My top wines from the Argentina Wine Awards

I’ve just finished writing up the notes from judging the Argentine Wine Awards in Mendoza last month. These are my personal notes and scores on the wines I liked the best out of those that I tried (I’m guessing just over a quarter of the entered wines, because we were split into four teams of judges). 73 of the 203 I tasted scored 90/100 or higher, and these are the wines here. [I will soon publish all of the notes on wineanorak.com.]

The judging panel I was on – Martin Kaiser and Peter Granoff are my fellow judges

You can find the official results here.

Just seven shared my top score of 94/100. Within each score grouping these wines are in no particular order. It’s always interesting to see the scores you give to wines in a blind tasting, which is a great leveller.

94

Bodega Zuccardi Valle De Uco Tito Zuccardi Paraje Altamira 2015 Mendoza
Vivid, bright, forward and structured with nice density and freshness to the fruit. Very lively with cherries and blackberries, as well as some blackcurrant freshness. 94/100

Bodegas Fabre Viñalba Patagonia Malbec 2016 Patagonia
Lovely stuff: very fresh and pure with vivid black cherry and backberry fruit. So expressive and detailed with nice freshness and good tannin. 94/100

Benegas Single Vineyard Malbec 2015 Uco Valley, Mendoza
Nice pure fruit here with lovely freshness and balance. Has good structure and acidity under very expressive fruit. Lovely stuff. 94/100

Trapiche Terroir Series Finca Laborde Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Uco Valley, Mendoza
Lively and pure with lovely linear, structured blackcurrant fruit. Very convincing and varietally true. Quite lovely. 94/100

Terrazas De Los Andes Reserva Chardonnay 2016 Uco Valley, Mendoza
Stylish, fresh and focused with a lovely citrus core as well as some spicy apple and pear detail. Subtle hints of cabbage here complement the pure fruit. Very stylish. 94/100

Melipal Supernova Limited Edition I 2015 Maipú/Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza
Malbec/Cabernet Franc. Ripe, sweet, berryish and lush with a sleek, smooth palate and lots of berry fruits. There’s a nice texture here: it’s ripe but also really fresh with fine grained structure. Polished and expressive. 94/100

Bodega Aleanna Gran Enemigo Single Vineyard Agrelo Cabernet Franc 2013 Maipú/Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza
This is pretty serious, with good structure and weight. Ripe berry fruits with some fresh cherry character, and good structure. This has the potential to develop really nicely. 94/100

93

Riccitelli & Father 2014 Mendoza
80% Malbec, 20% Cabernet Franc. Concentrated and intense, yet with freshness. Bold with some sweetness to the black cherry and blackberry fruit. There’s some silkiness and prettiness to the fruit, with good tannins adding structure. 93/100

Riccitelli Wines Republica Del Malbec 2015 Maipú/Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza
Dense, concentrated, ripe and generous with rich, bold sweet black fruits, with a bit of raspberry freshness. This is very attractive and polished with a bit of grip. A big wine but really well made. 93/100

Fabre Montmayou Reserva Malbec 2016 Maipú/Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza
Vivid and sweet with nice density to the structured black fruits. Has some fine spiciness. Very polished but also retains freshness and interest. 93/100

Zorzal Eggo Tinto de Tiza Malbec 2016 Uco Valley, Mendoza
Open, supple, slightly green-edged cherry and blackberry fruit. It’s fresh and fruity with really keen acidity and a freshness to the fruit. There’s a liveliness here and a beautifully expressive acid structure. 93/100

Familia Schroeder Saurus Select Malbec 2016 Patagonia
This is so fresh and floral with lovely structure and acidity and beautiful precise, sweet cherry fruit, together with some floral overtones. Lovely freshness and very focused, with a slight saline edge. Joyful but with a hint of seriousness. 93/100

Solocontigo Colección Blend 2015 Uco Valley, Mendoza
75% Malbec, 15% Cabernet Franc, 5% Syrah. Sweet, ripe and seductive with more-ish lush black fruits. Smooth and polished with a very ripe, generous personality. Big but good. 93/100

Andeluna Cellars Pasionado 2014 Uco Valley, Mendoza
47% Malbec, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot. I like this: there’s a nice combination of sweet black cherry and blackberry fruit with some freshness and notes of gravel and fine herbs. Very stylish. 93/100

Bodega Aleanna Gran Enemigo Single Vineyard Gualtallary Cabernet Franc 2013 Uco Valley, Mendoza
Fresh, concentrated and sweetly fruited with a lot of richness but also some good balance. Sweet but balanced with a nice grainy structure under the smooth fruit. 93/100

Bodega Aleanna Gran Enemigo Single Vineyard El Cepillo Cabernet Franc 2013 Mendoza
Fleshy and bright with some structure under the sweet black fruits. Has real intensity with a fine-grained structure to the sleek, sweet fruit. Very attractive. 93/100

Corazon Del Sol Cabernet Franc 2013 Uco Valley, Mendoza
This is ripe and powerful with nice density of sweet berry fruits. There’s good structure and acidity under the polished, expressive fruit. Good weight. Ripe but balanced. 93/100

Mascota Vineyards Big Bat Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 Uco Valley, Mendoza        
Lovely freshness and structure here with ripe blackcurrant fruit and fine juiciness. Has a nice savoury edge with some spicy structure and a touch of fine herbiness. 93/100

Trapiche Gran Medalla Pinot Noir 2015 Uco Valley, Mendoza        
Very attractive compact sweet cherry and berry fruit with good density. Ripe but balanced with lovely structure under the sweet fruit. Has a fine spicy undercurrent. 93/100

Casa Montes Don Baltazar Malbec 2015 La Rioja
Coffee and spice on the nose from the oak. Lovely sweet fruit here that’s concentrated and well balanced with nice polish and power. Very classy. 93/100

Enrique Foster Firmado Malbec 2011 Mendoza
Fresh and supple with good concentration of sweet red and black fruits. Has good structure and an attractive texture. Shows balance, weight and power, with some tannins on the finish. 93/100

