Indholdsfortegnelse for June 2022 i Decanter

BEVERLEY BLANNING MW is an independent wine writer, judge, tour guide and educator. Author of the new book Wines of the Loire Valley (Infinite Ideas, due June 2023), she has been a DWWA judge since its inception in 2004 CHARLES CURTIS MW is a widely published journalist, author and fine-wine advisor based in New York. Formerly head of wine at Christie’s in the US and Asia, he started out as a chef and travelled to Paris to train at Le Cordon Bleu SARAH JANE EVANS MW is an awarded journalist, author and broadcaster, and a DWWA Co-Chair. Author of The Wines of Northern Spain (Infinite Ideas, 2018), she is also the current chair of Spain’s Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino HUGH JOHNSON has written a dozen wine books over 60…

Domaine Sylvain Pataille, Le Chapitre, Bourgogne 2012 94 POA (2017) Vine Trail Tasted nearly 20 years after the vintage at the late Becky Wasserman’s house, this was the wine of the tasting. Showing great complexity and an impressive mineral depth, there was still firm and lively acidity on the palate and plenty of extract that carries the wine to an impressive finish. It is produced from a 0.7ha parcel in Chenôve that was planted in 1955 at mid-slope in a soil rich in white oolite limestone slope wash that contributes to the pronounced minerality of the wine. Drink 2022-2027 1 Domaine Alain Jeanniard, Chardonnay, Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits 2019 91 £27.50-£29.17 (ib) Ideal Wine Co, Wineye From vines at 500m high above Chambolle (at Vougeot) on the way to…

Never likely to match the popularity of the country’s Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand Pinot Noir is nonetheless an undoubted success story. Although the first vines were planted almost 140 years ago, in 1883, New Zealand Pinot Noir didn’t really find traction with either producers or consumers until more than a century later. Today, with more than 5,800ha planted (all figures from New Zealand Winegrowers), it is the country’s top red grape variety by far, with approximately 14.5 million bottles exported in 2021. It flourishes in New Zealand’s cool South Island regions of Central Otago, Marlborough, North Canterbury with smaller amounts in Nelson. Exciting wines are also being made in the North Island, notably Martinborough in the south, plus a few top producers in Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne. Thanks to this…

Last year, there was much mirth on wine Twitter about a particularly excruciating tasting note. You’re right. The wine trad needs to get out more. But still… this one was a beauty. It began well enough – really quite beautiful, in fact. But before long the imaginative descriptions were getting more ornate and strained. It moved from poetic to meaningless before finishing with a reference to Burnt Norton – the first of TS Eliot’s Four Quartets – that put it firmly in Private Eye magazine’s Pseud’s Corner. Unsurprisingly, on social media, people were amused, appalled, infuriated and aghast in more or less equal measure. It caused me, in an unguarded moment, to create the Crap Tasting Note of the Year awards* (see p57) on my satirical website Fake Booze. And…

For a country not known for being short on confidence and self-belief, the US has spent much of the past century on the back foot when it comes to its whiskey. Blame Prohibition, which lasted from 1920 until 1933, decimated domestic whiskey production, and turned the drinking population on to the joys of illicit Scotch and Canadian hooch instead. Blame vodka too. Smirnoff famously rose to prominence on the back of advertising that proclaimed: ‘Smirnoff White Whiskey – No Smell, No Taste’. In a new world in love with the light and the neutral, the ripe, rich joys of a well-aged bourbon or rye were yesterday’s story. By the 1980s, American whiskey resembled a wasteland, devoid of creativity and, beyond the remnants of its ageing fanbase, all but forgotten by…

Forty-eight Châteauneuf estates, two wines each: a 2019 and a 2009. That was the basis for what proved to be a fascinating and memorable tasting. The two years in question have a lot in common – both defined by hot, dry growing seasons producing an impressive crop of rich, ripe, concentrated wines. The main differences are that 2019 was marginally hotter than 2009, certainly drier So how the 2009s are showing now should give us insight into how the 2019s will be showing in 10 years’ time –a good point at which to start opening top Châteauneuf. And if the 2019s age as well as the 2009s, the principal takeaway is: buying some 2019s and cellaring them for 10 years will prove a very savvy move. Of the 2019s, Tanguy…

