Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2017 i Decanter

In brief English wine accounted for 1,500 of the 3,052 bottles bought for the UK government’s hospitality cellar in the 2016/2017 tax year, Foreign Office figures show. At ‘high-profile receptions’, 52% of wine consumed was English, whereas 10 years ago, just 20% of wines served at such events were produced in England. Coravin has added a resealable screwcap version to its argon gas-based wine preservation system collection. According to inventor and company founder Greg Lambrecht, the new caps will keep wine fresh for up to three months, when used in conjunction with the original Coravin system. An Xpeditr ‘emergency response team’ removed 20,000 bottles worth up to $5 million from the collections of anxious residents in Florida and other nearby US states, as September’s hurricane Irma was approaching, the specialist…

Andrew Jefford ‘Wine is hard to unearth in France’s present-day cultural identity’ THOSE OF US whose mother tongue is English know what lies on the other side of the hill. Grass – grass of a dark, juicy sumptuousness unattainable over here, on this side. The familiar proverb came to mind while reading the Australian-themed articles in this issue. During the 15 months my family and I spent in Australia between 2009 and 2010, there were things I missed about the European side of the hill – notably the prolific tannins of certain European regional styles, and the generally low acid levels of many European reds and whites. The Australian palate fights shy of tannin, or likes its tannins in fine, powdery, highly polished form; it relishes forceful acidity, and that…

Portugal’s native reds: best buys at £8-£25 As the quality revolution gathers pace, Portuguese winemakers are producing a varied range of reds from indigenous varieties, with top examples highlighting a revival of lighter styles. Sarah Ahmed reports HOW THRILLING TO see the Arenae Ramisco 2007 from Adega Regional de Colares top this two-day tasting of 137 UK-imported Portuguese reds in such an important price bracket. This near-extinct, ungrafted grape (Ramisco) from a near-extinct region (Colares, by the Atlantic coast to the west of Lisbon) showed terrific varietal and regional authenticity and complexity, winning a score of 95 points. Together with the similarly rare Vulcânico Red 2015 from the Azores Wine Co (joint second on 93), Filipa Pato’s Post-Quercus Baga 2015 (amphora-fermented and aged) from Bairrada (90) and Aphros’ Vinhão 2015…

The current Mouton generation Photograph: Thomas Skovsende Camille Sereys de Rothschild Born in 1961, daughter of theatre director and actor Jacques Sereys and Baroness Philippine de Rothschild. Attended Hurst Lodge school in Berkshire, England before returning to school in France. She began her career in the art world, first with antique dealer Philippe Laquerrière, then auctioneers Ader-Picard-Tajan. Seven children: David, Charlotte-Marie, Pierre, Nicolas, Benjamin, Kevin, Colombe. Philippe Sereys de Rothschild Born in 1963, son of Jacques Sereys and Baroness Philippine de Rothschild. Attended Sunningdale prep school in Berkshire, graduated business school in Bordeaux before an MBA at Harvard. Has worked as an analyst for Lazard bank in New York and in various other roles, including chief finance officer of Dalkia Energy in Milan. Three children: Léonore, Mathilde, Nathan. Julien de…

Anson’s pick: BPR estates, best for current drinking Champagne Barons de Rothschild, Blanc de Blancs, Champagne 2006 94 £60 Cheers, David Bell McCraith, The Finest Bubble, Vinatis 100% Chardonnay. A success for this inaugural vintage release. Brings together all three branches of the family – Mouton with cousins Baron Eric de Rothschild at Lafite and Baron Benjamin at Château Clarke. Tightly focused minerality, soft toasted vanilla bean without being sweet, hints of crab apple and great persistence. Drink 2017-2032 Alcohol 12% Aile d’Argent Blanc du Mouton Rothschild, Bordeaux 2012 95 £47.50-£59.38 (ib) Christopher Keiller, Crump Richmond Shaw, Farr Vintners 63% Sauvignon Blanc, 37% Semillon. Enticingly drinkable right now. Soft, rich apricot and white peach, fleshy but with mineral overtones that prove beautifully persistent. The grapes undergo a small amount (usually…

