Niepoort

 Niepoort, a family business in its 6th generation, is an important winery in Portugal. When I visited here 6-7 years ago, I was impressed with the white wines. In a country which started from Port, then moved to serious red table wines, this was different. Dirk Niepoort, the 5th generation winemaker, has influenced many younger winemakers in Portugal. It all stemmed from his broad-based experience in wine. I am showing here one of his three wine cellars.

Since my first visit the range has expanded enormously, and I was looking forward to tasting some exciting wines from the six regions Niepoort operates in. The main winery is based in Douro, but the philosophy is almost an antithesis of typical Douro wines: Niepoort wines are fresh and low alcohol. What was unfortunate was that I got caught up in the increasing wine tourism trend: I was offered more entry level wines.

The Agua Viva Champagne, made in the traditional method, was quite agreeable. Quite fresh, but some toast on the back palate, and plenty of mousse. 

The 2021 Dialogois a field blend from a number of Douro vineyards, is fermented in stainless steel. This is a very light wine, with citrus and green apple flavours, and vivid acidity at 11% alcohol - an easy drinking, quite simple, but well made wine (86 points). The 2021 Redoma is sourced similarly, but from 60 year old vines. The wine is matured in French barriques for six months, 10% new. This has added some toastiness and complexity to the more intense fruit. Alcohol is 11% again (91 points).

The first red is the 2020 Lagar de Baixo. It comes from the Bairrada region, near the ocean, and is made from the Bara grape. This variety is lighter in character than the typical Douro grapes. The wine has been aged in Foudre for 18 months. The wine is quite transparent, the fruit not intense - an open, easy drinking and approachable style (88 points). The 2020 Batuta was the best wine in the line-up. It comes from two vineyards in the Douro, one high up, one near the river, to blend intensity and freshness. The wine is a blend of eight or nine varieties (who knows?). It is fermented in steel, and after a staggering 80 days of maceration moved to oak barrels for 22 months. Despite this, the wine is fresh and elegant, and the blue fruit flavours attractive (93 points).

I would have liked to taste more of the Niepoort range. Alas, it was not to be.

Vintage Conditions And Alcohol

 Conventional wisdom has it that hot vintages lead to wines with high alcohol, and cool vintages deliver more moderate alcohol. A couple of recent experiences suggest it is more complicated, or even the opposite might be true.

The 2022 vintage in the Douro Valley was very hot as harvest time was approaching, with temperatures up to 45 degrees. At Wine & Soul, the old vines closed down to protect themselves and stopped producing sugar. The resulting wines will have an alcohol level of 13 to 13.5%, whereas 14.5% is the norm.

Conversely, at the Standish Wine Company, the 2021 wines have a high alcohol content of around 15% from a mild vintage without heat spikes. What happened here? Simply, Dan Standish picked very late to get full ripeness, including tannin ripeness from the stems.

By the way, I will review some of the 2021 Standish wines soon, and make some comparison to an older vintage.

Wine & Soul

 My final stop in Europe is the Douro Valley. I have very fond memories of this region from a visit 6-7 years ago. This time, I will only visit the four wineries which impressed me most at the time. Today, the first stop is at Wine & Soul. This was a very small, high quality operation at the time. It is still a family business, but it has gone from strength to strength and produces 120,000 bottles per annum now.

The passion of the winemaking couple is old vines. The original vineyard, owned for a bit over 20 years now, is called Pintas, and their field blend from 95 year old wines made the business famous. Then it had the chance to acquire an even older vineyard, with vines 135 years old, some eight years ago, I think.

The first wines of the tasting were from much younger fruit, of course. The 2022 Manoella White is a blend of three varieties, with Rabigato being the major one. This is a crisp wine, a little fruity, with citrus and stone fruit flavours. There is some complexity in this summer wine, but the finish is a little short (90 points). The Manoella Rosé is based on the national grape, Touriga Nacional. The colour is very pale, it is fashioned along Provencal Rosé. I found the wine quite tight, and lacking in flavour (87 points).

Then came two mid level wines. The 2021 Manoella Red is based on four varieties, with Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca being the major components. The vines for this wine are young, and it shows. The wine is quite fruity and a bit blocky (88 points). The 2021 Pintas Character Red is a big step up. This is a field blend from the famous vineyard, I suppose declassified from the flagship. The wine is matured in old barrels for 18 months. The wine is blue and black fruited, with more depth and more elegance. The wine has good length, but is a bit rough and angular on the finish (92 points).

