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Eva-Clusserath-Traditionsweingut-Ansgar-Clusserath

Eva Clüsserath’s Trittenheimer Apotheke Riesling wines are among the best in the German Mosel valley

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Tasting Note

For a while, I wondered why the number of people drinking Riesling is not higher. Riesling needs more attention. In recent years critics have written often enough about the turnaround in Riesling’s fortunes. Riesling is no longer the boring wine with a neutral taste you find in the local supermarket, rather the opposite. A good Riesling shows the taster the ropes, yet an excellent Riesling can make you re-evaluate your priorities. 

Let’s start with Weingut Ansgar Clüsserath’s Apotheke Trittenheim. Apotheke lies on the right bank of the Mosel, opposite the village of Trittenheim and is one of Trittenheim’s finest individual vineyard sites. The soil contains slate and rocks, perfect for Riesling. Add to that, vines of at least 80 years old, plus winemaker Eva Clüsserath-Wittmann. 

More than 20 years ago, Eva Clüsserath-Wittmann took up the reins of the estate that her ancestors had founded in 1670. Eva sees herself more as a “wine collaborator” than a winemaker. She works closely with nature in the vineyard and intervenes as little as possible in the cellar.

Eva Clüsserath-Wittmann’s wines are precise and lyrical. She orchestrates the top and mid-tones during the slow fermentation with the natural yeasts. The fine lees remain on the wine until summer, making them taste richer and gaining depth and structure.

The result is a wine with traceable minerals, lively freshness and layered fruitiness with stone fruits, apricot, apple and tropical mango. 

Eva Clüsserath is a veritable phenomenon. Her wines,  especially the wines from the Trittenheimer Apotheke vineyard, are among the best in Germany’s Mosel Valley.

Wine Info

Style – medium-bodied red

Grape varieties – Riesling

Vintage – 2018

Country – Germany

Appellation – Mosel

Region – Mittelmosel, Bernkastel-Wittrich

Producent – Weingut Ansgar Clüsserath

Winemaker – Eva Clüsserath

Alcohol – 8.5%

Vineyards – Trittenheimer Apotheke

Ageing potential – 10 years

Serving temperature – 10º to 12º

Score – 92 points

Website – Weingut Ansgar Clüsserath

Weingut Ansgar Clüsserath
1982-Mouton-Rothschild-Pauillac-Bordeaux

1982 Mouton Rothschild reveals the DNA of a legendary 1st Growth, it needs to be tasted to be believed

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Tasting Note

The Château Mouton Rothschild 1982 is a stunning, gorgeous wine. It is elegant, refined and lively, even in this mature stage. When Bordeaux is on this level, there is hardly anything like it. Not surprising as the Bordeaux vintage of 1982 is one of the century’s best, together with the years 1900, 1928, 1945 and 1961.

Château Mouton Rothschild 1982 shows a deep dark tawny colour. Still youthful, complex nose opening up a box of spices, interweaving with aromas of truffle, the smell of Cuban cigars, cedar and a slight hint of vanilla. Elegant, delicious fruity aromas of cassis, mulberries and ripe blueberries.

On the palate, Château Mouton Rothschild 1982 is a liquid pleasure. More than 38 years old and very much alive! Opulent, rich and beautifully balanced. The full, round, rich texture of ripe blackberries and leather rests on a layer of roasted coffee beans and tobacco, accompanied by a top note of mintiness. Full of power and concentration on the midpalate, yet refined, ripe, silky tannins. The palate expands into a long, multi-layered, intense finish that seems to go on forever.

What a wonderful tasting experience. I loved the finesse, purity and depth in this classic Pauillac, Premier Cru Classé. A big thanks to Mr Buijs for sharing his bottle of Château Mouton Rothschild 1982 with us.

