Légende, everyday wine with a hint of Lafite

Most of us know that Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) or the DBR Lafite Group, owns various chateaux and have investments in other countries in addition to Lafite. However, few of us are aware of the Légende, a range of Bordeaux appellation wines mainly for the on-trade market.

According to the group’s export director Michel Negrier, Lafite is an icon wine that wine lovers aspire to. With increasing interests in wine from the younger generation in the 90s, the group decided to create a wine that combines the elegance of Lafite and an accessible price point for these consumers.

First to decide is the name. It must be as easy to pronounce and remember as Lafite, and convey the message of tradition, modernity, history and terroir, and encourage discovery. Légende is the ideal name that lived up to the criteria.

The first vintage of Légende was 1995 and it was available in Hong Kong since 2002. We tried the full range of wine:

Légende Bordeaux Blanc 2015: a vibrant, easy drinking wine with no oak influence. The freshness of Sauvignon Blanc livens up the oiliness in food while the Semillon adds weight.

Légende Bordeaux Rouge 2015: a Cabernet Sauvignon dominated wine that focuses on the purity of fruit, another easy drinking wine appeal to new drinkers.

Légende Médoc 2014: Same blend as the Bordeaux Rouge with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, the wine certainly shows the Médoc influence with more structure.

Légende Saint-Emilion 2013: a well balanced wine with 95% Merlot. Velvety tannin, red fruits and a hint of spices.

Légende Pauillac 2012: a wine with structure and elegance. Apparently the grapes were from Lafite’s vineyards, no wonder the wine is a league above the rest of the range.

Michel said Légende is approachable, fun, easy to understand; about sharing with friends and discovering the Bordeaux terroir. Like NV champagne, it focuses on year on year consistency rather than highlighting vintage differences. In Michel’s word, Légende is the ladder to Lafite.

While most consumers in the world would go the mainstream way to try the entry level wine first before moving up ladder, Chinese consumers tend to jump right onto the top of the ladder skipping the basic and intermediate levels. In my view, this is a wrong approach to wine as the palate of new drinkers are not used to the structure and complexity of first growth wines, and therefore would not fully appreciate the subtlety of these great wines. We need to be patient and climb the ladder step by step in order to fully understand and thus enjoy the wine at all levels and price points.

With Légende now officially launched, I hope young Chinese consumers would first make connection with Lafite’s younger brother before setting their eyes on Lafite itself.

By the way, the Group also produces champagne in a ‘Lafite, Mouton and Baron Edmond de Rothschild’ family project under the name Champagne Barons de Rothschild. The bubbly certainly lived up to the reputation of the family.

Both Légende and Champagne Barons de Rothschild are available from ASC.

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Chateau Latour-Martillac

What a fabulous start of lunch by sipping Chateau Latour-Martillac Blanc 2001 from Pessac-Léognan. This 15 year old wine was elegant, fresh with great refinement - a reminder of how a great Bordeaux white wine can develop.

The lunch was hosted by the Chateau’s brand ambassador Edouard Kressmann, a winemaker by training and the fourth generation of the family-owned estate. Originated from Poland, the great great grandfather Edouard moved to Bordeaux in 1858, built a successful negociant business and eventually advised Chateau La-Tour in Martillac to plant white grape varieties. The property was subsequently bought by Alfred, the son of Edouard, who changed the name to Latour-Martillac. The terroir of the estate proofed to be exceptional for both red and white wines. When the Graves wines were classified in 1953 and again in 1959, only six estates had both their reds and whites selected for the classification, and Chateau Latour-Martillac was one of them.

Edouard is proud of the label, designed by his grandfather Jean in 1934. A striking geometric design with black, gold and beige pattern, it was inspired by the Art deco movement. I have to admit that the label does stand out and is probably well-received in China, the market that Edouard is focussing. He moved to Beijing in 2011, visiting various Chinese and Asian cities to promote the brand. Although Pessac-Léognan still lags behind the Medoc in China, Edouard is pleased to see that more and more Chinese consumers are not chasing big names.

Chateau Latour-Martillac was also a pioneer and employed the first female winemaker in the Pessac-Léognan appellation back in 1991. Valérie Vialard has been with the chateau since then. Michel Roland was the winemaking consultant until 2001 and when Valérie took over, she experimented with different ageing and blending techniques. Michel aged wines in barrels according to their quality (best wine in new barrel, second best wine in first year barrel and so on) an
d only blended them later, while Valérie first blends the wine then ages them in new, first and second filled barrels in equal portion. The final wine is more integrated and elegant.

Edouard is the only member in his generation actively involved in the family’s business. Although he misses harvest and working in the winery, he plans to stay here in the east for a while to understand the customers. His stint in China would certainly prepare him to continue the legacy of Chateau Latour-Martillac.

Chateau Latour-Martillac is available from Summergate.

Acaibo, the creation of love

I came across Acaibo at a Gonzague & Clare Lurton tasting, the Bordeaux couple both from wine families but separately and successfully manage their own family properties, Ferriere, Haut-Bages Libéral and Durfort-Vivens. At first I thought Acaibo is just another commercial New World venture from a Bordeaux family but upon talking to Claire at the tasting, I found that Acaibo is more than a mere investment.