Proemio Gran Reserva Winemakers Selection 2014 Maipú, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza
50% Malbec, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Syrah, 5% Garnacha. Vivid and intense with powerful sweet dark fruits. Concentrated and yet quite fresh with bold, intense fruit. 93/100

Trivento Lejanamente Juntos 2013 Mendoza
60% Malbec, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. Fresh and vivid with great definition to the concentrated black fruits. There’s quite a bit of structure here under the polished black cherry and blackberry fruit, with some spiciness and a hint of tar. 93/100

Luigi Bosca De Sangre 2015 Maipú/Luján de Cuyo, Mandoza
85% Cabernet Sauvignon,  8% Syrah, 7% Merlot. Distinctive stuff: very ripe and lush, but with notes of pepper, herbs and tar. Really expressive. Despite its ripeness and richness, there’s some real appeal to this. 93/100

92

Atamisque Assemblage 2015 Uco Valley, Mendoza
50% Malbec, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot. Quite peppery and lively with a spicy edge to the focused black fruits. Good concentration and depth with some structure. Finishes lively and quite tangy. 92/100

Susana Balbo Wines Benmarco Expresivo 2015 Uco Valley, Mendoza
83% Malbec, 17% Cabernet Franc. Sweet, polished, ripe and lush with sleek open blackberry and black cherry fruit. Very smooth and ripe. Lovely immediacy and pleasure from the fruit, with some structure on the finish. 92/100

Melipal Blend 2014 Maipú/Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza
60% Malbec, 30% Petit Verdot, 10% Cabernet Franc. There’s real density and substance to this wine, with its bold, intense black fruits. Quite sweetly fruited, but this fruit is supported by notes of spice, gravel and tar. Finishes spicy and salty. Bold stuff. 92/100

Malma Finca La Papay Malbec 2016 Patagonia
Lovely fruit here: has sweetness but also freshness with a nice stony edge to the floral black cherries and plums. Nice fruity freshness. 92/100

Finca Flichman Dedicado Gran Corte 2015 Uco Valley, Mendoza
85% Malbec, 9% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot. I like the freshness here. The fruit is ripe and expansive with a lush cherry and berry character, but there’s a nice spiciness, too. Fine grained tannins here with a bit of grip. 92/100

Bodega Aleanna Gran Enemigo Single Vineyard Chacayes Cabernet Franc 2013 Mendoza
This is powerful but very fresh with good acidity supporting the sweet ripe blackberry and black cherry fruit. Vivid, floral and intense with just a hint of tar.  92/100

Luca Beso De Dante 2014 Uco Valley, Mendoza
50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Malbec, 15% Cabernet Franc. There’s a bit of structure here under the bold, rich blackberry and cherry fruits. Has real density and focus. Fruit driven and vivid. Rich but still in balance. 92/100

Atamisque Malbec 2015 Uco Valley, Mendoza
Fleshy and ripe with a lovely open sweet, fresh raspberry and cherry character. Slightly jammy and sweet, but still fresh with nice grip. 92/100

Sophenia Synthesis Malbec 2015 Uco Valley, Mendoza
Fresh, grippy, a bit tannic and meaty with lovely fresh, bright fruit characters. Juicy and vivid with nice freshness. Very pretty and structured. 92/100

Bodegas Fabre Hj Fabre Barrel Selection Malbec 2016 Patagonia
Concentrated and dense with nice sweet berry and cherry fruits. Has a richness on the mid-palate, and also a bit of saltiness. Quite structured: this has more extraction and richness. But it’s still fresh. Finishes tannic. 92/100

Andeluna Altitud Chardonnay 2016 Uco Valley, Mendoza
Very lively and pure with good acidity and nice stony citrus fruit, with a bit of pear richness. Lovely brightness and transparency, with good acidity. 92/100

Luis Segundo Correas Valle Las Acequias Malbec Oak 2014 East Mendoza
This has good concentration and freshness with sweet black cherry and blackberry fruit, coupled with a bit of spicy structure. There’s lushness but no over-ripeness, and it’s very successful. 92/100

Dante Robino Gran Dante Bonarda 2015 Maipú/Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza
Really pretty and floral with nice sweet cherry fruit, and a bit of spicy grip. Lovely brightness and freshness here. Shows nice purity and brightness. 92/100

Nieto Senetiner Bonarda Partida Limitada 2013 Maipú/Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza
This is dense, vivid and spicy with sweet cherry and berry fruits underpinned by some polished new oak. Impressive density, richness and freshness. Modern and ambitious. 92/100

91

Pascual Toso Finca Pedregal Single Vineyard  2015 Mendoza
53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Malbec. This has concentration but also freshness, with lovely sleek, sweet black fruits. Has a bit of structure on the palate, and is a tiny bit drying, but there’s appealing sweet fruit here. Lots to like, even though it is a tiny bit hollow in the mid-palate. 91/100

Pascual Toso Alta Malbec 2015 Maipú/Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza
This is smooth, textured and lush with generous, slightly jammy fruit and a slight salinity in the mouth. Has breadth and depth. Ripe but still in balance. 91/100

Auge Malbec 2015 Maipú/Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza
Vivid and expressive with lovely sleek ripe black fruits. Has good structure with very pure, slightly silky fruit. Subtle meat and herb notes add interest. 91/100

Bodegas Fabre Viñalba Reserva Malbec/Cabernet Franc 2016 Uco Valley, Mendoza
80% Malbec, 20% Cabernet Franc. Very fresh, supple and chalky with lovely red fruits. Has some sweetness and quite a bit of freshness. Such lovely supple fruit. Beautiful for the price. 91/100

Zorzal Gran Terroir Malbec 2015 Uco Valley, Mendoza
Lovely freshness here: bright raspberry and cherry fruit with some juiciness and nice spicy depth. Fresh and vivid with a sweet but focused fruit profile. 91/100

Catena Alta Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 Uco Valley, Mendoza
Vivid and quite dense but with some warmth and spice as well as juicy black cherry and blackberry fruit. Has good structure and also some blackcurrant freshness. Quite convincing. 91/100

