Domaine Weinbach : Praises sung on jancisrobinson.com

Following a recent visit to Domaine Weinbach, Richard Hemming, regular contributor to Jancis Robinson's Purple Pages (www.jancisrobinson.com), found much to praise about the wines of Domaine Weinbach. In fact, having visited the 10 most prestigious wineries in Alsace, he appears to have come back enamoured with Weinbach more than any other Domaine. Herewith his comments in full:

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A glowing review for Aristos

Award winning Master of Wine Peter Richards knows a thing or two about Chile. Extensive travelling (and tasting) through Chile's vineyard regions instilled in him a burning passion for the wines produced there and so it was no surprise that he returned to pen the Andre Simon short-listed book, Wines of Chile.  He is the Decanter World Wine Awards Chilean Regional Chair and together with his wife, fellow MW Susie Barrie, was awarded IWSC Wine and Spirits Communicator of the year in 2010.  Not content with being a very talented writer and broadcaster, he is also, perhaps most importantly, an exceptional taster. And having tasted most of what Chile has to offer it's exciting to see him sing the praises of a wine we tasted and loved immediately.

Quoting verbatim from the August edition of Decanter Peter wrote:

"One of Chile's newest, most exciting names is the result of an international collaboration between some reputed names. Vosne-Romanee producer Vicomte Louis-Michel Liger-Belair, of Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, works with noted Chilean terroir specialist Pedro Parra and maverick winemaker Francois Massoc to make just two Cabernets and a Chardonnay. The first vintages were sourced from the Calyptra vineyard, high in the Andean foothills in Coya in the eastern Cachapoal Valley. The Cabernet is refreshing and easy drinking in the Chilean Context, but it's the elegantly savoury, nutty and grippy Chardonnay, very much in a  Burgundian mould, that is the star. Given Liger-Belair's origins you might expect a Pinot Noir to be on the cards. But according to Parra, the team 'haven't found any in Chile good enough. Yet."

"Outstanding" wines from 2008 - The wines

Chevillon, Robert

Nuits St.-Georges “Les Chaignots”: from a 1.5 ha parcel that blends 40+ and 60+ year old vines

A spicy and wonderfully complex nose of red berry liqueur, violets and earth notes, the latter of which continues onto the pure, refined and poised middle weight flavors that possess outstanding balance and excellent length. This is really quite lovely if entirely serious and I admire how fine the tannins are. Note that this will require at least a decade to be at its best. 91/100, drink from 2018+

12 x 75cl - £365/case in bond

Clair, Bruno

Savigny-lès-Beaune “La Dominode: from vines planted in 1902

A ripe and dense nose of high-toned red pinot fruit cut with ample amounts of plum, violets and Savigny-style earth that are very much in keeping with the rich, full, delicious and serious medium weight flavors that finish with fine intensity and plenty of sappy extract. The old vines and low yields are very much in evidence because in addition to the impressive intensity and sap, there is very good phenolic ripeness. 91/100, drink from 2016+

12 x 75cl - £360/case in bond

Gevrey-Chambertin “Les Cazetiers”: from 40+ year old vines

A classic Gevrey nose of superb complexity displays distinctly sauvage notes on the intensely earthy and underbrush-suffused red berry fruit aromas that also show a hint of crushed leaf character merge seamlessly into very rich and full-bodied flavors where the tannic spine is prominent and firm on the strikingly long finish. Though patience will certainly be required, there is enough extract present that this should not be unduly austere once it begins to mature though note that it is very austere and backward at present. 92/100, drink from 2020+

12 x 75cl - £645/case in bond

Gevrey-Chambertin “Clos St. Jacques”: from a 1 ha parcel of 40+ year old vines

An ultra elegant, cool, refined and layered nose of stone-infused red pinot fruit from crushed leaf aromas complements to perfection the textured, gorgeously detailed and driving middle weight flavors where the wonderfully persistent though presently austere and linear finish seems to be constructed over a firm base of minerality. Terrific. 93/100, drink from 2020+

12 x 75cl - £785/case in bond 6 x 150cl - £810/case in bond

Chambertin – Clos de Bèze: two-thirds of the vines were planted in 1912 and the remainder in 1973

Discreet wood influence surrounds the intensely spicy and earthy nose that is at once elegant yet animale and this sauvage character extends to the very rich, powerful and well-muscled flavors that possess a seductively textured yet firm finish of imposing length. This is a big but focused Bèze that has already begun to shut down. Patience will be required. 94/100, drink from 2023+

