Dragon Phoenix Wine Blog

Featured Tasting: The Wine Republic, New Wines for Beijing and Shanghai

12th March 2008: The Wine Republic at Café Europa

An inaugural tasting event celebrating the founding of Beijing’s newest wine company, The Wine Republic, hosted by Managing Director Campbell Thompson.

Guests assembled at Café Europa to sample the wines of Victorian estate Mount Langi Ghiran, part of what looks to be an inspiring range, set to include other Australian producers such as Yering Station, Yarrabank, a joint venture between Yering Station and Champagne Veuve A. Devaux, Parker Coonawarra Estate, Xanadu Wines and Hewitson.

Thompson explained how it was not just important for him to import genuinely good wines into China, but that the logistics-side was a pressing concern: how wine is shipped, how it is stored and transported within mainland China; and, of course, how it finally reaches the consumer.

Those of us who have had clearly heat-damaged bottles know only too well the problems with storage and transportation that routinely occur here.

We were certainly impressed by the quality of Mount Langi Ghiran’s wines (see full tasting notes below) and welcome the appearance of The Wine Republic on the Beijing and Shanghai scenes.

Despite recent shipping, the wines seemed to be in fine fettle. The Wine Republic joins a handful of companies including Globus Wines and Ruby Red Fine Wines (both in Shanghai) that takes issues of transportation and storage seriously.

Each wine was paired by a particular dish and the food-and-wine matching was generally very well-done. Here are our notes:

2004 Mount Langi Ghiran Riesling

Appearance: medium yellow green.

Nose: instantly appealing developed Riesling nose featuring lime and grapefruit aromas with marked kerosene notes. Savoury and subtle.

Palate: mellowed ripe lime fruit with lovely acidity and excellent concentration. Good length too.

Conclusion: impressive Australian Riesling from at least 20 year-old vines. South Australia’s Clare and Eden Valleys usually get the limelight for this grape, but it’s lovely to have such a good Victorian example. Very good and capable of some further ageing in bottle if you like your Rieslings a bit older (up to 2010). Went very well with a tuna carpaccio with mango salsa. Note: The Wine Republic will carry the 2007 vintage for those who like a younger expression. Retail approx. 220RMB.

Rating: 18.5/20

2003 Mount Langi Billi Billi Shiraz

Appearance: medium purple-red, orange rim.

Nose: attractive cool-climate Shiraz nose showing black cherry and blueberry fruit with distinctive peppery notes (that pepper is lost in hotter climates, even if Shiraz retains other spicy aromas). Non-intrusive oak, if any here.

Palate: lovely fruit, medium chewy tannins and good acidity here. Pleasant length too.

Conclusion: well put-together and drinking well now. 2003 was not the greatest vintage anywhere in Australia really and a number of reds are looking tired already (certainly in comparison with 2002 and 2005). But this wine is ready and a lovely expression of cool-climate Shiraz. Paired extremely well with a grilled duck breast and rocket and parmesan salad. Retail approx. 180RMB.

Rating: 17/20

2001 Mount Langi Cliff Edge Shiraz

Appearance: dark purple-red, orange rim.

Nose: crushed red and black fruits of various descriptions (everything from red and black cherry to Shiraz’s slight blueberry character), lovely oak (largely French oak here), mature, slightly leathery notes.

Palate: medium-high chewy tannins, although mellowed, backed up by lovely fruit and nice acidity. Alcohol is balanced as it was on the Billi Billi Shiraz above.

Conclusion: lovely cool-climate Shiraz already benefiting from modest ageing. A pretty good accompaniment to the pepper-crusted beef fillet, but I think the pepper in the dish was too much for the wine in this case. A quibble. Retail approx. 260RMB.

Rating: 18/20

2000 Mount Langi Cabernet-Merlot

Appearance: dark purple-red to black, orange rim.

Nose: dark blackcurrant fruit with some plummy notes, nice oak again here. Still quite young on the nose.

Palate: very good palate with integrated medium-high tannins, good fruit, good acidity and impressive length.

Conclusion: this wine still has some time to go really, although it’s clearly drinkable now. Very well-made; but the Cliff Edge Shiraz might be the best of the reds here in terms of quality-price ratio. A pretty good match with the gratinated field mushroom. Retail approx. 420RMB.

Rating: 17.5/20

Labels: 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon, Featured Tastings, Merlot, Mount Langi Ghiran, red, Riesling, Shiraz, The Wine Republic, white

Featured Tasting: Terrace Heights Estate hits Beijing

9th March 2008

Cellar Le Pinot, in conjunction with Ruby Red Fine Wines in Shanghai, hosted a dinner in Beijing showcasing the wines of Terrace Heights Estate (THE), Marlborough, New Zealand.

The dinner was held at private dining facility, Il & Elle, which specializes in Huaiyang cuisine with some French twists.

Director of Sales and Marketing, Steve Hammond, had come up from Shanghai on a general China-leg to present his wines. Terrace Heights Estate was born only as recently as 2002 – with the release of its first Sauvignon Blanc – although Hammond has been involved in growing vines in the region since 1993.

These are wines defined by purity of fruit expression and regionality. They are not over-blown in any sense, a far cry from the over-extracted wines that can crop up in Marlborough (that sherbet fruit bomb problem on over-ripe Sauvignon Blanc, for example, where acidity also tends to suffer and alcohol levels creep suspiciously high or otherwise give way to unseemly residual sugar).

Hammond mentioned that most of his wines are designed for early drinking, although the Pinot Noirs should certainly age well in the medium term, perhaps for longer. In fact, we have added some notes from our earlier experiences with Terrace Heights’ Pinots (vintages 2003 and 2004 - see below). These older vintages should still be in fine fettle.

Here are our notes:

2007 Terrace Heights Estate Sauvignon Blanc

Appearance: medium green.

Nose: slight gooseberry, light guava nose, very pure fruit, slight minerality.

Palate: lovely acidity here, great fruit whose concentration comes out gradually, very good length.

Conclusion: this is what Marlborough Sauvignon is really about: purity of Sauvignon Blanc fruit, lively but not too zesty acidity, some mineral notes and cool concentration of flavours. Excellent. Drink now. Retail RMB230.

Rating: 18.5/20

2007 Terrace Heights Estate Pinot Gris

Appearance: deepish yellow with green tints.

Nose: immediate pear fruit, slight spice (white pepper note), other savoury aromas.

Palate: lovely fruit, impressive acidity, well-balanced residual sugar here. Off-dry, integrated.

Conclusion: a good expression of the grape. Doesn’t quite have the finesse of the Sauvignon Blanc, but this is the first time Terrace Heights has released a Pinot Gris. At least the wine is well expressive of grape variety. Made in the traditional Alsace style really with not too high a level of residual sugar, but not as spicy on the nose as Alsatian examples. Good. Drink now. Retail RMB230.

Rating: 17/20

2006 Terrace Heights Estate Pinot Noir

Appearance: dark purple-red.

Nose: attractive, perfumed nose featuring red and black cherry fruit (more cherry here than raspberry or strawberry notes), backed by lovely oak and some spicy aromas (largely traceable to the oak).

Palate: excellent acidity, lovely intensity of fruit with soft, silky medium tannins and nice length.

Conclusion: very well put together Pinot Noir. New Zealand has, of course, shown its powers in managing this unyielding grape variety. Even if some will wonder whether Pinot in New Zealand can attain the heights of greatness occasionally possible in Burgundy, let’s not forget New Zealand has a better track record than France overall at producing reliable Pinot; and with innovations in many regions, including Central Otago, who knows what’s possible. This wine is very well-made. Drink now or up until 2011. Retail RMB430.

Rating: 18/20 [possible higher with time]

Two Older Vintages of the Terrace Heights Estate Pinot Noirs: 2004 & 2003

2004 Terrace Heights Estate Pinot Noir

Note: This wine was tasted on 6th July 2006. It should be even better now.

Appearance: deepish purple-red.

Nose: warm Pinot fruit nose, some floral notes though too. Good oak here.

Palate: high alcohol (actually 14.5% here). But what’s impressive is that the Pinot has not lost typicity: good fruit, nice acidity, medium slightly chewy tannins, good length.

Conclusion: it may be a higher alcohol Pinot than the below 2003, but it’s still well-made. Drink now until 2012.

Rating: 17.5/20

2003 Terrace Heights Estate Pinot Noir

Note: This wine was tasted on 10th July 2006. It should be even better now.

Appearance: medium purple-red.

Nose: showing less alcohol than the 2004 vintage (this wine 13%, the other 14.5%), this has integrated, lush Pinot fruit and shows good use of French oak.

Palate: good fruit, decent structure with low-medium silky tannins and a slight bitterness on the finish (which would probably settle down with further ageing).

Conclusion: very impressive. Should age very well, up to 2012. Would probably go further than the 2004.

Rating: 18.5/20

Labels: 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, Cellar Le Pinot, Marlborough, New Zealand, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, red, Ruby Red Fine Wines, Sauvignon Blanc, Terrace Heights Estate, white

Featured Tasting: Jaboulet (including two vintages of La Chapelle)

Summergate hosted Christophe Brunet of famed producers Paul Jaboulet Aîné and Château La Lagune, now jointly owned and managed by the Frey family. Caroline Frey is winemaker at both properties (at La Lagune, Denis Dubourdieu, her former professor, is also a consultant). But this tasting focused solely on the Jaboulet wines – La Lagune having already been a presence at the Union des Grand Crus visit to Beijing in late November (see previous posts).

Christophe Brunet explained the current innovations the Frey family is instituting at Jaboulet. The main idea is to refine the quality of the Hermitage La Chapelle and limit its production. To put this in perspective, Brunet pointed out that in the 1990 vintage 100,000 bottles of red La Chapelle were made compared with some 30,000 bottles in 2005. A ‘second wine’, La Petite Chapelle, will shortly be released and may well represent good value, particularly as La Chapelle has now become a costly collectors’ item.

2006 also saw the re-launch of a white La Chapelle (Jaboulet had previously stopped making its top white Hermitage in 1961). This wine is a 100% Marsanne and, judging by how well the 2001 Chevalier de Sterimberg showed - see below - will be one to watch.

We tasted the following wines:

2004 Parallèle 45 Côtes du Rhône White, Jaboulet

Appearance: dark yellow green.

Nose: noticeable pear fruit with some waxy aromas.

Palate: strong pear fruit, more waxy flavours, nice acidity though too. Has kept quite well.

Conclusion: made from a blend of Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne and Bourboulenc, this is impressive at its level and a nice expression of white Côtes du Rhône.

Rating: 16.5/20

2001 Le Chevalier de Sterimberg Hermitage (Blanc), Jaboulet

Appearance: dark yellow green.

Nose: complex pear fruit with nutty aromas, wax and butterscotch. Developed nose but will still probably age happily enough.

Palate: rich mouth-feel with mellowed pear fruit, toffee and butterscotch flavours and considerable length.

Conclusion: a wonderful example of aged white Hermitage, something of a rarity and thankfully relatively undiscovered in the wine world (it’s certainly not popular in fine wine markets). Still has some life ahead but drinking beautifully now.

Rating: 18.5/20

2005 Parallèle 45 Côtes du Rhône (Rouge), Jaboulet

Appearance: medium purple-red.

Nose: light red berry fruits, slight white pepper from the Grenache and some darker fruit coming through from the Syrah here. Attractive.

Palate: light chewy tannins, nice fruit, lively acidity; well put together with quite good length.

Conclusion: a decent wine at its level. Dependable stuff.

Rating: 16.5/20

2005 Les Cedres Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Jaboulet

Appearance: medium purple-red, slight orange rim.

Nose: mix of red and black fruits with some characteristic Châteauneuf spice (Grenache-dominated). Oak is non-intrusive.

Palate: chewy medium tannins, medium-high acidity and with good length, the wine does not show much oak and is largely fruit-driven.

Conclusion: a blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah and Mourvèdre, this is a reliable Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It’s not going to excite in the same way that wines from single domaines in the region can, but it’s a decent expression.

Rating: 17.5/20

1988 Hermitage La Chapelle, Jaboulet

Appearance: medium purple-red, with very marked orange rim.

Nose: decaying black and red fruits with a distinct meaty nose that later shows leaves, mushrooms and other secondary aromas. Very complex.

Palate: lovely mature palate with mellowed fruit, meaty and mushroomy flavours, softened medium grainy tannins, good acidity and superb length. Unfiltered, its throws a sediment that we recommend eating! The flavours are heavenly and show what aged Syrah at this level is all about.

