Bordeaux 2009 - First Impressions

Following the narrowest of victories in the annual Bordeaux versus England cricket match we headed to Clos des Quatre Vents for our first taste of 2009. Luc's wines were fabulous; demonstrating true Margaux perfume and polish. The range is possibly his best yet; concentrated, deliciously fresh and true to their terroir. Monday Morning started with a trip to Montrose. A very serious, long term wine here - full of breed. Next came Haut Marbuzet, a completely different proposition - ultra fine, beautifully composed and utterly delicious; almost Burgundian. A short hop to Cos, which as Hew has previously mentioned is outstanding; an enormous wine of legendary proportions. Then to Pauillac for tastings at Mouton Rothschild and Pontet Canet. The Mouton range continue to impress; a delicious Clerc Milon and a spell binding Mouton. Ponet Canet is a must buy; a complete wine of intensity and finesse. Off to Latour...

Winemaker's Series: Delaire Estate

Morne Vrey brings us another update from Stellenbosch....

"All grapes are in and whites are nearly done with fermentation!


Our Sauvignon Blanc’s are looking very promising and we are very excited about the progress thus far. Fermentation process of Chardonnay is complete and is showing beautiful citrusfruit with rich minerality – it’s definitely a good Chardonnay vintage.

Rose is undergoing very slow but steady fermentation – we are very happy with the flavours, it’s going to be a beautiful wine!

Last grapes picked were our Cabernet Sauvignon, which is undergoing fermentation. Shiraz, Merlot and Cabernet Franc has been basket pressed and put in barrel for malolactic fermentation.  All in all, it has been a short but intense harvest and we very much look forward to the next couple of months, closely monitoring the progress…"

Winemaker's Series: Voyager Estate

Thursday 25th March 2010

It has been a busy week with all of our Shiraz now harvested. Due to the wonderful season and meticulous viticulture we have been able to harvest our Shiraz at lower sugar levels than normal and the resultant wines look sensational. I believe it is potentially the most impressive Shiraz that I have seen in my 12 years at Voyager Estate and, the aromatics, tannin ripeness and purity of fruit is truly exceptional. Some batches have already been pressed off and are waiting to go to barrel to soak up some of the lovely French oak.

We have also harvested most of our Merlot and some of the earlier picks of Cabernet Sauvignon. Again the nature of this excellent season has allowed harvesting of fruit with silky ripe tannins at lower Baume than normal, which I am sure will result in elegant wines with wonderful aromatics and classical varietal expression.

The weather has cooled off slightly and, we are getting mild days with no sign of any significant rain in sight - perfect conditions for finishing off the remaining blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet loves the milder weather and slower ripening at the end of the season to develop the concentration and tannin ripeness we look for.

We are all very happy and excited by the quality of what we are seeing and if the great weather continues we should be completed harvesting sometime during Easter.

Steve James, Voyager Estate

More Barolo 2006 and the rest - Days 3 & 4

Great Barolos, Serious Soaves and excitment in Valpolicella

Excuse the radio silence, two and a half days of tasting young Barolo followed by a three hour journey east towards Treviso can take it out of you. Day 3 was a very spoiling one, visits to Roberto Voerzio, Paolo Scavino and Gaja. Our tasting with Enrico Scavino was sensational, a producer seemingly at the top of his game. After a brooding start to life, the 2005s seemed to have quickly come a long way after a couple of years in bottle, they will drink quite beautifully before too long, while we wait for the 2004s and 2006s. Their 2006s were intense, structured but always showing Scavino polish, they will be up there with the vintage's best. Gaja was everything I expected, great wines of huge intensity and length of flavour. The 2007s were luxurious and heady, the 2006s more restrained but highly sophisticated. However, the single most impressive array of wines during the Piedmont leg of our trip hail from Roberto Voerzio. From Dolcetto to Barolo, these are naturally made and very intense wines produced with unstinting attention to detail. The picture shows bunches from their Barbera Pozzo vineyard, they cut the bottom off all of their bunches, as the finest grapes are to be found at the top or "ears", where ripening takes place first. There is no La Serra 2006, the Voerzios weren't happy with the wine's aromas during ageing and so sold it off, this tells you all you need to know about them. The rest of their 2006s are impeccable - precise, ripe and definitely built to last.

