Indholdsfortegnelse for November 2020 i Decanter

Galician whites GALICIA: BEYOND ALBARINO Grapes such as Doña Blanca are unfamiliar to many... for now. Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW explores Galicia’s lesser-known varieties and recommends some highly distinctive wines Albariño is the best-known ambassador for Galician grapes. But Galicia is much more than Albariño. In fact, the region is a heartland for a large number of highly distinctive wines made from several different grape varieties. One might wonder why these Galician wines aren’t yet widely known. There are two reasons. Firstly, Galicia was a poor and isolated region throughout the 20th century, with no resources to produce high-quality wines, and emigration a major concern. Secondly, land holdings in Galicia are extremely small – less than 1ha per holding in many areas. On this scale, quality winemaking was almost impossible.…

CEBREROS AT A GLANCE Formally recognised as DOP 4 April 2019 – previously the wines were classified Vinos de la Tierra de Castilla y León Vineyards 455ha (with 56% between 60 and 90 years old) Municipalities 35 Wineries 13 Growers 330 Varieties planted 85% Garnacha Tinta, 10% Albillo Real, 5% Tempranillo and Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet) Wines White: 100% Albillo Real; Rosado: minimum 95% Garnacha Tinta with 5% Albillo Real, Garnacha Tintorera or Tempranillo; Red: minimum 95% Garnacha Tinta…

CEBREROS: THE LAND, THE CLIMATE AND THE VINES Map: Maggie Nelson Climate Mediterranean with continental influences, varying across the DO Soils Mainly granitic with low pH; El Tiemblo and Cebreros have some distinct vineyards on schist Zones Cebreros has three distinct zones, created by the rivers Alberche and Tiétar: Alto Alberche river valley – up to 1,200m; one of Spain’s coolest areas, producing wines with a chilly minerality Alberche river valley – Tierra de Pinares; dry Mediterranean climate with diverse soils, granitic with slate Tiétar river valley – Las Cinco Villas; Mediterranean, but quite humid with up to 1,000mm rainfall per year Vineyards The highest vineyard parcel is in the village of Navatalgordo at 1,200m; to the west the mountains rise up to 2,000m; average vineyard size is 0.43ha, with…

Wines to try Muriel Fincas de la Villa Blanco 2019 A 100% Viura from poor clay/loam soils in Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Alta, this pale apple-and-citrus flavoured wine is great with everything from seafood and shellfish to salads. Muriel Fincas de la Villa Rosado 2019 This pink (a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo and Viura) shows why you shouldn’t overlook Riojan rosados. Cheerful strawberry and sour cherry flavours make this a match for pasta, salads and white meat. Muriel Fincas de la Villa Crianza 2016 Limestone soils and 12 months ageing in American oak barrels make this a classic expression of crianza, with red-fruit flavours and a liquorice undertone. Try it with tapas, small game birds and mid-strength cheeses. Muriel Fincas de la Villa Reserva 2015 With two years in…

Sherry EXPLORING EN RAMA Sherry lovers clamour to buy en rama releases – but what exactly is it? With her guide to the style, Sarah Jane Evans MW explains when en rama Sherries were first introduced, how they are made, how they taste and when to drink them Photographs: barmalini/Getty; www.verema.com The release each May of the year’s new en rama Sherries has become an annual indulgence for Sherry lovers, as it provokes a restrained frenzy of activity to track the bottlings down. Yet this is one of the most misunderstood categories of wine. ‘En rama’ means ‘from the branch’, as in ‘the fruit picked from the tree’. As a result, ‘people say it’s completely unfiltered and unfined’, says Natasha Hughes MW, who wrote her Master of Wine dissertation on…

In brief Stay up to date with the latest wine news on Decanter.com, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter @Decanter ■ Hailstorms in the Verona area have caused problems in Valpolicella vineyards. ‘Huge damage has been caused in the lower part of Valpolicella, but as we are over the hills we we avoided it,’ said Andrea Lonardi, winemaker at Bertani estate. ‘The Classico subregion was spared.’ The local wine consorzio said 5% of Valpolicella vineyards, about 400ha, suffered damage in the late-August storms. ■ An emerging wine region in Patagonia has become the latest to receive geographical indication status in Argentina. In Chubut province, Trevelin has only 12ha of vineyards. Home to several varieties including Chardonnay, Semillon, Gewürztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc, in summer the area boasts 17 hours of…

Andrew Jefford ‘An intricate cultural landscape of Middle-Earth beauty’ Forty years: it’s been a long relationship. Moments of intense enjoyment have punctuated tracts of tedium. Perhaps, though, all that is behind us now: a new and exciting phase beckons for me and Soave. Maybe for you and Soave, too. The Veneto’s soft-contoured yet mouthfilling white wine grows in the lush green hills near Verona. Drive east from the city, and as you reach Lavagno, Illasi and Montecchia di Crosara, a strange gear-shift occurs: red grapes for Valpolicella suddenly give way to white Garganega grapes for Soave. In the BPG (Before Pinot Grigio) era, this was Italy’s biggest white seller: unambitious and easygoing. Despite the efforts down the years of producers such as Pieropan, Inama, Gini and Prà, the difficult work…

