Indholdsfortegnelse for September 2020 i Decanter

Letter of the month Bordeaux’s value gems I was interested to read the letter from Dave Cronin in your August issue. I agree that Andy Howard’s ‘Bordeaux Reds Under £20’ feature was very helpful (see also ‘Notes & Queries’, p88). Both he and your other excellent contributing editor, Jane Anson, emphasise that more modestly priced Bordeaux red wines have never been better. In my experience, there are superb wines to be found from the Côtes de Bordeaux (Blaye, Cadillac, Castillon, Francs) along with the Bourg, Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac areas. I think the key to Dave Cronin’s disappointment lies in his reference to focusing on wines from high-street retailers. You can search out brilliant wines from family-owned estates from UK merchants such as The Wine Society and…

Hugh Johnson ‘If the wine trade did well out of lockdown, where’s the harm?’ We saw a heartening touch of realism from the Government when, at the start of the Covid scare, it classed wine merchants as essential businesses. Not just for wine, but for alcoholic drinks in general. I’d like to think it passed in Cabinet on the nod. Prohibition? Ridiculous. It was no concession, but a timely acknowledgement that our world, the western world, duly prizes the gift of conviviality and all the human kindnesses and benefits that spring from it. The relaxation and inspiration wine, beer, spirits and the whole colourful catalogue of drinks contribute to our European culture is incalculable. Lockdown, as a result, was one degree less arduous than it could have been, deprived of…

Top tips for summer serving ■ Chill whites in the fridge, but take them out 10 minutes before serving. ■ Good summer reds should be served at 10°C-16°C (50°F-60°F). That’s significantly cooler than many a summer’s day, so don’t be afraid to pop them in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving if the weather’s warm. ■ For rapid cooling, submerging a bottle in a mixture of smashed ice and water is best. One alternative to ice cubes is to freeze a few whole grapes, then you can pop those in your wine glass without fear of dilution. ■ Be wary of dehydration when it’s warm – drink lots of water, and ideally eat food with a high water content too. ■ We specified a maximum alcohol level of 12.5%…

The Howard dozen: top Montagny to try 1 Feuillat-Juillot, Montagny 1er Cru Les Coères 2018 93 £23.50 Palmers Wine Store Les Coères is Montagny’s largest premier cru and Feuillat-Juillot owns 4ha of 60-year-old vines lying at 300m. Rich and concentrated, the wine retains a lovely freshness on the palate, balancing ripe white peach fruit notes. Maturation in 500-litre barrels has added complexity and texture. A fine example of premier cru Montagny. Drink 2020-2024 Alcohol 13% 2 Jean-Marc Boillot, Montagny 1er Cru 2018 93 £27.95-£32 Cru, Lay & Wheeler, Lea & Sandeman, Taurus Wines, The Solent Cellar A very glossy Montagny premier cru, almost Côte de Beaune in style: rich, unctuous and spicy, with enough acidity to keep the palate fresh and a hint of smoky reduction. A consistently impressive bottling.…

The Curtis dozen: top Chardonnays from Oregon’s Willamette Valley 1 Lingua Franca, Estate, Eola-Amity Hills 2018 96 POA Berry Bros & Rudd Lovely, expressive notes of juicy grapefruit and ripe pear, toast and oak spice make an appearance but the cask ageing is very well integrated. The overall impression is of a consummate balance between richness and freshness, with another layer of firm underlying acidity too, and the wine lingers enticingly. As consultant Dominique Lafon notes: ‘Our better wines are not the bigger. Our selection is on refinement.’ Drink 2020-2030 Alcohol 12.5% 2 Walter Scott, X Novo Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills 2018 96 £48.18 (2017) Justerini & Brooks Citrussy and mineral aromas, almost saline, with a lemon, green apple and apricot fruit character and plenty of depth. The acidity is vibrant…

