Domaine Leflaive’s switch to DIAM

Celebrated Burgundy producer Domaine Leflaive have switched away from natural cork to DIAM for all their wines, beginning with the soon-to-be released 2014 vintage.

I was alterted to this news by a tweet from Neal Martin, and I spoke on the phone this morning with Adam Brett-Smith of exclusive UK agents Corney & Barrow, who confirmed that from Bourgougne Blanc to Montrachet, proprietor Brice de La Morandiere has decided to bottle everything with this alternative closure. Brice, Anne-Claude Leflaive’s nephew and great grand son of Joseph Leflaive, has been fine-tuning how things are done at the domaine, and this is one of the changes.

This is the highest profile estate to move away from natural cork, and as such, it’s big news. Others in Burgundy have already experimented or shifted altogether, and it’s likely that more producers of white Burgundy will now also make the switch. Some years ago Ponsot famously adopted the rather unusual ArdeaSeal, an exotic plastic cork. Benjamin Leroux has used screwcaps for all his whites from 2014, except for those wines destined for markets where he feels they won’t accept alternatives to cork. From 2013, Dominique Lafon has also been using DIAM.

The big problem facing white Burgundy over recent years has been premature oxidation (known as PremOx). After a few years of cellaring, within the same case some of the bottles might be drinking perfectly, while others will be oxidised. There’s been a lot of discussion about its cause(s), but it’s clear that one of the contributors is the cork. While the wines seem to have become more fragile, it is the variation in cork that shows this fragility up. A more consistent closure with very low oxygen transmission might make PremOx rarer, even if it can’t deal with the underlying causes (which still aren’t completely clear).

the PremOx problem came to light from the 1996 vintage onwards. After being relatively unscathed with this issue, Leflaive reportedly suffered very badly with PremOx from the 2006 vintage onwards. Perhaps this is one reason they were keen to shift from natural cork.

DIAM, which is a technological cork made from grinding up bits of natural cork, cleaning them with supercritical carbon dioxide, and then glueing them back together with synthetic microspheres, is seen as a possible solution. It is consistent, and allows just a little oxygen transmission, like a good cork might. I’ve always had good experiences with DIAM-sealed bottles, but some winemakers claim they can spot a wine sealed this way because it dampens the fruit a bit. Andrew Jefford discusses this in an article on DIAM here.

The other option that may well take off for white Burgundy is screwcap, with a tin/saran liner. There are concerns that these screwcaps can cause or exaggerate reductive tendencies in wine, but some of my favourite new world Chardonnay producers, including Kumeu River, Neudorf and Norman Hardie all use screwcaps and the wines are thrilling. It will be interesting to see whether or not Domaine Leflaive’s shift causes a mass move away from natural cork to alternatives such as DIAM and screwcap.

from jamie goode’s wine blog http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/wine-science/domaine-leflaives-switch-to-diam

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Canada versus New Zealand: two top Pinot Noirs from 2011 compared, and a lesson learned

Three nights ago I opened this pair of Pinots, both from the 2011 vintage. They’re wines that I’d cellared. The first is the Te Muna Road Pinot from Craggy Range, which I liked enough on first tasting to buy a six pack. I think it’s good to put your money where your mouth is: if you give a Pinot 95 points and you find it at £20 a bottle, then you don’t trust your own recommendations if you don’t buy some.

The second is from Norman Hardie in Canada’s Prince Edward County. Since I first visited Canada in 2013 I’ve been telling everyone about these wines, which are now available in the UK market, chiefly through the Wine Society. I bought some. This is the County Pinot Noir; Norm also makes a Pinot Noir from Niagara, which is also very good, but a little different.

I learned a lot tasting these wines over three evenings (so over 48 hours). Initially on opening I reckoned that they were both at peak drinking, or maybe even a little past their peak. They were both so delicious young. But they have held up brilliantly over this time to the extent that they are probably better after being open a couple of days, and I think that they both have a long future ahead of them.

Interestingly, both are screwcap sealed (for the geeks, the liner is tin/saran in both, which means very little oxygen transmission at all). Has this got something to do with their performance right on opening, and their development over two days in the face of oxygen?

The Norm wine is a degree of alcohol less than the Martinborough, which reflects the climatic differences (Martinborough is often a little warm for Pinot, but not excessively so). The Te Muna isn’t a blockbuster though: it’s made in quite an elegant, lighter style.

So I think both these wines will age further. I have more of the Te Muna, and I think one bottle more of the Hardie, and I’ll keep them for a few more years before opening. It will be interesting to see how they develop.

