Innehållsförteckning för May-2018 från Decanter

In brief ■ A magnum of 1961 Dom Pérignon Champagne specially shipped to mark the Royal wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer is up for auction. Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers will conduct the sale on 28 March. The bottle – one of a limited number – has an estimate of £2,500-£3,000. ■ Sussex wine estate Rathfinny plans to bring back imperial pint bottles for its English sparkling wine once Brexit is implemented, saying they were known as Sir Winston Churchill’s ‘ideal’ size. The winery has made 800 bottles of its English sparkling 2015 in the 56.8cl measure — prohibited by the EU since 1973. They will be termed a ‘Sussex pint’, in tribute to the winery’s location. ■ New figures from UK customs body HMRC show…

Andrew Jefford ‘Non-interventionsim should not mean non-winemaking’ WHEN, A DECADE and a half ago, I wrote The New France, I found myself repeatedly using one phrase in chapter after chapter: ‘non-interventionism’. Which was strange: it has no French equivalent. I wouldn’t even know how to translate it into French. Books are written for their readers, which in this case meant English-language wine lovers and wine-creators. France was out of favour at the time, criticised for its legislative rigidity and qualitative inconsistency. The southern hemisphere and California, by contrast, were in the ascendant, and their ‘reliable’ and sometimes interventionist wines widely acclaimed. But everyone in both hemispheres was claiming that they wanted to make terroir wine. That was, quite correctly, seen as the future of fine wine. I could see an…

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE Rocca di Montemassi A Fattoria rediscovering its roots in Tuscany The Rocca di Montemassi vineyard and winery is tucked into the low-lying hills of Tuscany’s south-central coast. This is the Maremma, a strip of land known mainly for its seafood and shallow, sandy and thus family-friendly beaches. But not far inland, the scented scrub and forests of Mediterranean pine give way to either farms or vineyards, but rarely both. One exception is the Zonin family’s Rocca di Montemassi vineyard, which is morphing in to a fully fledged farm or Fattoria, under the management of livewire Alessandro Gallo. ‘The Maremma has remained off the beaten track, so local farming traditions have not entirely disappeared here,’ Gallo says. ‘The tradition of biodiversity – a mix of cows, olives, wine, and…

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE Wines from Abruzzo Not just Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, but also rosé wines and great white wines from native grapes with one common factor: quality. Winemaking in Abruzzo is a thousand-year-old history, widely documented by the Ancient Romans. In more modern times, production based on quantity has now been succeeded by a real renaissance of quality, starting with the examination of vineyard potential, so that the Abruzzo region has now risen to be one of the most quality orientated in all Italy. Bounded by the Adriatic on one side and the mountains of the Gran Sasso and the Majella on the other side, inland, in one of Europe’s most sheltered landscapes, Abruzzo is also one of greenest regions of Europe, where the sea laps the coast just a few kilometres…

Brook’s selection Poderi Aldo Conterno, Bussiador Chardonnay, Langhe 2015 91 £55-£68 (2014) Exel, GP Brands Old-fashioned in the best sense. The appley nose is gently smoky, with a good deal of spice from the oak. Rich and creamy, with a lovely texture and fine acidity. Long and stylish, with bite on the finish. Drink 2018-2024 Alc 14% Poderi Aldo Conterno, Granbussia, Barolo Riserva 2009 97 £349.40 (2008) Clos & Cru Opulent but far from jammy, with aromas of leather and cherries. It’s velvety, with lovely depth of flavour and luxurious tannins, a harmonious wine with no rough edges. Magnificent balance and texture and tremendous length. Drink 2020-2045 Alc 15% Poderi Aldo Conterno, Romirasco, Barolo 2013 96 £151-£156 Hedonism, Tannico Sumptuous aromas of raspberries and cherries, with a touch of mocha…

Calabria: six names to watch ’A Vita Francesco de Franco is one of a handful of young Cirò producers who strictly adheres to organic protocols. Due to their highly original expressions of the red Gaglioppo grape, these producers have been dubbed ‘Cirò Revolution’. De Franco makes complex, long-lived wines that defy the region’s undeserved label of rustic and tannic – a reputation that led to a controversial change of rules to allow the blending of international varieties. His complex Riserva, which stays on the skins for 40 days, clearly shows the fallacy of that change of rule. Ferrocinto No newcomer, Ferrocinto was founded in 1658, but the estate’s potential has only been revealed since 2000 with the replanting of its vineyards, located in the Pollino Mountains at 600m above sea…