Gonzague and Claire, along with their extended family members, own more than 20 chateaux in Bordeaux alone but the couple always wants to create something special that they can truly call their own, like their children. After over 10 years of searching, they finally came across this 24-acre (around 10ha) piece of land on Chalk Hill in Sonoma that according to Claire, was more than just land, and that she could sense the wildness, life and purity.

They named the property Trinité Estate, derived from the Latin saying ‘Omni Trium Perfectum’, loosely translated as all sets of three are perfect, to pay homage to the three Grand Cru chateaux they took over and managed, the three grape varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot & Cabernet Franc) where their wines are made from, and their three beautiful children. Gonzague and Claire consider themselves as guidance of the land which will be one day looked after by their children.

Acaibo is the name of the Bordeaux blend wine from Trinité, made up from words of the Native Americans living around Chalk Hill long time ago. Aca means fish, or Aka means water, a precious resource in California’s viticulture, and sibo means three - hence the logo with three fish.

We tasted Acaibo 2012 and 2013. 2012 was clearly New World with upfront ripe fruits, while 2013 was more restrained with an added elegance. Claire agreed and explained that they bought the property in August 2012 and although harvest was in October, they couldn’t do much in terms of vineyard management, whereas for the 2013 vintage, they had a full year to tend it and make sure it was in natural equilibrium. She was even more excited about 2014 vintage and reckoned it would be the best of the three. The couple is proud of this blend of their French tradition with a very American spirit of adventure.

The fact that Gonzague and Claire moved the whole family to Sonoma indicated their commitment. Although Claire said she split her time between Bordeaux and Sonoma, I could see from her eyes and the way she talked that Trinité Estate is what the family called home now. There they planted vines, and their children play in the trees, and sometimes sleep at night beneath the vines.

Acaibo is available from CCF Wine.

Sweet wine with Chinese food

Average consumer often have this love-hate relationship with sweet wine - be it German Auslese, sweet Bordeaux or Douro Port. They love it but don’t buy it. Most of them are unsure when and/or in what occasions to enjoy it. Besides, one can only have that much of sweet wine so consumers always worry that the bottle will be unfinished, further deterring them to buy or open one.

In fact, sweet wine has every right to be on dinner tables and to be served with main meals. Chinese food is diverse with wide arrays of aromas and flavours that goes well with an equally wide range of wine including sweet wine. We don’t have a wine drinking history like the Europeans so we can be creative rather than restricting only white or red wine on dinner tables. We drink sweet lemon tea and soft drinks with food so for sure we can have a sweet wine with dinner.

Sweet wine producers have spotted this and have been encouraging the pairing of their wines with Chinese dishes with positive feedback. My most impressed pairing is young vintage port with Shanghainese sweet and vinegary spare ribs (糖醋排骨). The strong flavour of the sauce overpowers any red wine leaving only tannin behind but the similar robust flavour of a young vintage port would stand up to it. Equally, a 20 YO twany port matches well with roasted pork belly (燒腩肉) and so is a Riesling Auslese with spicy prawn (宮保蝦球).

However, I have to say that the most proactive is Union des Grands Vins Liquoreux de Bordeaux (Sweet Bordeaux Association) created in 2009 representing the 10 appellations of Bordeaux sweet wine. Like all sweet wine, sweet Bordeaux has been losing customers because today’s consumers prefer drier wine and that the young generation thinks sweet Bordeaux  old fashioned. The association aims to engage young consumers by presenting them with new and trendy ways to enjoy sweet Bordeaux from cocktail and with ice cubes to having it with savoury dishes such as tapas and curries. In addition to Europe, the association is also active in America and Asia by taking part in various trade and consumer festivals as well as hosting wine and food pairing dinners.

I attended one such tasting lunch recently, presented by Wendy Narby, Bordeaux based educator, and was pleasantly surprised by the clever pairing. Most people might pair sweet wine with meat dishes because of the stronger flavour but this lunch took the pairing a step further. The starter was a delicate raw scallops with wasabi purée and it was paired with a lighter style 2013 Chateau du Pavillon from Sainte-Croix-du-Mont AOC. The wine was elegant and complemented the fragrance of the raw scallops. The wasabi purée enhanced the ginger and spices aromas in the wine. The main course was sea bass served with quinoa and yellow carrot with sour cream and black curry. I liked it with the denser 2012 Petit Guiraud from Sauternes AOC. The wine’s freshness cut through the fish’s oiliness while the heavier fruit aromas in wine was in perfect harmony with the sweet and not to spicy curry sauce.


Wendy also reminded audience that an opened sweet Bordeaux can be kept for up to two weeks. Similarly, port wine (except vintage port) can be kept for 6-8 weeks after it is opened. This is definitely an incentive for all of us to indulge in a little sweet moment, with food or on its own, without worrying about the bottle being unfinished and wasted.

Check out the Sweet Bordeaux website for more inspiring pairings.

Phélan Ségur, wine and wine by the glass

Thierry Gardinier and Veronique Dausse, owner and director of Chateau Phélan Ségur, were in town to celebrate the chateau’s 30th anniversary. They hosted a series of events and I was lucky to be invited to the very exclusive lunch at Épure with only five guests.

