🍷 W1NG APRIL ICC TASTING NOTES – WINES OF URUGUAY

On 4^th April 2024 the Wine in Nottingham Group met for the latest tasting of the 2024 season. The theme of this tasting was “The Wines of Uruguay”.

I have already outlined the background for this tasting in the previous post, you can (re)read it by clicking back – so I won’t repeat it here. Suffice to say the wines tasted were chosen as a good quality reflection of what’s available from this emerging country.

Here are my notes:

ALBARIÑO RESERVE 2022 (BODEGA GARZÓN)   –   12.5 %   –   ND John Wines £19
This showed some floral notes on the nose, as well as the usual peach/pear fruit notes. The palate has mineral background to a quite rich stone-fruit centre, with increasing citric, lip-smacking acidity. A good full-ish, food-friendly version of the grape, which by proximity to its tasting last August invites comparisons with the “La Trucha” Albariño. This is indeed similar, and very good – but perhaps not quite sharing La Trucha’s fineness or subtlety.
Ratings:        Quality:  ^16.5/₂₀   Value:  ¹⁶/₂₀

“ESTIVAL” WHITE 2020 (PABLO FALLABRINO)   –   13.5 %   –   Wadebridge Wines £20
This blend of late harvested Gewürztraminer (60%) and Muscat (10%) with early picked Chardonnay (30%) has a very lemon scented, even lemon zest, attack presumably from the Chardonnay. Under that and a little recessed are the sort of ginger and floral hints one would expect from Gewürztraminer. The palate is a little unintegrated and has some lychee softness in the middle, but builds back to a lemon-peel freshness at the finish. This wine is discomforted by appearing after the Albariño, and tasted alone the next day has integrated a little more and appears fresher…
Ratings:        Quality:  ^15.5/₂₀   Value:  ¹⁵/₂₀

MARSELAN RESERVE 2021 (BODEGA GARZÓN)   –   12.5 %   –   ND John Wines £19
The Marselan grape, a Cab. Sauv. x Grenache – newly permitted in Bordeaux, has an open nose with herby hints (rosemary?) and red fruit. The palate has blackberry and sour red plum fruit with fine tannins and warm finish with a mineral and acidic backbone. Rather a nice wine and more satisfying, IMO, than a similarly priced Merlot – whose structural and viticultural qualities it might replace on a Bordeaux Estate? The next day it too was better integrated and resolved, allowing a bit more varietal distinctiveness. Good.
Ratings:        Quality:  ^16.5/₂₀   Value:  ¹⁶/₂₀

“NOTOS” 2020 (PABLO FALLABRINO)   –   13 %   –   Wadebridge Wines £20
Well – this Nebbiolo (with 10% Tannat) had fresh and dried berries on the nose together with (and I don’t think this is prejudgment) Tar and Roses!!! The palate is very dry but there is supple and subtle fruit underpinned with a long strand of fresh acidity and fine tannins lifting the wine into a complex finish. Lovely, not quite Barolo, but showing 90% of that wine’s attractions for 1/2 (?) price. The favourite on the night and mine too…
Ratings:        Quality:  ¹⁷/₂₀   Value:  ^16.5/₂₀

TANNAT RESERVE 2021 (BODEGA GARZÓN)   –   14%   –   ND John Wines £19
This very dark, vin noir has aromas of plums and a raspberry note with a spicy hint. The palate has a tannic profile distinctive of the grape but riper and rounder versions of it than found here in Uruguay (or in SW France) 15 years ago. This allows the fruit profile – the same plums and raspberry – to show too. In fact the wine reminded me of a (younger) 100% Tannat I tasted in Salies-de-Béarn (at Domaine Lapeyre et Guilhemas) last October. That said this is a little four-square at the moment, maybe needing another 2 or 3 years?
Ratings:        Quality:  ¹⁶/₂₀   Value:  ^15.5/₂₀

SINGLE VINEYARD PETIT VERDOT 2020 (BODEGA GARZÓN)   –   14.5 %   –   ND John Wines £27
This highly coloured wine has a spirity, even downright alcoholic, nose which masks a hint of blueberry fruit. The palate has a similar profile with Italianate flavours: leather and spice – masking, rather than complementing hints of blueberry fruit and wood. The woody sense is textural rather than the effect of oak: the wine is in 4th-use large casks for 12-18 months. This wine is very big, with big separate components achieving a long and impressive wine that somehow wasn’t very pleasurable. A day later there was some integration and maybe another half-point of pleasure. One can see what a small amount adds to a Bordeaux blend, but the least interesting red IMO, and quite expensive.
Ratings:        Quality:  ^15.5/₂₀   Value:  ^14.5/₂₀

A rather interesting tasting I thought, and in the opinion of the group too. A range of well made wines with distinctive character and – in the main – showing quality and interest throughout. Certainly in my mind it aroused an interest in the capability of Uruguay in the wine market and a curiosity to taste further…. Arinarnoa anyone?