PINOT GRIS World’s best Pinot Gris buys Decanter’s experts from around the world nominated the best Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio in their respective regions. Then we asked Andrew Jefford to taste them all and select his favourite 35 wines ‘The wines I most enjoyed varied from unctuous and voluptuous to aerial and stony’ PINOT NOIR, ONE of the most genetically influential grape varieties, mutates easily. The pink-berried Pinot Gris is one such mutation, first recorded in the early 18th century. It’s a true international. We mainly know it under its name in Alsace, Pinot Gris, or as the Italian Pinot Grigio, but it’s Pinot Beurot in Burgundy (where it’s a minor rival to Chardonnay), Ruländer or Grauer Burgunder in Germany and Austria, and Szürkebarát in Hungary. Italy, not France,…

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 eight to 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…

The judges Andrea Briccarello Briccarello is the UK brand ambassador for Bisol. He previously worked as wine buyer for Galvin restaurants and was buyer and group sommelier at Corrigan’s Mayfair, Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill, and Lindsay House. In 2009 Briccarello was named Sommelier of the Year by Taste of London, and he was the winner of the Wines of Roussillon Dessert Trophy in 2010. Susan Hulme MW Hulme is a wine writer specialising in Italian wines. Previously Italian wine editor for Le Pan Media, since 2016 she has written regularly for Decanter and Decanter.com. She has lived and worked in Italy and regularly travels to Italian wine regions. She became a Master of Wine in 2005, winning the Madame Bollinger medal for outstanding performance in the tasting exam. Andrew…

PANEL TASTING The results The Superiore category is a minefield, agreed our tasters, spanning myriad styles, but there are many delicious wines waiting to be discovered. Amy Wislocki reports ‘WE HAD THE complete style spectrum here today,’ commented Andrew Jefford after the tasting, ‘from fresh, graceful, athletic, ethereal and fruity wines to the most thunderously deep wines you can imagine. The colours go from pale and translucent, where you can see the afternoon sun shining through them, to some where you can shine a torch into them and you wouldn’t see the other side. It’s really tough for consumers; there’s no magic bullet, no quick fix. But that’s also the pleasure and delight of the region.’ The chief stylistic difference concerns the use, or not, of passito (semi-dried) grapes. ‘There…

EXPERT’S CHOICE Vernaccia di San Gimignano These characterful whites aren’t as well known as other Italian DOCG wines, but reflect their Tuscan homeland. Susan Hulme MW recommends her favourite bottles IT’S A BIT of an oddity in the world of white wines. Whites are usually valued for their acidity and range of aromas, but Vernaccia di San Gimignano has relatively low acidity and is low in aromas. It is also high in tannins and is described by locals as more like a red grape. Yet its savoury, salty elements result in fresh, tangy wines. Italy’s first wine to be awarded DOC status in 1966, Vernaccia di San Gimignano became a DOCG in 1993. It grows in the gently undulating Tuscan hillsides around the beautiful medieval town of San Gimignano, famous…

Tasting notes decoded Written by Laura Seal Black tea Tea can teach us a lot about wine, and is also a useful tasting note. The link between the two is tannin, a polyphenol found in plant tissues including grape skins, seeds, oak barrels — and tea leaves. You can learn to distinguish how tannic a wine is by doing a quick experiment with tea. Put a black tea bag in hot water for a minute or two and taste the infusion. Then repeat, but this time allow the bag to steep for twice as long. The second tea should dry out your mouth and taste more astringent – almost bitter. Some wines will create a similar effect on your palate, with either smooth and integrated tannins (more like the first…

Wine Legends Jermann, Vintage Tunina 1997 Collio, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy A legend because… Silvio Jermann has always been inventive. Although he has produced varietal wines typical of the Collio region in Friuli, he created blends from the outset. Easily the most famous of his wines is the blend Vintage Tunina, which was first made in 1975. All the varieties used for Tunina are picked together. Yields are kept well below the generous Friuli average, and grapes are picked about two weeks later than other white varieties, to give additional richness. The wine takes its name from both a previous owner of the property called Antonia, known by the local diminutive Tunina, and a Venetian governess of the same name who was one of Casanova’s lovers. Looking back The property was…

