Tuesday, October 28th, 2008
28th October 2008
Watson’s Wines of Hong Kong, now thankfully active in the Beijing market, hosted Margaret River producer Clairault for a special lunch at China World’s Aria restaurant with Clairault’s own chef in tow and a specially devised menu.
On tasting at the lunch were (click on links for full tasting notes):
Clairault Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2007
Served with beetroot-cured salmon with avocado cream, horseradish and a lemon and herb oil
Clairault Cabernet Merlot 2004
Clairault Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Both served with fillet of venison with red wine braised tomato, grilled asparagus, roast leeks and watercress
The Semillon Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Merlot both weigh in at a relatively reasonable 162RMB, well-priced for the Beijing market. The Estate Cabernet is 393RMB, but is clearly a fine wine that, again in terms of the market here, does punch above its weight compared with some of the 400RMB and above offerings we see.
Paul Easden, Clairault Sales Manager, gave a sensibly pitched introduction to the property and Clairault’s philosophy.
These wines are clearly fine additions to Watson’s already impressive list which boasts the likes of Domaine de la Romanee Conti, Jean Grivot, Domaine Leflaive, numerous top Bordeaux properties, Jean Louis Chave and some very good New World producers (e.g. New Zealand’s Palliser and Australia’s Katnook Estate).
Wednesday, September 24th, 2008
(Click on the links for full tasting notes):
Penfolds Grange 1983
Penfolds Grange 1991
Penfolds Grange 1998
Penfolds Grange 1999
Penfolds Grange 2003
After a short intermission, Kym Schroeter introduced the philosophy behind Grange, Max Schubert’s 1951 creation. Grange was originally something of a controversial wine with intense fruit and prolonged maturation in 100% new American oak and a full five years ageing before release.
In fact, it was so ‘big’ and massively concentrated that the senior brass at Penfolds actually ordered Schubert to stop making the wine in the mid-1950s. Schubert did not desist, however, and cannily kept on producing Grange, but without mounting expensive orders for new American oak barrels.
Thus, the 1957, 1958 and 1959 vintages, now hugely sought after at auction, were still made but aged in old oak already on the property, without arousing much suspicion.
The fruit for these wines is sourced from only top sites, of course, e.g. Magill Estate (for Shiraz). Grange is rarely 100% Shiraz, however - only five vintages since 1961 have been purely that grape - with the Kalimna Block 42 vineyard remaining the top source of Cabernet Sauvignon (from very old vines).
Clearly, the wine to drink on the afternoon was the 1983, although this still has a huge life ahead of it. The 1991 and 1999 Granges are more restrained and savoury and will be brilliant over time. The 1998 has the most attractive and concentrated fruit and is set to be a great vintage, whilst the 2003 is ‘lighter’, in relative terms, and at least gives Grange fans a vintage to approach earlier.
The 2003 is hardly a light-weight wine, however; it just has a different tannic structure (see tasting notes above) and more immediately appealing fruit than some of the ‘darker’ vintages.
All in all, this was a huge privilege and ASC put on a very professional tasting with simultaneous translation, while Grange (the restaurant) is obviously serious about proper service and handling.
If you can wait for these wines, your patience will be rewarded!
Wednesday, September 24th, 2008
24th September 2008
ASC hosted a very special tasting in Beijing recently, presented by Kym Schroeter, Senior Winemaker at Penfolds. The venue was the appropriately named Grange restaurant in the newly-opened Westin Hotel, Chaoyang (Beijing’s second Westin, in fact).
Grange restaurant, as you might think, does have a full list of vintages of Penfolds’s iconic wine of the same name, but this venue also sports a diverse wine list with a healthy smattering of wines from China and the first Swiss wine I have seen on a Beijing list, or, for that matter, anywhere else in China.
We tasted in the following order (click on the links for full tasting notes):
Penfolds Koonunga Hill 1986
Penfolds Koonunga Hill 1991
Penfolds Koonunga Hill 1998
Penfolds Koonunga Hill 2004
Penfolds Koonunga Hill 2006
Penfolds ‘Seventy Six’ Koonunga Hill 2006
Kym Schroeter gave an informative power-point presentation on the history of Penfolds, its philosophy of regional blending (mainly from sites in South Australia) and the development of the nominal ‘entry-level’ wine Koonunga Hill as well as Grange itself, before leading guests through 6 vintages of Koonunga Hill (going back to 1986) and 5 vintages of Grange (going back to 1983).
