NEW
Collection 2021
THE WINE LOV E R’S HANDBOOK
10 years on
Bordeaux Left Bank 2010
FIRST EDITION
Digital Edition
revisited
+
WINES OF THE WORLD
CONTENTS 08 Weekday
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Wines
The Decanter team pick their choice of exciting and accessibly priced wines
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BEST OF THE FEATURES Amber champions........................................................................22 The great disrupters.....................................................................30 Climate change in Burgundy......................................................36 The rise of the urban winery.......................................................46 The zenith of Zinfandel.................................................................52 10 years on: Bordeaux left bank 2010..................................... 60 Top 20 Atlantic whites from Portugal.......................................68 Tuscany new releases.................................................................. 74
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REGIONAL PROFILES Luján de Cuyo, Argentina............................................................86 Vinsobres, France........................................................................ 92 Howell Mountain, US....................................................................98 Abruzzo, Italy................................................................................104
PRODUCER PROFILES Domaine Nicolas-Jay...................................................................112 Hamilton Russell.......................................................................... 118 Lafite in China...............................................................................122 Thymiopoulos..............................................................................128
TRAVEL GUIDES 10 winery hotels in South America.........................................136 Peak Perfection............................................................................146 Top 10 wine bars in Bordeaux...................................................152 Puccini’s Tuscany........................................................................156
PANEL TASTING Loire Sauvignon Blanc...............................................................164 Affordable Rioja............................................................................ 172 Provence Rosé.............................................................................184
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 and over £30– with the aim to recognise and reward quality and value. The tastings are held in the controlled environment of Decanter’s tasting suite: a plain white room, with natural light and no noise. We limit the number of wines tasted to a manageable level – a maximum of 85 per day – allowing judges to taste more thoroughly and avoid palate fatigue. Drink-by dates are based on how long it is prudent to keep the wine in question. However, some wines will have a longer ageing capacity if stored in pristine conditions throughout their lifespan.
SCORING SYSTEM
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Tasters rate the wines using the 100-point scoring system. The overall Decanter rating is the average of all three judges’ scores. The ratings are as follows:
98-100: Exceptional A great, exceptional and profound wine
95-97: Outstanding An excellent wine of great complexity and character
90-94: Highly Recommended A very accomplished wine, with impressive complexity
86-89: Recommended A well-made, straightforward and enjoyable wine
83-85: Commended An acceptable, simple wine with limited personality
76-82: Fair Correctly made, if unexciting
70-75: Poor Unbalanced and/or bland with no character
50-69: Faulty Displays winemaking faults For the Exceptional and Outstanding Decanter ratings, judges’ individual scores and tasting notes are listed in addition to the average score. For the Highly Recommended and Recommended wines, individual and average scores are also listed but tasting notes are a combination of the three judges’ notes.
Glasses kindly supplied by www.riedel.co.uk
Weekday wines
Weekday wines Looking to try something different or adventurous, but don’t want to make an expensive mistake? The Decanter team has done the hard work for you, picking out these exciting and accessible wines available in the UK at supermarkets or wine shops Recommended by: James Button, Tina Gellie, Georgie Hindle, Julie Sheppard, Amy Wislocki and Sylvia Wu
MUST-TRY
fizzes
Corney & Barrow, Blanc AR Lenoble, Intense Mag 15, Bodegas Sumarroca, El Gran Amigo Gran Reserva, Cava, de Blancs Méthode Champagne, France NV 91 Penedès, Spain 2016 91 Traditionnelle, France NV 92 £31-£37.99 Ministry of Drinks, Roberts & £13.50 Corney & Barrow
Speight, The Champagne Co
£10.95 The Wine Society
With aromatic intensity and florality, this traditional-method sparkling (a blend of Colombard, Ugni-Blanc, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc) is light and refreshing, with a creamy mouthfeel from its 12-month ageing on the lees. Crisp apple and lemon flavours with a subtle sweetness on the delicately textured palate. Great quality and value for a single bottle, with savings for a case of 12. Stock up! GH Alc 12%
AR Lenoble stores most of its reserve wines in barrels and casks, but some are now kept in magnums under cork, which gives greater protection from oxidation. Mag 15 is a blend of 45% of these reserve wines with base wines from 2015. It has a saline nose with bright lemon and apple. It’s super-fresh, with razor-sharp acidity, green apple and richer hints of nougat and dough on the long finish. JB Alc 12.5%