À Bientôt

🍷 Uruguay Wines – Hidden Gems

The idea for a tasting on this wine topic came out of the W1NG tasting of Medoc Crus Bourgeois Exceptionnels last December. The tasting group were discussing the list of newly permitted grapes in Bordeaux: Touriga Nacional, Marselan, Castets, Arinarnoa, Alvarinho and Liliorila. In particular Marselan, which I have tasted in some blends from Southern Rhone and Provence, provoked some interest – and I thought of sourcing some varietal examples. I found a Uruguayan Marselan of some repute, and originally I thought of conducting a tasting including Brazil and Peru in with Uruguay as a sort of “The Rest of South America” tasting. However, sourcing distinctive wine in our price range was difficult from Brazil or Peru. Either they were too “cheap and cheerful” or too international, or both. For example, the leading UK supplier of Brazilian wines lists 54 bottles – only 20 are in our price range and 14 of those are sparkling. Peru is even cheaper (and less cheerful?) – with the best source, funnily enough – in Paris!

Anyway, Uruguay initially seemed a more promising source of finer wine, and interesting varietals like Marselan and Petit Verdot – and so it proved…

Uruguay is a small country, slightly bigger than England, slightly smaller than Scotland and England combined. The country is about 500 kms wide at its widest, and about 600 kms from its most Southerly point (the capital: Montevideo) and the most Northerly point.

It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast. It is sparsely populated – only 3.5 million people live there, the vast majority along the north bank of the Río de la Plata, and on the S. E. coast of the Atlantic.

The latitude 34° South runs pretty well along the southern limit of the Country. This is an interesting parallel: it also runs through Chilean wine areas; Mendoza in Argentina; Cape Town in S. Africa; Sydney and Auckland – all wine regions! In fact, unless relieved by other factors (oceanic.. altitude…) wine making is difficult at hotter latitudes.

Uruguay consists, administratively, of 15 regions – and wine regions share the same designations. All produce some wine and most are home to at least 2 or 3 wineries – but there are only about 180 in the whole of the country. However most wine making is concentrated, like the population, in the Southern third of the country – along the Río de la Plata estuary and the coast with the Atlantic in the S. E of the country. Here the maritime influence of the ocean ameliorates climatic extremes, in a similar way to the Atlantic at the “other end” – near Bordeaux! In fact 5 of the 15 regions together produce 95% of the wine. The 5 regions making this vast majority are – in order of total production – Canelones; Montevideo; Colonia; San José and Maldonado. However, according to Elizabeth Yabrudy, this order is slightly rearranged when looking for fine wine – with Maldonado now close behind Canelones and Montevideo… In fact Elizabeth is an informative writer on Uruguayan wine – see this article from Wine, Wit and Wisdom blog.

Here a map of the southern areas with 8 regions shown:

Florida           < 1%……………….. Montevideo 15%
Colonia         7% ………………….Lavalleja         < 1 %
San Jose      4% ………………….Maldonado     3%
Canelones   66%……………………Rocha            < 1%

S Uruguay Total ≡ 96%

Although Uruguayan wine production is small by comparison with its neighbours, it is still substantial. Argentina and Chile are, after all, the 6th and 7th largest wine-producing countries in the world with about 1.8 billion bottles; and Brazil third within S. America (and 15th in the World) with about 400 million bottles. Uruguay (23rd) produces about 110 million – a little more than Peru, but over 10 times as much as England – and a bit less than Switzerland, and a bit more than Croatia. [All figures 2022].

The grape most identified with Uruguay is Tannat, the grape of Madiran (and other S. W. French appellations). The grape is still accounts for about a quarter of planting and its significance as the (intended) signature grape of Uruguay clearly parallels that of Malbec in Argentina. However until the last ten years or so it was often big, alcoholic, rough and over-oaked. Now more judicious use of cooler sites, and more warm-climate winemaking techniques are producing lighter, and more region-specific styles. Some commentators have noted a change to bigger barrels, some oxygenation, a move to fresher styles using more Italian-style winemaking appropriate to warmer climes.

In some ways the influence of the Atlantic allows the possibility of more European profile of wines. But the maritime effect is less pronounced in the Estuary. Tim Atkin says: “This is not only about the ocean, Uruguay has also a marked influence from the Río de la Plata, the estuary formed by the union of Paraná River and Uruguay River. The vineyards closer to these rivers are warmer than those more to the east, where there is the major influence of the Atlantic.” In fact west of Montevideo that heat difference can be 2°C, more humidity, and a week earlier harvesting compared to, say, Maldonado. Soils differ too with a lot of clay amplifying the risk of fungal infections in the grapes.

