Gilbert & Gaillard's Wine Magazine by Vinipresse

CONTENTS

Contents COLUMNS

WINE INTERNATIONAL NEXT ISSUE COMING OUT SEPTEMBER 2010

46-51

GILBERT & GAILLARD

WINE GROWER PORTRAITS • Thierry Delaunay: blending tradition and modernity • Franck Nicaise of Champagne Abelé • Domaine Jessiaume: a fondness for fine wine bears fruit in Burgundy

WINE INTERNATIONAL SUBSCRIPTIONS 2 YEARS 43.90 € - 1 YEAR 23.60 € SEE PAGES 8 AND 29

52-53 ORGANIC NEWS Correns - France’s first organic village

68-71 36

TRAVEL • Bordeaux - an unforgettable experience • Champagne - a day in paradise

72-77 FAMILY BUSINESS • Roederer: the road to today • Paul Ricard: an incredible success story • Skalli: a tale of three generations

84-85 WINE QUOTATIONS China goes mad for Lafite

106

86-87 11-12

15-18

PARIS LIFE

NEWS

36-37

NEW YORK LIFE

14 TOKYO LIFE

EXPORT China: Asia’s biggest wine market

106-107

STARS AND WINES • Johnny Depp: “I fell in love with France at first sight” • Hugh Grant: “When I drink a good bottle, I take notes”

ORGANIC NEWS Millton Vineyards, New Zealand’s biodynamic pioneers and champions of Chenin Blanc

108-113 RECOMMENDED WINES

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

CONTENTS

Contents REPORTS

PLEASE GIVE US YOUR FEEDBACK info@gilbertgaillard.fr

38-45 HISTORY OF THE VINEYARDS • Will Gamay replace Pinot Noir in Burgundy? • Champagne: where did it all begin?

54-67 QUALITY FACTORS • Saint-Emilion and Pomerol: terroir and more • The mosaic of Languedoc-Roussillon terroirs • Global warming: should we be worried about our wines?

78-83 WINE AND FOOD • L’Arpège - the passion of Alain Passard • Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester

88-105 REGION • The magic of Cognac • California the American Eldorado • Burgundy - a story of fragmentation

100 20 TASTING

21 WINE ONLINE

22-34 94 4

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

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

THIS MAGAZINE IS PRINTED ON RECYCLABLE PAPER

FRANÇOIS GILBERT

www.gilbertgaillard.com

raditionally consumed locally, wine has seen

its sphere of influence continually expand over time. To take the example of Europe, in the 19th century, wine first made its way to the rapidly-growing cities, where it brought solace to those arriving to look for work during the Industrial Revolution. Then, in the wake of several

Asia: tomorrow’s major market?

exceptional vintages during the course of the 20th century, certain wines, such as Bordeaux crus, as well as major Champagnes and ports, experienced a growth in export that has been virtually constant. Now, at the beginning of the third millennium, a huge, more distant new market has surfaced to make Western producers drool: Asia.

In the centre of this empire lies China, a vast country with a booming economy and a population of more than a billion; a country whose currently low wine consumption is increasing exponentially.

According to growth forecasts, the consumption of wine in Asia (not including Japan) is set to double by 2017, which will make China the eighth largest wine market in the world. This goes some way to explain the wine industry’s current passion for this part of the world, where until recently tea had the clear advantage over wine!

François Gilbert Editorial director

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

PHILIPPE GAILLARD

www.gilbertgaillard.com

W A global vision

ine has become very fashionable. The number of wine drinkers has increased over the past ten years in more than 160 countries and is set to continue to grow in coming years. In English-speaking countries, which long ago became converts to Bacchus - in particular the United States - the younger generation has adopted wine with enthusiasm. In Asia, where there is record-breaking economic growth, wine consumption is soaring. The same is true for Russia, and is predicted for India. But which wines are these new enthusiasts drinking? In many countries, domestic production is growing and imports are increasing - even booming. Distribution networks are developing in parallel: importers, specialist wine shops, restaurants and bars, retailers, online shopping the channels are multiplying rapidly. Make no mistake, it is these professionals who are key in creating supply and selecting the wines that consumers can buy. Keeping these professionals informed, guiding them by supplying them with quality sources, offering them a view of wine that takes into account terroir and art de vivre: these are the aims that drive this magazine. To this end, Gilbert & Gaillard Wine International is distributed in 15 countries, in cities from London to New York, Stockholm to Berlin, Tokyo to Hong Kong, Shanghai to Taipei. The magazine is supplemented by the Gilbert & Gaillard Wine Guide, a website www.gilbertgaillard.com, and a newsletter in which we will unveil our latest tastings. Our subscribers already include more than 15,000 importers and distributors around the world. All our readers - experts and well-informed enthusiasts alike - share a passion for wine, and we share this passion with you. Enjoy!

Philippe Gaillard Editorial director GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

SYLVAIN PATARD

www.gilbertgaillard.com

ou are reading a new magazine - new in terms of

its content, its method of distribution and its ambitions. It is in fact the logical evolution of a publication Gilbert & Gaillard - with a 20-year history. The time had come to transform it, to give it more impetus and increased international standing. To this end, we have worked with internationally-recognised Michelin-starred

An evolution in progress

chefs to highlight French and world haute cuisine (Alain Passard and Alain Ducasse are featured in this first issue). We have also brought in an international team of journalists, who are not only focused on pedagogy, but on championing our vision of European wine, based on terroir and diversity. In the issues to come, our reporters will take you to Tokyo, New York, Paris, London, Barcelona, San Francisco, Moscow and beyond. You will discover vineyards, wine producers and important winemaking families from around the world and visit exceptional wine-producing estates. We will give you the latest information on the wine market, reveal the value of prestigious bottles and introduce you to the most prized vintages. We will also discuss organic wines, which are gaining increasing visibility. We will open the archives of our most notable tastings in total transparency, comparing our conclusions to those of our peers as well as our most well-known American competitors. In short, we will simply do our duty as journalists, at your service and at the service of wine.

Sylvain Patard Editor in chief

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

PARIS LIFE

Christine’s Wine Lists The Eiffel Tower, fantastic restaurants, beautiful people, high fashion, the Champs Elysées, the boutiques of rue Saint Honoré and avenue Montaigne, lunch at Les Halles or in Montmartre, a weekend exploring the Left Bank...

Yes, I’m talking about Paris, la belle ville, whose very place names evoke history: the history of century-old establishments as well as trendy newcomers, and the inspired men and women behind them who invite us to discover the wines they have chosen with passion. Christine Fabre

“PARIS, LA BELLE VILLE, WHOSE VERY PLACE NAMES EVOKE HISTORY...” THE TRENDIEST La Société

PLACE IN

PARIS?

seen. With its stylish interior design by Christian Liaigre in leather, marble and mahogany, this attractive restaurant attains perfection. What we dreamed of, the Costes brothers have created, just across from the Saint-Germain church.

potatoes with truffle, as well as classics

new wine list, Savennières ‘Les Vieux Clos’

The welcome is warm and sophisticated;

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

2008 from high priest of biodynamics

Alex and Giovanni and their team take

gastronomic delight. The dishes reflect a

Nicolas Joly. The choice reveals the

care of everything to ensure that your visit

real emphasis on top-quality products. La

hand of wine connoisseurs and includes,

is flawless. The range of dishes is well

Société also has a fine wine list, with a

from Provence, a cuvée from Château

conceived; all are based on excellent

particularly good selection of wines from

d’Esclans 2009 and a magnificent white

ingredients and elegantly presented. The

Bordeaux and the Rhône Valley. In organic

Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Château Mont-

menu changes regularly, featuring new

wines, we noted the excellent Morgon

Redon 2008 - the perfect accompaniment

dishes such as spiced sea bass tartare and

2008 from Marcel Lapierre, and on the

for the truffle-based dishes.

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

PARIS LIFE

Christine’s Wine Lists AN ALL-TIME FAVOURITE Pharamond

(book, in fact!) includes a selection of

24, rue de la Grande Truanderie 75001 Paris Tel. +33 (0)1 40 28 45 18 Open: everyday except Sunday and Monday

value for money and a choice of old vintages

and ample dishes, a warm welcome - and a unique choice of magnums and jeroboams. Amongst the latter, I couldn’t resist the offerings from the Loire Valley: a

Saumur Blanc from Domaine du Collier

Established in 1832, the Pharamond restaurant was listed as a historical monument in 1988. It was taken over three years ago by a dynamic and welcoming young couple, Sylvain and Dominique. In the kitchen, Sylvain - a former sommelier at reputed restaurant L’Ami Louis - shows equal care in conceiving his dishes as his wine list, selecting French products of excellent quality, such as meat from

that had extraordinary finesse, and a magnum

Close your eyes and enter a world where

of Anjou 2005 from Jo Pithon (so easy for

time stands still, where you can experience

two to drink). The Burgundies are also

life as it was in the time of Proust,

tastefully chosen, such as Racines du

Malraux, Gide or Hemingway. They have

Temps 2004 from Domaine René Bouvier

all been here, and the place still has a

in Gevrey-Chambertin, and the wines of

unique,

Nicolas Rossignol. Not to mention the

atmosphere. The Paris of a bygone age

wines of André Romero at Domaine de la

lives on here: nothing has changed, not

Soumade in Rasteau (Rhône Valley),

even the menu.

which have amazing richness and

The wine list is to the point, and effective.

complexity. Although few have the chance

Director Claude Guittard has made a sharp

to visit the vaulted stone wine cellar that

selection of châteaux and winemakers. As

houses all these treasures, the Pharamond

an apéritif, try the amazing white

is no doubt one of the finest places in

Sancerre 2008 from Florian Mollet; ideal

Paris to share a convivial meal.

as a pre-dinner drink. And with the

BRASSERIE LIPP CELEBRATES ITS 130TH ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR Brasserie Lipp 151, boulevard Saint Germain 75006 Paris Tel. +33 (0)1 45 48 72 93 Director: Claude Guittard Open: everyday

artistic,

politically-charged

famous pied de porc farci, grillé or boeuf gros sel, what better than a Haut-Médoc Château Ramage La Batisse 2001? With the traditional and most excellent choucroute, the Santenay 1er Cru Les Gravières from Prosper Maufoux will be a perfect match; ditto a glass of Hermitage Le Chevalier de Stérimberg 2004 from Jaboulet Ainé with the haddock poché au

Normandy. The restaurant excels in

It’s amazing how well this upscale French

beurre blanc. And on Tuesdays, for the

traditional and seasonal French cuisine.

brasserie captures the spirit of Saint

perfect lunch, order the blanquette de veau

In the dining room, Dominique gives

Germain des Prés. Founded in 1880,

with a bottle of Crystal Roederer 2002 for

well-informed advice on choosing your

Brasserie Lipp is one of the most famous

175 euros; it’s the ultimate stylish food

meal as well as your wine. The wine list

restaurants in Paris - indeed, in the world.

and wine match!

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

NEW YORK LIFE

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

Guillaume Gilbert

111, East 7th Street (between 1st Avenue & Avenue A) New York, NY 10009 Tel. +1 212 475 2246 www.bourgeoispigny.com In the heart of New York’s East Village, the Bourgeois Pig wine bar, with its low-lit, intimate ‘French salon’ decor, is an ideal place to spend a summer or winter evening, comfortably settled in one of its plush, velvety seats. One of the bar’s unique attributes is its exclusively French wine list: in its own words, “From Alsace to Provence, from the traditional to the innovative, we venerate the wines of France.” You could start with a 2005 Buzet from Domaine de la Croix ($36), with its soft texture and subtly spicy aroma. If the temperature rises, treat yourself to Olivier Leflaive’s splendid Puligny Montrachet ‘Cuvée Margot’ 2006 ($60). Its exemplary balance and crispness are a perfect match for the wine bar’s generous cheese and charcuterie plates. If it is cold, you could warm up

with one of the six varieties of fondues on offer. The range of wines is vast, well chosen and suitable for all budgets. On Mondays and Tuesdays, the Bourgeois Pig has an excellent deal, offering all of its bottles at half-price. This means you can do the unthinkable in New York and enjoy a 2007 Châteauneuf du Pape from Domaine Roger Perrin for less than $50.

SELLING WINE FOR THE LOVE OF IT Manhattan & Brooklyn Today, there is an abundance of ways for Americans to discover the pleasures of wine: books, wine guides, websites, wine classes and more. Faced with this everexpanding number of options (and its reminder that the United States is set to become the largest wine consumer in the world by 2012), wine buyers can be easily overwhelmed. The perfect antidote is a new breed of small, local wine shops that have appeared in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens in recent years. These independent wine sellers are not only demanding in their selection of wines, but build up a relationship with their customers by listening attentively to their needs. Most of these neighbourhood wine shops focus mainly on small

winemakers with a personal history and more ‘soul’ than the big distributors, which appeals more to consumers. A few notable independent wine shops in New York:

Manhattan ALPHABET CITY WINE COMPANY 100, Avenue C (7th Street) Tel. +1 212 505 9463 A large selection of wines at affordable prices.

CALIFORNIA WINE MERCHANTS 15, Bridge Street (Whitehall) Tel. +1 212 785 7285 Specialises in California wines.

SEPTEMBER WINES 100, Stanton Street (Ludlow Street) Tel. +1 212 388 0770 TINTO FINO 85, 1st Avenue (East 5th Street) Tel. +1 212 254 0850 Specialises in Spanish wines.

Brooklyn DOC WINE SHOP 147, Broadway (Bedford Avenue) Tel. +1 718 388 0087 UVA WINES 199, Bedford Avenue (North 6th Street), Tel. +1 718 963 3939 The young and friendly team organises wine tastings every week.

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

TOKYO LIFE

Walid's trendy places Greetings! Or as we say in Japan, "Hajime-mashite” (pleased to meet you)! My name is Walid Haddad, I am a French-Lebanese national and Japan has been my home since 1991. The most exciting part of living in a megapolis like Tokyo is that there are always new stories to tell, new places to discover and interesting people to meet. who suggested a 2003 Charmes-Chambertin

KIMURAYA JAPANESE TEA SALON

to accompany an exquisite Noisette d’agneau en croûte Maria Callas.

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

LE PREVERRE

Walid Haddad

LE MANOIR D’INNO Mr Tsuruoka 4-1-13 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku Tel. +81 (0)3 3406 0200 www.manoirdinno.com

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

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

I headed for the Ginza luxury district, just

dining somewhere with a garden. I followed

next to the Mikimoto pearls showroom. I

a tip and discovered a great address serving

found Tokyo’s landmark, but I just had to

exclusive wines and outstanding meals, Le

try Kimuraya Japanese Tea Salon. I am not a

Manoir d’Inno. I was greeted by Mr

great fan of desserts, but I sampled their

Tsuruoka, a French-speaking sommelier,

azuki (sweet red bean) pie with matcha

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

Strolling down omote-sando street, I asked an office lady where to have lunch; she

view from this restaurant was splendid. I ordered the main dish, a filet of suzuki (Japanese seabass) with a bottle of 2005 Champalou Vouvray Clos du Portail.

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

suggested a place called Le Preverre. The

NEWS

DIJON INVADES NEW YORK! In the company of François Rebsamen, the mayor of Dijon, a large delegation went to New York in February to promote ‘the best of Burgundy culture’ as part of the Dijon Must’art campaign. The context? The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s launch of the exhibition of The Mourners: Medieval Tomb Sculptures from the Court of Burgundy, masterpieces of sculpture from the late Middle Ages liberated after centuries to cross the

Atlantic. This is the first time they have left Dijon’s Musée des Beaux-Arts. Artists, musicians, chefs and winemakers participated in the events, which included a tasting of Dominique Gallois and Humbert Frères wines (which share the same importer, WildStone) at the French Consulate, the last plot of ‘French soil’ in New York, where guests enjoyed a superb Gevrey-Chambertin 2003 made by Dominique Gallois. G. G.

ITS NAME IS TSARSKAYA Since 2005, this special cupped oyster, entirely cultivated at Cancale in Brittany, has been available from the French oyster producer Les Parcs Saint-Kerber. Tsarskaya oysters are top grade (1, 2 and 3) and have the salty, iodine taste of the sea, with a lingering flavour. They are meaty and have a characteristic firm consistency. Les Parcs Saint-Kerber has been a family business since 1930, developing its export market in the 1970s. Today, François-Joseph Pichot and Stéphan Alleaume ship their oysters

to more than 70 countries, supplying renowned chefs and other clients that demand exceptional quality. Indicative prices (excluding shipping costs) • 50 grade 1 oysters - 44.90 euros • 50 or 24 grade 2 oysters 41 euros or 22.50 euros • 50 or 36 grade 3 oysters 31 euros or 24.40 euros Les Parcs Saint-Kerber, 35260 Cancale, France - Tel. +33 (0)2 99 89 65 29 GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

NEWS

Grand total: 29,700 This is the amount in euros spent by a passenger on purchases at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport in Terminal 2E’s Pure and Rare shop. Before boarding a flight for Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, the passenger bought, among other things, a jeroboam of Romanée Conti 1986 (25,000 euros), a La Tâche Grand Cru 2004 and a Montrachet Grand Cru 2001. “The transaction went rather quickly. While speaking on her mobile, the passenger searched for a particular vintage wine, found it, then discussed it briefly with her caller, who was apparently convinced,” explained Olivier Onckelet and Serge Chiron from Pure and Rare.

BLEND JEANJEAN AND LAROCHE TO MAKE ADVINI Following the completion of the merger between JeanJean and Michel Laroche, the new company will be called Advini. It has 1,450 hectares of vines in France and other parts of the world, including Chile and South Africa. Taking over the family vineyards in 1976, Michel Laroche transformed the family wine business in Chablis from six hectares to more than 130 hectares as well as opening a hotel in Chablis - l’Hôtel du Vieux Moulin. Laroche also has other vineyard ventures - Mas La Chevalière (south of France), L’Avenir (Stellenbosch, South Africa) and Viña Punto Alto (Casablanca, Chile). Nearing retirement , Michel decided to merge with JeanJean. J. B.

A LIGHTER BOTTLE OF CHAMPAGNE The Interprofessional Committee of Champagne Wines has announced the official launch of a new bottle that will help to reduce its carbon emissions. The bottle’s weight has been decreased from 900 grammes to 835 grammes, which reduces its carbon footprint by 8,000 tonnes (the equivalent of emissions from 4,000 cars). Working in collaboration with

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

French glass manufacturers, extensive studies were carried out to test the 835gramme bottle from a technical point of view. By choosing this new lighter bottle, Champagne wine producers have taken a further step in their commitment to reducing their carbon footprint 25% by the year 2020. This weight reduction from the current 900-gramme bottle is the maximum decrease possible without significantly modifying the Champagne bottle’s characteristic dimensions. The difference is almost imperceptible to the eye, and the glass manufacturers guarantee that the 835-gramme bottle is equally sound. Contact: www.champagne.fr

NEWS

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

NEWS

SENTENCES IN THE FAKE PINOT NOIR SCANDAL In March 2008 the French fraud squad uncovered a huge scam – the equivalent 16.6 million bottles of fake Vin de Pays d’Oc Pinot Noir sold to American companies Constellation Wines and Gallo for a profit of 7 million euros. On 17th February the Carcassonne court sentenced the 12 found guilty. The largest fine, 180,000 euros, was levied against Sieur d’Arques (Limoux cooperative). J. B.

SALON DES VINS DE LOIRE 2010 WINE BLOGGERS TROPHY

MAKER’S MARK BACK THE RIGHT HORSE In February, Maker's Mark, the world’s oldest operating bourbon distillery, was named the official bourbon of the 2010 World Equestrian Games to be held 2 5 S e p t e m b e r - 10 O c t o b e r at Lexington’s Kentucky Horse Park. “Our Maker's Mark traditions and heritage are rooted in Kentucky, which is why we’re so thrilled to be a partner of the World Equestrian Games,” said Bill

Samuels Jr, President and Chief Executive Officer of Maker's Mark. “Bourbon and horses are a natural pair especially in Kentucky.” Kentucky’s First Lady, Jane Beshear, also noted the significance of the announcement, noting that “Bourbon is a part of the fabric of Kentucky and Maker’s Mark is a world-class spirit.” We agree that this honour is well deserved!

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

The following were the winners of this year’s awards: “La plus belle plume” (best writer): Hervé Lalau with “Chroniques Vineuses” http://hlalau.skynetblogs.be; best design: Aurélia Filion with “Bu sur le Web" (http://busurleweb.com); also voted the most popular; most interactive: Emmanuel Delmas with "Sommelier Vins" http://sommelier-vins.com; best blog with the accent on the Loire: Jacques Berthomeau with www.berthomeau.com; and the best blog: Anne-Laurence Chadronnier with “Rouge, Blanc, Bulles“ http://rougeblancbulles.blogspot.com J. B.

TASTING

Top picks from our tasters In each issue, two members of Gilbert & Gaillard’s tasting committee, Olivier Delorme and James Turnbull, present the best wines from chosen winemakers.

wine trade in London, where

tasting committee since

he graduated at the Wine &

1995, is a consultant

Spirit Education Trust, then

sommelier. The service of

moved to France in 1987. He

wines and the pairing of

is a much-appreciated

wines with food are his

speaker at wine events, does

fields of expertise.

wine consultancy work and

RIVESALTES A.C. Ambré 1993

SCORE 95/100

101 Rangs 2008

94/100

the Grandeur Nature series.

SAVENNIÈRES A.C. Domaine FL

Le Parc 2007

SCORE 93/100

Diamant 2006

Domaine Jean Sipp

Cuvée Carole 2008

92/100

ALSACE PINOT GRIS A.C. 93/100

SAINT-CHINIAN A.C.

Domaine Schaeffer Philippe Sélection de grains nobles (50 cl) Fronholz 2005

92/100

MARSANNAY A.C.

Château Saint Martin des Champs Cuvée Mathieu 2004

Fougeray de Beauclair

93/100

Cuvée Prestige Louis Bertigny 2007

89/100

QUINCY A.C.

CAHORS A.C. Château Haut-Monplaisir

books on the subject, notably

ALSACE GEWURZTRAMINER A.C.

LANGUEDOC LA CLAPE A.C. Domaine des Karantes

has published a number of

James Turnbull's choice

POUILLY-FUMÉ A.C. Château de Tracy

started off in the

the Gilbert & Gaillard

Olivier Delorme's choice Domaine de Rancy

James

a member of

Olivier,

Pur Plaisir 2007

92/100

Jacques Rouzé

Collection L'Auguste 2008

89/100

Millésime 2009

89/100

SAUTERNES A.C. Château Filhot

Millésime 2007

92/100

SANCERRE A.C. Domaine Serge Laporte

See the detailed comments on all these wines on our website: www.gilbertgaillard.com 20

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

WINE ONLINE

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

noteworthy site presented by t h e a t t r a c t i ve ye t truculent Aurélia from

Quebec, who describes herself as “crazy about wine, and passionate about taste.” In her videos she presents

O C . B E LEW

wines from the four corners of the world in her delightful québécois

BUSU

French, with a spontaneity that is both refreshing and disarming. A simple and straightforward approach that will doubtless resonate with wine lovers worldwide. Bravo!

