gilbert & gaillard's wine magazine

Contents

CONTENTS

COLUMNS

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL MAY 2010 3

11-12PARIS LIFE

13NEW YORK LIFE

14TOKYO LIFE

15-18NEWS

36-37STARS AND WINES

• Johnny Depp: “I fell in love with France at first sight”

• Hugh Grant: “When I drink a good bottle, I take notes”

46-51WINE GROWER PORTRAITS• Thierry Delaunay: blending

tradition and modernity• Franck Nicaise of

Champagne Abelé• Domaine Jessiaume:

a fondness for fine wine bears fruit in Burgundy

52-53ORGANIC NEWSCorrens - France’s first organic village

68-71TRAVEL• Bordeaux - an unforgettable

experience• Champagne - a day in paradise

72-77FAMILY BUSINESS• Roederer: the road to today• Paul Ricard: an incredible

success story• Skalli: a tale of three generations

84-85WINE QUOTATIONSChina goes mad for Lafite

86-87EXPORTChina: Asia’s biggest wine market

106-107ORGANIC NEWSMillton Vineyards, New Zealand’sbiodynamic pioneers and champions of Chenin Blanc

108-113RECOMMENDED WINES

GILBERT & GAILLARD

WINE INTERNATIONAL

SUBSCRIPTIONS2 YEARS 43.90 € - 1 YEAR 23.60 €

SEE PAGES 8 AND 29

WINE INTERNATIONAL

NEXT ISSUE COMING OUT

SEPTEMBER 2010

36 46

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4 GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL MAY 2010

CONTENTS

ContentsREPORTS

20TASTING

21WINE ONLINE

22-34COVER STORY

• Hong Kong: Grape Expectations• Hong Kong: Fragrant Harbour

38-45HISTORY OF THE VINEYARDS

• Will Gamay replace Pinot Noir in Burgundy?

• Champagne: where did it all begin?

54-67QUALITY FACTORS

• Saint-Emilion and Pomerol:terroir and more

• The mosaic of Languedoc-Roussillon terroirs

• Global warming: should we be worried about our wines?

78-83WINE AND FOOD

• L’Arpège - the passion of Alain Passard

• Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester

88-105REGION

• The magic of Cognac• California -

the American Eldorado• Burgundy - a story of

fragmentation

PLEASE GIVE US YOURFEEDBACK

[email protected]

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THIS MAGAZINEIS PRINTED ON RECYCLABLE

PAPER

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FRANÇOIS GILBERT


Traditionally consumed locally, wine has seen

its sphere of influence continually expand over time.

To take the example of Europe, in the 19th century, wine

first made its way to the rapidly-growing cities, where it

brought solace to those arriving to look for work during

the Industrial Revolution. Then, in the wake of several

exceptional vintages during the course of the

20th century, certain wines, such as Bordeaux crus,

as well as major Champagnes and ports,

experienced a growth in export that has been virtually

constant. Now, at the beginning of the third

millennium, a huge, more distant new market has

surfaced to make Western producers drool: Asia.

In the centre of this empire lies China, a vast country

with a booming economy and a population of

more than a billion; a country whose currently low

wine consumption is increasing exponentially.

According to growth forecasts, the consumption of wine

in Asia (not including Japan) is set to double by 2017,

which will make China the eighth largest wine market in

the world. This goes some way to explain the wine

industry’s current passion for this part of the world,

where until recently tea had the clear advantage

over wine!

François GilbertEditorial director

www.gilbertgaillard.com

Asia: tomorrow’smajor market?

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PHILIPPE GAILLARD


Wine has become very fashionable. The number of wine drinkers has increased over the pastten years in more than 160 countries and is set to continue to grow in coming years. In English-speakingcountries, which long ago became converts to Bacchus - in particular the United States - the youngergeneration has adopted wine with enthusiasm. In Asia, where there is record-breaking economic growth,wine consumption is soaring. The same is true for Russia,and is predicted for India.

But which wines are these new enthusiasts drinking? In many countries, domestic production is growing andimports are increasing - even booming. Distribution networks are developing in parallel: importers, specialistwine shops, restaurants and bars, retailers, online shopping -the channels are multiplying rapidly. Make no mistake, itis these professionals who are key in creating supply andselecting the wines that consumers can buy. Keeping theseprofessionals informed, guiding them by supplying themwith quality sources, offering them a view of wine thattakes into account terroir and art de vivre: these are theaims that drive this magazine. To this end, Gilbert & Gaillard Wine International is distributed in 15 countries, in cities from London to New York,Stockholm to Berlin, Tokyo to Hong Kong, Shanghai toTaipei. The magazine is supplemented by the Gilbert & Gaillard Wine Guide, a website www.gilbertgaillard.com, and a newsletter in which we will unveil our latest tastings. Our subscribers alreadyinclude more than 15,000 importers and distributors around the world.

All our readers - experts and well-informed enthusiastsalike - share a passion for wine, and we share this passion with you. Enjoy!

Philippe GaillardEditorial director


A global vision

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SYLVAIN PATARDSYLVAIN PATARD


You are reading a new magazine - new in terms of

its content, its method of distribution and its ambitions.

It is in fact the logical evolution of a publication -

Gilbert & Gaillard - with a 20-year history. The time had

come to transform it, to give it more impetus and

increased international standing. To this end, we have

worked with internationally-recognised Michelin-starred

chefs to highlight French and world haute cuisine

(Alain Passard and Alain Ducasse are featured in

this first issue). We have also brought in an

international team of journalists, who are not only

focused on pedagogy, but on championing our vision of

European wine, based on terroir and diversity. In the

issues to come, our reporters will take you to Tokyo,

New York, Paris, London, Barcelona, San Francisco,

Moscow and beyond.

You will discover vineyards, wine producers and

important winemaking families from around the world

and visit exceptional wine-producing estates.

We will give you the latest information on the wine

market, reveal the value of prestigious bottles and

introduce you to the most prized vintages. We will also

discuss organic wines, which are gaining increasing

visibility. We will open the archives of our most

notable tastings in total transparency, comparing our

conclusions to those of our peers as well as our most

well-known American competitors. In short,

we will simply do our duty as journalists,

at your service and at the service of wine.

Sylvain PatardEditor in chief

An evolution in progress

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PARIS LIFE


Since it opened its doors in February

2009, La Société is the place to see and be

seen. With its stylish interior design by

Christian Liaigre in leather, marble and

mahogany, this attractive restaurant

attains perfection. What we dreamed of,

the Costes brothers have created, just

across from the Saint-Germain church.

The welcome is warm and sophisticated;

Alex and Giovanni and their team take

care of everything to ensure that your visit

is flawless. The range of dishes is well

conceived; all are based on excellent

ingredients and elegantly presented. The

menu changes regularly, featuring new

dishes such as spiced sea bass tartare and

new wine list, Savennières ‘Les Vieux Clos’

2008 from high priest of biodynamics

Nicolas Joly. The choice reveals the

hand of wine connoisseurs and includes,

from Provence, a cuvée from Château

d’Esclans 2009 and a magnificent white

Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Château Mont-

Redon 2008 - the perfect accompaniment

for the truffle-based dishes.

THE TRENDIEST PLACE IN PARIS?La Société4, place Saint Germain75006 ParisTel. +33 (0)1 53 63 60 60Open: everyday

Christine’s Wine Lists

“PARIS, LA BELLE VILLE, WHOSE VERY PLACE NAMES

EVOKE HISTORY...”

potatoes with truffle, as well as classics

such as the sole and ‘Salers aller-retour’ - a

gastronomic delight. The dishes reflect a

real emphasis on top-quality products. La

Société also has a fine wine list, with a

particularly good selection of wines from

Bordeaux and the Rhône Valley. In organic

wines, we noted the excellent Morgon

2008 from Marcel Lapierre, and on the

The Eiffel Tower, fantastic restaurants, beautiful people,high fashion, the Champs Elysées, the boutiques of rueSaint Honoré and avenue Montaigne, lunch at Les Hallesor in Montmartre, a weekend exploring the Left Bank...

Yes, I’m talking about Paris, la belle ville, whose veryplace names evoke history: the history of century-oldestablishments as well as trendy newcomers, and theinspired men and women behind them who invite us todiscover the wines they have chosen with passion.

Christ ine Fabre

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Close your eyes and enter a world where

time stands still, where you can experience

life as it was in the time of Proust,

Malraux, Gide or Hemingway. They have

all been here, and the place still has a

unique, artistic, politically-charged

atmosphere. The Paris of a bygone age

lives on here: nothing has changed, not

even the menu.

The wine list is to the point, and effective.

Director Claude Guittard has made a sharp

selection of châteaux and winemakers. As

an apéritif, try the amazing white

Sancerre 2008 from Florian Mollet; ideal

as a pre-dinner drink. And with the

famous pied de porc farci, grillé or boeuf

gros sel, what better than a Haut-Médoc

Château Ramage La Batisse 2001? With

the traditional and most excellent

choucroute, the Santenay 1er Cru Les

Gravières from Prosper Maufoux will be a

perfect match; ditto a glass of Hermitage

Le Chevalier de Stérimberg 2004 from

Jaboulet Ainé with the haddock poché au

beurre blanc. And on Tuesdays, for the

perfect lunch, order the blanquette de veau

with a bottle of Crystal Roederer 2002 for

175 euros; it’s the ultimate stylish food

and wine match!


PARIS LIFE

Christine’s Wine Lists(book, in fact!) includes a selection of

more than 400 wines, with exceptional

value for money and a choice of old vintages

to make the top Parisian restaurants

envious.

The best word to describe the Pharamond

is ‘generous’: delicious, well-presented

and ample dishes, a warm welcome - and

a unique choice of magnums and

jeroboams. Amongst the latter, I couldn’t

resist the offerings from the Loire Valley: a

Saumur Blanc from Domaine du Collier

that had extraordinary finesse, and a magnum

of Anjou 2005 from Jo Pithon (so easy for

two to drink). The Burgundies are also

tastefully chosen, such as Racines du

Temps 2004 from Domaine René Bouvier

in Gevrey-Chambertin, and the wines of

Nicolas Rossignol. Not to mention the

wines of André Romero at Domaine de la

Soumade in Rasteau (Rhône Valley),

which have amazing richness and

complexity. Although few have the chance

to visit the vaulted stone wine cellar that

houses all these treasures, the Pharamond

is no doubt one of the finest places in

Paris to share a convivial meal.

It’s amazing how well this upscale French

brasserie captures the spirit of Saint

Germain des Prés. Founded in 1880,

Brasserie Lipp is one of the most famous

restaurants in Paris - indeed, in the world.

Established in 1832, the Pharamond

restaurant was listed as a historical

monument in 1988. It was taken over

three years ago by a dynamic and welcoming

young couple, Sylvain and Dominique. In

the kitchen, Sylvain - a former sommelier

at reputed restaurant L’Ami Louis - shows

equal care in conceiving his dishes as his

wine list, selecting French products of

excellent quality, such as meat from

Normandy. The restaurant excels in

traditional and seasonal French cuisine.

In the dining room, Dominique gives

well-informed advice on choosing your

meal as well as your wine. The wine list

AN ALL-TIME FAVOURITE

Pharamond24, rue de la Grande Truanderie75001 ParisTel. +33 (0)1 40 28 45 18Open: everyday except Sundayand Monday

BRASSERIE LIPP CELEBRATES ITS

130TH ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR

Brasserie Lipp151, boulevard Saint Germain75006 ParisTel. +33 (0)1 45 48 72 93Director: Claude GuittardOpen: everyday

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The city that never sleeps is also America’s lifestyle capital:from hip restaurants and trendy bars to the most happeningwine stores, our feature will tell you everything you need toknow to get the very best out of the Big Apple!

In the heart of New York’s East Village, theBourgeois Pig wine bar, with its low-lit,intimate ‘French salon’ decor, is an idealplace to spend a summer or winter evening,comfortably settled in one of its plush,velvety seats. One of the bar’s uniqueattributes is its exclusively French winelist: in its own words, “From Alsace toProvence, from the traditional to theinnovative, we venerate the wines ofFrance.” You could start with a 2005 Buzetfrom Domaine de la Croix ($36), with itssoft texture and subtly spicy aroma. If thetemperature rises, treat yourself toOlivier Leflaive’s splendid PulignyMontrachet ‘Cuvée Margot’ 2006 ($60).Its exemplary balance and crispness are aperfect match for the wine bar’s generouscheese and charcuterieplates. If it is cold,you could warm up

NEW YORK LIFE


Guillaume’s Hot Spots

with one of the six varieties of fondueson offer. The range of wines is vast, wellchosen and suitable for all budgets. OnMondays and Tuesdays, the BourgeoisPig has an excellent deal, offering all ofits bottles at half-price. This means youcan do the unthinkable in New York andenjoy a 2007 Châteauneuf du Pape fromDomaine Roger Perrin for less than $50.

winemakers with a personal history andmore ‘soul’ than the big distributors,which appeals more to consumers.

A few notable independent wine shops inNew York:

A TASTE OF FRANCE IN NEW YORK

Bourgeois Pig111, East 7th Street(between 1st Avenue & Avenue A) New York, NY 10009Tel. +1 212 475 2246 www.bourgeoispigny.com

SELLING WINE FOR THE LOVE OF IT

Manhattan & Brooklyn

Today, there is an abundance of ways forAmericans to discover the pleasures ofwine: books, wine guides, websites, wineclasses and more. Faced with this ever-expanding number of options (and itsreminder that the United States is set tobecome the largest wine consumer in theworld by 2012), wine buyers can be easilyoverwhelmed. The perfect antidote is anew breed of small, local wine shops thathave appeared in Manhattan, Brooklynand Queens in recent years. Theseindependent wine sellers are not onlydemanding in their selection of wines,but build up a relationship with theircustomers by listening attentively to theirneeds. Most of these neighbourhoodwine shops focus mainly on small

Gui l laume Gi lbert

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ManhattanALPHABET CITY WINE COMPANY100, Avenue C (7th Street) Tel. +1 212 505 9463 A large selection of wines at affordable prices. CALIFORNIA WINE MERCHANTS15, Bridge Street (Whitehall) Tel. +1 212 785 7285Specialises in California wines. SEPTEMBER WINES100, Stanton Street (Ludlow Street)Tel. +1 212 388 0770TINTO FINO85, 1st Avenue (East 5th Street) Tel. +1 212 254 0850 Specialises in Spanish wines.

BrooklynDOC WINE SHOP147, Broadway (Bedford Avenue) Tel. +1 718 388 0087UVA WINES199, Bedford Avenue (North 6th Street),Tel. +1 718 963 3939The young and friendly team organises wine tastings every week.

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Greetings! Or as we say in Japan, "Hajime-mashite”(pleased to meet you)! My name is Walid Haddad, I ama French-Lebanese national and Japan has been myhome since 1991. The most exciting part of living in amegapolis like Tokyo is that there are always newstories to tell, new places to discover and interestingpeople to meet.

I headed for the Ginza luxury district, just

next to the Mikimoto pearls showroom. I

found Tokyo’s landmark, but I just had to

try Kimuraya Japanese Tea Salon. I am not a

great fan of desserts, but I sampled their

azuki (sweet red bean) pie with matcha

(green tea) sorbet: it was a true delight.


TOKYO LIFE

Walid's trendy places

LE PREVERRE

Omote-sando

4F Gyre Bldg 5-10-1 Jingumae,Shibuya-kuTel. +81 (0)3 3486 1603www.lepreverre.com

KIMURAYA

JAPANESE TEA SALON

5-7, Ginza 4-chome, Chuo-kuTel. +81 (0)3 3535 9677www.ginzakimuraya.jp

LE MANOIR D’INNO

Mr Tsuruoka

4-1-13 Shibuya, Shibuya-kuTel. +81 (0)3 3406 0200www.manoirdinno.com

who suggested a 2003 Charmes-Chambertin

to accompany an exquisite Noisette d’agneau

en croûte Maria Callas.

With the smell of spring in the air, I felt like

dining somewhere with a garden. I followed

a tip and discovered a great address serving

exclusive wines and outstanding meals, Le

Manoir d’Inno. I was greeted by Mr

Tsuruoka, a French-speaking sommelier,

Strolling down omote-sando street, I asked

an office lady where to have lunch; she

suggested a place called Le Preverre. The

view from this restaurant was splendid.

I ordered the main dish, a filet of suzuki

(Japanese seabass) with a bottle of 2005

Champalou Vouvray Clos du Portail.

Walid Haddad

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NEWS


DIJON INVADES NEW YORK!

In the company of François Rebsamen,the mayor of Dijon, a large delegationwent to New York in February to promote‘the best of Burgundy culture’ as part ofthe Dijon Must’art campaign. Thecontext? The Metropolitan Museum ofArt’s launch of the exhibition of TheMourners: Medieval Tomb Sculpturesfrom the Court of Burgundy, masterpiecesof sculpture from the late Middle Agesliberated after centuries to cross the

ITS NAME IS TSARSKAYA

Since 2005, this special cupped oyster,entirely cultivated at Cancale in Brittany,has been available from the French oysterproducer Les Parcs Saint-Kerber. Tsarskayaoysters are top grade (1, 2 and 3) and havethe salty, iodine taste of the sea, with alingering flavour. They are meaty and havea characteristic firm consistency. Les ParcsSaint-Kerber has been a family businesssince 1930, developing its export market inthe 1970s. Today, François-Joseph Pichotand Stéphan Alleaume ship their oysters

to more than 70 countries, supplyingrenowned chefs and other clients thatdemand exceptional quality.

Indicative prices (excluding shipping costs)• 50 grade 1 oysters - 44.90 euros• 50 or 24 grade 2 oysters

41 euros or 22.50 euros• 50 or 36 grade 3 oysters

31 euros or 24.40 eurosLes Parcs Saint-Kerber, 35260 Cancale,France - Tel. +33 (0)2 99 89 65 29

Atlantic. This is the first time they haveleft Dijon’s Musée des Beaux-Arts.Artists, musicians, chefs and winemakersparticipated in the events, whichincluded a tasting of Dominique Galloisand Humbert Frères wines (which sharethe same importer, WildStone) at theFrench Consulate, the last plot of ‘Frenchsoil’ in New York, where guests enjoyed asuperb Gevrey-Chambertin 2003 madeby Dominique Gallois. G. G.

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NEWS

A LIGHTER BOTTLE OF

CHAMPAGNE The Interprofessional Committee ofChampagne Wines has announced theofficial launch of a new bottle that willhelp to reduce its carbon emissions. Thebottle’s weight has been decreased from900 grammes to 835 grammes, whichreduces its carbon footprint by 8,000tonnes (the equivalent of emissions from4,000 cars). Working in collaboration with

This is the amount ineuros spent by a passenger

on purchases at Paris’sCharles de Gaulle airportin Terminal 2E’s Pure andRare shop. Before boardinga flight for Abidjan, Côte

d’Ivoire, the passengerbought, among otherthings, a jeroboam ofRomanée Conti 1986

(25,000 euros), a La TâcheGrand Cru 2004 and aMontrachet Grand Cru2001. “The transaction

went rather quickly. Whilespeaking on her mobile,

the passenger searched fora particular vintage wine,

found it, then discussed itbriefly with her caller, whowas apparently convinced,”

explained Olivier Onckeletand Serge Chiron from

Pure and Rare.

French glass manufacturers, extensivestudies were carried out to test the 835-gramme bottle from a technical point ofview. By choosing this new lighter bottle,Champagne wine producers have taken afurther step in their commitment toreducing their carbon footprint 25% bythe year 2020. This weight reduction fromthe current 900-gramme bottle is themaximum decrease possible withoutsignificantly modifying the Champagnebottle’s characteristic dimensions. Thedifference is almost imperceptible to theeye, and the glass manufacturers guaranteethat the 835-gramme bottle is equally sound.Contact: www.champagne.fr

BLEND JEANJEAN AND

LAROCHE TO MAKE ADVINI Following the completion of the mergerbetween JeanJean and Michel Laroche,the new company will be called Advini. Ithas 1,450 hectares of vines in France andother parts of the world, including Chileand South Africa.

Taking over the family vineyards in 1976,Michel Laroche transformed the familywine business in Chablis from six hectaresto more than 130 hectares as well asopening a hotel in Chablis - l’Hôtel duVieux Moulin. Laroche also has othervineyard ventures - Mas La Chevalière(south of France), L’Avenir (Stellenbosch,South Africa) and Viña Punto Alto(Casablanca, Chile). Nearing retirement ,Michel decided to merge with JeanJean. J. B.

Grand total:29,700

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NEWS


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NEWS

SENTENCES

IN THE FAKE PINOT NOIR

SCANDAL

In March 2008 the French fraud squaduncovered a huge scam – the equivalent16.6 million bottles of fake Vin de Paysd’Oc Pinot Noir sold to American companiesConstellation Wines and Gallo for a profit of7 million euros. On 17th February theCarcassonne court sentenced the 12 foundguilty. The largest fine, 180,000 euros,was levied against Sieur d’Arques (Limouxcooperative). J. B.

SALON DES VINS

DE LOIRE 2010

WINE BLOGGERS TROPHY

The following were the winners of thisyear’s awards: “La plus belle plume” (bestwriter): Hervé Lalau with “ChroniquesVineuses” http://hlalau.skynetblogs.be;best design: Aurélia Filion with “Bu sur leWeb" (http://busurleweb.com); also votedthe most popular; most interactive:Emmanuel Delmas with "Sommelier Vins"http://sommelier-vins.com; best blog withthe accent on the Loire: JacquesBerthomeau with www.berthomeau.com;and the best blog: Anne-LaurenceChadronnier with “Rouge, Blanc, Bulles“http://rougeblancbulles.blogspot.com J. B.

In February, Maker's Mark, the world’soldest operating bourbon distillery,was named the official bourbon of the2010 World Equestrian Games to beheld 2 5 S e p t e m b e r - 10 O c t o b e rat Lexington’s Kentucky Horse Park.“Our Maker's Mark traditions and heri-tage are rooted in Kentucky, which iswhy we’re so thrilled to be a partner ofthe World Equestrian Games,” said Bill

MAKER’S MARK BACK THE RIGHT HORSE

Samuels Jr, President and ChiefExecutive Officer of Maker's Mark.“Bourbon and horses are a natural pair -especially in Kentucky.” Kentucky’s FirstLady, Jane Beshear, also noted thesignificance of the announcement,noting that “Bourbon is a part of thefabric of Kentucky and Maker’s Mark isa world-class spirit.” We agree that thishonour is well deserved!

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TASTING

James started off in the

wine trade in London, where

he graduated at the Wine &

Spirit Education Trust, then

moved to France in 1987. He

i s a much-apprec i a t ed

speaker at wine events, does

wine consultancy work and

has published a number of

books on the subject, notably

the Grandeur Nature series.

James Turnbull's choice

SAVENNIÈRES A.C. SCORE

Domaine FL Le Parc 2007 93/100

ALSACE GEWURZTRAMINER A.C.

Domaine Jean Sipp Cuvée Carole 2008 92/100

ALSACE PINOT GRIS A.C.

Domaine Schaeffer Philippe Sélection de grains nobles (50 cl)

Fronholz 2005 92/100

MARSANNAY A.C.

Fougeray de Beauclair Cuvée Prestige

Louis Bertigny 2007 89/100

QUINCY A.C.

Jacques Rouzé Collection

L'Auguste 2008 89/100

SANCERRE A.C.

Domaine Serge Laporte Millésime 2009 89/100

In each issue, two members of Gilbert & Gaillard’s tastingcommittee, Olivier Delorme and James Turnbull, present thebest wines from chosen winemakers.

Olivier, a member of

the Gilber t & Gai l lard

tasting committee since

1 9 9 5 , i s a c o n s u l t a n t

sommelier. The service of

wines and the pairing of

wines with food are his

fields of expertise.

Olivier Delorme's choice

RIVESALTES A.C. SCORE

Domaine de Rancy Ambré 1993 95/100

POUILLY-FUMÉ A.C.

Château de Tracy 101 Rangs 2008 94/100

LANGUEDOC LA CLAPE A.C.

Domaine des Karantes Diamant 2006 93/100

SAINT-CHINIAN A.C.

Château Saint Martin des Champs

Cuvée Mathieu 2004 93/100

CAHORS A.C.

Château Haut-Monplaisir Pur Plaisir 2007 92/100

SAUTERNES A.C.

Château Filhot Millésime 2007 92/100

Top picks from our tasters

See the detailed comments on all these wines on our website: www.gilbertgaillard.com

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WINE ONLINE


Anoteworthy site presented

by the attract ive yet

truculent Aurélia from

Quebec, who describes herself as

“crazy about wine, and passionate

about taste.” In her videos she presents

wines from the four corners of the

world in her delightful québécois

French, with a spontaneity that is

both refreshing and disarming. A

simple and straightforward approach

that will doubtless resonate with

wine lovers worldwide. Bravo!

The latest wine news on the web, plus the most interesting,deserving and original sites dedicated to wine - everything youneed to know to surf like an expert.

Our favourite wine websites

ALOXE-CORTON A.C.

Domaine Nudant

Clos de la Boulotte 2007

Cherry-red colour with ruby-red tints. Ripe raspberry anddelicate, slightly toasted woodform the nose. A full, ethereal style with fine, meltedsubstance and clean fruit expression. Very stylish.

91/100

BEAUMES DE VENISE A.C.

Vignobles Balma Venitia

Dom Venitia 2009Fine dark, violet-tinged colour.Intense, fruity nose of blackcur-rant and wild plum. Youthfuland still a little firm in themouth. Fine fruit, tannins still atouch raw. A wine which should harmonize in time.

84/100

VACQUEYRAS A.C.

Domaine des Amouriers

Les Genestes 2007

Deep colour with crimson shades.Layered nose of ripe red and blackfruits over a mineral, slightly spicybackground. Full attack, restrained power and a mellow,round sensation. Full, ample finish. A wine of character.

88/100Gilbert & Gaillard

Wine InternationalSelection

BUSURLEWEB.COM

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COVER STORY

Hong KongGRAPE EXPECTATIONS

BY EDWARD PETERS, FROM HONG-KONG

CH

INA

the region’s largest and most respectedcelebration of all things grape. Originallyestablished by the Bordeaux Chamber ofCommerce and Industry, Vinexpo returnsto Hong Kong in May 2010, and with acertain measure of excitement, as Chinaand Hong Kong have been declared themain markets of growth in global wineconsumption.

More than 9,000 professional visitorsincluding importers, wholesalers, foodand beverage managers, sommeliers,restaurateurs, hyper- and supermarketbuyers are expected to attend Vinexpofrom this fast-developing region ofconsumers.“Asia, and particularly China, have become

key growth markets for the world’s wine and spirits industry,”says Robert Beynat, chief executive of Vinexpo Asia-Pacific.