Spätburgunder around Germany: Krebiehl’s top 20 Rudolf Fürst, Centgrafenberg Grosses Gewächs, Franken 2014 96 £62.45 Farr Vintners, Justerini & Brooks At first a whiff of oak, then subdued hints of tart red fruit and white pepper. The palate is crisp and svelte, still crunchy, with its elfin tannins like finest tulle. A vein of freshness runs through this, highlighting tart cranberry and just oak-kissed raspberry. Graceful structure and spice in the foreground. Unforced, elegant Pinot Noir of astonishing depth. Drink 2020-2035 Alcohol 13% Bernhard Huber, Malterdinger Bienenberg Grosses Gewächs, Baden 2014 96 £35 Justerini & Brooks The nose has a touch of rosehip before broadening into redcurrant and a lovely leafiness that has touches of blood-like iron oxide. There is a slender density on the palate, still tightly coiled: the…

Producer profile Foradori Christelle Guibert headed up into the Dolomites to visit Elisabetta Foradori, a key figure in Italian winemaking, who put Trentino and its native grapes on the map NOW FIFTEEN MINUTES late and my blood pressure rising, I’m driving up and down this steep, serpentine road sliced through the Dolomites mountain range, trying to find Elisabetta Foradori’s house. It was a chance encounter with her wines five years ago that first sparked my curiosity. Wines with such energy and purity, from unheard-of grape varieties; a visit was a must. Meeting Foradori, one is immediately struck by her calm poise, her elegance, charm and intensity. She comes across as friendly with a bohemian chic look, oozing charisma as if straight out of a Jean-Luc Godard movie. Today she is…

25 UNDER £25 Weekday wines Looking to try something different or adventurous, but don’t want to make an expensive mistake? Decanter’s tastings director Christelle Guibert has done the hard work for you, picking out 25 exciting and accessible wines available in the UK for £25 or less Valentin Zusslin, Brut Zéro, Crémant d’Alsace France NV 89 £19.50 Waud Wines If bone-dry fizz is your style, then this zero dosage with no sulphur added is one to try. The nose opens up to ripe fruits with notes of apricots and peaches. A nicely refined style with quite pronounced acidity, a gentle seam of minerality and a tangy finish. Alcohol 12.5% Colomé, Torrontés, Salta, Argentina 2016 91 £12 Booths Founded in 1831, Argentina’s oldest winery is owner of the highest vines in…

PANEL TASTING The results A very good if hot vintage showed its qualities with plenty of high scores, good consistency and some new names to be discovered, as John Stimpfig reports GOING INTO THIS tasting, Michael Garner had high expectations. ‘2012 is quite a hyped vintage and, thus far, there haven’t been many words of caution around it. But even so, to come away with seven Outstanding wines and so many 90-plus rated wines clearly endorses that estimation. Without question, this is a really good vintage for Brunello.’ His fellow tasters were equally enthusisatic. Overall, said Susan Hulme MW, this was a positive showing: ‘Critically, there were lots of very good wines and very few low points.’ Bruno Besa noted: ‘Twenty years ago, you would never have had such a…

DECANTER PROMOTION DECANTER RECOMMENDED SPANISH ATLANTIC REDS Señorío de Rubiós S.L. - Manuel d’Amaro Pedral e-mail: info@srubios.com tel: +34 986 66 72 12 UK importer : Peter Watts Wines Web: www.peterwattswines.co.uk e-mail: sales@peterwattswines.co.uk tel: 01376 561130 / 07929 187845 LAR DE RICOBAO S.L. - Lar de Ricobao Selección doVal 10 Lunas 2013 Tel: +34 982 060 980 - +34 662 67 74 15 Fax: + 34 902 93 05 63. Web: www.lardericobao.com Email: info@lardericobao.com; ventas@lardericobao.com. contact: Julio Quiroga. Looking for UK importer Adega Algueira SL Algueira Merenzao 2014 - points Tel/fax: +34 982410299 E-mail: info@algueira.com Contact: Ana/Lucía. Mobile: +34 698171168 UK distributor : Bibendum PLB Tel: 08452636924 Web: www.bibendum-wine.co.uk…

