Table of contents for November 2015 in Decanter

FRANCE THIEVES RAIDED the Condrieu vineyards of Maison Etienne Guigal, stealing €40,000 worth of grapes destined for the winery’s rare Luminescence cuvée, which is only made in excellent years. Marcel Guigal and his son Philippe found the Viognier grapes had gone on the morning of 11 September, after a decision to harvest the vineyard. ‘Someone had picked our grapes,’ said Philippe, managing director at the family estate. ‘It was very upsetting for my father and me.’ He added: ‘The act seems to have been premeditated, as roads leading to the vines are in a cul-de-sac.’ This year has been a particularly good harvest in the northern Rhône – ‘the best in my background of 55 vintages’, said Marcel. This prompted the decision to make Luminescence, previously produced only in 1999…

Lesser-known South America… I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED the October issue showcasing the best of Latin American wines, particularly the articles exploring unfamiliar grapes or regions off the beaten track. With this in mind, I would love to have read about Peruvian wines. I have just come back from a holiday in Peru, my home country, and I was pleased to find a maturing wine industry. Interesting wines are starting to emerge from long-standing pisco producers, and a few are already coming to international attention. Just as Brazil has made inroads into the Latin American wine scene, I believe Peru also has great potential due to its varied microclimates and rich and flourishing gastronomic traditions. Jose Alatrista, London SE12 …and Canada I WAS BOTH pleased and disappointed to read Ian D’Agata’s article…

It’s hard not to like the 2011 vintage in Barolo and Barbaresco (see our Vintage Report on p84 for more). Here’s one from each zone I’ve enjoyed: Cascina Luisin’s Rabajà Barbaresco sums up the ripeness of autumn: hedgerows, warm leaves and stones. Its firm spine is wonderfully palpable behind that copious exterior charm. The creamy raspberry fruit and textural velvet of E Pira’s Chiara Boschis, Cannubi Barolo of is soft, ripe and stealthy to the last, purring its way across your tongue – but the length and breadth of the finish makes you realise this is more apex predator than moggy.…

Franciacorta N/V: 18 months on the lees for a refined bubbly ideal for aperitifs. Franciacorta Satèn: 24 months on the lees for a unique Franciacorta style, a blanc de blanc with a softer, creamier texture that is a perfect partner to food. Franciacorta Rosé : 24 months on the lees for a pale coral-coloured pink sparkler based on pinot noir. All three styles also come in Millesimato (i.e.vintage) and Riserva versions, with respectively 30 and 60 months on the lees. Sugar levels range from the standard Brut through the tangy Extra Brut to the increasingly popular, exhilaratingly bone-dry Dosage Zero.…

2015 Alvaro Palacios Spain 2014 Jean-Pierre and François Perrin Rhône 2013 Gerard Basset OBE MW MS England 2012 Paul Symington Portugal 2011 Giacomo Tachis Italy 2010 Aubert de Villaine Burgundy 2009 Nicolás Catena Argentina 2008 Christian Moueix Bordeaux 2007 Anthony Barton Bordeaux 2006 Marcel Guigal Rhône 2005 Ernst Loosen Mosel 2004 Brian Croser Adelaide Hills 2003 Jean-Michel Cazes Bordeaux 2002 Miguel Torres Penedès 2001 Jean-Claude Rouzaud Champagne 2000 Paul Draper California 1999 Jancis Robinson OBE MW London 1998 Angelo Gaja Piedmont 1997 Len Evans OBE AO Australia 1996 Georg Riedel Austria 1995 Hugh Johnson OBE London 1994 May-Eliane de Lencquesaing Bordeaux 1993 Michael Broadbent MW London 1992 André Tchelistcheff California 1991 José Ignacio Domecq Jerez 1990 Prof Emile Peynaud Bordeaux 1989 Robert Mondavi California 1988 Max Schubert Australia 1987 Alexis…

THE JURY'S OUT January 1999: columnist E=Richard Neill ‘If the current trend o=towards drinking (and releasing) wine younger and younger contines, cellars will bocome redundant and old vintages will bocome things people reminisce about rather than drink. In the year 2150, vertical tastings will be seen as habits of a bygone age’ THE JURY'S OUT July 2005: Austraalia-based viticultural expert Dr Richard asmart recognises the uncertainties surrounding the future wine map: ‘We can predict what will happen when cool wine areas become warm, because we have warm areas. And we can predict what will happen when warm areas become hot, because we have hot areas. what we can't predict is what will happpen when hot areas become very hot’ September 1995 Rewind to the autumn of 1995, and Decanter marked…

• Louis Roederer Champagne (Brut Premier, Brut Vintage, Rosé Vintage, Blanc de Blancs, Cristal, Cristal Rosé, Brut Nature) • Deutz Champagne, Roederer Estate and Scharffenberger Cellars (California), Châteaux de Pez and Haut-Beauséjour (St-Estèphe), Château Pichon Comtesse de Lalande (Pauillac), Delas Frères (Rhône Valley), Domaines Ott (Provence), Adriano Ramos Pinto (Portugal), Maison Descaves négociants (Bordeaux, 50% joint ownership with the Moueix family) • Maison, Marques & Domaines (MMD) is the importer and distributor for Roederer in the US and the UK, and Roederer owns 95% of the company. MMD imports wines from 26 producers, about half of which are owned by Roederer • The company employs about 130 people in Champagne, and 700 people across all the estates • Formerly owned, now sold: Jansz Tasmanian sparkling wine (with Heemskerk Estate), Château…

Barolo 2011 Aldo Conterno, Romirasco 18 (93) £175 Bancroft Wines, Exel Wines, Liberty Wines One of the great crus of Barolo gives a very good account of itself despite the heat: rich, dense, classic Barolo offering elegance in spades. Drink 2018-2028 Alcohol 14% Bartolo Mascarello 18 (93) £82 Armit Wines, Asset Wines, Berry Bros & Rudd Perhaps the most refined 2011 Barolo: precise, mineral, complex and, atypically for the vintage, still closed. Drink 2018-2033 Alc 14% Brezza, Sarmassa 18 (93) £45-£50 Asset Wines, Millésima Pure, mineral, rich and classic: everything a great Barolo ought to be. The Il Bricco, Sarmassa Riserva is even better, but made in small quantities. Drink 2018-2032 Alc 14% Cogno, Ravera 18 (93) £40-£47.25 Flint Wines, Lay & Wheeler Atypically for 2011, a brooding, stony, concentrated…

