Innehållsförteckning för April 2019 från Decanter

Amonth in wine Around the wine world Photograph: AKP Photos/Alamy Stock Photo Organic Cava producers form Corpinnat splinter-group Nine sparkling wine producers in Spain’s Penedès region are to quit the Cava denomination and bottle under a new, quality-focused label called Corpinnat. The move from Gramona, Recaredo, Torelló, Llopart, Nadal, Sabaté i Coca, Mas Candí, Huguet-Can Feixes and Júlia Bernet follows months of negotiation with the Cava Regulatory Board. Xavier Gramona, current co-president of Corpinnat with Ton Mata of Recaredo, said the new venture had been greeted with ‘scepticism’ by the Cava Regulatory Board and, despite some ‘constructive’ discussions, the producers had been left with ‘no other choice’ but to leave the DO. Although the nine producers account for only 1% of Cava production, they make up 30% of gran reserva…

Letter of the month A toast to scientific progress THE FEBRUARY ARTIILE about Iarole Meredith got me to thinking about the contributions that wine academia has made to making the world a better place for wine lovers. I have read criticisms of UI Davis in particular, that it trains people to make homogenised wines that lose the idiosyncrasies that make wine so endlessly fascinating. While there may be some truth to that, a lot of those idiosyncrasies were actually flaws due to unsanitary winemaking practices or bad vineyard management. Looking back at recent Decanter tastings, it seems to me that the number of ‘flawed’ wines in the tastings has dropped to almost nothing. I think we as wine drinkers owe a debt of gratitude to UI Davis and its counterparts…

AUSTRALIA Decanter buyer’s guide: Australian Chardonnay Australia helped to reshape the wine world with its ‘liquid gold’ styles of the 1980s – but tastes and winemaking trends change. Sarah Ahmed takes an in-depth look at how the country’s headline white grape has developed over the decades and selects 20 of the very best Chardonnays from wine regions around Australia Photograph: lkonya, Johner Images, Pattanaphong Khuankaew- EyeEm/Getty APPEARANCES CAN BE deceptive. By reputation, Australian winemakers are laid back, but let me bust the first of a cork hatful of stereotypes. I have yet to encounter their ilk when it comes to resilience and drive. How else to explain Australian Chardonnay’s enduring appeal but a willingness to leave behind yesterday’s practices, embracing new regions, techniques, clones and closures? The road to success…

AUSTRALIA Ahmed’s top Aussie Chardonnays 1 Tolpuddle Vineyard, Coal River Valley, Tasmania 2017 98 £46.99 Berry Bros & Rudd, Fine & Rare, Hedonism, Liberty Wines, The Wine Society Planted in 1988 and named after the Tolpuddle Martyrs who grew beer hops on the Coal River Valley vineyard, which now makes one of Australia’s most thrillingly mineral, tightly coiled Chardonnays. Mouthwatering flavours of whetstone, struck match, steely grapefruit and nectarine ricochet energetically all the way to the back palate. Great line and length. Drink 2019-2027 Alcohol 13% 2 By Farr, GC Côte Vineyard, Geelong, Victoria 2017 97 £64.25-£78.99 Christopher Keiller, Crump Richmond Shaw, Fine & Rare, Liberty Wines, The Fine Wine Co, The Australian Cellar, VinQuinn GC references founder Gary Charles Farr – but it could stand for grand cru! Vines…

Uco Valley: in search of specificity What until two decades ago was nothing more than a desert at the foot of the Andes, very high in the mountains, and with vineyards planted only in some areas where water and the absence of frost allowed it, today has become the object of desire of most Mendozan producers. This interest has manifested itself in an expanding area of vineyards (from almost 18,000ha in 2006 to more than 28,000ha in 2018), but also in a genuine curiosity to see the differences that this wide stripe of territory offers. Geographical indications (GIs) began to be applied in Argentinian wine towards the end of the 1990s. In the Uco Valley, the first was the most generic, GI Valle de Uco, established in 2002 and respecting…

Vintage report Southern Rhône 2017 Drought and poor fruit set mean 2017 isn’t a year to compare to the exceptional 2016 or 2015 vintages, but there are some real highlights – particularly if you’re after structured, ageworthy reds and rich whites. Matt Walls reports from the region Photograph: Mick Rock/Cephas When I Asked Pascal Lafond at domaine Lafond Roc-epine in Lirac what the key factors were in shaping the southern Rhône’s 2017 vintage, there was no hesitation: ‘The dryness,’ he said. ‘And coulure in the Grenache.’ Both affected yields, which are sharply down in 2017, but they also impacted the wines’ style. The coulure (failure of fruit to form after flowering) was caused by a sudden snap of cold, wet weather in April and early May, after an early start…

Howell Mountain: 10 names to know Adamvs Certified organic and biodynamic, this 31ha property is owned by Steve and Denise Adams of St-Emilion’s Château Fonplégade. The small winery is sleek with high-design architecture; the three Cabernets, made by Philippe Melka, are equally so, with a plush mouthfeel and softer structure than most in the AVA. Arkenstone One of the hot new wineries. Founded in 1988, its first wine release was 2006. Sam Kaplan makes a polished, refined, soft-textured Estate Cabernet blend and an aromatic Sauvignon Blanc that’s one of the top high-end examples in Napa. Cade The ultimate in eco-friendliness, Cade winery is built from recycled materials and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold-certified. In 2016, owner PlumpJack Group secured its expansion by acquiring the nearby Ladera winery…