Conclusion: clearly a very fine wine. Collectors will debate whether the 1988 vintage is the best La Chapelle, but here’s a wine to enjoy now that seems to be at its peak and in fine condition.

Rating: 19/20

2001 Hermitage La Chapelle, Jaboulet

Appearance: darkish purple-red, already showing orange rim.

Nose: a bit closed at first, then showing complex dark fruits, corned beef, liquorice and some characteristic black pepper (a signature of cool-climate Syrah).

Palate: ripe medium-high chewy tannins, excellent acidity, integrated dark fruits, but a bit tight right now.

Conclusion: this will clearly be an excellent vintage of La Chapelle, but should be left alone at present. Very good, but try again in 2011 and thereafter.

Rating: 18.5/20 [but may be higher]

Labels: 1988, 2001, 2004, 2005, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Cotes du Rhone, Featured Tastings, France, Hermitage, Jaboulet, La Chapelle, La Lagune, red, Rhone, sweet white

Featured Tasting: Ridge Re-visited (Beijing tastes some great Californian)

21st December 2007

Another look at the wonderful wines of Ridge hosted by Frank Siegel of the Sequoia Café (wines imported by Summergate).

We first tasted some of Ridge's exemplary wines, including the legendary Monte Bello (2004 vintage) in Hong Kong in November 2007 - see previous notes.

2005 Ridge Lytton Springs

Appearance: medium purple-red, pink rim.

Nose: crushed berry fruits, excellent oak. Complex.

Palate: grainy, slightly dusty tannins, strong fruit, considerable oak but this is well-integrated. Nice acidity and good length.

Conclusion: 77% Zinfandel, 17% Petite Syrah and 6% Carignan, this is very good and would benefit from mid-term ageing. Retail approx. 600RMB.

Rating: 18/20

2003 Ridge Geyersville

Appearance: medium purple-red, orange rim.

Nose: very fragrant clove, cinnamon and generally spicy nose with strong red and black fruits coming through.

Palate: chewy medium tannins, good acidity, dark savoury fruits (seems blacker on palate than nose at present). Integrated high alcohol.

Conclusion: 76% Zinfandel, 18% Carignan and 6% Petite Syrah, this is a complex wine that needs time, even although it is relatively approachable now. Drink now to 2013. Retail 576RMB.

Rating: 18/20

2004 Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains

Appearance: dark purple, clear rim.

Nose: sweet nose of blackcurrant and black plum, lovely fruit throughout, noticeable mix of American and French oak.

Palate: great fruit, lovely medium chewy tannins, excellent length.

Conclusion: a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot and 1% each of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, this is a lovely wine whose fruit is sourced from the same vineyard as the legendary Monte Bello. Drink now or up to 2012. Retail 660RMB.

Rating: 18.5/20

Labels: 2003, 2004, 2005, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Featured Tastings, Petit Syrah, Petit Verdot, red, Ridge, Summergate, Zinfandel

Featured Tasting: Château Cheval Blanc and Château Yquem, Pierre Lurton visits Beijing

15th December 2007: ASC invited Pierre Lurton, General Manager of both St. Emilion's Château Cheval Blanc and Sauternes's Château Yquem to give a specialist tasting and dinner at the Shangri-La Hotel, Beijing.

Before his arrival, Bertrand Carles, Buying Manager and Director of Bordeaux negociant Ginestet, gave a short introduction to the two properties, speculating on their markets in China. Carles had been travelling with Lurton throughout their tour of the country and was optimistic about the wines’ reception (hardly surprising, given the prestige of these propertites and Chinese consumers’ receptivity to French wines in general). As Carles joked, his problem is not one of selling top wines, but one of securing allocations in the increasingly competitive Bordeaux market.

Pierre Lurton first spoke about the diversity of soil types that characterize Cheval Blanc’s terroir (a mixture of gravel, sand, and clay). About 60% of the vineyard is given over to Cabernet Franc with Merlot making up the remainder. Lurton explained that in cooler vintages the early-ripening Merlot takes centre stage, but in hotter years Cabernet Franc plays more of a role. As Lurton put it, in warmer years, ‘Cabernet Franc invites Merlot for the long trip’, helping to produce wines that should have great longevity.

Whatever the assemblage, Lurton is adamant that Cheval Blanc's terroir dictates the style of the wine and its overall expression. He referred to Cheval Blanc's often silky tannins (or ‘cashmere’ tannins as Lurton put it); although this quality is presumably also achieved by care in the vineyard and limited extraction in the cellar. Cheval Blanc itself is made up from 25 different plots, all of which are vinified separately and then blended according to the nature of the year. Regular racking and fining are practised and the wine is unfiltered.

Here are our notes on the Cheval Blanc wines first. The notes on the 2004 and 1998 Château Yquem follow.

2004 Le Petit Cheval, St. Emilion

Appearance: medium purple-red, clear rim.

Nose: light red and black fruits (mix of plum and blackberry), fair bit of oak here, leather.

Palate: medium-bodied at most, good acidity, soft on tannins but these are definitely there. Not bad length.

Conclusion: 53% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Franc, this wine has some of the delicacy of the 2004 vintage. Although it could be approached now, it would be better to wait five years.

Rating: 17/20

2001 Le Petit Cheval, St. Emilion

Appearance: medium purple-red, orange rim.

Nose: shows much more tobacco on the nose than the 2004 Le Petit Cheval with similar fruit underneath (blackberry, plum etc.). Oak is less prevalent, but this is because it has settled down; plus the tobacco and leathery smell is traceable to the use of oak here anyway. Complex.

Palate: more structure and tannic backbone here than on the 2004 Le Petit Cheval and better length too; also features good acidity and impressive fruit.

Conclusion: 53% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Franc, this wine was more impressive than the 2004 Le Petit Cheval and should age for much longer.

Rating: 17.5/20

2004 Château Cheval Blanc, 1er Grand Cru Classé A, St. Emilion

Appearance: medium to deep purple-red, clear rim.

Nose: crushed berry fruits (red and black), very perfumed with some fragrant green pepper notes from the Cabernet Franc. Oak comes in later.

Palate: strong fruit, ripe coating tannins – smooth in texture, not chewy – lovely acidity with good length. Slightly tight and clearly very young at present.

Conclusion: 55% Cabernet Franc, 45% Merlot, this wine needs time. It is clearly sophisticated St. Emilion.

Rating: 18/20

2001 Château Cheval Blanc, 1er Grand Cru Classé A, St. Emilion

Appearance: deep purple-red, slight orange rim.

Nose: metallic first nose (iron, sanguineous kind of smell) followed by strong red and black fruits (chiefly plum and blackberry) along with integrated oak and considerable complexity.

Palate: ripe, silky and fully integrated tannins with excellent fruit, considerable length and fine acidity.

Conclusion: 60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc, according to Robert Parker (but we’ve seen all sorts of different percentages for the assemblage on the same vintages of Cheval Blanc wines on the web!). This is clearly very fine St. Emilion which still has a long way to go to reach maturity.

Rating: 18.5/20

Pierre Lurton then talked in some detail about the production of Sauternes and the qualities of Château Yquem specifically. He described Yquem as ‘an icon of wine’, referring to the property as ‘the story of the Lur-Saluces family’ (rather than discussing the controversy of how Yquem ceased to be under Lur-Saluces control).

Like Cheval Blanc, Yquem is also typified by a varied terroir incorporating 130 hectares of gravel, sand, clay and chalk soils. These soils do not contribute directly to wine flavours (if at all), but do have different drainage and obviously different exposure in the vineyard itself.

Yquem is typically a blend of 80% Semillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc and Lurton explained the various risks inherent in Sauternes production, particularly given the need to wait for the right conditions over several trie (select harvests through the vineyard as noble rot develops). These separate pickings typically take place in the middle and end of September, the middle and end of October and conclude around the middle of November.

All in all, Lurton aims in Yquem to achieve a ‘clean, pure Sauternes with a good level of acidity’ to balance the natural residual sugar. It is certainly worth remembering that these are not particularly sweet wines (reaching about 130 g/l in sweeter years) - certainly alongside the likes of Ice Wine/Eiswein.

2004 Château Yquem, 1er Grand Cru Classé Exceptionnel, Sauternes

Appearance: medium-yellow gold.

Nose: very ‘fresh’ nose (with botrytis only suggested, really). Instead, there’s more evidence of fresh orange and other citrus aromas. Candied fruit with slight honey.

Palate: not super-concentrated. More of the delicate candied, citrus fruits with an excellent balance of medium residual sugar to high acidity. Good length.

Conclusion: a delicate vintage for Yquem (which is not a euphemism for ‘lacking concentration’ – this is just a different vintage). Will repay medium-term keeping.

Rating: 18/20

1998 Château Yquem, 1er Grand Cru Classé Exceptionnel, Sauternes

Appearance: distinct orange gold.

Nose: intense candied fruit, marked botrytis, spice and other complex aromas.

Palate: superb fruit, fantastic balance of robust residual sugar to delicate high acidity. The balance here really is very, very good! Excellent length.

Conclusion: this is a superb wine. Super-intense, but hardly cloying because of the fine acidity and amazing integration of the total wine. A brilliant Sauternes!

Rating: 19/20

There were limited opportunities for questions as Pierre Lurton and Bertrand Carles were coming to the end of a fairly arduous Chinese tour. But I did manage to ask Lurton if he uses different types of French oak when maturing Le Petit Cheval and Cheval Blanc respectively or whether the wines see similar oak treatment but for different periods. Lurton explained that he works with five different coopers, but didn’t divulge the types of oak used. Instead, he pointed out that Le Petit Cheval usually spends about 12 months in oak whereas Cheval Blanc would usually receive about 15-18 months.

Fongyee also managed to ask at what point the grapes for Yquem’s dry white (the ‘Y’) are generally picked each year. The blend for the ‘Y’ is quite different: 60% Sauvignon Blanc with 40% Semillon; and the grapes are usually harvested, we learnt, just before the end of the vintage.

Labels: 1998, 2001, 2004, ASC, Cabernet Franc, Cheval Blanc, Featured Tastings, Ginestet, Le Petit Cheval, Merlot, Pierre Lurton, Sauternes, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, St. Emilion, Yquem

Featured Tasting and Interview: Moss Wood, Margaret River

Summergate arranged for a media tasting with Keith and Clare Mugford of Margaret River producer Moss Wood. Moss Wood is well known as one of the region’s top wineries, an obvious rival to the likes of Leeuwin Estate. The quality of the wines here (see tasting notes below) is very high and the wine making impeccable. Margaret River overall is known for a host of strong producers and some of Australia’s most elegant wines. But the purity of fruit achieved in the two different Moss Wood Cabernets we tasted was particularly impressive.

The Moss Wood vineyard in Wilyabrup is given over to various varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon (5.43 hectares), Semillon (1.83 hectares), Pinot Noir (1.55 hectares), Chardonnay (2.17 hectares), Cabernet Franc (0.29 hectares), Merlot (0.03 hectares) and Petit Verdot (0.48 hectares). But grapes are also sourced from the Ribbon Vale vineyard (acquired by Moss Wood in 2000) and the Glenmore, Montgomery, Lefroy Brook and Green Valley sites; which enable the Mugfords to acquire grapes from significantly different areas in the wider Margaret River region.

The Moss Wood vineyard itself provides the fruit for the range of the same name: which includes a Chardonnay, two Semillons (one unoaked, one oaked), two Cabernet Sauvignons (one of which is termed ‘Special Reserve’ and is only made in certain vintages), a Pinot Noir (which has quite a following – the Mugfords themselves being great lovers of this grape) and also a ‘Port style’ wine (labelled ‘Vintage Port’). This last wine cannot be released in the European Union because of the protection of the Portuguese Port; but China would be no problem! However, Keith Mugford is amusingly candid about not wanting to pursue life as a fortified winemaker.

The Glenmore and Montgomery sites provide the grapes for the Amy’s Cabernet Sauvignon (see below), whilst a different Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are made from Lefroy Brook fruit (Green Valley providing yet another terroir-driven Chardonnay). Other wines are also made from fruit sourced in Pemberton and Palandri.

On their first visit to Beijing (en route to Shanghai and Guangzhou), Keith and Clare Mugford spoke passionately about the Margaret River as well as the innovations they have overseen at Moss Wood. Keith Mugford was a fount of wisdom concerning the care and attention that goes into their work in both the vineyards and cellar. Both suggested that, although the Margaret River region may expand, quality should be maintained provided wineries keep up the hard work and dedication that began in the 1960s with pioneers like Dr Bill Pannell who identified Moss Wood’s location as being ideal for premium wine production.