A long hike east takes us off to the pretty Colli Asolani to our Prosecco producer, Dal Bello, a thoroughly refreshing change from young red wine that gets day 4 off to a good start. Then we head west again to the hills of Mazzano in Valpolicella and its quite breathtaking views. 450 metres above sea level in the hills overlooking the town of Negrar are the Vivianis, a charming husband and wife team. Such pure, elegant and drinkable wines, be it simple Valpolicella classico, Amarone or Recioto. They have cast their spell. A very exciting find, I feel. Finally we end our trip with a visit to the affable and quite brilliant Gini family. 2009s are richer than 2008s but show great acidity and finesse too. Any wine lover can not fail to be enchanted by these fruity, zesty Soaves. La Frosca proves that Italian white wine can genuinely be great: Along side the young vintages we tasted a 1997. Like a mature Riesling on the nose, all honey and minerals on the palate but still youthful and refreshing , with a remarkably long, mineral finish. Exquisite.

Alas, like all good things, my short but sweet taste of Italy must come to an end. Now back to earth, via Milan Malpenza.

Barolo 2006 - day 2

Super Serralungas !

After last night's belly full of Elio Altare's bread, Sicilian Terre Nere olive oil and wholesome array of vegetables, we were fighting fit for a day's tasting up and down the Barolo region, away from the comfort zone of La Morra and its refined, perfumed wines. We started off in the 'dark' corners of Barolo: At Azelia in Castiglione and Clerico in Monforte, followed by Giacosa in Neive and finally Sandrone in Barolo itself where they have made some extremely polished wines.

Some massive but excellent 2006s overall, Monfortes and Serralungas are not for the faint-hearted but the best examples have such great fruit, flesh and minerality to carry you through the explosive tannins of their young wines.

Just as Altare's Ceretta did yesterday, the Serralunga single crus impressed most, particularly the 2006 San Rocco from Azelia and the new vineyard from Clerico, 2006 Aeroplan Servaj (wild plain), as well as the Rocche del Falleto Riserva 2004 from Giacosa. That said Clerico's Monforte, Ginestra, was also a monumental effort.

Luigi Scavino of Azelia has made some excellent 2006s and a superb Voghera Brea Riserva 2004 (another Serralunga.) This is an estate that is starting to get showered with plaudits and deservedly so.

Apart from Azelia, the other highlight was Clerico. Despite the big structures, his wines have a clarity and precision that really put them at the top of Barolo's first division. A long tasting here finished with an incredible flight of 1992, 1998 and 1999 Pajanas, proving how sweet, spicy and seductive these big wines become with age.

The day ended, fittingly, on a bottle of Marenca 1998 from Luigi Pira of Serralunga, another excellent wine from this great commune. All sweet spice and liquorice but with sufficient mineral vitality.

Time to pull out the toothbrush, more tomorrow

2006 Barolos - day 1

For the first time in 10 years of coming here to Piedmont, there is snow in March. Apparently half a metre fell two days ago. It's a great opportunity to visually pick out the top vineyard sites, where the snow has already completely melted away.

Aside from tasting the new young wines, sumptuous and easy 2009 Dolcettos and Barberas, our main purpose here is, of course, to taste the latest Barolo releases. We have covered good ground today, most of it in and around La Morra - Marco Marengo, a Corino double header (Giovanni and Renato), Elio Altare, Matteo Correggia in Roero, finishing on a high with the trip up towards Asti to visit La Morandina, whose delightful Moscato d'Asti must be one of the best there is.

On today's evidence 2006 is a very good Barolo vintage indeed, the wines taste well now but clearly have great ageing potential. They have robust structures without being austere, crisp red fruit acidities, and that enchanting Nebbiolo aroma and ripeness. A classic style vintage, akin to 1996 but sweeter, fleshier and less chiselled, an extremely interesting proposition particularly for the purist.The only negative so far seems to be that very localised but devastating hail towards the end of the 2006 season meant that some wines have not been made, Arborina from Renato and Elio Altare, for example.

Today also saw our first glimpse of Elio Altare's new cru Barolo, Ceretta, a vineyard from Serralunga. We tasted 2005 and 2006, both very complex and moreish wines, different to the La Morras but every bit as impressive. Alas the 2005 will not be released until next year.

