Sommaire pour June 2020 de Decanter

Andrew Jefford ‘One of the several reasons we love wine is its ability to melt otherness away’ As the full extent of Covid-19 became apparent, I was working in Burgundy. Three of us needed dinner; we anticipated a near-empty restaurant. Gulp: not at all. It was disconcertingly full, jolly, ‘normal’. A large table, alpha males, was sharing a bottle of Rousseau Chambertin with much back-slapping and shouting. The joker-in-chief was hoarse, several sweaty. The table behind us was chatting in Italian; unlucky Italy was, then, the viral epicentre. The waiter, amid the restaurant noise, leaned breathily close to take our orders. The meal was simple, ample; the wine delicious. Beaune Bressandes 2016 from Henri Germain, lithe, pert, grippy. Might its qualities, I thought as I trudged anxiously back to the…

Letter from Georgia Carla Capalbo ‘This shutdown is going to be tough for Georgia’s small wine producers’ This letter should have been written from Georgia, in the Caucasus, but I missed the cut-off: Georgia shut its borders on 16 March, so I’m self-isolating in London. As I write this, there are very few cases of Covid-19 in Georgia, but the government has moved fast to impose social distancing and has shut down restaurants, bars and other businesses. Like many other countries, Georgia’s tourism will take a huge hit this year. That’s problematic for its already fragile economy. Last year, Georgians protested against Russia’s attempts to increase its political influence in their country. In retaliation, Russia cancelled all its flights to Georgia starting in July 2019, effectively putting the Russians’ favourite…

Events DECANTER SPAIN & PORTUGAL FINE WINE ENCOUNTER Photographs: Steven Morris Eager to taste and learn, more than 750 excited guests gathered at the Landmark Hotel in London on 29 February. At their fingertips, 549 fine wines from 163 Spanish and Portuguese producers, along with three captivating masterclasses and four Discovery Theatre sessions…

48 top Champagnes RAISE YOUR GLASS: Great Champagne buys for 2020 In an extensive review of recent releases from houses and growers, Yohan Castaing tasted more than 100 different Champagnes for Decanter Premium. Here, we showcase 48 excellent buys from his selection of vintage and deluxe cuvée blends, including whites, rosés and various brut styles, and spanning a range of vintages from 2002 onwards Champagne is so well known as a symbol of celebration that we can forget it is, above all, a wine produced under special conditions, rich in diversity and singularity. And it’s never been better. For years, Champagne viticulture was oriented more towards high production quantities than haute-couture viticulture with lower volumes. With global warming (see box) and the emergence of cult wine-growers (Selosse, Egly-Ouriet and others),…

SILVER OAK: A TIMELINE 1972 Founded by Raymond Duncan and Justin Meyer; first Cabernet produced (mostly Alexander Valley fruit) 1979 First Napa Cabernet produced 1982 The Napa Valley winery opens 2001 Justin Meyer sells his share to the Duncan family; Daniel Baron becomes winemaker 2002 Justin Meyer dies; David Duncan takes over the estate; the Duncan family launches Twomey 2006 Fire destroys 70 barrels of wine and parts of the Napa winery 2012 Silver Oak buys Sausal Winery in Sonoma, which becomes Silver Oak Alexander Valley 2014 Nate Weis is the company’s third winemaker 2015 Raymond Duncan dies; Silver Oak takes ownership of the Missouri cooperage 2016 Napa winery becomes the world’s first LEED Platinum-certified winery 2017 Silver Oak buys Napa Valley winery Ovid; partners with San Francisco Giants 2018…

Luján de Cuyo: 10 names to know Photographs: www.familiafurlotti.com; Eduardo Solodki; Mitch Tobias BODEGA FURLOTTI Gabriela Furlotti is the fourth generation of a wine family that was a major grower in the 20th century. Today she retains a couple of small parcels of old vines and makes authentic wines, including Finca Adalgisa, with winemaker Carmelo Patti. CHAKANA There are a few biodynamic producers in Luján (notably Alpamanta and Altos Las Hormigas), and Chakana is one of the leading lights. Young winemaker Gabriel Bloise has brought a fresh, youthful style to the portfolio. DURIGUTTI Brothers Pablo and Héctor Durigutti’s export-focused winery produces bold red wines, but what really stands out is their Proyecto Las Compuertas label, featuring fresh, vibrant wines from (predominantly) old-vine Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Criolla, Montepulciano and Charbono. MALBEC…

