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

2005 Kilikanoon ‘Killerman’s Run’ Shiraz, South Australia

Appearance: almost black (very, very dark purple)

Nose: a mixture of concentrated black fruits (black cherry is predominant); ‘sweet and savoury’ on the nose, but ‘Porty’ too with high alcohol wafting off. Should be decanted really.

Palate: intense fruit, but this doesn’t linger as long as expected. Medium chewy tannins, very high alcohol (15% alc.) which doesn’t entirely integrate with the wine. But the fruit character is pleasant and at least there’s not too much oak here (a deft balance of French and American oak). However, it’s a massive wine, some of which I’ve left to see how it develops over a few days.

Conclusion: a very robust style of South Australian Shiraz (although Kilikanoon is based in Clare Valley, the fruit for this wine is sourced from a number of different South Australian vineyards). A lot of people will like the power of this wine, but I felt the fruit fell off a bit and there wasn’t the length that could be achieved. However, it’s still a good bottle that’s worth trying (retail: 227RMB from Summergate). Interestingly, there were no eucalyptus notes and the fruit was very pure.

Rating: 17/20

Labels: 2005, Australia, Kilikanoon, red, Shiraz, South Australia, Summergate

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

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

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

1991 Lake’s Folly Cabernet Sauvignon, Hunter Valley, Australia

Appearance: deepish purple with slight orange rim

Nose: concentrated blackcurrant fruit (this wine would have been massive in 1991) with spicy oak and a very savoury nose that defies description. Slight eucalyptus nose but with other herbs, oils and spices there too.

Palate: elegant palate with ripe mellowing fruit, lovely oak, integrated still closely-knit tannins and very good length.

Conclusion: very good, although this wine still has some way to go. 1991 appears to have been a hot and dry year, but there was nothing but finesse to this wine. No wonder this is one of the stars of the Hunter.

Rating: 18.5/20 (possibly higher with time)

Labels: 1991, Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon, Hunter Valley, Lake's Folly, New South Wales, red

2005 Beaujolais-Villages, Joseph Drouhin, Burgundy, France

Appearance: medium purple-red

Nose: strawberry and raspberry fruit, not too much carbonic maceration going on here so there is not that that bubble-gum, confected flavour. Bright fruit from the 2005 vintage.

Palate: a pleasant palate with low tannins, medium acidity and decent fruit. Quite good length.

Conclusion: representative and solid Beaujolais Villages in an excellent vintage. Not bad value for the Chinese market at 138RMB either from Torres China.

Rating: 16/20

2003 Trentham Estate Ruby Sparkling Shiraz, Murray Darling, New South Wales, Australia

Appearance: deepish purple.

Nose: lovely Shiraz fruit with blackberry, black cherry and even slight pepper (which doesn’t usually come from Aussie Shirazes).

Palate: lovely mousse, great fruit, even some tannin although it seems like every effort has been made to keep these low. Good length.

Conclusion: impressive sparkling Shiraz, a category we need to taste more of! Available from Gelipu for RMB 228.

Rating: 17.5/20

Labels: 2003, 2005, Australia, Beaujolais, Burgundy, Drouhin, France, Gamay, Gelipu, New South Wales, OCCB, red, Shiraz, sparkling, Torres China, Trentham Estate

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

2005 Rutherglen Estates ‘The Alliance’ Marsanne Viognier, Rutherglen, Victoria

Appearance: strong yellow-green colour.

Nose: powerful nose of pear, peach and also some ‘grapey-ness’, slight wax and even spice.

Palate: has medium acidity, powerful high alcohol (14.5% alc.) but is well balanced with impressive fruit throughout. Full-bodied.

Conclusion: we really like Rutherglen Estates wines. They’re well-made, very drinkable and altogether more interesting than generic Australian wines produced by some of the large companies (Penfolds excepted). This blend of 70% Marsanne and 30% Viognier did not disappoint and has the kind of body that will appeal to even seasaoned red wine drinkers. Available from Gelipu for RMB96.

Rating: 17.5/20

Labels: 2005, Australia, Marsanne, Rutherglen, Rutherglen Estates, Victoria, Viognier, white

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

1999 Yering Station Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley

Appearance: light purple red with orange tinge.

Nose: lots of truffles and mushrooms, some red cherry fruit, some spice (white pepper) and mellowed oak.

Palate: decaying fruit, lovely acidity and alcohol here, low to medium softened tannins and good length.

Conclusion: this was really good, even although 1999 was not supposed to be a great year in the Yarra Valley. Certainly drinking well, but with some age ahead. Decent mid-range Australian Pinot Noir.

Rating: 17/20

Labels: 1999, Australia, Pinot Noir, red, Yarra Valley, Yering Station