Bordeaux 2014: Harvest report from the Guinaudeau

Bonjour,

The 2014 vintage is providing us with so much pleasure… As we told you in the last email on 17th September, we were in a sunny disposition, and we still are. We finished the harvest with the Cabernets Franc plots from Grand Village on the 8th October in excellent conditions…

We worked hard throughout the summer to keep the grapes healthy. We must say that the weather in September and in October has been exceptional. Optimum ripeness was reached in all the different terroirs.

We have to harvest at just the right moment when the grapes are very ripe. It is a key success factor to harvest each parcel at the right time. If the harvest is done too early, phenolic maturity would not be reached, however with a late harvest the result would be too heavy, without enough freshness and precision.

Concerning Lafleur, we harvested:

- The Merlots from the lot A on Friday 26th September

- The Merlots from the lot B on Monday 29th September

- The Cabernets Francs from the successful lot D on Sunday 5th October

- The Cabernets Francs from the lot E and F on Monday 6th October

We have just started the running-off (lot A and B from Lafleur). The Merlots combine power and delicacy, with a mind-blowing balance and freshness. Cabernets Francs from the lot D, are macerating, but we have already achieved a complexity and aromatic intensity we associate with the great millésimes…

The maceration is done for the white; they are now digesting the lees which are particularly rich this year, and we are doing a batonnage every two days. The framework is getting there, the tasting from the barrels confirms our first impressions. The white should be on another level for the 2014 vintage…

We will share our impressions about the vintage very soon.

Bien Cordialement,

Les Guinaudeau

Bordeaux 2012: The Usual Suspects

The annual Bordeaux tasting at the Royal Opera House was rather less busy than normal, but those who did attend were in up-beat mood. Our friends from Aquitaine arrived fresh from an Indian summer that has lifted spirits and hopes for the 2014s. And it would appear that the worst of the ‘Bordeaux Bashing’ may be over. Clients are beginning to re-visit this once darling region and re-discover their love affair with Claret.

2012 was far from an ideal growing season and the harvest was particularly precarious. Initially we thought this favoured the early ripening Merlots from Pomerol and Pessac. The challenge on the left bank was to wait for maturity and risk dilution and rot or cut one’s losses and harvest before the rain. At the time of the primeur tastings our Chairman said that ‘terroir, technique and timing were all key to success in 2012’. How right he was.

On the evidence of Thursday’s tasting, it is the usual suspects who have risen to the top of the pile. Perennial successes such as Grand Puy Lacoste, Domaine de Chevalier, Malartic Lagraviere, Smith Haut Lafitte and the two Pichons have made beautiful wines with concentration, vitality and freshness. It is not a blockbuster vintage, that is for sure, however, there are wines that will give enormous drinking pleasure and are sensibly priced. Xavier Borie’s GPL and Olivier Bernard’s Domaine de Chevalier Rouge deserve special mention – these are both tremendous value.

At the time of release we were rather negative about Sauternes. We always try to be honest in our assessment and we discouraged clients from buying these wines. It is clearly not a good vintage for sweeties – the wines are at best simple and lack botrytis. When there are so many good Sauternes vintages to choose from, one can quite easily forget about the 2012s altogether.

Those pessimistic about the primeur system said at the time, ‘these are not wines to buy en primeur’, and they have largely been proved right. Many of the 2012s are still available at their opening prices (good news for consumers) – but given how well some of the reds tasted and their relative affordability, they may not be around at these prices for long…

- Tom Jenkins, Bordeaux Buyer

VIDEO: Domaine Chantal Remy, Clos des Rosiers

Our recent Burgundy trip took us far and wide. Here Chantal Remy's son, Florian, explains to us Clos des Rosiers.

Highlights from our Burgundy trip: Henri Gouges

Last week the sales team flew out to Burgundy to visit a number of our agencies and amongst many highlights, one Domaine that really stood out was Henri Gouges in Nuits St Georges.

In the early 1900s, Henri Gouges, mayor of Nuits St Georges, was one of the largest landholders in the region. He was heavily involved in the INAO (Institut National d'Appellation d'Origine) along with the Marquis d’Angerville in Volnay and was at the forefront of a revolutionary project to delineate the various Crus and also to persuade local winemakers to take up domaine bottling rather than selling all their juice to negociants who would usually blend every barrel together and release the wines simply as Cuvee 1, Cuvee 2 etc. Henri was indeed the first producer in Nuits St Georges to start domaine bottling his wine in the early 1930s, when he created his eponymous Domaine. As one of the largest landholders in the region, Henri had significant holdings in the famed Les St Georges vineyard, but, not wanting to be seen as giving himself an unfair advantage, he insisted that no vineyards should be proposed for Grand Cru, even though Les St Georges was, and still is, widely believed to produce wines of Grand Cru quality and at the time the wines often sold for more than many other of Burgundy’s Grand Crus. In fact an application was recently filed with the INAO re-opening the case for its promotion to Grand Cru. There are currently 41 separate 1er Crus in the region.

The Domaine now has 15 hectares of vines in Nuits St Georges, the majority of which are in the southern part, close to Premeaux (Clos des Porrets, Pruliers, Vaucrains, Chenes Carteaux and Les St Georges) which generally produce the richer, more masculine and age-worthy style of Nuits St Georges. Their only holdings in the Northern part, towards Vosne Romanée are in the 1er Cru Chaignots, which produces a softer, more feminine style that can usually be approached earlier. The wines of Domaine Henri Gouges are well known for their incredible ability to age and traditionally they have been completely unapproachable, sometimes for up to 20 years after the vintage, but more recently, current winemaker Gregory Gouges has strived to give the wines more approachability whilst still retaining their ability to age. Picking is all done by hand and the Domaine uses organic practices, so vibrating tables are used for grape sorting but mostly, according to Gregory, to get rid of the huge number of insects! The bunches are 100% destemmed in every vintage as according to Gregory ‘there is enough tannin in Nuits already without adding it from the stalks.’ There is minimum intervention in the winery and never any correcting – for instance they did not acidify in 2003 nor did they add tannin in 2004 so there are clear vintage variations across the wines – in fact the Domaine has always gone by the maxim ‘it is whilst still on the vine that a fine wine matures.’ Fermentation takes place in concrete tanks which keep the temperature stable and only minimal new oak is used in the elevage, which usually lasts around 18 months before the wines are bottled. 

