Innehållsförteckning för December 2022 från Decanter

Stay up to date with the latest wine news on decanter.com, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter @Decanter Anew ‘pirate wine union’ wants to highlight innovation in Bordeaux. The Union des Vignerons Bordeaux Pirate (@bordeaux_pirate) has emerged from a 2019 Facebook group created by winemaker Jean-Baptiste Duquesne of Château Cazebonne, Graves. ‘Things are no longer moving in Bordeaux – we have standardised and stereotyped wines,’ said Duquesne. ‘Anything new is interesting to us. It could be packaging, wine style, the way you work in the winery or communicate to the public.’ South African white wines shone as this year’s Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild (CWG) auction achieved record sales of ZAR13,985,500 (£685,000) on its first return to home soil since 2019. Based on average price per bottle, the top four…

Given the current fashion for everything Burgundian, the underestimated village of Givry should be at the top of the list for those seeking high-quality Burgundy that doesn’t require a bank loan to buy. It’s a historic terroir with tremendous potential and talented producers pushing the limits of what’s possible here in the central eastern part of the Côte Chalonnaise region. The first vineyards in Givry date to Roman times, but their renown began in earnest with the establishment of Ferté abbey in 1113AD. Ferté was founded by the monks of Cîteaux, near Dijon, who also built the Clos de Vougeot at roughly the same time. The wines’ reputation gradually grew, and by the 14th century, wines from Givry were served at the table of Pope Clement VI in Avignon. Although…

Fromoutstanding classics to new-wave discoveries, the world of sweet wines is well worth exploring. The best examples can be transformative – which is perhaps why dessert wines go hand in hand with the end-of-year holiday season – yet these sweet treats deserve attention year-round. Bringing to light some of the finest sweet wines from across the globe, results from the 2022 Decanter World Wine Awards saw a number of luscious dessert wines awarded top scores. Of the classics, Tokaji Aszú was ‘in great form thanks to the glorious 2017 vintage’ according to Caroline Gilby MW, Regional Chair for North, Central & Eastern Europe. Sauternes, too, impressed the experts, with Château Laville 2019 awarded the competition’s first-ever Best in Show for the appellation. From Croatia, Slovenia and Greece to Canada, South…

Nothingcould have prepared me for the vision that appeared in the dining room of Domaine Balthazar in Carcassonne, that Sunday lunchtime in 2008. As a food and travel writer, I’d journeyed all the way from New York City to write a simple article on the history of cassoulet. I thought I would meet a chef, taste some beans and head home. Instead, a group of ‘Oompa-Loompas’ in red robes and matching berets emerged carrying a stretcher wrapped in red and gold silk on which sat two gargantuan clay pots that sent clouds of caramelised steam wafting straight into my nose. Singing in what I would later discover to be the ancient Occitan language, the men and women proceeded slowly towards the table. One forkful of this magical bubbly concoction and…

Roussanne by Evan Goldstein MS Sadly,this rich, honeyed grape variety is disappearing from the vineyards of Hermitage and other appellations in the northern Rhône where it once held court. But Roussanne is a grape you should know. Amazingly, even though it comes across as rich and exotic, with an apparent lack of structure, it can hold that pose for years… without botox! Roussanne’s roots lie in the central Rhône valley. Precisely when it originated is not known, but the grape’s more recent history is well documented. In the mid-20th century, many of the plantings in France became infected with fanleaf virus and were replaced with the less interesting but more resilient and consistent Marsanne. True Roussanne was believed to have arrived in California in the 1980s, but the original source…

Theeastern shore of the Adriatic sea is better known for its tourism than for wine, but results from this tasting showed that it’s home to many wines to spark wine lovers’ interest. Croatia, with some 1,800km of Adriatic coastline, submitted most wines, but there was also a good showing from Slovenia (47km of coast) and a handful from Bosnia & Herzegovina (just 20km of seashore). This was an impressive, and often exciting, two-day tasting, with very few poor wines. As Isa Bal MS pointed out: ‘I found the quality to be of a very high standard,’ highlighting, ‘some excellent Malvasia from Croatia and some very well-made, pyrazine-free examples of Sauvignon Blanc from Slovenia.’ Local grapes dominated the entries and provided many of the top-scoring wines. Malvasia Istriana (Malvazija Istarska is…

Buyers cautious but prices stable Abusy autumn auction season has seen some strong prices for rare wines, especially Burgundy, but there are also signs of greater caution on the wine market. A London-based Christie’s auction on 29 September saw 90% of lots sold. Top lots included Domaine Leroy, Richebourg 2009 (12x75cl), which sold for £100,000 ($107,600 at time of sale), matching its pre-sale high estimate, and Leroy’s Vosne-Romanée Les Beaux Monts 2015 (12x75cl) at £75,000 (high e: £60,000). The Burgundy-led Sotheby’s Hong Kong auction of ‘a pristine modern cellar’ was 100% sold. Top lot was six bottles of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti 2009, which fetched almost HK$1.1m (£125,500, high e: HK$850,000). Zachys recent ‘Unicorn’ sale in New York saw 50% of lots sell above their high estimates, said Charles…

How did you get here? I was approached to join what would go on to become Hedonism Wines as project manager in 2010, shortly after moving to the UK from Russia, where I had previous experience in luxury retail. We set out to create the finest wine-buying experience that was still both fun and approachable, and which offered an unparalleled width and breadth of choice alongside excellent customer service. What’s the best thing about your job? I love watching people buy wine, seeing their excitement when they find the bottle they have been searching for in our store, the almost tangible anticipation of opening a certain bottle. In our restaurants, people trust the sommelier, and it’s very gratifying to watch diners taste something they have never tried before, and learn…

