filtration and matured a further 14 months before release. It’s clearly fine wine and drinking well now. We cannot put a retail price on this wine for the Chinese market, however. The cheapest we’ve seen it on Wine Searcher is around £55 (UK pounds) or $100 (USD). It is likely to be much more expensive in China, if it is available at all.

Rating: 18.5/20

Labels: 1995, 2002, 2005, Bolgheri, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Featured Tastings, Italy, Jebsen, Le Serre Nuove, Le Volte, Merlot, Ornellaia, red, Sangiovese, Tenuta dell’Ornellaia, Tuscany

Torres China threw a large tasting of their portfolio under the banner ‘Taste of the Nations’, a tasting of 150 wines organized by country. Fongyee, Ellen Xu and myself divided up those 150 wines and covered the majority.

The event itself was held at the Traders Hotel, Beijing, which did a good job and the Torres staff on hand were helpful and informative. There was a sizeable crowd, a decent mix of Chinese and ex-pat wine lovers and some good food to be had too. We were looking for wines that were decent expressions of their origins (and also useful for teaching purposes). Many of these examples would make reliable drinkers too.

Here were some of our favourites, including some for the cellar. Wines will be divided into two posts:

2000 Torres Nerola Syrah, Catalunya

Appearance: medium purple, slightly orange rim.

Nose: cool-climate Syrah nose with black fruits and black pepper, deft oak. Good.

Palate: pleasant medium chewy tannins, strong fruit, more black pepper. Good balance of fruit to oak. Acidity is maintained well too.

Conclusion: we don’t get to taste much Spanish Syrah, but more and more of them are appearing. This was well put together. Retail 192RMB.

Rating: 17/20

2002 Torres Mas La Plana Black Label

Appearance: dark purple to black, essentially clear rim.

Nose: very complex blend of black fruits, subtle oak and considerable spice and savouriness.

Palate: beautiful well-knit ripe medium-high tannins, great fruit, lovely acidity and very well balanced throughout.

Conclusion: obviously a top Cabernet Sauvignon, but very young at present. Needs time. Retail 489RMB.

Rating: 18.5/20

NV Graham’s Fine Ruby Port

Appearance: medium purple-red, clear rim.

Nose: concentrated red and black fruits, ‘Porty’ obviously but with light fruits, some slight spice.

Palate: medium-bodied, good acidity and well-balanced with regard to sugar and alcohol. Quite good length and only moderate in tannins (which are slightly chewy).

Conclusion: this is what entry-level Ruby Port should be: fruity, balanced, not too demanding. Retail 169RMB.

Rating: 17/20

NV Graham’s ‘Six Grapes’ Reserve Port

Appearance: darkish purple, clear rim.

Nose: crushed red and black fruits, powerful alcohol but this seems to be integrated.

Palate: sweet and also tart crushed red and black fruits, quite good balance of sugar to acidity with fairly good length. Tannins are gripping and ripe.

Conclusion: this is obviously a good Port – a Reserve Ruby – but there’s something unappealing about the tart fruit, even although there’s nothing wrong with quality here. Retail 278RMB.

Rating: 17/20

2000 Graham’s Late Bottled Vintage

Appearance: dark purple to black, clear rim.

Nose: very complex nose of concentrated black fruits, spicy oak and other savoury qualities.

Palate: lovely fruit, appealing structure with integrated chunky medium-high tannins, good acidity and a good balance of residual sugar to acid to alcohol. Good length.

Conclusion: a very stylish LBV from a strong vintage. We preferred this to the Six Grapes certainly. Retail 278RMB.

Rating: 18/20

NV Taittinger Brut Reserve Champagne

Appearance: medium gold, good mousse.

Nose: attractive yeasty nose with strong Pinot fruit (perfume, slight strawberry fruit even) but also some citrus from the Chardonnay here.

Palate: good fruit, lovely acidity and has promising length. Not very complex, but this may be a young bottle.

Conclusion: a blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay blended from forty different vineyards, this is a reliable NV Champagne. It’s not exciting as the equivalent NVs from Pol Roger, Bollinger or Louis Roederer, but it’s still a good wine to go for and is one that should improve in bottle even after release. Retail 441RMB.