Lesson learned: if you can, revisit wines the next day, or even the day afterwards. Be slow in making conclusions, and always, always keep an open, enquiring mind.

Norman Hardie County Pinot Noir 2011 Prince Edward County, Canada
12.5% alcohol. Fine herbal notes with some undergrowth, as well as supple red cherry and cranberry fruit on the nose. There’s a tiny hint of mint, and the first stages of appealing decay hiding in the wings. The palate is supple and fresh with keen acidity and nervous red fruits. Finely spiced and quite elegant with some edges, finishing with lemony acidity. Lovely precise fruit expression. 94/100

Craggy Range Te Muna Pinot Noir 2011 Martinborough, New Zealand
13.5% alcohol. Sweetly aromatic with herby cherry fruit with just a hint of malt. Textured palate with some spicy warmth and a silky mass of cherries and stewed plums. There’s a bit of spicy detail. Fine, fresh and expressive with the first signs of a warm maturity emerging. Quite delicious, and really benefits from being open a day. 94/100

Find these wines with wine-searcher.com

from jamie goode’s wine blog http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/new-zealand/canada-versus-new-zealand-two-top-pinot-noirs-from-2011-compared-and-a-lesson-learned

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Terroir: the rumours of its death have been greatly exaggerated

There’s a very interesting article on Jancis Robinson.com today, in which she reports on a recent Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) seminar on mineralogy. It deals with some very interesting issues. In her piece, she reports on Maltman’s talk, but I think she jumps to too-hasty a conclusion about its implications.

As geologist Alex Maltman explained forcefully, in a reasoned, well-illustrated talk, there can be no direct link between what is below the surface of a vineyard and the flavours found in the resulting wine. This despite the fact that soil type has long been held to be one of the fundaments of the sacred notion of terroir – and today one of most common activities among vine growers the world over is to dig a soil pit in their vineyards to show what type of rocks lurk below.

Just because there is no direct link between the soil and the flavour of wine doesn’t mean that soils don’t influence the flavour of the wine. Soil pits are cool. We shouldn’t feel bad about them.

Despite what Jancis implies here, soil type remains one of the fundaments of terroir. While some definitions of minerality – namely that minerals from the soil end up in the wine and flavour the wine – are now in peril, Maltman’s thesis doesn’t question the notion that soils alter the flavour of the wine, in the way that Jancis implies.

[As an aside, I think we should keep the door open slightly for a direct effect of soil minerals on wine flavour, as I argue here in this piece on the mystery of soils and wines. But that’s a discussion for another time.]

The key here is the word directly. Those of us who taste curiously and widely know how important soil type is. Wines from a particular soil type often share similar characters: the same variety grown on clay, schist, granite, sand or limestone will often taste quite different, even if the climate is identical. And you can often spot the imprint of the soil type on wine style, even across varieties and climates. I don’t think this is controversial.

The soil is having an indirect effect on wine flavour, facilitated through plant physiology and microbial activity. Teasing apart the mechanisms of this is likely to prove super-complicated. Yes, water holding capacity is important, but so is soil chemistry, although that’s disputed by some.

I understand the frustrations around the use of the term ‘mineral’. Attempts to identify the ‘mineral’ component of wine through sensory analysis, lexical analysis and chemical analysis are, I suspect, doomed to failure. We should just stop trying. Let people use the descriptors they like to use. If I say that a wine is silky, I don’t have to prove to a scientist that there’s silk in the wine. So if I say a wine is mineral, why should MWs and scientists demand proof that I’m referring to a chemical that is soil- or rock-derived?

But I feel that in the face of this criticism, Jancis is backing down, giving in all too easily. She should fight her corner. Why should we have to abandon the idea that soils influence wine flavour? They do. It’s just a question of how, and that is likely to be very hard to prove scientifically, even though it’s not a controversial idea to those who taste lots of wines from around the world, and spend time obsessing over soil pits.

So, the death of terroir has been greatly exaggerated.

Coincidentally, I just got this question from a reader today:

I’ve been reading Alex Maltman’s Minerality in Wine: A Geological Perspective, and have just finished your article More on Terroir: A Geologist Speaks. I have a question and if you haven’t time to answer, I totally understand.

In your article, you say that for some vineyards planted on deep, fertile soils, there will not be much of a terroir effect. However, if I’ve understood Maltman’s observations correctly then if said soils had a high CEC then surely those deep, fertile soils could produce grapes with a mineral nutrient rich juice, in which which yeasts and other bacteria could flourish during fermentation to make an interesting wine, regardless of the lack of bedrock influence on the soil?

