Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2021 i Decanter

EDITOR’S LETTER America(s) the beautiful The US has always been great at building an image. From the golden beaches of California to hat-and-cattle Texas, and from the world-class rudeness of New Yorkers to the steamy swamps of the South, everybody knows a good old USA cliché. But it’s not the only America. The Americas is actually two conjoined continents, an enormous region that stretches nearly 9,000 miles from top to bottom, bordering both the Arctic and the Antarctic. So in this issue we’ve tried to showcase some of the less obvious parts of that vast landmass. In the world of wine we all know how good Argentina and Chile can be, but we’ve taken a sharp right turn into Uruguay too. In the North we’ve covered Napa and Sonoma, but…

CABERNET SAUVIGNON Cabernet Sauvignon in South America Winemakers in Argentina and Chile are developing new techniques to elevate their offering, producing Cabernet Sauvignons to rival the world’s finest. We profile the regions to look out for, recommending top examples from each STORY ALEJANDRO IGLESIAS Seemingly immune to passing trends, Cabernet Sauvignon remains the king of red grapes. In fact, while Syrah, Pinot Noir and Malbec have been busy making headlines, Cabernet Sauvignon has become the most commonly planted red variety in the world, with about 341,000ha under vine globally (OIV 2017). When it comes to single varietals and red blends based on Cabernet Sauvignon, many wine lovers instinctively think of Bordeaux and Napa Valley – not least for the exorbitant prices some of their wines can command. However, South America…

Idaho: stay & eat Inn at 500 Capitol (innat500.com) is a contemporary property in the centre of Boise, with luxurious touches such as fireplaces and private balconies, and three top-floor penthouse suites. Richard’s Restaurant & Bar (richardsboise.com) is located in the hotel and serves sophisticated Italian fare along with a wine list that features several Idaho wines. Book early as it’s a local favourite. Located in Boise’s hip Linen District, The Modern Hotel and Bar (themodernhotel.com) is a stylish, reimagined ex-Travelodge, owned and operated by a Basque family. (Boise has the largest concentration of Basques outside Spain.) Guests love the hotel’s popular cocktail bar and restaurant Txikiteo, helmed by James Beard Award-nominee Nate Whitley and focused on local ingredients. The Grove Hotel (grovehotelboise.com) is one of Boise’s most luxurious properties,…

North Carolina: stay & eat The Rockford Inn (rockfordbedandbreakfast. com) is an historic antebellum home that dates back to 1848. Located in the village of Rockford, it offers a quiet escape, with pretty gardens and easy access to the Yadkin Valley wineries. Nearby, the Wine Lodge at Stony Knoll Vineyards (stonyknollvineyards.com) is a carefully restored 1860s homestead that features two winery houses overlooking the vines at Round Peak Vineyards. For a more rustic vibe, consider a stay at Klondike Cabins (theklondikecabins.com) at Grassy Creek Vineyard (grassycreekvineyard. com), 24km west; they were formerly the hunting cabins for the Hanes family of Hanesbrands textile fame. In Pilot Mountain, End Posts Restaurant at JOLO Winery & Vineyards is a wonderful option for a lunch of shared plates and tapas. Harvest Grill at Shelton…

ITALY: PUGLIA Top 20 Puglian Primitivo As hearty-red season approaches, it’s the perfect time to start exploring the untamed side of Italy’s hot south – and the peppery appeal of its firm-favourite Primitivo variety STORY ALESSANDRA PIUBELLO A region of remarkable contrasts, Puglia stretches between two seas, the Adriatic and the Ionian, giving it almost 800km of coastline. Forming the heel of Italy’s boot, in the deep south, it has a typically Mediterranean climate, and a long winemaking tradition thought to date back to the Phoenicians. Its red earth is rocky in places, and its windswept, sun-drenched landscapes are a patchwork of vineyards and drystone walls. Groundwater flows through karst aquifers in its stratified landform. Puglia’s predominant grape is Primitivo, which is grown practically all over the south of the…