It is well known that with a population of more than one billion,China is a huge market. The monied elite - that is, those who wouldconsider drinking wine and have the money to pay for it - stillnumber only a small proportion. However, a gradual trickle-downeffect is steadily increasing the ranks of the middle classes. Aninnate patriotism suggests that wine produced in China is likely tobe the best, both from a point of view of taste and savoir faire. Yetthere is also a distinct market for wine from Europe and other partsof the world, and if the price is higher then this merely adds a

Picture the scene: a Europeanwinemaker has shipped a selectionof his finest vintages to China,

negotiated the rampant suspicions of theCustoms and Excise department, marshalleda coterie of wealthy young and not-so-youngexecutives who have expressed an interest inthis quaint and rather exotic foreignbeverage, and is in the process of wielding acorkscrew under the watchful eye of hisguests in a plush hotel drawing room.

The first bottle is poured. The Oenophileturns to his interpreter to elucidate thefiner points of the fruit of his labours. Butwait: his audience is looking askance at thehalf-filled glasses in front of them. Amoment of confusion - and then a waiter scurries in with a trayof Coca-Cola. A look of barely concealed horror crosses TheOenophile’s face. With a gentle sigh of relief, the novice drinkerstop up their glasses with the black fizzing bubbles and - there isno other word for it - swig. The interpreter turns to TheOenophile: “Do you have any white wine with you? Becausethey’ll want 7Up if you do.”

Such a scene would be unthinkable today: while still a statussymbol, wine drinking in Asia has progressed to hithertoundreamed-of heights of sophistication. Once every two yearsthe great and good of the Asia Pacific wine world converge for

Edward Peters

Like all the best stories, the one about The Oenophile and the Coke Drinkers isapocryphal, but it serves to illustrate the cultural divide that initially existed during theearly days of wine’s burgeoning popularity in Asia over the past couple of decades.

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soupçon of prestige tobusiness dinners and simi-lar functions. Whatever thereasons for China’s increaseddesire for wine, the figuresare little short of amazing.

A survey for Vinexpoconducted over the past twoyears by The InternationalWine and Spirits Record(IWSR) has found China,including Hong Kong, isposting the world’s highestgrowth in volumes of wineconsumed - principally8.720 million more cases of

still light wine drunk in one year. This trend repeated itself in 2009with growth of 5.29 million nine-litre cases. According to the

latest confirmed sales, China accounted for nearly 70% of all stilllight wines consumed in Asia, and 3% of total world wineconsumption in 2008, with the trend continuing in 2009. Chinahas now officially become the world’s eighth-largest wineconsumer, and the tenth-largest producer. In 2008, a grand totalof 74.97 million cases of wine, or 900 million bottles, wereconsumed in China - an 80% increase in consumption between2004 and 2008.

And the future is looking rosy. By 2013 China’s wine consumptionis predicted to increase by roughly one third, to reach 1.26 billionbottles - roughly equivalent to one bottle per adult per annum -two and a half times more than the 2004 total, making it theseventh largest wine consumer in the world. Wines “made inChina” currently account for 88.2% of the national market; thisfigure is expected to grow by a quarter by 2013. Imported winesmake up 11.8% of volume, and 40.2% of sales. Theirconsumption increased fourfold from 2004-2008 and is expectedto grow by 65.6% by 2013.

Robert Beynat

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The story across the rest of Asia is just as fascinating, according tothe Vinexpo survey. Japan is the second-largest wine-consumingnation in Asia, but with only moderate growth, while India’sgrowth is eye-catching, predicted to double by 2013. Across theregion, Asia’s wine consumption topped 110 million cases, or 1.34billion bottles, in 2008 - increasing by more than half from 2004.By 2013, consumption is expected to increase by more than 25%.

Asia-Pacific accounts for 6.6% of all wine drunk in the world, withconsumption over the decade from 2004-2013 predicted to growby more than North America over the same period. Importsaccount for 27.8% of wine consumed in Asia. However, importedwine accounts for 59.8% of the total value of wine sales.

In 2009, Japan remained the leading wine-importing nation in Asia,managing to still exceed the quadrupling of wine imports into Chinaand Hong Kong between 2004 and 2008, which was given a significantboost by the lifting of import duty on wine in Hong Kong.

The value of Asian wine sales reached US$7 billion in 2009. Andby 2013 Asian wine sales are forecast to more than double, averaging11.5% annual growth. Sparkling wine consumption in Asia grewsharply from 2004 to 2008 by 55.96%, accounting for 7.3% oftotal world volume, however it accounted for just 3% of Asianwine sales in 2008. The Vinexpo study now forecasts that Asia’ssparkling wine consumption will increase by 10.69% betweenby 2013.

The figures show beyond dispute that wine is one of the Next BigThings in Asia, with China leading the charge. For a more detailedperspective, two importers provide an intimate look at the ins andouts of supplying wine to a fast-growing market. For the past tenyears American Ian Ford and New Zealander Brendan O’Toole

CHINA HAS NOW OFFICIALLY BECOME THEWORLD’S EIGHTH-LARGEST WINE CONSUMER,

AND THE TENTH-LARGEST PRODUCER.

THE CHAMPAGNE MARKET IS TINY - LESS THAN100,000 CASES PER YEAR

have been dedicated to introducing Chinese palates to the world’sfine wines via their company Summergate.

“It’s been pretty much a straight line upwards, despite the globalfinancial downturn in 2008,” says Mr O’Toole, who, like his partner,had many years of experience living and working in the beverageindustry in China before setting up Summergate. “Prior to thedownturn, China experienced freak weather, a devastating earthquake,riots in Tibet, and bomb threats, and then severe visa restrictionswere imposed on foreigners prior to the Olympics. But despite allthat, we still saw the business grow, although there was a dip inpremium imported brands.”

Summergate carries an impressive portfolio, representing - fromFrance - such labels as Jean-Pierre Moueix, William Fèvre, Hugel & Fils,and Pierre Duval. The New World is also well accounted for, andthe company even has a relationship with Château Musar inLebanon. “We are here for the long term, looking at 40 or 50years,” adds Mr O’Toole, with a touch of pride. “We are buildingour marketing and distribution networks, focussing on organicgrowth, and are currently opening four new offices, including onein Xiamen, where we first decided to form Summergate.”

But what are Chinese drinking? Of the four million cases thatSummergate ships from France every year, roughly a third comesfrom Bordeaux. And it is “face” - that is, prestige - rather than tastethat is influencing buying decisions.

“Overall, the market is still very immature, lacking in brand awarenessand appreciation,” says Mr O’Toole. “Chinese drinkers look at theprice or the name as a guide - they enjoy what they think they aremeant to enjoy. It’s strange that if you conduct an open tastingbetween a Bordeaux and a Cabernet, they’ll say they like the

Mr & Mrs Fergus Fung

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ASIA-PACIFIC ACCOUNTS FOR 6.6% OF ALL WINE DRUNK IN THE WORLD, WITH CONSUMPTIONOVER THE DECADE FROM 2004-2013 PREDICTED TO GROW BY MORE THAN NORTH AMERICA OVER

THE SAME PERIOD. IMPORTS ACCOUNT FOR 27.8% OF WINE CONSUMED IN ASIA. HOWEVER,IMPORTED WINE ACCOUNTS FOR 59.8% OF THE TOTAL VALUE OF WINE SALES.

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The company’s stable of around 100 wineries includes such namesto conjure with as Beringer Vineyards from the Napa Valley,Kendall-Jackson Vineyards from Sonoma, Wolf Blass and Penfoldsfrom South Australia, Angelo Gaja, Ruffino, Banfi and Masi fromItaly, Santa Rita and Bodega Norton from South America,Champagne Bollinger and Champagne Ayala, Louis Jadot fromBurgundy, E. Guigal from the Rhône Valley, and most top-classifiedgrowth wines from Bordeaux, including Château Latour, ChâteauHaut Brion and Château Cos d’Estournel.

The company’s early days were a hard slog, but it is now regarded asone of the premier importers. “The first four to five years wereextremely difficult, primarily because there was no distributionchannel we could sell into,” says Don St. Pierre Junior. “We neededto find good customers everywhere in China. Wherever there was afive star hotel, we needed to be able to supply it. Also, findingpeople that knew anything about wine was virtually impossible. Wesimply had to hire on character and then teach people about wine.”

For a taste of the shape of things to come as far as China and winedrinking is concerned, look no further than Grace Vineyard in Shanxiprovince, west of Beijing, which ironically is best known as the crux

Bordeaux. Make it a blind tasting, and they’ll pick the Cabernet!It’s really quite a paradox. What is being drunk at the moment isnot great quality in the main. Burgundy is not really appreciated.The reason for Bordeaux’s popularity is solely down to its prestige.Chinese are aware of the heritage, if not the precise details, anddrink it as it makes a statement, and think it conveys success andsophistication. Likewise, the Champagne market is still tiny, lessthan 100,000 cases a year. It’s Moët, Veuve Clicquot, Mumm -dominant brands for which there is no real appreciation, andlittle understanding. But this will change in time. Talk to somewine drinkers, and they are passionate about learning about wine.It will just take a wine celebrity or two, a few years generaleducation, and you’ll see Chinese wine drinkers trading up tobetter quality and better brands.”

Wine importers in China may be a select band, but they are allagreed on one thing: you need to know that although China is ahuge market, it does not necessarily follow that you are going to behuge in China. Very much in the first rank, ASC Fine Wines wasestablished by the St. Pierre family (a father and son team), and hassince expanded rapidly. Focusing on high quality labels, ASCimports more than 1,200 different wines from 15 countries.

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of the People’s Republic’s coal industry. Significantly however, thearea enjoys the same latitude as Bordeaux and the Napa Valley.

Enter Chan Chun Keung, a stellar example of China’s new breed ofrags-to-riches tycoon, with grand visions and a grand design. In1997, in partnership with Sylvain Janvier of France, Mr Chan foundedhis vineyard, which currently covers a mere 68 hectares. From 11varieties initially imported from France, the crop now mainly coversCabernet Sauvignon, with some Cabernet Franc, Merlot,Chardonnay, Riesling, Chenin Blanc and Marselan. The first vintagewas produced in 2001, and the following year Grace’s CabernetSauvignon was awarded an honourable mention at the ConcoursMondial in Brussels - a giant stride for such a fledgling operation.And in 2007, Grace picked up a similar honour at the DecanterWorld Wine Awards for its Chairman’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

“Since the planting of the vines ten years ago, the distinctive resultswe obtained have strengthened our belief that China is also capableof producing wines with unique characteristics,” says Judy LeissnerChan Fong, Mr Chan’s daughter, who gave up her job with GoldmanSachs to work at Grace. “We have confidence that in the near future,our grapes will continue to reinforce the terroir in our wines.”

Mr Chan is by no means the only person to have realised mainlandChina’s winemaking potential. Domaines Barons de Rothschild(DBR) has snapped up 25 hectares of land near Penglai inShandong, roughly 500 kilometres south of the capital, in a jointventure with Citic, a powerful insurance and investmentconglomerate. DBR - captivated by China’s affinity for Bordeaux -has stated it wants to reap similar success to that enjoyed by exportingits prescription for fine wine to Chile and California, where it hasnurtured first class vineyards on what previously was barren terrain.A mapping project to establish what sort of vines should be plantedwhere in Shandong is nearing completion, which will conclude thefirst part of a project DBR has been nurturing since the 1980s.

In a similar vein, ten years ago Nicolas Billot-Grima, of ChâteauLaroche Pipeau in southwest France, fixed his sights on a patch ofland a short distance from the Great Wall of China. The area waspractically barren, and shunned by local farmers, subject to fiercewinds and freezing temperatures in winter. Nothing daunted, heset up Château Tayshi, and by 2004 had produced his firstChardonnay. “We turned stones into gold, it was amazing” says anexcited Mr Billot-Grima. “We don’t want to be big - we just wantto produce quality wine.”

After initial qualms, the local authorities have taken to the winemaking project with alacrity, and plans are in hand to create a winetourism highway, attracting visitors with vineyard visits, deluxerestaurants and boutique hotels. For wineries like Grace, being“home grown” at a time when the country is experiencing anupswing in prosperity is regarded as highly favourable. Like

Mr Chan - who during the Cultural Revolution was sent toMongolia to work as a shepherd, and at one stage had only a fewdollars to his name- many of Grace’s best customers have becomewealthy only recently, and are anxious to show that their riches arenot in inverse proportion to their savoir faire.

“A lot of our customers are coal mine owners, and the one thing theyhate is for people to think they have money but no knowledge orclass,” says Judy Chan. “That’s why people around here always orderGrace, to demonstrate that they know what they’re drinking.” Wineindustry commentators acknowledge that Grace is one of the mostaggressive of mainland wineries when it comes to taking on theinternational market, and it is currently expanding its operations toXian, the former capital and starting point for the Silk Road, as wellas to Henan, Liaoning and Ningxia provinces.

For anyone doubting the potential of Chinese wine, it is worthremembering that not so many years ago Californian wine was regardedas little more than grape juice with a leavening of alcohol, and drunkby those who could afford nothing else. Then in 1976 a Californianwine won out over leading French producers in a blind tasting. NapaValley has never looked back.

The most famous hotel on Hong Kong Island is also the oldest, andfor more than half a century the Mandarin Oriental, plumb in themiddle of the Central business district, has been dispensing itsunique brand of hospitality to the rich and famous and those whoaspire to either or both categories. Secluded deep within its interioris a relatively recent innovation - The Krug Room - a private diningroom seating no more than 12 guests, with a bird’s eye view of thekitchen and a hotline to chef Uwe Opocensky. There is no menu:chef simply creates each evening’s dinner according to whim andinspiration. Yet every course is accompanied by a different Krug,drawn from a cellar reputed to hold the largest collection of suchChampagnes outside France. The venue is pricey and ultra exclusive,indicative perhaps of Champagne’s positioning in Hong Kong andby extension in China as a whole.

“The Krug Room is the ultimate dining experience that showcasesthe essence of Krug - the brand - through the location, the interiordesign, the tableware, the team managing the room, the food,and of course its unbeatable wine list,” says Li Cheng, seniormarketing manager Champagne and Wine for Moet HennessyDiageo Hong Kong Ltd. Handling her company’s operations inHong Kong and the neighbouring former Portuguese colonyMacau, Ms. Li estimates annual Champagne consumption isaround 52,000 cases - principally Moët & Chandon - a relativelysmall amount for such a wealthy area with a populationapproaching ten million.

Hong Kong gave the world of Champagne a jolt in 2008 when abottle of 1928 Krug set a record at auction, fetching HK$164,000

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THE KRUG ROOM IS A PRIVATE DINING ROOM.


COVER STORY

(euros 15,630) after some fierce bidding. It’s a fact that grantsMs Li - who is fond of quoting Napoleon’s aphorism: “In victory youdeserve Champagne, in defeat, you need it” - a certain amount ofrelish. “Champagne is without doubt a luxury drink. Whether it isaffordable really depends on the context,” says Ms Li. “The pricesmay not appear accessible but from a wine quality perspective, if youcompare the price of the top tier Champagne with some prestigiouswines, one may say some Champagnes are high quality wines ofgreat value. For example, for seven years between 2000 and 2009,Krug's average ratings by Wine Spectator were in general higher thanthe prestigious high end wines such as Château Ausone, Latour,Lafite, Margaux, and Pétrus.”

Ms Li notes that the abolition of tax on wine in Hong Kong was ahuge boost. “Prices became more accessible, and it enhancedconsumers’ interest in wines, as evidenced by the proliferation of wineeducation courses and tasting events. With the enhanced consumerknowledge and sophistication, Champagne is no longer perceived asonly a celebratory drink, but also a wine to be discovered by novicesand further appreciated by connoisseurs.” Ms Li emphasises anotherimportant development. “Asian food and wine pairing is subject togrowing interest. We Chinese love our food, and the diversity ofChampagnes to go with various Chinese cuisines is simply amazing.

IN MY OPINION: EDWARD PETERSWhen the first franchisees announced they were bringing theAmerican chain Pizza Hut to Hong Kong in the 1970s, old hands inthe food trade scoffed. Chinese - that is, 99% of the market - didn’teat cheese, full stop. It would never catch on. But first one outletopened, then another. Today, there are few parts of Hong Kongwithout some sort of pizza operation, their tables packed with threeor four generations tucking in with a will. The Chinese aversion todairy products seems to have gone by the board.

Another parallel might be drawn with golf, reviled as a bourgeoispastime in communist days, and a criminal waste of goodagricultural land. In 2010, there are few mainland Chineseexecutives in either the public or private sector who don’t play orwish they could. The biggest golf course in the world, Mission Hills,with 216 holes in Shenzhen just across the border from Hong Kong,attracts swarms of players. As one businessman put it: “Nowadays inChina, we talk golf in the office, and business on the course.”

And so it is with wine. At the moment it is still out of the reach of themasses, regarded by many as a curiosity, too subtle for many of thosewho pay large sums to consume it. Education is the key, growingprosperity, and time for Chinese and indeed many Asians whose earshave yet to thrill to the sound of a well-drawn cork, to appreciate thedelicious genie that awaits inside the bottle.

Many foreign vineyard owners in China tell a similar tale: come theend of the first harvest, they wanted to plough in the grapes to enrich

the soil. Their labourers, who are perhaps also renting the land to thevineyard owner, wanted to sell the grapes and realise some sort ofprofit rather than see them rot. It takes a lot of negotiation for theChinese to see the light.

And it’s a similarly laborious process building up a business inChina, whether it’s turning a barren piece of land into a profitablevineyard or importing foreign brands to brighten up wine lists whichfeature inferior domestic vintages at best. One billion gullets doesnot equal one billion dollars. Yet.

However, and this is the most important point, the auguries are setfair. The figures from the IWSR survey are inspiring to say the least.Hong Kong, still the most sophisticated wine market in China,can only drink so much in a year, however long the import dutyremains at zero. The phrase shi mao de - broadly translated asbon chic, bon genre - is starting to gain greater provenance right theway across the Mainland. And with boutique vineyards like Gracestarting to make a name for themselves, it can only a matter oftime before China carves out a name for itself as the “new” NewWorld of wine. After all, Mao Tse Tung said: The East is Red.Perhaps he was alluding to Cabernet.

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While at first sight Hong Kong is a vast metropolis, closer examination reveals it is in fact a

series of villages, although many of them tend to the vertical. And there are few residential

areas without a corner shop, selling essential Chinese staples, be they noodles or 1,000-year-old

eggs. A recent addition to their stock is a corner devoted largely to red wine, not vintage to be

sure, but still a very palatable alternative to traditional alcoholic beverages such as mao tai,

which is distilled from fermented sorghum.

Three factors have contributed to wine’s grass roots popularity: red is traditionally a lucky colour;

an American television documentary - widely aired on Chinese channels - declared that red wine

was beneficial to health; and an increasingly cosmopolitan outlook towards foreign food and drink.

COVER STORY


Hong KongFRAGRANT HARBOUR

BY EDWARD PETERS, FROM HONG-KONG

CH

INA

WATSON'S WINE CELLAR

3019 IFC Mall8 Finance StreetCentralTel. +852 2530 [email protected]

While the wines sold on the street corners of Hong Kong

might barely rate as vin de table in France, the same cannot

be said for those sold by major wine retailers, like Watson’s.

Having started business in 1998, Watson’s is now the largest

specialist wine retailer in the area with 14 stores, as well as

online shopping. The merchant’s vintages are sourced

directly from more than 20 countries, and the list runs to

over 2,000 different wines.

Each store features a Fine Wine Room, containing some

300 different vintages ranging from the top châteaux from

Bordeaux to emerging New World classics. Free in-store

tastings lure more than a few customers across the thres-

hold, and all staff are trained by the Wine & Spirit

Education Trust.

LANGHAM PLACE

555 Shanghai Street, Mong KokKowloonTel. +852 3552 [email protected]

More august tastings of fine wines are organised by

clubs and hotels. At the Langham Place in Mong Kok,

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Zachary Yu Wailun hosts regular Wine Nights, picking a

theme and then immersing guests in a dozen or so fine

vintages.

“I used to be an accountant, but - largely thanks to an uncle

who taught me - I fell in love with wine,” says Mr Yu, who

qualified with the Hong Kong Sommeliers Association three

years ago. “Once you have tasted a really good wine, it

changes your life, and that is what I am trying to do in a

small way with the Wine Nights.”

For the inaugural session in March 2010, the venue was

transformed into a mini art gallery featuring the labels of

Castello Romitorio of Italy, whose second generation

winemaker Filippo Chia flew in especially for the event to

introduce his winery, the wine, and the art labels. Besides

wines from Castello Romitorio, the evening also included

such other wines as Caruso e Minini 'Terre di Giumara'

Grecanico Sicilia Bianco 2008 and La Stoppa 'Ageno'

Malvasia Bianca Emilia 2005, and all were served with

specially prepared tapas.

“In future, I want to broaden the appeal of our Wine Nights,

bringing in the vine leaves and the soil from selected

wineries, so our guests can really appreciate the provenance

of what they are drinking” says Mr Yu. “There is a huge thirst

for wine in Hong Kong, not simply drinking it but to

understand it as well.”

Zachary Yu Wai lun

“IN FUTURE, I WANT TO BROADEN THE APPEALOF OUR WINE NIGHTS, SO OUR GUESTS

CAN REALLY APPRECIATE THE PROVENANCE OF WHAT THEY ARE DRINKING”

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DRAGON-I

The CentriumWyndham StreetCentral

Tel. +852 3110 [email protected]

Socialites make a bee-line for dragon-i, a fashionable loungewhere 1982 Château Lafite Rothschild and 1994 Château LaGarde top the reserve list.

TASTINGS WINE BAR

27 & 29 Wellington StreetCentral

Tel. +852 2523 [email protected]

Tastings Wine Bar takes a rather more catholic (and for Hong Kong,ground-breaking) approach, providing customers with the opportunityto sample some of the world’s leading wines - 160 at any one time - at areasonable price. An Enomatic wine serving system enables bottles tobe opened and protected from oxidation, leaving customers free toweigh up the relative delights of Pinot Noirs from France and NewZealand, Chardonnays from the US and Australia, and to discover whyPenfolds Grange and Opus One command such high prices.

CHAMPAGNE BAR

Grand Hyatt Hong Kong

1 Harbour Road,

Wan Chai

Tel. +852 2588 1234

www.hongkong.grand.hyatt.com

[email protected]

Few of the best hotels in Hong Kong lack a cellar to complement

their glittering design, facilities and service. Perhaps the prime

exemple is the harbour-side Grand Hyatt, whose Champagne

Bar is a mecca for aficionados of France’s best known product.

The interior design echoes 1920s Paris, and the wine list carries

40 Champagnes by the bottle and ten by the glass. Cuvée Dom

Perignon 2000 and Louis Roederer Cristal Brut 2002 head the

Cuvée de Prestige selections, while Bollinger Grande Année

2000 and Henri Giraud Fût de Chêne 1998 are also highly

popular choices.

General manager Gordon Fuller comments: "The Champagne

Bar is unique in Hong Kong for its choice of Champagnes, all

expertly chosen for their notable features. The privacy, ambience

and quality of service are amongst the favourites for many hotel

guests and high-society movers and shakers in Hong Kong."

Champagne Bar

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STARS & WINE



Alice in Wonderland is your seventh filmwith the director Tim Burton. What is it thatappeals to you most, his fertile imaginationor his eccentric side? When you work with Tim, you have to beready for anything, including the unthinkable.He is a complex person; difficult to interpret.And it’s precisely because he’s unpredictablethat I feel on common ground with him.Tim and I have always shared the urge topush the limits of our imagination. We bothrefuse to conform to academic, conventional,unsurprising filmmaking. We share theopinion that film should be a fantastic playarea and never an artistic straitjacket.

Apparently Tim Burton lives in a veryoriginal house. What’s it like eating dinnerat his place? I’ve known Tim for 20 years. In all those 20years, I regret to say that I’ve never eatenanything edible at his house! When he servesme a meal proudly declaring, ”Here’s a littlesomething I made just for you,” my firstreaction is fear of being poisoned! Andwhen it’s his wife [Helena Bonham Carter]in front of the stove, it’s even worse!Fortunately, their wine is good.

I’ve heard that you’re thinking about get-ting involved in winemaking. When canwe expect to drink wines from ChâteauDepp?The Var is a very good region for winegrowing.I’ve started to do research and ask somequestions about what makes good wine. The

amount of sun, the acidity of the soil, thegrapes’ tannin content. I love reds that havecharacter. But for now, it’s just a project. I don’thave any vineyards at the moment.

What do you do with your days when you’restaying in the homeland of Voltaire?I feel so relaxed in the south of France thatI’ve been known to spend three monthswithout ever leaving our 15-hectare property[in Plan-de-la-Tour]. I love watching myvegetables and flowers grow; takingadvantage of being blessed with such richand noble soil. In our family, the onlyexistential question we ask ourselves is,“Should we eat at home today or go for a picnic?”

Why did you choose France as youradopted country? For love, for one thing! Vanessa [the Frenchsinger and actress Vanessa Paradis], as youknow, is locally produced, and together ourlife is a fairy tale. But also because I loveFrance, which I visited for the first time in1989 when I was promoting Cry Baby. Itwas love at first sight; a magic moment; arevelation. By meeting Vanessa, I killed twobirds with one stone!

Isn’t it true that the French way of life alsoappealed to you?It’s true! The French know how to make themost of life. A slice of foie gras accompaniedby a glass of Sauternes; my God, how canyou resist? Frankly, I prefer to be in Europediscussing the date of the grape harvest than

in the United States where the only questionis what’s happening with the Dow Jones!

Do you remember your first experience ofwine tasting? It was a very intense red. A Bordeaux, Ithink. I had Camembert with it. A cheesethat I wasn’t familiar with at the time - I wastold that it had to be cut with care.

Do you still drink rubbing alcohol,normally used for cleaning the heads ofcassette tapes? No! I’m exploring other beverages these days.More prestigious; more noble. Like absinthe, aspirit that was prized in the 19th century. Thepreferred alcohol of poets and painters: VanGogh and Oscar Wilde were crazy about it.

So what sensation did you get fromabsinthe? It’s rocket fuel, pure and simple!

I read somewhere that you collect crystalcarafes?Yes, I like to pour good wine with its richcolour into a beautifully-made carafe. Whenthe sun, so generous in the south of France,shines through it, all of the beauty in theworld is focused there!