Thierry briefly talked about the history of the Chateau with a focus on the past 30 years, when his father Xavier Gardinier purchased the property in 1985. In the 90s when Thierry joined his father, it was the time when there were a lot of experiments going on in Bordeaux and when oaked wine was leading the trend. Then from 2000 onward, he started looking for a balance between big fruits and finesse in wine. Thierry admitted that only after 30 years of research and hard work did he finally know what to do with the vineyard and the winery to make the right wine. Today, Phélan Ségur is not making overripe or over-oaked wine, but elegant wine supported by fruits and a fine structure. We tasted three vintages over lunch, 2009, 2005 and 1990 - the three best vintages according to Thierry in the past 30 years, and they were certainly not disappointed - balanced and graceful.

Apart from Phélan Ségur, Thierry and his brothers also own a restaurant group Le Taillevent. The brasserie, Les 110 de Taillevent with outlets both in Paris and London, serves 110 wines by the glass ranges from €4 to €40 per glass, and the list includes wines from outside France. ‘Mr Wine’, the wine director of the group Pierre Bérot, offers a choice of four wines in four price brackets to complement each dish. I think this would be a great concept in Hong Kong to encourage consumers to explore different styles of wine at affordable prices. Thierry, however, was reluctant because of the BYO culture in the city but I believe if the restaurant is clearly positioned as a venue to try hundreds of great wine by the glass, customers will not bring their own wine. Granted, the starting price might be HK$80-100 per glass because of the exuberant rent, still I’m sure it would be of much better quality than most house wine or wine by the glass in the market. Les 110 de Taillevent would certainly put pressure on existing restaurants to improve the quality of house wine currently being offered. I was really enthusiastic about this project and I was not alone, other guests were equally excited. I hope one day Thierry would consider opening the brasserie in Hong Kong.

The lunch was a very enjoyable occasion and we were like friends chatting over a nice meal. Veronique has joined Phélan Ségur for five years and she is the right-hand-lady of Thierry managing the operations of the chateau. She first represented Phélan Ségur at the Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair in 2010, where I was introduced to her by Michel Bettane, telling me that their wine was the one to watch. Because of the growing importance of the Asian market, Veronique visited Hong Kong once or twice a year. I admire her energy, her friendliness and down-to-earth character. She even joked about their unwitting experience with the fancy optical grape sorting machine at harvest!

The wine of Phélan Ségur is about enjoyment and sharing with friends, hence Thierry and Veronique make sure that its en primeur price is affordable. This is definitely a good news to all wine lovers.

Bordeaux 2012 vintage - Restaurant wine

Photo from Consulate General of France

March saw the annual Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux tasting again, this year covering the 2012 vintage. I remember this event from past years as always being crowded, with some visitors pushing and shoving so they could shuffle their glasses to the pourers, and no time for proper conversation with winery representatives unless you were a friend or gave the impression of being a big buyer. So this year I was pleasantly surprised by the comparative calm. Although I didn’t taste every single wine, I did have the chance to chat with nearly all the wineries and got in plenty of tasting to get an insight into what the 2012 vintage was like.

Most producers see 2012 Bordeaux as a restaurant wine: approachable, drinking well when still young and not expensive. Perhaps this is an indirect way of saying it was not a great year and that the wine probably won't age well. Yet I wouldn’t say it was a bad vintage not worth talking about. Yes, it doesn't warrant the sky-high prices of 2009 and 2010, and the wines certainly won't age as long, but, as I see it, 2012 simply represents a different, nearly opposite, style. Wineries with the resources to manage their vineyards really well and the financial capacity to make do with a smaller crop succeeded in making pleasant wines that are for drinkers rather than investors. I don't see that as a bad thing. That is the fascination of Bordeaux: vintage variation makes the wine more interesting and rewards the truly dedicated producer. The collapse of the en primeur prices and the relatively unsuccessful 2011 vintage (although I personally prefer 2011 over 2010 because, to me, it was more classical) had the silver lining benefit of bringing many Bordelaise back to the ground and back in touch with wine lovers and consumers, instead of focusing all their attention on the big spenders.

Unlike riper vintages, where wines from across different appellations tend to show many similarities, 2012 was a vintage that really highlighted the differences. The soft structure of the St Juliens contrasted markedly with the angular structure of the Pauillacs. The floral bouquet that is characteristic of Margaux was accentuated, while the Cabernet Sauvignon from St Estèphe was particularly expressive.

Photo from Bordeaux Confidential

This tasting was followed by an event called ‘Bordeaux Confidential’, where James Suckling hand-picked 19 wineries, each presenting three vintages of their choice that James had rated 90 points or above. This was another educational tasting that highlighted how wine evolves over time as much as illustrating the different terroirs of Bordeaux. It was dominated by big name chateaux—Mouton Rothschild, Brane-Cantenac and Chateau Giscours, to name a few—but I was delighted to discover some smaller wineries like Chateau de Lamarque. These are wines that are approachable yet also have the framework to allow for decent ageing.

I really enjoyed this year’s Bordeaux tasting because I could see more passion in the producers. Yes, there are great vintages but I don’t believe there are really bad vintages. It all depends on picking the producers who take extra care and on choosing the right time to drink the wine. 2012 may not last for 20 years but it is certainly enjoyable in the next three to five years.