12 x 75cl - £1095/case in bond 6 x 150cl - £1120/case in bond

Gouges, Henri

Nuits St.-Georges “Les St.-Georges”: 55+ year old vines

A more elegant but cool and reserved nose of exceptionally pure red berry and plum aromas also possesses notes of earth and underbrush that transfer seamlessly over to the rich, full and focused medium weight plus flavors that are actually quite supple and round but where this really distinguishes itself from the Vaucrains is the seriously impressive depth on the moderately austere and mildly herbal but hugely long finish. Like the Vaucrains, this will need plenty of time. 92/100, drink from 2018+

12 x 75cl - £695/case in bond 6 x 150cl - £710/case in bond

Grivot, Jean

Nuits St.-Georges “Les Boudots”: from 70+ year old vines

This is a classic Boudots with its half Vosne from half Nuits personality as the aromatic profile is both ripe and spicy, offering an herb-infused mix of red pinot and plum fruit notes that complement the rich, powerful and serious full-bodied flavors that possess solid dry extract level that confers a textured mouth feel by virtue of buffering the very firm and mouth coating tannins. This will require patience. 91/100, drink from 2018+

12 x 75cl - £625/case in bond 6 x 150cl - £645/case in bond

Clos de Vougeot: 50+ year old vines

A discreet touch of wood frames strikingly complex, ripe, fresh and quite densely fruited earth suffused red pinot aromas that lead to rich, full-bodied and textured flavors that exude an overt muscularity on the equally explosive finish where the integrated tannins confer a dusty mouth feel to the moderately austere finale. This is an extremely impressive effort but note that even more patience will be required. 94/100, drink from 2023+

12 x 75cl - £750/case in bond 6 x 150cl - £770/case in bond

Clos des Lambrays

Clos des Lambrays: produced from two large parcels of differing vine age - one that is approximately two-thirds of the blend and is now 45 years of age and a second, smaller group of vines that is approximately 20+ years of age)

The deeply pitched nose evidences obvious earth and floral influences on the mostly ripe red pinot fruit aromas that complement the rich, pure and detailed medium weight flavors that culminate in a dusty and mouth coating finish where the supporting tannins display a clear stem influence. This is an excellent wine though it may not be to everyone’s taste due to the obvious stem character. 93/100, drink from 2020+

12 x 75cl - £770/case in bond

Mortet, Denis

Gevrey-Chambertin “Lavaut St. Jacques”

An expressive nose of herbal, plum and wet stone merges seamlessly into fresh and pure flavors that are really quite fine detailed and supported by equally fine tannins on the classy, tension-filled and moderately austere finish. I quite like this but there is enough austerity present that it won’t be for everyone. 91/100, drink from 2016+

12 x 75cl - £810/case in bond 6 x 150cl - £830/case in bond

Clos de Vougeot: from a .32 ha parcel of vines just below those of Château de la Tour in the lower middle of the slope

This is the ripest of this group of ‘08s with a very earthy nose of plum, cassis and mocha hints that lead to reserved big-bodied flavors that enjoy excellent mid-palate concentration as there is ample extract that buffers the firmly tannic spine on the powerful and long finish. 92/100, drink from 2018+

6 x 150cl - £1670/case in bond

Mugnier, Jacques Frederic

Nuits St. Georges “Clos de la Maréchale”

A distinctly earthy and anise-infused mix of sour cherry and blue berry fruit that displays whiffs of crushed herbs and pepper merges into detailed, pure and almost delicate middle weight flavors that possess a sophisticated mouth feel and fine length. I should point out though that while there is no rusticity present, the very firm tannins are not as refined as those of the Fuées. 90/100, drink from 2016+

12 x 75cl - £410/case in bond 6 x 150cl - £420/case in bond

All notes are taken from Burghound issue 41 (2011).

"Outstanding" wines from 2008 - The Allen Meadows verdict

Allen Meadows, aka the `Burghound` is celebrating 10 years of his online publication devoted to all things pinot, particularly, as the title suggests, Burgundy. Amongst the furore of the 2009s, it would have been easy to miss Monsieur Meadows' reassessment of the 2008s. He doesn't have the temerity to suggest that they usurp their more precocious siblings, but as we've said all along, there are some excellent 2008s out there that may well prove more appealing to Burgundy connoisseurs than said `09s.