The point of each vertical was not only to display the staying power of these very different wines, but to make good on the claims of the 6th edition of the comprehensive The Rewards of Patience guide. This unique reference work provides tasting notes on all of the Penfolds range compiled by an independent tasting panel (boasting the likes of James Halliday, Huon Hooke and Neil Beckett) lovingly compiled by Andrew Caillard MW.
Koonunga Hill was created in 1976 by Don Ditter. Penfolds wanted to produce a wine which would, as Schroeter explained, ‘over-deliver at the price-point’, providing a decent blend without expensive oak treatment from regions of over-supply (originally a Cabernet-Shiraz blend from Coonawarra and Barossa respectively).
Koonunga Hill itself, however, is the name of an actual vineyard in the Barossa. So the name testifies to a particular part of South Australia whilst also providing a catchy title for a multi-regional blend meant to maintain ‘consistency of style year on year’.
Of these wines, the 1986, though fading, was clearly fascinating to taste, the 1991 was still austere (with some ageing potential left) and the younger vintages showed the bright fruit-forward quality Koonunga Hill should always show. I loved the 1986, but the commemorative 2006 Seventy Six Kooonunga will provide lovely drinking (only available in restaurants) with the 1998 being very attractive too.
Saturday, September 20th, 2008
20th September 2008
Torres China ‘Taste of the Nations’, Radisson SAS Hotel Beijing
This portfolio tasting, now in its second year, drew quite a crowd at the Beijing Radisson SAS Hotel.
Here is a selection of some of the wines we tasted (click on links for full tasting notes):
Champagne Taittinger Brut Vintage 2002
Domaine de Vaudon Chablis, Joseph Drouhin 2006
Marimar Estate Chardonnay, Russian River Valley 2003
Marimar Estate Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley 2002
Torres Nerola, Catalunya 2005
Torres Gran Coronas, Penedes 2004
Torres Mas La Plana, Penedes 2003
Torres Mas La Plana, Penedes 2004
Peter Lehmann Eden Valley Riesling 2007
Peter Lehmann Art Series Shiraz, Barossa Valley 2005
Peter Lehmann Eight Songs Shiraz, Barossa Valley 2003
Peter Lehmann Mentor, Barossa Valley 2002
Henschke Keyneton Estate Euphonium, Eden & Barossa Valleys 2004
Te Mata Awatea Cabernet Merlot, Hawke’s Bay 2004
We were also impressed with the Kleine Zalze range from Stellenbosch, South Africa, Torres China has just begun importing, especially the 2006 Kleine Zalze Cellar Sellection Pinotage (not always the easiest grape to get right), well-priced at 140RMB.
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008
22nd July 2008
South Australia’s Kingston Estate visited Beijing with importer Summergate hosting a media lunch at Aria restaurant. Bill and Ivanka Moularadellis were on the first leg of a tour that would take them on to Shanghai and a number of other Chinese cities, presenting several of their wines.
Bill Moularadellis, an Australian of Greek extraction (whose family emigrated to Australia during the 1950s), is a passionate oenologist, having trained at Roseworthy College (University of Adelaide) with some of Australia’s biggest names.
Kingston Estate is itself a sizeable venture, weighing within the top ten of Australia’s producers by volume (producing 40 million bottles a year). But the research and experimentation Mourlaradellis has pioneered, particularly with Petit Verdot, indicates a commitment to quality which was borne out on the wines on show in Beijing.
Moularadellis cogently explained how most of the international grape varieties hailing from Europe, especially France, were never acclimatized to the heat Australia experiences. In fact, it was only when Australia led its wine technology revolution that the country could even produce stable dry wines (Australia’s earliest wines being fortified).