Cava continues to suffer an image problem. This helps keep prices low, but means many miss out on what can be a fantastic traditional-method fizz. This brut nature is made by the same estate that produces the Society’s own-label Cava (a reserva), and had three years’ lees ageing before disgorgement. Gentle apple and lemon fruit, some toastiness and good complexity for the price. AW Alc 12%
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Weekday wines
MUST-TRY
MUST-TRY
rosés
sweet
Domaine Lafage, Miraflors Rosé, Côtes du Roussillon, France 2019 91
Quinta do Vallado, Touriga Nacional Rosé, Douro Valley, Portugal 2019 91
The Society’s, Exhibition, Sauternes, Bordeaux, France 2015 92
£10.50 Bibendum Wine, Vinatis
£11.50 Bibendum Wine
£10.95 (half bottle) The Wine Society
It’s always nice to find a light, juicy rosé outside Provence. From Grenache Gris and Noir vines, some nearing 80 years old, together with a portion of younger Mourvèdre, this is made from earlypicked grapes to ensure a fresher style, and pressed without crushing for its pale hue. On the palate there’s white peach, orange peel and strawberry backed by crisp minerality. GH Alc 12.5%
This refreshing, elegant rosé comes from Portugal’s hot Douro Valley, better known for its Port production. Aromas of fresh strawberries and a hint of stone fruit are followed by a strawberries-andcream palate with lifts of cherry and lemon. With a mineral core and fresh, focused acidity, it shows great balance. Well made and very drinkable, with or without food. JS Alc 12.5%
One to stock up on ahead of Christmas. A super price for a full bottle, it is made by the Dubourdieu family at Château Cantegril, so comes with a real pedigree of quality. The perfumed, honeyed sweetness is beautifully balanced by racy acidity and the botrytis characters are on the gentler side, meaning ripe, tangy pineapple, bracing citrus and fresh apricot flavours shine through. TG Alc 13.5% ➢ 9
Best of the features
AMBER CHAMPIONS:
TOP 30 ORANGE WINES
Though divisive, orange wine is a style that’s finally gaining real popularity among winemakers and drinkers alike. Simon J Woolf endeavours to put any remaining scepticism to rest, explaining the traditions behind the technique and recommending 30 of his favourite skin-contact discoveries
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ive years is a long time in wine. When I first wrote at length about orange wines in Decanter, in 2015, many wine pundits still viewed the style with suspicion – if not downright derision. It felt slightly bleeding edge, even if these wines had been appearing on our shelves for more than a decade. Now, in 2020, the fourth wine colour has elbowed its way into the hearts and minds of exponentially more adventurous drinkers around the globe, with orange wines produced and enjoyed on every continent. And justly so – with four possible combinations of red or white grapes with or without skins, why ignore 25% of wine’s possibilities? Some are still perplexed by the style – or, more particularly, the name. If you accept the lexicon of red, white and rosé, then why not orange too? In actuality, all four terms describe the winemaking technique (grape colour, plus skins or not) rather than colour or style, per se. It follows that not all orange wines are dark-amber coloured, tannic and cidery, just as not all red wines are mega-purple hued, grippy and oaky. Each of these four categories of wine offers up a multitude of taste, aroma and weight profiles. 22
Let’s tie down that definition: orange wines aren’t made from oranges any more than rosé wines are made from roses. The term, first coined in 2004, concisely describes wines made from white grapes that have been fermented with their skins, unlike mainstream white wines, where skins will be discarded beforehand (even if a pre-fermentation cold soak is part of the equation). These are white wines made like red wines, the perfect foodfriendly marriage of a white grape’s acidity and freshness with the texture and structure more often experienced in reds.
A style with history The concept is timeless. Georgia boasts archaeological finds indicating that wine has been fermented in amphorae (qvevris) made of clay for at least 6,000 years – and amber wines (made from white grapes) have always formed the cultural backbone of this important wine nation. Historical records and winemaking books from Austria and Slovenia show that skin-fermenting white grapes was common in many parts of the old AustroHungarian empire. As New Zealand winemaker Theo Coles (The Hermit Ram) notes, ‘these are basically pre-technology wines’. The modern-day
Amber champions
concept of a light-coloured, fresh-tasting white wine requires a press, a destemmer and most probably a temperature-controlled stainless steel tank and a filtration system. Orange wines have simpler needs: just perfect grapes and a vessel (be it clay, wood, steel or plastic) for fermentation. Such simplicity in wine is a virtue that has come into much sharper focus with the increased interest in minimal-intervention or natural wines. The modern revival of orange wine overlaps with and has been underpinned by the natural wine community – it shouldn’t be forgotten, though, that the term ‘natural wine’ represents an overarching philosophy, whereas ‘orange wine’ describes a specific production technique. The genius of modern-day Collio pioneers Joško Gravner and the late Stanko Radikon was breathing new life into an older style of winemaking that the world had largely forgotten by the 1950s. Their daring presentation of vino bianco macerato (macerated white wine) as fine wine rather than rustic vina da tavola acted as a catalyst. It’s given a whole generation of younger Slovene and Italian winemakers the confidence to make similar stylistic decisions – and to take risks, knowing that there’s now a receptive audience for their output.