Negocios Y Emprendimientos Zorzal Piantao Cabernet Franc 2013 Uco Valley, Mendoza
90% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon 2% Syrah. Great concentration here with sweet, bold blackberry and cherry fruit. Has a very ripe, tarry, seductive quality with lots of sweet fruit. A big, showy wine that’s initially very seductive, but then feels a bit over the top. 91/100

Bodegas Salentein Numina Gran Corte 2015 Uco Valley, Mendoza
68% Malbec, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 7% Merlot. Great concentration with bold sweet black fruits combining with some spicy oak. Very rich and intense. So plush and silky with lots of sweetness. 91/100

Bodegas Salentein Primus Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Uco Valley, Mendoza
Concentrated blackcurrant fruit with some spice and tar. Has nice acidity. Rich and warm with some nice spiciness. Polished and forward. 91/100

Millán S.A. / Bodega Los Toneles Sapo De Otro Pozo 2015 Uco Valley, Mendoza
80% Malbec, 15% Cabernet Franc, 5% Syrah. Dense and spicy with some earthy, tar notes under the sweet berry fruit. Concentrated, generous and plush. 91/100

Riccitelli Wines “The Apple Doesnt Fall Far From The Tree” Pinot Noir 2016 Mendoza
Very attractive cherry and plum fruit here: sweet with nice density. Juicy and lively with lovely acidity and a very pure, vibrant, ripe, joyful personality. 91/100

Mevi Chardonnay 2016 Uco Valley, Mendoza
Subtle toast and ripe apple richness here alongside some nicely weighted pear and citrus fruit. There’s a trace of nutty oak that fits in very well. 91/100

Bodega Los Toneles Fuego Blanco Cabernet Franc Malbec 2015 La Rioja
60% Cabernet Franc, 40% Malbec. Ripe, supple and balanced with sweet cherry and berry fruits. Very supple and drinkable with nice freshness and weight. 91/100

Fabre Montmayou Gran Reserva Malbec 2015 Maipú/Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza
Lush and sweet with concentrated, compact cherry and berry fruits, with some firmness and good acidity. Structured and quite primary with potential for development. 91/100

Budeguer Tucumen Reserva Ancellotta 2016 Maipú/Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza
88% Ancellotta, 12% Malbec. Sweet and appealing with really pretty ripe raspberry and cherry fruit with lovely grip and density. There’s a freshness and an expressive quality to this wine. Pretty, pure and beguiling, but also has some density. 91/100

90

Susana Balbo Wines Crios Red Blend 2016 Uco Valley, Mendoza
73% Malbec, 22% Syrah, 5% Petit Verdot. Supple raspberry and red cherry fruit here with an appealing spiciness. Nicely vivid and fruity with great balance. Very drinkable. 90/100

La Rural Rutini Malbec 2015 Uco Valley, Mendoza
Fresh and ripe with bold, concentrated black fruit character and some fine spiciness. It’s fruity and dense with some savoury, tarry spicy notes. Warm and ripe. 90/100

Luigi Bosca-Familia Arizu Luigi Bosca Grand Pinot Noir La Consulta 2015 Uco Valley, Mendoza
Supple and juicy with nice fruitiness. Good balance with a bit of spice on the finish. Has sweet and savoury characters with appealing cherry and plum fruit. 90/100

Bodegas Salentein Callia Malbec 2017 La Rioja
Open and supple with nice weight to the fruit. Very juicy and lively with a bit of spice. Drinkable and quite delicious. 90/100

Sottano Vicentin Maldito 2013/2014/2015 Uco Valley, Mendoza
100% Malbec. Concentrated and dense with bold, sweet black fruits. Quite warm and polished with a very ripe personality. The alcohol makes its presence known. 90/100

La Rural Rutini Apartado Gran Malbec 2014 Uco Valley, Mendoza
Concentrated and sweetly fruited with ripe cherries and raspberries as well as some black fruit depth. Warm and sleek, in a very modern style. 90/100

Bodegas Caro Amancaya 2015 Uco Valley, Mendoza
85% Malbec, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. Sweetly fruited, ripe and quite seductive with lush black fruits. Generous and polished, this is a nice modern wine. 90/100

Bodega Del Fin Del Mundo La Poderosa Malbec 2017 Patagonia
Very fruity and expressive with sweet cherries and plums. Bright and lively with nice clean, fresh, expressive fruit. Very drinkable. 90/100

Terrazas De Los Andes Reserva Malbec 2015 Uco Valley, Mendoza
Dense and juicy with bold black fruits and good structure. It’s tarry and spicy with a bold personality. Nice but a tiny bit baked. 90/100

Luigi Bosca Malbec Los Miradores 2015 Uco Valley, Mendoza
Spicy and dense with some oak evident. Has some cedar and herb notes as well as fresh, structured red fruits. 90/100

Salentein Single Vineyard Finca San Pablo Pinot Noir 2015 Uco Valley, Mendoza
Nice sweet fruit here, with ripeness and nice weight, but also quite a lot of savoury, spicy oak character. This gets in the way a bit at the moment. 90/100

Bodega Santos J Carelli Carla Chiaro Malbec 2015 Uco Valley, Mendoza
Supple, bright and sweet with lovely fruit. Very fresh and has a raspberry crunch as well as the bright cherry fruit. Very nice. 90/100

Finca Flichman Dedicado Tupungato Malbec 2015 Uco Valley, Mendoza
Open, floral and quite exotic with nice, supple, sweet fruit. Has a lovely juicy quality. Fresh and pure. 90/100

Trivento Golden Reserve Chardonnay 2016 Uco Valley, Mendoza
Lovely freshness here with pear and citrus fruit, and a touch of pineapple, with nicely integrated oak. Stylish stuff. 90/100

Ruca Malen Brut 2015 Uco Valley, Mendoza
75% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay. Fruity and approachable with some attractive toasty notes and nice pear and citrus fruit. This has lots of fruit, with some richness. Very appealing. 90/100

