Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2018 i Decanter

In brief ■ Alfred Georgis was sentenced to 37 months in prison for conspiring to transport more than $500,000 worth of wine, stolen on Christmas Day 2014 from Michelin-starred restaurant The French Laundry in Yountsville, Napa. Georgis admitted to being involved in the heist, which involved the burglary of 110 bottles of wine, including Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Screaming Eagle and Dom Pérignon. Davis Kiryakoz, his co-conspirator, is currently serving a 15-month prison sentence. ■ Ian Harris, chief executive of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours for his services to the wine and spirit industry. Since Harris joined as chief executive in 2002, annual candidate numbers have risen from 10,000 to 85,000. In addition, Gerard Basset OBE, MW, MS,…

Andrew Jefford ‘2017 must be one of the most disaster-strewn years since phylloxera’ AS YOU READ this, the vine-pruners of the northern hemisphere will be finishing their lonely winter’s work. The sap will soon rise and the pruning cuts weep – and a new year will be underway. What horrors await for 2018? Apologies for the phrasing, but 2017 must be regarded as one of the most disaster-strewn years the wine world has endured since the onset of phylloxera. It would be imprudent not to prepare for more of the same. Or worse. Savage April frosts, the typically random depredations of hail, and fierce summer heat gave both France and Italy their smallest crop for more than 50 years in 2017, with Spain barely faring better. Around half the world’s…

Jefford’s top 10 Priorat reds to try Clos Mogador 2015 97 £40.20 Georges Barbier A blend of 40% Garnatxa, with 20% each of Carinyena, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Soft, suffusing, earthy aromatic warmth with almost meaty plum fruits. A concentrated, deep and forthright wine, ballasted by dense tannins and vivacious, fruit-saturated acidity. Plum and stone modulate towards notes of pine and Mediterranean scrub on the finish. Drink 2018-2028 Alcohol 15% Clos i Terrasses, Clos Erasmus 2015 96 £226 (ib) Honest Grapes 70% Garnatxa and 30% Syrah. Complex, calm and settled aromas – ripe red and black fruits and brushed, fragrant thyme and mint. Mouthfilling, intense, deep and amply ripe, with firm though finely milled tannins, fresh red fruits, juicy acidity and savoury depths. Drink 2018-2028 Alc 15% Mas Alta, Cirerets…

RIBERA DEL DUERO Ribera and me: a complex relationship The quality of its top wines is not in question, but this highly rated Spanish region has struggled to win the affections of some wine lovers, including Sarah Jane Evans MW. Here, she explains why, and meets producers determined to fulfil their region’s potential Photograph: Mick Rock/Cephas ‘Ribera del Duero delivers structure, power, intensity. Plus also freshness, dark fruit and tannins’ LET’S START WITH this fact: Spain’s most historic and internationally famous winery is in Ribera del Duero. It’s so famous that I don’t need to name it, but for the sake of clarity I will: Vega Sicilia. The second fact is that in 1982 a wine from Alejandro Fernández, the simply named Tinto Pesquera, was spotted by US critic Robert…

SHERRY Who are the almacenistas? You won’t know their names; but you should seek out their Sherry... Paula MacLean sheds light on the little-known bodegas that specialise in aged wines Photograph: Mick Rock/Cephas THE WINES FROM the Jerez area have been produced for more than 3,000 years, and have developed more complexities than most – both in terms of wines and customs. Among these is the virtually unique role of the almacenista. The word itself derives from the Arabic ‘al-makzan’ meaning ‘store’ (which also gives us the word ‘magazine’). Thus an almacenista is literally ‘one who stores wine’. Some also make wine and all of them age it, then supply it in bulk to the large bodegas who might want to add a flourish to their blends or need more…

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 Baron Albert, L’Universelle Brut, Champagne, France NV 91 £20.95 Lea & Sandeman A Champagne this delicious at this price is an extremely rare find. It’s an easy-drinking style, with 7g/l dosage, made mainly from 2012 and 2013 Pinot Meunier. Light and zesty green apple and fresh citrus intensity with tension and a persistent mousse. Alcohol 12.5% ViniGalicia, Dona Luci Albariño, Rías Baixas, Spain 2016 92 £12.50 Borough Wines From a group of Rías Baixas wineries which joined forced in the 1980, this has lifted notes of…