Rating: 18/20

2006 Peter Lehmann Eden Valley Riesling, South Australia

Appearance: green gold.

Nose: very attractive intense lime fruit with some floral notes too, slight kerosene.

Palate: lovely fruit, high refreshing acidity, more florality and a little kerosene. Good length.

Conclusion: a lovely example of Australian Riesling in this style. Well worth trying (and ageing). Retail 191RMB.

Rating: 18/20

2000 Peter Lehmann Mentor, South Australia

Appearance: dark purple to black, essentially clear rim.

Nose: warm nose laden with black fruits, but at the same time slightly tight (still a young wine on the nose). Good oak though.

Palate: complex fruit, gripping chewy tannins; fruit is a bit closed but the ripeness and concentration are definitely there. Promising length.

Conclusion: this wine needs time and is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Malbec, 4% Merlot and spent 16 months in French oak hogsheads. I like the fact Malbec is part of the blend because this is hardly well-known as a grape in the Barossa, but is, of course, a traditional Bordeaux-blending grape. High quality and the 2002 (see below) is even better. Retail 531RMB.

Rating: 18/20

2002 Peter Lehmann Mentor, South Australia

Appearance: dark purple to black, clear rim.

Nose: much cooler fruit than the nose on the 2000 Mentor and with more savoury smells. Intense.

Palate: complex palate featuring a range of black fruits (blackcurrant, black cherry, blackberry, black plum etc.), chewy ripe but ‘cool’ tannins, lovely acidity and great length.

Conclusion: a blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 10% Shiraz, 8% Malbec, this wine spent some 18 months in new French oak hogsheads. Retail: approx. 531RMB.

Rating: 18.5/20 [may get even better]

Labels: 2000, 2002, 2006, Bordeaux-blend, Cabernet Sauvignon, Champagne, Featured Tastings, Graham's, Mas La Plana, Peter Lehmann, Portugal, red, Riesling, South Australia, Spain, Syrah, Torres China, white

2002 ‘Etim’ Syrah, Monsant DO, Agricola Falset-Marçà

Appearance: dark purple to black, clear rim.

Nose: very ripe black cherry and blueberry nose with lots of oak. No indication of the black pepper that Syrah tends to show in cooler climates. But this DO would hardly qualify as a cooler climate. Might be mistaken for a New World wine on the nose but there is also a tart smell here behind all the ripe fruit.

Palate: ripe fruit, lots of oak, medium chewy tannins, surprising amount of acidity and quite good length. Doesn’t quite hold together but is certainly very drinkable. Improved with aeration and is obviously one worth decanting.

Conclusion: this wine comes from the bottom of the main hill of the Priorat area. As John Radford reports in The New Spain: ‘There had been talk for a long time of splitting the former Tarragona-Falset sub-zone away from the large DO Tarragona, and in 2001 it finally happened’. Radford goes on to explain: ‘Falset (the main town) is […] in a kind of mountain valley, with the Serra to Montalt rising […] in the southeast and the foothills of the Serra de Montsant in the northwest rising […] toward Priorato’. Garnacha – or Grenache – is very much the feature of Priorat, but this wine was interesting to taste because it’s not often that you come across a straight Spanish Syrah – or any Spanish Syrah. I liked it and would think the wine-making has got better since 2002.

Rating: 16.5/20

Labels: 2002, Agricola Falset-Marca, Monsant, red, Spain, Syrah

Importer East Meets West teamed up with wine merchant Top Cellar in order to show the wines of Gérard Bertrand (from France’s Languedoc region) at Centro in the Kerry Centre Shangri-La.

2006 Gérard Bertrand 6’eme Sens Rosé

Appearance: attractive medium pink.

Nose: a range of red fruits including strawberry and red cherry. Clean and attractive.

Palate: slight residual sugar, but basically dry. Attractive fruit, some acidity, not flabby certainly.

Conclusion: pleasant, drinkable rosé. Fun. Food-friendly.

Rating: 16/20

2005 Gérard Bertrand Chardonnay

Appearance: medium yellow.

