Celebrity Life
Sublime Napa Cabs for the Wine Lover on Your List
Forget the cologne, the cashmere, and even the sports car. If you’ve got an oenophile on your holiday gift list, give him/her what he/she really wants: a bottle of the good stuff. And we mean the REALLY good stuff. Each of these stellar Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons is sure to wow even the most discriminating […]
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Discovering The New Generation Of Lambrusco With Venturini Baldini
Lambrusco has long been the underdog of Italian wine, until now. Venturini Baldini leads a new generation of Lambrusco wine.
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Amazing Swiss Wines, The Next European Wine Region
“Proscht” is a word you have probably never said lifting a wine, which is a pity as Swiss wine deserves to be lifted up your wine list. Swiss wines are perhaps the best you’ve never tasted. 5,000 hectares of vines are cultivated in the alpine country, ranking it tenth in the world in terms of vineyards-to-country-surface-area […]
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Amazing Swiss Wines, The Next European Wine Region
“Proscht” is a word you have probably never said lifting a wine, which is a pity as Swiss wine deserves to be lifted up your wine list. Swiss wines are perhaps the best you’ve never tasted. 5,000 hectares of vines are cultivated in the alpine country, ranking it tenth in the world in terms of vineyards-to-country-surface-area […]
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5 Affordable Wines You Need to Try
When I tell people I love wine (and I’m talking serious L-O-V-E here), they often assume I must spend ridiculous amounts of money going through the stuff. After all, isn’t the best wine imported from some incredible isolated region of France, where the grapes are personally picked and squeezed by workers whose hands are insured […]
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5 Affordable Wines You Need to Try
When I tell people I love wine (and I’m talking serious L-O-V-E here), they often assume I must spend ridiculous amounts of money going through the stuff. After all, isn’t the best wine imported from some incredible isolated region of France, where the grapes are personally picked and squeezed by workers whose hands are insured […]
The post 5 Affordable Wines You Need to Try appeared first on Upscale Living Magazine.
5 Affordable Wines You Need to Try
When I tell people I love wine (and I’m talking serious L-O-V-E here), they often assume I must spend ridiculous amounts of money going through the stuff. After all, isn’t the best wine imported from some incredible isolated region of France, where the grapes are personally picked and squeezed by workers whose hands are insured […]
The post 5 Affordable Wines You Need to Try appeared first on Upscale Living Magazine.
5 Affordable Wines You Need to Try
When I tell people I love wine (and I’m talking serious L-O-V-E here), they often assume I must spend ridiculous amounts of money going through the stuff. After all, isn’t the best wine imported from some incredible isolated region of France, where the grapes are personally picked and squeezed by workers whose hands are insured […]
The post 5 Affordable Wines You Need to Try appeared first on Upscale Living Magazine.
A Mano Wines, Handcrafted World Class Italian Wines
A Mano Wines, “it’s the prettiest wine you’ll ever drink. And it’s the most versatile. Italian rose wines or Rosati are not appreciated as they might be. It’s the color. They are too pretty!” Californian Mark Shannon used to build wineries. He never thought he would own and run one in Puglia. And make Italian […]
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Why Bordeaux 2019 Vintages Are a Potentially Difficult Debut
The Bordeaux 2019 en primeur samples are outstanding – but will oenophiles still pay top prices in hard times?
If Bordeaux offered its 2019 vintage right now for 30 to 40 percent less than last year’s offer of en primeur, or futures, would you buy? I’m sure you haven’t thought much about the 2019 vintage in Bordeaux. Buying futures is the last thing on the minds of most wine lovers as the world deals with Covid-19 and the global economic crisis. And most people would rather spend money on wine that’s in the bottle and ready to drink than one that’s ageing in a barrel in a winery. Bordeaux only releases wines on to the market two years after the grapes are harvested. So, the 2019 wines will be available in 2021.
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Winemaker and Oenologist Hubert De Bouard (centre) at his Château Angelus Winery[/caption]
However, I’ve tasted about 1,000 barrel samples of 2019 Bordeaux in my Hong Kong wine bar, James Suckling Wine Central, and I was happily surprised with the quality of the samples – the wines are of outstanding quality. Plus, it looks like prices for the 2019 wines will much less than for those of 2018. Château Pontet-Canet recently announced its high-quality wine at more than one-third less than its 2018. Wine merchants in Bordeaux reported that their email inboxes were filling with orders. One London wine merchant was already offering six bottles of the Pontet-Canet 2019 for US$462, compared with US$816 for the 2018.
The 2019 vintage is not an exceptional year like last year’s 2018 from barrel, when Bordeaux winemakers pulled off a near miracle in their vineyards, picking ripe and opulent grapes in a late, dry and warm harvest following months of problems, including hail and mildew. But so many of the 2019 wines are at the same level of quality as 2018, albeit with less exuberance and plushness in fruit and tannins. The wines seem more typical for Bordeaux – which is a good thing – with a balance of alcohol, cool and blue fruits and fine linear tannins that are refined and driven.