The judges Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW Ballesteros Torres is a DWWA Regional co-Chair for Spain. He studied in Jerez, Burgundy, Napa and Bordeaux, and has a masters in viticulture and oenology. He is a columnist for Vino y Gastronomía and Planeta Vino magazines, and is on the council of the Institute of Masters of Wine, as well as the governing board of the Spanish Tasters’ Union. Sarah Jane Evans MW Evans is co-Chair of the Decanter World Wine Awards. An awarded journalist and author, she was knighted into the Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino for services to Spanish wine in 2010, and she held the role of chair of the Institute of Masters of Wine from 2014 to 2016. Her new book The Wines of Northern Spain (£30, Infinite…

PANEL TASTING The results Consumers should look beyond Albariño to Galicia’s other indigenous grapes, said our experts, who enthused over these fresh, delicate whites. Amy Wislocki reports ALBARINO IS WITHOUT doubt Galicia’s calling card when it comes to white wines – or wines in general, for that matter. But it’s time that wine lovers discovered the other varied whites from this region, urged our tasters. ‘We had a Taste of Galicia stand at a consumer event recently, where we showed two Albariños, a white from Ribeiro and a red from Ribeira Sacra,’ said Beth Willard, a buyer for Direct Wines. ‘It was great to be able to use the success of Albariño, and customer knowledge of that grape, to encourage them to try the white Ribeiro – and they loved…

My San Sebastián Situated on Spain’s northern coast, it’s a gastronomic hotspot with plenty of high-end dining and drinking. A local resident from one of Rioja’s top wineries guides us to some of his favourite venues Juan Muga SAN SEBASTIAN HAS always been a central part of my life, as much at the professional level as the emotional. After several years living outside Spain, I decided to come back to the city of my birth – and I have my wife María to thank for that. My family started as wine-growers in 1590, and my grandparents, Isaac Muga and Aurora Caño, founded Bodegas Muga at Haro in 1932. The tradition was continued by my father Manuel, and my uncle and aunt, Isacín and Isabelita. Now the third generation is at…

Wine Legends Recaredo, Turó d’en Mota 1999 Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, Alt Penedès, Spain A legend because… Cava has never had a great reputation, perhaps because most consumers expect a wine of middling quality given its modest price. Over the years some top producers have attempted more serious and ageworthy bottlings, but it was Turó d’en Mota in 1999 that broke through the barrier when released in October 2008. It was the first single-vineyard Cava, cropped at very low yields, and took its name from the Mota hill, turó being a Catalan word for hill. Its quality was swiftly recognised, and some maintain it is the region’s finest Cava. Looking back Recaredo was founded in 1924 by Josep Mata Capellades and specialises in single-vintage, brut nature Cavas. Its 65ha of vineyards…

John Stimpfig ‘Miguel Torres continues to make a difference – and not just in wine’ MIGUEL TORRES IS an example of all that is good in life and wine. Now aged in his 70s, the president of Bodegas Torres and 2002 Decanter Man of the Year is learning Russian, playing his guitar and travelling the world. He’s no longer involved in day-to-day decision making at the global winery group, but that doesn’t mean he has slowed down. Arguably, the opposite is true; he continues to make a difference – and not just in wine. Most recently, he was rallying support for his beloved city of Barcelona which has suffered in the wake of a terrorist attack and the divisive Catalan independence movement. His consuming passion, however, is the fight against…

Letters Enraged or inspired by what you’ve read? Email editor@decanter.com, or write to: The Editor, Decanter, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SU, UK Champagne and age Cork vs screwcap I ENJOYED JOHN Stimpfig’s reflections on ‘age-defying Champagnes’ (January 2018 issue) – wines that improve over decades, ‘sometimes even centuries’. What a contrast with your Champagne tasting in the same edition. Here three experts unanimously deemed André Jacquart’s 2008 ‘Outstanding’. So, how many decades might this wine, from a great vintage, last and improve? The drinking span given was just four years, to 2022. And Michael Edwards called the wine ‘a true classic, a real keeper’! So who do we believe? I recently enjoyed a bottle of Perrier-Jouët’s Belle Epoque 1996. It was only towards the end of…