Gilbert & Gaillard Wine International Selection 91 /100

ALOXE-CORTON A.C. Domaine Nudant Clos de la Boulotte 2007 Cherry-red colour with rubyred tints. Ripe raspberry and delicate, slightly toasted wood form the nose. A full, ethereal style with fine, melted substance and clean fruit expression. Very stylish.

VACQUEYRAS A.C. Domaine des Amouriers Les Genestes 2007 Deep colour with crimson shades. Layered nose of ripe red and black fruits over a mineral, slightly spicy background. Full attack, restrained power and a mellow, round sensation. Full, ample finish. A wine of character.

BEAUMES DE VENISE A.C. Vignobles Balma Venitia Dom Venitia 2009

/100

Fine dark, violet-tinged colour. Intense, fruity nose of blackcurrant and wild plum. Youthful and still a little firm in the mouth. Fine fruit, tannins still a touch raw. A wine which should harmonize in time.

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

CHINA

COVER STORY

Hong Kong

GRAPE EXPECTATIONS

FROM

HONG-KONG

BY EDWARD PETERS,

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

the region’s largest and most respected celebration of all things grape. Originally established by the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Vinexpo returns to Hong Kong in May 2010, and with a certain measure of excitement, as China and Hong Kong have been declared the main markets of growth in global wine consumption.

icture the scene: a European winemaker has shipped a selection of his finest vintages to China, negotiated the rampant suspicions of the Customs and Excise department, marshalled a coterie of wealthy young and not-so-young executives who have expressed an interest in this quaint and rather exotic foreign beverage, and is in the process of wielding a corkscrew under the watchful eye of his guests in a plush hotel drawing room.

More than 9,000 professional visitors including importers, wholesalers, food and beverage managers, sommeliers, restaurateurs, hyper- and supermarket The first bottle is poured. The Oenophile buyers are expected to attend Vinexpo turns to his interpreter to elucidate the from this fast-developing region of finer points of the fruit of his labours. But consumers. wait: his audience is looking askance at the Edward Peters “Asia, and particularly China, have become half-filled glasses in front of them. A key growth markets for the world’s wine and spirits industry,” moment of confusion - and then a waiter scurries in with a tray says Robert Beynat, chief executive of Vinexpo Asia-Pacific. of Coca-Cola. A look of barely concealed horror crosses The Oenophile’s face. With a gentle sigh of relief, the novice drinkers It is well known that with a population of more than one billion, top up their glasses with the black fizzing bubbles and - there is China is a huge market. The monied elite - that is, those who would no other word for it - swig. The interpreter turns to The consider drinking wine and have the money to pay for it - still Oenophile: “Do you have any white wine with you? Because number only a small proportion. However, a gradual trickle-down they’ll want 7Up if you do.” effect is steadily increasing the ranks of the middle classes. An innate patriotism suggests that wine produced in China is likely to Such a scene would be unthinkable today: while still a status be the best, both from a point of view of taste and savoir faire. Yet symbol, wine drinking in Asia has progressed to hitherto there is also a distinct market for wine from Europe and other parts undreamed-of heights of sophistication. Once every two years of the world, and if the price is higher then this merely adds a the great and good of the Asia Pacific wine world converge for

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

COVER STORY

A survey for Vinexpo conducted over the past two years by The International Wine and Spirits Record (IWSR) has found China, including Hong Kong, is posting the world’s highest growth in volumes of wine consumed - principally Robert Beynat 8.720 million more cases of still light wine drunk in one year. This trend repeated itself in 2009 with growth of 5.29 million nine-litre cases. According to the

latest confirmed sales, China accounted for nearly 70% of all still light wines consumed in Asia, and 3% of total world wine consumption in 2008, with the trend continuing in 2009. China has now officially become the world’s eighth-largest wine consumer, and the tenth-largest producer. In 2008, a grand total of 74.97 million cases of wine, or 900 million bottles, were consumed in China - an 80% increase in consumption between 2004 and 2008. And the future is looking rosy. By 2013 China’s wine consumption is predicted to increase by roughly one third, to reach 1.26 billion bottles - roughly equivalent to one bottle per adult per annum two and a half times more than the 2004 total, making it the seventh largest wine consumer in the world. Wines “made in China” currently account for 88.2% of the national market; this figure is expected to grow by a quarter by 2013. Imported wines make up 11.8% of volume, and 40.2% of sales. Their consumption increased fourfold from 2004-2008 and is expected to grow by 65.6% by 2013.

CHINA

soupçon of prestige to business dinners and similar functions. Whatever the reasons for China’s increased desire for wine, the figures are little short of amazing.

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

COVER STORY

PAYLESSIMAGES-FOTOLIA.COM

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

CHINA HAS NOW OFFICIALLY BECOME THE WORLD’S EIGHTH-LARGEST WINE CONSUMER, AND THE TENTH-LARGEST PRODUCER. The story across the rest of Asia is just as fascinating, according to the Vinexpo survey. Japan is the second-largest wine-consuming nation in Asia, but with only moderate growth, while India’s growth is eye-catching, predicted to double by 2013. Across the region, Asia’s wine consumption topped 110 million cases, or 1.34 billion bottles, in 2008 - increasing by more than half from 2004. By 2013, consumption is expected to increase by more than 25%. Asia-Pacific accounts for 6.6% of all wine drunk in the world, with consumption over the decade from 2004-2013 predicted to grow by more than North America over the same period. Imports account for 27.8% of wine consumed in Asia. However, imported wine accounts for 59.8% of the total value of wine sales.

“It’s been pretty much a straight line upwards, despite the global financial downturn in 2008,” says Mr O’Toole, who, like his partner, had many years of experience living and working in the beverage industry in China before setting up Summergate. “Prior to the downturn, China experienced freak weather, a devastating earthquake, riots in Tibet, and bomb threats, and then severe visa restrictions were imposed on foreigners prior to the Olympics. But despite all that, we still saw the business grow, although there was a dip in premium imported brands.” Summergate carries an impressive portfolio, representing - from France - such labels as Jean-Pierre Moueix, William Fèvre, Hugel & Fils, and Pierre Duval. The New World is also well accounted for, and the company even has a relationship with Château Musar in Lebanon. “We are here for the long term, looking at 40 or 50 years,” adds Mr O’Toole, with a touch of pride. “We are building our marketing and distribution networks, focussing on organic growth, and are currently opening four new offices, including one in Xiamen, where we first decided to form Summergate.” But what are Chinese drinking? Of the four million cases that Summergate ships from France every year, roughly a third comes from Bordeaux. And it is “face” - that is, prestige - rather than taste that is influencing buying decisions. “Overall, the market is still very immature, lacking in brand awareness and appreciation,” says Mr O’Toole. “Chinese drinkers look at the price or the name as a guide - they enjoy what they think they are meant to enjoy. It’s strange that if you conduct an open tasting between a Bordeaux and a Cabernet, they’ll say they like the

The value of Asian wine sales reached US$7 billion in 2009. And by 2013 Asian wine sales are forecast to more than double, averaging 11.5% annual growth. Sparkling wine consumption in Asia grew sharply from 2004 to 2008 by 55.96%, accounting for 7.3% of total world volume, however it accounted for just 3% of Asian wine sales in 2008. The Vinexpo study now forecasts that Asia’s sparkling wine consumption will increase by 10.69% between by 2013. The figures show beyond dispute that wine is one of the Next Big Things in Asia, with China leading the charge. For a more detailed perspective, two importers provide an intimate look at the ins and outs of supplying wine to a fast-growing market. For the past ten years American Ian Ford and New Zealander Brendan O’Toole

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

Mr & Mrs Fergus Fung

THE CHAMPAGNE MARKET IS TINY - LESS THAN 100,000 CASES PER YEAR MAY 2010

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

COVER STORY

ASIA-PACIFIC ACCOUNTS FOR 6.6% OF ALL WINE DRUNK IN THE WORLD, WITH CONSUMPTION OVER THE DECADE FROM 2004-2013 PREDICTED TO GROW BY MORE THAN NORTH AMERICA OVER THE SAME PERIOD. IMPORTS ACCOUNT FOR 27.8% OF WINE CONSUMED IN ASIA. HOWEVER, IMPORTED WINE ACCOUNTS FOR 59.8% OF THE TOTAL VALUE OF WINE SALES.

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

COVER STORY

Bordeaux. Make it a blind tasting, and they’ll pick the Cabernet! It’s really quite a paradox. What is being drunk at the moment is not great quality in the main. Burgundy is not really appreciated. The reason for Bordeaux’s popularity is solely down to its prestige. Chinese are aware of the heritage, if not the precise details, and drink it as it makes a statement, and think it conveys success and sophistication. Likewise, the Champagne market is still tiny, less than 100,000 cases a year. It’s Moët, Veuve Clicquot, Mumm dominant brands for which there is no real appreciation, and little understanding. But this will change in time. Talk to some wine drinkers, and they are passionate about learning about wine. It will just take a wine celebrity or two, a few years general education, and you’ll see Chinese wine drinkers trading up to better quality and better brands.” Wine importers in China may be a select band, but they are all agreed on one thing: you need to know that although China is a huge market, it does not necessarily follow that you are going to be huge in China. Very much in the first rank, ASC Fine Wines was established by the St. Pierre family (a father and son team), and has since expanded rapidly. Focusing on high quality labels, ASC imports more than 1,200 different wines from 15 countries.

The company’s stable of around 100 wineries includes such names to conjure with as Beringer Vineyards from the Napa Valley, Kendall-Jackson Vineyards from Sonoma, Wolf Blass and Penfolds from South Australia, Angelo Gaja, Ruffino, Banfi and Masi from Italy, Santa Rita and Bodega Norton from South America, Champagne Bollinger and Champagne Ayala, Louis Jadot from Burgundy, E. Guigal from the Rhône Valley, and most top-classified growth wines from Bordeaux, including Château Latour, Château Haut Brion and Château Cos d’Estournel. The company’s early days were a hard slog, but it is now regarded as one of the premier importers. “The first four to five years were extremely difficult, primarily because there was no distribution channel we could sell into,” says Don St. Pierre Junior. “We needed to find good customers everywhere in China. Wherever there was a five star hotel, we needed to be able to supply it. Also, finding people that knew anything about wine was virtually impossible. We simply had to hire on character and then teach people about wine.” For a taste of the shape of things to come as far as China and wine drinking is concerned, look no further than Grace Vineyard in Shanxi province, west of Beijing, which ironically is best known as the crux

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

COVER STORY

of the People’s Republic’s coal industry. Significantly however, the area enjoys the same latitude as Bordeaux and the Napa Valley. Enter Chan Chun Keung, a stellar example of China’s new breed of rags-to-riches tycoon, with grand visions and a grand design. In 1997, in partnership with Sylvain Janvier of France, Mr Chan founded his vineyard, which currently covers a mere 68 hectares. From 11 varieties initially imported from France, the crop now mainly covers Cabernet Sauvignon, with some Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Chardonnay, Riesling, Chenin Blanc and Marselan. The first vintage was produced in 2001, and the following year Grace’s Cabernet Sauvignon was awarded an honourable mention at the Concours Mondial in Brussels - a giant stride for such a fledgling operation. And in 2007, Grace picked up a similar honour at the Decanter World Wine Awards for its Chairman’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

“A lot of our customers are coal mine owners, and the one thing they hate is for people to think they have money but no knowledge or class,” says Judy Chan. “That’s why people around here always order Grace, to demonstrate that they know what they’re drinking.” Wine industry commentators acknowledge that Grace is one of the most aggressive of mainland wineries when it comes to taking on the international market, and it is currently expanding its operations to Xian, the former capital and starting point for the Silk Road, as well as to Henan, Liaoning and Ningxia provinces.

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

For anyone doubting the potential of Chinese wine, it is worth remembering that not so many years ago Californian wine was regarded as little more than grape juice with a leavening of alcohol, and drunk by those who could afford nothing else. Then in 1976 a Californian wine won out over leading French producers in a blind tasting. Napa Valley has never looked back.

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

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

In a similar vein, ten years ago Nicolas Billot-Grima, of Château Laroche Pipeau in southwest France, fixed his sights on a patch of land a short distance from the Great Wall of China. The area was practically barren, and shunned by local farmers, subject to fierce winds and freezing temperatures in winter. Nothing daunted, he set up Château Tayshi, and by 2004 had produced his first Chardonnay. “We turned stones into gold, it was amazing” says an excited Mr Billot-Grima. “We don’t want to be big - we just want to produce quality wine.” After initial qualms, the local authorities have taken to the wine making project with alacrity, and plans are in hand to create a wine tourism highway, attracting visitors with vineyard visits, deluxe restaurants and boutique hotels. For wineries like Grace, being “home grown” at a time when the country is experiencing an upswing in prosperity is regarded as highly favourable. Like

Mr Chan - who during the Cultural Revolution was sent to Mongolia to work as a shepherd, and at one stage had only a few dollars to his name -many of Grace’s best customers have become wealthy only recently, and are anxious to show that their riches are not in inverse proportion to their savoir faire.

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

“The Krug Room is the ultimate dining experience that showcases the essence of Krug - the brand - through the location, the interior design, the tableware, the team managing the room, the food, and of course its unbeatable wine list,” says Li Cheng, senior marketing manager Champagne and Wine for Moet Hennessy Diageo Hong Kong Ltd. Handling her company’s operations in Hong Kong and the neighbouring former Portuguese colony Macau, Ms. Li estimates annual Champagne consumption is around 52,000 cases - principally Moët & Chandon - a relatively small amount for such a wealthy area with a population approaching ten million. Hong Kong gave the world of Champagne a jolt in 2008 when a bottle of 1928 Krug set a record at auction, fetching HK$164,000

MAY 2010

COVER STORY

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

Ms Li notes that the abolition of tax on wine in Hong Kong was a huge boost. “Prices became more accessible, and it enhanced consumers’ interest in wines, as evidenced by the proliferation of wine education courses and tasting events. With the enhanced consumer knowledge and sophistication, Champagne is no longer perceived as only a celebratory drink, but also a wine to be discovered by novices and further appreciated by connoisseurs.” Ms Li emphasises another important development. “Asian food and wine pairing is subject to growing interest. We Chinese love our food, and the diversity of Champagnes to go with various Chinese cuisines is simply amazing.

IN MY OPINION: EDWARD PETERS When the first franchisees announced they were bringing the American chain Pizza Hut to Hong Kong in the 1970s, old hands in the food trade scoffed. Chinese - that is, 99% of the market - didn’t eat cheese, full stop. It would never catch on. But first one outlet opened, then another. Today, there are few parts of Hong Kong without some sort of pizza operation, their tables packed with three or four generations tucking in with a will. The Chinese aversion to dairy products seems to have gone by the board. Another parallel might be drawn with golf, reviled as a bourgeois pastime in communist days, and a criminal waste of good agricultural land. In 2010, there are few mainland Chinese executives in either the public or private sector who don’t play or wish they could. The biggest golf course in the world, Mission Hills, with 216 holes in Shenzhen just across the border from Hong Kong, attracts swarms of players. As one businessman put it: “Nowadays in China, we talk golf in the office, and business on the course.” And so it is with wine. At the moment it is still out of the reach of the masses, regarded by many as a curiosity, too subtle for many of those who pay large sums to consume it. Education is the key, growing prosperity, and time for Chinese and indeed many Asians whose ears have yet to thrill to the sound of a well-drawn cork, to appreciate the delicious genie that awaits inside the bottle. Many foreign vineyard owners in China tell a similar tale: come the end of the first harvest, they wanted to plough in the grapes to enrich

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

THE KRUG ROOM IS A PRIVATE DINING ROOM. the soil. Their labourers, who are perhaps also renting the land to the vineyard owner, wanted to sell the grapes and realise some sort of profit rather than see them rot. It takes a lot of negotiation for the Chinese to see the light. And it’s a similarly laborious process building up a business in China, whether it’s turning a barren piece of land into a profitable vineyard or importing foreign brands to brighten up wine lists which feature inferior domestic vintages at best. One billion gullets does not equal one billion dollars. Yet. However, and this is the most important point, the auguries are set fair. The figures from the IWSR survey are inspiring to say the least. Hong Kong, still the most sophisticated wine market in China, can only drink so much in a year, however long the import duty remains at zero. The phrase shi mao de - broadly translated as bon chic, bon genre - is starting to gain greater provenance right the way across the Mainland. And with boutique vineyards like Grace starting to make a name for themselves, it can only a matter of time before China carves out a name for itself as the “new” New World of wine. After all, Mao Tse Tung said: The East is Red. Perhaps he was alluding to Cabernet. MAY 2010

Read all our tasting reports on www.gilbertgaillard.com

ES C C A FREE

A comprehensive site entirely dedicated to wine: REGULARLY UPDATED GILBERT & GAILLARD TASTING NOTES: Our encyclopaedic database, with information on production areas, grape varieties, wine regions’ histories Food and wine matching… Articles, in-depth reports, comments and views, news The Gilbert & Gaillard newsletter

All you need to know about wine!

CHINA

COVER STORY

Hong Kong

FRAGRANT HARBOUR

BY EDWARD PETERS,

FROM

HONG-KONG

While at first sight Hong Kong is a vast metropolis, closer examination reveals it is in fact a series of villages, although many of them tend to the vertical. And there are few residential areas without a corner shop, selling essential Chinese staples, be they noodles or 1,000-year-old eggs. A recent addition to their stock is a corner devoted largely to red wine, not vintage to be sure, but still a very palatable alternative to traditional alcoholic beverages such as mao tai, which is distilled from fermented sorghum. Three factors have contributed to wine’s grass roots popularity: red is traditionally a lucky colour; an American television documentary - widely aired on Chinese channels - declared that red wine was beneficial to health; and an increasingly cosmopolitan outlook towards foreign food and drink.

WATSON'S WINE CELLAR

While the wines sold on the street corners of Hong Kong might barely rate as vin de table in France, the same cannot be said for those sold by major wine retailers, like Watson’s. Having started business in 1998, Watson’s is now the largest specialist wine retailer in the area with 14 stores, as well as online shopping. The merchant’s vintages are sourced directly from more than 20 countries, and the list runs to over 2,000 different wines. Each store features a Fine Wine Room, containing some 300 different vintages ranging from the top châteaux from Bordeaux to emerging New World classics. Free in-store tastings lure more than a few customers across the threshold, and all staff are trained by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust. 32

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

Watson's Wine Cellar

LANGHAM PLACE 555 Shanghai Street, Mong Kok Kowloon Tel. +852 3552 3388 hongkong.langhamplacehotels.com lphkg.info@langhamhotels.com More august tastings of fine wines are organised by clubs and hotels. At the Langham Place in Mong Kok, MAY 2010

3019 IFC Mall 8 Finance Street Central Tel. +852 2530 5002 www.watsonswine.com info@watsonswine.com

COVER STORY

Zachary Yu Wailun

Zachary Yu Wailun hosts regular Wine Nights, picking a theme and then immersing guests in a dozen or so fine vintages. “I used to be an accountant, but - largely thanks to an uncle who taught me - I fell in love with wine,” says Mr Yu, who qualified with the Hong Kong Sommeliers Association three years ago. “Once you have tasted a really good wine, it changes your life, and that is what I am trying to do in a small way with the Wine Nights.” For the inaugural session in March 2010, the venue was transformed into a mini art gallery featuring the labels of Castello Romitorio of Italy, whose second generation winemaker Filippo Chia flew in especially for the event to

“IN FUTURE, I WANT TO BROADEN THE APPEAL OF OUR WINE NIGHTS, SO OUR GUESTS CAN REALLY APPRECIATE THE PROVENANCE OF WHAT THEY ARE DRINKING”

introduce his winery, the wine, and the art labels. Besides wines from Castello Romitorio, the evening also included such other wines as Caruso e Minini 'Terre di Giumara' Grecanico Sicilia Bianco 2008 and La Stoppa 'Ageno' Malvasia Bianca Emilia 2005, and all were served with specially prepared tapas. “In future, I want to broaden the appeal of our Wine Nights, bringing in the vine leaves and the soil from selected wineries, so our guests can really appreciate the provenance of what they are drinking” says Mr Yu. “There is a huge thirst for wine in Hong Kong, not simply drinking it but to understand it as well.”

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

Champagne Bar

CHAMPAGNE BAR

TASTINGS WINE BAR

Grand Hyatt Hong Kong

27 & 29 Wellington Street Central

1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai Tel. +852 2588 1234 www.hongkong.grand.hyatt.com hongkong.grand@hyatt.com Few of the best hotels in Hong Kong lack a cellar to complement their glittering design, facilities and service. Perhaps the prime exemple is the harbour-side Grand Hyatt, whose Champagne Bar is a mecca for aficionados of France’s best known product.

Tel. +852 2523 6282 www.tastings.hk info@tastings.hk Tastings Wine Bar takes a rather more catholic (and for Hong Kong, ground-breaking) approach, providing customers with the opportunity to sample some of the world’s leading wines - 160 at any one time - at a reasonable price. An Enomatic wine serving system enables bottles to be opened and protected from oxidation, leaving customers free to weigh up the relative delights of Pinot Noirs from France and New Zealand, Chardonnays from the US and Australia, and to discover why Penfolds Grange and Opus One command such high prices.

The interior design echoes 1920s Paris, and the wine list carries 40 Champagnes by the bottle and ten by the glass. Cuvée Dom Perignon 2000 and Louis Roederer Cristal Brut 2002 head the

DRAGON-I

Cuvée de Prestige selections, while Bollinger Grande Année 2000 and Henri Giraud Fût de Chêne 1998 are also highly popular choices. General manager Gordon Fuller comments: "The Champagne Bar is unique in Hong Kong for its choice of Champagnes, all expertly chosen for their notable features. The privacy, ambience and quality of service are amongst the favourites for many hotel guests and high-society movers and shakers in Hong Kong."

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

The Centrium Wyndham Street Central Tel. +852 3110 1222 www.dragon-i.com.hk info@dragon-i.com.hk Socialites make a bee-line for dragon-i, a fashionable lounge where 1982 Château Lafite Rothschild and 1994 Château La Garde top the reserve list. MAY 2010

COVER STORY

STARS & WINE

www.gilbertgaillard.com

“I fell in love with France at first sight” With his trademark moustache and goatee beard, wide-brimmed felt hat, leather bracelets and gothic rings, as ever, the “grunge” star radiates an irresistible magnetism. He has put behind him his days of getting into trouble: trashing hotel rooms, blitzing bison grass vodka and smoking joints. Today, the actor is an epicurean who takes the time to appreciate the good things in life… like French wines.

amount of sun, the acidity of the soil, the grapes’ tannin content. I love reds that have character. But for now, it’s just a project. I don’t have any vineyards at the moment.