Nose: no oak here, ripe peach and melon fruit.

Palate: palate is smooth – this wine does actually go through malolactic fermentation, it just does so in stainless steel not oak – with more peach and melon fruit. Acidity is relatively low here.

Conclusion: pleasant, fruity Chardonnay, but not very exciting. Good with food, however.

Rating: 16/20

2003 Gérard Bertrand Minervois

Appearance: medium purple-red, essentially clear rim.

Nose: very fragrant, i.e. not just black fruits from the Syrah and Carignan blend here, but some spice and even perfume of sorts.

Palate: pleasant fruit, medium-bodied, soft on tannins.

Conclusion: this wasn’t as heat-damaged as I thought it might be (thinking of the 2003 vintage). The grapes were obviously picked judiciously. Good.

Rating: 16.5/20

2005 Gérard Bertrand Château L’Hospitalet Reserve

Appearance: medium purple, clear rim.

Nose: a range of black fruits, spicy, nice use of oak.

Palate: medium-bodied, plucky medium tannins, lifting acidity, nice fruit and oak.

Conclusion: a decent blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre. Good.

Rating: 17/20

2002 Gérard Bertrand La Forge Terroir Boutenac, Corbières

Appearance: darkish purple-red, orange rim.

Nose: a mixture of red and black fruits (hard to define what) with lots of herbs, particularly Mediterranean ones, e.g. rosemary and oregano/marjoram.

Palate: elegant palate with good acidity, nice integration of fruit to oak, attractive medium chewy tannins and good length.

Conclusion: a lovely blend of Syrah and Carignan. Very good.

Rating: 18/20

2002 Gérard Bertrand Le Viala, Minervois La Livinière

Appearance: darkish purple-red, orange rim.

Nose: pleasant mixture of red and black fruits, good oak, distinctive Mediterranean herbs (rosemary, thyme).

Palate: elegant, complex fruit, good oak again, medium chewy tannins, good length.

Conclusion: made from old vines (50-80 years-old), this is probably less powerful than in other bigger vintages, but still impressive.

Rating: 18/20

Labels: 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, Carignan, Chardonnay, Corbieres, East Meets West, Featured Tastings, France, Gerard Bertrand, Grenache, Languedoc, Minervois, Mourvedre, red, rose, Syrah, Top Cellar, white

ASC had Denis Horgan of Leeuwin Estate, the famous Margaret River producer, in town. Journalists met at the Blu Lobster restaurant in Beijing’s other Shangri-La hotel. Leeuwin Estate has three quality levels or categories: the Siblings range is entry level, the Prelude Vineyards is the mid-range and the Art Series wines are the well-known highest quality tier.

Horgan’s first visit to China was in 1976 and he has been returning repeatedly, particularly in the last seven years when his wines have been available in mainland China. Leeuwin Estate itself was set up in 1973, when a nursery was first planted. Horgan had cottoned on to wine following the interest of Robert Mondavi who had inquired about land Horgan owned in the Margaret River. Mondavi even went to Horgan’s lawyer (who dutifully informed Horgan). Mondavi and Horgan then met over a bottle and Mondavi became a kind of ‘mentor’, as Horgan happily confesses. In 1974 the first vines were planted and the estate now operates some 370 acres. This is the kind of maximum size at which Horgan is happy to maintain quantity and, moreover, quality.

Horgan pointed out that it was always the mission of Leeuwin Estate to think internationally and to produce consistently excellent wines that would appeal to an international audience. He summed up this mission succinctly: ‘To produce wines that rank among the best in the world’. Back in the mid-1970s Western Australia was not just isolated geographically: Leeuwin Estate was the pioneer in wine production in the region as well as being at the forefront of developing wine-and-food matching (hence the early creation of its restaurant).

The Art Series wines – inspired in part by the example of Château Mouton-Rothschild with its labels created by famous artists – began with the commissioning of local artists; and, in some cases, the collaboration has since made the names of various Australian artists. The first Art Series wine was the 1980 Chardonnay. Since that time, Horgan has also attracted musicians and other artists to the estate: open-air concerts are a frequent feature and some 200,000 people now visit the winery each year.

