Seven Australian Cabernets from 2015
featured, Australia, Verticals & Retrospectives
, Jun 2021
Maybe, like me, you have forgotten the joy a bottle of top-notch Australian Cabernet can bring. In a brief diversion away from tasting Bordeaux primeur, I sampled several wines that jogged my memory.
His Father’s Son: Grand Mayne 1955-2011
featured, France: Bordeaux, Verticals & Retrospectives
, May 2021
Jean-Antoine Nony was one of the first winemakers I ever interviewed for Wine-Journal in 2003. Almost two decades later, I finally return to Grand Mayne to conduct a comprehensive vertical and discover more about this ascendant Saint-Émilion estate.
Marking Milestones with Moulin Touchais
France: Loire, featured, Verticals & Retrospectives
, Apr 2021
In search of something to drink to mark a milestone birthday, those of us with a less-than-legendary birth year are resigned to the fact that our first breath did not coincide with the perfect growing season in Bordeaux. Revealing your date of birth to châteaux owners keen to open a special bottle often leads to a pitying shrug of the shoulders and a gallic ‘Bof’ when you disclose your parents poorly timed your entry to the world. But there’s hope for us yet: an underground cellar in a small Loire Valley town could be the answer to that elusive anniversary bottle that doesn’t require you to remortgage your house simply to mark a special date in the diary.
2005 Bordeaux: Here and Now
featured, France: Bordeaux, Verticals & Retrospectives
, Apr 2021
It all started innocently enough with a few bottles of 2005 Bordeaux during lockdown. Then a few more, and then some more after that. Before I knew it I had tasted through a good number of the reference points. The wines were absolutely thrilling, just as I remembered from my last large tasting of the 2005s, about five years ago. One of my close friends suggested a comprehensive look back at the vintage, so here it is.
In the Sweet Spot: 2001 Brunello di Montalcino
featured, Italy: Tuscany, Verticals & Retrospectives
, Mar 2021
Montalcino has come so far in a relatively short amount of time. Generational transitions, a focus on terroir and the willingness to showcase Sangiovese’s inherent character above winemaking wizardry have come together, resulting in many wines that have never been better than they are today. In this article I look back at the 2001s, wines from another era that, in a sense, helped pave the way to the region's success. So where do the 2001 Brunellos stand today, twenty years later?
1971 x 50
Beyond Wine, Verticals & Retrospectives
, Feb 2021
Since time immemorial, I have argued, mostly in vain, that the 1971 is one of the great postwar vintages. To mark my 50th birthday, I gathered 50 tasting notes composed over the years to argue my case and celebrate the half-centuries of the wine and wine writer.
Conterno Monfortino Magnum Vertical: 1970-2014
featured, Italy: Piedmont, Verticals & Retrospectives
, Feb 2021
With this year’s Festa del Piemonte in full swing I thought it would be fun to revisit one of the highlights from the 2020 edition, our Rare Wine Dinner featuring a stunning vertical of Giacomo Conterno’s Barolo Riserva Monfortino spanning vintages 1970 through 2014. It was truly a night to remember.
Choose Wisely: Château Sérilhan 2008–2017
featured, France: Bordeaux, Verticals & Retrospectives
, Jan 2021
Bordeaux is often criticized for charging a king’s ransom for its top wines. In reality, it is a vast cradle of quality that can offer unbeatable value, depending on how far you are willing to venture beyond the famous names. Some of the price tags dangling from ordinary Burgundy Villages reinforce the argument that wine lovers get much more bang for their buck in Bordeaux than in the Côte d’Or. However, the plethora of châteaux means that consumers can easily become overwhelmed, which is why it is important to shine the spotlight on top performers from lesser-known names, away from the Grand Cru Classés.
Lagrange 1959-2015
featured, France: Bordeaux, Verticals & Retrospectives
, Dec 2020
Suntory’s acquisition of Château Lagrange in 1983 saw an under-performer blossom into one of the most consistent and widely-appreciated wines of Saint-Julien. This article details its history, terroir and winemaking, plus a complete vertical from 1983 to 2015.
Domaine A. Clape Cornas: 2012–1987
featured, France: Rhône & Beaujolais, Verticals & Retrospectives
, Dec 2020
One of the world’s iconic estates, Domaine Auguste Clape has long set the standard for the Cornas appellation and has featured on any Rhône aficionado’s short list of the region’s very best properties. With a mere eight hectares of vines spread across Cornas, Saint-Péray and Côtes-du-Rhône, the Clapes produce two different examples of Cornas, a Saint-Péray, a red Côtes-du-Rhône and a red Vin de France. All of the reds are made with whole clusters and fermented in concrete vats before being moved into ancient, traditional oval foudres for aging. Because of small production (roughly 2,500 cases per vintage, total) and longtime worldwide demand, especially for the flagship Cornas, the wines are not always easy to find. Unfortunately, the world has caught on, and prices have risen sharply as well. These are structured, long-lived wines that are definitely built for the patient consumer. As this retrospective shows, patience is consistently rewarded, even in tough vintages.