RESTAURANTS Ynyshir Machynlleth By Fiona Beckett It was raining when I drove the 3.5 hours up through Wales. What else do you expect in mid-August? Was it worth the detour? Emphatically yes, from the moment I spotted the open log fire outside the front door. Chef proprietor Gareth Ward, who’d already gained a Michelin star for Ynyshir (pronounced ‘Unna’s here’) has taken it to another level since he became a partner in January. Though the building is old (it used to be Queen Victoria’s country retreat), the dining room is modern with well-spaced tables but avoiding the deathly hush of a country house hotel. Dinner is a four-hour, 16-course tasting menu for £110: a choice of two options depending on whether you have lamb or Wagyu beef which comes from…

MY PERFECT DAY IN HEMEL-EN-ARDE Photograph: Tim Hester/Alamy Stock Photo MORNING Before breakfast is a lovely and quiet time of day to take a stroll along the cliff tops: keep a watch out for whales in the bay – and don‘t forget your binoculars. From the centre of Hermanus to Hamilton Russell Vineyards is roughly 8km, and it‘s best to set off after rush hour. The Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that established Hemel-en-Aarde’s reputation are a good launching pad for the day. Also excellent are the estate’s peppery extra virgin olive oil and fynbos honey. A few bends further up the valley finds La Vierge (www.lavierge.co.za), where Gerhard Smith, with several years’ experience in New Zealand’s Wairarapa region, brings Pinot expertise to the four versions he produces. These can be…

READERS’ QUERIES Notes & Queries Each month our experts answer readers’ wine queries and share their knowledge This month’s experts Fiona Beckett is Decanter’s chief restaurant reviewer Michael Garner is an author and wine merchant specialising in the wines of Italy Justin Howard-Sneyd MW is a wine consultant and winemaker Photograph: Steve Moss/Alamy Stock Photo Where there’s smoke… What wines would you serve with smoked food – like kedgeree or smoked meats? Judy H, Sheffield Fiona Beckett replies: Unfortunately there’s no one size fits all answer to this. It depends on the degree of smoke and the temperature of the finished dish. There’s a world of difference between a cold slice of delicately smoked salmon and a robustly barbecued piece of brisket. In general I’d go for a white wine…

John Stimpfig ‘When wine, food and friends connect in the most magical way’ ALMOST EXACTLY TWENTY years ago, I first met and interviewed the brilliant, beguiling Angelo Gaja, resulting in two glorious days driving around Barbaresco and Barolo. Despite being a rookie wine writer, Gaja accompanied me throughout, providing me with an astonishing running commentary on the region he loved so ardently. Apart from Angelo’s cavalier approach to road safety, I recall an astonishing array of bottles, from his father’s legendary ’61 Barolo to his own single-vineyard Nebbiolos, including a 1989 Barolo Sperss and Sorì San Lorenzo. As I was leaving, he proffered a large bag containing a hardback book and wooden wine box. The book was Edward Steinberg’s The Making of a Great Wine: Gaja and Sorì San Lorenzo.…

What I’ve been drinking this month I’m impressed with the Roussillon collection of Jean-Marc Lafage – a huge range, but very well made and well priced, including a fine white blend, La Grande Cuvée Blanc 2015 , and a sour-cherry red from the less well-known zone of Les Aspres, Cuvée Léa 2015 . Best of all, though, was the Château St Roch, Chimères 2015 from Maury, a joint-venture with US importer Eric Salomon: creamy blackberry scents and dramatic flavours with plenty of nerve, stone and sinew behind the ripely beguiling fruit.…

