"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...

Video interview: Chris Howell from Cain Cellars

Chris Howell was in town recently and came to see us in St James’s Street. He is one of Napa’s most thoughtful men, producing some of Napa’s most elegant wines, and what he has to say is invariably fascinating.

Voyager Estate - Harvest News March 2011

“This week has seen the completion of the Shiraz and Merlot fruit into the winery. The yields have been spot on our targets for these varieties at close to 2 tonnes per acre, and the fruit looks excellent with great colour and concentration.

The first picks of Cabernet Sauvignon have started to come in, and the early signs look very promising. The first Cabernet fruit we harvest is off a small block in the Wilyabrup sub region of Margaret River, which is located about 25 Kms north of our estate. It is slightly warmer and provides us with an exceptional batch of fruit we use in our Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot wine. The top fruit from this sub region is always characterised with lovely fresh Mulberry fruit and fine silky tannins whereas the fruit from our top Estate vineyard blocks displays dark cassis fruit with more structural tannins. The small portion of this Wilyabrup fruit adds some mid palate sweetness to the wine and is an important component of our style.

Next week is looking very busy with most of the Estate Cabernet being harvested. The weather is holding up beautifully with warm days and cool nights which are perfect for fully ripening the tannins and concentrating the flavours.

Cheers, Steve James”

Brunello - Beauty and the Beast

3 planes in 3 days. The jet set lifestyle is starting to feel like the jet lag lifestyle. But its been in a very worthy and enjoyable cause.. Hopefully by tasting and, eventually importing, some delightful wines with incredibly strong green credentials, I have been able to offset this rather nasty carbon footprint! One such wine is Etna rosso and its crus from the Terre Nere estate. A truely remarkable and marginal vineyard area of rugged beauty,rooted on the rocky, scorched soils of Etna's north facing slopes. Their 2008s, now in bottle, must be saught out, they are totally sublime, whilst the trickier 2009 vintage still yielded an unforgettable prephylloxera cuvee. It goes to show there is no substitute for good vines, planted in the right place and tended with care.

Anyway, onto Brunello di Montalcino. It is a wine of many sides, as indeed, is the vineyard area. Many people's preconceptions is of a wine that must be massive, heady and raisiny but this does not have to be the case.
It may never be a shrinking violet but I can say that over the last 2 days I have tasted pure, enormously drinkable expressions of Sangiovese. Le Ragnaie was one of them, at 550 metres the highest vineyard in Montalcino, as airy and beautiful as the vineyard from which it is made. Siro Pacenti was another, from vineyards on the north and south side of Montalcino, there is a very gentle modern sheen to this but its beauty, balance and depth is crystal clear. A real treat, too, was Soldera, as elegant and complete a Brunello as you will find. One cuvee is made, a riserva, produced from organically farmed vines, fermented with natural yeasts and aged in large oak vat for 5 years.

The Brunello vintage to be released this year will be 2006, a vintage that has produced some really complete and composed wines that mix structure, ripe elegant fruit and freshness. A very good year indeed that should prove most ageworthy.

Bordeaux 2010 - Twitter, Facebook, a Social Media Frenzy...

The dust seems hardly to have settled on the 2009 Campaign and once again the team is joined together in collective fast as another week of Bordeaux En Primeur tasting looms. This annual marathon des calories is an epic of morning till night tasting interspersed liberally with plate upon plate of rich gallic cuisine that at times seems quite decadent and at other times downright unhealthy. It is not for the faint hearted but as per usual, in a little over a week, a full team of 8 will be intrepidly heading south, so that we might give as balanced and as in depth a view as is possible. If in the coming months one of us is advising you on what to buy in 2010 you can be sure we will have been there and tasted...

Throughout the week we will be supplying regular updates via a host of media. In a thoroughly modern embracing of the wonders of newfangled technologies the J&B team updates can now be found on Facebook (here) and Twitter (here and here) as well as our website and the blog. We will be posting and tweeting video interviews, tasting notes, very first impressions, daily updates and of course our hugely popular Hew's Views series so that you can have a first hand opinion of what the vintage holds in store.

Clos de Tart 2009 Releases

In a vintage like 2009, where the clamour for top end Red Burgundy has reached never before seen levels of fervour, the release of a monopole Grand Cru such as Clos de Tart is bound to cause something of a buzz.