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 £20 or less Recommended by: James Button, Tina Gellie, Georgie Hindle, Julie Sheppard, Amy Wislocki and Sylvia Wu Domaine de Montbourgeau, Brut, Crémant du Jura, Jura, France 91 £14.95 The Wine Society The austere green apple, lemon and ozone-like minerality of this 100% Chardonnay offer a great alternative to entry-level Champagne. Digestive biscuit notes add depth and interest, refreshed by mouthwatering acidity and a fine mousse. TG Alcohol 12% London Cru, Baker Street Bacchus, England 2019 93 £16 Roberson Proof of what can be achieved with English…

Vintage preview: Bordeaux 2019 BORDEAUX 2019 EN PRIMEUR REPORT In a heat-driven year, local conditions dictated the success of individual estates in 2019, yet favourable comparisons are being made with top vintages of the last decade or more. Despite the trying circumstances, Jane Anson in the end tasted more than 900 samples – here she selects 125 of her top-scoring and best-value wines from across the appellations What a year, frankly! I have never tasted more en primeur samples, nor in a more unusual way. The final count is somewhere close to 1,000 wines, where in a typical year I will taste about 600 to 700. The vast majority at my house – my garage became like the demilitarised zone; there was a drop-off system that respected safe distancing, where…

Reading the results Jane Anson tastes all en primeur wines non-blind. This allows her to take into account her experience of the wine’s heritage and likely development, and ensures a level playing field. As Covid-19 caused the cancellation of the spring en primeur generic tastings in Bordeaux, Anson tasted the majority of the wines at her home in Bordeaux instead, with some château visits (see p26). Wines are marked on the 100-point scale. For full tasting notes of all the wines Jane Anson tasted and for the latest pricing news, please visit Decanter.com/Premium Wines are ordered by commune, then by score, with wines of the same score listed alphabetically. The ‘Top value’ wines are Anson’s selection of wines she feels are punching above their weight. Alcohols are given where available.…

New York top 10: Curtis recommends 1 Hermann J Wiemer, Blanc de Blanc Brut, Seneca Lake 2009 95 N/A UK www.wiemer.com Among the best sparkling wines ever produced in the US, this 100% Chardonnay features lively lemony fruit on the initial attack with well-integrated notes of truffle and toast. The mousse is lively while the texture is creamy but still crisp and fresh. Produced from the Josef Vineyard, which ripens fruit exceptionally well, this is 10 years on the lees and disgorged without dosage. Absolutely exquisite! Drink 2020-2030 Alcohol 12% Ravines, Brut, Finger Lakes 2012 92 N/A UK www.ravineswine.com Superb sparkling Pinot Noir-Chardonnay from the limestone soils of the Argetsinger vineyard. Opens with lovely ripe apple and toast aromas, and six years on the lees brings a round, lush texture…

SMITH-MADRONE: A TIMELINE 1971 Stuart Smith founds the winery on Spring Mountain 1972 Vineyard is planted to Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir 1973 Charles Smith, Stuart’s brother, joins winery full time 1977 First wine, a Riesling, is produced 1979 The 1977 Riesling wins ‘Best Riesling’ at Gault-Millau Wine Olympics 1986 Brothers graft Pinot Noir vines over to Chardonnay 1998 Brothers begin replanting the vineyard on phylloxera-resistant rootstock 2000 Estate Cabernet includes Merlot and Cabernet Franc for the first time 2007 First vintage of Cook’s Flat Reserve 2013 Sam Smith, Stuart’s son, joins winery full-time 2018 Winery produces first rosé…

Fingertip control: put your trust in the tech to track your collection Wine inventory software – such as the solutions offered by eSommelier (www.esommelier.com), CellarTracker (www.cellartracker.com), VinoCell (www.vinocell.com) and MyCellarMaison (www.mycellarmaison.com) – is a must for those with medium to large collections. Gone are the days of clunky spreadsheets – modern software provides tools for mapping and locating each wine, as well as recording purchase prices and displaying current market valuations, scores, tasting notes, drinking windows and label images. Integration with barcode scanners and label printers takes this to another level. Smith & Taylor MD Sebastian Riley-Smith explains: ‘Each bottle can be scanned into and out of a cellar, all linked to wine social media, valuations and appraisals if desired.’ Meanwhile, wine inventory apps are taking inventory software into the…