Bodega Aleanna El Enemigo Bonarda 2014 East Mendoza
Supple, ripe, berryish and clean and very drinkable with fresh cherry and berry fruits. Has some spicy complexity and good texture. Very appealing. 90/100

Dante Robino Gran Dante Robino Malbec 2015 Maipú/Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza
Lush, sweet and floral with nice open cherry and plum fruit with good structure and acidity. Quite pretty and open with good freshness. 90/100

Decero Syrah Remolinos Vineyard 2013 Maipú/Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza
Some cocoa and spice here hiding under the attractive, lush, sweet berry fruits. Quite ripe and inviting with a bit of pepper spice on the finish. Very attractive in a ripe, lush style. 90/100

Fabre Montmayou Reserva Cabernet Franc 2016 Maipú/Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza
This is very ripe and sweetly fruited with intense raspberry and red cherry fruit, with bright acidity on the finish. Pure and quite intense with a very modern personality. 90/100

Pascual Toso Chardonnay 2017 Maipú/Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza
Fresh, complex and quite mineral with some stony undercurrents to the bright citrus and pear fruit. Nice freshness and weight here, with good balance. 90/100

from jamie goode’s wine blog http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/malbec/my-top-wines-from-the-argentina-wine-awards

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Two lovely Languedoc wines from Gayda

Had a look at some samples yesterday after getting home from New Zealand, and these two, from Domaine Gayda, stood out.

Gayda Figure Libre Chenin Blanc 2015 Pays d’Oc, France
13.5% alcohol. Organic farming, sandstone soils, 200 m altitude. Harvested in two tries, with 10% botrytis, and fermented in concrete egg. Full yellow colour. This has a lovely detailed, complex palate of stone fruits, fine herbs, spice and pears. There’s a bit of that Chenin straw-like quality too, and an appealing stoniness. There’s also a trace of baked apple sweetness on the finish. A thought-provoking wine with appealing fruit but also a savoury side, this is pretty serious stuff that should age well. Has a lovely stony, mineral mouthfeel and good acidity. 93/100

Gayda Figure Libre Cabernet Franc 2015 Pays d’Oc, France
14% alcohol. Organic farming. This is a really convincing expression of Cabernet Franc, with fresh, slightly chalky/gravelly raspberry and blackberry fruit. It’s a bit grippy and savoury with nice balance, and a really expressive fruit quality that’s not at all overripe. Really satisfying. 92/100

Find these wines with wine-searcher.com

from jamie goode’s wine blog http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/languedoc/two-lovely-languedoc-wines-from-gayda

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What determines your taste? Why I disagree with Tim Hanni

Tim Hanni MW has become well known in the wine trade for his work on separating people into different groups according to their taste preferences. He has some interesting things to say. For example, there’s this recent interview published in Meininger’s. This isn’t the first time that consumer segmentation has been applied to wine, but Hanni goes further in terms of his claims about sensory physiology and neuroscience.

I agree with some of what Hanni says. There’s some interesting work on taste preferences, and quite a bit of interesting evidence has come to light over recent years that suggests that there are some significant biological differences that lead us as individuals to prefer certain flavours over others (there’s a discussion on this in my latest book, I Taste Red).

But it’s in his application of this research to wine that I have some problems with what Hanni has to say. And I find his recommendations to wine producers based on these findings a bit alarming.

Hanni’s main point is that people have innate taste preferences and that you can separate people according to these preferences. He suggests that by selling mostly dry wines, the wine trade is ignoring the taste preferences of those who prefer sweeter styles. His thesis is that 25-40% of wines would be sweeter styles if the wine industry recognised the real taste preferences of people.

He mentions, but is somewhat dismissive, of acquired tastes (indeed be puts the word ‘acquired’ in parentheses as if to suggest that it isn’t real). But I think this is a mistake. The fact that most of our tastes are actually acquired, not innate, is the fly in the ointment of Hanni’s thesis. It changes everything, and makes much of what he says redundant.

Our preferences are extremely malleable, for good evolutionary reasons. Innate preferences for nutritious, high calorie foods are pretty universal. But we possess the ability to acquire novel tastes. Our sense of flavour combines with our memory, allowing us to explore novel, possibly nutritious food items, and these then become new flavour preferences (the memory bit is important, because we need to reject quickly things that have made us sick in the past).

Think about some of the flavours you enjoy today. I like strong cheese, but 15 years ago I wouldn’t eat cheese at all. The cheeses are still as pungent and extreme as they were 15 years ago: it’s my response to the cheese that has changed. I now love strong cheese. When I started drinking coffee as a teenager I had it with two sugars and milk. Now if you put sugar in my coffee I would find it unpalatable. I still find espresso quite bitter and a little bit aversive, but I enjoy it. When I was a kid I used to like fast food restaurants. I admit that they can sometimes make tasty food, but I’m glad that I moved on to more challenging flavours, which are much more compelling and interesting. And with wine, I began with richer, sweetly fruited reds that were easier to understand, and moved to more interesting wines over time. Now I wouldn’t find the wines I loved at first all that interesting, and I wouldn’t want to drink them. This sort of journey is not unusual.

Most of the things I love now, when it comes to flavour, were tastes that I found challenging when I first experienced them. Experience has largely trumped biology. This is what Hanni has to say:

We are all genetically pre-programmed with attractions and aversions. Changes in preferences, from about four years old to very late in life, are largely reorganising what certain sensations represent. So, with observation, culture, peer pressure, and learning we adapt to associate things we didn’t like with aspiration or attainment – something we often refer to as an ‘acquired’ taste. We also equally associate things in a negative light, ‘disposing’ of tastes as well, such as the current hysteria over sweetness in wine for those who have become more ‘sophisticated’…

…Dry wines are the new fad (in relative terms) not the historical standard; the 1947 Château Cheval Blanc had over 30 g/L (3%) residual sugar. Most prized white Rhône wines were vins de paille – dried on mats and made into sweet wines. Countless sweet wines, including Château d’Yquem, were thought completely appropriate with fish, beef, or oysters. Montrachet, in the greatest vintages, was very sweet, not dry. Champagnes, as consumed in France, often had 140 g/L (14%) residual sugar – a lot more than American Coca Cola which has 108 g/L (10.1%) residual sugar. The global sweet wine opportunity was, and still is, about 25% to 40% of the total available market. Things have just gotten out of control with the dry wine fashionistas. And keep in mind that as wine has gone dry, consumption in France and Italy has plummeted.

