Innehållsförteckning för June 2023 från Decanter

The Errazuriz Wine Photographer of the Year award for 2023 has been won by French photographer Thierry Gaudillère with his shot of ‘Girl after emptying a tank at the end of the fermentation’ in Burgundy. It’s the first time Gaudillère has won the overall award, although he did win its ‘people’ sub-category in 2018. ‘This beautifully lit and framed image encapsulates the dedication, the sheer physical hard work involved in making wine – no glamour here,’ said Caroline Kenyon, founder of the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year Awards, which encompasses the wine prize sponsored by Chilean producer Viña Errazuriz. Entries from this year’s Pink Lady awards are being exhibited at The Royal Photographic Society in Bristol until 11 June. Judges in 2023 included Decanter’s art editor Patrick Grabham. …

I know exactly what my Spanish friends will say when they read the introduction to this article: ‘But Grenache doesn’t even come from the Rhône.’ And they’d be right, of course. This variety might have originated in Spain, but now there is significantly more on the other side of the Pyrenees. It’s the second-most planted red variety in France at more than 80,000ha (according to the most recent OIV data), and no region has more than the southern Rhône, where plantings across the whole territory exceeded 36,000ha in 2021 (Inter Rhône). If your benchmark for this grape is dark and gutsy Châteauneuf-du-Pape, however, then prepare for some surprises when you venture further afield. Grenache is a grape that’s gaining in popularity with pioneering winemakers around the world, as it becomes…

1 Chêne Bleu, Aliot, Rhône, France 2015 96 £43.45-£53.37 Arden Fine Wines, Justerini & Brooks, Vinvm, Wine Monkey Wonderfully rich, characterful blend of Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne and Viognier from the Rolets’ Ecocert-certified organic Vaucluse vineyards. Gorgeously oxidative, honeyed nose of dried apricots, walnuts and rose petals. Complex, fresh and tangy, notes of quince and garrigue honey. Lovely freshness and terrific length. Drink 2023-2027 Alcohol 14% 2 Domaine Belargus, Ronceray, Anjou, Loire, France 2020 96 £37-£44 Millésima, Shrine to the Vine, Vin Cognito From Massonnat’s biodynamic vineyards in Anjou. Enticing nose of citrus and honey, then a rich, saline grip in the mouth and an attractive touch of bitterness. Taut and focused, with a sense of restrained energy and mineral drive. Vibrant and very intense, with lovely finesse. Very fine,…

1 Marada, Frajer Vlašák Sparkling, Slovácko, Moravia, Czech Republic 2019 91 vinomarada.cz A beautiful brut nature traditional-method sparkling from talented organic producer Petr Marada. Lovely mousse. On the palate a lush, creamy texture with peach, pear and physalis flavours embraced by a fine yeasty character. Perfectly balanced with fresh acidity, thanks to the Vlašský Ryzlink’s varietal typicity. With a moderate, gentle finish. Drink 2023-2026 Alcohol 12.5% Oszkar Maurer, Fodor, Subotica, Vojvodina, Serbia 2019 94 £25 Roland Wines One of Serbia’s most talented natural winemakers, Maurer created this amberhued wine from 55-year-old untrained Olaszrizling bush vines growing in clay and limestone soils. Wafting aromas give citrus, frankincense, hibiscus, grapefruit, bay leaf, white pepper and orange blossom, while the juicy, mineral-textured palate exudes citrus-orange, thyme and lemon meringue with an elegant touch…

Acres of flavour English wine producer Chapel Down has joined forces with Cotswolds-based Capreolus Distillery to produce an aperitif spirit: Aker English Dry (Alc 18%). Created by Ian Bayliss and Katherine Hagan, the new drink combines Bacchus from the Kent winery with Comice pear eau de vie, a selection of macerated botanicals – blossoms, roots, spices and wormwood – and Chardonnay grape skin distillate. The result is an aromatic vermouth-style aperitif, with a crisp palate of ripe orchard fruit, white grapes, fresh herbs, elderflower, lemon and lime. Serve it with tonic for a refreshing, lower-alcohol alternative to a G&T: fill a highball glass with ice, add 60ml of Aker English Dry with 100ml of tonic, stir gently to mix, and garnish with a long lemon twist or sprig of rosemary.…