TIM ATKIN MW is a Decanter contributing editor and awarded wine journalist, author, broadcaster, judge and photographer. He publishes timatkin.com, where his South Africa 2022 Special Report is available now (£20) 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 CAMERON DOUGLAS MS is a widely published wine writer, judge, educator and consultant. He has served on the board of directors for the Court of Master Sommeliers Americas, and is the DWWA Regional Chair for New Zealand SARAH JANE EVANS MW is an awarded journalist, author and broadcaster, a DWWA Co-Chair, and the chair of…

LETTER OF THE MONTH The pursuit of Pinot pleasure In 1979 I visited Seattle and drank a fantastic and reasonably priced Pinot Noir from Oregon. I made a note of the name and the next day, without luck, tried to find it in the Seattle wine shops. I later lost the note.  After that I sought out Pinot Noirs, but never matched the Oregon benchmark until years later, when I had the opportunity to visit Beaune in Burgundy. I had done my homework. Maison Jaffelin had scored well in the Decanter World Wine Awards with its Chorey-lès-Beaune Pinot. The wine, purchased for €20, was divine. My ‘wine radar’ is now firmly focused on Pinot Noir. Your last issue reminded us (‘Marketwatch spotlight’) that the prices of top Burgundy have risen…

The classic idea of a winter warmer is a red with generous booze to give your internal thermometer a comforting upward nudge. Grapes with a naturally spicy character such as Zinfandel, Syrah and Carmenère often get the nod. But I’ve also included some oak-amplified classics along with robust southern French blends, the odd white with a flex of powerful oak, a white Châteauneuf-du-Pape that should come with the offer of free glee on the label such is its deliciousness, as well as plenty of bottles from warmer climes that possess exuberance and generosity in equal measure. I’ve also included a few bottles that perhaps aren’t what would be traditionally thought of as winter warmers, such as Tim Wildman’s Astro Bunny, which is an orange-hued pét-nat wine from Australia. Partly I…

A Cognac fit for a king Maison Courvoisier has added a new XO expression to its range of Cognacs. Courvoisier XO Royal is a blend of old Fins Bois de Jarnac and Grande Champagne eaux-de-vie. It pays homage to Edward VII Réserve, a blend that was created in the early 20th century by Courvoisier’s first chief blender Henri Prodeaux for the then-king of England. A few bottles of this rare old Cognac are preserved in Courvoisier’s Paradis cellar in Jarnac and formed the starting point for Patrice Pinet, the house’s sixth chief blender, to create the new expression. ‘It is a privilege to pay homage to Maison Courvoisier’s historic recipe crafted for distinguished royalty,’ said Pinet. ‘Courvoisier XO Royal marries exceptionally rare eaux-de-vie to create a full-bodied blend that balances…

How do you approach a tasting with 20 or more different varieties from all across Spain? In our case, with pleasure and anticipation. The aim of this tasting was to showcase the exciting range of native red varieties to discover in Spain. The tasting revealed the mosaic that is Spain: in terrain, in climate and in landscape – and in diversity of varieties. Our overriding verdict from the tasting is that Spain is the country for explorers. Step outside your usual choices on the wine list, and you will be charmed. Half the wines here scored 90 points or above, and 13 of them were rated Outstanding (see ‘The scores’, below). While you may enjoy the Tempranillos for which Spain is so famous (in Rioja, in Ribera del Duero as…

I wantedto preserve something from the past,’ says Paul Siguqa, standing in his stylish new tasting room in Franschhoek. ‘This is where they used to pay the people who worked on the farm – in wine. It was the dop room. People queued at this very door. Alcohol was a way of creating dependency.’ Brought up by a labourer on a wine farm, Siguqa is an entrepreneur who made money in communications before buying Klein Goederust in 2019. He decided to keep the name of the run-down estate that dated back to 1905. ‘The oppressors are part of the history of the farm,’ he says. ‘The good and bad need to be acknowledged.’ The dop system (dop is the Afrikaans word for an alcoholic drink) is a thing of the…

Ask Decanter WHO SHOULD POUR? Each month our experts answer your burning wine questions. Email your questions to editor@decanter.com I was interested to read Mr Matheson’s letter (‘Hands off my wine, please’, October 2022 issue), with which I totally agreed. I also noted the support for his letter in the following issue. Could a sommelier explain why they think being in control of pouring is a good idea, when it seems most (all?) diners disagree. Colin Harvey, Norfolk, UK Stefan Neumann MS, wine consultant and Master Sommelier, replies: There are a few reasons why we don’t leave the bottle on the table. A good sommelier will always put guests first, wanting to ensure you have the best experience. Topping up the wine is part of a service provided to you.…

TERROIR-DRIVEN SOUTH AFRICANS TINA GELLIE Ahead of a trip to South Africa, in part to present Rosa Kruger with her 2022 Decanter Hall of Fame award, I reflected on how instrumental she has been – in her modest way – in helping shape, from the vineyard, so many of her clients’ critically acclaimed wines. At a tasting with Marc Kent of Boekenhoutskloof earlier this year – coincidentally also with Tim Atkin MW, who wrote our Hall of Fame winner profile (see November issue) – I was blown away by all the 2019 releases. I’m perennially enthralled by Boekenhoutskloof’s Swartland Syrah, but on this occasion the Franschhoek Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 stood out (£40-£42 Cadman, Frazier’s, Wine Direct). Smoky, mineral and fresh, the chocolatey-smooth palate of brambles, toasty oak and inky tannins…