Now the hamlet of Annunziata La Morra beckons, where I will wash away a day's worth of tannins with some of Elio's, apparently very good, home made bread.

A presto !

Winemaker's Series: Voyager Estate

Steve James' latest report is just in and things continue to look good for the Voyager harvest...

"Monday 15th March 2010

All of our white grapes have been harvested with our final white harvest of Chenin Blanc completed last Thursday evening. The Chardonnays are close to finishing fermentation and the Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon are ticking away nicely. It is always a great feeling to have the whites into the winery and safe from any of the impacts that nature can bring at this critical period. We are really happy and excited by the quality of the whites and I believe we will make some outstanding wines - particularly Chardonnay which looks exceptional.The first of our reds will be hand picked tomorrow morning with the eastern side of our Ullingers Block 2 Shiraz ready to go. The flavours in the reds look fantastic with lower than normal sugar levels and fine, physiologically ripe tannins. I suspect most of our Shiraz will be harvested by the end of this week and we should be starting Merlot and some Cabernet Sauvignon next week. Again - if the wonderful weather holds out we will be in for an exceptional red wine vintage. The slightly cooler conditions forecast for this week are great for slowly finishing the reds off."

Winemaker's Series: Delaire Estate

Morney Vrey, winemaker at Mr. Graff's Stellenbosch interest, Delaire Estate, has his whites in the winery and finds himself in the middle of an "interesting but challenging " red vintage....

"All Sauvignon Blanc’s from different areas are in tank and fermenting-looking promising
Durbanville fruit is showing best potential and was harvested and crushed just before the current heat wave.

All Chardonnay is in the barrel.
Beautiful Cabernet Franc Rose, timing of harvest was perfect, juice is showing great promise: stunning fruit flavours – raspberries, strawberries.

Sudden heat wave last week lifted sugar levels on red varietals rather unexpectedly .Harvesting decisions are therefore being determined by fruit flavours and phenolic ripeness rather than chemical analysis.

It’s certainly an interesting but challenging vintage for reds. "

Winemaker's Series: Voyager Estate

It's actually quite amazing when you think of the tightrope that viticulturists around the world have to tread. It's an extremely fine balancing act with Mother nature on one side and the techniques of the vine grower on the other. Green harvesting, leaf pruning, canopy management, debudding, vine density, not to mention the uncontrollables such as the weather. It's an extensive list. Get it right and you can start to change the fundamental building blocks of the grapes you crush; ripe phenolics, low sugars, and correspondingly low alcohols....get it wrong and the grapes natural development can become badly skewed with ripeness, sugar levels and flavour developments all arriving at different times....

Steve James gives us the third installment on their Margaret River harvest, where it would seem Voyager's building blocks are falling into place.

"Thursday 4th March 2010

A lot has happened in the past week - due mainly to the consistently warm to hot weather that the Margaret River region has experienced. Temperatures in the low thirty degrees Celsius with mild evenings has seen the grapes ripen very quickly. As mentioned in the last report, the flavours have been coming in at low sugar levels, so it has been critical to spend a lot of time in the vineyard tasting fruit and, not worrying too much about the technical analysis.

The past week has seen the completion of our Chardonnay intake and, most of our Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon harvested. Our final pick of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon is tomorrow night and, that signals the end of the whites except for a small volume of Chenin Blanc and an even smaller component of Viognier which will be harvested to co-ferment with our first block of Shiraz.

Overall quality looks outstanding, with pristine clean fruit and bright vibrant flavours in the profiles we look for. Chardonnay looks exceptionally good and the barrel fermentations are ticking along beautifully.

We are currently enjoying a cooler spell of weather , however with warming conditions forecast from the weekend on, the reds will not be far away. Early indications are for a potentially exceptional red year with, early flavour development and tannin ripeness looking very impressive. I expect by late next week we will be thinking about our first harvest of Shiraz for the vintage. Hopefully the season will allow us to harvest some reds at lower sugar levels with ripe flavours and tannins - a goal we have been working towards with our viticulture for a few years now.

At this stage it is looking like a very compressed vintage with parallels to the 2001 and 2007 seasons, where vintage was mostly completed by the end of March. "

Working lunch...

