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

2003 Chassagne-Montrachet, Marc Morey, Burgundy, France

Appearance: medium gold-green.

Nose: very attractive French oak nose matched by ripe citrus fruit – mainly lemon – and possibly some melon fruit too. Also mineral and savoury qualities.

Palate: powerful lemon fruit, impressive acidity for the difficult 2003 vintage, lovely toasty oak and superb length.

Conclusion: this was a very high quality Chassagne and very impressive given the hardships of 2003. This is the first time we’ve tasted Marc Morey’s wines – having drunk much more of Michel Morey-Coffinet in the past (Chassagne is a minefield of Moreys, Coffinets and other relations) – and we were definitely convinced of the quality here (tasted at an event where several bottles were served showing great bottle-to-bottle consistency).

Rating: 18.5/20

Labels: 2003, Burgundy, Chardonnay, Chassagne-Montrachet, France, Marc Morey, white

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

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

2006 Gérard Bertrand 6’eme Sens Rosé

Appearance: attractive medium pink.

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

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

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

Rating: 16/20

2005 Gérard Bertrand Chardonnay

Appearance: medium yellow.

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

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

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

Rating: 16/20

2003 Gérard Bertrand Minervois

Appearance: medium purple-red, essentially clear rim.

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

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

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

Rating: 16.5/20

2005 Gérard Bertrand Château L’Hospitalet Reserve

Appearance: medium purple, clear rim.

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

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

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

Rating: 17/20

2002 Gérard Bertrand La Forge Terroir Boutenac, Corbières

Appearance: darkish purple-red, orange rim.

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

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

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

Rating: 18/20

2002 Gérard Bertrand Le Viala, Minervois La Livinière

Appearance: darkish purple-red, orange rim.

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

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

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

Rating: 18/20

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

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

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

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: Mischief & Mayhem 2005 White Burgundies

We have to delcare an interest here in that Edward's brother, Michael Ragg, is co-partner of Mischief & Mayhem, the Burgundian negociant-eleveur based in Aloxe-Corton (which he runs with Michael Twelftree of Barossa-based Two Hands Wines).

But we are not alone in thinking the quality of the wines here is very high. Wine Spectator has awarded repeated high scores in their blind-tastings and quality is set to improve even further, as Bruce Sanderson reported on his recent visit.

In July 2007 we tasted a range of both the white and red 2005s at the property. Here are our notes on the whites:

2005 Mischief & Mayhem Chablis

Appearance: lightish green gold.

Nose: beautiful mineral nose, light lemon and even green apple fruit here too.

Palate: lovely citrus fruit with more mineral notes (wet stones), excellent acidity and impressive length.

Conclusion: this wine is actually 1er Cru Côte de Léchet, but the decision was to deliver a really good Chablis at a decent price in order to establish something reliable as a new addition to the range (rather than price it at Chablis 1er Cru level). This is very good and should improve in bottle very well.

Rating: 17.5/20 [but will improve]

2005 Mischief & Mayhem Chardonnay

Appearance: medium yellow colour.

Nose: lemon fruit with mineral notes, slight oak, fresh, slightly nutty.

Palate: lovely lemon fruit with some well-balanced acidity (even for Chardonnay). Good length.

Conclusion: A very good Bourgogne Blanc.

Rating: 17/20

2005 Mischief & Mayhem Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses

Appearance: medium green gold.

Nose: intense green apple and lemon fruit, mineral, savoury, concentrated nose.

Palate: marked but integrated high acid, lovely fruit, more mineral flavours, but with a rounded feel too. Intense and full-flavoured.

Conclusion: very promising Grand Cru Chablis with a considerable life ahead of it, if highly drinkable now.

Rating: 18.5/20

2005 Mischief & Mayhem Meursault

Appearance: deepish yellow.

Nose: very attractive lemon and melon fruit (not too lush) with nicely balanced toasty oak.

Palate: good acidity and soft citrus fruits with a creamy note. Excellent length.