Tim Atkin describes it as "potentially amazing," ; Michel Bettane thinks this wine could become a thing of legend; Allen Meadows, the Burghound, classes it as one of his "Don't miss" wines of the vintage; for our part we consider it to be one of their great vintages.

As exclusive agents in both Singapore and Indonesia we are delighted to announce its release in these countries.

Video: Teso La Monja - Otherworldly Tinta de Toro

Eduardo Eguren tells us about the new Eguren venture in Toro, Teso La Monja. Old vines, often ungrafted, planted at elevation: the wines are magical, super elegant examples of Tinta da Toro. As Eduardo says, they might be the same variety as found in Rioja, but they drink as if from another world.

Voyager Estate - Harvest News March 2011 (V)

Part five of Steve James’ Harvest Update as we follow the progress at Voyager Estate. The Shiraz is in, which leaves just Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot to be harvested...

"The warm tropical weather has finally subsided and we are now enjoying classic Margaret River autumn weather, comprising beautiful warm, sunny days with cool nights. Perfect conditions for finishing off the red grapes which we started harvesting on Tuesday 8th March. Most of the Shiraz has been harvested and is showing amazing depth of colour with great concentration of ripe fruit flavours and excellent tannin structure. Due to the kind weather conditions, we have been selectively harvesting small batches on most days, and will complete the Shiraz early next week.

The Merlot is nearly ready, and we expect to commence harvesting this early next week with the Cabernet Sauvignon not long after. Our final red grape harvested is Petit Verdot which we love to blend into our Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot for its violet like aromatics and structural contribution to the palate. The weather forecast for the next week or so is very good, so we will continue selective harvesting of small batches which enables us to harvest each small patch at optimum ripeness. The Chardonnay has nearly finished fermentation in barrel, and a tasting late last week showed our early excitement to be well justified. Hopefully the weather will hold out for another couple of weeks to give the Cabernet Sauvignon a bit more hang time to complete another outstanding vintage for the region.

Cheers, Steve James."

Market Update

Amid the general unease about the state of the global economy, we are frequently quizzed about the health of the wine market. The last data released by Liv-ex showed the Liv-ex 100 up 3.9% at 444.55; a year on year rise of just over 41%. This sustained rally has largely been due to the enormous demand for First Growths in the rapidly expanding Chinese market. New figures now confirm that the so called `Super Seconds` have been pitching in too. Brands such as Lynch Bages and Pontet Canet (both technically 5th growths...) along with the likes of Montrose, Cos d’Estournel, both the Pichons, Leoville Las Cases and Ducru Beaucaillou have enjoyed steady (if not spectacular) gains.

Of course, events in Japan, stratospheric prices for First Growths and the impending 2010 Bordeaux campaign have the potential to bring an abrupt end to the bull-run; but only time will tell. At present, Haut Brion and Mouton Rothschild are enjoying the top spot (in terms of demand if not price) and the `Super Seconds` still look attractive to those seeking First Growth quality without the price tag.

Voyager Estate - Harvest News March 2011 (IV)

Steve James making us feel as if we are walking along the vineyards with him, soaking in the sun and witnessing the last of the white grapes.

"It has been a busy week with all of our Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon harvested, which basically sees the end of the whites except for a small parcel of Viognier to be harvested with our early picks of Shiraz and co-fermented. The season has delivered excellent flavours for the Sauvignon Blanc Semillon blend with a very good palate weight and fruit intensity. The latter harvested batches of Semillon contribute a nice textural component to the wine.

Around 20% of the Semillon portion of this wine is being put to barrel for fermentation, with the aim of building more textural notes and complexity into the wine but without obvious wood character.

The reds are ripening quickly and we are currently spending a lot of time in the field chewing seeds and grape skins - waiting for the optimum tannin ripeness so we can begin the red grape harvest. It looks like we will commence the Shiraz early next week - they are very close but just need a few more days to finish off.

The weather is still warm and dry with slightly cooler conditions forecast for the weekend, which will be a pleasant relief for the vignerons and vines.

Cheers, Steve James."

Voyager Estate - Harvest News Feb 2011 (III)

Steve James updates us with news from our benchmark award winning Margaret River Estate. Despite the cyclones on the horizon, things seem to be looking promising.