With his trademark moustache and goatee beard, wide-brimmed felt

hat, leather bracelets and gothic rings, as ever, the “grunge” star

radiates an irresistible magnetism. He has put behind him his days of

getting into trouble: trashing hotel rooms, blitzing bison grass vodka

and smoking joints. Today, the actor is an epicurean who takes the

time to appreciate the good things in life… like French wines.

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“I fell in love with France at first sight”

Johnny Depp

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For those who don’t follow the celebrity press, Hugh Grant,

aged 49, is the dashing Oxford-educated Englishman who

British magazine Empire rated in 1995 among the 100 most

attractive actors in the history of cinema. Today, as sexy as ever,

Hugh Grant is still a box-office favourite, his slightly bumbling

manner and dry sense of humour to be enjoyed without

moderation. For his part, the actor has a soft spot for a grand cru,

and the palate of a connoisseur…

STARS & WINE


area, bringing in more income, he would geta whole case! From the time I was veryyoung, my palate was trained by thepaterfamilias. But I have to admit that hispenchant for wine distressed my mother. Asa result, my father would go shut himself inthe toilet to open a Pinot Noir!

Is it true that your very first job wasdelivering wine? Yes, I delivered wine and quiche in aLondon suburb. But I drove so fast thatwhen I braked, my entire delivery flewaround the van. When I arrived to make thedelivery, the quiche looked pretty dreadfuland the wine was foaming because it hadbeen shaken around so much. The customers -mainly big banks - ended up complainingto my boss.

You are often less jokey and light-heartedin your interviews than in your films.What do you think accounts for this? Because you’re asking me questions aboutwine… it’s a subject I know rather well!

What is sacred for you? To do nothing; I’ve always had the energylevel of a whelk! Sometimes I envy bunchesof grapes. There they are,hanging in the fresh air,waiting for someone tolook after them, pamperthem, cherish and reverethem - above all whenthey’re grand cru!

INTERVIEW BYFRANK ROUSSEAU

I can still picture myself on a brief trip toItaly. I was probably about 21, and at thetime I had a big weakness for the ItalianRenaissance. To look clever, I bored myselfstiff sitting for hours in front of all the pain-tings from the Italian Quattrocento, takingnotes and trying to sketch. I came acrossthat diary recently when I was clearing outmy place and reread it. My God, it wasappallingly stupid. And the vocabulary -let’s not even talk about it! Poor, very poor.

And since then, no more diaries?No! Only alcoholic ones! When I drink a goodbottle of wine, I take notes. Unfortunately,when I reread them, I can’t understand what Iwrote. It comes across more like burps than awine review! I love staying at five-star hotels,smoking big cigars and knocking back a coupleof bottles of Chardonnay during a blow outmeal... though it’s even better if someone elseis paying.

Do you spend a lot of money on collectingwine? I was under the impression that I had expensivetaste in wine until I went to Hollywood,where no one even opens a bottle worth lessthan 15,000 dollars. As for me, I neveruncork a bottle that costs more than 15pounds - and I think that’s quite expensive!

Who introduced you to wine? My father - he’s an expert! He drank a lot ofit, and not always cheap plonk; sometimesexcellent vintages. Usually he bought himselfBordeaux after laying carpet. If it was only astudio, he treated himself to just one bottle,but if it was a big house with a large floor

In your films, you are often cast as a nicebut blundering charmer. Do you worryabout being labelled a one-trick pony?In About a Boy, I wouldn’t say that I wasparticularly nice. Ditto for Polanski’s BitterMoon; strictly speaking, I didn’t play a “niceguy”. Actually, I should remind you thatI have also been cast as the heir of awine-making estate in Champagne whosold his property to the Nazis and ended upraping his sister!

I’ve heard that you speak French fluently? My mother taught French at school, so it’s onlynatural that I should be able to say more than“Garçon! Un verre de rouge, s’il vous plait?”The only word I stumble over is ”fauteuil”[armchair]. It’s impossible to pronounce!

Is it true that you keep a diary in whichyou write about your feelings - sort of likea male version of Bridget Jones?When I was younger, I filled pages of mydiary every day, which was really pretentious.

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Hugh Grant

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HISTORY OF THE VINEYARDS

In 1395, Philippe le

Hardi decided to

improve the quality of

w i n e a n d o u t l awe d t h e

g r owing of Gamay on his

land, to the benefit of Pinot

Noir. This was the world’s first

alimentary decree, pre-empting

the AOC system, and was a

founding f ac to r o f the

Burgundy wine region as we

know it today.

Gamay is a rustic grape variety that has been cultivated for over a

thousand years in the northern regions of France. It tolerates

climatic extremes well. In a region prone to very hot periods, it

can produce exceptional wines that are similar, or superior, to

quality Pinot Noirs. It is also a very productive grape. This may be

due to the fact that it withstands coulure (a condition, also called

‘shatter’, which prevents grapes from developing after flowering)

caused by unpredictable spring weather. In the climatic conditions

that cause coulure, the small berries (called millerandées) of

Gamay vines are plentiful, seedless and bulkier than those of

other varieties. They are also sweeter, and richer in colour and

tannins than grapes that have been fertilised normally. Gamay

wines are rather acidic and sometimes have astringent tannins.

This can be a disadvantage for sensitive wine drinkers, but is an

advantage in preserving the wine. After 15-25 years of aging, the

acidity decreases, giving way to a round, smooth wine with tertiary

aromas of undergrowth, game and mushrooms, often reinforced

by red fruits such as raspberry and blackcurrant. Gamay wines can

be surprising and have been highly prized by professionals eager

to add them to their vintage cellars.

In generations past, grapevines were called arbre de vie (‘tree of

life’). Today, in church settings, red wine is called the ‘blood of

Christ’; we also toast to our health when drinking wine - why?

In Europe, red wine was long an indispensable source of

THE PINOT NOIR DISCOVERED AND SELECTED BY GROWERS IS CERTAINLY A

DESCENDANT OF GAMAY.

Will Gamay replace Pinot Noir in Burgundy?

Bernard Hudelot

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antioxidants in winter, regulating the body’s cells by eliminating

free radicals. Gamay, a robust variety, was principally cultivated in

Auvergne, the Lyon region, Burgundy, the Loire, Lorraine and the

region around Paris (the largest winegrowing region in France in

the 19th century). In 1395, Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy,

ordered the uprooting of the local Gamay vines to plant Pinot

Noir – the winemakers refused, so he sent his troops to do the job.

Today we can attribute these actions to the arrival of the Little Ice

Age in the 14th–15th centuries. The Pinot Noir discovered and

selected by the winegrowers of the time is almost certainly a

descendant of Gamay. It is less acidic, less tannic and softer.

However, it would have been more difficult to preserve in the

casks of the period and would have easily turned to vinegar. This

might explain the resistance of the era’s winemakers to switch.

Despite their opposition, and as a result of the duke’s

authoritarian measure, the regions of Dijon, Nuits Saint-Georges,

Beaune and Chalon-sur-Saône would enjoy a radiant future and

international fame with the creation of this unique mosaic of

Grands Crus. In the southern part of the region, Mâcon and

Beaujolais continue to cultivate Gamay, producing, in good years,

excellent wines for laying down, which have unjustly been

overshadowed by their exceptional neighbouring terroirs, where

Pinot Noir currently reigns.

The temperature graphs indicate that global warming, even if it

seems moderate at present, is recreating the same conditions in

Burgundy as in the 12th century. With our recent experience of the

2003 heatwave, it is reasonable to imagine a return to Gamay in

Burgundy in the coming years. In hot conditions, Pinot Noir little

by little loses the unique character that has been carefully

developed in the Burgundy Grands Crus. Objective and sound

experiments have been carried out recently that back up this

hypothesis, noting that Gamay vintages from hot years such as

1976, 2003, 2005, 2009 can be rich, powerful and well balanced,

and can be kept for long periods. These bottles will appeal to well-

informed wine lovers with a passion for the exceptional character

of aged wine. Let’s meet again in 20 years to savour these vintages...

Bernard Hudelo t , winegrower (Château de Villars Fontaine)

and oenologist (Dijon University).

PHILIP THE BOLD, DUKE OF BURGUNDY IN 1395

GAMAY IS A RUSTIC GRAPE VARIETY THAT HASBEEN CULTIVATED FOR OVER A THOUSAND

YEARS IN NORTHERN FRANCE.

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Arguably, the birth

of Champagne

isn’t anything to

do with terroir, history, or

vineyard and cellar practices,

old or new. It’s the moment

when you pop the cork and

the magical liquid foams into

your glass. As Dom Pérignon

allegedly said 350 years ago, “I

am drinking stars”. Indeed.

Alternatively, if Champagne is all about terroir, history and what

happens in the vineyards and cellars, then it has not one but a

whole catalogue of birthdays, every one of them a date or a

moment that tempts you to say: ‘This, surely, is where the

Champagne story really begins.’

A CHOICE OF BEGINNINGS

Until recently, Champagne (bottle-fermented and sparkling)

history was always said to have started in 1668, when the fabled

Dom Pérignon started work as cellar master at the Benedictine

abbey of Hautvillers. But modern research now favours 1662, with

Dr Christopher Merritt’s paper to the Royal Society in London,

describing how the English wine trade created sparkling wine by

secondary fermentation, using a dose of sugar, yeast and molasses.

Whether Dom Pérignon or indeed the French wine trade knew

about any of this is another matter.

Or what about 1710, when sparkling champagne was first

mentioned in print in France? Or 1728, when King Louis XV

authorised the carriage of wine in bottles? Then there’s 1729,

when Ruinart, the oldest sparkling Champagne house, started

business. Or 1816 - the introduction of remuage - and 1884, for

dégorgement à la glace? (see below.) Or as late as 1911, for the

prohibition on using grapes grown outside the boundaries of

the Champagne region…

CHAMPAGNE HISTORY IS SAID TO HAVE STARTEDIN 1668, WHEN THE FABLED DOM PÉRIGNON

STARTED WORK AS CELLAR MASTER AT THEBENEDICTINE ABBEY OF HAUTVILLERS.

Champagne: where did it all begin?

Bernard Barbuk

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If we opt for the historical route, then the earliest beginning of Champagne must be

allowed to be the replanting of the vineyards after the destruction of the Hundred Years

War, in the 1440s. The new vineyards centred around Reims and Eperney (as the old ones

had, since the Romans started it all). What was mainly planted, here at the northern limit

of the vine, was Pinot Noir - because red wine was what they wanted to make, and this was

regarded as the finest of all red wine grapes. There was Pinot Meunier too, and something

like Chardonnay. The wine produced is known to have been a tawny colour.

Then there were - and are - the

Champagne cellars. Ageing and

the use of reserve wines in

blends (cuvées) are two of the

elements that distinguish

Champagne from its imitators.

For this, absolute temperature

stability is required: a constant

10-11ºC, which can only be

achieved in underground cellars.

Here Champagne was fortunate.

Much of the work had been

done 1500 years previously by

the Romans, who mined the

lower chalk for building

stone. Regardless of when

Champagne as we know it was

truly born, this is one thing

that was in place at the very

start, and which is still actively

in use today.



PINOT NOIR, CHARDONNAY ANDPINOT MEUNIER ARE

THE THREE CHAMPAGNE GRAPES

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The system of rating the vineyards has also survived. Established

in 1911, for a long time this went hand-in-hand with the échelle

des crus which officially set the price of the grapes, the

differently-rated vineyards receiving 80-100% of that price.

The price-fixing ended in 1990, but rating survives. Grand Crus

vineyards are rated at 100, Premier Crus between 90-99%. Today,

Champagne has 33,000 hectares of vineyards - half what it had

in the early 19th century.

JUICE TO WINE

It takes 1.2 kg of grapes to make one bottle (75 cl) of Champagne.

Each grape variety is vinified separately. Around 60% of

Champagne is produced using pneumatic, rotary presses, the rest

with traditional horizontal presses. For both, the rule is that 4,000

kg of grapes can give no more than 2,550 litres of juice, the last

500 litres (the taille) by a separate extraction. It can be a valuable

addition to the balance of the eventual wine, being richer in

pectins and tannins from the skins and stalks.

Fermentation may be in stainless steel tanks or oak vats, in almost

every case with malolactic fermentation following. At this point

the juice has been transformed merely into varietal vin clair:

Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier. What happens next

depends on how much of it a particular house decides to keep in

its cellars for future blending, or blend immediately with older,

reserve wines, or retain for a dated vintage cuvée. Whatever the

decision, certain rules apply. If a house makes both vintage and

non-vintage Champagnes, it can only devote 80% of the harvest

to current use. This is to ensure the supply and quality of future

non-vintage cuvées (blends), which typically contain between

10-40% of older wines.

The wines are blended in proportions reflecting the brand house

style and the requirements of the cuvée: mostly a combination of

IT TAKES 1.2 KG OF GRAPES TO MAKE ONE BOTTLE (75 CL) OF CHAMPAGNE.

PINK CHAMPAGNE

Grape juice has very little colour. Pink Champagne is made

pink by one of two methods. Either the juice from Pinot Noir

or Meunier is allowed to macerate with the crushed skins for

a time, or a little still red Champagne wine (usually made

from Pinot Noir) is blended into ordinary white vin clair.

This method is more controllable, and more widely used (red

Champagne was occasionally made prior to 1936, when it

was banned).

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REMUAGE (LITERALLY ‘STIRRING’ OR ‘MOVEMENT’).

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Chardonnay and both varieties of Pinot, but Chardonnay only

for Blanc de Blancs, and Pinot Noir or Pinot Noir and Pinot

Meunier together for Blanc de Noirs. A cuvée may contain wines

from scores of different vineyards; it is rare for wine from just

one to be used.

WINE TO CHAMPAGNE

Putting the bubbles into Champagne begins with bottling,

typically four to seven months after the vintage. At this point a

liqueur de tirage is added: a mix of six grammes of active yeast, 18 of

sugar, and a little of the same wine. The bottle is then crown-

capped and laid down in the cellars. Non-vintage (ie: blends of

several years) Champagnes by law have to be aged at least

18 months from the vintage, and vintage Champagnes (from a

single year) a minimum of 36 months. In either case, longer is better.

Next, the yeast converts the sugar into a little more alcohol, and a

lot (6 atmospheres) of the all-important carbon dioxide gas. This

CO2 goes into solution in the wine, and the now fizzy Champagne

is aged on the lees. This is the méthode classique (formerly known

as méthode champenoise).

Another result is a residue of dead yeast cells in the bottle, which

have to be removed as they could cloud the wine, hence two more

processes: riddling (remuage) and disgorging (dégorgement).

These days, remuage (literally ‘stirring’ or ‘movement’) is almost

exclusively carried out using automatic gyropalettes which turn

500 bottles of Champagne at a time, from horizontal to nearly

vertical. The old, picturesque, labour-intensive method involved

A-section plank frames (pupitres) with holes for the bottles, which

were tweaked and tilted by hand. The aim was the same: to

shuffle the sediment into the necks of the bottles.

BORN AT LAST

The sediment now has to be ejected without losing too many

bubbles in the process. This process is known as dégorgement à la

glace: it consists of freezing the neck of the bottle, removing the

crown cap to let the gas pressure eject the frozen plug of

Champagne and yeast lees, and getting the permanent cork in and

wired on as quickly as possible.

But the story does not end there.

SPARKLING CHAMPAGNE WAS FIRST MENTIONED IN FRANCE IN 1710.

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Losing the frozen lees means losing some Champagne. So before

the new cork goes in, each bottle is topped up, usually with a

sweetened dosage - either wine and sugar syrup, or sweet, aged

reserve Champagne. The result is a range of styles, from Brut

Nature/Brut Zéro (no sweetening at all) to Doux (sweet). In

practice both extremes are rare, Brut (dry) being by far the

most frequently-met style. Indeed, the introduction of Brut

Champagne was a birthday of sorts too, allegedly having

been created for the British market in 1876, the word being a

pun on ‘brutish’ and Brutus.

And after all this, at long last, our star is finally born. It

remains only to drink it.

Bernard Barbuk


ABSOLUTE TEMPERATURE STABILITY IS REQUIRED: A CONSTANT 10-11ºC, WHICH CAN

ONLY BE ACHIEVED IN UNDERGROUND CELLARS.

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The village of Pouillé in the Cher Valley, a little to the

east of the historic town of Montrichard, should not be

confused geographically with Pouilly-sur-Loire,

165 kilometres to the east. They do, however, have a lot in common

in terms of wine, as Sauvignon Blanc is the dominant grape variety

in both places.

Pouillé is in the heart of the vineyards of eastern Touraine, where

Sauvignon Blanc has become increasingly important, especially

over the last 30 years. Cheaper than the more famous wines of

Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, Touraine Sauvignons are frequently

better value and equivalent in quality. Most of the vineyards are

on the clay-limestone slopes overlooking the River Cher.

Perhaps because they have to try harder than some of the

more illustrious Loire regions there is a group of very good

producers in this part of the Cher Valley. 37-year-old Thierry

Delaunay is among them and is certainly one of the most

dynamic and forward-looking producers in eastern Touraine.

Thierry studied oenology at Libourne-Montagne, near

Bordeaux, and started ful-time at the family domaine in 1995

after work experience at Château Mauvezin, a Saint-Emilion

Grand Cru Classé, and completing his national service in the

army. He took over the running of the domaine in 1998.

There have been five generations of Delaunay family growing

vines in Pouillé. Thierry’s father, Joël, had already developed

the business, starting to bottle some of their wines in 1971.

The whole production, from their 27 hectares of vines, is now

bottled at the property.

“YOU MUST KEEP AN OPEN MIND, ALWAYSASKING QUESTIONS - TRYING NEW THINGS....”

Thierry Delaunay: blendingtradition and modernity

WINE GROWER PORTRAITS

www.joeldelaunay.com

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However, Thierry has brought a more modern approach most

obviously in terms of marketing and promoting the domaine.

“Back in 1998 I was the first in the Cher Valley to have a website,

and probably among the first in the Loire. It’s now out of date

so we are working on a completely new site.”

Thierry is on Facebook and has a group called TyDy, named

after his Vin de Pays du Val de Loire Sauvignon Blanc. “This is

from my initially small négociant activity that I set up soon

after I took over. I wanted to have more flexibility and also an

insurance in case there are problems with the weather.” As

elsewhere in the Loire, April frosts are always a risk, and this

part of the Cher Valley is prone to summer hailstorms.

“I was also one of the first in the Loire to use screwcaps. I started

in 2004 with TyDy to avoid the problem of cork taint.” It was

a brave move as screwcaps remain controversial in France. It is

also typical of Thierry that he quickly recognised the screwcap

revolution that was taking place in New Zealand, especially

for Sauvignon Blanc, with anglophone countries increasingly

demanding these closures for white wines.

“You must keep an open mind,” says Thierry, “always asking

questions - trying new things. We harvest some of our

Sauvignon Blanc during the night. Also I use an extended cold

maceration on part of the Sauvignon to get better precision of

fruit flavour but you have to be careful: sometimes it works

well but sometimes it doesn’t. It is difficult to control.”

Thierry starts a big experiment this year taking over three hectares

of organic vines. “We must have a viticulture that protects the

environment, that is sustainable. We started grassing over our

vineyards around 1998 but use weed killer under the vines. It

would be good to find an alternative but using a tractor to harrow

the vines greatly increases your carbon footprint. And with

organic viticulture you use copper sprays, which is also a concern.”

Certainly an experiment and a producer to watch...

Jim Budd: Wine International

THIERRY’S FATHER, JOËL, HAD ALREADYDEVELOPED THE BUSINESS, STARTING TOBOTTLE SOME OF THEIR WINES IN 1971.

THIERRY DELAUNAY

DOMAINE JOËL DELAUNAY

48, rue de la Tesnière, 41110 Pouillé - Tel. +33 (0)2 54 71 45 69contact@joeldelaunay

www.joeldelaunay.comTotal 27 hectares: 17 ha Sauvignon Blanc, 5 ha Gamay

The rest: Cabernet Franc, Côt, Pineau d’Aunis, Chardonnay and Arbois.

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Franck Nicaise of Champagne Abelé:creating new from old

in 1757, but a household name it isn’t, even if Champagne and

all its imitators are indebted to it for the invention of

dégorgement à la glace in 1884. That though was in its great

days under the eponymous Henri Abelé, who renamed the

house. But in 1946 the Abelé family sold out, and the marque

went low-profile, specialising in Buyer’s Own Brands (BOBs)

and supermarket Champagnes.

In 1985, Freixenet bought it. ”Not for its volumes,” says Nicaise,

“but for its quality - maintained despite years of under-investment -

and its potential.” In any case, BOBs are things of the past.

”Modern consumers want provenance, not anonymity. They want

to know who makes what.”

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Franck Nicaise is modesty personified, but he has very

clear ideas on how Champagne should be made… and

he knows a good thing when he sees it. So when, in 2007,

as a young consultant oenologist and winemaker he was offered

the post of chef de cave and oenologist at Champagne

Henri Abelé he certainly wasn’t going to walk away from the

opportunity. Born and brought up just a few kilometres from

Reims, and a graduate of its university, Franck was working for a

wine consulting laboratory. Abelé was a client he had been

connected with since 1998.

But wait: Champagne what? Henri Abelé may be one of the

oldest Champagne houses, founded in Reims (as Vander Veken)

www.henriabele.com

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RESPONSIBILITY AND DIRECTION

Franck‘s job description is daunting: managing the cellars,

dispatching, raw materials, receiving professional customers,

and, above all, supervising every facet of production. He and his

team of six make the wine, blend the cuvées, bottle and age them.

Abelé has never owned any vineyards, so much of Franck’s time

is spent cultivating its 30 contracted growers, nearly all in the

Côtes de Blancs and Montaigne de Reims, though they also source

some Pinot Noir from the legendary (Aube) village of Riceys.

”That’s working with our wine-growers throughout the year,

deciding when to start harvesting (usually a bit later than the

official start-date), supervising the pressing and delivery...”

Abelé buys juice, not grapes, and their growers use both pneumatic

and horizontal presses - ”it’s what you do with the juice that

matters,” Franck says, “not how the juice is produced.”

Franck’s way with Champagne is to combine the modern and

traditional; a temperature-controlled (20°C) cold fermentation in

stainless steel, followed by bottling not in January, when it

becomes legal, but May. Reserve wines are kept in stainless steel

for 1-4 years, the varietals, origins and years all separate. Typically 25-

30 per cent of a non vintage cuvée is reserve wine. Dosage is a mix

of 10 g/l of sugar with mainly Chardonnay reserve wine.

The result is Champagne which is thoroughly modern in the positivity

of its fruit, and respect for varietal character, yet classic in its

balance, structure, weight and length.

Current production is 400,000 bottles a year, 80 per cent of it the

flagship Brut Traditionnel and its stunning Brut Traditionnel Rosé.

Other cuvees include Blanc de Blancs (exceptional years only), a

vintage Chardonnay/Pinot Noir (currently vintage 1998), Les

Soirées Parisiennes (thirds of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier),

aged six years; and the prestige cuvées Sourire de Reims Brut

(currently vintage ’99) and the even rarer Sourire Rosé des Riceys

(vintage 2000), whose production is limited to 5,000 bottles.

WHERE TO FROM HERE?

Obviously for Franck Nicaise, and Abelé, there is no denying that

Cava - and quite a few other sparkling wines around the world -

not only exist, but provide serious competition to Champagne. So

Champagne has to up its game too - which is one of the reasons

why it was important to increase the ageing of Traditionnel from

the legal minimum of 18 months to three or more years. All

non-vintage Champagne should be made that way, Franck says.

In the future Franck would like to double production to 800,000

bottles, “to make Abelé a medium-size company. Beyond that,

you have to buy vineyards - and that we won’t do.” The house’s

négoçiant tradition will continue. It has, after all, given Abelé not

just continuity of quality but its own style. ”Lots of small

producers, each doing a bit. Not one or two doing vast quantities.

You get better quality that way.”

Bernard Barbuk



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Domaine Jessiaume: aBurgundy estate in good hands

www.domaine-jessiaume.com

Sir David Murray and his son Keith are well-known in

their native Scotland; patriarch David is a highly

successful businessman (his substantial fortune was

built in the steel industry) and chairman of Rangers Football

Club, while Keith owns the stylish Circus Wine Bar and Grill

in the heart of Edinburgh.

Father and son share a passion for fine French wines. An

ardent collector in his late fifties, Sir David started acquiring

wine in the early 1980s. Today his sophisticated and valuable

collection features some 5,000 bottles of traditionally made

wines, mostly from France (“I have a soft spot for those that

could be considered rustic; the best of them have guts,

integrity, and great structure,” he remarks).

Sir David’s penchant for French wine was highlighted in 2005

when he bought Château Routas, a 700 year-old, 254-hectare wine

estate in the Coteaux Varois appellation of Provence. In 2006 he

snapped up one of Scotland's largest independent drinks

merchants, Edinburgh Wine Importers, followed shortly after by

the canny acquisition of some prime Burgundy terroir in the shape

of Domaine Jessiaume, in the village of Santenay, at the foot of the

prestigious Côte de Beaune appellation.

Santenay has been historically overshadowed by its celebrated

neighbours, Meursault and Montrachet, but the wines of this

appellation are powerful and nuanced, conveying the quality of its

terroir and the gravelly soils mixed with marl which are well-

suited to the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay varieties grown here.

A long-time fan of the region’s wines (his desert island choice

would be a Comte de Vogüé Musigny), Sir David was inducted

into Burgundy’s Confrérerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin four

years ago. Murray’s close friend, British wine expert and

author of The World Atlas of Wine Hugh Johnson remarks:

“David’s choice (…) is typically shrewd: excellent vineyards,

family members enthusiastically involved, spacious cellars,

and the chance to bring something new to the market.”

Domaine Jessiaume comprises 15 hectares of vines, with a large

plot in Santenay, important holdings in the Premiers Crus Auxey-

Duresses Les Ecusseaux and Volnay Les Brouillards vineyards, and

a marvelous section of the Cent-Vignes vineyard, just behind the

city of Beaune. The domaine makes 10 red wines and four white,

produces around 85,000 bottles per annum, and is noted for its

prime four hectares in Les Gravières. Owned and managed by the

Jessiaume family since the 1850s, its commercial operations are

PASCAL AND MARC JESSIAUME

SIR DAVID MURRAY (FAR LEFT) IS A LONG-TIME FAN OF BURGUNDY WINES

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now overseen by Keith Murray, who splits his time between

France, Scotland and the US.

“Since buying Jessiaume we have put an investment plan into

place, with new equipment, labelling, bottling, corporate ID,

websites, videos and oenologist advice”, Keith elaborates, and

a négoçiant business, Maison Jessiaume, has been developed

(“this is a domaine and négoce to watch” was international

wine expert Jancis Robinson’s comment).