Glassware RIEDEL: BEHIND THE SCENES It’s a name that’s as well known in the world of top-quality wine as any of the grands crus, and its products grace tables from the most exclusive white-cloth establishments to those of the wine enthusiast at home. Georgina Hindle reveals the history and expertise that lie behind Austria’s famed producer of fine crystal glassware Think of an object that’s made today as it was 3,000 years ago – the list wouldn’t be long. It may include the production of paper, a rudimentary pen perhaps, a block of cement even. But the humble glass could happily sit at the top. Arguably a fundamental part of wine enjoyment, the wine glass itself has of course evolved over time, but the initial recipe, perfected by the ancient…

WACHAU Emmerich Knoll, Ried Schütt Smaragd 2018 96 £51.67 (2013) Blanco & Gomez Schütt is a relatively low alluvial fan, but it’s south-facing and has excellent drainage; Knoll never fails to make world-class wines here. This has a ripe apricot nose, but is spicy, poised and lively. The attack is fresh and intense, with a dry mid-palate despite the evident ripeness. Invigorating acidity gives structure and balance to the exquisite fruit. Mineral, textured and very long. Drink 2021-2036 Alcohol 13.5% Franz Hirtzberger, Ried Steinporz Smaragd 2018 95 £56 Clark Foyster Franz Hirtzberger is the most esteemed grower in Spitz, and his wines can be surprisingly voluptuous. Often Singerriedl is the source of his top Riesling, but in 2018, I prefer the Steinporz, which grows on weathered gneiss soils. The stone-fruits…

THREE OF THE BEST Gins for a Martini Cambridge Dry Gin, UK £38-£42/70cl Amazon UK, Master of Malt, Selfridges, The Whisky Exchange, Virgin Wines William Lowe MW is the world’s first Master Distiller and Master of Wine. His innovative vacuum-distilled gin is specially created for Martinis, using botanicals sourced locally and from his own garden. Alc 42% Hepple, UK £34-38/70cl Majestic, Master of Malt, The Drink Shop, Waitrose Cellar Made with British juniper grown on the Northumbrian Hepple Estate, using a complex triple distillation technique. Distinctive, fresh aromas of Douglas fir are followed by a luscious, silky palate and a deliciously lingering finish. Alc 45% Martin Miller’s, UK/Iceland £23-£27/70cl Widely available Distilled in England and blended with Icelandic spring water, this is a soft-textured, beautifully balanced gin for a Martini,…

Readers’ queries Notes & Queries Each month our experts answer readers’ wine queries and share their knowledge Whiter shade of pink I’ve seen several still blancs de noir from Pinot Noir and other grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon – are they just a winemaking gimmick and as bad as white Zinfandel? Are there any good ones you can recommend? Steve Richardson, London SW19 Anne Krebiehl MW replies: Red wine grapes such as Tempranillo, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir have white flesh and their wines only get their colour from being fermented on their skins. If they are pressed straight after harvest, without any maceration on the skins, they can be turned into a blanc de noir. In theory, these wines can be harvested earlier, because they…

Rioja gran reservas: Evans selects 10 to try 1 La Rioja Alta, Viña Arana 2014 96 £31.50-£35.08 Armit, BI Wine & Spirits, Cru, Exel, Fine & Rare, Hic, Honest Grapes, Jeroboams, Justerini & Brooks, L’Assemblage, Lay & Wheeler, Nickolls & Perks, Turville Valley Wines Arana commemorates one of La Rioja Alta’s historic families. The Tempranillo (95%) and Graciano (5%) are aged separately in American oak barrels for three years before blending, then for three years in bottle (two years less than the Gran Reserva 904, and six years less than the 890). The winery’s keynote to this Rioja is ‘freshness’. I agree. Drink 2020-2030 Alcohol 13.5% 2 Muga, Prado Enea 2011 96 £41.67 (ib)-£56.67 BI Wine & Spirits, Christopher Piper, Crump Richmond Shaw, Exel, Fine & Rare, KWM, Martinez Wines,…

The wines of Queirón Queirón Mi Lugar, Vino de Quel, Rioja 2017 A blend of bush-vine Tempranillo and Garnacha, selected from different old plots in Quel, planted at 600m altitude. Queirón El Arca Garnacha, Rioja 2017 A true expression of terroir, made from a tiny single vineyard (less than 1ha) of Garnacha planted in 1892, which is fermented and aged in barrel. Queirón Ensayos Capitales, Rioja 2018 Monovarietal of Graciano without sulphites Queirón de Gabriel, Rioja 2011 A tribute to the founder of the winery, made from the vines that Gabriel Pérez planted more than 30 years ago in La Pasada and which he had dreamed of since he was a child.…

