Table of contents for February 2019 in Decanter

BAROLO The third way War is over. After years of controversy and division, Barolo’s new faces have established peace between modernism and tradition, and their focus is now in the vineyard, not the winery. By Tiziano Gaia A GROUP OF young rebels spark a revolution in a backwater town leading to violent clashes between the local Conservative and Liberal parties. The story in Gabriel García Márquez’s novel One Hundred Years of Solitude centres on a fictional town in Colombia in the early 1900s – but in the 1990s and 2000s, there was another ideological tussle occurring in Piedmont’s Langhe hills. Photographs: Dario Fusaro/Cephas; Eckhard Supp/Alamy Stock Photo; Massimo Ripani/4Corners The so-called Barolo Wars pitched the modernists – interpreters of smooth, round wines – against traditionalists, faithful to a vision of…

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE The Lord of Ribolla Gialla Manlio Collavini’s forty years of dedication to a unique sparkling wine; an unusual grape variety and a special method of production Like many of Italy’s historic wine producers, Collavini is a family company; founded in 1896 by Eugenio Collavini, and now run by his heirs: Manlio and his sons, Giovanni and Luigi. And like many of the producers in Friuli, the company makes a wide range of over a dozen different wines: white, red, rosé and sparkling, from a mixture of native and international grapes. This year marks the fortieth anniversary of Manlio’s focus on one of Friuli’s most original grapes, Ribolla Gialla, and in particular, its creation as a sparkling wine to rival Franciacorta and Champagne for exclusivity and quality. It was…

Valpolicella in a nutshell Photograph: Tom Hyland/Cephas Traditionally, Valpolicella DOC and Valpolicella Superiore DOC have been produced from freshly harvested grapes. There are small differences between the two categories in terms of production regulations, but there can be a million miles between them in terms of style. Unfortunately labelling regulations don’t help the consumer to identify what kind of Superiore is in the bottle. Occasionally a back label will state that the wine has been produced from uve leggermente appassite (lightly dried grapes) or refer to double fermentation where dried fruit must has been introduced at a later stage to kick-start a secondary fermentation; otherwise it’s a question of knowing the house style and the individual producer. In addition to Valpolicella and Valpolicella Superiore, a vineyard can produce three other…

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE Three new wines Celebrating the 1060th Anniversary of the company, Conte Collalto launched three new wines in 2018, designed to encapsulate the history and philosophy of the family: Ponte Rosso Brut Nature Millesimato 2017, presented at Vinitaly 2018, is made with grapes produced in the eponymous locality near the Castle of San Salvatore, where the soil is particularly rich in clay. In the past, this red clay was used to make the bricks and roof tiles for the houses in the Corte dei Conti di Collalto. The red colour was so pronounced that that is how the “Ponte Rosso” area got its name. Glera grown here is mineral rich, perfect for a well-structured Brut Nature: austere and mineral in taste. This is our Ponte Rosso. Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco…

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE Bortolomiol Sustainability first in the Prosecco Superiore region The Bortolomiol winery, run by sisters Elvira, Maria Elena, Giuliana and Luisa Bortolomiol, is convinced that to produce top quality wines it is essential to start with conscientious and responsible care of the land and its vineyards. 2011 saw the launch of the Green Mark Management Protocol, an internal procedural policy which grape suppliers must adhere to, aiming to increase the quality of the wine produced while at the same time seeking to manage the vineyards so that there is the least possible impact on the environment. Giuliana Bortolomiol is in charge of the family vineyards, and is a passionate advocate of organic farming. Bortolomiol went organic in 2008 when the decision was made to change the vineyards over to…

Monterè Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore, Ca’ de’ Rocchi Ca’ de’ Rocchi is the Tinazzi family’s traditional brand - the core business of the company - and Monterè Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore is just one of the award-winning wines that are part of this brand. It’s named after the “Monte Rè”, a mountain near a small village in the Veneto where the Tinazzi company was founded. The grapes for Monterè – Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara – are harvested by hand at the beginning of October and the wine is passed over (“ripasso” in Italian) the skins of grapes used for Amarone at the end of the following January. This full-bodied (14%) and long-finishing wine is matured for 12-18 months in French and American oak barrels. On the nose it has aromas of prunes, sour…

INTERVIEW Carlo Petrini The pioneer of the Slow Food and Slow Wine movement is buoyed by the renaissance of Italy’s native varieties, as Carla Capalbo explains AGAINST A BACKDROP of alarm and increasing global urgency over climate change, Carlo Petrini, the pioneering founder of Slow Food, is determined that each of us can still make a difference. Petrini is uniquely placed to hold such an opinion: his movement – for that’s what it is – has spread from being an all-Italian association of regional food and wine lovers in the 1980s and ’90s to its current position as a global hub for food enthusiasts, activists and farmers in more than 160 countries. His grassroots Terra Madre network, begun in 2004, is at the centre of this support for sustainable indigenous…

Capalbo’s stars of the renaissance Three producers breathing new life into forgotten varieties and regions Francesco Cirelli Cirelli, Abruzzo Francesco Cirelli bought this estate in 2003, high in the hills of Abruzzo. From the outset he envisioned an organic, multi-crop farm in which wine was just one element. Today, he makes non-interventionist wines in large clay jars from Montepulciano, Trebbiano and the local variety Pecorino. Giovanni Scarfone Bonavita, Sicily From his terraced vineyards in the northeast corner of Sicily, Scarfone crafts a low-intervention red and rosato from local varieties. ‘We are renewing a tradition that began here with the ancient Greeks in what had become a semi-abandoned part of the countryside,’ says Scarfone. Luca Faccenda Valfaccenda, Piedmont Producing wine in Piedmont’s less famous Roero hills, Faccenda focuses on two local…

EXPERT’S CHOICE Puglia Hardy native grape varieties and the southern heat make for a host of fascinating wine styles down in Italy’s heel. Michaela Morris goes in search of Puglia’s pedigree PUGLIA’S STAR IS slowly rising. It remains the country’s most productive wine region despite subsidies aimed at curbing its excess. An EU-sponsored vine pull was intended to reduce vineyard on Puglia’s vast fertile plain, but it led to the loss of many precious old vines. Things started to look up when Primitivo was identified as the same grape variety as Zinfandel in the US. However, it has taken time for winemaking to catch up with the potential of this region’s raw material – though greater attention in the vineyard and winery is resulting in higher quality wines. The Puglia…

Around the wine world A record year for the 158th Hospices de Beaune auction Wine sales at the Hospices de Beaune 2018 reached nearly €14.2 million, smashing last year’s total of €13.5m, according to Christie’s, which hosted the auction. One barrel of Bâtard-Montrachet grand cru sold for €135,000, setting a new record price for a single barrel sold at the Hospices auction. The 2018 sale featured the highest number of barrels since 2009, and 41 more than last year, with 631 barrels of red and 197 barrels of white going under the hammer. Around 69% of the lots went to merchants and 31% to private buyers, reported Agathe de Saint Céran, who was in charge of the sale. There was some disappointment around the charity lot, ‘Pièce des Présidents’, which…