"Fairly hectic in the winery at the moment as we are in the middle of harvesting our Sauvignon Blanc with our first harvest of Semillon due tonight. The weather has been warm to hot averaging around 32 degrees Celsius during the day, with very mild evenings. Unusually for Margaret River the humidity has been high, with our weather being heavily influenced by the presence of tropical cyclones well to our north - thankfully!The Sauvignon Blanc fruit has been very impressive, with plenty of lovely tropical fruit flavours such as passion fruit, lychee and melon, whilst the Semillon component of the blend is showing the classic citrus flavours we look for with excellent weight and intensity.

The Chardonnay is fermenting beautifully in barrel, and the early signs of an exceptional wine look very encouraging indeed. Our use of new wood on Chardonnay is down to around 30%, as our vineyard is maturing and we are gaining more texture and complexity from the grapes. I expect we will complete the Semillon fruit by early next week, and spend some time walking the vine rows tasting the Shiraz which is also ripening quickly. Early tannin development on the reds looks fantastic, which will give us the luxury of harvesting the fruit with the flavour profiles we look for.

Currently 32 degrees and I can hear the Indian Ocean calling for a late afternoon swim!

Cheers Steve James."

Voyager Estate - Harvest News Feb 2011 (II)

"Wednesday 16th February 2011

Our Chardonnay harvest commenced on the 9th February which is the second earliest start to harvest we have experienced. The earliest was 2007 which commenced one day earlier!. Interestingly the seasons are still quite different, with the current season being early due to a very warm and dry spring with mild to warm ripening conditions, as opposed to 2007 which was early due to a hot summer and autumn.

We have been hand harvesting every day and our final Chardonnay pick is scheduled for Saturday 19th Feb. Chardonnay is all hand harvested on our vineyard as we do not crush the fruit but use whole bunch pressing, which assists with the finer more elegant style of Chardonnay we make.

The conditions have been perfect with warm weather albeit slightly more humid than the last few seasons. The fruit is being harvested in excellent condition with very good fruit weight and concentration in the lemon, grapefruit and dried pear flavours we look for with fine natural acidity. The quality of the Chardonnay appears exceptional across all blocks.

The first of the Sauvignon Blanc will be coming off on Thursday evening. The fruit for this wine is machine harvested in the cool of night which helps to preserve the aromatics and fresh vibrant fruit flavours we look for with this style of wine. The flavours have just started to kick in and are showing the signs of fresh tropical fruits with just a hint of herbaceousness. The flavour profile window for this variety is very narrow and combined with the warm ,perfect ripening conditions, I suspect it will be a busy week.

Our vintage team have settled in well and we have representation from France and South Africa this year, so it has been great to compare notes with winemakers from other regions around the world.

Cheers,

Steve James."

Voyager Estate - Harvest News Feb 2011

On the other side of the world a country battles with pretty much everything mother nature can throw at it. Flooding, cyclones, and now bush fires (not to mention the England Test XI) have beset the Australian people in the past two months, demonstrating with relentless ease just what a wild and powerful force nature can prove to be.

Some hours south of the recent fires, in the Margaret River region of Western Australia, Steve James and his team are readying themselves for another harvest. Earlier than usual, though as yet untouched by the troubles elsewhere, he has once again agreed to keep us up to date with his progress through the vintage....

Monday 7th Feb 2011

Well - here we go again with another year gone and a new harvest imminent.

We had some nervous moments during the weekend of the 29th and 30th of January. A tropical cyclone was forecast to move down the coast south of Perth, cross the coast about 80 Kms north of Margaret River, and bring gale force winds and buckets of rain!!. Fortunately it hit cold water and fizzled out, resulting in no wind and only a couple of light showers.

Currently our Chardonnay is about 11 Baume with good acid and extremely good early flavour development.

After some sampling and technical analysis followed by a good walk and tasting in the field tomorrow, I suspect we will be commencing our Chardonnay harvest later in the week.

Similar to the 2007 vintage, we are facing a very early harvest. This has been brought about due to the warm and dry spring conditions which resulted in early vine flowering.

Interestingly, all the reds are fully through veraison and are ripening well.