People TERROIR TRANSLATORS: 10 GREAT WINEMAKERS With a focus on site specificity and wines that are made in the vineyard, a new wave of wine-growers is demonstrating the potential of Spain’s varied and distinctive terroirs. Darren Smith profiles the names you need to know and recommends bottles to buy ‘It feels like winemaking as it should be: letting quality grapes tell the story of their terroir’ Authentic wines, hard work and a dedication to their land and its traditions – these are characteristics common to all the emerging winemaking talents featured here. In every case, the wines they produce are made without artifice. In every case, they are a demonstration of the truth that, now more than ever before, quality-oriented producers across Spain are seeking to make wines that express…

Cebreros: Evans selects 10 to try 1 Arrayán, Granito Albillo Real, Cebreros 2018 92 £19.75 Kwoff, NY Wines of Cambridge As Arrayán’s Cebreros Garnacha is bold and flooded with flavour, so its Albillo Real is full of character too: rich and golden, with honey and tropical fruits. Grown on granite, aged for seven months in amphora on lees, it has a firm texture – and the memory of the granite soils that the name suggests. Drink 2020-2023 Alcohol 14% Orly Lumbreras Viñador, Sade, Vino de España 2018 91 £27.49 (2017) R&H Fine Wines Sade shows that Albillo Real has potential as an orange wine. While this isn’t aromatic it has plenty of texture, and it emerges as a glinting if slightly cloudy wine, the tannins of 157 days on skins…

Producer profile FAMILIA TORRES: CELEBRATING 150 YEARS Founded in 1870, today Familia Torres is Spanish wine royalty with a global reach that includes wineries in Chile and the US. Sarah Jane Evans MW looks at what the company has achieved, including its current projects to restore ancient grape varieties and combat climate change Photograph: Jordi Elias/Famlia Torres In May this year the wine world was expecting to break the industrious silence of Pacs del Penedès with a noisy party, celebrating 150 years since the founding of Familia Torres. Yet when I think of Torres, the idea of noise is unusual. I’ve been driven by Miguel Torres Maczasseck (46) in an eerily silent electric car. I’ve encountered Miguel A Torres (79), on a practically noiseless push-bike. (This was at a conference…

Grapes DISCOVER SPAIN’S OFFBEAT GRAPE VARIETIES Spain has a wealth of native grapes to explore. David Williams highlights 10 varieties that are enjoying a renaissance at the hands of the country’s talented and enthusiastic winemakers Photograph: Adrian Ríos ‘Fragrant Albariño and tropical Verdejo were instrumental in establishing a new era of Spanish whites’ Spain’s vineyard is vast. According to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), the country has about one million hectares under vine, an area only slightly smaller than the entire county of Yorkshire (God’s Own County covers 1.1m ha). That’s more land under vine than any other country. But if the vineyard’s scale has long been world-beating, its varietal composition hasn’t always matched its southern European peers for diversity. Or at least, any diversity has, until…

WHAT I’VE BEEN DRINKING THIS MONTH A wine grown on a swampy Venetian island, made from an indigenous white variety in skin-contact style, and decanted into a beautiful bottle whose wordless label features gold leaf fused into glass: this was not an everyday experience. I admit initial scepticism. But Venissa’s Vino Bianco 2011 won me over: quiet, mellow, haunting – like Mahler’s Fifth Symphony Adagietto, used so memorably by Visconti in his 1971 film of Death in Venice. Excellence most unusual.…

Weekend wines Wanting to splash out a little bit more to celebrate your weekend in style? As a companion selection to our 25 wines under £20, the Decanter team has selected seven standout bottles that are sure to impress, all available in the UK and priced between £20 and £50 Recommended by: James Button, Tina Gellie, Georgie Hindle, Julie Sheppard, Amy Wislocki and Sylvia Wu Domaines Leflaive, Corney & Barrow Selection, Mâcon-Verzé, Burgundy, France 2016 93 £29.95 Corney & Barrow From six parcels in Mâcon-Verzé, this offers subtle citrus, wet stone and apricot aromas followed by a juicy, lively palate with good density. On the rich scale, with honeyed lemon rind and creamy edges balanced by a crisp finish. GH Alc 13% Melville, Estate Chardonnay, Sta Rita…

Snapshot: Bordeaux 2019 Ageing potential Bordeaux 2019 has the qualities required to age, because there are lots of tannins and colour compounds in this vintage – well managed by low temperature fermentations in the main, along with concentrated flavours and surprisingly good acidity levels, considering the heat of the summer. I am extremely confident that the best wines have decades ahead of them. Summing up • If you pick one appellation: Pomerol • If you pick one wine: L’Eglise Clinet Yields Lower than ideal but better than expected, might be the all-round summary for 2019. Overall, this was a dry summer, which meant the berries were small and concentrated. The rains at the end of September helped enormously to recover some lost ground, however, and the final yields were reasonable, even plentiful…