1988 First vineyard plots acquired: El Esquilón and Las Terrazas 1988-2005 Grapes sold to other wineries in the appellation 2006 First vintage made, cellar construction begins 2008 Roberto Santana comes on board as winemaker 2008 New methods in the vineyard: changing pruning, working plot by plot, taking care of orientation, altitude and soils. First vintage under new winemaker 2009 Start to work without herbicides 2008-2015 More plots added, working with other growers under the Suertes del Marqués philosophy of vineyard management 2015 Construction of new cellar begins…

The Landmark Hotel, London NW1, 11am-5pm, Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November 2015 Don’t miss Decanter’s biggest tasting of the year. This event brings together the most respected Old and New World producers from around the globe, offering you a rare chance to meet the winemakers and taste more than 600 fine wines. Grand Tasting tickets are £60 per person, while tickets for the Discovery Theatre are just £15* (*Grand Tasting ticket required). Book today at www.decanter.com/events or call 020 3148 4513…

Where would we be without Emilia Romagna and its bountiful produce? Parma ham, Parmesan and Grana Padano cheeses, balsamic vinegar from Modena and not forgetting a myriad of pasta dishes including that perennial favourite, pasta Bolognese. Many of these foods have become so commonplace that we are in danger of forgetting that they have been shaped by their specific origins in this rich and diverse landscape. In the Mediterranean lifestyle, so typical of Italy, wine and food go hand in hand, and as you might expect Emilia Romagna has an exciting range of wines that are a great way to explore the region. Emilia Romagna is one of Italy’s oldest wine regions, with vines introduced here in Etruscan times in around 7th century BC. The region’s name comes from the…

Agathe Bursin, Sylvaner Lutzeltal, Alsace, France 2014 16.5 (88) £15.50 Armit Wines Alsace’s most quaffable, but often forgotten variety, shows finely textured spice and fruit from vineyards at Westhalten, south of Colmar. Drink 2015-2017 Alc 12.5% Seresin Estate, Chiaroscuro, Marlborough, New Zealand 2011 17.5 (91) £24-£28.50 Armit Wines, Exel From Seresin’s hillside Raupo Creek site, a 60% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Gris, 10% Riesling co-fermented in 500-litre oak to show florals, fruit and complexity to come. Drink 2015-2018 Alc 14% Qupé Winery, Roussanne, Santa Barbara, California, USA 2010 17.5 (91) £37 Fortnum & Mason, Handford, Highbury Vintners, Woodwinters Bob Lindquist makes terrific Roussanne off his Bien Nacido Hillside estate: fresh fruit with classic richness and a dry finish. Drink 2015-2020 Alc 12.5% Bodega Garzón, Tannat, Uruguay 2013 17 (90) £12.41-£13.99 Cambridge…

PRIORAT SEEMS TO have come a long way since our last tasting in March 2011. Our judges’ perceptions then of high-alcohol, over-oaked and concentrated wines have been replaced, thanks to an exciting new style. ‘Priorat has moved to a new stage and there is real excitement about the future,’ enthused Sarah Jane Evans MW. ‘My real discovery this year has been Cariñena.’ This is clearly reflected in the result, with the top wines predominantly made from Cariñena (Carignan). Evans continued: ‘Producers seem to have turned the corner in going back and rediscovering what they do best, which is their own local varieties. This is quite a recent change.’ Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW explained: ‘In 1972, the ministry said Priorat had the potential to make top Cabernet Sauvignon. In the 1980s,…

Família Nin-Ortiz, Nit 2012 18.25 (94) PBT 18.5 SJE 18 PM 18 £52.30 Bacchanalia, D Byrne & Co, Handford, Honest Grapes, Planet of the Grapes, The Sampler, Vagabond, Wine Source, Woodwinters Glorious smoky nose. Bright, juicy with an earthy, tarry background. Lively acidity and finely grained tannins. Dense yet fresh. Real character and charm. Drink 2015-2030 Alc 15% Mas d’en Gil, Clos Fontà 2010 18 (93) PBT 18 SJE 18 PM 18 £44.99 Ultracomida Pure cassis nose with a delicate floral lift. Impressive on the palate, this is vivid and powerful with great depth of fruit and an underlying tarry, liquorice tone, kept fresh by a lively jab of acidity. Long, dense finish. Will keep. Drink 2015-2040 Alc 15% Blai Ferré Just, Desnivell 2010 17.5 (91) PBT 18 SJE 17…

• Cal Batllet, Gratallops, 5 Partides 2010 A refined Cariñena expression, iron fist in velvet glove. Long and complex, it will improve over at least eight years. But its most relevant attribute is that it shouts of its unique Priorat origin. 18.5/20(95/100) Drink 2015-2020 • Família Nin-Ortiz, Nit 2012 Top-quality Priorat, dense and deep, finely grained, multi-layered, and yet built upon freshness and what many people call minerality. Keep it as long as you wish – it will be great for decades. 18.25 (94) Drink 2015-2030 • Mas d’En Gil, Clos Fontà 2010 Impressively solid and round, with real delicacy. A classic – one of the early masters of modern Priorat. Top quality, sound investment. Keep if you can for 10 years or more. 18 (93) Drink 2015-2040…

UNTIL A FEW years ago Syrah was New Zealand’s biggest wine secret. That’s beginning to change as the accolades mount for a variety that still represents only 1.2% of the national vineyard. Although Syrah ranks a lowly seventh in terms of vineyard area, it is growing faster than any of the top 10 varieties planted. In the two years to 2014 the area of Syrah vines grew by 22.2%. It’s easy to understand why more winemakers are planting Syrah. It is now the country’s most expensive wine, outstripping the other glamour red variety, Pinot Noir, by nearly NZ$5 (£2) a bottle for the 2013 vintage, according to my database. Syrah/Shiraz is Australia’s signature variety, and yet when that country’s best wines are tasted blind against the best from New Zealand…

Melanie Brown A New Zealand native, Brown joined the team at Peter Gordon’s The Providores and Tapa Room in London in 2006, where she transformed the wine list to the largest offering of premium New Zealand wine in the UK. Her passion has led her to establish her own specialist retailer, The New Zealand Cellar, which opened in summer 2014 and which won a 2015 Decanter Retailer Award ( see p104 ). Brown’s verdict ‘An exciting, quality-driven line up! Gimblett Gravels was the star, with wines of great structure, elegance and poise. The overall use of oak was well managed and it was clear these wines have the ageability required for this region to have now defined its iconic style. While it was hard to see any clear styles coming…

• Craggy Range, Gimblett Gravels, Hawke’s Bay 2013 The quality and execution of this Syrah at this price point is exceptional value. Concentrated aromas of dark fruits and wild lavender, a generous depth and silky texture with just the right amount of peppery spice. 19/20 (96/100) Drink 2015-2030 • Ata Rangi, Juliet, Martinborough 2013 Not usually associated with Syrah, Ata Rangi has produced a fine wine here. Vibrant, pretty and well structured with soft mushroom undertones, spice and silky texture. A wine of character and poise. 17 (90) Drink 2015-2024 • Giesen, Clayvin, Marlborough 2012 I didn’t spot this in the tasting but Giesen is one of Marlborough’s iconic producers and this Syrah is from a vineyard with a quality reputation. Soft ripe cherries and black plums on the nose,…