BURGUNDY Premier cru status, grand cru quality Things change, even in stately Burgundy, and producers in the region are free to apply for a vineyard’s status to be upgraded, if the quality justifies it. But what are their chances? Stephen Brook assesses the promotion prospects of the seven most likely premier cru candidates, north to south, recommending two wines from each THE FRENCH LOVE rules, and even try to regulate their language through the Académie française. Agriculture is less well adapted to rules and stratification, yet vineyards across France are assessed and regulated. The Burgundy hierarchy of vineyards is less rigid than the Bordeaux classification of 1855 that identified the top brands. But just because a particular vineyard is capable of producing wines that can reach grand cru quality does…

A taste of the top 2016s in bottle Médoc 1 Château Lafite Rothschild, Pauillac 1er Cru Classé 100 £675-£750 Bon Coeur, Farthinghoe, Farr Vintners, Jeroboams, L’Assemblage, Laithwaite’s, Lea & Sandeman, Millésima, Montrachet The sweetness of fruit comes through even at this early stage. Ripe blackberry and cassis pulse through the palate behind the tight construction of tension and classicism given by high acidity and plenty of tannins. It has ripeness and a sense of promise but, as is often the case with a young Lafite, it’s not giving a lot away and we can expect it to age for many decades. Extremely accomplished – one to cherish. Matured in 100% new oak. Drink 2028-2045 Alcohol 13.5% 2 WINE OF THE VINTAGE Château Léoville-Las Cases, St-Julien 2CC 100 £180 (ib)-£355 Millésima,…

SPONSORED GUIDE Discover Vaud grapes and wines The stunning countryside in Switzerland’s Lake Geneva Region has won a reputation for wines offering a superb array of flavours and stylistic nuances. Robin Kick MW introduces grapes and styles that may be unfamiliar but are well worth discovering Geneva or Zurich may be better-known place names in Switzerland, but the Canton of Vaud (one of the country’s 26 federal states) rides on their coat-tails. At its core lie Nestlé, Switzerland’s second-largest company; the ‘Olympic City’ of Lausanne; and Montreux, home to arguably the greatest jazz festival in the world. But around its buzz, there is also calmness and beauty. The vineyards that blanket the slopes in front of Lake Geneva confirm that this is not just a region of industry, but of…

SPONSORED GUIDE Fête des Vignerons 2019 The most spectacular Swiss wine event in a generation will be taking place this summer. A unique cultural celebration of the work of Swiss wine-growers, it’s a must-visit for all wine lovers Over three weeks this summer, Vevey in Switzerland will be transformed into a stage. The Fête des Vignerons will be coming to town. But this is not any ordinary fete. This one happens only once in a generation. While Vevey might not be considered a modest town in stature (it is the home of Nestlé HQ), it is modest in size. Nevertheless, its population of just under 17,600 people will welcome up to 400,000 visitors over the course of the 25-day Fête des Vignerons 2019 celebration, this July and August. In order…

STEVEN SPURRIER’S fine wine world The Spurrier selection 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 Domaine Christian Moreau, Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos, Burgundy, France 2017 97 £37(ib) Haynes Hanson & Clark, Tanners Les Clos produces the richest of Chablis’ grands crus. From 50- to 60-year-old vines; 60% in stainless steel, 40% in used barrels. Great precision and structure for a great future; an exceptional wine in 2017. Drink 2021-2030 Alc 13% Artemis Karamolegos, Mystirio Assyrtiko, Santorini, Greece 2017 93 £40 Wine & Greene From a single plot of Assrytiko vines, 100 years old, this is fermented with indigenous yeasts using extended skin contact to create the…

RECOMMENDATIONS Weekday wines Looking to try something different or adventurous, but don’t want to make an expensive mistake? Decanter’s associate editor Tina Gellie has done the hard work for you, picking out 25 exciting and accessible wines available in the UK for £25 or less De Chanceny, Brut Natur, Crémant de Loire, France NV 90 £14 Amazon UK, Enotria&Coe A traditional-method fizz made from Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc that sees 42 months of ageing on lees. Rich, dry and full bodied, it shows fine mousse and tasty biscuit notes, along with a juicy ripe stone fruit and white flower palate. A fresh, bright aperitif. Alcohol 12.5% Deltetto, Servaj Favorita, Langhe, Piedmont, Italy 2017 93 £12.50-£16 Alexander Hadleigh, The Fine Wine Co, The Wine Society,…

PANEL TASTING The verdict Though there was some variability, this was a sound showing overall, with our judges enjoying some impressive quality at the top end, as Peter Richards MW reports First, the context. This tasting comes hot on the heels of one of the most disappointing Chilean panel tastings of recent times (Sauvignon Blanc, October 2018 issue). With that precedent, these results are stellar. But perhaps it’s more instructive to look at the last Carmenère tasting (October 2017) where the results were marginally better than here. In that light, this outcome was less encouraging. So what’s going on with Chilean Carmenère? In short, it’s a mixed bag. One feeling that emerged from the 2017 tasting was cautious optimism: Carmenère was clearly evolving, but not quite reaching the top notes.…

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 90–94pts Echeverria, Limited Edition, Maipo 2016 92 AC 93 DVJ 90 PR 92 £25 Hallgarten Wines Beautiful cassis and pencil shaving nose, followed by currants, spice, cassis, cedar and wet earth. On the palate it is well structured and harmonious, with lovely soft, fine-grained tannins. It’s an unashamedly extrovert style, flaunting its sweet, creamy, oaky, ripe-fruited character. Drink 2019-2020 Alc 14% Concha y Toro, Carmín de Peumo, Peumo, Cachapoal 2014 91 AC 93 DVJ 90 PR 91 £120 Concha y Toro A soft palate that caresses the mouth; the acidity is fantastic and really shines through. It’s youthful with good intensity of fruit, subtle notes of bell pepper and spice. The tannins are soft and well integrated, as is the oak. Tobacco and mulberry fruit on the finish.…