During our visit we tasted through a range of the soon to be released 2013s, all of which showed excellent purity and pretty fruit and whilst the 2013s are not quite as concentrated as the 2012s or 2010s they certainly have the stuffing to last for many years in the cellar and should provide enormous drinking pleasure in the years to come. After tasting a short range of wines going back to 2009 we were treated to a sumptuous and incredibly generous lunch with some truly wonderful and extraordinary wines, finishing off with two examples that clearly showed just how well these wines can age. First we were wowed by a fully mature but wonderfully elegant Pruliers from 1970, which was still holding up well after 44 years but even more of a surprise was the last pair of dusty, mouldy bottles that were opened. Most of us guessed the wine must be from the 1950s or 1960s but when its identity was revealed it was truly a revelation. The wine was from 1936, a wine that had been hidden along with a number of other bottles in a walled up cellar which had succeeded in staying hidden from the Nazi occupiers during the Second World War. Gregory asked us to guess the Cru and of course we all presumed it must be Les St Georges or Vaucrains, but no, it was none other than the estate’s entry level wine, the monopole Clos des Porrets. At 78 years of age the wine was truly ethereal, a wonderful experience and a real treat. Considering how well these wines have aged, anyone with an eye to long-term cellarage should definitely be putting a few cases of this domaine’s wines away for as long as they can resist. Whilst 1936 is regarded as a very good year for Red Burgundy, it was certainly not as good as 2009, 2010 or 2012, all of which are available in this offer. A short selection of recommendations follows: 

Nuits St Georges Clos des Porrets 1er Cru 2009 @ £390 – one of the estate’s two monopoles, we saw one with a beautiful texture and serious ageing potential. Buy this and forget it for at least 10 years. 

Nuits St Georges Les Chenes Carteaux 1er Cru 2010 @ £350 – situated on a strip of land between Les St Georges and Vaucrains this is clearly a very special wine at a bargain price! 

Nuits St Georges Les Pruliers 1er Cru 2012 @ £465 – made from vines up to 70 years old, Pruliers produces wonderfully intense mineral wines and this 2012 is up there with the best.

Edward Stafford-Deitsch

26 vintages of Clos des Papes

I have drunk more Clos des Papes in the last four weeks than the whole of last year, 26 different examples of red and white to be precise, but I am not complaining.  For this fine Rhone estate produces wine that, with age, challenges the convention that Chateauneuf du Pape is about power, richness and little else.  Whilst the famous vintages of course get great journalistic scores and points, the last month has also proven how good Clos des Papes is in "challenging" vintages, indeed they are sometimes preferable.  Overall the wines were utterly graceful, sensual sweet but moreish, very refined but with a distinct sense of place.  My first tasting was with Vincent Avril himself in his cellars, the initial premise was to taste 2013 but Vincent's generosity extended to another 8 additional wines.  The second occasion was a thoroughly convivial dinner earlier this week where the 1934 was rather decadently, but not incorrectly, served as an "apertif" - it was a memorable night. 

Overall I have tasted 8 whites and 18 reds, amongst which were such lauded vintages as 1983, 1989, 1995 and 2000, however my absolute favourites were as follows.

2013 - White.  Less Grenache than usual, really clear and crisp without being aggressive excellent
Red - lots of Mourvedre (30%) and 15% less Grenache than usual.  Early days but promises so much, the freshness of 2008 with the fat of 2011.

2012  Red - One of the great vintages, intensity, depth ripeness and freshness with velvety tannins.  Edges ahead of the other great 2010 for its extra charm and harmony

2001 White - secondary character and complexity with youthful precision , keeps on giving. wonderful 
Red - a long life ahead of it very young and not ready but clearly very smart.  Lively strong but fine- boned.  Super.  Just edge out the very attractive plump and sensual 2000 it was paired with.

1997 White - stunning, a nose that smell distinctly of Saar Riesling.  This is a cooler edgier vintage and it shows in the wine, stony mineral with enough fat to balance

1993 White -  stony and even tauter than the 1997.  A little leaner than the 1997 but very moreish and enjoyable nonetheless
Red -  one of the wines of the dinner.  Wonderful to drink now so fresh and vital but seductive with it.  Floral, fruity and finely poised. Brilliant

1988  Red some secondary character and spice but still plenty of fruit, distinctly mineral too.  Perfectly weighted and drinking well now but there's no rush.  gorgeous. 

1984 - a very "cassis" nose, lots of dark fruit.  More mourvedre in this than usual, this is very impressive and youthful, it still has a good long life ahead of it.  Tense dark structured but velvety blackberries and currants. 

1971 Red this was paired with a '74 - which was lovely and drinking well now - but the 71 had the edge.  Serious dark but bright, almost slightly brooding still, very enjoyable indeed if still plenty to give

1934 Red.  Speechless.  The nose is a nice enough mixture of strawberries and balsamic vinegar, however this does not prepare you at all for the utterlty spellbinding palate  Silky sweet garriguettes strawberries slip accross the juicy palate, notes of leather and spice aswell but they are not too dominant.  Light-touched but persistent, so elegant and beguiling.  Most amazing of all is that it managed to taste not just like Chateaneuf but specifically like Clos des Papes after all these years.  A slickness and sweetness of fruit married to gently spiced characteristics... and it held on in the glass well. Extraordinary

White Burgfest 2011: An update on 2011 White Burgundies

Our chairman, Hew Blair, who will soon be tasting his 40th Burgundy vintage with Justerini & Brooks this autumn, looks back at the Burgfest review of the 2011 white wines tasted earlier this year. 

A report on this summer's Red Burgfest 2011 will follow in the coming week.

THE TASTING

-          3 days of blind tasting by 8 top worldwide wine buyers and journalists Neal Martin and Dr Neil Beckett.

-          250 wines tasted in 29 flights

-          1ers and Grand Crus from the Cotes d’Or’s main wine producing villages and for the first time St Aubin and Chablis

-          Discussion was entered into after each flight pre and post disclosure and at the termination of the tasting

 THE RESULTS

Chablis 2011 proved to be ultra mineral ( a good thing ) , but the palate puckering style made it  difficult to see into some of the wines. Consequently top names such as Dauvissat were very closed and backward. Others with a richer style were considerably more open, the Grand Crus of William Fevre and Moreau-Naudet.  The overall range of Jean-Marc Brocard received the best reviews being taught ,focused and with exquisite balance.

