Growers Champagne - Diebolt Vallois

Diebolt Vallois, the toast of Michelin star establishments in Paris. Jacques Diebolt and his daughter Isabelle have some outstanding vineyard holdings in the Grands Crus in the Cote de Blancs, predominantly in Cramant. These are wines of authenticity, character and energy and Isabelle talks us through these.

Marquis d'Angerville 2011 and 2003

A recent tasting at the Goring in London of Marquis d'Angerville's wines was a fascinating affair.  Centre stage were the 2011s, which tasted every bit as good as they did in November 2012.  A seamless poise and sensuality are the hallmarks of the best red Burgundy 2011s and those of d'Angerville are brimming with both.  However it was not only the vintage that was talking, each wine had its own personality, which is always reassuring in any Burgundy tasting.  Under the stewardship of Guillaume d'Angerville the wines have a level of finesse they did not before, whilst losing none of their character. In fact if anything this character has been enhanced, quite some a achievement.  Perhaps the two biggest beneficiaries over the last 8 years have been the Fremiets and the Champans, both of which have gained in stature and intensity.  Apart from completing the full move to Biodynamics, Guillaume was at pains to point out that there have been no wholesale changes at the Domaine, only several minor "tweaks."

The most exciting bit of the day for me was tasting the 2003s over lunch en magnum, the first vintage Guillaume took the reins of the estate, as it had been several years since i had last tried them.  The line up comprised of Champans, which was the most opulent and hedonistic of the three, Taillepieds and Clos des Ducs.  The last two surprised emormously as they had largely shrugged off the dominating mark of the famous heatwave vintage and offered a savoury, beguiling complexity aligned to a noticeable mineral edge that gave an impression of freshness. The Clos des Ducs, no doubt thanks to the wealth of underground springs in the vineyard, seemed the least 2003 like of them all. Layered and structured, typically brooding, this still has many years to go before being ready.  On the day the Taillepieds was my favourite, still on the young side, but it opened up more and more with every sip, exhibiting a stature and stony minerality aligned to dark sweet fruit.

It just goes to show how strong terroir handled well can shine through with bottle age, no matter how hard a vintage tries to assert its authority.  

Justerini & Brooks' Portfolio Tasting 2013 at Somerset House

A wonderful evening of specially selected fine wines from our extensive portfolio. Many thanks to the truly iconic wine estates: JJ Prüm from the Mosel, Piedmont's Roberto Voerzio and Cote Rotie legend René Rostaing for hosting such hugely successful master classes. This tasting has truly been the highlight of the calendar year for exploring the world's top vineyards as well as a chance to taste hidden winemaking talent, who will be the next big stars of the wine world.