What’s old is new While the technique of skin-fermenting white grapes has its deepest cultural roots in Georgia and central Europe (Slovenia, Croatia, northern Italy), many other countries and regions are now rediscovering their own similar traditions. In Portugal’s hot Alentejo region, making wine in large amphorae called talhas has a history that dates back to the Romans, yet its practice took place behind closed doors until very recently. As with Georgia, skin-fermented white grapes and thus amber or orange-tinged wines have always been to the fore – Alentejo’s reputation as a red wine region is a recent development. Talha wines are traditionally consumed straight from the clay, with the cellars transforming into ad-hoc social spaces during the winter. However, since the creation of a talha wine DO in 2010, bottled examples also exist. Amphorae of all shapes and sizes are
‘With four possible combinations of red or white grapes with or without skins, why ignore 25% of wine’s possibilities?’ common in Spain too, and increasing numbers of artisan winemakers have equipped (or re-equipped) their cellars with tinajas in recent years. Staying in the Spanish-speaking world, Chile has an old tradition of producing roughly destemmed, barrel-fermented wines called pipeño, now being revitalised by producers such as Roberto Henríquez in Bío Bío. Both red (chiefly País) and white (Moscatel) varieties are skin-fermented. Winemakers in New World countries are enthusiastically taking to the style – and often repurposing skin-fermentation in new or innovative ways. In Stellenbosch, Mick and Jeanine Craven use it as part of the blend, rather than going for a no-holds-barred ‘orange’ style. Deirdre Heekin, based in coldclimate Vermont, uses skin contact to add vital depth to her hybrid grape varieties. And in Central Otago, Japanese winemaker Yoshiaki Sato skin-ferments to create silky smooth, Burgundian-style cuvées where fruit and aromatics don’t overwhelm the other elements. The possibilities are endless. Orange wine as a genre can now claim a number of seminal producers. Notable examples include Gravner, Radikon and Dario Prinčič in Oslavia; Mlečnik, Movia and Cotar in western Slovenia; and Vodopivec and Skerk in the Italian Carso. For the recommendations here, though, I’m sharing recent discoveries, lesser-known producers and exciting new projects. The wines I’ve selected run a very broad gamut, whether your taste extends to lighter or heavier, aromatic or savoury, structured or supple. Uncork them with an open mind, don’t chill too much (12°C-14°C is about right) and if possible, combine with sustenance. Have fun, and let’s talk again in another five years? ➢
Simon J Woolf is an awarded wine writer who specialises in natural wine, and the author of Amber Revolution: how the world learned to love orange wine. Follow him at www. themorningclaret.com
‘It shouldn’t be forgotten that “natural wine” represents an overarching philosophy, whereas “orange wine” describes a specific technique’ 23
Best of the features
CLIMATE CHANGE IN BURGUNDY: TIME TO ACT It’s getting hotter in Burgundy – that much is clear, from data analyses and personal testimony. What does this mean for the future of the region’s finest wines, whose style is shaped by its marginal climate? And how are producers responding, asks Tim Atkin MW
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magine the summer of 1540 in Burgundy. More to the point, imagine enduring those stifling, recordbreaking months without air conditioning, antiperspirant or an ice-cold
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beer. Forest fires seethed across Europe, worshippers at the church of Notre Dame de Beaune joined eight separate processions to pray for rain, and the temperatures were almost unbearable. Vines suffered from hydric
The sun rises over the vineyards of Beaujolais
Photograph: Gaelfphoto/Alamy Stock Photo
Climate change in Burgundy
stress and when the grapes were eventually harvested they looked like raisins, producing wines that were sweet, rich and heady. After three sweltering vintages between 2017 and 2019, it’s easy to forget that exceptionally warm, dry growing seasons are nothing new in Burgundy. Last year, a group of academics from the European Geosciences Union published a meticulously researched paper analysing the starting date of every harvest in Beaune between 1354 and 2018. Of the 664 years under consideration, 33 were what they termed ‘extremely early’ and 21 of those occurred between 1393 and 1719, long before the invention of the motor car or the advent of the industrial revolution. The beliefs of modern-day climate change sceptics could be further bolstered by the fact that there were only four unusually early vintages
between 1720 and 1987, suggesting that Burgundy was cooler in that period.