Letter of the month Fuel for thought WHY DID COMMUNITIES protest against the Mosel Bridge, the building of the A62 motorway through the Sauternes appellation, and now protest the proposed building of a tar production plant within the Chablis appellation? It cannot be just the ‘blot on the landscape’ factor. Important though that is, I think that airborne pollution from construction dust and emissions, and then the relentless burden of future vehicle exhaust particulates that comes with them, are more serious issues. It is well known that smoke taint from a forest fire can be present in a finished wine. I have tasted this at well above (at least my) sensory threshold in, for example, a DOP Cariñena. My query is, if wood smoke, or for that matter eucalyptus oil…

Jane Anson ‘Phylloxera was one of the main topics of conversation in Oregon’ IF YOU’RE A Pinot fan, The Eyrie Vineyards in Oregon is something of a pilgrimage. This is where David Letts and his wife Diana first planted 3,000 UC Davis vitis vinifera cuttings in 1965, making it officially the first plantings of Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley, Oregon (see also Wine Legends, p114). I’ve loved these wines for many years, so it was thrilling to seek out the original vineyard in Oregon a few months ago. I was visiting the wonderful Domaine Drouhin – a Burgundy-Oregon estate that I have long wanted to see – and David Millman, director of Drouhin, pointed out the original eyrie tree that stands just beyond the Drouhin vines. When I left,…

EVENTS Decanter Fine Wine Encounter Decanter’s flagship global tasting in November attracted a sell-out crowd of wine lovers. Lucky guests had the chance to taste more than 600 wines poured by 100 of the world’s most prestigious producers, and the opportunity to attend exclusive masterclasses and Discovery Theatres 1 Winemaker Mariano di Paola from Rutini Wines in Argentina 2 John Stimpfig and Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta, who led a vertical tasting and masterclass on ‘Three decades of Sassicaia’ 3 Winemaker Doron Rav Hon, from Sphera winery in Israel, took part in The Judean Hills Discovery Theatre 4 A stunning line-up of vintages for the Les Plénitudes de Dom Pérignon masterclass 5 Decanter’s consultant editor, Steven Spurrier, holding a copy of his memoir, Wine – A Way of Life 6 Hervé…

Lawther’s picks: 12 top Corbières reds to try 1 Maxime Magnon, La Bégou, Corbières 2016 95 £28.99 (2015) Handford One of the most stylish whites in the Languedoc. Mostly old-vine Grenache Gris and Grenache Blanc from schist soils. Broad and expressive on the nose. Pear, apple and vanilla notes. Fine texture and taste. Long, fresh, stone-sucking finish. Drink 2019-2022 Alcohol 13% 2 Château Ollieux Romanis, Atal Sia, Corbières-Boutenac 2015 93 £19-£22.90 Exel, Les Caves de Pyrene, The Wine Society Selected parcels of old-vine Carignan, Grenache and Mourvèdre with a dash of Syrah. No oak, but creamy and profound. Lovely fruit density, smooth on the palate a mineral note adding freshness and tension. Delicious. Drink 2019-2025 Alc 14.5% 3 Les Clos Perdus, Mire La Mer, Corbières 2013 93 £10.83 (ib) Justerini…

A taste of Tasmania: Muller’s pick of Apsley Gorge 1 Apsley Gorge Vineyard, Chardonnay 2016 91 N/A UK www.apsleygorgevineyard.com Fine light gold. Toasted nuts and classic Burgundian Chardonnay notes with aromas of honey, mint and hay. The palate is soft and rich with well-integrated oak. There’s lower acidity than in Burgundy and a soft roundness without being overblown. Certainly a perfect match for salmon. Drink 2019-2022 Alcohol 14% 2 Apsley Gorge Vineyard, Pinot Noir 2014 94 N/A UK www.apsleygorgevineyard.com A dark ruby colour. Aromas swing toward blueberry and blackcurrant fruit, however violets and meaty characters evolve on the palate with time in the glass. Complex secondary aromas with earthiness and forest floor. A firm structure, with grape tannins evident. Bigger in alcohol than Burgundy but more Old World than New…

WINEMAKING Rotundone: spice it up With some wines, you could be forgiven for thinking someone had sneakily ground some pepper into your glass. But there’s very good reason for it, says Matt Walls... WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE smell? For some it’s newly mown grass; for others, sizzling bacon. For me, it’s freshly ground black pepper. I still remember the first time someone drew my attention to its aroma in a glass of Rhône Syrah; since then I’ve been insatiable. But it’s not just that Syrah occasionally smells like black pepper – Syrah grapes contain the exact same flavour compound that you find in peppercorns, and it survives the fermentation process to end up in your glass. It’s a chemical called rotundone and its fascinating properties have only recently come to light.…

STEVEN SPURRIER’S fine wine world The Spurrier selection Decanter’s long-standing consultant editor and 2017 Decanter Man of the Year hand-picks fine wines for drinking now and recommends others to lay down, all priced from £25 upwards Haskell Vineyards, Anvil Chardonnay, Stellenbosch, South Africa 2016 91 £29.50 Lea & Sandeman Brilliant winemaker Rianie Strydom has created a lovely floral wine from Haskell’s 30-year-old Chardonnay vines. Fresh pear and peach aromas lead to a very elegant palate with a hint of toasted almond and stone fruit finish. All charm and elegance. Drink 2019-2022 Alc 12.5% Elephant Hill, Stone Syrah, Gimblett Gravels, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand 2015 94 £44 Corney & Barrow Located on an old river bed with more stones than soil but wonderful drainage. This allows the Syrah to…

Weekday wines Looking to try something different or adventurous, but don’t want to make an expensive mistake? Decanter’s associate editor Tina Gellie has done the hard work for you, picking out 25 exciting and accessible wines available in the UK for £25 or less Krásná Hora, Blanc de Noir Sekt Natur, Moravia, Czech Republic 2016 91 B £24 Basket Press Wines, Forest Wines This 100% Pinot Noir spends a year on its lees, with a portion fermented and aged in 500-litre barrels before a second fermentation in bottle. Bone-dry, smoky and mineral, with tart apple and citrus pith purity. Deliciously different. Alc 12% Weingut Schäfer-Fröhlich, Vulkangestein Riesling, Nahe, Germany 2014 93 £19.40 Howard Ripley A smoky, flinty Riesling from 40-year-old vines, which shows off the volcanic soils of the Stromberg…

PANEL TASTING The verdict The freshness that characterised this vintage on release is still evident eight years on. Stephen Brook and his panel report on a tasting of enjoyable wines just hitting their stride Our panel was familiar with this vintage, thus predisposed to enjoy the wines. And for the most part we did. It was interesting to reflect on whether the vintage entailed a loss of Californian typicity. Piotr Pietras MS was adamant it did not: ‘The wines have a refreshing character, but they are still fruit-driven and recognisable as Californian Cabernet. What I find admirable is that they have a real consistency of style. They’re fresh and balanced, and thus have good ageing potential. Nor was the oak obtrusive.’ He particularly admired the two wines from Sta Cruz…