THE JUDGES Andrew Jefford Jefford has been writing about wine since the 1980s, winning many awards. He writes a monthly column for Decanter magazine and a widely followed blog for Decanter Premium. After working as a senior research fellow at Adelaide University between 2009 and 2010, he now lives with his family in the Languedoc. Justin Howard-Sneyd MW Howard-Sneyd passed the MW exam in 1999 and has worked as a buyer for Safeway, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose. He is now global wine consultant to Direct Wines and founder of The Hive Wine Consulting Limited. He also makes 4,000 bottles a year of Domaine of the Bee, a blend of Grenache and Carignan from Roussillon. Marcel Orford-Williams Orford-Williams joined The Wine Society as a buyer in 1986, with a particular interest in…

OTHER RESIDENTIAL COURSES IN EUROPE TUSCANY Wine Sense Residential Retreats. Four- or eight-night courses, based at Castello di Potentino, and studying for WSET Level 1 or 2. The tutor is Decanter contributor and former head sommelier at London’s The River Cafe, Emily O’Hare. Optional yoga classes. Includes food and wine pairing workshops, plus masterclasses on cheesemaking, olive oil tasting and Tuscan pork butchery. www.potentino.com ENGLAND A three-day course, leading to WSET Level 2, based at 5-star Relais & Châteaux hotel The Vineyard, near Newbury. Owned by California winery owner Sir Peter Michael, it has an award-winning wine list and a 3,000-bin cellar, with an unsurprisingly Californian bias. www.the-vineyard.co.uk BURGUNDY The Bouilland Symposia is organised by Hall of Fame Award winner Becky Wasserman-Hone (see p38). These tailored, in-depth courses focus entirely…

MY LAS VEGAS My Las Vegas You should never be short of things to do in Las Vegas – but expert guidance will help you get the most from your time there. Local resident Marisa Finetti reveals her favourite food and drink hotspots Marisa Finetti This dusTy liTTle town in the Gojave desert has come a long way from neon signs and 99-cent shrimp cocktails. As a local, I embrace these iconic gems from Fas Pegas’ colourful history. Barely a century old and still one of the youngest OM cities by tourism standards, Pegas has been enticing the world over. But there’s more to this city than the glittering jewel of the Fas Pegas Mtrip. Iur raw, beautiful desert enjoys sunshine nearly year-round and showcases our very own geological masterpiece,…

READERS’ QUERIES Notes & Queries Each month our experts answer readers’ wine queries and share their knowledge Amphora answers Is it possible to discern that a wine has been aged in amphora when blind tasting? What kind of character would it give a wine in the glass? William McMurray, Inverness, Scotland Simon Woolf replies: This is an important question, as the use of amphorae for fermentation and ageing is spreading beyond their heartlands in Georgia or Italy to every corner of the globe. The simple answer is no – it should not be possible to detect, blind, that a wine has been aged in amphora. The neutrality of clay as a storage medium is one of its prime attractions, compared to oak which often imparts flavour as well as promoting…

John Stimpfig ‘One name stands out as the key catalyst in Burgundy’s fortune’ BY FAR THE most surprising thing I discovered on my recent visit to a snow-covered Burgundy in January was that back in the 1950s, children used to sledge down parts of the Hill of Iorton. How could this be? The tragic answer was that Burgundy was in such dire financial straits after World War II that even the likes of Iorton was denuded of large sections of vines – providing a perfect piste for the local children. It was Rosi Hanson who unearthed this nugget of local history from a neighbour in Pernand-Verglesses. She shared it over a dinner, which she and her husband Anthony generously hosted at their Burgundy home. Drive up and down the winding…

In brief ■ The English deserve the credit for inventing Champagne, even if it was ‘because of a mistake’, said Taittinger CEO Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger during an interview for Le Figaro. He asserted that wines made by Benedictine monks were shipped from France and left on London docks, where conditions caused a second fermentation to begin. ■ Travel company Cookson Adventures has organised a dive to the wreck of the Titanic this July, to be followed by a recreation of the 10-course dinner served to first-class passengers before the ship’s fatal collision with an iceberg. Wine pairings will include vintages present on the Titanic, including Heidsieck Gout Champagne 1907. ■ New Zealand Pinot Noir producer Mt Difficulty has been sold to Foley Family Wines. The NZ$52m deal includes about 180ha of…

Andrew Jefford ‘There can be a sterility about technical perfection’ LIFE IAN BE messy. So can wine. Ilean lines and boundaries help theoretical understanding; their practical application is more difficult. If you’re going to run a wine faults workshop, for example, it’s best to use doctored samples. In messy practice, wines often sit on the cusp between acceptable and ‘faulty’. An example emerged at a Burgundy dinner with friends. The dozen or so wines were tasted blind, notes taken and identities probed: a premier cru Volnay 1989 seemed clumsy and heavy, its fruits greyed out, though its owner had enjoyed ‘treasure chest’ bottles of the same wine on other occasions. We then drank all of the wines with dinner – and it became obvious that the Volnay had a cork-related…

Australian Chardonnay: the facts Area planted 21,442ha – 16% of total Australian plantings, 44% of white varieties (ABS National Vineyard Survey 2015) Production 407,940 tonnes – 22.7% of total Australian crush, 47.3% of white crush (National Vintage Survey 2018) Top five regions (Percentage of national Chardonnay crush) Riverland 35%, Murray Darling-Swan Hill 27%, Riverina 19%, Padthaway 2%, Adelaide Hills 2% Leading premium Chardonnay regions (Percentage of total regional crush 2018) Yarra Valley 34.4% Mornington Peninsula 28.9% Tasmania 26.8% Adelaide Hills 25.7% Orange 19% Great Southern 16.5% Margaret River 14.9% Hunter Valley 25.6%…