Vintage preview: Bordeaux 2019 Pessac-Léognan & Graves An attractive vintage in both Pessac and Graves, but with a little less consistency than in some vintages (as with Margaux for me: two appellations that outperformed their Left Bank siblings in, for example, 2015). There were many impressive performances in 2019, with a few instances of potential water stress or low acidities, a reflection of Pessac-Léognan’s location in one of the warmest spots of Bordeaux. No 100pt potentials here, but a good crop of 97s in Haut-Brion white and red, Haut-Bailly and Smith Haut Lafitte. It’s ridiculous that I feel I have to underline that 97 is an exceptionally good score that points to wines that are at the very top of the achievement of the vintage – but such is the…

Top South African reds SYRAH VS SHIRAZ: 30 GREAT BUYS FROM SOUTH AFRICA A blind tasting of 78 top South African examples of this well-loved, spicy variety proved both rewarding and revealing for Matt Walls, who found that styles fell into two distinct camps. Here he narrows it down to his top 30 picks from the savoury, Syrah-styled school Consider how frustrating it must be as a winemaker to have the terroir to produce light, fresh, fragrant Syrah but being forced to call it Shiraz on the label. Sure, it’s the same grape, but the stylistic difference it implies is immense. Andre Van Rensburg was the first South African winemaker to apply to use this synonym for his iconic Stellenzicht, Syrah 1994; prior to that, calling it Shiraz was the…

BRDA, home of Rebula 2020 DQNHQ RGDWNC 2019 91 UK: £9.05 LQQMKPI HQT KORQTVGT “Dry, extremely dry” is Dolfo’s motto and this vibrant young Rebula delivers exactly that. Summer meadow flowers and white peach on the nose lead to a crisp, zesty, mouthwatering palate with a tangy mineral finish. KNGV BTFC RGDWNC QWGTEWU 2019 90 UK: £9.99 BGTMOCPP WKPG CGNNCTU A pure vivid tank-fermented Rebula, handpicked from old terraces. Youthful and fruit-focused in style with fresh pear, acacia and steely, salted lemon undertones. Balanced, smooth and approachable. MGFQV RGDWNC JQWTPGy 2019 90 UK: £12 LQQMKPI HQT KORQTVGT Named for the journey of the owner’s father, it brings together two winemaking approaches to highlight Rebula’s crunchy apple freshness, along with skin-contact to highlight its mineral texture and spicy richness. ZCPWV RGDWNC…

A taste of Smith-Madrone: McCoy’s view 1 Smith-Madrone, Riesling, Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley 2016 91 £37-£40 Roberson, The Wine Reserve Smith-Madrone’s dry Riesling has long had a dedicated following and the winery is one of the few producers of the variety left in Napa. It’s Alsatian in style, and this vintage shows a super wet-rock minerality, succulent limey notes, juicy acidity and a round texture. It’s also the first vintage available in hand-waxed magnums, which makes sense because the wines are surprisingly long-lived. Drink 2020-2029 Alcohol 12.8% Smith-Madrone, Chardonnay, Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley 2017 89 N/A UK www.smithmadrone.com This was a rollercoaster vintage in terms of temperature, with oppressive heat on Labor Day weekend in early September (not to mention the horrific October fires, which didn’t damage Smith-Madrone).…

Australia FIRST TASTE: PENFOLDS NEW WINE COLLECTION David Sly attended an exclusive preview tasting of the 18 wines that make up the Penfolds Collection 2020 – including 2016 Grange and the much-anticipated £2,000 g4 – hosted by chief winemaker Peter Gago at Adelaide’s Magill Estate ‘Penfolds chief winemaker Peter Gago is never satisfied with treading the same path’ This year’s elite Penfolds Collection release is crowned by the introduction of g4, blending four vintages of Grange. Just 2,500 bottles were made. The new 2016 vintage of Grange, the icon Shiraz, will have a recommended retail price of £589 (US$760). The 2018 vintage of Yattarna, the flagship Chardonnay, will be £149 (US$190). Penfolds chief winemaker Peter Gago is never satisfied with treading the same path. Even though the wines he makes…

Riedel: glass formulation and processes Scientifically speaking, glass is composed of formers, fluxes and stabilisers, which each work to affect the mechanical, electrical, chemical, optical and thermal properties of the glass that is produced. Formers make up the largest percentage, in the case of Riedel, white silica (silicon dioxide), commonly found in nature as quartz and the major constituent of sand. Soda (sodium carbonate) and potash (potassium carbonate) are common fluxes, needed to lower the high temperature at which silica melts, around 2,000°C. Stabilisers are used to ensure the glass is strong and water-resistant, with lime (calcium oxide) a popular choice. The highest-quality quartz sand is found in Bavaria in southern Germany, but the exact chemical composition used at Riedel – the best-known supplier of specialist glassware with an empire…