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 90–94pts Barnett, Spring Mountain, Napa Valley 93 SB 93 AH 94 PP 92 N/A UK www.barnettvineyards.com Minty but vibrant blackcurrant nose; leafy and lifted. On the palate, there is enormous drive and linear richness, and a sense of precision and energy to the focused cassis fruit. A really long, purposeful and exhilarating wine. Drink 2019-2029 Alc 14% Cade, Estate, Howell Mountain, Napa Valley 93 SB 94 AH 92 PP 92 N/A UK www.cadewinery.com Beautiful nose of dark fruit and oriental spice. Rich and suave, full-bodied and velvety, this is very concentrated and majestic. It shows the solidity of mountain fruit without the harsh tannins that often go with it. This has energy and punch. Drink 2021-2030 Alc 14% Ramey, Pedregal Vineyard, Oakville, Napa Valley 93 SB 96 AH…

WESTERN AUSTRALIA: THE FACTS Blackwood Valley 31% white; 20 wineries, 50 vineyards covering more than 450ha Geographe 38% white; covering the sub-regions of Ferguson Valley, Donnybrook, Harvey, Capel and Busselton Great Southern 40% white; 1,600ha under vine, 70 producers in five sub-regions: Frankland River, Mount Barker, Denmark, Albany, Porongorup Manjimup 33% white; 10 wineries Margaret River Planted to 47% white varieties; 5,800ha under vine, of which more than 800ha are Chardonnay (17% of production). 150 wine producers and 300 growers Peel 61% white; an emerging region with over 200ha Pemberton 53% white; 26 wineries Perth Hills 46% white; a young wine region (since 1999) with 22 wineries Swan District 71% white; one of Australia’s oldest wine regions first planted in 1829…

EXCEPTIONAL 98–100pts Deep Woods, Reserve, Margaret River 2017 Decanter average score: 98/100pts Individual judges’ scores: Sarah Ahmed 98 Roger Jones 98 Anthony Rose 98 £34.99 Exel, Vinorium Located in the Yallingup Hills of Margaret River, this 32ha estate was established in 1987 and subsequently acquired by the Fogarty family in 2005. Chief winemaker is Julian Langworthy, who works alongside winemaker Emma Gillespie and chief viticulturist John Fogarty. One might think that the estate’s unique location – surrounded by deep woodlands of large jarrah and marri trees – gave rise to its name: Deep Wood. But in fact the name was provided by the original owners, who were huge fans of The Phantom comic books. In the comic book series, the secret hideout of crime-fighting hero, the Phantom, was called Deep…

30 RED BUYS Top high street Italian reds There’s no shortage of options on UK retailers’ lower shelves, but spend a little more on an Italian wine and you’ll be rewarded by a leap in quality. Andy Howard MW picks 30 of the best, all priced at £10-£15 IT COULD BE argued that wine consumers today have a much better choice in terms of quality, value and diversity than they did five or 10 years ago. The range of countries, regions, grape varieties and styles is mind-boggling. Italian wines are at the forefront of diversity, so this tasting was an ideal way to look at a range of red wines between the £10 and £15 price points. Quality is generally very good at this level – more than 50% of…

BAROLO Gaia’s pick: a dozen of the best from Barolo 1 Elio Altare, Vigna Bricco Cerretta, Riserva 2012 97 £103-£120 Justerini & Brooks, Millésima Altare magnificently interprets the Serralunga cru in this modern classic, which spent 24 months in barrique (20% new). There is exhilarating progression in this wine and a never-ending finish. The tannins are tight and there are menthol notes, anise and liquorice. Cellarworthy. Drink 2019-2040 Alc 14.5% Vietti, Lazzarito 2014 97 £190 Asset Wines, Bibendum, Exel A majestic cru (Serralunga), with 30 months in barriques and large barrels. Offers unmistakable personality in a ‘third way’ Barolo. Aromatic, tight-knit fruit, forest floor, tobacco and liquorice. Tannins in a state of grace. Assured longevity. Drink 2019-2040 Alc 14% 2 E Pira & Figli, Chiara Boschis, Mosconi 2014 96 £57…

Garner’s top Pinot Bianco picks 1 Cantina Terlano, Vorberg Riserva Pinot Bianco, Alto Adige 2015 95 £29.50-£32.99 Widely available via UK agent Astrum Wine Cellars Archetypal Alto Adige Pinot Bianco that has been partially fermented in large barrels. Luscious ripe pear with hints of kiwi, pineapple and quince jelly. Opulent texture that brings balance for further ageing. Drink 2022-2033 Alcohol 14% Le Vigne di Zamò, Tullio Zamò, Colli Orientali, Friuli-Venezia Giulia 2015 95 N/A UK www.levignedizamo.wine Extravagant and voluptuous style from partial barrel fermentation with plenty of ageing on the fine lees and in bottle. Balanced, long, poised and surprisingly graceful. Drink 2020-2027 Alc 14% Nals Margreid, Sirmian, Alto Adige 2017 95 £24.99 Define Food & Wine, Noel Young, Vindependents, WoodWinters Stony, salty nose, notes of lime and quince jelly;…

Collavini Sparkling Vintage Ribolla Gialla Type: Spumante Brut Millesimato Grapes: Ribolla Gialla Origin: vineyards in Corno di Rosazzo and Manzano, Friuli Yield: 80 ql/ha Training system: Cordon spur and Guyot Density: 5000 vines / ha Harvesting: early picking Alcohol: 12% vol. Method: handpicked grapes in the morning. Delicate whole-berry pressing; free-run must settles overnight. Fermentation at 14˚C part in steel, part in barriques. Refermentation in large horizontal pressure tanks at 12˚C. Maturation on the lees for at least 30 moon cycles. 12 months’ bottle age. Tasting notes: Bright straw yellow with greenish tinges, persistent mousse. Subtle aromatics of nectarines, white figs and green apples. Hint of minerality. Fresh-tasting and generously structured on the palate with kaleidoscope of citrus fruits complementing exceptional length.…

Garner’s picks: take a fresh (or dried) look at Valpolicella 1 Ca’ la Bionda, CasalVegri, Valpolicella Classico Superiore, Veneto 2015 96 £18-£21 Bat and Bottle, Top Selection Made using fresh grapes only. Spicy red cherry nose with notes of mint and fennel. An exquisite palate that’s lean, lithe and graceful with deep, peppery and smoky-toned red fruit characters sustained by precise acidity. Stunning. Drink 2023-2030 Alcohol 14% 1 Tedeschi, Maternigo, Valpolicella Superiore, Veneto 2015 95 £24.99 John E Fells Using extra-ripe grapes from the Impervio vineyard high above Mezzane, this is a wine with real swagger. Glorious and beautifully balanced mix of fresh-and dried-fruit aromas and flavours. Exceptional. Drink 2020-2027 Alc 15% Monte Dall’Ora, San Giorgio, Valpolicella Classico Superiore, Veneto 2015 94 £16.49 Beacon Wines, Les Caves de Pyrene Fresh…