Although an early season, the ripening conditions so far have been close to perfect, with warm weather and no heat spikes.

Fingers crossed the rain the eastern states are receiving stays away and the warm sun shines for another 8 weeks.

I will send an update sometime next week.

Cheers,

Steve James.

Stars of Southwold

The sleepy town of Southwold in Suffolk has become home to one of the most thorough and respected blind tastings of Bordeaux wines. A panel of UK buyers and journalist (with literally hundreds of years of experience...) descend on the Crown Hotel to give their verdict. This year it was the turn of the much maligned 2007s.

So, what were the winners and the losers? The best flight of wines unsurprisingly came from Sauternes and Barsac. This included revered names such as de Fargues, Climens, Suduiraut, Rieussec and of course, Chateau Yquem. Yquem 2007 was unequivocally declared the wine of the week and averaged a mighty 19/20 from the panel. All agreed that this was a superb flight and that 2007 is one of the great vintages for sweet Bordeaux. If there had been a little disagreement during the primeur tastings as to whether Climens or Yquem took first place, there was no such debate this time around. (If you are interested in a case of Yquem 2007 for your cellar, please speak to one of our sales team).

Of the reds, Mouton took first place on the left bank with an average score of over 18/20, with non first growth, Leoville Las Cases taking silver. Over on the right bank, Petrus and Cheval Blanc took top billing, but there were strong showings from Eglise Clinet, VCC, Le Pin, Evangile and Providence. The Pomerol plateau obviously hadn’t heard that it was a Cabernet vintage...

To conclude on this rather capricious vintage, the sweeties are sensational and are widely available for less than their 2001 counterparts. The Lesser reds from both banks are generally well made, but often lack a little substance. In some cases the wines are somewhat forced and this shows in the tannins. The best terroirs and those with the means and know-how have created some delicious wines with real character and sufficient structure to age for more than a decade. As one of the learned members of the panel pointed out, wine is supposed to give pleasure; the 1997s did just that, and the 2007s clearly surpass the `97s in every respect. They may not be as intellectual or profound as the so called `great` vintages, but they will be good fun!

End of year report

How did the fine wine market fare in 2010? And what of the future?

After some strong re-building in 2009, 2010 always had the potential to be a great year for the fine wine market. The Liv-ex 100 index started the year at 239.36 and rose to a new high of 336.28 by the close, an increase of 40.5%. Lafite Rothschild and second wine Carruades de Lafite continue to lead the way. There is no let up in demand from China for wine’s über-brand. Most vintages of Carruades now trade at over 3.5K/cs and the Grand vin prices head ever further into the stratosphere. The other first growths have also seen big gains in 2010. Mouton Rothschild’s decision to commission Xu Lei to design the label for the 2008 had an overnight impact on the demand for all Mouton vintages. And what of the auspicious 2008 vintage? Much was made of the significance of these lucky numbers before the `08 primeur campaign, but buyers from China never materialised. Now that some wines are available, we expect this to change.

One of the outstanding successes in 2010 was of course the release of the 2009s from Bordeaux. Our tasting team travelled to Bordeaux in April and tasted extensively throughout the Medoc, Graves, Pomerol and St Emillion. The vintage is rightly heralded as one of the greats. We witnessed some of the most decadent, hedonistic, enchanting wines we have ever tasted. Release prices, as we had forewarned were very high, but the demand was even greater. As with previous `greats` (2000, 2005), the record release prices didn’t put consumers off. They also had a knock on affect to older vintages, which comparatively looked cheap!

2011 has started with a bang. Our Burgundy 2009 campaign has broken the records set by the 2005s. Over 450 people attended our tasting and demand for the top wines has been typically voracious. And whilst the very top wines have now been snapped up there are still plenty of wonderful wines to be had from Bourgogne to Grand Cru level. Have a look on our website for full availability. 2010 Bordeaux is potentially very exciting too; a small crop, but the quality is excellent, so there is much to look forward to. We don’t have a crystal ball, but it seems likely that the fine wine market, in near term at the very least, will depend on the evolution of the Chinese market. We are already seeing an increase in demand for super seconds and other top Cru Classés. And why not? The gulf between the firsts and the others has never been greater. Those looking for smart drinking are clearly looking beyond the likes of Mouton and Lafite, and who knows, maybe investors will follow...