Edibleflowers are so much more than a pretty garnish on a fancy plate of food. I use flowers for their flavour, much like herbs; nasturtiums for a peppery punch, magnolia for a gingery kick, borage brings a cooling cucumber flavour, or lavender for that cleansing, menthol note. I use them for their beauty; a handful of calendula and cornflower petals scattered through a green salad transforms it from an everyday dish to something truly special. And I use them to connect to the seasons, noting the first primroses peeping through the frozen earth in February and eagerly awaiting the musky elderflower blooms in June. Not to mention the huge benefits they bring to the garden, attracting pollinators, creating biodiversity and bringing so much delight and joy. For me, growing and…

Matt Walls is an awarded wine writer, author and consultant, a contributing editor to Decanter and the DWWA Regional Chair for the Rhône Cat Lomax is a wine and wine retail consultant who has held buying and senior trading roles across key premium wine retailers in the UK, including Laithwaites, Waitrose, Majestic and most recently Marks & Spencer Tanguy Martin is business development manager and ambassador for Roberson Wine. He completed his oenology diploma in Montpellier before heading to England in 2011, gaining the title of UK Sommelier of the Year in 2015 while working as head sommelier for the late Gerard Basset OBE MW MS. Having moved to London, Martin was wine buyer and wine director for a number of established restaurants…

Sarah Jane Evans MW is a Decanter contributing editor and Co-Chair of the Decanter World Wine Awards. Her latest book The Wines of Central and Southern Spain (£35 Infinite Ideas) is set for release in early 2024 Beth Willard sources wines for both the on- and off-trade in the UK, with a particular focus on Spain and Eastern Europe. Formerly buying manager at Direct Wines, she is a DWWA joint Regional Chair for Spain, and a member of Spain’s Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino David Williams is a regular contributor to Decanter on all things Spanish. He is also wine correspondent for The Observer, deputy editor of The World of Fine Wine, and a columnist for trade magazine The Wine Merchant…

92 Busi Jacobsohn, Single Estate Cuveé Brut, East Sussex, England 2019 £40 Busi Jacobsohn From the estate’s vineyard in Eridge, the 2019 has a golden hue. Yeasty pears, melon, ripe peach and cream nose; a honeyed, fulfilling palate of brioche, steamed rice and stone fruits, refreshing lime zest and mineral salinity. Long with nuttiness towards the finish. SW Alc 12% 93 Thistledown, Walking with Kings, McLaren Vale, South Australia 2022 £22.49 The Fine Wine Co A new wine from this exciting label: Roussanne fermented in 25% new French oak and biodynamically farmed Grenache Blanc oxidatively fermented in concrete. Bold yet elegant, waxy quince, apricot blossom and a fresh apple crunch with a chalky texture. TG Alc 13.5% 92 Cà dei Frati, Brolettino, Lugana, Lombardy, 92 Italy 2021 £25-£34 Widely available…

PETRUS 2022 Often tightly allocated, the new vintage of Petrus generally emerges at the end of Bordeaux en primeur season. Merchant Corney & Barrow, joint-exclusive UK agent for the celebrated Pomerol estate, said it planned to launch its offer later this summer. Last year, the deadline for orders was in August. CHRISTIE’S ‘SINGLE OWNER’ AUCTION Sauternes back to the 1930s, rare Krug Champagne, mature first growth Bordeaux and multiple Petrus vintages will be among wines auctioned by Christie’s in June in the second instalment of its sale of collector Irwin Kotovsky’s private cellar. Online auction from 8-21 June. CRURATED: BURGUNDY IN IBIZA Crurated, a members’ community intended to better connect collectors with top producers, has announced a new series of exclusive events. A Burgundy-focused lunch at Sabina Ibiza for 16…

Fine wine & spirits specialist Bordeaux Index kindly sponsors this section of Decanter, and provides its view on the market here every issue. It can be found at bordeauxindex.com The 2022 vintage en primeur campaign will be an interesting one in a market context. On the one hand, 2022 is a vintage in which some remarkable wines have been made [see ‘Vintage preview’, p16], a number of which may well in the future be recognised as benchmarks for the respective châteaux. On the other hand, the Bordeaux market has been a relatively static one in the last 12 months, and likely pricing is such that many 2022 releases will not have a clear relative value benefit. This point is compounded by the fact that this is the fourth out of…