It’s not every day that you are invited to lunch with Bernard Magrez at Joël Robuchon’s London restaurant... Monsieur Magrez rather modestly admits to owning a mere 35 wine estates and Monsieur Robuchon is in possession of a staggering 25 Michelin stars! So it was some lunch. The pre-lunch tasting included a flight of Bernard’s flagship Chateau, Pape Clement. It was extraordinary to see the progress that he has achieved here; the recent vintages are staggeringly good!

1986
Plumy, with hints of leather, sweet berries and herbs. On the palate, this possesses ample sweet fruit; it is still quite robust with noticeable tannins. 15/20

1988
More attractive aromatically. Ripe berries, sandalwood, and a hint of tobacco. On the palate this is fresh, beautifully pure and structured. V good. 16/20

1995
Like many 1995s, this is a little closed on the nose, hints of high toned berries, liqueur, menthol and herbs. Beautifully pure fruit on the pate. Very sophisticated, long, refined fruit. Layer upon layer of complexity. V good indeed. 17/20

2004
Very modern, punchy, flashy nose. Flamboyant stuff, packed with brooding cassisy notes. Big fruit core, suave, packed with plumy, soft fruits, multi-layered. Very impressive. Focused, pure, complex and long. V good indeed. 17+/20

2005
Dark, brooding, massive nose. Enormous depth. Deep, savoury, meaty notes are interspersed with high toned hedgerow fruits, minerals and crushed rocks. The palate is even more sumptuous and impressive. Multidimensional; a veritable smorgasbord of flavours. Pure, refined and extremely long. 45+ second finish. Although a wine of massive proportions, it is wonderfully balanced, with sweet, rounded tannins. A wonderful wine. 19/20.

2006
Sweet, high toned nose of cassis, blackcurrant fruit pastels, minerals and herbs. The palate is very sexy, with an abundance of sweet ripe fruit. Beautifully pure, refined Pessac. A wine of real elegance and finesse. Whilst not as massive of impressive as the 2005, the 2006 is a worthy successor. 18/20

This flight is easily split in two. The '86, '88 and '95, which have a Cabernet dominance, and the '04, 05, 06, where plantings in the vineyards are close to 50:50 (Cabernet/Merlot). I don't think the change to the cepage is that relevant to the vast improvement in quality in the last decade. This is more attributable to improved wine-making techniques and the massive investment in the vineyard and the chai. The recent vintages of Pape Clement Rouge really are of top super second quality and even rival the wines of La Mission Haut Brion and Haut Brion as the most impressive of the appellation.

With lunch, Bernard generously served his 2005 Pape Clement Blanc (100% new oak), which was mighty impressive, although, it could do with a little more time. Then he treated us to magnums of Pape Clement Rouge 2000 and an imperial of Pape Clement Rouge 2003; both were delightful.

It would be extremely remiss not to mention the food. Joël Robuchon’s (multiple) dishes were all exquisite. The presentation, subtle flavours and wonderful textures were a real treat to the senses! It’s well worth a trip to West Street...

Winemaker's Series: Voyager Estate

Isn't it amazing how the weeks fly by? Below is another fascinating update from Steve James at Voyager Estate, seemingly enjoying fine harvest conditions, and the odd good supper too....


"Thursday 25th February 2010

Warm temperatures around 30 degrees celcius and mild nights have really sped up the ripening, and we are well into our Chardonnay harvest and just about to start on some Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. We have hand harvested approximately 70% of our Chardonnay fruit with the remainder coming in over the next few days. Flavours are developing at quite low sugar levels and 2010 is one of those years where it is very important to spend a lot of time tasting fruit in the vineyard and not worrying too much about technical analysis as the basis for harvest decisions.

We are very excited with the quality of fruit we have in so far, with fine elegant flavours in the fruit spectrums we look for. Several blocks of our Chardonnay have already gone to barrel and are fermenting nicely.

We will be machine harvesting our first pick of Sauvignon Blanc tonight and, we are very happy with the fruit flavours, intensity and balance that we are seeing on the vine. The first harvest of Semillon will be tomorrow night as we like to get an early pick of Semillon with some nice fresh grassy/lemon/lime notes in the fruit for our Sauvignon Blanc Semillon blend.

