Wine Chronicles33 Clos Vougeots from 2013
Posted on November 14, 2015
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com
14 November 2015
Special note: I meant to publish this today, as I am in Beaune for the 155th Hospices de Beaune wine auction. While eating excellent Japanese sushi at Sushi Kai in Beaune last night, I got CNN alerts about terrorist attacks in Paris, which have proven to be sadly horrific. Some media outlets this morning have reported over 150 dead. French President Francois Holland has declared a national emergency and has closed borders. It is a sobering morning. We should reflect on the value of life and liberty and on the innocent victims of such vile and cowardly acts committed in Paris.
Clos Vougeot.
The name evokes legends. And the château is a beautiful place, as you can see in the picture I took from mid November in Burgundy.
According to Jasper Morris, in his excellent tome Inside Burgundy, it is uncertain when walls first enclosed the Clos Vougeot vineyard, but there is mention of a so called clausum de Vougeot back in 1211 and of a grand clos de Cîteaux de Vougeot in 1228.
Monks were already making wine apparently since one century before. It was once a single vineyard, but then broke into various ownerships in its nearly 900-year history. A major date was the French Revolution, which led to the disenfranchisement of the religious owners – so typical of that turbulent period in French history. It eventually fell into single ownership until 1889, when it was sold to six owners. By 1920, there were 40 owners. Today, about 80.
Viticultural jewel and minefield
So Clos Vougeot is a jewel of Burgundy. But with so many owners, a very good example of a wine minefield. When it was a single vineyard, many historians believe that the wine was made from grapes across the slope.
Clearly, its 50 hectares vary in terroir quality and almost everyone agrees that the middle to top slope merits grand cru status, while much of the rest is more like premier cru. Read More
Father and son now at Branaire Ducru
Posted on November 9, 2015
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com
9 November 2015
As I had earlier this year reported for Le Pan, among recent changes in Bordeaux, Francois Xavier Maroteaux recently moved to this fine Saint Julien château with his wife and children to assist father Patrick Maroteaux, who since 1988 has brought great splendor to the wines of this estate, as evidenced for one example in a picture filled article I had published in France On Your Own, way back in 2004 – with a review of wines from 1989 to 2003.
Patrick and Francois Xavier Maroteaux
When I look to the Medoc, the appellation of Saint Julien often reflects a happy mix of the power of the north that one gets in Pauillac and Saint Estephe and the softer expressions of elegance from Margaux to the south. A sweeping cliche to be sure, but – like many cliches – there is truthful origin.
One reason why I really like Château Branaire Ducru is that it has never gone too nuts in terms of price, even in super duper vintages like 2010 or 2005. “Of course we are not Leoville Las Cases,” I remember Patrick Maroteaux saying. “But we try to be the best that we can.” And the best at Branaire Ducru is pretty darn good, as illustrated in a series of wines I tasted at the estate in mid September this year: when in bold, I liked in particular; when red and bold, even more – and when underlined, too, a kind of wine nirvana. Read More
Changes afoot at Château Cos d’Estournel
Posted on November 7, 2015
Visit and tasting with Aymeric de Gironde
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com
7 November 2015
Aymeric de Gironde arrived at Cos d’Estournel for the difficult 2013 vintage, although he had a hand in blending the 2012, which we tasted when I visited alongside the 2010, 2005 and 2001.
He also shared a recently launched Champagne bearing château owner Michel Reybier’s name. It was delicious and fresh; perhaps it is no coincidence that de Gironde had worked for five years at Krug before arriving to Cos.
Fine Champagne from Cos d’Estournel
He enjoys the freshness of Champagne – and we spoke about his desire to bring more freshness to Cos. Read More
Where Müller Thurgau meets pasta: Trentino
Posted on November 7, 2015
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com
7 November 2015
As the early autumn sun set, Massimo Tarter, general director of Cantina d’Isera at Via al Ponte, 1 in Isera (Trento), served tasty local charcuterie and cheeses. Following a tour of his vineyard, visiting wine writers washed them down easily with some of the best Marzemino enjoyed over a three-day guided press trip to Trentino. Casual elegance, charming owners, delicious food and wine all fit into that positive image any #winelover would have of Italy – as you can see in the video.
Cultural blend
Yet Trentino reflects a blend of Germanic and Italian. Nearly 75% of planted vines in this northeastern Italian wine region are of white grapes, increasingly featuring the Müller Thurgau variety.
By the same token, most menus include Germanic foods from Knödel – similar to gnocchi – to Apple Strudel, made from the region’s ubiquitous apples. Such was the discovery of a group of wine writers on a press tour to the region in late September 2015.
This, too, is part of Italy.
Winery of the year belies notions of Old vs New World
Posted on October 30, 2015
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com
30 October 2015
As more and more wine geeks realize, the lines between “Old World” and “New World” are blurring.
I recall an Australian master class organized by Decanter a few years ago, with winemakers there talking about picking at 11 am rather than at 3 pm to retain freshness.
Last year, during intense coursework to complete my WSET level three exam, fellow students discovered blind how crisp and fresh wines from New Zealand and South Africa can be.
So it was with great pleasure that I accepted an invitation from Greg Sherwood, senior buyer at Handford Wines – a superb London wine shop, by the way – to taste some fine terroir driven wines from Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines in South Africa.
I enjoyed very much the Schist and Quartz Chenin Blancs that I tried, as they were crisp and flavorful, with long finishes. Read More
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