Conclusion: Very good Meursault and should develop very well in bottle.

Rating: 17.5/20 [although another bottle warrants 18/20]

2005 Mischief & Mayhem Puligny-Montrachet

Appearance: pleasant medium gold-green colour.

Nose: strong lemon fruit, hazelnut, minerality (stones). Very attractive integrated nose.

Palate: palate has good concentration and a bit more zip than the Meursault – Puligny’s trademark acidity and minerality coming through – although the fruit is bigger here than in Pulignys from other vintages (2005’s plushness to the fore). Good length and very good all around.

Conclusion: Lovely village Puligny. Will improve well in bottle.

Rating: 18/20

2005 Mischief & Mayhem Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Champs Gains

Appearance: attractive medium gold-green colour.

Nose: toasty oak first nose, also featuring lemon and hazlenuts (as on the village Puligny). Young, complex.

Palate: fruit has soft feel at first on palate, but then the acidity comes through so the mouth-feel is supple, simultaneously lean and rich. Very long.

Conclusion: This is possibly more complex than the village Puligny, but I love the blend of the latter. At this stage, I would rate both wines similarly in qualitative terms, but it will be really interesting to see how they develop. Very good.

Rating: 18/20 [could be 18.5/20 or higher]

Labels: Burgundy, Chablis, Chardonnay, Featured Tastings, France, Meursault, Mischief and Mayhem, Puligny-Montrachet, Two Hands Wines, white, Wine Spectator

Trade tasting with Ben Glaetzer of Heartland winery (as well as the Glaetzer family label of Barossa) hosted by Palette Vino. Glaetzer himself was on hand to discuss the wines and explain something of his philosophy. Although he harvests grapes in a number of regions in South Australia, all of the wines are still made in the Barossa.

Ben explained that for many of his reds the Limestone Coast vineyards tend to provide aromatics, particularly eucalyptus in the hotter years, but also an herbaceous quality (basil, rosemary, green pepper etc.); whereas the reds from Langhorne Creek tend to give more structure and a chocolate quality. For this reason he often blends the fruit from both areas.

Also, when it’s hotter, if there are eucalyptus trees in the area, the oils from the eucalyptus become volatile and even settle on the grapes in a kind of resinous state. This is why certain Australian reds really do taste of eucalyptus, although Ben admitted there’s considerable research to be done in the area (clearly, some wines may yet smell of eucalyptus even if the vines have not been in close proximity to eucalyptus trees).

It’s just that Glaetzer himself has seen a eucalyptus mist envelope his vineyards in hotter years like 2003, conditions that simply did not occur in cooler vintages like 2002. Anyway, we had a great time tasting the wines and also enjoyed a very good chat, both with Ben and also Vicky Arnold, general manager.

Here are the wines. As mentioned, all are made in the Barossa. All are also typified by very clean wine-making, restraint, elegance and lovely ripe fruit:

2006 Heartland Stickleback White

Appearance: pleasant gold-green

Nose: lovely lemon fruit nose with some waxy notes.

Palate: pleasant fruit, good acidity and a touch of residual sugar on the palate, although this wine is essentially dry.

Conclusion: a really drinkable blend of 52% Chardonnay, 32% Verdelho, 16% Semillon (all of which are fermented separately in stainless steel then blended).Very good at its level and a great buy at 99RMB.

Rating: 16.5/20

2006 Heartland Viognier Pinot Gris

Appearance: medium gold.

Nose: complex nose with peach, apricot and pear fruit with some mineral notes and slight spice.

Palate: medium-bodied, glycerol, but also lifting acidity, lovely fruit and good length.

Conclusion: this wine is 68% Viognier and 32% Pinot Gris with most of the grapes coming from Langhorne Creek and the rest from Limestone Coast. The varieties are again vinified separately with the Pinot Gris being allowed some skin contact for a little bit of colour and structure to tame Viognier’s fattier ways. Lovely and pure.