Alice in Wonderland is your seventh film with the director Tim Burton. What is it that appeals to you most, his fertile imagination or his eccentric side? When you work with Tim, you have to be ready for anything, including the unthinkable. He is a complex person; difficult to interpret. And it’s precisely because he’s unpredictable that I feel on common ground with him. Tim and I have always shared the urge to push the limits of our imagination. We both refuse to conform to academic, conventional, unsurprising filmmaking. We share the opinion that film should be a fantastic play area and never an artistic straitjacket.

Johnny Depp What do you do with your days when you’re staying in the homeland of Voltaire? I feel so relaxed in the south of France that I’ve been known to spend three months without ever leaving our 15-hectare property [in Plan-de-la-Tour]. I love watching my vegetables and flowers grow; taking advantage of being blessed with such rich and noble soil. In our family, the only existential question we ask ourselves is, “Should we eat at home today or go for a picnic?”

Apparently Tim Burton lives in a very original house. What’s it like eating dinner at his place? I’ve known Tim for 20 years. In all those 20 years, I regret to say that I’ve never eaten anything edible at his house! When he serves me a meal proudly declaring, ”Here’s a little something I made just for you,” my first reaction is fear of being poisoned! And when it’s his wife [Helena Bonham Carter] in front of the stove, it’s even worse! Fortunately, their wine is good.

Why did you choose France as your adopted country? For love, for one thing! Vanessa [the French singer and actress Vanessa Paradis], as you know, is locally produced, and together our life is a fairy tale. But also because I love France, which I visited for the first time in 1989 when I was promoting Cry Baby. It was love at first sight; a magic moment; a revelation. By meeting Vanessa, I killed two birds with one stone!

I’ve heard that you’re thinking about getting involved in winemaking. When can we expect to drink wines from Château Depp? The Var is a very good region for winegrowing. I’ve started to do research and ask some questions about what makes good wine. The

Isn’t it true that the French way of life also appealed to you? It’s true! The French know how to make the most of life. A slice of foie gras accompanied by a glass of Sauternes; my God, how can you resist? Frankly, I prefer to be in Europe discussing the date of the grape harvest than

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

in the United States where the only question is what’s happening with the Dow Jones! Do you remember your first experience of wine tasting? It was a very intense red. A Bordeaux, I think. I had Camembert with it. A cheese that I wasn’t familiar with at the time - I was told that it had to be cut with care. Do you still drink rubbing alcohol, normally used for cleaning the heads of cassette tapes? No! I’m exploring other beverages these days. More prestigious; more noble. Like absinthe, a spirit that was prized in the 19th century. The preferred alcohol of poets and painters: Van Gogh and Oscar Wilde were crazy about it. So what sensation did you get from absinthe? It’s rocket fuel, pure and simple! I read somewhere that you collect crystal carafes? Yes, I like to pour good wine with its rich colour into a beautifully-made carafe. When the sun, so generous in the south of France, shines through it, all of the beauty in the world is focused there!

STARS & WINE

“When I drink a good bottle, I take notes”

For those who don’t follow the celebrity press, Hugh Grant, aged 49, is the dashing Oxford-educated Englishman who British magazine Empire rated in 1995 among the 100 most attractive actors in the history of cinema. Today, as sexy as ever, Hugh Grant is still a box-office favourite, his slightly bumbling manner and dry sense of humour to be enjoyed without moderation. For his part, the actor has a soft spot for a grand cru,

Hugh Grant In your films, you are often cast as a nice but blundering charmer. Do you worry about being labelled a one-trick pony? In About a Boy, I wouldn’t say that I was particularly nice. Ditto for Polanski’s Bitter Moon; strictly speaking, I didn’t play a “nice guy”. Actually, I should remind you that I have also been cast as the heir of a wine-making estate in Champagne who sold his property to the Nazis and ended up raping his sister! I’ve heard that you speak French fluently? My mother taught French at school, so it’s only natural that I should be able to say more than “Garçon! Un verre de rouge, s’il vous plait?” The only word I stumble over is ”fauteuil” [armchair]. It’s impossible to pronounce! Is it true that you keep a diary in which you write about your feelings - sort of like a male version of Bridget Jones? When I was younger, I filled pages of my diary every day, which was really pretentious.

I can still picture myself on a brief trip to Italy. I was probably about 21, and at the time I had a big weakness for the Italian Renaissance. To look clever, I bored myself stiff sitting for hours in front of all the paintings from the Italian Quattrocento, taking notes and trying to sketch. I came across that diary recently when I was clearing out my place and reread it. My God, it was appallingly stupid. And the vocabulary let’s not even talk about it! Poor, very poor. And since then, no more diaries? No! Only alcoholic ones! When I drink a good bottle of wine, I take notes. Unfortunately, when I reread them, I can’t understand what I wrote. It comes across more like burps than a wine review! I love staying at five-star hotels, smoking big cigars and knocking back a couple of bottles of Chardonnay during a blow out meal... though it’s even better if someone else is paying. Do you spend a lot of money on collecting wine? I was under the impression that I had expensive taste in wine until I went to Hollywood, where no one even opens a bottle worth less than 15,000 dollars. As for me, I never uncork a bottle that costs more than 15 pounds - and I think that’s quite expensive! Who introduced you to wine? My father - he’s an expert! He drank a lot of it, and not always cheap plonk; sometimes excellent vintages. Usually he bought himself Bordeaux after laying carpet. If it was only a studio, he treated himself to just one bottle, but if it was a big house with a large floor

area, bringing in more income, he would get a whole case! From the time I was very young, my palate was trained by the paterfamilias. But I have to admit that his penchant for wine distressed my mother. As a result, my father would go shut himself in the toilet to open a Pinot Noir! Is it true that your very first job was delivering wine? Yes, I delivered wine and quiche in a London suburb. But I drove so fast that when I braked, my entire delivery flew around the van. When I arrived to make the delivery, the quiche looked pretty dreadful and the wine was foaming because it had been shaken around so much. The customers mainly big banks - ended up complaining to my boss. You are often less jokey and light-hearted in your interviews than in your films. What do you think accounts for this? Because you’re asking me questions about wine… it’s a subject I know rather well! What is sacred for you? To do nothing; I’ve always had the energy level of a whelk! Sometimes I envy bunches of grapes. There they are, hanging in the fresh air, waiting for someone to look after them, pamper them, cherish and revere them - above all when they’re grand cru! INTERVIEW BY FRANK ROUSSEAU

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

and the palate of a connoisseur…

HISTORY OF THE VINEYARDS

Will Gamay replace Pinot Noir in Burgundy?

n 1395, Philippe le Hardi

decided

improve the quality of

wine and outlawed the g r o wing of Gamay on his land, to the benefit of Pinot Noir. This was the world’s first

alimentary decree, pre-empting the AOC system, and was a founding factor of the Burgundy wine region as we Bernard Hudelot

know it today.

Gamay is a rustic grape variety that has been cultivated for over a thousand years in the northern regions of France. It tolerates climatic extremes well. In a region prone to very hot periods, it can produce exceptional wines that are similar, or superior, to quality Pinot Noirs. It is also a very productive grape. This may be due to the fact that it withstands coulure (a condition, also called ‘shatter’, which prevents grapes from developing after flowering) caused by unpredictable spring weather. In the climatic conditions that cause coulure, the small berries (called millerandées) of Gamay vines are plentiful, seedless and bulkier than those of other varieties. They are also sweeter, and richer in colour and tannins than grapes that have been fertilised normally. Gamay wines are rather acidic and sometimes have astringent tannins. This can be a disadvantage for sensitive wine drinkers, but is an advantage in preserving the wine. After 15-25 years of aging, the acidity decreases, giving way to a round, smooth wine with tertiary aromas of undergrowth, game and mushrooms, often reinforced © BIVB - CLÉMENCET D

by red fruits such as raspberry and blackcurrant. Gamay wines can be surprising and have been highly prized by professionals eager to add them to their vintage cellars. In generations past, grapevines were called arbre de vie (‘tree of life’). Today, in church settings, red wine is called the ‘blood of Christ’; we also toast to our health when drinking wine - why? In Europe, red wine was long an indispensable source of

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

THE PINOT NOIR DISCOVERED AND SELECTED BY GROWERS IS CERTAINLY A DESCENDANT OF GAMAY. MAY 2010

HISTORY OF THE VINEYARDS

overshadowed by their exceptional neighbouring terroirs, where Pinot Noir currently reigns. The temperature graphs indicate that global warming, even if it seems moderate at present, is recreating the same conditions in Burgundy as in the 12th century. With our recent experience of the 2003 heatwave, it is reasonable to imagine a return to Gamay in Burgundy in the coming years. In hot conditions, Pinot Noir little by little loses the unique character that has been carefully developed in the Burgundy Grands Crus. Objective and sound experiments have been carried out recently that back up this hypothesis, noting that Gamay vintages from hot years such as 1976, 2003, 2005, 2009 can be rich, powerful and well balanced, and can be kept for long periods. These bottles will appeal to wellinformed wine lovers with a passion for the exceptional character of aged wine. Let’s meet again in 20 years to savour these vintages...

B e r n a rd H u d e l o t , winegrower (Château de Villars Fontaine) and oenologist (Dijon University).

PHILIP THE BOLD, DUKE OF BURGUNDY IN 1395 antioxidants in winter, regulating the body’s cells by eliminating free radicals. Gamay, a robust variety, was principally cultivated in Auvergne, the Lyon region, Burgundy, the Loire, Lorraine and the region around Paris (the largest winegrowing region in France in the 19th century). In 1395, Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, ordered the uprooting of the local Gamay vines to plant Pinot Noir – the winemakers refused, so he sent his troops to do the job. Today we can attribute these actions to the arrival of the Little Ice Age in the 14th–15th centuries. The Pinot Noir discovered and selected by the winegrowers of the time is almost certainly a descendant of Gamay. It is less acidic, less tannic and softer. However, it would have been more difficult to preserve in the casks of the period and would have easily turned to vinegar. This © TIMOYEM - FOTOLIA.COM

might explain the resistance of the era’s winemakers to switch. Despite their opposition, and as a result of the duke’s authoritarian measure, the regions of Dijon, Nuits Saint-Georges, Beaune and Chalon-sur-Saône would enjoy a radiant future and international fame with the creation of this unique mosaic of Grands Crus. In the southern part of the region, Mâcon and Beaujolais continue to cultivate Gamay, producing, in good years, excellent wines for laying down, which have unjustly been

GAMAY IS A RUSTIC GRAPE VARIETY THAT HAS BEEN CULTIVATED FOR OVER A THOUSAND YEARS IN NORTHERN FRANCE.

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

HISTORY OF THE VINEYARDS

Champagne: where did it all begin?

rguably, the birth of

Champagne

isn’t anything to

do with terroir, history, or vineyard and cellar practices, old or new. It’s the moment when you pop the cork and

the magical liquid foams into your glass. As Dom Pérignon allegedly said 350 years ago, “I Bernard Barbuk

am drinking stars”. Indeed.

Alternatively, if Champagne is all about terroir, history and what happens in the vineyards and cellars, then it has not one but a whole catalogue of birthdays, every one of them a date or a moment that tempts you to say: ‘This, surely, is where the Champagne story really begins.’

A CHOICE OF BEGINNINGS Until recently, Champagne (bottle-fermented and sparkling) history was always said to have started in 1668, when the fabled Dom Pérignon started work as cellar master at the Benedictine abbey of Hautvillers. But modern research now favours 1662, with Dr Christopher Merritt’s paper to the Royal Society in London, describing how the English wine trade created sparkling wine by secondary fermentation, using a dose of sugar, yeast and molasses. Whether Dom Pérignon or indeed the French wine trade knew about any of this is another matter.

Or what about 1710, when sparkling champagne was first mentioned in print in France? Or 1728, when King Louis XV authorised the carriage of wine in bottles? Then there’s 1729, when Ruinart, the oldest sparkling Champagne house, started business. Or 1816 - the introduction of remuage - and 1884, for dégorgement à la glace? (see below.) Or as late as 1911, for the prohibition on using grapes grown outside the boundaries of the Champagne region…

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

CHAMPAGNE HISTORY IS SAID TO HAVE STARTED IN 1668, WHEN THE FABLED DOM PÉRIGNON STARTED WORK AS CELLAR MASTER AT THE BENEDICTINE ABBEY OF HAUTVILLERS. MAY 2010

HISTORY OF THE VINEYARDS

If we opt for the historical route, then the earliest beginning of Champagne must be allowed to be the replanting of the vineyards after the destruction of the Hundred Years War, in the 1440s. The new vineyards centred around Reims and Eperney (as the old ones had, since the Romans started it all). What was mainly planted, here at the northern limit of the vine, was Pinot Noir - because red wine was what they wanted to make, and this was regarded as the finest of all red wine grapes. There was Pinot Meunier too, and something like Chardonnay. The wine produced is known to have been a tawny colour. Then there were - and are - the Champagne cellars. Ageing and the use of reserve wines in blends (cuvées) are two of the elements

that

distinguish

Champagne from its imitators. For this, absolute temperature stability is required: a constant 10-11ºC, which can only be

achieved in underground cellars. Here Champagne was fortunate. Much of the work had been

PINOT NOIR, CHARDONNAY AND PINOT MEUNIER ARE THE THREE CHAMPAGNE GRAPES

done 1500 years previously by the Romans, who mined the lower

chalk

for

building

stone. Regardless of when Champagne as we know it was truly born, this is one thing © ALAIN CORNU

that was in place at the very start, and which is still actively in use today.

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

HISTORY OF THE VINEYARDS

The system of rating the vineyards has also survived. Established

PINK CHAMPAGNE

in 1911, for a long time this went hand-in-hand with the échelle des crus which officially set the price of the grapes, the differently-rated vineyards receiving 80-100% of that price. The price-fixing ended in 1990, but rating survives. Grand Crus vineyards are rated at 100, Premier Crus between 90-99%. Today, Champagne has 33,000 hectares of vineyards - half what it had in the early 19th century.

JUICE TO WINE

Grape juice has very little colour. Pink Champagne is made pink by one of two methods. Either the juice from Pinot Noir or Meunier is allowed to macerate with the crushed skins for a time, or a little still red Champagne wine (usually made from Pinot Noir) is blended into ordinary white vin clair. This method is more controllable, and more widely used (red Champagne was occasionally made prior to 1936, when it was banned).

It takes 1.2 kg of grapes to make one bottle (75 cl) of Champagne. Each grape variety is vinified separately. Around 60% of Champagne is produced using pneumatic, rotary presses, the rest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

pectins and tannins from the skins and stalks.

to current use. This is to ensure the supply and quality of future non-vintage cuvées (blends), which typically contain between

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

10-40% of older wines.

every case with malolactic fermentation following. At this point The wines are blended in proportions reflecting the brand house

Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier. What happens next

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

the juice has been transformed merely into varietal vin clair:

IT TAKES 1.2 KG OF GRAPES TO MAKE ONE BOTTLE (75 CL) OF CHAMPAGNE. 42

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

HISTORY OF THE VINEYARDS

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

THE SEDIMENT HAS TO BE EJECTED WITHOUT LOSING TOO MANY BUBBLES.

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

HISTORY OF THE VINEYARDS

Chardonnay and both varieties of Pinot, but Chardonnay only

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

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

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

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

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

from scores of different vineyards; it is rare for wine from just one to be used.

These days, remuage (literally ‘stirring’ or ‘movement’) is almost exclusively carried out using automatic gyropalettes which turn

WINE TO CHAMPAGNE

500 bottles of Champagne at a time, from horizontal to nearly vertical. The old, picturesque, labour-intensive method involved

Putting the bubbles into Champagne begins with bottling,

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

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

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

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

shuffle the sediment into the necks of the bottles.

sugar, and a little of the same wine. The bottle is then crowncapped and laid down in the cellars. Non-vintage (ie: blends of

BORN AT LAST

several years) Champagnes by law have to be aged at least 18 months from the vintage, and vintage Champagnes (from a

The sediment now has to be ejected without losing too many

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

bubbles in the process. This process is known as dégorgement à la glace: it consists of freezing the neck of the bottle, removing the

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

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

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

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

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

wired on as quickly as possible.

is aged on the lees. This is the méthode classique (formerly known But the story does not end there.

as méthode champenoise).

SPARKLING CHAMPAGNE WAS FIRST MENTIONED IN FRANCE IN 1710. 44

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

HISTORY OF THE VINEYARDS

Losing the frozen lees means losing some Champagne. So before the new cork goes in, each bottle is topped up, usually with a sweetened dosage - either wine and sugar syrup, or sweet, aged reserve Champagne. The result is a range of styles, from Brut Nature/Brut Zéro (no sweetening at all) to Doux (sweet). In practice both extremes are rare, Brut (dry) being by far the most frequently-met style. Indeed, the introduction of Brut Champagne was a birthday of sorts too, allegedly having been created for the British market in 1876, the word being a pun on ‘brutish’ and Brutus. And after all this, at long last, our star is finally born. It remains only to drink it.

Bernard Barbuk

ABSOLUTE TEMPERATURE STABILITY IS REQUIRED: A CONSTANT 10-11ºC, WHICH CAN ONLY BE ACHIEVED IN UNDERGROUND CELLARS.

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

WINE GROWER PORTRAITS

www.joeldelaunay.com

Thierry Delaunay: blending tradition and modernity

he village of Pouillé in the Cher Valley, a little to the east of the historic town of Montrichard, should not be confused geographically with Pouilly-sur-Loire,

165 kilometres to the east. They do, however, have a lot in common in terms of wine, as Sauvignon Blanc is the dominant grape variety in both places. Pouillé is in the heart of the vineyards of eastern Touraine, where Sauvignon Blanc has become increasingly important, especially over the last 30 years. Cheaper than the more famous wines of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, Touraine Sauvignons are frequently better value and equivalent in quality. Most of the vineyards are

on the clay-limestone slopes overlooking the River Cher.

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

Perhaps because they have to try harder than some of the more illustrious Loire regions there is a group of very good producers in this part of the Cher Valley. 37-year-old Thierry Delaunay is among them and is certainly one of the most dynamic and forward-looking producers in eastern Touraine. Thierry studied oenology at Libourne-Montagne, near Bordeaux, and started ful-time at the family domaine in 1995 after work experience at Château Mauvezin, a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé, and completing his national service in the army. He took over the running of the domaine in 1998.

There have been five generations of Delaunay family growing

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

vines in Pouillé. Thierry’s father, Joël, had already developed the business, starting to bottle some of their wines in 1971. The whole production, from their 27 hectares of vines, is now bottled at the property. MAY 2010

WINE GROWER PORTRAITS

However, Thierry has brought a more modern approach most obviously in terms of marketing and promoting the domaine. “Back in 1998 I was the first in the Cher Valley to have a website, and probably among the first in the Loire. It’s now out of date so we are working on a completely new site.” Thierry is on Facebook and has a group called TyDy, named ©ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

after his Vin de Pays du Val de Loire Sauvignon Blanc. “This is from my initially small négociant activity that I set up soon after I took over. I wanted to have more flexibility and also an insurance in case there are problems with the weather.” As elsewhere in the Loire, April frosts are always a risk, and this part of the Cher Valley is prone to summer hailstorms. “I was also one of the first in the Loire to use screwcaps. I started

THIERRY’S FATHER, JOËL, HAD ALREADY DEVELOPED THE BUSINESS, STARTING TO BOTTLE SOME OF THEIR WINES IN 1971.

in 2004 with TyDy to avoid the problem of cork taint.” It was a brave move as screwcaps remain controversial in France. It is also typical of Thierry that he quickly recognised the screwcap revolution that was taking place in New Zealand, especially for Sauvignon Blanc, with anglophone countries increasingly demanding these closures for white wines. “You must keep an open mind,” says Thierry, “always asking questions - trying new things. We harvest some of our Sauvignon Blanc during the night. Also I use an extended cold maceration on part of the Sauvignon to get better precision of ©ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

fruit flavour but you have to be careful: sometimes it works well but sometimes it doesn’t. It is difficult to control.” Thierry starts a big experiment this year taking over three hectares of organic vines. “We must have a viticulture that protects the environment, that is sustainable. We started grassing over our vineyards around 1998 but use weed killer under the vines. It would be good to find an alternative but using a tractor to harrow the vines greatly increases your carbon footprint. And with organic viticulture you use copper sprays, which is also a concern.” Certainly an experiment and a producer to watch...

THIERRY DELAUNAY DOMAINE JOËL DELAUNAY 48, rue de la Tesnière, 41110 Pouillé - Tel. +33 (0)2 54 71 45 69 contact@joeldelaunay www.joeldelaunay.com Total 27 hectares: 17 ha Sauvignon Blanc, 5 ha Gamay The rest: Cabernet Franc, Côt, Pineau d’Aunis, Chardonnay and Arbois.

Jim Budd: Wine International GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

WINE GROWER PORTRAITS

www.henriabele.com

CHAMPAGNE HENRI ABELÉ

Franck Nicaise of Champagne Abelé: creating new from old

“MODERN CONSUMERS WANT PROVENANCE, NOT ANONYMITY. THEY WANT TO KNOW WHO MAKES WHAT.“

ranck Nicaise is modesty personified, but he has very

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

clear ideas on how Champagne should be made… and

all its imitators are indebted to it for the invention of

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

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

as a young consultant oenologist and winemaker he was offered

days under the eponymous Henri Abelé, who renamed the

the post of c h e f d e c a v e and oenologist at Champagne

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

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

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

opportunity. Born and brought up just a few kilometres from

and supermarket Champagnes.

Reims, and a graduate of its university, Franck was working for a wine consulting laboratory. Abelé was a client he had been

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

connected with since 1998.

“but for its quality - maintained despite years of under-investment and its potential.” In any case, BOBs are things of the past.

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

”Modern consumers want provenance, not anonymity. They want

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

to know who makes what.”

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

WINE GROWER PORTRAITS

RESPONSIBILITY AND DIRECTION Franck‘s job description is daunting: managing the cellars, dispatching, raw materials, receiving professional customers, and, above all, supervising every facet of production. He and his team of six make the wine, blend the cuvées, bottle and age them. Abelé has never owned any vineyards, so much of Franck’s time is spent cultivating its 30 contracted growers, nearly all in the Côtes de Blancs and Montaigne de Reims, though they also source some Pinot Noir from the legendary (Aube) village of Riceys. ”That’s working with our wine-growers throughout the year, deciding when to start harvesting (usually a bit later than the

CHAMPAGNE HENRI ABELÉ

official start-date), supervising the pressing and delivery...” Abelé buys juice, not grapes, and their growers use both pneumatic and horizontal presses - ”it’s what you do with the juice that matters,” Franck says, “not how the juice is produced.” Franck’s way with Champagne is to combine the modern and traditional; a temperature-controlled (20°C) cold fermentation in

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

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

flagship Brut Traditionnel and its stunning Brut Traditionnel Rosé.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

aged six years; and the prestige cuvées Sourire de Reims Brut (currently vintage ’99) and the even rarer Sourire Rosé des Riceys (vintage 2000), whose production is limited to 5,000 bottles.