LOIRE SAUVIGNON: KNOW YOUR VINTAGES 2019 Climatically difficult with poor flowering conditions followed by drought and sharp heat spikes. Amazingly wines have a remarkable freshness despite the hot summer. 2018 Very hot year, very clean grapes but high alcohol levels a problem for some, resulting in a lack of acidity in some wines. 2017 Good harvest – attractive wines with restrained finesse. 2016 Mildew plus devastating April frosts especially in Coteaux du Giennois, Menetou-Salon and Pouilly-Fumé, often a tiny crop. Normal quantity in Sancerre. 2015 Smaller harvest than 2014 with very healthy, ripe grapes. Rich wines. 2014 A miracle vintage after a miserable wet and cold August. September was hot and dry with an east wind resulting in very well-balanced wines.…

THE JUDGES Jim Budd Contributing to Decanter since 1989, Budd is the DWWA Regional Chair for the Loire. He writes the award-winning blog Jim’s Loire, while also exposing the dangers of drinks investment via his www.investdrinks.org website. He is a keen photographer, and is one of the five members of the Les 5 du Vin blog in France. Rebecca Gibb MW Gibb is a wine writer and author with a particular interest in New Zealand and the Loire. A regular Decanter contributor and DWWA judge, her first book, The Wines of New Zealand, was published in 2018 (£30, Infinite Ideas). As a co-founder of The Drinks Project, she offers stategy and consultancy for brand owners. Chris Kissack Kissack has published www.thewinedoctor. com since 2000. He has focused on Bordeaux and the Loire…

Readers’ queries Notes & Queries Each month our experts answer readers’ wine queries and share their knowledge Email: editor@decanter.com. Post: The Editor, Decanter, 161 Marsh Wall, London, E14 9AP, UK Bordeaux 2005 When 2005 was touted as the best Bordeaux vintage since 1963, I ferreted away as many bottles as I could afford from trips to France. Not first to third growths, but the lower levels of the ladder: cru bourgeois châteaux such as Caronne Ste-Gemme, Meyney and Le Boscq. I have dipped an occasional toe in the water with the odd bottle, but mainly resisted the temptation to dive in. Should I now take the plunge? Are these modest Bordeaux wines still in need of time, peaking or past their best? Steve Garrett, by email…

WINE LEGENDS MARTINELLI, JACKASS HILL ZINFANDEL 1994 Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA A legend because… The Martinelli family have been grape growers in Sonoma since the late 1880s. It remains their primary business to this day, with most of the fruit contracted to other wineries. The family stopped producing their own wines after 1949, but the winery reopened in the late 1980s under winemaker Daniel Moore. Helen Turley came on board in 1992 as consultant winemaker; she only left in 2010. Turley was a name to conjure with, admired by Robert Parker and other influential wine writers. Sonoma Zinfandel was typically a big, ripe wine with more heft than finesse. European palates often found it Porty and fatiguing, but Americans – the main buyers of these wines –…

WHAT I’VE BEEN DRINKING THIS MONTH Since the start of the Covid crisis, I’ve added ‘moral reassurance’ to the list of qualities I’m searching for in wines. Best so far? No question: the magnificent Château Viella Prestige 2015 from Madiran, a wine that cost me all of €14.40 back in December 2017. I’m halfway through my small stock, yet it’s only now beginning to inch towards maturity: deep, forthright, savoury, unintimidated, generous in texture and flavour, warming, courage-inspiring. Just what’s needed in these strange days.…

WHAT I’VE BEEN DRINKING THIS MONTH To while away the solitary evenings, I’ve been dipping into my Georgian collection (brought back in my suitcases from my travels). I enjoy trying as many as I can of the 470 native grape varieties that Georgia is now growing. I love Ramaz Nikoladze’s Aladasturi, a light red (almost rosé) from the central-western Imereti region. These grapes undergo just one day of skin maceration before pressing; the wine ferments naturally in qvevri, with no added sulphites. It’s earthy yet juicy and fresh, with wild-strawberry notes, and it keeps you asking for more.…

Burgundy BURGUNDY: MEET 10 EXCEPTIONAL TALENTS The complexities of Burgundy, its appellations, walled slopes and dynastic stories are a source of fascination for many wine lovers. Inspired by research for her latest book, Jeannie Cho Lee MW highlights 10 personalities leading dynamic change in the region On a rainy Friday afternoon in March 2020, the second day of the Zachys Burgundy auction at Le Bernardin Privé New York was in full swing. Champagne flowed from 10am, and by lunchtime, grand cru red and white Burgundy wines were being generously shared among 150 registered bidders in the packed room. This was a hardcore Burgundy wine lovers’ gathering in celebration of the La Paulée weekend – even as Covid-19 was wreaking havoc around the world, with the US confirming 550 cases that…