Where do I start? This last sentence is just silly. To suggest that the reason behind reduced wine consumption in markets such as Italy, France and Spain is connected to the fact that wines there used to be sweet but have become drier is absurd, and that’s the clear implication to what he is saying. The reduced consumption in these markets is because of social changes, and the baseline was very high to start with. In no sense has the wine got drier in these countries. If anything, it’s got a little more palatable at the bottom end, and sweeter in terms of flavour.

In terms of the ‘genetically preprogrammed’ line, it just isn’t as simple as this. We are genetically pre-programmed, if you will, to have malleable, adaptable tastes.

Hanni seriously thinks that the fact that most wines are dry these days is a push from the wine industry rather than pull from consumers, and that ‘dry wine fashionistas’ are to blame. I disagree. There’s very little market for off-dry or sweet wines not just because they are unfashionable, but because they don’t work so well with food (although there are some notable exceptions).

Another problem is created by Hanni’s refusal to segment the market. This is a common problem in these sorts of discussions. If there is a market for sweeter wine styles, it is at the bottom end. And it’s there that the sweet blush rosés of California, and the Moscatos, are doing well already. A lot of commercial reds have a bit of sweetness, too, with some grape juice concentrate added at the blending bench. Just a bit of sweetness rounds them out and covers over some of the tannin. But this is for the most commercial wines. And there’s also a market for very expensive sweet wines (some of the wine world’s great bottles are sweet), but this market is tiny and unlikely to grow.

The fact that most wines are dry, more-or-less, is because this is what the market wants. The market for mid-price to expensive wines with significant residual sugar is precisely zero. People who pay a bit more for wine want their wines dry. The market for fully sweet wines is also tiny: this is why Sauternes is having such a hard time and so many producers are struggling, while the market for high-end dry Bordeaux wines is surging.

I think it would be a huge mistake for producers to start sweetening up their wines because this is, according to Hanni, what people prefer. Once we are away from commodity wine, sweetened-up wines are usually not authentic, interesting wines. This is not the direction the wine industry should be heading. To pander to perceived biological preferences of consumers like this takes wine into the realm of manufactured alcoholic beverages. This would be a disaster, because it would mean joining the race to the bottom in terms of pricing. Profitability is a huge issue at the bottom end of the market, and in order to escape this ruthless price competition, a wine has to have authenticity and a sense of place, and not just be a wine of style.

Wine isn’t like other drinks. You get one vintage a year. You have a big winery lying unused most of the year, waiting for vintage. It’s an expensive way to make a fruity, semi-sweet alcoholic beverage of the sort that Hanni thinks we need more of. Much better to aim at producing something more sophisticated, that has some flavour characteristics that are derived from the combination of place and grape variety. This is the way out of the race to the bottom.

from jamie goode’s wine blog http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/wine-science/what-determines-your-taste-why-i-disagree-with-tim-hanni

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Adventures on New Zealand’s West Coast

I’ve always been fascinated by what I’ve heard about New Zealand’s South Island’s West Coast. People have told me that it is incredibly beautiful, remote and sparsely populated, and also incredibly wet. I think that these factors may be related. Rainfall here is measured in metres, as the moist air from the ocean deposits its wetness as it rises over the mountains that string along the side of South Island.

This week I got the chance to visit the West Coast for a few days. One day was just solid rain, but the days either side were lovely. And it really is a beautiful place.

We stayed in Punakaki, which is found between Greytown and Westport. It’s very close to the Paparoa National Park, and this is where the region’s biggest attraction, Pancake Rocks, is found. This is a series of eroded limestone cliffs and blowholes, and it’s very impressive.

Pancake Rocks

We also really enjoyed the Porarori River Track, which is some of the most stunning scenery I’ve encountered. The benefit of so much rain is that everything is green and lush. And plants grow all over other plants, too (these are known as epiphytes).

Intricate mosses growing on a tree trunk

Liverworts, with spore capsules

We also visited Hokitika, the town that’s the setting for Eleanor Catton’s brilliant The Luminaries. It was very rainy and bleak. And we also popped into the Shanty Town, a historical recreation of a gold mining town from the late 19th century. This was also quite rainy and bleak.

This is a film of our West Coast adventure:

from jamie goode’s wine blog http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/new-zealand/adventures-on-new-zealands-west-coast

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A couple from Hawke’s Bay: Craggy Range and Sacred Hill

These impressed the other evening.

Craggy Range Te Kahu 2014 Gimblett Gravels, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
13.5% alcohol. 68% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Malbec, 6% Cabernet Franc. This is beautifully fresh and focused with sweet blackcurrant fruit together with some black cherries and plums. There’s lovely balance: it’s ripe, but really well balanced with good acidity. This is tight and unfurled and has lots of potential for development. Classic and digestible, I’d love to see this in five years’ time. 94/100

Sacred Hill Deerstalkers Syrah 2014 Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
13.5% alcohol. Cork sealed. Nice density to this, with robust, sweet black cherry and blackberry fruit with some black pepper spiciness adding framing. There’s some polish and ripeness, but also brightness and freshness. Well structured, this is a half-way house between new and old worlds in style. It has the distinctive pepper and clove of Gimblett Syrah, but it’s not overpowering. 93/100

Find these wines with wine-searcher.com

from jamie goode’s wine blog http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/new-zealand/a-couple-from-hawkes-bay-craggy-range-and-sacred-hill

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Ce Qui Nous Lie (Back to Burgundy): a film about wine

Was glad to catch this film on my last flight. It’s a French film set in Burgundy, and it’s probably the most gorgeously wine-focused film I’ve seen: even more so than Sideways. And Jean-Marc Roulot, winegrower and professional actor, is in it!