The Drops of God 神之水滴 - Respect for tradition and nature

I used to follow the Japanese wine comic ‘The Drops of God’ but gave up after the fourth wine because I was sure it would be a never-ending series. So I was very curious when I was invited to the Chateau Le Puy (Saint Cibard, between St Emilion and Pomerol, Bordeaux) tasting recently, this being the last of the '12 apostles' (and finally the end of the story).

The tasting was led by Sophie Luu, the Brand Manager of Chateau Le Puy based in Shenzhen, and Esther Lee from Amber Wines, its Hong Kong importer. Sophie was very enthusiastic and kept emphasising that the vineyard was biodynamic and that no chemicals had been used on the land for over 400 years—this is amazing as most organic and biodynamic vineyards nowadays are converted from conventional farming. 400 years without the use of chemicals is indeed very rare. Jean-Pierre Amoreau, the owner, listens to the land, observes the environment, studies the ecosystem and relates to animal life. He believes that great wine can only be produced by listening to the energy around the vineyards.

We tasted two wines. Emilien made from 85% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Carménère with minimum sulphites (60ppm, whereas the limit for red wine in the EU is 160ppm), and Barthélemy, a single plot 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon with no sulphites at all. All are aged in old barrels.

The verdict? Emilien (we tasted 2007, 2008 and 2009) is understated and elegant, a more classic style of Bordeaux and a breath of fresh air compared to the sometimes over-fruity and over-oaked modern styles. I liked the 2008 for its structure, balance and mix of dried and red fruit aromas. The 2009 was quite closed while the 2007 was surprisingly good given the difficult weather conditions that year (spring frost and a rainy summer).

The Barthélemy, with no sulphites added at any stage of winemaking, and the first bottle of 2008 we opened being oxidised, generated a lively discussion on the philosophy of winemaking. As a winemaker, I understand that great wine is made in the vineyard and I support organic and biodynamic farming. However, I also understand that winemakers can be making vinegar, not wine, if they are not careful. People shun sulphites because they are chemicals and allegedly give headaches. These arguments are ill-informed because there is literally no sulphite-free wine in the world: sulphites are by-products of fermentation and all wine contains a certain amount. Besides, there are regulations governing the total amount of sulphites permitted in wine (160ppm in red, 210ppm in white and 2/3 of these amounts in organic wine), which is much less than the amounts permitted in other food products (500ppm in dried nuts and 2,000ppm in dried prunes and apricots). Sulphites' anti-microbial and antioxidant capability are essential to protect the wine from premature oxidation and spoilage. That first bottle of Barthélemy 2008 was the typical example where, through no fault of the winemaker, the wine has spoiled because of a duff cork, improper storage conditions ... who knows!

Sophie’s argument was that sulphites mask the terroir. Well, not unless a bucket load is used and the fruits are diseased. I respect the philosophy and decision of the winemakers not to add them, but the flip side is that they have to be ready to face the possible consequence that a consumer who tried that bottle of Barthélemy 2008 might dismiss the wine altogether and never buy it again. More importantly, consumers who purchase sulphite-free wine should be prepared to accept that the wine may not deliver every time, and they should be willing to give them another try.

So, does Chateau Le Puy deserve to be the last apostle? I think so. It is about respect for tradition, coexistence with nature and preservation of the environment. We human beings have been too selfish for too long and it is time for us to embrace biodiversity and sustainability.

Chateau Le Puy is available from Amber Wines. Don’t be afraid to try a second bottle of Barthélemy if you don’t like the first one.

The Lurton Family, from Bordeaux to Chile

I had come across a few Lurtons in the past few years but had never really linked them together until I received an invitation to the Lurton Family Tasting prior to Vinexpo.

The Lurton family has its root in Bordeaux. The Recapet family started planting vines back in 1650 and great grandfather, Léonce Recapet, started buying estates in 1897, nurturing them back to health after the devastating phylloxera epidemic of 1890 that destroyed so many vineyards. He was even a joint owner of Chateau Margaux at one stage. His daughter married François Lurton who continued to manage the family estates. They had four children, André, Lucien, Simone and Domnique, who each inherited a domaine and carried on to expand the businesses. There are 24 children in the fourth generation.

With 13 of them involve in winemaking, Lurton is the largest family group in the wine industry. Together they own 27 estates with some 1,300 ha of vineyards all over the world. While each member has his own individual business and vineyards, some of them considerable successes in their own right, the name Lurton nonetheless still unites them. In 2009, the Lurton cousins decided to join force and set up the Lurton Wine Group, aiming to promote all the Lurton wines—a brilliant marketing idea in my opinion.

Eight of the 13 members were at the tasting, and we tasted 44 wines from 22 estates, stretching from Spain and Southern France to Australia, Chile and Argentina, with the majority (30) coming from Bordeaux. While the wines all have different styles, they have one thing in common: a respect for the terroir, doubtless a trait inherited from their great grandfather.

Here’s a snapshot of some of the family members and their wines:

Bérénice Lurton, Château Climens, 1st Grand Cru Classé 1855:
I first met Bérénice in 2012 at her estate and I was impressed by her passion. The market share of sweet wine is in decline because of consumers’ preference for less sweet wines. In response to the market, Bérénice developed a second label, Cyprès de Climens, a lighter and more playful style targeting the younger generation that can be served as an aperitif. She recently converted the vineyards to biodynamic farming to make a more elegant wine.