The result is Champagne which is thoroughly modern in the positivity of its fruit, and respect for varietal character, yet classic in its

WHERE TO FROM HERE?

balance, structure, weight and length.

Obviously for Franck Nicaise, and Abelé, there is no denying that Cava - and quite a few other sparkling wines around the world not only exist, but provide serious competition to Champagne. So Champagne has to up its game too - which is one of the reasons why it was important to increase the ageing of Traditionnel from the legal minimum of 18 months to three or more years. All non-vintage Champagne should be made that way, Franck says. In the future Franck would like to double production to 800,000 bottles, “to make Abelé a medium-size company. Beyond that, you have to buy vineyards - and that we won’t do.” The house’s

CHAMPAGNE HENRI ABELÉ

négoçiant tradition will continue. It has, after all, given Abelé not just continuity of quality but its own style. ”Lots of small producers, each doing a bit. Not one or two doing vast quantities. You get better quality that way.”

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

Bernard Barbuk MAY 2010

WINE GROWER PORTRAITS

www.domaine-jessiaume.com

Domaine Jessiaume: a Burgundy estate in good hands

ir David Murray and his son Keith are well-known in their native Scotland; patriarch David is a highly successful businessman (his substantial fortune was

built in the steel industry) and chairman of Rangers Football Club, while Keith owns the stylish Circus Wine Bar and Grill in the heart of Edinburgh. Father and son share a passion for fine French wines. An ardent collector in his late fifties, Sir David started acquiring wine in the early 1980s. Today his sophisticated and valuable ©ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

collection features some 5,000 bottles of traditionally made wines, mostly from France (“I have a soft spot for those that could be considered rustic; the best of them have guts, integrity, and great structure,” he remarks).

PASCAL AND MARC JESSIAUME

Sir David’s penchant for French wine was highlighted in 2005 when he bought Château Routas, a 700 year-old, 254-hectare wine estate in the Coteaux Varois appellation of Provence. In 2006 he

Santenay has been historically overshadowed by its celebrated

snapped up one of Scotland's largest independent drinks

neighbours, Meursault and Montrachet, but the wines of this

merchants, Edinburgh Wine Importers, followed shortly after by

appellation are powerful and nuanced, conveying the quality of its

the canny acquisition of some prime Burgundy terroir in the shape

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

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

suited to the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay varieties grown here.

prestigious Côte de Beaune appellation. A long-time fan of the region’s wines (his desert island choice would be a Comte de Vogüé Musigny), Sir David was inducted into Burgundy’s Confrérerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin four years ago. Murray’s close friend, British wine expert and author of The World Atlas of Wine Hugh Johnson remarks: “David’s choice (…) is typically shrewd: excellent vineyards, family members enthusiastically involved, spacious cellars, and the chance to bring something new to the market.”

Domaine Jessiaume comprises 15 hectares of vines, with a large

SIR DAVID MURRAY (FAR LEFT) IS A LONG-TIME FAN OF BURGUNDY WINES 50

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

plot in Santenay, important holdings in the Premiers Crus AuxeyDuresses Les Ecusseaux and Volnay Les Brouillards vineyards, and a marvelous section of the Cent-Vignes vineyard, just behind the city of Beaune. The domaine makes 10 red wines and four white, produces around 85,000 bottles per annum, and is noted for its prime four hectares in Les Gravières. Owned and managed by the Jessiaume family since the 1850s, its commercial operations are MAY 2010

WINE GROWER PORTRAITS

THE JESSIAUME BROTHERS CONTINUE TO MANAGE THE ESTATE now overseen by Keith Murray, who splits his time between

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

France, Scotland and the US.

time before these watchful, well-informed wine lovers make

“Since buying Jessiaume we have put an investment plan into

another move on French soil… Louise Hurren

place, with new equipment, labelling, bottling, corporate ID, websites, videos and oenologist advice”, Keith elaborates, and a négoçiant business, Maison Jessiaume, has been developed (“this is a domaine and négoce to watch” was international wine expert Jancis Robinson’s comment). Meanwhile, Jessiaume sons Marc and Pascal continue to manage the estate under the family name, nurturing its legacy. Older sibling Marc is the public face, while Pascal fills the role of winemaker, carefully nursing the vines to produce vintages that show riper fruit and more profound structure, colour and aromas than in his father Bernard’s day. At the time of purchasing Domaine Jessiaume, Sir David stated an intention to build a profitable wine business centred around France’s premium regions, creating a portfolio of three ©ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

to four high-end vineyards. Quizzed about the future, Keith Murray replies: “We still remain on the lookout for other vineyards, but since the two purchases made, nothing has suited our forward plans.” GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

FRANCE

ORGANIC NEWS

Correns

FRANCE’S FIRST ORGANIC VILLAGE

BY SYLVAIN PATARD

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL: When and why did the majority of growers in Correns decide to go organic? MICHAËL LATZ: It was in 1996-97, at a time when our local, traditional cultivation of small, white wine-producing vineyards, atypical in the heart of Côtes de Provence territory, the world’s leading producer of rosé, was losing ground. Organic winegrowing, which is well adapted to small-scale production, seemed like the obvious choice. Furthermore, the government offered subsidies for converting to organic methods. As mayor, as well as a winegrower and agriculturalist, I succeeded in convincing other local winegrowers to adopt organic practices, with the result that most of the land in Correns is now cultivated using natural methods. G&GWI: What are the main differences between an organic wine and a non-organic wine? ML: The ‘organic’ label attests that the wine meets European standards. Organic wine must be certified by an independent organisation - for example, Ecocert, Demeter or Nature & Progrès - and the major difference in winemaking is the strict limitation of the use of additives, particularly sulphur dioxide. In practical terms, organic wines are often more marked by their terroir, and their concentration is generally more pronounced because they are made from more restricted

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

yields. Additionally, because the vines grow in better soil and organic winegrowers monitor them closely to ensure their health, they produce grapes with superior balance that result in more harmonious wines. Last but not least, as wine has a symbolic value and is associated with conviviality, it is better to drink it with a clear conscience, in the knowledge that the way it has been produced protects the environment for future generations. G&GWI: Are organic wines more costly to produce, resulting in a more expensive wine for the consumer? ML: This is no longer really the case, at least not to the same degree as 15 or 20 years ago, however, it is true that organic wines are a bit more expensive since they cost more to produce (both because of the intensive labour needed to cultivate the vines and because of the smaller amounts produced per hectare).

n the south of France, in the small Provençal village of Correns, virtually all local agriculture has been produced organically since 1997. The organic producers include 80 winegrowers, who deliver their grapes to a wine cooperative, three wine estates, a free-range egg producer, a goatherd whose goats help to manage the local woods by limiting the risk of fire, a grain farmer, a beekeeper, and a specialist in aromatic and medicinal plants for making essential oils. We interviewed Michaël Latz, winegrower, agriculturalist and the mayor of Correns.

MICHAËL LATZ, WINEGROWER, AGRICULTURALIST AND THE MAYOR OF CORRENS. MAY 2010

ORGANIC NEWS

A rare organic vintage champagne

G&GWI: What advantages does the district gain from its winegrowers’ commitment to organic methods? ML: There have been many benefits: the revitalisation of the local economy, a younger population, and the evolution of an overall sustainable approach as other local producers convert to organic methods, including market gardeners, goatherds, poultry farmers and beekeepers. Correns is also committed to the implementation of Agenda 21* and the development of environmentally friendly construction. The most noticeable outcome is that young people are staying in the village, which today has a population of nearly 800 (compared to 675 in 1999). Some have followed family tradition and become winegrowers, which has permitted the preservation of the historic village rather than yielding to the temptation of selling off to property developers. Today, around 90% of our cultivated land, almost 300 hectares, is organic, which is unique in France. G&GWI: Are you planning a district-wide communications strategy to specifically promote the organic aspect of Correns wines? ML: Yes, this has already been developed by the Association of Master Organic Winegrowers of Correns, which brings together three wine estates and the wine cooperative.

This is the rare Authentis Cumières 2003, a Premier Cru champagne from the Marne Valley made with Pinot Noir grapes and fermented in oak casks certified by Ecocert… Besides the wine’s organic production, the cork is fully certified FSC (Forest Stewardship Council), a non-governmental, non-profit, independent organization, created after the Rio conference (1992) to promote ways of responsible and sustainable forest management around the world. Duval-Leroy, true to its reputation for innovation, is the first to use this cork, to show its commitment to environmental concerns. Authentis Cumières 2003: 60 euros approx. www.duval-leroy.com

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

THE ASSOCIATION OF MASTER ORGANIC WINEGROWERS OF CORRENS INCLUDES: • Le Château Miraval - Tel. +33(0) 4 94 86 39 33 (Tom Bove, www.miraval.com) • La Grande Pallière - Tel. +33(0) 4 94 59 57 55 (Bruno Guibergia, www.lagrandepallière.com) • Le Domaine des Aspras - Tel. +33 (0)4 94 59 59 70 (Michaël Latz, www.aspras.com) • Winegrowers of Correns - Tel. +33(0) 4 94 59 59 46 (Fabien Mistre, lesvignerons-correns@wanadoo.fr)

This unique opportunity takes place in the salons of the 4-star hotel Regent’s Garden Paris, which in 2006 was the first Parisian establishment to be awarded the European Ecolabel. Check out a selection of organic and natural wines from around the world, selected by some of the most experienced and informed retailers. Every two months the hotel changes destination, with tastings of red, dry white and sweet white wines. The next stops will take you to three very exotic destinations: • On Thursday 3 June 2010 at 6.30 pm Chile and Argentina will be featured. Gaetan Turner and Yann Lioux of Le Comptoir des Andes et du Nouveau Monde will be officiating, and will initiate those present into Chilean and Argentinean wines and flavours. • On Thursday 30 September at 6.30 pm Italy is the theme. Richard Bayon, Italian wine specialist, will show a series of organic and natural wines he has selected. • Entry: 15 euros (by reservation) Hôtel Best Western Premier - Regent's Garden 6, rue Pierre Demours, 75017 Paris Tel. +33 (0)1 45 74 07 30

Organic and natural wines from around the world

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

MAY 2010

QUALITY FACTORS

Saint-Emilion and Pomerol: terroir and more

erroir is the combination of ground and microclimate which makes particular areas produce distinctive wine. Bordeaux is a whole world of wine. No other wine

region produces so wide a range of such distinction and distinctiveness. But above all else there is the Bordeaux red the English took to calling claret 300-odd years ago. Not so much a wine as a family of closely related wines, always blended, always from the same palette of grape varieties, and always of

comparable quality, weight and style. Bordeaux’s whole geology and soil is as much riverine as submarine. No glaciation here, no tectonics, and few hills. There is original limestone, plus gravel, clay, and sand and combinations thereof, washed down by rivers - including Saint-Emilion’s Dordogne and Isle, and Pomerol’s Barbonne. These rivers have shaped the landscape, not least the limestone bluff bearing Saint-Emilion itself. Otherwise, both appellations are a series of tilted and

A FEW RARE AND VALUABLE FLAGONS LYING UNDISTURBED IN THE CELLAR, WHICH GROWERS OCCASIONALLY OPEN FOR THE LUCKIEST TO TASTE…

eroded plateaux, with all the same Bordeaux ingredients (limestone, gravel, clay, sand) - but uniquely mixed and varied.

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

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

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

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

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

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

the new garagiste Le Pin from Pomerol, and the on-off saga (2006-2008) of the re-classification of Saint-Emilion.

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

WHAT’S IN THE TERROIR?

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

Not so long ago the key to good, better and best in wine was

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

universally accepted to be in the winery, in improved modern

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

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

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

terroir, currently everyone’s favourite explanation for everything.

the most expensive claret of them all) from Pomerol, and Châteaux Ausone and Cheval Blanc from Saint-Emilion; areas where the

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

mighty Cabernet Sauvignon is usurped by Merlot.

Puisseguin, Lussac, Montagne, St-Georges, Parsac and Castillon, comprises 5,500 hectares of vines, producing an average of

Backing those Right Bank megastars, and infinitely more widely

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

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

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

generations, including Figeac and Beausejour, Pavie and Gaffelière

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

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

QUALITY FACTORS

And it’s obviously not bad for Cabernet either, particularly Franc. Much the same can be said of Saint-Emilion’s contiguous neighbour, Pomerol, where the terroir is essentially more of the same, though arguably more consistent in its mix. A plateau of sandy gravel over limestone, it is more sandy in the west and south, less so elsewhere, but with more clay eastwards towards Saint-Emilion. True, the iron content of the clay varies, as does the size of the gravel, but so they do in Saint-Emilion, though © AGENCE APPA

the components in Pomerol are more inclined to concentrate in terraces, which in vineyards will be planted with different grape varieties.

ERIC D’ARAMON SUCCEEDED THIERRY MANONCOURT AT CHATEAU FIGEAC, AND HAS MANAGED TO MAINTAIN THE HIGH LEVEL OF QUALITY.

Pomerol (exclusive of Lalande de Pomerol) has just 800 hectares of vines producing 28,000 hectolitres of wine; 80% of its vines

are Merlot. Traditionally there is supposedly a juicy softness and a silky texture to Pomerols, but that tradition is little more than 100 years old, and both terms are euphemisms for sweet. Today it may be that the principal difference between the two is… the insistence that there must be a difference. How significant is terroir to Saint-Emilion and Pomerol? Very. How significant is it to the differences, such as they are, b e t ween today’s Saint-Emilion and Pomerol wines? That’s another question. Let’s look at some exemplar wines from the two appellations, their terroirs and the grapes they plant.

WHAT’S PLANTED IN SAINT-EMILION? Saint-Emilion is limestone, sand, clay, gravel and iron, and its weather and climate are essentially the same as Bordeaux as a whole, so here are three near-neighbours on the limestone plateau close to the town of Saint-Emilion. Their terroir is sandy/ silty clay over limestone, and they are planted with: Ausone: 50% Merlot, 50% Cabernet Franc; La Gaffelière: 65% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon; Pavie: 55% Merlot, 25% © GUY PRACROS

Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc. Cheval Blanc and Figeac are equally top-drawer and both grown on sand and gravel over blue, iron-rich clay on another plateau,

THE PRETTY SAINT-EMILION SLOPE, WHICH LEADS UP TO THE PLATEAU WHERE MOST OF THE GREATEST VINEYARDS LIE.

stretching westwards towards (and across) the boundary with Pomerol. Cheval Blanc: 57% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot, the balance Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec; Figeac: 35% Cabernet

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

QUALITY FACTORS

Franc, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, and (unusually) only 30% Merlot. Between the two stands Château La Dominique, with 80% Merlot and 10% of the Cabernets. Finally, a group grown near Château Ausone, on the claylimestone-sand soils of the shoulders and slopes of the limestone escarpment. L’Angelus: 60% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot; Beausejour: 50% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon; Beau-Sejour-Bacot: 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc; Troplong-Mondot: 95% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5% © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Cabernet Sauvignon.

WHAT’S PLANTED IN POMEROL? Pomerol’s terroirs have the same climate, basic geological and topsoil mix as those of Saint-Emilion. Unsurprisingly, they are usually

POMEROL’S CHURCH SURROUNDED BY THE APPELLATION’S VINEYARDS.

described in the first instance geographically, not geologically. Thus, the central zone, with the greatest concentration of leading wines; the eastern zone, contiguous with Saint-Emilion, and the western,

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

adjacent to the town of Libourne and the Dordogne river.

with a different variety. Le Pin has just two hectares of grapes but has The first group, from the central zone, is revealing of more than just

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

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

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

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

Le Pin: 92% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc. Next, a group from Pomerol’s western zone. Mazères was replanted and enlarged from the early 1990s. Its soil is a clay, gravel, sand mix; Taillefer’s is sand and large gravel with a high iron content. De Sales: 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon; Mazeyres: 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc; Taillefer: 50% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec. Finally, three well-known names from the eastern zone. Considering how close Saint-Emilion is, the difference in grape varieties is startling, and perhaps more style- than terroir-led. Gazin: 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc; Bon Pasteur: 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc; La Conseillante: 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc.

CONCLUSION In wine, excellence is inseparable from difference. Today the © JACQUES PALUT

concept of terroir has expanded from its original, narrow,

POMEROL: A PLATEAU OF SANDY GRAVEL OVER LIMESTONE. 56

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

territorial sense to embrace stylistic tradition and the vision of the perfect wine. Nowhere is the terroir more generous in its gifts than it is with Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. It’s not a matter of what the terroirs allow, but of what the winemaker wants to do. Bernard Barbuk MAY 2010

QUALITY FACTORS

The mosaic of Languedoc-Roussillon terroirs

The location of the region, long traversed by routes from southwest France, the Rhône Valley, Spain and Italy, has meant that its winegrowers have adapted to a multitude of different grape varieties: a far cry from the two grape varieties of Burgundy, the three of the Champagne region or the half-dozen of Bordeaux. There are also many wine production methods: red, white, rosé, vin doux naturel (sweet, fortified wine), prise de mousse (ancestral or traditional sparkling wine methods), and late-harvest wines. Historically, industrial and terroir winemaking have coexisted in the region. Industrial winemaking had made Languedoc wealthy by the time it reached its peak at the end of the 19th century, but it has since undergone major changes. The terroir tradition owes its existence to the presence of the Romans, Benedictine monks and to various accidents of history.

resenting in a clear and informative way the terroirs of such a vast winegrowing region (more than 250,000 hectares) is somewhat of a challenge. The climate, the geology and the winegrowers themselves have created incredibly diverse and complex appellations. Although the Mediterranean climate is a common d e n o m i n a t o r in the region, Jean Natoli even this varies - sometimes within the same appellation depending on altitude. Geological upheavals have resulted in a landscape often described as a jigsaw puzzle. And, perhaps above all, the creativity of winegrowers over the centuries has given rise to astounding variety.

ROUSSILLON IS AN EXPANSIVE AMPHITHEATRE OPENING ONTO THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA. Syrah, all suited to this Mediterranean environment. Early on, vins doux naturels were produced in this rugged region. Banyuls and Maury are the most well known of these. Both of these appellations grow in subsoil that contains schist. The schist of Banyuls is very old (Cambrian); that of Maury is more recent marly schist. Elsewhere, the geology underlying Côtes du Roussillon and Rivesaltes forms a mosaic including Pliocene molassic formations, terraces of Quaternary pebbles, and volcanic cones. The oldest rocks of the Agly massif reveal schist, gneiss and granite.

CORBIÈRES Sticking strictly to geography, our voyage of discovery will take us north from the Spanish border and then eastwards to the Rhône Valley.

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

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

We find the same geological puzzle in this extensive winegrowing area, but at a higher altitude. Here, different appellations rub shoulders: Corbières with its 11 terroirs (Montagne d’Alaric, Saint Victor, Fontfroide, Quéribus, Boutenac, Terménès, Lézignan, Lagrasse, Sigean, Durban, Serviès), Fitou, and also the vins doux naturels of Roussillon (Rivesaltes and Muscat de Rivesaltes). In the diverse but difficult soils, Carignan has long predominated, followed by Cinsault and Grenache, and then Syrah and Mourvèdre. A wide range of geological formations are present: • Palaeozoic schist at Cascastel and Tuchan • Triassic marl at St Jean de Barrou • Early Jurassic chalk marl near Fitou MAY 2010

QUALITY FACTORS

north–south landforms that define three distinct winegrowing areas: oceanic, central and Mediterranean. The soil of the steep buttes alternates between soft molasse and hard sandstone. The terraces of Quaternary stone fragments are excellent for growing vines and are particularly suitable for Syrah.

After Minerve and Agel, we reach the highly original terroir of Saint Jean de Minervois. This lacustrine limestone plateau is bordered by cliffs of cavernous limestone. At a higher altitude than its neighbours, this small appellation is known for its elegant vin doux naturel Muscat.

IN LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON, MANY DIFFERENT APPELLATIONS RUB SHOULDERS.

COTEAUX DU LANGUEDOC This appellation covers a vast area from Narbonne to Nîmes. In 2007, the winegrowers of Coteaux du Languedoc agreed to allow the name ‘Languedoc’ to be used for all the appellations of this part of southern France, thus creating the base of the regional classification hierarchy. As we move north, the geographical division of winegrowing areas remains complex, but is more coherent. This is clear for Faugères, with its soil of Ordovician schist. Here, Carignan progressively

• Lower Cretaceous Urgonian limestone at Durban • Reef limestone of the Fontfroide massif • Grey marl and chalk beds of the Val de Dagne • Quaternary stone fragments at Lézignan • New Oligocene soil at Narbonne. The Fitou appellation, which has a maritime zone with soils of marl, limestone and stone fragments, and a central zone of schist, limestone and marl, illustrates the effect of altitude on wine styles. It also demonstrates the potential of the much disparaged Carignan grape at restricted yields and when harvested at full ripeness.

LIMOUXIN This winegrowing area north of the Pyrenees includes Limoux, Malepère and Cabardès, going from south to north. The variable altitude (with vines growing at altitudes of up to 500 metres) and the oceanic influence give the wines of this area their originality. The northern orientation and predominance of chalky soils of the Limoux winegrowing region give its primarily white wines (the sparkling wines Blanquette méthode ancestrale, Blanquette de Limoux, Crémant de Limoux, and its still white wines) their unique characteristics. The main grape varieties are Mauzac, Chenin and Chardonnay. Red Limoux wines, introduced more recently, are made from Atlantic grape varieties such as Cabernet, Merlot and Cot. In contrast, Cabardès abuts the south-facing foothills of the Montagne Noire. This appellation has chalky soil in which Grenache and Syrah grow alongside Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

MINERVOIS This large appellation is the natural extension of Cabardès. Its south-facing slopes descend the Montagne Noire, cut by two GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

QUALITY FACTORS

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

The Terres de Sommières appellation is situated in the Gard. The influence of the Rhône is stronger here, and the Mistral wind prevails. This undulating area of small valleys is predominantly chalky, with Quaternary pebble fluvial deposits in places.

MINERVOIS : THE SOIL OF THE STEEP BUTTES ALTERNATES BETWEEN SOFT MOLASSE AND HARD SANDSTONE. makes way for Grenache and, above all, Syrah, allowing its winemakers to obtain expressive wines with powerful, silky tannins.

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

The schist soil stretches east to Cabrières, known for its Cinsault rosés, and west to Saint Chinian. This appellation has schist soils (at Berlou and Roquebrun), as well as small valleys of calcareous clay bordered by ridges of rocky limestone. This geological variety explains the style differences of the appellation’s wines.

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

THE PIC SAINT LOUP APPELLATION PRODUCES EXCEPTIONALLY ELEGANT WINES, PRIMARILY OF SYRAH AND GRENACHE. 60

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

QUALITY FACTORS

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

VIN DOUX NATUREL MUSCATS It would be a mistake to pass by the various vin doux naturel Muscat-producing areas without a word. In addition to the Saint Jean de Minervois plateau and the Muscat de Rivesaltes already mentioned, there is Muscat de Lunel, produced from soils of fluvial deposits; the Muscat de Frontignan (appellation created in 1936) grown in soils of Jurassic limestone, molasse and ancient alluvium south of the Gardiole massif; and Muscat de Mireval, grown in similar soils, but nearer to the sea.