The new reality In 2003 everything changed, with the arrival of the region’s hottest ever summer. There have been cooler, later-picked vintages since that watershed year, such as 2008 and 2013, but the trend has been unmistakeable. Eight of the subsequent 16 vintages (nine if you include 2019, which was being harvested as the EGU paper appeared) feature in that list of 33 early harvests. In the past, conclude the authors, outstandingly hot, dry years were atypical; since the ‘transition to rapid warming’, which they say began in 1988, not 2003, they have become the norm. Since 1988, Burgundian harvests have started an average of 13 days earlier than in the preceding 634 years. ➢
Tim Atkin MW is Decanter’s Burgundy correspondent and a contributing editor
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Best of the features
10 YEARS ON: BORDEAUX LEFT BANK 2010 After their first decade, it’s the perfect time for a thorough assessment of Bordeaux reds from one of the great vintages of the modern era. Jane Anson revisited the wines at a London tasting, and the following pages reflect her thoughts on 40 great wines from the Left Bank
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f only every ‘10 years on’ tasting were as good at this. The kind where the wines are living up to already high expectations, and where your memory of them as fledgling samples a decade ago is still so fresh that you are just thrilled to check in on old friends to see how they are getting on. It doesn’t seem so long ago that I was sitting in my tiny town garden, at the end of the 2010 en primeur week, writing about the architectural nature of the vintage on what was at the time my personal blog. Tasting the 2010s when they were still in barrel was an exercise in endurance at times. You had to grapple with width, depth, angles, walls, floors, trying to work out what was what and which elements were going to end up on top. A crash-course in the interplay of tannins and acidity, and the many different ways in which they can strengthen or strangle a wine, and how much depth and sheer quality of fruit is needed in this kind of vintage to stand up to the overpowering presence of those other two elements. Checking back in on the 2010s during the horizontal tasting in London was always going to be fascinating. I knew I was going to find some great wines, but I was worried that too many would continue to be about endurance rather than enjoyment. I was almost certain that 10 years would not have been enough to soften the wines, and that we would be drumming our fingers and scratching our heads working out when they could be approached.
Outstanding wines And yet where a year ago tasting the 2009s at the 10-year mark had surprised me by their brilliance, the 2010s ended up doing far more than simply living up to my expectations. There was less of the exuberant fun of retasting the 2009s – fewer present exchanged smiles or shared recognition as we made our way through the line-up at BI Wines & Spirits – but there were many wow-moments all the same. 60
For me, they did what the 2010s have always had the capacity to do – slowly but surely convince you that these are some of the best wines Bordeaux has ever produced. I have never given so many high scores in any tasting – of the 59 wines in the whole tasting (compared to 67 in the 2009 line-up), I gave 100 points to five, one more than last year and five more than for the 2008s, along with two 99s and eight 98s. And this is not en primeur; this is in bottle after 10 years when you can feel utterly confident that what is good now has proved its worth. I would still say that 2009 is the vintage that will win more friends, certainly if you are drinking it any time soon. They are brilliant wines that took my breath away last year, and that showed how terroir signature comes through after 10 years, even in vintages like 2009 that were so appealing and fruit-driven when young. But the 2010 manages to take that brilliance and build on it, and will just keep on delivering time and again over the next two, three, four or more decades. The best examples are unimpeachable, if we are allowed to use that phrase right now.
Jane Anson is a Decanter contributing editor and the DWWA Regional Chair for Bordeaux. She lives in the region, and her book titles include the newly published Inside Bordeaux (£60, BB&R Press, April 2020), an in-depth study of the region, and Bordeaux Legends, a history of the 1855 first growth wines (Abrams 2013)
Vintage recap Outstanding weather in 2010 delivered wines from across Bordeaux that combined high tannins, high acidity and high alcohol, and it’s a year that one day is likely to genuinely compete for the title ‘vintage of the century’. From July to September, only 50mm of rain fell across the region, making it the driest summer of the decade: more so than 2005 and 2009 during the same period. Merlot harvest began 21 September, Cabernets early October, so similar to 2009, but lasting longer.
‘This is the first time I have ever given three perfect scores to the three Pauillac first growths’
Bordeaux Left Bank 2010
Jane Anson tasting at Château Cos d’Estournel in St-Estèphe
the clear personality differences between them, will need at least 15 or 20 years in bottle before beginning to soften, and it stands as a reminder of how exceptional are the pieces of land they are found on.
Best appellations Although the tasting was packed full of delightful wines, one appellation stood out for me: Pauillac. At times it seemed as if this northern powerhouse was delivering a line-up of greatest hits. St-Julien was close behind, but my money would go on the gravels of Pauillac in this most late-ripening of years – and this is the first time I have ever given three perfect scores to the three Pauillac firsts. Where three of my four 100pts in 2009 were on the Right Bank, in 2010 none were – in fact, all were in Pauillac or St-Julien. We tasted less from Pessac-Léognan, but on the whole these also showed great consistency. I found very few wines with faults – 2010 was a year that was constructed so well, and also had such high levels of acidity, that most wines have been well protected against deviation and spoilage.