Champagne and climate change It’s becoming clear that in the context of global warming, vineyards located in eastern France – where achieving ripeness was often a challenge – are now enjoying nearly optimal growing conditions. Grape-growers used to be compelled to constantly adapt their viticulture to the climatic conditions to obtain acceptable ripeness levels. Today, they must change their strategy, since the priority is to protect the vines from summer heat and hydric stress. Climate change’s most significant impact here will be on grape quality. Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier will achieve optimal maturity, so will be less prone to the sharp, at times jangly acidity that, in the past, needed to be corrected with dosage. Now they are riper and retain balanced acidity with impressive density, which is having…

Silver Oak styles: McCoy looks back Wines shown in vertical tasting order with higher scores first; the Napa Valley 2015 was not available for tasting on the day 1 Silver Oak, Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley, Sonoma County 2015 92  £56.25 (ib)-£119.95 BI Wines & Spirits, Cru, Fine & Rare, Millésima, M Wine Store, My Wine Cellar, The Wine Treasury, VinQuinn Marked by drought and a warm dry summer, the year had ideal ripening conditions and the shortest harvest season ever. Low yields and small berries translated into a bold, dark Cabernet Sauvignon with less than 5% other Bordeaux varieties. It’s a big mouthful of ripe, juicy blackberry flavours, with spicy aromas and roasted brown sugar notes. Drink 2021-2039 Alcohol 14.3% Silver Oak, Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley, Sonoma County 2014 91…

Best of the top Valdarno estates: Brook’s pick 1 Il Carnasciale, Il Caberlot, Toscana Rosso 2013 94 £274.99/magnum AG Wines To most wine lovers, Caberlot is an unknown grape, and indeed plantings are minuscule. Here it delivers a formidable wine, very deep in colour, with smoky black fruits on the nose, which is very oaky and opulent. Sleek and polished, it exhibits black fruits and mocha flavours in a polished style, along with gentle acidity. Very concentrated, this is a wine of splendour, complexity and great length. Drink 2020-2040 Alcohol 14% 2 Petrolo, Galatrona, Valdarno di Sopra 2016 94 £55 (ib)-£99.95 Cru, Dunell’s, Exel, Fine & Rare, Grand Vin, Hedonism, Justerini & Brooks, Lay & Wheeler, My Wine Cellar Much Tuscan Merlot is overblown, but the clay parcels among the…

Regional profile Barnes’ mixed dozen: best of Luján de Cuyo 1 Mendel, La Primera Revancha Chenin Blanc, Agrelo 2019 93 N/A UK www.revanchavinos.com From old-vine Chenin, planted in the 1950s, which Luján maestro Roberto de la Mota first vinified when he worked with his father in 1985, rediscovering the old block a couple of years ago. Flinty with bracing acidity. Drink 2020-2030 Alcohol 13.7% 2 Durigutti, Proyecto Las Compuertas Malbec 1914 2017 95 £19.99 Bibendum Wine Showing just how much finesse old vines can achieve – these were planted in 1914 – this wine from the cool Las Compuertas sub-region is filled with aromas of cranberry and black raspberry, with a silky, long finish. Drink 2020-2030 Alc 13.5% 3 Susana Balbo, Brioso, Agrelo 2018 95 £40.75 Good Wine Online, Harrogate…

Expert’s choice HUNTER VALLEY SEMILLON Particular to New South Wales, these dry whites can appear subdued in their youth, but given time they really shine. Tasting the field of recent releases in Australia, Daniel Honan picks his 18 best Graceful, elegant and unique, Hunter Valley Semillon is responsible for some of the most distinctive dry white wines in the world. Low alcohol, refreshing, zesty and crisp, the wines brim with bright acidity and tart to sweet citrus fruits in youth. Texturally they are often lean, sometimes with a talc-like mouthfeel, becoming softer, richer and waxier with age. Occasionally, flavours of toast and honey may emerge, as well as nougat and nuts in wines with bottle age. The Hunter Valley’s Semillons demonstrate their sense of place fluently, naturally and intrinsically. Indeed,…

TASTING NOTES DECODED Citrus Written by Laura Seal As a tasting note, citrus is defined by high acidity and fresh fruit flavour: characters that can be found in many white wines. Although wine may not reach the acidity level of, say, lemonade, it can have a firm acidic structure that recalls the sharpness of fresh lemon, lime or grapefruit. ‘Citrus’ may also be found alongside notes like ‘mineral’ or ‘steely’, because some high-acid wines can feel almost hard-edged in the mouth, lacking in sweet fruit flavours. Accompanying notes of more sour fruits, such as green apple, are relatively common. In wine, citrus is categorised as a primary aroma, because it relates to the flavour of the grapes themselves as opposed to winemaking or ageing processes. Citrus notes can sometimes be…

