Indholdsfortegnelse for November 2023 i Decanter

I once worked at a publication that specialised in restaurants. We interviewed chefs, mâitre d’s, suppliers, sommeliers, waiters, owners, critics and many more. We always asked them about their favourite place to eat, and most were very happy to mention a friend’s establishment or praise a foreign find. The critics, though, squirmed and wriggled, evading the question and being as vague as humanly possible. They didn’t want the public crowding into their personal favourites and ruining their peace and quiet, of course. Every food critic has a secret list of great restaurants that they’ll never write about. And I must admit I have a pang of the same feeling in regard to our Languedoc feature in this issue. It’s a region I have a great deal of fondness for –…

■ Italy’s Mazzei family said its Belguardo V 2021 is the first wine to be released under a new ‘Vermentino Superiore’ classification in Maremma Toscana DOC. Fruit for the wine was sourced from four Vermentino clones, it said. Francesco Mazzei, group joint-MD, described the Maremma as an extraordinary area with all the attributes to make great wines. ‘I am convinced that one of the most significant markers of this promising appellation is the Vermentino.’ ■ Hollywood star Brad Pitt has launched a new rosé Champagne named Petite Fleur with a recommended retail price of £85. It’s the latest bottling from Fleur de Miraval Champagne house, started by Pitt, top grower-producer the Péters family, and the Perrin family of Château de Beaucastel. Petite Fleur contains Chardonnay from grand cru vineyards, including 65%…

After landing her dream job as the new CEO of WineGB, the trade association for English and Welsh wine, Nicola Bates talks to Decanter about the potential for the industry and the delicious wines she has been enjoying in preparation for the role – for research purposes, of course ‘This is the best job I could ever think of. The sector is at an incredibly exciting point. The quality is there, but it’s at such an early stage in the journey. ‘It’s an exciting time from a tourism point of view, too. I would say to all wine lovers: come and visit. More facilities are opening all the time, and everyone will give you a really warm welcome. ‘I’m drinking a lot of English wine at the moment. It’s my…

INTRODUCTION CHRIS MAILLARD, DECANTER PARTY-HOST-IN-CHIEF SELECTION BY JAMES BUTTON, NATALIE EARL, TINA GELLIE, GEORGIE HINDLE, INES SALPICO, JULIE SHEPPARD, AMY WISLOCKI & SYLVIA WU So you’re throwing a party. Of course you are. It’s that time of year, after all. And you’ll need to get the drinks organised. You enjoy a decent bottle of wine, and know a fair bit about it. You wouldn’t be reading this otherwise. So whatever other options you’re considering for the lo-no/designated driver/cocktails/craft beer crowd, the wine is likely to be your responsibility (and let’s face it, who needs an excuse to go out and buy lots of nice wine?). So here are a few suggestions, pulled together by the party-loving Decanter team – all wines we’ve run across at recent tastings, which we’d serve…

1 Mersel Wine, LebNat Gold, Deir al Ahmar/Wadi Annoubine 2021 93 £26 Vinebud A joyous, engaging pét-nat 50/50 blend of Merwah and Viognier from Eddie Chami’s scenic winery below the cedars of Lebanon, with a distinctive label showing a goat atop one of the celebrated Roman temples at Baalbek. Unfiltered and unfined, with minimal added sulphites, this has a fresh, bready, citric nose and a fine, honeyed mousse of apricots and baked apples in the mouth, underpinned by a nice saline undertow. Drink 2023-2025 Alcohol 12.5% 2 Vertical 33, Obeidi, Mount Lebanon 2015 95 vertical33.com Eid Azar’s wines are uncompromising. He believes in low intervention, using natural yeasts, minimal addition of sulphites to his wines and zero oak. From a rediscovered vineyard at 1,100m, planted more than a hundred years…

