Six Interesting Barolos

 Yesterday I tasted six interesting Barolos from recent vintages.

Elvio Cogno is perhaps the most important producer of the Novello subregion, with a substantial holding of the Ravera vineyard at its core. Two wines could be tasted. The 2018 Bricco Pernice from a less heralded vintage is red fruited. It is the lighter of the two wines, but I enjoyed its elegance, energy and balance, held together by its firm powdery tannins (94 points).

The more famous Ravera from the highly regarded 2021 vintage is a big, powerful wine. The colour is dark, and the wine tastes of black cherry. I found the wine, while impressive, lacking some finesse. It was also slightly alcoholic on the finish (93 points). Maybe it will come together over time.

Elio Grasso is not only a superstar of Monforte, but of all of Barolo. The two champion wines come from the same vineyard. The Ginestra Chiniera is located at the higher altitude of 350 to 400 meters. The soil is a mixture of limestone and sand.  The 2020 vintage delivered more forward wines, and it showed in this example. This is a red fruited, elegant, very feminine (can I still say this?) wine, with lifted aromas, firm acidity, and silky tannins. I liked this a lot (95/+++ points). 

The  2021 Casa Maté, coming from an altitude of 300 to 350 meters, and grown on a clay and limestone mix, is a powerful and balanced wine. It is dark fruited, with a big mouthfeel. This in contrast is quite a masculine wine, with huge ageing potential. The tannins are well rounded and deliver an earthy feel to the wine (96/+++ points). 

Barolo takes its lead from Burgundy and champions single vineyard wines. As a result, blended Barolos are less highly regarded, but can be quite good, in my experience. There were two wines to taste which showed this, both from the 2020 vintage. The Mauro Molino Barolo from La Morra tasted of red cherry and wet stone. This wine has a very dry and austere feel, but is not unattractive (93 points).  

The 2020 Ferdinando Principiano Barolo from Serralunga shows off darker fruit. Earthy flavours add to a complex palate. The tannins are smooth and the finish is long. This is a very attractive wine, which is already very enjoyable to drink (94/+++ points). 

These blended Barolos cost less than half of the single vineyard wines shown here. They are a good commercial proposition.

How Important Is Track Record

 I asked myself this question, as I was reading a James Halliday mail, where four wines were rated at 95 points plus, reviewed by different wine critics. They were

- Bleasdale Vineyard Invenium Viam Cabernet Malbec 2020

- Pooles Rock Solier Settler Semillon 2024

- Bannockburn Shiraz 2023

- Dear Zahra Pinot Noir 2024

Bleasdale has been around for a while, but has never stood out, in my experience. Pooles Rock and Dear Zahra I am not familiar with. Bannockburn certainly has the reputation, and some track record, even with Shiraz, not their main variety.

Sure, you could go for wines two and four, if you wanted to try something new. But I find that new labels are often showy. I like to cellar wines, and this leads me to some conservatism, I guess.

What do you think?

Penfolds Bin 90A

 Penfolds Bin 60A is supposedly the greatest Australian wine ever made. I never had the opportunity to taste it. In 1990, a great vintage for Penfolds, the company decided to have another go at this with a 50% Cabernet Sauvignon 50% Barossa Shiraz blend, as it did not want to use more of its excellent grapes to increase the Grange production. Maybe they regretted this later, as the 1990 Grange won Wine Spectator wine of the year in 1995.

Anyway I have two bottles of the Bin 90A in my cellar, the oldest bottles at present. One went through the Penfolds recorking clinic, the other I planned to take later this year. At a special occasion, I wanted to open the recorked bottle a few days ago. I was not paying attention initially, and as the cork started to crumble, I noticed I was opening the other bottle. I was half done, so I kept going as the ullage was good. I needed a sieve to capture the small cork particles, as I was decanting the bottle, but otherwise everything seemed fine.

The wine was surprisingly fresh after 35 years with a layered palate of redcurrant, blueberry, green olive and licorice. The fruit weight was not as big as in Grange, and the Cabernet influence was significant. Clearly, time and maturing also contributed to some fruit weight loss, but this made the wine very drinkable, as the structure was still standing and balanced. The wine was remarkably lively after this time. The tannins were quite transparent and the finish long.

Score: 96/+++

   

Standish Revisited

 The Standish wines of 2018 and 2019 were sensational on release. More intense than Rockford, less ripe than Torbreck, more polished or elegant than Penfolds. What was not to like. In the last couple of years, the magic wore off a bit, but still. But what are the 2018s and 2019s like now, after six and seven years, often the peak of Barossa Shiraz?