John Stimpfig ‘A resurgent own-label category is great news for consumers’ IT’S NO GREAT surprise that Tesco’s Finest Pinot Grigio 2016 didn’t make it onto Andrew Jefford’s list of world-beaters (see p66). Nonetheless, this enjoyable wine, made by the Cantina di Monforte in Trentino, is worthy of note. At just under £8, it’s proof that this much-maligned grape can produce good, authentic wine at lower price points. It also demonstrates a resurgent own-label category in UK supermarkets, which is great news for wine lovers. Earlier this year, I appeared on BBC Radio 4’s consumer programme You and Yours to discuss the trend. To do my research, I visited various multiple retailers to check out their ranges and benchmark them against some of the big brands in terms of price, quality…

Letters Enraged or inspired by what you’ve read? Email editor@decanter.com, or write to: The Editor, Decanter, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SU, UK Revealing price bands JOHN STIMPFIG STATES in his column (April 2018 issue) that ‘we have begun to give our expert judges information about the prices of individual wines when they blind taste them... with the firm intention of recognising and rewarding quality and value’. This is a really stupid and illogical idea. All that will happen is that the critics will score the flight of more expensive wines higher than the less expensive wines. They probably would have done this anyway, but it would have been objective. Now they are given the nudge about this: eg (subconsciously) ‘I’d better not give this a 94:…

THE WINES Maremma Toscana Vermentino DOC, Calasole An unoaked dry white made from 100% Vermentino. Ageing the young wine on its spent fermentation yeast before bottling adds a gentle creaminess to Vermentino’s mouthwatering lemon and lime flavours. Named after the cool breezes of the nearby Tyrrhenian Sea. Maremma Toscana Viognier DOC, Astraio An unoaked dry white made from 100% Viognier. Ageing on the yeast before bottling, broadening Viognier’s forthright yellow peach and apricot flavours into something subtler, and more savoury. Named after the Greek god of astrology. Maremma Toscana Rosato, Syrosa 100% Syrah ‘Rosato’ wine, hence the name. The grapes are picked very early morning when cool. Just a few hours maceration until there is enough pink colour in the juice, which is then run off the grape skins and…

SICILY Sicily: my top 10 Well loved as a holiday destination, this volcanic Mediterranean island is also home to a thriving wine industry that ticks all the authenticity boxes. Stephen Brook selects 10 estates at the top of their game Photograph: Tullio Puglia SICILY MAY BE an island, but it often feels like a country of its own. Waves of invasion have left their mark: Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs and Normans have all swooped in. Even the British made their mark, by inventing the fortified wine of Marsala. Today there are about 110,000ha under vine and almost two-thirds of the plantings are white, which may come as a surprise. This is because the western part of the island, around Trapani, has a moderately maritime climate that allows white grapes to…

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE Lambrusco Heads for sustainability Photos from the Consorzio Tutela del Lambrusco archive “Sustainable viticulture is a declaration of faith and transparency in front of the consumer” The central Italian provinces of Modena and Reggio Emilia are richly endowed with winemaking agricultural businesses, ranging in size from the independent grower to the extensive co-operative. 5,000 wine producing companies with a combined surface area of 15,500 hectares of vineyards produce an annual average harvest of 2.7 million quintals of grapes for vinification, of which 1.8 million are Lambrusco grapes used for the production of Denominazione di Origine (DOC) and Indicazione Geografica Protetta (IGP) wines. Much of Lambrusco’s modern market is outside Italy; Lambrusco Emilia exports more than 60% of its production, for example. Whether for the local market or for…

Speller’s top picks from Calabria Giuseppe Calabrese, Daipastini Bianco 2016 92 N/A UK www.facebook.com/Giuseppe-Calabrese A blend of Guarnaccia and Malvasia. Honeyed and perfumed aromatics are almost a little heady. Loads of minerals on the palate are tied in by fine lemony acidity. Super-long and focused. Drink 2018-2021 Alcohol 13.5% Serracavallo, Besidiae 2016 89 £12.17 (ib) ECF Import A blend of 40% Pecorello, 30% Chardonnay and 30% Riesling. Pale straw colour, with soft pear and apple aromas on the nose, plus a distinct note of lime. The palate shows citric nerve; finely textured and very fresh. Drink 2018-2022 Alc 13.5% ’A Vita, Rosato 2016 92 £15.60 Tannico A pale orange-pink rosé. Notes of cool citrus peel, orange and mandarin on the nose. The finely textured and tannic palate displays intense acidic…