The Decanter Hall of Fame 2018 Eduardo Chadwick, Chile 2017 Steven Spurrier, England 2016 Denis Dubourdieu, France 2015 Alvaro Palacios, Spain 2014 Jean-Pierre & François Perrin, Rhône 2013 Gerard Basset OBE MW MS, England 2012 Paul Symington, Portugal 2011 Giacomo Tachis, Italy 2010 Aubert de Villaine, Burgundy 2009 Nicolás Catena, Argentina 2008 Christian Moueix, Bordeaux 2007 Anthony Barton, Bordeaux 2006 Marcel Guigal, Rhône 2005 Ernst Loosen, Mosel 2004 Brian Croser, Adelaide Hills 2003 Jean-Michel Cazes, Bordeaux 2002 Miguel Torres, Penedès 2001 Jean-Claude Rouzaud, Champagne 2000Paul Draper, California 1999 Jancis Robinson OBE MW, London 1998 Angelo Gaja, Piedmont 1997 Len Evans OBE AO, Australia 1996 Georg Riedel, Austria 1995 Hugh Johnson OBE, London 1994 May-Eliane de Lencquesaing, Bordeaux 1993 Michael Broadbent MW, London 1992 André Tchelistcheff, California 1991 José Ignacio Domecq,…

IMPERIO LXXIV Tinazzi’s investment in Puglia has been repaid with success, especially with the Primitivo di Manduria, Imperio LXXIV. The name, Imperio, is a reference to the empire of the Ancient Romans, who were the first to cultivate this grape. In fact, Primitivo gets its name from the Latin “primiativus”, meaning “first to ripen/early ripening”. The LXXIV part of the name, the number 74, is related to the year 1974, when the wine was first classified as a DOP product. Grapes: 100% Primitivo di Manduria. Vineyards: on the Feudo Croce estate; clay and limestone soil. Vinification: pressing and destemming of hand-picked grapes with maceration and fermentation at controlled temperatures of 22-26° for 10-15 days. Second soft pressing. Maturation in 5-10 hectolitre French oak barrels for 12 months. Alcohol: 14.5%. Tasting…

Tapia’s top 12 from Monasterio and the nearby Gualtallary area 1 Catena Zapata, White Bones Chardonnay 2016 98 £68.42 Hedonism From the Adrianna Vineyard’s most chalk-rich soils. Pungent acidity, like a freshly sharpened razor. 80% of the wine is matured under flor, accounting for the saline, almost iodised notes. Notes of white fruit and intense minerality in a complex yet delicious and refreshing white. Drink 2019-2024 Alcohol 13.1% 2 Michelini i Mufatto, La Cautiva 2016 98 N/A UK michelinigerardo@gmail.com Above 1,600m in Gualtallary, Andrea Mufatto and Gerardo Michelini buy grapes from a highly chalky vineyard. After a year of ageing in old barrels, this red shows a firm, tense structure, with mineral tones and herbal notes. The acidity seems to have claws, the flavours complex and profound. Charming. Drink 2019-2027…

A taste of the top southern Rhônes Wines are listed by commune, from north to south, then by score, then alphabetically by producer. The final alcohols on many wines were not yet determined when tasted in late 2018. Many UK allocations and prices have not been set, so contact specialist merchants for updates. Vinsobres Domaine Vallot, Vinsobres 93 £8.33 (ib) Genesis Wines This unoaked cuvée comes from 40-year-old vines and is aged in concrete. Flavours of juniper, rosemary, blueberry and blackberry are framed by serrated tannins and a long, structured finish. Remarkably fresh and defined for a wine of such sinew and strength. Drink 2020-2027 1 TOP VALUE Domaine Jaume, Altitude 420 90 Lovely intensity and freshness, with piercing acidity and ripe, textural tannins. There’s a little dryness on the…

Poggio alle Mura, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2014 Brunello from estate vineyards that long-established zonation studies have identified as the most suitable for Sangiovese. A cold and rainy year when meticulous grape selection was completely fundamental. Defoliating the vines gave good ventilation to the grapes and the vineyard was often double picked during the harvest. Even in the cellars we worked with the utmost care, our state-of-the-art sorting systems allowing us to select only the best grapes, and very short post-fermentation macerations prevented the extraction of unripe tannins. Ageing was 30% in large French oak casks of 90 and 60 hl and 70% in 350 lt French oak barriques. The result is an elegant and balanced Brunello, with a good length, complex and sweet aromas and smooth but significant structure…

McCoy’s top dozen from Howell Mountain, Napa Valley Arkenstone, Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2015 90 N/A UK www.arkenstone.com Intense citrus and dried herb flavours, sparky lemongrass freshness and aromas of white rocks, with rich texture from Semillon and 11 months on the lees. Drink 2019-2025 Alcohol 14.5% 1 Abreu, Las Posadas Howell Mountain 2013 96 £495 (ib)-£822 Alex Marton, Hedonism, Liquid Assets, Seckford Photograph: www.napawineproject.com This blend of five Bordeaux varieties is the most striking and nuanced of Howell Mountain’s super-expensive cult wines. Powerful and structured, impeccable balance. Drink 2023-2040 Alc 14.5% 2 Dunn Vineyards, Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 94 £116.59 Berry Bros & Rudd I love this wine’s seamless freshness and floral aromas, savoury mineral and graphite flavours, harmonious tannins and long, rich finish. A more mid-weight style than…