The Standish 2018 is still a full-bodied wine, with concentrated blackberry and kirsch flavours. The wine is quite brooding, still holding something back, it seems. The tannins are silky and the finish long. I still give it a high score (96 points), but it does not taste quite as magical as on release. I recommend to let it be for another 3-4 years when the wine will add some elegance and maturity to the power.

The Standish 2019 is brighter and more vibrant. This wine drinks well now. The flavour profile is complex, with black, blue and red fruits on the palate. It does not have the weight of the 2018, and therefore the magic combination of power and elegance, but it is a well made wine (96 points).

Two Exceptional Wines

 In a recent tasting of benchmark wines I came across two wines which I thought were exceptional. The first wine was a 2009 Lucien Le Moine Clos de la Roche Grand Cru.

Clos de la Roche is one of the best terroirs in Morey-St-Denis. Lucien Le Moine is a high quality negociant house who picks one hundred barrels or so from each vintage. There is no winemaking here. They are bought after fermentation. 2009 was a warm and highly regarded vintage.

In Burgundy, the view is that Grand Cru wines need to fire on three cylinders; fruit, tannins, and acidity. And this is what this wine does, almost. This is a concentrated, yet elegant wine with strong aromatics of rose petals and red cherry. There are interesting secondary flavours here, bacon stands out for me. The fruit has started its downhill run, but only just. The wine is quite tannic, like a Gevrey-Chambertin. So: fruit 9, tannins 10, acidity 7. The finish is long.

Score: 96/+++ 

The second wine was a 2016 Podere S. Giuseppe Brunello di Montalcino Stella di Campalto

The grapes come from a 25 year old vineyard, organically/biodynamically farmed. The combination of Stella di Campalto's uncompromising farm management and the Podere San Giuseppe winery make this one of the standout Brunello producers.

The wine is red and black fruited, black olive and some herbal notes. It is still quite youthful. The wine is incredibly elegant, while underneath its flavours sits restrained power. It is so harmonious. The tannins are very firm. The wine is 100% Sangiovese, but in the tasting a number of us thought this wine to be Nebbiolo. 

The best Sangiovese I have ever had.

Score: 97/+++

These two wines are expensive. Are they worth two or three Mt. Edelstones? I think so.

The Penfolds Collection 2025

 It is this time of year again, when Penfolds releases its new set of wines. And I am very annoyed. The stable of Penfolds related wine critics have given these wines massive scores. 97 points for the 2022 FWT 543 Cabernet Syrah? Really? Only three points less than for a Mouton or Petrus in their best years? This is ridiculous and makes a mockery of a points based review system in Australia. Below, I will be more realistic.

Above is a list of the wines I tasted. Unfortunately, there were many entry level wines among them. The two white wines were both disappointing. They were quite broad and lacked precision.

I quite enjoyed the 2024 Bin 23 Pinot Noir. It was quite perfumed with smooth tannins (90 points). The 2024 Bin 23 Grenache was less enjoyable. While is was clean and fresh, its bubblegum flavours spoilt the experience (88 points). Then came the above quoted 2022 FWT 543 Cabernet Syrah, a blend from Bordeaux and Langedoc. This wine is quite austere, with a blend of blackcurrant and savoury flavours. It is not very intense, but will improve with time (92 points).

Then came three higher level wines from the 2023 vintage. They were the main disappointment. Clearly, Penfolds was struggling with this vintage, in particular the Cabernet fruit. The Bin 28 Shiraz was quite balanced, but did not have a lot of character (92 points). The Bin 389 had more depth, but was lighter than usual, and the Cabernet component unusually dormant (93 points). The Bin 407 was also quite light, but showed some elegance in return (92 points).

Then came the highlight, the 2021 Penfolds Grange. And yes, it was a highlight. This wine pointed to the future of Grange. It was profound in the Grange style, but also approachable. Blackberry fruit dominated the palate at this point, but a lot of other flavour components will reveal themselves. It is still big and concentrated, built like a skyscraper as Robert Parker once famously said, but it has a freshness and drinkability, which is remarkable.

Score: 98/+++ (can go higher with time as more layers of fruit reveal themselves.) 

I Got Fooled

 A few days ago, I went to a fine dining restaurant in Bangkok. I chose matching wines, because I was interested to see what this restaurant would come up with. I tasted the wines blind. There were the unsurprising Champagne, Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc, and then a really surprising fresh red wine. I was not sure, a Gamay or a Burgundy?

The Som said it was a Shiraz. No! Impossible. Then the wine was revealed. It was a 2020 Chaminé Red by Cortes de Cima. I enjoyed the liveliness of this wine, its freshness and texture. The wine is actually a blend of a number of varieties, typical for Portugal, with Shiraz and Aragonêz being the major varieties. It includes also Touriga Nacional and Alicante Bouschet. No wonder it was hard to identify.