RYE WHISKEY The Ryevolution Inspired by cocktail culture, rye whiskey is undergoing a renaissance, as distillers around the world rediscover this traditional style. It’s a young, dynamic category attracting some fascinating and pioneering characters STORY ADRIAN MOURBY Rye as a primary ingredient for whiskey (and whisky) has been appreciated since the first European settlers arrived in North America. At its peak in the 1790s, George Washington’s distillery at Mount Vernon produced almost 11,000 gallons (50,000 litres) of rye whiskey a year. As a result of Prohibition in the US, from the 1920s rye whiskey entered a steady decline. In 2006, only 150,000 cases were sold in the US, compared to 14.7 million cases of bourbon. Ever since then, however, rye whiskey (it has to be at least 51% rye to…

The wines to match WHITE BURGUNDY A medium-to-opulent style of white Burgundy will go nicely with this burger. It’s less about the place and more about the style. The goal is to find a balance of acid and fat, so look for a wine that has some richness in the mid-palate, a tiny bit of oak – not too much – and great acidity. Try: Jean Chartron, En Thivaux Rully, Burgundy, France 2019 91 £18 Co-op The Puligny-Montrachet-based family producer’s Rully white has been matured on fine lees for eight months, giving the wine a creamy, buttered nose of ripe yellow apple and citrus. The rounded palate of butterscotch and brioche is well balanced by elegant lemon zest. Poised and long. Drink 2021-2026 Alc 13% FRUIT-FORWARD REDS Big reds are…

WEEKDAY WINES Looking to try something different or adventurous, but don’t want to make an expensive mistake? The Decanter team has done all the hard work for you, picking out 25 exciting and accessible wines which are available in the UK and priced at £20 or less RECOMMENDED BY NATALIE EARL, TINA GELLIE, GEORGINA HINDLE, JULIE SHEPPARD, AMY WISLOCKI & SYLVIA WU Dr Loosen, Riesling Sekt Extra Dry, Mosel, Germany NV £18.50 Chester Beer & Wine Sweet-scented nose of elderflower, ripe peach, dried apricot and spiced lemon curd. Soft, rounded bubbles, and a hint of honey that follows the mineral palate of green apple and ripe peach. Buttered stone fruits on a clean finish. SW Alcohol 11.5% The Best Prosecco Rosé, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy 2020 £10 Morrisons Like all Prosecco…

Meet the Decanter experts AMANDA BARNES  is author of the recently published The South America Wine Guide print edition. Her website under the same name is an expert wine and travel guide to Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia and Peru KATIE KELLY BELL  is a wine, food and travel writer and editor based in Atlanta, Georgia. As well as writing for Condé Nast Traveler, Forbes and USA Today, she coauthored The Everything Travel Guide to Ireland (Adams Media, 2010) ALISTAIR COOPER MW  is a wine consultant, writer and educator with a particular focus on South America. President of the Cata d’Or wine awards in Chile, he writes regularly for Jancis Robinson, Decanter and many other publications RANDALL GRAHM  founded Bonny Doon Vineyard in 1983 and was one of California's earliest…

LETTER OF THE MONTH Capturing greatness Am I the only person who has had a wonderful wine, tried to analyse its constituent parts and describe the experience in classic wine tasting language and still feels something is missing? What is missing, I think, is the soul, the heart, of the wine – in short, what it feels like to have a wonderful experience. Is a Rembrandt a bolt of canvas and a few grams of oily paint? Is a symphony by Mozart a collection of notes strung together? Can you list your wife’s virtues and faults and then claim to communicate how it feels to live with that woman? What is the answer? A new wine language, I think, a holistic language capturing the inner experience of wine. Is this…

IN MY GLASS THIS MONTH I have consistently adored Clos Cibonne’s Côtes de Provence pink wines, but have not truly grokked the red until recently. Not unlike Ligurian Rossese – a wine ‘made from open spaces’ (pace Andrew Jefford) – the Clos Cibonne, Cuvée Spéciale Tibouren 2020 (£26 Theatre of Wine) presents very modestly at first and continues to grow and evolve in aromatic intensity and perceived weight and volume in the glass. A clutch of small red fruits with a discreet herbal background make this a perfect summer wine, served on the cool side al fresco.…