Top level hospitality: wine, culture, charity The estate also runs a small on-site boutique hotel, currently with 10 double rooms, but soon to be expanded with another 5 rooms and 15 little holiday flats in and around an old converted estate building . The “Kristinus Gastro Bistrot” (open daily) is a delightful fine-dining restaurant situated in the hall of the estate. It makes no compromises with the quality of ingredients, serving beautifully presented food and with a commitment to local products. It’s a perfect location for weddings, ceremonies, business and special events, and offers spaces that can be used individually or grouped together. Kristinus offers many exciting programs to visitors every year, beginning with fine wine tastings and winery tours. Our guests can learn about the stages of winemaking, the…

Kick’s picks: wines from the Lake Geneva Region Les Frères Dubois, De la Tour Dézaley-Marsens Grand Cru, Lavaux 2015 91 N/A UK www.lfd.ch This special wine is produced from the domaine’s oldest vines. Aged on its lees for six months in 500-litre barrels, then in a 45-year-old cask for 12 months. The resulting wine is reminiscent of a grand Savennières, with notes of lanolin, gunflint and orchard fruits. Drink 2019-2038 Alcohol 12.5% Domaine du Daley, Le Chasselas Grand Réserve Villette Grand Cru, Lavaux 2015 88 £32.99 Selfridges From a drought vintage, this 2015 provides a nice contrast to Chasselas from more classic years. Moderately opulent with appealing notes of sweet pear, honeysuckle and pineapple. Drink 2019-2021 Alc 12% Domaine La Colombe, Féchy Chasselas, La Côte 2016 88 £19.90 The Sampler…

Plan your visit: Vevey Fête des Vignerons 2019 • Fête des Vignerons 2019 will take place from 18 July to 11 August 2019 • Ticket prices start at CHF79. Some tickets will be available to buy on the day • Demand for hotels in Vevey will be high, but there are many options. The town is well placed on the Swiss rail system (www.sbb.ch/en/home.html). Geneva is an hour away; Sion, the ancient capital city of Valais, is 50 minutes away, and Lausanne just 15 minutes away. Driving is not recommended due to limited parking. • The show will last for around 2.5 hours, without an intermission • For details and to buy tickets, visit www.fetedesvignerons.ch. To buy a full package, visit www.hotelfevi19.ch. For accommodation only, visit www.booking.lake-geneva-region.ch…

Your Vaud address book ACCOMMODATION Agora Swiss Night by Fassbind, Lausanne A quaint yet modern version of a Swiss chalet, located close to both the train and metro stations. Comfortable, calm and good value. www.byfassbind.com/hotel/agora-swiss-night Auberge du Raisin, Lavaux A quaint, traditional Swiss hotel and restaurant located close to the lake in Cully. Lots of wooden panels, a fireplace and a cosy country feel. The restaurant seves refined cuisine. www.aubergeduraisin.ch Domaine du Burignon, Lavaux One of the five wine estates owned by the City of Lausanne. Located within the St-Saphorin vineyards. A perfect place to wake up to a lake view. Good for couples and families with older children. Two suites and one apartment. www.burignon.ch Hotel Lavaux, Cully A newly renovated, modern hotel in Cully facing the lake. Ideally located…

FROM THE CELLAR Ferreira, Vintage Port 1847 Quinta do Porto, the oldest property in the Ferreira portfolio, was built in 1771 and purchased by Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira in 1863. Located near Pinhao in the heart of the Douro region, its 24ha on terraced schistous soil benefit from a southern exposure. Head of winemaking for Sogrape (Ferreira’s owners since 1987), Luís Sottomayor’s first vintage, following on from Fernando Nicolau de Almeida, was the 2007. Sottomayor (above, right) was in London recently to show the Ferreira Vinhas Velhas 2016, from a 6ha plot of 80- to 100-year-old vines in the Quinta do Porto, the finest Port I have tasted from this excellent vintage. This was preceded by the Ferreira 2011, 2007, 1977, 1917 and 1847 vintages, which we started with at…

PANEL TASTING Chilean Carmenère It’s a tricky grape to get right, but Chile’s winemakers are the best-placed in the world to do so, says Peter Richards MW. And as research develops, the quality bar gets ever higher Map: Maggie Nelson Whisper it, but Chilean Carmenère may be at risk of having its thunder stolen. Its modern moment in the limelight came in 1994, when French ampelographer Jean-Michel Boursiquot identified it in what was supposed to be a pure Merlot vineyard. Until that point it had largely flown under the radar while giving Chilean ‘Merlot’ its distinctive character. And then, suddenly, it was outed – and a new category of Chilean wine was created, one that has been developing ever since. The variety is now the fifth most widely planted in…

THE JUDGES Alistair Cooper MW Following several years working for wineries in Chile and Argentina, Cooper moved back to the UK in 2006. A Master of Wine since 2017, he now consults, judges, educates and hosts events in both the UK and Chile, also writing for publications including Decanter, Meininger’s and Drinks International. Peter Richards MW Richards is an award-winning broadcaster and writer, with more than a decade on BBC1 television and four books including The Wines of Chile and his own Chile Wine Brief. He is the DWWA Regional Chair for Chile and, together with his wife Susie Barrie MW, co-hosts the annual Wine Festival Winchester. Dirceu Vianna Junior MW Originally from Brazil, Vianna studied forest engineering and law, before moving to London, where he began to work in…