` The best '08s are fresh, intense, bright, vibrant and very terroir driven - in short it's a classic Burgundian vintage. And as I noted in my vintage analysis last year, it is on the whole more interesting than either 2007 or 2006. And in a few cases, the wines are truly brilliant so don't overlook them`.

Much like Bordeaux, 2008 is something of a miraculous vintage in the Cote d'Or. Initially all interest focussed on the exceptional Chablis and white wines from the Cote de Beaune, however, tastings defy the meteorologists' findings. 2008 was another sad summer in Burgundy. September once again proved pivotal to the success of the vintage. As in 2002, a cool North wind blew and brought dry sunny conditions. This combination concentrated the grapes and averted the risk of rot. As is customary with this region, it was not a simple case of thanking Mother Nature, there was much work required if vignerons were to produce great wines. Canopy management was key to allowing aeration and exposure to light, whilst de-selection played a vital role for quality focussed domaines.

2008 is not a uniform vintage; consistent Burgundy vintages are about as rare as hen's teeth. This is a good old fashioned, labour intensive vintage, where the good and the great shine and the others are best forgotten about. We have selected a few of our favourites that have achieved the coveted `outstanding` rating (90-94 points, ` worth a special effort to purchase and cellar and will provide memorable drinking experiences` - AM). We agree, the charm, focus and poise of these wines, combined with the noble flavours and exquisite balance make these worthy additions to the cellar.

For those more au fait with the American critics who cover Bordeaux, it is worth pointing out that Mr Meadows is notoriously mean with his scores. Only a very select group of wines ever breach the 95 point mark: La Romanee, La Tache, Romanee Conti and the top wines from Leroy, Rousseau and de Vogue occasionally manage this feat...

Viviani awarded 3 Bicchieri in 2011 Gambero Rosso

The Slow Food movement began in 1989 and continues to gather pace around the world as a grass roots, not for profit organisation that promotes and recognises small, locally focussed food and wine producers. In 2010 the organisation joined forces with Italy's most highly esteemed wine publication Gambero Rosso. Together they taste literally thousands of wines each year, including in the review only those wines they deem to be above average. The highest accolade they award is the much coveted Tre Bicchieri (Three Glasses), indicating an "extraordinary wine"

For the 2011 edition, and for the 10th time, our newest listing, the already highly popular Viviani, has been awarded 3 Bicchieri for their stunning Amarone, Casa dei Bepi. Anybody who tasted it at our tasting will surely agree, for their style is quite different to most of the Amarones we had ever tasted before. The key to their production is their situation in the cooler Mazzano zone, right at the highest limits of Valpolicella production with vines at around 450m above sea level. It's a family domaine, tiny in size, run by Claudio and Sandra Viviani. Talking to them you get a sense that their other great wine love it Burgundy, and tasting with them you get a real sense that this love transfers across to the way they produce their Amarones. Delicate, elegant and full of finesse, they are surely some of the leading wines in the appellation.

Doing it in Style...J&B House Red Burgundy featured in the Sunday Times

Both buyer Giles Burke-Gaffney and our house red Burgundy given two thumbs up by Bob Tyrer, Style's weekly wine columnist.



"Ever since a brute called Giles Foster tried to beat me for some schoolboy idiocy - the other prefects stopped him - I've had both a problem with authority and a wariness of Gileses. So it was a delight to come across Giles Burke-Gaffney, who shows no sign of beastliness. Perhaps that's because he has one of the wine trade's best jobs, as buyer for Justerini & Brooks, the royal wine merchants, and certainly one of its best views. From his desk, he looks up St James's Street towards the fleshpots of Mayfair. His Chairman, Hew Blair, sits opposite him with an even better vista down towards St James's Palace (and the black front door of Berry Bros & Rudd, the old rivals). On the day I popped in, the chairman was away, but he had left his dark-blue pinstripe suit neatly folded over his chair, facing our Giles. I swear I caught Giles bowing to it.

Justerini & Brooks has always been a bit of an enigma to me. Its fortunes rest on a popular whisky, J&B, yet the wine end of the business has seemed a bit aloof. When I dared to enter its splendid office as a mere punter a decade or so ago to ask about buying one of its wines, the responses ranged from nonplussed to sniffy. Things have changed, I think. Much of its trade is still with restaurants and traditional private clients, but it has a well-functioning website that, if you ignore the plutocratic bottles and search for JandB House, reveals a gem. Justerini & Brooks red burgundy, a house wine, costs less than £10 yet is much better than the price suggests. Giles won't say who makes it, but hints at an illustrious name who doesn't want to be associated with low prices. If I were the Queen, I'd cancel the Corton (about £500 a bottle) and serve this at my Buckingham Palace banquets with my own salmon or lamb.