Colorado: stay & eat In Grand Junction, locals love Bin 707 Foodbar (bin707.com), where chef/owner Josh Niernberg (a 2020 James Beard Best Chef Mountain Region semi-finalist), serves up fresh, inspired Colorado cuisine from the best local provisions he can source. Hotel Maverick (thehotelmaverick.com) is a new, nicely appointed upscale hotel located on the campus of Colorado Mesa University. It offers a rooftop restaurant, and easy access to wine trails. In the small, unassuming town of Palisade, Pêche (pecherestaurantcolorado.com) is an exquisite culinary discovery, serving simple and fresh ingredients, artfully prepared. Try the Thai fried chicken paired with Storm Cellar Riesling and finish the meal with a portion of its marvellous rhubarb cheesecake. For an overnight stay in Palisade, Spoke & Vine (spokeandvinemotel.com) is a brilliantly renovated motel that offers a…

Michigan: stay & eat Traverse City and its wine coast are well known as havens for delicious farm-to-table cuisine. If you love a food truck, visit The Little Fleet (thelittlefleet.com), a permanent selection of food trucks serving up everything from local brews and wine to burgers and barbecue. More upscale, consider the waterfront dining option at the Boathouse (boathouseonwestbay.com), on Old Mission Peninsula – pair the local speciality, smoked whitefish pâté, with a crisp unoaked Chardonnay. Village Cheese Shanty (villagecheeseshanty.com) in Fishtown, Leland, features more than 60 types of cheese and local cherry preparations; people have been known to drive long distances to eat one of its epic sandwiches. For an immersive wine country stay, book at Chateau Chantal (chateauchantal.com) on Old Mission Peninsula, which offers cooking classes and wine…

THE JUDGES Alistair Cooper MW is a wine consultant, writer and educator with a particular focus on South America. President of the Cata d’Or wine awards in Chile, he writes regularly for Decanter and many other publications, and is consultant wine buyer for United Cellars in Sydney Amanda Barnes is an awarded travel and wine writer specialising in South America’s wines and regions. A DWWA judge, she is the author of The South America Wine Guide print edition, now available via her website southamerica wineguide.com Dirceu Vianna Junior MW is a wine writer, technical advisor, consultant and educator. After moving to the UK in 1989, he was wine director for some of the UK’s most prominent wine distributors, and in 2008 he became the first South American male to obtain…

THE JUDGES Peter Richards MW is the DWWA Regional Chair for Chile. An award-winning broadcaster and writer, and leading global authority on Chilean wine, together with his wife Susie Barrie MW, he co-hosts the Wine Blast podcast as well as the acclaimed Wine Festival Winchester Alistair Cooper MW is a wine consultant, writer and educator with a particular focus on South America. President of the Cata d’Or wine awards in Chile, he writes regularly for Jancis Robinson, Decanter and many other publications Dirceu Vianna Junior MW is a wine writer, technical advisor, consultant and educator. He moved to the UK in 1989 and spent much of his career as wine director for some of the UK’s most prominent wine distributors. In 2008, he became the first South American male to…

WEEKEND WINES Planning 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, NATALIE EARL, TINA GELLIE, JULIE SHEPPARD & SYLVIA WU Sugrue South Downs, The Trouble with Dreams, Sussex, England 2015 £43-£49.95 Champagne One, Fintry Wines, Hawkins Bros, Hennings, Hic, NY Wines, South Downs Cellars, Theatre of Wine, The Whisky Exchange, Wine Poole Aromatic appeal: brioche, apricot, lemon tart. Honeyed flavour, macadamia nut and broad toasty notes balanced by fresh citrus and stone fruit hints. Delicious. JS Alc 12% Alzinger, Ried Steinertal Grüner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau, Austria 2019…

Uncorked A snapshot of what’s happening in the world of wine COMPILED BY JULIE SHEPPARD & CHRIS MERCER Producers rally round to rebuild after Ahr flood damage Winemakers in Germany’s Ahr Valley have begun rebuilding alongside local communities after terrifying floods that led to deaths and also destroyed wine cellars and property. Floods led to more than 180 deaths in Germany and Belgium in July, and the Ahr Valley was one of the worst-hit areas, with flood waters also destroying property, bridges and roads. ‘It’s a disaster,’ said Marc Adeneuer, of JJ Adeneuer winery in Ahrweiler and head of the local branch of Germany’s VDP wine association. ‘You had to run for your life,’ he said of the sudden rise of the Ahr river. In some cases, flood waters were…