THE TASTING RAISES an interesting distinction between the palates of UK judges, who are more likely to be influenced by Rhône styles, and those of Kiwi judges, who perhaps have a stronger New World focus. If the same wines had been assessed by New Zealand judges, I’d say there would have been an even stronger emphasis on the intensely fruity Hawke’s Bay and Waiheke wines from the 2013 vintage, while wines from cooler South Island regions may not have fared as well. Kiwi judges favour purity, ripeness and intensity while UK judges seem more forgiving about herbal and rustic nuances. Having said that, I think the results certainly endorse the 2013 vintage. 75% of the top 20 wines were from that year, compared to 62% of total entries. A number…

denotes supermarket and high-street wines Casa di Malia, Prosecco, Italy NV 17/20 (90/100) £10.99 Forth Wines, Inverarity Morton This organic Prosecco is from the hills around the Veneto region, in northern Italy, and is full of character with floral notes and fragrant apple freshness. It is gently sparkling, offering a light, dry and zesty palate. The packaging is very slick too, with the added bonus of having a stylish and practical flip-top clamp closure. Alcohol 11% Domaine du Bouchot, Regain, Pouilly-Fumé, Loire, France 2013 17.75 (92) £17.50 Swig From one of the first organic producers in the area, this cuvée is a selection of vines planted on a terroir dating back to the Jurassic period. This brings a lot of flinty, smoky characters with notes of grapefruit and apple. Fleshy…

This month’s experts Jim Budd is the Decanter World Wine Awards Regional Chair for the Loire Fiona Beckett is a Decanter contributing editor who publishes www.matchingfoodandwine.com Tony Aspler is the Decanter World Wine Awards Regional Chair for Canada ‘Here’s a clever trick: put a dash of more expensive wine in your dish at the end of its cooking to lift the flavour’ Cycling in the Loire My wife and I are looking to do a gentle cycling holiday in the Loire next year. We’re not wine experts and don’t want anything too challenging in terms of hills or distance. Where would you recommend, and when would be the best time to go? Simon McIntyre Edinburgh Jim Budd replies: Having cycled extensively in the region, I can thoroughly recommend it. The…

OCTOBER 2010: FOLLOWING the announcement that Château Lafite Rothschild is to etch the symbol for the number eight in Chinese on bottles of its 2008 vintage (pictured right), the wine’s value soars, surging from £8,500 to £10,160 on Liv-ex in the space of 24 hours. This was the zenith of the Lafite boom in China; while all the Bordeaux first growths saw their prices appreciate in the bull market of 2009-10, Lafite outstripped its rivals by an astonishing margin. ‘At this time, Lafite was considered to be the most desirable wine in mainland China, so it was the first growth that was most in demand. Consequently the prices for Lafite increased dramatically, to the point that prices for all vintages were well ahead of all the other first growths,’ recalls…

Moët & Chandon, MCIII 001.14 £330 Moët Hennessy Moët’s new prestige cuvée is an assemblage of wines matured in stainless steel, wood and glass, from vintages that include 1993, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003. Marisco, Pride & Glory Sauvignon Blanc 2011 £30 Majestic One of a trio of wines in Marisco’s The Craft Series, this aims to show the full potential of Sauvignon Blanc in Marlborough’s Waihopai Valley. Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2013 £25.83 (ib) Armit Wines The 18th vintage of this second wine sees a revised label in a vintage that winemaker Axel Heinz says combines ‘full ripeness with particular elegance’.…

MANY A NOSTALGIC tear will be shed at the thought that you could pick up a bottle of 1970 first growth Bordeaux 40 years ago for about the current price of an entry-level Chilean Cabernet. First-growth prices have risen 85 times in nominal terms since 1985.That translates into a compound annual growth return over the same period of 11.75%. By 2010, the 2005 vintage was changing hands, on average, for more than £600 a bottle (more than £800 for Lafite) and, even after the subsequent softening of the market, 2010 first growths are selling at just below £500 now. Lafite has not always led the pack. It was the most expensive of the quintet in 1975 and 2010, but Haut-Brion was top dog in 1980, Latour in 1995, 2000, 2005…

IT’S AN OBVIOUS statement that much has changed in the world of wine since October 1975. Now we can select, buy and sell wine from our computers, whereas four decades ago, it would have been hard to imagine much of today’s fine-wine map. Viticultural and winemaking techniques have improved beyond measure and, in the main, so has the quality of wine we drink. Inevitably, many of the figures who bestrode the global wine stage in years gone by are sadly no longer with us. Yet others have emerged to pick up their mantles and take wine in entirely new and exciting directions. Fashions have waxed and waned: think Sherry, claret, natural wines and Chardonnay, and we too have moved with the times. The magazine looks radically different than it did…

Russia pulls US wines from shelves RUSSIA Russia has withdrawn some American wines from sale, including Geyser Peak’s Merlot, citing quality and health concerns. The suspension of sales of the Californian wines by Russia’s state consumer protection body, Rospotrebnadzor, comes at a time of heightened political tensions between Russia and the US. Rospotrebnadzor said Geyser Peak’s Merlot, Gnarly Head’s Chardonnay and Crane Lake’s Moscato had been pulled because of excessive pesticide residues, with tests showing levels of phthalate and bifenazate in some of the wines. But several media outlets, including the Moscow Times, linked the timing of the ban with worsening political tensions between Russia and the US, particularly over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Russia has a history of banning food and wine imports from nations with which it…

I AM IN sympathy with John Stimpfig (October 2015) as he attempts to enjoy the drinking of good wine without either damaging himself or bringing down the ire of the medical profession. It is worth noting that the idea of what is deemed ‘safe’ to drink changes according to time and place. There is a quotation in Peter Mayle’s 1991 book Toujours Provence, suggesting that the drink-driving limit for truckers in France at the time was ‘an aperitif, half a bottle of wine and a digestif’. Similarly, a couple of years ago when I told a cardiologist how many units a week I drank, his eyebrows raised so far there was fresh air between them and his forehead. It was beyond his comprehension that my unit intake (at the time,…