Wine Info

Style – full bodied red

Grape varieties – Cabernet Sauvignon 85%, Cabernet Franc 8%, Merlot 7%

Vintage – 1982

Country – France

Appellation – Pauillac

Bordeaux 1er Cru Classé

Region – Bordeaux

Producent – Château Mouton Rothschild

Alcohol – 12,5%

Vineyards – located west of Château Mouton Rothschild

Ageing potential – up to 2038

Serving temperature – 16º to 18º

Score – 98 points

Label Artist – John Huston

Website – Château Mouton Rothschild

Château Mouton Rothschild
2016-Brundlmayer-Pinot-Noir-Reserve-Niederosterreich-Austria

Pinot Noir 2016 Reserve makes for a surprising swirl at Weingut Brundlmayer in Austria

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Tasting Note

So here goes. Imagine yourself 70 km north-west of Vienna, in Langenlois in Austria, in the hilly, hot countryside where vines are grown, and at night the fresh, fragrant forest air drifts through the terraced vineyards. It is the terroir of Weingut Bründlmayer in the subregion of Kamptal.

We arrive during harvest, Riesling grapes in endless crates. After tasting several Grüner Veltliner and Rieslings, a decanted Pinot Noir 2016 Reserve reaches our glasses. One of the favourites of the winemaker, we are told. This Blauburgunder is made with the ripest Pinot Noir grapes, coming for the most part from the top vineyards Dechant and Käferberg. Due to the wide variety of soils, each vineyard has its own character. This diversity is further increased by various microclimates. By the way, the calcareous, clayey marine soils of the Käferberg vineyard are similar to those of Château Petrus in Pomerol. 

I swirl, smell and take an immediate liking to this elegant, pure and fresh Pinot Noir with persistent fruit of forest berries, cherries, and subtle notes of field flowers, wild herbs, vanilla and fine wood spice. On the palate fine tannins, good freshness. This wine is densely structured, well balanced and medium-bodied with a mineral, almost a salty touch, in the pleasant long finish. What a joy to drink this Pinot wine on a fresh summer night I thought at the time in Niederösterreich.

Opening a bottle Bründlmayer Pinot Noir 2016 Reserve a few days ago, I relive my initial tasting surprise. I just wish it would be summer sooner.

Wine Info

Style – medium-bodied red

Grape varieties – Pinot Noir

Vintage – 2016

Country – Austria

Appellation – Kamptal

Region – Niederösterreich 

Producent – Weingut Bründlmayer

Winemakers – Willi Bründlmayer, Thomas Klinger & Andreas Wickhoff

Alcohol – 13%

Vineyards – mostly on the Dechant and Käferberg

Ageing potential – 8 to 9 years

Serving temperature – 14º to 16º

Score – 92 points

Tip – The wine may be decanted ½ hour before serving

Website – Bruendlmayer.at

Weingut Bründlmayer
Freixenet-cava-garnatxa-subirat-parent-2015

Unusual assemblage of white Subirat Parent & Red Garnatxa in the 2015 Freixenet Cuvée Prestige

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Tasting Note

Ten to one, when you associate a grape variety with cava -the sparkling Spanish wine made in the Traditional Method – you will not think of the grape Subirat Parent. This almost forgotten indigenous (white) grape with its intense orange-yellow thick-skin, has many aliases in Spain.

In Catalonia, it is called Subirat Parent, in Extremadura Alarije, in Rioja Malvasía de Rioja or Malvasía Riojana. Once you smell Subirat Parent, it is easy to distinguish the wine just by smelling it. Its quite intense, aromatic qualities make it an excellent blending grape for Dulce and Semi Dulce Cavas. Subirat Parent’s unique aromatic profile expresses predominately of flowers, ripe stone fruits and grapes. There is some orange blossom too and pineapple-like tropical fruit. 

After tasting lots of cavas for a food and wine online Christmas edition, I noticed in the Freixenet 2015 Cava Cuvée de Prestige the unusual assemblage of the white Subirat Parent varietal and the Red Grenache. The red grape variety Garnatxa, generally used in rosé cavas or in “blanc de noirs” cava, is rarely blended with the autochthonous white variety Subirat Parent.

Freixenet calls the blend a balancing act. It is a special “blanc de noirs” cuvée. The cava is relatively young, aged in the bottle for 9 months or more. Slightly pink in colour, it is still a white cava, but then with the aromas of red fruit coming from the around 50% Garnatxa. 