RETAILER AWARDS Decanter Retailer Awards 2017 Life isn’t easy for UK wine retailers. Concerns over Brexit, currency fluctuations and wobbly consumer spending all hurt. And yet wine’s principal purpose is to tastefully distract from the tyranny of the everyday. ‘The UK’s best wine retailers are skilfully navigating choppy waters while proffering a delicious glass to this noble end,’ comments chairman Peter Richards MW. ‘They deserve great credit’ The judging panel Peter Richards MW is chairman of the Decanter Retailer of the Year Awards, a writer and a broadcaster Fiona Beckett is a contributing editor for Decanter and a wine correspondent for The Guardian Christelle Guibert is Decanter’s tastings director and has worked in wine for more than 20 years Andy Howard MW is a regular Decanter contributor, DWWA judge and runs wine consultancy Vinetrades…

DECANTER PROMOTION Famiglia Pasqua A family passion, a century of history Famiglia Pasqua is the story of wine, vineyards, and deep roots in the territory. The love of the Famiglia for Valpolicella led to the founding of the company in the northern Italian city of Verona in 1925. Three generations, with a Veronese heart and an international soul, combine with a great passion: the viticulture and the production of fine wines, first in the Italian regions of Veneto and then also in the most famous Italian DOC regions. Tradition, innovation, quality, research and passion are the values that have always distinguished the company, generation after generation. The love and care for the celebrated Amarone and Valpolicella wines, the appassimento technique of drying grapes, typical of the area, have made the…

DECANTER PROMOTION Tenuta Carretta Celebrating 550 years of passion for fine wine in Piedmont, Italy Tenuta Carretta can be found at Piobesi d’Alba, in the hilly Roero region of Piedmont on the left bank of the Tanaro river. The soil is largely sandstone. This is land that was formed after the neighbouring Langhe, from the ancient seas of the Po region in the Pliocene phase of the Tertiary era. The interaction of soils, microclimate and different grape varieties, combined with limited yields, make for wines with unique characteristics. Sandy soils produce the most elegant and fragrant wines; and where the sand mixes with a more chalky base the wines become more austere. For Tenuta Carretta, recorded winemaking history dates back to 1467, making it the oldest winery in Piedmont. The…

The Decanter guarantee Our buying guide is here to provide you with trusted, independent, expert recommendations on what to buy, what to drink and what to cellar. Each panel tasting is judged by three experienced tasters chosen for their authority in the category of wine being rated. All wines are tasted blind and are pre-poured for judges in flights of eight to 10 wines. Our three experts taste and score their set of wines individually but then discuss their scores together at the end of each flight. Any wines on which scores are markedly different are retasted; however, judges are under no obligation to amend their scores. Judges are encouraged to look for typicity in wines, rewarding those which are true to their region. Prices are…

DECANTER PROMOTION DECANTER RECOMMENDED BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2012 Villa Le Prata annavittoria@villaleprata.com UK: Jascots Wine Merchants Ltd, London NW10 www.jascots.co.uk USA:Vinity Wine Company, Emeryville CA; Artisan Wine Inc, Norwalk CT; CT Distribution, Suffield CT; Eagle Eye Brands, Chicago, Illinois;Vinaio Caprese, Palm City, Florida; Red Ink Imports, Kensington MD; Grand Cru Imports, Souderton PA Col d’Orcia www.coldorcia.com info@coldorcia.it UK: Alivini Co Ltd USA: Palm Bay International ColleMassari Poggio di Sotto www.collemassari.it info@poggiodisotto.it UK: Decorum Vintners, London W10; Justerini & Brooks, London SW1 USA: Domaine Select Wines & Spirits, New York, NY Poggio Landi www.poggiolandi.it info@poggiolandi.it UK: Italian Continental Stores Ltd, Berks / gordon@italiancont.co.uk USA: Liber USA LLC, San Antonio TX / info@liberusa.com…