Alessandra Piubello MY COMO Long an exclusive destination, this delightful waterside city offers the best of Italian style, accommodation and indulgent days on the water, all surrounded by stunning mountain scenery. Less than an hour north of Milan and just 6km from the Swiss border, the charming city of Como sits at the southern tip of its eponymous, inverted Y-shaped lake’s western leg, in a narrow bay flanked by wooded morainic hills. This breathtaking natural landscape has been used as a movie location countless times, and many actors and celebrities own villas here: George Clooney and Brad Pitt, among others. Traces of viticulture at Lake Como date back to the Raetians in the Iron Age, and Leo Tolstoy mentioned it in the 19th century. But vines were abandoned in favour…

TASTING NOTES DECODED Cereal Forget your morning bowl of Coco Pops and Froot Loops; in the wine lexicon, ‘cereal’ usually refers to the flavour profile of a basic range of grains such as wheat, oats, maize and rye. Cereal aromas are most commonly found in non-fruit forward white wines and can be an indicator of the wine being mature, as well as influences from oak or yeast. Oak influences can be gained from the wine having spent some time in contact with oak barrels, chips or staves, whereas yeast notes can stem from winemaking practices such as stirring the lees (batonnage), or allowing the wine to rest on its lees (sur lie). In this way, cereal is comparable with natural savoury-sweet aromas such as honey and hay, which are also…

BRUNO GIACOSA, ASILI BARBARESCO RISERVA 2004 Piedmont, Italy Decanter WINE LEGENDS A legend because… Born in 1929, Bruno Giacosa began working with his winemaker father Mario – his grandfather Carlo had also produced and bottled wines in their home town of Neive. His initial career was as a merchant, sourcing the best grapes for other producers, but inevitably Giacosa wanted to produce wines under his own label, which he began doing in 1961. He was able to identify what he considered the finest plot and his portfolio grew – the most highly esteemed vineyards, including Asili, were the source of his celebrated red-label riservas. Giacosa, unhappy with the treatment-heavy farming practices of the 1970s, started buying outstanding vineyards to give himself maximum control over the entire production process. A perfectionist,…

Rioja RIOJA 1990S: A VINTAGE GUIDE It was a good decade for Rioja, but how are the individual vintages stacking up against each other now? Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW assesses their style, character and quality, and suggests the vintages and wines you should look out for The 1990s was probably the most exciting time in Spain’s recent history. The country began the decade lagging behind the rest of Western Europe, still traumatised by the memory of dictatorship, but finished it with modern infrastructures, easier access to world markets and lots of self-confidence. It was also the period in which Rioja’s finest wine producers initiated the transition from branded wines to a more diverse proposal, including individual high-profile terroir wines. Investment in that period was huge; many new wineries were born…

Cebreros: 10 names to know ARRAYAN Established in Toledo in 1999, Arrayán is managed by winemaker Maite Sánchez. Its Garnacha de Arrayán is grown at 900m in the Arrebatacapas pass. It also produces a Cebreros Albillo Real. DANIEL JIMENEZ-LANDI, COMANDO G Photographs: Sobremesa; www.riconuevovinos.es; Tim Atkin Working in the region since 2008, and one of the first to make the area known, grabbing headlines with very pure, fine Garnachas. Now that a winery is being built in Avila, its relevant wines are in transition to Cebreros labelling. Rumbo al Norte is a single-vineyard red wine from Navarrevisca. DANIEL RAMOS Described to me as ‘the heart and mind behind DOP Cebreros’ (alongside DOP Cebreros president, Rafael Mancebo). Australian-born Ramos is dynamic and enthusiastic, and his cellar in El Tiemblo (founded in…

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE Bodegas Muriel: past meets present This established Rioja winery has a diverse portfolio that perfectly meets the demands of an evolving modern wine market n a world where there is currently no shortage of confusion, it’s important to understand what you are doing and why; to know exactly what your points of difference are and to articulate them clearly. Bodegas Muriel, in the heart of Rioja, are masters of both. The company began almost 100 years ago, when José Murúa set up his business vinifying and selling wine in bulk. In the 1980s, his son Julian moved the company to the next level by creating a label of their own. And the name he chose for it was significant. Rather than simply go with the family name, Murúa,…

Torres at a glance Founded 1870 Turnover (2019) €257m Total vineyards 2,432ha Spain 2,000ha, nine wineries Chile 400ha, one winery (Miguel Torres Chile in Curicó) US 32ha, one winery (Marimar Estate in Sonoma) TORRES IN SPAIN In Catalonia Total 1,800ha (850ha certified organic) Penedès 590ha (68ha in the organic estates of Mas La Plana, Les Arnes, Mas Borràs, Fransola) Priorat 73ha organic vineyards, acquired 1996 Costers del Segre 200ha organic vineyards, Celler Purgatori, acquired 1999 Vardon Kennett Penedès estate owned by the Family since 1980s. Cuvée Esplendor 2013 traditional method sparkling wine launched 2016 Jean Leon Penedès winery established by Jean Leon in 1963; taken on by Torres in 1994 and managed by Mireia Torres; wines certified organic DO Penedès Gran Viña Sol, Gran Coronas DO Catalunya Viña Esmeralda, Sangre…

