Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2017 i Decanter

Decanter|September 2017

UK buyer’s guide to California wine

SHOPPING FOR WINE UK buyer’s guide to California wine With an increasing number of Californian wines now available in the UK across all price ranges, Jane Parkinson rounds up the best places to shop for them FOR YEARS CALIFORNIAN wine has been notorious in the UK for its absence of middle-ground pricing – roughly speaking, the £10-£15 mark. After years of being promised that California really does make wines in this range – and not just wines at rock-bottom or sky-high prices – we’re finally starting to see them break through onto the British high street. Not just the high street, in fact, because with the advent and accessibility of online shopping, nearly every Californian wine available in this country is now merely two clicks away. It might require patience…

4 min

Decanter|September 2017

How green is my vineyard?

CLIMATE CHANGE How green is my vineyard? Environmental issues are a concern for Californian wineries, so Cathy Huyghe takes a look at the measures being taken to produce wines sustainably ACCORDING TO RESEARCH published by the National Academy of Sciences, 73% of today’s viable wine-growing land will be lost to climate change by 2050. While that statistic is alarming, it also doubles as a rallying cry for Californian wineries and growers, who are already responding to climate change. Efforts are two-fold: while reducing their own impact on the environment, producers must also find ways to combat the daily effects of climate change in their vineyards. The question on everyone’s lips is: how green is my vineyard? The recent, years-long drought in California has prompted new initiatives around the issue of…

5 min

Decanter|September 2017

Key players

PEOPLE Key players From grape-growers to vineyard workers, a range of people make up the Californian wine industry. William Kelley explores their different roles CALIFORNIA’S WINEMAKERS ONCE took all the glory. Not long ago, mere association with one of a handful of glamorous consulting oenologists was enough to turn a new brand into a cult sensation overnight, guaranteeing rapturous plaudits from the press. That reflected a wine culture which emphasised the cellar over the vineyard. North American oenology schools, such as UC Davis, regarded the French notion of terroir with scientific scepticism, and their graduates followed suit. ‘In the bad old days, you would meet the vineyard manager once a year – at harvest!’ remembers Paul Hobbs, who began his career at the Robert Mondavi Winery in the late 1970s.…

NAPA Evolving Napa Changing wine styles, a new generation of young winemakers and outside investment are shaping the changing face of Napa Valley, as William Kelley reports ‘Napa is no longer a monoculture, and that’s a good thing’ Cathy Corison THE NAPA VALLEY’S transformation from rural backwater to viticultural Shangri-La in a mere half-century is an all-American success story. In the 1960s, this region could count only a handful of wineries, but today it’s home to 475. Many enjoy international markets and reputations, being sought-after the world over. Prosperity has followed: every year, Napa Valley wine contributes $50 billion to the United States’ economy – a figure that’s greater than the GDP of Croatia. By any metric, then, Napa is thriving. Even success stories, however, require periodic reinvention. The wine…

7 min

Decanter|September 2017

Variety show

GRAPE VARIEITIES Variety show Since the 1960s California producers have been seeking to plant the right grape in the right site. William Kelley profiles four winemakers who have mastered the art WITH ITS EXTRAORDINARY geological and climatic diversity, California is a naturally welcoming home to swathe of grape varieties, and deciding what to plant where has long been the subject of research and debate. Experimentation in the 19th century yielded field blends, dominated by Zinfandel. Then Prohibition wiped the Golden State’s viticultural slate clean, favouring only thick-skinned varieties, which could withstand shipping by rail to home winemakers in the northeast. When the dry days came to an end, replanting was haphazard. In Napa Valley, for example, Cabernet Sauvignon commonly rubbed shoulders with the likes of Chenin Blanc, Johannisberg Riesling and…

9 min

Decanter|September 2017

Kelley’s pick from ‘the players’