Meanwhile, Jessiaume sons Marc and Pascal continue to

manage the estate under the family name, nurturing its legacy.

Older sibling Marc is the public face, while Pascal fills the role

of winemaker, carefully nursing the vines to produce vintages

that show riper fruit and more profound structure, colour and

aromas than in his father Bernard’s day.

At the time of purchasing Domaine Jessiaume, Sir David stated

an intention to build a profitable wine business centred

around France’s premium regions, creating a portfolio of three

to four high-end vineyards. Quizzed about the future, Keith

Murray replies: “We still remain on the lookout for other

vineyards, but since the two purchases made, nothing has

suited our forward plans.”



THE JESSIAUME BROTHERS CONTINUE TO MANAGE THE ESTATE

However, previous form suggests that it is only a matter of

time before these watchful, well-informed wine lovers make

another move on French soil… Louise Hurren

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ORGANIC NEWS

MICHAËL LATZ, WINEGROWER, AGRICULTURALISTAND THE MAYOR OF CORRENS.

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CorrensFRANCE’S FIRST ORGANIC VILLAGEF

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In the south of France, in the small Provençal village ofCorrens, virtually all local agriculture has been producedorganically since 1997. The organic producers include 80

winegrowers, who deliver their grapes to a wine cooperative, threewine estates, a free-range egg producer, a goatherd whose goatshelp to manage the local woods by limiting the risk of fire, a grainfarmer, a beekeeper, and a specialist in aromatic and medicinalplants for making essential oils. We interviewed Michaël Latz,winegrower, agriculturalist and the mayor of Correns.

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL: When and why did themajority of growers in Correns decide to go organic?MICHAËL LATZ: It was in 1996-97, at a time when our local, traditionalcultivation of small, white wine-producing vineyards, atypical inthe heart of Côtes de Provence territory, the world’s leading producerof rosé, was losing ground. Organic winegrowing, which is welladapted to small-scale production, seemed like the obviouschoice. Furthermore, the government offered subsidies for convertingto organic methods. As mayor, as well as a winegrower andagriculturalist, I succeeded in convincing other local winegrowersto adopt organic practices, with the result that most of the land inCorrens is now cultivated using natural methods.

G&GWI: What are the main differences between an organic wineand a non-organic wine?ML: The ‘organic’ label attests that the wine meets European standards.Organic wine must be certified by an independent organisation - forexample, Ecocert, Demeter or Nature & Progrès - and the major dif-ference in winemaking is the strict limitation of the use of additives,particularly sulphur dioxide. In practical terms, organic wines areoften more marked by their terroir, and their concentration is generallymore pronounced because they are made from more restricted

yields. Additionally, because the vines grow in better soil and organicwinegrowers monitor them closely to ensure their health, theyproduce grapes with superior balance that result in moreharmonious wines. Last but not least, as wine has a symbolic valueand is associated with conviviality, it is better to drink it with a clearconscience, in the knowledge that the way it has been producedprotects the environment for future generations.

G&GWI: Are organic wines more costly to produce, resulting in amore expensive wine for the consumer?ML: This is no longer really the case, at least not to the same degreeas 15 or 20 years ago, however, it is true that organic wines are a bitmore expensive since they cost more to produce (both because ofthe intensive labour needed to cultivate the vines and because of thesmaller amounts produced per hectare).

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A rare organic vintage champagneThis is the rare Authentis Cumières2003, a Premier Cru champagnefrom the Marne Valley made withPinot Noir grapes and fermentedin oak casks certified by Ecocert…Besides the wine’s organic produc-tion, the cork is fully certified FSC(Forest Stewardship Council), anon-governmental, non-profit,independent organization, createdafter the Rio conference (1992) topromote ways of responsible andsustainable forest managementaround the world. Duval-Leroy,true to its reputation for innovation,is the first to use this cork, to showits commitment to environmentalconcerns.Authentis Cumières 2003: 60 euros approx.www.duval-leroy.com

Organic and natural winesfrom around the worldThis unique opportunity takes place in the salons of the4-star hotel Regent’s Garden Paris, which in 2006 wasthe first Parisian establishment to be awarded theEuropean Ecolabel. Check out a selection of organic andnatural wines from around the world, selected by someof the most experienced and informed retailers. Everytwo months the hotel changes destination, with tastingsof red, dry white and sweet white wines. The next stopswill take you to three very exotic destinations:• On Thursday 3 June 2010 at 6.30 pm Chile andArgentina will be featured. Gaetan Turner and YannLioux of Le Comptoir des Andes et du Nouveau Mondewill be officiating, and will initiate those present intoChilean and Argentinean wines and flavours.• On Thursday 30 September at 6.30 pm Italy is thetheme. Richard Bayon, Italian wine specialist, will showa series of organic and natural wines he has selected.• Entry: 15 euros (by reservation)Hôtel Best Western Premier - Regent's Garden6, rue Pierre Demours, 75017 ParisTel. +33 (0)1 45 74 07 30

ORGANIC NEWS


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THE ASSOCIATION OF MASTER ORGANICWINEGROWERS OF CORRENS INCLUDES:• Le Château Miraval - Tel. +33(0) 4 94 86 39 33

(Tom Bove, www.miraval.com)• La Grande Pallière - Tel. +33(0) 4 94 59 57 55

(Bruno Guibergia, www.lagrandepallière.com)• Le Domaine des Aspras - Tel. +33 (0)4 94 59 59 70

(Michaël Latz, www.aspras.com)• Winegrowers of Correns - Tel. +33(0) 4 94 59 59 46

(Fabien Mistre, [email protected])

The Association of Master Organic Winegrowers of Correns (President: Marc Simon) - Tel. +33(0) 4 94 37 21 95

G&GWI: What advantages does the district gain from its winegrowers’ commitmentto organic methods?ML: There have been many benefits: the revitalisation of the local economy, ayounger population, and the evolution of an overall sustainable approach asother local producers convert to organic methods, including market gardeners,goatherds, poultry farmers and beekeepers. Correns is also committed to theimplementation of Agenda 21* and the development of environmentallyfriendly construction. The most noticeable outcome is that young people arestaying in the village, which today has a population of nearly 800 (compared to675 in 1999). Some have followed family tradition and become winegrowers,which has permitted the preservation of the historic village rather than yieldingto the temptation of selling off to property developers. Today, around 90% of ourcultivated land, almost 300 hectares, is organic, which is unique in France.

G&GWI: Are you planning a district-wide communications strategy to specificallypromote the organic aspect of Correns wines?ML: Yes, this has already been developed by the Association of Master OrganicWinegrowers of Correns, which brings together three wine estates and the winecooperative.

*Agenda 21: The Rio Earth Summit of 1992 adopted a series of commitments to promote sustainable developmentbased on an action plan of 21 points. This has been taken up, especially at a local level, in the form of Agenda 21,which encourages concerned citizens to plan for the future, identify the challenges and define the main objectivesfor sustainable development. Most of the points in Agenda 21 refer to the principles of environmentalresponsibility and precaution. Responsibility is measured by the prevention of damage to the environment andhuman health while avoiding creating barriers to economic development. The precautionary principle states,“Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be usedas a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation.”

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QUALITY FACTORS

A FEW RARE AND VALUABLE FLAGONS LYINGUNDISTURBED IN THE CELLAR,

WHICH GROWERS OCCASIONALLY OPEN FORTHE LUCKIEST TO TASTE…

Saint-Emilion and Pomerol:terroir and more

T erroir is the combination of ground and microclimate

which makes particular areas produce distinctive wine.

Bordeaux is a whole world of wine. No other wine

region produces so wide a range of such distinction and

distinctiveness. But above all else there is the Bordeaux red the

English took to calling claret 300-odd years ago. Not so much a

wine as a family of closely related wines, always blended, always

from the same palette of grape varieties, and always of

comparable quality, weight and style.

Bordeaux’s whole geology and soil is as much riverine as submarine.

No glaciation here, no tectonics, and few hills. There is original

limestone, plus gravel, clay, and sand and combinations thereof,

washed down by rivers - including Saint-Emilion’s Dordogne and

Isle, and Pomerol’s Barbonne. These rivers have shaped the

landscape, not least the limestone bluff bearing Saint-Emilion

itself. Otherwise, both appellations are a series of tilted and

eroded plateaux, with all the same Bordeaux ingredients

(limestone, gravel, clay, sand) - but uniquely mixed and varied.

The result is a complexity on a local (not general) scale, with soils

which drain differently, heat up and cool down at different rates,

retain water less or more, and offer different minerals to the vines.

ALL THE RIGHT NOTESStudents of wine learn that most top claret (certainly all the First

Growths) comes from the Médoc and Graves, on the Left Bank of

the Garonne. Here, Cabernet Sauvignon is king. But the rule has

always had three stellar exceptions, from 40 kilometres away on the

Right Bank. First Growths in all but name, they are Pétrus (ironically

the most expensive claret of them all) from Pomerol, and Châteaux

Ausone and Cheval Blanc from Saint-Emilion; areas where the

mighty Cabernet Sauvignon is usurped by Merlot.

Backing those Right Bank megastars, and infinitely more widely

drunk, are a cohort of wines that have been staples of the trade for

generations, including Figeac and Beausejour, Pavie and Gaffelière

(Saint-Emilion), and Clinet, Beauregard, Conseillante and Gazin

(Pomerol). In recent years too it has been the Right Bank wines that

have got most publicity, thanks to the fabulous prices obtained by

the new garagiste Le Pin from Pomerol, and the on-off saga

(2006-2008) of the re-classification of Saint-Emilion.

WHAT’S IN THE TERROIR?Not so long ago the key to good, better and best in wine was

universally accepted to be in the winery, in improved modern

winemaking methods. Now, all eyes are on the vineyards. Cue

terroir, currently everyone’s favourite explanation for everything.

The appellation of Saint-Emilion, excluding the sub-regions of

Puisseguin, Lussac, Montagne, St-Georges, Parsac and Castillon,

comprises 5,500 hectares of vines, producing an average of

250,000 hectolitres of wine, 5% of Bordeaux's AOC red wine

production. Overall, 60% of its vines are the early-flowering,

early-ripening Merlot, for which the area is, allegedly, heaven.

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And it’s obviously not bad for Cabernet either, particularly

Franc.

Much the same can be said of Saint-Emilion’s contiguous

neighbour, Pomerol, where the terroir is essentially more of the

same, though arguably more consistent in its mix. A plateau of

sandy gravel over limestone, it is more sandy in the west and

south, less so elsewhere, but with more clay eastwards towards

Saint-Emilion. True, the iron content of the clay varies, as does

the size of the gravel, but so they do in Saint-Emilion, though

the components in Pomerol are more inclined to concentrate

in terraces, which in vineyards will be planted with different

grape varieties.

Pomerol (exclusive of Lalande de Pomerol) has just 800 hectares

of vines producing 28,000 hectolitres of wine; 80% of its vines

are Merlot. Traditionally there is supposedly a juicy softness

and a silky texture to Pomerols, but that tradition is little more

than 100 years old, and both terms are euphemisms for sweet.

Today it may be that the principal difference between the two

is… the insistence that there must be a difference.

How significant is terroir to Saint-Emilion and Pomerol? Very.

How significant is it to the differences, such as they are,

between today’s Saint-Emilion and Pomerol wines? That’s

another question. Let’s look at some exemplar wines from the

two appellations, their terroirs and the grapes they plant.

WHAT’S PLANTED IN SAINT-EMILION?Saint-Emilion is limestone, sand, clay, gravel and iron, and its

weather and climate are essentially the same as Bordeaux as a

whole, so here are three near-neighbours on the limestone plateau

close to the town of Saint-Emilion. Their terroir is sandy/ silty clay

over limestone, and they are planted with: Ausone: 50% Merlot,

50% Cabernet Franc; La Gaffelière: 65% Merlot, 25% Cabernet

Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon; Pavie: 55% Merlot, 25%

Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc.

Cheval Blanc and Figeac are equally top-drawer and both grown

on sand and gravel over blue, iron-rich clay on another plateau,

stretching westwards towards (and across) the boundary with

Pomerol. Cheval Blanc: 57% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot, the

balance Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec; Figeac: 35% Cabernet

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ERIC D’ARAMON SUCCEEDED THIERRYMANONCOURT AT CHATEAU FIGEAC,

AND HAS MANAGED TO MAINTAIN THE HIGH LEVEL OF QUALITY.

THE PRETTY SAINT-EMILION SLOPE, WHICH LEADS UP TO THE PLATEAU WHERE

MOST OF THE GREATEST VINEYARDS LIE.

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Franc, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, and (unusually) only 30%

Merlot. Between the two stands Château La Dominique, with

80% Merlot and 10% of the Cabernets.

Finally, a group grown near Château Ausone, on the clay-

limestone-sand soils of the shoulders and slopes of the limestone

escarpment. L’Angelus: 60% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot;

Beausejour: 50% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 25% Cabernet

Sauvignon; Beau-Sejour-Bacot: 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc;

Troplong-Mondot: 95% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5%

Cabernet Sauvignon.

WHAT’S PLANTED IN POMEROL?Pomerol’s terroirs have the same climate, basic geological and topsoil

mix as those of Saint-Emilion. Unsurprisingly, they are usually

described in the first instance geographically, not geologically. Thus,

the central zone, with the greatest concentration of leading wines;

the eastern zone, contiguous with Saint-Emilion, and the western,

adjacent to the town of Libourne and the Dordogne river.

The first group, from the central zone, is revealing of more than just

terroir. Stellar Pétrus’s terroir is iron-rich clay, unique in Pomerol. A

generation ago, Clinet had 35% Cabernet Sauvignon. Its terroir

comprises three plots: clay, clay-gravel and gravel. Each is planted

with a different variety. Le Pin has just two hectares of grapes but has

put Pomerol on the map. Pétrus: 95% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc;

Clinet: 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc;

Le Pin: 92% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc.

Next, a group from Pomerol’s western zone. Mazères was replanted

and enlarged from the early 1990s. Its soil is a clay, gravel, sand mix;

Taillefer’s is sand and large gravel with a high iron content. De Sales:

70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon;

Mazeyres: 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc; Taillefer: 50% Merlot,

30% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec.

Finally, three well-known names from the eastern zone. Considering

how close Saint-Emilion is, the difference in grape varieties is

startling, and perhaps more style- than terroir-led. Gazin: 90%

Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc; Bon Pasteur:

90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc; La Conseillante: 80% Merlot,

20% Cabernet Franc.

CONCLUSIONIn wine, excellence is inseparable from difference. Today the

concept of terroir has expanded from its original, narrow,

territorial sense to embrace stylistic tradition and the vision of the

perfect wine. Nowhere is the terroir more generous in its gifts than

it is with Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. It’s not a matter of what the

terroirs allow, but of what the winemaker wants to do.

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QUALITY FACTORS

POMEROL: A PLATEAU OF SANDY GRAVEL OVER LIMESTONE.

POMEROL’S CHURCH SURROUNDED BY THEAPPELLATION’S VINEYARDS.

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Presenting in a clearand informative waythe terroirs of such a

vast winegrowing region(more than 250,000 hectares)is somewhat of a challenge.The climate, the geology andthe winegrowers themselveshave created incredibly diverseand complex appellations.Although the Mediterraneanc l i m a t e i s a c o m m o ndenominator in the region,even this varies - sometimeswithin the same appellation -

depending on altitude. Geological upheavals have resulted in alandscape often described as a jigsaw puzzle. And, perhaps aboveall, the creativity of winegrowers over the centuries has given riseto astounding variety.

The location of the region, long traversed by routes fromsouthwest France, the Rhône Valley, Spain and Italy, has meantthat its winegrowers have adapted to a multitude of different grapevarieties: a far cry from the two grape varieties of Burgundy, thethree of the Champagne region or the half-dozen of Bordeaux.There are also many wine production methods: red, white, rosé,vin doux naturel (sweet, fortified wine), prise de mousse (ancestralor traditional sparkling wine methods), and late-harvest wines.Historically, industrial and terroir winemaking havecoexisted in the region. Industrial winemaking had madeLanguedoc wealthy by the time it reached its peak at the end of the19th century, but it has since undergone major changes. The terroirtradition owes its existence to the presence of the Romans,Benedictine monks and to various accidents of history.

Sticking strictly to geography, our voyage of discovery will take usnorth from the Spanish border and then eastwards to theRhône Valley.

ROUSSILLONAn expansive amphitheatre opening onto the Mediterranean Sea,Roussillon is bordered by the Corbières massif to the north and thePyrenees to the south, extending westwards to the peak of Canigou.The high number of days of sun per year favoured the planting ofGrenache over the centuries, which has since been joined by othergrape varieties such as Carignan, Mourvèdre, and more recently,

Syrah, all suited to this Mediterranean environment. Early on, vinsdoux naturels were produced in this rugged region. Banyuls andMaury are the most well known of these. Both of these appellationsgrow in subsoil that contains schist. The schist of Banyuls is very old(Cambrian); that of Maury is more recent marly schist. Elsewhere,the geology underlying Côtes du Roussillon and Rivesaltes forms amosaic including Pliocene molassic formations, terraces ofQuaternary pebbles, and volcanic cones. The oldest rocks of theAgly massif reveal schist, gneiss and granite.

CORBIÈRESWe find the same geological puzzle in this extensive winegrowingarea, but at a higher altitude. Here, different appellations rubshoulders: Corbières with its 11 terroirs (Montagne d’Alaric, SaintVictor, Fontfroide, Quéribus, Boutenac, Terménès, Lézignan,Lagrasse, Sigean, Durban, Serviès), Fitou, and also the vins douxnaturels of Roussillon (Rivesaltes and Muscat de Rivesaltes). In thediverse but difficult soils, Carignan has long predominated, followedby Cinsault and Grenache, and then Syrah and Mourvèdre. A widerange of geological formations are present:• Palaeozoic schist at Cascastel and Tuchan • Triassic marl at St Jean de Barrou • Early Jurassic chalk marl near Fitou

ROUSSILLON IS AN EXPANSIVE AMPHITHEATREOPENING ONTO THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA.

The mosaic of Languedoc-Roussillon terroirs

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IN LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON,MANY DIFFERENT APPELLATIONS

RUB SHOULDERS.

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• Lower Cretaceous Urgonian limestone at Durban • Reef limestone of the Fontfroide massif • Grey marl and chalk beds of the Val de Dagne • Quaternary stone fragments at Lézignan • New Oligocene soil at Narbonne.

The Fitou appellation, which has a maritime zone with soils of marl,limestone and stone fragments, and a central zone of schist,limestone and marl, illustrates the effect of altitude on wine styles.It also demonstrates the potential of the much disparaged Carignangrape at restricted yields and when harvested at full ripeness.

LIMOUXINThis winegrowing area north of the Pyrenees includes Limoux,Malepère and Cabardès, going from south to north. The variablealtitude (with vines growing at altitudes of up to 500 metres) andthe oceanic influence give the wines of this area their originality. The northern orientation and predominance of chalky soils of theLimoux winegrowing region give its primarily white wines (thesparkling wines Blanquette méthode ancestrale, Blanquette deLimoux, Crémant de Limoux, and its still white wines) their uniquecharacteristics. The main grape varieties are Mauzac, Chenin andChardonnay. Red Limoux wines, introduced more recently, aremade from Atlantic grape varieties such as Cabernet, Merlot and Cot. In contrast, Cabardès abuts the south-facing foothills of theMontagne Noire. This appellation has chalky soil in whichGrenache and Syrah grow alongside Merlot and CabernetSauvignon.

MINERVOISThis large appellation is the natural extension of Cabardès. Itssouth-facing slopes descend the Montagne Noire, cut by two

north–south landforms that define three distinct winegrowingareas: oceanic, central and Mediterranean.

The soil of the steep buttes alternates between soft molasse andhard sandstone. The terraces of Quaternary stone fragments areexcellent for growing vines and are particularly suitable for Syrah.

After Minerve and Agel, we reach the highly original terroir of SaintJean de Minervois. This lacustrine limestone plateau is borderedby cliffs of cavernous limestone. At a higher altitude thanits neighbours, this small appellation is known for its elegant vindoux naturel Muscat.

COTEAUX DU LANGUEDOCThis appellation covers a vast area from Narbonne to Nîmes. In 2007,the winegrowers of Coteaux du Languedoc agreed to allow thename ‘Languedoc’ to be used for all the appellations of this part ofsouthern France, thus creating the base of the regionalclassification hierarchy.

As we move north, the geographical division of winegrowing areasremains complex, but is more coherent. This is clear for Faugères,with its soil of Ordovician schist. Here, Carignan progressively

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makes way for Grenache and, above all, Syrah, allowing itswinemakers to obtain expressive wines with powerful, silkytannins.

The schist soil stretches east to Cabrières, known for its Cinsaultrosés, and west to Saint Chinian. This appellation has schist soils (atBerlou and Roquebrun), as well as small valleys of calcareous claybordered by ridges of rocky limestone. This geological varietyexplains the style differences of the appellation’s wines.

Moving north and east, the Terrasses du Larzac skirt the southernedge of the Massif Central. Steep slopes covered by fallenrocks, pebbly gravel and deep red mudstone (near Lake Salagou)support the classic Languedoc appellation grape varieties, Carignan,Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault. To the east, the Pic SaintLoup appellation produces exceptionally elegant wines, primarily ofSyrah and Grenache, which grow well in this cooler area of rockyslopes alternating with chalk marl soil.

The Terres de Sommières appellation is situated in the Gard. Theinfluence of the Rhône is stronger here, and the Mistral windprevails. This undulating area of small valleys is predominantlychalky, with Quaternary pebble fluvial deposits in places.

Grès de Montpellier brings together several of the older names, suchas Saint Georges d’Orques, Méjanelle, Saint Christol, Saint Drézéryand Vérargues. They share an underlying geology of Quaternaryterraces carved out by previous meanderings of the Rhône, althoughtowards the west there are also hills dating from the Jurassic period.East of the Hérault river lies the Pézenas appellation. It has a uniquecombination of ancient terraces and basalt flows, as well as schistnear Cabrières. This results in a very distinctive plateau landscape.The wines made here are bold and concentrated. This area is alsohome to Clairette du Languedoc, which is named after its ancientand unique grape variety (the appellation was created in 1948).

The vineyards of Picpoul de Pinet, at the edge of the Thau Lagoon,specialise in another unique white-wine grape. The consistenttemperatures of this marine environment result in very distinctive,crisp, acidic whites.

THE PIC SAINT LOUP APPELLATION PRODUCES EXCEPTIONALLY ELEGANT WINES, PRIMARILY OF SYRAH AND GRENACHE.

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MINERVOIS : THE SOIL OF THE STEEP BUTTESALTERNATES BETWEEN SOFT MOLASSE

AND HARD SANDSTONE.

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The Terrasses de Béziers spread over the stony fluvial deposits of theOrb river. La Clape is situated on a limestone massif from the LowerCretaceous period. The rugged chalky landscape of this ancientisland, today attached to the mainland, has a host of microclimates.Its aspect, proximity to the sea and altitude give rise to unique andelegant wines. The Quatourze is a tiny appellation on the gravelterraces of the Aude river at the edge of the Bages lagoon.

VIN DOUX NATUREL MUSCATS It would be a mistake to pass by the various vin doux naturelMuscat-producing areas without a word. In addition to the SaintJean de Minervois plateau and the Muscat de Rivesaltes alreadymentioned, there is Muscat de Lunel, produced from soils of fluvialdeposits; the Muscat de Frontignan (appellation created in 1936)grown in soils of Jurassic limestone, molasse and ancient alluviumsouth of the Gardiole massif; and Muscat de Mireval, grown insimilar soils, but nearer to the sea.

COSTIÈRES DE NÎMES This area, although administratively part of Languedoc-Roussillon,has ties with the family of Rhône wines. Its terroir is the largeststretch of stony fluvial deposits in France: a plateau of gravel juttingover the Camargue wetlands and abutting the Urgonian limestonenorth of Nîmes. Clairette de Bellegarde, at the north-eastern edge ofthe Costières de Nîmes, has similar soils.

A NEW LABEL FOR VINS DE PAYSThe progressive classification of the appellations in Languedoc-Roussillon has been a slow process. The French Institut National desAppellations d'Origine (INAO) is not an institution that rushes itsdecisions. The progress that certain winemakers working outside theappellations have achieved has led to the emergence of some veryinteresting wines. These areas now have official recognition in thedivision of the departmental Vin de Pays (Aude, PyrénéesOrientales, Hérault, Gard) into smaller zones (for example, Côtesde Thongue, Cucugnan, Saint Guilhem le Désert, Coteaux de laCèze, Côte Catalane). Their proximity to the designatedappellations means they benefit from similar terroirs. One of themain features of these wines is that they are made from a widervariety of grapes, adding Bordeaux varieties (Cabernet, Merlot,Malbec, Sauvignon), Burgundy varieties (Pinot, Chardonnay) orhybrids (Marselan, Caladoc) to the traditional regional varieties.These practices led to the creation of Vins de Pays d'Oc in 1987,which became IGP Pays d’Oc in 2009 (IGP or IndicationGéographique Protégée is a recent method of classifying wines by‘protected geographical region’). This new classification hasincreased the production of varietals across the entirewinegrowing area of Languedoc-Roussillon.

This change in approach does not impede the emergence ofterroirs adapted to certain types of grapes, nor does it meanthat the exacting methods of wine producers have beenrelaxed. It simply gives winemakers more liberty to usetheir creativity under less constraining regulations thanthose for the AOC appellation. However, this type of productionis best suited to vineyards with deeper soil, which are more adapted

WHAT FUTURE FOR THE WINES OF LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON?

The assets of this winegrowing region are countless: the beauty ofthe landscape, the diversity of its terroirs, a clement climate, itslong history. In terms of the challenges it faces, the principaldifficulty is an inertia stemming essentially from a stubbornlystrong collective unconscious linked to the wealth that its wineindustry produced over a century.

The advent of the industrial era, the specialisation of the land, andthe replacement of the region’s grape varieties (accelerated by thephylloxera epidemic) created the conditions for an incrediblyefficient industry. As is often the case, the force of habit anda certain passivity created by prosperity eventually brought on thedecline of the system, as it was unable to react to societal changes,the new demand that arose during the second half of the 20thcentury, or the emergence of international competition. It appearsthat things are shifting, however, and some dazzling successesduring the 1990s (an upswing in popularity for Languedocappellations, as well as the undeniable success of varietals) look setto continue.