On the other side – the more easterly region of Maldonado has the biggest influence from the ocean’s cooling breezes; more altitude; more varied geology with soil types including crystalline rocks with some quartz incrustations, alluvial and gravel soils in the valleys, and weathered granite…

I have chosen to base a tasting on two producers: Bodega Garzón from Maldonado; and Vinedo de los Vientos (Bodega Pablo Fallabrino) from Atlántida in Eastern Canalones – about 30 mile East of Montevideo and only 4 miles from the sea.

Bodega Garzón is where the billionaire Bulgheroni family, with help from Italian winemaking consultant Alberto Antonini, has spent the past 20 years turning former cattle grazing land and eucalyptus forests into the country’s most prominent winery. They have since become the standard-bearer for premium wines from Uruguay considered probably the best producer and certainly the best among large exporters. In November 2018, their pioneering status was recognised by Wine Enthusiast with the ‘New World Winery of the Year’ award. The vineyards at Bodega Garzón are a patchwork quilt of 1,150 individual plots of around 0.2 hectares in size, each plot carefully chosen for a specific variety according to its soil and microclimate. The winery is specially designed to operate as sustainably as possible, and is the first winery outside North America to pursue LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). Built on natural terraces, the winery uses cutting-edge technology and operates using a gravity system to ensure quality and energy efficiency at every stage of production.

Located 11 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, the estate has more than 1,000 small vineyard blocks covering hillside slopes, which benefit from varying microclimates, different levels of humidity and an intense canopy management. Well-draining granitic soils and cooling Atlantic breezes allow the grapes to ripen steadily. The vineyards are surrounded by lush forests, palm trees, rocky soils and granite boulders. Most of their wines are varietal and we’ll try their Albariño, Marselan, Tannat and Petit Verdot.

Bodega Garzón

Bodega Pablo Fallabrino

Our other wines will come from Vinedo de los Vientos, a Bodega owned by the Fallabrino family which produces limited run wines of the highest quality. The name means “Vineyard of the Winds” and is located near where the River Plate Estuary and Atlantic Ocean meet. Owned by the family since 1947, they upgraded to an ultra-modern winery in 1998 and over the past two decades have transformed into a world class winery. With an aim to produce great wines in small quantities, in 1998, the Fallabrino family completed, an ultra-modern winery with stainless steel tanks, pneumatic presses and French oak barrels. The winemaker Pablo Fallabrino, a laid-back good-natured surfer (he has a range of wines called Soul Surfer!), was warded WINEMAKER OF THE YEAR by the Tim Atkin MW Uruguay report 2023. Working with Italian grapes (Arneis, Barbera, Nebbiolo…) as well as Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Tannat (of course) and others – his approach is not to over-think the winemaking process. Instead, he runs with his instincts, takes chances and makes wines with his own personal signature. A Ripasso Tannat and a Sparkling Nebbiolo (!?) are among his 15 wines, but also an interesting white blend and a normal, still, Nebbiolo. We’ll try these last two.

The tasting will be on April 4th, notes will be posted here within the following 4 – 6 days.

À Bientôt

🍷 A Châteauneuf-du-Pape Tasting

Last Friday a small cross-section of the former W1NG Tutured Tasting group made their way to Paul and Anna’s house to taste some Châteauneuf.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape was the first area to be classified in the modern AOC system, in 1936. It takes it’s name from the small town at its centre, but extends over 5 communes – covering about 3,200 hectares. 95% of production is red, the remainder white. Permitted grape varieties number 13: 8 red and 5 white, and quite unusually the white grapes can be included in the red blend. The main red grapes are Grenache; Syrah; Mourvèdre; Cinsault and Counoise – but there are 3 other lesser known red varieties: Muscardin; Vaccarèse and Terret – heard of them before? Me neither! On the white side, permitted are Clairette; Rousanne; Bourboulenc; Picpoul and Picardin – I expect all but the last will be familiar. Most red Châteauneuf-du-Pape is based on Grenache, but the rules don’t exclude – for example – a 100% Syrah or 100% Mourvèdre..

Here’s a map showing the area:

So, while the blend of grapes is one factor in the range of wine styles within the appellation – another is soil composition. The map shows 8 general styles of soil structure – nearly every style has 2 or 3 sub-categories – theoretically influencing the wine.
In general, sandy soil makes for fruity open styles; limestone for more acidity and freshness – and also tannins; clay for darker fruit, power and structure; mixed soils add to the vintage-expressiveness of the blend…
Another factor is freshness, in this area acidity in the wines are helped by cooler nights and therefore bigger diurnal temperature ranges. On the other hand the prevalence of large heat-retaining stones, called Galets, on the surface in some areas can mitigate that …

Of course some growers will have holdings in one place with a distinctive terroir – others will have holdings in several places around the area, with different soils which can be factored into the blend.