Thankfully, as wine quality is so high, no one can claim that the estate’s wider cultural activities are there to fill a gap. Quality is paramount and Horgan explained how, originally, his Shiraz vines were planted in the wrong soils – where the Sauvignon Blanc is now planted – describing how he replanted his Shiraz vineyards in the right soil with the right kind of exposure for the style of wine he has always wanted to make.

We then tasted the current Art Series releases (some wines are held back and aged before being released to the market):

2006 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Sauvignon Blanc

Appearance: medium green colour.

Nose: lovely mineral nose with ripe but not too aromatic fruit: gooseberry, guava predominant.

Palate: very good acidity, lovely fruit with more mineral notes and impressive length.

Conclusion: lovely Sauvignon Blanc with the kind of ripeness they would envy in Sancerre but without the overblown characters of some heavier New World Sauvignons. Elegant.

Rating: 18/20

2004 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Riesling

Appearance: medium green-gold.

Nose: lime fruit, floral, lots of minerality (stony notes).

Palate: restrained lime fruit, mineral and savoury flavours, excellent acidity and lovely length.

Conclusion: under screw-cap – in fact Horgan aims to convert to screw-caps for all of his wines in the future – and a lovely example of Australian Riesling in a more mineral and more floral style, perhaps, than most Australian Rieslings, particularly generic wines from the Clare and Eden Valleys. No kerosene aromas on this Riesling yet.

Rating: 18.5/20

2003 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay

Appearance: Medium to deepish gold.

Nose: ‘full-on’, developed nose with butter aromas, restrained pineapple fruit, balanced non-intrusive oak.

Palate: good acidity here, minerality, powerful but still restrained pineapple fruit. Excellent length.

Conclusion: interestingly, the acidic grip here is due to the fact that the wine does not go through malolactic fermentation. It receives some 11 months in 100% new French oak, but there is such fruit ripeness that the oak does not really stand out – there’s also obviously been some ageing here. The wine is also aged for a further two years before it leaves Leeuwin Estate; so it is already showing some development, although will age well for some time to come. Lovely to drink now, however! I noted it tasted a bit like a richer and riper version of a Meursault because there was some fatness and plush fruit but with good acidity and impressive minerality.

Rating: 18.5/20

2004 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Shiraz

Appearance: dark purple, clear rim.

Nose: immediate pepper, black cherry and blueberry nose with slight tea-tree oil (sometimes a quality of high-end Australian Shiraz), good oak.

Palate: fantastic palate, elegant; very good acidity, beautiful medium chewy tannins, very integrated oak, wonderful fruit flavours with more of the pepper quality that survives in Syrah/Shiraz only in ‘cooler’ climates (it tends to dissipate when the grape experiences warmer conditions). Very good length.

Conclusion: very, very good cool climate Shiraz. Horgan does not actually put his range into wine shows probably for fear that his elegant and sophisticated wines will not stand out alongside hefty Australian Shirazes or Cabernets or any other grapes made in warmer, bigger styles.

Rating: 19/20

2002 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon

Appearance: black colour with an orange rim.

Nose: crushed blackcurrant, cedar, pine, French oak, still quite youthful.

Palate: excellent acidity, ripe lovely tannins, strong fruit with more cedar and pine aromas. None of the leathery notes of aged Cabernet, but certainly showing some development if still young.

Conclusion: obviously very high quality. Not quite as exciting as the Shiraz, in my book, but a lot of people will like this wine. It is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon with probably either Merlot and/or Cabernet Franc thrown in to fill out the hole in the middle palate Cabernet Sauvignon usually brings.

Rating: 18.5/20

Labels: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, ASC, Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Featured Tastings, Leeuwin Estate, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, Western Australia

Interview: Michele Chiarlo brings Barolo to Beijing

(see also Featured Tasting: The Wines of Michele Chiarlo including a vertical of his Barolo Cerequio)

I found Michele Chiarlo giving a class to the service staff of Aria restaurant. Afterwards we sat down and talked for an hour, joined by Giovanni Oliva (Asia Brand Manager for Grandi Vini d’Italia who represents Chiarlo in Asia) and ASC’s Cindy Jia. Chiarlo explained that his first visit to Beijing had been about 12 years ago and that his wines had been on the ASC list for some 8 years.

