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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2000 Riesling ‘Jubilee’, Hugel et Fils

Appearance: deepish golden green.

Nose: complex nose of honeyed green apple fruit with noticeable kerosene aroma (the chemical smell is fully integrated and purely a sign of age here).

Palate: has well-balanced high acidity and a wonderful complexity of honeyed apple fruit throughout with the lingering kerosene (wish I could find a better word for it, but this is an accurate epithet for aged Riesling). This is dry Riesling at its best.

Conclusion: superb Alsatian Riesling made from grapes harvested from the Grand Cru Schoenenbourg site. The 2000 vintage was strong and other bottles of this wine should last well for some time to come. 503RMB from Summergate.

Rating: 18.5/20

Labels: 2000, Alsace, France, Grand Cru, Hugel, Jubilee, Riesling, Summergate, white