Vintage report Northern Rhône 2016 While not as stellar as in the south, 2016 was still a very good vintage in the northern Rhône. Matt Walls offers an overview of each appellation and recommends the best wines to snap up Photograph: Mike Prior. With thanks to Lay & Wheeler (www.laywheeler.com) & Honest Grapes (www.honestgrapes.co.uk) for the loan of the bottles ‘The fresh, restrained and balanced 2016s are bound to be overshadowed by the ’15s but drinkers and collectors will find many excellent buys’ IT WAS NOT as truly great a vintage in the northern Rhône as it was in the south, but it is nonetheless a very good one, albeit in a more elegant, earlier-drinking style. The north’s fresh, restrained and balanced 2016s are bound to be overshadowed by the…

STEVEN SPURRIER’S fine wine world Decanter’s long-standing consultant editor and 2017 Decanter Man of the Year hand-picks fine wines for drinking now and recommends others to lay down, all priced from £25 upwards From the cellar Revisiting the Judgement of Paris A dinner held at London wine club 67 Pall Mall, hosted by Alan Davies under the theme ‘Revisting the 1976 Judgement of Paris’, produced a stunning range of wines. As aperitif, an elegantly fresh Schramsberg, Blanc de Blancs NV preceded a rich J Schram 2000 of great complexity. With the lobster thermidor pot pie came four magnificent Chardonnays: El Molino, Rutherford 2001 still very much there; Mayacamas, Mt Veeder 2007 showing its high-elevation origins; Aubert, CIX Vineyard, Sonoma Coast 2012 elegantly crafted; and Hanzell, Ambassador’s 1953 Vineyard, Sonoma 2013…

The judges Andrea Briccarello Briccarello is the UK brand ambassador for Bisol. He previously worked as wine buyer for Galvin restaurants and was buyer and group sommelier at Corrigan’s Mayfair, Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill, and Lindsay House. In 2009 Briccarello was named Sommelier of the Year by Taste of London, and he was the winner of the Wines of Roussillon Dessert Trophy in 2010. Michael Garner Garner has worked in the wine business for more than 30 years and has specialised in Italian wine for more than 25 years. He is a regular contributor to Decanter, and DWWA Regional co-Chair for Italy. He is author of Amarone and the Fine Wines of Verona and co-author of Barolo: Tar and Roses. Garner lives in rural Devon with his family and…

Letter of the month Rhône recollections MATT WALLS’ ARTICLE on the excellent 2016 vintage in the southern Rhone (April 2018 issue) brought back happy memories. I spent several languid days in Rasteau and Cairanne in August that year, and had a thoroughly enjoyable time wandering through the parched, sun-kissed vineyards. What struck me as most remarkable was that there wasn’t a soul tending the vines! Canopies were out of control in places, and I could see signs of disease on some of the bunches. When I brought up the absence of vineyard workers during a tasting in Cairanne, I was informed that everyone was on holiday… Clearly the French have been right all along: terroir truly is all-important! Michael Walker, Edinburgh…

The Decanter interview Alois Lageder Italy’s biodynamic champion is a fourth-generation winemaker who flirted with economics before finding his true calling among the vines. Richard Baudains visits his estate to see his sustainable wine-growing philosophy in action Photograph: dallaterra.smugmug.com ‘I realised that the way we worked, based on technique, was all against nature’ ALOIS LAGEDER OWNS and runs Italy’s biggest biodynamic wine estate. To set our conversations in context, he began my visit by taking me to his Römigberg estate at Caldaro. It was a cold and frosty January morning, but already by 9:30am the steeply terraced vineyards on this, the sunny side of the valley, were in bright sunlight. What Lageder wanted to show me was Steinerian biodiversity in action. Some years ago he planted…

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE PASQUA : 11 Minutes An innovative rosé wine from the Verona region of Italy Famiglia Pasqua is well known for its range of wines from the northeast of Italy in the Verona area, particularly its wines made with the “Amarone technique” of appassimento. Now a new departure from the company is sure to delight lovers of the easy-drinking charms of the rosé style of wine. 11 MINUTES is the name of Pasqua’s new creation, and the delicate flavours and elegance of this fine and well-structured wine speak of an exceptional terroir located in one of the most beautiful areas surrounding Lake Garda. This new rosé interpretation by Famiglia Pasqua is a masterly blend created from noble native grape varietals, Corvina and Trebbiano di Lugana, together with the more…