Anna and Paul decided to focus the tasting on two producers: Domaine Raymond Usseglio and Domaine Cristia who exemplify these two sorts of geographic sources.

Domaine USSEGLIO is based in the town of Châteauneuf-du-Pape itself, but the domain has 24 hectares in various parcels throughout Châteauneuf-du-Pape – in varied soils, including sandstone, red clay, sandy hillsides, limestone rocks and rolling galets well exposed to the sun. These conditions, and their practice of suiting grapes to parcels, allows a measured maturity and depth to the wines – they claim.

Domaine CRISTIA is a biodynamic estate of 19Ha of 90% sandy terroirs located in the eastern sector of the appellation (“Cristia” can be seen on the map above). Most of the plots benefit from a North–East exposure, which gives the vines a freshness and allows you to obtain grapes and wines with supple and elegant tannins. A single plot, located in the place called “l’Arnesque” to the east of the appellation, is covered with rolled pebbles which bear witness to the passage of the Rhône, and benefits from full sunshine. The heat absorbed during the day is thus returned at night, which allows the maintenance of a constant temperature which is good for maturity but keeps acid in check.

We started the tasting with a pair or 2004s – one from each producer. Here are some notes:

Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2004 Domaine Usseglio (75% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre)
Nose has a fruit attack with some herbal, almost minty or menthol notes. The palate has an immediate fruit and stony minerality with hints of blackberry… more forest floor, slightly mushroom and even truffle appear later. Changes even more with further time showing some spice, fine structure and deeper flavours.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2004 Domaine de Cristia (80% G, 5% S, 5% M, 5% Cinsault, 5% Counoise)
This is slightly darker with fresher acidity, suggesting food. The nose has a lighter fragrance but bigger softer flavours and a warmer overall impression. The nose remains quiet, and the palate more open – with herb rather than spice and a hint of liquorice on the finish.

There followed the same pair but from 2007 – quite a well ranked vintage, although I’ve so far always preferred the ’04.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2007 Domaine Usseglio (80%, 10% M, 6% S, 2% Cinsault, 2% Counoise)
Similar nose to the ’04 but a touch lighter and slightly dilute seeming. Against that the nose had slightly more subtlety and even floral hints – lots of light touch perfume but not integrated, and similar suggestions of secondary flavours but not (yet) fully resolved. Compared to the same Domaine’s ’04 it seemed somehow incomplete – could it still be evolving? After 17 years??

Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2007 Domaine de Cristia (same grapes as 2004)
This was a big contrast to the Usseglio ’07, and along similar lines to the first pair. This was slightly spirity with cherry brandy notes – palate is soft and sweet with less complexity and structure and easy to quaff. In many ways this spoke of the lightness from a sandy terroir even more than the ’04.

Finally another pair served blind – a 2009 from one of these two Domaines, set alongside another 2009 wine from a different appellation!! Which is the Châteauneuf-du-Pape? Which Domaine is it?? What is the other appellation???

Wine 5 had quite a hard nose with slightly burnt fruit tones, more spice and recessed fruit on the palate, opening a bit with time. Compared to 6 it seemed to have simpler fruit and more rustic tannins…
Wine 6 had a slightly lighter slightly softer nose, finer tannins some warm alcohol hints, peppery notes, a tighter structure and the hint of secondary flavours beginning…

I think we quickly concluded that both were Southern Rhône wines with similar grape blends, and although the flavour profiles were very similar a consensus emerged that wine 6 was finer, more complex and probably the Châteauneuf-du-Pape. While the contrasting wine probably came from another named village of S. Rhône. Several villages were named, but John trumped everyone by guessing Gigondas – which proved to be the case!

5 was Gigondas 2009 Domaine Brusset (50G, 30S, 20M)
6 was Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2009 Domaine Usseglio (same grapes as 2007)

Overall a very interesting tasting: my personal favourite was the first wine; I generally preferred the Usseglio to the Cristia and 2004 seemed the best vintage, right now, to my palate. In the round I felt we could detect the difference between a sandy soil wine and one with more limestone and clay under the grapes! In addition it showed that Châteauneuf is capable of fineness as well as power in comparison to other S. Rhône wines.

So – congratulations to John. And profound thanks to Anna and Paul for the wines, the organisation of the tasting and hosting a pleasant, informative and convivial evening.