Jane Anson ‘The ambition and drive you find in Ningxia is infectious’ THE SCALE OF the achievement in China’s Ningxia wine region was perhaps best brought home by Yanling Ren, chief winemaker at Pernod Ricard’s Helan Mountain Winery. She began at the winery 17 years ago as a vineyard worker, soon after it opened as a government-backed operation in 1997. She worked her way up through the ranks to her current job after it was taken over by Pernod Ricard in 2008 (first as a joint venture, now wholly owned), and is today in charge of making 74,000 cases each year from 132ha. Ren learned winemaking at Northwest University in Xi’an City and through on-the-job training, but is from the village where Helan Mountain is based, where her parents first…

SPANISH VALUE Top 30 Spanish wines for everyday drinking Few countries can rival Spain for its breadth and diversity of wine styles – and even fewer can compete on value. From sparkling wine to Sherry, and everything in between, Sarah Jane Evans MW picks out her favourites, from just £6  SPAIN IS A fascinating country for wine. The millennia of winemaking, the exceptionally diverse geography and its economic and cultural history all make it a great source of discovery. Add in the new generation, starting afresh with family vineyards or tracking down abandoned sites, and there is so much to like. ‘I narrowed my selection down to cover as many regions and styles as possible’ Choosing just 30 wines for this article has been hard! I narrowed my selection down…

Ribera del Duero: best recent vintages 2017 Devastating frost in April means it will be a very small harvest for many of the region’s producers, but they are positive about the quality of fruit they have 2014 A cool year, but producing balanced and fresh wines 2010 Turning out to be an excellent vintage: the wines are powerful, structured but still fresh 2009 A hot vintage, but the wines are nevertheless ripe and balanced, though perhaps a little less powerful than 2010 2005 Some outstanding wines were made in this year, with depth and generosity, plus firm tannins 2004 Another excellent year: supple, pure fruit and fine elegance 2000 A really good year, better perhaps than 2001 which was Rioja’s outstanding vintage; the long-lasting wines have developed with fine balance…

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…

MATURE RIOJA Outstanding 95–97pts La Rioja Alta, 890, Gran Reserva 2005 Decanter average score: 96/100pts Individual judges’ scores: Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW 96 Sarah Jane Evans MW 96 Pierre Mansour 96 £110 Armit, Fine & Rare, WoodWinters Founded in 1890 as a consortium of five families, La Rioja Alta is an integral part of Haro’s Barrio de la Estación district, with its modern winemaking facilities in Labastida. The 890 name stems from the first wine made by the company’s first winemaker, Monsieur Vigier, in 1890. Predominantly Tempranillo with a little Mazuelo and Graciano, aged for six years in American oak, then for a few more years in bottle. Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW The unmistakeable style of classic gran reserva, with its vanilla tones, this is so refined and long,…

The judges Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW Ballesteros Torres is the DWWA Regional co-Regional Chair for Spain and holds a master’s in viticulture and oenology among his qualifications. He is on the council of the Institute of Masters of Wine, the boards of the Spanish Tasters Union, and International Federation of Wine Journalists and was made a member of the Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino. Sarah Jane Evans MW Evans is a DWWA co-Chair and an award-winning journalist who began writing about wine in the 1980s. She is a recognised expert in Spanish wine and a member of the Gran Orden de Caballeros de Vino. A past Chairman of the Institute of Masters of Wine, Evans divides her time between wine writing, education and judging. Beth Willard Willard started her…

MY PERFECT DAY IN VINHO VERDE MORNING Wake up with views of the vineyards from your bed in the relaxed Monverde Hotel (see details, p107). Bathe in a tub overlooking the vines, and prepare for a beautiful day discovering the region. After breakfast, walk a circular route leading back to the hotel through the carefully trained vineyards of Quinta da Lixa (www.quintadalixa.pt). LUNCH Take a 30-minute drive to Guimarães. The city is regarded as the birthplace of Portugal and its historic centre has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Polvo assado (roasted octopus), bacalau (salt cod) or the traditional cozido à Portuguesa (Portuguese stew) are among the local dishes to be found in the restaurants surrounding the city’s central square. After lunch take a stroll around the Castle…

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 Cloudy glasses My wine glasses have a cloudiness staining the insides. Is there a way to get rid of this? Digby Scott, Market Rasen, UK Ronan Sayburn MS replies: Cloudy glassware is due to a build up of hard-water minerals plus the extended time your stems spend in the dishwasher during the cycle – especially the high heat of drying. Commercial glass-washing machines used in restaurants have mineral filters to avoid this, and the wash cycle only lasts a few minutes. At home I always wash glasses by hand in hot water and very little if…