The Subirat Parent adds crisp freshness and aromatic richness to smooth out the potent influence of red Grenache, a tannic variety, with moderate acidity and high sugar content. Subirat Parent, on the other hand, shows aromatic intensity, ripe stone and tropical fruit, floral aromas of white flowers and rose, and herbal notes. All these nuances become more complex with ageing. The elegant, well-integrated fine bubbles are smooth and persistent. Freixenet produced 19.650 bottles of this Cava Garnatxa Subirat Parent 2015 Cuvées de Prestige.

Wine Info

Style – medium-bodied sparkling wine

Grape varieties – Garnacha Negra, Subirat Parent (also called Alarije)

Vintage – 2015

Country – Spain

Appellation – DO Cava

Region – Catalunya / Catalonia

Producent – Freixenet Cava

Winemaker – Josep Bujan

Production method – Traditional method with second fermentation in the bottle

Alcohol – 11,5%

Aged –  for 9 months or more

Serving temperature – 6º to 8º

Score – 86 points

Freixenet 2015 Brut Garnatxa Subirat Parent

Freixenet
castello-di-volpaia-Chianti-italy

The enticing personality of Sangiovese in Castello di Volpaia Chianti Classico Riserva 2016

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Tasting Note

Elegant, but with a strong personality. These are the first words coming to mind when tasting this Castello di Volpaia Chianti Classico Riserva. The 2016  vintage presents both the power as the sophistication of Sangiovese.

It is fragrant with aromas of violet, blackberries and plums. On the palate fresh, with lifted acidity, elegant, smooth, and lots of black cherries,  bramble, liquorice, spice, mocha, tobacco, sage and leather.  While tasting, the Riserva stands out for its depth, its layered tannic structure, harmonious balance and medium to long finish. This is the result of the cooling altitude of Volpaia’s vineyards at 450 to 600 meters, the local micro-climate, and the soil. And ageing, a Chianti Riserva must age at least two years in oak.  Castello di Volpaia’s Chianti Classico Riserva, Coltassala and Il Puro highlight the terroir expression of Sangiovese.

Castello di Volpaia is made in one of the highest elevated vineyards in Chianti on top of the beautiful fortified or “walled” village Volpaia. The first document that mentions the cultivation of vines in the area of Volpaia dates back to 1172. Under the wings of Radda, Volpaia was one of the front-line strongholds for the Republic of Florence during the Florentine-Sienese wars.  The emblem for the Chianti League was the “Gallo Nero,” or “Black Rooster”, now a symbol for the wines of Chianti. 

Fast forward to 1966 when Raffaello Stianti, one of Italy’s top printers and bookbinders, purchased the estate to give it in 1972 to his daughter Giovannella and her husband Carlo Mascheroni as a wedding gift. For Giovanella’s 15th birthday she received another precious gift: an 18th-century Florentine ring in the shape of two foxes.  Put the vineyards and the ring together and you’ll get the Volpaia family’s coat of arms shown prominently on the Castello di Volpaia Chianti Classico Riserva label. Volpaia means “fox’s lair” in Italian.

Wine Info

Style – full-bodied red

Grape varieties – 100% Sangiovese

Vintage – 2016

Country – Italy

Appellation – Chianti Classico DOCG

Region – Tuscany

Producent – Stianti Mascheroni Family

Winemaker – Lorenzo Regoli

Alcohol – 13,5%

Vineyards – Casavecchia, Casetto, Castellino, Campo a Prato, Pratolino, Santa Caterina, Santa Maria Novella, Vignavecchia

Cultivation – Certified organic

Ageing potential – 15 to 20 years

Serving temperature – 14º to 16º

Score – 93 points

Tip – The wine may be decanted ½ to 1 hour before serving

Castello di Volpaia – Chianti Classico Reserve

Castello di Volpaia - Radda in Chianti
Torres-2016-Salmos-Priorat

Torres’ Salmos Priorat 2016 pays homage to the founders of viticulture in Priorat

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Tasting Note

Salmos 2016 Priorat is an intense and seductive wine, and even better on the day after opening. Dark, ruby red colour. On the nose a violet floral note, lots of spices, blackberry, red and black cherry aromas, oak and vanilla. Beautifully balanced, lively on the palate with a depth of flavours. Soft, velvety tannins. Black fruit, dried prunes, liquorice, mineral, stony influences too. Oak well integrated. Round, long finish.