Pricing
As the ISVV, Bordeaux’s Institute of Vine and Wine Science, wrote in its annual roundup: ‘Could nature really have offered another great vintage coming on the heels of 2009… we can confirm that, yes, it has.’ The same round-up ended with similarly confident words: ‘The reds of 2010 are exceptional on both banks of the river, in Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon… liquid beauty.’
Photograph: Miguel Lecuona
When to drink In nearly all cases, the angular craziness of 2010 en primeur has grown into a solid framework for the next few decades, but no longer hiding the quality and quantity of black fruits on offer. Clearly there is no rush, yet most are already approachable, at least with a good five or six hours in a carafe. But there are exceptions. The first growths, for example, are all nowhere near being ready to go. Their huge tannic structure, which stood out even with
For Jane Anson’s full ‘10 years on’ exclusive tasting notes and scores for 59 of the best Bordeaux 2010 red wines, including 19 top-flight Right Bank producers, please go to Decanter.com/ Premium
The Achilles heel of 2010. The average price point, according to Liv-ex in 2017, was €250 per bottle ex-Bordeaux, compared to €225 for the 2009s, and €76 for the 2008s. And you’ll know that many of the top wines, notably the ones with the biggest price rises, were unable to maintain these prices – famously Château Lafite Rothschild, which was released into the fever of the Asian market, and was initially offered at as much as £12,000 per dozen (for the third tranche). In March 2020, merchants were offering it from about £7,500 in bond, up from its low point of £5,500 in 2015. When you look more closely, a lot of the 2010 vintage’s questionable reputation on the secondary market has come from the performance of the first growths and the super-seconds. Overall today, the rest of the 2010 classified red wines have risen in price.
Nota bene... Bordeaux is still very much vintage-led, no matter how many advances have been made in viticulture to help with more challenging years. This raft of high scores for the 2010s might lull you into a false sense of security that Bordeaux always tastes like this. It doesn’t: vintages of this kind, given the five-star nod at the time, don’t come along very often. These are wines in which the depth and width of tannins encircles the fruit effortlessly. It is so blindingly obvious that they are well made and will age that it would be ridiculous not to recommend buying them. ➢ 61
Regional profiles
ABRUZZO EXPLORED Hard to pinpoint on a map it may be, but this central Italian region has long been a default choice for restaurant-goers thanks to its soft, easy-drinking reds, with its light whites a popular choice too. Susan Hulme MW reveals how Abruzzo’s forward-thinking producers are harnessing their native varieties to create character in the bottle
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he Abruzzo landscape is breathtaking, with its dramatic, snow-capped mountains on the western horizon dropping down to the sun-drenched beaches and shimmering sea of the Adriatic coast. Sandwiched in between are hilltop villages and a harlequin pattern of tumbling green and yellow hillsides of wheat and vines. The mountains and the sea are never far away, providing constant breezes to moderate the summer heat and cool the vines at night. The drying winds help to prevent the diseases that thrive in dampness, thus making organic viticulture practical. This varied landscape allows for different elevations, aspects and microclimates – it really seems meant for viticulture. Yet, on re-reading Luigi Veronelli’s The Wines of Italy, published in 1960, there is
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Below: the vineyards of Gianni Masciarelli in Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
hardly a mention of the Abruzzo. It gets no introduction and is skipped over in about 200 words, mentioning just two grape varieties, Trebbiano and Montepulciano, along with a few of the key towns and suggested pairings with local dishes. In those days, many of the average wines were easily forgettable. As Cristiana Tiberio of Cantina Tiberio says: ‘Trebbiano d’Abruzzo often oxidised after a few months in bottle, and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo was tannic and fruitless, when not downright flawed.’ One thing most wines from the Abruzzo lacked was a clear identity – a sense of place and personality. In an attempt to redress this, the Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC was established in 1968, formalising regulations designed to ensure quality: maximum vineyard elevation within specific sites;
Abruzzo explored
maximum yield and minimum alcohol; and a minimum percentage of Montepulciano – 85% in some areas, rising to 100% in others. Four years later, in 1972, Trebbiano d’Abruzzo DOC was established. In 2003, in another big step towards quality, the Colline Teramane subzone was granted a DOCG, further defining and delimiting some of the best quality vineyards in the north of the region. The latest area to achieve DOCG status, in 2019, was Terre Tollesi (also known as Tullum). Production is low but the wines are considered distinctive enough to stand on their own, while still flying the flag for Montepulciano.
The grapes One of the Abruzzo’s natural strengths is its native grape varieties. Montepulciano, which comprises 70% of the Abruzzo’s output, produces friendly, fruity and accessible red wines. The deeply coloured, dark-berry, fruity wines, not overly tannic, are easy to enjoy. Producers have responded to market tastes and moved away from heavily oaked styles. There has been an increase in the use of stainless steel and a return to the use of cement vats; coupled with a reduction in both the use of small oak barrels and in the time spent in oak. The result is a fresher, more approachable style of red that is in keeping with modern taste.