The 2020 Manoella VV (vielle vignes) is a terrific wine. Only 3000 bottles are made from the oldest vines of this vineyard, including over 30 varieties. The soil of this vineyard, mainly clay based, is quite fertile, and this is reflected in the glass. This wine, red fruited, is super elegant and feminine, with silky tannins, and a fine grained, long finish (96 points).

The 2020 Pintas from a vineyard only a few hundred meters away, is quite a contrast. The soil of this vineyard is quite poor and rocky. The vines struggle more. Again, this is a field blend from over 30 varieties, from vines 95 years old. The wine has been matured in barrique for 18 months, 15% new. This is a firmer, more masculine wine, red and black fruited. The tannins are strong, and the finish is long. This wine will need more time to completely integrate, but the structure of this wine promises a long life (95 points). 

Albino Rocca

 Back in Barbaresco, my final Piedmont post will cover the tasting at Albino Rocca.

 

Albino Rocca produces about 100,000 bottles in total per year. Vinification takes place in large Slavonian barrels. The maceration period is long, 30-60 days, to gain colour and tannin structure.

The 2021 Barbera Gepin is a fresh, medium-bodied wine. The mouthfeel is pleasant and elegant, with decent intensity. The soft tannin structure is significant for a Barbera (92 points). The 2022 Langhe Nebbiolo is from the Roero region, from a sandy vineyard. This is a perfumed and somewhat fruity wine from a warm vintage, but enough tannin structure comes through to make this an attractive wine (91 points).

The star of the tasting was the 2020 Albino Rocca Montersino Barbaresco. The vines were planted in 1997, and the wine made since 2012. This is quite an extreme site, with poor soil, 50% sand, on a steep slope at 400m altitude. As you can imagine, this is not a big wine, with a lighter colour, perfumed, and orange peel on the palate. This wine has great drive and is super elegant. Not for everyone, but I thought it was superb (96 points).

The 2020 Cottà from older vines is probably better known, and the red clay soils deliver  a bigger, fruitier wine, a bit like the 2020s from Cascina delle Rose. Still the wine is elegant. Production is low of these two Barbarescos: 2000-2500 bottles (91 points).

The main Barbaresco, with a volume of 8000-9000 bottles, is Ronchi. The 2020 is more powerful than Cottà, but it remains a soft wine, with a firm acidic backbone (92 points). We compared this with the 2019, which was better balanced, again, firm acidity, but a much longer finish (94 points).

The winemaking of Albino Rocca is impressive, with elegance of the wines being the common denominator.

Langhe Nebbiolo

 

You only get a sense of what is going to happen in a wine region when you visit there. And what is clearly going to happen in Piedmont is there will be more Langhe Nebbiolo. Winemakers are starting to realise that Langhe Nebbiolo is a great entry point to get consumers to Barbaresco and Barolo. It is an easier drinking style, but shares the flavour components, while easier on the tannin structure. Essentially, there are three sources for Langhe Nebbiolo: Nebbiolo grown from outside Barolo and Barbaresco, Nebbiolo grown inside on vineyards with northern exposure (not allowed for Barolo), or declassified Barolo, for example from low lying vineyards or young vines. With warmer climate, the quality of these sources has improved out of sight. So much so, that there is discussion to allow Nebbiolo from northern vineyards to be included in Barolo. The variety suffering from this development is Barbera. No doubt, there is good Barbera around, but many vines are being replaced by Nebbiolo. So let’s have a look at some of these wines, which all sell at a fraction, say 25% of good Barolo.

The 2021 Massolino Langhe Nebbiolo is fresh and elegant. Red cherry flavours dominate, and there is enough intensity to make this a serious wine. Another thing that Langhe Nebbiolo offers is a window into more recent vintages, as maturation is much shorter. 2021 may not be 2019, but is looking very good (91 points).

The 2021 Chiara Boschis Langhe Nebbiolo, from the lower parts of three vineyards in Monforte, looks even better. Dark cherry flavours fill the mouth with elegance. The wine is quite long, with exquisite tannins on the finish (92 points).