The prestigious International Wine Challenge not only awarded the Torres Salmos 2016 with 95 points and a gold medal but this red blend from Cariñena, Garnacha and Syrah also gained the title best Priorat wine.

Priorat has been a source for wine for almost a millennium. Winemaking emerged around 1095 when Carthusian monks established a ‘Priorat’ (the Catalan word for priory) and started to plant vines. In 1835 the monastery was sacked, and the church lands later auctioned off. In the late 19th century Phylloxera further deteriorated winemaking in Priorat. Priorat is a very steep and rocky kind of area and an arduous place for viticulture. Costers are the ancient way of cultivating vines on the steep slopes. The densely planted vines move up the treacherous hillsides naturally shaping their contours. Most of the 20th century the steep slate hills southwest of Barcelona with their ancient costers produced only cheap, robust, tannic wine. 

Young French and Spanish winemakers propelled Priorat’s rediscovery in the 1980s and 1990s. They recognized the potential of the old garnacha and cariñena vines planted in what the Catalans call llicorella, the hard, stony soils of black and brown slate that occasionally sparkle due to quartz.

One of those wine making families was the family Torres, although Torres already in the early 1920s traded in regional Priorat wines. In 1996 the Torres Family planted their first vineyards on the llicorella slopes in the municipalities of Porrera and Lloar. The vineyards show extreme diurnal differences between day and night temperature and these natural fluctuations add to Salmos’ balance between on the one hand power and on the other elegance and finesse. In short, Salmos 2016 is a beautiful vinous homage to the monks of the courageous Carthusian order.

Wine Info

Style – full-bodied red

Grape varieties – Cariñena, Garnacha, Syrah

Vintage – 2016

Country – Spain

Appellation – Priorat DOCa

Region – Catalunya / Catalonia

Producent – Familia Torres

Winemaker – Jordi Foraster

Alcohol – 14,5%

Vineyards – Vineyards on the Priorat estates Porrera and El Lloar  

Ageing potential – 8 to 9 years

Serving temperature – 16º to 18º

Score – 92 points

Tip – The wine may be decanted ½ to 1 hour before serving

Salmos 2016 Familia Torres

Finca La Solteta El Lloar
Les-Jamelles-Catherine-et-Laurent-Delaunay

The varietal quality of Les Jamelles Vallée de la Boulzane Grenache Noir

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Tasting Note

Here I am in Luxemburg eating a terrine of lamb, drinking a 2017 Grenache Noir “Sélection Parcellaire” Vallée de la Boulzane along with it. I came to the same realisation as the first time I tasted Les Jamelles’ Grenache Noir during a 21 wines and 7 dishes wine food pairing at @pitch.pr.

Similar to the pitch.pr tasting, Les Jamelles 100% Grenache Noir Vallée de la Boulzane reveals itself slowly in the glass, offering a compelling, abundant yet concentrated wine, with ripe red and black fruits, a hint of spicy oak, beautiful tannins, and a silky, ample finish. It was one of my favourite Pays D’Oc wines then and attracted my attention again in Luxemburg.

Sometimes I prefer to think about wines from the Pays d’Oc as varietal wines, other times not. When I re-tasted the Grenache Noir from Catherine Delaunay, the dynamic winemaker behind Les Jamelles, I found that certain characteristics  – such as its remarkable balance – appeal to me.

Catherine, daughter of Beaujolais winegrowers, and Laurent Delaunay, 5th generation of Burgundian merchants, are the people behind Les Jamelles. Catharina and Laurent met during their oenology studies at the University of Dijon. Frustrated by the bleak prospects in Burgundy, the two passionate oenologists discover the diversity of the terroirs and grape varieties in the Languedoc region in the early 1990s, after a stint in Napa Valley, California.

Passionate about wine, wine blending and wine tasting, winemaker Catharine prefers balanced wines made with precision, finesse, and complex scents. Wines with intensity, roundness, fresh acidity, and silky tannins in the finish.