Letter of the month Scenting trouble French start-up Aryballe has constructed a device with the capability to detect more than 500 scents and this is soon to be released, targeting the hospitality industry. I can’t help wondering how this will affect our beloved wine industry. Will we reach a point where consumers will read automatically printed reports to decide if they like a wine based on its aromas? Will critics across the globe skip this part of their tasting and proceed to assessing other values? Or, will Champagne houses and other non-vintage wine producers replace their ‘noses’ with mechanical counterparts? On a more positive note, it might help smaller houses and producers to create a more consistent and complex product. The certainty is that at some…

Jane Anson ‘Supporting carefully created, slow wines is something we can all do’ Photograph: John O’Brien A few years ago a friend of mine introduced me to the artist Jake Berthot. He was an American painter who started off in the mid-1960s working in a minimalist style, but in his later career switched to landscapes and the natural world. He specifically liked the idea of Slow Art – works that took him a long time to complete, and so ought to take viewers a long time to see all their facets, if ever. He hated, so he liked to say, fast paintings. Not too hard to make the jump from here to fast and slow wines. This year everything has slowed down – there’s less travel, less commuting, less socialising,…

DECANTER WORLD WINE AWARDS 2020 Judging month Seemingly against all odds... How the world’s largest wine tasting competition was held safely and successfully during a pandemic For 28 consecutive days in August, 116 expert wine judges, including 37 Masters of Wine and nine Master Sommeliers, took part in Decanter World Wine Awards 2020 judging month to blind taste and evaluate 16,518 wines from 56 countries. During a pandemic – with social distancing regulations, uncertainty, anxiety and the continual possibility of change – planning and holding the world’s largest wine competition safely and successfully was a monstrous task. But the process of achieving it called for innovative thinking; the results give the wine world a positive story to tell, and offer a potential role-model for future industry events. The planning Normally…

Vintage preview: Bordeaux 2019 Left Bank Médoc & Haut-Médoc Médoc 1 TOP VALUE Château Les Grands Chênes 92 One of my favourite of the Magrez stable for signposting the quality that’s available in AP Médoc, here showing inky depths to the colour and a generous punch of fruit to the attack. It has the signature glamour that you expect of the Magrez wines, with a slather of chocolate and coffee beans, but it doesn’t cover up the blackberry fruit. Enjoyable. 25% new oak. Drink 2025-2038 Château Potensac 92 Elegance and classicism: you really feel that you are in good hands in a great claret property with this. The fruit is ripe and yet fresh, and there are quite a lot of tannins that come in on the finish, along with…

Vintage preview: Bordeaux 2019 Right Bank St-Emilion Another excellent St-Emilion vintage following on from 2018, in most cases just as good as last year. Limestone always does well in hot vintages, with its ability to retain both moisture and freshness, but in 2019 the Corbin sector on the clays near to Pomerol also did a great job of resisting the periods of drought. Those down on the sandier soils struggled a little more without careful viticultural decisions. Water stress was less marked than in 2015, for example, because there was a 15°C swing of day and nighttime temperatures on average, unlike in 2015 and certainly unlike the unrelenting heat of 2003. Winemaking has also definitively turned a corner, which makes such a difference to the sapidity of the wines. Figeac…

New York state: 10 names to know CHANNING DAUGHTERS The winery was founded in 1982 by Walter Channing in Bridgehampton on the South Fork of Long Island. Grapes planted include Friulano, Muscat Ottonel, Malvasia, Ribolla Gialla, Blaufränkisch, Dornfelder, Syrah, Teroldego, Refosco and Lagrein. The winery produces a dizzying array of styles. Nearly 12ha of vines are spread over five sites in Long Island’s characteristic silty loam soil on sand and gravel. DR KONSTANTIN FRANK Konstantin Frank (1899-1985) studied viticulture in Ukraine and managed Soviet wineries in the Republic of Georgia before emigrating to the US in 1951. His Riesling trials secured him the title of the ‘father of vinifera’ in New York state, and his son Willy pioneered traditional-method sparkling wine production here. Grandson Frank and great-granddaughter Meaghan continue the…

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE Presidents, politics and Pinot Noir Wine and the White House: A History, written by Frederick J Ryan Jr, publisher and CEO of The Washington Post, traces the role of wine at the US president’s table over the past 250 years. Early presidents recognised the important function that wine played in entertaining at the White House – and even today, under teetotal Donald Trump, toasts at State Dinners draw the world’s attention. The first book of its kind, Wine and the White House takes readers on a journey through history to reveal just how influential wine has been to diplomatic relations at the White House. It features illustrated menus, bills of sale, historic photographs, an index to all the wines served, plus photography of the White House collection of…