Jacques Lurton, The Islander Estate, Kangaroo Island, Australia:
Jacques was the first Lurton to venture outside Bordeaux, which he did in 1985. After trotting the globe as a flying winemaker for some ten years, he established The Islander Estate in Kangaroo Island in 2000, a maritime-climate site with air from the Antarctic cooling the vines in summer. He is particularly proud of The Investigator, made with 100% Cabernet Franc—a wine that combines the ripeness of Australia and the elegance of France, and I agree. It’s a shame that my one visit to Kangaroo Island happened a few years before Jacques founded the estate.

François Lurton, Domaines François Lurton, from Spain and Southern France to Argentina and Chile:
François is the most international Lurton member, with vineyards in four countries. He actually started off in South America before returning to set up vineyards in Spain then finally France. His philosophy is to preserve the freshness and purity of the fruit, producing wine as natural as possible (biodynamic in South America and minimum chemicals in Europe). I particularly like his Argentinian wine, the Gran Lurton Blanc 2012 from Tokay and Chardonnay grapes with an intense yet elegant palate, and the Piedra Negra Gran Malbec 2009—one of the few Malbecs with such elegance.

Pierre Lurton, Château Marjosse:
Most of us know Pierre because of his role in Château Cheval Blanc and Château d’Yquem, but it is Château Marjosse where he feels at home. This is his back garden where he shares wine with friends and family. Pierre has no intention to make a Cheval Blanc here, but rather an unpretentious, good quality wine to be enjoyed with friends. I love his Entre-Deux-Mers white 2012 with its fresh citrus and minerality (it is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Muscadelle and Sauvignon Gris), and I can imagine enjoying the wine with friends on a lazy afternoon. This again proves my point that good quality wine doesn’t need to break the bank! By the way, Pierre is also consulting to Morgenster in South Africa, another outstanding wine from a beautiful terrior.

Other Lurton members present at the tasting:
Thierry Lurton, Château de Camarsac
Christine Lurton, Vignobles André Lurton
Henri Lurton, Château Brane Cantenac, 2nd Grand Cru Classé 1855
Denis Lurton, Château Desmirail, 3rd Grand Cru Calssé 1855
Sophie Lurton, Château Bouscaut, Cru Classés des Graves

Other wines presented at the tasting:
Marc Lurton, Château Reynier
Marie-Laure Lurton, Vignobles Marie-Laure Lurton
Gonzague Lurton, Château Durfort Vivens, 2nd Grand Cru Classé 1855

I hope the next generation of the Lurton family, now coming of winemaking age, will continue the fine traditions of their parents and expand the Lurton family horizons to yet more parts of the world.

White pepper Syrah

The intense white pepper from the Craggy Range Syrah that I tasted in their cellar at Gimblett Gravels back in 2008 was so pronounced that I finally understood why Syrah is so often characterised as smelling of white pepper. Since then, I have always kept an eye out for Gimblett Gravels Syrahs and they have not disappointed.

This distinctive aroma can be attributed to the combination of the gravelly soil and the climate—free draining, warm days and cool nights. It is more akin to the Northern Rhone style than the full-bodied, jammy Shiraz from warmer regions. However, being New Zealand, the wine is more vibrant than Hermitage. To me, it is a perfect combination of climate, soil and winemaking technique.

At last year Gimblett Gravels Annual Vintage Selection tasting, Tony Bish, Chairman of  the Gimblett Gravels Winegowers Association, presented 12 wines—eight red blends and four Syrahs independently selected by Andrew Caillard MW—that best represented the vintage and the region. I was particularly impressed by the William Murdoch and Vidal Legacy Series. A couple of attendees remarked "... Gimblett Gravels is a fresh spring for me", and "...it was exciting to taste so many promising Syrahs from the region". I couldn’t agree more.

If anyone is scratching his head about how to identify white pepper in Syrah, get a Gimblett Gravels Syrah and you’ll never forget it. It is my favourite Syrah!

Once dismissed by sheep farmers as useless land, the Gimblett Gravels Wine Growing District is an 800ha vineyard area strictly determined by the gravelly soils laid down by the old Ngaruroro River in the Hawke’s Bay area of of New Zealand’s North Island. Believed to be the first designation for a winegrowing district outside Europe, it is now home to around 30 vineyards and is quickly gaining fame in the wine world.

Not to be outdone by the district's Syrahs are its Bordeaux blends. They have the structure of a cool climate region but again with a New World fruit forwardness that many have described as elegant and sophisticated. Although some of the wines at the tasting were too young to drink, they nevertheless had concentration and ageing potential. Asked if the wines were released too early, Tony agreed but said the wines have been kept for two years and most wineries cannot afford to store them for longer because they need the space and the cash for the new vintage. He hopes consumers can cellar the wines for a while to realise their full potential. Well, I suppose we have to be a little patient.

