An already much-hyped vintage, 2009 looks set to herald a return to premium wines at premium prices, after the dip in 2008. So far it seems to be agreed that some excellent wines have been made, although quality is perhaps a little more patchy than in 2005, with excessive ripeness and over-extraction being the chief concerns. Alcohol levels are generally high, with 15% abv not uncommon. Producers, especially at the top end, have been slow to release prices and it will be interesting to see how this annual poker game plays out. Robert Parker has handed out a record number of potential top-rankings (his final scores are released only upon bottling) and has said "2009 may turn out to be the finest vintage I have tasted in 32 years of covering Bordeaux".
Following April's UGC tastings in Bordeaux, several producers came to London at the end of April for a vertical tasting of the last 3-4 years. It was immediately obvious that 2009 is a fruit-forward vintage, with lovely approachable primary flavours much in evidence. In some cases tannin levels are lower than in 2005, meaning some of the 09s may not be built for long ageing (which is not to say they won't give great pleasure).
The right bank is unsurprisingly more immediately approachable than the left. Chateau Gazin (Pomerol) has a nose of ripe redcurrants and a tight but ripe, fruit-packed palate. By contrast, the 08 seems a little dilute and more open, and the 07 has less fruit and is more restrained. Chateau Angelus (St Emilion) is purple in colour, with violets, raspberries and bright summer fruits.
On the left bank, Chateau Rauzan-Segla (Margaux) is purple coloured, with violets, raspberries and a surprisingly open, vibrant palate. Chateau Leoville Poyferre (St Julien) is perhaps more typical of Cabernet at this early stage, with tightly packed dark fruit hinting at violets, and a fairly high level of fine tannins. Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) is ruby coloured, aromatic, delicate, elegant and tannic with bright fresh acidity.
See bordOverview for a useful and frequently-updated list of critics' scores and prices.
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
Friday, 30 April 2010
English Wine Producers St George's Day Tasting
The pick of the sparkling wines came from the more "established" producers. Camel Valley from Cornwall (07 Brut), Nyetimber from West Sussex (01 Blanc de Blancs) and Denbies from Surrey (02 Greenfields). All had fairly searing acidity as you would expect and autolysis was pleasantly restrained in favour of some good primary fruit characters, suggesting English sparkling wine is not simply moulding itself in the image of Champagne. There were also some interesting vegetal notes in wines with higher proportions of Pinot Noir.
Prices remain high however, with some sparkling wines nudging £30 retail. The euro exchange rate has pushed prices of Champagne, Cava and Prosecco up over the last 18 months but this is still expensive enough to make consumers think twice before buying. Relying on the novelty aspect of English wine is not a viable long-term strategy and even those consumers who want to buy English wine need to feel they are getting value for money compared to EU and new world alternatives.
The one important and unforgivable negative is that the labels are almost universally awful. With the exception of Chapel Down, which has a smart black and red label design (see pic), the rest really need to pay some attention to presentation. Asking premium prices for English wine is hard enough but when the packaging is so unappealing producers are doing themselves no favours.
Tuesday, 13 April 2010
Wines of Portugal 2010
Went to this today at Lord's, with net practice on the sunny Nursery Ground providing a truly spring-like backdrop. Fairly quiet when I arrived but was filling up by lunchtime. There were themed tables showcasing the Alvarinho, Touriga Nacional and Moscatel grape varieties. The Alvarinho was mostly from the north west - Vinho Verde and the Minho (non-DOP) region - but also some from Lisboa (the new name for Estremadura). The star Alvarinho for me was Quinta dos Loridos' 2008, with good minerality, highish acidity and a refreshingly low 12.5% abv.
Of the Touriga Nacionals, the Pedra Cancela 2008 stood out - dark ruby coloured with ripe red fruit flavours (raspberries with some violet), fine, grippy tannins and fairly high acidity (pic below).
Sarah Ahmed did talks "every hour, on the hour" on various aspects of Portuguese wine. I saw one on the Dao and food matching. Sarah mentioned that the high tannin and acidity mix in the Dao makes for particularly good foody wines. She described the Dao as rugged and mountainous, with elevation ranging between 200m and 900m, large diurnal temperature variation and high rainfall which means vines build up good reserves for the dry, hot summers.
I am always impressed by Portuguese wines but they still account for less than 1% of the UK off trade wine market (and most of that is Mateus Rose!) The wine-drinking public has no real image of Portuguese wine (positive or negative) and the indigenous grape varieties are perceived as hard to get to grips with. Hopefully some of their generic marketing efforts will pay off and the public will wake up to what are increasingly impressive wines. The Douro is maybe the most exciting area, and probably has the best potential for branding, on the back of consumers' regognition of Port.
Of the Touriga Nacionals, the Pedra Cancela 2008 stood out - dark ruby coloured with ripe red fruit flavours (raspberries with some violet), fine, grippy tannins and fairly high acidity (pic below).