WHILE COLIN PARNELL was gluing together the first issue of Decanter magazine in a tiny flat in south London, the winemakers of the Médoc were anxiously hoping that 1975 would prove the first really good vintage to be ushered into their cellars for nearly a decade. Things had not been easy. The oil crisis a few years earlier had led to interest rates shooting upwards and a resultant credit crunch. Prices for 1973 and 1974 Bordeaux had collapsed, not helped by the adulterated wine scandal that was still rocking the city. The weather hadn’t provided any vintages to be cheerful about since 1970, and nothing had yet lived up to the 1966. The influence of the weather was critical because intervention in vines and cellars remained resolutely old school. No…

DECANTER WAS BORN in 1975, the brainchild of Colin Parnell and Tony Lord, two of the most unlikely magazine entrepreneurs Britain has ever seen. Parnell was editing the wine trade magazine Wine & Spirit when he and his deputy, Lord – a young Australian journalist and wine enthusiast – spotted a gap in the market for a wine magazine for consumers. As he wrote many years later in Decanter: ‘It soon became clear to the two of us as we wrote about comings and goings in the international wine trade, features on gin, vodka and the new sensation of tequila, that there was no lively magazine for wine lovers. Rather than work for the rest of our lives for someone else… we decided to do our own thing and launch…

March 1976 ‘The average British family spends £3 per week on its drinking.’ That wouldn’t get you far these days – according to Nielsen (April 2015), the average price per bottle for still wine today is £5.43. May 1978 In an editorial entitled ‘A Woman’s Place’, Decanter passed comment on the fact that women were still barred from the Wine Trade Benevolent Society’s annual fundraising banquet – despite, by way of an example, one Master of Wine, David Peppercorn, being married to another, Serena Sutcliffe. ‘Wine has probably done more to bring the sexes together than anything. But not, it seems, in the wine trade…’ February 1979 ‘The interest in Beaujolais Nouveau continues unabated, so much so that some wine shippers sell their allotments completely within a…

‘Everything connected with wine is very subtle, especially in Bordeaux where so many are suspicious, envious, over-conservative and reactionary. That doesn’t mean, however, that we’re not polite to each other’ Baron Philippe de Rothschild, November 1975 ‘When I’m trying to pinpoint a phrase to capture the bouquet and flavour of a wine, I haven’t the time to break off and hear the ghastly details of somebody’s divorce, nor do I see why the woman who once rushed at me with them was offended by my saying that I was working and would she please leave me alone to continue’ Pamela Van Dyke Price on professional wine tasting, June 1978 ‘They call that steep; I call it a holiday.’ Ernst Loosen in the Côte-Rôtie, November 2003 ‘Tommy Layton was as mad…

Since its launch in 2003, the Louis Roederer Foundation has been supporting the creative arts, with its first project the photography archive at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, which has made more than five million historical photographs available to the public. Partnerships have now been established with the Palais de Tokyo, the Grand Palais in Paris, Deauville Festival of Photography, the Royal Academy in London and other contemporary cultural events, including the Louis Roederer International Wine Writers’ Awards. The original Louis Roederer supported the building of hospitals in Reims, and there is a boulevard in the city named after him.…

Suertes del Marqués, Vidonia Blanco, Valle de la Orotava, Tenerife 2013 18.5/20 (95/100) £21-£25 Bottle Apostle, Connolly’s, Handford, Highbury Vintners, Theatre of Wine, Vincognito, Vintrepid, Winedirect From four plots, the 100% Listán Blanco comes from 130-year-old vines. Like a fine Meursault: nutty yet braced by complex, flinty minerals. Rounder and more generous than the Trenzado Blanco (below), this is a limpid wine of shimmering elegance and deliciously well balanced. Drink 2015-2020 Alc 13.5% Suertes del Marqués, Trenzado Blanco, Valle de la Orotava, Tenerife 2013 17.5 (91) £17-£18 Bottle Apostle, Phoenix & Plum, Rakuten, Winedirect About 90% is 100-year-old Listán Blanco, blended with Pedro Ximénez and other local varieties, 40% of which had a month of skin contact. It has aromas of flint, gunsmoke, preserved lemon and nuts. So fresh and…

A starter cellar should have a good mix of wines for both drinking and ageing, from at least four or five different regions ideally, and including a mix of red/white/rosé/sparkling/sweet/ fortified, as your personal taste dictates. The key for storage, above all else, is constancy of temperature. It should be somewhere between 10°C and 15°C – the longer you plan to keep the wine, the closer to the lower end of that scale it should be, without going too low. Start as you mean to go on, by recording your bottles online. The best systems allow you to be as detailed or general as you like – most allow input of critics’ scores, purchase details, drink dates, space for your own notes, locations of wines, and searches using scans of…

Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW Ballesteros Torres is DWWA Regional co-Chair for Spain and Sherry, with Evans (right). He has studied in Jerez, Burgundy, Napa and Bordeaux, and has a master’s in viticulture and oenology. A columnist at Spain’s Vino y Gastronomía and Planeta Vino magazines, he is on the council of the Institute of Masters of Wine, the governing board of the Spanish Tasters’ Union, and the wine expert committee of the Basque Culinary Centre. Ballesteros Torres’ verdict ‘Priorat is unbeatable in terms of average quality. After this comprehensive tasting, one could say that the likelihood of getting good quality when buying any Priorat is above 80%. Very few appellations in Europe can claim similar reliability. This is even more amazing when recalling memories of past Priorat tastings. Dry tannins,…

• Joan Simó, Les Eres, Vinyes Velles 2010 A delight to encounter in a blind tasting: a wine with a real sense of its Mediterranean origin. Powerful, but nevertheless silky in the mouth, with a finishing lift of freshness. An original, one that could only come from here. 18.75/20 (95+/100) Drink 2015-2035 • Ferrer Bobet, Vinyes Velles 2013 A consistent favourite. The intense blueberry purity of old-vine Cariñena gains a burst of energy from Garnacha. This is a blend that speaks of Priorat’s history and promises much for its future. 17 (90) Drink 2015-2025 • Mas Doix, Doix 2012 A property with a fine selection of old Cariñena growing in a cooler, fresher zone. The classic blend of Cariñena with Garnacha, terrifically elegant and refined, with a dark, liquorice finish.…

I’ve rated these out of 10. Auckland/Northland (mainly Waiheke Island) is similar, enjoying slightly better vintage conditions in 2008, 2010 and 2012, but slightly less favourable conditions than Hawke’s Bay in 2009. 2014 9 A cool start then a hot, dry period followed by Cyclone Lusi which did little damage. A challenger to the excellent 2013s. 2013 10 A long, warm summer with modest rainfall. An easy vintage producing many top wines. 2012 3 Wet; the worst in 20 years. 2011 6 Warm and wet conditions were better for reds than whites 2010 8 Moderately cool vintage but low crops of Syrah helped achieve good ripeness. 2009 10 A cool start with a warm, dry finish. Syrah was the star. 2008 7 Rainfall and humidity made this a challenging vintage.…