A selection of top northern Rhônes Wines (red unless otherwise stated) are listed by appellation, from north to south, then by score, then alphabetically by producer. Prices, stockists and alcohols are given where possible. Full tasting notes on Decanter.com/premium Côte-Rôtie Domaine C&JP Jamet, Côte Brune 100 Just 2,000 bottles on average, yet consistently one of the greatest of the appellation. Stunning floral nose with forest berries and earth. Intense freshness and precision; a touch of resin on the long, saline finish adds complexity. Complete, balanced and effortless. Drink 2024-2040 Domaine René Rostaing, Côte Blonde 98 £182 (in bond) Laithwaite’s Tight, captivating floral nose with aniseed and blackberry. Round and dense, with soft tannins and a mineral seam. Juniper and concentrated red fruit. Long, saline, savoury, piercing finish. Real detail…

25 UNDER £25 Weekday wines Looking to try something different or adventurous, but don’t want to make an expensive mistake? Decanter’s tastings director Christelle Guibert has done the hard work for you, picking out 25 exciting and accessible wines available in the UK for £25 or less Bird in Hand, Sparkling Pinot Noir, Adelaide Hills, South Australia 2017 90 £14.99 Waitrose Pretty, pink and sparkling! This blush-coloured rosé is packed with fresh strawberries and cream notes and a touch of sugar but remains refreshing. With its smart label, this would be a great bottle to have ready to kick off the first day of summer. Alcohol 12.5% Laderas de Leonila, Bierzo, Spain 2016 92 £13.95 Lea & Sandeman This has little resemblance to standard Bierzo whites, hence it doesn’t bear…

PANEL TASTING The results With almost half the wines scoring 90 points or more, our judges were impressed by the quality of both tiers of wines, as well as both vintages. John Stimpfig reports ‘There were lots of true, deft, terroir wines that expressed themselves very well’ Andrew Jefford FOR ALL THREE tasters, this was an encouraging vindication of Gran Selezione (GS), the top tier of the Chianti Classico classification, above Riserva, which came into effect from the 2013 vintage. Six of the seven top-scoring wines were GS, from 43 wines entered: ‘The results speak for themselves,’ said Andrea Briccarello. It was also a successful tasting for the 116 Riserva wines submitted. ‘We had some lovely and exciting wines in both categories,’ said Susan Hulme MW. Andrew Jefford concurred,…

DECANTER PROMOTION DECANTER RECOMMENDEDVALPOLICELLA SUPERIORE La Collina dei Ciliegi www.lacollinadeiciliegi.itv.fumagalli@lacollinadeiciliegi.it UK:Vini Italiani Ltd Vinitaly: Hall 8 / G3 Terre di Leone www.terredileone.itE: info@terredileone.it UK: looking for importer USA: looking for importer Vinitaly: Hall 8 / H2 (Consorzio Valpolicella) Cà dei Maghi www.cadeimaghi.itE: paolo@cadeimaghi.it UK:Tamar Selections USA: looking for importer Ernesto Ruffo www.ruffovini.comE: info@ruffovini.com Contact: Leonardo Ruffo T: +39 045 8740250 Agricola F.lli Tedeschi www.tedeschiwines.comtedeschi@tedeschiwines.com UK: Fells / www.fells.co.ukUSA: Dreyfus Ashby & Co, New York www.dreyfusashby.comVinitaly: Hall 4 / C3…

READERS’ QUERIES Notes & Queries Each month our experts answer readers’ wine queries and share their knowledge Email: editor@decanter.com. Post: The Editor, Decanter, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SU, UK Can blending affect taste? Do you get the same result (in terms of taste, complexity, integration etc) in a wine made from a field blend as one produced either by co-fermentation or from blending base wines? Geoff Grady, London W8 Dirceu Vianna Junior MW replies: I recall a blending session at Bordeaux University years ago with the late Denis Dubourdieu, which left no doubt that, when skilfully done, the blending of base wines gives the finished wine another dimension (more than the sum of its parts), including better texture and added complexity – though it is often…

Aces high: £1,650 for magnum of NV Champagne All figures from Liv-ex Cellar Watch 09/03/2018 unless otherwise stated. Those looking to make a statement at their next dinner party are guaranteed to do so by serving the new non-vintage blanc de blancs Champagne in magnum from Armand de Brignac, the brand owned by American hip-hop artist Shawn Carter, aka Jay-Z. Priced at £1,650 per gleaming metallic bottle, the 100% Chardonnay blends 2008, 2006 and 2005 vintages and was disgorged on 25 May 2016. Fewer than 1,000 bottles were produced, said Armand de Brignac. Strong global demand for prestige cuvées helped global Champagne shipments to a record €4.9 billion in 2017. See Christelle Guibert’s tasting note for the Armand de Brignac, Blanc de Blancs NV in magnum online at: www.decanter.com/wine-reviews/search…