Rating: 17.5/20

2005 Heartland Dolcetto Lagrein

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

Nose: has a wonderfully spicy nose with black fruits (even dried cherries). Clove is predominant in terms of spice (comes from the oak here).

Palate: lovely fruit, chewy medium tannins, good oak, pleasant moderate acidity and impressive length.

Conclusion: this is 70% Dolcetto with the remaining 30% being made up of Lagrein. About 50% of the Dolcetto spent time in French oak, but the Lagrein only went near stainless steel. Very interesting and very well-made. Hurray for growing these grapes in Australia!

Rating: 17.5/20

2005 Heartland Shiraz

Appearance: dark purple-red, clear rim.

Nose: has a characteristic black cherry and slight blueberry nose, but not the masses of fruit that can blow some tasters out of the water. Elegant.

Palate: there are two things you wouldn’t notice about this wine: 1. it’s 14.5% alc., but without a ‘hot alcohol’ nose, 2. it’s been matured for 16 months in a mixture of light and heavy toast French oak. Both the alcohol and oak simply harmonize with the fruit. Tannins are moderate and chewy with just enough acidity to carry the fruit. Impressive length.

Conclusion: I loved this wine. It’s 100% Shiraz with 56% coming from Limestone Coast and the remaining 44% from Langhorne Creek. Very good.

Rating: 18.5/20

2005 Glaetzer Bishop Barossa Shiraz

Appearance: dark purple to black, clear rim.

Nose: sweet black cherry and blackberry fruits with mixture of savoury and sweet oak notes.

Palate: lovely fruit, large chunky tannins, good alcohol balance, pleasant medium acidity. Good length.

Conclusion: launched as a bench-mark Barossa Shiraz, this wine has all the elegance of the Heartland wines with a little bigger fruit. From 60 year-old vines, it has impressive structure and pure fruit. Vinified in a mixture of French and American oak, it has a slightly ‘sweeter’ nose than the Heartland Shiraz which is very appealing for the larger fruit here.

Rating: 18/20

2005 Glaetzer Wallace Barossa Shiraz Grenache

Appearance: dark purple-red, clear rim.

Nose: has an instantly appealing nose of ripe black and red fruits (more black on the account of the Shiraz fruit, at least in its Barossa expressions), some white pepper and other spices and appealing oak (French and American here again too).

Palate: refreshing acidity, chewy medium tannins (although these are slightly grainy too), strong fruit and good balance throughout. Good length.

Conclusion: this is 70% Shiraz and the remainder Grenache. Clean, pure and tantalizing, rather than being merely technically well-made.

Rating: 18/20

Labels: 2006, Barossa, Ben Glaetzer, Chardonnay, Dolcetto, Featured Tastings, Grenache, Heartland, Lagrein, Langhorne Creek, Limestone Coast, Palette Vino, Pinot Gris, Semillon, Shiraz, Verdelho, Viognier

2001 Chablis 1er Cru Montmains, Louis Etienne et Fils

Appearance: medium green.

Nose: Classic developed Chablis on the nose with mellow green apple fruit, minerality and even slight nuttiness here from the relative age.

Palate: more mellow apple fruit although with slightly sour acidity. Okay length.

Conclusion: This bottle was possible slightly tired, but was pretty good though. Made in a traditional style.

Rating: 16.5/20

Labels: 2001, Burgundy, Chablis, Chardonnay, France, Louis Etienne, Montmains, white

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

Appearance: pale straw-green colour.

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

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

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

Rating: 18/20 [possibly higher with age]

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

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

Appearance: medium gold.

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

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

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

Rating: 17.5/20

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

NV Pol Roger Champagne

Appearance: medium gold, delicate mousse.

Nose: this is an aged bottle and showed lovely developed Pinot fruits with some strong autolytic characters (yeasty and biscuity in aroma).

Palate: fine high acidity, lovely fruit with some savoury flavours, great mousse and really good length.