Babich, Winemakers’ Reserve, Hawke’s Bay 2014 Decanter average score: 18.75/20pts (95+/100pts) Individual judges’ scores: Melanie Brown 18.5 Christine Parkinson 18.5 Philip Tuck MW 19 £16-£24.99 Bibendum, The New Zealand Cellar, Walker & Wodehouse Babich has always made its Winemakers’ Reserve Syrah from its own Gimblett Gravels vineyard. About 18 months ago the family bought another vineyard in the nearby Bridge Pa Triangle district of Hawke’s Bay and made Syrah from both areas. When they tasted samples of both, the wine from the heavier soils of Bridge Pa was deemed better. It certainly seemed to produce a wine with more pronounced peppery character. The wine was matured in French oak barriques for 12 months. Melanie Brown Dominant rhubarb nose and palate, complemented by soft perfume, delicate spice and rich fruits.…

Babich, Winemaker’s Reserve, Hawke’s Bay 2014 This highly respected family winery can be mighty chuffed with what it has crafted here. Beautifully elegant, with a judicious use of oak and lightness of touch. 19/20 (96/100) Drink 2015-2025 • Stonecroft, Reserve, Gimblett Gravels, Hawke’s Bay 2013 I was struck by the purity and poise of Stonecroft’s wines when I first visited Alan Limmer – an early pioneer in the Gravels – in 1993, so am delighted to see the current owners are continuing to produce such fine wines. 19 (96) Drink 2015-2020 • Sacred Hill, Deerstalkers, Gimblett Gravels, Hawke’s Bay 2013 Another delicious example from Hawke’s Bay stalwarts. Black pepper, fresh acidity and fine-grained tannins give this a European feel – delicious! 19 (96) Drink 2015-2030 NB: the tasters’ top wines…

AFTER 2009 AND 2010, two of the greatest vintages in its recent history, Bordeaux was faced with four years in a row (2011-2014) that were unexceptional for its reds. But there are noteworthy differences between the wines of these four years, and I can make a case that 2012 is the best vintage of that foursome. Though the 2012 reds will never be blockbusters or especially ageworthy, many estates made harmonious, fruit-driven wines that will be accessible early – so, in very un-Bordeaux fashion, you don’t have to wait forever to pull the cork on these reds. Clearly, the lousy weather of 2012 did not allow for great wines: disrupted flowering led to berries of different ripeness levels within the same bunch, a hot and extremely dry summer brought the…

A&B Vintners, Kent (www.abvintners.co.uk) AC Gallie, Jersey (www.acgallie.com) ABS Wine Agencies, Lincs (www.abswineagencies.co.uk) AG Wines, London (www.agwines.com) Albion Wine Shippers, London WC1 (www.albionwineshippers.co.uk) Alexander Wines, Glasgow (www.alexander-wines.co.uk) Alliance Wine, Ayrshire (www.alliancewine.co.uk) Amathus, London (www.amathusdrinks.com) Amps, Northants (www.ampsfinewines.co.uk) Ancient & Modern Wines, Wiltshire (www.ancientandmodernwines.co.uk) Anglia Wine Merchants, Cambridgeshire (www.angliawines.co.uk) Ann et Vin, Notts (www.annetvin.com) Armit Wines, London W11 (www.armit.co.uk) Artisan Wine, London (www.artisanandvine.com ) Aske Wine, London (www.askewine.co.uk) Asset Wines, London (www.assetwines.com) Averys, Bristol (www.averys.com) Bacchanalia, Cambridge (www.winegod.co.uk) Bancroft, London SE1 (www.bancroftwines.com) Barrica Wines, Lancashire (www.barricawines.co.uk) Barwell & Jones, Ipswich (www.barwellandjones.com) Bat & Bottle, Oakham (www.batwine.co.uk) Beaconsfield Wine Cellars, Buckinghamshire (www.beaconsfieldwinecellars.com) Bentleys, Ludlow (www.bentleyswine.com) Berkmann Wine Cellars, London (www.berkmann.co.uk) Berry Bros & Rudd, London SW1 (www.bbr.com) Bibendum PLB, London NW1 (www.bibendum-wine.co.uk) Bin 21, Morpeth (www.bin21.com) BJR Hanby, North Yorks (01937 833…

is sous-sommelier at Restaurante Martín Berasategui, Loidi Kalea 4, 20160 Lasarte-Oria, Gipuzkoa, Spain Tel: +34 943 366 471 / 361 599 info@martin berasategui.com If I was dining at your restaurant, what is the one dish I should order? Which wine/s would you recommend with it and why? The Truffle is my favourite dish from our 2015 menu. It combines truffle powder, black trumpet mushrooms, collard greens and a bonbon ‘truffle’ filled with a royale of seared foie gras, pigeon stock and lamb’s brains. Delicious! I like serving the Suertes del Marqués Trenzado 2013, a wine from the Orotava Valley on Tenerife, made from the local grape Listán Blanco (see p92). This wine reflects its unique vineyard in a beautifully transparent way. Like an explosion from the nearby El Teide volcano,…

Morning After breakfast at Château de Mazan*, drive to Carpentras to buy energy-boosting supplies for later on. Cheeses from Fromagerie du Comtat*, cakes or chocolates from Pâtisserie Jouvaud*. As an afternoon cyclist, you’ll welcome these in the long gap between early French lunch and late French dinner. Buy a large-scale map too. Lunch Head for Pernes-lès-Fontaines south of Carpentras and admire at least one of the 40 fountains in this pretty town while lunching at Au Fils du Temps* (tiny, so be sure to book). Sample star Ventoux wines while tucking into the well-priced yet stylish menu du marché. Afternoon Drive to Villes-sur-Auzon to pick up the electric bike pre-booked from TerraBike (www.location-terrabike. fr) at TerraVentoux wine co-op. First stop is Château Pesquié at Mormoiron (see main text). You can sign…

Malagousia Malagousia was rescued from virtual extinction in the 1970s by Professor Logothetis of Thessaloniki University, who collected vines from mountain villages in Greece and planted them in his experimental vineyard in Porto Carras, on the middle of the three fingers of the Halkidiki peninsula. The variety’s potential was spotted by Vangelis Gerovassiliou, who was the young oenologist at Porto Carras winery from the mid-1970s. In the ’80s, Roxane Matsa and one or two others began to propagate it further and the variety has since spread to many parts of Greece; there are now more than 300ha. Depending on vineyard site and practices – the variety’s natural vigour and productivity must be kept in check – it can produce a range of styles: from fresh, aromatic and delicate, suitable for…