We tasted:

2005 Moss Wood Amy’s Cabernet Sauvignon

Appearance: medium-purple red, clear rim.

Nose: very pure blackcurrant and slight blueberry fruit with some dark red fruits too. Delicate use of oak here.

Palate: lovely ripe fruit, but this is also restrained in style. Refreshing medium acidity, ripe slightly chewy medium tannins and impressive length. Alcohol is high, but fully integrated.

Conclusion: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest 5% allocations of Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot, this is clearly a very good vintage. The wine experienced less skin-contact than the Moss Wood Cabernets (see below). The idea is to express fruit purity and display only moderate tannins. Spends 14 months in French oak, only 25% of which is new (which would explain why the oak is moderate here and a good savoury background to the strong fruit). Very good, even if it is intended as quasi-baby brother to the Moss Wood Cabernet.

Rating: 18/20

2004 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon

Appearance: deepish purple-red, clear rim.

Nose: very pure dark fruits (blackcurrant, black plum), restrained integrated oak, some spicy notes. Youthful, but approachable.

Palate: excellent ripe fruit, medium-high chewy tannins, integrated medium acidity and balanced high alcohol. Very good length.

Conclusion: not precisely sure of the blend here, but the wine is kept for over a year in barrel. Actually, the 2004 was kept in three separate samples under oak and then blended after 12 months before spending slightly longer in barrel (this gave the Mugfords time to see the evolution of the different samples). Spent up to 14 days on the skins after fermentation. Although a year in which temperatures rose steeply right before harvest, this wine had no cooked or over-ripe aromas. Very, very good.

Rating: 18.5/20

During the tasting, we spoke about the ‘discount-image’ Australia has until recently had, particularly in the UK (Australia’s largest market) where supermarkets have commanded bulk supply at reduced rates to producer and consumer. The Mugfords felt that the recent drought in Australia will mean that both water prices and the prices of grapes will shoot up and that Australia may well benefit from not being able to provide international markets with a surplus of wine.

Increasingly, of course, top Australian winemakers are stressing the uniqueness of their individual vineyard sites and the uniqueness of the wines they produce, re-dressing the French concept of terroir in Australian clothes. The Mugfords are unashamedly no exception and spoke in detail about their different vineyards as well as the complex effects of sea-breezes on much of Western Australia.

Theirs is essentially a Burgundian approach, at least for their Pinot Noir; whilst their Cabernet-blends have the ripeness the Bordelais would die for, but in Australia achieving phenolic ripeness can occur only after your grapes risk having too much natural sugar (at least at too high sugar levels if you want to make wines of moderate alcohol). This doesn’t matter in the case of Moss Wood, however, because Keith Mugford (also a consultant winemaker to other properties) has found a way of producing 14.5% Cabernets that don’t knock your head off. These are fantastic wines.

Labels: 2004, 2005, Cabernet Sauvignon, Clare Mugford, Featured Tastings, Interviews, Keith Mugford, Malbec, Margaret River, Merlot, Moss Wood, Petit Verdot, red, Western Australia

Featured Tasting (Part IIId Reds): Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux in Beijing

Part IIId refers to St. Emilion and Pomerol. Here are our notes:

2004 Château Angélus, St. Emilion

Appearance: deep purple.

Nose: very ripe black and red fruits with complex savoury quality (oak, spice, pencil shavings etc.). Lovely oak in particular.

Palate: marked ripe fruit, excellent medium chewy tannins, fine medium acidity and impressive concentration for the 2004 vintage. Superb length.

Conclusion: 50% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine spends somewhere between 18-22 months in new oak. It certainly has the fruit to withstand that kind of treatment. This was extremely good, although we’re not sure many would be willing to fork out for Angélus.

Rating: 18.5/20 [possible 19/20]

2004 Château Canon-la-Gaffelière, St. Emilion

Appearance: medium purple-red.

Nose: delicate nose with ripe red and black fruits. Not too extracted. Good oak.

Palate: well put together, featuring good fruit, nice closely-knit medium tannins, good acidity and encouraging length.

Conclusion: 55% merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, anything like 80-100% of the wine can see new oak for various periods depending on the vintage. Stephan von Neipperg was very informative, explaining that for this wine he has at his disposal particularly old Cabernet Franc (including vines that survived a significant frost in 1956).

Rating: 18/20

2004 Clos Fourtet, St. Emilion

Appearance: medium purple-red.

Nose: mineral, metallic first nose with ripe fruit coming in later. Non-intrusive oak.

Palate: nice acidity here, ripe medium tannins. Well-integrated.

Conclusion: 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, the wine sees 80% new oak for an unspecified period. This was well-made.

Rating: 17.5/20

2004 Château Figeac, St. Emilion

Appearance: darkish purple-red.

Nose: lovely ripe dark fruits (blackcurrant, blackberry, black plum) with good oak.

Palate: more high-quality dark fruits, but angular and with bigger tannins than expected. Concentrated, with good length.

Conclusion: 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Cabernet Franc and 30% Merlot, this wine sees 100% new oak. It’s impressive and seemed to have good concentration.

Rating: 18/20

2004 Château Grand Mayne, St. Emilion

Appearance: medium purple.

Nose: delicate berry fruits, then greater red and black plum fruit coming through. Integrated oak.

Palate: good fruit, ripe tannins which are larger than expected and take a while to come through. Good length here too.

Conclusion: 75% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine spends between 14-18 months in 80% new oak. Good stuff.

Rating: 17.5/20

2004 Château Troplong Mondot, St. Emilion

Appearance: deep purple-red.

Nose: dark fruits, leather and tobacco (from the oak).

Palate: large chunky tannins with decent acidity and excellent fruit. Good length.

Conclusion: 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine spends up to a year in 70% new oak and then a further year in old barrels. It is very young at present, but could be very impressive with significant ageing.

Rating: 18.5/20

2004 Château Clinet, Pomerol

Appearance: medium purple-red.

Nose: tight first nose, metallic. Seems closed right now.

Palate: again more tight fruit and seems too young to assess at the moment (perhaps this bottle is atypical).

Conclusion: 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine sees new oak for an unspecified period. But this bottle was too closed to give an initial response really.

Rating: tentative 17.5/20

Labels: 2004, Angelus, Canon-la-Gaffeliere, Clinet, Clos Fourtet, Featured Tastings, Figeac, Grand Mayne, Pomerol, red, St. Emilion, Troplong Mondot, Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux

Featured Tasting (Part II Sweet Whites): Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux in Beijing

The Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux held their annual grand tasting in Beijing, the last in a leg of an Asia-wide tour also comprising Tokyo (22nd Nov), Osaka (24th Nov), Seoul (26th Nov), Shanghai (28th Nov) and Guangzhou (29th Nov).

Many chateaux owners were then going on to Singapore and India, en route back to France. Several commented that the turn-out at Beijing’s Sofitel Hotel was better than in previous years; and were happy both with the volume here as well as in Shanghai and Guangzhou in particular. We spoke with several owners about their perceptions of the China and wider Asia markets and although no single property has obvious ‘brand’ recognition within China – apart, perhaps, from Château Lafite – they were cautiously optimistic about the future in Beijing and further a field.

This year the UGC showcased the 2004 vintage, still under-appreciated and under-valued, at least alongside 2000 and 2005. The hype surrounding 2003 may still exist, but most people should recognize the vintage had atypical weather conditions that resulted in some strange wines from some quarters as well as over-activity in the market. Recall 1997: different weather conditions, but similar hype. The 1997s drunk much sooner than some expected; clearly a different vintage from the likes of 1995 and 1996.

With so many wines to taste, the notes we offer here are condensed, beginning with dry whites (Part I), then the sweeter ones (Part II) - the Sauternes and Barsac wines were particularly strong - followed by reds from the various appellations (Part III).

Here are the notes for Part II: Sauternes and Barsac

2004 Château Climens, Barsac

Appearance: medium gold colour.

Nose: complex and restrained nose of light candied fruits, honey and a sensitive level of botrytis.
Palate: excellent acidity, medium body, good fruit, good botrytis and delicate all round. Only medium-sweet (it’s worth remembering that most Barsac and Sauternes wines are not actually that sweet relative to other ‘sweet wines’).

Conclusion: 100% Semillon, this shows the quality and finesse you would expect from Climens. Needs time, but is unlikely to be a vintage for the long, long haul. The quality is very high, however. Is exposed to 60% new oak, but you wouldn’t know it.

Rating: 18/20 [but should get better]

2004 Château Coutet, Barsac

Appearance: bright medium gold.

Nose: complex nose of dried fruits, honey and with excellent botrytis.

Palate: very good acidity, lovely concentration here and a great balance between residual sugar and acidity. Integrated.

Conclusion: 75% Semillon, 23% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Muscadelle, a good showing from Coutet, even although many of the Sauternes and Barsac wines seemed to be showing better than many of the red Bordeaux. Should repay cellaring well. Sees 100% new oak, but we’re not sure for how long.

Rating: 18/20 [but may improve]

2004 Château Doisy Daëne, Barsac

Appearance: deepish orange gold.

Nose: very concentrated nose with lovely fruit, lots of botrytis (which is well-integrated) and some spicy notes.

Palate: rich, great acidity here, very good length and lovely fruit. There’s an excellent balance of residual sugar to acidity too.

Conclusion: we’re big fans of Doisy Daëne having enjoyed a number of different vintages (particularly the 1988 and 1990 wines). 80% Semillon and the remainder Sauvignon Blanc: this was very good and should age very well too. Spends 18 months in oak, of which one third is new. Our favourite of the Sauternes and Barsac wines represented at this tasting.

Rating: 18.5/20

2004 Château Guiraud, Sauternes

Appearance: deep gold.

Nose: slightly musty first nose, although this dissipates. Rich fruit that seems caramelized and with considerable botrytis.

Palate: large style, quite a bit of oak on this wine and somewhat closed at present.

Conclusion: hard to judge right now. Guiraud tends to produce wines in a fatter style and the relatively high amount of Sauvignon Blanc (35% to 65% Semillon) makes for a different expression too. Perhaps this particular bottle was not showing so well. Spends 18 months in 80% new oak.

Rating: 17/20

2004 Château La Tour Blanche, Sauternes

Appearance: medium gold.

Nose: delicately honeyed nose, integrated light botrytis.

Palate: beautiful balance of acidity to sugar here with good fruit, good length and in a more savoury style than some of the other Barsac and Sauternes wines.

Conclusion: this is 84% Semillon, 10% Sauvignon Blanc and 6% Muscadelle. The wine is exposed to 100% new oak, but we couldn’t find out for how long. Clearly very high quality. Along with the Doisy Daëne, one of the best wines here with the Lafaurie-Peyraguey also a strong contender.

Rating: 18.5/20

2004 Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey, Sauternes

Appearance: medium to deepish gold.

Nose: very honeyed and candied fruit with less overt botrytis than on some of the other wines.

Palate: well-balanced, lively acidity which is well-integrated with the residual sugar here. Good fruit and very good length.

Conclusion: this is 90% Semillon, 8% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Muscadelle. 30% of the wine sees new oak. This is clearly one of the stronger wines of the vintage – at least those represented at this tasting.

Rating: 18/20 [but could be higher]

Labels: 2004, Climens, Coutet, Doisy Daene, Featured Tastings, Guiraud, La Tour Blanche, Lafaurie-Peyraguey, Lafite, Muscadelle, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, sweet white, Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux

Featured Tasting (Part IIIa Reds): Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux in Beijing (Part IIIa)

The Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux held their annual grand tasting in Beijing, the last in a leg of an Asia-wide tour also comprising Tokyo (22nd Nov), Osaka (24th Nov), Seoul (26th Nov), Shanghai (28th Nov) and Guangzhou (29th Nov).

We have already posted our notes on the dry and sweeter whites (see Featured Tasting: Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux in Beijing, Parts I and II). Here is the beginning of Part III which is devoted to the reds in all their different appellations. In fact, we have had to subdivide our posts into Part IIIa-d to cover everything we tasted (see below).

Tasting multiple samples of young red Bordeaux effectively takes stamina and experience. High-end red Bordeaux made in a traditional style should keep for decades; along with Vintage Port and some German Rieslings, these are wines that can have considerable longevity and often have to be left for some time to show their complexity and subtlety.