In brief Stay up to date with the latest wine news on Decanter.com, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter @Decanter ■ UK wine merchants have come up with creative delivery options during the Covid-19 lockdown. Flint Vineyard in Norfolk devised a ‘drive-thru’ service for those able to drive past its tasting room window. Wanderlust Wine initiated a contactless ‘doostep drop’ service, and Berkmann’s ‘Help 4 Hospitality’ campaign generated online sales while donating 12.5% of takings to hospitality-focused charities. ■ Burgundy’s wine council, BIVB, has updated its online wine course in 2020 to include new content and appellation rule changes. Under the strapline ‘90 minutes is all it takes to become an expert in Bourgogne wines’, the course aims to give wine lovers a fun, free overview of the region…

Letter of the month Responsible drinking I have subscribed to Decanter since the 1970s and this is my first letter to the editor. I wanted to endorse Andrew Jefford’s decision to discuss wine production, and consumption, in an environmental context (January 2020 issue). Decanter cannot ignore either the science, or the facts which every wine-grower confronts daily. Perhaps it is the close connection they have with their environment that has encouraged so many of them to use more sustainable production systems. As consumers, we need to understand how changes in climate are affecting grape-growing and wine production, as well as the impact on the regions in which the grapes are grown. After all, this inevitably influences the taste of the wine we drink. Finally we must…

Hugh Johnson ‘We can always dream – and last night I did’ I live with the best cook I know. I have wine in the cellar. Why do we go to restaurants? You know the answer as well as I do. Entertainment; a different vibe; different dishes and wines – different cultures, indeed. There’s a room up the road that is India, one that is France and several that are Italy. Piedmont, Sardinia, Liguria are all within walking distance. Three streets away is Japan. The only country missing in my part of town is, alas, China. Now we’re stuck at home. My heart bleeds for the chefs and waiters who could be missing us even more than we’re missing them. But we can always dream – and last night I…

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 25 exciting and accessible wines available around the UK and priced at £25 or less Hunter’s, Offshoot Pét-Nat Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand 2019 90 £12.95-£14.95 Laytons, Jeroboams The first vintage of this tangy pét-nat, bottled while still fermenting to give it light fizz. It’s naturally cloudy, bone-dry, with vibrant tropical fruit, green apple and ginger zing. Perfect to cut through rich pork belly. TG Alcohol 11.5% Séguinot Bordet, Petit Chablis, Burgundy, France 2018 92 £14.68-£17.25 Bon Coeur, Chester Beer & Wine, Turville Valley The family’s entry-level cuvée, made by 13th-generation winemaker Jean-François Bordet. It is bursting with soft green apple…

Bordeaux 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 If 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…

Australia AUSSIE CHARDONNAY: 20 WINES TO SNAP UP This grape’s inherent ability to find fame in a range of contrasting styles – from focused and minerally to rich and oaky – is rarely more evident than Down Under. Tina Gellie looks at the reasons behind the country’s success and picks out some great buys There’s a reason Chardonnay has endured (despite the Anything But Chardonnay blip) as wine lovers’ favourite white. It’s all things to all people: available in 99% of retailers and restaurants, at pocket-friendly to suitably show-off prices, with examples from almost every wine-producing country. Arguably its most valuable quality, however, is flexibility of style. Whether you like a richly oaked, opulently tropical, buttery wine, or a more lean, citrus-driven, minerally one, there’s a Chardonnay for you. And…

Panel tasting LOIRE SAUVIGNON BLANC The eastern section of the Loire Valley region is home to some of the wine world’s most famous names, which happen to be whites made from Sauvignon Blanc. Jim Budd details the essential knowledge The land of Loire Sauvignon Blanc runs eastwards from Tours through Touraine along the Cher Valley across to appellations Menetou-Salon, Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé and Coteaux du Giennois. The forested Sologne area makes a substantial gap in the middle. Appellations Quincy and Reuilly are to the west and south of Bourges. Sauvignon is planted in the small appellations of Cheverny and Valençay – although wines from 100% Sauvignon Blanc are permitted, they are often a blend of Sauvignon with about 20% Chardonnay. There is some IGP Sauvignon planted in western Touraine and in…

THE VERDICT Sancerre made up about a third of the samples here, and was the clear star of the tasting, while judges also praised Touraine for wine lovers on a tighter budget. Growers in the Loire Valley have enjoyed a string of good vintages, but tasters arrived with a degree of trepidation about the 2018 wines – happily unfounded, it transpired. ‘It was a hot vintage, and there were some high alcohols, so I did have a question mark over the freshness of the wines,’ said Jim Budd. ‘But with one or two exceptions, the wines did show freshness, even though there was clearly a richness there.’ ‘At the very least I was expecting the 2018s to be a mixed bag,’ said Chris Kissack, ‘with some showing flabbiness, excessive ripeness…