Or is it the LACK of certain mineral nutrients in less fertile, shallower soils that would produce less nutritionally balanced juice, thus forcing yeasts to metabolise, for e.g., sulphur compounds, that would lead to a wine with potentially more interesting/site specific flavour compounds?

I suppose the simple question is: would the fertile soil produce an overly nutritionally balanced must that would in turn produce a boringly over balanced wine?

I think it’s the latter – it’s the less fertile soils producing a nutritionally less balanced juice, which causes the yeasts to do interesting things during fermentation, such as producing volatile sulfur compounds. Let’s not forget about the importance of microbes, be they local indigenous bugs, or cultured yeasts and bacteria.

The other effect of deep soils is to cause more vigorous growth of the vine, which then concentrates less on fruit production and is less in balance. This can affect the flavour of the wine quite significantly, and usually detrimentally.

from jamie goode’s wine blog http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/wine-science/terroir-the-rumours-of-its-death-have-been-greatly-exaggerated

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Gamay focus 22: Château de Durette Morgon ‘Hommage’ 2014 Beaujolais

The Belgian Beaujolais? This wine is from Château Durette, based in Régnié-Durette. In 2006 this was bought by Belgian Jean Joly. He got together some friends from Liège who purchased parcels of vines, with a view to making the wines at Durette, and the project is now quite sizeable, drawing on 30 hectares of vines. This is one of their top wines. It’s pretty smart, and as is common in Beaujolais, it’s excellent value for money

Château de Durette Morgon ‘Hommage’ 2014 Beaujolais, France
13% alcohol. This supple Gamay has really nice, dark, stony black cherry fruit with sweetness and also finely-spiced tension. There’s nothing over-done about this: it’s just mineral, rocky black fruits with nice acidity under the fruit. Very satisfying and dark, with fine herbs and tar in the background. 92/100 (£14.95 TheVintner.com)

Find this wine with wine-searcher.com

• Gamay 1 – RPM Gamay Noir California
• Gamay 2 – Domaine Metrat Chiroubles ‘La Scandaleuse’
• Gamay 3 – Orofino, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
• Gamay 4 – Julien Sunier Fleurie
• Gamay 5- Radford Dale Thirst Gamay, South Africa
• Gamay 6 – Louis Claude Desvignes Morgon Javernières ‘Les Impénitents’
• Gamay 7 – Hauts de Chasselay, Coteaux du Lyonnais
• Gamay 8 – Serol Les Originelles, Cote Roannaise
• Gamay 9 – Te Mata Gamay Noir, Hawkes Bay
• Gamay 10 – Puy de Dome, Auvergne
• Gamay 11 – Beauregard Fleurie
• Gamay 12 – Antoine Sunier Morgon 2014 and Regnie 2014
• Gamay 13 – Thibault Liger-Belair Les Roucheaux 2011
• Gamay 14 – Bow and Arrow 2014 Oregon
• Gamay 15 – Domaine de Fa Beaujolais en Besset 2014
• Gamay 16, Pearl Morissette Cuvée Mon Unique Gamay 2013
• Gamay 17, BK Wines et Le Grappin Les Deux Fous Gamay
• Gamay 18, G Spot Vin de…France, Beaujolais Villages
• Gamay 19, du Grappin Fleurie 2014
• Gamay 20, Lapierre Morgon 2014 ‘N’
• Gamay 21, Bass Phillip Gamay 2014 Gipplsand

from jamie goode’s wine blog http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/beaujolais/gamay-focus-22-chateau-de-durette-morgon-hommage-2014-beaujolais

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The remarkable Deconstructed wines of Richard Kershaw, Elgin, South Africa

Richard Kershaw is a British ex-pat and MW who has been making his own wines out of Elgin for a few years now. Previously he was winemaker at Mulderbosch. Richard has received lots of critical acclaim for his Chardonnays, and has been pivotal in leading the current Elgin Chardonnay crusade: his new releases represent a step up in prestige and pricing for this variety in the valley, so it was great to get to taste them. He’s also making really good Syrah and Pinot Noir.

The new release here is a three-pack of ‘deconstructed’ Chardonnays, which sells for 2400 Rand. 250 bottles each of these wines were produced, and they specify the clone and the soil type. There’s a similar three-pack of desconstructed Syrah, too.