The only thing harder than assessing extremely young wines destined for a long life is barrel-tasting of unfinished wines (i.e. those still undergoing fermentation). This is something we’ve done in Burgundy, but not in Bordeaux; although we did once get to taste barrel samples of the 2003 Ports (the fermentation may have been stopped with brandy, but it was precisely the brandy and powerful young fruit that made for hard work!).

But what about the 2004 reds? Generally speaking, the 2004 vintage is not as concentrated as years like 2005, 2000 and 1990, although it will obviously have ageing-potential (much more of a ‘classic’ year than the atypical 2003). To cope with the number of wines, our notes are necessarily condensed. They should also be seen as provisional. Although we have tasted significant numbers of wines at various competitions and wine challenges before, it is always best to re-taste wines that promise significant evolution (there's also the bottle variation that will naturally occur, even with top wines). Despite these provisos, 2004 can we seen as a reliable vintage for the medium term, although some wines will go for much longer.

We have arranged our notes around each Bordeaux appellation and grouped them into a series of posts:

Part IIIa: Pessac-Léognan and Margaux

Part IIIb: St. Julien

Part IIIc: Pauillac, St. Estèphe, Haut-Médoc and Moulis-en-Médoc

Part IIId: St. Emilion and Pomerol

Sadly, there was not much of a presence for St. Estèphe at the Beijing tasting and we didn’t get to taste as many Pauillacs or Pomerols as we wanted (despite what was on offer). In some cases, we made a point of not revisiting old favourites that have been established as good value (e.g. Châteaux Batailley, Angludet, Talbot), but couldn’t resist sampling Léoville and Langoa Barton.

Part IIIa: Pessac-Léognan and Margaux

2004 Domaine de Chevalier, Pessac-Léognan

Appearance: deepish purple-red.

Nose: lovely fruit, good oak, very attractive nose.

Palate: excellent concentration for the vintage, lovely tannins, strong fruit and impressive length.

Conclusion: 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine spent some 21 months in oak (50% of which was new). It has the fruit and structure to age gracefully. Lovely Pessac.

Rating: 18.5/20

2004 Château Pape Clément, Pessac-Léognan

Appearance: medium-dark purple-red.

Nose: pleasant fruit, good use of oak here and good concentration.

Palate: big, chewy tannins, good acidity and decent length. The fruit has decent concentration too.

Conclusion: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, this wine usually spends around 18-22 months in barrel (100% new oak). Another impressive Pessac. Has a different tannic structure from the Domaine de Chevalier; but both have their charms and should age well.

Rating: 18/20

2004 Château Giscours, Margaux

Appearance: medium purple-red.

Nose: beautiful savoury nose with red and black fruits and even some mineral notes. Non-intrusive oak.

Palate: lovely semi-chewy medium tannins, vibrant acidity and more ‘minerality’. Good fruit and impressive length.

Conclusion: 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and the remaining 5% a mixture of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this wine spends some 15-18 months in oak (50% new). This is very stylish Margaux with a considerable future ahead of it.

Rating: 18.5/20

2004 Château du Terte, Margaux

Appearance: medium purple-red.

Nose: very attractive black fruits with some spice and green pepper notes (there’s more Cabernet Franc and marginally more Petit Verdot than on the Ch. Giscours). Good use of oak.

Palate: decent structure, good acidity, pleasant fruit and good length with chunkier tannins than the Giscours.

Conclusion: 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, this wine spends similar time in oak to the Ch. Giscours (they come from the same stable under General Manager, Alexander Van Beek). This is clearly very good, but the Giscours is better in this vintage.

Rating: 18/20

2004 Château Dufort-Vivens, Margaux

Appearance: deep purple-red.

Nose: stalky first nose, but this gives way to dark fruits and subtle oak.

Palate: nice acidity, ripe chunky tannins, good fruit and promising length.

Conclusion: 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, this wine sees some 16-20 months in oak (ranging from 35-45% new, depending on vintage). There’s more Cabernet Sauvignon here than on most Margaux – in fact Dufort-Vivens actually decided to graft some Cabernet Sauvignon on to some of their old Merlot vines. This gives a bigger Margaux.

Rating: 18/20

2004 Château Kirwan, Margaux

Appearance: medium purple-red.

Nose: toasty first nose, mineral notes, but also lovely fruit coming through. Complex.

Palate: gripping, ripe medium tannins, excellent fruit, good acidity and more harmonious on palate than on nose at present.

Conclusion: 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot, this wine saw about 35% new oak, but we’re not sure for how long. What is clear is that Kirwan is in very good shape with the 2004 vintage. Very good Margaux.

Rating: 18.5/20

2004 Château Lascombes, Margaux

Appearance: medium purple-red.

Nose: plenty of oak, but there is more than ample fruit coming through here as well. Some spice and has a lot to give yet.

Palate: big chunky tannins, large structure, good fruit, pleasant acidity and decent length.

Conclusion: 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot, this wine varies in treatment but does get to see a lot of new oak (usually 80-100%). However, there is more than enough fruit to match. This Margaux is in the larger style also favoured by Dufort-Vivens. Needs time.

Rating: 18/20

Of this group, Domaine de Chevalier, Giscours and Kirwan particularly stood out. But there were some good all round 2004s here.

Labels: 2004, Bordeaux, Domaine de Chevalier, du Terte, Dufort-Vivens, Featured Tastings, France, Giscours, Kirwan, Lascombes, Margaux, Pape Clement, Pessac-Leognan, red, Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux

Featured Tasting (Part IIIc Reds): Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux in Beijing

Part IIIc of our tasting notes to the Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux grand tasting refers to the appellations of Pauillac, St. Estèphe, Haut-Médoc and Moulis-en-Médoc. We were not able to taste all the wines on show, but hope the below will prove useful for those interested in this underrated vintage.

2004 Château Pontet-Canet, Pauillac

Appearance: deep purple colour.

Nose: very attractive black fruits (blackcurrant, blackberry, some black plum) matched by non-intrusive oak. Concentrated and fragrant.

Palate: strong on fruit, large chewy tannins, excellent acidity, good concentration and good length.

Conclusion: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, this wine spends 12 months in 60% new oak. It is robust and very well-made Pauillac. Should age very well.

Rating: 18.5/20

2004 Château Lynch-Bages, Pauillac

Appearance: medium purple-red.

Nose: ‘sweet and savoury’ first nose showing lovely blackcurrant fruit with moderately toasty oak.

Palate: lovely concentration and ripe, chewy tannins. More attractive fruit and oak here with good length.

Conclusion: 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 15% merlot and 2% Petit Verdot, this wine spends some 15 months in barrel (not sure what percentage is new oak). Whatever the case, this is an attractive and well-made Pauillac.

Rating: 18.5/20

2004 Château Cos Labory, St. Estèphe

Appearance: dark purple.

Nose: very blackcurrant with strong intense fruit, non-intrusive oak and savoury notes.

Palate: concentrated, nice tannins, strong fruit and quite good length.

Conclusion: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, this has some of the intensity of St. Estèphe without being ‘rustic’. The wine is exposed to 45% new oak, although we’re not sure for how long. Good.

Rating: 17.5/20

2004 Château La Lagune, Haut-Médoc

Appearance: medium purple-red.

Nose: attractive red and black fruits (blackcurrant, blackberry, red plum) with distinct spicy notes (from oak and Petit Verdot). Good oak.

Palate: well-balanced palate with good fruit, fine acidity, medium slightly chewy tannins and impressive length. Not intense, but delicate.

Conclusion: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, this wine spends 18 months in oak (50% new) and is clearly of high quality. The percentage of Petit Verdot adds some complexity to the fine fruit. Should age very well.

Rating: 18.5/20

2004 Château Cantemerle, Haut-Médoc

Appearance: medium purple.

Nose: immediately appealing savoury, fruity and slightly ‘animal’ nose. Good oak.

Palate: nice concentration, ripe chunky tannins with good balance and good length.

Conclusion: 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, this is a reliable and well-made Haut-Médoc. Cantemerle is good value.

Rating: 17.5/20 [could be higher with time]

2004 Château Chasse-Spleen, Moulis-en-Médoc

Appearance: medium purple.

Nose: savoury and slight green first nose, but the fruit comes through as ripe and attractive. Nice oak.

Palate: good concentration – there’s certainly no hole in the middle here – with nice tannins, decent acidity and pleasant fruit. Good.

Conclusion: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, this wine will have spent something like 14-18 months in barrel (40% new oak). Reliable and well-made.

Rating: 17.5/20

Labels: 2004, Cantemerle, Chasse-Spleen, Cos Labory, Featured Tastings, France, Haut-Medoc, La Lagune, Lynch-Bages, Moulis-en-Medoc, Pauillac, Pontet-Canet, red, St. Estephe, Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux

Featured Tasting (Part I Dry Whites): Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux in Beijing

The Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux held their annual grand tasting in Beijing, the last in a leg of an Asia-wide tour also comprising Tokyo (22nd Nov), Osaka (24th Nov), Seoul (26th Nov), Shanghai (28th Nov) and Guangzhou (29th Nov).

Many chateaux owners were then going on to Singapore and India, en route back to France. Several commented that the turn-out at Beijing’s Sofitel Hotel was better than in previous years; and were happy both with the volume here as well as in Shanghai and Guangzhou in particular. We spoke with several owners about their perceptions of the China and wider Asia markets and although no single property has obvious ‘brand’ recognition within China – apart, perhaps, from Château Lafite – they were cautiously optimistic about the future in Beijing and further a field.

This year the UGC showcased the 2004 vintage, still under-appreciated and under-valued, at least alongside 2000 and 2005. The hype surrounding 2003 may still exist, but most people should recognize the vintage had atypical weather conditions that resulted in some strange wines from some quarters as well as over-activity in the market. Recall 1997: different weather conditions, but similar hype. The 1997s drunk much sooner than some expected; clearly a different vintage from the likes of 1995 and 1996.

With so many wines to taste, the notes we offer here are condensed, beginning with dry whites (Part I), then the sweeter ones (Part II) - the Sauternes and Barsac wines were particularly strong - followed by reds from the various appellations (Part III).

2004 Domaine de Chevalier (Blanc), Péssac-Leognan

Appearance: medium green gold.

Nose: attractive nose with marked Sauvignon notes – here slightly aromatic and peachy (not the clone that is used in Sancerre or for other Sauvignons in the Loire Valley) – but with lemon and slight wax coming through from the Semillon. Good use of oak.

Palate: integrated fruit, fresh acidity, good length and pleasant oak. Not heavy. Elegant.

Conclusion: decent white Pessac, this wine is 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Semillon and spends 18 months in oak (a third of which is new). Very good.

Rating: 18.5/20

2004 Château La Louvière (Blanc), Pessac-Léognan

Appearance: medium green gold.

Nose: lovely oak which is currently predominant backed by citrus (the fruit should come out later).

Palate: very balanced, considerable toasty oak, but the fruit is there with very good acidity.

Conclusion: this wine is 85% Sauvignon Blanc and 15% Semillon and is a lovely example of dry white Bordeaux.

Rating: 18.5/20

2004 Château Malartic-Lagravière (Blanc), Pessac-Léognan

Appearance: lightish green-gold.

Nose: made in a light savoury style with some green notes but also peach from the Sauvignon Blanc. Oak is non-intrusive.

Palate: good acidity, with light apple and peach fruit. Quite good length.

Conclusion: a blend of 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon, this much more of an aperitif dry white Bordeaux than a so-called ‘first course wine’, but some may like the light style and the fact the oaking is on the light side here too.

Rating: 17/20

2004 Château Olivier (Blanc), Pessac-Léognan

Appearance: medium green-gold.

Nose: nice intensity of lemon fruit here with good oak and even some minerality.

Palate: good fruit, nice acidity and good length. Oak is balanced.

Conclusion: this spends 10 months in oak (of which 20% is new) and is well put together. Should age well too.

Rating: 17.5/20

Labels: 2004, Bordeaux, Domaine de Chevalier, Featured Tastings, France, La Louviere, Malartic-Lagraviere, Olivier, Pessac-Leognan, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux, white

Featured Tasting (Part IIIb Reds): Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux in Beijing (Part IIIb)

Here are our tasting notes for the 30th November 2007 Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux tasting in Beijing Part IIIb which comprises the appellation of St. Julien.

Please see other posts for other appellations/communes and an overview of the 2004 vintage for dry whites (Part I), sweet whites (Part II) and reds (Part IIIa-d).