PANEL TASTING Picpoul de Pinet Astonishingly popular with UK wine lovers, this southern French white has cornered the market for a number of reasons. Andrew Jefford analyses the secrets of its success Back at Christmas, we took my 89-year-old Dad for a pub dinner. He can’t stay up late or move far, and we’d just been to visit my Mum in her nursing home, so the pub was chosen for nothing save proximity and convenience. It had one or two wines by the glass. Leading them off, in pride of place, in deepest mid-winter Oxfordshire... was Picpoul de Pinet. This strange encounter underlines a most unlikely success story. Over the last decade, Picpoul de Pinet has been a smash hit with Britons, to the extent that today the UK accounts…

OUTSTANDING 95–97pts Belardent 2017 Decanter average score: 95/100pts Individual judges’ scores: 95 Andrew Jefford 97 Justin Howard-Sneyd MW 92 Marcel Orford-Williams 95 £10.95 Davy’s Belardent is part of the portfolio of the Languedoc group LGI. Founded in 1999 by Alain Grignon, LGI focuses on producing brands specifically for the export market, often from high quality co-ops working throughout the region. Since Grignon’s retirement in 2013, operations are now overseen by MD Xavier Roger and sales director Cédric Duquenoy, who have been at LGI since its formation and have evidently been successful in maintaining the organisation’s excellent quality-to-price ratio. Andrew Jefford Silver-green, bright and alluring. Sweet, fresh and stony aromas, achieved with grace and finesse; elegant and enticing. Mouthfilling, pithy flavours of lemon and grapefruit with a stony edge. Lots…

EXPERT’S CHOICE Pacific Northwest reds These two states in the US offer a huge diversity of terroirs, and the wines emerging from them are equally fascinating, as local Michael Alberty’s selection of top reds shows Oregon and Washington wine styles are difficult to pin down due to the scope and diversity of these wine regions. Between them they have more than 1,700 wineries growing 142 different grape varieties – from Assyrtiko to Xarel-lo – over 36,000ha in 32 different AVAs (American Viticultural Areas). The microclimates in their AVAs run the gamut from the Umpqua Valley in southern Oregon, where annual rainfall can total 127cm, to the warmer sections of east-central Washington, where the Wahluke Slope is lucky to get 16cm. Washington is known for its two most widely planted red…

TEST YOURSELF: WSET LEVEL 2 SAMPLE QUESTIONS 1 Compared with red wines, white wines are generally fermented at... A Either higher or lower temperatures B The same temperature C Higher temperatures D Lower temperatures 2 Which grape variety is considered to produce high-quality white wines in both Germany and Australia? A Merlot B Semillon C Shiraz D Riesling 3 Pinotage is a grape variety that is primarily used for... A South African red wines B Portuguese fortified wines C Australian white wines D Californian rosé wines 4 Which of the following words indicates that a wine has been aged for a period in oak? A Chenin Blanc B Classico C Côtes du Rhône D Crianza 5 A Tawny Port is... A Golden in colour, with yeasty flavours B High in…

MY TOP 10 IN SEVILLE 1 Mordeo Boutique Wine Bar Co-owned by master sommelier Luis de Santos, this Chinatown hangout features Latin-inspired small plates showing Japanese flair. Indulge in clams and mussels con chorizo, finish with an ethereal flan and pair with a dynamic list that mimics Mordeo’s vision, focusing mainly on Spanish wines. You can also explore a wine selection curated by Ira Harmon MS, which takes guests to the Napa Valley, Côte de Beaune and Rioja sip by sip. www.mordeolv.com 2 Chinatown Photograph: Yaacov Dagan/Alamy Arguably the most popular area for visitors to eat and drink, and a hub for food and beverage professionals when they’ve finished service on the Strip. Wind down with chef-driven bites from Asia and beyond, and explore the many good wine lists that…

Tasting notes decoded Written by Laura Seal Green pepper In cooking, some people avoid these peppers in favour of their sweeter red and yellow counterparts. But in wine, the sharply savoury aroma of a freshly sliced green bell pepper makes it a useful tasting reference. Sommelier Laura Ortiz explains the science: ‘When we smell green pepper in Cabernet Sauvignon, we are recognising the pyrazine, 3-isobutyl-2-methoxy piracina. A name we seldom remember, but it is impossible to forget the aroma of green pepper.’ The term green pepper can be used positively, as with some Cabernet Sauvignons from California and Chile, where it can be enjoyed as a counterbalance to black fruit flavours like cassis. However, in Bordeaux wines a green character is less desirable, as it is often taken to be…

Sotheby’s reveals record sales for wine and spirits Photographs: Frank Tschakert/Alamy Stock Photo; Luxify.com The auction and retail sales for wine and spirits at Sotheby’s topped US$100m for the first time in 2018, the company has announced. Auction sales hit $98m, a figure that’s up by around 50% on 2017. A slew of high-profile, single-owner auctions, combined with higher demand in Asia, drove the results, according to the company. Burgundy and Bordeaux made up 88% of sales, with Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and mature Bordeaux vintages particularly prominent. The 10 best-selling producers for the year were: Domaine de la Romanée-Conti with sales of $24m; Petrus ($8m); Lafite Rothschild ($7m); Latour ($7m); Mouton Rothschild ($5m); Leroy ($4m); Margaux ($4m); Haut-Brion ($3m); The Macallan Scotch Whisky ($3m); and Cheval Blanc ($2m).…