Mourlardellis is convinced Petit Verdot (right) is the grape that proves the exception to the rule. We talked about this Bordeaux grape’s desire for heat and tendency to unripeness (Petit Verdot meaning ‘the little green one’), recalling the old Bordeaux joke that the only time Petit Verdot ripens is when you don’t actually need it (because your Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon will have ripened already). And yet a number of Bordeaux chateaux still favour this spicy and intriguing grape which Mourladellis explained is much more likely to ripen properly in Australia. The Kingston Estate ‘Empiric’ Petit Verdot 2003 we tasted over lunch was certainly ripe and an impressive wine.
Of course, not any place will do. Kingston Estate has devoted most of its Petit Verdot plantings to Riverland and Langhorne Creek (up to 100 hectares in the former, the largest vineyard area planted out to Petit Verdot in the world); whilst some of the cooler regions in South Australia, such as Clare Valley, are simply not hot enough to support the grape. The ‘cool climate’ Chardonnay we tasted bore this out (Kingston Estate Chardonnay 2005).
Having cropped his first Petit Verdot vintage as far back as 1994, Mourlardellis also spoke of this grape’s malleability, being easy to vinify and not clonally diverse. It just requires some positive oxidation during vinification and not too much oak treatment if it is to sing.
Petit Verdot also emerges as a great blender, complementing Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot exceptionally well; although it does not seem to offer the same advantage to Shiraz (we also tasted Kingston’s top Shiraz over lunch which is well put together: Kingston Estate ‘Echelon’ Shiraz 2002). But for Mourlardellis this actually represents an opportunity to trumpet the grape as a single varietal as well as an occasional part of the ‘Bordeaux blend’.
Wednesday, March 12th, 2008
12th March 2008: The Wine Republic at Café Europa
An inaugural tasting event celebrating the founding of Beijing’s newest wine company, The Wine Republic, hosted by Managing Director Campbell Thompson.
Guests assembled at Café Europa to sample the wines of Victorian estate Mount Langi Ghiran, part of what looks to be an inspiring range, set to include other Australian producers such as Yering Station, Yarrabank, a joint venture between Yering Station and Champagne Veuve A. Devaux, Parker Coonawarra Estate, Xanadu Wines and Hewitson.
Thompson explained how it was not just important for him to import genuinely good wines into China, but that the logistics-side was a pressing concern: how wine is shipped, how it is stored and transported within mainland China; and, of course, how it finally reaches the consumer.
Those of us who have had clearly heat-damaged bottles know only too well the problems with storage and transportation that routinely occur here.
We were certainly impressed by the quality of Mount Langi Ghiran’s wines (see full tasting notes below) and welcome the appearance of The Wine Republic on the Beijing and Shanghai scenes.
Despite recent shipping, the wines seemed to be in fine fettle. The Wine Republic joins a handful of companies including Globus Wines and Ruby Red Fine Wines (both in Shanghai) that takes issues of transportation and storage seriously.
Each wine was paired by a particular dish and the food-and-wine matching was generally very well-done. Here are our notes:
2004 Mount Langi Ghiran Riesling
Appearance: medium yellow green.
Nose: instantly appealing developed Riesling nose featuring lime and grapefruit aromas with marked kerosene notes. Savoury and subtle.
Palate: mellowed ripe lime fruit with lovely acidity and excellent concentration. Good length too.
Conclusion: impressive Australian Riesling from at least 20 year-old vines. South Australia’s Clare and Eden Valleys usually get the limelight for this grape, but it’s lovely to have such a good Victorian example. Very good and capable of some further ageing in bottle if you like your Rieslings a bit older (up to 2010). Went very well with a tuna carpaccio with mango salsa. Note: The Wine Republic will carry the 2007 vintage for those who like a younger expression. Retail approx. 220RMB.
Rating: 18.5/20
2003 Mount Langi Billi Billi Shiraz
Appearance: medium purple-red, orange rim.
Nose: attractive cool-climate Shiraz nose showing black cherry and blueberry fruit with distinctive peppery notes (that pepper is lost in hotter climates, even if Shiraz retains other spicy aromas). Non-intrusive oak, if any here.
Palate: lovely fruit, medium chewy tannins and good acidity here. Pleasant length too.
Conclusion: well put-together and drinking well now. 2003 was not the greatest vintage anywhere in Australia really and a number of reds are looking tired already (certainly in comparison with 2002 and 2005). But this wine is ready and a lovely expression of cool-climate Shiraz. Paired extremely well with a grilled duck breast and rocket and parmesan salad. Retail approx. 180RMB.