Paolo Scavino offers already a 2022 Langhe Nebbiolo. It comes from 35 year old vines in La Morra. A short maceration (4-5 days in this case) is typical for this wine. This wine has notes of white flowers and rose petals. It is a fresh, soft, and open wine, a bit less structured than the previous two (88 points).

The 2020 Vietti Perbacco Langhe Nebbiolo is a stunner. It spent 18 months in slavonian oak and comes from the same vineyard sources as the Barolos. Red cherry, orange peel, rose petal, and some herbal notes deliver a serious flavour blend. It is an elegant wine, with good drive, simply delicious. With 60,000 bottles, it is the largest volume Vietti wine (94 points).

Elio Grasso’s Langhe Nebbiolo is from the 2022 vintage. The wine sees no oak and is very different from the serious Vietti style. 2ha in Monforte are dedicated to this wine. It also includes the Runcot grapes in years when the special reserve is not made, as was the case in 2022. The wine is red fruited and upfront. The tannins are a bit blocky, and frankly, while the fruit is good, the wine misses some oak (90 points).

Mauro Molino’s 2021 Langhe Nebbiolo comes from a region outside Barolo. 35,000 bottles from 15-20 year old vines were made. The colour of this wine is very orange. It is firstly quite elegant on the palate, but turns a bit rusty on the back palate (89 points).

Overall, I found these wines very pleasant to drink and recommend them.

2019 Barolos, Part 2

 Today, two Barolo heavyweights join the reviews. The first stop is at Vietti. The business is now owned by American investors for a number of years, but a lot of senior staff have stayed. Luca, the previous owner left earlier this year. It seems not much has changed, other than pricing.

The 2019 Vietti Castiglione, others would call it classico, is the workhorse, with a production of 40,000 bottles. It comes from many vineyards of the Barolo region and is Vietti’s signature card, if you will. The wine spent 30 months in small used oak barrels. The wine is red fruited, quite elegant and with good drive.  The solid structure is built on firm tannins (93 points). The next two single vineyard wines are the latest additions and come from the northwestern part of the region. The 2019 Cerequio is from La Morra. It is quite a perfumed wine, with red cherry and rose petal flavours and an elegant and silky mouthfeel. It has similarity to the previous wine, but more intensity. No doubt, this is a good wine, but I could not warm to it (94 points).

The 2019 Vietti Monvigliero finally did it for me. I described the vineyard in the Scavino section of the last post, but this wine is quite different. This wine, unusual for Vietti and Barolo, has been fermented with full clusters. It is gentle and elegant, almost Pinot Noir like. Red fruit flavours, orange rind, spice and some herbal notes deliver a complex palate. The emphasis here is not so much the structure, but the length is there in the finish (95 points).

The star of this tasting, however, is the 2019 Vietti Rocche di Castiglione. The vineyard is on a steep hill. It was first made into a single vineyard wine in 1961, Vietti’s first. Red and black cherry flavours are intense and build in richness over the palate. There are some herbal notes as well. The wine has great energy, and the silky tannins lead to a full-bodied and extremely long finish (97 points).

The two cru wines from Elio Grasso are close together in Monforte, but very different expressions. The 2019 Elio Grasso Gavarini Chiniera comes from a limestone vineyard. Generally, Monforte delivers the darkest, most tannic wines, and yes, this wine was macerated for 48 days, but it is red fruited, with orange peel and rose petal notes. This is an elegant and edgy wine, even sultry, with a beautiful silky finish. Flavours and tannins balance perfectly, but you would deny yourself great complexity if you drank this wine now (97 points).

The 2019 Elio Grasso Casa Maté is what you would expect from this region, a great winemaker, and a good year. The soil for this wine is mostly clay, and the maceration has also been 48 days. This is a big wine, rich and dark, with black cherry, licorice, and leather notes. The wine is intense and tannic, with a massive finish. This is an absolute beauty. Big, yes, but nothing is out of place (97 points). 

These two wines are quite different, but for me it is a draw.

Reflecting on these tastings, the most striking feature is how Nebbiolo reflects the soil. There are style differences between winemakers, but within each range, soil is so important, and the terroir is reflected in each single vineyard wine. It is a sign of a great vintage that both aromatic and feminine wines shine, as well as the richer, dark fruited and tannic wines. I recommend to buy from this vintage and mature the wines for a minimum of 5 years. If you can wait, they will be great in 20 years. Also, the Classico wines are very good and deliver great value.