Abruzzo has characterful indigenous white grape varieties such as Pecorino, Cococciola and Passerina, as well as Trebbiano Abruzzese. Pecorino especially, with its apple and citrus notes and its high acidity giving a juicy brightness, has increased dramatically in popularity and plantings. The grape gets its name from the Italian for sheep, pecora, the story being that sheep ate the grapes as they moved up and down the hillsides grazing. Typically part of Trebbiano blends, Cococciola has also started to feature as a varietal wine. It often produces lightly floral, softly textured, herbal wines that are gentle and approachable. Passerina is steely and minerally in style with a salty, savoury finish. Better examples can be quite Chablis-like. Traditionally, Trebbiano d’Abruzzo wine can be made from Trebbiano Abruzzese and/or Trebbiano Toscano grapes. Although the result can be quite dull if made from the latter, a handful of stunning wines are made from the intriguing Trebbiano Abruzzese. In fact, Trebbiano Abruzzese is capable of producing some of Italy’s most exciting white wines. It does not accumulate sugars easily, instead considerately keeping alcohol levels fairly low at about 12%-13%. It is delicate and bright in its aromas and flavours of flowers and citrus, yet for all its fragility it is intense, persistent and incredibly long lived. ➢
Susan Hulme MW is a wine writer specialising in Italian wines. Since 2016 she has written regularly for Decanter and Decanter.com
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Producer profiles
LAFITE IN CHINA
Photograph: Richard Haughton
It has been a decade in the making, but the Château Lafite Rothschild owner recently opened its first winery in China, cementing the country’s position as a wine-producing force to be reckoned with. Jane Anson reports from the long-awaited launch
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Lafite in China
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he Penglai Pagoda is one of China’s most famous tourist spots, known as the landing place of the legendary Eight Immortals in Chinese mythology and today classified as an AAAAA Scenic Area by the National Tourism Administration. Situated on one of the busiest coasts of the Shandong
Peninsula – home to some of the best beaches in China – it is the location of a commemorative plaque that attests to the history of Penglai (under its former name of Dengzhou) as the ‘door for foreign merchants to trade with us and for Chinese merchants to trade abroad’. Today, the special economic area of Shandong continues to attract foreign investment, ➢
The terraces of Domaine de Long Dai
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Travel guide
10 top wine bars in Bordeaux While a tour of Bordeaux’s vineyards is a must for wine connoisseurs, you can sample some of the finest wines – from the region and beyond – without even leaving the city, says Jennifer Dombrowski Le Bar à Vin is ‘an excellent first stop for anyone interested in discovering Bordeaux wines’
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10 top wine bars in Bordeaux
Photograph: travelstock44/Alamy Stock Photo. Map: Maggie Nelosn
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Un Château en Ville to reflect the best of Bordeaux. The alcohol licence here does require customers to eat a little something, but small tapas ranging from €1-€2 are also available.
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3 Cours du 30 Juillet https://baravin.bordeaux.com What we like about it Bar à Vin is a Bordeaux institution, known to locals as the CIVB, because it’s run by the Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux, the government organisation responsible for representing all the appellations within the Bordeaux wine region. Located in a gorgeous space just steps away from the Grand Théâtre, this is also one of the largest wine bars you’ll find in Bordeaux. Wine list The list changes frequently, but a good selection from across the 60 Bordeaux appellations is offered by the glass. The range includes Crémant de Bordeaux, Sauternes, 1855 classed growths and wines from both the Right and Left Banks. What to order An excellent first stop for anyone interested in discovering Bordeaux wines, with some of the best by-the-glass prices in the city. Try the knowledgeable staff recommendations for best wines of the moment.
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Le Bar à Vin
25 rue Saint-James www.lestrille.com What we like about it A newer addition to the wine scene, Un Château en Ville is the first château-owned wine bar in Bordeaux city. It’s not only a place to enjoy wines from Entre-Deux-Mers, but somewhere to interact and engage with the winemaker. Wine list An exclusive selection of wines only from Château Lestrille in the Entre-Deux-Mers appellation. What to order Try the tasting flight for €6, which includes a 6cl glass each of Château Lestrille’s white, rosé and red wines. The charcuterie boards are designed to be shared among friends, with ingredients changing seasonally
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THE ‘WINE CAPITAL of the world’ is home to hundreds of wine bars, and the best will take visitors on a global journey. Gone are the days when it was unusual to find wine from outside Bordeaux; today, the Bordelais have embraced wine from all over the world, serving it up in creative tastings and with smart pairings. Here are my top 10.