Fine wine price watch Below are the most recent merchant case prices (equivalent 12 x 750ml bottles) for wines that are actively traded among a global network of merchants on Liv-ex, the fine wine market. Liv-ex records transactions between its merchant members in the UK, US, Asia and Europe. All prices are in GBP and exclude sales tax. The numbers in green indicate those prices which have increased since last month, whilst the numbers in red have decreased. The Liv-ex 100 Index Index level at end of January 2019 311.98 | -0.02% The Liv-ex Fine Wine 100 Index represents the price movement of 100 of the most sought-after fine wines for which there is a strong secondary market and is calculated monthly. The majority of the index consists of Bordeaux…

Australian Chardonnay: know your vintages Photograph: Nic Duncan 2018 All the hallmarks of an exceptional year for quality and production in Tasmania, Western Australia and Victoria’s leading Chardonnay regions. Temperatures warmer than average, but not extreme – outstanding fruit quality and structure. January and February were warmer and drier in South Australia and New South Wales; high quality in cooler, elevated sites. 2017 Intricate, intense, aromatic wines with racy acidity showcase the growing season’s cool start and mild summer. Best performing regions enjoyed a dry, warm end to the season and wines will be long-lived. Rain events impacted on flavour ripeness and concentration in Great Southern and Coonawarra. 2016 January rain followed by a cool February gave great fruit purity and definition in Margaret River. Elsewhere, warmer than average, dry…

Tributes for Becky Wasserman-Hone ‘Burgundy was very lucky that Becky and her family chose in 1968 to come to live in France. Becky was already a remarkable harpsichordist at the time. She quickly became an outstanding cook. She has gradually become fully integrated with Burgundy, which has become her homeland, assimilated her culture, and today she is the most enthusiastic and most accomplished ambassador. No one knows how to talk about Burgundy with so much talent and nobody likes their wines with as much sincerity and deep knowledge as Becky.’ Aubert de Villaine, co-owner of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and recipient of the Decanter Hall of Fame Award 2010 ‘I first met Becky, thanks I think to Aubert de Villaine, early in 1971, but had already heard of her and…

ARGENTINA Monasterio: Argentina’s first grand cru With its highly sought-after combination of soils, altitude and location, this remote corner of Uco Valley’s Gualtallary region is the top candidate to be the country’s first officially recognised ‘grand cru’ area, argues Patricio Tapia IT IS SOMETIME in the mid-1990s and Alejandro Vigil, today in charge of the Catena Zapata wines, has problems with the dust that seeps through the floor of his old Renault 12. In fact, while touring malbec vineyards in the Uco Valley, he must, from time to time, stick his head out of the window so that the dust of those narrow, rustic dirt roads does not leak into his lungs. One of those roads takes him to a remote place, a sort of small, inhospitable corner in the…

Anson’s value picks ■ Ch d’Escurac, Médoc Cru Bourgeois ■ Ch La Cardonne, Médoc CB ■ Ch Laujac, Médoc CB ■ Ch Potensac, Médoc ■ Ch Lousteauneuf, Médoc CB ■ Ch Belle-Vue, Haut-Médoc CB ■ Ch Malescasse, Haut-Médoc CB ■ Ch Beau-Site, St-Estèphe ■ Ch Meyney, St-Estèphe (p100) ■ Ch Paveil de Luze, Margaux CB ■ Ch Fourcas-Borie, Listrac CB ■ Ch Poujeaux, Moulis ■ Ch de Candale, St-Emilion GC ■ Ch Faugères, St-Emilion GCC ■ Ch Pindefleurs, St-Emilion GC ■ Ch Bonalgue, Pomerol ■ Ch Alcée, Castillon-Côtes de Bordeaux ■ Dom de l’A, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux ■ Ch Godard, Francs Côtes de Bordeaux ■ Ch La Prade, Francs Côtes de Bordeaux ■ Ch Hostens-Picant, Ste-Foy-Bordeaux…

Greening Waipara Photograph: Janis Miglavs/Cephas In 2005, Steve Wratten, Professor of Ecology at New Zealand’s Lincoln University, started working with four wine producers in the Waipara Valley on the Greening Waipara project. This pioneering biocontrol initiative looks for ways to restore ‘functional biodiversity’ in a region that had lost much of its natural habitat. Trees, shrubs and cover crops were planted in vineyards to attract beneficial insects and suppress weeds; wetlands were created, using plants to filter run-off water from the vineyards. More than 50 vineyards are now involved in the project, some with biodiversity trails for visitors. The programme shows that enhancing biodiversity in vineyards improves natural pest control and soil fertility. Boosting biocontrols and reducing reliance on herbicides and pesticides enables growers to regenerate natural habitats, save money,…

Wine events to be held around Vaud in 2019 3-8 April Divinum, Morges A wine exhibition in the picturesque lakeside village of Morges, featuring more than 1,200 wines to taste, from all over Switzerland and beyond. www.salon-divinum.ch 8-9 June Caves Ouvertes Vaud (Vaud Open Cellars) More than 300 wine producers in Vaud open their cellars for tastings. Many will feature food by Michelin-starred chefs and other special activities. www.ovv.ch/en/caves-ouvertes 27–29 september F • te des Vendanges, Lutry A weekend of concert performances, open cellars at local wineries, and family-friendly events including a guided walking tour for families, through the vineyards. www.fetedesvendanges.ch…

THIS MONTH’S PANEL TASTINGS Chilean Carmenère & Picpoul de Pinet Steven Spurrier’s fine wine world Our consultant editor and 2017 Man of the Year picks fine wines to drink now and lay down, all priced from £25 Weekday wines By Tina Gellie Want something more adventurous in your midweek wine selection, but don’t want to make an expensive mistake? We’ve found 25 exciting wines to try for under £25 Chilean Carmenère 89 wines tasted A bit of a ‘mixed bag’, says Peter Richards MW, but with a high proportion of wines Recommended or better Picpoul de Pinet 57 wines tasted Its clean, fresh style is finding great favour in the UK. Great pricing and our judges’ high scores reveal why Expert’s Choice: Pacific Northwest reds By Michael Alberty A huge…