Bordeaux continues to dominate Liv-ex activity, according to the company’s analysis of page clicks for the first seven months of 2015, with Mouton displacing Lafite for top spot, followed by the rest of the first growth five. The region accounts for 42 out of the top 50 wines viewed on Liv-ex, but there are signs of change compared to a year ago, with the most sought-after second wines all falling down the chart. Of the six wines that have left the top 50, five are from Bordeaux, with La Fleur-Pétrus falling furthest (39th to 56th). New entrants include Haut-Bailly and four from outside France, including Screaming Eagle, Vega Sicilia’s Unico and Ornellaia. Pape-Clément was the biggest mover within the top 50, rising 11 places to 23rd; four years ago, it…

• Bonhams, London, 3 September: nine bottles of Latour 1959 sold for £9,400 (high estimate: £10,000); 12 bottles of Margaux 1982 sold for £7,050 (high e: £7,500); one bottle of Mouton 1945 sold for £6,463 (high e: £4,200); one magnum of Latour 1929 sold for £4,113 (high e: £4,200); 12 bottles of Haut-Brion 2011 sold for £2,291.25 (high e: £2,800); 12 bottles of Domaine des Comtes Lafon, Charmes 1er Cru, Meursault 2008 sold for £1,645 (high e: £1,000). • Zachys, Hong Kong, 11 September: one jeroboam of Haut-Brion 1961 sold for HK$343,000 (high e: HK$200,000); 12 bottles of Bruno Giacosa, Santo Stefano, Neive Riserva Speciale 1964 sold for HK$318,500 (high e: HK$280,000); three bottles of Domaine Leroy, Musigny 1993 sold for HK$159,250 (high e: HK$85,000); six bottles of Pétrus 1961…

USA ONE OF California’s fiercest fires on record has destroyed a Lake County winery and forced thousands to flee their homes, with state governor Jerry Brown declaring a state of emergency. The Valley Fire burned down Shed Horn Cellars in Middleton, in southern Lake County, but the 2015 wine harvest was continuing across the region, including in Napa Valley, as Decanter went to press. ‘We are saddened about the loss to our beautiful county and our many friends that have lost their homes,’ Michael and Adawn Wood of Shed Horn Cellars told the Lake County Wine Association. About 23,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes, but Debra Sommerfield, president of the Lake County Winegrape Commission, said it was too early to assess vineyard damage in the area. According to…

Chianti Classico is to host a time trial stage of next year’s Giro d’Italia cycle race, where many of the world’s best cyclists will battle a 40km course of steep climbs and descents. This ninth stage of the 99th Giro is part of celebrations to mark the 300th anniversary of the first demarcation of the Chianti production zone. Côtes de Bordeaux producer Château Lafitte says it has won a two-year trademark dispute with Château Lafite Rothschild in China. Lafitte claimed it had won the right to sell wine under its own name in China in a dispute that dates back to 2003 in France. However, Lafite Rothschild indicated that it did not consider the matter to be resolved. Accolade Wines has acquired Viña Anakena in Chile, securing a presence in…

WE NOW HAVE the outlines of our two-hemisphere wine world; there are no major new zones to explore. Where, though, will future greatness lie? The past 40 years have taught us that outstanding terroir is rarer than we hoped. Look at global fine-wine prices and auction prices: Napa aside, they’re dominated by European classics. The price of land in such places will continue to corkscrew upwards. Most excitement outside Europe will come in discovering how the margins work: those sites initially thought to be ‘cool-climate’ are, in a warming world, the new classic zones of the future. We’ve also learned, though, that diversity can be illusory. There’s no point in planting a new area if the resulting wine could come from anywhere. My view is that the best quality potential…

From the brilliant Telmo Rodríguez, Remelluri’s Granja Nuestra Señora de Remelluri Blanco 2012 is an unusual blend of nine varieties jumbled together in a plot of vines set at 800m altitude along the stunning slopes of the Sierra de Tolono mountains. Aged for 17 months in a mix of differently sized French oak barrels, this is fragrant, delicate and savoury, tasting of the rosemary and anise flowers that dot the hillsides here, with rich citrus flavours under the spice. Just 6,000 bottles are made a year; it’s an impossible wine to forget.…

1975 Decanter is launched by Colin Parnell and Tony Lord 1977 Michael Broadbent writes his first column on vintage Port 1984 The first Decanter Man of the Year award is given to Serge Hochar of Chateau Musar in Lebanon 1978 Decanter holds the first blind tasting of its type in the media: red wines under £1.50 1989 The first Sunday Times/Decanter Wine Show is held 1992 Hugh Johnson pens his first column 1993 Steven Spurrier joins Decanter as consultant editor 1996 Colin Parnell steps down and Sarah Kemp takes over as publishing director 1997 The first Decanter Fine Wine Encounter is held 2000 Decanter.com is launched 2004 The first Decanter World Wine Awards are held (above) 2012 The Decanter Asia Wine Awards and Decanterchina.com are launched 2014 The first…

August 1976 Decanter’s first New World cover put the focus on South Africa. December 1976 ‘An Englishman in Paris’ – Decanter introduces Steven Spurrier, a wine dealer in Paris, ‘who has the temerity to tell the French about wine’. Spurrier claims that ‘the wine merchant in England is still considered rather like an officer in the military. Respected and respectable. In France, a wine merchant is about on the level of a shore repairman, and he’s thought of as a bit shady.’ September 1977 Tony Lord reports on a new Australian wine area – Margaret River. The region’s first commercial vineyard of the modern era had been planted only 10 years earlier, by Tom Cullity of Vasse Felix. May 1978 ‘California v The Rest: California…

MIRANDA. MEMORIES OF an inn. Why is it that some stick (fleas aside) as reference points half a century later? The great majority slip away down the plughole of indifference, but a couple of dozen are still palpable in recollection. The memory is not always glorious. Did you ever visit the old Au Relais de la Belle Etoile in Chablis? It epitomises the values of a France now, I fear, extinct. You arrived through a haze of Gauloises cigarette smoke and Eau de Javel bleach; your room had a bidet (and no other plumbing) on a patch of lino behind a dress-fabric curtain. The old iron bed creaked and sagged. But the dining room smelt of fresh baguettes and sauces on the hob, of ripening cheeses and fresh flowers. Light…

Born June 1967 in Montpellier Education School in Reims, then Paris Dauphine University, MBA in business management Career Commercial property as a surveyor-broker, with a focus on vineyard estates, before joining the family company alongside his father Jean-Claude in 1996. He spent 10 years gaining experience across various departments before taking over as CEO and managing director in 2006 Family Married, with three children aged 14, 11 and 18 months Interests Skiing, art, cycling, golf, auctions…