The wines we tasted were:

Blended reds (Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon dominant):
Babich The Patriarch, available from Watson’s Wine
Craggy Range Te Kahu, available from Montrose
Esk Valley Winemakers Reserve Merlot Malbec Cabernet, available from Summergate
Mills Reef Elspeth Cabernet Merlot, available from Northeast
Newton Forrest Stony Corner, available from Kerry Wines
Sacred Hill Brokenstone, available from Jebsen
Sacred Hill Helmsman, available from Jebsen
Trinity Hill The Gimblett, available from ABS Asia

Syrah:
Squawking Magpie Stoned Crow
Vidal Legacy Series, available from Asia Euro
Villa Maria Reserve, available from Summergate
William Murdoch, available from Vintage International

Morgenster, the ‘French’ morning star

The Morgenster vertical tasting apparently clashed with another tasting in Hong Kong (but then most tastings do!). Luckily I was not invited to the other one so was very happy and definitely did not regret being able to concentrate on this French-at-heart South African wine.

Located only about 4km from the Atlantic Ocean in Somerset West just south of Stellenbosch, the vineyard benefits from the cool sea breeze resulting in a growing season 2º-3ºC lower than inland. Hence the wines are a touch lower in final alcohol and higher in acidity. Being closer to the ocean also implies more vintage variation, and it does show in the wines we tasted.

The owner, Italian Giulio Bertrand, fell in love with South Africa and especially the setting of Morgenster—meaning ‘morning star’ in Dutch—with its Cape Dutch manor house dating back to 1786. He decided to retire there and make the best Bordeaux outside Bordeaux and the best olive oil outside Italy. Being from the textile industry which has nothing to do with winemaking and olive oil production, he engaged professional help to realise his dream. Pierre Lurton from Cheval Blanc is the man responsible for his wine.

There are two things that differentiate Morgenster from other South African wineries in the same league. First. Giulio and Pierre have the vision to retain a portion of each year’s production to age in cellar, so there are always at least ten backdated vintages available for sale and customers can appreciate the older wines in perfect condition—not every winery has the luxury to do this because of cash flow.

Secondly, while Pierre goes to Morgenster every April for the vintage, it is Henry Kotze, the winemaker, who takes the wine to Cheval Blanc every October to make the blend. I don’t think too many wineries in the world, let alone South Africa, adopt such a practice. So it can be argued that Morgenster wine is truly a French-at-heart South African wine.

There are two labels available, both Bordeaux blends: Lourens River Valley and the flagship Morgenster which is only made in the best years. We tasted four of each: 2009, 2005, 2003 and 2001. Both 2005s have more weight and sweet ripe fruit characters because it was a hotter year. We were split between the 2003s and the 2001s, both cooler years, which are more ready to drink now. For the Laurens River Valley my preference was the 2001 as the wine revealed different aromas and bouquet every time I took a sip. The 2009, from another cooler year, is definitely still too young but it has the backbone to develop like the 2001. As for the Morgenster, my favourite was the 2003 with finesse yet a firm structure.

Anyway, the point here is not to reach a consensus on which wine or vintage is the best. They are all of high quality and each has its own style so we just have to follow our individual preference. James Yates proudly said that he is a Merlot fan and so loves the Morgenster 2005 which has 86% Merlot in the blend! So don’t blindly take the wine critics’ word; try them for yourself.

Morgenster and Laurens River Valley are available from Victoria Wines.

Anything but Bordeaux?

Recent research I did on the position of Italian wine in Hong Kong revealed some interesting facts about the whole structure of our market at the moment.

Most of us know that France has the biggest market share in Hong Kong both by volume and by value. But did you know that Australia is second and the the US third (both by volume and value)?

In terms of volume, Chile is fourth, followed by Spain and Italy. Given that nearly all wine lists in Hong Kong restaurants feature some Italian wine, I was surprised that Italy was only in 6th place.

Going deeper into the figures, the share of French wine by value is more than double its share by volume (value 70%, 32%). The value also includes England and Switzerland as most wine shipped from these countries to HK is French (they were ranked 2nd and 9th top importers by value but not in terms of volume). Actually, I suspect a good portion of wine from the US to Hong Kong is of French origin as well, implying that real US-origin wine would be in lower than third place.

This is logical when you think of all the super-premium Bordeaux and Burgundy here. But how about Italy? With our love of Barolos, Brunellos and Super Tuscans, perhaps its share by value would also be higher than by volume? Well, at first sight, the reverse seems to be true: its share by value is only 3% while its volume share is 6%. Two possible arguments to explain this are that
super premium Italian wine is not as in demand as the super premium French wine and that the production quantity of top Italian wines is simply lower than the French ones.

But what happens if you exclude the French figures from the picture? Then we see that Germany and the US have higher value share than volume share, with ratios of 1.73 and 1.36 respectively, suggesting these countries have more wine in the premium sector. Italy, Australia and New Zealand are pretty much middle of the road, with value to volume ratios ranging from 1.17 to 0.87. At the other end of the scale are Chile and Spain with more entry level wine than average.

I then looked at Watson’s online store to analyse its stock distribution. Watson’s is the biggest wine retailer in Hong Kong so is pretty much representative of the market as a whole. The findings were even more interesting. Of the 1,850 SKUs (stock keeping units, here indicating the number of different wines), 880 (48%) were French, followed by Australia with 202 SKUs (11%). Then came Italy and the US at about 120 SKUs (6%) each.

So Watson’s figures do seem to be broadly in line with the wider market figures mentioned earlier. But my research did not stop there. Further analysis of Watson's French wine SKUs revealed that a whopping 65% was Bordeaux, while 23% was Burgundy, leaving the remainder (a mere 12%) to cover the whole of the rest of France.