2004 Château Langoa Barton, St. Julien

Appearance: medium purple-red.

Nose: very fragrant first nose with lovely blackcurrant fruit and excellent oak.

Palate: ripe medium-high chewy tannins (these seem larger on this wine than on the Léoville Barton at present – see below); excellent fruit, good acidity and well-balanced throughout.

Conclusion: 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, this wine spends 20 months in barrel (in 50% new oak). It’s very stylish and has some of the robustness of St. Julien showing through.

Rating: 18.5/20

2004 Château Léoville Barton, St. Julien

Appearance: medium purple-red.

Nose: classic blackcurrant nose with ‘pencil-shaving’ oak and some mineral or metallic notes. Complex.

Palate: lovely ripe medium tannins (structure is unexpectedly lighter than the Langoa, at least on this bottle) with good fruit, pleasant acidity and impressive length.

Conclusion: 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc, this undergoes very similar treatment to Langoa Barton. Although this vintage is lighter than the likes of more concentrated years (e.g. 1990, 2000, 2005), it has great finesse. The Langoa Barton just had the edge in quality, at least in these bottles.

Rating: 18/20

2004 Château Léoville Poyferré, St. Julien

Appearance: medium purple.

Nose: intense blackcurrant and black plum nose, good oak.

Palate: chunky and spiky medium-high tannins, nice acidity and good fruit. Pretty good length.

Conclusion: 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, this wines is exposed to 75% new oak (although we’re not sure for how long). Good quality St. Julien and increasingly less in the shadow of Léoville and Langoa Barton.

Rating: 17.5/20

2004 Château Beychevelle, St. Julien

Appearance: medium purple-red.

Nose: has the overt blackcurrant fruitiness of St. Julien balanced by nice oak here.

Palate: rich palate, good fruit, ripe and chewy tannins, good length.

Conclusion: 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, this wine spends some 18 months in 50% new oak. This seemed a reliable expression, up to Beychevelle’s quality certainly.

Rating: 17.5/20

2004 Château Branaire-Ducru, St. Julien

Appearance: medium purple-red.

Nose: very savoury first nose in which oak is more dominant than fruit at present. But the fruit is there.

Palate: toasty oak, nice acidity, rounded and very savoury.

Conclusion: 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, this is a savoury and well-made expression of St. Julien. Good.

Rating: 17.5/20

2004 Château Gruaud Larose, St. Julien

Appearance: dark purple.

Nose: lovely black fruits, leather and floral notes including some spiciness (clove, cinnamon) mostly derived from the oak here (but the Petit Verdot probably also makes a difference).

Palate: gripping large tannins (chewy in texture), good acidity, strong fruit and impressive length.

Conclusion: 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec, this wine spends 18 months in barrel (40% new oak) and was generally very impressive. Well worth keeping.

Rating: 18/20

2004 Château Lagrange, St. Julien

Appearance: medium purple.

Nose: very fragrant nose featuring toasty oak with some green notes to the black fruit (not unripe, merely aromatic).

Palate: light fruits, nice medium chewy tannins, toasty oak and delicate. Quite good length.

Conclusion: 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot, this is a delicate St. Julien.

Rating: 17.5/20

Clearly, the stand-out wines here were Léoville and Langoa Barton as well as Gruaud Larose. But it will be interesting to see how the others develop.

Labels: 2004, Beychevelle, Branaire-Ducru, Featured Tastings, France, Gruaud Larose, Lagrange, Langoa Barton, Leoville Barton, Leoville Poyferre, red, St. Julien, Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux

Featured Tasting: the Antinori Estates Part II

Here are the rest of the wines from the Antinori tasting organized by Summergate and hosted by the Italian Ambassador, Mrs Riccardo Sessa and Alessia Antinori. Wines were available from Umbria and Tuscany, the original Antinori home (see separate posting for the three whites on show and the Umbrian and Tuscan wines we tasted) as well as Piemonte (Prunotto) and Puglia (Tormaresca), both also under Antinori control.

2005 Dolcetto d’Alba, Prunotto

Appearance: deepish purple colour, clear rim.

Nose: lots of red and black cherry but with noticeable almond nose and some white pepper. No oak.

Palate: chewy medium tannins (well managed here for Dolcetto!), medium-high refreshing acidity, lovely fruit and impressive length. Alcohol is well-balanced too.

Conclusion: a lovely example of Dolcetto from a strong vintage. Retail 203RMB.

Rating: 18/20

2005 Barbera d’Asti ‘Fiulot’ Vineyard, Prunotto

Appearance: medium red-purple, clear rim.

Nose: light red cherry nose with some stalky fruit. Some other savoury smells, but no oak.

Palate: bright fruit, nice acidity, and moderate spiky tannins. Quite good length.

Conclusion: medium-range Barbera in a light style. Well-made. Retail 179RMB.

Rating: 17/20

2000 Barbera d’Asti ‘Costamiole’ Vineyard, Prunotto

Appearance: dark purple-red, slight orange rim.

Nose: complex nose with intense black cherry fruit and several different savoury aromas including herbs (rosemary, oregano). Some of the spice here must be traceable to oak.

Palate: very ripe chewy tannins, great acidity and fantastic complexity of fruit and oak. Well-balanced throughout.

Conclusion: part of the Prunotto 'Cru' range and a superb Barbera! The wine does actually spend 12 months in barriques and is then aged for a year in bottle before release. Retail 660RMB.

Rating: 18.5/20

2001 Barolo ‘Bussia’ Vineyard, Prunotto

Appearance: medium to dark purple-red, slight orange rim.

Nose: immensely perfumed Nebbiolo with a mixture of black cherry and redcurrant fruit, peppermint and florality (although what flowers we couldn’t tell you!). Oak is well-integrated here as the grape variety is allowed to sing.

Palate: seems tighter in flavour on the palate (this is not a function of the gripping tannins as such). Very good length, however.

Conclusion: obviously high-class Barolo from a really good year that has an impressive life ahead. The 'Bussia' vineyard is in Monforte. The wine is aged in large French oak barrels, then in smaller barriques before being aged for a further year in bottle. Approx. 839RMB retail.

Rating: 18.5/20 [might be higher with time]

The Puglian reds from Tormaresca:

2004 Rosso Puglia IGT, Tormaresca

Appearance: medium red, clear rim.

Nose: attractive red and black cherry fruit, ‘warm’ and quite alcoholic on the nose. ‘Rustic’ in a good sense.

Palate: chewy and spiky medium tannins, refreshing acidity, pleasant fruit, quite good length.

Conclusion: 70% Negroamaro and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, this is an attractive blend for everyday drinking. Retail 167RMB.

Rating: 16.5/20

2003 ‘Masseria Maime’ Salento IGT, Tormaresca

Appearance: medium purple-red, clear rim.

Nose: ‘crushed berries’ with leathery notes, also savoury and, again, ‘rustic’, although that needs qualifying. There’s an alcoholic quality to the nose, probably helped by the 2003 heat. This is attractive though.

Palate: nice ripe tannins, pleasant fruit, decent acidity and a good overall balance despite the ‘warm’ alcohol nose. Good length.

Conclusion: 100% Negroamaro and very drinkable. Impressive. Retail 419RMB.

Rating: 17.5/20

Labels: 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, Antinori, Barbera d'Asti, Barolo, Dolcetto, Negroamaro, Prunotto, Puglia, Salento, Summergate, Tormaresca

Featured Tasting: the Antinori Estates, Alessia Antinori, Summergate and the Italian Embassy, Beijing

A grand tasting of the various properties owned by the Antinori family organized by Summergate and hosted by the Italian Ambassador, Mrs Riccardo Sessa and Alessia Antinori. Wines were available from Umbria and Tuscany (the original Antinori home) as well as Piemonte (Prunotto) and Puglia (Tormaresca), both also under Antinori control.

The tasting itself was held in the Italian Embassy and drew a good crowd of invited guests from the diplomatic, journalistic, F&B and wine trade worlds. The majority of the wines were red with only three whites on show. We offer our notes here of those three whites together with the rest of the selections from Umbria and Tuscany. A further post will contain the wines from Piemonte and the Puglian reds.

2005 Castello della Sala ‘Campogrande’ Orvieto Classico, Umbria

Appearance: pale green with yellow tints.

Nose: largely light apple fruit.

Palate: apple fruit, pleasant acidity, light-bodied, not bad length.

Conclusion: made from 40% Procanico, 40% Grechetto, 15% Verdello, 5% Drupeggio and Malvasia, this is a crisp, food-friendly white for everyday drinking and affordable at 135RMB.

Rating: 15.5/20

2005 Castello della Sala ‘Bramito del Cervo’ Chardonnay, Umbria IGT

Appearance: medium gold.

Nose: peach and melon fruit, pleasant oak.

Palate: good fruit, some acidity here; good oak and quite good length.

Conclusion: after maceration, the must for this wine is exposed to French Allier and Troncais barriques to undergo alcoholic fermentation; but only a proportion of the wine receives malolactic fermentation in wood. This may account for the lifting acidity here. Quite well put together. Price 299RMB.

Rating: 16/20

2004 Tormaresca ‘Pietra Bianca’ Castel del Monte Chardonnay, Puglia

Appearance: medium yellow-gold.

Nose: appealing citrus and peach fruit, good oak.

Palate: pleasant acidity, strong fruit, deft use of oak and well-balanced.

Conclusion: this was probably the best white of the three on show. Well-made Chardonnay with an impressive balance of ripe fruit – no trouble ripening Chardonnay in Puglia – and good acidity (probably the element that is harder to achieve). This wine retails at 347RMB.

Rating: 16.5/20

2004 La Braccesca ‘Sabazio’ Rosso di Montepulciano DOC, Tuscany

Appearance: light to medium red-purple, clear rim.

Nose: appealing light red fruits (red cherry, redcurrant).

Palate: more pleasant red fruits, medium-bodied, good acidity, light on tannin.

Conclusion: this wine is a blend of 80% Prugnolo Gentile, 15% Merlot and 5% Canaiolo (NB Montepulciano grapes are not used to make this wine, nor are they used for Vino Nobile di Montelpulciano – if you want to drink Montepulciano, try Montepulciano d’Abruzzo from the Marches region). It only spends about 4 months in oak which might account for why we didn’t notice any oak here at first. Priced at 191RMB, this is an easy-drinking, food-friendly Italian red for more or less immediate consumption.

Rating: 16/20

2001 La Braccesca Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG, Tuscany

Appearance: deep purple colour with slightly orange rim.

Nose: dark black and red cherry fruit, ‘tart’ nose, discernible oak but this is well-integrated.

Palate: lovely tannins here (moderate and spiky in nature), fine acidity, pleasant dark cherry fruit and good length.

Conclusion: this wine is aged in different sizes of oak barrel for 12 months (with a proportion in barriques). It’s lovely stuff. 347RMB from Summergate.

Rating: 17.5/20

2001 ‘Marchese Antinori’ Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG, Tuscany

Appearance: dark purple, slightly orange rim.

Nose: marked black cherry fruit, savoury oak, slight spice, complex.

Palate: medium-high chewy tannins, lovely acidity, strong fruit, good oak and very good length.

Conclusion: a blend of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the latter adding some richness and slightly darker fruit whilst the former dominates with its strong cherry quality. The oak in question is new, one-year and two-year old Alliers and Troncais French oak and the wine spends some 14 months in oak after blending. 450RMB and clearly very good.

Rating: 18/20 [but could be higher with time]

2001 ‘Pian delle Vigne’ Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Tuscany

Appearance: medium purple-red, slight orange rim.

Nose: complex red and black cherry fruit, some oak, savoury but with sweet fruits, complex.

Palate: very elegant with lovely closely knit but ripe medium-high tannins and beautiful Sangiovese fruit. Very balanced. Great length.

Conclusion: entirely Sangiovese, the wine spends some two years in a range of different sized oak vats and is also aged for a further year in bottle before release. This is clearly a very high quality Sangiovese (744RMB).

Rating: 18.5/20

Notes on the wines of Prunotto and the other Tormaresca reds to follow.

Labels: 2001, 2004, 2005, Antinori, Brunello di Montalcino, Chardonnay, Chianti, Featured Tastings, Italy, Montepulciano, Orvieto, Piemonte, Puglia, red, Sangiovese, Summergate, Tuscany, Umbria, white

2004 Elderton ‘Tantalus’ Shiraz Cabernet Malbec, Barossa

2004 Elderton ‘Tantalus’ Shiraz Cabernet Malbec, Barossa

Appearance: dark purple red, clear rim.