À Bientôt

🍷 Xmas Wines & 2023 Wine Review

Hello everyone. 2023 draws to a close and – other considerations notwithstanding – it’s time to reflect on my wine experiences this year. “Other considerations” won’t have to stand for long – I’ll be thinking about the year in politics and otherwise soon enough. But this is about wine…

Actually a personal sustained high point has been the series of wines I’ve been drinking this Xmas:

KAMPTAL RIED 1^ÖTW “LAMM” GRÜNER VELTLINER 2020 (SCHLOSS GOBELSBURG).
RIED 1^ÖTW  means 1^st Growth Vineyard – referring to the LAMM vineyard. Good GV often gives the impression of getting richer as it ages, and this wine has certainly done that since last tasted a year ago. It has notes of peach and citrus and a spicy note, but the searing grapefruit acidity is rounder – perhaps more orange or mandarin – while still retaining that citrus pith note. Long and with mounting complexity – this was great with a pork stroganoff.

AMONTILLADO SINGULAR BOTAS (DIATOMISTS)
This wine featured in probably my favourite tasting of the year: A Sherry evening at Brigitte Bordeaux where it stood out as my favourite. Here again, drunk with a chicken and sweetcorn soup with some (cheaper) sherry in it, it showed its dazzling qualities again…

AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO 2012 (CANTINA NEGRAR)
This well aged Amarone is absolutely correct and typical: aromas of plums and prunes with a hint of almond/cherry; palate with rich prune flavours and a line of supporting acidity and a bitter tannic chocolate finish. Wonderful with duck…

IRANCY “LES CAILLES” 2017 (RICHOUX)
We bought this when visiting Chablis last January. Irancy is a small village about 10 miles SW of Chablis, giving its name to an area planted with Pinot Noir. Thus it’s the most northerly Red Burgundy village! Many Chablis growers will produce a cheap and cheerful Irancy, so we went to the village in search of something a bit better. As chance would have it the only grower we found giving tasting at that moment was Felix Richoux, who turns out to be a top grower – and this is his top wine (about €27 at cellar door). It has an open fruit nose: darker cherry and vibrant cranberry; with some herby hints. The fruit is lighter on the palate, a little dwarfed by a pleasing but long line of acidity, and there is a stony tannic finish. It is a little young, and more reminiscent of Mercurey than Côte-d’Or reds. But perfect with traditional (though slightly reconstructed) Xmas Turkey dinner!

ALSACE GEWÜRTRAMINER 2019 (BEBLENHEIM)
We bought this a couple of years ago to drink with Thai cuisine – including a traditional boxing day Thai Turkey green curry. This isn’t an expensive wine, and it comes from one of Alsace’s best 2 co-ops (at Beblenheim – the other is at Turckheim), and was chosen for it’s relatively low alcohol and residual sugar (13%; 13g/l) compared to most examples. This therefore has more rose petal than lychee perfumes with hints of ginger and a fresh palate helped by a round but persistent acidity. Perfect for the job!

Looking back over the year, its has been marked by a return to tastings – both at the cellar door and in Nottingham – though at a slower rate than pre-COVID. I led three tastings of the W1NG group, all reported on this blog (Loire Cabernet Franc – February; Auteur Wines of Philip von Nell – August and, recently, Medoc Crus Bourgeois Exceptionnels). All were enjoyable to conduct and to see old friends again, but most interesting in wine terms, for me, was the last. For one thing all the wines were new to me too, and I found it intriguing to be comparing wines where the difference relied on structural subtleties: mostly the slightly different tannins and their place in the overall wine make-up.

W1NG also had three tastings led by Brigitte Bordeaux (Posh v Plonk – April; Alpine Wine – June; and Greek Wine – October), the first two are reported on this blog too – the last I was unable to attend.
Brigitte Bordeaux also held a couple of tastings at her eponymous wine Bar – a Spanish Tapas matching tasting – where the highlight was a Mencia; and the above-mentioned Sherry evening. Also in England I attended an South Africa Tasting with Richard Kelley at Hart’s restaurant where my favourite wine was a Cabernet Franc (quelle surprise)! I also went to a Wine Society USA tasting at Albert hall, Nottingham where so many wines were impressive, but big and expensive…

I also had the pleasure of tasting in Chablis and Irancy earlier in the year and in the little known wine area of Béarn. Famous areas such as Jurançon and Madiran lie to the East of the AC Béarn itself – but good quality Tannat and Gros Manseng can be found there.

So – all in all – 2023 was a much more satisfying and interesting wine-year than the 3 preceding years so what is my wine of the year?