Rating: 17/20
2001 Mount Langi Cliff Edge Shiraz
Appearance: dark purple-red, orange rim.
Nose: crushed red and black fruits of various descriptions (everything from red and black cherry to Shiraz’s slight blueberry character), lovely oak (largely French oak here), mature, slightly leathery notes.
Palate: medium-high chewy tannins, although mellowed, backed up by lovely fruit and nice acidity. Alcohol is balanced as it was on the Billi Billi Shiraz above.
Conclusion: lovely cool-climate Shiraz already benefiting from modest ageing. A pretty good accompaniment to the pepper-crusted beef fillet, but I think the pepper in the dish was too much for the wine in this case. A quibble. Retail approx. 260RMB.
Rating: 18/20
2000 Mount Langi Cabernet-Merlot
Appearance: dark purple-red to black, orange rim.
Nose: dark blackcurrant fruit with some plummy notes, nice oak again here. Still quite young on the nose.
Palate: very good palate with integrated medium-high tannins, good fruit, good acidity and impressive length.
Conclusion: this wine still has some time to go really, although it’s clearly drinkable now. Very well-made; but the Cliff Edge Shiraz might be the best of the reds here in terms of quality-price ratio. A pretty good match with the gratinated field mushroom. Retail approx. 420RMB.
Rating: 17.5/20
Monday, November 19th, 2007
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 for the Chinese market at 155RMB (from Summergate).
Rating: 17/20
Wednesday, November 7th, 2007
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
Saturday, November 3rd, 2007
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.
Thursday, October 18th, 2007
A tasting of the wines of Australian producer Brokenwood at Frank Siegel’s Sanlintun Sequoia Café in conjunction with Jebsen wines. Geoff Krieger, one of the company’s twenty-five partners and General Manager, was on hand to answer questions and also gave a short introduction to the winery. Brokenwood, although based in the Hunter Valley since 1970, has become increasingly national in its grape-sourcing, although the majority of wines are vinified in the Hunter itself.
2006 Brokenwood Hunter Valley Semillon
Appearance: light green.
Nose: complex nose of lime and green apple, slight wax. Very young and green at present.
Palate: more lime and green apple fruit, wax, medium-high acidity, lean feel, obviously no oak in this classic Hunter Semillon style.
Conclusion: very good, a wine you can either drink now when it is fresh, green and light or ten years down the road when the wine will become nutty – even giving the illusory sense of being oaked – with complex savoury notes.
Rating: 18.5/20
2005 Brokenwood Cricket Pitch Sauvignon Semillon
Appearance: medium gold.
Nose: developed Semillon is dominant with lemon and nutty aromas – you might be forgiven for thinking this wine is oaked, but it is entirely unoaked. Any green notes from the Sauvignon have blended into the wine with slight age.
Palate: more nutty, lemon fruit with nice zip of acidity from the Sauvignon. Good length.
Conclusion: pleasant and a lovely example of an unoaked Sauvignon-Semillon blend (50% of each). The fruit is sourced from both New South Wales and South Australia but everything is vinified in the Hunter Valley itself.
Rating: 17.5/20
2003 Brokenwood Cricket Pitch Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot-Shiraz
Appearance: medium purple-red, slight orange rim.
Nose: attractive red and black fruit nose with slight spice and integrated oak.
Palate: medium-bodied, nice ripe chewy tannins, pleasant acidity and easy drinking, fruity red.
Conclusion: this is 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot and 25% Shiraz with fruit sourced from South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. Easy drinking, but I think the Cricket Pitch white is more exciting.
Rating: 17/20
2004 Brokenwood Hunter Valley Shiraz
Appearance: medium purple-red, slight orange rim.
Nose: complex blackberry fruit with definite black pepper accompanied by sweet-smelling spices (cinnamon, cardamom). Good oak.
Palate: lovely fruit, good acidity, nicely integrated oak – which is actually American, hence the sweet nose here albeit mixed with savoury characteristics – medium chewy tannins, medium-bodied.
Conclusion: a lovely example of Hunter Shiraz, not too massive in style, elegant and very drinkable.
Rating: 18/20