PROSECCO Discovering the drier side In search of greater terroir expression, Prosecco’s finest wines are becoming increasingly dry. Richard Baudains explores the reasons why, and picks his top 10 to try THERE’S A BUZZ in the Prosecco Superiore hills of Valdobbiadene and Conegliano. A new generation of producers is emerging and the established names in the region are releasing premium, limited-selection bottlings. There is greater sensitivity in the vineyard as producers seek to express a sense of place, and increased diversification in winemaking styles. Quality is stepping up – or perhaps it would be more accurate to say it is being forced up by the need to distinguish Prosecco Superiore DOCG from the commercially rampant Prosecco DOC of the plains. In lockstep with these developments, there has been a significant…

Grande Cuvee del Fondatore Motus Vitae, Valdobbiadene DOCG Prosecco Superiore, Brut Nature – Millesimato Rive San Pietro di Barbozza Named after the company’s founder, Giuliano Bortolomiol, this wine is a tribute to his skill as a sparkling-wine maker and experimenter. He was the first to make a Prosecco Brut. It’s a Rive wine, so from a single vineyard, and it’s Millesimato (Vintage) in order to better present the characteristics of each single vintage; and it is Brut Nature, with zero dosage.…

Tinazzi’s appassimento centre in Sant’ Ambrogio di Valpolicella In 2015, Tinazzi opened a new grape drying, pressing and vinification plant in Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella. Here the best grape bunches, harvested at the beginning of October, are put on special trays for drying called plateaux. The grapes are left in a drying room (fruttaio) until the following January before they are destemmed and crushed. The red wines made with this appassimento technique are matured in a beautiful barrel room, filled with 5, 10 and 20 hectolitre French and American oak barrels. This is the where special guests, especially wine journalists and trade representatives, come to enjoy the red wines of Valpolicella in a special tasting room - entirely made of glass.…

Woolf’s top Lambrusco picks 1 Francesco Bellei, Metodo Ancestrale Pignoletto, Modena 2016 92 £14.95-£15.99 Jeroboams, The Solent Cellar Expect spicy, pungent aromas in this col fondo – a bit of a pet project of winemaker Sandro Cavicchioli. Tangy apple fruit along with earthy, yeasty hints. Worth cellaring. Drink 2019-2024 Alcohol 11.5% Croci, Campedello, Vino Bianco 2016 91 £29 Naturallywines  This macerated, just-frizzante style is not an official Lambrusco. Undisgorged, with fermentations occuring spontaneously, this is effectively an Emilian pet-nat. Deliciously aromatic, but with grippy tannins which crave food. Drink 2019-2026 Alc 12.5% 2 Ca’ de Noci, Sottobosco 2015 93 £27.57-£28.99 Gergovie Wines, Selfridges, Tannico Made with some rarer Lambrusco varieties, this spontaneously refermented blend is complex, crammed with bright forest fruits, earthy notes and electric acidity. Drink 2019-2023 Alc 11%…

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE Pasqua Different styles of Amarone from an expert producer “We look for elegance” Pasqua has always linked its name with one of the most important and iconic traditions of Italian and Veronese winemaking excellence: Amarone. Whether opulent or austere, an Amarone created by Pasqua brings with it an unmistakable sense of origin, the perfect synthesis of terroir and winemaking expertise, first in the vineyard and then in the cellar. “We look for elegance in every bottle of Amarone,” says company president Umberto Pasqua, “and we are not afraid of innovation and showing new interpretations of this wine which we think will work well within the protocols of the denomination.” The Pasqua family controls vineyards ranging from the Valpolicella Classica area in the western part of the province of…

Six producers to look out for Arnaldo Caprai Arnaldo Caprai bought 45ha of land in Montefalco in 1971. His son Marco’s passion for Sagrantino has been instrumental in improving its quality and gaining international recognition. In 2008 he began The New Green Revolution project, focusing on environmental, economic and social sustainability – not just in his winery, but across Montefalco. His flagship wine, Spinning Beauty was made to celebrate the memory of his father. Benedetti & Grigi Umberto Benedetti used to sell grapes to a local co-op, but when it closed he formed a partnership with Daniele Grigi to make wine. They now own 68ha of vines. Winemaker Daniele Di Mambro heads up a young, motivated team and their Sagrantino di Montefalco won a DWWA Gold in 2018. Perticaia Perticaia…

Morris recommends: top Sardinian dry whites and reds 1 Gioacchino Sini, Biancosmeraldo, Vermentino di Gallura Superiore 2016 92 £20.50-£22.70 (2015) Davy’s, Tannico Drop-dead gorgeous nose of white peach, verbena, juniper and lemon balm. Brilliantly saline and mineral palate. Limpid without lacking concentration. Confident, refreshing and appetite-stimulating. Bring on the Pecorino Sardo cheese. Drink 2019-2021 Alcohol 13.5% 2 Siddùra, Maìa, Vermentino di Gallura Superiore 2016 91 £26.48 Mondial Wine Grown on sandy decomposed granite, this beautifully linear Vermentino is aged on the lees in stainless steel. It resonates with marine breezes, citrus and wild broom through to the long, sappy finish. Utterly cleansing. Drink 2019-2021 Alc 14% Argiolas, Iselis Nasco di Cagliari 2016 90 £18.42-£21 Eurowines, Great Wines Direct Luxurious and seductive. Musk, melon, ripe apricot and honeyed notes knit seamlessly…

John Stimpfig ‘There are legions of producers whose passion knows no bounds’ JANCIS ROBINSON MW recently pointed out on social media that the word ‘passion’ is one of the most over-used in the wine lexicon. She’s right. Too many winemakers, journalists, vintners and merchants trot it out far too frequently, heaping praise on unworthy bottles. Yet I’d also argue that there are legions of producers, young and old, whose virtuous passion literally knows no bounds. You can see it in their faces, hear it in their voices and taste it in their wines. My advice is to always seek out wines such as these. So here are three such producers I’ve recently encountered, who epitomise the ‘P’ word. Jay Boberg is a hugely successful music executive whose love of wine…

In brief ■ The Government Hospitality Wine Cellar Annual Report 2017-2018 revealed that 64% of the wine purchased by the government in the year to March 2018 was English or Welsh. It also stated that 57% of the wine consumed at official receptions in the same period came from the UK. Overall alcohol consumption was up by 20%, due to ‘an increased number of larger events’. ■ Leading Albariño producer, Mar de Frades has launched its first 100% coastal Godello wine from Rías Baixas. ‘Galician Godellos are produced inland, not by the sea, so I thought it would be something special,’ said winemaker Paula Fandiño. Traditionally, Albariño dominates the area, accounting for 96% of all plantings. Only 2,100 bottles have been produced of the inaugural Godello 2016 vintage. ■ Plumpton…

Andrew Jefford ‘The label drinker is someone with more money than experience’ HANDS UP, LABEL drinkers... I don’t see many hands. Decanter readers, of course, know better than that. We’re sniffing out value, surprise, intrigue. There we are, at the end of the tasting, still scribbling notes on that Bulgarian Aligoté, trying to find the key words to help us distinguish Sauvignon Vert from Sauvignon Blanc, scanning auction catalogues for consignments of ancient Colares. But wait: are label drinkers maligned? I don’t know anyone who’d turn down a bottle of Cheval Blanc if offered, or a glass of Roederer Cristal. The classic label drinker is, surely, someone with more money than experience: hardly a crime. Beginning with ‘the best’ in order to put it to the test is a sensible…

LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA Karen MacNeil ‘What is driving the influx of Latina women into vineyard work?’ UNTIL RECENTLY, I never thought of the grape harvest as an arena for sexual politics. But last autumn – while the #MeToo movement raged across the US – the harvest was different. For the first time in California, many of the faces in the vineyard were female. In a world as male-dominated as California viticulture, that change is nothing short of seismic. And for me, it strikes a strong chord. In the 1980s, I worked picking grapes 10 hours a day as part of a Latino harvest crew for Napa Valley’s Cakebread Cellars. I was assigned to a foreman who didn’t hide the fact that he hated the idea. No woman had ever been…

Vintage preview Burgundy 2017 A mixed bag is the simplest way to describe this vintage: a bumper crop of early-drinking reds and whites with patches of excellence but also plenty of pitfalls awaiting buyers. Tim Atkin MW gives his expert analysis and selects 102 top wines BURGUNDY WITNESSED IN 2017 something that it hadn’t seen for eight years: a large crop of mostly good-quality wines, red and white. With the significant exception of Chablis and a few isolated spots in Morey-St-Denis, St-Aubin and Rully, the growing season was free of vine diseases and adverse weather events. Volumes are large – this is Burgundy’s biggest-ever red wine harvest – which means most growers and négociants finally have some wine to sell. Photograph: Giovanni Simeone/4Corners The year began with a cold winter…

Hawke’s Bay: the sub-regions This list is arranged alphabetically; see map above for geographical locations. Bridge Pa Triangle Often seen in the shadow of its more illustrious neighbour Gimblett Gravels, the Bridge Pa district produces plusher, more succulent and generally more approachable reds than the Gravels, often with just as much muscle. Villa Maria’s Keltern vineyard is counted as part of this region although it is further inland and cooler. Top producers: Paritua, Redmetal, Sileni, Church Road, Matua, Alpha Domus, Ash Ridge. Coastal (Te Awanga, Bay View) Heavily influenced by the sea with a cooler but moderated climate, longer growing season and later ripening. Most vineyards closest to the ocean will be planted with predominantly white varieties, although vineyards further inland can produce surprising reds, depending on aspect. Top producers…

The Decanter Interview Carole Meredith Plant geneticist Dr Carole Meredith helped to change the way that winemakers think about the history of grapes – and now she is growing her own in Napa Valley. Elin McCoy meets her HIGH ON NAPA’S Mt Veeder, Carole Meredith points out the burned trees on the 34ha estate she owns with her winemaker husband, Steve Lagier – the result of 2017’s devastating wildfires. ‘We were lucky. The flames didn’t reach the house, and only singed a few vines, but we could have lost it all.’ Making wine full time under the Lagier Meredith label is the ‘third era’ of Dr Meredith’s distinguished career, which includes 22 years at the University of California at Davis as a grape geneticist, aka ‘a…

Corbières at a glance Area under vine 10,600ha (12% farmed organically) Production 390,000hl; 52 million bottles Producers 1,210 Independent wineries 241 Cooperatives 23 Wine styles Red (87%), rosé (10%), dry white (3%) Soils predominantly limestone-clay Climate Mediterranean Grape varieties Red & rosé Syrah (30%), Carignan (29%), Grenache Noir (29%), Mourvèdre (8%), Cinsault (3%), others (1%). White Grenache Blanc (41%), Roussanne (14%), Vermentino (13%), Marsanne (12%), Macabeo (11%), Bourboulenc (8%), Muscat à Petits Grains (1%) Blending Two varieties minimum required for AP Corbières (all colours), including a primary variety representing no less than 40% and no more than 80% of the blend…

30 RED BUYS Claret alternatives: 30 reds to snap up Winemakers the world over hold up the red wines of Bordeaux as the benchmark for quality and style. But where to start? Andy Howard MW recommends 30 great reds to try if you’re keen to discover the world beyond your default claret option ASK ANYONE, EXPERT or not, to name a famous wine region, and I suspect the majority will say Bordeaux. For more than 850 years, since the time of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, this part of southwest France has been very closely linked with fine wines, and for a style known as ‘claret’. Although claret was markedly different from the Bordeaux wines of today, the two names have become inextricably linked. Claret described wines from the…

A pick of pepper: Walls’ six to try 1 Abadía de Poblet, La Font Voltada, Conca de Barberà, Spain 2015 94 £35.40 H2Vin & Quintessentially, Vinissimus A 3ha vineyard at 500m, planted with Trepat vines of 100 years old or more. Distinct cracked black and white peppercorns on the nose and palate. Fresh and floral, blackberry and raspberry with a piercing vein of acidity. Perfectly judged, distinctive, enlivening and compellingly drinkable. Drink 2019-2022 Alcohol 13% Craggy Range, Gimblett Gravels Vineyard Syrah, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand 2016 93 £21.60-£24 Exel, The New Zealand Cellar, The New Zealand House of Wine Hand-harvested, all destemmed, 20% new oak. Blackberry and a suggestion of both freshly turned soil and stone. A whiff of black pepper becomes clearer with time. Good intensity, depth of fruit…

FROM THE CELLAR Dr Lippold, Urziger Würzgarten-Weltersberg Riesling Auslese 2010 On the instigation of Mosel winemaker Dr Enno Lippold, five colleagues and I sat down in November in front of Riesling producers from six countries, each showing a 2010 to prove ‘how complex and harmonious serious Rieslings can be once their components have had time to settle down and blend together’. First was Niki Saahs with his Nikolaihof, Steiner Hund from Austria’s Wachau, aged for 30 months in old casks: rich yet dry with the Riesling kick on the finish. Then came Morten Hallgren with his Ravines, Argetsinger Vineyard from New York’s Finger Lakes: a fine balance of phenolics and minerality, still young. Giuseppe Vajra presented the Vajra, Petracine, Langhe – Piedmont’s first Riesling, planted in 1985: very varietal, showing…

THE JUDGES Stephen Brook Brook has been a contributing editor to Decanter since 1996 and has won a clutch of awards for his wine writing. The author of many books, his works include The Wines of California (Faber & Faber 1999), which won three awards. Brook also fully revised the last two editions of Hugh Johnson’s Wine Companion. Alex Hunt MW Hunt is purchasing director for Berkmann Wine Cellars, which he joined in 2006. He became a Master of Wine in 2010, writing his dissertation on ripeness trends in California and winning the Madame Bollinger Medal for excellence in the tasting exam. He has judged at the Decanter World Wine Awards since 2005. Piotr Pietras MS Pietras is a wine consultant who was most recently at the Michelin-starred Hide in…

PANEL TASTING The verdict Although the 2017 vintage was less impressive than 2016 and 2015, this tasting delivered some exceptional quality Chardonnays with regional personality. Anthony Rose reports Only 14 of the wines in our tasting of 60 Western Australian Chardonnays were from outside Margaret River: three from Great Southern as well as three from its sub-region of Frankland River and another from the Mount Barker sub-region; one from Geographe; one from Pemberton; and five from the generic appellation of Western Australia. It wasn’t just that Margaret River dominated the tasting numerically but, more significantly, it took the top 13 spots, with only Hay Shed Hill from Geographe and Harewood Estate from Great Southern sneaking into the top 20. This predominance of quality Chardonnay in Margaret River is hardly an…