Recommended 86-89pts From Godello to Treixadura, Loureiro to Caiño Blanco, this tasting offered some exceptional examples of Galicia’s white wines, as well as some new discoveries and a few surprises. Here we focused on Galicia’s treasure trove of white varieties excluding Albariño, which has already earned itself plenty of attention and been well explored in other tastings. Spanish agriculture ministry data for 2022 shows that production of white wines across the four provinces of Galicia constitutes a significant 69%, bucking the trend of the majority of regions in Spain where red varieties are more widely planted. The judging panel was most impressed with the high quality and consistency of the wines. Nearly half of them – 27 out of 59 – scored 90 points or more (see ‘The scores’, below).…

In what way are you a wine connector? I love putting people together. I do this within the wine industry, with collectors and also for broader hospitality. I allow the young to access the experienced, pull wine students together to have study buddies, create new social circles for consumer collectors or raise the profiles of somms further into the hospitality world. My friendships are diverse so I ‘bash’ people together who would not normally meet in their usual circles and can create incredible panels to inspire the next gen. The 360-degree nature of my own address book means combinations are endless. What led you to it? People are either natural connectors or not. It’s a desire to help others which drives connectors, rather than a particular experience. What’s the best…

Two leading lights of Napa Valley, Bart and Daphne Araujo, have said they are passing the baton to the next generation. The couple created Araujo Estate after buying historic Eisele Vineyard in Calistoga in 1990, and quickly earned praise for Cabernet-based wines. They also converted the site to biodynamics. After selling to Château Latour owner François Pinault in 2013, the Araujos established highly regarded Accendo Cellars. Now, they are handing over to second-generation partners Jaime and Greg Araujo. Jaime Araujo told Decanter: ‘At a time when successful generational transfers are less common among American wineries, we are even more excited to take the reins in this next chapter of Accendo Cellars and build on our family’s legacy.’ The team, including winemakers Françoise Peschon and Nigel Kinsman, remains unchanged.…

Built in 1856 as a private home, boutique hotel Kingsford has been there to witness Barossa’s transformation from pastureland and bush to wine wonderland, with more than 150 glossy wineries and 80 cellar doors now welcoming visitors. The hotel underwent a multi-million dollar rethink in 2020, so among the original property’s Georgian-style elegance there are fresh draws: dedicated wine vaults, multiple bars and new accommodation. In the original homestead building, timeless suites in warm neutral hues largely come with chandeliers, Louis XVI-inspired chairs and floral prints. In the new wing, contemporary View Suites with minimalist furnishings feature floor-to-ceiling glass opening up to the Barossa landscape. It’s a judicious, and luxurious, blend of old and new that doesn’t compromise the property’s soul. When it comes to wine, you need only look…

It’s been happening imperceptibly for a long time now: Bordeaux is being sidelined in favour of the Rhône – or more generally, the south of France. I have even seen (a shocking departure) Bordeaux listed in a restaurant under ‘South West France’, among such minnows as Madiran. Meanwhile, the world of Grenache and its affiliates, expanding outwards from Châteauneuf, proposes a very different concept of desirable red wine. I can see why a certain kind of sommelier feels Bordeaux needs taking down a peg. It’s scarcely the wokest of appellations. There’s a temptation to see it as the choice of a mug with money. Security in the famous name. Reassurance in a hefty price. On some restaurant wine lists it seems that margins wax fat under the Bordeaux heading. I…

After a challenging 2020 vintage, 2021 arrived in this key region in California’s Central Coast with near-perfect conditions, though with lower than ideal yields. Where successful, the best examples showed power and balance with acidity as a welcome foil. Jason Haas, proprietor at Tablas Creek Vineyard, calls 2021 in Paso Robles ‘the recipe for a really great, blockbuster-style vintage’ and ‘as you would if you could design a vintage from scratch’. For many, bud break in 2021 was earlier than normal, there were no major heat spikes, and it was a relatively long growing season and ripening cycle, because the beginning of the season was so early. Harvest was slightly early to average for most, with almost everyone I spoke to commenting on the lower-than-normal yields brought on…