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

A NEW LABEL FOR VINS DE PAYS The progressive classification of the appellations in LanguedocRoussillon has been a slow process. The French Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO) is not an institution that rushes its decisions. The progress that certain winemakers working outside the appellations have achieved has led to the emergence of some very interesting wines. These areas now have official recognition in the division of the departmental Vin de Pays (Aude, Pyrénées Orientales, Hérault, Gard) into smaller zones (for example, Côtes de Thongue, Cucugnan, Saint Guilhem le Désert, Coteaux de la Cèze, Côte Catalane). Their proximity to the designated appellations means they benefit from similar terroirs. One of the main features of these wines is that they are made from a wider variety of grapes, adding Bordeaux varieties (Cabernet, Merlot, Malbec, Sauvignon), Burgundy varieties (Pinot, Chardonnay) or hybrids (Marselan, Caladoc) to the traditional regional varieties. These practices led to the creation of Vins de Pays d'Oc in 1987, which became IGP Pays d’Oc in 2009 (IGP or Indication Géographique Protégée is a recent method of classifying wines by ‘protected geographical region’). This new classification has increased the production of varietals across the entire winegrowing area of Languedoc-Roussillon. This change in approach does not impede the emergence of terroirs adapted to certain types of grapes, nor does it mean that the exacting methods of wine producers have been r e l a x e d . It simply gives winemakers more liberty to use their creativity under less constraining regulations than those for the AOC appellation. However, this type of production is best suited to vineyards with deeper soil, which are more adapted

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

WHAT FUTURE FOR THE WINES OF LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON? The assets of this winegrowing region are countless: the beauty of the landscape, the diversity of its terroirs, a clement climate, its long history. In terms of the challenges it faces, the principal difficulty is an inertia stemming essentially from a stubbornly strong collective unconscious linked to the wealth that its wine industry produced over a century. The advent of the industrial era, the specialisation of the land, and the replacement of the region’s grape varieties (accelerated by the phylloxera epidemic) created the conditions for an incredibly efficient industry. As is often the case, the force of habit and a certain passivity created by prosperity eventually brought on the decline of the system, as it was unable to react to societal changes, the new demand that arose during the second half of the 20th century, or the emergence of international competition. It appears that things are shifting, however, and some dazzling successes during the 1990s (an upswing in popularity for Languedoc appellations, as well as the undeniable success of varietals) look set to continue. To build on this success, the next generations of winemakers should reinforce the technical and commercial advances their predecessors have made and further encourage the professionalisation of every stage of the winemaking process. Their efforts can be aided by political will, the establishment of networks in the sector, a pragmatic approach to the market, and training, research and development. As for competition from abroad, market share will likely be set according to price. Winemakers will need to determine their target, whether ‘basic’, ‘premium’ or ‘icon’, and structure their strategy and marketing techniques accordingly. The producers that succeed could be of any size or style, cooperative or private, industrial or traditional. However, the key to success will remain the skills of the winemakers, both individually and collectively.

to the water requirements of grape varieties of oceanic or northern environments.

BY WAY OF CONCLUSION In this partial (in both senses of the word) presentation of the winegrowing region of Languedoc-Roussillon, it is worth ending by noting that its transformation is still in progress. The latest generation of winemakers has brought about many changes in terms of production regulations, grape varieties used, and sales and marketing strategies. Even more significant changes are in progress, which should allow wine enthusiasts a clearer understanding of the region’s wines and terroirs. All good things come with time… Jean Natoli, Consultant oenologist and president of the Vino Latino association MAY 2010

QUALITY FACTORS

We interviewed Francois Fourrier, CEO of Sud de France Export, about LanguedocRoussillon wines’ excellent results on the Asian market, particularly in China.

G I L B E RT & G A I L L A R D W I N E INTERNATIONAL: How do you explain such success and rapid progress? FRANÇOIS FOURRIER: Firstly, the Languedoc-Roussillon region has been present on the Chinese market for many years; since 2007 it has had a physical presence in the shape of offices in the centre of François Fourrier Shanghai, which was the first place that Chinese importers were introduced to the world of wine marketing. They in return are loyal to us. Secondly, there is the excellent value of our wines, and the marketing appeal of the Sud de France umbrella brand, created in 2006. This brand unites the wines of the Languedoc-Roussillon region, and simplifies the offer, the positioning and the understanding of our wines, particularly for the Chinese market, whose consumers can get easily lost in the maze of our many vineyards and the French wine classification system. The brand simplifies this universe for them and allows them access, while promoting friendly, modern and healthy values. The promotion of the brand, the excellent value of our wines, our potential output volumes and the ability to work directly on-site with all the market players, has enabled us to achieve the outstanding results we see today. G&GWI: What action have you taken to maintain such good results? FF: Recently we have certified the Sud De France official importers and distributors with whom we work closely in terms of promotion and communication. These official importers are reviewed according to criteria, including a minimum range of Languedoc-Roussillon wines and a certain output volume. In return, we work with them on marketing and communications operations and also on training programmes for their staff, and we intend to intensify our efforts. Furthermore, we will segment the brand to make it even more accessible and comprehensible. We are partners of the French pavilion’s restaurant at the Universal Exhibition in June this year, and a wide-ranging programme of activities and promotions for our wines will be rolled out during the Sud De France Festival in October. We will certainly continue to be present at the important trade shows, but today this is no longer enough. G&GWI: In your opinion, does the Chinese market still have high growth potential? FF: Annual wine consumption in China has been rising by 40% for nearly five years now, and this will continue to be the case for the next decade. The Chinese middle class is growing at a staggering rate, with increasingly substantial buying power. This group is consuming increasing levels of wine, as a sign of its westernization. Having said this, today, 80 out of 100 wines distributed via supermarkets originate from Chinese vineyards and are of basic quality; the market is still young, but has incredible potential. We simply have to step back from the idea that price is the priority. On the contrary, a training and education programme will certainly pay dividends in the long run for those who chose to take this challenging path.

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

QUALITY FACTORS

Global warming: should we be worried about our wines? BY FRANÇOIS GILBERT

ertain signs observed over the last twenty-five years leave no room for doubt: earlier harvests,

higher sugar levels in musts, higher levels of alcohol, lower acidities… The end result is wines of the 2000s which are quite different to their forerunners of the 1970s. If these trends continue, the styles of the wines we know will change drastically, and their unique characteristics, patiently acquired through the work of generations of growers working in harmony with their vineyard sites, will be seriously threatened. Doom-mongering being fashionable, some unhesitatingly predict a total rethink in which grape varieties to vineyards over the coming decades. But are we sure the future is so bleak?

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

use, or even a migration northwards of

QUALITY FACTORS

THE CLIMATE HAS WARMED Temperature measurements taken around the world leave no room for doubt, the climate has warmed over the last 40 years. If we are to believe official figures, a rise of a half degree has occurred around the world since the 1970s. In Europe, and most notably in France, the rise exceeds 1°C. Of course one can question these figures, and criticize the way the measurements are taken and the averages arrived at, but the stubborn facts are there, borne out by many signs: the more-or-less general shrinking of mountain glaciers, the partial melting of the Arctic ice field, the rising of sea levels as a result of thermal expansion… And the world’s animal and plant life is also showing signs of being affected.

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

EARLIER HARVESTS

HIGHER SUGAR LEVELS Everywhere grape juice is richer in sugar today and less acidic than it used to be. In the 1970s and 1980s Chardonnay grapes grown in Champagne used to reach 9.5° of potential alcohol for a total acidity of 9.1 gm. Over the last ten years these figures have risen to 10° and 7.3 gm respectively, and the 2003 crop beat all records with 10.8° and 5.9 gm. Not that yields suffered, quite the opposite! The story is the same in Alsace, the Loire Valley, Bordeaux, Piedmont… In the southern Côtes-du-Rhône, taking all varieties and sectors into account an increase of 2° in the average alcohol level has been observed between 1983 and 2001. At Châteauneufdu-Pape, for Grenache alone the increase is even greater, rising from 10° to nearly 13°! As for total acidity it has dropped by almost 2 gm. If one looks at individual vats or estates it is not rare, particularly in 2009, to see wines in excess of 15° with less than 3 gm of total acidity. Is the climate alone responsible for these sweeter grapes and earlier harvests? If we are honest about it, other factors, technical and economic, have played a role. Weeding the vineyards, which was very popular in 1980s and 1990s, and green-harvesting in certain wine regions, have obviously contributed to riper grapes and richer musts, as have phytosanitary treatments, which have improved grape quality. The quest for lower yields and ever more

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

Everywhere harvests are taking place earlier, a sign that the phenological cycle of the vine has shifted to accommodate this temperature rise. Flowering and colour change occur earlier in the season, with the result that vineyards can benefit from the longer, warmer days. Grapes ripen earlier and more regularly, and what is more avoid early-autumn rains more often, and the rot they bring about. In Champagne 15 days were gained between the start of the 1980s and the turn of the century, and in Alsace three whole weeks. At Châteauneuf-du-Pape harvesting of Grenache used to start around the 21st September at the end of the 1970s, yet by 2000 it had been advanced to the 6th September. The trend is less clear in the Haut-Médoc, the gain is a week at most but it has nonetheless been established.

Grape harvests are richer in sugar than 30 years ago. Yet a peak seems to have been reached since the beginning of the 2000s. The near future will tell us if the traditional characteristics of our great wines are threatened or not. concentrated wines to satisfy some consumers has had the same effect. Yet climate remains the main cause.

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

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

QUALITY FACTORS

TEMPERATURE CHANGES, WORLD 1960 - 2009

TEMPERATURE CHANGES, FRANCE 1960-2009

Since the end of the 1970s average temperatures have risen around the world In the Loire Valley growers are equally enthusiastic, as red wines made of Cabernet Franc or Gamay, which some years were a bit thin, these days display opulent textures and fragrant bouquets of veryripe fruit, and Muscadets that were tartly vigorous in previous times are taking on shapely curves. The same thing is happening in Beaujolais and Burgundy, with richer, riper, less acidic wines.

REACHING THE LIMIT So should we worry about global warming? We know that vines, whatever their variety, give their best results in climatic conditions which enjoy sufficient but not excessive heat, cool nights and a degree of water deprivation during the ripening cycle. Only then can the complex ripening process come to fruition with the wines’ balance and finesse intact - a process involving ripening of the fruit to produce sugar, ripening of the polyphenols in the grape’s skin and pips, and the simultaneous preservation of sufficient acidity and aromatic finesse. These conditions obviously vary from year to year - which is why vintages differ - but in proportions which should not be excessive. In the case of too much heat, particularly in August, sugar development in the juice occurs too quickly, dangerously lowering acidity levels, “singeing” aromas, and obliging the grower to harvest precipitately, before the polyphenols have had time to ripen

TYPICITY THREATENED? For sure, the oenologist has ways of rectifying these problems. He can acidify musts by adding tartaric acid, partially reduce the alcohol level by various physical processes, lessen the sensation of warmth by fiddling with residual sugar levels… The tastes of new generations of consumers, weaned on sugar since the bottle, plead in favour of the new, extreme tastes in wine. And the oenological remedies, common in the New World with its warmer climates, are not the cure-all. While limiting certain imbalances they create others, and above all lead to a worrying standardization of wine styles. Can we then act earlier, in the vineyard? Without a doubt, in the short term by grassing the vineyards, limiting the exposure of TEMPERATURE CHANGES, WORLD 2000 - 2009

TEMPERATURE CHANGES, FRANCE 2000 - 2009

sufficiently. Sometimes, in conditions of excessive heat and dryness, the ripening process even stops for a few days, causing more accentuated imbalances. In such cases the wine risks being hot, heavy, with dry tannin and jammy, cooked, singed aromas, with neither finesse nor ageing potential. It is generally admitted in Burgundy and certain other regions that in 2003 a limit was reached for Pinot Noir, an unusual vintage in every respect because of a scorching, dry August. In Alsace petrol tastes are more and more common in Riesling wines, due to a high concentration of TDN, a molecule whose content increases as the temperature does.

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

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

QUALITY FACTORS

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

CHAMPAGNE 2000-2009 DATE OF START OF HARVEST

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

ARE WE WORRYING UNDULY? Will the records established in 2003 be beaten in the near future? When it comes to global warming, caution is called for. The fact that the climate is warmer today than a quarter of a century ago does not necessarily mean that the trend is to continue. The past has often proved otherwise. The measuring instruments which cause us to fear warming on a worldwide level are recent inventions (satellite measurements covering the entire globe only date from 1979), and perspective enabling us to judge its seriousness is sorely lacking. Nothing can guarantee that the mathematical models constructed by researchers integrate all the factors at work, nor their interactions, which are still so little known today. Clearly the conclusions reached by the IPCC regarding the exclusively human origin of this warming are as yet insufficiently backed up. The projections made for the next century, and their irreversible nature, remain open to question. For some scientists the correlation between the increase of CO2 and temperature rises is not particularly clear. It was perfect between 1980 and 2004, but since then it has been much less so, as the CO2 curve grows ever faster while the temperatures are marking time. This could well indicate that other unidentified factors are playing a not insignificant role.

MEDOC 2000-2009 DATE OF START OF HARVEST

TOURAINE 2000-2009 DATE OF START OF HARVES

While there is no doubt that the climate became warmer between the end of the 1970s and the beginning of the new century, in the last 5-6 years the phenomenon has become less clear, since average temperatures have dropped in France and peaked around the world. Even the ice of the Arctic Ocean, whose disappearance had been predicted by some not long ago, has grown in surface by a million square kilometres since 2007. Harvest dates in the Médoc, Touraine and Champagne no longer seem to be moving forward as they did in the previous two decades. The sugar content of musts, while still impressive, no longer shows a trend. In the Médoc, leaving aside the exceptional 2009 harvest, these levels have even decreased between 2005 and 2008. In Champagne the sugar-rich musts of 2002 and 2003 have not been seen since.

WHAT THE LATEST VINTAGES SAY

Grape harvests are richer in sugar than 30 years ago. Yet a peak seems to have been reached since the beginning of the 2000s. The near future will tell us if the traditional characteristics of our great wines are threatened or not. So are we seeing a pause before new warming gets under way, or the beginning of a period of cooling lasting several decades, as in the 1950s? Some experts are convinced of the latter, while others predict that the year 2010 will beat all records. Only the future will tell. In the meantime, let’s enjoy all our great wines, they may not be with us forever.

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

Travel 68 71.qxp

3/05/10

18:03

Page 68

TRAVEL

Bordeaux an unforgettable experience

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

Château Cantenac-Brown, of the Margaux appellation - classed 3rd growth in 1855 and its inimitable architecture, a real haven of tranquillity in the middle of the Médoc vineyards.

The majestic façade of Château Margaux (classed 1st growth in 1855). A visit and tasting of the wines offers a moment of pure bliss.

The Place de la Bourse in Bordeaux was built by the architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel between 1730 and 1775. It was the first breach of the medieval ramparts which still surrounded the city.

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

The magical marriage of seared foie gras and Sauternes: a great moment of culinary inspiration.

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

Travel 68 71.qxp

3/05/10

18:03

Page 69

Travel 68 71.qxp

3/05/10

18:03

Page 70

TRAVEL

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

This stunning edifice (Château Comtesse Lafond) is not out in the middle of the countryside, but right in the centre of Epernay, on the famous Avenue de Champagne.

Notre-Dame de Reims, the cathedral of 2,300 statues, where many kings of France were crowned.

L’Assiette Champenoise, in Tinqueux (near Reims) is a showcase of the local cuisine. Arnaud Lallement, who succeeded his father, maintains a high level of excellence.

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

The splendid Château d’Etoges, not far from the Côte des Blancs. This former coaching inn has been transformed into a comfortable and picturesque hotel.

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

Travel 68 71.qxp

3/05/10

18:03

Page 71

FAMILY BUSINESS

www.louis-roederer.com

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

Another element of Champagne tradioederer is one of the oldest

tion of which Roederer remains proud

of the Champagne houses,

is that it was for a long time run by one

founded in 1776. It passed

of Champagne’s celebrated veuves

to the uncle of Louis Roederer in 1827,

(widows), Camille Olry-Roederer, sole

and, on his death five years later,

director from 1932-75. Today it is

to L o u i s. H i s t o r i c a l l y, Ro e d e r e r

headed by Frédéric Rouzaud, her great

Champagne always had very strong

grandson.

links with Russia, starting from the 19th

SMALL IS STRONG

production was sold in the Russian

Roederer owns more vineyards than

market. It was especially favoured at

most other Champagne houses: over

the court of the Czars - something

200 hectares of Grands and Premiers

which stands it in good stead today. In

Crus

fact, its most famous Champagne, the

(Chardonnay; 84 hectares), Montagne

century, when over a quarter of its total

super-prestige Roederer Cristal, was originally created in 1876 at the request of reformist Czar Alexander II, and remained an exclusivity of the Czars until 1918.

Frédéric Rouzaud

the

Côte

des

Blancs

de Reims (Pinot Noir; 63 hectares) and Vallée de la Marne (Pinot Noir; 55 hectares). As a result it can still supply the bulk of its own needs, though its (published) target now is two-thirds,

whereas in the 1980s it was said to be three-quarters. Less obviously, because its vineyards consist of Grand and Premier Cru sites, it can make its top wines even in less-than-perfect years. Roederer is prized for the traditional full-flavoured style of its Champagnes, anchored by reserves which it ages in oak for five years but uses only after three, and the sweet reserve wines it

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

ROEDERER OWNS MORE VINEYARDS THAN MOST OTHER CHAMPAGNE HOUSES 72

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

and advancing technology too. Cristal, sweet in its Czarist days, has been dry since it was relaunched with the 1945 vintage. The first Cristal Rosé was the 1974 vintage. Both are reputedly drier than they used to be, and since 1983, Cristal has been sold wrapped in yellow cellophane as a protection against bright light. Roederer re-branded its standard non vintage cuvée as Brut Premier (from Extra Quality) in the mid-1980s, when it MAY 2010

FAMILY BUSINESS

also launched its vintage Blanc de Blancs. Gyropalettes have

BLANC DE BLANCS VINTAGE

been standard for remuage since 1996.

Only made in the best years. The grapes are pressed very lightly, and the cuvée, is again aged four years on its lees, and then six

THE ROEDERER PORTFOLIO

months after degorgement.

Today Roederer annually sells over three million bottles of Champagne in 80 countries, exporting 70% of its production. It employs over 130 people. Since the early 1980s the Roederer group has acquired prestigious wine-producing estates and brands in other wine regions and countries: notably Bordeaux, California and Douro, Portugal. Today, inclusive of the independently run Champagne Deutz, acquired in 1993, it turns over 220 million euros, with a net profit of over 45 million euros.

CRISTAL A touchstone among Champagnes, Cristal in its flat-bottomed clear bottle is single vintage Champagne with a little reserve wine. It is aged for five years, plus six months after disgorging, and is notable for its bottle-ageing potential. It is avidly collected. Typically 55-60% Pinot Noir and 4045% Chardonnay, from Roederer's Grand Crus vineyards.

BRUT PREMIER One-third Chardonnay, balance Pinot Noir with 10-15% Pinot Meunier). Current vintage plus approximately 10% reserve wines from three previous vintages. Brut Premier represents some 70% of Roederer production.

CRISTAL ROSE Even rarer than Cristal, and typically 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay. It is cold-fermented in minute quantities, then aged like Cristal.

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

Bernard Barbuk

years and aged four years plus six months after disgorging.

Famously golden pink-topaz in colour, and made from 70% Pinot Noir with 30% Chardonnay. Aged four years plus six months after disgorging.

ROEDERER IS PRIZED FOR THE TRADITIONAL FULL-FLAVOURED STYLE OF ITS CHAMPAGNES

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

BRUT ROSE VINTAGE

MAY 2010

FAMILY BUSINESS

www.pernod-ricard.com

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

etween the world wars, in a makeshift laboratory in Provence, Paul Ricard dreamed of inventing his own pastis. At the age of 23, the young man finally

succeeded when he created Ricard, promoted as le vrai pastis de Marseille (the real pastis of Marseille). The story had just begun. In 1938, sales of Ricard pastis reached more than 2,400,000 litres. The 1940s brought this astounding growth to a halt, but after the war, the Ricard brand returned in force as its founder introduced a marketing strategy complete with advertising campaigns, sponsoring, customer relations, and promotional merchandising and activities. In parallel, he developed an extensive sales force with the mission of making the product more widely known, explaining its production method, emphasising the quality of the ingredients, and maintaining close contacts with bars, restaurants and retailers. Today Ricard is an institution in the spirits industry, thanks not only to the quality of the product, but to the effective marketing strategy initiated by the company’s founder. In 1962, the company’s growth led to it being listed on the stock exchange. Paul Ricard left as director in 1968, when the company had a record turnover (and which has continued to progress ever since). Today, Ricard is still the bestselling anise-based spirit in the world and its producer is the leading spirits company in France, due in no small measure to brand recognition based on constant and creative marketing. One created by the advertising agency Young & Rubicam in 1984, the

Pierre Pringuet and Patrick Ricard

year in which the billionth bottle of Ricard pastis was sold. Not one to rest on his laurels, Paul Ricard created the group Pernod Ricard in 1975, seven years after leaving as company

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

“THE VALUE OF A COMPANY LIES IN ITS PEOPLE”

MAY 2010

RICARD

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

RICARD

FAMILY BUSINESS

PAUL RICARD: “I NEVER DREAMED SMALL ....” director, conscious of the pressing need to develop the

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

international market. Since then the group has continued to

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

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

shareholders in the company.

Patrick, and subsequently under Pierre Pringuet, Pernod Ricard’s director since 2004. The group acquired Allied

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

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

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

Champagnes. In December of the same year, Prinquet became

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pierre Pringuet was named Managing Director of the Pernod

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

Ricard Group on 5 November 2008, after Patrick Ricard left his executive functions.

