Edward was recently invited by popular Spanish and Portuguese wine site Catavino to write a feature on Iberian wines and Vinexpo Asia 2008. To read Edward's report and download his full tasting notes, please click here.

Edward will also shortly be posting on the situation for Iberian wines in mainland China on the Catavino site as well as offering a monthly feature on the developing market for Spanish and Portuguese wines in China.

Labels: Catavino, Portugal, Spain, Vinexpo Asia 2008

Globus Wines of Shanghai had winemaker extraordinaire Bertrand Sourdais up for a visit in Beijing on the back of a number of Shanghai events.

Sourdais, a former under-study at Château Mouton-Rothschild and Léoville-Las-Cases (who also gained hands-on experience with Chile’s Santa Rita and Priorat’s Álvaro Palacio), comes from a wine-making family in the Loire Valley and since 2003 has been responsible for the vintage at Domaine de Pallus, the family domaine in Chinon.

Sourdais sprung to fame, however, with his stunning Ribera del Duero wines, made at Dominio de Atauta in collaboration with Miguel Sanchez, a notable Madrid wine merchant and distributor who was instrumental in bringing the vineyards of the town of Atauta to public note.

Sanchez has 15 hectares of pre-phylloxera vines and sources fruit from some 600 further plots, many of which clearly contain the oldest vines in the region. Sourdais was explicit in insisting that the Tinto Fino is quite different in morphology and temperament from Tempranillo, at least as it is found in Rioja; and lamented the importation of Rioja Tempranillo into the Ribera region.

Accolades have justifiably followed the wines of Atauta. Nearly every major wine writer including not only Spanish critics but Robert Parker and Michel Bettane has hailed the quality here. But we found the Chinon to be among the best we have had too!

We’re very excited that these kind of wines are available in China and recommend checking out the Globus list. Along with Ruby Red Fine Wines in Shanghai, this is one of the more innovative and exciting companies; and it is no surprise that Globus recently teamed up with Bacchus Wines in Beijing to promote the wines of Alsatian producer Lorentz Klipfel (Bacchus is another supplier to watch).

2005 Les Pensées du Pallus, Chinon

Appearance: medium purple-red.

Nose: very bright red and black fruits (strawberry, blackberry, cherries) with distinctive green pepper and very slight oak.

Palate: excellent acidity here (what Loire Cabernet Franc should be like!), lovely structure with medium chewy tannins and very good length.

Conclusion: this is perhaps the best Chinon we’ve had, easily up there with the wines of Charles Joguet (perhaps even purer in expression). Certainly the best Cabernet Franc we’ve had to date and attractively priced at RMB188.

Rating: 18.5/20

2005 Atalayas de Golban, Ribera del Duero

Appearance: dark purple-red, pink rim.

Nose: very concentrated black fruits, with oak ‘just there’ (i.e. very well-integrated). The wine has a perfumed quality which is hard to describe – certainly not reminiscent of Nebbiolo or Pinot Noir. Complex.

Palate: marked acidity, very concentrated but elegant with superb fruit, ripe smooth medium tannins and lovely length.

Conclusion: an ‘atalaya’ is a watchtower and the Golban is a river in the Atauta valley. This is a separate project from the below Dominio de Atauta and the wine is intended for earlier drinking. Fermented in stainless steel with 80% of the wine then being aged in two to three year-old barrels (emanating from Château Haut-Brion), it is beautiful to drink now, but would also benefit from medium-term ageing if desired. Very, very good and quite a competitor to the below Dominio de Atauta, in fact. We prefer the Atalayas now, even although giving the Dominio de Atauta a higher overall rating. Retail RMB228.

Rating: 18.5/20

2005 Dominio de Atauta, Ribera del Duero

Appearance: very dark purple to black, pink rim.

Nose: beautiful dark fruits, even more concentrated than the Atalayas de Golban, more overt oak here too. Needs time to develop in the glass, but it is already fragrant.

Palate: marked acidity (the acidity on all of Sourdais’s wines is prominent but pure), integrated medium-high chewy tannins, lovely fruit and very good length.

Conclusion: a blend of Tinto Fino from significant plots with old vines such as La Mala, Punto Alta, Cuesta Moral, and La Solana, this is intense but sophisticated and really needs time right now. Usually aged in 100% new French oak, the fruit is certainly robust enough to warrant this treatment. Wait on this. It will be amazing to see how it ages. Retail RMB465.

Rating: 19/20

Labels: Bacchus Wines, Bertrand Sourdais, Cabernet Franc, Chinon, Domaine de Pallus, Dominio de Atauta, France, Globus Wines, red, Ribera del Duero, Ruby Red Fine Wines, Spain, Tempranillo, Tinto Fino

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

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

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

2000 Torres Nerola Syrah, Catalunya

Appearance: medium purple, slightly orange rim.

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

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

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

Rating: 17/20

2002 Torres Mas La Plana Black Label

Appearance: dark purple to black, essentially clear rim.

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

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

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

Rating: 18.5/20

NV Graham’s Fine Ruby Port

Appearance: medium purple-red, clear rim.

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

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

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

Rating: 17/20

NV Graham’s ‘Six Grapes’ Reserve Port

Appearance: darkish purple, clear rim.

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

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

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

Rating: 17/20

2000 Graham’s Late Bottled Vintage

Appearance: dark purple to black, clear rim.

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

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

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

Rating: 18/20

NV Taittinger Brut Reserve Champagne

Appearance: medium gold, good mousse.

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

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

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

Rating: 18/20

2006 Peter Lehmann Eden Valley Riesling, South Australia

Appearance: green gold.

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

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

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

Rating: 18/20

2000 Peter Lehmann Mentor, South Australia

Appearance: dark purple to black, essentially clear rim.

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

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

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

Rating: 18/20

2002 Peter Lehmann Mentor, South Australia

Appearance: dark purple to black, clear rim.

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

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

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

Rating: 18.5/20 [may get even better]

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

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

Appearance: dark purple to black, clear rim.

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

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

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

Rating: 16.5/20

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

1996 Rioja Reserva Glorioso, Bodegas Palacio

Appearance: medium red purple, slightly orange rim.

Nose: strawberries, vanilla, chutney (at least a slight caramelized onion smell), American oak, sweet tobacco, even mincemeat.

Palate: medium acidity, medium alcohol, sweet and aromatic tasting; strawberries and red cherry, good weight, light softened tannins. Good length.

Conclusion: certainly within its drinking phase, but from a year good enough to age for a little while longer if necessary. Rioja goes extremely well with roast pork (as this bottle did).

Rating: 17/20

Labels: 1996, Bodegas Palacio, red, Reserva, Rioja, Spain, Tempranillo