GEORGIE HINDLE is Decanter’s Bordeaux correspondent, tasting and writing about the wines of the region where she lives, as well as editor of Decanter Premium, overseeing Decanter’s global fine wine content for online subscribers ANDY HOWARD MW is a contributing editor to Decanter and a DWWA Regional Chair. A former wine buyer, he now runs his own wine consultancy Vinetrades Ltd, focusing on wine education, investment and sourcing DARREL JOSEPH is a widely published wine writer, presenter and lecturer, and a DWWA judge. Based in Vienna, he specialises in the wines of Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe, including the Balkans RUPERT JOY is an international consultant and former UK and EU diplomat. He has a longstanding interest in wine and has written for Decanter for many years, particularly on sustainability…

1 Yangarra, High Sands Grenache, McLaren Vale, South Australia 2018 97 US$255 Solano Cellars A beautiful, harmonious nose, with notes of violets and lavender honey. Highly fragrant and full on the palate but also weightless, clearly very light extraction. Despite this, there’s great presence and depth. It’s still young; stylistically quite peerless, with a real tuning fork resonance on the finish. Taken from the highest section of Yangarra’s 1946 Grenache, planted on deep silica sand soils. Matured on lees in older, large French oak barrels and ceramic eggs for 11 months. Biodynamic. Drink 2023-2040 Alcohol 14.5% 2 Pášxa, River Rock Vineyard Grenache, Columbia Valley, Oregon, USA 2020 96 pasxawines.com Pale coloured, with an aromatic register that sits between spice and flowers. It calls to mind cinnamon, raspberry and rose. Rounded…

Prices continue to spiral for wines from the Côte d’Or – Burgundy lovers’ choices for good-value options are increasingly limited. Demand remains sky-high and this, combined with significant reductions in the volumes produced in 2016, 2019 and 2020, has led to even higher prices. And that was all before the drastic losses suffered in 2021 (through frosts, snow, vine diseases and rain), compounded by rising fuel and raw material costs, have added even greater pressure. Rebecca Palmer, buyer and associate director at merchant Corney & Barrow, summed up the current situation, lamenting: ‘Côte Chalonnaise pricing is where village Burgundy used to be not so long ago, with the Côte d’Or off the chart. Much of it is inaccessible to most.’ So where should consumers look now? There are 84 appellations…

Ask Decanter Each month our experts answer your burning wine questions. Email your queries to editor@decanter.com ROSE: IS YOUNGEST BEST? When it comes to rosé wine, is it as simple as ‘the younger the better’? Elena Stevenson, by email Elizabeth Gabay MW, author of Rosé: Understanding the Pink Wine Revolution, replies: The short answer is ‘no’. Rosé is a colour rather than a category of wine, and includes fresh, easy-drinking, fruity wines that are best enjoyed young, as well as complex wines that get better with age. Much like a red or white, ageworthiness will depend on winemaking (maceration time, oak treatments, etc), terroir, vintage and quality of the overall wine – as well as the finished bottles being kept well away from light and heat. The very best wines…

It’s hard to underplay Sauvignon Blanc’s reputation and popular appeal. Whether you consider Bordeaux or the Loire valley its spiritual home, this is a grape which has gone on to cement the reputation of many regions around the world. Sauvignon fans seeking a brief detour could do worse than look out for the far less-heralded Friulano, a mainstay grape of Friuli in northeast Italy and Slovenia, and a variety which was previously known as Tocai Friulano until a court judgement enforced a name change, lest we confuse it with Hungary’s emblematic sweet wine, Tokaji. Also going by the names Sauvignon Vert and Sauvignonasse, Friulano is a direct relative of Sauvignon Blanc – indeed, in Chile it was mistaken as being such for many years. When purchasing a bottle coming from…

Hans Astrom, vice-chairman of South Africa’s Klein Constantia estate, was in London recently to launch the 2019 vintage of Anwilka, its Stellenbosch property’s top red blend. This coincided with a new publication through the Académie du Vin Library, Klein Constantia: the home of Vin de Constance (£35, First Press Editions), focusing on the history of its Muscat de Frontignan sweet wine. Written by Malu Lambert and Joanne Gibson, respectively current and previous Decanter contributors, they chart the estate’s founding in 1685, its fame and fall over 300 years, a rebirth through the 30-year stewardship by the Jooste family, and finally its ‘new history’ since 2011 under shareholders including Bordeaux consultants Hubert de Boüard (Château Angélus) and Bruno Prats (ex-Cos d’Estournel). Crafted by head winemaker Matt Day since 2012, Vin de…