And the clincher: this wine is about €12-13. The wine is not available in Australia.

Penfolds RWT Shiraz

 

The 2006 Penfolds RWT Shiraz has an intensity only Penfolds seems to be able to deliver. This is a classic wine with characteristic blackberry fruit and jam paste, licorice, black olive and dark chocolate. There is a hint of black pepper, and the oak is well integrated.

This is a wonderous wine. It is still fresh after 19 years, it is incredibly balanced on the palate with its firm tannins and the lingering finish.

This wine still has a long life ahead, maybe another 20 years. This RWT is world class.

Score: 98/+++

Taste Champagne 2025

 The production of Champagne is relatively complex, but I find its evaluation quite simple. The things that matter are

1) The grape composition. A 100% Chardonnay Champagne tends to show citrus taste, and is often quite acidic. I prefer Champagne where the majority is Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier based, as these have greater complexity, including toasty flavours.

2) The percentage of 1er cru fruit. This is self explanatory.

3) The mousse and fineness of the bubbles. Fine bubbles is good, but there can be too much mousse.

4) Age. More complexity with age.

The sugar content. This tends to be low in all good and mainstream Champagne. 

Mr. Champagne, Tyson Stelzer, obviously happy with the crowd

Based on what I said before, it is no surprise that Bollinger is a favourite of mine, as all Champagnes are Pinot Noir dominant, and the fruit is 100% 1er cru. La Grande Année 2015, is based on 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay. This Champagne has great depth and length, is very fine, with a brioche influenced taste (97 points). The 100% Pinot Noir PN VZ19 is equally impressive, but of younger fruit (96 points). And the Special Cuvée NV is still the benchmark for entry level Champagne (94 points).

I am also a fan of Pol Roger. The Brut Vintage 2018 is the same blend as the Grande Année. It has a lot of mousse and is quite fresh (93 points).  

Two very special Champagnes were the Louis Roederer Vintage Brut 2016, a 100% Pinot Noir Champagne with good complexity and a long finish (96 points). It also represents reasonable value for this quality. Much higher priced is the Rare Champagne 2013, the special Piper-Heidsieck project. This is 70% based on Chardonnay and has an interesting yellow peach flavour, showing the age (95 points).

The Charles Heidsieck Champagnes, the Brut Reserve and the Brut Millésime 2013, both Pinot Noir dominant, were good, quite acidic, with fine bubbles (93 points).  

I found Veuve Fourny & Fils and the Deutz Champagnes less appealing.

  

Neldner Road Loechel Shiraz

 A leopard does not change his spots, nor does David Powell change his winemaking style. The 2019 Neldner Road Loechel Shiraz is from Eden Valley, yet this is a concentrated and ripe wine, which you would pick to be from the Barossa Valley in a blind tasting.

The wine is quite dense, with blackberry and charred meat flavours. However, there is obvious black pepper on the palate, as an indication of cooler climate. The tannins are firm, blocky, and dry. I found the long finish a little harsh.

This is a bold wine, not elegant. The first glass impresses by the intensity of the wine, but it is hard to enjoy a second glass.

Score: 92/0 

Savaterre Frère Cadet Chardonnay

 The 2023 Savaterre Frère Cadet Chardonnay is the second label of Savaterre, but it is not an entry level wine like, for example, the Prelude of Leeuwin Estate. Nor is the price suggesting so.

The fruit comes from a vineyard close to the home block. The wine has a golden colour, with stone fruit aromas.

On the palate, there is white peach, apricots, marzipan, and hazelnut flavours. The wine has good depth of flavour and is very elegant. The oak integration is excellent. The acidity is mild, but enough to drive the wine down the palate.

This is an excellent modern Chardonnay with enough complexity to keep it interesting.

Score: 95/+++

Spinifex Moppa Shiraz

 The 2021 Spinifex Moppa Shiraz drinks like the little brother of the La Maline Shiraz/Viognier, which I reviewed some time ago. La Maline is an Eden Valley wine at higher altitude, whereas the Moppa Shiraz is from the Barossa Valley, but from the higher altitude of Moppa, as opposed to the valley.

The colour is deep purple. On the nose, ripe dark fruit flavours emerge from the glass.

On the palate, concentrated blackberry fruit is engulfed in strong black pepper flavours. At the same time, there is firm acidity on the palate delivering a nice counterpoint to the concentrated fruit. Some secondary flavours are developing, like black olive and leather. Overall, the wine delivers an attractive mouthfeel, without being overly complex. The tannins are firm, and the finish medium plus.

Coming back to the comparison with the 2021 La Maline, everything is similar, but not dialed up as high. This is a perfect wine for our cold winter days.

Score: 93/++