Several bottle highlights are hinted in the above and some of the tastings mentioned… Philip von Nell’s Raiffy Malbec; La Trucha Albariño; and Susumaniello were great discoveries – although, to be fair, I tasted them first in 2022. Other highlights were: the Mencia I alluded to above, along with the GV noted in this post; a wonderful Château Haut-Bergeron 2005 tasted with our French neighbours back in July; and my favourite revelation from helping BB with the Wine Trader tasting Domeniile Averesti Rosé…

However my final vote goes to the sherry: AMONTILLADO SINGULAR BOTAS (DIATOMISTS).

Try it…

À Bientôt

🍷 Medoc Crus Bourgeois Exceptionnels – TASTING NOTES

The W1NG wine group met on Thursday December 7th to taste 6 (of the 14) 2019 Crus Bourgeois Exceptionnels (CBE). All the wines were sourced from Tanners, in cases of all 14 CBEs. The average price is about £25 a bottle. The six selected were a cross section of the communes, the range of assemblages, and all having been rated by independent tasters – whose scores are recorded in the text.

The wines were tasted by the group on a cool-ish wet evening, with the six wines poured over an hour or so. In this setting its fair to say all seemed young. However there were 3 late no-shows, so there was a good sample-sized portion left in each bottle. I poured them all again 24 hours later, so they were all lined up in front of me to taste direct comparisons first, and then with food (sausages!). I think it both unsurprising and fair to say that every wine improved with the time – probably equivalent to 3 years or so in the cellar? The improvement was worth at least half a point for every wine and those are the scores I give below.
In most cases – with food things the wines seemed improved again… however this was uneven. Wines 1, 2 and 3 marginally, though 2 a little more; wine 4 actually seemed worse and 5 was not enhanced. The biggest difference was wine 6 which seemed better integrated and the food counterpointed some hidden complexity elevating the wine to equal top. If I was buying now for drinking in (say) 2027-2030 I’d think the 2 Saint-Estèphes (2 & 3) and the Margaux (6) would be the better bets!

Here are my notes:

1 CHÂTEAU LESTAGE (Listrac-Médoc)   14.5 %  
[The Assemblage of this wine, in %, is: Cabernet Sauvignon (CS) 31   Merlot (M) 64   Cabernet Franc (CF) 3   Petit Verdot (PV) 2]
Quite a recessed nose with some hints of an earthy berry fruit. The palate has quite a soft acidity and not strong, but rather coarse tannins giving a muddy character… a little improved later with the same earthy fruit softening the tannin but still a bit muddy,
Ratings:        Quality:  ¹⁵/₂₀   Value:  ^14.5/₂₀

2 CHÂTEAU LE BOSCQ (Saint-Estèphe)   13.5 %
[CS 46  M 46   CF 2   PV 6]
A darker nose with recessed black fruit and some non-fruit elements (tar?). Immediate strong tannins but finer – the other way round to the previous wine’s. Palate has woody hints and strong citric acidity giving a fresher feel with the fruit only appearing near the end. More going on than the previous wine and some time to wait.
Ratings:        Quality:  ^15.5/₂₀   Value:  ¹⁵/₂₀

3 CHÂTEAU LE CROCK (Saint-Estèphe)   14 %
[CS 46  M 43   CF 7   PV 4]
Fruitier nose with black berry flavours apparent. Quite firm but balanced tannins combining with a freshening line right to the long finish. This has everything one expects from this level claret and showing signs of integration already – very good. The highest scoring in other comparisons and the favourite wine with the group on the night… for me too – both then and a day later.
Ratings:        Quality:  ^16.5/₂₀   Value:  ¹⁶/₂₀

4 CHÂTEAU DE MALLERET (Haut Médoc)   14 %
[CS 54  M 44   CF –   PV 2]
This is inky dark with spicy plum notes on the nose. Open and much more approachable with the same plum flavours – dense and smooth but rather too simple for me. Later even more so but much of these qualities disappeared with food. A little too much of a quaffing wine? This Château changes their assemblage quite a lot from year to year – I wonder if this is designed to make a wine that is more approachable when young?
Ratings:        Quality:  ¹⁵/₂₀   Value:  ^14.5/₂₀

5 CHÂTEAU BELLE-VUE (Haut Médoc)   14 %
[CS 48  M 30   CF 1 + Carménère 1   PV 20]
This has an initial pungency, with almost medicinal notes – later some dark peppery fruit. Tannins rather prominent and a rather iron mineral undertone with that slightly medicinal element penetrated the fruit in the mid palate. This wasn’t helped with food and rather disappointed…
Ratings:        Quality:  ¹⁵/₂₀   Value:  ^14.5/₂₀