Mencía is the aromatic, elegant star of northwest Spain. Our tasting notes summed the wines up in a flurry of appealing adjectives: vibrant, pretty, flinty, graceful, pomegranate, redcurrant, redfruited acidity, youthful. In the past few years Mencía has travelled far from its original role as a niche regional variety. Today it can take centre stage among Spain’s red varieties, in distinct contrast to the traditional image of Tempranillo. The northwest has other equally fresh and crisp red varieties, but Mencía dominates. Nor is the variety at home just in the top left-hand corner of the country, as we were to discover when we encountered a very successful Valencian version (see right). In addition to Valencia, we tasted 40 wines from Galicia. One was from the Atlantic Rías Baixas and the…

A first auction of Masseto wines sourced directly from the winery’s ‘Caveau’ has reinforced the SuperTuscan’s star power on the market. All 46 lots found buyers, said auction host Sotheby’s. Impeccable provenance, plus opportunities for buyers to visit the winery, may have helped to push bids higher. Top lot was a 15-litre nebuchadnezzar of Masseto 2010, one of 20 produced, and which came with a winery visit, lunch and tasting for up to six guests. It sold for €56,250 (£49,674/ $61,100), including buyer’s premium, against a pre-sale high estimate of €26,000. Sotheby’s said this marked a new record for any bottle of Masseto sold at auction. Among other top lots, a six-litre imperial of Masseto 2001, plus a private winery visit, sold for €15,000 (high estimate: €11,000). Serena Sutcliffe MW,…

■ In the latest twist in a long-running dispute, Petrus said a Bordeaux court partially upheld its claims of brand reputation damage from the marketing of ‘Petrus Lambertini’ wine by CGM Vins, Direct Chais and group owners Stéphane and Jérôme Coureau. The court ordered them to pay €1.18m (£1m) and found they engaged in ‘parasitic’ acts, Petrus said. However, the accused parties confirmed they would appeal, adding this will suspend the judgement pending the outcome. ■ Belgian authorities have destroyed 2,352 cans of American beer for infringing on Champagne’s Protected Designation of Origin status in the EU. Labels stated ‘the Champagne of beers’, said the Comité Champagne, which helped crush the cans after customs officials intercepted them at Antwerp port. It’s unclear who shipped them. Miller High Life beers carry…

I fever there were a viticultural equivalent of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, it must be Welschriesling. This white variety, widely grown throughout the many countries of its regional domain, Central and Eastern Europe – and now even in volume in China – was for decades billed generally as a grape that made neutral, easy-drinking wine; rather simple and sour, even outright plonky; so much so that it was frequently spritzed with soda water for hot summer day gulping. At best, it was vinified mainly as a sparkling wine – or a component of; otherwise as a dry, still wine for immediate consumption, rarely lasting more than a year in bottle. Now, though, Welschriesling is rapidly becoming a wine producer’s darling. Ambitious wine-growers and winemakers have been digging deep…

G oodprices matter, as do great wines. In search of outstanding wines at every price point, Decanter World Wine Awards judging is based not only on critical characteristics such as balance and flavour intensity, but also quality with respect to price. The Decanter World Wine Awards 2023 results have just been released, and with that in mind we have introduced a new ‘bang for your buck’ Value list to highlight the competition’s best-value wines, all priced under the £15 mark. Scoring 95 points in the competition’s first round of judging, all Gold medal-winning wines below £15 a bottle were tasted and assessed again in a second round of judging, to determine the best of the best within the Value category. The term Value is not new, as such, to the…

Ryan Chetiyawardana’s perfect Martini 60ml Beefeater gin 15ml Martini Extra Dry 1 drop orange bitters Stir over ice, then carefully strain into a very cold, small cocktail glass with a Nocellara olive. Spritz a lemon twist over the top, but discard. Evertasted a Flower Thrower? What about a Nuts for Nuts? If they don’t sound familiar, no wonder; they’re both cocktails served in just one bar (London’s excellent Coupette, as it happens). However, if asked whether you’ve ever sipped a Martini or Mojito, an Old Fashioned or a Manhattan, bets are you’ll know. While some cocktails lodge in our collective consciousness, others remain one-bar wonders. But why? We asked some of the world’s top bartenders. Ryan Chetiyawardana, aka Mr Lyan (pictured above), of London’s award-winning Lyaness, Chelsie Bailey (see p78)…