BAROLO AND BARBARESCO, arguably Italy’s two greatest red wines, had a tough act to follow in 2011 and 2012 respectively. This is because the immediately preceding vintages of each are widely acknowledged to be among the best in memory. Some, myself included, are not convinced of 2010’s ‘century vintage’ status for Barolo, and yet it’s undoubtedly a year of many great wines. Wine lovers are all too aware that new vintages following on the heels of very famous ones are in danger of being underrated, at times unfairly. For example, the outstanding 1979 Barolos were generally overlooked as they had the misfortune of coming right after the memorable 1978s – the latter undoubtedly a true ‘vintage of the century’. This is a common phenomenon in other world wine regions, too:…

Founded 2006 Region Valle de la Orotava, Tenerife Area 9ha across 21 different plots Vineyards Newest are planted at very high density of 13,500 plants per hectare, trained as single, post-supported bush vines as in Hermitage in the northern Rhône; the oldest vines are 130-year-old Listán Blanco Winemaker Roberto Santana is also one of the four partners in the Env’nate group, making wines in Tenerife under the T‡ganan label, as well as in Galicia and Extremadura…

Judges’ Choice Winner Salut This award, new for 2015, allows the judges to highlight an innovative retailer worthy of special recognition beyond the other categories. Manchester-based Salut is a new wine bar and retailer that Ôbrings a Mancunian, no-nonsense attitude to wine drinking’. Judges praised its fun, modern feel and well-chosen range, with 44 wines by the glass via Enomatic machines. Supermarket of the Year Winner Asda Runner up Marks & Spencer Judges praised the adventurous spirit and high quality of the M&S range, including a revamped English selection. But Asda won through on the back of recent initiatives, including the launch of The Wine Atlas – a bold, well-presented range designed after extensive customer research, as well the work of wine manager Philippa Carr MW. Specialist – Burgundy Winner…

Dining out over the decades At this year’s Vinexpo, the international wine trade fair held biennially in Bordeaux in June, there were three must-attend black-tie dinners – at Châteaux Smith-Haut-Lafitte, Margaux and Montrose – that celebrated the classic wines of the region in great grandeur. Many of my fellow members of the wine press and I are fortunate enough to be invited everywhere – and we go, enjoy it all immensely and then write about it. Wine celebrations do not have to be grand – a simple fête in rural France will be as cheerful as the wines themselves – but the wines should match the occasion and they always do. The aim is the same: to honour the producers and their product. From the early 1970s to the late…

2014 An Atlantic vintage with a vengeance: rain, hail and rot. Yet many wines show promising freshness. Early for a final verdict, but one to watch. 2013 Like 2014, an Atlantic vintage: cooler, and promising more elegant, fragrant wines. Many producers are talking of an ideal vintage, with easily 10 years’ ageing capacity. 2012 The hot, dry summer – the third dry year in a row – was relieved by some rain. Some wines suffered from low acidity, but the best (highlighted overleaf) show good balance. Drink now and over 10 years. 2011 A very hot year, except in July, the wines are, in style, somewhere between 2009 and 2010. Buy carefully. 2010 While this was a hot and dry year, Priorat produced some great wines (see overleaf for the…

Costers del Priorat, Clos Cypres 2013 Decanter average score: 18.75/20pts (95+/100pts) Individual judges’ scores: Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW 18.5 Sarah Jane Evans MW 18.5 Pierre Mansour 19 N/A UK www.costersdelpriorat.com Winemaker José Mas Barberà joined Costers del Priorat (founded 2002) in 2007. He was drawn to Priorat as a region where he could express the soil in the wine. Clos Cypres, 100% Cariñena from a vineyard in Bellmunt planted in 1939, is fermented in 300-litre amphorae and 500-litre old oak, before ageing in barrique. Mas is searching for freshness: ‘I believe in acidity, so I am the first to pick in my village’; and for subtlety: ‘I ferment with stems, but I handle the wine like an infusion’. Look out for Clos Cypres Cariñena from its vineyard in Torroja, coming…

• Costers del Priorat, Clos Cypres 2013 This wine shows just why Cariñena is so special in Priorat. A deep, vibrant red with great purity and fragrance, packed full of red fruit and wild herb flavours, all supported by the fine, refreshing acidity typical of top-quality Cariñena. 18.75/20 (95+/100) Drink 2015-2025 • Joan Simó, Les Eres, Vinyes Velles 2010 Les Eres is the steep vineyard planted more than 90 years ago to Cariñena and Garnacha. Though Joan Simó is a small set-up, judging by the high quality of the scented, complex 2010, we can expect to hear more about it. 18.75 (95+) Drink 2015-2035 • Cal Pla, Mas d’En Compte 2012 The Cal Pla vineyards are in the heart of Priorat on the red slate ‘llicorella’ soils for which this…

PRIORAT HAS ALWAYS been about the vineyard and the soil. What has changed is the human factor, the winemaking. Back in 2011, most of the newer styles of Priorat were still to be released. This year, however, we could taste the development. The transition to slower fermentations, less pumping over, less man-handling in general is apparent. Some producers are using amphorae, others concrete fermenters. Many more are using larger vessels, foudres, and old oak. All of these leave only a slight imprint and allow the origin to be expressed. The tasting is a terrific result for Cariñena (commonly known also as Samsó and Carinyena). Until recently it was as unloved as Garnacha for its rusticity – watch these two fight it out for top billing over the coming years. In…

OUR EXPERTS WERE jubilant at the quality of these wines. ‘Top Syrah is never cheap, but the value in New Zealand is as good as you’re going to get because the quality level is so high,’ said Christine Parkinson who, along with her fellow judges, cited the Gimblett Gravels sub-region of Hawke’s Bay as the outstanding area. ‘Gimblett Gravels is probably the best site outside France not only for Bordeaux varieties but also for Syrah,’ said Philip Tuck MW. Melanie Brown agreed, adding: ‘They are exceptional value compared to the Rhône.’ Despite its small size, Gimblett Gravels ‘is miles better than anywhere else in New Zealand’, said Tuck, because of its free-draining soils, which all the tasters felt contributed to an iconic style. ‘The wines had so much personality,’ said…

Dry River, Lovat, Martinborough Terrace, Martinborough 2011 17.75 (92) MB 18.5 CP 17 PT 18 £47 Raeburn, The New Zealand Cellar Leather, raisin and bay leaf nose followed by a vibrant, compellingly spicy juicy black fruit palate showing equally impressive depth and length. Solid tannins, good weight and lovely mushroom undertones on the finish. Superb. Drink 2015-2026 Alc 12% Sacred Hill, Deerstalkers, Gimblett Gravels, Hawke’s Bay 2013 18.5 (95) MB 18.5 CP 18 PT 19 N/A UK www.sacredhill.com Sweet oak nose with earthiness. A youthful perfume floats off shining black fruit. Nicely plummy acidity, savoury nuances and delicate minerality all lend structure. Decent weight, integrated oak and a lovely grip. This wine sings Syrah. Drink 2015-2030 Alc 13.5% Moana Park, Single Vineyard Reserve, Gimblett Gravels, Hawke’s Bay 2013 17.75 (92)…