90 Kurtin, La Risposta 110 Spumante Brut, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy NV £17 WinesnVines This Charmat-method sparkling wine is made from the local Ribolla Gialla variety, which confers it with stony pear, melon and candied citrus peel notes. Intense, pithy and sweetly citrussy, it finishes dry, long and steely. JB Alcohol 11.5% 92 André Brunel, Bécassonne, Côtes du Rhône, France 2020 £13.28 Corking Wines A wonderful combination of richness and freshness with gooseberry and white stone fruit on the palate, and textural weight giving it body and frame. Peach, pear and citrus notes dominate, with touches of minerality and soft spice. Perfect for white meats or fish. GH Alc 13.5% 92 Ios Winery, Rematies Monemvasia, Cyclades, Greece 2020 £16.41 Ratcliffe & Co From a schist vineyard at 800m on the…

Promontory, Napa Valley 2016 Recently released internationally via the Place de Bordeaux following a US market debut last year, Promontory 2016 has won plaudits from several critics. ‘This is excellent from the start,’ wrote Decanter’s Georgina Hindle, giving the wine 98 points. ‘You have an intensity of flavour, the richness, the depth, with a really dark, spicy undertone – but also with these plush tannins that are soft, softly chewy and delicate, yet fill the mouth.’ Bill Harlan, of Harlan Estate fame, acquired the land that would give rise to Promontory in the 2000s. The first commercial vintage was 2009 and it’s a top-tier project to watch. Decanter PREMIUM Collectors and investors will find a wealth of useful information on decanter.com/premium, including expert assessments of the latest vintage releases and…

Spätburgunder is the German name for Pinot Noir, and means literally ‘late Burgundy’, in reference to its ripening time and origin. It is possible that the variety first arrived in Germany as early as the ninth century. An often-cited story recounts how Charlemagne [d. 814 AD] ordered monks to plant a vineyard in the Rheingau, on a hill below what is now known as Schloss Johannisberg. It may well be Pinot Noir that they planted, as wild Pinot grapes have been found growing on a nearby island in the Rhine. As Benjamin Lewin MW points out in his comprehensive study In Search of Pinot Noir (Vendange, 2011), there is more evidence suggesting that the Cistercian monks later planted black grapes at the nearby Kloster Eberbach, which was founded in 1136,…

Fruits of the orchard A new British vodka is aiming to be as good for the planet as it is for your palate. Created by Ellers Farm Distillery in Yorkshire, Dutch Barn Vodka (alcohol 40%) is a small-batch, carbon-neutral spirit, produced using 100% renewable electricity and packaged in a lightweight brown bottle that uses 60% recycled glass. The brand takes its name from a renovated Dutch barn on the farm, which is now home to a brand new distillery set up by former publican Andy Braithwaite. The eco-friendly distiller is also expanding an old orchard, next to the distillery, to create a biodiverse habitat for local wildlife. The trees will sequester carbon as well as providing the raw material for the vodka. Native British apples – sourced both from the…

1 Balcones Baby Blue Corn Whisky, Texas £40-£49.95/70cl Widely available Corn gives whisky sweetness and an oily, mouthcoating texture; here, it’s also youthful, only adding to the punch of toffee, vanilla and popcorn, plus a little lemon verbena. Hugely flavoursome, with tropical notes and a sweet chilli heat. Alcohol 46% 2 Horse With No Name Spirit Drink, US/Germany £43.85-£45.45/50cl Drink Supermarket, Gerry’s, House of Malt, Master of Malt, The Whisky Exchange The concept of combining bourbon with a habanero chilli distillate made in the Black Forest in Germany is bizarre, but it works: oaky, sweet, ultra-fruity, but with none of the hot chilli kick you might expect. Alc 45% 3 Michter’s US *1 Small Batch Bourbon, Kentucky £46.95-£55/70cl Widely available Its ryes are excellent, but don’t overlook this class act…

In more than 15 years of tasting Australian wines for Decanter, I’ve never seen a line-up of such consistently high quality as this. Of 52 wines, 49 scored 90 points or above, and 10 of these were a golden 95pts or more. Roger Jones, also a veteran taster of Australian wines for Decanter, agreed: ‘Without doubt one of the best panel tastings, highlighting the value and quality of Aussie Riesling.’ ‘The quality exceeded my expectations,’ added Julia Sewell. ‘The wines were not just without fault, but with universal drinkability, complexity and finesse.’ The much-touted 2021 vintage drove this success (35 wines), but gratifyingly we also found gilded beauty from 2019 (three), 2018 (five) and 2015 (two). The 2020s (six), from a more challenging year, showed signs of both explosive power…