2019 Barolos, Part 1

 One has to be sceptical when the latest vintage is hailed as one of the greatest, as this happens so often. However, after tasting many Barolos from 2019, I have to emphatically say most Barolos from this year are fantastic. It was a cooler year than some recent years, but not cold or miserable. People talk about this as a classic vintage, quite tannic, but not as big as 2016, more expressive than 2013. This post covers tastings at Massolino, Chiara Boschis, and Paolo Scavino.

The first taste of the 2019 Barolos is the Massolino Barolo, also called Classico, because this is a blend of several vineyards. On the palate of this mainly Serralunga wine, is a bright flavour of red and black cherries. This is quite a linear wine, with a beautifully expressive long finish. This is an important wine for Massolino with a production of 85,000 bottles, compared with all single vineyard wines of 45,000 bottles (95 points).

The first single vineyard wine I taste is the Margheria. This is an unusual wine for Serralunga, as the soil of this vineyard is sandy, whereas most of the rest in this subregion is clay dominant. This translates into the wine with floral and perfumed notes. The finish does not quite match the pleasant flavour profile (93 points). The 2019 Massolino Parafada is quite different. The wine is darker and more powerful. This is a masculine expression of Barolo with firm and slightly coarse tannins - big, but balanced (96 points). I then had the priviledge of tasting a Vigna Rionda, one of the legendary wines of the Barolo region. As this wine gets an additional year of maturation, I was offered the 2017, not a great vintage, but the wine showed well. This wine was very elegant, with silky tannins, and at peace with itself. It would have rated higher if the fruit concentration had been deeper (96 points).

The second stop was at Chiara Boschis. I know Chiara well, and after 40 years of winemaking, she is just as enthusiastic and committed to her sustainability causes as ever. The first Barolo was the 2019 Chiara Boschis Cannubi Barolo. This turned out to be the wine of the vintage for me. The soil for this wine is 60% sand, and the quality of the soil is poor. This works well, as Nebbiolo likes to struggle. The wine tastes of red plum, orange rind and truffle. It is a very sensual wine, with some nervy energy. Silky tannins lead to a mineral and long finish (98 points). The 2019 Mosconi is quite a different kind of wine. It is located in the southern part of Monforte, as opposed to Cannubi in the Barolo subregion. Here the soil is rich clay. This soil translates into a masculine wine, slightly fat in the mouth, with dark cherry, mushroom, and mocca flavours.The tannins are a little angular at this time, and the alcohol a little higher, but I have no doubt that the elements will integrate well (96 points). Finally, the 2019 Via Nuova is what others would call a Classico. This wine is composed of seven vineyards, three in Barolo, two in Serralunga, and two in Monforte. As a mixture of the two previous wines, I felt it lacked the distinction of the other two. It was still a very good wine (94 points).

The final stop on this day was at Paolo Scavino

Paolo Scavino produces about 200,000 bottles per year, 60% Barolo, from 30ha of vineyards, and 8 of the 11 Barolo communes.The 2019 Paolo Scavino Classico comes from 9 vineyards which are dedicated to this blend. The fruit is quite pure, with fresh energy and fine tannins (95 points).

The first single vineyard wine is the 2019 Bricco Ambrogio from Roddi. This wine is quite fruity and soft, with fine tannins, but a slightly short finish. I would not pay for this single vineyard wine (92 points). The 2019 Monvigliero from Verduno, and the most northern Barolo vineyard, is a step up. This vineyard is near the river, where fog is frequent. The fruits are darker, the wine more linear, and the tannins tighter (94 points). The 2019 Ravera from Novello is almost at the opposite end of the Barolo region in the south. The vineyard is situated on the top of a hill at 420 meters elevation. In addition, the eastern exposure means this vineyard is not as hot as most others. There is more acidity in this wine, minerality, and firm tannins, but it comes at the expense of some fruit intensity (94 points).

My favourite wine in the line-up was the 2019 Prapò from Serralunga. Only 5000 bottles of this wine were produced. It shows the expected masculinity of Serralunga. It is a strong wine of dark cherry flavours. The tannins are firm, and the wine is in balance with a long finish. This is a wine for the cellar (97 points). The Cannubi wine is no longer produced, as the lease ran out in 2018. The best known single vineyard wine is now the 2019 Bric dël Fiasc from Castiglione Falletto, the mothership if you like. In terms of soil, it has a bit of everything: sand, clay, limestone. Red and black cherry flavours sit on top of a chalky but also silky tannin structure (96 points).