• Man O’War, Dreadnought, Waiheke Island 2012 An unusual, smoky, savoury style, this stood out for sheer drinkability and for also being the most food-oriented wine on show. Man O’War is a remarkably consistent esate: good to see it continue. 19/20 (96/100) Drink 2015-2025 • Dry River, Lovat, Martinborough Terrace 2011 Unusually for a 2011, this wine still tasted youthful and balanced, with deep fruit and lively acidity despite the hot, high-yielding vintage. Firm, elegant tannins are holding this together beautifully, and it still has some years ahead. 17 (90) Drink 2015-2026 • Wairau River, Reserve, Marlborough 2013 Marlborough’s lighter style doesn’t always convince, but this showed lovely floral perfume. I think the key is shorter time in oak, giving real refreshment and purity of fruit. 17 (90) Drink 2015-2020…

Château de Fieuzal 17.25 (90+) £27-£30 Millésima, Montrachet Sweet, supple and very ripe, this strapping wine offers rich flavours of creamy dark fruits and smoky minerals. Finishes suave and stylish: a superb Fieuzal. Drink 2016-2025 Alcohol 13.5% Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion 17.25 (90+) £47 Berry Bros & Rudd, Private Cellar, R&B Wines Dark plum, blackberry, ink and minerals on the knockout nose: you can really tell there is lots of Cabernet Franc here (38% of the blend, and 44% Merlot). Silky and deep for 2012, and lots of structure. Drink 2017-2025 Alc 14% Château Haut-Bergey 17 (90) £20 Farr Vintners Very floral, with spicy red berry, tobacco and flint nuances lingering nicely. Confirms the carefully extracted style I tasted blind during the primeurs (as compared to its more famous stablemate…

AS COOKING BECOMES more precise, it seems as if descriptive language is going the other way. The best any of us who write about restaurants has come up with to describe what a coterie of young chefs is doing around town, in the wake of molecular gastronomy, and often brilliantly, is ‘the new cooking’ – not nearly as precise as their kitchen work, let alone as evocative. These kids would probably prefer it that way, happy to dodge a pigeonhole. (In Paris, where I recently ate a five-course meal in which only one dish was actually cooked over a flame, they call it ‘bistronomy’, also imprecise, but cuter.) Done well, as it is by Ollie Dabbous (pictured, the ‘s’ is silent), it’s a revelation: a series of epiphanies around imaginative…

Described as ‘arguably the finest French restaurant in the City’, the Bleeding Heart offers an award-winning, well-priced wine list to accompany beautifully presented seasonal produce, one of London’s best cheese trolleys and warm, professional service. Located in historic Bleeding Heart Yard between Farringdon and Chancery Lane, the warm, wood-panelled restaurant is an ideal venue for an important client lunch, a romantic diner à deux (it has been voted the City’s most romantic restaurant) or for a reunion of old friends. It’s the perfect place to enjoy Decanter’s special offer of a glass of Laurent-Perrier Rosé when ordering from the three-course autumn set menu for lunch (£35) or dinner (£40). The offer is valid from Monday to Friday between 1-30 October 2015, for parties of two to eight people, subject to…

Hotels Château de Mazan In the centre of Mazan – a town well positioned for vineyard visits – this 18th-century château once belonged to the family of the Marquis de Sade. Today it’s a fine hotel with well-tended gardens. www.chateaudemazan.com Hotel Crillon-Le-Brave A comfortable, characterful hotel created out of a cluster of 16th- and 17th-century houses at the pinnacle of a tiny hilltop village. Cosy in winter but the terraces in summer do full justice to glorious views. www.crillonlebrave.com Château Juvenal In her Second Empire home, wine producer Anne-Marie Forestier offers simple bedrooms and excellent food in a magnificent period dining room. Plus worthwhile wines, overseen by leading Rhône consultant Philippe Cambie. www.chateau-juvenal-provence.com Métafort As talented at interior design as she is in the kitchen, Isa Lichtenthurn has turned a…

Leather/ Leathery An aroma often found in red wines that have been aged in oak. Either a secondary or a tertiary aroma, it is associated with the winemaker’s influence and a wine’s ageing process rather than a grape’s varietal characteristic or primary aroma. It is often used as a descriptor in conjunction with vanilla, toast and cedar, which are all associated with the use of oak in red wines. It can also be a savoury characteristic indicative of a wine softening and ageing, losing some of its primary fruit and gaining complexity and depth. (Tasting note from p127)…

Acker opens Tokyo office Acker Merrall is aiming to expand its business among Japanese wine collectors with the opening of a new office in Tokyo. Chairman John Kapon described Japan as ‘a rock’ of the fine wine world and one of Asia’s most developed wine markets. Acker was due to host a simulcast of its 19 September Hong Kong auction at Tokyo’s Grand Hyatt – its first such event in the city. DP galore at Hedonism A treasure-trove of historic Dom Pérignon vintages will be on show at a special DP wine cellar at the Mayfair premises of Hedonism Wines in London for the rest of the year. The cellar features 11 vintages of DP, from P3-1959 to P2-1996, and the wines can be purchased as a collection. DP chef…

THE VALUE OF the fine wine market – for these purposes, the Médoc’s five first-growth châteaux – has increased hugely during the lifetime of this magazine. Our 40-year comparison with gold and equities confirms fine wine has offered a far more lucrative long-term return than gold, and lags only slightly behind the stock market. Academic study The Price of Wine expands on this, using a data-set of 36,000 prices from 1899 to 2012, sourced from Christie’s and Berry Bros & Rudd. It finds that, over that timescale, fine wine has offered a real, annualised financial return of 4.1%, compared to 2.4% for art, 2.8% for stamps and 5.2% for equities. What has driven this? Limited supply and rapidly rising demand. As The Price of Wine states: ‘The strong price appreciation…

A legend because… Roederer’s Cristal was the first prestige cuvée, made for the Russian court. Moët & Chandon was next, with the 1921 vintage of a wine that, when it was released in 1936, was named Dom Pérignon after the 17th-century cellarmaster of the Hautvillers abbey. Although Dom Pérignon is only released in vintages that are considered outstanding, the 1975 has always been recognised as one of the very finest. Looking back Champagne styles can evolve, but even 40 years ago, the taut, lean style of Dom Pérignon was established. It has always been a roughly equal blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The principles of vinification were the same as for the regular Moët bottlings, the difference being stricter selection of grapes, and longer ageing on the lees. The…