Burgundy 2009: An interview with the Bachelet-Monnot Brothers

By all accounts they have made another superb Maranges in 2009. This really is a domaine to watch...

Xu Lei unveiled as the latest Mouton Rothschild artist

The speculation is over; Mouton 2008 will indeed wear a label painted by a Chinese artist. He’s not exactly a household name, but Xu Lei’s profile is sure to rise amongst wine lovers if no-one else. According to the Chateau's press release, 'Xu Lei's ram asserts the role of a great wine as a link between people and cultures, from one hemisphere to the other of "planet wine"’. Presumably the eastern and western hemispheres...

Conjecture over the nationality of the latest Mouton artist started at the end of 2009 and the price has been rising steadily since. After the announcement, the 2008 has traded at £7800 per case on Liv-ex, some way behind the Lafite 2008 (£13,643/cs), but nevertheless, an enormous increase on its release price (£1750/cs).

Burgundy 2009: An interview with Guillaume d'Angerville

In which Giles asks Guillaume about the similarity between the 09 and 05 vintages, and the rise and rise of his Volnay Champans...

Mont Redon Cotes du Rhone 09

17 points from at a mere £65 cs ib.

Having sent out a mailer on the deliciousness of Mont Redon's 2009 Cotes du Rhone, it was nice to read Julia Harding's similarly complimentary view of this excellent value little wine on www.jancisrobinson.com

"Ch Mont-Redon 2009 Côtes du Rhône 17 Drink 2011-2014
Bottled. Fresh dark fruit leaps from the glass. Dark cherry and plum. Wonderfully juicy within a well-judged framework. Tannins and acidity both clearly present but playing a supporting role to all that lovely fruit. Fine bite on the end and a long finish. (JH) 14%
£65 per case ib Justerini & Brooks"

2009 Burgundy - Roundup

Two weeks, 800 kilometres, and not a vegetable in sight, until, (hurrah!) a solitary carrot was to be found sitting on my supper plate last night. Praise be to the people of Chablis. This morning saw the last of my 46 visits, at the charming Tributs in Poinchy near the town of Chablis. The last stop en route to the A6, Paris-bound. Rather like in the Cote de Beaune, the white wines of Chablis have really surprised me. They have a similar profile to the wines further south: Round, not very high overall acid but distinctly long and fresh, often with a very distinctive minerality, they are certainly not cloying or heavy. Alot of noise is being quite rightly made about the 2009 reds but for the majority of top flight Chardonnay growers who picked early, they have found a tremendous balance in their wines of smooth textures, fruity flavours and long fresh finishes. Talking with Patrick Javillier in Meursault, yesterday, he concluded that although total acidity was not high the low phs indicated a high natural tartaric acid element within the "total acidity" and it is this, he beleives, that is giving the wines such long flavours, even at villages level.

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent pretty well entrenched in Vosne-Romanee, no bad place to be. Domaine Eugenie, Etienne Grivot, Meo-Camuzet, Emmanuel Rouget, Anne Gros, Francois Lamarche, Domaine du Comte Liger Belair, provided a formidable line up. A detour to Cecile Tremblay, then to Morey St Denis to see Louis Remy, Clos des Lambrays and Clos de Tart completed the tour of the Cote de Nuits.

There are many excellent wines, so fruity open knit yet powerful. Particularly in the Vosne cellars there are some wines that rival the very best vintages. Cecile Tremblay has proved what a sensation she is, her wines have gone to another level, if only there was more if it! In the Chateau du Vosne Romanee cellars at Domaine du Comte Liger Belair, the 2009s are incredible. They are in such a different style to other greats like 2006 or 2005 so it is difficult to compare in terms of quality. However tasting them from barrel they were so gorgeous and seductive, with a deep complexity and enormous length of flavour, that is difficult to think of another vintage that as enjoyable to taste. La Romanee was the icing on the cake, unforgettable.

So there we have it, it seems to be an excellent, seductive style vintage for reds, perhaps most of all with the higher or cooler terroirs in the Cote de Nuits, Volnay and around Corton. Whilst for white wines, a very good and really quite suprising vintage, different to 2008, in most cases equal and certainly superior to 2006, though not quite the level of 2007.