I did not mention it for every wine, but purity and elegance are the hallmarks of this Estate, in my view.

Cascina Delle Rose

 Now tasting wines in Piemonte. I last tried the wines of Cascina delle Rose about ten years ago. At that time, the small wine operation was a side show to the Ecotourism operation of the same name. Now the wine business is the number one priority. It is still small with 5ha of vines under control and about 30,000 bottles per year. But under the meticulous leadership of Riccardo, the cru sites of Tre Stelle and Rio Sordo shine in a new light.

The 2022 Dolcetto is a delight. It is very clean, with raspberry and red cherry flavours and a good structure. Underlying this are savoury notes as well. This is a more complex Dolcetto than typical (90 points).

The 2021 Langhe Nebbiolo from the Tre Stelle vineyard is from younger grapes and needs to balance out. I have tasted better examples. The wine is quite tannic, with a slightly short finish (88 points).

The 2019 Barbera Superiore shows what this winery is about now: elegance and lightness on the palate. Red and black cherry flavours dance on the tongue of this elegant wine (92 points).

Then we get to the main game, the Barbarescos. The 2019 Tre Stelle Barbaresco shows the quality of the 2019 vintage. This is a lifted wine, with great finesse. Red cherry and orange peel flavours run down the palate in quite a linear fashion, with elegant and silky tannins. This is quite a feminine wine, an excellent expression of this Barbaresco style (95 points).

The 2019 Rio Sordo Barbaresco is a bit darker, with some mulberry notes, and more muscular. It is still an elegant style with a very layered fruit profile. This is a function of the vineyard, which is a semi-amphitheater, with west and south orientation. Detailed dry tannins lead to a long finish and a long life ahead. I have seen two reviews of this wine, one with 100 points, one with 93. I have seldom seen such a discrepancy. I rate it 97 points, not to be in the middle, but this is an outstanding wine.

I then tasted the 2020s of these two wines, which will come onto the market soon. This confirmed how good 2019 is. The 20s are fruitier and open, lacking the complexity of 2019. The Tre Stelle is again lighter in colour, the Rio Sordo darker. These are pleasant wines, which will be ready to drink almost shortly after release (91/92 points).

The final wine of this excellent tasting was the 2010 Tre Stelle Barbaresco. 2010 is one vintage 2019 is compared to, although Riccardo believes 2013 is the best comparison. This wine was still fresh, with orange peel flavours and surprisingly some mint. It had great balance between fruit, acidity and tannins, but not quite the complexity of 2019. The long finish made this an outstanding wine as well (95 points).

This was the start of my Piedmont tastings. I can’t wait to explore more.

Georgia Winery Visits, Part 3

 Today’s visit is at Pheasant’s Tears, an artisan organic winery with a production of only 3000 cases. All are fermented in qvevri.  The name is unusual. Apparently, there is a saying that when a wine tastes so delicious, it can bring even a pheasant to tears. The winery exports to Australia, even Dan Murphy’s had some, but currently they are difficult to find.

The first wine is a 2021 Tsolicauri from the western part of the country. This is quite a fresh wine, not kept on skins. It displays lemon flavours, and some balanced acidity - a perfect wine for summer lunch (89 points). The 2021 Rkatsiteli is also very refreshing. It is kept only for one month on skins. It is quite an edgy wine, with green apple and pear flavours dominant. Firm acidity gives this wine some bite (91 points). The focus of this winery is clearly on freshness. The grapes are picked earlier than is common, alcohol levels at 12-12.5% are 1%point lower than other producers. Also, this winery does not use any sulphur whatsoever.

The next wine is a rarity, only made by 2 or 3 producers. This is the 2021 Vardisperi Rkatsiteli, based on grapes with darker skin.. The wine has much darker amber colour and is a little cloudy. Grapefruit, apricot and hazelnut deliver a complex palate. There is sufficient acidity to deliver balance, but I would be reluctant to age this wine. It drinks great now (93 points).

An interesting comment was made why amber wines are so popular in Georgia. People here are reluctant to switch wines during a meal. Amber wines go well with lighter appetizers, but also meat. This is a bit of an ex post explanation, surely, as wines were made this way for a long time, however, it does make sense.