It’smy passionate belief that every wine we pour in the restaurant should transport our diners to its place of origin – it should have an unmistakable sense of place. When you taste Japanese sake, you really taste the soul of the place. Sake is made like a beer, and drunk like a wine. It has three main ingredients: rice, water and knowledge. The first stage sees specially selected rice milled and ‘polished’ to reveal the starch within, steamed and left for several days topped with koji powder – this rice-derived mould kickstarts the conversion of starch in the rice to sugar. The rice is then transferred into a stainless steel tank, with water and yeast added. It’s the only fermented beverage to see two fermentations happen simultaneously within tank: the…

General Jean-Charles Abbatucci was a Corsican military general during the French Revolution. Having risen quickly through the ranks, he died, aged 26, attempting to defend Huningue in southern Alsace from attacking Austrians in 1796. Numerous Corsican street names and squares bear his name, which is also inscribed on Paris’ Arc de Triomphe. His direct descendants now make extraordinary wines in Corsica, earning much respect by defending ancient indigenous grape varieties, succeeding in bringing many of them back from the brink. The wines are certified biodynamic and produced in small quantities, with aromas and flavours almost as unusual as the names of the grapes (have you heard of Carcajolu, Paga Debbiti, Montanaccia or Brustiano?). But they are electrifying in their bold, sometimes savoury characters and sweeping acidity, and thus impressively ageworthy.…

When I tasted the 2020 northern Rhône whites from barrel for my en primeur report (see March 2022 issue), I was captivated by their vibrancy. Then when I returned a year later, I was amazed that the 2021s appeared even fresher (February 2023 issue). So, I had high hopes for this tasting, and was keen to see how recent vintages compared now they’re in bottle. The tasting confirmed them both to be excellent vintages for whites in the northern Rhône, but very different in style. We tasted the youngest first, and were all impressed by the vivid, zesty profile of the 2021 vintage (74 wines tasted) and its naturally crisp acidity. It is a lean and athletic year for whites, but they can sometimes lack depth and richness. Cat Lomax…

Lionel Faury, La Berne, Condrieu 2020 MW 95 CL 93 TM 93 £37-£42 Bottle Apostle, Caviste, Gardner & Beedle, WoodWinters Expressive, with meaty and floral notes on the nose. Ripe stone fruit – quince, plum and apricot – with a touch of macerated richness. Long and delicate on the finish. Drink 2023-2027 Alc 14% Pierre Jean Villa, Jardin Suspendu, Condrieu 2021 MW 97 CL 90 TM 94 £45 Stannary Wine Floral and waxy with spicy notes of quince, lychee and vanilla on the nose. Violets, almonds and white blossom on the palate. Balanced freshness with good weight on the lengthy finish. Drink 2023-2030 Alc 13% Roland Grangier, Condrieu 2021 MW 94 CL 94 TM 93 £38.50 Amathus Drinks Ripe apricot and peachy stone fruit with hints of floral herbaceousness on…

95 Adegas Terrae, Barbadelo, Ribeira Sacra, Galicia 2021 Sarah Jane Evans MW 95 Beth Willard 95 vid Williams 95 £16.50 Moreno Wines Barbadelo comes from trellised vineyards in the Amandi district overlooking the Sil river. It’s unoaked and caught the judges’ attention for its exceptional quality-to-value ratio. Accurately described by one London wine merchant on its website as ‘dangerously drinkable’ and ‘great for seafood when you fancy red’. Sarah Jane Evans MW Abundantly aromatic. Piquant with redcurrants, dark plums, violets. Palate is a starburst, with vivid plums, citrus, liquorice, almost dark chocolate. Beth Willard Wild strawberries and plum. Juicy and ripe with soft tannins, and good concentration. Very approachable, lively. David Williams Deep, dark, intriguing nose – something of Syrah, with a wildness. There’s sinew and bristle in the tannins,…

Celler Can Descregut, Reserva Corpinnat Brut Nature, Catalonia, Spain 2019 O £17.58 Jascots at Home Lots of aromas fighting for position here: scorched lemon and green apple melding into smoky, bready, flintiness. Toast and candlewax notes edge their way in on the palate, too. Impressive concentration and intensity at the price. NE Alcohol 11.5% 89 Bowler & Brolly, Specially Selected English Sparkling Rosé Brut, Surrey, England NV £15.99 Ald i Made by Denbies for Aldi, under its Bowler & Brolly label, this good-value pink fizz is a blend of 49% Seyval with Pinots Meunier and Noir in support. It delivers tart red berry notes alongside ripe citrus and orchard fruit crunch. TG Alc 12% 93 Lay & Wheeler, Eva Fricke Riesling, Rheingau, Germany 2020 £19.50 Lay & Wheeler This Riesling,…