Henriot, Brut Souverain, Champagne, France NV 93 95 £36 The Wine Society A classic and for good reason, consistently delivering approachable complexity and unpretentious elegance. Citrus freshness, fleshy orchard fruit and smoky nuttiness. Marked yet poised acidity driving a delicious, vibrant finish with lingering toasty notes. IS Alcohol 13% Bodega Tamerán, Verdello, Gran Canaria, Spain 2020 £35 The Sourcing Table Owned by Spanish footballer David Silva, and brought to life by winemaker Jonatan Garcia, this shows the potential of Gran Canaria’s volcanic terroir. A dazzling wine, combining sweet lemon blossom with piquant salinity. Fresh acidity, and a candied peel finish. NE Alc 12% 94 Avignonesi, Grifi, Tuscany, Italy 2017 O £44 WoodWinters This 50/50 blend of Cabernet and Sangiovese spends 18 months in barriques and casks. Earthy and brambly, it…

Fine wine & spirits specialist Bordeaux Index kindly sponsors this section of Decanter, and provides its view on the market here. It can be found at bordeauxindex.com The market for California wines has seen improvement in performance and outlook in the last 12 months. With a couple of exceptions, pricing had previously softened significantly and trading activity was down, but this has reversed, particularly in Screaming Eagle, Sine Qua Non and Dominus, where we have seen notable buyer interest and encouraging prices. Some core premium Napa wines such as Harlan, Colgin and Hundred Acre remain somewhat range-bound, with release prices broadly in line with other vintages. Elsewhere, Ridge Monte Bello continues its ongoing positive journey to recognition as a first growth-esque wine, with pricing to match. Given the positive market…

1 August Kesseler, Assmannshausen Höllenberg GG, Rheingau 2018 97 POA Justerini & Brooks Fine oak spices of chilled coffee and bitter chocolate are at the forefront, before being overtaken by powerful dark berry fruit, cassis, sour cherry and plum, while the tannins are smooth and envelop the acidity in a velvety texture. Hedonistic style, rich and opulent, it reflects the heat-absorbent, barren slate soil of the steep Höllenberg. A powerful character. Drink 2022-2036 Alcohol 14% 2 Bernhard Huber, Schlossberg Spätburgunder GG, Baden 2019 97 POA The Winery Less is more. Fewer whole berries (now using only 5%-6%) and reduced use of new oak (now about 30%) have led to greater fruit precision, with cherry and cherry stone, a touch of black pepper and a hint of mint. The structure is…

1 Domaine de la Pépière, Château-Thébaud 2012 95 £25.80 Kitchen & Vine Everything about Domaine de la Pépière is so unprepossessing it comes as a bit of a shock that the wines are quite so glorious. This aged bottling is from a low-yielding vintage that concentrated the sugar and acidity in the wine – both are intense but balanced, and the wine has enough weight and texture to carry it off. Textured, long finish. Still fresh and quite fabulous. Organic. Drink 2022-2032 Alcohol 12% 2 Domaine Luneau-Papin, Excelsior 2014 95 £29.99 (2015) Museum Wines  The flagship wine of this quality-focused domaine, from vines at the top of the slopes of the Butte de la Roche hill at the heart of of the Goulaine cru. Marie Luneau describes the 2014…

Spring is in the air and what better time could there be for a refresh of your gin selection? Some distillers have released special bottlings this year, using selected spring botanicals to create a fresh seasonal serve. Other gins have a flavour profile that will always work well on bright spring days. Here is a selection of my favourites… PHOTOGRAPHS BEN BENTLEY, YULIYA FURMAN/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO, PATTI MCCONVILLE/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO 1 Fossil Coast Lime Stone £37.95/70cl Fossil Coast Drinks Inspired by Dorset’s Jurassic Coast, there’s a breezy maritime freshness to this gin that calls to mind a springtime coastal walk and bracing sea air. It’s made with botanicals including camomile, orris root and lime peel, creating a balanced citrus and spice palate, with crisp mineral bite on the finish. Clean,…

My father worked in the wholesale supply of fruit and vegetables. He would often come home with a box of the day’s best produce, and so I became interested in what was in season. Both my parents often worked late, so cooking dinner to help take some weight off them inspired me to want to learn more. My first kitchen job at age 14 was at a Greek restaurant in Southampton, and it inspired my love for foods of the eastern Mediterranean. Today, I’m lucky to be able to obtain the best produce from ‘Our Farm’ in Cartmel, run by our farmer John Rowland. The beautiful garnish for this simple, Med-inspired summer recipe came straight from Our Farm, and the roe from Cornwall. Over the past 20 years, we’ve been…