Kelley’s pick from ‘the players’ Aubert, UV-SL Vineyard Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast 2013 94 £162 Hedonism Mark Aubert’s Chardonnays are always powerful, rich wines, but the bright acids of the 2013 vintage make this one of his most Burgundian to date. Notes of ripe apple, peach, tart pineapple and smooth crème brûlée introduce a broad, textural wine with impressive amplitude and persistence. Named in honour of Ulises Valdez. Drink 2017-2023 Alc 14.5% Muddy Boot, Chenin Blanc, Clarksburg 2015 89 N/A UK www.muddybootwine.com A fuller-bodied interpretation of Clarksburg Chenin: aromas of musk, melon, honey and jasmine lead into a medium-bodied, intense wine with nice volume and texture, and a good spine of acidity. Drink 2017-2020 Alc 13.1% Clarksburg Wine Co, Chenin Blanc, Clarksburg 2015 88 N/A UK www.clarksburgwineco.com Notes of tangerine oil,…

Decanter 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…

1 min

Decanter|September 2017

Mas de Daumas Gassac 1982

Decanter Wine Legends Mas de Daumas Gassac 1982 Languedoc, France A legend because… This wine burst onto the international wine world with amazing suddenness. In a sense, it was an accidental discovery. In 1971 Aimé Guibert, a glove maker, and his wife, Véronique Guibert de la Vaissière, purchased an abandoned farmhouse near the village of Aniane northwest of Montpellier, as a family home. Their friend, Henri Enjalbert, a celebrated geology professor from Bordeaux University, visited the property and was astonished by the quality of its terroir. Guibert called in the foremost wine expert of the time, Emile Peynaud, who recommended planting the site with a majority of Cabernet Sauvignon. Guibert also planted a range of other varieties, including many from Italy and the Caucasus region, albeit in small quantities. Looking…

3 min

Decanter|September 2017

Kelley’s pick from Napa Valley

NAPA Kelley’s pick from Napa Valley Stony Hill Vineyard, Chardonnay 2012 94 £40 Armit Wines Still very youthful. Notes of crisp lemon, lime, tart melon and iodine precede a broad, textural palate with wonderful cut and energy; structurally this has more in common with a red wine than it does with a typical Napa Chardonnay. Drink 2020-2045 Alc 13.2% Screaming Eagle, Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville 2014 97 £2,200-£2,500 BI Wines, Fine & Rare, Food & Fine Wine, Four Corners Wine, Turville Valley A bouquet of crushed cassis, violet, woodsmoke and truffle is the prelude to a rich, layered and superbly pure wine with fine-grained tannins and juicy acidity. Lovely reserve, depth and tension. Drink 2020-2040 Alc 14.8% Corison, Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 96 £89 Roberson Beautiful aromas of rose petal, violet, dark…

3 min

Decanter|September 2017

Four of the best varieties

Four of the best varieties Ramey Wine Cellars, Chardonnay, Russian River Valley 2013 92 £31 Just In Case Subtle notes of pear, citrus pith and buttered apple, framed by new oak, are followed by a powerful but focused palate with nice cut and grip, despite its amplitude. The quality and consistency of this generic Russian River Valley bottling is remarkable, offering great value. Drink 2017-2023 Alc 14.5% Rivers-Marie, Summa Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast 2015 97 N/A UK www.riversmarie.com Only three barrels of this fabulous wine were produced, but it may be the best Rivers-Marie Summa to date. A bouquet of black raspberry, pine, dark spice, blood orange and rhubarb compote is followed by a tight-knit and vibrant wine, its three-dimensional core of cool fruit and savoury nuance underpinned by…

1 min

2 min

Decanter|September 2017

Notes & Queries

READERS’ QUERIES Notes & Queries Each month our experts answer readers’ wine queries and share their knowledge Email: editor@decanter.com. Post: The Editor, Decanter , Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SU, UK Dosage term confusion What’s the difference between ‘brut nature’ and ‘zéro dosage’? Jiles Halling, via email Tim Hall replies: The ambiguity has arisen because Champagne does not distinguish between, let alone add up, the sugar in the dosage and what might already be in the bottle before disgorgement. The official sweetness bands, and any precise value on a back label, denote the strength of the dosage liqueur, calculated, measured and confirmed before being squirted into each bottle before the cork. Brut nature, the official term (technically 0-3g/L of sugar), means no sugar added but there may…

3 min