The 2021 Saperavi is the lightest of this variety I have tasted, despite 14% alcohol. It has been matured for 9 months in qvevri. This very dark wine tastes of sour cherry and black cherry and has a very sappy finish (93 points).

This ends my notes on Georgian wines. I was delighted about the quality across the board of these unique wines. I only experienced one wine, a Tsinandali Estate Saperavi, I did not enjoy. I now have a much better understanding of amber wines. They do not need to be unstable and funky. Adelaide Hills, eat your heart out.

Georgia Winery Visits, Part 2

 As I pass through the region, I see a lot of young vineyards, a sign of strong growth. The vineyards look healthy. Many are quite closely planted, only suitable for hand harvesting. What will happen when salaries increase? The area is 600-800 meters in elevation, the diurnal variation is quite high.

My next stop is at Orgo. I am also tasting the Dakishvili range here, as both wineries have the same owner. Both wineries together produce 300,000 bottles per year, 70% in the traditional method.

The first wine is the Orgo 2021 Rkatsiteli. It has a similar flavour profile to the Schuchmann, with apricot and fig notes. It is a bit more acidic, and the mouthfeel is not as big (88 points). The 2020 Kisi shows a very dark amber colour, partly a result of the grape variety, but could also be because of late harvesting, longer skin contact or more substantial sulphur treatment. The green apple and apricot flavours are quite intense. It is an elegant wine with quite silky tannins (91 points). Then there is a cuvee from 2021, from 85% Rkatsiteli and some other varieties. This is a very fresh wine with apple and pear flavours, quite lush (89 points).

One of the unfortunate aspects of tasting in Georgia is that all wines are very young. Wineries are only starting now to hold some wines back. Apparently these white wines are ageing well. This is even more an issue with the red variety of Saperavi, which is acidic and tannic, and would benefit from ageing. However, here I taste the 2021 Saperavi, fermented in the clay amphora, and then transferred to stainless steel. In contrast to most other red varieties, not only the skin of the Saperavi grapes is red, but also the pulp. It is often labeled ‘black wine’. This wine bursts out with plum and black cherry flavours. It is an elegant wine with fine tannins (93 points).

The Dakishvili wines appear a little finer than the Orgo range. The colour in the wines is a little lighter. I taste a similar set. I rate the first three wines 90-92 points. A special wine is the last one, a 2020 50/50 blend of Saperavi and Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine combines the fleshy flavours of Saperavi with the elegance and length of Cabernet Sauvignon. It works well (93 points).

Georgia Winery Visits, Part 1

 I am in Kakheti, Georgia’s largest wine subregion with 70% of the country’s production. Georgia is of course the cradle of winemaking, assumed to have started here about 8000 years ago. The wines obviously do not taste the same today, but the indigenous varieties stem from that time, although with some mutations. The second reason this region is unique is the qvevri production method. The wines are fermented in large clay amphora and the juice left on lees for some time below the ground.

This vessel is 500 litres. Most in use today are2000-2500 litres

Cleaning brushes and sticks

Underground storage

My first stop is Schuchmann Wines. As I discovered later, it set the bar quite high. It is a large winery with more than 100,000 cases per year. 80% is done in the ‘European’ style, 20% in the much more laborious qvevri style. The company exports to 25 countries. The first comparison is between the 2021 ‘modern’ Rkatsiteli and the 2020 Rkatsiteli made in qvevri. Rkatsiteli is the most common white variety in Georgia. The modern wine is dry, with fruity apple flavours and crispy acidity. It is well made, but not special (89 points). The amber wine is called Vinoterra. It has been left on skins for six months underground. It tastes of apricot and figs, nicely rounded on the front palate, toasty flavours on the back palate, but lacking some acidity (90 points).

Rkatsiteli is a popular variety because it is high yielding and adaptable. In contrast, Kisi is much lower yielding and delivers more intensity. As a result, The 2020 Kisi is much darker, although the winemaking is exactly the same.This wine tastes of apricot, red apple and pear. The main feature, though is the texture and elegant mouthfeel. It is quite a dense wine, honeyed, and silky at the same time (93 points).