What do these figures tell us? Well, our market is dominated not really by French wine, but by Bordeaux. To me, that is a shame as there are so many wines in the world (and even in other parts of France) waiting to be explored. Hong Kong abolished wine import duties in 2008 and we have all seen the exponential growth in the number of importers since then. What a pity that most of them are still apparently geared towards Bordeaux.

Be adventurous, try aged Cabernet and blends from Stellenbosch, the various shades of rosé from the Douro, or the many little-known wines from Martinborough

Hong Kong has a bit of a ‘herd’ mentality and it becomes a reinforcing feedback loop that we drink more Bordeaux, importers bring in more Bordeaux and new consumers copy the regulars and drink (surprise, surprise) Bordeaux. I think we should start a movement of drinking a wine from a different region every time, trying not to repeat it until after 10 or 12 wines. That way you soon find out that a life not restricted to Bordeaux is a lot more colourful. For myself, I drink so many different wines that I have actually forgotten when I last had a Bordeaux. Not only would this help us all broaden our horizons, it would also push importers to break out of the comfort zone and look out for other wines. I remember having a hard time finding a Cabernet Franc from Loire a few months ago—a sad state of affairs. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against Bordeaux, but we should also not allow ourselves to miss all those other wonderful wines as well.

Fortunately, there are some importers/wine clubs specialising in other wines. Feel free to check them out.

Adega Royale: Portuguese
At Style: Australia and New Zealand
BNS (Asia): Italian
Castello del Vino: Italian
Cottage Vineyards: Little known regions
Cytise Distribution: French except Bordeaux
Eccevino: German and Italian
Finessa: Swiss and Spanish
Georgian Valleys: Georgian
Ghvino: Eastern European
Gin Gallery: Italian
Golden Gate: US
Heritage Wines: Mainly Italian
Kobo Wine: New Zealand
Margaret River Wines: Australia, New Zealand and German
Redmill: Lebanon
S&D German Wines: German
Schmidt Vinothek: German, Austrian and Swiss
South Africa World of Wine: well, South African
The Swiss Wine Store: Swiss
Thomas Palmer Fine German Wines: German
Veritas Wine: Hungarian
Vincisive: South African
VinoVeritas: Italian
Wine Connection: Australian and New Zealand
Wine ‘n’ things: Mainly New World
Wines North: Canadian
Wiseville: Hungarian

Happy exploring!

Source: Global Trade Atlas

The little conspiracy

What a surprise to have tasted Chateau La Connivence, the labour of love of four friends, including two ex-footballers, an engineer and Aléxandre de Malet Roquefort, the gentleman who poured the wine for us at Wellspring's recent Hong Kong trade tasting.

I was tasting some whites with Eddie from Cru Magazine when we were urged to try La Connivence, a red from Pomerol, on the other side of the room first, as it would not be available for long. We duly did so and were thankful for it.

There were four wines, from 2008, the first vintage, to 2011. All were left over (about 1/5 of the bottle) from its launch dinner the previous evening, but despite the condition they were not disappointing at all. I liked their elegance, even though the alcohol level was up around 14%-14.5%. The 2010 was my favourite with good concentration and firm acidity. My comment to Aléxandre was that the wine was not at all Parker-like. He gleamed, obviously enjoying the comment. Although vinification of La Connivence uses all the latest gadgets, including a blower to shoo away bad berries, Aléxandre insists it is the soil that gives the wine its identity and which therefore should be respected.

Aléxandre also runs Chateau La Gaffeliere in St Emilion, a family winery with 17 generations of history. Both St Emilion and Pomerol are Merlot dominated but Pomerol is more delicate, more feminine and more sensitive, according to Aléxandre. This assertion was clearly reflected in the wine as we also tried his La Gaffeliere for comparison.

Aléxandre explained that La Connivence means ‘little secret’, and the wine is the little secret among the four friends. With only one hectare of land, a maximum of 3,000 bottles production, and an allocation of only ten 6-bottle cases plus a few large formats for Hong Kong, wine lovers will certainly want to keep it a little secret. Google translates Connivence more literally as connivance or conspiracy ... which perhaps is more true!

Both La Connivance and La Gaffeliere are available from Wellspring Wines.

Celebrating the Rainbow Nation of Wine

April was a busy month for South African wine in Hong Kong. To celebrate the country’s Freedom Day on 27th April, the South African Cosulate-General and Wines of South Africa lent their full support to various organisations in Hong Kong, including the South China Morning Post (SCMP) and the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), hosting a series of South African wine activities.

The SCMP South African wine evening saw 15 of Hong Kong’s South African wine distributors present over 130 wines from 36 wineries. Wines included both internationally acclaimed brands and less well known boutique names. Most were rated Platter’s 4 stars or above (for those who are not familiar with South African wine, Platter’s is the most comprehensive and authoritative annual South African wine guide. 5 stars is the maximum Platter’s rating). The HKJC, on the other hand, selected 10 South African wines of different styles, half available from Hong Kong and the rest directly from South Africa, to be served at its five venues, including country club, clubhouses and racecourses.