In line with the varietal approach of the Protected Geographical Indication (IGP) Pays d’Oc, Les Jamelles is focused on making expressive, high-quality, good value, varietal wines.

Catharine and Laurent called their brand Les Jamelles. A feminine name, faithful to their original philosophy to make wines from expressive and accessible grape varieties. Moreover, wines that evoke their Languedoc origin, wines that complement the art of Mediterranean living in the south of France.

Wine Info

Style – full-bodied red

Grape variety – 100% Grenache Noir 

Vintage – 2017

Country – France

Appellation – IGP Pays d’Oc

Region – Languedoc – Roussillon

Producent – Les Jamelles, Catherine & Laurent Delaunay

Winemaker – Catherine Delaunay

Alcohol – 14,5%

Vineyards – Vineyards with old vines, over 80 years old, located near Boulzane in the Haut-Roussillon

Ageing potential – either drink young or aged 3 to 6 years

Serving temperature – 15º to 17º

Score – 89 points

Tip – The wine may be decanted ½ to 1 hour before serving

Les Jamelles Grenache Noir 2017

Les Jamelles
Mar-de-Frades-Albarino-Atlantico-2019

The result of terroir and the saline winds: Mar de Frades Albariño Atlantico

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Tasting Note

Do all Albariño wines smell and taste alike? Not really, although many tasters would emphasise the citrus zest, slightly salty, mineral characteristics of Albariños, and their typical acidity. Albariño is also considered quite aromatic. 

The Albariño of Mar de Frades transmits all the aroma qualities of the Albariño variety: the white flowers, yellow grapefruit, nectarine, some orange peel and exotic fruits, such as lychee and lime. Yet, what stands out here is its subtle, delicate smell. A light flowery, citrus scent that captivates the nose of the beholder.

The Mar de Frades (which translates as a sea of friars) Albariño originates in the vineyards of Valiñas Finca, located to the south of Mount Valiñas in the Salnés Valley. The vines are trained on trellises to decrease the influence of soil humidity on the grapes. The soil is mostly sandy, decomposed granite. Granite gives the wine a mineral touch.

The harvest is done manually, following a strict selection process. After a 10 to 20 hours maceration and light pressing the grapes are fermented slowly, at controlled temperatures.

The salty winds coming off the nearby Atlantic ocean give Mar de Frades a saline touch you can taste so well in the 2019 vintage. 2019 is called “the Atlantic vintage” because it was cooler and wetter than usual.

While tasting you notice the care and preciseness of Mar de Frades’ winemaker Paula Fandino on the palate. Very good balance, crediting both terroir and fruit influences. Elegant and delicate finish. Almost like a pleasant sea breeze with a scent of fruit passing by in your mouth.

No wonder the wine goes so well with all kinds of sea fruits, oysters, prawns, crab, white fish, and Asian food, but also a light green vegetable salad with some asparagus. We paired the wine with mezze, or tapas, a selection of small Meditteranean dishes served as appetizers. One can truly say a winning combination.

Wine Info

Style – Light to medium bodied white

Grape varieties –Albariño

Vintage – 2019

Country – Spain

Appellation – D.O. Rías Baixas 

Region – Galicia

Producent – Mar de Frades

Winemaker – Paula Fandino

Alcohol – 12,5%

Vineyards – Valiñas Finca

Ageing potential – drink young, but can also age 2 to 4 years

Serving temperature – 8º to 10º

Score – 90 points

Remarkable – The bottle is printed with heat-sensitive ink.  When the serving temperature is right around 10° to 11 ° C, a blue ship appears on the waves of the logo. 

Bodega Mar de Frades

Chateau-Chamirey-Mercurey-En-Pierrelet-2011

Its ripe old age adds to the charm of Château Chamirey 2011 Mercurey En Pierrelet

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Tasting Note

It was not my purpose to open this Mercurey Blanc. To be honest, I had forgotten all about it. During a dinner I was so wrapped up in a heated discussion that I took a random bottle from my wine refrigerator. What a surprise!

As I smelled the 2011 Château de Chamirey Mercurey Blanc En Pierrelet to check that the wine wasn’t faulty, I immediately noticed the scent of white flowers followed by a stony, almost flinty minerality, and some oak  aromas contributing notes of vanilla. And, ripe apple, something between fresh and dried apples, pears, ripe citrus fruits, and definitely almond paste.