“I prefer 2019 to 2018, as the wines have this depth and density of the 2018 or 2010 (maybe a little less power) with the sensuality and sexiness that you really liked in 2015,” said Thomas Duclos, one of the most popular consulting oenologists in Bordeaux, who makes refined and polished wines. “The great evolution of Bordeaux in recent years seems to me to be this ability to make great wines more accessible in their young years. And I think 2019 is a very good example of this.”
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Hubert De Bouard (left) at Château Angelus in Bordeaux[/caption]
It’s the consensus on the quality of the vintage and the general nature of the wines that’s interesting to me as a longtime wine critic and journalist. It doesn’t happen very often. And the consistency in the quality of the wines from straightforward wine-merchant blends to complex grand chateaux samples highlights this agreement. It means that the wines will be excellent in bottle, regardless of when they sell.
“The wines in 2019 are perfect for greedy wine lovers,” said Hubert de Bouard, whose family owns one of the top growths of the Right Bank, Château Angelus, and who is also a leading consulting enologist in Bordeaux. “The wines are already really tasty – and they’re sexy wines. In 60 percent of the wines I made I prefer the 2019, and in 40 percent I prefer 2018.”
The question now is whether people will buy 2019 Bordeaux as futures or en primeur under the current societal and economic conditions. Most of the winemakers and wine merchants in Bordeaux I spoke to agreed that prices have to come down.
“If we want to have success with en primeur in 2019 then the price must be down,” said de Bouard. “I don’t know [if it should be] 20 percent. I don’t know 15 percent. I don’t know 30 percent. It depends on the brands.”
Some wine merchants who specialise in en primeur in London and Hong Kong apparently sent a written appeal to Bordeaux vintners, urging them to not sell en primeur this year. It’s certainly understandable. But some merchants I spoke to say their customers are interested in buying 2019 futures.
“I have customers now who are asking me for 2019 Bordeaux,” said Eric Desgouttes, general manager of Hong Kong’s Kerry Wines. “Why shouldn’t we offer the wines for sale? Let the market decide.”
It might seem surreal to think about selling 2019 Bordeaux as futures now, against the grim backdrop of Covid-19 and the damaged global economy, particularly in the United States and Europe. But the wines I’ve tasted so far from 2019 seem good to excellent and comparable in quality to 2018, 2016 and 2015 – all excellent vintages.
And if you love wine, you should find it reassuring to remember that wine has always been made, sold and drunk even during terrible moments in history, from wars to pandemics. So, the market will indeed decide whether now is the time to buy 2019 en primeur, when the wines begin selling in a few weeks.
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9 Great Array of Wines for those Quarantine Days at Home
Great news everyone, here are nine great wines we’ve chosen to get your taste buds going during these quarantine days at home. Côtes Du Rhône by Highgrove This excellent French Côtes du Rhône is made using organic grapes, predominantly Grenache, with a dash of Syrah. The wine is noted for its juicy, dark berry fruit, the […]
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James Suckling’s Top 8 Wines of the Syrah Variety
Syrah, also known as Shiraz, is one of the few grape varieties called a different name depending on the style of wine it produces.
On the one hand Shiraz, whose name is widely used in South Australia, implies a plush style with a fruit-forward nose that underscores ripeness and opulence on the palate. It suggests a New World style in a traditional sense.
Syrah, on the other hand, tends to suggest the opposite. This original French term indicates a cooler style with spicy fruit, structure and austerity, similar to what you find in Old World Northern Rhône wines.
Amazing Syrah/Shiraz is produced in both Northern Rhône in France and in South Australia, representing the two classic styles of this variety. But the dual personalities of this grape and the differences in these two distinctive styles have somewhat overshadowed the diversity of Syrah worldwide. This versatile grape produces both robust, powerful bottles as well as sleek and elegant ones. It has two contrasting faces, both of which are beautiful.
Aside from the fruity, lush and unctuous Shiraz from warm regions such as Barossa and McLaren Vale, Australia now boasts more peppery, sleek and elegant bottles from cooler areas within Victoria and New South Wales. Terroirs that show great potential – places such as Heathcote, Grampians, Yarra Valley, Hunter Valley and Canberra District – are no longer under the radar. The traditional Australian style has been dissolved.
While some producers have kept their Shiraz labelling, some turned to Syrah to imply a cool, fresh European style. As much as producers enjoy juggling with names, the varietal spelling is far less important than the terroir when it comes to the wine’s features.
New Zealand has a more pronounced presence of Syrah. The Gimblett Gravels terroir within North Island’s Hawke’s Bay is perfect for the spicy, brooding style reminiscent of fine northern Rhône. It also shows its signature purity and focus, rendering the deep peppery fruit and plushness that a fine Hawke’s Bay Syrah offers.