A few of us are having dinner at Voyager estate this evening with a travelling group of winemakers from Bordeaux - so it should be a great opportunity amongst the intensity of vintage to relax and drink a few fine wines with some great food and enjoy some friendly banter!"

Mosel Harvest 2009 "Filigree wines"

Mother Nature was on our side in 2009 and blessed us with a wonderful vintage.

After a very cold winter with temperatures as low as -18°C/-0.4°F, the warm and sunny weather of early spring was welcome. It encouraged vegetation and bode well for early blossoming. Although blossoming was actually delayed by cool, damp weather in late May/early June, and it proceeded somewhat slower and more unevenly than originally anticipated, the clusters that developed thereafter were fantastic: small, loose and intensely aromatic.

Summer remained very rainy until August, when friendlier skies reappeared.
In September, sunny and dry weather with cool nights and moderately warm days enabled the grapes to continue developing on the vine calmly and without complications.

Weather permitting, our grapes typically enjoy a very long ripening period – and so it was in 2009. We began harvesting on 13 October. The weather remained stable so that we could take our time to carefully select desirable bunches and bring in the crop in several stages.

Absolutely healthy grapes are essential for producing dry wines with outstanding potential. A selective harvest of ripe, healthy grapes/bunches attacked by noble rot yielded wonderfully fruity wines. In all, our vintage 2009 portfolio will include: juicy, racy “Gutsrieslinge” (our basic estate Rieslings); exceptionally compact Kabinett wines with a fine, fruity acidity; mineral-rich Spätlese and Auslese; and lusciously sweet Beeren- and Trockenbeerenauslese. All will offer great drinking pleasure and have great aging potential.

Once again, we have been able to put together a collection of filigree wines that unite the finest fruity aromas with the slaty mineral notes typical of Brauneberg.

We hope you will truly enjoy tasting the new wines of vintage 2009.

The Haag Family

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.....

Winemaker's Series: Voyager Estate

Continuing our series of harvest reports from the new world comes news from the Margaret River. Steve James is the Goliath beating winemaker at Voyager Estate and has this on their 2010 harvest.

"Thursday 18th February

Our 2010 harvest will commence tomorrow morning with the first of our Chardonnay blocks. This is our Voyager Block 10 which is planted to Clone 95 Chardonnay and is traditionally our first harvest.

The Margaret River region is currently experiencing magnificent ripening conditions with warm temperatures averaging around 26 degrees Celsius, mild nights and no rainfall.
The early signs are very exciting with outstanding early flavour development and the Chardonnay is showing that lovely tight grapefruit and dried pear flavours we look for at low Baume's and with perfect levels of natural acidity.

Sauvignon Blanc is also developing flavour with great intensity and I expect we will begin harvesting this mid to late next week. Very happy at this stage and keeping our fingers crossed that this perfect weather continues...."

Winemaker's Series: The new world harvest

At this time of year, whilst the Northern hemisphere's vines sit dormant, enjoying their time off, in peaceful reflection prior to the verdant onset of spring, the action is all a-happening south of the equator. This is business time, a hive of activity, for the vast majority of our new world producers will be bringing in grapes right about now.

The first of our contributions comes from the highly talented Morne Vrey, winemaker at Delaire in South Africa's Stellenbosch. They have begun bringing in their Sauvignon Blanc already, a wine recently voted the number two example of its type in South Africa.

"Harvest started about a week ago. Our Sauvignon Blanc vineyards were revealing interesting ripe flavours, earlier than expected. Consequently we rushed to harvest the grapes that we source from the Stellenbosch region. Our Chardonnay too has been picked and is now in barrel, fermenting away.

Into our second week, things have slowed down due to some unseasonal rainy weather and the cool start to February which slowed the ripening of certain varietals. However we are awaiting a delivery of Sauvignon Blanc from the Walker Bay area later today-hopefully this will get the momentum up again."

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.

Professor Denis Dubourdieu - 2009 Bordeaux

Denis Dubourdieu is one of those rock 'n roll consultant oenologists who is behind many of the top wines in Bordeaux. He has kindly provided us with an in depth harvest report, but we have condensed the most salient points into the update below.