The flavours of salted butter and citrus matched perfectly with a dish of white fish served with a lemony, butter sauce, and grilled green asparagus. 

Judging by the comments, it shows true that people can feel the energy and pleasure of joyfully good wine and food pairing. Even if it was in this case spontaneously.  Besides the fresh sole, En Pierrelet 2011 will perfectly match with other seafood, spiced white meats, and fresh cheeses as well.

The ageing potential of this wine is said to be 5-7 years, however, the 2011 is still very much alive and kicking. Full bodied and creamy, yet not overly buttery, but still remarkably fresh on the palate, with a long, elegant finish. 2011 is the first harvest to be bottled separately as “En Pierrelet”.

I can remember a time when we used to pinpoint a wine’s origin during a blind tasting.  This Mercurey Blanc would have been easy to detect. Moreover, it shows its identity even better at a ripe old age. 

The 35 years old vines of ‘En Pierrelet’ are planted in the stony, predominant limestone with clay soils of the low south-east facing hillsides behind the chateau.  

Château de Chamirey is situated in France, in Mercurey, in the heart of the Côte Chalonnaise vineyards. It was Mercury the god of trade, profit, and commerce that has lent his name to the village. Apparently, at the time the Romans inhabited Gaul there used to be a Gallo-Roman temple to honor the Roman god Mercurius and its counterpart the Gaulish god Vellaunos.

With well over 600 hectares of vines one can easily say that Mercurey is the largest and most prominent appellation of the Côte Chalonnaise. And, the second largest village appellation in Burgundy. 

Wine Info

Style – Full-bodied creamy white

Grape varieties – 100% Chardonnay

Vintage – 2011

Country – France

Appellation – Mercurey

Region – Côte Chalonnaise, Burgundy

Producent – Amaury et Aurore Devillard

Alcohol – 13%

Vineyards – Two plots ‘En Pierrelet’ located behind Château de Chamirey

Ageing potential – 5 to 7 years

Serving temperature – 11º to 14º

Score – 90 points

Tasted – January 2020

Chateau de Chamirey Mercurey

Yann-Chave-Crozes-Hermitage-Le-Rouvre-2014

Yann Chave expresses the terroir of Crozes-Hermitage so well with Le Rouvre 2014

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Tasting Note

Winemaker of Le Rouvre 2014, Yann Chave, is one of the best winemakers in the region. Yann Chave’s wines can be found on the wine lists of Alain Ducasse, Paul Bocuse, Pic, Maison Chabran, and Troisgros, and other fine dining bistros and restaurants around the world. I bought this wine in Lyon, motivated by an article in a local newspaper about a chef’s competition. The winning dish was paired with Le Rouvre 2014.

The nose is elegant and has a beautiful complexity of aromas with lot’s of luscious fruit like ripe, meaty black cherries, blackcurrant, and freshly picked blackberries. Moreover, a flinty, mineral note resembling the smell of wet stone after a summer rain. On the palate full-bodied, rich, yet fresh, with a good acidity. Then the pure taste of dense black fruit, a note of roasted black coffee and licorice, and some spicy grounded pepper. Deep, though pleasant, velvety tannins. Very well balanced Crozes-Hermitage with a remarkably long finish.

Le Rouvre 2014 started its life on the Chassis Terraces, the old clay-limestone Rhône riverbed with its rolled, large, round ‘galet’ stones and more than 50-year-old Syrah vines. Chave strives for the purest possible expression of his terroir in the wines. Meticulous attention to the vines -farmed organically- pays off in the hands of a dedicated, talented winemaker. Yann selects his Syrah plots carefully, and only uses native yeasts during fermentation in stainless steel tanks. The Crozes-Hermitage cuvée Le Rouvre ages in new and one-year-old demi-muids, where also the malolactic fermentation happens.

Le Rouvre 2014 goes well with roasted lamb, roasted duck, a salad with garlic and anchovies, but also creamy cheeses like Brie de Meaux or Chaource.

And no, Yann Chave is not related to JL Chave, in case you might wonder.