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Bordeaux Wine Bars
Le Bar à Vin 6 Un Château en Ville 7 Le Metropolitain 8 Chez le Pépère 9 Vins Urbains 10
Max Bordeaux Comptoir St Vincent Le Wine Bar Les Trois Pinardiers Les Doux Secrets d’Hélène
wines from all over France and beyond, and the 150 references include New World wines from as far afield as South Africa and Chile. What to order Le Métropolitain is passionate about helping you discover new wines. Order the red or white blind tasting formula for €5 per glass, and be completely surprised by the wine served in black glasses. Try the cheese and charcuterie board, which is served with the family’s delicious homemade marmalade. ➢
Le Métropolitain
49 Cours d’Alsace-et-Lorraine www.lemetropolitainbordeaux.com What we like about it A family-ownedand-run wine bar in the heart of old Bordeaux. Popular with locals, this is a fun spot where the menu comes clipped to old vinyl records. It can be tough to get a table here without a reservation, so do book ahead. Wine list The focus is on finding fine
Le Métropolitain
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Panel tasting
AFFORDABLE RIOJA £10-£20 It’s a time of change for Spain’s most famous wine region, as a new focus on terroir and different winemaking practices open the door to new styles. Sarah Jane Evans MW assesses the impact
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ook at the map of Rioja and you could be in Burgundy, more or less. Turn Rioja 90 degrees and it shares a similar shape, measuring 100km by 40km. There’s the influence of the rivers – the Ebro, in Rioja’s case. Mountains – to Rioja’s north, the Sierra de Cantabria, and to the south, the Sierra de la Demanda – give slopes and various aspects. Burgundy runs north-south and Rioja almost east-west, but the two share immense diversity. Where they differ significantly is in blending. Traditionally Rioja has been more like Bordeaux, blending across the region, both varieties and vineyards. So while Tempranillo is king in Rioja, it is often blended with Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo. There are some distinguished single-varietal Garnachas and Gracianos, but they are rare indeed.
Shift of emphasis Only recently has Rioja bowed to the demand to identify single vineyards. It’s a great leap forward, letting consumers easily discover where a wine comes
Map: Maggie Nelson
RIOJA: THE FACTS Vineyard area 65,326ha (Rioja Alta 27,347ha, Rioja Oriental 24,590ha, Rioja Alavesa 13,389ha) Grapes (red) Tempranillo (79.7% of total vineyard), Garnacha (6.9%), Graciano (2%), Mazuelo (1.9%), Maturana Tinta (0.3%) Growers 14,800 (8,514 independent, 6,286 belong to cooperatives) Production 336 million litres (Source: Consejo Regulador de la DOCa Rioja, 2018)
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from and associate the wine with its landscape. This emphasis on origin also offers a chance to talk about terroir. Originally the Rioja map was drawn with an eye to provincial boundaries. But within the DOCa sub-regions of Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental, the soils are very varied, a mix of iron-rich clay, calcareous clay and alluvial. Add in varied aspects and altitudes, and Rioja has potential for great diversity far beyond its administrative divides. The last two decades have seen significant changes in winemaking, with producers moving away from regulation ageing in 225-litre barrels, usually American oak, to vats ranging from 300L to 2,000L (or more) and in many cases, French oak. Fot those who choose not to use the formal ageing categories and instead classify their wines as ‘genérico’ by vintage (from 2019 the new Genérico category will cover all wines with no specified ageing requirements and will also
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RIOJA: KNOW YOUR VINTAGES
2019
Some very good wines, more difficult for young vineyards. Selection necessary.
2018
A complex year, with a cold, humid spring, then rain and hail in summer, with the risk of downy mildew and a long, late harvest. Needed much work in sorting and selection. Overall, wines with slightly lower alcohols.
2017 A very difficult year, with April frosts that swept northern Europe, followed by drought. One of the earliest vintages on record.
2016
include what was formerly Joven, young unoaked wines), there is plenty of room to experiment, using not just large vats, but concrete of all shapes, or even clay amphorae. Rioja is the best-known wine region in Spain and is a successful, recognisable brand. What brands have is the comfort factor. The uncomfortable grit in the oyster is this: as consumers we demand ‘affordable wines’, but should the most famous wine region in Spain be selling itself cheap – and is it even sustainable?
The largest harvest since 2005. Good quality overall: wellbalanced, approachable wines with good freshness. Some classic Riojas.
2015
A short, early harvest with good concentration. This year was the first follow-on to the top-quality 2010, with many charming, pretty wines.