Being a fan of South African wine, I went to most of these events and talked to guests and consumers. I found that about half had never tried South African wine. Some didn’t even realise that South Africa was a wine producing country. But they were all curious and were generally positive about the wines after trying them. In fact, the country itself drew a lot of interest and we ended up having lively discussions on South African themes, from landscape and nature to culture and people. It seems that South Africa is, rightly, on the ‘countries to be visited’ list of quite a number of people.

Some people, though— and this includes people in the trade and even some South African winemakers—wrongly and unfairly dismiss South African wine for various reasons, one of which is Pinotage,. Pinotage is a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault, and is a unique South African variety. It is true that early Pinotage was often green and bitter, but with improved winemaking techniques and better understanding of the variety, today’s Pinotages should be a pride of of the South African wine industry. Its easy drinking style with moderate tannin appeals to inexperienced consumers. A few enthusiastic drinkers were comparing Pinotages from different wineries at the SCMP evening and happily declared that they liked the variety. Those who like rich wine were equally impressed by the more serious style of Pinotage that shows depth and ageing capability. The Rijk’s Pinotage Reserve 2008 at the HKJC was one of the most popular wines among Bordeaux drinkers.

Chenin Blanc is another variety that attracted attention. It has crisp acidity and can be made into different styles from sparkling and refreshing summer white wine to complex barrel fermented food-friendly wine and sweet wine. The Ken Forester Reserve Chenin Blanc (available from Kerry Wines) and Bellingham Old Vine Chenin Blanc (available from Northeast) were particular popular at the SCMP evening. Chenin Blanc is in fact a Loire variety although not many consumers are aware of this thanks to the ‘non-disclosure’ of grape varieties on most French labels, but it is in South Africa where the variety shows its true self. 1/5 of the vineyard planting in South Africa in Chenin Blanc, far more than what it is planted in Loire.

South Africa is also reputed for its international varieties: Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc from the cooler regions of Elgin and Hermanus, full bodied Chardonnay and Bordeaux blends from Stellenbosch, Syrah and Rhone style wines particularly from Swartland. Its wine is as diverse as its landscape and culture. The wines showcased in the SCMP and HKJC events truly did impress some of the most discerning drinkers.

Hong Kong wine lovers deserve to taste more South African wine.

South Africa Freedom Day commemorates the country’s first democratic post-Apartheid elections in 1994. It unites South Africans of all colours and backgrounds to celebrate democracy and freedom. Next year will be its 20th anniversary. It would be a perfect moment to introduce more of these wonderfully diverse wines to Hong Kong wine lovers. We are all looking forward to celebrating the Rainbow Nation and its wine.

Another judgement

This time it was Viña Seña from Chile against Bordeaux first growth, led by Eduardo Chadwick, president of Viña Seña, and Jeannie Cho Lee MW. The main purpose was actually a vertical tasting of six Viña Seña from 1995 to 2008, but Jeannie decided to put in a few Bordeaux first growths to make the tasting more fun. The results, based on the votes of some 40 wine professionals and journalists invited to the tasting, saw Seña snatching the top five places out of ten, beating all the first growths. This demonstrated yet again how much Chilean wine has evolved and, perhaps more interestingly, how much wine professionals’ palates have changed.

Some critics argue that blind tastings like this are a waste of time because tasters ignore the track record, breeding and ageing potential of the wine. Therefore, New World wine almost always tastes better than Bordeaux because of its fruit concentration and higher alcohol. Also the line up is a giveaway: tasted between two big fruity wines, the more elegant Margaux in the middle seems thin and dilute.

While all of the above may be right, one shouldn’t dismiss all these tastings as pointless. In this Seña tasting, most of us (I was one of the tasters) knew which was Seña and which was Bordeaux, so if all we cared about was the name rather than the quality, we could easily have tweaked our scores to favour Bordeaux. But I presume most didn’t, hence the results. The exercise suggests that these tasters, most of whom were from the trade and the F&B industry, are open minded. This is important as these people are the gatekeepers—consumers rely on their recommendations when choosing wines, so hopefully they won’t be only promoting Bordeaux wine after this tasting. I am not saying Bordeaux is not good, but there are just so many wonderful and different styles outside Bordeaux that it seems a pity to pass them by. After all, we don’t want to eat abalone or wagyu beef every day!

To be honest, all the wines were of very good quality and our rankings were really down to personal preference. The one I really liked was the 1995 Seña. It has aged gracefully with such a complex bouquet and long length that most of us thought it was Old World, and it certainly fared better than the Mouton Rothschild of the same vintage. This busted another myth that New World wine can’t age.

Eduardo was surprised but definitely very pleased with the result. Hong Kong was the first stop on his Asian tour, and he was to repeat the tasting in Taipei and Seoul. No doubt he will take the tour to other major cities in the near future, just like his famous Judgement of Berlin back in 2004. It will be interesting to see how the results compare with Hong Kong's.

The rankings were:
1st: 2008 Seña
2nd: 2001 Seña
3rd: 1995 Seña
4th: 2007 Seña
5th: 1997 Seña
6th: 2007 Château Lafite Rothschild
7th: 2001 Château Margaux
8th: 2005 Seña
9th: 2005 Château Latour
10th: 1995 Château Mouton Rothschild

Seña is available from Maxxium Hong Kong.