Kershaw Deconstructed Chardonnay CY96 Groenleand Koffieklip 2015 Elgin, South Africa
Taut, mealy and spicy. Very linear with nicejuiciness. Fresh, spicy and taut with lovely mineral intensity. Has a bit of pear richness but also some taut, mineral character. 94/100

Kershaw Deconstructed Chardonnay CY95 Lake District Bokkeveld Shale 2015 Elgin, South Africa
Generous pear and citrus fruit. Rounded and textured with a fine mineral edge, and some mandarin notes. Very fine and delicate but also has power, walking a tightrope between richness and finesse. Green tea and herbs, too. 96/100

Kershaw Deconstructed Chardonnay CY458 Groenland Bokkeveld Shale 2015 Elgin, South Africa
Lovely intensity: very fine and expressive with nice spiciness. Citrus, pear, spice and a bit of pith. There’s some tangerine and grapefruit, too. Lovely precision: this is a Corton Charlemagne clone that usually gives austere, robust wines that are meaty and broad. Distinguished and fine. 94/100

Kershaw Deconstructed Clonal Selection Syrah 2014 Elgin, South Africa
Peppery and bright with juicy red fruits and a hint of herbiness. Lovely black cherry and pepper with some olive. A bright wine with nice focus. 92/100

Kershaw Deconstructed Syrah Lake District Cartref SH22 2014 Elgin, South Africa
The two deconstructed clonal selection Syrahs are from the same south-facing block on Cartref soil, which is granitic with broken stones. Fine, fresh and expressive with black pepper, cherries and raspberries. Fine spices and some herby notes add detail. Fine-grained, fresh and vibrant. 94/100

Kershaw Deconstructed Syrah Lake District Cartref SH9c 2014 Elgin, South Africa
Dense, fresh, spicy and vivid with blackberry and black cherry fruit with lovely pepper and spice notes. Vivid and bold with firm black fruits. Juicy and intense. 93/100

Find these wines with wine-searcher.com

from jamie goode’s wine blog http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/south-africa/the-remarkable-deconstructed-wines-of-richard-kershaw-elgin-south-africa

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Elgin Ridge, a biodynamic pioneer in South Africa’s Elgin region

Elgin Ridge winery from the air

Brian and Marion Smith are biodynamic pioneers in the Elgin Valley. I visited them for a look around the vineyards with vineyard manager Taurai Matunbwa, and then a tasting with winemaker Koysie van de Merwe. I really like what’s going on here, and in particular the Pinot Noir and sparkling are very interesting. The Sauvignon is made in a more complex and interesting style than most in South Africa, which sometimes counts against it in competitions, but it’s an interesting drink.

Brina Smith, vineyard manager Taurai Matunbwa and Marion Smith, Elgin Ridge

For the Sauvignon Blanc, whch is the bulk of production, the 2016 vintage was a warm one, but the wines showed good retention of acidity. The cool weather in February saved the vintage, and harvest was in the first week of March. ‘We harvest on taste because we want ripe flavours,’ says Koysie. They open up the canopy quite a bit promoting thiol precursors, and pH was around 3.3 with acids at 5.4-6.

This year, the must was settled for three days and no enzymes were used. Juice washeated up to 15 C for fermentation to start, and Koysie tried to keep it there as it progressed. Biodynamics allows the use of a yeast nutrient called 2B Fermcontrol, which is really useful.

Elgin Ridge Sauvignon Blanc 2016 Elgin, South Africa
(Tank sample) Left for 9 months on lees, natural ferment, 5% Semillon. 7% aged in concrete egg. Ripe but very fresh with subtle herbs, and rich pear and apple fruit, as well as some white peach. Has nice palate weight kept fresh with some grapefruit character. 90-92/100

Elgin Ridge Sauvignon Blanc 2014 Elgin, South Africa
This was a challenging year which required rigorous selection in the vineyard, and the final wine had some botrytised fruit in it. Half the normal quantity made. Very pure, fresh citrus, pear, spice and ripe apple notes with a touch of apricot and maybe a bit of sweetness. Textured with melon and peach skin characters. 91/100

Elgin Ridge Sauvignon Blanc 2015 Elgin, South Africa
14.5% alcohol. Very pure, fresh citrus and pear fruit on the nose with some passionfruit richness. Fresh and detailed on the palate. Quite delicate and precise with lovely citrus and passionfruit, and some fruit sweetness. Some alcohol evident. 92/100

Elgin Ridge Chardonnay 2016 Elgin, South Africa (cask sample of final blend)
6 barrels made, 1 of which is new. Very linear and spicy with nice citrus and some pear fruit, with apple and spice. Zippy and vigorous with some some oak. Lovely. 92-94/100

The next wine was interesting: it’s a blend of 60% Sauvignon and 40% Semillon, fermented in an upturned barrels with a third whole bunch, made red wine style. As soon as it begins to taste phenolic, Koysie presses it off to tank, and then it goes to barrel.