For a debut at this tasting the St Aubins’ in these two flights were of a consistent high quality. The energy , minerality and complexity amongst the best was impressive. The top Domaines , such as Lamy , Ch de Puligny and Marc Colin are taking this appellation into new heights of quality.

Of the five flights of 1er Cru Meursault , Genevrieres proved to be the most consistent and with real outstanding performers headed by Domaines des Comtes Lafon - a brilliant example - “ wild flowers , limestone teasing complexity “  Dominic’s Perrieres and Charmes were also top notch .Other over achievers were Michel Bouzereau , Ch de Puligny and Bernard Boisson Vadot .

The 2011 vintage in Chassagne crystallised the difference in style and quality between the higher and lower 1er Crus .Outstandly good examples came from Grandes Ruchottes , La Romanee and Caillerets on the upper slopes exploited by Paul Pillot , Bernard Moreau and several Moreys.The middle and lower 1er crus were as to be expected richer with more density but very fine Vide Bourse of Marc Colin and Chenevottes from Jean Noel Gagnard showed what can be achieved showing energy and minerality.

Amongst the five flights of 1er Cru Puligny’s there were few disappointments and many superb wines which showed the outstandingly high quality of the 2011 vintage in this village . Great wines across the board from the high flying Domaines headed by Sauzet , Leflaive and Bachelet Monnot . It would be tricky to choose the outstanding vineyards of the vintage, but Folatieres and Pucelles are my pick.

The Corton Charlemagnes were split into three flights East ,West and Ladoix. No particular advantage was perceivable . The West flight was headed by Remi Rollin’s dynamic , brooding  age-worthy example , the East by Patrick Javillier’s delicious roasted nut and butter example and Ladoix exquisitely balanced wines of Franck Follin-Arbelet and Oliver Leflaive .

The Grand Crus centred on Montrachet were tasted in four Flights. The wine of the whole tasting was the Le Montrachet Comtes Lafon , breathtaking intensity power and balance, closely followed by an ethereal Montrachet from Marquis de Laguiche . Other outstanding wines were the Batard and Chevaliers of Domaine Laflaive and the cool restrained ageworthy Batards’ of Sauzet and Bachelet Monnot .

The 2011 White Burgundies were a pleasant surprise in many ways . There were few if any corked bottles , which shows growers are taking quality control of corks more seriously . There was no sign of any premature oxidation , perhaps a combination of fine acidity and lessons learned both in vineyard and cellar . Overall I would be confident and more than happy to have these wines in my cellar and be in no rush to pull the corks . The 2011s from these top Domaines will provide great pleasure and in many cases exceptional quality drinking .

Breaking news: Guinaudeau's 2014 vintage update.

"We have just started the harvest for the Blancs de Grand-Village following a period of glorious, warm, sunny weather. We are happy, because the grapes are very ripe, the aromatic level is amazing, both for the Sauvignon and Sémillon. 

After a tough summer, once again we had to work hard, but the first two weeks of September were brilliant, as a consequence the vendage has a surprising potential… At the moment the grapes are in excellent condition and we can therefore take our time. We have been harvesting in the cool early mornings for the last three days and have collected all of our Semillon and half of our Sauvignon.

Regarding our red grapes, physiological maturity has largely been reached in Pomerol and we are taking advantage of the nice weather to further improve the tannic structure. We may take some secateurs to the very young vines in the parcel of Lafleur called La Sieste this week. We will see… In any case we should start harvesting the best Merlot plots in Lafleur by the following week. The Cabernet Francs grapes have tasted well in the vineyard, and should be ready at the beginning of October.

We will let you know how the 2014 harvest is going, but it has started under excellent conditions. "

Les Guinaudeau.

'At home with Chêne Bleu' - an event special

Xavier and Nicole Rolet are the owners of Chêne Bleu, an idyllic winery located in the foothills of Mt Ventoux in Southern Rhône. They kindly invited us into their stunning London home for a spoiling evening showcasing their beautifully polished wines paired with dinner created by a rising star on the London culinary scene - Marcelo de Campos. Marcelo created a menu combining the aromas and flavours of Provence with hints of his native Brazil. A ‘touch of football fever' menu matched with award-winning French wines may sound like a strange concept but the first bite of the canapé indicated to me that it was going to be an interesting evening. The thoughtfulness and complexity in the flavour of the food matched terrifically well with the wines.

Before dinner, whilst enjoying her 2013 Rosé, Nicole explained the story of the winery, and their decade of dedication which successfully changed an abandoned vineyard and ruined chateau into the heralded place that it is today. The 1700 feet altitude of the vineyards is certainly tasted on the palate with minerally flavours, especially in the light pink rosé. This is a serious food wine which does not leave one feeling anything but refreshed and happy.

At dinner we enjoyed an array of delights, my top pairing being the Aliot 2010 with celeriac lasagne and truffle confetti. The oily, richly textured Aliot burst with complex flavours and worked alongside the creaminess of the lasagne and savoury notes of the celeriac and truffle. Another great moment was trying Chêne Bleu's new wine - Astralabe 2009 with ‘steak frite Brazillian style’ (wonderfully cooked meat with cassava chips). This wine is the baby of Abelard. More fruity and less concentrated; Nicole says it is your perfect Thursday night wine (it is so delicious I will be enjoying it every night of the week). As ever the Héloise and Abelard shone, the Héloise's femininity highlighted against the more masculine and spicy Abelard. Both were stunning with the lamb although I found the velvety Héloise really stood out with the crusted lamb cutlet and ratatouille.

It was an extraordinary night of which we all will remember, thank you again to Chêne Bleu for their hospitality and incredible selection of fine wines.

- Catriona Palmer, Event Manager

The Guinaudeau in London's West End

Last Tuesday Justerini & Brooks welcomed Julie and Baptiste Guinaudeau from Château Lafleur to London. Our charming guests hosted a masterclass tasting in our Mayfair premises followed by an exclusive dinner in our private dining room in St James’s.