The main characters are three siblings, Jean (the oldest), Juliette and Jérémie. Frustrated by the life as a vigneron’s son, and experiencing a difficult relationship with his father, Jean leaves for the new world, eventually settling in Australia where we learn later he has a son with his partner Alicia. We meet him as he returns to the family domaine during his father’s final illness. He reunites with his two siblings (who are surprised to see him: they haven’t heard from him for years) and together they have to decide the future for their domaine: they need to pay €500 000 in inheritance taxes, money they don’t have. But their vineyard holdings are worth €6 million, so do they sell part or all of their land?

But first, there is vintage to deal with. Jean joins in, supporting his inexperienced but strong-minded sister who was expecting to have to make the wine on her own. They go through the vineyard, tasting the grapes. This is an example of some of the wine detail in the film: it’s an exchange between the main characters, when Juliette suggests they should pick in 8 days’ time.

Jean: In 8 days?

Juliette: Yes, in 8 days.

Jean: Taste the sun side. I’d say Thursday.

Juliette: In 4 days?

Jean: Yes. If you start in 8 days you will be too late for the reds. It will be sweet by the end. They taste good already, don’t they?

Juliette: But the skin is tough, and shouldn’t it be thinner and juicer? The seeds are barely brown. I’d wait till they are fleshier.

Jean: So you want to make an easy wine? Like Dad’s? Don’t you want a taut, acidic wine?

Jérémie: Why not wait for the lab results. By 3 o’clock we will know what we are talking about.

Jean: Taste it again.

This is a really wine-focused film, exploring family dynamics with the wine domaine at the centre of it all. There’s some lovely footage of the growing season, the harvest, tasting in barrel cellars and the winemaking process. There’s even discussion of the proportion of stems in Pinot Noir.

This is a trailer of the film:

So, does Jean decide to stay, or do the three decide to sell the domaine and take the money? How do they resolve their difficulties? And is the wine they make, in a new style – picking earlier with more stems – any good? It’s well worth watching.

from jamie goode’s wine blog http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/burgundy/ce-qui-nous-lie-back-to-burgundy-a-film-about-wine

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Japan eating: Omi beef sukiyaki at Restaurant Moroshima

Omi beef, thinly sliced

Another great meal in Japan; another stop in this great gastronomic journey. This time, Omi beef sukiyaki at Restaurant Morishima, in Omi-hachaman in the Shiga prefecture not far from Kyoto.

Omi beef sashimi

This is a restaurant devoted to Omi beef. This is one of the top three types of Wagyu beef, along with Kobe and Matsusaka beef, and it’s an incredible looking meat, bright red with abundant fatty marbling running all the way through it.

We had Omi beef sukiyaki, and it was remarkable. We started off with a bit of Omi beef sashimi, and then the attention was on the main dish.

The beef, thinly sliced, is cooked at the table with other ingredients, and these are then eaten after dipping them in raw egg that you beat yourself with your chopsticks. This was a sensational experience, and the beef was beautiful.

I know this is a wine blog, but if you love wine, then you are probably a lover of flavour, and flavour experiences are interesting. And as we are now realising, the visual, cultural, multisensory aspects of a meal contribute to its flavour, which is one of the things that the Japanese have understood for a long time.

A short film of the experience:

from jamie goode’s wine blog http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/restaurants/japan-eating-omi-beef-sukiyaki-at-restaurant-moroshima

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IPNC: the non-Oregon Pinot Noirs

One of the great things about the International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC) is the chance to taste a wide range of Pinot Noirs from around the world. I’ve already written up my notes on the Oregon wines; here are my notes on some of the other Pinots on show. I apologise for the fact that the scores seem to bunch so closely, but no one really gets invited to attend this event without making really good wine, and most of these were lovely wines that I’d be happy to sit down and spend an evening with.

France

Domaine Charles Audoin Marsannay La Charme Aux Prêtres 2014 Burgundy, France
100% whole bunch, two barrels made. Savoury, focused and pure with a red fruit focus. Juicy and mineral with fine raspberry notes and some juicy red cherries, with good acidity. Linear with a slightly cedary, savoury twist on the finish. 93/100

Domaine Charles Audoin Marsannay Clos du Roy 2014 Burgundy, France
Smooth and supple with sleek black and red cherry fruit, showing nice finesse and freshness. Has raspberry brightness and a bit of grip. 93/100

Domaine Marc Roy Gevrey Chambertin Clos Prieur 2014 Burgundy, France
Nice definition here with bright, focused black cherry and plum fruit. There’s lovely freshness with some tannin and good acidity. 93/100

Domaine Jean Grivot Vosné Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts 2014 Burgundy, France
Ripe, sleek berry and cherry fruits with some flesh, but also fine-grained spice and cedar savouriness. Bright finish. Good structure and nice finesse. 93/100

Simone Bize Savigny-Les-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Vergelesses 2008 Burgundy, France
Sweetly fruited with some fine herbal notes and a touch of undergrowth. Sweet cherry and plum fruit with a bit of grip and lovely fine-grained structure. Nice freshness and acidity. Drinking very well now. 93/100

Domaine de Montille Volnay 1er Cru Les Mitjans 2007 Burgundy, France (from magnum)
Attractive warm aromatics here with some leafy detail. Herbs, spices and a bit of earth with nice cherry and plum fruit. There’s an attractive elegance and some spicy bite. Expressive. 94/100

Maison Amboise Beaune 1er Cru Les Tuvilains 2015 Burgundy, France
Lots of clay in the soil. Powerful and direct with sweet floral red and black cherry fruit. Really intense, vivid and primary with firm tannins and a hint of cedar. 93/100

Maison Fougeray de Beauclair Marsannay Saint Jacques 2015 Burgundy, France
From vines planted in 1970. Ripe, sweet and a bit spicy. Nice weight here with linear, spicy cherry and raspberry fruit. Has some freshness. 92/100