Streetwise: Tesauro’s pick of US urban wineries 1 Tank Garage Winery, Super Geisha Pét-Nat, El Dorado County, California 2019 90 $36 www.tankgaragewinery.com Mainly Picpoul with a dash of Tocai Friulano, from the volcanic soils of El Dorado County. With a label ‘inspired by the ultra-vibrancy of geisha street art’, this is made via méthode ancestrale: bottling the juice with native yeasts and trapping the first-fermentation bubbles, resulting in an appropriately cloudy, pale green-gold sparkler. Sharp, fragrant citrus nose with a touch of lychee, green strawberry and limeade. Soft, foamy, vibrant bubbles with ample texture for food and a chalky finish. Drink 2020-2022 Alcohol 11.5% The Infinite Monkey Theorem Urban Winery, The Bubble Universe, Texas Hill Country, Texas NV 89 $49.99 www.theinfinitemonkeytheorem.com The Infinite Monkey Theorem states that ‘a monkey at…

South Africa SOUTH AFRICAN CABERNET SAUVIGNON: 20 WINES TO BUY Great things are being achieved in the Cape with this most famous of Bordeaux varieties, with production techniques and styles evolving fast. Here, Christian Eedes recommends the 20 wines he scored highest when blind-tasting a line-up of 106 wines recently Cabernet Sauvignon is South Africa’s most widely planted red grape and third most-planted variety overall – 10,087ha were in the ground by the end of 2019, equivalent to 11% of the national vineyard. It has been around since the late part of the 19th century and traditionally made South Africa’s most prestigious reds. That said, one of the reasons it is so ubiquitous is because of how adaptable it is, retaining a recognisable character even when planted in less…

Ten gins to try in different botanical styles Citrussy Tanqueray No Ten £29-£33 Widely available Super-citrussy in its botanical mix and its flavour – lemons, oranges and blood grapefruit – but beautifully balanced, too, this is a seamless melding of flavours. Fantastic with tonic, but also in a silky-smooth martini. Alcohol 47.3% 1 Ki No Bi £45-£59 Gerry’s, Harvey Nichols, Master of Malt, Soho Wine Supply, The Whisky Exchange Made mostly with Japanese botanicals (ginger, sancho peppers, shiso...), there’s a real deftness of touch here. The main flavour is yuzu, giving a citrussy lift. Can be drunk over ice or with tonic. Alc 45.7% Spicy 2 Ableforth’s Bathtub Gin £31-£34 Asda, Master of Malt, Morrisons, Tesco, The Whisky Exchange, Waitrose Six botanicals include cassia bark, clove and cardamom, cold-infused into…

Andrew Jefford ‘Wine beauty can only be created by working hand-in-hand with nature’ Three months of pandemic-induced lockdown are drawing to an end. It hasn’t been all frustration and anxiety. I’ve enjoyed being at home with the family – and the internet wine chat which has replaced the customary tastings, travel and research. Two interview questions, in particular, set me thinking. ‘What does it take,’ I was asked by US importer of Languedoc-Roussillon wines Carol Bailey-Medwell in an Instagram Live session, ‘to be a great winemaker?’ It begins, I suggested, with luck – the luck to be working with a distinguished site; no amount of skill can magic fine wine from mediocre grapes. But you need, too, to be a ‘site whisperer’ – to understand, through engaged intimacy, what sort…

Weekday wines Looking to try something different or adventurous, but don’t want to make an expensive mistake? The Decanter team has done the hard work for you, picking out 25 exciting and accessible wines available in the UK priced at £25 or less Recommended by: James Button, Tina Gellie, Georgie Hindle, Julie Sheppard, Amy Wislocki and Sylvia Wu Bortolomiol, Grande Cuvée del Fondatore, Motus Vitae Brut Nature, Prosecco Valdobbiadene Superiore, Veneto, Italy 2017 93 £20.10 Tannico A Charmat period of 11 months adds subtle pastry notes to fresh apple and apple blossom aromas. Orchard fruit and citrus on a crisp, dry palate, along with brisk acidity. JS Alcohol 12% Delaire Graff, Reserve Chenin Blanc, Swartland, South Africa 2018 91 £16.24 Armit From parcels of old bush vines, fermented and aged…