Letter of the month Patience rewarded WHEN IS THE right time to open an old wine? All too often we end up leaving the bottle for another day… And thus we arrive at my 65th birthday in December 2017. The time has arrived! A 1975 Croizet-Bages had lain undisturbed under the stairs for 25 years but my heart sank on retrieving it; the level was halfway down the shoulder. I pressed on. The capsule disintegrated, and the cork was soggy – then crumbled. I’d already decided not to decant, fearing that aeration would simply bring it on and kill it off too quickly. A tea strainer served the purpose well. The aroma was unremarkable. The colour was rich red, the rim light but not brown. But the taste! The most…

Hugh Johnson ‘Has quality moved on from the heady days of the 1960s and ’70s?’ STYLISH PARTY GIVERS in the Napa Valley are busy these days. Many leading wineries are marking 50th birthdays: Robert Mondavi winery in 2016, Chappellet in 2017 and now Trefethen. In November, Janet Trefethen hosted a lunch to celebrate ‘about’ 50 years since her father-in-law Gene Trefethen bought and planted the Oak Knoll estate. It was also about 40 years since his 1976 Chardonnay was voted the best in the world in the Gault & Millau Wine Olympics. At lunch we drank the ’77; it was ‘still dancing’. 1976 was an embarrassing year for France: at Steven Spurrier’s Judgement of Paris tasting, another French jury voted Chateau Montelena’s Chardonnay the tops, and Stag’s Leap Cabernet finer…

DECANTER PROMOTION Muriel Wines One of Spain’s leading wine groups focuses on quality and diversity Located in the historic village of Elciego near the banks of the River Ebro, it was almost one century ago, in 1926, that Muriel Wines was born; a year that also coincided with the creation of Rioja’s regulatory board which set in stone the region’s geographical boundaries and the essential quality of the product within them, and Muriel has been unflinching in maintaining those standards. It was José Murúa who laid the foundations of Muriel and it is now his son, Julián Murúa who continues his legacy. their inherent ripeness and richness. From its more modest, everyday wines right up to its very finest offerings, each range is broken down by regions, towns and then…

PRIORAT High ambitions With its isolated mountain vineyards and arid summers, Priorat is an area for extreme winemaking. Andrew Jefford meets the producers searching for balance and regional character in this demanding corner of Spain Photograph: Mick Rock/Cephas  PRIORAT IS A secret wine kingdom, hidden and remote. Its loneliness strikes you most clearly at night. You can prowl the constantly twisting roads and never see other headlights; turn off the engine, and the silence can make your ears ache. Even the dogs seem shy of barking. Perhaps they’re awed by the glitter of the stars. ‘Priorat may lie in the northern half of Spain, but it is very definitely a southern European wine region’ If ever a place was destined to lure monks, this is it. The Carthusians had to…

RIOJA My top 10 Rioja producers We asked Tim Atkin MW to whittle his own list of top winemakers and bodegas in this famous Spanish region down to just 10 favourites. Far from an easy task… Photograph: Tim Atkin MW RIOJA WAS ONE of the first regions I visited as a fledgling wine writer, and if it wasn’t quite love at first glance, it’s been an enduring and fulfilling relationship that’s lasted for 30 years and counting. As I drive across the Sierra de Cantabria, invariably swapping the rain, mist and grey skies of Bilbao for the brighter, more intense colours of Spain’s most famous DOCa, my spirits rise. People forget that Rioja is incredibly beautiful, especially in autumn. It’s been a pleasure to witness significant changes over those three…

Evans’ dream dozen from Ribera del Duero Arzuaga Navarro, Gran Reserva 2004 93 £85-£89.99 Fine & Rare, Selfridges, The Good Wine Shop Go ahead, spoil yourself. If you love a gran reserva, then this is spot-on. Glorious oak, toned-down after all these years; fine blend of forest floor, truffle and red cherries. Superbly polished. Drink 2018-2022 Alcohol 14% Cillar de Silos, La Viña de Amalio 2014 93 £41.25-£50 Christopher Keiller, Majestic Cillar de Silos keeps getting better. Oscar Aragón makes this wine, named after his father, from a 50-year-old single vineyard. Refined, finely balanced, with ripe dark fruit and matching not dominant oak. Drink 2018-2026 Alc 14% Dominio de Atauta 2014 92 £22.99-£25.80 (2013) D Byrne & Co, Prohibition, Rannoch Scott Now for something different. From the far east in…