FOR THE CELLAR Viña Aquitania, Lazuli, Maipo 2015 The Viña Aquitania adventure began in 1984 when Bruno Prats and the Paul Pontallier from Bordeaux joined forces with Felipe de Solminihac to create a Chilean fine wine. The terroir they chose for what was to be their flagship Cabernet Sauvignon was at the foot of the Andes in the heart of Chile’s Maipo Valley. Construction of the wine cellar was completed in 1993. In 2002 they were joined by Ghislain de Montgolfier, on his retirement from Champagne Bollinger, and they explored much cooler land in the very south of the country, selecting the Malleco Valley where they planted Chardonnay, which is used for their Sol de Sol wine. The early vintages of Lazuli I tasted were on the green side –…

CHILEAN CARMENERE: KNOW YOUR VINTAGES 2018 Relatively cool, late season gave naturally fresher reds, though some late-season varieties like Carmenère struggled to ripen fully, hence variability. 2017 Heatwaves and wildfires beset one of the earliest, lowest-yielding vintages of modern times. Beware smoke taint, otherwise Carmenère coped okay. 2016 ‘Disastrous’, said one winemaker, as torrential April rain hit a slow-maturing vintage – Carmenère was one of the worst-hit varieties (yet decent wines have been made). 2015 Warm weather gave generous styles, often very good, though some producers went OTT with ripeness and extraction. 2014 Carmenère was one of the high points after devastating spring frosts hit cooler areas, but the season ended benignly: concentrated yet precise wines.…

CHILEAN CARMENERE OUTSTANDING 95–97pts Matetic Vineyards, Corralillo, Colchagua 2016 Decanter average score: 95/100pts Individual judges’ scores: Alistair Cooper MW 94 Dirceu Vianna Junior MW 95 Peter Richards MW 95 £15.99 Banstead Vintners With its name of Croatian origin, Matetic Vineyards is based in the Rosario Valley of San Antonio appellation, founded in 1999. This family winery is fully biodynamic and organic, respecting the terroir and land over its four estates and vineyards in San Antonio and Casablanca valleys, covering an impressive 160ha. The Corralillo range is named in recognition of a very old cellar in the local area. The fruit for this wine comes from Colchaguan soils, granitic in nature, mixed with clays, lime and organic matter. The wine has a small percentage of Syrah added and is aged in…

PANEL TASTING The verdict The large number of high scores in this tasting proved that Picpoul de Pinet is a reliably consistent choice Ð with wallet-friendly prices. Andrew Jefford shares the highlights Picpoul’s final secret, in addition to those already outlined on the previous page, is consistency. With 49 out of 57 wines tasted achieving a rating of Recommended, Highly Recommended or Outstanding, the appellation has surely never looked more consistent than at present. Technical standards in this technophile zone of Languedoc are high; youthfulness is all; and more producers than in most parts of France are now prepared to use screwcap closures in place of cork (48 out of the 57 wines we tasted). How, though, do you lift Picpoul de Pinet from a ‘good’ rating to an ‘outstanding’…

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 90–94pts Domaine Félines Jourdan, Cuvée Classique 2017 94 AJ 93 JHS 94 MOW 94 £11.95 Berry Bros & Rudd Fresh, sweet, lively and enticing, with creamy lemon notes and a little floral freshness. Soft though prominent acidity and citrussy fruits. Drink 2019 Alc 13.5% Les Costières de Pomérols, Cap Cette 2017 94 AJ 93 JHS 95 MOW 95 £10.95 Jeroboams A serious style of ripe and rounded wine, with some oyster-shell marine notes. Powerful mango and lemon zest palate full of complex weight and length. Drink 2019-2020 Alc 13% Domaine St-Peyre 2017 93 AJ 95 JHS 92 MOW 91 £10.45 Christopher Piper, Lea & Sandeman Bright and saline nose, with a delicate note of briny lemon and grapefruit. This has real class, brightness, salinity and precision. Drink 2019-2020…

Decanter TRAVEL GUIDE Back to (wine) school Many wine collectors are conscious that their knowledge doesn’t match their passion for what’s in the bottle. Amy Wislocki reports on an exclusive wine course designed to educate the well-heeled wine lover Photographs: Saez Victor; Amy Wisloki IN The Way, an Emilio Estevez-directed movie released in 2010, Gartin Mheen plays an ageing father who walks 800km of the Camino de Mantiago, in honour of his son. Along the way he bonds with a motley crew of travellers, who have all embarked upon the challenging journey with their own motivations. Watching this shortly after returning from Extreme Wine, an intensive wine boot camp in the southern Lhône, it was hard to miss the parallels. A strange comparison to draw, one might think, when you’re…

Wine Legends Nederburg Cabernet Sauvignon 1974 Paarl, South Africa A legend because… South Africa is not short of historic estates, and with vineyards first planted in the late 17th century, its wine industry is not best pleased when it is considered a ‘New World’ region. Most of those original plantings were in Constantia, close to Cape Town, but other regions enjoy a long history too. Nederburg in Paarl was founded in 1791 and consolidated its reputation by hosting – and producing wines for – its celebrated annual auction. International sanctions during the apartheid era were a setback for wine quality overall, so the auctions helped to maintain standards. Looking back German-born Günter Brözel was winemaker here from 1956 to 1989, and was responsible for the excellent Cabernet Sauvignons. These were…