Baptiste Guinaudeau led the masterclass tasting. We began with Château Grand Villages reds from 2008 and 2009, along with a Château Grand Villages white from 2013. For those not au fait with the Guinaudeau’s home property in the commune of Mouillac, these wines offer incredible value for money and plenty of class. The new and exciting Champs Libres Blanc followed - 100% Sauvignon from Sancerre clones, grown on pure limestone and made in tiny quantities – it showed tremendous breed and complexity.

’ G’ Act 2, from the 2010 vintage, is the second vintage of this project. It hails from various plots in the Fronsac commune. Baptiste explains that the blend is the reverse of Château Lafleur being 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc and the soils are pure clay and limestone, so similar to the best sites in St Emilion. The 2010 displays outstanding potential and shows the skill of the Guinaudeau team in making wines that gives unbridled enjoyment. Les Pensées de Lafleur, the second wine of Lafleur was represented by the 2008 vintage; classic, refined and intellectual, a great Pomerol with a long future ahead of it. Completing the tasting was Château Lafleur 1998 – a monumental and brooding wine that was slow to unfurl, but gave a sense of incredible presence and class as it did. 

At the St. James’s dinner some of the UK’s biggest private collectors joined Baptiste and Julie Guinaudeau for an evening that showed just what remarkable wines these are. The two 2013 white wines (as shown at the tasting) got even better with time in the glass, retaining their freshness but achieving even more complexity as they opened up. A brace of Pensées de Lafleurs followed: 1999 was seductive and mature, 2000 was simply out of this world and got the whole room talking. It was firm, young, yet packed with an utterly bewitching profile which kept evolving and expanding. The final flight was three vintages of Château Lafleur. 1998, which released its dark ample profile in the glass. If the Pensées 2000 is a modern classic then the ‘grand vin’ from 2000 will turn out to be a legend. A 100 point wine, it is stunningly poised and aristocratic, with a beauty that can just be glimpsed, but begins to slowly reveal itself in the glass. And then the star of the night – Château Lafleur 1989. For me certainly one of the greatest Bordeaux I’ve ever drunk. A combination of richness and class that is extremely rare. Full of layered nuance that never stops expanding, and a length of flavour that went on and on. It’s a wine you think about the following day, and one you will never forget.

 

Hew Blair, Chairman

Germany's 2013 Rieslings - Top quality, tiny quantity...

It is very hard to travel out to a region with the intention of tasting the latest vintage without having heard or read somebody’s views on it. These days there seem to be no end of people desperate to evaluate a vintage as early as possible. Everyone wants the first scoop, regardless of whether the wines are in a state that allows fair evaluation. During this most recent trip I even heard of notes being published from cloudy, still fermenting tank samples. Now I may be wrong, but it seems to me that unless you are a highly practiced winemaker, this is surely simple conjecture? Be that as it may, many had put forth their views and as a result my mood as I prepared for my trip was somewhat pessimistic. To put it bluntly I feared painful teeth and tart, rather aggressively acidic wines. 

But let it be known here, straight away: my fear was unfounded – there are some very good wines in this vintage. Indeed there are some that rank in the realms of truly excellent.  Make no mistake, no-one is suggesting that this was an easy vintage. In fact, as late as the start of October many growers feared a truly disastrous vintage.

The village of Oberhausen, in the Nahe.

Refreshingly, none of the growers I saw tried to pretend that October was a delight. There was no golden autumn here. There was plenty of warmth, but it was accompanied by plenty of rain. The conditions were perfect for the spread rot, which would have been fine if ripeness had already been a fait accompli. But as it was, the final days probably caused more than a few local grey hairs as ripeness, acidity, and botrytis (the last bringing with it a rapidly decreasing yield) converged upon a sweet spot with lightning speed.  Blink, and you would have missed it.  

The problems started at flowering. After a cool, damp start to the year, a protracted flowering started later and lasted longer than usual. In many places it was still going on right up to the end of June. Such a delayed, stop start beginning to the season laid the (rather unstable) foundations for the vintage, producing uneven clusters of grapes that were going to require ripening well into late October. July and August provided a crucial fillip being hot and relatively dry, but come September cooler weather had returned, notably during the nights. By late September acidity levels were high, ripeness seemed a long way off, and neither situation looked like changing any time soon.

The view from the top of Wehlener Sonnenuhr, looking downstream to
Graach and then Bernkastel, in the distance

So far so bad, eh? Well, it certainly seemed that way, and yet somehow I saw an enormous amount of wines to get excited about. I should caveat this by acknowledging that the growers I saw represent the crème de la crème of Germany’s winemaking talent, but truly growers from all regions reported their own surprise at what a successful and balanced set of wines they had turned out. Certainly this is a vintage of high acidity, but not so high as to make the wines either difficult to taste or difficult to enjoy. And while acidity levels are definitely higher than in 2012 and 2011, they are actually slightly lower than in 2010. Furthermore, the type and character of the acidity seems completely different to 2010 being riper, less nervous and less concentrated. The wines have edge and a certain driving focus, but it seldom comes across as aggressive, in spite of marginally lower than usual Oeschle levels.

How is this balance so? Put simply, the presence of high levels of extract with very complex minerality seem to have bonded with these high levels of tartaric acidity to form a tripod of structural elements that against all the odds have created wines of high focus and balance. These are not Rieslings which drip with sun-drenched fruit. They are built on more earth-bound lines than that. But that is not to say they have no fruit - many have wonderful fruit of sometimes startling clarity, but it is invariably set amidst scenes of high minerality and palpable extract. Savoury,  salty notes compete with clear golden fruit and botrytis, when it is present, is almost exclusively of the very fresh, clear and pure type.

I have no doubt that it would have been a very easy vintage in which to make bad wine. Talking to people across the regions it seems there are no shortage of wines which have required excessive de-acidification resulting in flat wines that lack energy. Growers had to make the correct decisions not just at harvest, but right the way through the season. If you didn’t put the work in from day one,  this was a vintage which would really show it. If your vines weren’t in exceptional condition come October you were in for some serious problems. Furthermore, come harvest, at breakneck speed you had to make the right call as to what and how many wines you were going to attempt to make. At JJ Prum, Katharina decided that to make a range of Spatlese she would have had to pick wines with acidities and unripe fruit profiles that simply would not have made for harmonious wines. As a result it was a brief tasting at this great estate; we started with an estate Kabinet, moved straight up to four Auslese and finished with a pair of Auslese Goldcap. What they’ve made is glorious, how much they’ve made is not.