Pernod Ricard is also the world’s fourth largest wine and Champagne seller, with 25 million cases of wine sold in 2008,

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

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

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

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

KEY DATES 1909 1932

1967 1970 1975

Paul Ricard born on 9 July in Sainte-Marthe (Marseille) He creates his formula for Ricard pastis Creation of the Paul Ricard Oceanographic Institute (Île des Embiez, Var) Creation of the Paul Ricard Cultural Foundation (Bendor, Var) Inauguration of the Paul Ricard racetrack (Var) Creation of the Pernod Ricard Group

1978 1988 1995 1997 2006

Patrick Ricard becomes Managing Director of the Pernod Ricard Group Launch of Ricard S.A. Live Music Inauguration of l’Espace Paul Ricard, contemporary art gallery (Paris) Paul Ricard dies in Signes (Var) Creation of the Fondation d’Entreprise Ricard to promote contemporary art and young French artists (Rue Boissy d’Anglas, Paris)

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

FAMILY BUSINESS

The Skalli wine empire: a tale of three generations

obert Skalli is a world-famous pioneer of branded, varietally-labeled wines, but the Skalli’s involvement with wine spans three generations and is very much a

family affair. Their story starts in Algeria in 1920, when grandfather Robert-Elie Skalli selected the very best soils and planted southern French grape varieties such as Carignan, Grenache, Cinsault and Alicante. His son Francis took over the family business after World War II, building partnerships with other winegrowers that predated his son’s coop-based relationship with producers in France some twenty years later. In 1961, Francis Skalli purchased Terra Vecchia, the vineyard of his dreams, in an idyllic location between the sea and the mountains on Corsica’s eastern coast. In the same year, he founded a company later known as Les Chais du Sud, dedicated to importing ©ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

wines from Algeria. The Algerian war of independence caused the Skalli family to relocate to the Languedoc region of southern France in 1964, and in the same year, tragedy struck when Francis Skalli died in an

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

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

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

family roots kept the Skalli vision and vocation alive.

varietals considered more sophisticated than table wines, and more accessible than high-end, blended AOCs, they quickly

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

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

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

Pays d’Oc designation was created in 1987.

1977 was a revelation: time spent with top winemakers who had pioneered the concept of varietals convinced him that this style

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

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

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

world” wine region began to take shape.

California: the result was the acquisition of the 600-hectare Dollarhide Ranch and 20 hectares in Rutherford (later to become

With French growers being offered European Union premiums to

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

pull up their vines, Robert Skalli threw himself into convincing

them to plant varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and

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

Chardonnay, to produce clean, commercially viable wines at

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

affordable prices.

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

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

FAMILY BUSINESS

ROBERT SKALLI WORLD-FAMOUS PIONEER OF BRANDED, VARIETALLYLABELLED WINES

his varietal roots and launched the first super-premium varietal

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

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

million bottles distributed in 70 countries, their outstanding contribution to the wine industry is undeniable, but the question

The new millennium saw the Skalli group make further French

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

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

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

soil of the Coteaux du Languedoc appellation, and Maison

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

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

the international scene for many years to come.

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

Louise Hurren MAY 2010

Wine and Food Pages 78 83.qxp

3/05/10

15:48

Page 78

WINE AND FOOD

L’Arpège: the passion of Alain Passard

lain Passard was born in 1956 in La Guerche in Brittany. He was initiated into the pleasure of food by his grandmother Louise Passard, who was a skilled

cook. They shared a close bond, the grandson gleaning culinary secrets over his mentor’s wood-fired range, where Louise Passard could usually be found. It wasn’t long before Alain began to have his own creative ideas, on which the two would happily collaborate. ©ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Once she recognised her grandson’s passion for cooking, Louise Passard introduced him to all its pleasures: the enjoyment of eating, the excitement of the market, the frenzy of preparation everything involved in transforming a meal from a ritual to a celebration. Considering the success that was to come, it was an

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

invaluable experience.

Alain Passard started his career at the Lion d’Or in Liffré, where he worked from 1971 to 1975 with Michel Kéréver, one of the rare

L'ARPÈGE IS A TRULY UNIQUE, THREE-MICHELIN-STAR EXPERIENCE 78

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

Michelin-starred chefs in Brittany at the time. Here he refined his cooking techniques, learning new skills such as serving large groups and mastering the preparation of poultry chaudfroid, lobster en Bellevue, tiered pastry creations, and clams with truffle sauce. Next, from 1975 to 1976, he worked with chef Gaston Boyer at the three-star Michelin restaurant La Chaumière, reputed for its classic French cooking. Then in 1977, he joined chef Alain Senderens at L’Archestrate, where he found himself in an exceptional atmosphere. Alain Passard would come to view this experience, as part of a team bustling around the restaurant’s small kitchen, as a baptism by fire; here, cooking and passion were inextricably linked. The result was inspirational.

LIFT-OFF After three years at L’Archestrate, in 1980 Alain Passard started his solo career as a chef at Le Duc d’Enghien in Enghien-les-Bains, MAY 2010

Wine and Food Pages 78 83.qxp

3/05/10

15:48

Page 79

WINE AND FOOD

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

Manche in 2008. Maintaining three gardens in three different

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

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

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

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

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

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

Varenne and rue de Bourgogne in Paris, which immediately began

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

to accumulate honours, culminating in three Michelin stars on its

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

tenth anniversary in 1996.

discuss Chardonnay or Cabernet Franc - our aim is to grow vegetables that are grand cru!” The gardens produce 40 tonnes of

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

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

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

animal-drawn equipment for cultivation and harvesting. This

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

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

vegetables. I have deliberately chosen to take 12 classic house

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

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

Twelve gardeners work at the three sites to provision the restaurant

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

with the produce it requires, as well as supplying selected

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

customers when the harvest allows.

with this new direction, Alain Passard focuses on aromatic herbs and spices to bring out the flavours for which he is searching. His goal is

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

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

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

For Passard, working with vegetables is a means of encouraging

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

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

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

new vocabulary.

out. So much the better for us! L'Arpège

This ambition gave rise to the three kitchen gardens currently cultivated for L’Arpège. The first was established in the Sarthe in 2002, the second in the Eure in 2005, and the third in the

84, rue de Varenne - 75007 Paris Individual or group booking: Tel.+33 (0)1 47 05 09 06 arpege.passard@wanadoo.fr Open from Monday to Friday for lunch and dinner.

THE GARDENS PRODUCE 40 TONNES OF VEGETABLES A YEAR USING METHODS THAT ARE 100% NATURAL GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

KITCHEN GARDENS

Wine and Food Pages 78 83.qxp

3/05/10

15:48

Page 80

WINE AND FOOD

Kitchen garden Arlequin with sweet and sour sauce Ingredients (serves 4):

Method:

Vegetables according to the season, for example: 1 bunch of carrots 1 bunch of leeks 1 bunch of turnips 1 celeriac 1 beetroot Mixed salad leaves “Fleur de sel” (French sea salt)

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

FOR THE SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE:

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

Drink with Champagne or rosé wine

2 limes 70 gr acacia honey 150 ml peanut oil Chervil, parsley, marjoram

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

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

Wine and Food Pages 78 83.qxp

3/05/10

15:48

Page 81

GILBERT & GAILLARD SELECTION

Recommended wines 90 /100

CHAMPAGNE J. M. Gobillard & fils Brut Privilège des Moines - élevé en fût de chêne - Light gold. Abundant freshness on the nose with aromas of ripe white fruit with almost exotic-like touches. A full-bodied Champagne supported by the same intense freshness. Enjoyable complex, long-lasting fruit (grapefruit, pineapple, mango).

89 /100

BANDOL A.C. Domaine de l'Olivette rosé 2009 Orangy pink colour. Pleasant nose marrying citrus and mineral notes. On the palate, a robust, expressive rosé gradually becoming more powerful. Lengthy aftertaste of ripe fruit and citrus. A great partner for Mediterranean fish or white meat.

88 /100

CÔTES DE PROVENCE A.C. Château de Berne 2009 Cuvée Spéciale rosé Pale pink. Delicate, fairly enticing nose of red berries and boiled sweet. Medium body with good quality fruit. Power is nicely counterbalanced by freshness.

85 /100

ROSÉ DES RICEYS A.C. Marquis de Pomereuil 2003 Brick-red, almost mahogany in colour. Very open nose displaying jammy strawberry and dried fruit. Powerful and wellstructured for a rosé, it retains good balance.

84 /100

CHAMPAGNE Lassalle-Hanin Cuvée de Réserve Salmon pink. The nose calls to mind ripe raspberries. A fleshy, well-balanced rosé, with subtle, clean, fruity aromas. Nicely fresh and suitable as an apéritif.

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

Wine and Food Pages 78 83.qxp

3/05/10

15:48

Page 82

WINE AND FOOD

New lease of life at a classic establishment

Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester provides refined eating for London’s gourmets. IN JANUARY 2010 ALAIN DUCASSE AT THE DORCHESTER WAS AWARDED THREE MICHELIN STARS.

ine contemporary French cuisine, served in chic surroundings by a professional team, is on offer at Alain Ducasse’s restaurant in the Dorchester these days. The

restaurant was named Best Newcomer by the 2009 Zagat

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

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

Ercolano’s preserve. Whether one’s choice is the intricate or anything in between, all are prepared and presented with talent.

consistently respects and champions current seasonal produce. As

After dinner, guests are offered a wide range of delectable

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

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

Park Lane, the intimate Salon Privé and the magical Table

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

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

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

To match the food, sommelier Mathias Negro has carefully selected

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

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

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

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

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

Head chef Jocelyn Herland serves up an exciting menu which

HEAD CHEF JOCELYN HERLAND SERVES UP AN EXCITING MENU WHICH CONSISTENTLY RESPECTS AND CHAMPIONS CURRENT SEASONAL PRODUCE. 82

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

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

Wine and Food Pages 78 83.qxp

3/05/10

15:48

Page 83

RECIPE

Roasted Scottish langoustines with green primavera garnish Shell the langoustines and roast in 90 gr of butter Heat the green peas, bevelled asparagus and half the purée together in a pan Add olive oil and 20 gr butter Season with salt and pepper

Ingredients (serves 4): 12 live Scottish langoustines (125 gr each) 700 gr green peas 100 gr rocket 16 green asparagus spears 125 gr butter Chicken stock 10 gr crustacean butter Salt Pepper Olive oil

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

Preparation The Dorchester Park Lane - London W1K 1QA For further information or to make a reservation, please call +44 (0) 207 629 8866 or email alainducasse@thedorchester.com

Remove the skin of the peas: cook 1/3 to a purée, cook 2/3 until al dente Dice 2/3 of the rocket Steam 12 of the asparagus spears and bevel-cut the feet Cut remaining 4 asparagus spears in thin slices (raw)

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

WINE QUOTATIONS

China goes mad for Lafite Philippe Roux is a specialist in the niche market of rare vintage. In each issue, he will reveal the trends of this very particular sector of the market and give his tips for the best bets.

uring the 2008 Vinexpo-Asia in Hong Kong, every Chinese wine buyer I met asked, ”Do you have 1982 Lafite?” Although I proposed a multitude of other

Grands Crus, each more extraordinary than the last, the question kept coming up again and again at every encounter. This, despite the fact that I have many memorable vintages to choose from: 1947, 1961, 1983, 1985, 1986 and 1990 Lafite; 1982 Margaux, Mouton, Haut Brion, Ausone and Cheval Blanc; 1893 Château d’Yquem and 1966 Romanée Conti. Nothing would do. ”Lafite madness” started in the years 1995-2000. Robert Parker © SODIVIN

gave this wine 100/100, the same score as Latour and Mouton Rothschild of the same vintage. And yet, it is always Lafite that keeps returning to centre stage. Thus, a bottle of 1982 Lafite

PHILIPPE ROUX: “IF YOU HAPPEN TO POSSESS A FINE VINTAGE LAFITE, KEEP IT; OR BETTER YET, DRINK IT”

Rothschild that sold for around 500 euros in 2005 blithely fetches sums of 3,000-5,000 euros today. This trend has accelerated over the last two years, and particularly in the last few months. Anything called Lafite Rothschild is now

All of which is to say: if you happen to possess a fine vintage

trading for a small fortune. At the big auctions, we’re even seeing

Lafite, keep it; or better yet, drink it. On the other hand, if it is

dreadful vintages in pathetically conserved bottles reaching

from a mediocre or average year, sell it - now is the time. And if

stratospheric prices. That a 1982 Lafite Rothschild is expensive,

you’re thinking about buying, go for Mouton Rothschild or

even extremely expensive: why not, the wine is exceptional. But

Latour; it seems that the wind of folly may begin to blow in that

that a 1960 Lafite is selling for more than a 1982 Mouton

direction!

Philippe Roux

Rothschild defies sense!

Please contact us for further information: www.gilbertgaillard.com

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

Level BN SL TS TS (-) MS LS

base of neck slightly low top shoulder top/mid shoulder mid shoulder low shoulder

MAY 2010

Label SD FD HD

slightly damaged fairly damaged highly damaged

WINE QUOTATIONS VINTAGE PREMIER GRAND CRU CLASSÉ BORDEAUX AVAILABLE FROM SODIVIN YEAR 1925 1928 1940 1951 1955 1956 1965 1970 1971 1973 1974 1976 1981 1982 1874 1899 1954 1948 1950 1951 1958 1961 1962 1963 1964 1966 1967 1967 1970 1970 1971 1972 1976 1978 1979 1981 1981 1936 1947 1951 1953 1953 1955 1957 1961 1963 1964 1971 1973 1974 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1964 1967 1968 1971 1973 1974 1979 1981

CHÂTEAU

AOC

VOL.

LEVEL

HAUT BRION HAUT BRION HAUT BRION HAUT BRION HAUT BRION HAUT BRION HAUT BRION HAUT BRION HAUT BRION HAUT BRION HAUT BRION HAUT BRION HAUT BRION HAUT BRION LAFITE ROTHSCHILD LAFITE ROTHSCHILD LAFITE ROTHSCHILD LATOUR LATOUR LATOUR LATOUR LATOUR LATOUR LATOUR LATOUR LATOUR LATOUR LATOUR LATOUR LATOUR LATOUR LATOUR LATOUR LATOUR LATOUR LATOUR LATOUR MARGAUX MARGAUX MARGAUX MARGAUX MARGAUX MARGAUX MARGAUX MARGAUX MARGAUX MARGAUX MARGAUX MARGAUX MARGAUX MARGAUX MARGAUX MARGAUX MARGAUX MARGAUX MARGAUX MARGAUX MOUTON ROTHSCHILD MOUTON ROTHSCHILD MOUTON ROTHSCHILD MOUTON ROTHSCHILD MOUTON ROTHSCHILD MOUTON ROTHSCHILD MOUTON ROTHSCHILD MOUTON ROTHSCHILD

Pessac Leognan Pessac Leognan Pessac Leognan Pessac Leognan Pessac Leognan Pessac Leognan Pessac Leognan Pessac Leognan Pessac Leognan Pessac Leognan Pessac Leognan Pessac Leognan Pessac Leognan Pessac Leognan Pauillac Pauillac Pauillac Pauillac Pauillac Pauillac Pauillac Pauillac Pauillac Pauillac Pauillac Pauillac Pauillac Pauillac Pauillac Pauillac Pauillac Pauillac Pauillac Pauillac Pauillac Pauillac Pauillac Margaux Margaux Margaux Margaux Margaux Margaux Margaux Margaux Margaux Margaux Margaux Margaux Margaux Margaux Margaux Margaux Margaux Margaux Margaux Margaux Pauillac Pauillac Pauillac Pauillac Pauillac Pauillac Pauillac Pauillac

0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l 0.75 l

MS MS MS-

LABEL SD

MS SD TS-

TS HD FD MS TS-

QTY 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 3 2 2 16 2 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 12 3 2 4 1 1 3 6 1 2 1 3 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 5 3 19 6 6 4 4 2 2 1 3 1 1 5 1 2 1

PRICE VAT EXCL. 689.8 2416.39 693.98 609.53 949 480.77 413.88 179.77 199.83 188.13 187.29 165.55 199 659.7 6981.61 3720.74 961.54 999.16 606.19 794.31 476.59 2943.14 625.42 480.77 434.78 518.39 280.1 307.69 416.39 355.35 299.33 185.62 191.47 235.79 250 199 188.13 714.88 919.73 794.31 1379.6 1078.6 442.31 332.78 940.64 372.07 204.85 216.56 191.47 166.39 166.39 179.77 274.25 267.56 221.57 229.93 898.83 355.35 250 413.88 317.73 260.87 250 191.47 191.47

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

PRICE VAT INCL. 825 2890 830 729 1135 575 495 215 239 225 224 198 238 789 8350 4450 1150 1195 725 950 570 3520 748 575 520 620 335 368 498 425 358 222 229 282 299 238 225 855 1100 950 1650 1290 529 398 1125 445 245 259 229 199 199 215 328 320 265 275 1075 425 299 495 380 312 299 229 229

MAY 2010

EXPORT

China: Asia’s biggest wine market Most of the wine sold in China is distributed via the off-trade (wine stores and supermarket chains account for 60% of the volume), with the rest sold through the on-trade, in restaurants, hotels and karaoke bars.

the older generation, but it is no longer reserved for official dinners. Wine consumption peaks at certain times during the year: at Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day, National Day, and the Moon Festival. During these major events, the Chinese visit their relatives and give gifts to celebrate the occasion, wine being particularly appreciated, especially French wines such as Bordeaux, Médoc and Saint-Emilion. The wine market in China is segmented, with entry level products accounting for 60% volume, the mid-range representing 30%, while high-end wines occupy only 10% share. Chinese consumers prefer domestic wines (Changyu, Great Wall, Dynastie) as they are cheaper than most imported entry-level wines (e.g. Vin de Pays d’Oc or Hérault such as Maison Camille, La Bastide Pierre or Baron de Liniac, imported by Peter Yang of Shanghai 1855 Wine Trading Company).

Pierre Courdurié

Yang explains that Vins de Pays are good value; the Chinese like French wines because of their sophisticated image and France’s

ith imports growing in 2008 by 15% per year in China, compared with 1.4% in the world, the demand for imported wine is still increasing and

France has an excellent opportunity here; China has a population

reputation as a country with great winemaking heritage and tradition. On the subject of AOC wines, Yang confirms that Bordeaux is the best-known region amongst the Chinese, with names such as Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Leboscq (Médoc Cru Bourgeois) and Château Sainte Barbe (Bordeaux) being particularly prized.

of 1,300,000, meaning that currently, wine consumption represents only 0.4 litres per head. Chinese consumers live mainly in coastal cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. To promote wine consumption, the Chinese government has launched a promotional campaign explaining that wine can be beneficial to health, and this is one of the reasons that red wine currently represents around 90% of imported wine.

The most famous Chinese wine brand is Changyu, from the country’s oldest winery, created in 1892. Changyu is one of China’s largest producers, with a well-established background in wine and wide distribution; their wines offer good value for money.

KOREA Further to the economic crisis, Korea’s wine market continues to develop, increasing 16% in value (19% in volume); it is estimated

Some years ago, the Chinese only drank spirits on special

that wine import levels will increase four- or five-fold in the

occasions, with family. This tradition still exists today amongst

coming years.

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

EXPORT

FRENCH WINE EXPORTS TO CHINA (SOURCE: FRENCH CUSTOMS AUTHORITIES) French Wines

2007 volume (thousand litres)

2009 value (thousand euros)

volume (thousand litres)

value (thousand euros)

Red White

14 917 1 533

63 209 4 768

44 405 3 011

133 226 9 601

Bordeaux Red White

4 345 177

44 739 1 047

13 677 508

74 394 2 202

HONG-KONG

market. The wine market is set to grow with the arrival of Chinese merchants, and Hong

Wine import levels have risen significantly here, up 31.4% in value

Kong may well become the wine hub of

and 20% in volume in 2009, thanks to the increase in local

Asia, provided it can get to grips with

consumption and to Hong Kong’s important role as a re-

international best practice and standards

exportation platform.

in terms of wine marketing and culture.

There are more than 300 importers in Hong Kong; during my last trip I met Richard Paine from Fine Vintage. Over a glass of Château Liversan at the Peninsula hotel, he explained that Hong Kong imports approx 3.8 million cases from France, Australia, USA and Chile (9l cases come from France), but more than one million are re-exported to Asia, mainly to China: “The on-trade market is mostly affected by high rents, and no smoking regulations. Restaurants open and close very frequently, it is a highly competitive business. In the same way as Singapore is considered the gateway to Indonesia, Thailand and so on, so Hong Kong is positioned on the edge of Southern China. Wine auction sales in Hong Kong – mostly of fine French wines and Champagnes - exceeded US$60 million in 2009.” French wines have long been regarded as amongst the best in the world. However consumers have their individual preferences and this is mirrored by the wide appeal of wines from the New World (Australia, Chile and New Zealand) as well as from Spain, Italy and Germany; in 2009, imports from Australia and Italy increased by 24% and 68% respectively.

According to Tang, still French wines lead Kevin Tang

the pack; Concord Wines’ top five best-

sellers are Domaine Manuel Olivier (Burgundy), Château Patache d’Aux (Médoc), Château Grand Corbin (Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé), Château Bertinerie (Blaye - Côtes de Bordeaux) and Château Malescot Saint Exupéry (Margaux).

JAPAN Wine imports are still on the increase, in the order of +3.7% in 2009.

MALAYSIA Wine consumption continues to grow, up by 9.8% in volume and 7.8% in value in 2009, mostly from Singapore.

SINGAPORE Singapore is a regional import platform that cannot be by-passed. The increase in wine consumption figures is both regular and constant, but most wines are re-exported to Asia (mainly to China). Most of the volumes sold to Singapore are for SIA, duty

Kevin Tang of Concord Wines explains that since the abolition of wine import tax in 2008, importation levels have been rising, and growing numbers of wine companies are being set up in Hong Kong by international players; consumers will certainly benefit from a wider choice of product in what is now becoming a buyers'

free, hotels and restaurants; the rest is for re-export.

TAIWAN The size of the market is estimated at one million cases, with wine imports up 49% in 2009.

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

Pierre Courdurié

MAY 2010

REGIONS

The magic of Cognac

The celebrated jewel in the crown of brandies and an international luxury symbol (91% of sales are to the export market), Cognac is subject to strict boundary rules set out in a decree dating from May 1, 1909, based on geological studies carried out by Henri Coquand (1860). Cognac is produced only in France, in the departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime.

s early as the 13th century, the vineyards of Poitou produced wines that were transported to Holland by Dutch boats coming in search of the salt found along COGNAC FRAPIN

the coast. The British and Scandinavians followed, and soon the region’s economy was based on its vineyards. As the industry grew in size, the quality of the wine, acidic and low in alcohol, deteriorated. By the 16th century, the Dutch were using it to supply their distilleries back home, transforming it into vins brûlés (literally ‘burnt wines’) - or brandewijn - which gave us the word ‘brandy’. Later, the Dutch distilled their brandewijn locally in France, introducing the still to Charente around 1530. By the 17th century, a still based on the method of double distillation was

TO OBTAIN THE APPELLATION OF COGNAC, THE EAU-DE-VIE MUST BE AGED FOR AT LEAST TWO AND A HALF YEARS (LABELLED AS COMPTE 2) IN FRENCH OAK BARRELS FROM THE LIMOUSIN OR TRONÇAIS FORESTS.

being used. Wine producers in the region of Cognac soon

mastered this technique. From this time on, the wines of Poitou

THE TERROIR

were distilled into eaux-de-vie and then aged in oak barrels, creating

Since 1938, the wine-growing area of Cognac has included six

Cognac as we know it today: a sophisticated combination of

zones that have each received an AOC according to their different

distillation, ageing, terroir and blending.

soil types and the aromatic characteristics of the grapes:

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

REGIONS

THE DELIMITED REGION OF COGNAC

• Grande Champagne: Located on slopes of crumbly Campanian

Cognac shipments to China

chalk (similar to those of Reims, hence the name), these vineyards’ grapes, dominated by floral notes, are the most renowned and the most suitable for ageing. • Petite Champagne: A soil rich in chalk results in a fruity and floral bouquet. ©ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

• Borderies: Decalcified soil yields a distinctive aroma of violets and iris. • Fins Bois: Hard, limestone soil emphasises the fruit in the bouquet. • Bons Bois: Clay chalk-poor soils allow the expression of the other elements of the terroir. • Bois Ordinaires: Soils similar to Bons Bois, with more silica;

Main Cognac Markets in 2009

less suitable for ageing. The grape variety used is predominantly Ugni Blanc, locally called Saint-Émilion des Charentes, which has almost totally replaced the traditional Colombard and Folle Blanche grapes. Acidic, but with remarkable aromatic subtlety, Ugni Blanc lends itself perfectly to the demands of distillation, a delicate operation consisting of the coupe, drawing off the first vapours that arrive following ©ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

distillation, which have the highest alcohol content, to collect the cœur, the pure, clear spirit that will be aged to make Cognac.