Nose: sweet-smelling, ripe crushed red and black cherry, prune and blackberry, oak, vanilla and lots of cinnamon (American oak here). Gets more complex with aeration.

Palate: attractive ripe red and black fruits, medium silky tannins (very smooth), high alcohol, medium acidity, but all elements pretty well-balanced here. Pleasant length.

Conclusion: an intriguing blend – you don’t see much Malbec in Australian wines, apart from perhaps the odd Bordeaux-style blend, if then. Well-made and thoroughly drinkable (not for long ageing, but will improve in the next year or so). Well-priced at 155RMB from Summergate.

Rating: 17/20

Labels: 2004, Barossa, Cabernet Sauvignon, Elderton, Malbec, red, Shiraz, South Australia, Summergate

Featured Tasting: Wines of Ridge (2004 Lytton Springs, Geyersville and Monte Bello)

The following were tasted at Berry Bros. & Rudd's Hong Kong shop. Our thanks to Nicholas Pegna and his conscientious and informed staff:

2004 Ridge Lytton Springs, Sonoma County

Appearance: medium red-purple, clear rim.

Nose: restrained concentrated red and black fruits. Not obviously Zinfandel dominated (the problem is we’ve usually tasted much more sweet-smelling examples). Delicate and very balanced between oak and fruit.

Palate: medium not full-bodied, delicate medium chewy and slightly grainy tannins, lovely acidity and good length. Similar fruit character throughout. The high alcohol here is barely noticeable because of very good integration.

Conclusion: 79% Zinfandel, 18% Petit Syrah and 3% Carignan, this wine is aged for 13 months in American oak (20% of which is new). It’s certainly a restrained style of Zinfandel-based wine and it would be interesting to know more about what the Petit Syrah and Carignan contribute from these particular vineyards. Very good.

Rating: 18/20

2004 Ridge Geyersville, Sonoma County

Appearance: medium purple-red, clear rim.

Nose: very aromatic and spicy nose – reminiscent of Primitivo at first – with a mixture of red and black fruits. Complex with integrated oak and considerable fragrance (perfumed, spicy, ‘sweet and sour’ notes).

Palate: medium-bodied, concentrated red and black fruits, but the wine has restraint within that concentration (i.e. it’s not a ‘fruit bomb’ by any means). Medium angular and slightly grainy tannins and considerable complexity throughout. Refreshing acidity and balanced high alcohol.

Conclusion: 75% Zinfandel, 18% Carignan, 7% Petit Syrah, this wine spends some 18 months in American oak. But it’s a testament to the quality of the fruit that the wine is not unduly influenced by oak. Very good.

Rating: 18.5/20

2004 Ridge Monte Bello, Sonoma County

Appearance: medium to dark purple-red, clear rim.

Nose: immensely attractive and refined nose with very complex mix of red and black fruits with a savoury and also sweet-smelling nose – these are elements of the fruit knitting with the oak here. Defies description.

Palate: very balanced beautiful mix of ‘warm and cool’ red and black fruits, deft oak, and very fine tannins (‘fine’ both in quality and texture). Superbly balanced. Superb length. Alcohol is slightly lower, but who cares? The balance is brilliant regardless.

Conclusion: Ridge’s Monte Bello has famously been top of the tops in the world’s Cabernet blends in both the 1976 Paris tasting and its re-match in 2006 (where the 1971 won in both challenges). This is the first time I’ve tried any vintage of the Monte Bello and it was stupendously good. A blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, the wine spends 18 months in oak in a mixture of 92% new American oak and 8% in new French. Incredibly good.

Rating: 19.5/20

Labels: 2004, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, California, Carignan, Featured Tastings, Geyersville, Lytton Springs, Merlot, Monte Bello, Petit Syrah, Ridge, Sonoma, Zinfandel

2004 Jurançon, Domaine Charles Hours, France

2004 Jurançon, Domaine Charles Hours, France

Appearance: deepish amber gold.

Nose: very attractive and spicy nose here from the Petit Manseng with nutty aromas and honeyed and candied fruits (lemon, orange, grapefruit).

Palate: more candied fruit, good acidity and a lovely balance between the residual sugar and acidity throughout. Pretty good length.

Conclusion: a very nice expression of Jurançon comparable in quality to Domaine Cauhapé. Very good.

Rating: 18/20

Labels: 2004, Charles Hours, Domaine Cauhape, France, Jurancon, Petit Manseng, sweet white

Featured Tasting: Taste of the Nations Part II, Torres China Grand Tasting

Here are a selection of some of the other wines we particularly enjoyed at the Torres China 'Taste of the Nations' event (see Taste of the Nations Part I: Torres China Grand Tasting)

2004 Amherst ‘Dunn’s Paddock’ Shiraz, Pyrenees, Victoria

Appearance: dark purple-black, clear rim.

Nose: concentrated dark fruits with a very ‘Christmas cake’ nose (i.e. candied fruits, spices like cinnamon and clove). Strong oak here which balances with the robust fruit well (probably American oak by the smell of things).

Palate: intense fruit, more ‘Christmas cake’ aromas, ripe chewy and big tannins but with enough acidity here to lift the wine. Decent length.

Conclusion: interesting to try some Shiraz from Victoria. Well-made and very enjoyable. Retail 224RMB.

Rating: 18/20

2003 Amherst ‘Chinese Gardens’ Cabernet Sauvignon, Pyrenees, Victoria

Appearance: dark purple to black, clear rim.

Nose: immensely fruity blackcurrant nose with similar ‘Christmas cake’ aromas to those on the above Dunn’s Paddock Shiraz. Strong oak, but this seems to match well with the concentrated fruit here.

Palate: big fruit, very large chewy tannins and pretty good length. Acidity is there.

Conclusion: This didn’t seem as balanced as the Dunn’s Paddock Shiraz, but is still clearly a good wine. Retail 224RMB.

Rating: 17.5/20

1998 Marimar Torres Chardonnay, California

Appearance: medium gold.

Nose: developed, aged Chardonnay with lingering citrus, nutty aromas and some other oxidized smells (from the mellowing oak).

Palate: concentrated palate with more nutty citrus fruits (fruits that were quite ‘warm’ originally). Decent acidity lifts this, though. Good length.

Conclusion: impressive aged Californian Chardonnay. Retail 385RMB.

Rating: 18/20

2000 Marimar Torres Pinot Noir, California

Appearance: medium red-purple, orange rim.

Nose: sweet Pinot fruit (red cherry, strawberry), perfumed but with some development (slight barnyard aromas).

Palate: typical high acidity but this has mellowed and integrated with the rich Pinot fruit. Light on tannins, but they are there and slightly chewy. Good length.

Conclusion: obviously decent quality Californian Pinot Noir. Ready to drink. Retail 441RMB.

Rating: 18.5/20

2006 Hess Collection Chardonnay, California

Appearance: medium green-gold.

Nose: attractive mixture of citrus and melon fruit (‘warm’ and ‘cool’ in expression), light on oak.

Palate: generous fruit, but this is restrained and there’s acidity there.

Conclusion: good quality Monterey Chardonnay. A good deal at 170RMB.

Rating: 17/20

The other Hess wines on show (the Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon) are also worth trying.

Labels: 1998, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006, Amherst, Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon, California, Chardonnay, Featured Tastings, Hess, Marimar Torres, Pinot Noir, Pyrenees, red, Shiraz, Torres China, white

Featured Tasting: Brokenwood

A tasting of the wines of Australian producer Brokenwood at Frank Siegel's Sanlintun Sequoia Café in conjunction with Jebsen wines. Geoff Krieger, one of the company’s twenty-five partners and General Manager, was on hand to answer questions and also gave a short introduction to the winery. Brokenwood, although based in the Hunter Valley since 1970, has become increasingly national in its grape-sourcing, although the majority of wines are vinified in the Hunter itself.

2006 Brokenwood Hunter Valley Semillon

Appearance: light green.

Nose: complex nose of lime and green apple, slight wax. Very young and green at present.

Palate: more lime and green apple fruit, wax, medium-high acidity, lean feel, obviously no oak in this classic Hunter Semillon style.

Conclusion: very good, a wine you can either drink now when it is fresh, green and light or ten years down the road when the wine will become nutty – even giving the illusory sense of being oaked – with complex savoury notes.

Rating: 18.5/20

2005 Brokenwood Cricket Pitch Sauvignon Semillon

Appearance: medium gold.

Nose: developed Semillon is dominant with lemon and nutty aromas – you might be forgiven for thinking this wine is oaked, but it is entirely unoaked. Any green notes from the Sauvignon have blended into the wine with slight age.

Palate: more nutty, lemon fruit with nice zip of acidity from the Sauvignon. Good length.

Conclusion: pleasant and a lovely example of an unoaked Sauvignon-Semillon blend (50% of each). The fruit is sourced from both New South Wales and South Australia but everything is vinified in the Hunter Valley itself.

Rating: 17.5/20

2003 Brokenwood Cricket Pitch Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot-Shiraz

Appearance: medium purple-red, slight orange rim.

Nose: attractive red and black fruit nose with slight spice and integrated oak.

Palate: medium-bodied, nice ripe chewy tannins, pleasant acidity and easy drinking, fruity red.

Conclusion: this is 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot and 25% Shiraz with fruit sourced from South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. Easy drinking, but I think the Cricket Pitch white is more exciting.

Rating: 17/20

2004 Brokenwood Hunter Valley Shiraz

Appearance: medium purple-red, slight orange rim.

Nose: complex blackberry fruit with definite black pepper accompanied by sweet-smelling spices (cinnamon, cardamom). Good oak.

Palate: lovely fruit, good acidity, nicely integrated oak – which is actually American, hence the sweet nose here albeit mixed with savoury characteristics – medium chewy tannins, medium-bodied.

Conclusion: a lovely example of Hunter Shiraz, not too massive in style, elegant and very drinkable.

Rating: 18/20

Labels: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, Australia, Brokenwood, Cabernet Sauvignon, Featured Tastings, Hunter Valley, Jebsen, Merlot, New South Wales, red, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Shiraz, white

Featured Tasting: Villa Maria

Summergate hosted the wines of Villa Maria at Green T. House, a lovely venue. Dan Siebers was on hand to answer questions as was George Fistonich of Villa Maria itself. On tasting were:

2006 Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc

Appearance: medium green.

Nose: guava and passion fruit with green notes.

Palate: pleasant fruit, good acidity.

Conclusion: very drinkable. Does not have mineral complexity, but is a good expression.

Rating: 17/20

2005 Villa Maria Private Bin Chardonnay

Appearance: deepish gold green.

Nose: sour pineapple with overt oak.

Palate: pleasant ripe Chardonnay fruit, good oak, impressive acidity.

Conclusion: drinkable, reliable Chardonnay.

Rating: 17.5/20

2006 Villa Maria Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, Clifford Bay

Appearance: deepish green-gold.

Nose: intense Sauvignon fruit – a mixture of gooseberry, guava and even a ‘green’ perfume of sorts.

Palate: intense, full-on palate, obviously fruit-driven with lovely acidity.

Conclusion: a strong example of Sauvignon Blanc, although this may be too fruit-intensive for some palates.

Rating: 18/20

2005 Villa Maria Cellar Selection Pinot Noir

Appearance: deepish purple-red.

Nose: lovely cherry fruit and a lot of French oak, slight white pepper.

Palate: smooth palate, light slightly chewy tannins, lots of cherry fruit, quite good length.

Conclusion: a nice expression of Pinot Noir, if lacking complexity.

Rating: 17.5/20

2005 Villa Maria Private Bin Merlot

Appearance: deepish purple, clear rim.

Nose: very plummy fruit – rather like some Okanagan Valley Merlots, but not quite as bright somehow – with a fair whack of oak.

Palate: lots of plum fruit, medium spiky tannins, but with a relatively smooth mouthfeel, nice acidity.

Conclusion: good varietal expression of Merlot.

Rating: 17/20

2004 Villa Maria Syrah Private Bin (Gimblett Gravels)

Appearance: dark purple-red.

Nose: blackberry fruit with mixture of red and black cherry, black pepper and good oak.

Palate: decent fruit, good acidity, fairly low-medium silky tannins.

Conclusion: a good expression of Syrah. Reliable. If not exciting, then certainly good quality.