Ask Decanter Each month our experts answer your burning wine questions. Email your questions to editor@decanter.com WHAT’S PIQUETTE ABOUT? I’ve come across piquette on some wine bar lists. What is this? Alison Porter, by email Colin Grandfield, general manager of The Sourcing Table wine shops in London, replies: Piquette is a light, refreshing beverage made from pomace (the grape solids left over from the winemaking process). The pomace is rehydrated with water, extracting any remaining flavour, colour and sugar, to create a water and grape infusion which is then fermented, sometimes with the addition of sugar or honey. The result is a thirst-quenching, low-in-alcohol drink that traditionally would have been consumed by parched winemakers and vineyard workers. Usually piquette is bottled as pét-nat, before the fermentation has completely finished, thus…

As the two smallest communal appellations in the Médoc region, after the big four of St-Estéphe, St-Julien, Pauillac and Margaux, Moulis and Listrac may not carry the same name recognition or prestige as their more famous neighbours on Bordeaux’s Left Bank, but these are the places to look for happy, characterful and food-friendly wines at accessible prices (often under or around £20 per bottle). Geographically, Moulis lies immediately to the northwest of Margaux, and Listrac continues on to the north of Moulis. Being located on the Atlantic side of the Médoc and sheltered from the coastal winds by the Landes forest (Listrac is the further inland), neither sub-region directly borders the moderating Gironde river, and this gives relatively slightly cooler soils. The two are roughly the same size – Moulis…

Champagne sales subdued Prestige Champagnes from Salon and Taittinger have been among the latest big releases from the region on the fine wine market. Taittinger’s Comtes de Champagne 2013 was ‘received well’ at £715 (for 6x75cl in bond), said Ruairi O’Hara, of UK merchant Goedhuis & Co, adding that the prestige cuvée is a client favourite known for relative value compared to peers. From an investment standpoint, though, he said the 2013 release ‘experienced less demand than its predecessors’, despite strong ratings for the wine. A subdued market and vintage perceptions could be among the reasons, he suggested, adding Comtes 2012 (£675 per 6x75cl in bond) ‘has been more attractive to some buyers’. Salon, Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs 2013 (Decanter 97 points) was released at £2,745 per three-bottle case…

At first glance it’s hard to pin down what draws together the participating members in the Premium Independent Wineries of South Africa (PIWOSA). They are, after all, a hugely diverse bunch. There are wineries with a heritage that goes back centuries and others that have been making and selling wine for less than 20 years. There are estates with hundreds of hectares under vine, and winemakers who take fruit from the same growers every year, but own next to no vineyards themselves. There are statement-making operations with grandiose restaurants and guest rooms, and others that are modern, minimalist, tin-roofed buildings with not much more than coffee-making facilities for the winemaker. Geographically, too, they span much of the Cape’s winelands: from Constantia and Durbanville Hills, near to the zing and bustle…

Notes from the 2023 harvest From weather-hit yields to excitement about quality, and ongoing defiance in Ukraine, early snapshots of the 2023 harvest have been emerging from Europe and the US. Extreme weather hit yields in several regions in 2023, causing pain for producers, but inevitably it’s hard to generalise. There was still early optimism about vintage quality in many regions. Smaller overall 2023 harvests will likely cut wine production in Italy and Spain by 12% and 14% year-on-year respectively, said the European Commission. In Italy, production may drop 30%-40% in Abruzzo, Puglia and Sicily. In Spain, the Cava DO regulatory council reported exceptional-quality grapes but also serious climatic challenges, including low rainfall and high temperatures. ‘This year’s harvest serves as a warning about the future of viticulture,’ it said.…

Bordeaux’s class of 1982 has demonstrated its ongoing allure in the auction room in recent weeks. Château Lafleur, Pomerol 1982 was a star performer among top Bordeaux lots, including several ’82 wines, offered by UK auction house Dreweatts from a single owner’s collection. Two 12-bottle lots of Lafleur 1982 in original wooden cases (OWC) each fetched a hammer price of £56,000, rising to £69,440 including buyer’s premium plus VAT. The pre-sale high estimate was £24,000 per lot. Decanter revisited Bordeaux’s landmark 1982 vintage with a rare tasting (see our October 2023 issue, and Decanter Premium), and Caroline Shepherd, senior specialist in wine and spirits at Dreweatts, said full cases of 1982 first growths and top Right Bank châteaux still command strong bidding interest. Shepherd said of the auction: ‘There was…