The judges Bruno Besa Born in Italy’s Friuli region, Besa arrived in London in 1986 and spent 20 years working in hotels and restaurants. In 2001, he set up Astrum Wine Cellars with a team of friends and former trade colleagues, and he remains its managing director, dealing largely in Italian wines. Besa is also a Decanter World Wine Awards judge. Michael Garner Garner is a DWWA Regional co-Chair for Italy and has been a specialist in Italian wine for more than 30 years. He works for importer Tria Wines and taught for many years for the WSET. Garner co-wrote Barolo: Tar and Roses, and his new book Amarone and the Fine Wines of Verona is due for release in December 2017. Susan Hulme MW Hulme is a wine writer,…

BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2012 Highly Recommended 90–94pts Padelletti 94 BB 94 MG 95 SH 92 £27 The Vino Beano Medium-bodied and refined, with aromas and flavours of charred spice and liquorice joining fleshy black fruit, and persisting to a long, mineral finish. This has a promising future. Drink 2020-2029 Alc 14% Antinori, Pian delle Vigne 93 BB 94 MG 92 SH 92 £43.50-£51.67 Exel, Millésima Warm, spicy, brambled fruit aromas lead to a full, firmly structured yet juicy palate with powerful fruit flowing onto a long, nervy finish. Will improve further. Drink 2020-2029 Alc 15% Capanna di Cencioni, Capanna 93 BB 94 MG 91 SH 95 £43 Friarwood A rounded yet firm and tightly controlled style, with a black-fruited, mineral and herbal-imbued nose ceding to a full-bodied palate with intense,…

PANEL TASTING The results This voyage of discovery across Spain’s lesser known northern territories revealed an array of lighter wine styles and intriguing flavours, as Christelle Guibert reports A TASTING OF a relatively new region for quality red wines was always going to make a fascinating read, and our experts found it both an eye-opener and a learning curve. Green Spain along its north Atlantic coast covers a variety of climates and, as expected, our judges found incredible diversity. Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW admitted: ‘They are not established wines yet, and as a result we have learned a lot about the different styles and various grape varieties. I would recommend them to wine lovers who have a thirst for adventure.’ Christine Parkinson was struck by how clearly apparent the Atlantic…

EXPERT’S CHOICE Australia’s ‘other’ whites Australian winemakers have an uncanny ability to get the best from myriad white grape varieties. Matthew Jukes highlights the wines that are setting benchmarks ‘Running themes are unrivalled value for money and uniquely delicious and bright flavours’ YOU WILL ALREADY be familiar with Australia’s two greatest white wine styles – Chardonnay and dry Riesling. Keen wine lovers have known this for years, but less adventurous oenophiles have only recently cottoned on to the fact that Burgundian Chardonnay and serious German or Austrian dry Riesling cannot compete with the Australian icon brands in terms of value for money and, in many cases, longevity. I would also add dry Semillon to this list. While I love Bordeaux blanc, the Hunter Valley style of Semillon, made without the…

Marion Melbourne By Nina Caplan Dinner in a storeroom doesn’t sound much fun, but that all depends on the storeroom. This one is next door to Andrew McConnell’s Cutler & Co, and is also owned by him, which bodes well: even in food-obsessed Melbourne, McConnell stands out for the number and quality of restaurants he opens. Cumulus, Supernormal, the much-missed Golden Fields… he has had few duds, and the good places are great. Whatever Marion once stored, it clearly wasn’t wine; Cutler & Co’s fantastic list is intact and this bar has access to it, as well as offering a superb, fluctuating selection of its own. There is half a page just on skin-contact whites ($59-$165/£35-£100), and a full page of wines by the glass, from $9-$28 (£5.50-£17). And that…