Rating: 17.5/20

Labels: 2004, 2005, 2006, Chardonnay, Clifford Bay, Featured Tastings, Merlot, New Zealand, Pinot Noir, red, Sauvignon Blanc, Summergate, Syrah, Villa Maria, white

Featured Tasting: Leeuwin Estate

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

Featured Tasting: Michele Chiarlo (Other Wines)

Before the Barolo Cerequio vertical, I interviewed Michele Chiarlo - see Interview: Michele Chiarlo brings Barolo to Beijing and Featured Tasting: Michele Chiarlo Barolo Cerequio - and then tasted a number of other Chiarlo wines:

2006 Gavi, Michele Chiarlo

Appearance: deepish green gold

Nose: lots of lemon, pear and apple fruit. Very clean on the nose.

Palate: lovely acidity, good fruit and refreshing length and finish.

Conclusion: a lovely expression of the Cortese grape and actually the most successful wine in Asia for the Chiarlo family. Good.

Rating: 17.5/20

2004 Barbaresco Asili, Michele Chiarlo

Appearance: medium purple-red, slightly orange rim.

Nose: extremely perfumed and very delicate showing red fruits and slight spice.

Palate: lovely acidity, moderate slightly grainy tannins, good fruit, and very ‘refreshing’ (not something usually said about Nebbiolo).

Conclusion: Barbaresco, unfairly, is seen as playing second fiddle to Barolo, but its wines can show very pure examples of Nebbiolo in a delicate style. Asili is a single vineyard, but not one I’ve had before (most of the single vineyard examples I’ve had from the Produttori del Barbaresco).

Rating: 18/20

2003 Barbera d’Asti La Court, Michele Chiarlo

Appearance: deepish purple-red colour, clear rim.

Nose: shows a lot of oak, even although the wine sees only 50% oak; but much would depend, of course, on what proportion of that is new oak and what happened in 2003 itself where very ripe fruit may have called for heftier oak. Has very attractive dark cherry fruit as well, however.

Palate: lots of alcohol here, but there’s good acidity, pleasant chewy tannins and impressive length.

Conclusion: obviously a very fine example of Barbera and a pleasure to drink now (with some modest ageing ability there too).

Rating: 18.5/20

1999 Barolo Riserva ‘Tortoniano’, Michele Chiarlo

Appearance: deep purple-red, orange rim.

Nose: elegant red cherry and redcurrant fruit, violets.

Palate: not too tannic, ripe, possesses lovely acidity and the tannins that are there are grainy and also ripe. Good length.

Conclusion: A lovely expression of a readily drinkable Barolo; ready now, but one that will also improve.

Rating: 18/20

Labels: 2003, 2004, 2006, Barbaresco, Barbera, Barbera d'Asti, Barolo, Chiarlo, Cortese, Featured Tastings, Gavi, Italy, Michele Chiarlo, Nebbiolo, Piemonte, red, white

Featured Tasting: Michele Chiarlo Barolo Cerequio and Other Wines

Barolo Cerequio, Michele Chiarlo, Vertical Tasting

Presenting his wines at Aria restaurant in a tasting organized by ASC, Michele Chiarlo revealed that the family owns some 6 hectares of the Cerequio vineyard or about 40% of the total (with the likes of Angelo Gaja, Roberto Voerzio and Aldo Conterno controlling the rest of the vineyard).

The yield is generally at 35 hl/ha. He affirmed the care taken in extracting the better tannins from Nebbiolo before the bitter tannins take over: something the grape can easily show in less carefully made examples. 33% of production is sold in Italy with the rest going overseas, principally to the US and UK.

2003 Barolo Cerequio, Michele Chiarlo

Appearance: deepish purple-red, orange rim.

Nose: Very ripe red cherry, some ‘heat’ from the alcohol here, but there are still Nebbiolo characters coming through with some tar aromas. Oak is not over-dominant and with most of these notes I’ve hardly talked about oak because it’s well-integrated and almost hidden as Nebbiolo takes over.

Palate: big fruit, tight and close but ripe tannins; has impressive acidity for such a difficult vintage, some almond character and also peppermint and clove.

Conclusion: a very good wine for such a demanding vintage. Sensibly, they did not de-leaf in this vintage knowing that the grapes hardly needed much exposure to the sun in the fierce 2003 heat. Good, but it will never be a great Barolo year, not even from this vineyard and this producer.

Rating: 17.5/20

2001 Barolo Cerequio, Michele Chiarlo

Appearance: Medium to medium-deep purple-red, orange rim.

Nose: toasty first nose, a lot more immediately perfumed than the 2003 with a gamey aroma and beautiful red fruits (cherry, redcurrants, even cranberry).

Palate: has ripe large grainy tannins, excellent acidity and considerable finesse. There’s a great balance here on the palate with delicacy, freshness and lovely length.

Conclusion: Very good. A lovely expression of Barolo in a fine year.

Rating: 18.5/20

2000 Barolo Cerequio, Michele Chiarlo

Appearance: Deep purple-red (deeper colour than the 2001 certainly), slightly orange rim.

Nose: More tar on the first nose than perfume. Lavish fruit: more black cherry here than the red fruits you’d normally expect from most Piemonte Nebbiolos (at least those that haven’t had a bit of Barbera added!).

Palate: tannins are ripe and chunky. Considerable black fruits, but there isn’t the staying power here of the 2001 and there’s a slight problem with the palate. It’s not that the wine is short in length: there’s a gap between the generosity of the nose and a palate that gives a little less.

Conclusion: the palate notes here sound overly critical; but I can see why Chiarlo himself has more time for his 2001. This won’t last as well as the 2001 and will be an attractive earlier drinker, still of impressive quality.

Rating: 18/20

1999 Barolo Cerequio, Michele Chiarlo

Appearance: Medium to medium-deep purple-red, orange rim (similar in colour to the 2001).

Nose: Very perfumed indeed – in that way that Nebbiolo at this level is indescribably perfumed, just like great Pinot Noir. Very concentrated ripe red fruits.

Palate: has the feel of ‘sweet’ fruit on the palate, excellent acidity and gripping, ‘angular’ tannins (whereas the tannins on the 2000 were chunky and chewy).

Conclusion: very, very good indeed and, along with the 1997 and 1990, probably my favourite (with the 2001 being a close contender).

Rating: 19/20

1998 Barolo Cerequio, Michele Chiarlo

Appearance: dark purple-red, orange rim (but orange rim is less extensive than that on the 1999).

Nose: has an immediate clove nose with tar, pepper and ripe cherry fruit.

Palate: tannins are chunky here and the palate is very much like the 2000 but with a better overall structure, i.e. the ripe cherry fruit is more integrated and there’s a better balance between fruit, tannin, acidity and alcohol.

Conclusion: very interesting to taste comparatively. Obviously similar to the 2000 in style, but better overall. Although the below rating is the same as the 2001, I think I prefer the 2001 to the 1998, at least in this tasting.

Rating: 18.5/20

1997 Barolo Cerequio, Michele Chiarlo

Appearance: Medium to dark purple-red (I know this sounds strange, but these wines are a real mix of colours and hues)

Nose: first nose has lots of violets, perfume and also rose petal. Throughout, there is the ‘sweet’, ripe red fruits of the 1999 vintage.

Palate: similar to the 1999 with ripe red fruits and perfume, but the tannins are bigger here. Excellent length.

Conclusion: the 1999 is more ‘delicate’ or lighter on the nose and palate than the 1997, but the 1997, with its relative burliness, might last longer. There are both wonderful vintages, however, and point-for-point, this and the 1990 were my top wines.

Rating: 19.5/20

1996 Barolo Cerequio, Michele Chiarlo

Appearance: dark purple core with a real spread of red to orange in the rim.

Nose: shows a very clove and tarry nose – like the 2000 and the 1998 – with concentrated, even closed, red and black cherry fruit.

Palate: fruit is riper and ‘sweeter’ on the palate than expected with very big, chunky tannins and good acidity.

Conclusion: this wine will need a lot of time. Could do 10-20 more years and may well be superb eventually.

Rating: 18.5/20 [but could be higher with further age]

1995 Barolo Cerequio, Michele Chiarlo

Appearance: deep purple-red, orange rim.

Nose: lots of peppermint, tar and perfume with a mixture of red and black cherry fruit.

Palate: has ‘dusty’ big fruit, hefty and chunky tannins, acidity that seems higher here than on other vintages (or is more noticeable).

Conclusion: obviously impressive, but not as conversation-stopping as some of the other wines. Still very good, however.

Rating: 18.5/20

1993 Barolo Cerequio, Michele Chiarlo

Appearance: deep purple-red, orange rim.

Nose: has a very ‘Christmas cake’ first nose with clove, cinnamon and candied fruit.

Palate: shows more peppermint on the palate with lovely red fruits, decent marked acidity and ripe ‘fresh’, i.e. light, tannins (no doubt mellowed with age).

Conclusion: Ready to drink, although will still improve. A lighter, attractive vintage.

Rating: 18/20

1990 Barolo Cerequio, Michele Chiarlo

Appearance: medium purple-red, orange rim (still has considerable colour but has a wider gradation of orange rim than the other wines)

Nose: white truffle nose – the first wine to have this truffle quality – also other mushrooms, red fruits and some perfume.

Palate: mellowed but still lean tannins with generous fruit, complex truffle flavours and great acidity.

Conclusion: this wine still needs time in my book. It’s obviously a massive vintage and it would certainly be better to drink the 1993 before this wine. Stupendous and extremely generous of Michele Chiarlo to bring this over from his personal cellar.

Rating: 19.5/20

Labels: 1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, ASC, Barolo Cerequio, Featured Tastings, Italy, Michele Chiarlo, Piemonte, red, white

Interview: Michele Chiarlo in Beijing

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

Featured Tasting: Top Cellar European Classics

Top Cellar offered another free tasting at their Amigo delicatessen and shop shared with Bento & Berries in the Kerry Centre. The wines were from various producers and were intended to be European Classics. All were imported by Top Cellar directly.

Sébastien Lézier of Winpact gave a short introduction to the wine accessories his company has put together for Top Cellar: two types of corkscrew (both ‘waiter’s friend’ design), two wine-pourers, Champagne stopper and the usual coolers and freezer cooler packs.

Wines tasted:

2004 Schloss Gobelsburg Riesling Urgestein, Kamptal, Austria

Appearance: medium gold yellow.

Nose: intense lime fruit, some minerality, hints of kerosene.

Palate: generous lime, pleasant acidity and good length.

Conclusion: we haven’t drunk much Austrian Riesling – Grüner Veltliner seems to have stolen some of the limelight internationally – but this has always been a very important and noble Austrian grape. This seemed to be a good expression, at least of Riesling.

Rating: 17/20

2004 Schloss Gobelsburg Zweigelt, Kamptal, Austria

Appearance: light to medium red-purple.

Nose: mostly red cherry fruit, possibly raspberry too.

Palate: light red cherry fruit, very low tannin, pleasant medium acidity, shortish length.

Conclusion: Zweigelt was created in the 1920s by Fritz Zweigelt, a hybrid of Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent. It ripens early and can withstand winter frost, so it’s easy to see why it might be popular with winemakers in Canada as well as Austria. Generally speaking, Zweigelt (Austria’s most planted red grape) is going to make light reds for quaffing. This was that, although no doubt someone is making more serious Zweigelt somewhere.

Rating: 15/20

1999 Vina Amezola Rioja Reserva

Appearance: medium purple-red, orange rim.

Nose: classic American oak nose but in an obviously aged and mellowed state with raspberry, strawberry and red cherry fruits.

Palate: pleasant fruit, decent oak, tannins slightly coarse, pretty good length.

Conclusion: certainly characteristic Rioja, but a bit disappointing at Reserva level.

Rating: 16/20

2003 Château Ducluzeau, Listrac

What used to be a called a ‘Cru Bourgeois’, this property is owned by the Borie family.

Appearance: medium purplre-red colour, clear rim.

Nose: warm red and black fruits from the 2003 heat, French oak.

Palate: mixture of red and black fruits, slightly coarse tannins, medium acidity, okay length.

Conclusion: not bad Claret if red Bordeaux at this level is your cup of tea. Not exciting.

Rating: 16/20

2003 Il Volano, Toscana IGT (Il Molino di Grace)

Appearance: medium purple-red, clear rim.

Nose: appealing tart red cherry fruit with touch of spice.

Palate: nice plucky Sangiovese tannins, the acidity you’d also expect, cherry fruit.

Conclusion: we couldn’t actually find this wine on the Il Molino di Grace website, but apparently it is 65% Sangiovese with the remainder a range of other grape varieties. Pleasant, easy-drinking Tuscan IGT.