To build on this success, the next generations of winemakersshould reinforce the technical and commercial advances theirpredecessors have made and further encourage theprofessionalisation of every stage of the winemakingprocess. Their efforts can be aided by political will, theestablishment of networks in the sector, a pragmatic approachto the market, and training, research and development. As forcompetition from abroad, market share will likely be setaccording to price. Winemakers will need to determine theirtarget, whether ‘basic’, ‘premium’ or ‘icon’, and structure theirstrategy and marketing techniques accordingly. The producersthat succeed could be of any size or style, cooperative or private,industrial or traditional. However, the key to success will remainthe skills of the winemakers, both individually and collectively.

to the water requirements of grape varieties of oceanic ornorthern environments.

BY WAY OF CONCLUSIONIn this partial (in both senses of the word) presentation of thewinegrowing region of Languedoc-Roussillon, it is worth ending bynoting that its transformation is still in progress. The latestgeneration of winemakers has brought about many changes interms of production regulations, grape varieties used, and sales andmarketing strategies. Even more significant changes are in progress,which should allow wine enthusiasts a clearer understanding of theregion’s wines and terroirs. All good things come with time…

Jean Nato l i , Consultant oenologist and president of the

Vino Latino association

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We interviewed FrancoisFourrier, CEO of Sud de FranceExport, about Languedoc-Roussillon wines’ excellentresults on the Asian market,particularly in China.

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE

INTERNATIONAL: How do you explainsuch success and rapid progress?FRANÇOIS FOURRIER: Firstly, theLanguedoc-Roussillon region hasbeen present on the Chinesemarket for many years; since 2007it has had a physical presence inthe shape of offices in the centre ofShanghai, which was the first

place that Chinese importers were introduced to the world of winemarketing. They in return are loyal to us. Secondly, there is the excellentvalue of our wines, and the marketing appeal of the Sud de Franceumbrella brand, created in 2006. This brand unites the wines of theLanguedoc-Roussillon region, and simplifies the offer, the positioningand the understanding of our wines, particularly for the Chinese market,whose consumers can get easily lost in the maze of our many vineyardsand the French wine classification system. The brand simplifies thisuniverse for them and allows them access, while promoting friendly,modern and healthy values. The promotion of the brand, the excellentvalue of our wines, our potential output volumes and the ability towork directly on-site with all the market players, has enabled us toachieve the outstanding results we see today.

G&GWI: What action have you taken to maintain such good results?FF: Recently we have certified the Sud De France official importersand distributors with whom we work closely in terms of promotionand communication. These official importers are reviewed accordingto criteria, including a minimum range of Languedoc-Roussillonwines and a certain output volume. In return, we work with them onmarketing and communications operations and also ontraining programmes for their staff, and we intend to intensify ourefforts. Furthermore, we will segment the brand to make it even moreaccessible and comprehensible. We are partners of the Frenchpavilion’s restaurant at the Universal Exhibition in June this year, anda wide-ranging programme of activities and promotions for our wineswill be rolled out during the Sud De France Festival in October. Wewill certainly continue to be present at the important trade shows,but today this is no longer enough.

G&GWI: In your opinion, does the Chinese market still have high growthpotential?FF: Annual wine consumption in China has been rising by 40% for nearlyfive years now, and this will continue to be the case for the next decade.The Chinese middle class is growing at a staggering rate, with increasinglysubstantial buying power. This group is consuming increasing levels ofwine, as a sign of its westernization. Having said this, today, 80 out of 100wines distributed via supermarkets originate from Chinese vineyards andare of basic quality; the market is still young, but has incredible potential.We simply have to step back from the idea that price is the priority. On thecontrary, a training and education programme will certainly pay dividendsin the long run for those who chose to take this challenging path.

François Fourr ier

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Global warming: should webe worried about our wines?

Certain signs observed over the

last twenty-five years leave no

room for doubt: earlier harvests,

higher sugar levels in musts, higher levels of

alcohol, lower acidities… The end result is

wines of the 2000s which are quite different

to their forerunners of the 1970s.

If these trends continue, the styles of the

wines we know will change drastically, and

their unique characteristics, patiently acquired

through the work of generations of growers

working in harmony with their vineyard sites,

will be seriously threatened. Doom-mongering

being fashionable, some unhesitatingly predict

a total rethink in which grape varieties to

use, or even a migration northwards of

vineyards over the coming decades. But are

we sure the future is so bleak?

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THE CLIMATE HAS WARMEDTemperature measurements taken around the world leave noroom for doubt, the climate has warmed over the last 40 years. Ifwe are to believe official figures, a rise of a half degree has occurredaround the world since the 1970s. In Europe, and most notably inFrance, the rise exceeds 1°C. Of course one can question thesefigures, and criticize the way the measurements are taken and theaverages arrived at, but the stubborn facts are there, borne out bymany signs: the more-or-less general shrinking of mountainglaciers, the partial melting of the Arctic ice field, the rising of sealevels as a result of thermal expansion… And the world’s animaland plant life is also showing signs of being affected.

EARLIER HARVESTSEverywhere harvests are taking place earlier, a sign that thephenological cycle of the vine has shifted to accommodate thistemperature rise. Flowering and colour change occur earlier in theseason, with the result that vineyards can benefit from the longer,warmer days. Grapes ripen earlier and more regularly, and what ismore avoid early-autumn rains more often, and the rot they bringabout. In Champagne 15 days were gained between the start of the1980s and the turn of the century, and in Alsace three wholeweeks. At Châteauneuf-du-Pape harvesting of Grenache used tostart around the 21st September at the end of the 1970s, yet by2000 it had been advanced to the 6th September. The trend is lessclear in the Haut-Médoc, the gain is a week at most but it hasnonetheless been established.

HIGHER SUGAR LEVELSEverywhere grape juice is richer in sugar today and less acidic thanit used to be. In the 1970s and 1980s Chardonnay grapes grownin Champagne used to reach 9.5° of potential alcohol for a totalacidity of 9.1 gm. Over the last ten years these figures have risento 10° and 7.3 gm respectively, and the 2003 crop beat all recordswith 10.8° and 5.9 gm. Not that yields suffered, quite the opposite!The story is the same in Alsace, the Loire Valley, Bordeaux,Piedmont… In the southern Côtes-du-Rhône, taking all varietiesand sectors into account an increase of 2° in the average alcohollevel has been observed between 1983 and 2001. At Châteauneuf-du-Pape, for Grenache alone the increase is even greater, risingfrom 10° to nearly 13°! As for total acidity it has dropped byalmost 2 gm. If one looks at individual vats or estates it is not rare,particularly in 2009, to see wines in excess of 15° with less than 3gm of total acidity.

Is the climate alone responsible for these sweeter grapes andearlier harvests? If we are honest about it, other factors, technicaland economic, have played a role. Weeding the vineyards, whichwas very popular in 1980s and 1990s, and green-harvesting incertain wine regions, have obviously contributed to riper grapesand richer musts, as have phytosanitary treatments, which haveimproved grape quality. The quest for lower yields and ever more

concentrated wines to satisfy some consumers has had the sameeffect. Yet climate remains the main cause.

RIPENED TO PERFECTIONUntil now growers in temperate zones, enjoying one good vintageafter another, have not been complaining about global warming,quite the contrary. Few mourn the “météo lottery” of the 1960sand 1970s, the unripe grapes rotting on the vines, the low alcohollevels needing large quantities of beet sugar to bring them up toacceptable levels, the wines which were supposed to “open up later”but in fact never matured satisfactorily. It’s smiles all round in theChampagne region: “In the 1980s we made vintage champagne twoor three times a decade, today we can do so almost every year” isa commonly-heard observation in Champagne Houses. Bordeaux’s Cabernet Sauvignon, which so often had troubleripening, does so these days with great regularity. At ChateauLacombe Noaillac, in the northern Médoc, Cabernet Sauvignonmusts have attained or exceeded 12° potential alcohol six timesbet-ween 2000 and 2009, yet they were below 11° in the early 1990s.

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MEDOC - POTENTIAL ALCOHOL, MERLOT 2000 - 2009CHÂTEAU LACOMBE-NOAILLAC

POTENTIAL ALCOHOL, CHARDONNAY 2000-2009CHAMPAGNE (SOURCE CIVC)

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In the last few years warming seems to have slowed down. Does this herald a prolonged cooling period or is it just a pause?


QUALITY FACTORS

In the Loire Valley growers are equally enthusiastic, as red winesmade of Cabernet Franc or Gamay, which some years were a bit thin,these days display opulent textures and fragrant bouquets of very-ripe fruit, and Muscadets that were tartly vigorous in previous timesare taking on shapely curves. The same thing is happening inBeaujolais and Burgundy, with richer, riper, less acidic wines.

REACHING THE LIMITSo should we worry about global warming? We know that vines,whatever their variety, give their best results in climatic conditionswhich enjoy sufficient but not excessive heat, cool nights and adegree of water deprivation during the ripening cycle. Only thencan the complex ripening process come to fruition with the wines’balance and finesse intact - a process involving ripening of thefruit to produce sugar, ripening of the polyphenols in the grape’sskin and pips, and the simultaneous preservation of sufficientacidity and aromatic finesse.

These conditions obviously vary from year to year - which is whyvintages differ - but in proportions which should not be excessive.In the case of too much heat, particularly in August, sugardevelopment in the juice occurs too quickly, dangerously loweringacidity levels, “singeing” aromas, and obliging the grower to harvestprecipitately, before the polyphenols have had time to ripen

sufficiently. Sometimes, in conditions of excessive heat and dryness,the ripening process even stops for a few days, causing moreaccentuated imbalances. In such cases the wine risks being hot, heavy,with dry tannin and jammy, cooked, singed aromas, with neitherfinesse nor ageing potential. It is generally admitted in Burgundy andcertain other regions that in 2003 a limit was reached for Pinot Noir,an unusual vintage in every respect because of a scorching, dry August.In Alsace petrol tastes are more and more common in Riesling wines,due to a high concentration of TDN, a molecule whose contentincreases as the temperature does.

TYPICITY THREATENED?For sure, the oenologist has ways of rectifying these problems. He canacidify musts by adding tartaric acid, partially reduce the alcohollevel by various physical processes, lessen the sensation of warmth byfiddling with residual sugar levels… The tastes of new generations ofconsumers, weaned on sugar since the bottle, plead in favour of thenew, extreme tastes in wine. And the oenological remedies, commonin the New World with its warmer climates, are not the cure-all.While limiting certain imbalances they create others, and above alllead to a worrying standardization of wine styles.

Can we then act earlier, in the vineyard? Without a doubt, in theshort term by grassing the vineyards, limiting the exposure of

TEMPERATURE CHANGES, WORLD 1960 - 2009TEMPERATURE CHANGES, FRANCE 1960-2009

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Since the end of the 1970s average temperatures have risen around the world

TEMPERATURE CHANGES, FRANCE 2000 - 2009

TEMPERATURE CHANGES, WORLD 2000 - 2009

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grape bunches to the sunlight, harvesting during the night, discardingbunches which are too ripe, cooling the crop… Medium-termsolutions will be more costly: increasing plantation densities,modifying training methods, selecting late-ripening rootstock,installing irrigation systems. But all that will take time.

If the most pessimistic climate-warming predictions came to pass,more radical solutions would have to be considered, such as changinggrape varieties and moving vineyards northwards… An apocalypticalscenario in which by the end of the century Bordeaux would begrowing Grenache, Burgundy Syrah, Alsace Cabernet!

ARE WE WORRYING UNDULY?Will the records established in 2003 be beaten in the near future?When it comes to global warming, caution is called for. The factthat the climate is warmer today than a quarter of a century agodoes not necessarily mean that the trend is to continue. The pasthas often proved otherwise. The measuring instruments whichcause us to fear warming on a worldwide level are recent inventions(satellite measurements covering the entire globe only date from1979), and perspective enabling us to judge its seriousness issorely lacking. Nothing can guarantee that the mathematicalmodels constructed by researchers integrate all the factors at work,nor their interactions, which are still so little known today.

Clearly the conclusions reached by the IPCC regarding theexclusively human origin of this warming are as yet insufficientlybacked up. The projections made for the next century, and theirirreversible nature, remain open to question. For some scientiststhe correlation between the increase of CO2 and temperature risesis not particularly clear. It was perfect between 1980 and 2004, butsince then it has been much less so, as the CO2 curve growsever faster while the temperatures are marking time. This couldwell indicate that other unidentified factors are playing a notinsignificant role.

WHAT THE LATEST VINTAGES SAYWhile there is no doubt that the climate became warmer betweenthe end of the 1970s and the beginning of the new century, in thelast 5-6 years the phenomenon has become less clear, sinceaverage temperatures have dropped in France and peaked aroundthe world. Even the ice of the Arctic Ocean, whose disappearancehad been predicted by some not long ago, has grown in surface bya million square kilometres since 2007.

Harvest dates in the Médoc, Touraine and Champagne no longerseem to be moving forward as they did in the previous twodecades. The sugar content of musts, while still impressive, nolonger shows a trend. In the Médoc, leaving aside the exceptional2009 harvest, these levels have even decreased between 2005 and2008. In Champagne the sugar-rich musts of 2002 and 2003 havenot been seen since.

So are we seeing a pause before new warming gets under way, orthe beginning of a period of cooling lasting several decades, as inthe 1950s? Some experts are convinced of the latter, while otherspredict that the year 2010 will beat all records. Only the future willtell. In the meantime, let’s enjoy all our great wines, they may notbe with us forever.

Grape harvests are richer in sugar than 30 years ago. Yet a peakseems to have been reached since the beginning of the 2000s.The near future will tell us if the traditional characteristics ofour great wines are threatened or not.

CHAMPAGNE 2000-2009 DATE OF START OF HARVEST

MEDOC 2000-2009 DATE OF START OF HARVEST

TOURAINE 2000-2009 DATE OF START OF HARVES

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TRAVEL

Classified as “city of art and history” in 2006, and listed as a World Heritage site byUNESCO in June 2007, Bordeaux has regained the prestige it enjoyed in the past asthe capital of wine. The city, with its rich heritage and constantly-changing story,extends a warm welcome to visitors from everywhere today. To prove it, we haveconcocted an exceptional journey.

Bordeaux - an unforgettable experience

The magical marriageof seared foie gras and

Sauternes: a greatmoment of

culinary inspiration.

Château Bouscaut, classed growthof the Pessac-Léognan appellation,in its refined and timeless setting.

The Place de la Bourse in Bordeaux wasbuilt by the architect Ange-Jacques Gabrielbetween 1730 and 1775. It wasthe first breach of the medievalramparts which still surrounded the city.

The majestic façade of Château Margaux(classed 1st growth in 1855).

A visit and tasting of the winesoffers a moment of pure bliss.

Château Cantenac-Brown, of the Margauxappellation - classed 3rd growth in 1855 -and its inimitable architecture, a realhaven of tranquillity in the middleof the Médoc vineyards.


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TRAVEL

Champagne is a region where tourism thrives. It has many excellent restaurants,charming hotels, fairytale châteaux and ancient churches, not forgetting cellars -some of which are sumptuous - where Champagne in its many styles can be tastedand appreciated. Treat yourself to a dreamy day in the heart of this beautifulregion, home of the king of wines!

Champagne - a day in paradise

This stunning edifice(Château ComtesseLafond) is not outin the middle of thecountryside,but right in the centreof Epernay, onthe famous Avenuede Champagne.

La Briqueterie - in Vinay, near Epernay -was entirely renovated a few years ago.It has a starred restaurant serving very good food, and a charming 4-star hotel.

Notre-Dame de Reims, the cathedral of2,300 statues, where many kings of Francewere crowned.

The splendid Château d’Etoges,not far from the Côte des Blancs.

This former coaching innhas been transformed into

a comfortable andpicturesque hotel.

L’Assiette Champenoise,in Tinqueux (near Reims) is

a showcase of thelocal cuisine.

Arnaud Lallement, whosucceeded his father,

maintains a high levelof excellence.

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FAMILY BUSINESS

Another element of Champagne tradi-

tion of which Roederer remains proud

is that it was for a long time run by one

of Champagne’s celebrated veuves

(widows), Camille Olry-Roederer, sole

director from 1932-75. Today it is

headed by Frédéric Rouzaud, her great

grandson.

SMALL IS STRONGRoederer owns more vineyards than

most other Champagne houses: over

200 hectares of Grands and Premiers

Crus in the Côte des Blancs

(Chardonnay; 84 hectares), Montagne

de Reims (Pinot Noir; 63 hectares)

and Vallée de la Marne (Pinot Noir; 55

hectares). As a result it can still supply

the bulk of its own needs, though its

(published) target now is two-thirds,

whereas in the 1980s it was said to be three-quarters. Less

obviously, because its vineyards consist of Grand and Premier

Cru sites, it can make its top wines even in less-than-perfect

years.

Roederer is prized for the traditional full-flavoured style of its

Champagnes, anchored by reserves which it ages in oak for five

years but uses only after three, and the sweet reserve wines it

uses instead of sugar for dosage. But it responds to the market

and advancing technology too. Cristal, sweet in its Czarist days,

has been dry since it was relaunched with the 1945 vintage. The

first Cristal Rosé was the 1974 vintage. Both are reputedly drier

than they used to be, and since 1983, Cristal has been sold

wrapped in yellow cellophane as a protection against bright

light. Roederer re-branded its standard non vintage cuvée as

Brut Premier (from Extra Quality) in the mid-1980s, when it

Roederer is one of the oldest

of the Champagne houses,

founded in 1776. It passed

to the uncle of Louis Roederer in 1827,

and, on his death five years later,

to Louis. His tor ical ly, Roederer

Champagne always had very strong

links with Russia, starting from the 19th

century, when over a quarter of its total

production was sold in the Russian

market. It was especially favoured at

the court of the Czars - something

which stands it in good stead today. In

fact, its most famous Champagne, the

super-prestige Roederer Cristal, was

originally created in 1876 at the request

of reformist Czar Alexander II, and remai-

ned an exclusivity of the Czars until 1918. Frédér ic Rouzaud

Roederer: the road to today

ROEDERER OWNS MORE VINEYARDS THAN MOSTOTHER CHAMPAGNE HOUSES

At one time, most Champagne houses were family businesses. Many smaller housesstill are, but Champagne Louis Roederer is a rarity among the grandes marques,having been in the same family for nearly 200 years, and still being totally independent.

www.louis-roederer.com

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also launched its vintage Blanc de Blancs. Gyropalettes have

been standard for remuage since 1996.

THE ROEDERER PORTFOLIOToday Roederer annually sells over three million bottles of

Champagne in 80 countries, exporting 70% of its production.

It employs over 130 people. Since the early 1980s the Roederer

group has acquired prestigious wine-producing estates and brands

in other wine regions and countries: notably Bordeaux, California

and Douro, Portugal. Today, inclusive of the independently run

Champagne Deutz, acquired in 1993, it turns over 220 million

euros, with a net profit of over 45 million euros.

BRUT PREMIER

One-third Chardonnay, balance Pinot Noir with 10-15% Pinot

Meunier). Current vintage plus approximately 10% reserve wines

from three previous vintages. Brut Premier represents some 70%

of Roederer production.

BRUT VINTAGE

66% Pinot Noir, 34% Chardonnay. Only made in exceptional

years and aged four years plus six months after disgorging.

BRUT ROSE VINTAGE

Famously golden pink-topaz in colour, and made from 70% Pinot

Noir with 30% Chardonnay. Aged four years plus six months after

disgorging.

BLANC DE BLANCS VINTAGE

Only made in the best years. The grapes are pressed very lightly,

and the cuvée, is again aged four years on its lees, and then six

months after degorgement.

CRISTAL

A touchstone among Champagnes, Cristal in its

flat-bottomed clear bottle is single vintage

Champagne with a little reserve wine. It is aged for

five years, plus six months after disgorging, and is

notable for its bottle-ageing potential. It is avidly

collected. Typically 55-60% Pinot Noir and 40-

45% Chardonnay, from Roederer's Grand Crus

vineyards.

CRISTAL ROSE

Even rarer than Cristal, and typically 70%

Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay. It is

cold-fermented in minute quantities, then

aged like Cristal.Bernard Barbuk

ROEDERER IS PRIZED FORTHE TRADITIONAL

FULL-FLAVOURED STYLE OFITS CHAMPAGNES

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Between the world wars, in a makeshift laboratory in

Provence, Paul Ricard dreamed of inventing his own

pastis. At the age of 23, the young man finally

succeeded when he created Ricard, promoted as le vrai pastis de

Marseille (the real pastis of Marseille). The story had just begun. In

1938, sales of Ricard pastis reached more than 2,400,000 litres. The

1940s brought this astounding growth to a halt, but after the war, the

Ricard brand returned in force as its founder introduced a marketing

strategy complete with advertising campaigns, sponsoring, customer

relations, and promotional merchandising and activities. In parallel,

he developed an extensive sales force with the mission of making

the product more widely known, explaining its production method,

emphasising the quality of the ingredients, and maintaining close

contacts with bars, restaurants and retailers.

Today Ricard is an institution in the spirits industry, thanks not only

to the quality of the product, but to the effective marketing strategy

initiated by the company’s founder. In 1962, the company’s growth

led to it being listed on the stock exchange. Paul Ricard left as director

in 1968, when the company had a record turnover (and which has

continued to progress ever since). Today, Ricard is still the bestsel-

ling anise-based spirit in the world and its producer is the leading

spirits company in France, due in no small measure to brand

recognition based on constant and creative marketing. One

unforgettable example was the slogan “A Ricard or nothing,”

created by the advertising agency Young & Rubicam in 1984, the

year in which the billionth bottle of Ricard pastis was sold.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Paul Ricard created the group

Pernod Ricard in 1975, seven years after leaving as company

“THE VALUE OF A COMPANY LIES IN ITS PEOPLE”

Paul Ricard: an incredible success story

www.pernod-ricard.com

Originally on the path to an artistic future after studying fine arts, Paul Ricard saw thecourse of his life change in 1932 when he perfected the formula that was to becomeRicard - le vrai pastis de Marseille. This invention launched a long andaccomplished career, with the innovator going on to create a company and then agroup that is today a world leader in the spirits industry.

RIC

ARD

Pierre Pr inguet and Patr ick Ricard

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director, conscious of the pressing need to develop the

international market. Since then the group has continued to

pursue this strategy, first under the leadership of Ricard’s son

Patrick, and subsequently under Pierre Pringuet, Pernod

Ricard’s director since 2004. The group acquired Allied

Domecq in 2005, and along with it Mumm and Perrier-Jouët

Champagnes. In December of the same year, Prinquet became

Acting Managing Director of the group. Then in 2008, the

group acquired V&S Group (V&S Vin & Spirit) with its Absolut

brand, another step in Pernod Ricard’s international strategy.

Pierre Pringuet was named Managing Director of the Pernod

Ricard Group on 5 November 2008, after Patrick Ricard left

his executive functions.

The life of Paul Ricard is a real-life French success story which

reveals a man of many talents: an impressive leader, an exacting

boss, a generous patron, as well as a proponent of forward-

thinking capitalism - as early as the 1930s, he made his employees

shareholders in the company.

The success he created can perhaps best be expressed in figures:

today Pernod Ricard is a world leader in spirits, with 97 million

9-litre cases sold per year (figures from 2008), including the

whisky brands Ballantine’s, Chivas Regal, Jameson and The

Glenlivet; white spirits such as Absolut vodka, Beefeater gin and

Havana Club rum; anise-based spirits such as Ricard and Pernod;

liqueurs such as Malibu and Kahlúa; and the Cognac Martell.

Pernod Ricard is also the world’s fourth largest wine and

Champagne seller, with 25 million cases of wine sold in 2008,

including the brands Jacob’s Creek and Montana; and 900,000

cases of Champagne sold, including Mumm and Perrier-Jouët.

PAUL RICARD: “I NEVER DREAMED SMALL ....”

KEY DATES1909 Paul Ricard born on 9 July in Sainte-Marthe

(Marseille)

1932 He creates his formula for Ricard pastis

Creation of the Paul Ricard Oceanographic Institute

(Île des Embiez, Var)

1967 Creation of the Paul Ricard Cultural Foundation

(Bendor, Var)

1970 Inauguration of the Paul Ricard racetrack (Var)

1975 Creation of the Pernod Ricard Group

1978 Patrick Ricard becomes Managing Director of the

Pernod Ricard Group

1988 Launch of Ricard S.A. Live Music

1995 Inauguration of l’Espace Paul Ricard, contemporary

art gallery (Paris)

1997 Paul Ricard dies in Signes (Var)

2006 Creation of the Fondation d’Entreprise Ricard to

promote contemporary art and young French artists

(Rue Boissy d’Anglas, Paris)

RIC

ARD

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FAMILY BUSINESS

The Skalli wine empire:a tale of three generations

Robert Skalli is a world-famous pioneer of branded,

varietally-labeled wines, but the Skalli’s involvement

with wine spans three generations and is very much a

family affair. Their story starts in Algeria in 1920, when

grandfather Robert-Elie Skalli selected the very best soils and

planted southern French grape varieties such as Carignan,

Grenache, Cinsault and Alicante.

His son Francis took over the family business after World War II,

building partnerships with other winegrowers that predated his

son’s coop-based relationship with producers in France some

twenty years later.

In 1961, Francis Skalli purchased Terra Vecchia, the vineyard of his

dreams, in an idyllic location between the sea and the mountains

on Corsica’s eastern coast. In the same year, he founded a

company later known as Les Chais du Sud, dedicated to importing

wines from Algeria.

The Algerian war of independence caused the Skalli family to relo-

cate to the Languedoc region of southern France in 1964, and in

the same year, tragedy struck when Francis Skalli died in an

accident aged 39. His son Robert was only 14 years old, but solid

family roots kept the Skalli vision and vocation alive.

In 1974, aged 24, Robert took over the reins, basing himself in

Sète where he created a winery and cellars. A trip to California in

1977 was a revelation: time spent with top winemakers who had

pioneered the concept of varietals convinced him that this style

was viable in France, and his vision of Languedoc as a “new

world” wine region began to take shape.

With French growers being offered European Union premiums to

pull up their vines, Robert Skalli threw himself into convincing

them to plant varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and

Chardonnay, to produce clean, commercially viable wines at

affordable prices.

He flouted the French tradition of naming a wine after its region

of origin instead of the grapes from which it is made. With

varietals considered more sophisticated than table wines, and

more accessible than high-end, blended AOCs, they quickly

claimed their place in the mid-range market; the official Vin de

Pays d’Oc designation was created in 1987.

Meanwhile, the Skalli empire spread its roots further afield. In the

early 1980s, Francis’ brother Albert joined Robert on a trip to

California: the result was the acquisition of the 600-hectare

Dollarhide Ranch and 20 hectares in Rutherford (later to become

the St. Supéry Winery), both in the Napa Valley.