OUTSTANDING 95–97pts Cullen, Kevin John, Margaret River 2016 96 SA 95 RJ 98 AR 95 £86.99-£88.80 Carruthers & Kent, Liberty Wines, The Australian Cellar, Vinvm It’s difficult not to use the word ‘pioneer’ about Cullen Wines; founder Dr Kevin Cullen and his wife Diana trace their links with wine in the area as far back as 1880. The Cullens’ first vines were planted in 1971 and today the winery is run by their daughter Vanya. This flagship wine is made from vines planted in 1976 and farmed biodynamically. SA Sweet icing sugar lift to nose and palate, with crisp green apple and grapefruit tension. Smoky grapefruit oil gives a subtle roundness to the palate. Super-linear and focused with a bubbling mineral water finish. RJ Juicy, so juicy on the palate,…

RECOMMENDED 86–89pts COMMENDED 83-85pts ■ Bramble Lane, Western Australia 2017 85, 12.5%, 2019-2020, £9.99 Amps Wine Merchants, Bakers & Larners of Holt, Cambridge Wine Merchants, Eynsham Cellars, Good Spirits Co, Loki Wine, Mr & Mrs Fine Wine, Nickolls & Perks, Quaff Fine Wine, Stroud Wine Co, Vinomondo ■ Brown Hill, Golden Horseshoe Reserve, Margaret River 2017 85, 13%, 2019-2022, N/A UK www.brownhillestate.com.au ■ Frankland Estate, Berry Bros & Rudd, Western Australia 2017 85, 13%, 2019-2019, £12.50 Berry Bros & Rudd ■ Plantagenet, Three Lions, Great Southern 2017 84, 13%, 2019-2020, £13.49 Liberty Wines, Vinvm ■ West Cape Howe, Old School, Mount Barker 2017 83, 14%, 2019-2020, £11.10 Frederic Robinson FAIR 76-82pts ■ Robert Oatley, Signature, Margaret River 2016 80…

Hyland’s 10: top-quality Barbera from Piedmont 1 Pio Cesare, Fides, Barbera d’Alba 2015 94 £40 Laytons, Whole Foods Market Ideal ripeness, good acidity, moderate tannins and beautiful spicy notes of coriander and cardamom, with blackberry, black plum and grilled meat notes. Subtle oak provides an overall harmony and superb varietal character. Drink 2019-2026 Alcohol 14.5% 2 Braida, Bricco dell’Uccellone, Barbera d’Asti 2015 93 £55 Sommelier’s Choice A rather ripe example, characteristic of this vintage. A little flashy and opulent, yet well balanced with powerful aromatics reminiscent of black plum, molasses, clove and tar. Fine, medium-weight tannins. Drink 2019-2026 Alc 15% Michele Chiarlo, La Court, Barbera d’Asti Superiore Nizza 2013 92 £36.95-£45 Asset Wines, Exel, Great Wines Direct, Hallgarten & Novum Expressive and flavourful with aromas of red and black cherry,…

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE Hidden Piedmont Wines like Ruché, Grignolino and Freisa are as exciting as their more famous neighbour, Barbera It’s time for an adventure: less than an hour’s drive from the sweeping hillsides of Barolo and Barbaresco, the vineyards of Asti and Monferrato lie waiting to be discovered. They promise an enticing mix of familiar and more exotic names. While Barbera is the dominant red variety, a range of lesser known grapes adds depth and lustre to the picture: as in the Langhe hills to the west, growing conditions are ideally suited to the production of premium red wines. The area covers most of the two provinces of Asti and Alessandria (and a small section of neighbouring Cuneo) and includes around 15,000 hectares of land planted to vine. President Filippo…

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE Cantina Valle Isarco Premium white wines from Alto Adige It’s a special place. High up in the Italy’s Alto Adige region, the Isarco Valley benefits from a heritage that is particularly suited to white wine making and a landscape and climate redolent of more southerly climes. Here, where glaciers caress the gentle hills of the Mediterranean-like landscape, grapes of extraordinary quality reach maturity on sunny hillsides at altitudes from 500 to 1,000 metres a.s.l. to make extraordinarily fine wines. The roots of the vines, by reaching deep into the soil, soak up the minerals and nourishing substances present in this wonderful soil, to give the wines they produce their typical taste profile and aromas. The light and gravelly soils, the many days of sunlight and judiciously spaced rainfall…

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE Conte Collalto A thousand years of history in Prosecco’s heartland The Collalto family have been connected with viticulture for over a thousand years. It was, in fact 958 AD when King Berengario II granted the territory of Lovadina with its pastures, woods and vines, of course, to Rambaldo I. Ever since then, in an uninterrupted line for the last 1060 years, Rambaldo’s heirs have looked after a territory which remains almost unchanged to this day. In 2007, Princess Isabella Collalto de Croÿ took over personal control of the company and its vineyards, dedicating the same love and attention to them as her ancestors. It’s a unique story, and a long history, and over the years Collalto has played a leading role in winemaking history, too. Thanks to Count…

Baudains’ picks: the drier side of Prosecco 1 Silvano Follador, Metodo Classico, Superiore di Cartizze Brut Nature 2016 96 £13.95 Slurp Complex and inviting on the nose: spring flowers, white peach, a hint of crème fraîche and bread crust. Crisply elegant, long, light but beautifully balanced. Pristine lime and lemon finish. Pure class. Drink 2019-2020 Alcohol 11.5% 2 Bortolomiol, Grande Cuvée del Fondatore, Motus Vitae, Superiore Brut Nature 2016 95 £19.55 Tannico Understated but enticingly fresh; orange blossom, rose petal, acacia. Light and airy but deep and long – concentrated fruit and touches of almonds and honey. Zippy finish. Drink 2019-2020 Alc 12% 3 Frozza, Rive di Colbertaldo, Superiore Brut 2017 95 £18.30 Stannary St Wine Co Fresh, delicate but complex nose with jasmine, apricot, wild herbs and hints of…

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE Never forget your roots Tinazzi: family winemakers in Valpolicella and Lake Garda How do you get to be a family company and produce quality wines for 50 years? Founded in 1968, Tinazzi is a family-owned winemaking enterprise driven by a “tradition-plus-innovation” mantra. Nowadays, the company owns several wineries and estates in two key regions of wine production in Italy: Veneto and Puglia. This is their receipt for becoming a well-established company without losing a focus on quality. 1. Start from the bottom: a tiny village in the Verona province The Tinazzi adventure started in 1968 when the company was founded by patriarch Eugenio Tinazzi. His son Gian Andrea was only 18 years old when he started to produce and sell wine from a tiny cellar in a small…