Saperavi is the main red variety. The 2020 Schuchmann Saperavi is dry, but quite fruity, with plum and mulberry flavours.The wine is quite spicy (not pepper), with firm acidity and tannins. The wine is well balanced and will be much better to drink in a few years time (92 points). I find the closest comparison in terms of fruit flavours and spice is Cabernet Franc.

Oberall, this was an interesting and high quality set of wines.

Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon Mini Vertical

This vertical was designed to show off the just released 2020 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon and compare it with the arguably two best wines of the last decade.

So let's start with the 2014 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon. The palate offers rich flavours of mulberry, red- and blackcurrant, cedar and leather. There are musty flavours eminating from the oak. This is a well balanced wine which has started to enter its prime. The subtle structure is supported by concentrated, yet fine tannins. The finish is very long (97/+++ points).

The 2018 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon has a similar profile, but is not quite so far along in the maturing process. This wine is perhaps a bit more concentrated, with blackcurrant and blueberry flavours. Licorice, cedar and chocolate flavours emerge, but are still in the background of this fruit-intense wine. I like the elegance of this wine and the long finish (96/+++).

Obviously, the 2020 Moss Wood is the baby. Was it smart to compare it to two of the great Moss Wood vintages? I think not. This wine is also dark fruited, quite generous, with chocolate, tobacco and oaky flavours (20% new oak). In my assessment, this wine does not have the same complexity as the other two, nor the length in the finish. Will this change over the years? I doubt it. This is a good, but not outstanding wine (94/++).

 

 

Dominio de Atauta

 My favourite vineyards in Spain are in the remote valley of Atauta in Ribera del Duero. There are dozens of micro plots here with low yielding Tempranillo bush vines over 100 years old. I have written more about this in an older blog. Most of the grapes end up with Dominio de Atauta, the winery at the entrance of the valley. I have just been drinking the 2016 Dominio de Atauta Llanos del Almendro, one of their four single vineyard wines. 2016 is an ideal vintage in Atauta, with above average rainfall in the first half of the season, and a dry second half, ideal for the 140 year old vines. Accompanying the wine bottle was a little brochure, which happens with quite a few premium wines. This one has the perfect layout to describe the terroir and special nature of the wine. It is simple and to the point.

This is what it says:

page 1: overall wine characteristic

page 2: place of Llanos delo Almendro amonst different terroirs

page 3: Atauta valley features

page 4: altitude and plot locations (920m)

page 5: soil profile (sand over calcareous rock)

page 6: climate (high day and night temperature variation, windy)

page 7: biodynamic management

page 8: harvest statistic and winemaking

page 9: all this leads to wine with finesse and elegance

page 10: 2016 vintage characteristics

I wish every winemaker would describe premium wines in this way. Now on to the wine.

This wine opens up with black cherry, blackcurrant, and some earthy flavours. Oak (20% new) is noticeable, but well integrated. This is a full-bodied wine, powerful and with intense flavours. It delivers a full, slightly dense mouthfeel. At the same time, this wine is sophisticated and elegant. Crisp acidity, and silky and firm tannins prepare you for a long and lasting finish.

This is a profound wine. It's velvety texture gives it something aristocratic. I highly recommend this wine (it is not easy to find).

Score: 96/+++  

 

No Standish Reviews For Now

 Unfortunately, I have yet to receive samples from Dan Standish. So no review for now. Off to Europe and Georgia today for some interesting tastings.

Two Iconic French Reds

 In the tasting of iconic wines, two French reds impressed: from Côte-Rôtie, the 2016 François Villard Le Gallet Blanc, and from Bordeaux the 2002 Lafite-Rothschild.

                                                            

One Shiraz, one Cabernet blend, but two complete wines, and with increasing age moving towards each other.

The name Gallet Blanc has nothing to do with white wine, but is named after the two original vineyard suppliers, Gallet and Blanc. The grapes come from the Côte-Brune, which normally produces quite masculine wines, but in 2016, a cooler year, everything is very balanced on a fruit profile of raspberry and red cherry. Graphite adds to complexity of this supple, very elegant wine with a long finish (96 points).

The 2002 Lafite is also a very balanced wine, at peace with itself. Red- and blackcurrant flavours are still intense, and the wine still has great drive. Black olive and graphite flavours are here as well. The mouthfeel is elegant and silky, and the flavours go on and on; still a lot of life in this wine (96 points).