The Skallis entered the wine business as merchants at the end of

the decade, producing 600,000 cases of varietal wines a year under

the Fortant de France label; meanwhile, Robert remained true to

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FAMILY BUSINESS


his varietal roots and launched the first super-premium varietal

“F” wines, a tribute to his father Francis, in 1995.

The new millennium saw the Skalli group make further French

purchases: Domaine du Silène, on the sandstone, mineral-rich

soil of the Coteaux du Languedoc appellation, and Maison

Bouachon, in the Rhône Valley’s Châteauneuf-du-Pape area.

In 2010, the Skalli family celebrates 90 years of heritage. With 36

million bottles distributed in 70 countries, their outstanding

contribution to the wine industry is undeniable, but the question

of 60 year-old Robert’s successor raises its head. Will sons

Anthony or David, cousins Robert and Claude or uncle Albert step

up? One thing is certain: the Skalli family will continue to dominate

the international scene for many years to come. Louise Hurren

ROBERT SKALLI - WORLD-FAMOUS PIONEER OF BRANDED, VARIETALLY-

LABELLED WINES

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Michelin-starred chefs in Brittany at the time. Here he refined his

cooking techniques, learning new skills such as serving large

groups and mastering the preparation of poultry chaudfroid,

lobster en Bellevue, tiered pastry creations, and clams with truffle

sauce. Next, from 1975 to 1976, he worked with chef Gaston

Boyer at the three-star Michelin restaurant La Chaumière, reputed

for its classic French cooking. Then in 1977, he joined chef Alain

Senderens at L’Archestrate, where he found himself in an

exceptional atmosphere. Alain Passard would come to view this

experience, as part of a team bustling around the restaurant’s

small kitchen, as a baptism by fire; here, cooking and passion were

inextricably linked. The result was inspirational.

LIFT-OFFAfter three years at L’Archestrate, in 1980 Alain Passard started his

solo career as a chef at Le Duc d’Enghien in Enghien-les-Bains,


WINE AND FOOD

Alain Passard was born in 1956 in La Guerche in

Brittany. He was initiated into the pleasure of food by

his grandmother Louise Passard, who was a skilled

cook. They shared a close bond, the grandson gleaning culinary

secrets over his mentor’s wood-fired range, where Louise Passard

could usually be found. It wasn’t long before Alain began to have

his own creative ideas, on which the two would happily collaborate.

Once she recognised her grandson’s passion for cooking, Louise

Passard introduced him to all its pleasures: the enjoyment of

eating, the excitement of the market, the frenzy of preparation -

everything involved in transforming a meal from a ritual to a

celebration. Considering the success that was to come, it was an

invaluable experience.

Alain Passard started his career at the Lion d’Or in Liffré, where he

worked from 1971 to 1975 with Michel Kéréver, one of the rare

L’Arpège:the passion of Alain Passard

"THIS FANTASTIC ADVENTURE IS ALLOWING ME TO FOLLOW MY PASSION.”

L'ARPÈGE IS A TRULY UNIQUE, THREE-MICHELIN-STAR EXPERIENCE

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Wine and Food Pages 78 83.qxp 3/05/10 15:48

WINE AND FOOD


north of Paris, where he obtained two Michelin stars. He was 26

years old. Four years later, he went to the Carlton in Brussels,

which also gained two Michelin stars. Finally, in 1986, he opened

L’Arpège (formerly L’Archestrate), at the intersection of rue de

Varenne and rue de Bourgogne in Paris, which immediately began

to accumulate honours, culminating in three Michelin stars on its

tenth anniversary in 1996.

Since 2000, Alain Passard has been refining his menu to concentrate

on products from the sea and the soil. “I feel that I’ve fully

explored poultry and red meat; today, my inspiration comes from

vegetables. I have deliberately chosen to take 12 classic house

specialties off the menu and I have no regrets about it. It is a

conscious reappraisal of what I want to create. I feel that this

fantastic adventure is allowing me to follow my passion.” In keeping

with this new direction, Alain Passard focuses on aromatic herbs and

spices to bring out the flavours for which he is searching. His goal is

to create a cuisine that has not yet been explored to its full potential.

For Passard, working with vegetables is a means of encouraging

the replanting of the earth: of learning a new language with a

new vocabulary.

KITCHEN GARDENSThis ambition gave rise to the three kitchen gardens currently

cultivated for L’Arpège. The first was established in the Sarthe

in 2002, the second in the Eure in 2005, and the third in the

Manche in 2008. Maintaining three gardens in three different

regions gives the vegetables a true taste of terroir: the sandy soil of

the Sarthe is discernable in the carrots, asparagus and leeks; the

clay of the Eure in the celeriac and cabbage, and the alluvial soil

of the Manche in the herbs and spices. “Today, for a total surface

area of six hectares, we discuss carrots and beetroot like one would

discuss Chardonnay or Cabernet Franc - our aim is to grow

vegetables that are grand cru!” The gardens produce 40 tonnes of

vegetables a year using methods that are 100% natural, including

animal-drawn equipment for cultivation and harvesting. This

gives L’Arpège the rare, if not unique, advantage of being

self-sufficient in vegetables, herbs, spices and certain fruits.

Twelve gardeners work at the three sites to provision the restaurant

with the produce it requires, as well as supplying selected

customers when the harvest allows.

For all these reasons, dining at L’Arpège is a truly unique

experience. Alain Passard is an artist–creator who has discovered

his calling and shaped his career as he has wished, disproving the

critics who predicted a bleak future for the chef when he started

out. So much the better for us!

L'Arpège 84, rue de Varenne - 75007 Paris

Individual or group booking: Tel.+33 (0)1 47 05 09 [email protected]

Open from Monday to Friday for lunch and dinner.

THE GARDENS PRODUCE 40 TONNESOF VEGETABLES A YEAR USINGMETHODS THAT ARE 100% NATURAL

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WINE AND FOOD

Ingredients (serves 4):

Vegetables according to the season, for example: 1 bunch of carrots1 bunch of leeks1 bunch of turnips1 celeriac1 beetrootMixed salad leaves“Fleur de sel” (French sea salt)

FOR THE SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE:

2 limes 70 gr acacia honey150 ml peanut oilChervil, parsley, marjoram

Method:

Cook all the vegetables separately (respecting the cooking timefor each) in slightly salted water. Drain, then cool.

Put the honey and lime juice in a mixer and incorporate the oillittle by little to make a mayonnaise-like sauce.

Spread the sauce in a large disk on the plate, then arrange thevegetables in staggered rows. Encircle with mixed salad leavesand season with the fleur de sel. Serve at room temperature.

Kitchen garden Arlequinwith sweet and sour sauce

Drink with Champagne or rosé wine

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GILBERT & GAILLARD SELECTION


Recommended wines

CÔTES DE PROVENCE A.C.

Château de Berne 2009

Cuvée Spéciale roséPale pink. Delicate, fairly enticingnose of red berries and boiledsweet. Medium body with goodquality fruit. Power is nicely counterbalanced by freshness.

88/100

ROSÉ DES RICEYS A.C.

Marquis de Pomereuil

2003Brick-red, almost mahogany in colour. Very open nose displaying jammy strawberry and dried fruit. Powerful and well-structured for a rosé, it retains good balance.

85/100

CHAMPAGNE

J. M. Gobillard & fils

Brut Privilège des

Moines - élevé en fût

de chêne - Light gold. Abundant freshness on thenose with aromas of ripe white fruit with almost exotic-like touches. A full-bodied Champagne supportedby the same intense freshness. Enjoyable complex, long-lasting fruit (grapefruit, pineapple, mango).

90/100

CHAMPAGNE

Lassalle-Hanin

Cuvée de RéserveSalmon pink. The nose callsto mind ripe raspberries. Afleshy, well-balanced rosé,with subtle, clean, fruity aromas.Nicely fresh and suitable as an apéritif.

84/100

BANDOL A.C.

Domaine de l'Olivette rosé

2009Orangy pink colour. Pleasant nosemarrying citrus and mineral notes.On the palate, a robust, expressive roségradually becoming more powerful.Lengthy aftertaste of ripe fruit andcitrus. A great partner for Mediterranean fish or white meat.

89/100



WINE AND FOOD

by the glass from a magnum. Desserts are pastry chef Angelo

Ercolano’s preserve. Whether one’s choice is the intricate

Raspberry and Rose Pleasure, the classic 'Monte Carlo' Rum Baba

or anything in between, all are prepared and presented with talent.

After dinner, guests are offered a wide range of delectable

mignardises and bonbons in glass jars. Finally, for a healthy digestive,

they can enjoy fresh tea infused with the herb of their choice

which is picked and ground with a pestle and mortar at the table.

For midday guests the 'Lunch Hour' set menu - served in under an

hour - is offered at £45 for three courses or £39.50 for two courses

and includes two glasses of wine, mineral water and coffee.

Fine contemporary French cuisine, served in chic

surroundings by a professional team, is on offer at Alain

Ducasse’s restaurant in the Dorchester these days. The

restaurant was named Best Newcomer by the 2009 Zagat

guide, and was awarded three Michelin stars in January 2010.

Head chef Jocelyn Herland serves up an exciting menu which

consistently respects and champions current seasonal produce. As

for the surroundings, three private dining spaces - the bright Salon

Park Lane, the intimate Salon Privé and the magical Table

Lumière - offer a variety of ambiences in the elegant dining room.

To match the food, sommelier Mathias Negro has carefully selected

wines from the best vineyards in the world, such as the 2007

Riesling Brand from Alsace’s Domaine Josmeyer, which he serves

IN JANUARY 2010 ALAIN DUCASSE AT THE DORCHESTER WAS AWARDED

THREE MICHELIN STARS.

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HEAD CHEF JOCELYN HERLAND SERVES UP AN EXCITING MENU WHICH CONSISTENTLY RESPECTS AND CHAMPIONS CURRENT SEASONAL PRODUCE.

New lease of life at a classicestablishmentAlain Ducasse atThe Dorchester provides refinedeating for London’s gourmets.


RECIPE


Roasted Scottish langoustineswith green primavera garnishIngredients (serves 4):

12 live Scottish langoustines (125 gr each)700 gr green peas100 gr rocket 16 green asparagus spears125 gr butterChicken stock10 gr crustacean butterSaltPepperOlive oil

Preparation

Remove the skin of the peas: cook 1/3 to a purée, cook 2/3 untilal denteDice 2/3 of the rocketSteam 12 of the asparagus spears and bevel-cut the feet Cut remaining 4 asparagus spears in thin slices (raw)

Shell the langoustines and roast in 90 gr of butterHeat the green peas, bevelled asparagus and half the purée together in a panAdd olive oil and 20 gr butterSeason with salt and pepper

Sauce

Add minced rocket, 5 cl of chicken stock, olive oil, 15 gr butter,salt and pepper to the rest of the purée. Arrange on the plate;add the raw asparagus on top with the rocket. Pour the saucearound, with the crustacean butter.

The DorchesterPark Lane - London W1K 1QA

For further information or to make a reservation, please call +44 (0) 207 629 8866 or

email [email protected]

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WINE QUOTATIONS

China goes mad for Lafite

During the 2008 Vinexpo-Asia in Hong Kong, every

Chinese wine buyer I met asked, ”Do you have 1982

Lafite?” Although I proposed a multitude of other

Grands Crus, each more extraordinary than the last, the question

kept coming up again and again at every encounter. This, despite

the fact that I have many memorable vintages to choose from:

1947, 1961, 1983, 1985, 1986 and 1990 Lafite; 1982 Margaux,

Mouton, Haut Brion, Ausone and Cheval Blanc; 1893 Château

d’Yquem and 1966 Romanée Conti. Nothing would do.

”Lafite madness” started in the years 1995-2000. Robert Parker

gave this wine 100/100, the same score as Latour and Mouton

Rothschild of the same vintage. And yet, it is always Lafite that

keeps returning to centre stage. Thus, a bottle of 1982 Lafite

Rothschild that sold for around 500 euros in 2005 blithely

fetches sums of 3,000-5,000 euros today.

This trend has accelerated over the last two years, and particularly

in the last few months. Anything called Lafite Rothschild is now

trading for a small fortune. At the big auctions, we’re even seeing

dreadful vintages in pathetically conserved bottles reaching

stratospheric prices. That a 1982 Lafite Rothschild is expensive,

even extremely expensive: why not, the wine is exceptional. But

that a 1960 Lafite is selling for more than a 1982 Mouton

Rothschild defies sense!

LevelBN base of neckSL slightly lowTS top shoulder TS (-) top/mid shoulder MS mid shoulderLS low shoulder

LabelSD slightly damaged FD fairly damaged HD highly damaged

PHILIPPE ROUX: “IF YOU HAPPEN TO POSSESS A FINE VINTAGE LAFITE, KEEP IT;

OR BETTER YET, DRINK IT”

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Philippe Roux is a specialist in the niche market of rare vintage. In each issue,he will reveal the trends of this very particular sector of the market and give histips for the best bets.

All of which is to say: if you happen to possess a fine vintage

Lafite, keep it; or better yet, drink it. On the other hand, if it is

from a mediocre or average year, sell it - now is the time. And if

you’re thinking about buying, go for Mouton Rothschild or

Latour; it seems that the wind of folly may begin to blow in that

direction!Philippe Roux

Please contact us for further information: www.gilbertgaillard.com

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WINE QUOTATIONS


YYEEAARR CCHHÂÂTTEEAAUU AAOOCC VVOOLL.. LLEEVVEELL LLAABBEELL QQTTYY PPRRIICCEE VVAATT EEXXCCLL.. PPRRIICCEE VVAATT IINNCCLL.. 1925 HAUT BRION Pessac Leognan 0.75 l MS 1 689.8 825 1928 HAUT BRION Pessac Leognan 0.75 l 1 2416.39 28901940 HAUT BRION Pessac Leognan 0.75 l MS SD 1 693.98 8301951 HAUT BRION Pessac Leognan 0.75 l MS- 1 609.53 7291955 HAUT BRION Pessac Leognan 0.75 l 1 949 11351956 HAUT BRION Pessac Leognan 0.75 l 1 480.77 5751965 HAUT BRION Pessac Leognan 0.75 l 2 413.88 4951970 HAUT BRION Pessac Leognan 0.75 l 3 179.77 2151971 HAUT BRION Pessac Leognan 0.75 l 3 199.83 2391973 HAUT BRION Pessac Leognan 0.75 l 2 188.13 2251974 HAUT BRION Pessac Leognan 0.75 l 2 187.29 2241976 HAUT BRION Pessac Leognan 0.75 l 16 165.55 1981981 HAUT BRION Pessac Leognan 0.75 l 2 199 2381982 HAUT BRION Pessac Leognan 0.75 l 4 659.7 7891874 LAFITE ROTHSCHILD Pauillac 0.75 l MS 1 6981.61 83501899 LAFITE ROTHSCHILD Pauillac 0.75 l 1 3720.74 44501954 LAFITE ROTHSCHILD Pauillac 0.75 l SD 1 961.54 11501948 LATOUR Pauillac 0.75 l TS- 1 999.16 11951950 LATOUR Pauillac 0.75 l 1 606.19 7251951 LATOUR Pauillac 0.75 l 1 794.31 9501958 LATOUR Pauillac 0.75 l FD 1 476.59 5701961 LATOUR Pauillac 0.75 l 1 2943.14 35201962 LATOUR Pauillac 0.75 l 1 625.42 7481963 LATOUR Pauillac 0.75 l 1 480.77 5751964 LATOUR Pauillac 0.75 l 12 434.78 5201966 LATOUR Pauillac 0.75 l 3 518.39 6201967 LATOUR Pauillac 0.75 l SD 2 280.1 3351967 LATOUR Pauillac 0.75 l 4 307.69 3681970 LATOUR Pauillac 0.75 l 1 416.39 4981970 LATOUR Pauillac 0.75 l FD 1 355.35 4251971 LATOUR Pauillac 0.75 l 3 299.33 3581972 LATOUR Pauillac 0.75 l 6 185.62 2221976 LATOUR Pauillac 0.75 l 1 191.47 2291978 LATOUR Pauillac 0.75 l 2 235.79 2821979 LATOUR Pauillac 0.75 l 1 250 2991981 LATOUR Pauillac 0.75 l 3 199 2381981 LATOUR Pauillac 0.75 l TS 1 188.13 2251936 MARGAUX Margaux 0.75 l 3 714.88 8551947 MARGAUX Margaux 0.75 l HD 1 919.73 11001951 MARGAUX Margaux 0.75 l FD 1 794.31 9501953 MARGAUX Margaux 0.75 l 1 1379.6 16501953 MARGAUX Margaux 0.75 l MS 1 1078.6 12901955 MARGAUX Margaux 0.75 l TS- 1 442.31 5291957 MARGAUX Margaux 0.75 l 1 332.78 3981961 MARGAUX Margaux 0.75 l 1 940.64 11251963 MARGAUX Margaux 0.75 l 1 372.07 4451964 MARGAUX Margaux 0.75 l 3 204.85 2451971 MARGAUX Margaux 0.75 l 1 216.56 2591973 MARGAUX Margaux 0.75 l 5 191.47 2291974 MARGAUX Margaux 0.75 l 3 166.39 1991975 MARGAUX Margaux 0.75 l 19 166.39 1991976 MARGAUX Margaux 0.75 l 6 179.77 2151978 MARGAUX Margaux 0.75 l 6 274.25 3281979 MARGAUX Margaux 0.75 l 4 267.56 3201980 MARGAUX Margaux 0.75 l 4 221.57 2651981 MARGAUX Margaux 0.75 l SD 2 229.93 2751982 MARGAUX Margaux 0.75 l 2 898.83 10751964 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD Pauillac 0.75 l 1 355.35 4251967 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD Pauillac 0.75 l 3 250 2991968 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD Pauillac 0.75 l 1 413.88 4951971 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD Pauillac 0.75 l 1 317.73 3801973 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD Pauillac 0.75 l 5 260.87 3121974 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD Pauillac 0.75 l 1 250 2991979 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD Pauillac 0.75 l 2 191.47 2291981 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD Pauillac 0.75 l 1 191.47 229

VVIINNTTAAGGEE PPRREEMMIIEERR GGRRAANNDD CCRRUU CCLLAASSSSÉÉ BBOORRDDEEAAUUXX AAVVAAIILLAABBLLEE FFRROOMM SSOODDIIVVIINN

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EXPORT

China: Asia’s biggest wine market

the older generation, but it is no longer reserved for official

dinners. Wine consumption peaks at certain times during the

year: at Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day, National Day, and

the Moon Festival. During these major events, the Chinese visit

their relatives and give gifts to celebrate the occasion, wine

being particularly appreciated, especially French wines such as

Bordeaux, Médoc and Saint-Emilion.

The wine market in China is segmented, with entry level

products accounting for 60% volume, the mid-range representing

30%, while high-end wines occupy only 10% share. Chinese

consumers prefer domestic wines (Changyu, Great Wall,

Dynastie) as they are cheaper than most imported entry-level

wines (e.g. Vin de Pays d’Oc or Hérault such as Maison Camille,

La Bastide Pierre or Baron de Liniac, imported by Peter Yang of

Shanghai 1855 Wine Trading Company).

Yang explains that Vins de Pays are good value; the Chinese like

French wines because of their sophisticated image and France’s

reputation as a country with great winemaking heritage and

tradition. On the subject of AOC wines, Yang confirms that

Bordeaux is the best-known region amongst the Chinese, with

names such as Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Leboscq

(Médoc Cru Bourgeois) and Château Sainte Barbe (Bordeaux)

being particularly prized.

The most famous Chinese wine brand is Changyu, from the

country’s oldest winery, created in 1892. Changyu is one of China’s

largest producers, with a well-established background in wine and

wide distribution; their wines offer good value for money.

KOREAFurther to the economic crisis, Korea’s wine market continues to

develop, increasing 16% in value (19% in volume); it is estimated

that wine import levels will increase four- or five-fold in the

coming years.

Most of the wine sold in China is distributed via the off-trade (wine stores andsupermarket chains account for 60% of the volume), with the rest sold through theon-trade, in restaurants, hotels and karaoke bars.

With imports growing in 2008 by 15% per year in

China, compared with 1.4% in the world, the

demand for imported wine is still increasing and

France has an excellent opportunity here; China has a population

of 1,300,000, meaning that currently, wine consumption

represents only 0.4 litres per head.

Chinese consumers live mainly in coastal cities such as Beijing,Shanghai and Shenzhen. To promote wine consumption, theChinese government has launched a promotional campaignexplaining that wine can be beneficial to health, and this is one ofthe reasons that red wine currently represents around 90% ofimported wine.

Some years ago, the Chinese only drank spirits on special

occasions, with family. This tradition still exists today amongst

Pierre Courdur ié

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EXPORT


HONG-KONGWine import levels have risen significantly here, up 31.4% in value

and 20% in volume in 2009, thanks to the increase in local

consumption and to Hong Kong’s important role as a re-

exportation platform.

There are more than 300 importers in Hong Kong; during my last

trip I met Richard Paine from Fine Vintage. Over a glass of

Château Liversan at the Peninsula hotel, he explained that Hong

Kong imports approx 3.8 million cases from France, Australia,

USA and Chile (9l cases come from France), but more than one

million are re-exported to Asia, mainly to China: “The on-trade

market is mostly affected by high rents, and no smoking

regulations. Restaurants open and close very frequently, it is a

highly competitive business. In the same way as Singapore is

considered the gateway to Indonesia, Thailand and so on, so

Hong Kong is positioned on the edge of Southern China. Wine

auction sales in Hong Kong – mostly of fine French wines and

Champagnes - exceeded US$60 million in 2009.”

French wines have long been regarded as amongst the best in the

world. However consumers have their individual preferences and

this is mirrored by the wide appeal of wines from the New World

(Australia, Chile and New Zealand) as well as from Spain, Italy

and Germany; in 2009, imports from Australia and Italy increased

by 24% and 68% respectively.

Kevin Tang of Concord Wines explains that since the abolition of

wine import tax in 2008, importation levels have been rising, and

growing numbers of wine companies are being set up in Hong

Kong by international players; consumers will certainly benefit

from a wider choice of product in what is now becoming a buyers'

market. The wine market is set to grow with

the arrival of Chinese merchants, and Hong

Kong may well become the wine hub of

Asia, provided it can get to grips with

international best practice and standards

in terms of wine marketing and culture.

According to Tang, still French wines lead

the pack; Concord Wines’ top five best-

sellers are Domaine Manuel Olivier (Burgundy), Château Patache

d’Aux (Médoc), Château Grand Corbin (Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

Classé), Château Bertinerie (Blaye - Côtes de Bordeaux) and

Château Malescot Saint Exupéry (Margaux).

JAPANWine imports are still on the increase, in the order of +3.7%

in 2009.

MALAYSIAWine consumption continues to grow, up by 9.8% in volume and

7.8% in value in 2009, mostly from Singapore.

SINGAPORESingapore is a regional import platform that cannot be by-passed.

The increase in wine consumption figures is both regular and

constant, but most wines are re-exported to Asia (mainly to

China). Most of the volumes sold to Singapore are for SIA, duty

free, hotels and restaurants; the rest is for re-export.

TAIWANThe size of the market is estimated at one million cases, with wine

imports up 49% in 2009.Pierre Courdurié

FRENCH WINE EXPORTS TO CHINA (SOURCE: FRENCH CUSTOMS AUTHORITIES)

French Wines 2007 2009volume value volume value

(thousand litres) (thousand euros) (thousand litres) (thousand euros)

Red 14 917 63 209 44 405 133 226White 1 533 4 768 3 011 9 601

BordeauxRed 4 345 44 739 13 677 74 394White 177 1 047 508 2 202

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TO OBTAIN THE APPELLATION OF COGNAC,THE EAU-DE-VIE MUST BE AGED FOR AT LEAST

TWO AND A HALF YEARS (LABELLED ASCOMPTE 2) IN FRENCH OAK BARRELS FROM

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The magic of Cognac

As early as the 13th century, the vineyards of Poitou

produced wines that were transported to Holland by

Dutch boats coming in search of the salt found along

the coast. The British and Scandinavians followed, and soon the

region’s economy was based on its vineyards. As the industry grew

in size, the quality of the wine, acidic and low in alcohol,

deteriorated. By the 16th century, the Dutch were using it to

supply their distilleries back home, transforming it into vins brûlés

(literally ‘burnt wines’) - or brandewijn - which gave us the word

‘brandy’. Later, the Dutch distilled their brandewijn locally in

France, introducing the still to Charente around 1530. By the 17th

century, a still based on the method of double distillation was

being used. Wine producers in the region of Cognac soon

mastered this technique. From this time on, the wines of Poitou

were distilled into eaux-de-vie and then aged in oak barrels, creating

Cognac as we know it today: a sophisticated combination of

distillation, ageing, terroir and blending.

THE TERROIRSince 1938, the wine-growing area of Cognac has included six

zones that have each received an AOC according to their different

soil types and the aromatic characteristics of the grapes:

The celebrated jewel in the crown of brandies and an international luxury symbol (91% ofsales are to the export market), Cognac is subject to strict boundary rules set out in a decreedating from May 1, 1909, based on geological studies carried out by Henri Coquand (1860).Cognac is produced only in France, in the departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime.

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• Grande Champagne: Located on slopes of crumbly Campanian

chalk (similar to those of Reims, hence the name), these

vineyards’ grapes, dominated by floral notes, are the most

renowned and the most suitable for ageing.

• Petite Champagne: A soil rich in chalk results in a fruity and

floral bouquet.

• Borderies: Decalcified soil yields a distinctive aroma of violets

and iris.

• Fins Bois: Hard, limestone soil emphasises the fruit in the bouquet.

• Bons Bois: Clay chalk-poor soils allow the expression of the

other elements of the terroir.

• Bois Ordinaires: Soils similar to Bons Bois, with more silica;

less suitable for ageing.

The grape variety used is predominantly Ugni Blanc, locally called

Saint-Émilion des Charentes, which has almost totally replaced

the traditional Colombard and Folle Blanche grapes. Acidic, but

with remarkable aromatic subtlety, Ugni Blanc lends itself perfectly

to the demands of distillation, a delicate operation consisting of

the coupe, drawing off the first vapours that arrive following

distillation, which have the highest alcohol content, to collect the

cœur, the pure, clear spirit that will be aged to make Cognac.