LAMBRUSCO Back on the MENU Simon Woolf finds the perfect antidote for Emilia Romagna’s hearty food, in the form of Lambrusco Photographs: Carlo Guttadauro; Simon Woolf HOW LONG ARE you staying in Emilia Romagna,’ asks Mattia Montanari, director and winemaker at boutique Lambrusco producer Opera02. ‘One week,’ I reply. He feigns a quick mental calculation, and jokes: ‘Okay, so you’ll gain about three kilos by the time you go home.’ He then presides over a lavish lunch and I realise that maybe it wasn’t a joke. This corner of Italy is famed for its substantial cuisine, home to everything from Parmigiano-Reggiano and Parma ham to ravioli, lasagne and myriad pastas. Emilia also harbours the perfect foil for all that indulgent fare on the table: the delightfully frothy red frizzante, Lambrusco.…

At a glance Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG was established in 1992 and renamed Montefalco Sagrantino in 2009 Ageing 37 months minimum, including four months in bottle and 12 months in oak Grapes 100% Sagrantino (dry and passito) Area Montefalco and parts of Bevagna, Gualdo Cattaneo, Castel Ritaldi and Giano dell’Umbria Minimum alcohol dry 13% (or 13.5% for single-vineyard wines); passito 17% Area under vine 760ha (2017) Production 986,944 bottles; 6% of all Umbrian wine Average temperatures summer 25°C; winter 3.8°C Average annual rainfall 700m…

Hulme’s picks: eight of the best Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG Rocca di Fabbri 2013 93 £27 Tannico The estate was founded in 1984 by Pietro Vitali who had a background in antiques, and the family owns a wonderful country resort with rooms to rent. I loved this wine’s purity and focus, its very velvety texture and refined tannins. Drink 2019-2027 Alc 15% Terre de la Custodia 2013 93 £30.74 (2012) Alivini Owned by an Umbrian family who also produces oil, flour and craft beer, this is one of the larger estates, making a million bottles annually at its winery near Gualdo Cattaneo. A modern, accessible, fruity style with concentration and beautifully refined tannins. Drink 2019-2029 Alc 14.5% 1 Tenuta Alzatura 2012 91 £25.99 (2010) Valvona & Crolla In the late 1990s…

SICILY Discover Sicily: 20 great buys Sicily is finding its rightful place in the Italian wine scene with its discovery and rediscovery of native varieties and distinctive sites. The island’s wines are now as captivating as the island’s beautiful scenery, believes Susan Hulme MW SICILY HAS LONG bewitched me with its distinctive colours, sights and smells. The island first cast its spell over me 30 years ago and I vividly remember a visit to the small town of Noto one evening: in the glow of a blood-orange setting sun, widows in black formed stark silhouettes against a brilliant white baroque church. Sicily is a magical place, whether it is the snowcapped, smoking Mount Etna against a forget-me-not blue sky, the warm smell of lemon groves at night or the air…

What I’ve been drinking this month In preparation for a masterclass I’m giving for sommeliers, I’ve been tasting what I believe are a whole new class of white wines in Napa Valley – I call them Super Sauvignons. Minerally, sophisticated and complex, often with ravishing richness and a streak of raciness, these are far closer in style to top white Bordeaux than to Napa Sauvignon Blancs of yesteryear. Look for Sauvignons from these top estates: Accendo, Adamvs, Animo, Arkenstone, Eisele, Lail, Rudd and Spottswoode.…

A taste of the top 2017 Burgundies Wines are listed by commune, from north to south, then by score, then alphabetically by producer. The 2017s are bottled in January 2019, hence prices and stockists are not yet set. Contact specialist merchants for allocations, or to enquire about en primeur tastings Gevrey-Chambertin RED WINE OF THE VINTAGE Domaine Dugat-Py, Chambertin Grand Cru 99 Just when you think the Dugat-Py range can’t get any better… this is mind-blowing! Focused, floral and beguiling with balletic poise, supple, fine-grained tannins and notes of rose petal, wild strawberry and tangerine. Incredible concentration and length from 90-year-old vines. The Mazisand Mazoyères-Chambertins are a point below at 98. Drink 2027-2035 Alcohol 13% Domaine Denis Mortet, Chambertin Grand Cru 98 It’s close, but this is even better than…

Styles’ picks: sub-regional stars from Hawke’s Bay De la Terre, Viognier, Te Mata-Hillside Hawke’s Bay 2014 93 N/A UK www.delaterre.co.nz From the Te Mata Special Character Zone, winemaker Tony Pritchard says he is happy to sacrifice varietal definition in the pursuit of minerality. This unoaked wine is all about the hills, and it’s well worth seeking out. Drink 2019-2024 Alcohol 13.5% 1 Sacred Hill, Riflemans Chardonnay, Dartmoor 2016 92 £39.99 Inverarity Morton Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay is often more winemaker than the soil and, despite great pedigree, this golden, more developed style, is no exception. But this showcases the potential of the beautiful Dartmoor Valley. Drink 2019-2024 Alc 13% Supernatural Wine Co, Minus 220 Sauvignon Blanc, Coastal 2018 92 £16.95 (2016) Vintage Roots A combination of hillside soil and coastal aspect.…

McCoy’s picks: a taste of the Lagier Meredith range 1 Lagier Meredith, Rosé 2017 90 N/A UK www.lagiermeredith.com Spicy and serious, this is a crisp rosé that also has plenty of flavour punch. It is whole-cluster pressed and fermented in stainless steel to keep a juicy, refreshing style. Drink 2019-2020 Alcohol 14% 2 Lagier Meredith, Syrah 2015 93 £48.50 The Sampler This striking wine is loaded with pepper and lavender aromas, and boasts a savoury, leather and spice, red-fruit richness on the palate that you might typically expect to find in wines from the northern Rhône. Drink 2019-2026 Alc 14.5% 3 Lagier Meredith, Mondeuse 2015 93 £46 The Sampler This delicious wine is characterised by dark fruit and a lush, silky texture. Mondeuse is a close relative of Syrah, however…

Corbières: 10 names to know Cave d’Embres-et-Castelmaure The co-op near Durban in the Hautes-Corbières has been a role model since the 1980s. Hand harvesting, plot-by-plot management of the 440ha, replanting programmes, carbonic maceration to soften tannins and special selections are all practised here. Long-time winemaker Bernard Pueyo has recently retired and been replaced by Antoine Robert, fresh from making wine at Cape Mentelle in Western Australia. Map: Maggie Nelson. Photographs: M Garáon; Sandra Rossi Château Ollieux Romanis Now a sizeable 60ha domaine, Boutenacbased Château Ollieux Romanis is a reference in the region. The various red cuvées are all Carignan-dominated (40%-70%), the top of the range labelled Corbières-Boutenac. Owner Pierre Bories is also developing another estate at Fabrézan – Domaine Le Champ des Murailles – and its Grande Cuvée was a…

TASMANIA A Burgundian odyssey Applying the experience of working vintages in Burgundy, former Australian architect Brian Franklin has established himself as the maker of critically acclaimed Pinot Noir at his Tasmanian winery Apsley Gorge. Konrad Muller reports ‘THE COFFEE MACHINE is out of order,’ he says in a deep rumble. ‘So you can have water or wine.’ As it’s 11am, and I have to take the spectacular Great Eastern Drive back to Hobart, and had seen the warning signs to ‘EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED: rockfalls, ice, trucks on narrow causeways and wildlife’ on the road up, I say water will be good thanks. But I am tempted. For the winery – an anonymous old fish factory in the seaside hamlet of Bicheno – is Apsley Gorge, and my host is Brian…