I've been trying other cheap house wines from other independant merchants and I'm afraid that, so far, they've all gone down the sink. So, after St James's, it's off to Tesco and Waitrose for two more of the best bargains in the realm." Bob Tyrer, On the Bottle. Sunday Times Style, 05/09 2010

Spain's greatest white?

First it's Voyager Shiraz beating Grange in the points rankings. Now it's another agency of ours, the much loved but little known Ossian (from one half of the team that make Aalto) making headlines. It's been given the lofty accolade of best white in Spain by the country's most popular wine website. The very best white wine in the whole country. And it's cheaper than most village level Burgundy....

And although we sold out long ago, the murmurs from the buying team seem to suggest we've managed to secure a secondary parcel....which doubtless won't last long.....

David and Goliath...

Well not exactly.Voyager Estate's Shiraz 2007 didn't find itself pitted, one on one, slingshot in hand directly against the iconic Penfolds Grange, but it might as well have been. There has been much publicised in Australia about the little WA Shiraz that has scored higher than the most recent release of Australias "First Shiraz" the first growth priced Grange, but little over here.

The scores come from the highly respected Penguin 2010 Good Australian Wine Guide and see Voyager's 2007 Shiraz gleaning 96 points while 2004 Grange picks up 94. There has been such a clamour for it down under that it's no longer available from any merchant or the Voyager cellar door.

Fortuntately our shipment arrived today, and guess what, at £65 per six bottles ib, we won't be giving any back.

Robert Parker: France 2009 and Rhone 2007

A recent news letter from Robert Parker extolling the potential of the French 2009 harvest, and the realised (and bottled) greatness from the 2007 Southern Rhone vintage. We will be re-offering a selection of 2007 Rhones with our 2008 Rhone release.

"2009 in France
Having been in France in late August and early September, this is going to be a potentially great vintage in virtually every wine region. In thirty years of visiting France in the fall, and seeing how vintages unfold, I don't remember a better set of climatic conditions than those that occurred in the critical months of August and September as well as the early part of October, 2009. Burgundy, Loire, Alsace, Bordeaux, the northern Rhône and probably the southern Rhône as well appear to have had phenomenal vintages, which is certainly good news. If there is going to be any weaknesses, it may be because of the severe drought France suffered, which was abated somewhat in certain areas by some late rain in September. That may have caused some hydric stress and tannin issues with some wines, but we won't know for sure until the wines are tasted in the spring of 2010.

You can't buy enough of the 2007 Southern Rhônes
As my report that will be coming out the end of October states, from top to bottom, this is the greatest vintage I have ever tasted in any viticultural area. Most consumers who have already tried some of the generic 2007 southern Rhônes have already seen what they are in store for given the fact that these wines are well above their humble pedigrees. At the top level are the great wines of the finest appellation of the southern Rhône, Châteauneuf du Pape, but Vacqueyras, Gigondas, and Rasteau are the real value picks as almost every domaine in Châteauneuf du Pape that has a noteworthy reputation is already sold out. The wines are just hitting the distribution channels in the United States and Europe, so move quickly. Despite the worldwide economic woes, these wines are disappearing at a rapid pace."

Wines in the Press: Mas Doix, Salanques 2005

It might not be outrageous to suggest that Spain, the country with more land under vine than any other, is also the country that is pushing winemaking boundaries faster than anywhere else. Whilst Rioja has its new wave of modernists , Toro, Rueda and Priorat have all seen considerable investment of late and are producing world class wines that don't necessarily cost the earth.

It is no coincidence that Spain happens to be one of the fastest growing areas on our list.

One such wine that has recently been featured in Decanter Magazine's in depth look Spanish wine's exciting new hotspots, is the Mas Doix, Salanques 2005.

Five Stars - 18.5/20

"This is a small, family winery harvesting individual plots at just 500-1000kg/ha (versus a legal maximum of 6000kg/ha). Salanques is made mainly from Garnacha and Cariñena with 15% Merlot, Cabernet and Syrah. It has lovely dark, concentrated fruit aromas, big (but not excessive) extraction and generous fruit and tanin balance, with a long, rich finish. Drink now-2015."