Saturday, March 21st, 2009
21st March 2009
Anne Siegrist of top Pfalz producer Bürklin-Wolf joined hands with Bürklin’s importer in China, Globus Fine Wines, to host a fascinating dinner and tasting at Jaan Restaurant (Beijing Raffles Hotel).
The stars of the evening were the 2002 Bürklin-Wolf Riesling Gaisböhl ‘Grand Cru’ and the 1990 Bürklin-Wolf Wachenheimer Böhlig Riesling Reserve Auslese.
However, the 2007 Riesling Trocken is well worth looking at (and is, mercifully, not too on the Trocken side with the ripeness of fruit Pfalz can boast).
Here’s what we tasted:
Bürklin-Wolf Riesling Trocken, Pfalz 2007
Bürklin-Wolf Riesling Gaisböhl ‘Grand Cru’, Pfalz 2002
Bürklin-Wolf Pinot Noir, Pfalz 2006
Bürklin-Wolf Wachenheimer Böhlig Riesling Reserve Auslese 1990
Friday, March 20th, 2009
20th March 2009
Champagne Louis Roderer has now found full representation in China under the arm of Links China - formerly the brand was only distributed but not actually imported by Aussino.
At a private dinner hosted by Links and Roderer at Beijing’s J W Marriott, we were fortunate to taste the following:
Louis Roederer Champagne Brut Premier
Louis Roederer Cristal 2002
Of these excellent wines, clearly the NV Brut Premier is the one to drink now - although even this wine does benefit from modest ageing in bottle after release (like Pol Roger’s White Foil). The 2002 Cristal is an absolute baby and should not be drunk until 2012 at the very earliest (if you like to see the wider evolution of vintage Champagnes).
Tuesday, March 10th, 2009
10th March 2009
Importer Watson’s joined by Bernard de Laage de Meux of Chateau Palmer organized a special seminar on the wines of Palmer at Beijing’s China World hotel.
Monsieur de Laage de Meux spoke of Palmer’s unique place within the Margaux appellation, both stylistically and with respect to the property’s soils (he also noted that Petit Verdot has largely replaced Cabernet Franc in the vineyard’s plantings).
Here’s what we tasted (click on links for full tasting notes):
Alter Ego de Palmer, Margaux 2001
Alter Ego De Palmer, Margaux 2004
Alter Ego De Palmer, Margaux 2005
Château Palmer, Margaux 1995
Château Palmer, Margaux 2000
The 2000 will be very good indeed, but is still predictably on the young side (it will likely outclass the 1995 over time). Of the Alter Ego de Palmers, the 2005 was, unsurprisingly, especially good.
Friday, March 6th, 2009
6th March 2009
Importer Links China joined hands with Christophe Brunet of Paul Jaboulet Aine for a sumptuous dinner and tasting at Beijing Raffles‘ Jaan Restaurant.
This was a great opportunity to asssess the current state of affairs at Jaboulet; with several new wines and the comprehensive label re-designs instituted by the Frey family in evidence, as well as a look back at some older vintages of La Chapelle and the excellent Chevalier de Sterimberg.
Here’s what we tasted (there’s an additional note on Caroline Frey’s 2004 Chateau La Lagune which we happened to sample also):
Le Petit Jaboulet Viognier, Paul Jaboulet 2007
Crozes-Hermitage Mule Blanche, Paul Jaboulet 2005
Hermitage Chevalier de Stérimberg, Paul Jaboulet 2004
Hermitage Chevalier de Stérimberg, Paul Jaboulet 2001
Crozes-Hermitage Thalabert, Paul Jaboulet 2005
Châteauneuf-du-Papes Les Cèdres, Paul Jaboulet 2006
Hermitage La Chapelle, Paul Jaboulet 2004
Hermitage La Chapelle, Paul Jaboulet 1997
Château La Lagune, Haut-Médoc 2004
Of these wines, the Petit Jaboulet Viognier is charming and very true to varietal; the Mule Blanche is an impressive white Crozes, which, though developing well, will last a little longer in bottle; the Chevalier de Sterimberg vintages were both very good indeed, although the 2004 is very much on the young side; and the Thalabert and Les Cedres not perhaps showing as well as they might (Jaboulet needs to work on its Chateauneuf especially).
That said, the vintages of La Chapelle were fascinating. The 2004 will be very good with time and the not-always-trumpeted 1997 seemed to be in finer shape than some have suggested in previous years (i.e. when tasting the 1997 at an early stage in its development - see tasting note).
Finally, the 2004 La Lagune is one of the stronger wines of that vintage without a doubt.
Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009
3rd March 2009
In the opulent surroundings of Beijing’s Maison Boulud, importer Jointek showed four of Bernard Magrez’s 2005 red Bordeaux from various properties.
Here’s what we tasted (click on links below for full tasting notes):
Château Fombrauge Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2005
Château Les Grands Chênes, Cru Bourgeois Superieur 2005
Château La Tour Carnet, Haut-Médoc 2005
Château Pape-Clément, Graves 2005
With time these wines will improve significantly in bottle, especially La Tour Carnet and the Pape-Clément.
Monday, March 2nd, 2009
The wood of the oak tree plays various roles in winemaking. Winemakers can choose to ferment grapes in oak barrels and then age the wine in oak, if they wish; or they can ferment in a neutral vessel (e.g. stainless steel) and then mature in oak, if necessary.
Generally speaking, only certain grape varieties (or blends) suit the flavours oak confers. For example, white grapes like Chardonnay and Semillon like oak a lot! Some blended whites (e.g. Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon blends) may also be exposed to oak.
Chardonnay is an especially neutral grape that usually reflects the climate in which it is grown rather than having intense flavours of its own. So, winemakers especially like to oak Chardonnay to add toasty, smoky, vanilla or other spicy aromas. Most red wines will also spend some time in oak too; as black grape varieties are generally much better at coping with oak as a flavouring component.
However, old oak is sometimes preferred because it does not impart any oak character at all. Instead, these old oak barrels act simply as vessels for maturing or storing the wine. This is important if you want to concentrate the alcohol or gently expose the wine to oxygen over a long period of ageing as, for example, with wood-aged fortified wines.
Next time: oak terms and what to drink if you don’t like oak!
Monday, March 2nd, 2009
Book Review: “To Cork or Not to Cork: Tradition, Romance, Science, and the Battle for the Wine Bottle” by George M. Taber
This book outlines the history and science behind the various closures of the wine bottle over several centuries.
Although 270 pages on wine closures may sound boring to a lot of people, Taber writes a fascinating and balanced account not only of the natural cork,
but also screwcaps, glass closures and plastic corks, while providing interesting anecdotes about specific wineries and their searches to find the perfect closure.
In fact, Taber’s lively story-telling style ensures the book reads more like a collection of short stories rather than a dry discussion of bottle-closure pros and cons. For those who would like to read a balanced and reasonable account clearly demonstrating the positive and negative characteristics surrounding natural corks, plastic corks, screwcaps and glass, we can wholeheartedly recommend this title.