Navigating the Balkans: Gilby’s guide to the best reds 1 Tikveš, Barovo, Macedonia 2015 97 £17.60 Corking Wines, Exel, Great Wines Direct, Hallgarten Wines Simply a beautiful wine from one of Macedonia’s highest vineyards, blended from old vines of Kratošija (65%) and Vranec. It shows lovely bilberry and bramble fruit, fine acids and a finish like liquid silk. Drink 2019-2021 Alcohol 14.5% 2 Fakin, Il Primo, Istria, Croatia 2017 95 N/A UK www.fakinwines.com ‘Fakin’ good wines’ is the slogan of this young, go-getting producer – and they are. This is 100% Teran, jam-packed with juicy mulberry fruit, a touch of spice and with refined tannins. Drink 2019-2021 Alc 14% 3 Marjan Simčič, Opoka Merlot, Goriška Brda, Slovenia 2013 95 £63.20 Orbit Wines The Brda region is a superb terroir for…

THIS MONTH’S PANEL TASTINGS Californian Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 & Western Australian Chardonnay Steven Spurrier’s fine wine world Our consultant editor and 2017 Man of the Year picks fine wines to drink now and lay down, all priced from £25 Weekday wines By Tina Gellie Want something more adventurous in your midweek wine selection but don’t want to make an expensive mistake? We’ve found 25 exciting wines to try for under £25 Californian Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 45 wines tasted The freshness that characterised this vintage on release is still evident in this set of wines just hitting their stride Western Australian Chardonnay 60 wines tasted As expected, Margaret River dominated in numbers and plaudits, but the 2015 and 2016 vintages also shone Expert’s Choice: White Châteauneuf-du-Pape By Matt Walls Our man…

FOR THE CELLAR Tyrrell’s, Vat 1 Hunter Semillon Tyrrell’s, based in its historic homestead in New South Wales’ Hunter Valley, is in its 160th year of winemaking, headed up by fourth-generation Bruce and fifth-generation Jane, John and Chris Tyrrell. In London a few months ago to present the family’s wines, Chris explained that even though he is the youngest member of the team, he was already on his 17th vintage, while head winemaker Andy Simmons was on his 40th. Such continuity was plain to see through a range of Tyrrell’s renowned Vat 1 Semillon, from the not-yet released 2017 back to 1998 – the first vintage under screwcap. Vat 1 is made only from the best blocks, the centrepiece being the Short Flat vineyard planted in 1923. The 2017 is…

CAL CABS : KNOW YOUR VINTAGES 2016 A cool year with even ripening, completed by a warm September. An average crop of well-balanced wines. 2015 Some losses at flowering, but the summer was hot and dry with a little raisining. But fine concentration and quality across all regions. 2014 A moderate growing season, giving small berries of excellent concentration and early ripening. Rich wines with some overripeness. 2013 Normal growing season, giving small berries with thick skins, leading to powerful, tannic wines. Some wines show overripeness or over-extraction, but overall a fine, structured year. 2012 Consistent growing season and even ripening. Produced elegant Cabernets with supple tannins and moderate alcohols. But some wines lack structure and are too forward. 2011 A small crop with rain at harvest. The best Cabernets…

OUTSTANDING 95–97pts Ridge Vineyards, Monte Bello, Santa Cruz Mountains Decanter average score: 95/100pts Individual judges’ scores: Stephen Brook 95 Alex Hunt MW 95 Piotr Petras MS 95 £170 Roberson Ridge can trace the first vintage of wine being made from the Monte Bello site back to 1892, and this rich history of production is certainly matched by the esteem in which the wine is held today. The expert hand of chief winemaker Paul Draper (Decanter Hall of Fame 2000) ensured another succesful vintage from this iconic Californian estate in 2010, which concluded with the wine spending 18 months in US oak barrels. Stephen Brook Refined blackcurrant and garrigue nose. Herbal but not herbaceous. Quite rich and solid, concentrated and firm, with a good tannic backbone. This is robust and structured,…

WESTERN AUSTRALIA: KNOW YOUR VINTAGES 2018 Already looks excellent. A vintage of fruit concentration, freshness and clarity thanks to a long, dry, warm summer. 2017 A late vintage and the coolest since 2006. Top wines will be complex and structured; others will be linear and high acid. 2016 Cool nights and lower than average rainfall. Vibrant and elegant Chardonnays, if mildew and botrytis were kept at bay. 2015 A warm year; quite low yields. Early vintage in Margaret River; weighty peach fruit for softness with good acid retention. 2014 A warmish vintage. The tail of Cyclone Olwyn hit after most white grapes were picked. Chardonnay with good intensity of flavour and freshness. 2013 A warm, relatively early year. Typical Margaret River intensity of flavour and good mineral character in some…

THE JUDGES Sarah Ahmed Ahmed is an awarded wine writer, educator and judge specialising in Australia and Portugal. In addition to publishing her own site, thewinedetective.co.uk , Ahmed has contributed to Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book, Jancis Robinson MW’s The Oxford Companion to Wine and The World Atlas of Wine. RogerJones Jones owns award-winning restaurant The Harrow at Little Bedwyn, together with his wife Sue. Both a wine critic and Michelin-starred chef, he frequently visits Australia to promote food and wine pairing, and set up The Tri Nations Wine Challenge to promote wines from South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. Anthony Rose Rose is the wine correspondent for the Independent and i newspapers and writes for publications including Decanter and The World of Fine Wine. He has been named…

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 90–94pts Cloudburst, Margaret River 2016 94 SA 92 RJ 97 AR 92 POA Fine & Rare Baked Bramley apple aromas with a hint of clove spice. Quite a traditional Chardonnay with grapefruit, green apple and gentle spring blossom perfume. Restrained excellence, relying on honest fruit and possible clever lees-stirring. It’s textured and layered – a real stunner! Drink 2019-2024 Alc 13% Leeuwin Estate, Prelude Vineyards, Margaret River 2016 94 SA 95 RJ 94 AR 92 £35 Bottle Apostle, Domaine Direct, Hedonism, Secret Cellar, SH Jones Classic with a good whack of stylish French oak on the nose. Juicy and full-flavoured stone fruit; limey acidity adds strength and balance. Focused, linear and stony, with an almost saline finish. Drink 2019-2022 Alc 13.5% Vasse Felix, Heytesbury, Margaret River 2016 94…

EXPERTS CHOICE White Châteauneuf-du-Pape Say the name and people’s first thought is of this southern Rhône region’s famed reds. But the quality and stature of Châteauneuf blanc can be just as impressive, says Matt Walls Outside Burgundy and other sacred sites of Pinot production, there aren’t many great terroirs that produce white and red wines of equal standing. There’s Pessac-Léognan, Rioja, Hermitage… and what about Châteauneuf-du-Pape? After a recent blind tasting of 87 whites from the 2016 and 2017 vintages, I would say it’s certainly on its way. Like its more common red counterpart (just 7% of the appellation’s output is white), Châteauneuf blanc both benefits and suffers from having so many possibilities when it comes to production. The six white grape varieties (Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Picpoul and…