6 CHÂTEAU D’ARSAC (Margaux)   13.5 %
[CS 72  M 28   CF –   PV –]
This has more open fruit on the nose – raspberry and blackcurrant. The palate has a long lifting acidity mingling with the fruit in the middle palate. The tannins are dryish and on first taste concentrated towards the finish. But the overall package seems lighter after so much tannin before, but later this lightness appears only due to that contrast. With food this comes into its own showing its complexity and interplay well. Undoubtedly young and comes a little behind the Le Crock but with food pretty much its equal
Ratings:        Quality:  ¹⁶⁺/₂₀   Value:  ^15.5/₂₀

A rather cerebral tasting with wines that are so similar and relatively young in their journey towards maturity. All have perceptible tannins, similar fruit levels in the dark red to black range, and refreshing acidity. Thus the distinctions exist in the structure: quality of the tannins: supple or harsh; fine or coarse; strong or light… or in the length, interplay and timing of the lines of fruit or aciditity.. or whether fruit concurs with the tannins (Wine 1) or acidity (3 & 6) or tannins concur with acidity or all three lines intermingle! Such a preoccupation with structure makes for quite a rarified tasting… but a beguiling and interesting one in my opinion.

À Bientôt

🍷 Medoc Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnels

Bordeaux red wine – claret – is renowned for the world’s most famous wine classification system ever devised:  1855 Classification of Crus Classés. This divided the top 61 wines into five tiers, according to their price at the time. However it’s association of price with quality has remained and accentuated that link, and now the self-fulfilling nature of the classification is immovable.

However the term “Crus des Bourgeois” meaning wine estates owned by the town-dwellers of Bordeaux (the Bourg) is first recorded in 1740. Recognising the fact that that wine merchants had a concentration of wealth and vineyard ownership in the area, stemming from tax exemptions conferred by the English 300 years before…

For a detailed explanation of the History of the term Cru Bourgeois and an explanation of the New system of classification – and the results – see the Press Kit of the Alliance des Crus Bourgeois du Médoc.

The term Cru Bourgeois persisted as a sort of quality shorthand, and indeed just 3 years after the 1855 Classification there was a proposed 3-tier ranking of 248 such crus. At the time, integrating these with the main 1855 classification (as divisions 6, 7 & 8?) was discussed but never formally taken up.

However the idea that there was a layer (or 3) of good wines below the Crus Classés persisited, and in 1932 that the first real classification was created under the supervision of the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Agriculture of the Gironde, listing 444 “Crus Bourgeois du Médoc”. Although this classification was never submitted for ministerial approval, it served as a reference for several decades.

However it was not until 2003 that a ministerial order approved the first official classification of the Crus Bourgeois du Médoc which recognized 247 châteaux out of 490 candidates classified as 151 “Crus Bourgeois”, 87 “Crus Bourgeois Supérieurs” and 9 “Crus Bourgeois Exceptionnels”.

However this just brought to a head a fundamental tension in the very idea of this sort of classification – 1855 included! That is – is classification a status of the Estate, or an expression of some sort objective (?) quality of the wine??

The last 3-tier classification in 2003 was annulled in 2007 due to disputes, conflicts of interest and legal action, and since 2010 there has effectively been a single annual Cru Bourgeois imprimatur of the wine quality – not the châteaux. Several châteaux opted out, including six or the nine 2003 Exceptionnels: (Chasse Spleen, Les Ormes de Pez, de Pez, Potensac, Poujeaux and Siran). They have formed their own marketing group called “Les Exceptionnels“. Three other notable châteaux have always stayed outside: Haut-Marbuzet; Sociando-Mallet; Gloria.

The re-emergence of Medoc Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnels on the market following the re-introduction of the 3-tier system in February 2020.

The new system (with effect from the 2018 vintage) is a 5-year quality mark rather than a legal ranking of properties or land, and has 14 Exceptionnels. It has a series of explicit criteria for inclusion at each level: tasting; environmental; quality management and marketing. So it conveys a more enduring approval of the property without tipping over to permanent status.

It seems, so far, that the top of this tree should be a reasonable indication of quality – alongside, perhaps, the famous châteaux in “Les Exceptionnels” group or otherwise outside – 9 are mentioned above.

I’ll picked out 6 CB Exceptionnels of the 14 to taste, hoping they cover the different communes included and give a cross-section of grape assemblage (varying from twice as much Merlot as Cabernet – to the other way round). They also have the benefit of having been all tasted and assessed by other tasters.

The six we’ll taste next week are: Château Lestage (Listrac-Médoc); Château Le Boscq (Saint-Estèphe); Château Le Crock (Saint-Estèphe); Château De Malleret (Haut Médoc); Château Belle-Vue (Haut Médoc); Château D’arsac (Margaux).

Tasting notes will be posted sometime around December 14th.

