Torres China threw a large tasting of their portfolio under the banner ‘Taste of the Nations’, a tasting of 150 wines organized by country. Fongyee, Ellen Xu and myself divided up those 150 wines and covered the majority.
The event itself was held at the Traders Hotel, Beijing, which did a good job and the Torres staff on hand were helpful and informative. There was a sizeable crowd, a decent mix of Chinese and ex-pat wine lovers and some good food to be had too. We were looking for wines that were decent expressions of their origins (and also useful for teaching purposes). Many of these examples would make reliable drinkers too.
Here were some of our favourites, including some for the cellar. Wines will be divided into two posts:
2000 Torres Nerola Syrah, CatalunyaAppearance: medium purple, slightly orange rim.
Nose: cool-climate Syrah nose with black fruits and black pepper, deft oak. Good.
Palate: pleasant medium chewy tannins, strong fruit, more black pepper. Good balance of fruit to oak. Acidity is maintained well too.
Conclusion: we don’t get to taste much Spanish Syrah, but more and more of them are appearing. This was well put together. Retail 192RMB.
Rating: 17/20
2002 Torres Mas La Plana Black Label
Appearance: dark purple to black, essentially clear rim.
Nose: very complex blend of black fruits, subtle oak and considerable spice and savouriness.
Palate: beautiful well-knit ripe medium-high tannins, great fruit, lovely acidity and very well balanced throughout.
Conclusion: obviously a top Cabernet Sauvignon, but very young at present. Needs time. Retail 489RMB.
Rating: 18.5/20
NV Graham’s Fine Ruby PortAppearance: medium purple-red, clear rim.
Nose: concentrated red and black fruits, ‘Porty’ obviously but with light fruits, some slight spice.
Palate: medium-bodied, good acidity and well-balanced with regard to sugar and alcohol. Quite good length and only moderate in tannins (which are slightly chewy).
Conclusion: this is what entry-level Ruby Port should be: fruity, balanced, not too demanding. Retail 169RMB.
Rating: 17/20
NV Graham’s ‘Six Grapes’ Reserve PortAppearance: darkish purple, clear rim.
Nose: crushed red and black fruits, powerful alcohol but this seems to be integrated.
Palate: sweet and also tart crushed red and black fruits, quite good balance of sugar to acidity with fairly good length. Tannins are gripping and ripe.
Conclusion: this is obviously a good Port – a Reserve Ruby – but there’s something unappealing about the tart fruit, even although there’s nothing wrong with quality here. Retail 278RMB.
Rating: 17/20
2000 Graham’s Late Bottled VintageAppearance: dark purple to black, clear rim.
Nose: very complex nose of concentrated black fruits, spicy oak and other savoury qualities.
Palate: lovely fruit, appealing structure with integrated chunky medium-high tannins, good acidity and a good balance of residual sugar to acid to alcohol. Good length.
Conclusion: a very stylish LBV from a strong vintage. We preferred this to the Six Grapes certainly. Retail 278RMB.
Rating: 18/20
NV Taittinger Brut Reserve ChampagneAppearance: medium gold, good mousse.
Nose: attractive yeasty nose with strong Pinot fruit (perfume, slight strawberry fruit even) but also some citrus from the Chardonnay here.
Palate: good fruit, lovely acidity and has promising length. Not very complex, but this may be a young bottle.
Conclusion: a blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay blended from forty different vineyards, this is a reliable NV Champagne. It’s not exciting as the equivalent NVs from Pol Roger, Bollinger or Louis Roederer, but it’s still a good wine to go for and is one that should improve in bottle even after release. Retail 441RMB.
Rating: 18/20
2006 Peter Lehmann Eden Valley Riesling, South AustraliaAppearance: green gold.
Nose: very attractive intense lime fruit with some floral notes too, slight kerosene.
Palate: lovely fruit, high refreshing acidity, more florality and a little kerosene. Good length.
Conclusion: a lovely example of Australian Riesling in this style. Well worth trying (and ageing). Retail 191RMB.
Rating: 18/20
2000 Peter Lehmann Mentor, South AustraliaAppearance: dark purple to black, essentially clear rim.
Nose: warm nose laden with black fruits, but at the same time slightly tight (still a young wine on the nose). Good oak though.
Palate: complex fruit, gripping chewy tannins; fruit is a bit closed but the ripeness and concentration are definitely there. Promising length.
Conclusion: this wine needs time and is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Malbec, 4% Merlot and spent 16 months in French oak hogsheads. I like the fact Malbec is part of the blend because this is hardly well-known as a grape in the Barossa, but is, of course, a traditional Bordeaux-blending grape. High quality and the 2002 (see below) is even better. Retail 531RMB.
Rating: 18/20
2002 Peter Lehmann Mentor, South AustraliaAppearance: dark purple to black, clear rim.
Nose: much cooler fruit than the nose on the 2000 Mentor and with more savoury smells. Intense.
Palate: complex palate featuring a range of black fruits (blackcurrant, black cherry, blackberry, black plum etc.), chewy ripe but ‘cool’ tannins, lovely acidity and great length.
Conclusion: a blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 10% Shiraz, 8% Malbec, this wine spent some 18 months in new French oak hogsheads. Retail: approx. 531RMB.
Rating: 18.5/20 [may get even better]
Labels: 2000, 2002, 2006, Bordeaux-blend, Cabernet Sauvignon, Champagne, Featured Tastings, Graham's, Mas La Plana, Peter Lehmann, Portugal, red, Riesling, South Australia, Spain, Syrah, Torres China, white