TRANSFORMATION INTOCOGNACTo obtain the appellation of Cognac, the eau-de-vie must be aged

for at least two and a half years (labelled as compte 2) in French

THE DELIMITED

REGION OF COGNAC

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Main Cognac Markets in 2009

Cognac shipments to China

90% OF COGNAC IS EXPORTED AND CHINA ISNOW AMONG THE MAJOR MARKETS.

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oak barrels from the Limousin or Tronçais forests. These casks are

inseparable from what defines Cognac, lending it a particular

range of aromas and allowing the alcohol’s undesirable volatile

substances to evaporate, a process that is known as la part des

anges, or “the angels’ share”. Cognac is rarely matured for more

than 50 years in casks, to prevent an over-dominant woody

flavour. It is then decanted into glass demijohns and stored in

dark wine cellars known as le paradis, where each Cognac house

guards its most priceless liquid treasure.

Among these illustrious houses, we have selected two to present

here for quite different reasons: Thomas Hine & Co, a traditional

and very old producer established in Jarnac at the heart of Cognac

country; and Frapin, because it perfectly embodies the spirit of

Cognac production in terms of its site, its history and, above all,

because it produces Cognacs of exceptional quality.

FRAPIN: 100% GRAND CRURegularly receiving tasting scores above 90/100, Frapin is one of

the most renowned ancestral houses in Cognac, thanks to their

extensive experience and unfailing respect for terroir and tradition.

Winemakers and distillers in south-west France for over 20

generations, the Frapin family took up residence in the Fontpinot

Château in Segonzac at the end of the 19th century at the

instigation of Pierre Frapin. The only Premier Cru vineyard with


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the appellation 100% Grande Champagne, it produces brandies

exclusively from its own grapes.

As a further sign of the house’s excellence, the family tree includes

the writer François Rabelais, to whom a prestigious cuvée is

dedicated. Located at the heart of the Grande Champagne wine-

growing area, classified as Cognac’s Premier Grand Cru, Frapin

has an exceptional site covering 316 hectares, of which 216 hectares

are planted with Ugni Blanc.

RESPECTING NATUREFrapin’s estates are cultivated using traditional methods with the

aim of sustainable agriculture, employing a natural approach that

takes into account the biology of the grapevines, parasites and

diseases, the climatic conditions and the soil. The latter is left

fallow for at least seven years before being replanted with vines,

with the result that the pests that feed on the roots of the vines are

eliminated, and with them the risk of virus transmission.

With the same approach to quality and respect for the environment,

the grapes are picked by hand and quickly transported to the

presses. The juice is not filtered before its natural fermentation

into Vin de Charente. This is the stage at which the two master

distillers, Gilles Lardant and Alex Cosson, use six Charentais copper

stills to begin the double distillation process. First, the wine is

transferred into a boiler with a capacity of 2,500 litres. The alcohol

vapours collect in the still-head and then enter a swan-neck tube,

continuing into the coil, where they condense. After cooling, they

form a cloudy liquid known as brouillis, which has an alcohol

content of about 28°. This liquid is returned to the boiler for a

second distillation, known as the bonne chauffe, which produces a

spirit with an alcohol content of about 70° and an intense

concentration of aromas.

THE ART OF AGEINGThe Cognac is then aged naturally in casks of Limousin oak under

the expert eye of Olivier Paultes, who has been the master of the

Frapin cellars since 1989. He is responsible for changing the casks’

position according to the characteristics of each cellar (particularly

the humidity), a determining factor in the maturing process as it

influences evaporation. One of the house’s secrets is to store

recently distilled eau-de-vie for a quarter of its maturation in new

oak casks, and then in older casks for the rest of its maturation. An

art based on decades of family tradition and a deep understanding

of its vineyards (the unique source for Frapin Cognac) gives this

house absolute mastery of each cuvée.

PATRICE PIVETEAU, IN THE VINEYARDS SURROUNDING THE MAGNIFICENT CHATEAU

DE FONTPINOT, IN SEGONZAC

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A QUEST FOR FINESSEApart from an expertise gained over centuries, Hine equally owes

its identity to its impressive 120-hectare estate, of which 70 hectares

are cultivated as vineyards. To ensure sufficient stocks, it buys grapes

that are scrupulously selected from other Grande and Petite

Champagne estates. The chalky soil gives the eaux-de-vie particular

subtlety, which Cellar Master Eric Forget takes great care to

conserve during the distillation process. Another exacting

requirement of the house is the use of fine-grained wood casks in

order to obtain the ideal balance, so the wood does not overpower

the original aromatic characteristics of the grapes. The new casks

are made from wood from the Limousin and Tronçais forests and

dried in the open air to eliminate any bitter tannins, incompatible

with Hine vintages. The Cognac’s subsequent ageing in older casks

is constantly monitored to achieve the desired light amber colour

and smooth floral aromas with notes of vanilla.

This year, to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the creation of

Antique XO by George Thomas Hine, the house is offering a

Premier Cru version of this classic Cognac. Dressed for the occasion in

a bottle paying homage to that which has graced Antique XO since

the 1950s, this Cognac is a subtle blend of 40 different eaux-de-vie

aged for a period ranging from ten years to several decades.

Another speciality, the vintage Grande Champagne Cognacs, are

only produced when the quality is exceptional. As has been the

case since Hine was established, some of these rare Cognacs are

aged in London or Bristol in carefully selected cellars, a process

that has virtually disappeared. These Cognacs are known as “Early

Landed” vintages.

Always true to its principles, Hine asserts its singular quality and

irreproachable style: subtle, light, almost ethereal; sometimes described

as feminine. Qualities that have won it the highest honours: for

THOMAS HINE:A DISTINCTIVE STYLEA love of Cognac has shaped the incredible destiny of the Hine

family. Based since 1550 in Dorset, in the south-west of England, the

family sent young Thomas Hine to Cognac in 1791 with a specific

mission: to learn French and the art of making Cognac from a

prestigious producer and merchant in business since 1763, who

made a Cognac that the Hine patriarch preferred over all others.

Thomas married the merchant’s daughter, and was later made the

director of the business by his mother-in-law when her husband

died, to the great displeasure of her own sons. He continued to

develop the business, giving the company his own name five years

before his death in 1817. Today, it is still known as Thomas Hine & Co.

Thus was born a prestigious name, as well as a distinct identity.

Despite technological advances such as the advent of semi-auto-

matic bottling in 1880, the Hine house has long oriented itself

towards wine merchants rather than the general public. It has a

long-standing relationship with suppliers who are familiar with

their high standards, favouring “wine and spirit merchants on a

human scale, like us, who know what they sell and adapt it to

their clients - this is what we have always done and continue to do

today,” explains the current honorary president, Bernard Hine.

ERIC FORGET, WINEMAKER, THOMAS HINE & CO.

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nearly 50 years (since 1962) Hine has been the only Cognac

house to be granted a Royal Warrant by Queen Elizabeth II,

making it the sole Cognac supplier to the British royal family.

A RADICALLY CHANGING MARKETCognac has become an important product in the luxury market,

attracting large companies which have contributed to its increasing

popularity and international spread; its reputation is nonetheless

built on the exceptional quality of the product.

Although the image and prestige of Cognac is still intact today due

to its upmarket consumption, Cognac producers - and the Bureau

National Interprofessionnel du Cognac - have actively sought to

promote it more widely. There has been an emphasis on “long

drinks” and Cognac-based cocktails, leading to the creation of the

famous Cognac Summit in 2008 (elected cocktail of the year), fruit

of the efforts of some 20 internationally-renowned mixologists.

This development is the latest in a long tradition: in the 1700s,

Americans were imbibing mint juleps made with Cognac, fresh

mint and sugar, a drink that would inspire the mojito. This welcome

diversification is seducing increasing numbers of consumers looking

for options that are less strong and less expensive but which remain

high quality, allowing Cognac houses to continue to produce their

outstanding vintages in more limited quantities.

THE AGE OF COGNACSThe regulations for Cognac production require that its distillation

period must be completed before 31 March of the year following

the harvest. The age of the Cognac is thus counted from the date

of 1 April; Cognac that has just been distilled starts at zero

(compte 0) and must mature for one year before reaching compte

1. Thus, Cognacs distilled at the beginning of the harvest will

have spent a year and a half in cask by this stage.

Most Cognacs are a blend of eaux-de-vie of different ages that

may be from different areas of the Cognac region. This is why

it is unusual to see the year of the vintage indicated on a

Cognac label. A Cognac’s age is determined by the youngest

eau-de-vie in the blend.

AGE DESIGNATIONS:

V.S. (Very Special) or ***: two years old (compte 2)

V.S.O.P (Very Superior Old Pale): four years old (compte 4)

XO (Extra Old): six years old (compte 6). The authorities

guarantee the age of a Cognac only for the first six years of its

life and the above definitions are backed by that guarantee,

though in practice spirits labelled as such will generally be

much older (some houses make an XO that is aged for more

than 25 years).

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Vinifera grape which gave birth to

California’s viticultural vocation.

A STRING OF MISSION HOUSESFROM SOUTH TO NORTH

Starting from what is today Mexico, the

Franciscan monks slowly moved northward,

accompanied by the army. The first mis-

sion to be established was in San Diego,

followed by Los Angeles, Santa Barbara,

San Luis Obispo, San Francisco and lastly

Sonoma. Today, Sonoma is, along with

Napa, California’s most famous wine valley.

This stretch has historically been known as

“Camino Real” - the Royal Route - which

linked these islands of civilisation, dotted

across a still-hostile region.

California’s development changed dramatically

in 1849 with the discovery of gold seams

near San Francisco. Huge numbers of

European immigrants arrived on the West

Coast in the hope of making their fortunes.

These grape-loving communities, finding

insufficient local supplies of wine on the

one hand and being faced with the enormous

difficulty of transporting wine from the

East Coast on the other, started to develop

the region’s burgeoning vineyards. The

peak of this growth came with the 1850

despatch of a trade mission to Europe,

charged with the task of bringing back

vines suited to the Californian climate and

taste. The great adventure was about to

begin, punctuated by a series of disasters of

varying magnitude which California’s

vineyards have had to overcome in order

to attain their current status.

The cumulative effects of the persistent

phylloxera attacks (starting in 1875 on the

West Coast), followed (just as the

vineyards were starting to recover) by

Prohibition (1919-1933), came close to

bringing all wine production in this region

to an untimely end.

The local wine industry at last began

to embrace quality production in the

1950s and1960s. However, good

California joined the United States only in 1848; it had been Mexican territory formany years previously, and Spanish before that. Its Euro-Latin roots are still highlyevident to this day; consider, for example, the names of its towns (San Francisco, SanDiego, Modesto etc.), as well as its viticultural industry, which still prominently featuresthe noblest European grape varieties (such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay andMerlot). This is the remarkable story of the great vineyards of the New World.

California has the Catholic Church (first of

Spain, then of Mexico) to thank for its

vineyards, which were established between

1780 and 1850. During this period, 21

missionary bases were established; the

Franciscan abbots planted vines around

these buildings as a matter of course, for

the production of communion wine. The

grape which they used, christened

“Mission”, was of European origin, and

had probably been imported from

Mexico in the sixteenth century.

Although it was of mediocre quality, it

produced prolific yields and had a high

sugar content. It was probably this pure

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wines were still few and far between - the legacy of poor grape

varieties, and industrial production techniques which had

done little to promote quality production.

MODERN VINEYARDS

Changes started to come in the late 1960s. A new generation

of wine producers settled in the region, and began extensive

research into aspects such as fermentation temperatures,

appropriate grape varieties and barrel maturation - quality

measures which gradually won over local hearts and minds.

America, the world’s leading economic power and now a

major tourist destination, had rediscovered the outside world

in general and old European values in particular, symbolised

in this case by the great wines. The gauntlet was down:

Californian wines had to rival their European forbears in

quality. We shall now look at how well they have succeeded.

Today, the production of quality wines has been restructured

around varieties which have looked to Europe for their finest

qualities. These have mostly been red grapes such as Cabernet

Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah (whose influence is still

growing quickly) and Petite Syrah (known in the Rhône valley

as Duriff). The enduringly popular Zinfandel variety probably

originated in Europe; either in Apulia (Italy) or on the

Dalmatian coast (which is now part of Croatia) on the opposite

shore of the Adriatic. It is a highly prolific variety which

produces richly-perfumed wines with heady fragrances of red

berries and spices, and is also used to produce rosé wines.

Lesser red grapes include Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, Barbera

and Grenache. White grapes: Chardonnay, Chenin,

Sauvignon, French Colombard (used in Cognac), White

Riesling.

PIERRE SEILLAN IS VERY EXCITED BY THE OPPORTUNITIES AND POTENTIAL OF MOUNTAIN TERROIRS HERE, ESPECIALLY IN SONOMA.

THE MID-NAPA VALLEY FLOOR FROM THE FOOTHILLS OF THE VACA

MOUNTAIN RANGE.

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Less commonly used: Gewürztraminer, Sémillon and Pinot

Blanc, among others.The region also produces sweet wines

and dessert wines from white grapes, as well as the

sparkling wines which enjoy such popularity on the

American market.

MARRIAGES OF SOIL AND GRAPE

As well as starting to plant quality grape varieties, Californian

producers have come to realise that location, although not

crucial at this latitude, still has a significant effect on the quality of

the wine. Grapes are now no longer planted indiscriminately.

Vines flourish more readily in deep soils with good drainage

(where the roots can easily take hold), at the bottom of slopes

and on ancient alluvial terraces. Many vineyards are planted on

clay soil, which is fairly stony and rich in humus.

Irrigation is permitted, but not absolutely necessary. The

Napa Valley, whose rocky hillside topsoils receive adequate

irrigation from rainfall, has little use for it. Where it is used,

it takes the form of a computer-controlled drip-feed which is

often controlled by data from a weather station within the

vineyard itself. Strangely (and perhaps startlingly), yields,

like vine training and pruning methods, are unrestricted. Of

course, this makes an enormous difference to the vines, and

no Californian wine producer worthy of the name would deny

the importance of these crucial factors in obtaining a quality

wine - which, even up until quite recently, was not always the

case. In wine, as in so many other areas, one certainly has to

admire the Americans for their professionalism - and the proof is

in the tasting. The wines are indeed powerful, regularly

achieving 13.5% or even 14% alcoholic strength, yet frequently

possess an interesting aromatic character. The red wines are

often very spicy (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel);

full, with substance and soft tannins. Maturation (mainly in

American oak barrels) often gives the wines an astonishing

eucalyptus nose which can be distracting.

The rosé wines seem to be of least interest, with little personality

and an excess of residual sugar (although this is appreciated

by the American consumer). The whites are a combination of

a characteristic fleshiness - aided by maturation in new barrels -

and greater power than is found in French and European

wines; they have balance and refinement, but can still possess

plenty of charm, particularly in the case of the Chardonnays.GRAPES AFFECTED BY BOTRYTIS CINEREA,ALSO KNOWN AS NOBLE ROT.

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VARIED GEOGRAPHY, VARIED CLIMATEIn conclusion, the main contributory factor to the success

of California’s vines has been the relationship between

geography and climate - which is hardly any surprise. The

region can boast a multitude of microclimates suited to

the production of a very varied range of wines. Geography

also plays a key role. The mountain ranges running along

the edge of the ocean are interspersed with valleys which

are ideal for growing vines. The central valley, beyond this

mountainous barrier, is 700 km long and 100 km wide.

The vineyards in this region are well-irrigated, but - as is

usually the case in California - suffer from a lack of rainfall. To

the east, this valley is cut off by an impressive mountain

range: the Sierra Nevada. The only local region in which

vines prosper is the Sierra Foothills.

PHYLLOXERA: THE SEQUELAt present, the main question mark over California’s future

is the appearance of a new strain of phylloxera, which first

appeared in the 1980s. However, the wine community

remains optimistic, seeing this as a chance to implement

new viticultural practices which have been the subject of

experimentation for the last 25-30 years and should produce

lasting improvements in productivity and grape quality.

California’s vines will, no doubt, overcome this latest challenge -

just as they have overcome all the others.

THE ATLAS PEAK AVA OF NAPA VALLEY, LOCATED HIGH ABOVE THE VALLEY FLOOR.

AREA411,000 square kilometres (around 80% of the size of France)

VINES IN PRODUCTION207,000 hectares; 53% white grapes and 47% red grapes

ANNUAL PRODUCTION15,000,000 hectolitres, representing 94% of all US production

WORLD RANKING 4th (after France, Italy and Spain)

TOP FIVE VITICULTURAL REGIONSNorthern California Coast RegionCentral California Coast RegionSouthern California RegionSierra NevadaCentral Valley Region

CALIFORNIAN WINE IS LABELLED IN DIFFERENT WAYSACCORDING TO ITS PROVENANCE, AS FOLLOWS

CALIFORNIA: 100% Californian grapes.

COUNTY: 75% of the wine’s grapes are from the stated county

(Sonoma, Napa etc.)

AVA (American Viticultural Area, basically equivalent to the French

appellation d’origine): 85% of the grapes are from the specified AVA.

FACT: there are 193 AVAs in the United States (February 2009),

more than 100 of which are Californian.

VINEYARD: 95% of the grapes are from the specified vineyard.

NAMED VARIETY (Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay etc.):

75% of the grapes are of the specified variety.

VINTAGE: 95% of the grapes are from the stated harvesting year.

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Burgundy: a story of fragmentation

A1995 survey of wine production in Burgundy counted

15,000 producers over an area of 47,000 hectares. By

way of comparison, the Bordeaux region reported

13,000 producers over an area of 110,000 hectares for its AOC

wines. Individual sizes differ, too: large estates are less common,

with less than 15% of all production being attributable to producers

owning 10 hectares or more. There are practically no monopoles

(wholly-owned vineyards), and thus for any given appellation

there will be a multitude of producers. This is true of many great

growths such as Chambertin, whose 13 hectares are split between

25 owners. These brief figures speak for themselves, and clearly

illustrate the fragmentation in the region.

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One of the main characteristics of Burgundy’s vineyards is their extreme fragmentation.This mosaic of estates can trace its origins back to the French Revolution, whichsplintered vineyards by redistributing estates which had previously been owned by theclergy and the nobility. This situation continued throughout the nineteenth century andinto the early twentieth, aggravated by the law of equal inheritance. Today, thisfragmentation means that the informed consumer must know the name of the producer -or else lose himself in the labyrinth of Burgundian wine.

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THE GREAT ESTATES:SPLINTERED BY THE REVOLUTIONBy the end of the Ancien Régime, the vast majority of

“owners” actually owned only barely a third of their property,

often possessing no more than a small patch of a vineyard

of very poor quality which failed to meet even their basic

needs for survival.

At the opposite end of the scale, large-scale ownership

accounted for more than half of the vines but less than 3%

of the owners. Starting to emerge among these grands

propriétaires were the town bourgeoisie, trying to make

modest inroads into the great ecclesiastical and feudal

estates. The sale of Church assets, followed by those of

exiled nobility, revolutionised both vineyards and owner

profiles. The main beneficiaries of the dissolution of the great

estates, as the best vines were transferred from the hands of

the nobility and the clergy into bourgeois and merchant

ownership, were the bourgeoisie.

CÔTE DE NUITS AND CÔTE DE BEAUNEAfter the collapse of the Ancien Régime, the number of

medium-sized and large estate owners in the Côte (in the

wider sense of the word) tripled, and there was a 16% rise

in small ownership. The vineyards became even more fragmented,

and average holdings decreased in size. Much vineyard

land was owned by the bourgeoisie and merchants from

the towns of Dijon, Beaune, Nuits-Saint-Georges and even

Chalon-sur-Saône, and although the nineteenth century

witnessed a great expansion in small-scale vine ownership,

this growth mainly affected the “ordinary” vines (behind

the Côte, or to its south).

After the First World War, many family-owned estates

disappeared through neglect; this was followed by the

recession of the 1930s, which had a disastrous effect on

wine prices and, as a result, on land prices. Many small

growers, perhaps blessed with more foresight than their

peers, put their best foot forward and began to create

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the family-owned estates which have today earned

Burgundy its reputation.

Although the merchant tradition remains strong to this

day, the fact remains that businesses of this kind have

relinquished much of their grip on wine sales, losing

ground to producers who now sell their own wines

directly.

BROKEN UP:THE GREAT GROWTHSThe Côte (both Nuits and Beaune), which is home to

many great growths, demonstrates a fragmentation

which reveals enormous disparity between one great

growth and another. It was very often the case that

growths which were under large-scale ownership prior

to the Revolution subsequently split into smaller than

average pieces. Investors were attracted by their fame,

and the higher prices thus commanded increased the

likelihood of fragmentation when these major vineyards

went up for sale. This was true of many wines which had

enjoyed monopole status, such as Clos Saint-Denis (in

1859, and then again later), as well as the famous Clos

de Vougeot (see box below). The record for fragmentation,

regardless of status, is held by Bâtard-Montrachet, with

some thirty owners sharing 11 hectares and 83 ares.

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Conversely, some great growths which had previously

been divided into small plots (e.g. Clos de la Roche,

Musigny, Chevalier-Montrachet) switched to large-scale

ownership.

The large estates which owned and produced the great

wines of the nineteenth century have generally given way

to medium-sized estates, which have consequently increased

in number. This proliferation of owners is a clear indication of

the prestige and enormous economic power of these wines.

However, since the second half of the twentieth century,

the hold of the merchants and the large owners has

gradually increased.

CHALONNAISThese vineyards, nurtured by the Benedictine monks of the

abbey of Cluny, were not spared the axe of the Revolution.

The Chalonnais region is characterised by greater fragmentation,

which works in the favour of “small” owners. As a result of

the French law of equal family inheritance of land, the

estates were fragmented still further during the nineteenth

century, which had a negative impact on the large estates.

This led to the gradual appearance of small and medium-sized

owners, who controlled a large part of the land. Very few

estates were owned on a truly large scale. Later, the combined

effects of phylloxera and a lack of manpower after the two

World Wars almost destroyed the vineyards completely.

Nowadays, the five village appellations of Montagny, Givry,

Mercurey, Rully and - most recently - Bouzeron (Aligoté)

are for the most part marketed by the wine-growers and

merchant houses. In the case of the regional appellations (e.g.

Buxy), the vast majority of output is handled by the caves

coopératives.

MÂCONNAISThe Mâconnais region was affected relatively little by post-

Revolution fragmentation. While there are a large number of

small owners, they account for only a small total land area. Most

of the large vineyards are in the hands of large-scale owners.

From 1860 onwards, as wine revenues increased, all of the

locals - whether owners or not - fought over the properties for

sale. The lack of sufficient labour caused the fragmentation of the

great estates to increase.

The white and red wines of this vast region are sold mainly

through the caves coopératives, which sprang up out of the

crisis of the Thirties and have since been enormously

influential in improving production quality. Today, some

60% of wines from the Mâconnais are sold through the

cooperatives - a figure which rises to 75% for the white

Mâcons.

CHABLISIn the world of Burgundy, Chablis is a law unto itself. It is

not only far more northerly, but its parcels of wine-growing

land are also more unified. At the end of the Ancien

Régime, the estates were owned mainly by the clergy and

were auctioned off. After the Revolution, the owners were

mostly local bourgeoisie.

By the end of the nineteenth century, the vineyards of Chablis

extended across a dozen or so villages mainly located along the

slopes of each side of the Serein river valley. From the 1970s

onwards, renewal swept through the Chablis vineyards, driven by

BIVB

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ROMANÉE SAINT-VIVANT, ROMANÉE-CONTI'S YOUNGER SISTER.

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REGIONS

increasing demand for the local wines and also by the

introduction and perfection of new anti-frost techniques

(including heaters).

Over nearly thirty years - from 1970 to 1998, in fact - total

vineyard land area increased from 756 hectares to over

4,000 hectares, now covering some twenty villages. The

seven great growths, for their part, were all located together on

the hillsides of the right bank of the Serein, overlooking

the village of Chablis.

Unlike Burgundy’s other wine regions, Chablis is not

particularly highly fragmented, with an average estate size

of around 12 hectares. More significantly, five estates

alone own 120 hectares between them. The story is the

same for the great growths (100 hectares), where just two

estates account for half the vines. From a sales perspective,

one third is handled directly by the growers, merchants

account for another third, and the remainder goes through

La Chablisienne, the dynamic local cave coopérative.

THE PRODUCER’S NAME -A KEY FACTORThe fragmentation of the Burgundy vineyards, and the fact

that more and more growers sell their own wines, make the

producer’s name a key factor. Direct sales through the estates

are growing in popularity, and now represent 35% of total

wine sales in Burgundy - while 55% is still handled by the

wholesale merchants.

The producer’s name has become a decisive factor in the

selection of a quality wine; yet it is only in the 20th century

that the name of the producer or merchant (who often

owns the great estates) has risen to prominence. Today, a

recognition of these “signatures”, upon which an appellation’s

prestige is built, is indispensable to the wine-lover.

BIVB

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THE CLOS DES LAMBRAYS IN THE CÔTEDE NUITS IS THE MOST FAMOUS GRAND

CRU IN MOREY SAINT-DENIS.

THE CLOS DES RÉAS, A FAMOUS VOSNE-ROMANÉE FIRST GROWTH.

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REGIONS


The famous Clos de Vougeot, developed gradually by the

monks of Cîteaux between 1110 and 1336, was the largest

vineyard property anywhere in the Côte d’Or, representing a

wall-enclosed area of 50 hectares, 85 ares (on average, it takes

4.28 ares to produce 228 litres of wine). Sold in 1791 to a

group of Parisian bankers, it was purchased by an estate merchant

in 1889, who then sold it on to some fifteen buyers - all of

them Burgundian. Over the course of the 20th century, the

Clos de Vougeot was gradually subdivided further: 38 owners

in 1920 and 55 after the war: by the early 2000s, Clos de

Vougeot was split among more than 80 owners. Some 80% of

these are wine growers, mostly based in the Côte de Nuits.

The remainder is divided between several Burgundian

merchant houses.

BIVB

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A PREMIER CRU POMMARD (CÔTE DE BEAUNE) OF HIGH QUALITY: CLOS DES EPENEAUX.

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ORGANIC NEWS

Gisborne on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealandis a long way from anywhere. Even from Hawke’s Bay it’s aconsiderable drive along windy roads.

Millton Vineyards, New Zealand’sbiodynamic pioneers andchampions of Chenin Blanc

JAMES ANDANNIE MILLTON

www.millton.co.nz

©ALL

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Back in 1984 it was here in this isolated part of NewZealand that a young couple, James and Annie Millton,started the country’s first biodynamic vineyard. As James

explains: “A friend visited and left me withRudolf Steiner's book ‘The Agriculture Course’to read. From then on I was hooked and stillrefer back to this book when ever I get a moment.