Sarah Ahmed did talks "every hour, on the hour" on various aspects of Portuguese wine. I saw one on the Dao and food matching. Sarah mentioned that the high tannin and acidity mix in the Dao makes for particularly good foody wines. She described the Dao as rugged and mountainous, with elevation ranging between 200m and 900m, large diurnal temperature variation and high rainfall which means vines build up good reserves for the dry, hot summers.
I am always impressed by Portuguese wines but they still account for less than 1% of the UK off trade wine market (and most of that is Mateus Rose!) The wine-drinking public has no real image of Portuguese wine (positive or negative) and the indigenous grape varieties are perceived as hard to get to grips with. Hopefully some of their generic marketing efforts will pay off and the public will wake up to what are increasingly impressive wines. The Douro is maybe the most exciting area, and probably has the best potential for branding, on the back of consumers' regognition of Port.
Thursday, 8 April 2010
Some Italy wine facts
Revising Italian wines for an upcoming exam. Here are some interesting facts:
- Pinot Grigio accounts for ONE THIRD of all wine sales in the UK off trade (supermarkets etc).
- The quality seal DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) was introduced in the early 1980s in an attempt to create a super-DOC status. The requirements to qualify for DOCG are the same as DOC, with the added hurdle of a blind tasting carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture.
- Prosecco is a grape variety not a region (the region, recently conferred DOCG status, is Conegliano-Valdobbiadene). The Italians were so worried about other countries selling wine bearing the name Prosecco that, in a bid to protect it (and in a wonderful application of EU beaurocracy), they have just renamed the Prosecco grape "Glera" and the region itself "Prosecco".
- Pinot Grigio accounts for ONE THIRD of all wine sales in the UK off trade (supermarkets etc).
- The quality seal DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) was introduced in the early 1980s in an attempt to create a super-DOC status. The requirements to qualify for DOCG are the same as DOC, with the added hurdle of a blind tasting carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture.
- Prosecco is a grape variety not a region (the region, recently conferred DOCG status, is Conegliano-Valdobbiadene). The Italians were so worried about other countries selling wine bearing the name Prosecco that, in a bid to protect it (and in a wonderful application of EU beaurocracy), they have just renamed the Prosecco grape "Glera" and the region itself "Prosecco".
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
The Sampler
Visited The Sampler (link) in Islington a couple of days ago. A fantastic concept, especially their Icons selection which lets you taste a range of fine wine which most pockets would not stretch to. The wines below are currently on show.
Reserve de Gassac 2007 (£9.90 per btl) - citrus, floral notes and a savoury finish from this Viognier/Marsanne blend
Araldica Barbera d'Asti 2007 (£8.20) - high acidity, red cherries, sweet spice, hint of choc, slightly jammy
Chateau Musar 2002 (£21.50) - dried/cured meats and leather on nose, huge red fruit flavours (dried and fresh), raisins, cured meats, leather, vegetal/leafy, goes on and on
Gilles Barge Cote-Rotie Cuvee du Plessy 2003 (£36.00) - red cherry, dark savoury spice on nose but less on palate, some tertiary (leather, vegetal)
Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 1996 (£90.00) - finegrained tannins, highish acidity, lovely long finish, quite 'Burgundian' in style
Chateau Cissac 1978 - savoury, earthy, concentrated coffee nose-, with dried fruit and raisins on palate, but somewhat dominated by developmental characters (meat-leather-coffee) - I have tried a 1995 Cissac which was past it so am amazed that the '78 is still drinking so well
- Chateau Musar 1970
- Chateau Musar 1977
- Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1985
- Paternina Conde de Los Andes 1955 Rioja Gran Reserva
- Torbreck RunRig 1999
- Borgogno Barolo Riserva 1961
- Chave Hermitage 1998
- Pichon Baron 1964
Reserve de Gassac 2007 (£9.90 per btl) - citrus, floral notes and a savoury finish from this Viognier/Marsanne blend
Araldica Barbera d'Asti 2007 (£8.20) - high acidity, red cherries, sweet spice, hint of choc, slightly jammy
Chateau Musar 2002 (£21.50) - dried/cured meats and leather on nose, huge red fruit flavours (dried and fresh), raisins, cured meats, leather, vegetal/leafy, goes on and on
Gilles Barge Cote-Rotie Cuvee du Plessy 2003 (£36.00) - red cherry, dark savoury spice on nose but less on palate, some tertiary (leather, vegetal)
Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 1996 (£90.00) - finegrained tannins, highish acidity, lovely long finish, quite 'Burgundian' in style
Chateau Cissac 1978 - savoury, earthy, concentrated coffee nose-, with dried fruit and raisins on palate, but somewhat dominated by developmental characters (meat-leather-coffee) - I have tried a 1995 Cissac which was past it so am amazed that the '78 is still drinking so well
Giacomo Borgogno Barolo 1961 (£175.00) - from the "icons" range this one - raspberries on nose, with spice, vanillin, cloves, nutmeg, raisins, prunes, dried black fruit, smoky, coffee ground, leather (opening out with a bit of air); on the palate high acidity, fine dusty tannins, and still with awesome fruit concentration which suggests this could go on and on (unlike the Cissac...)
Monday, 22 March 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)