UNCORKED ‘Soil signatures may provide wine’s most haunting music’ Andrew Jefford ILLUSTRATION SAM KERR/DEBUT ART Could this be wine’s most alluring idea? It might be. Three books (two published recently) allude to its magnetic appeal, though every Decanter reader will already be aware of it. That idea is the soil signature: the notion that the sensual profile of a wine might derive from the rocks and soils which characterise its vineyard(s) of origin. Decanter Rhône correspondent Matt Walls’ excellent Wines of the Rhône (£35, Infinite Ideas, January 2021) is a sure-handed guide to France’s friendliest and most accessible fine-wine region. If you have the book, take a look at page 5, where Walls runs briefly through the styles of Rhône wine he feels typify granite, schist, rolled pebbles, clay, sand…

South & North Innovation across the Americas All across the American continent winemakers are choosing to push boundaries and challenge the established ways by responding to the latest trends – and the threat of climate change. Patricio Tapia profiles five winemakers shaking things up in their respective South American countries; while, from page 27, Jordan Mackay introduces five modern-day pioneers of North American wine Matías Riccitelli ARGENTINA With a portfolio of 35 wines and a production of more than 400,000 bottles a year, this restless Mendoza winemaker has taken the Argentinian wine scene by storm. Matías Riccitelli’s abundant energy takes him from the vineyard of deep Patagonia to the impossible heights of La Carrera in the Uco Valley. An eye for diversity has seen him work with grape varieties considered…

Texas: stay & eat The universal favourite for overnight stays is Hoffman Haus (hoffmanhaus.com), a luxury bed-and-breakfast well situated in the heart of Hill Country. Outlot 201 Guest Houses (@ outlot201GH), an 8km drive from Fredericksburg’s historic Main Street, offers three guest houses designed in keeping with the area's traditional ‘Sunday Haus’ style homes. Each one has a pantry stocked with homemade banana bread, fresh fruit and drinks. For a boutique hotel experience, the Trueheart Hotel (thetruehearthotel.com) offers 13 rooms furnished in a colourful and playful style. Or for something quirkier, consider the adults-only 1940s aviation-centric Hangar Hotel (hangarhotel.com). You’ll have your pick of places to eat and drink in Fredericksburg, but a dish of goose and truffle ravioli with mixed farm greens, wine reduction sauce and pecans at Otto’s…

BURGUNDY GRAND CRU The mighty Montrachets It's hallowed ground for the wine trade, and anyone else fortunate enough to get a taste. We explore the details behind what makes this Burgundy grand cru so great STORY CHARLES CURTIS MW Montrachet is among the most seductive and voluptuous white wines on the planet. The eminent Burgundy expert Dr Jules Lavalle wrote in 1855 that Montrachet produced wines that ‘merit so incontestably the first rank among the white wines of the Côte d’Or, and probably among all of the white wines of the world’. Few would contradict him, then or now. It would be an error to think that every bottle with the word ‘Montrachet’ on the label is equivalent in quality. However, a little knowledge about the vineyard, and the others…

FIVE OF THE BEST: BLANCO TEQUILAS RECOMMENDED BY LAURA FOSTER 1 Don Fulano Blanco £42.99-£49.63, Master of Malt, OnBuy, The Bottle Club, The Drop Store, The Whisky Exchange Produced by the Fonseca family, Don Fulano is made entirely from agave grown on the family’s estate. This blanco is rested for 60 days in stainless steel tanks. A refined tequila with a distinct herbal hit of mint and rosemary, some floral honeysuckle notes, sweet butterscotch and a creamy mouthfeel. Alcohol 40% PHOTOGRAPHS BRENT HOFACKER/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO, MARIUS GRAF/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO 2 Don Julio Blanco £38-£52, Amazon, Drinks Direct, Drink Supermarket, Harvey Nichols, House of Malt, The Bottle Club, The Drop Store, The Whisky Exchange Don Julio is named after the brand’s founder, Don Julio González, who started making tequila in 1942…

