Decanter June 2016

Top reds to try Domaine La Madura, Classic, St-Chinian AOC 2012 95 £13.90-£14.50 Flying Corkscrew, Le Bon Vin One of the best St-Chinian Syrah-based blends. Incredibly perfumed, layered with smoke, spice and dark cherries. Firm tannins and a long savoury finish. Drink 2017-2024 Alc 14% Anne Gros et Jean Paul Tollot, Les Carrétals, Minervois AOC 2012 94 £29.99 Albion Wine Shippers, Asset Wines, Domaine Direct Based on a tiny parcel of Carignan planted in 1909. Gamey red and black berries, with integrated oak spice and zingy acidity. Burgundian elegance allied to Minervois character. Drink 2016-2022 Alc 14% Clos de Gravillas, Lo Vielh, Côtes du Brian IGP 2013 94 £21.99 Hawkshead, Les Caves de Pyrène, No2 Pound St, PM Wine Cellars, Slurp Attractive palate is redolent of mulberries, blood oranges and…

After a summer rainstorm, a double rainbow shines over Château Margaux’s L’Eglise and Jean Brun Est vineyards in the commune of Margaux, 30km north of Bordeaux city. At this time of year the château is starting green harvesting, where unripe grapes are pruned from the vine. This helps to manage yields, and enables the vines to focus their efforts on the remaining grapes, allowing them to fully ripen. The two vineyards are to the southwest of the first-growth estate; the château itself is hidden behind Margaux’s iconic church (pictured), which sits at the border of the 2.4ha L’Eglise vineyard. Planted in 1953, this plot of Merlot has some of the Margaux’s oldest vines, producing wines of depth, finesse and power, evoking the clay and gravel soils. Jean Brun Est, in…

THE RECENT DEATHS, in distressingly rapid succession, of Henri Bonneau, Paul Pontallier, Louis Latour and Etienne Hugel have been heavy blows to bear far beyond the four regions they represented with such élan and distinction. Their collective contribution to the Rhône, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Alsace was nothing short of monumental – between them accounting for well over 100 vintages. Individually, each remained loyal to their respective domaines and regions, deliberately never straying far from the terroirs they loved and cherished. Pontallier might have made wine in Chile and consulted elsewhere. Latour also ventured into the Ardèche and the Var. But everyone knew where their hearts belonged. When I last interviewed Pontallier just after his 30th Bordeaux harvest in 2014, he explained why he and Margaux’s owner, Corinne Mentzelopoulos, had never made wine in…

Rosé, Languedoc-style When the temperature hits 30°C in the shade, most wine drinkers are more likely to reach for a bottle of white or rosé than a hearty red. Under the circumstances, it’s hardly surprising that the Languedoc, like Provence, has an established tradition of producing rosé wines. In fact, rosés account for 12% of all the wines produced in the region – that’s 2% more than white wines. Generally speaking, there is more diversity to the style of pink produced in the Languedoc than elsewhere in southern France. There are delicate, aromatic rosés that are reminiscent of the wines of Provence, as well as punchy wines whose deep colour hints at their ripeness and concentrated fruit flavours. As a general rule, however, Languedoc rosés tend to be dry and…

CHINA Online retailer Alibaba is planning a new ‘Black Friday’-style sales day on 9 September devoted exclusively to deals on wine. The event, dubbed ‘9/9’ and apparently inspired by China’s Singles’ Day shopping event on 11 November, was confirmed by Alibaba founder Jack Ma during a public discussion with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi at April’s Vinitaly trade fair in Verona. Ma, who recently bought Château de Sours in Bordeaux’s Entre-Deux-Mers region, referred to his new project as a ‘day of wine’, said Italian press agency Ansa, and said he planned to create a variety of online offers annually on wine sold through Alibaba on 9 September. The figure nine is pronounced in Chinese as ‘jiu’, which also means ‘alcohol’, and stands for longevity and health in Chinese culture. Ma was also instrumental in…

A fresh look at white From popular Picpoul de Pinet and Limoux sparklers to dynamic IGP producers, James Lawther MW gives an overview of today’s star performers Photograph: Céline et Gilles Deschamps/CIVL ‘Picpoul de Pinet is the largest white appellation in the south of France’ Among the Gold medals and Trophies awarded at the 2015 edition of the Decanter World Wine Awards, there were a couple of eye-catching choices made by the Languedoc panel. Two Languedoc whites were awarded Trophies, while a Picpoul de Pinet and white La Clape scooped Gold. Surprisingly perhaps, the Languedoc does produce dry white wine and, as these awards show, quality is on an upward curve. If you’re still a little fuzzy about Languedoc whites, it is understandable. Only 10% of the region’s production is…