Conclusion: We've been hugely fortunate in tasting all of Pol Roger's wines for a number of years on the back of our involvement in the Pol Roger Oxford-Cambridge Varsity Tasting Match (see other posts for portfolio tastings). Always impressive and the ageing of this non-vintage releases all these toasty and biscuity aromas. Fantastic.

Rating: 18.5/20

Labels: Cambridge University Blind Wine Tasting Society, Champagne, Chardonnay, France, Oxford-Cambridge Tasting Match, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, Pol Roger, sparkling

We were delighted to be able to visit Krug at their historic house in Reims, Champagne (this was before the hand-over to LVMH). Our thanks to Pascale Rousseau and also Laure Mérillon who was very informative, forthcoming and an excellent host.

The sheer number of wines and range of years that comprise the base wines for Krug’s Grand Cuvée is astonishing: often up to fifty or so wines, some as old as fourteen years blended from the Reserve stocks. Krug also keeps all its bottles for much longer before release than any other house (as well as, notably, doing the first fermentation in oak).

So by the time you drink the Grand Cuvée you are getting much more than even a sophisticated NV or some vintage wines can offer. The emphasis is all on blending and not especially on vintages. In fact, Krug only tends to make vintage wines in exceptional years. For example, the house decided not to make any vintage wines in 1992 and 1993; so there will be a lot of pressure on stocks of the 1990 (not that we can afford to buy any in any case!).

Krug Grand Cuvée

Appearance: gorgeous deep straw gold to brass colour.

Nose: very complex nose featuring apples, custard, crème anglaise, white currants, floral notes, marked Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier fruit, old oak, ‘a mixture of old and young characteristics’. Both rich (‘aged’) and very fresh.

Palate: intensely layered fruit and savoury aromas, fine high acidity and superbly delicate mousse. Very long, but a bit fierce at present.

Conclusion: amazing Champagne and one that would benefit from some further ageing in bottle, in fact.

Rating: 18.5/20

1990 Krug

Appearance: deep gold almost orange colour.

Nose: more developed nose than that on the Grand Cuvée, but you can tell a stylistic affinity between the two, even although they are very different wines in composition. Deep Pinot fruit, almost spicy, mature nose, oak, very layered.

Palate: intense and concentrated, but mellowing palate with strong Pinot-dominated fruit, great acidity, a lovely softened mousse and great length.

Conclusion: seems more ready to drink than the Grand Cuvée. Is this more approachable even than 1988 Krug? The 1988 is probably better, but both are amazing.

Rating: 19/20

Labels: 1990, Champagne, Chardonnay, France, Krug, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, sparkling

1996 Nyetimber Classic Cuvee, England

Appearance: deepish green gold, fairly good mousse.

Nose: quite toasty and biscuity displaying considerable contact on the lees and lots of Pinot fruit, powerful.

Palate: good acidity and pleasant dosage, good length, balanced alcohol, lovely savoury fruit.

Conclusion: still on the young side really, despite the fact that Nyetimber has only just released this one after considerable ageing. Nyetimber certainly has the potential to compete with the top Grand Marques of Champagne and Champagne's top smaller growers too.

Rating: 18.5/20

Labels: 1996, Chardonnay, Classic Cuvee, England, Nyetimber, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, sparkling, white

2002 Chablis, William Fevre

Appearance: light green gold.

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

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

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

Rating: 17.5/20 [could be higher]

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

NV Pol Roger Champagne Brut

Appearance: brilliant medium gold, delicate mousse.

Nose: some citrus, but marked with biscuity, yeasty aromas, including almonds, custard. Complex.

Palate: balanced acidity, very slight sweetness of taste (from dosage), but still dry. Lovely Pinot fruit coming through. Medium alcohol. Very well-blanced. Delicate mousse.

Conclusion: excellent balance and depth of flavour here. The assemblage is a third of each of the classic grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. This is one our favourite Grand Marques and the NV Brut, also known as 'White Foil', is capable of further bottle age. Very, very good.

Rating: 18.5/20

Labels: Champagne, Chardonnay, France, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, Pol Roger, sparkling