Bordeaux CRU BOURGEOIS EXCEPTIONNEL: The 2020 selection’s top 14 It’s been a bumpy ride, but the latest official redrawing of Bordeaux’s oft-misunderstood ranking of the cru bourgeois producers was published in February this year. Jane Anson explains what lies behind the listings, and profiles the 14 highest-ranked and their 2016 vintage wines For a word that’s become associated with the establishment, cru ‘bourgeois’ wines have pretty revolutionary origins. The exact date of arrival is not certain – some say they date back to the 13th century, when Bordeaux was a duchy of the English crown. Others to the 15th century, when French laws were relaxed to allow the best land not to be the sole preserve of the church or of titled aristocrats. Their real rise, though, clearly came after…

MONTAGNY AT A GLANCE Map: Maggie Nelson Established One of the first French ACs, established in 1936 Area under vine (2018) Montagny 141ha (40%), Montagny 1er Cru 211ha (60%) Production (2018) Montagny 8,650hl, Montagny 1er Cru 12,258hl Elevation 250m-400m above sea level Soils Bajocian limestone with marls and marl-limestone from the Lias (Jurassic) and Triassic period Premier crus 49 in all: Montagny-lès-Buxy 32, Buxy 13, Jully-lès-Buxy 2, St-Vallerin 2 Producers (>5,000 bottles per year) 18 wine-growers (including the cave co-op); also 44 négociants of varying size buying grapes Grapes 100% Chardonnay Source: BIVB…

Spirits Distilled by Decanter A new guide to the latest trends in spirits and cocktails. Edited by Julie Sheppard Frapin releases 1992 Cognac Slowly aged for 26 years, Frapin Millésime 1992 is a limited release of 3,000 bottles. Produced from grapes grown on the company’s 240ha Grande Champagne estate, it was aged in 350-litre new Limousin casks for six months, then for a year in 5- to 15-year-old casks and finished in older barrels. ‘After this kind of ageing, it’s a Cognac that’s not too woody,’ said cellar master Patrice Piveteau. ‘It’s like a firework!’ An inviting, fruit-forward nose is led by red fruits and cedar spice, baked apple, demerara, toasty wood and touches of cream, deeper accents of fig and liquorice bringing balance. The invigorating palate…

DWWA DECANTER WORLD WINE AWARDS THE CO-CHAIRS’ SELECTION In anticipation of DWWA 2020 results (published on Decanter.com 22 September 2020), we ask the Co-Chairs to reflect on their most memorable wines from the 2019 competition ANDREW JEFFORD’S MOST MEMORABLE Chapel Down, Kit’s Coty Chardonnay, Kent, UK 2016 97 Best in Show £27.48-£30 Cambridge Wine Merchants, Justerini & Brooks This super-slender but indubitably classy Chardonnay is grown close to a series of Neolithic megalith ruins. Despite its graceful outlines, the wine strikes me as something of a megalith itself: staking out the historic arrival of the UK as a producing zone for fine still wine. It may not last the full 12,000 years, but it will certainly age beautifully for a decade or more. Alc 12.5% Domaine Serene, Winery Hill Vineyard Pinot…

Readers’ queries Notes & Queries Each month our experts answer readers’ wine queries and share their knowledge Email: editor@decanter.com. Post: The Editor, Decanter, 161 Marsh Wall, London, E14 9AP, UK Pomerol and price In Andy Howard’s ‘My top 20 Bordeaux reds under £20’ (in July issue’s Bordeaux guide), he says: ‘Today, one can find decent St-Emilion and Pomerol for under £20.’ Can he tell us where to get ‘decent Pomerol’ for under £20? I’m sure a lot of us would be very interested. Anthony W Hill, by email Andy Howard MW replies: Anthony, you’re quite right, to find decent AP Pomerol under £20 these days is not simple. Apologies that it was not expressed clearly, but my comments were primarily intended to relate to Lalande-de-Pomerol, where…

DIDIER DAGUENEAU, SILEX POUILLY-FUME 2002 Loire Valley, France A legend because… In the 1980s, a young Didier Dagueneau overturned conventional practice in Pouilly-Fumé. The son of the grower Jean-Claude Dagueneau, his first vintage was in 1982. Until then Pouilly-Fumé had often been a thin and weedy white wine with grassy flavours and trenchant acidity. Dagueneau learned how to make wines that were drinkable on release but also capable of ageing in bottle for many years. Though seen as a wild radical, Dagueneau was conservative in the sense of seeking to return to a time when serious, long-lived Sauvignons were made in the appellation. He created cuvées such as Silex and Pur Sang that were oak-aged yet always elegant. Since his death in a flying accident in 2008, the domaine has…