He likened the development of the Chinese market to that of the US or Japanese fine wine markets several years ago: with the exception that China is set to grow much more quickly in the early stages. He agreed that international wines will only make sense in this new market if they are paired with China’s many diverse cuisines and he recalled a successful wine-and-food matching dinner hosted by ASC in 2006 showing both Chiarlo’s wines and those of Umbrian producer Lungarotti; although he also confessed that it can be hard to make clear the virtues of Italian wines in general and Piemonte wines in particular to Chinese restaurant managers.

Chiarlo is from a family that has been working the Piemonte slopes for seven generations. They have vines in the Barolo, Calamandrana and Gavi zones (owning 50 hectares themselves with access to some 110 hectares overall). His son, Stefano, is currently the wine-maker working alongside oenologist Gianni Meleni. Michele himself has seen some 51 vintages, a tall, modestly dapper gentleman, equally modest in his conversation, but bursting with enthusiasm.

Chiarlo talked of the progress of the 2007 vintage: the weather was consistently mild throughout the year, although there was just enough rain when needed. Most of the grapes – even the fiendishly difficult Nebbiolo with its very long hang-time – achieved great phenolic ripeness. Average daily temperatures in August were around 30 degrees Celsius, with nightly temperatures of down to 14 degrees (ideal for preserving acidity). Whilst many of the wines will be impressive, Chiarlo was particularly excited about the Moscato harvest.

I asked about the developments he’d seen over his career in the vineyard and cellar. Chiarlo began green-harvesting about twenty years ago around 1984-5, following the innovations of Elio Altare, Angelo Gaja and Aldo Conterno. When pressed over the ‘traditionalist’ v. ‘modernist’ debate of the 1990s - basically, the choice between preserving traditional methods but making wines that are hard to drink young OR adopting new techniques to produce fruitier, softer wines for early drinking but ones which can lack varietal character – Chiarlo explained that producers had now learnt from both schools.

On Chiarlo's view old style wine-making can indeed keep varietal character but too many wines have tended to suffer from rough edges, unripeness and unruly acidity. New techniques such as ageing in French barriques (or adopting micro-oxygenation to make wines softer and more approachable) can obviously compromise varietal character and mask origin, but then the new attention to fermentation and what’s done in the cellar has reaped huge benefits. Most producers now have a composite approach.

Such observations have brought about changes in the Chiarlo cellar. Traditionally, Chiarlo used to macerate his Nebbiolos for about 35 days: now he opts for 15-16 days of skin contact to extract the best rather than the bitter tannins. But he still favours large barrels instead of barriques because of his desire to keep grape character and terroir intact.

Above all, Chiarlo wants wines of freshness, finesse and with enough concentration that they will express grape and vineyard/region exactly. He doesn’t want wines that will blow your head off or even ones that should be taken too earnestly. As he remarked: ‘drinking wine is not an exercise but a pleasure’. The question is, as Chiarlo then asked, ‘how much of a particular wine would you be happy to drink? One glass or more?’ This is the ultimate test of a wine’s appreciation.

Before the vertical tasting of his Barolo Cerequio, we turned to the characteristics of particular vintages and how Chiarlo decides on what to do each year. Generally speaking, Nebbiolo is not merely the last grape to be harvested: it also needs enough time in barrel before deciding what to do with it (age for longer in new oak or older wood, decide how much fining should be used, when to rack etc.).

Although, Barolo is famed for its longevity, Chiarlo insists that certain vintages have been hyped: although 2000 was a good year, for example, he would not agree with Wine Spectator’s 100 point award for the vintage (‘Perfection in Piemonte’ ran the header). Like many Piemonte producers, he prefers 2001. 1996, 1999 and 2001 are all high-quality Barolo years for the long haul. 2004 also looks to be very strong, but the excessive heat of 2003 will not, generally, give long-lived wines. The early 1990s were difficult with only 1993 pulling some weight in terms of quality and ageability; although many 1993s are essentially ready. The dreadful weather in 2002 also forced Chiarlo not to make any Barolo or Barbaresco, a difficult decision but an honest one. This integrity is reflected in the overall quality and purity of the Chiarlo range.