Each month our experts answer your burning wine questions. Email your questions to editor@decanter.com BARRELS: THE AFTERLIFE What happens to all the barrels once they’ve reached their end of life? Scott Sanderson, by email Nancy Gilchrist MW, wine educator and consultant, replies: The commonly used barrique-sized (225-litre) barrels used to add oak flavour typically have a lifespan of up to four years. But this is often extended by pulling the barrel apart, shaving the inner staves and reconstructing the whole to give the barrel a further three or four years. After that, it can still be used as a storage container for anything up to 30 years or so (depending upon cellar conditions) until it becomes too leaky. Of course, there are some tonneaux that hold 900L (or even more),…

EXPRESSIONS OF TERROIR IN THE ROUSSILLON NATALIE EARL A Burgundian transplanted to the Roussillon, Frédérique Vaquer is a craftswoman with a deep understanding of her terroir. She met her husband Bernard studying wine in Burgundy, and they took over his family estate, Domaine Vaquer (domaine-vaquer.com), in 1989. He sadly passed away in 2001, and Frédérique (pictured below) has been at the helm ever since. Visiting in 2021, we rocketed through her vineyards in her canary-yellow old banger – which we lovingly nicknamed the flying eagle – stopping to observe the vines and smell the floral intensity of the surrounding vegetation. Frédérique says her ‘mouth is made for Burgundy wine’, which is why she loves Carignan: ‘Sometimes we call Carignan the Pinot of the south.’ Her wines certainly have a distinctive,…

T here’s a hint of the biblical about Garnacha’s renaissance. The variety that was once looked down on as too quick to oxidise, too alcoholic, too rustic, has become a prodigal child – celebrated for its originality, and often for its finesse. The reason for this transformation? The quality of the old vines from isolated vineyards, abandoned for their lack of profitability and ease of handling. Important, too, are the dedicated growers and winemakers interpreting their terroir with sensitivity. The Gredos mountains, in central Spain west of Madrid, were significant in drawing Spanish Garnacha to international attention. It’s easy to forget what a gunshot the wines of Daniel Landi (pictured) were, appearing from an unknown mountain region. And in Navarra, the likes of Domaines Lupier were recuperating a fine if…

RIDGE MONTE BELLO 2021 Ridge Vineyards said the latest vintage of its lauded Monte Bello will be offered en primeur in May in the US and in the UK, via importer Berkmann Wine Cellars. Drought affected 2021 vintage yields, but Ridge completed a first assemblage of Monte Bello in March, with a second planned for May. BORDEAUX 2021 EN PRIMEUR May and June are traditionally dominated by Bordeaux en primeur releases. Some top wines have enjoyed good market momentum, from Lafite to Figeac. En primeur demand can depend on several factors, however, including scores, release prices and back-vintage availability. Look out for ratings and tasting notes on Decanter Premium. DOMINUS 2019 Dominus Estate, the Napa Valley winery founded by Christian Moueix, will release the 2019 vintage of flagship Dominus in…

The chart, right, from Bordeaux Index shows several strong price performances from top California wines over the past 12 months. Yet Screaming Eagle, Ridge Monte Bello and Sine Qua Non dominate the top 10 risers, with Dominus 2009 the only wine outside this trio. Elsewhere, a record auction price was set for Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars’ SLV Cabernet Sauvignon 1973, representing the Napa Valley red wine that beat Bordeaux in the 1976 Judgement of Paris tasting, according to Heritage Auctions. A single bottle fetched US$12,300 (£9,400) during an auction of 4,000 wines from Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars’ ‘legacy collection’, said Heritage. Winning wines from the 1976 Judgement tasting were named by the Smithsonian Institution as among 101 items that ‘made America’. Frank Martell, senior director of fine and rare wines at…

​How did you get here? I started the company and had an early win with Dell computers. It was great but incredibly boring. One day I was sitting at a wine auction with a friend and he said, ‘well those labels don’t look great, do they’. I felt I could certainly do something about it. So I went away and did a lot of research into consumer behaviour and the psychology behind labels. I found the closest big distributor, Bibendum, knocked on the door and did a few labels for them. There was no budget for it so they paid me in wine –a full truck arrived and unloaded on my doorstep! But most importantly, the labels did really well. What’s the best thing about your job? Doing the best…