YOUR HEMEL- EN-AARDE ADDRESS BOOK HOTELS High Season Farm Luxury self-catering accommodation in charmingly refurbished farm cottages (each with a built-in braai on the patio), and set in the heart of the valley. Pets and children welcome. www.highseasonfarm.co.za M in Onrus Onrus, on the outskirts of Hermanus, is home to this comfortable, boutique guesthouse. Choose between classic, deluxe and individual club rooms or the self-catering Luke’s Cottage for families. www.mhotelonrus.co.za The Birkenhead Small and luxurious, this clifftop hotel spreads over three buildings. Views over Walker Bay from the panoramic windows; antiques, artwork or bright, modern furnishings decorate the bedrooms. www.theroyalportfolio.com/birkenheadhouse The Marine Hotel Originally built in 1902, The Marine has passed through several owners, and restorations, the last under the the now late Liz McGrath. Modern luxuries do not spoil…

Grape varieties with Julia Harding MW Zierfandler Photograph: Julius Kühn-Institut Three years ago in this column, I wrote about the Austrian white variety Rotgipfler. Zierfandler is its natural partner and the two varieties are often blended, especially in Gumpoldskirchen in the Thermenregion. (There are just over 100 hectares in Austria, including a few in Wagram.) However, Zierfandler also makes very good varietal wines, sweet as well as dry, that are powerful and full of flavour – orange, peach, lightly spiced and honeyed – but with the acidity to bring harmony to those flavours. It has been suggested that it is related to Silvaner, but DNA analysis indicates rather that it could be the result of a natural cross between Roter Veltliner and a relative of Savagnin. The berries have a…

Fine wine price watch Below are the most recent merchant case prices (equivalent 12 x 750ml bottles) for wines that are actively traded among a global network of merchants on Liv-ex, the fine wine market. Liv-ex records transactions between its merchant members in the UK, US, Asia and Europe. All prices are in GBP and exclude sales tax. The numbers in red indicate those prices which have changed since last month. The Liv-ex Fine Wine 100 Index represents the price movement of 100 of the most sought-after fine wines for which there is a strong secondary market and is calculated monthly. The majority of the index consists of Bordeaux wines – a reflection of the overall market – although wines from Burgundy, the Rhône, Champagne and Italy are also included.…

Decanter Wine Legends Fonseca 1963 Douro, Portugal A legend because… This excellent and abundant vintage produced wines that immediately attracted the interest of Port lovers worldwide, and Fonseca was soon recognised as one of the finest wines of the vintage. Almost all shippers declared the vintage. Michael Broadbent describes the 1963 as ‘consistently beautiful... one of the top ’63s, and one of the best-ever Fonsecas’. Looking back Fonseca was founded in 1815 and declared its first vintage in 1840. There followed a stream of magnificent vintage Ports such as the 1868 and the 1927, one of the finest ports ever made. In 1949 Taylor, Fladgate & Yeatman bought Fonseca. The stylistic consistency of Fonseca Ports is often attributed to the fact that they have been made by six successive generations…

Letter of the month Flight of fancy THERE SEEMS TO be a perennial battle on the pages and among the readers of this fine publication. What’s the point of reviewing Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s Romanée-Conti 2015 when: a) we all know it will be brilliant; and b) only a few very rich people will ever get to drink it? Why not dedicate more column inches to value offers? Surely there is room for both: everyday advice and drinking fantasy. When it comes to the latter, I’m reminded of a comment attributed to US comedian George Burns in his dotage. Back when travelling first class was just that, he was asked by a flight attendant which magazines he would like. ‘National Geographic and Playboy please.’ When the attendant commented that this…

Spotlight on Spätburgunder Although it is the world’s third-biggest producer of the variety, Germany may not spring to mind when choosing Pinot Noir. But Spätburgunders now compete with the world’s best. Anne Krebiehl MW charts its rise to the top IT’S NO LONGER news that Germany produces great Pinot Noir: Spätburgunders have won top Decanter awards and made headlines in the process. Nor is it a surprise to find German Pinot Noirs on well-curated wine lists, as their inherent freshness and elegance make them a versatile and natural choice. Yet Spätburgunder still confuses drinkers, and it’s not surprising: German Pinot Noir thrives across four degrees of latitude, from 48°N in Baden to 51°N in Saxony (to compare, Beaune in Burgundy is at 47.0°N, Reims at 49.2°N); in all of Germany’s…