Letters Your letters Enraged or inspired by what you’ve read? Email editor@decanter.com, or write to: The Editor, Decanter, 1st Floor, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP, UK Buying local I share Dave Cronin’s frustration about the quality of the ‘more affordable’ Bordeaux wines found on the high street (August issue). I read his letter, however, having just finished what was to my mind a high-quality and good-value Bordeaux bought from a local wine merchant: Château Buisson-Redon 2016, priced at just £9.95. It’s from a 41ha estate, owned by the Sèze family since 1918, with parcels sited within AP Fronsac – which may explain its high quality for the price. As a fellow Hertfordshire resident, Mr Cronin will be pleased to know it’s available from Cellar Door Wines in St Albans,…

WHAT I’VE BEEN DRINKING THIS MONTH Covid brought a focus on the local – and a brilliant ‘no added sulphur’ red wine made the short journey to our front door over the last month. It was the Domaine de Fenouillet, Faugères 2019, produced on one of the estates owned by Jeanjean: a breakthrough from this large source. It was dark, with cherry-kernel scents. Textured tannins and a sort of stony sterness balanced its exuberant, almost explosive fruit. The promise of purity was exhiliaratingly delivered.…

Top seasonal buys LIGHTER WINES FOR SUMMER DRINKING After tasting more than 280 wines at his Hampshire home, Peter Richards MW has picked out his 78 top reds and whites with 12.5% alcohol or less, and priced at under £20 – perfect choices to enjoy during the warmer days and evenings Though I’m not in the habit of reciting poetry to bottles of wine, frequently during this intriguing tasting I could sense the famous opening lines of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 springing to my lips: ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate.’ Because that’s exactly what I was looking for: wines that were lovely. As I started the tasting, I pondered: what do we really want in a summer wine? Loveliness certainly. But…

Bordeaux The new Exceptionnels The 14 cru bourgeois exceptionnel producers all submitted their 2016 vintage for assessment as part of the blind tastings to qualify for the new 2020 ranking. Jane Anson revisited the wines at home in Bordeaux, and here provides up-to-date notes and scores, along with the story behind each producer Château d’Agassac HAUT-MEDOC Agassac has long stood out for its beautiful 13th-century château – a listed historical monument with turrets, moat and bridge. Owned by insurance company Groupama since 1997, recent years have seen an increasing focus not just on imaginative wine tourism experiences but on getting seriously to grips with the potential of the wine – replanting up to 45% of the 45ha vineyard and redoing the cellars and technical spaces. Technical director Guilain Latournerie, working…

A taste of Grange des Pères: Lawther’s view UK prices and stockists indicated where applicable Domaine de la Grange des Pères, VDP de l’Hérault 1996 95 A wine at its apogee. Golden colour, subtle and understated on the nose with hints of wax, almond and dried herbs evolving to honeyed notes with time in the glass. Palate full and suave with surprising finesse. Again honeyed notes with a touch of toast and dried fruits. Still has freshness. Includes up to 5% Chardonnay. Drink 2020-2022 Alcohol 13.5% 1 Domaine de la Grange des Pères, IGP Pays d’Hérault 2016 92 £161 Fine & Rare An embryonic wine but clearly has the depth for ageing. Rich and powerful on the nose with mealy, waxy, citrus notes. The oak is present but integrated and…

TASTING NOTES DECODED Lavender Written by Laura Seal As well as being grouped with other floral aromas, such as rose, lavender can be linked with herbaceous ones, like eucalyptus. Aromas of lavender are found in red wines – commonly in reds from Provence, where lavender fields are in abundance, which may be what contributes this aroma to the wines. It can also be found in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, made in Tuscany from the Sangiovese grape, and in some New World Pinot Noirs. According to WineFolly, the compounds that lie behind the lavender scent are cis-rose oxide, linalool, nerol and geraniol. Xylella. Does it pose a real threat to vineyards? Andrew Burgess, by email Stephen Skelton MW replies: Xylella fastidiosa is an incurable disease that affects about 150 mainly hardwood…