Rioja holds a special place in the heart of many wine lovers, but many never stray from the red wines for which it is best known. Throughout November, retailers and restaurants across the UK will be taking part in Feliz Rioja, a month-long celebration of Spain’s most famous wine-producing region – the perfect opportunity in the run-up to Christmas to rediscover its rich and spicy, barrelaged reds and to get to know the region’s other styles, too, from zesty whites to rosés, and even sparkling wines. Look out for mixed cases, events, promotions and in-store tastings to discover the perfect bottle of Rioja for Christmas gifting. Meanwhile, restaurants will be showcasing Rioja’s food-friendliness with special food pairings, set menus and Riojas available by the glass. To discover what’s going on…

T here is a well-worn media narrative on Lebanese wine – let’s call it the ‘plucky little Lebanon’ story – that goes something like this: despite the devastating civil war of 1975-1990, one of the world’s worst economic crises, state capture by a corrupt, self-serving political elite, a massive explosion in the port of Beirut in 2020 and the influx of 1.5 million Syrian refugees, the country’s wine industry has somehow survived, and we should buy Lebanese wine out of solidarity. This is a narrative that may once again find expression amid the latest outbreak of instability in the wider region. As this issue of Decanter was going to press, the eruption of a new and serious conflict to Lebanon’s south, in Israel and Gaza, was raising the potential of…

Telling people I was heading on a work trip to the Niagara Peninsula, in Canada’s eastern province of Ontario, the response was invariably ‘oh, for the icewine’. Even friends from my birth city of Ottawa, Canada’s capital and a 5.5-hour drive from the heart of the winelands, were surprised that anything else would lure a wine writer across the pond. Just as there are lingering outdated perceptions that all Sherry and German Riesling is sweet and old fashioned, it seems there’s still a way to go to convince the general public that Ontario has many (many) more strings to its winemaking bow. While the first vinifera vines of the modern era were planted in 1974 and the first winery licence post-prohibition registered in 1975, the Ontario wine industry didn’t…

Sweeping from above the Atlantic oceankissed shores of La Rochelle, down the Gironde estuary towards the fêted vineyards of Bordeaux – and reaching far inland through forest, rivers and wheat fields – the Cognac region at first seems mind-bogglingly vast. But while this wide expanse may be one of France’s largest grape-planted areas, the good news for travellers is that there’s a clear first-timer’s itinerary to discovering its liquid treasures. Simply make for the heart of the action in the premium central sub-regions of Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne, and the twin spirit-soaked communes of Cognac and Jarnac, for a long weekend of tastings, cellar tours and laid-back exploring. Covering some 13,000ha in the centre of the Cognac region – and bordering Cognac town – Grande Champagne has highly…

When one’s thoughts turn to sweet wines, the go-to is often the luscious royalty of Sauternes. Its mild climate, in partnership with the Ciron river (a tributary of the Garonne), triggers evening and morning mists that seep into the vineyards and instigate the development of noble rot, leading to botrytised grapes with concentrated juice and sugars. This is not a uniform phenomenon, so at harvest several passes through the vineyard – as many as nine – are required to select berries which sit in the phase of perfect ‘infection’. Far less heralded, although no less exalted by many, the wines of Coteaux du Layon in the Loire follow a nearidentical production path (the Layon river delivers the misty humidity). These wines are generally less costly – a bottle of the…

Adecade of steady growth has catapulted rare whisky into the market spotlight, but there have been mixed signals from the sector in 2023. Ultra-rare bottlings continue to find buyers. A 1.5-litre bottle of Bowmore STAC 55 Year Old single malt Scotch fetched a hammer price of £450,000 (£562,500 with buyer’s premium) at the Sotheby’s-hosted Distillers One of One charity auction in October. Data from Bordeaux Index suggests long-term price growth for rare whisky has continued in 2023 (see chart), although Matthew O’Connell, CEO of the merchant’s LiveTrade platform, said momentum has slowed a little. He added: ‘We see demand for 30 [and] 40-year-old whisky from significant distilleries. This sells out quickly, [and] it’s hard to find on the market.’ Some data offers a more cautious view. A whisky sub-index published…