`The reputation of a new vintage in Bordeaux depends both on the potential quality of the wines and the market's expectations. There were no great expectations of the 2006, overshadowed by 2005, the 2007, made after a dismal summer, or the 2008, released in the midst of the global financial crisis. The 2009, arriving after a lovely summer and magnificent harvest, at a time when the international economy is convalescing, has attracted considerable interest.

In fact, 2009 met, almost perfectly, the five conditions required for a great red Bordeaux vintage.
- (1) (2) Early flowering and fruit-set, at the beginning of June, in hot, sunny, and relatively dry weather,
- (3): Early colour change as well - starting in late July – although it followed a period that was not dry enough to stop the vines' vegetative growth in all areas,
- (4): full ripening, thanks to hot weather with variable rainfall in August and September and particularly dry weather in the Médoc,
- (5): finally, a "dream harvest" in late September and October, under unusually dry conditions...

Great sweet white wines are dependent on good conditions for noble rot. These were excellent in the Sauternes area in 2009, thanks to rain from 18 to 20 September, followed by a long period with morning fog and warm afternoons. This ideal climate caused rapid, widespread development of Botrytis cinerea on very ripe grapes and the highest concentrations ever measured in such a large harvest...

Certainly, the maximum temperatures in August were slightly too high for the Sauvignon Blanc to develop the same amazingly intense aromas as in 2007 and 2008. Wine tasters who find the exuberant character of this grape variety excessive in some cases will be pleased with the powerful, complex, flavourful Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc in 2009. This year, the Sémillon grown on limestone soils developed remarkable power and richness.

In early January, it is premature to attempt an accurate description of the red wines from the latest vintage, as fermentation has only just finished and they have spent hardly any time in barrel. However, the deep colour and stunning fruit, as well as the quality and smoothness of the tannins of the 2009s are immediately apparent, indicative of a very good, or even a great year, where the wine expresses the quality of the terroir with great clarity.

The great sweet white Sauternes and Barsac wines are impressively rich and powerful, with great purity and depth. They are, without any exaggeration, absolutely fantastic!`

Loire unveils 2009

The Angers wine fair drew to a close yesterday. An annual event to showcase the Loire's newly-released vintages, Angers comprises over 500 growers from the length and breadth of this huge river valley and as such provides an excellent stage to show off the region's great progress in quality and its thrilling diversity. The event reinforced how much more there is to the region than Sauvignon Blanc. At a table of over 100 of the Loire's top wines, including prestigious producers of Sancerre and Pouilly Fume, it was two Chenin Blancs that absolutely blew away the rest of the field, Remus from Domaine de la Taille aux Loups and the even more intense Anjou Les Treilles from Pithon-Paille. Those looking for the next big thing in the world of fine white wine, look no further than here.

The show's main event, however, was of course 2009, and yes they think its great. In Sancerre and Pouilly Fume they generally consider it to have the ripeness of 2003 with the freshness of 2006 and 2007. Also further west in the Touraine there are some glorious dry and off dry Chenins. The reds are perhaps even more impressive, summer heat and drought conditions were similiar to 1989. Growers talk of an "Outstanding" Cabernet Franc vintage, Jacky Blot of Domaine de la Butte in Bourgueil rates it more highly than 2005. I will be heading to the Loire again towards the end of April to taste more extensively and assess in more depth just how good these really are.

Off to a flyer...

2010 has started with a bang. The Liv-ex 100 has closed January 2.7% up at 243.59, that’s a 17.4% increase year-on-year. The Hong Kong market has also posted some positive results. Sotheby’s first Hong Kong sale of the year (23rd Jan) realised HKD52.9 million (USD6.78 million), their largest ever total for a one day wine sale. Highlights included an imperial of Lafite `82 (HKD363,000, USD46,526) and a case of Petrus 2000 that achieved HKD411,400 (USD52,730).

The Burghound sniffs out the best of 2008 Burgundy

For those in the know, Allen Meadows has become one of the most trusted and respected authorities on all things Pinot. He has been tasting from barrel in the Cote d’Or since 1978 (almost as long as our Chairman...). His publication, Burghound.com has become a bible for Burgundy enthusiasts throughout the world, offering straight talking, honest reporting and tasting notes. So, what does he make of the 2008s?