PERFECT PAIRING The G&G burger With its superb remoulade, this popular burger choice from the Goose & Gander restaurant, in the heart of California’s Napa Valley, pairs beautifully with Chardonnay and Gamay from France STORY JESS LANDER Published this year, The Essential Napa Valley Cookbook was born out of a need to do something that could help save Napa Valley’s incredible restaurant community. Like everywhere, our restaurants were struggling immensely during the pandemic, and because Napa Valley is a region that relies on tourism, the locals simply couldn’t eat enough to keep them in business. Trust me, I was trying. In the autumn of 2020, another round of vicious fires hit the region, forcing our already vulnerable restaurants into additional closures. It felt as if we couldn’t catch a break.…

Editors’ picks Each month our editorial team tastes a lot of wine but not all of it manages to make it to the page. So here’s our in-house pick of other great wines we’ve tried DAOU: PASO ROBLES MOUNTAIN WINE TINA GELLIE Daniel Daou, winemaker at his and his brother Georges’ eponymous winery in Paso Robles, California, recently joined a small (socially distanced) group of critics, buyers and sommeliers at 67 Pall Mall in London via video link to introduce a line-up of eight reds from their mountain vineyards in the Adelaida District. Now called Daou Mountain, it is one of the highest vineyards in Paso at 670m. Daniel effuses that it has the same clay soils as Bordeaux’s Right Bank, the same climate as St Helena in Napa and…

The Decanter guarantee Our buying guide provides you with trusted, independent, expert recommendations on what to buy, drink and cellar. Each panel tasting is judged by three experienced tasters chosen for their authority in the category of wine being rated. All wines are tasted blind and are pre-poured for judges in flights of 8-10 wines. Our experts taste and score wines individually but then discuss their scores together at the end of each flight. Any wines on which scores are markedly different are retasted; however, judges are under no obligation to amend their scores. Judges are encouraged to look for typicity in wines, rewarding those that are true to their region. When judging, experts are aware of wine price bands – under £15, £15-£30 and over £30 – with the…

THE BORDEAUX INDEX VIEW Fine wine & spirits specialists Bordeaux Index kindly sponsor this section of Decanter, and provide their view on the market here. They can be found at bordeauxindex.com So far in 2021, the Bordeaux market has performed very much as we expected on a headline basis: significant upwards price movements (mid to high single-digit %) without too much distinction between first growth, super seconds and Right Bank. However, there has been a particularly noteworthy trend towards younger vintages outperforming, which is somewhat different to our expectation. This has led to significantly flatter price ‘curves’ for Château Lafite, for example – something that gathered pace in July. As ever, ascribing such a trend just to Asia would be an over-simplification – there are multiple factors at play. The…

Tasted & rated for Decanter Premium PHOTOGRAPHS NICOLAS JOUBARD, SOTHEBY’S Château Latour, Pauillac 1CC, Bordeaux 2005 98 pts Latour 2005 came joint-top with Château Margaux when Andy Howard MW tasted the five first growths from this highly rated Bordeaux vintage. ‘Drinking beautifully, but will age extremely well,’ Howard said in his recent tasting note for Decanter Premium subscribers. Latour 2005 was the most traded wine by value on Liv-ex in the week ending 5 August, and its market price of £7,250 (12x75cl in bond) was up by about 17% over 12 months. As previously reported, Latour planned to release a small amount of ex-cellar stock of 2005 grand vin in September, marking the wine’s final commercial release. Collectors and investors will find a wealth of useful information on decanter.com/premium, including…

WORKING WINE TO 5 Ursula Thurner Public relations professional, specialising in wine PHOTOGRAPH G TATGE How did you end up here? I arrived in Tuscany in 1988. I wanted to get to know Italy better and study the Italian language. I heard that the Chianti Classico consorzio was looking for a PR person, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to optimise my stay in Italy. I never thought that wine would become my life! For nearly 10 years, I promoted Chianti Classico all over the world. Wine promotion was in the fledgling stages in those years. Then, in 1997, I realised that producers had different needs – that they needed to promote their brand, not only their regional denomination, and so I founded Thurner PR. Together with…