For virtually all the growers I saw the greatest problem this year is quantity. Yields for growers in the Saar, Mosel and Ruwer are down by approximately 50%. In the Nahe, perhaps the region least affected by the weather gods, they are down about 20%. In the Rheingau, depending on where your vineyards were, you had between 20% and 40% less wine. The biggest reason for these figures was the accelerated onset of botrytis. Come harvest, day by day, growers saw their yields decreasing as grapes shrivelled in front of their eyes.

The Helden vineyard in Niederberg, with Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr
in the distance

So how will it go down in history? One thing that is clear that this is a vintage for Riesling lovers. From recent vintages there are elements from 2004 and 2008, some 2010 and maybe a touch of 2012 too. It will appeal to people who enjoy wines with mineral, cool fruit characters, but also those that love Germany’s diversity, for amongst all these factors, including the presence of much botrytis, the specific characteristics of site are particularly well articulated. It should appeal to lovers of the Grosses Gewachs, built as they are in the mould of the 2004s, or 2008s, with alcohol levels perhaps a degree lower than 2011 and half a degree lower than 2012, and highly complex mineral flavour profiles. And it will appeal to those who are interested in buying focussed, filigree and classically styled ‘pradikat’ wines with strong mineral personalities, very clear fruit, high ripe acid levels and the core density to last an extremely long time in the cellar.

The run of top quality Germany vintages continues. Lovers of these great wines have arguably never had it so good.

Julian Campbell

Buyer, Justerini & Brooks.

Introducing Peay Vineyards

A stunning new UK exclusive from the true Sonoma Coast (and coming soon)

It is no mean feat finding Peay. The road you take from Geyserville twists and turns its way across high barren ridges and through densely wooded valleys, traversing a tectonically crumpled stretch of land as you head west, straight towards the Pacific Ocean– it is not a road where you can easily make up lost time, as I found out on my visit there in February 2013.  A mere four miles from the Ocean, surrounded by dense forest, on a slightly undulating ridge, sits the Peay Estate Vineyard; a one hundred year old clearing originally used to grow apples by local loggers. It is a fairly extreme place, right out on the limits, where vineyard pests can include bears.   And it’s home to one of the great Sonoma Coast vineyards.

Back in 1996 Andy and Nick Peay set out on the hunt for a parcel of land on which to grow their own grapes to make their own wine. Their search led them to a little travelled area in the very north of Sonoma that many at the time said was too cool to fully ripen grapes.  Having been raised on great European wines, this was music to their ears; just the sort of place to produce wines of purity, restraint and tension.   Keeping a keen eye out for the presence of moss and ferns, sure fire indicators of the presence of water, and fog, they finally located the 21ha parcel that today is home to their specific clonal selections of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, plus Syrah and a little Marsanne and Rousanne.

Planting took place in 1998, all done by Andy and Nick. The first harvest was made in 2001 (though all of this was sold to the likes of Williams Selyem and Failla). In the intervening years Nick had met and started to date Vanessa Wong a winemaker raised in San Francisco. Vanessa’s CV included stints at with Chateau Lafite, Jean Gros in Burgundy, and more recently at Hirsch in Sonoma, before working as winemaker at Peter Michael. By the time wedding bells rung in 2002 Vanessa was firmly ensconced as winemaker at Peay. 

Vanessa’s philosophy stems entirely from her decision on when to pick the fruit. She is a meticulous collector of data, making notes on everything from bunch formation to cane lengths, bud break and leaf nutrient samples. The aim is simple to give her and Nick the greatest possible picture of what is going on in the vineyard at any given time. Vineyard work is carried out by hand by a small team of 8 full time workers (a rarity and luxury that allows the people working the vines to really know the vines “our workers touch each vine over 13 times per year” they proudly state). Once harvested the grapes are transferred to the Peay’s own purpose built winery 40 miles away in Calistoga. From this point in the winemaking can best be described as gentle. The aim is simply to transmit the particular qualities of their land, through the prism of great Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The result is wines of great refinement, nuance and clarity. 

The 20 hectare Peay vineyard itself sits on a ridge in a clearing just four miles from the chilly Pacific Ocean, one ridge removed from the actual coast.  When you’re located so close to an ocean, fog comes to be an unavoidable feature of life.  The Peay vineyard sits just above the inversion layer, and therefore just above the fog line, cooled by ocean breezes yet just out of the dangerous damp of the fog itself.  Whereas further inland the heat from the valley floor radiates warmth more strongly to the lower vineyards, out here on the coast, the cool coastal winds mean that the lower you are, the cooler you are. At Peay they feel their position just on the edge of this cooling fog gives rise to the very idea conditions for producing wines of nerve,  refreshing acidity and purity. Concentration is achieved through careful vineyard management, which in turn is shaped by some very careful clonal selection. The wines are split into two camps, those that come exclusively from the Peay vineyard and those that contain a small percentage of fruit from other sites on the Sonoma Coast. Both are cared for with the same passion and zeal.

We’re delighted to be importing these fascinating, cool climate wines. It is the first time they have ever been seen on these shores, just in time for their stunning 2012 vintage. They are set for release at the end of May 2014, so please do watch this space. In the meantime, you can watch this short video presented by Nick Peay about the vineyard.

Vintage Report: Bordeaux 2013

A refreshing vintage…

Refreshingly honest some might say. There was no hyperbole, no attempt at finding a silver lining; everyone admitted that 2013 was a ‘challenging year’. It may sound euphemistic, but no-one pretended that it was anything but hard. The spring, well there wasn’t really a spring, it was more of an extended winter, was three degrees colder than the norm, which hampered flowering, causing widespread coulure and millerandage. Providence, Hosanna and Quinault L’Enclos were so badly affected that they haven’t produced a wine at all. On average most vines flowered three weeks behind schedule, breaking one of Denis Dubourdieu’ s golden rules for a spectacular vintage. After a cold and wet June most vigneron had long given up any hope of a spectacular vintage and would quite happily have just taken a crop of any sorts.