Sly reviews the 2020 Penfolds Collection 1 Penfolds, Yattarna Chardonnay, Tasmania/Tumbarumba/Adelaide Hills, Australia 2018 97 £149 A model of beautifully integrated components and an exercise in good measure and balance. Bright citrus and sharp struck flint grab your attention as the fruit talks confidently, underpinned by dark savoury notes. But it’s not a simple equation: tight Tasmanian fruit is augmented by luscious white peach notes from Tumbarumba and Adelaide Hills. The oak influence bites in places, then the fruit influence surges back. It’s quite a long, undulating journey, with more poise and assurance in its youth than most Yattarna predecessors. Drink 2020-2035 Alcohol 13% 2 Penfolds, Reserve Bin A Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills, South Australia 2019 94 £79 Formerly an attention-seeking siren that won all the wine show trophies, this is…

Expert’s choice AUSTRIAN DRY RIESLING It may not get star billing, but Austria’s Riesling can and often does rank among the very best, with styles ranging from bracingly fresh and fruity to superbly complex. Stephen Brook selects 30 to try Although Grüner Veltliner is Austria’s leading white variety, Riesling plays an important role too, with 2,000ha planted, compared to Veltliner’s 14,000ha. At its best, Riesling from Austria is as complex and stylish as top examples from Germany, Alsace or Australia. The Austrians know that it only delivers outstanding wines when planted on dry, stony terraces that enhance exposure to precious sunlight. Its heartland is the Danube valley west of Vienna. Some of those regions, such as Wagram, are better suited to Grüner Veltliner as their loess soils ideally suit the…

Spirits Distilled by Decanter A new guide to the latest trends in spirits and cocktails. Vestal’s vintage vodkas Wine lovers will be familiar with the idea of vintages – but you might not expect to find vintage years on a vodka bottle. Polish craft vodka Vestal has in fact been producing vintage bottlings since 2009, each showing a distinct character. Vestal is made from potatoes, applying the same principles as grape-growing by selecting a variety and matching it to a particular terroir. Latest release, Vestal 2015 (40%), is made from Asterix potatoes grown in Kaszëbë, near Poland’s Baltic coast. Distilled once and unfiltered, it’s an expressive, complex vodka that you can taste in the same way as a fine wine. Initially showing fruity aromas and woody hay…

Three terroir tequilas to try Olmeca Altos Plata £27.50/70cl Waitrose A typical highland tequila, Olmeca Altos was created by maestro tequilero Jesús Hernández and two internationally renowned bartenders. Aromas of agave and spring blossom lead onto a floral palate of chalk and lemons, with a pleasing cocoa finish. Alcohol 38% Tequila Fortaleza Blanco £56.75/70cl The Whisky Exchange The tiny Fortaleza distillery is situated in Tequila town and makes small batches of tequila by hand. Sourcing its agave from the valley, there’s a distinctive grassiness and warm agave character, plus lemon zest, cooling mint and sea salt. Alc 40% Ocho Las Presas Blanco 2018 £29.88/50cl The Drink Shop Las Presas, or ‘The Dams’ is a ranch that was owned by distiller Carlos Camarena’s great-grandfather. With an altitude of 2,170m and an…

My top 10 in Como 1 Arte Dolce Lyceum In one of Como’s most picturesque spots – an arched facade inside the walled old town – this patisserie, ice cream parlour and delicatessen will satisfy your every craving with its freshly made, whimsical sweet and savoury offerings. Its confectionary delights are a balm for the soul: indulge in some exquisite pastries and a hot chocolate. www.artedolcelyceum.it 2 Visini Photographs: iStock/Getty Images Plus; www.artedolcelyceum.it An historic delicatessen near the Duomo, recently transformed into a multifaceted experience by its second generation of owners. Come here for takeout dishes (classic Italian, vegetarian, healthy or international), artisan gourmet foods, café, wine shop, wine bar and bistrot with cookery courses. Fancy a picnic on the lake? They can prepare one for you. www.visini.it…

Marketwatch All the important fine wine investment news, compiled by Chris Mercer Market still keen on California Weaker price momentum for some top California wines has not dulled optimism about the region’s longer-term prospects on the fine wine market. Liv-ex’s California 50 index has dipped slightly versus two years ago, but it was still up by about 44% over five years to 31 August 2020. It tracks the 10 most recently released, ‘physical’ (non-en primeur) vintages of Screaming Eagle, Harlan Estate, Ridge Monte Bello, Opus One and Dominus. Shaun Bishop, CEO of US merchant JJ Buckley, said retail prices for top-end California Cabernets were ‘a little soft’ alongside other fine wines due to Covid-19’s economic impact. That could be something for buyers to consider when looking at current releases (see…