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One of most important wineries that produces Syrah in Chile, Apalta Montes.[/caption]
In Chile, the diversity of Syrah is getting mapped out. Wines from the Central Valley, especially Colchagua and Maipo, are fleshier and more voluptuous. Syrah from Limari shows savouriness and blue fruit. We’re also very pleased with the Syrah from Casablanca and San Antonio Valley, both of which are acclaimed sources for cool- climate expressions of the grape, some reminiscent of an outstanding Côte Rôtie or Hermitage.
“Syrah is indeed very promising here in the valley,” says Meinerd Bloem, chief winemaker of Casas del Bosque in Casablanca. “The subtlety and spicy fruit render an intellectual expression of the grape.”
Back in the Northern Hemisphere, California is now an aspiring contender for great Syrah/Shiraz. Along with Santa Barbara, wineries in Napa and Sonoma are attempting great wines with this spicy variety. And Washington State is producing some rock ’n’ roll Syrahs that some of the New World fruit drive, but with an underlying Old World reserve and green notes. This may be the best place to make Syrah in the entire United States.
Italy also has its regions for Syrah, with Tuscany taking more of the spotlight. Most of the best are made on the Tuscan coast, but areas between Florence and Tuscany – as well as near Cortona – make spicy and complex reds. I’ve even had a number of noteworthy Syrahs from Sicily.
Today, to be Syrah or Shiraz is no longer a question. As producers focus more on expressing their own terroir with this grape, the future of Syrah will be more diverse than ever. Nor do I believe what some sommeliers and wine merchants in America say about Syrah being hard to sell. Open a glorious bottle of Syrah from any of the best regions in the world and enjoy – and marvel at their unique character and greatness. More and more people in the world, especially in Asia, are enjoying excellent Syrah.
James Suckling's Top 8 Sensational Syrahs
Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Landonne 2015
This is a profound wine, offering really striking depth of aromas and flavours with a resonance that really stops you still. Dark stones, ripe dark plums and blackberries, liquorice, sarsaparilla, orange peel and cloves with still more spices floating in the midst.
Score: 100
Tyrell's Shiraz Hunter Valley Old Patch 1867 2014
These are tricky wines to taste. The purity and finesse are at work here, alongside perfectly shaped structure and pitched ripeness; it's deceptively silky and seductive. The nose has the sort of bottomless depth of ripe red and dark plum fruit aromas that you only find in the very best wines. So profound and so alluring, a weapon of mass seduction in a glass.
Score: 100
Colgin Cellars Syrah Napa Valley IX Estate 2015
Smelling this takes my breath away. Cloves, flora, metal shavings, blackberries and smoked meat. Mandarin zest, too. Full body with a perfect balance of ultra-fine tannins and great complexity. Goes on for minutes. Sets a new standard of Syrah for California.
Score: 100
Le Macchiole Bolgheri Scrio 2015
The depth of aroma takes your breath away with bark. tea leaves, peppermint, dried rosemary, thyme, sage, pressed violets, cedar, crème de cassis, blackcurrants and lavender. Full body, layer upon layer of fruit of every colour on the spectrum, pinpoint acidity and a finish that seems endless.
Score: 100
Clonakilla Shiraz Canberra District Shiraz Viognier 2015
This is a rare beauty: a Syrah-based wine that delivers power in an elegant way. The aromatic spectrum is vast, from fine musky florals to white pepper and almost every imaginable spice. Then an incredibly exuberant explosion of boysenberries, raspberries and cherries of every shade takes centre stage as well as red to blue to purple plums. It is full of life.
Score: 99
Trinity Hill Syrah Hawke's Bay Homage 2014
A beautifully articulated edition of this Hawke's Bay Syrah that's loaded with potential. It's a strong vintage that's been cleverly crafted into a thoroughbred wine, packed with spicy and complex interest on the nose: blackberries, cloves, anise, pepper, some dark stony notes and crushed purple flowers. Still frisky and full of youthful, snappy appeal.
Score: 98
Matetic Syrah Valle de San Antonio 2012
This is an unbelievable red with sublime tannin texture and mind- bending depth and finesse. The nose shows granite, slate, blackberry, blueberry, and lavender aromas. Full body yet agile and harmonious. Only 350 cases made. Drink or hold. Made from biodynamic grapes. Spectacular. Could this be the La Turque of Chile?
Score: 97
Montes Syrah Valle de Apalta Folly 2016
Incredibly complex with sweet- tobacco, iron, blackberry, black-olive and dried- strawberry aromas. Full body, ultra-refined tannins and a rich finish. Harvested before the rains. Juicy tannins. Very structured and big style but shows balance. Drink or hold.
Score: 96
The post James Suckling’s Top 8 Wines of the Syrah Variety appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.