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 Saintsbury Club dinner At the 171st dinner of the Saintsbury Club in October we were served a trio of 2000 clarets, all (as is every wine served on these occasions) presented by one of the 50 male members, who are split between industries of wine, arts and letters. Following the Dom Pérignon 2002 on arrival at the Vintners’ Hall – fuller than expected – came a splendid Broadbent, Verdelho, Madeira 1954, rich and warm with lively acidity. The solitary white was an exceptionally good Jean-Noël Gagnard, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets 2009. Then, with…

PANEL TASTING The results There’s exciting stylistic variation in these ready-aged reds. Taste around, find a producer whose approach you like, and enjoy superb value, says Christelle Guibert THE JUDGES WERE presented with 95 wines across 15 vintages, from 2010 going all the way back to 1978. With more than 55% of the wines below £25, Rioja has a very strong case for being the best value red wine. Sarah Jane Evans MW pointed out: ‘So often we are drinking wines that were made last year, but these wines give so much pleasure from those extra years’. There’s certainly no region with a better offering of old vintages straight off the shelf. This though could be about to change as, according to Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW, production of the classic…

EXPERT’S CHOICE Txakoli There’s far more to Txakoli than spritzy whites. Sarah Jane Evans MW chooses her favourite bottles that showcase the versatility of this on-trend Spanish style  TXAKOLI HAS AN image problem. It’s one of those wines where traditional reputation has not caught up with reality. For far too long it has been regarded as a rustic white, with punchy acidity and a spritz, that’s poured from a height into a tumbler. It’s much more than that. ‘Txakoli is in tune with a current trend for lighter, fresher wines’ First of all, it’s a wine style; there’s no grape called ‘Txakoli’. Hondarribi Zuri and Hondarribi Beltza are the main varieties, but there are others, depending on the DO, including Chardonnay, Riesling, Hondarribi Zuri Zerratia (Petit Courbu) and Mune Mahatsa…

TRAVEL: PORTUGAL YOUR VINHO VERDE ADDRESS BOOK ACCOMMODATION Monverde Elegant rooms are spread throughout the vineyards. There are also pools and a fine-dining restaurant with an impressive wine list. The programme of activities includes a ‘winemaker for a day’ option www.monverde.pt Hotel Minho A good base to explore Monção e Melgaço. This modern and intimate spa hotel features a wellness centre and two pools. The bar serves quality wines from the property’s vast cellar. www.hotelminho.com Reguengo de Melgaço Comfortable, well-priced rooms in a carefully restored wine estate, just 1km from the Spanish border and near the therapeutic hot springs of Melgaço. Simple, rustic charm. www.reguengodemelgaco.pt Quinta dos Faunos Peaceful property with just two well-restored and modern rooms, located in a secluded grove in the heart of the biodynamic Aphros winery.…

Tasting notes decoded Elderflower Elderflower is a classic feature of English summer drinking, infused into cordials and even fermented to become elderflower wine. In grape-based wines, it is a less pungent floral than rose or violet, but not as intense or herby as geranium. It’s also linked with the tasting term ‘hedgerow’, along with gooseberry, nettle, blackberry and bramble. Elderflower in a tasting note expresses a delicate integration between herbaceous and floral notes that might be found in dry, cool-climate whites, such as Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire’s Sancerre appellation or Marlborough in New Zealand. It’s often aligned with two other signature Sauvignon Blanc characters, ‘blackcurrant leaf’ and the less appealing ‘cat’s pee’, although elderflower is usually softer and less acrid. If these notes are too pronounced, it could suggest…

Wines from ‘secret grotto’ on sale at Sotheby’s Sotheby’s announced it would open it’s 2018 wine season with an unusual auction entitled ‘Secret Grotto in Northern Europe’, featuring a collection of wines from a privately owned rock cave. The auction house did not disclose the identity of the vendor, nor the location of the grotto. But Sotheby’s director of wine, James Reed, described the hidden cave. ‘I was confronted by a bare rock cavern, with smaller chambers branching off at random. Underfoot was bare earth. Scattered about were pallets of wine, plastic wrapped against the damp, neatly and methodically stacked.’ He said that conditions in the cave were ideal for storing wines, as it was ‘consistently and evenly cool, with good natural humidity’. The 338-lot auction recorded pre-sale estimates of…