July brought some much needed heat and sunshine. It was the hottest July since 1991, even eclipsing the scorching 2003 vintage. The July heat allowed the vines to play some much needed catch up as well as breaking down the methoxypyrazines in the grapes. As a result the fruit has little to no bitter, peppery notes, which greatly adds to the wines' appeal. August was generally good with more warm weather and little rainfall. Just when it seemed that there was some reason for cautious optimism, a pattern of tropical weather conditions hit the Gironde. It would be an exaggeration to call September a monsoon, but it was humid, with high daytime and night time temperatures. This accelerated ripening, but also posed a constant threat of rot.

The harvest was always going to be late, but some Chateau had little choice but to harvest before full phenolic ripeness was achieved. The risk of heavy rain and botrytis proved too big a gamble. Heavy rain hit in October, but large parts of the northern Medoc escaped unscathed. Most grapes were harvested with low potential alcohols, something that Bordeaux hasn’t experienced for a long time and something many will find very alluring. There were stories of Hypermarkets in the Gironde being devoid of sugar – certainly, many winemakers decided to chaptalize, but even after chaptilization, alcohols rarely exceed 13%.

There are many lightweight wines in 2013. We’d be surprised if the vintage as a whole appeals to American critics. It is characterised by low alcohols, high acidities and pure, lightweight flavours. The best wines from the most favourable terroirs are utterly charming. They possess noble flavours and are very refreshing. If you don’t like the massive style of some recent vintages or if you don’t want to wait decades before you can drink your wine, then these will appeal.

It is always good to end on a positive note, and the dry whites are very good and the Sauternes and Barsacs are potentially excellent. It is always perilously difficult to assess sweet wines in their infancy, but these seem to have wonderful potential. The humid conditions that caused such headaches for red wine-makers, produced widespread botrytis in Sauternes’ Semillons and Sauvignon Blancs. The wines possess noble, complex, crystalline flavours and bright acidity. They should turn out to be wonderful wines that will rival the extravagant 2001s and 2007s.

Bordeaux day two - The rollercoaster continues

After the peaks of Monday there was a pretty scary descent into the right bank UGCs. Let’s focus on the positives. Gazin and Conseillante are very good and Clinet continues to improve its style. The St Emilion tasting was altogether forgettable, except for some notable absences. The Nicolas Thienpont wines were nowhere to be seen (yields are so low at these estates, they decided to pull out of the Union tasting), so it was back in the bus for an unscheduled tasting at Pavie Macquin. Larcis Ducasse was surprisingly subdued, but Pavie Macquin and Beausejour Duffau are both quite striking. We bade farewell to the right bank and programmed the sat nav for Pessac Leognan.

Prince Robert of Luxembourg and Jean-Philippe Delmas greeted us at La Mission Haut Brion. A draconian selection has meant that for the first time they have bigger yields for the whites than the reds. The reds are both rather grand and the whites are drop dead gorgeous. Delving deeper into the commune we found a delicious Domaine de Chavalier a glossy Smith Haut Lafitte and some lovely dry whites, most notably: Malartic Lagraviere and Picque Cailliou. However, the UGC tasting was not plain sailing - many of the reds were charmless or worse…

On to Margaux. The new cellars, designed by Norman Foster are under construction so we tasted with Paul Pontallier in what is apparently France’s largest privately owned orangery. It certainly is a mighty fine building and a suitable place to taste a very refined and graceful flight of wines. At neighbours, Chateau Palmer, by contrast, we found something more voluptuous, sexy and juicy. There was also time for a quick visit to Clos des Quatre Vents. Luc has sold the estate to a Chinese company, but stays on to lend his considerable knowledge. The CD4V is charming and elegant, but lacks the depth of recent vintages. We also tasted a quite unique Chinese icewein from near the North Korean border made by the new owners of Clos des Quartre Vents! In short, it has been a day of peaks and troughs…

Bordeaux day one - UGC Week, Bordeaux 2013

If we started our stay in Saint Emilion with a sense of pessimism, this was soon replaced by more sanguine thoughts after a day tasting at the very best estates on the right bank. This was indeed a challenging vintage, but no-one said otherwise. A spring with average temperatures three degrees below the norm meant that flowering was severely delayed. Merlot was affected by coulure and Edouard Moueix explained that Providence and Hosanna were both the victims of millerandage and consequently won’t be produced in 2013. The poor and late flowering has reduced yields to levels we normally associate with Burgundy and the Rhone. July was scorching and greatly helped the evolution of the vines, but this was always destined to be a late harvest. 

As one would expect from the likes of the Guinaudeaus, Denis Durantou, Alexandre Thienpont, Alain Vauthier and all the other superstars that we visited yesterday, they quickly understood the nature of the vintage and vinified gently, respecting the fruits' limitations. The results are a revelation. One word that keeps being mentioned is ‘soyeux’, and these are silky, pure, precise, elegant, fragrant wines. They are feminine and charming and will provide so much enjoyment over the medium term. No-one is pretending that they are blockbusters in the mould of the 2000s, 2005s, 2009s and 2010s, but I’d wager that these will give far more pleasure in the first 20 years of their evolution than many of their more illustrious counterparts. It’s hard to pick favourites amongst such company, but Pensees and Lafleur were both otherworldly and although this is a vintage where terroir is vital, there will be some inexpensive wines that shine: Les Cruzelles, La Chenade, Saintayme and Montlandrie from Denis Durantou were all spectacular. Next stop on the bus - Graves.

- Tom Jenkins, Bordeaux Buyer

A week in Piedmont - 2010, 2009 and Barolo "Classico"

Last week was one of the most enjoyable and exciting trips to Piedmont I can remember having. My schedule was fuller than ever before, including 20 of the region's top producers and upcoming stars. There were as many new faces to meet as old and plenty of wine to discover. At a time when Italy is in the doldrums, Piedmont seems to be positively buzzing. Not only is demand and quality of wine sky-high, but also the region is teaming with budding young winemakers. What a difference to 30 years ago when Barolo was being given away for free with more sought-after bottles of Dolcetto.

My main purpose was to taste 2010 Barolo, but first 2009. Understandably less homogenous, hot vintages are often pigeon-holed as bad and incapable of lasting very long. However this is an injustice. 2003 makes the case strongly. The successful ones still provide delicious drinking today, offering exotic vintage traits together with fresh, clear fruit flavours that keep you coming back for more. Who'd have thought it? And so it is likely to be with 2009. I tasted many this week. They were aromatic, seductive and eminently drinkable now already. They will probably not be in as fine fettle as the 2010s or 2008s in 25 years’ time but who cares? 10 years plus is well within their capabilities and at least we will have something to drink while we wait. Gaja's Sperss, Giuseppe Mascarello's Monprivato, Vietti's Castiglione were highlights. Marengo, Scavino and Azelia also excelled. 2008s, 2006s and 2004s have not really awoken yet and 2007s are still seductive but it would be a shame to approach the best right now.  Thankfully we have vintages to drink in 2003, 2005 and 2009.