À Bientôt

🍷 A SHERRY TASTING AT BRIGITTE BORDEAUX

About a week ago I went to a Sherry Tasting, at Brigitte Bordeaux to mark International Sherry Week. There we were treated to 6 wines from Diatomists, a modern sherry producer trying to rebalance modern viticulture and viniculture with traditional sherry aging processes. Diatomists were represented at the tasting by Antonio Morenés – one of a triumvirate leading the company.

Antonio started by explaining the origin of their name – from Diatoms, simple algae that have transparent, opaline silica, cell walls… they are the only such organism on earth. They happen to be helpful to the climate, converting CO2 into organic carbon in the form of sugars and releasing Oxygen.
However their interest here is geological rather than environmental. The sherry area was under sea for millions of years and Diatoms deposited a silt of their fossils 400m deep before the area became land. This layer was brought near to the surface by tectonic movement, and in the modern era the soil is rich in diatom fossils below a chalky top soil. They retain moisture helping vines to flourish in very hot dry growing seasons, encouraging deep root growth of up to 12 metres.

Antonio’s personal story is quite interesting: he is the 7th generation of sherry producers in his family, but the line is not continuous… In the 1970s his father got out of the business when he judged an overreliance of the resilience of the Solera system was leading to neglect of the basics of producing good wine: excellent viticulture and vinicultural practices!

You can read the rest of the story through the link at the top of this post. The question is: “Is the wine good?” Here are my notes:

The first wine was a freshly made, not fortified, white wine from Palomino Fino.
Diatomists Sotovelo 2022 is light (12% alcohol) and very dry. It is aged under flor for 8 months and has a slightly floral nose and hints of apple from the grape and salt from the flor. It has sharp acidity and a dry chalky element on the palate with an apricot hint. The structure reminds one of Chablis (no surprise as the soil structure has similarities to the Kimmeridgian soil of that wine area). Overall it reminded me a bit more of a cooler Chenin Blanc (Jasnières say). A lovely wine @ £22 (for 75ml bottle).

Then on to the proper Sherry (all supplied in 375ml, half, bottles – for the price of £19.90 [unless otherwise noted])!

Diatomists Manzanilla (£14.90)
Aged for 5 years, this has very fresh attack with appley fruit and typical salty notes. More balanced than most Manz. with the same fruit notes as the previous white wine peeking through. A very good fino/Manz. and a good step up from traditional market wines, but twice the price…
Ratings:        Quality:  ^16.5/₂₀   Value:  ¹⁴/₂₀

Diatomists Amontillado
This has 5 years maturation under flor, as a fino, and then 7 years in an oxidative Solera – so a 12 year old wine… It shows wonderful complexity on the nose and the palate leads with fino notes before engaging in interplay with rich fruit and nut tones in the middle palate. The finish is memorable with – somehow – sweet flavours without sweetness. A triumph, my favourite on the night and a pretty strong candidate for the best sherry I’ve ever tasted!
Ratings:        Quality:  ¹⁸/₂₀   Value:  ¹⁵/₂₀

Diatomists Oloroso
This isn’t usually my favorite style of sherry although good examples can work well with the right accompaniment. My issue is that I find the oxidative elements often “tighten” in the middle palate seeming to restrict the development of complexity in the wine. This example – aged for 12 years in a 140 year old solera – has a rich mouthfeel and a normal dry-white-wine level of citric acidity. The combination gives a relative “release” just where most Oloroso close up, and opens the palate to a broader woody finish. Very very good.
Ratings:        Quality:  ^17.5/₂₀   Value:  ^14.5/₂₀

Diatomists Medium
This is a blend of 15 year old Oloroso with 10% PX then another 5 years in barrel. The wine is about 80g/l sugar so a balanced sweetness with a cast of many of the recurring characters of the range: walnut, citrus – with peel notes this time, apricot… A versatile wine having a similar place to medium sweet unfortified wines… maybe with a salty starter or cheese. A little less interesting – for me – than the wines served either side of it… But would probably appear very good in other company.
Ratings:        Quality:  ¹⁶/₂₀   Value:  ¹⁴/₂₀

Diatomists Pedro Ximenez
This comes in at 120g/l sugar and is made from PX grapes sorted twice – before and after drying. Very sweet with a strikingly clear acidic lift – figs with a sharper apricot counter-note. Lovely, almost a dessert rather than an accompaniment to dessert.
Ratings:        Quality:  ^16.5₂₀   Value:  ¹⁴/₂₀

These are stunning wines with a couple of class-leading examples. They are admittedly at a premium price but at or near good-value even at that premium. They are well worth tasting – maybe at Brigitte Bordeaux… to whom I extend many thanks for a memorable evening.

À Bientôt