`At their best, the ‘08s Côte de Nuits reds are excellent wines with vibrant acidities that speak clearly and eloquently of their underlying terroirs. They are refreshing, energetic, balanced, fresh, intense, pure and racy middle weight wines that generally carry low alcoholic levels and display ample amounts of those ineffable qualities of tension and presence. In short, they’re classic burgundies of delicacy, finesse and grace. Moreover, they should prove to be worthy cellar candidates for aging over the medium-term`.

He does recommend caution too. He actually thinks that 2008 is less consistent than 2007, but that the best from 2008 far surpass anything 2007 can offer. As for the `Sweet Spot` and `Don’t Miss` selections; please find a list below:

`Sweet Spot`

2008 Chambolle-Musigny “Les Charmes” 1er Barthod-Noëllat (90-92)
2008 Chambolle-Musigny “Les Cras” 1er Barthod-Noëllat (91-93)
2008 Chambolle-Musigny “Les Fuées” 1er Barthod-Noëllat (91-93)
2008 Gevrey-Chambertin “Les Cazetiers” 1er Clair, Bruno (90-92)
2008 Gevrey-Chambertin “Clos St. Jacques” 1er Clair, Bruno (91-93)
2008 Gevrey-Chambertin “Lavaut St. Jacques” 1er Drouhin-Laroze (89-92)
2008 Gevrey-Chambertin “Petite Chapelle” 1er Clair, Bruno (89-92)
2008 Nuits St. Georges “Les Boudots” 1er Grivot, Jean (90-92)
2008 Nuits St. Georges “Les Cailles” 1er Chevillon, Robert (91-94)
2008 Nuits St. Georges “Les Chaignots” 1er Chevillon, Robert (90-92)
2008 Nuits St. Georges “Les Cras” 1er Liger-Belair (91-93)
2008 Nuits St. Georges “Les St. Georges” 1er Robert Chevillon (92-94)
2008 Nuits St. Georges “Les St. Georges” 1er Gouges, Henri (91-94)
2008 Nuits St. Georges “Murgers” 1er Cathiard, Sylvain (90-93)
2008 Nuits St. Georges “Les Perrières” 1er Chevillon, Robert (91-93)
2008 Nuits St. Georges “Les Pruliers” 1er Chevillon, Robert (91-93)
2008 Nuits St. Georges “Les Pruliers” 1er Gouges, Henri (90-92)
2008 Nuits St. Georges “Aux Thorey” 1er Cathiard, Sylvain (90-92)
2008 Nuits St. Georges “Les Vaucrains” 1er Robert Chevillon (92-93)
2008 Nuits St. Georges “Les Vaucrains” 1er Gouges, Henri (91-93)
2008 Vosne-Romanée “Les Beaux-Monts” 1er Grivot, Jean (90-92)
2008 Vosne-Romanée “Les Beaux-Monts” 1er Tremblay, Cécile (89-92)
2008 Vosne-Romanée “Les Brûlées” 1er Grivot, Jean (91-93)
2008 Vosne-Romanée “Malconsorts” 1er Cathiard, Sylvain (91-94)
2008 Vosne-Romanée “Suchots” 1er Grivot, Jean (91-93)

`Don’t Miss`

2008 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru Clair, Bruno (92-94)
2008 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru Drouhin-Laroze (91-94)
2008 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru Clair, Bruno (92-94)
2008 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru Drouhin-Laroze (92-94)
2008 Clos de Tart Grand Cru Clos de Tart (91-94)
2008 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru Eugénie (92-95)
2008 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru Grivot, Jean (92-94)
2008 Echézeaux Grand Cru Eugénie (91-94)
2008 Echézeaux Grand Cru Grivot, Jean (92-94)
2008 Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru Eugénie (92-94)
2008 Musigny Grand Cru Drouhin-Laroze (92-95)
2008 Richebourg Grand Cru Grivot, Jean (93-95)
2008 Richebourg Grand Cru Méo-Camuzet (93-96)
2008 La Romanée Comte Liger-Belair (93-96)
2008 Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru Cathiard, Sylvain (92-95)
2008 Vosne-Romanée “Les Brûlées” 1er Méo-Camuzet (92-94)
2008 Vosne-Romanée “Cros Parantoux” 1er Méo-Camuzet (92-95)
2008 Vosne-Romanée “Reignots” 1er Comte Liger-Belair (91-94)