Domaine Valentin Zusslin Bollenberg Pinot Noir ‘Harmonie’ 2015 Alsace
This is biodynamic Pinot from limestone/clay soils. Lovely aromatics: sweet red cherries and plums with nice spiciness. Ripe but with lovely definition and fine spiciness. Lovely juicy finish. 94/100

New Zealand

Prophet’s Rock Home Vineyard Pinot Noir 2013 Central Otago, New Zealand
There’s much less extraction this year, a new direction that Paul Pujol is taking. Beautifully aromatic, this is savoury and textural with spice and minerals, as well as nice red cherry fruit. Good acidity with some raspberry freshness. Nice concentration and grip, yet also silky and fine: this is superb. 95/100

Aurum Cuvée Madeleine Pinot Noir 2012 Central Otago, New Zealand
100% whole bunch. This is sweet, fine and supple with an expessive personality. Lovely floral, herb-tinged sweet cherries with fine spices and herbs. Juicy and fine grained with real finesse. 94/100

Aurum Pinot Noir 2015 Central Otago, New Zealand
There’s a red fruit brightness here. Fresh red cherry fruit with some raspberry. Lovely freshness and detail with a bit of grip on the finish. 93/100

Mount Edward Estate Pinot Noir 2014 Central Otago, New Zealand
Floral and fresh with lovely weight. Fresh black cherry fruit with a bit of structure. Smooth, supple and delicious, 93/100

Canada

La Frenz Pinot Noir Reserve 2015 Naramata Bench, Okanagan, Canada
Direct and fresh with nice sweet cherry and plum fruit. Has a nice savouriness. Supple and smoothly textured with a bit of spice on the finish. 90/100

California

Byron Kosuge The Habitat Pinot Noir 2014 Sonoma Coast, California
Lovely spicy framing to the well balanced sweet black cherry and plum fruit. Fresh and supple with nice balance, good acidity and appealing tannic structure. 94/100

Etude Heirloom Pinot Noir 2014 Carneros, Sonoma, California
Quite silky and ripe with smooth, fine-grained black fruits. There are hints of ginger and spice, too. Nice weight. 92/100

DuMol Connor Joy Road Vineyard Pinot Noir 2014 Sonoma Coast, California
Lush, floral, aromatic cherry fruit nose. Smooth and finely spiced with sweet fruit. Generous but balanced with rich sweet fruit the key here. 92/100

Cobb Coastlands Vineyard 2014 Sonoma Coast, California
Fresh, sweet raspberry and cherry fruit nose. Highly perfumed with a compote-like character. Fresh, structured palate with real elegance but also compact, dense raspberry and cherry fruit. Lovely stuff. 95/100

Clos de la Tech Pinot Noir 2012 Santa Cruz Mountains, California
Sweetly aromatic. Ripe, structured and dense with some real grip and hints of pepper. Has richness but also structure. 92/100

Cameron Abbey Ridge Pinot Noir 2014
Focused, juicy and spicy with nice grip to the black cherry fruit. Good structure here, with an appealing floral edge. 94/100

Pellegrini Olivet Lane Vineyard Pinot Noir 2014 Russian River Valley, California
Sweetly aromatic with a touch of greenness and sleek black cherry and plum fruit. The palate is sweet and lush with a bit of damson on the finish. A ripe style. 91/100

Goldeneye Confluence Vineyard Pinot Noir 2014 Anderson Valley, California
Sweet with a good concentration of lush black cherry and plum fruit. Quite richly textured with lovely depth of fruit. Warmly spiced with fine-grained structure. 92/100

Two Sisters Lindsay’s Vineyard Pinot Noir 2014 Santa Rita Hills, California
Sweet, fresh and a bit peppery with attractive cherry and plum fruit and a bit of grip. Sweet but fresh. 92/100

Saintsbury Stanly Ranch Pinot Noir 2015 Carneros, Napa, California
This is a cooler site with influences from the San Pablo Bay. Such a pretty, aromatic, sweet cherry fruit nose: really floral. Pure, textural and fine on the palate with real prettiness. Fine red cherries and a lovely delicacy. 95/100

Domaine de la Côte La Côte 2013 Santa Rita Hills, California (magnum)
Lovely enticing aromatics and sweet, textured fruit with great acid drive. This is dense, compact, and elegant with black and red cherry fruit and a lovely sappy edge. Manages the green so well. Lovely. 94/100

Domaine de la Côte Blooms Field 2012 Santa Rita Hills, California (magnum)
Spicy and lively with some green and herby notes. Very expressive with sweet, supple, spicy cherry and berry fruits. There’s some green stemminess, and the wine is very fresh and expressive, with some richness, too. Very fine. 94/100

See also: notes on 33 Oregon Pinot Noirs

&nbspFind these wines with wine-searcher.com

from jamie goode’s wine blog http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/pinot-noir/ipnc-the-non-oregon-pinot-noirs

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Jurtschitsch Pot des Fleurs Grüner Veltliner ‘Ernte’ 2014 Austria

Amphorae are all the rage, and sometimes – as in this case – the hype around their use is justified. This Pot Des Fleurs is a beautiful wine that has spent six months on its skins, yet it is elegant and textured. Wonderful stuff. If I recall correctly, the ‘flowerpot’ name is because the first amphorae they tried using leaked, and hence they are now put to another use.

Jurtschitsch Pot des Fleurs Grüner Veltliner ‘Ernte’ 2014 Langenoogs, Austria
11.5% alcohol. Fermented and matured in two 500 litre clay amphorae, bought from Georgia. Gentle destemming meant that the amphora was filled with pretty much intact grapes until two-thirds full, and then topped up with juice. After 6 months, the lid was opened and the finished clear wine was removed (the pressings weren’t used). Beautifully elegant, aromatic pear and peach nose with some pepper and fine spiciness. Lovely texture here with pepper, mint and white peach and pear fruit. There’s some grapiness, too. There’s a bit of earthiness and some green tea character. Shows great purity. 94/100

UK agent: Les Caves de Pyrene

from jamie goode’s wine blog http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/austria/jurtschitsch-pot-des-fleurs-gruner-veltliner-ernte-2014-austria

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It’s all about balance

As a wine journalist, I’m always excited by new things. The latest. The trendiest. The novel. People at the extremes.