2010 is the vintage on everyone's lips, though. I will spare the meteorological report, we have had quite enough of "weather" in the UK already this year, but in short 2010 was a very late vintage characterised by a late, poor flowering with resulting low yields; a cool and wet start to the summer; a return to good weather in September with big day night temperature differences that built freshness and aroma in the grapes; culminating with fine October weather in the run up to and during harvest at the end of the month. The wines are crisp and offer a refined intensity. The tannins are evident but distinctly sweet, smooth and weave deftly through the fruit. They give the initial impression of a gentle austerity which precedes long, floral and fruity notes. These are hallmarks of great Nebbiolo. There is a deep concentration in the wines but they remain streamlined, restrained and alpine-pure. As impressive as they are to taste however, to getting the most out of drinking them will require great patience. A benchmark vintage for laying down. I tasted with the good and the great: amongst many others the three Gs - Conterno, Mascarello and Rinaldi; Altare; Clerico; Giacosa; Vietti; Voerzio and Scavino just to name drop a little. Brovia and Elio Grasso were two firsts for me that greatly impressed. However the 2010 range that I kept comparing everything back to was Azelia. This is an estate that has been making bigger strides in quality than any other over the last few years. Their 2010s are simply brilliant and among the vintage's very best wines.

Surrounded by old, dusty bottles at almost every estate I went to, the one thing I was consistently reminded of during each tasting was how Barolo was traditionally always a blend. The pinnacle of production. Crus are a relatively recent phenomena and designed to not only be brilliant but also reflect the special characteristics of an individual terroir. Most Domaines worth their salt make a Barolo blended from Crus, as it was traditionally in the past, rather than use it as an outlet for young vine production or a hiding place for wine unsuitable for the Cru ine. In general considerably more of these blended Barolos are made than the individual Crus, the quality gap to the Crus is therefore often much smaller than the much lower prices suggest. Scavino's Barolo "Classico" as they call it, their ode to tradition, is one of the finest examples. I was struck by the quality of their 2010, its complexity, impeccable balance, vibrancy and completeness. Progression has brought Piedmont a long way in a short time but let’s hope the best of tradition is not forgotten in the process.

Burgundy by Village Tasting

On Monday evening the doors of the Caledonian Club were opened with a typically ebullient Scottish welcome for Justerini & Brooks’ ‘Red Burgundy by Village’ tasting. More than 150 guests, some old friends, au fait with the riches of our Burgundy portfolio, some uninitiated, joined us to taste over 60 wines arranged by commune.

It was wonderful to see so many enthusiasts enjoying the superb wines on display. Giles, our Buying Director, had carefully selected a range of wines to show off the breadth and depth of our offering. Despite Burgundy being flavour of the month, a label it has proudly worn for several years now, we were still able to showcase a multitude of gems from our stocks. Many samples hailed from 2007 and 2008 – harvests that were not without complication. However, these unsung vintages ably display the skill of our winemakers and the strides that Burgundy as a region has made in the past decade or two. They are also years that are rather flattering to drink right now! In some cases, discerning collectors had already relieved us of our 2007 and 2008 examples, so 2009, 2010 and 2011 stepped into the breach. The 2009s and 2010s are still displaying their youthful, fruit characters and are clearly class acts. The 2011s showed brilliant purity and silky textures and promise to be very fine drinkers in years to come.

In the Cote de Beaune, there was a fascinating match-up between Volnay and Pommard. Volnay, so often held aloft as being more charming and less bucolic than its neighbour, certainly had its work cut out. The Pommards from de Montille, in particular the Rugiens 2008, dispelled the theory that all Pommard is rustic and requires decades of cellaring. This was without doubt one of the stars of the tasting and narrowly eclipsed the also excellent 2008 Volnay Mitans and the 2009 Volnay Taillepieds from the same producer.

Nuits St Georges from Etienne Grivot, Robert Chevillon and Henri Gouges all shone. This commune is so much more than a poor neighbour of Vosne Romanee. They may be without Grand Crus (for the time being), but Vaucrains, Cailles, Pruliers and Les St Georges are all serious contenders. For those who find some of the prices in the Cote de Nuits a little scary, there is still plenty of value to be had in this village.

Alas, so many Vosne wines sell out en primeur, but we were still able to open examples from Francois Lamarche, Etienne Grivot and Bruno Clair. The Lamarche Malconsorts and the Grivot Suchots  are fabulous 1er crus that deserve to be in the most discerning of cellars. Bruno Clair’s excellent Champs Perdrix is a little beauty. With two barrels of Petit Monts in the blend, this is a very fine Vosne and excellent value.

The star of the Chambolle commune was Joseph Drouhin’s 1er cru Baudes 2008: feminine, ethereal, elegant Chambolle just as Bacchus intended it to be. Our new boy, Perrot Minot shone very brightly on the Morey St Denis table. Their 2010s are sumptuous and stylish and, although the prices are a bit eye watering, they are worth every penny!

As one would expect, the Gevrey Chambertin table was a swamped for most of the evening (hardly surprising when you have names such as Denis Mortet, Bruno Clair, Louis Remy, Drouhin Laroze and Joseph Drouhin exhibiting). There were two mini flights of the Grand Crus, Latricieres Chambertin and Chambertin and Chambertin Clos de Beze – the perfect way to finish a tasting! In truth, impressive as the Grand Crus were, most deserve much more time. The 2007 Latricieres from Louis Remy was delicious and approachable, but perhaps the picks of the commune were the excellent 2008Bruno Clair Cazetiers and the magnificent 2008 Mortet Gevrey 1er cru. Denis’ son Arnaud really has emerged as one of the most talented young winemakers in Burgundy; it’s well worth picking up some of his 2008s while you still can!

Many thanks to the Caledonian Club for being so hospitable and to everyone who attended and helped to make it such a wonderful event.