Wine Info

Style – Full bodied red

Grape varieties – Syrah

Vintage – 2014

Country – France

Appellation – Crozes-Hermitage

Region – Rhône

Producent – Yann Chave

Winemaker – Yann Chave

Alcohol – 13,5%

Vineyards – Chassis terraces

Ageing potential – 10 to 12 years

Serving temperature – 14º to 17º

Score – 93 points

Crozes Hermitage wine area
featured-Agrapart-Champagne-Complantee

Champagne Agrapart Complantée. Can one deliver terroir in a bottle?

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Tasting note

Pascal Agrapart Complantée is an Extra Brut Champagne, a field blend of 6 varieties co-planted – or complantée in French – on a single parcel in the La Fosse vineyard in the village of Avize.

Agrapart is a ‘Récoltant–Manipulant’. This means they work with grapes from their own vineyards to make this fascinating and remarkable complex champagne. It also allows them to control the quality of the entire champagne making process from start to finish.

After the harvest all six grapes are fermented an aged together in oak barrels, without filtration. Because the grapes are harvested super-ripe, hardly any sugar is added after disgorgement. Its layered, toasty character comes from four years maturation on the yeasts.

Complantée is the result of Pascal Agrapart experiment with a blend of the ancient varieties Petit Arbane, Petit Meslier and Pinot Blanc, co-planted and vinified together with Chardonnay, P.Noir, and P.Meunier to test the strength of the Avize terroir. The older the vines, the stronger the influence of terroir, at least that’s the assumption. Not so strange, considering that Agrapart strives to express terroir in all its champagnes and works with a strong emphasis on natural viticulture.

Aromatic, with generous aromas of wildflowers and white fruits on the nose. On the palate Complantée’s is lively, fruity, mineral with a fine, creamy mouthfeel and a balanced acidity. It’s pure, refreshing, with an incredible density and depth, and long finish. La Revue du vin de France gave Agrapart a three-star rating, their highest possible rating, and one can taste why Pascal Agrapart is one of the stars of the Champagne region. Different and exciting!

Wine Info

Style – Extra Brut Champagne

Non Vintage Champagne, a blend of two vintages from the terroir of Avize

Grape varieties – A field blend of 6 varieties: Petit Arbane, Petit Meslier, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier

Country – France

Region – AOC Champagne, Avize

Producent – Pascal Agrapart (Pascal and Fabrice Agrapart)

Winemaker – Pascal Agrapart

Alcohol – 12%

Vineyards – La Fosse in Avize

Dosage – 5 grams/L

Disgorged – August 2019

Serving temperature – 10º to 12º

Score – 92 points

Champage wine area Avize
Altano-Douro-red-label-Symington

2017 Symington Altano Douro DOC – red label

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Tasting Note

In the 1990s Symington began producing Douro DOC wines from the same vineyards and indigenous grape varieties in the principally Cima Corgo and Douro Superior sub-regions they used for their ports. Symington works according to sustainable agricultural practices which favours natural measures to control pests and other threats to the vines. The Altano red saw its first release in 1999 and is still going strong as a forward, fruity wine.

Based on Tinta Roriz Symington added Touriga Franca, Tinta Barraco too.  Tinta Roriz performed remarkably well in 2017, as did the Touriga Franca, always a late-ripener. Proportions vary each year.

Generous aromas of wildflowers and ripe black cherries on the nose. On the palate a wine with a balanced acidity and the juicy concentrated fruitiness of ripe black-currant, plum and blackberry fruit. Smooth and silky mouthfeel with some spice and ripe tannins make rhe Altana Douro red a crowd pleaser.
Some ripe fruity, almost savoury sweetness and chocolate in the finish. Clearly a wine that goes well with food.

Wine Info

Style – Full bodied red

Grape varieties – Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca

Vintage – 2017

Country – Portugal

Region – DOC Douro

Producent – Symington

Winemakers – Charles Symington and Pedro Correia

Alcohol – 14%

Vineyards – Symington family Quintas in the Cima Corgo and Douro Superior

Ageing potential – 4 to 5 years

Serving temperature – 14º to 17º

Score – 88 points

Douro wine area