Regional profile Châteauneuf-du-Pape A former seat of the papacy and inventive pioneer of appellation guidelines, the legendary Châteauneuf-du-Pape has new challenges to face in the 21st century. Matt Walls investigates Photograph: Guillaume Gruchet/Alamy Stock Photo ‘Everything about Châteauneuf is big: the sprawling terrain, the endless list of grape varieties, the array of producers and the sheer grandiosity of the wines’ IN THE CONTEXT of the Rhône, what defines Châteauneuf-du-Pape is its scale. Everything about it is big: the sprawling terrain, the endless list of grape varieties, the array of producers and the sheer grandiosity of the wines. It is the pumping heart of the Rhône, giving context to the appellations that radiate from it. The past 25 years have been a golden era for Châteauneuf, but as it faces changing…

STEVEN SPURRIER’S fine wine world 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 From the cellar Rivesaltes VDN from L’Archiviste The Rivesaltes Vin Doux Naturel wines were immensely popular until the 1950s, but they dropped out of fashion completely, leaving some historic producers with fine wines still in barrel but with no takers. Since 1999, Philippe Gayral, L’Archiviste, has been scouring cellars across the Midi, creating an unrivalled, carbon-dated collection of vintage wines. In June, his UK importer, Farr Vintners, held a tasting of 23 vintages from 1988 back to 1930 from the 65 different bottlings it has in stock. From this extraordinary range, I bought two bottles each of…

BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2012 Outstanding 95–97pts Poggio Landi Decanter average score: 97/100pts Individual judges’ scores: Bruno Besa 97 Michael Garner 96 Susan Hulme MW 97 £35.70 Nickolls & Perks Poggio Landi is one jewel in the crown of Alejandro Bulgheroni’s portfolio of family vineyards. Since 2013, when the 33ha property was acquired, an impressive transformation programme has been in place. Alberto Antonini, chief winemaker for the group, has focused on meeting the expectations of consumers and maintaining unaltered the unique characteristics of the terroir. Rose petal aromas and spice can be attributed to the 38 months spent in French oak (botte) barrels. Bruno Besa Intense nose of red cherry and fresh mint amid hints of leather and rosewater. Long and lively, mineral-tinged raspberry and cherry expanded by layered yet fine…

The judges Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW Ballesteros Torres is a DWWA Regional co-Chair for Spain and Sherry. He studied in Jerez, Burgundy, Napa and Bordeaux, and has a masters in viticulture and oenology. A columnist at Vino y Gastronomia and Planeta Vino magazines, he is on the council of the Institute of Masters of Wine and the governing board of the Spanish Tasters’ Union. Sarah Jane Evans MW Evans is co-Chair of the DWWA. An award-winning journalist and writer since the 1980s, she became a Master of Wine in 2006. In 2010 Evans was knighted into the Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino for services to Spanish wine, and she held the role of chair of the Institute of Masters of Wine from 2014 to 2016. Christine Parkinson Parkinson started…

Nina Caplan ‘Liébus loves his job. It is small, interesting local wines that excite him – the best of AP Ventoux’ ‘Like the Romans, I believe there is no civilisation without the olive and vine’ IT IS A long way, in distance and other gauges, from Lot to Provence: 400km, journeying from Cahors’ earthy, ‘black’ Malbecs and black truffles to Grenache and Cinsault blends full of berries and dried herbs, with the ratatouilles and daubes that suit them so well; into olive oil country, away from the land of lard. Benoît Liébus, born in Lot, made this journey to become sommelier at Hotel Crillon-le-Brave, an elegant hilltop hotel that seems to have taken over most of the village. He is only 30, dark-skinned and black-haired, and unexpectedly forthright: a Périgord…