TRANSFORMATION INTO COGNAC To obtain the appellation of Cognac, the eau-de-vie must be aged for at least two and a half years (labelled as compte 2) in French

90% OF COGNAC IS EXPORTED AND CHINA IS NOW AMONG THE MAJOR MARKETS.

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

REGIONS

oak barrels from the Limousin or Tronçais forests. These casks are

the appellation 100% Grande Champagne, it produces brandies

inseparable from what defines Cognac, lending it a particular

exclusively from its own grapes.

range of aromas and allowing the alcohol’s undesirable volatile substances to evaporate, a process that is known as la part des

As a further sign of the house’s excellence, the family tree includes

anges, or “the angels’ share”. Cognac is rarely matured for more

the writer François Rabelais, to whom a prestigious cuvée is

than 50 years in casks, to prevent an over-dominant woody

dedicated. Located at the heart of the Grande Champagne wine-

flavour. It is then decanted into glass demijohns and stored in

growing area, classified as Cognac’s Premier Grand Cru, Frapin

dark wine cellars known as le paradis, where each Cognac house

has an exceptional site covering 316 hectares, of which 216 hectares

guards its most priceless liquid treasure.

are planted with Ugni Blanc.

Among these illustrious houses, we have selected two to present

RESPECTING NATURE

here for quite different reasons: Thomas Hine & Co, a traditional

Frapin’s estates are cultivated using traditional methods with the

and very old producer established in Jarnac at the heart of Cognac

aim of sustainable agriculture, employing a natural approach that

country; and Frapin, because it perfectly embodies the spirit of

takes into account the biology of the grapevines, parasites and

Cognac production in terms of its site, its history and, above all,

diseases, the climatic conditions and the soil. The latter is left

because it produces Cognacs of exceptional quality.

fallow for at least seven years before being replanted with vines, with the result that the pests that feed on the roots of the vines are

FRAPIN: 100% GRAND CRU

eliminated, and with them the risk of virus transmission.

Regularly receiving tasting scores above 90/100, Frapin is one of the most renowned ancestral houses in Cognac, thanks to their

With the same approach to quality and respect for the environment,

extensive experience and unfailing respect for terroir and tradition.

the grapes are picked by hand and quickly transported to the presses. The juice is not filtered before its natural fermentation into Vin de Charente. This is the stage at which the two master distillers, Gilles Lardant and Alex Cosson, use six Charentais copper stills to begin the double distillation process. First, the wine is transferred into a boiler with a capacity of 2,500 litres. The alcohol vapours collect in the still-head and then enter a swan-neck tube, continuing into the coil, where they condense. After cooling, they form a cloudy liquid known as brouillis, which has an alcohol content of about 28°. This liquid is returned to the boiler for a second distillation, known as the bonne chauffe, which produces a spirit with an alcohol content of about 70° and an intense concentration of aromas.

COGNAC FRAPIN

THE ART OF AGEING

PATRICE PIVETEAU, IN THE VINEYARDS SURROUNDING THE MAGNIFICENT CHATEAU DE FONTPINOT, IN SEGONZAC

The Cognac is then aged naturally in casks of Limousin oak under the expert eye of Olivier Paultes, who has been the master of the Frapin cellars since 1989. He is responsible for changing the casks’ position according to the characteristics of each cellar (particularly the humidity), a determining factor in the maturing process as it influences evaporation. One of the house’s secrets is to store recently distilled eau-de-vie for a quarter of its maturation in new

Winemakers and distillers in south-west France for over 20

oak casks, and then in older casks for the rest of its maturation. An

generations, the Frapin family took up residence in the Fontpinot

art based on decades of family tradition and a deep understanding

Château in Segonzac at the end of the 19th century at the

of its vineyards (the unique source for Frapin Cognac) gives this

instigation of Pierre Frapin. The only Premier Cru vineyard with

house absolute mastery of each cuvée.

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

REGIONS

THOMAS HINE: A DISTINCTIVE STYLE

A QUEST FOR FINESSE Apart from an expertise gained over centuries, Hine equally owes its identity to its impressive 120-hectare estate, of which 70 hectares are cultivated as vineyards. To ensure sufficient stocks, it buys grapes that are scrupulously selected from other Grande and Petite Champagne estates. The chalky soil gives the eaux-de-vie particular subtlety, which Cellar Master Eric Forget takes great care to conserve during the distillation process. Another exacting requirement of the house is the use of fine-grained wood casks in order to obtain the ideal balance, so the wood does not overpower the original aromatic characteristics of the grapes. The new casks are made from wood from the Limousin and Tronçais forests and dried in the open air to eliminate any bitter tannins, incompatible with Hine vintages. The Cognac’s subsequent ageing in older casks is constantly monitored to achieve the desired light amber colour and smooth floral aromas with notes of vanilla.

A love of Cognac has shaped the incredible destiny of the Hine family. Based since 1550 in Dorset, in the south-west of England, the family sent young Thomas Hine to Cognac in 1791 with a specific mission: to learn French and the art of making Cognac from a prestigious producer and merchant in business since 1763, who made a Cognac that the Hine patriarch preferred over all others. Thomas married the merchant’s daughter, and was later made the director of the business by his mother-in-law when her husband died, to the great displeasure of her own sons. He continued to develop the business, giving the company his own name five years before his death in 1817. Today, it is still known as Thomas Hine & Co.

This year, to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the creation of Antique XO by George Thomas Hine, the house is offering a Premier Cru version of this classic Cognac. Dressed for the occasion in a bottle paying homage to that which has graced Antique XO since the 1950s, this Cognac is a subtle blend of 40 different eaux-de-vie aged for a period ranging from ten years to several decades.

THOMAS HINE & CO

Another speciality, the vintage Grande Champagne Cognacs, are only produced when the quality is exceptional. As has been the case since Hine was established, some of these rare Cognacs are aged in London or Bristol in carefully selected cellars, a process that has virtually disappeared. These Cognacs are known as “Early Landed” vintages. Always true to its principles, Hine asserts its singular quality and irreproachable style: subtle, light, almost ethereal; sometimes described as feminine. Qualities that have won it the highest honours: for

ERIC FORGET, WINEMAKER, THOMAS HINE & CO.

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

Thus was born a prestigious name, as well as a distinct identity. Despite technological advances such as the advent of semi-automatic bottling in 1880, the Hine house has long oriented itself towards wine merchants rather than the general public. It has a long-standing relationship with suppliers who are familiar with their high standards, favouring “wine and spirit merchants on a human scale, like us, who know what they sell and adapt it to their clients - this is what we have always done and continue to do today,” explains the current honorary president, Bernard Hine. MAY 2010

CRÉDIT THOMAS HINE & CO

REGIONS

HINE OWES ITS IDENTITY TO ITS IMPRESSIVE 120-HECTARE ESTATE, OF WHICH 70 HECTARES ARE CULTIVATED AS VINEYARDS. nearly 50 years (since 1962) Hine has been the only Cognac house to be granted a Royal Warrant by Queen Elizabeth II, making it the sole Cognac supplier to the British royal family.

A RADICALLY CHANGING MARKET Cognac has become an important product in the luxury market, attracting large companies which have contributed to its increasing popularity and international spread; its reputation is nonetheless built on the exceptional quality of the product. Although the image and prestige of Cognac is still intact today due to its upmarket consumption, Cognac producers - and the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac - have actively sought to promote it more widely. There has been an emphasis on “long drinks” and Cognac-based cocktails, leading to the creation of the famous Cognac Summit in 2008 (elected cocktail of the year), fruit of the efforts of some 20 internationally-renowned mixologists. This development is the latest in a long tradition: in the 1700s, Americans were imbibing mint juleps made with Cognac, fresh mint and sugar, a drink that would inspire the mojito. This welcome diversification is seducing increasing numbers of consumers looking for options that are less strong and less expensive but which remain high quality, allowing Cognac houses to continue to produce their outstanding vintages in more limited quantities.

THE AGE OF COGNACS The regulations for Cognac production require that its distillation period must be completed before 31 March of the year following the harvest. The age of the Cognac is thus counted from the date of 1 April; Cognac that has just been distilled starts at zero (compte 0) and must mature for one year before reaching compte 1. Thus, Cognacs distilled at the beginning of the harvest will have spent a year and a half in cask by this stage. Most Cognacs are a blend of eaux-de-vie of different ages that may be from different areas of the Cognac region. This is why it is unusual to see the year of the vintage indicated on a Cognac label. A Cognac’s age is determined by the youngest eau-de-vie in the blend. AGE DESIGNATIONS: V.S. (Very Special) or ***: two years old (compte 2) V.S.O.P (Very Superior Old Pale): four years old (compte 4) XO (Extra Old): six years old (compte 6). The authorities guarantee the age of a Cognac only for the first six years of its life and the above definitions are backed by that guarantee, though in practice spirits labelled as such will generally be much older (some houses make an XO that is aged for more than 25 years).

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

REGIONS

California U.S.A .

THE AMERICAN ELDORADO

©JASON TINACCI

BY SYLVAIN PATARD

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

REGIONS

California joined the United States only in 1848; it had been Mexican territory for many years previously, and Spanish before that. Its Euro-Latin roots are still highly evident to this day; consider, for example, the names of its towns (San Francisco, San Diego, Modesto etc.), as well as its viticultural industry, which still prominently features the noblest European grape varieties (such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Merlot). This is the remarkable story of the great vineyards of the New World.

California has the Catholic Church (first of

Vinifera grape which gave birth to

“Camino Real” - the Royal Route - which

Spain, then of Mexico) to thank for its

California’s viticultural vocation.

linked these islands of civilisation, dotted across a still-hostile region.

vineyards, which were established between 1780 and 1850. During this period, 21 missionary bases were established; the

A STRING OF MISSION HOUSES FROM SOUTH TO NORTH

California’s development changed dramatically in 1849 with the discovery of gold seams

Franciscan abbots planted vines around these buildings as a matter of course, for

Starting from what is today Mexico, the

near San Francisco. Huge numbers of

the production of communion wine. The

Franciscan monks slowly moved northward,

European immigrants arrived on the West

grape which they used, christened

accompanied by the army. The first mis-

Coast in the hope of making their fortunes.

“Mission”, was of European origin, and

sion to be established was in San Diego,

These grape-loving communities, finding

had probably been imported from

followed by Los Angeles, Santa Barbara,

insufficient local supplies of wine on the

Mexico

century.

San Luis Obispo, San Francisco and lastly

one hand and being faced with the enormous

Although it was of mediocre quality, it

Sonoma. Today, Sonoma is, along with

difficulty of transporting wine from the

produced prolific yields and had a high

Napa, California’s most famous wine valley.

East Coast on the other, started to develop

sugar content. It was probably this pure

This stretch has historically been known as

the region’s burgeoning vineyards. The

the

sixteenth

peak of this growth came with the 1850 despatch of a trade mission to Europe, charged with the task of bringing back vines suited to the Californian climate and taste. The great adventure was about to begin, punctuated by a series of disasters of varying magnitude which California’s vineyards have had to overcome in order to attain their current status. The cumulative effects of the persistent phylloxera attacks (starting in 1875 on the West Coast), followed (just as the ©ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

vineyards were starting to recover) by

SONOMA - THE ULTIMATE DESTINATION OF THE FRANCISCAN MONKS ON THEIR JOURNEY FROM SAN DIEGO.

Prohibition (1919-1933), came close to bringing all wine production in this region to an untimely end. The local wine industry at last began to embrace quality production in the 1950s

and1960s.

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

However,

good

MAY 2010

REGIONS

PIERRE SEILLAN IS VERY EXCITED BY THE OPPORTUNITIES AND POTENTIAL OF MOUNTAIN TERROIRS HERE, ESPECIALLY IN SONOMA. wines were still few and far between - the legacy of poor grape

shore of the Adriatic. It is a highly prolific variety which

varieties, and industrial production techniques which had

produces richly-perfumed wines with heady fragrances of red

done little to promote quality production.

berries and spices, and is also used to produce rosé wines. Lesser red grapes include Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, Barbera

MODERN VINEYARDS

and

Grenache.

White

grapes:

Chardonnay,

Chenin,

Sauvignon, French Colombard (used in Cognac), White Changes started to come in the late 1960s. A new generation

Riesling.

of wine producers settled in the region, and began extensive research into aspects such as fermentation temperatures, appropriate grape varieties and barrel maturation - quality measures which gradually won over local hearts and minds. America, the world’s leading economic power and now a major tourist destination, had rediscovered the outside world in general and old European values in particular, symbolised in this case by the great wines. The gauntlet was down: Californian wines had to rival their European forbears in quality. We shall now look at how well they have succeeded. Today, the production of quality wines has been restructured ©JASON TINACCI

around varieties which have looked to Europe for their finest qualities. These have mostly been red grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah (whose influence is still growing quickly) and Petite Syrah (known in the Rhône valley as Duriff). The enduringly popular Zinfandel variety probably originated in Europe; either in Apulia (Italy) or on the Dalmatian coast (which is now part of Croatia) on the opposite

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

THE MID-NAPA VALLEY FLOOR FROM THE FOOTHILLS OF THE VACA MOUNTAIN RANGE. MAY 2010

REGIONS

NORTH CALIFORNIA

CALIFORNIA

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

REGIONS

it takes the form of a computer-controlled drip-feed which is often controlled by data from a weather station within the vineyard itself. Strangely (and perhaps startlingly), yields, like vine training and pruning methods, are unrestricted. Of course, this makes an enormous difference to the vines, and no Californian wine producer worthy of the name would deny the importance of these crucial factors in obtaining a quality wine - which, even up until quite recently, was not always the case. In wine, as in so many other areas, one certainly has to admire the Americans for their professionalism - and the proof is in the tasting. The wines are indeed powerful, regularly achieving 13.5% or even 14% alcoholic strength, yet frequently possess an interesting aromatic character. The red wines are often very spicy (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel); full, with substance and soft tannins. Maturation (mainly in American oak barrels) often gives the wines an astonishing eucalyptus nose which can be distracting. The rosé wines seem to be of least interest, with little personality and an excess of residual sugar (although this is appreciated ©JASON TINACCI

by the American consumer). The whites are a combination of

GRAPES AFFECTED BY BOTRYTIS CINEREA, ALSO KNOWN AS NOBLE ROT.

a characteristic fleshiness - aided by maturation in new barrels and greater power than is found in French and European wines; they have balance and refinement, but can still possess plenty of charm, particularly in the case of the Chardonnays.

Less commonly used: Gewürztraminer, Sémillon and Pinot Blanc, among others.The region also produces sweet wines and dessert wines from white grapes, as well as the sparkling wines which enjoy such popularity on the American market.

MARRIAGES OF SOIL AND GRAPE As well as starting to plant quality grape varieties, Californian producers have come to realise that location, although not crucial at this latitude, still has a significant effect on the quality of the wine. Grapes are now no longer planted indiscriminately. Vines flourish more readily in deep soils with good drainage ©GILBERT & GAILLARD

(where the roots can easily take hold), at the bottom of slopes and on ancient alluvial terraces. Many vineyards are planted on clay soil, which is fairly stony and rich in humus. Irrigation is permitted, but not absolutely necessary. The Napa Valley, whose rocky hillside topsoils receive adequate irrigation from rainfall, has little use for it. Where it is used,

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

A WEATHER STATION WITHIN THE VINEYARD. MAY 2010

©JASON TINACCI

REGIONS

THE ATLAS PEAK AVA OF NAPA VALLEY, LOCATED HIGH ABOVE THE VALLEY FLOOR.

VARIED GEOGRAPHY, VARIED CLIMATE

AREA

In conclusion, the main contributory factor to the success

411,000 square kilometres (around 80% of the size of France)

of California’s vines has been the relationship between

VINES IN PRODUCTION

geography and climate - which is hardly any surprise. The

207,000 hectares; 53% white grapes and 47% red grapes

region can boast a multitude of microclimates suited to

ANNUAL PRODUCTION

the production of a very varied range of wines. Geography

15,000,000 hectolitres, representing 94% of all US production

also plays a key role. The mountain ranges running along

WORLD RANKING

the edge of the ocean are interspersed with valleys which

4th (after France, Italy and Spain)

are ideal for growing vines. The central valley, beyond this

TOP FIVE VITICULTURAL REGIONS

mountainous barrier, is 700 km long and 100 km wide. The vineyards in this region are well-irrigated, but - as is usually the case in California - suffer from a lack of rainfall. To

Northern California Coast Region Central California Coast Region Southern California Region Sierra Nevada Central Valley Region

the east, this valley is cut off by an impressive mountain range: the Sierra Nevada. The only local region in which CALIFORNIAN WINE IS LABELLED IN DIFFERENT WAYS ACCORDING TO ITS PROVENANCE, AS FOLLOWS

vines prosper is the Sierra Foothills.

PHYLLOXERA: THE SEQUEL

CALIFORNIA: 100% Californian grapes.

At present, the main question mark over California’s future

COUNTY: 75% of the wine’s grapes are from the stated county

is the appearance of a new strain of phylloxera, which first appeared in the 1980s. However, the wine community

(Sonoma, Napa etc.) AVA (American Viticultural Area, basically equivalent to the French appellation d’origine): 85% of the grapes are from the specified AVA.

remains optimistic, seeing this as a chance to implement

FACT: there are 193 AVAs in the United States (February 2009),

new viticultural practices which have been the subject of

more than 100 of which are Californian.

experimentation for the last 25-30 years and should produce

VINEYARD: 95% of the grapes are from the specified vineyard.

lasting improvements in productivity and grape quality.

NAMED VARIETY (Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay etc.):

California’s vines will, no doubt, overcome this latest challenge -

75% of the grapes are of the specified variety.

just as they have overcome all the others.

VINTAGE: 95% of the grapes are from the stated harvesting year.

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

REGIONS

Burgundy: a story of fragmentation One of the main characteristics of Burgundyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vineyards is their extreme fragmentation. This mosaic of estates can trace its origins back to the French Revolution, which splintered vineyards by redistributing estates which had previously been owned by the clergy and the nobility. This situation continued throughout the nineteenth century and into the early twentieth, aggravated by the law of equal inheritance. Today, this fragmentation means that the informed consumer must know the name of the producer or else lose himself in the labyrinth of Burgundian wine.

owning 10 hectares or more. There are practically no monopoles

15,000 producers over an area of 47,000 hectares. By

(wholly-owned vineyards), and thus for any given appellation

way of comparison, the Bordeaux region reported

there will be a multitude of producers. This is true of many great

13,000 producers over an area of 110,000 hectares for its AOC

growths such as Chambertin, whose 13 hectares are split between

wines. Individual sizes differ, too: large estates are less common,

25 owners. These brief figures speak for themselves, and clearly

with less than 15% of all production being attributable to producers

illustrate the fragmentation in the region.

BIVB/ GADENNE B

1995 survey of wine production in Burgundy counted

100

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

BIVB/ ESCHMANN

REGIONS

THIS AERIAL VIEW GIVES A VIVID IMPRESSION OF VINEYARD FRAGMENTATION IN BURGUNDY.

THE GREAT ESTATES: SPLINTERED BY THE REVOLUTION

CÔTE DE NUITS AND CÔTE DE BEAUNE After the collapse of the Ancien Régime, the number of

By the end of the Ancien Régime, the vast majority of

medium-sized and large estate owners in the Côte (in the

“owners” actually owned only barely a third of their property,

wider sense of the word) tripled, and there was a 16% rise

often possessing no more than a small patch of a vineyard

in small ownership. The vineyards became even more fragmented,

of very poor quality which failed to meet even their basic

and average holdings decreased in size. Much vineyard

needs for survival.

land was owned by the bourgeoisie and merchants from the towns of Dijon, Beaune, Nuits-Saint-Georges and even

At the opposite end of the scale, large-scale ownership

Chalon-sur-Saône, and although the nineteenth century

accounted for more than half of the vines but less than 3%

witnessed a great expansion in small-scale vine ownership,

of the owners. Starting to emerge among these grands

this growth mainly affected the “ordinary” vines (behind

propriétaires were the town bourgeoisie, trying to make

the Côte, or to its south).

modest inroads into the great ecclesiastical and feudal estates. The sale of Church assets, followed by those of

After the First World War, many family-owned estates

exiled nobility, revolutionised both vineyards and owner

disappeared through neglect; this was followed by the

profiles. The main beneficiaries of the dissolution of the great

recession of the 1930s, which had a disastrous effect on

estates, as the best vines were transferred from the hands of

wine prices and, as a result, on land prices. Many small

the nobility and the clergy into bourgeois and merchant

growers, perhaps blessed with more foresight than their

ownership, were the bourgeoisie.

peers, put their best foot forward and began to create

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

101

BIVB/ GADENNE B

REGIONS

ROMANEE-CONTI: 1.85 HECTARES OF GENIUS PRODUCING BURGUNDY'S MOST FAMOUS GRAND CRU. t h e family-owned estates which have today earned

which reveals enormous disparity between one great

Burgundy its reputation.

growth and another. It was very often the case that growths which were under large-scale ownership prior

Although the merchant tradition remains strong to this

to the Revolution subsequently split into smaller than

day, the fact remains that businesses of this kind have

average pieces. Investors were attracted by their fame,

relinquished much of their grip on wine sales, losing

and the higher prices thus commanded increased the

ground to producers who now sell their own wines

likelihood of fragmentation when these major vineyards

directly.

went up for sale. This was true of many wines which had enjoyed monopole status, such as Clos Saint-Denis (in

BROKEN UP: THE GREAT GROWTHS

102

1859, and then again later), as well as the famous Clos de Vougeot (see box below). The record for fragmentation,

The C么te (both Nuits and Beaune), which is home to

regardless of status, is held by B芒tard-Montrachet, with

many great growths, demonstrates a fragmentation

some thirty owners sharing 11 hectares and 83 ares.