Elgin Ridge Sauvignon Semillon 2016 Elgin, South Africa
(Cask sample) Very compacy with spice and citrus notes, showing good concentration. Lively and focused with fine spiciness and lovely precision. There are some floral hints on the nose and just a touch of good green. Multilayered. 92-94/100

Elgin Ridge Pinot Noir 2016 Elgin, South Africa
(Cask sample) First vintage was 2012, and the vines are now seven years old. Lots of fruit was dropped this year and there was a lot of sorting. 777 clone is punched down lightly and goes to stainless steel. 667 is fermented in 500 litre bins with 12% whole bunch on top. 115 goes into the concrete egg. Nice sweet red cherries and plums with some elegance. Very fresh and supple, and really nicely expressive. 91-93/100

Elgin Ridge MCC 2011 Elgin, South Africa
12.5% alcohol. Such a distinctive fizz. 83% Pinot Noir and 17% Chardonnay, with the base wine made oxidatively, fermented in stainless steel and going to barrel for 2 years, stirred every 3 weeks. Then the wine spend 3 years in bottle on lees with zero dosage. Full yellow colour with a hint of pink. Intense but delicate too, with ripe apple, pear and a hint of strawberry. Lovely texture with some almond and apricot. 91/100

from jamie goode’s wine blog http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/south-africa/elgin-ridge-a-biodynamic-pioneer-in-south-africas-elgin-region

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Inside the Cité du Vin, Bordeaux

The Cité du Vin is a major new tourist attraction in Bordeaux. I visited and spent a couple of hours looking around.

Here’s a short film of the visit:

It’s like a museum, but it’s very modern and creative, making good use of technology to create varied, creative, interactive displays.

You navigate with the aid of an iPhone-like device, with headphones that cleverly avoid touching your ears. At each exhibit, you point your device at a special symbol, and the commentary begins in your language.

The content is very good: I thought it was pitched just right, and although the translations from the French didn’t always feel completely comfortable, I found it interesting. It’s not pitched at wine professionals, of course. But if you are a normal person with a bit of interest in wine, you could learn a lot here. The information was accurate and up to date. Even if you know a lot, there’s plenty here to keep you engaged.

Realistically, you need a morning or afternoon if you want to get the most out of this. There’s a lot to learn. And it’s not just about Bordeaux or French wine, either.

After the main exhibition, there’s a chance to taste a wine of your choice from an interesting international selection on the top floor, which has good views over to the city, including the new moveable bridge.

And you can then go down to the ground floor where there’s an extensive wine shop, selling wines from a bewildering array of countries. Alas, the selection from  outside France isn’t the best chosen: for example, the USA and South African selections were particularly weak. There’s a wine bar/bistro where you can drink any of these wines for a 10 Euro corkage fee, which is cool.

Overall, I was really impressed by the Cité du Vin, and would recommend it highly.

from jamie goode’s wine blog http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/bordeaux/inside-the-cite-du-vin-bordeaux

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Tapas crawling in Logroño, Rioja

I’m in Rioja, on a short trip with Vintae, a dynamic wine company looking to make authentic wines across several Spanish wine regions. They’re working with organics, marginal vineyards, forgotten vineyards and have a particular focus on Grenache. We’re staying in Logroño, so on the first night it was pretty much obligatory to go tapas bar crawling in Calle Saint Jean and the famous Calle Laurel.

Many of the most authentic tapas joints here serve just one dish. For example, we visited one that specialises in mushrooms, and another that specialises in pigs cheeks (a bit too weird for me). At another we had pigs face (fried, delicious). Wine is cheap – typically you get a glass with each pincho, and it’s less than €2.

Bar Soriano specialises just in mushrooms

How to spot a more authentic joint? Look for the discarded paper napkins on the floor.

Eating is, of course, standing up. And while there are tourists here, the majority of customers are locals.

Pig ears at Bar el Perchas

Pig’s face

Here’s a film of bar crawling in Logroño:

 

from jamie goode’s wine blog http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/spain/tapas-crawling-in-logrono-rioja

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