(see also Featured Tasting: The Wines of Michele Chiarlo including a vertical of his Barolo Cerequio)

Labels: 1993, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, ASC, Barbaresco, Barolo, Barolo Cerequio, Interviews, Michele Chiarlo, Moscato, Nebbiolo

Château Loudenne Dinner at Le Bistrot Parisien, Beijing

ASC invited Florence Lafragette of Château Loudenne to present her wines accompanied by a decent menu from Beijing's Le Bistrot Parisien. We chatted with Ms Lafragette about Loudenne and our visit there in 2004 when taking part in the Vingt sur vin competition organized by Jean-Michel Cazes of Château Lynch-Bages. Like Cazes, she is a strong ambassador for the region.

It was a fun evening and the food was well-prepared and well-presented (it was certainly all a good deal at 200RMB per head as there was copious wine). The only thing that didn’t work was the first red with the bream (in fact, the Loudenne White would have been much better!). It's certainly worth experimenting with reds with various fish - particularly meatier types of fish - but red Bordeaux with a vanilla sauce (see below) is not to be recommended:

Tartare de Thon et de Concombre à la Crème Ciboulette

2003 Château Loudenne Blanc, Médoc

Appearance: pleasant gold yellow colour.

Nose: citrus fruit with marked oak and some waxy aromas. Complex.

Palate: strong fruit, good oak, some fresh acidity (the wine does not actually go through malolactic) and lovely length.

Conclusion: this is 75% Sauvignon Blanc and 25% Semillon and was really well put together despite the problems of the 2003 vintage. Impressive dry white Bordeaux and refreshing to find this kind of thing in the Medoc rather than just in Graves or Pessac-Leognan.

Rating: 18/20

Filet de Dorade Rose Rotie, Sauce Vanille, Julienne de Légumes Croquantes

2003 Pavillon de Loudenne (the 2nd wine)

Appearance: medium purple-red, clear rim.

Nose: we both picked up green tints and possibly unripe notes on more than one of the bottles which suggests that the grapes had to be picked with the highish sugar levels that the 2003 heat would have created but without their being physiologically/phenolically ripe (hence the unripe green nose).

Palate: more 'green' notes, but with some red and black fruits underneath. Tannins are not so unripe here, so maybe this wine has a better future than the nose suggests. Quite good length.

Conclusion: this wine is 76% Cabernet and 24% Merlot. You cannot, therefore, say the green notes are traceable to Cabernet Franc (which can show that green pepper nose). But they may not be unripe Cabernet Sauvignon either. Other bottles would have to be tried.

Rating: 17/20

Medaillon de Fillet de Boeuf, Sauce Porto, Pommes Forestieres

2002 Château Loudenne Rouge, Cru Bourgeois Supérieur

Appearance: purple-red, clear rim.

Nose: pleasant nose of blackcurrant fruit and French oak (although the fruit has the restraint of the 2002 vintage).

Palate: has refreshing medium acidity on the palate which makes it very drinkable at this stage, medium slightly chewy tannins (although not that pronounced) and agreeable fruit. Pretty balanced and with promising length.

Conclusion: 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec, this is a pleasant blend and was well assembled. We liked it, although the 2003 Château Loudenne Blanc carried the day.

Rating: 17.5/20

Labels: 2002, 2003, ASC, Bordeaux, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Featured Tastings, France, Jean-Michel Cazes, Loudenne, Malbec, Merlot, red, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Vingt sur vin, white

2002 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons (Vieilles Vignes), Dauvissat

Appearance: pale straw-green colour.

Nose: very young nose at present showing some citrus fruit and mineral notes, but perhaps a little closed right now.

Palate: more fruit on the palate than on the nose, good highish acidity, balanced alcohol, very good length.

Conclusion: This wine has a considerable way to go and there's some concentration there from the old vines that has yet to express itself fully. Drink from 2007-2012. Dauvissat is clearly a strong producer. Very good.