We always wanted to grow plants and animals.Annie was a florist, I had done training inEurope in winegrowing. We wanted to grow thebest wine and figured that to do this the vinesand the land had to be alive. I couldn't seemerit in the chemicals which were being usedas offering any long term solution for whatwere to be our intentions. So in 1984 wechanged the family vineyards and started tofarm organically.

The benefits are profound from thebeginning with the first application of thehorn manure in the autumn you see anincrease in the soil health and life.

It is more expensive but now, 25 years later, and supported by thehuge upswing in interest in biodynamics, I can't see any disadvantages.I haven't seen one wine producer approach this practice and back

away from it. It makes sense, makes for moreinteresting wines and a better workingenvironment. It is very satisfying and veryenjoyable to be able to work alongside nature.”

The Milltons now have 15 hectares of vines.They produce Chardonnay, Viognier, PinotNoir, Syrah and some fine, age-worthyChenin Blanc - amongst the best in theSouthern Hemisphere.

Jim Budd

ORGANIC NEWS


THE MILLTONS NOW HAVE 15 HECTARES OF VINES. THEY PRODUCE CHARDONNAY,VIOGNIER, PINOT NOIR, SYRAH AND SOME FINE AGE-WORTHY CHENIN BLANC.

"IN 1984 WE STARTED TO FARM ORGANICALLY".

The Millton Vineyard Ltd

119 Papatu Road CMB 66 - Manutuke

Gisborne 4053 New Zealand

Tel. + 64 6 862 8680www.millton.co.nz

©ALL

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©ALL

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Tasted For You


RECOMMENDED WINES

Compare our tasting notes for a selection of wines from Bordeaux, theRhône Valley and Burgundy with those of our well-known Americancompetitors. The ratings from Wine Spectator and Robert Parker werefound on their respective websites**www.erobertparker.com and www.winespectator.com

SAINT-EMILIONOverview: Whilst grown within the same area as plain Saint-Emilion, theSaint-Emilion Grands Crus occupy the prime vineyard sites: calcareous clayhillsides, the plateau and gravel ridges. Furthermore, they are made tocomply to stricter standards: maximum yield is 40 hl/ha (instead of 45 forSaint-Emilion), minimum natural alcoholic strength is 11°(instead of 10.5°)and they must satisfy the requirements of an ad hoc tasting committee. Theclassed growths are all AC Saint-Emilion Grand Cru.Classed growths: the Saint-Emilion classification differentiates betweenPremiers Grands Crus Classés and Grands Crus Classés. Theoretically, it isupdated every ten years. The 2006 classification filleted out 15 PremiersCrus and 46 Grands Crus Classés. Although they all come under the

Saint-Emilion Grand Cru appellation, not all of them are Grands CrusClassés. The Premiers Grands Crus Classés are further subdivided into class‘A’ and class ‘B’ wines. Premiers Grands Crus Classés ‘A’: Château Ausone, Château Cheval Blanc.Premiers Grands Crus Classés ‘B’: Château Angélus, Château Beauséjour,Château Beauséjour Bécot, Château Bélair, Château Canon, Château Figeac,La Gaffelière, Clos Fourtet, Château Magdelaine, Château Pavie, ChâteauPavie Macquin, Château Troplong Mondot, Château Trottevieille.This classification has, however, been challenged by some of the demotedchâteaux and was therefore suspended. The 1996 classification applies untilfurther notice.

SSAAIINNTT--EEMMIILLIIOONN GGGG WWSS RRPP Château Beauséjour 2002 90 91 88Château Belair 2005 95 90 87Château Berliquet 2005 91 89 88-90Château Cadet-Bon 2006 87 81 86Château Canon 2005 95 94 90+Château Canon la Gaffelière 2007 92 88 90-92Château Chauvin 2007 89 87 87-88Château Cheval Blanc 2007 97 91 88-91Clos Fourtet 2005 94 95 98Château Corbin Michotte 2007 89 81 81-83Château Dassault 2007 92 88 84-86Château Destieux 2007 90 87 88-90Château Faugères 2004 88 90 90Château Figeac 2005 97 95 90Château Figeac 2006 95 91 90Château Fleur Cardinale 2006 90 89 91Château Fleur Cardinale 2007 87 88 91-93Château Fombrauge 2006 86 88 88Château Fonplégade 2006 87 87 91Château Franc Mayne 2007 90 88 83-86Château Grand Corbin-Despagne 2006 90 86 90Château Grand Mayne 2006 89 88 88Château Grand-Pontet 2003 90 90 89+Château Grand-Pontet 2004 88 87 88

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PPAAUUIILLLLAACC GGGG WWSS RRPP Château Batailley 2006 91 87 91Château Clerc Milon 2006 91 91 91+Château Clerc Milon 2004 90 90 90Croizet-Bages 2006 90 84 77Château d'Armailhac 2005 91 90 90+Château d'Armailhac 2006 91 89 91Duhart-Milon 2007 92 87 86-88Château Grand Puy Ducasse 2005 89 87 91Château Grand Puy Ducasse 2006 91 88 90Château Grand-Puy Lacoste 2007 92 87 89-91Château Haut Batailley 2007 92 86 85-87Château Haut-Bages Libéral 2007 90 87 83-85Château Lafite-Rothschild 2007 97 91 90-93Château Latour 2007 96 90 90-93Château Lynch-Bages 2006 94 92 92Château Lynch-Moussas 2003 92 90 88Château Mouton Rothschild 2007 96 92 90-94Château Pichon Longueville Baron 2007 93 89 90-92Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2007 94 88 88-90Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2006 97 92 95Château Pontet-Canet 2006 93 93 95+Château Pontet-Canet 2007 93 90 91-94

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SSAAIINNTT--EEMMIILLIIOONN GGGG WWSS RRPP Château La Clotte 2006 91 89 89Château La Couspaude 2004 88 88 89Château La Dominique 2003 90 88 n/aChâteau La Gaffelière 2004 91 92 92Château Larcis Ducasse 2007 92 88 92-94Château Larmande 2007 89 86 83-85Château Laroze 2005 91 90 89Château l'Arrosée 2007 90 87 89-91Château Pavie 2007 93 90 93-95Château Pavie Macquin 2007 93 87 92-94Château Pavie Macquin 2005 91 96 98Château Pipeau 2006 90 90 88Château Quinault L'Enclos 2005 86 92 94Château Soutard 2007 87 87 86-88Château Troplong Mondot 2007 94 90 90-93Château Troplong Mondot 2004 93 90 89+Château Trottevieille 2006 93 90 89+Château Trottevieille 2003 90 89 90+Clos de l'Oratoire 2007 91 88 87-90

PAUILLACOverview: Pauillac is a Médoc communal appellation. It boasts an impressiveconcentration of top-flight wines with three of the five First Growths withinits boundaries (Lafite, Latour and Mouton-Rothschild). The vines are plantedon a virtually unbroken ridge stretching from Saint-Julien in the south toSaint-Estèphe in the north. Only a few hundred metres of marshland separatethem from the waters of the Gironde estuary. The soils are gravely with sandydeposits, providing superb drainage. The nearby ocean and estuary define awarm temperate climate. Wine styles: Pauillac’s red wines, whose principal varietal is Cabernet-Sauvignon, are some of the Médoc’s most concentrated wines. Rich andcomplex, they have a well-structured, harmonious body bolstered by a finetannic structure. They are robust, elegant, distinguished wines with a great

ability to age. They develop fragrances of raspberry, blackcurrant, rose, violet,iris, cedar and cigar box. Enjoy with Pauillac lamb, roast wood pigeon, rackof veal with chanterelles. Classed Growths: First Growths: Château Lafite Rothschild, ChâteauLatour, Château Mouton Rothschild. Second Growths: Château Pichon-Longueville (Baron), Château Pichon-Longueville (Comtesse deLalande). Fourth Growth: Château Duhart-Milon-Rothschild. FifthGrowths: Château Batailley, Château Haut-Batailley, Château ClercMilon, Château Croizet-Bages, Château Grand-Puy Ducasse, ChâteauGrand-Puy Lacoste, Château Haut-Bages Libéral, Château Lynch-Bages,Château Lynch-Moussas, Château Pédesclaux, Château Pontet-Canet,Château d’Armailhac.

n/a: not available

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RECOMMENDED WINES

MARGAUXOverview: Situated on a plateau 6 kilometres long by 2 kilometres wide, theappellation encompasses five villages (Margaux, Cantenac, Soussans, Arsacand Labarde). It is not only the most extensive appellation in the Haut-Médoc,it is also the most southerly.The core of the appellation is in Cantenac and Margaux along a string of primehillock sites. The vineyards are planted on a plateau of gravel flanked bygravely outcrops. They in fact boast the deepest layer of gravel throughout thewhole of the Médoc and have the stoniest soils. Wine styles: These delicate, refined wines are rich, subtle and elegant. Theyare reputedly the Medoc’s most ‘feminine’ wines. Their aromas cover a broadspectrum, predominantly violet, rose and raspberry. Recommended pairings

include venison fillet, rack of lamb, hare or roast partridge, morels in puffpastry, sweetbreads and veal cutlets with chanterelles. In fact, they enhance allred meats and mild flavoured game.Classed growths: First growth : Château Margaux. Second growths : ChâteauBrane-Cantenac, Château Dufort-Viviens, Château Lascombes, ChâteauRauzan-Gassies, Château Rauzan-Ségla. Third growths : Château Boyd-Cantenac, Château Kirwan, Château d’Issan, Château Giscours, ChâteauMalescot Saint-Exupéry, Château Cantenac-Brown, Château Palmer, ChâteauFerrière, Château Desmirail, Château Marquis d’Alesme Becker. Fourthgrowths : Château Prieuré-Lichine, Château Pouget, Château Marquis deTerme. Fifth growths : Château Dauzac, Château du Tertre.

MMAARRGGAAUUXX GGGG WWSS RRPP Château Boyd Cantenac 2007 93 86 86-88Château Brane Cantenac 2004 95 87 87-88Château Cantenac Brown 2006 88 90 90-92Château Cantenac Brown 2005 91 91 n/aChâteau d'Angludet 2006 89 88 87Château d'Angludet 2007 90 87 81-83Château Dauzac 2005 93 92 91Château Dauzac 2007 93 87 84-87Château Giscours 2006 93 91 88Château Giscours 2007 93 89 85-87Château Kirwan 2005 93 93 92+Château Kirwan 2006 91 90 88Château Labegorce 2005 91 90 87-88Château Lascombes 2007 93 88 90-93Château Lascombes 2006 94 90 90Château Malescot Saint-Exupéry 2007 92 90 91-93Château Margaux 2007 98 88 92-94Château Marquis de Terme 2004 89 88 88Château Monbrison 2006 93 87 88Château Palmer 2007 95 90 91-93Château Prieuré-Lichine 2006 93 89 90Château Rauzan-Gassies 2006 92 87 89Château Rauzan-Ségla 2006 95 92 93Château Siran 2006 90 87 86

CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPEOverview: this area encompasses five towns and villages set in the southernpart of the Rhône Valley - Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Bédarrides, Courthézon,Orange and Sorgues. The soil is extremely stony, covered with pebblesinterspersed with red clay and sand. This type of soil retains heat during theday which it releases by night. Châteauneuf-du-Pape boasts the driest climate inthe region with some 2,800 hours of sunshine annually.The wines are vinified traditionally at controlled temperatures. The reds arevatted for around three weeks to ensure maximum extraction. The permittedrange of grape varieties is extensive, although many are not widely planted.For the reds: Grenache Noir, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Carignan, TerretNoir, Counoise, Muscardin, Vaccarese, Camarese, Calitor and Picpoul Noir.

For the whites: Clairette, Bourboulenc, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, PicpoulBlanc, Picardan, Marsanne, Viognier, Pascal Blanc, Ugni Blanc and Maccabeo.Wine styles: the appellation produces both red and white wines. The redwines with their intense colour are redolent of red fruit, leather, aniseed, spicesand the occasional balsamic note. They are round, unctuous, full and supplewith good length on the palate. The white wines sport a translucid pale yellowcolour. They are fresh and aromatic (floral notes reminiscent of vine flowers,honeysuckle and daffodils) with good staying power on the palate. The redspair with game (leg of venison, jugged hare, roast woodpigeon) or cheese.The whites are equally delicious as appetisers or with grilled fish doused witholive oil, shellfish and rosemary-flavoured goats cheese.

CCHHAATTEEAAUUNNEEUUFF--DDUU--PPAAPPEE GGGG WWSS RRPP Château Cabrières Prestige 2007 89 92 90+Château de la Gardine 2007 91 88 90Château Fortia 2007 89 90 86Château La Nerthe 2006 89 91 92Château La Nerthe Cuvée des Cadettes 2005 91 95 96Château Mont-Redon 2006 91 90 n/aDomaine Bosquet des Papes La Folie 2007 90 92 91Domaine Chante-Perdrix 2007 86 91 90Domaine de la Mordorée La Reine des Bois 2006 92 93 95+

n/a: not available

n/a: not available

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Gilbert & Gaillard labels are only awarded to wines sampledby our tasting committee and scoring a minimum of 80/100.

Latch on to qualitywith the Gilbert & Gaillard labels

WINE SCORES :Our tasting notes are scored on a 100 point scale, which gives enough range to evaluate every characteristic that we taste in a wine. Below are thedifferent levels that make up this scoring:

95-100/100 : an outstanding wine, when a great "terroir" meets exceptional winemaking expertise.

90-94/100 : a superlative wine combining finesse, complexity and remarkable winemaking.

85-89/100 : a wine of extremely high standard, which we enjoyed for its typicity and character.

80-84/100 : a quality wine combining balance, structure and neatness for a pleasurable wine drinking experience.

75-79/100 : a wine deemed acceptable.

70-74/100 : a wine with defects, unacceptable.

65-69/100 : a wine with major defects, inadmissible.

50-64/100 : unacceptable wine, not worthy for sale.

Note : wines scoring less than 75/100 are not included in our publications.

Each wine which has been

awarded by one of these labels

has been tasted

and selected

by Gilbert & Gaillard.

Thanks to these recognisable

labels, you can buy your wine

with confidence.

.qxp 05/05/2010 18:58 Page 111


RECOMMENDED WINES

CCHHAATTEEAAUUNNEEUUFF--DDUU--PPAAPPEE GGGG WWSS RRPP Domaine de Nalys 2006 89 88 88Domaine du Grand Tinel 2007 88 91 90Domaine du Grand Tinel 2006 86 90 88Domaine du Vieux Lazaret 2007 88 88 90-92Domaine Grand Veneur Les Origines 2007 90 92 96Domaine Moulin-Tacussel 2007 89 90 89Domaine Paul Autard La Côte Ronde 2007 90 95 95La Bastide Saint-Dominique Les Hespérides 2007 91 92 89+

CCOONNDDRRIIEEUU GGGG WWSS RRPP Delas Frères la Galopine 2007 87 91 87E. Guigal 2006 90 92 n/aDomaine Faury 2004 94 93 n/a

CCOORRNNAASS GGGG WWSS RRPP Domaine Courbis Les Eygats 2007 96 91 90-92Domaine Courbis Champelrose 2007 90 91 89-91Jean Luc Colombo Terres Brûlées 2004 92 91 90Domaine Paul Jaboulet ainé Domaine de Saint Pierre 2006 90 87 85Delas Frères Chante Perdrix 2005 92 92 91

CONDRIEUOverview: the Condrieu area, a producer of white wines, is situated 11kilometres south of Vienne, on the right bank of the Rhône, just below thered wine appellation area Côte Rôtie. Seven villages feature within the area andthe vines are planted on sheer granite slopes enriched with patches of loess.The steep inclines make mechanical harvesting impossible and the crop is thereforehand-picked. Low yields warrant the expensive price tag on these wines

which are intended to be drunk in their youth (between two and four years old). Wine styles: the appellation only produces white wines, made from the onlypermitted grape variety, Viognier. Pale gold in colour, they are heady, yet supple,rich and unctuous with a touch of acidity. Principal aromas are acacia honey,violet, musk, apricot and peach. They can be served with freshwater fish,mi-cuit foie gras, goats cheese, king prawns and duck breast with peaches.

n/a: not available

n/a: not available

CORNASOverview: this appellation area is set in the northern half of the Rhône Valley,opposite the town of Valence. The only permitted variety is Syrah whichforms the basis of the area’s red wines. Similarly, only one village is entitledto the appellation, Cornas in Ardeche. The vines grow on terraces supported bydry stone walls and enjoy maximum sunshine which promotes good ripening.The neighbouring hills also shield the vines from the wind, resulting insignificantly higher temperatures than in Hermitage, just 11 kilometres away.The soil is granite with patches of calcareous clay. At the base of the hills, theyare sandy with decomposed granite whilst in the northern part of the

appellation, there tends to be more limestone. The only variety used is Syrah.Wine styles: Cornas is a powerful, robust wine in its early years. Its tanninsonly begin to mellow several years down the line though even then, the winesremain robust with a dark hue. Strangely, it is unlike any of its northernRhône Valley neighbours and is often described as rustic or wild. The youngerwines display aromas of red fruit and pepper, leading into aromas of truffle,amber, hazelnut and liquorice after five to ten years’ ageing. They pair withwild boar in a sauce, venison cutlets marinated in Cornas wine, roast venisonor jugged hare.

CCOOTTEE--RROOTTIIEE GGGG WWSS RRPP Pierre Gaillard Rose Pourpre 2006 92 93 n/aDomaine Gilles Barge Côte Brune 2006 89 90Benjamin et David Duclaux La Germine 2006 90 92 90Domaine Guy Bernard Côte Rozier 2007 91 n/a n/aVignobles Levet Cuvée Améthyste 2007 91 n/a n/a

COTE-ROTIEOverview: an appellation set in the far northern part of the Rhône Valley. Thevines grow on terraces supported by dry stone walls facing south-east, whichprovides them with maximum sunshine. Three villages are entitled to theappellation: Ampuis, Saint-Cyr-sur-le-Rhône and Tupin-et-Semons. The Côte-Rôtie area is divided into two parts: Côte Blonde and Côte Brune.Côte Blonde is home to steep granite terraces covered with a layer of siliceouslimestone, whilst in Côte Brune the soil is iron oxide-rich clay. The wines arevinified traditionally with relatively long vatting periods (two to three weeks)and aged for 18 to 36 months in oak casks which are often new.

Wine styles: these red wines are single varietals made from Syrah, occasionallyaugmented with a tiny proportion of Viognier. Their deep red colour withpurple tints takes on orangy-yellow tints when they reach 10 to 15 years ofage. The wines are extremely well-structured, tannic and unctuous with acharacteristic intense bouquet. Wines from Côte Blonde tend not to keep foras long as those from Côte Brune. They display aromas of violet, spices (pepper,vanilla), red fruit (raspberry), black fruit and undergrowth. They pair withwater fowl, subtly-flavoured meats (roasted young wild boar), truffles andasparagus.

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CCRROOZZEESS--HHEERRMMIITTAAGGEE GGGG WWSS RRPP Domaine Ferraton La Matinière 2005 88 89 85-87Domaine Paul Jaboulet ainé Domaine Mule Blanche 2007 89 91 n/aDomaine Paul Jaboulet ainé Domaine de Thalabert 2006 89 88 n/a

CROZES-HERMITAGEOverview: this area is set in the northern part of the Rhône Valley. It formsa boundary around Hermitage in the north and south and embraces 11 villagessurrounding Tain-l’Hermitage. Soil types vary greatly with primarily granitehillside sites in the north and alluvium and terraces covered with pebbles ofvarious origins in the south. The red wines are made from Syrah, the whitewines from Marsanne and Roussanne.

Wine styles: the Crozes-Hermitage appellation produces red and white wines.The deeply-coloured red wines are supple and aromatic. They display aromasof blackcurrant, vanilla, cinnamon, liquorice and menthol notes. Try with arack of lamb or roast chicken. The floral, elegant white wines are supple and fat,displaying fragrances of almond, passion fruit and white flowers. Serve themwith eel in a parsley and garlic sauce, fish in a sauce or goats cheese.

HHEERRMMIITTAAGGEE GGGG WWSS RRPP M Chapoutier La Sizeranne 2004 96 91 88M Chapoutier Chante Alouette white 2004 93 92 94Delas Frères Marquise de la Tourette white 2006 91 93 93Delas Frères Marquise de la Tourette 2006 93 92 94Domaine Paul Jaboulet ainé Chevalier de Sterimberg white 2007 92 92 90Domaine Ferraton père & fils Les Dionnières 2005 90 89 91-93Domaine Ferraton père & fils Le Reverdy white 2006 92 93 94Cave de Tain Au Cœur des Siècles white 2005 88 89 n/a

HERMITAGEOverview: the appellation area is located in three villages set on the left bankof the Rhône, in the northern portion of the valley. Terraces chiselled into thesheer hillsides are home to the vines here. The soils are predominantly granitethough for many years the area was divided into climate-specific sites, eachwith its own soil make-up. The climate sites situated along the far westernend of the hill are formed of gravel and sand on a granite bedrock. On thelower climate sites, clay dominates, whilst calcareous clay occurs on thehigher sites. The wines are vinified traditionally at controlled temperatures.Both the red and white wines can be aged either in tanks or oak casks.Wine styles: the Hermitage appellation produces both red and white wines.As in the neighbouring appellations, the red wines are single varietal Syrah. As

a rule of thumb, they display a deep red hue evolving into an orangy colourdown the years, and an extremely fragrant nose. These wines are opulent,sumptuous, elegant and will keep for twenty to thirty years. Aromas of violet,peony, blackcurrant, raspberry, spices, truffle, leather and prune are present.Try with game served in a sauce, for example. The white wines are drawn fromMarsanne, with a small proportion of Roussanne. They exhibit a pretty goldenhue, are fat and full with an elegant framework. The best examples come fromvineyards set on the highest elevations. They display fragrances of flowers,unroasted coffee, gunflint, vanilla and toasted almonds, leading into notes ofhoney and wax as they mature. They marry extremely well with lamb curry,pastilla or chicken tajine with lemon confit.

SSAAIINNTT--JJOOSSEEPPHH GGGG WWSS RRPP Domaine Courbis Les Royes 2006 92 92 90Domaine Courbis 2007 89 89 89Delas Frères François de Tournon 2005 89 90 89-90Pierre Gaillard Les Pierres 2006 88 91 n/aDomaine Vallet Le Secret d'Antoine 2005 88 n/a 90

SAINT-JOSEPHOverview: the Saint-Joseph area extends over fifty or so kilometres, along theright bank of the Rhône, between the Condrieu and Cornas appellations. Theappellation, which produces red and white wines, embraces 23 towns and villages inArdèche and three in Loire. The soil is poor (shale and gneiss on a bedrock of granite).Wine styles: Saint-Joseph red wines are fruity and pleasant. The bestexamples come from Mauves, Tournon, Saint-Jean-de-Mujols, Lemps, Vion

and Glun, north of Cornas. They exhibit aromas of raspberry, blackcurrant,black cherry, violet and liquorice and pair well with braised ham or rabbitcasserole. The white wines are fresh and relatively robust with good acidityand pleasant fruitiness, with fragrances of peach, apricot, pear, hawthorn,acacia and honey. They pair with rosemary-flavoured goats cheese or turbotin a mustard sauce.

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7, parc des Fontenelles - 78870 Bailly - FranceTel.+33 (0)1 30 80 08 08 - Fax +33 (0)1 30 80 08 88

EDITORIAL DIRECTORS:François Gilbert and Philippe Gaillard

EDITOR IN CHIEF:Sylvain Patard

TASTING COMMITTEE:François Gilbert, Philippe Gaillard, Sylvain Patard,

Olivier Delorme and James Turnbull

REDACTION:Michèle Huyard

CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE:Bernard Barbuk, Jim Budd, Pierre Courdurié,

Christine Fabre, Guillaume Gilbert, Walid Haddad,Bernard Hudelot, Louise Hurren, Jean Natoli,

Edward Peters, Franck Rousseau, Philippe Roux

TRANSLATION:Elise Bradbury, Sharon Nagel

CORRECTION:Louise Hurren

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Gilbert & Gaillard Wine International is published byVinipresse, SARL with a capital of 35,500 euros • Headoffice: 7 Parc des Fontenelles, 78870 Bailly, France • Legalrepresentative and Editorial director: Sylvain Patard •Legal deposit: second quarter 2010 • Joint consultativecommittee: in progress.Reproduction of part or all of the contents of this magazine in any formis expressly prohibited. Any company names that appear in the articlesare given for information only and have no publicity purpose.


COMING UP SOON...

In our next issue

REGIONTHE DOURO VALLEY: thisremarkable area, renownedboth for its landscape and thequality of its Port wines, isalso one of the first places inthe world to have put in placecodified and restrictive rulesconcerning production.

FAMILY BUSINESSLOUIS LATOUR: An independent, family-run business, Maison Latour is knownworldwide for the quality of its red andwhite wines. The Latour family have beenwinegrowers since the 17th century; today,they head up a 50-hectare domaine thatconstitutes the largest surface of GrandsCrus in the Côte d'Or.

HISTORY OF THE VINEYARDSMEDOC AND ITS EXCEPTIONAL TERROIRS: Situatedbetween the Landes pine forests and the mouth of theGironde, Médoc’s flat landscape is not exactly inspiring.How is it that this area produces some of the world’s verybest wines?

And... COVER STORY: NEW YORK’S HOT SPOTS ● SYRAH AND THE RHONE

VALLEY: A PERFECT MATCH OF GRAPE VARIETY AND TERROIR ● THE VINEYARDS OF

OREGON ● AWAY TO THE HIGHLANDS! ● PROVENCE ● SARDINIA ● TOURAINE ●

WINE AND FOOD ● RECOMMENDED WINES ● NEWS ● WINE ON LINE ● PARIS LIFE,

NEW YORK LIFE, TOKYO LIFE ● ORGANIC NEWS ● INTERNATIONAL WINE QUOTATIONS

● EXPORT...

Page 21Vignerons de Beaumes de VeniseTel.+33 (0)4 90 12 41 [email protected]

Domaine des AmouriersTel.+33 (0)4 90 65 83 [email protected]

Domaine Nudant Jean-RenéTel.+33 (0)3 80 26 40 [email protected]

Page 81Champagne Marquis de PomereuilTel.+33 (0)3 25 29 32 [email protected]

Champagne J. M. Gobillard & filsTel.+33 (0)3 26 51 00 [email protected]

Champagne P. Lassalle-HaninTel.+33 (0)3 26 03 40 [email protected]

Château de BerneTel.+33 (0)4 94 60 43 [email protected]

Domaine de l'OlivetteTel.+33 (0)4 94 98 58 [email protected]

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