That’s good: these things are all exciting. Change is part of life itself, and time keeps moving on.

And when it comes to wine itself, I’m often drawn to things that are a bit on the edge. Natural wine would be a great example of this. I get bored easily and I’m always keen to try something new.

The same goes for food. I love food that is authentic, and different. When I travel I don’t want to go to the fanciest places; I want to go to the places that are the most local, the most real, and try the things that are the most unique.

But there needs to be balance, in wine and life. In the pursuit of the new, it’s important not to forget the old. Recognition should be given to traditions, and their maintenance, just as it should be given to the novel and pioneering.

Remember: many of the established classics were once the pioneers.

The skill of a good journalist is having enough perspective so that it’s then possible to make good calls, and to recognize when novelty is inspired, and when it’s simply novelty for novelty’s sake. Some boundaries get pushed too far. Often it’s good to pick grapes early, for example, but it’s possible to pick too early, and that’s where a good journalist makes the right call.

Some traditions are valuable and should be respected; others are less so. Some are of no merit at all. That’s a call that has to be made. Sometimes the establishment is mediocre, and the young guns and revolutionaries have it right.

It’s about balance, but balance isn’t always to be found in the middle ground. Sometimes a wine that is quite extreme can be balanced. And in journalism, a story that gives equal weight to two differing opinions can be unbalanced.

In life, balance is important. But this doesn’t mean playing it safe and being cautious. Sometimes we need to risk everything and make dramatic turn-arounds. Sometimes we are well advised just to stick to what we are doing and be patient. It all depends.

How do we achieve balance? Perspective is vital. Seeing things from not only our own point of view, but also that of others. This is easier to say than do, but it’s important. Thinking and reflecting helps: it’s good to read widely, because words help us see the world in different ways. And in this digital age, it’s so easy to fill every moment with our phones – and these would have been moments when before we would have had mental space to think widely and deeply. So it’s worth taking an effort to take time out for reflection, such as a walk or a bath, or even a practice such as running (as long as you aren’t so exhausted that all you can think about is the pain). I think nature helps, too. It’s only in this way that we’ll manage to find balance for ourselves, and recognize it when we see it.

Balance isn’t and shouldn’t be boring.

from jamie goode’s wine blog http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/uncategorized/its-all-about-balance

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Ambriel Blanc de Blancs 2010 England

Really impressed with this new release from Ambriel, a sparkling wine producer based in Sussex. It has spent 5.5 years on its lees, and is the first vintage wine that Ambriel have produced. They have 9.5 hectares on south-facing free-draining greensand soils.

Ambriel Blanc de Blancs 2010 England
11% alcohol. From south-facing slopes in the South Downs. This is really good: there’s just a slight lift to the intense citrussy nose, with an apple twist and some subtle toast. The palate shows herby, spicy complexity with ripe apple and fresh citrus notes, finishing with keen acidity. There’s a lovely mineral core to this wine. Great focus. 91/100

from jamie goode’s wine blog http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/england/ambriel-blanc-de-blancs-2010-england

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An amazing meal at Houraiken, Nagoya, with Japanese wine

Hot on the heels of one of the most memorable meals of my life a few days ago in Tokyo, I had a very special experience last night, dining at the main restaurant of Houraiken in Nagoya (they have three branches). Houraiken is an old, traditional restaurant whose speciality is eel (unagi).

Here is a short film of the meal:

The multi course menu we enjoyed was phenomenal, and included several new experiences for me (my first eel heart, my first fugu, and my first crayfish sashimi). It wasn’t just the food that was spectacular, but also the service and the calm ambience of the private dining room. With the food we enjoyed two very good Japanese natural wines. These are my notes:

Azuccae Azucco Quatro Canti White 2015 Aichi Prefecture, Japan
11% alcohol. A blend of Malvasia, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, naturally made. Slightly hazy. Initially this is very funky and reductive on the nose, but after a short while it straightens out with aromas of apples, lemons and fine spices, as well as some mineral reductive notes. Spicy, mineral palate with generous pear and citrus fruit. Detailed, complex and quite lovely. 93/100

Azuccae Azucco Quatro Canti Red 2015 Aichi Prefecture, Japan
11.5% alcohol. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Lambrusco. This has a refined gravelly nose and is sweetly fruited on the palate with bright cherry, raspberry and blackcurrant fruit. There’s a chalky, gravelly edge and a lovely supple, juicy quality to the fruit. It’s cool climate in style and quite Bordeaux-like, and very smashable. 91/100

First course: charcuterie and melon.

Second course: salmon roe and sticky potato. This was particularly good, with the salmon roe exploding in tiny balls of salty goodness.

Third course: fried eel heart. Quite tasty and not at all weird. A bit dry? Good for the libido, apparently.

Fourth course: Matsutake mushroom, in a broth, with shrimp, eel and chicken. You drink the broth, then eat the ingredients.

Fifth course: a spectacularly presented freshwater crayfish (isebi) sashimi, with a bit of beef sashimi too. Beautiful stuff.

Sixth course: eel (including the backbone, which is crunchy and tasty), with caviar. Very nice.

Seventh course: fugu (puffer fish). This is very dangerous and if it isn’t prepared properly, you die. It was lovely, but maybe not worth dying for.

Eighth course: crayfish heads in a miso soup. This is where the rest of our crayfish went.

Ninth course: the famous hitsumabushi eel, with rice and soup. You eat some eel (lovely!), then some of the rice under it, then you add condiments and soup and eat the rest. This is a remarkable dish.

from jamie goode’s wine blog http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/restaurants/an-amazing-meal-at-houraiken-nagoya-with-japanese-wine

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