Rating: 16.5/20

2003 Chianti Classico, Il Molino di Grace

Appearance: deep purple, clear rim.

Nose: ripe black cherry fruit, discernible but integrated oak, some clove and cinnamon spice.

Palate: lovely chewy not too astringent tannins, pretty good acidity for the difficult 2003 vintage in which the sheer warmth made attaining decent acidity a problem, lovely fruit and good length.

Conclusion: impressive Chianti Classico. Very drinkable. Approachable now, but will age.

Rating: 17.5/20

Labels: 1999, 2003, 2004, Austria, Bordeaux, Chianti, Featured Tastings, Italy, Kamptal, red, Riesling, Rioja, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Top Cellar, Tuscany, white, Zweigelt

2004 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett, Mosel, Markus Molitor

2004 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett, Mosel, Markus Molitor

Appearance: green-gold, some yellow.

Nose: apples and honey (more developed than expected), some kerosene.

Palate: characteristic high acidity balancing lovely residual sugar. Refreshing, but already softening out seemingly.

Conclusion: this was more advanced in age than I expected, but it’s rash to judge from one bottle. Molitor is a very good German Riesling producer and we will ideally leave the other bottle for a good while.

Rating: 17.5/20 [but will improve]

Labels: 2004, Germany, Kabinett, Markus Molitor, Mosel, Riesling, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, white

2004 Lailey Cabernet Sauvignon, Niagara Peninsula

2004 Lailey Cabernet Sauvignon, Niagara Peninsula

Appearance: medium to deepish purple-red, slightly orange rim.

Nose: lovely nose of crushed blackcurrant fruit with green pepper and leather notes (good oaking here).

Palate: ripe medium chewy tannin, great fruit, good acidity and very good length.

Conclusion: I don’t get to taste many Niagara Peninsula wines, but this Cabernet from Lailey was very impressive. Somehow – perhaps with a little addition of Merlot? – they’ve managed to smooth out Cabernet’s coarser components, but still keep its aromas. Might just be very well made and ripe Cabernet. Very good.

Rating: 17.5/20

Labels: 2004, Cabernet Sauvignon, Canada, Lailey, Niagara Peninsula, red

Featured Tasting: Meerlust (including two vintages of the Rubicon)

ASC had arranged for Meerlust owner Hannes Myburgh to visit and show his wines. Sadly, Mr Myburgh could not make the event, but we did get to taste some of the best wines now available from South Africa:

2006 Meerlust Chardonnay, Stellenbosch

Appearance: medium-deep gold

Nose: ripe citrus fruit, principally lemon, lots of oak (French).

Palate: ripe lemon fruit, fair whack of oak but this is supported by the fruit. Pleasant acidity there too and impressive length.

Conclusion: one of the best South African Chardonnays I’ve had. Recently bottled, so not quite integrated yet, but this will do well in the next two years, perhaps longer. It is only partially malo-lactically fermented which would explain the lifting acidity here. The oak is showing a lot now, but will calm down (the wine is vinified in large French oak hogsheads, 60% new barrels).

Rating: 18/20

2004 Meerlust Merlot, Stellenbosch

Appearance: medium red-purple colour, slightly orange rim.

Nose: restrained plummy Merlot fruit (red plum here), marked French oak and some leathery development.

Palate: light, but fruity with more red plum, harmonious oak, pleasant lifting acidity, ripe grainy tannins and good length.

Conclusion: similar to Merlot-dominated Bordeaux in a ripe vintage. Elegant, restrained, very drinkable. The oak in question is Nevers - which the Rubicon also sees in barrique form (here it is hogshead) - in which this Merlot spends 17 months (60% in new oak).

Rating: 17/20

2003 Meerlust Rubicon, Stellenbosch

Appearance: medium purple, slight orange rim.

Nose: ripe black fruits, but already showing some savoury, developed notes (became meaty over the evening). Similar to aged red Bordeaux, but riper, with fair bit of oak.

Palate: grainy tannins, good acidity (which is marked), pleasant fruit, good length.

Conclusion: an elegant Bordeaux-blend, comprising 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc aged in French Nevers oak for two years (80% of the wine sees new oak). This wine is already drinking and will actually age more quickly than the 2001 Meerlust Rubicon (see below).

Rating: 17.5/20

2001 Meerlust Rubicon, Stellenbosch

Appearance: deep purple to black, orange rim.

Nose: concentrated black fruits (lots of blackcurrant), considerable oak, some leather but still ‘youthful’. Also has pine and iron smells from the oak.

Palate: rich, concentrated fruits, angular tannic structure that is larger than the 2003 Meerlust Rubicon, ripe but with great acidity and very good length.

Conclusion: 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc and aged for two years in French Nevers oak (80% of which is new oak), this is clearly an excellent vintage of this particular wine that has a great life ahead of it, if enjoyable now.

Rating: 18.5/20

Labels: 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Meerlust, Merlot, red, Rubicon, South Africa, Stellenbosch, white

Featured Tasting: 'Wines for Summer Drinking' Oxford & Cambridge Club Beijing, Part II

2006 Norton ‘Lo Tengo’ Torrontes, Mendoza, Argentina

Appearance: gold with orange tints.

Nose: distinctive Torrontes nose of lychee and mango, but not really the rose-petal or gingerbread quality of Gewurztraminer (nor the orange blossom aspect of Muscat). Torrontes is apparently related to Muscat, but it remains an Argentinian thing really.

Palate: palate was rich with strong tropical fruit, distinctive bitterness and even slightly salty in taste with low acidity, highish alcohol and some length. More pleasant on the nose than palate.

Conclusion: fascinating to taste, but we're not sure we'd want to drink a whole bottle. A good deal at 88RMB, however (from ASC).

Rating: 15.5/20

2004 Moscato d’Asti, Castello del Poggio, Piemonte, Italy

Appearance: characteristic cheerful green colour with orange tints and some sparkle.

Nose: pleasant Moscato nose of highly aromatic grapes. It certainly has not deteriorated into that geranium smell you get on oxidized Moscato d’Asti.

Palate: good fruit, refreshing acidity and balanced medium-high residual sugar.

Conclusion: we were concerned that the bottle-age – which is desirable only in very high-quality Moscato d’Asti wines – might be a problem here, but the wine had held up very well. Good and well-priced for the Beijing market at 134RMB from Palette Vino.

Rating: 16.5/20

2006 Indis Shiraz Rosé, Great Southern, Western Australia

Appearance: purple-pink.

Nose: strong strawberry and red cherry fruit on the nose and even some spice (white pepper?).

Palate: decent palate showing the same strong red fruit qualities, nice acidity and not too high alcohol (weighs in at 12.5%).

Conclusion: A real find from the Beijing wine club Big 9. Indis wines are under the flag of Forest Hill, a really good Western Australian producer. Well-priced at 165RMB.

Rating: 17/20

Labels: 2004, 2006, Argentina, ASC, Castello del Poggio, Indis, Italy, Mendoza, Moscato d'Asti, Norton, Piemonte, rose, Shiraz, sparkling, Torrontes, Western Australia, white

Featured Tasting: 'Wines for Summer Drinking' Oxford & Cambridge Club Beijing, Part I

The theme for this tasting held for the Oxford & Cambridge Club of Beijing and guests was 'Wines for Summer Drinking'. We actually gave the tasting to two different groups on consecutive nights (4th and 5th July 2007).

We have divided up our notes into a series of posts. Here's Part I.

2006 Neil Ellis Sauvignon Blanc, Stellenbosch, South Africa

Appearance: light green.

Nose: delicate gooseberry fruit, some minerality.

Palate: ripe gooseberry fruit, excellent high acidity and impressive length.

Conclusion: made from fruit sourced in the Jonkershoek Valley, Stellenbosch, this sophisticated Sauvignon Blanc showing all the delicacy of well-made Sancerre but with greater density of fruit. Well-priced for the Chinese market at 188 RMB from Jebsen.

Rating: 18/20

2006 Brokenwood Semillon, Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia

Appearance: light green.

Nose: delicate lemon and lime nose with slight chemical smell (wax) and some green notes reminiscent of Sauvignon Blanc but without the same aromatic quality.

Palate: tight-knit lemon and lime fruit, high balanced acidity and characteristic relatively low alcohol with great length.

Conclusion: very, very good Hunter Valley Semillon, but also very, very young. This wine will develop wonderfully in bottle turning deep yellow and showing complex lemon and even toasty notes (although there’s no oak here, this is a feature of aged Hunter Semillon). The wine is approximately 214RMB retail from Jebsen, but totally worth it.

Rating: 18.5/20

2004 Heartland Viognier Pinot Gris, Limestone Coast, Australia

Appearance: lovely golden colour.

Nose: complex nose showing peach and apricot from the Viognier and pear and slight spice from the Pinot Gris.

Palate: The palate has pleasant fruit, some minerality and also some of that glycerol fatness that Viognier offers; but the latter is moderated by the freshness of the Pinot Gris (which, although not a high-acidity grape, nevertheless lifts the whole). Good length too.

Conclusion: very well-made, very drinkable. A delight.

Rating: 17.5/20

Labels: 2004, 2006, Australia, Brokenwood, Featured Tastings, Heartland, Hunter Valley, Jebsen, Neil Ellis, New South Wales, OCCB, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, South Africa, Viognier, white

Featured Tasting: Dr Loosen, Hilton Hotel, Beijing

Summergate brought in Ernie Loosen of Dr Loosen, the well-known German producer, whose wines are largely based in the Mosel, although he does make some wines in the Pfalz as well. The tasting was held at the Zeta Bar in Beijing's Hilton. Ernie Loosen was a lot of fun and spoke both realistically and optimistically about the China market(s).

2004 Wolf Pinot Noir, Pfalz

Appearance: medium red with orange rim.

Nose: immediate Pinot fruit in a ‘rustic style’, largely red cherry and strawberry.

Palate: high acidity, pleasant fruit, not much length, but faithful to the grape.

Conclusion: pleasant enough Pinot, if rough around the edges on the palate. Would go better with food, particularly salmon. Pretty drinkable, though.

Rating: 15/20

2005 ‘Dr L’ Riesling, QbA

Appearance: light to medium green-gold.

Nose: apples, chemical, slight tartness.

Palate: obviously high acid balanced by the sugar here which is overt in the QbA style. Pleasant apple fruit. Not bad length for this level.

Conclusion: as good a QbA as anyone is likely to find (certainly in Beijing!).

Rating: 16/20

2005 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett, Mosel

Appearance: light to green-gold.

Nose: very young, but still shows apple fruit, minerality and a generally savoury nose.

Palate: closed apple fruit, more mineral notes, delicate acidity with very well-balanced residual sugar.

Conclusion: a baby of a wine, but already showing some of the characteristics of excellent Mosel Riesling from an already fabled vintage.

Rating: 17.5/20 [but will get better]

2003 Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese, Mosel

Appearance: medium green-gold

Nose: honey, spice, some kerosene, already mellowing apple fruit.

Palate: round mouth-feel with more honeyed aromatic fruit. Acidity is lacking no doubt owing to the 2003 heat, but this is well put together.

Conclusion: I know some German Riesling producers managed to pull something out of the hat in the difficult 2003 vintage, but although this is largely a lovely wine, I still miss the grip of acidity that was denied that year (apart from to those who rashly acidified). Nice development on the nose, however.

Rating: 17/20

Labels: 2003, 2004, 2005, Dr Loosen, Featured Tastings, Germany, Mosel, Pfalz, Pinot Noir, QbA, red, Riesling, Summergate, Urziger Wurzgarten, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, white

2004 Rutherglen Estates Nebbiolo, Rutherglen, Victoria

2004 Rutherglen Estates Nebbiolo, Rutherglen, Victoria

Appearance: darkish red-purple colour with slight orange rim.

Nose: spicy ‘Christmas cake’ nose, i.e. dried cherry and cranberry fruit, cinnamon, clove and other spices, but also a tar or smoky smell reminiscent of Piemontese Nebbiolo. Good oak.

Palate: showed the characteristic high acidity of the grape, lovely fruit, softened spiky tannins and high balanced alcohol. Good length too.

Conclusion: we liked this wine a lot and will drink this bottle over a number of days (in the end, it was over three days and the wine got better each day). Capable of further ageing. Available from Gelipu for RMB 108.

Rating: 18/20 [could be higher]

Labels: 2004, Australia, Gelipu, Nebbiolo, red, Rutherglen, Rutherglen Estates, Victoria