2014 Better than 2013, though there was some rot at the end of the harvest.
Sarah Jane Evans MW is one of our three DWWA Co-Chairs and a former Chairman of the Institute of Masters of Wine
AGEING REQUIREMENTS (for reds, prior to changes taking effect from 2019 vintage) Joven No ageing specified, but generally under 15 months with no or little time in oak Crianza Must be kept at least two years at the winery, with a minimum of one year in small oak barrels Reserva Minimum one year in barrel then at least six months in bottle, to a total of at least three years Gran Reserva A total of 60 months, with minimum two years in barrel and two years in bottle
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Affordable Rioja
THE VERDICT With plenty of high scores and notably consistent quality, Rioja can certainly perform at this price point. But recent changes in the region can mean confusion for wine lovers, says Julie Sheppard
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ioja delivers in the £10-£20 price range. This tasting proved the point with its significant number of Highly Recommended and Recommended wines (53 and 109 respectively). ‘Overall I was really quite impressed,’ noted Pierre Mansour. ‘To me, a lot of these wines tasted like they were worth more than £20,’ added an equally approving Simon Field MW. Numerous highlights were identified. ‘The young wines were fresh, very appealing, with lovely cherry juice flavours – just the kind of thing you want by the glass,’ said Sarah Jane Evans MW. ‘And all the way through, the handling of oak was really very good.’ The 2016 vintage came in for particular praise. ‘It was the vintage we had the most of [followed by 2015] – and it came through really strongly,’ commented Mansour. ‘It’s looking like a lovely, appealing vintage and a good vintage overall for Rioja.’ Before you rush out to stock up, there is a caveat, however. This price category encompasses a wide range of styles, from ‘genérico’ wines to crianzas, reservas and even gran reservas – and the judges noted that it isn’t always easy to work out exactly what you’re buying. ‘The first question is, what’s the difference between a genérico – a general wine that has a vintage on it
– and a crianza?’ asked Evans. ‘For example, we had a 2016 genérico and a 2016 crianza and a 2016 reserva.’ ‘In the genérico category alone there was quite a variety of quality from very honest, fruity, appealing, easy-drinking wines to some very extravagant styles,’ added Mansour. ‘There was a confusing range of vintages, styles and oaking,’ continued Evans. ‘There’s no way of knowing, for example, what is oaked or unoaked. So where do you go as a customer? What do you do?’ Mansour offered an answer. ‘My advice is to follow the producer. Find a producer whose wines you like, because normally their style comes across throughout their range, whether it’s a genérico wine, a crianza, a reserva or a gran reserva.’ In addition the judges noticed broader shifts in style, reflecting the wider developments that are happening across the region – be that a focus on single-vineyard bottlings or changes in winemaking styles. ‘Brand Rioja is subtly moving – changing its identity a little bit,’ said Field. ‘There were some classic, traditional Riojas that did well in this tasting. But I think Rioja is at a crossroads, because it’s trying to move away from the way it has traditionally been defined, by age, into trying more and more to define itself by place. And therefore, the question
‘Rioja drinkers will be getting seriously good wines of real complexity’
THE SCORES
Pierre Mansour
183 wines tasted Exceptional 0 Outstanding 2 Highly Recommended 53 Recommended 109 Commended 12 Fair 3 Poor 0 Faulty 4
is: is there a definitive Rioja style?’ That question is not an easy one to answer at the moment. However the judges were encouraged rather than deterred by evidence of this tasting. ‘Rioja producers should be applauded because this is a region that has the weight of heritage, legacy and history on it,’ commented Mansour. ‘And yet, what we saw were some really incredibly interesting and innovative approaches to making wine, whether it’s to reflect the vineyard or the winemaking.’ This innovation translates into good news for Rioja drinkers. ‘Given that all of these wines are under £20, drinkers will be getting seriously good wines of real complexity, real interest and distinct typicity for a price that’s relatively unbeatable around the world in terms of the quality they offer,’ he concluded. ➢
Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit red Riojas priced at £10-£20 in the UK, from any category of ageing
THE JUDGES Sarah Jane Evans MW
Simon Field MW
Pierre Mansour
Evans is an awarded journalist, author and broadcaster in food and wine, with a particular interest in Spain. A Master of Wine since 2006, she is a Co-Chair of the Decanter World Wine Awards, a member of Spain’s Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino, and author of The Wines of Northern Spain (Infinite Ideas, May 2018).
Field is a wine industry consultant, having been a buyer for Berry Bros & Rudd for more than 20 years, responsible for its Spanish and fortified ranges among others. He has been a Decanter World Wine Awards judge since 2005, and in 2015 was admitted as a member of the Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino.
Mansour is head of buying at The Wine Society. He started in the wine trade at the Antique Wine Company in 1995, followed by four years with Berry Bros & Rudd. Joining The Wine Society in 2000, he took on the role of buyer in 2004, and has been buying The Society’s Spanish wines since 2008.
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