Harvest report from Voyager Estate - Part two

We have nearly completed our Chardonnay harvest with only one small block remaining. The vineyard team have been steadily handpicking each morning for the past 10 days and, have brought in some of the most outstanding Chardonnay fruit we have ever seen. 

The flavor development and concentration at such low sugar levels has the team very excited by the potential quality of the harvest. The Chardonnay fruit is all hand harvested and whole bunch pressed, with the free run juice being transferred to French oak barrels for natural fermentation.

This season has seen the introduction of some larger format oak barrels in the form of puncheons which we are using on our Chardonnay and Shiraz. The 500 litre puncheons will offer us the textural benefits of barrel maturation with slightly less oak influence on the resultant wine.

We have commenced the fruit intake of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, with the first hand pick of Semillon completed this morning and some machine harvested fruit coming in this evening. This is the point where the vineyard and winery teams split into two shifts, as we begin working day and night  to harvest these varieties. The machine picking is done during the cool of the evening and early morning, to ensure these aromatic white varieties are at their freshest and most vibrant.

The weather conditions are close to perfect with a continuation of warm days and cool nights the norm for the week ahead.

It is certainly looking like one of the strongest white wine vintages for a long time -  I think some really special wines will be made!

Harvest report from Voyager Estate - Part one

Our first harvest of Chardonnay on the 3^rd of February was the earliest start to harvest we have experienced at Voyager Estate.

The Chardonnay vines have been tracking early all season and the very quick flowering in November set the scene for a potentially early start to harvest.

The ripening weather has been warm to mild with no excessive heat and, the nights have been very cool – perfect conditions for the steady ripening of the white fruit.

If the pleasant mild conditions hold, we should see our Chardonnay fruit steadily harvested over the next 10 to 14 days. This nice steady ripening allows us the luxury of handpicking small select parcels at perfect levels of ripeness.

The early flavour development at very low sugar levels has been amazing and, the grapes are retaining excellent natural acidity.

The Chardonnay fruit is all handpicked and chilled down overnight before whole bunch pressing and is then transferred to barrel for fermentation.

Early days, however I cannot recall our team being more excited by the quality of fruit we are seeing at the moment!

Vintage Report: René Rostaing’s 2012s.

Producing some of the very finest wines from the Rhône valley, René Rostaing, winemaking for 43 years has acquired star status. He very generously spent some time with us to talk about his views on the most recent vintage and gave us an insight into his wines.

What has 2012 been like in the Rhône?

- Rhône 2012 from the very beginning looked like another classic vintage. After a normal summer, without any excessive heat, we harvested around the 20th September. The ripeness was even throughout thanks to low yields (around -20%), not to mention the berries were healthy as well. We had good weather conditions with only one day of rain that didn’t impact the grapes.

What were you most pleased about in 2012?

- All the grapes enjoyed the same conditions equally and reached the optimum of their potential.

What are the characteristics of this vintage?

- The wines are at first noticeable by their fruit which is strong and round. They are tasty and generous in aromas and lead to a lovely freshness towards the end. But let’s be patient! The wine in its first two years is ‘in process’ and its evolution is sometimes hard to predict. Today, the bright fruit is the dominant characteristic.  Age will certainly bring some structure and austerity as the wine closes down after a couple of years in bottle. It’s an evolution that I have witnessed many times.

Were there any other vintages that you can compare 2012 to?

- More than any other year, 2012 has its own personality. I do not remember any vintage this pronounced in terms of fruit expression and freshness. Tasting it is currently really enjoyable and I think the balance showing now is promising.

The Great Claret Tasting at Southwold - The Turn of the Magnificent 2010s

Last week the great and the good of the wine trade (and yours truly) descended upon the picturesque seaside town of Southwold to re-examine the 2010 Bordeaux vintage. It resembled something of an MW convention – if anyone knows the collective noun for a group of Masters of Wine, send your answers on postcards… As ever, it was an honour indeed to taste in such illustrious company.

There was an enormous sense of anticipation; after all, this is the British wine trade’s favourite vintage, so expectations were exceptionally high. With this sort of reputation, it is unsurprising that the wines didn’t quite live up to their billing, but that is by no means a put down or for that matter a reason to quell our enthusiasm.

Tasting these wines from barrel was a revelation. Tasting them straight after bottling affirmed everything we thought and added to their repute. Tasting them again last spring and summer was mind-blowing. However, it appears that they have put themselves into hibernation since our last glimpse at this wonder-vintage. In general most wines are displaying their muscularity and structure at this time and appear to have concealed the grace, charm and prodigious sexy appeal on which they have built their reputation. The wines are still remarkable, if not quite as pleasurable to taste. But hey, we never said these were going to be forward, easy drinkers. To quote a member of the UK trade (and Nigel Tufnel), these have all been turned up to eleven (apologies to those not au fait with the philosophy of Spinal Tap!). These are wines of outrageous proportions. They will require long term cellaring, so if you are after immediate thrills, stick to the 2009s. If you are looking for something that will reward patience, stick some of these away…

At this early stage, the Firsts Growths and the big names from the Right Bank are perhaps the least closed. They still have flamboyance and provoke a sense of awe. Scores at Southwold are treated like state secrets, but, for those still reading, I’m allowed to reveal my own scores - WikiLeaks, eat your heart out… La Mission Haut Brion (20), Haut Brion (20), Latour (20), Petrus (19.5), Le Pin (18), Margaux (19), Cheval Blanc (19), Ausone (19), Lafleur (19), Lafite (18), Mouton (18.5). In truth, on another day, any of these wines could have taken top honours. These all display a sense of breed and exquisite exoticism that make them almost unique in my experience.

Other stand out performances came in the shape of Troplong Mondot (19), Angelus (18), Tertre Roteboeuf (18), VCC (18.5), Eglise Clinet (18), La Conseillante (18.5), Evangile (18), Leoville Poyferre (18), St Pierre (17.5), Montrose (18), Dame de Montrose (17), Pichon Baron (19), Fort de Latour (19), Domaine de Chevalier (17.5), Haut Bailly (17.5), Rieussec (18.5) and Coutet (18).

The Petit Chateaux and lesser cru Classes will in time offer extraordinary drinking and value. On the evidence of last week, don’t go near these for some time, ideally five, maybe ten years and give the best wines even longer.