Rating: 18/20 [possibly higher with age]

Labels: 2002, Burgundy, Chablis, Chardonnay, Dauvissat, France, white

2002 Tabali Shiraz Reserva, Limari Valley, Chile

Appearance: deep purple to black, clear rim.

Nose: lots of French oak – was showing too much on this bottle for my taste – but was otherwise very well-made: good blackberry fruit comes out later.

Palate: nice fruit, but too much oak, light chewy tannins which are unexpectedly softened (has this wine been micro-oxygenated?), balanced high alcohol.

Conclusion: Tabali mentions it is the most northerly winery in Chile. We’d been looking for the 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva having rated the wine blind at the International Wine Challenge, but were happy to try the Shiraz because it had also been recognized in Decanter and had won a trophy at the Annual Wines of Chile Awards. Has this wine stood out because of its powerful nose and substantial oak? That might be unfair. It will certainly be interesting to follow this winery as well as the fate of the new Chilean regions such as the Limari and Leyda. Consult Peter Richards on Chile.

Rating: 17/20

Labels: 2002, Chile, Limari Valley, red, Shiraz, Tabali

2002 Pernand-Vergelesses (Blanc) 1er Cru Sous Frétille, Antonin Guyon

Appearance: medium gold.

Nose: immediate lemon fruits with classic buttery aromas from the malolactic fermentation and subtle French oak.

Palate: lovely fruit which is leaner than you'd typically get on Meursault, for example, helped by fine acidity and good length. Oak is non-intrusive.

Conclusion: Pernand-Vergelesses is something of an overlooked Burgundian village, no doubt because it is tucked around the corner of the famous hill of Corton and Corton-Charlemagne. Guyon is a reliable, experienced producer and this wine was drinking beautifully. Might benefit from modest ageing, however.

Rating: 17.5/20

Labels: 2002, Antonin Guyon, Burgundy, Chardonnay, France, Pernand Vergelesses, white

2002 Prosecco di Valdobbiadene, Extra Dry, Col de Salici

Appearance: medium green gold, attractive mousse.

Nose: intense apple and pear fruit, very pure, some mineral character.

Palate: nice mousse here, cheerful but not unsubtle; great purity of Prosecco fruit, with lovely acidity and very good length.

Conclusion: this is proper Prosecco!

Rating: 18.5/20

Labels: 2002, Col de Salici, Italy, Prosecco, sparkling, Veneto

2002 Pouilly-Fumé, Jean Mollet, France

Appearance: pale yellow green.

Nose: initial green nose, mineral (flinty), restrained gooseberry fruit, no oak.

Palate: light green fruits, high acid, more mineral notes, medium alcohol and good length.

Conclusion: A good expression of Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc. Well-made and delicate.

Rating: 17.5/20

Labels: 2002, France, Jean Mollet, Loire Valley, Pouilly-Fume, Sauvignon Blanc, white

2002 Chablis, William Fevre

Appearance: light green gold.

Nose: rich, ripe lemon fruit, minerals, and (often not mentioned on Chablis) very grapey, no oak.

Palate: both rich and lean, high integrated acidity, medium cool alcohol, more lemons but also minerality, good length.

Conclusion: 2002 was a great year in Chablis (better even than 2001) and William Fevre’s village Chablis shows this in abundance (and is capable of ageing for a little while). However, it is certainly drinking now. Fantastic unoaked Chardonnay.

Rating: 17.5/20 [could be higher]

Labels: 2002, Burgundy, Chablis, Chardonnay, France, white, William Fevre

2002 Sancerre, Jean-Max Roger

Appearance: light green, slight spritz.

Nose: crisp gooseberry, lemon and a little lime (but not tropical smelling by any means). Slight mineral nose.

Palate: decent fruit, high acidity, medium alcohol. Good balance between fruit and acidity here. Pretty long too.

Conclusion: good Sancerre from a good producer. But we don’t rate this wine quite as highly as Jean-Paul Balland’s Sancerre.

Rating: 17/20

Labels: 2002, France, Jean-Max Roger, Loire Valley, Sancerre, Sauvignon Blanc, white