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

REGIONS

Conversely, some great growths which had previously been divided into small plots (e.g. Clos de la Roche, Musigny, Chevalier-Montrachet) switched to large-scale ownership. The large estates which owned and produced the great wines of the nineteenth century have generally given way to medium-sized estates, which have consequently increased in number. This proliferation of owners is a clear indication of the prestige and enormous economic power of these wines. However, since the second half of the twentieth century, t h e h o l d o f t h e m e r c h a n t s a n d t h e l a r g e ow n e r s h a s g r a dually increased.

CHALONNAIS These vineyards, nurtured by the Benedictine monks of the abbey of Cluny, were not spared the axe of the Revolution. The Chalonnais region is characterised by greater fragmentation, which works in the favour of “small” owners. As a result of BIVB/ GADENNE B

the French law of equal family inheritance of land, the estates were fragmented still further during the nineteenth century, which had a negative impact on the large estates. This led to the gradual appearance of small and medium-sized owners, who controlled a large part of the land. Very few estates were owned on a truly large scale. Later, the combined

ROMANÉE SAINT-VIVANT, ROMANÉE-CONTI'S YOUNGER SISTER.

effects of phylloxera and a lack of manpower after the two World Wars almost destroyed the vineyards completely. Nowadays, the five village appellations of Montagny, Givry, Mercurey, Rully and - most recently - Bouzeron (Aligoté) are for the most part marketed by the wine-growers and merchant houses. In the case of the regional appellations (e.g. Buxy), the vast majority of output is handled by the caves coopératives.

The white and red wines of this vast region are sold mainly through the caves coopératives, which sprang up out of the crisis of the Thirties and have since been enormously influential in improving production quality. Today, some 60% of wines from the Mâconnais are sold through the cooperatives - a figure which rises to 75% for the white Mâcons.

CHABLIS

of the large vineyards are in the hands of large-scale owners.

In the world of Burgundy, Chablis is a law unto itself. It is not only far more northerly, but its parcels of wine-growing land are also more unified. At the end of the Ancien Régime, the estates were owned mainly by the clergy and were auctioned off. After the Revolution, the owners were mostly local bourgeoisie.

From 1860 onwards, as wine revenues increased, all of the locals - whether owners or not - fought over the properties for sale. The lack of sufficient labour caused the fragmentation of the great estates to increase.

By the end of the nineteenth century, the vineyards of Chablis extended across a dozen or so villages mainly located along the slopes of each side of the Serein river valley. From the 1970s onwards, renewal swept through the Chablis vineyards, driven by

MÂCONNAIS The Mâconnais region was affected relatively little by postRevolution fragmentation. While there are a large number of small owners, they account for only a small total land area. Most

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

103

REGIONS

account for another third, and the remainder goes through La Chablisienne, the dynamic local cave coopérative.

THE PRODUCER’S NAME A KEY FACTOR The fragmentation of the Burgundy vineyards, and the fact that more and more growers sell their own wines, make the producer’s name a key factor. Direct sales through the estates are growing in popularity, and now represent 35% of total wine sales in Burgundy - while 55% is still handled by the wholesale merchants. The producer’s name has become a decisive factor in the selection of a quality wine; yet it is only in the 20th century that the name of the producer or merchant (who often owns the great estates) has risen to prominence. Today, a recognition of these “signatures”, upon which an appellation’s

BIVB/ GADENNE B

prestige is built, is indispensable to the wine-lover.

THE CLOS DES LAMBRAYS IN THE CÔTE DE NUITS IS THE MOST FAMOUS GRAND CRU IN MOREY SAINT-DENIS. increasing demand for the local wines and also by the introduction and perfection of new anti-frost techniques (including heaters). Over nearly thirty years - from 1970 to 1998, in fact - total vineyard land area increased from 756 hectares to over 4,000 hectares, now covering some twenty villages. The seven great growths, for their part, were all located together on the hillsides of the right bank of the Serein, overlooking the village of Chablis. Unlike Burgundy’s other wine regions, Chablis is not ANDRÉ DOMINÉ

particularly highly fragmented, with an average estate size of around 12 hectares. More significantly, five estates alone own 120 hectares between them. The story is the same for the great growths (100 hectares), where just two estates account for half the vines. From a sales perspective, one third is handled directly by the growers, merchants

104

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

THE CLOS DES RÉAS, A FAMOUS VOSNE-ROMANÉE FIRST GROWTH. MAY 2010

BIVB/ GADENNE B

REGIONS

A PREMIER CRU POMMARD (CÔTE DE BEAUNE) OF HIGH QUALITY: CLOS DES EPENEAUX.

The famous Clos de Vougeot, developed gradually by the monks of Cîteaux between 1110 and 1336, was the largest vineyard property anywhere in the Côte d’Or, representing a wall-enclosed area of 50 hectares, 85 ares (on average, it takes 4.28 ares to produce 228 litres of wine). Sold in 1791 to a group of Parisian bankers, it was purchased by an estate merchant in 1889, who then sold it on to some fifteen buyers - all of them Burgundian. Over the course of the 20th century, the Clos de Vougeot was gradually subdivided further: 38 owners in 1920 and 55 after the war: by the early 2000s, Clos de Vougeot was split among more than 80 owners. Some 80% of

BIVB/ GADENNE B

these are wine growers, mostly based in the Côte de Nuits. The remainder is divided between several Burgundian merchant houses.

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

105

ORGANIC NEWS

www.millton.co.nz

Millton Vineyards, New Zealand’s biodynamic pioneers and champions of Chenin Blanc Gisborne on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand is a long way from anywhere. Even from Hawke’s Bay it’s a considerable drive along windy roads.

JAMES AND ANNIE MILLTON

106

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

ORGANIC NEWS

THE MILLTONS NOW HAVE 15 HECTARES OF VINES. THEY PRODUCE CHARDONNAY, VIOGNIER, PINOT NOIR, SYRAH AND SOME FINE AGE-WORTHY CHENIN BLANC.

ack in 1984 it was here in this isolated part of New Zealand that a young couple, James and Annie Millton, started the country’s first biodynamic vineyard. As James explains: “A friend visited and left me with Rudolf Steiner's book ‘The Agriculture Course’ to read. From then on I was hooked and still refer back to this book when ever I get a moment.

It is more expensive but now, 25 years later, and supported by the huge upswing in interest in biodynamics, I can't see any disadvantages. I haven't seen one wine producer approach this practice and back away from it. It makes sense, makes for more interesting wines and a better working environment. It is very satisfying and very enjoyable to be able to work alongside nature.” The Milltons now have 15 hectares of vines. They produce Chardonnay, Viognier, Pinot Noir, Syrah and some fine, age-worthy Chenin Blanc - amongst the best in the Southern Hemisphere. Jim Budd

The benefits are profound from the beginning with the first application of the horn manure in the autumn you see an increase in the soil health and life.

We always wanted to grow plants and animals. Annie was a florist, I had done training in Europe in winegrowing. We wanted to grow the best wine and figured that to do this the vines and the land had to be alive. I couldn't see merit in the chemicals which were being used as offering any long term solution for what were to be our intentions. So in 1984 we changed the family vineyards and started to farm organically.

"IN 1984 WE STARTED TO FARM ORGANICALLY".

The Millton Vineyard Ltd 119 Papatu Road CMB 66 - Manutuke Gisborne 4053 New Zealand Tel. + 64 6 862 8680 www.millton.co.nz

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

107

RECOMMENDED WINES

Tasted For You Compare our tasting notes for a selection of wines from Bordeaux, the Rhône Valley and Burgundy with those of our well-known American competitors. The ratings from Wine Spectator and Robert Parker were found on their respective websites* *www.erobertparker.com and www.winespectator.com

SAINT-EMILION Overview: Whilst grown within the same area as plain Saint-Emilion, the Saint-Emilion Grands Crus occupy the prime vineyard sites: calcareous clay hillsides, the plateau and gravel ridges. Furthermore, they are made to comply to stricter standards: maximum yield is 40 hl/ha (instead of 45 for Saint-Emilion), minimum natural alcoholic strength is 11°(instead of 10.5°) and they must satisfy the requirements of an ad hoc tasting committee. The classed growths are all AC Saint-Emilion Grand Cru. Classed growths: the Saint-Emilion classification differentiates between Premiers Grands Crus Classés and Grands Crus Classés. Theoretically, it is updated every ten years. The 2006 classification filleted out 15 Premiers Crus and 46 Grands Crus Classés. Although they all come under the

SAINT-EMILION Château Beauséjour Château Belair Château Berliquet Château Cadet-Bon Château Canon Château Canon la Gaffelière Château Chauvin Château Cheval Blanc Clos Fourtet Château Corbin Michotte Château Dassault Château Destieux Château Faugères Château Figeac Château Figeac Château Fleur Cardinale Château Fleur Cardinale Château Fombrauge Château Fonplégade Château Franc Mayne Château Grand Corbin-Despagne Château Grand Mayne Château Grand-Pontet Château Grand-Pontet

108

2002 2005 2005 2006 2005 2007 2007 2007 2005 2007 2007 2007 2004 2005 2006 2006 2007 2006 2006 2007 2006 2006 2003 2004

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

Saint-Emilion Grand Cru appellation, not all of them are Grands Crus Classés. The Premiers Grands Crus Classés are further subdivided into class ‘A’ and class ‘B’ wines. Premiers Grands Crus Classés ‘A’: Château Ausone, Château Cheval Blanc. Premiers Grands Crus Classés ‘B’: Château Angélus, Château Beauséjour, Château Beauséjour Bécot, Château Bélair, Château Canon, Château Figeac, La Gaffelière, Clos Fourtet, Château Magdelaine, Château Pavie, Château Pavie Macquin, Château Troplong Mondot, Château Trottevieille. This classification has, however, been challenged by some of the demoted châteaux and was therefore suspended. The 1996 classification applies until further notice.

90 95 91 87 95 92 89 97 94 89 92 90 88 97 95 90 87 86 87 90 90 89 90 88

91 90 89 81 94 88 87 91 95 81 88 87 90 95 91 89 88 88 87 88 86 88 90 87

88 87 88-90 86 90+ 90-92 87-88 88-91 98 81-83 84-86 88-90 90 90 90 91 91-93 88 91 83-86 90 88 89+ 88

MAY 2010

SEE ALL OUR SELECTION ON www.gilbertgaillard.com

SAINT-EMILION Château La Clotte Château La Couspaude Château La Dominique Château La Gaffelière Château Larcis Ducasse Château Larmande Château Laroze Château l'Arrosée Château Pavie Château Pavie Macquin Château Pavie Macquin Château Pipeau Château Quinault L'Enclos Château Soutard Château Troplong Mondot Château Troplong Mondot Château Trottevieille Château Trottevieille Clos de l'Oratoire

2006 2004 2003 2004 2007 2007 2005 2007 2007 2007 2005 2006 2005 2007 2007 2004 2006 2003 2007

91 88 90 91 92 89 91 90 93 93 91 90 86 87 94 93 93 90 91

89 88 88 92 88 86 90 87 90 87 96 90 92 87 90 90 90 89 88

89 89 n/a 92 92-94 83-85 89 89-91 93-95 92-94 98 88 94 86-88 90-93 89+ 89+ 90+ 87-90 n/a: not available

PAUILLAC Overview: Pauillac is a Médoc communal appellation. It boasts an impressive concentration of top-flight wines with three of the five First Growths within its boundaries (Lafite, Latour and Mouton-Rothschild). The vines are planted on a virtually unbroken ridge stretching from Saint-Julien in the south to Saint-Estèphe in the north. Only a few hundred metres of marshland separate them from the waters of the Gironde estuary. The soils are gravely with sandy deposits, providing superb drainage. The nearby ocean and estuary define a warm temperate climate. Wine styles: Pauillac’s red wines, whose principal varietal is CabernetSauvignon, are some of the Médoc’s most concentrated wines. Rich and complex, they have a well-structured, harmonious body bolstered by a fine tannic structure. They are robust, elegant, distinguished wines with a great

PAUILLAC Château Batailley Château Clerc Milon Château Clerc Milon Croizet-Bages Château d'Armailhac Château d'Armailhac Duhart-Milon Château Grand Puy Ducasse Château Grand Puy Ducasse Château Grand-Puy Lacoste Château Haut Batailley Château Haut-Bages Libéral Château Lafite-Rothschild Château Latour Château Lynch-Bages Château Lynch-Moussas Château Mouton Rothschild Château Pichon Longueville Baron Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Château Pontet-Canet Château Pontet-Canet

2006 2006 2004 2006 2005 2006 2007 2005 2006 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 2006 2003 2007 2007 2007 2006 2006 2007

ability to age. They develop fragrances of raspberry, blackcurrant, rose, violet, iris, cedar and cigar box. Enjoy with Pauillac lamb, roast wood pigeon, rack of veal with chanterelles. Classed Growths: First Growths: Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Latour, Château Mouton Rothschild. Second Growths: Château PichonLongueville (Baron), Château Pichon-Longueville (Comtesse de Lalande). Fourth Growth: Château Duhart-Milon-Rothschild. Fifth Growths: Château Batailley, Château Haut-Batailley, Château Clerc Milon, Château Croizet-Bages, Château Grand-Puy Ducasse, Château Grand-Puy Lacoste, Château Haut-Bages Libéral, Château Lynch-Bages, Château Lynch-Moussas, Château Pédesclaux, Château Pontet-Canet, Château d’Armailhac.

91 91 90 90 91 91 92 89 91 92 92 90 97 96 94 92 96 93 94 97 93 93

87 91 90 84 90 89 87 87 88 87 86 87 91 90 92 90 92 89 88 92 93 90

91 91+ 90 77 90+ 91 86-88 91 90 89-91 85-87 83-85 90-93 90-93 92 88 90-94 90-92 88-90 95 95+ 91-94

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

109

RECOMMENDED WINES

MARGAUX Overview: Situated on a plateau 6 kilometres long by 2 kilometres wide, the appellation encompasses five villages (Margaux, Cantenac, Soussans, Arsac and Labarde). It is not only the most extensive appellation in the Haut-Médoc, it is also the most southerly. The core of the appellation is in Cantenac and Margaux along a string of prime hillock sites. The vineyards are planted on a plateau of gravel flanked by gravely outcrops. They in fact boast the deepest layer of gravel throughout the whole of the Médoc and have the stoniest soils. Wine styles: These delicate, refined wines are rich, subtle and elegant. They are reputedly the Medoc’s most ‘feminine’ wines. Their aromas cover a broad spectrum, predominantly violet, rose and raspberry. Recommended pairings

MARGAUX Château Boyd Cantenac Château Brane Cantenac Château Cantenac Brown Château Cantenac Brown Château d'Angludet Château d'Angludet Château Dauzac Château Dauzac Château Giscours Château Giscours Château Kirwan Château Kirwan Château Labegorce Château Lascombes Château Lascombes Château Malescot Saint-Exupéry Château Margaux Château Marquis de Terme Château Monbrison Château Palmer Château Prieuré-Lichine Château Rauzan-Gassies Château Rauzan-Ségla Château Siran

2007 2004 2006 2005 2006 2007 2005 2007 2006 2007 2005 2006 2005 2007 2006 2007 2007 2004 2006 2007 2006 2006 2006 2006

include venison fillet, rack of lamb, hare or roast partridge, morels in puff pastry, sweetbreads and veal cutlets with chanterelles. In fact, they enhance all red meats and mild flavoured game. Classed growths: First growth : Château Margaux. Second growths : Château Brane-Cantenac, Château Dufort-Viviens, Château Lascombes, Château Rauzan-Gassies, Château Rauzan-Ségla. Third growths : Château BoydCantenac, Château Kirwan, Château d’Issan, Château Giscours, Château Malescot Saint-Exupéry, Château Cantenac-Brown, Château Palmer, Château Ferrière, Château Desmirail, Château Marquis d’Alesme Becker. Fourth growths : Château Prieuré-Lichine, Château Pouget, Château Marquis de Terme. Fifth growths : Château Dauzac, Château du Tertre.

93 95 88 91 89 90 93 93 93 93 93 91 91 93 94 92 98 89 93 95 93 92 95 90

86 87 90 91 88 87 92 87 91 89 93 90 90 88 90 90 88 88 87 90 89 87 92 87

86-88 87-88 90-92 n/a 87 81-83 91 84-87 88 85-87 92+ 88 87-88 90-93 90 91-93 92-94 88 88 91-93 90 89 93 86 n/a: not available

CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE Overview: this area encompasses five towns and villages set in the southern part of the Rhône Valley - Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Bédarrides, Courthézon, Orange and Sorgues. The soil is extremely stony, covered with pebbles interspersed with red clay and sand. This type of soil retains heat during the day which it releases by night. Châteauneuf-du-Pape boasts the driest climate in the region with some 2,800 hours of sunshine annually. The wines are vinified traditionally at controlled temperatures. The reds are vatted for around three weeks to ensure maximum extraction. The permitted range of grape varieties is extensive, although many are not widely planted. For the reds: Grenache Noir, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Carignan, Terret Noir, Counoise, Muscardin, Vaccarese, Camarese, Calitor and Picpoul Noir.

CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE Château Cabrières Prestige Château de la Gardine Château Fortia Château La Nerthe Château La Nerthe Cuvée des Cadettes Château Mont-Redon Domaine Bosquet des Papes La Folie Domaine Chante-Perdrix Domaine de la Mordorée La Reine des Bois

2007 2007 2007 2006 2005 2006 2007 2007 2006

For the whites: Clairette, Bourboulenc, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Picpoul Blanc, Picardan, Marsanne, Viognier, Pascal Blanc, Ugni Blanc and Maccabeo. Wine styles: the appellation produces both red and white wines. The red wines with their intense colour are redolent of red fruit, leather, aniseed, spices and the occasional balsamic note. They are round, unctuous, full and supple with good length on the palate. The white wines sport a translucid pale yellow colour. They are fresh and aromatic (floral notes reminiscent of vine flowers, honeysuckle and daffodils) with good staying power on the palate. The reds pair with game (leg of venison, jugged hare, roast woodpigeon) or cheese. The whites are equally delicious as appetisers or with grilled fish doused with olive oil, shellfish and rosemary-flavoured goats cheese.

89 91 89 89 91 91 90 86 92

92 88 90 91 95 90 92 91 93

90+ 90 86 92 96 n/a 91 90 95+ n/a: not available

110

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

Page 111.qxp

05/05/2010

18:58

Page 111

Latch on to quality with the Gilbert & Gaillard labels Gilbert & Gaillard labels are only awarded to wines sampled by our tasting committee and scoring a minimum of 80/100.

Each wine which has been awarded by one of these labels has been tasted and selected by Gilbert & Gaillard.

hanks to these recognisable

labels, you can buy your wine with confidence.

WINE SCORES : Our tasting notes are scored on a 100 point scale, which gives enough range to evaluate every characteristic that we taste in a wine. Below are the different levels that make up this scoring:

95-100/100 : an outstanding wine, when a great "terroir" meets exceptional winemaking expertise. 90-94/100 : a superlative wine combining finesse, complexity and remarkable winemaking. 85-89/100 : a wine of extremely high standard, which we enjoyed for its typicity and character. 80-84/100 : a quality wine combining balance, structure and neatness for a pleasurable wine drinking experience. 75-79/100 : a wine deemed acceptable. 70-74/100 : a wine with defects, unacceptable. 65-69/100 : a wine with major defects, inadmissible. 50-64/100 : unacceptable wine, not worthy for sale. Note : wines scoring less than 75/100 are not included in our publications.

RECOMMENDED WINES

CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE Domaine de Nalys Domaine du Grand Tinel Domaine du Grand Tinel Domaine du Vieux Lazaret Domaine Grand Veneur Les Origines Domaine Moulin-Tacussel Domaine Paul Autard La Côte Ronde La Bastide Saint-Dominique Les Hespérides

2006 2007 2006 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007

89 88 86 88 90 89 90 91

88 91 90 88 92 90 95 92

88 90 88 90-92 96 89 95 89+

CONDRIEU Overview: the Condrieu area, a producer of white wines, is situated 11 kilometres south of Vienne, on the right bank of the Rhône, just below the red wine appellation area Côte Rôtie. Seven villages feature within the area and the vines are planted on sheer granite slopes enriched with patches of loess. The steep inclines make mechanical harvesting impossible and the crop is therefore hand-picked. Low yields warrant the expensive price tag on these wines

CONDRIEU Delas Frères la Galopine E. Guigal Domaine Faury

2007 2006 2004

which are intended to be drunk in their youth (between two and four years old). Wine styles: the appellation only produces white wines, made from the only permitted grape variety, Viognier. Pale gold in colour, they are heady, yet supple, rich and unctuous with a touch of acidity. Principal aromas are acacia honey, violet, musk, apricot and peach. They can be served with freshwater fish, mi-cuit foie gras, goats cheese, king prawns and duck breast with peaches.

87 90 94

91 92 93

87 n/a n/a n/a: not available

CORNAS Overview: this appellation area is set in the northern half of the Rhône Valley, opposite the town of Valence. The only permitted variety is Syrah which forms the basis of the area’s red wines. Similarly, only one village is entitled to the appellation, Cornas in Ardeche. The vines grow on terraces supported by dry stone walls and enjoy maximum sunshine which promotes good ripening. The neighbouring hills also shield the vines from the wind, resulting in significantly higher temperatures than in Hermitage, just 11 kilometres away. The soil is granite with patches of calcareous clay. At the base of the hills, they are sandy with decomposed granite whilst in the northern part of the

CORNAS Domaine Courbis Les Eygats Domaine Courbis Champelrose Jean Luc Colombo Terres Brûlées Domaine Paul Jaboulet ainé Domaine de Saint Pierre Delas Frères Chante Perdrix

2007 2007 2004 2006 2005

appellation, there tends to be more limestone. The only variety used is Syrah. Wine styles: Cornas is a powerful, robust wine in its early years. Its tannins only begin to mellow several years down the line though even then, the wines remain robust with a dark hue. Strangely, it is unlike any of its northern Rhône Valley neighbours and is often described as rustic or wild. The younger wines display aromas of red fruit and pepper, leading into aromas of truffle, amber, hazelnut and liquorice after five to ten years’ ageing. They pair with wild boar in a sauce, venison cutlets marinated in Cornas wine, roast venison or jugged hare.

96 90 92 90 92

91 91 91 87 92

90-92 89-91 90 85 91

COTE-ROTIE Overview: an appellation set in the far northern part of the Rhône Valley. The vines grow on terraces supported by dry stone walls facing south-east, which provides them with maximum sunshine. Three villages are entitled to the appellation: Ampuis, Saint-Cyr-sur-le-Rhône and Tupin-et-Semons. The Côte-Rôtie area is divided into two parts: Côte Blonde and Côte Brune. Côte Blonde is home to steep granite terraces covered with a layer of siliceous limestone, whilst in Côte Brune the soil is iron oxide-rich clay. The wines are vinified traditionally with relatively long vatting periods (two to three weeks) and aged for 18 to 36 months in oak casks which are often new.

COTE-ROTIE Pierre Gaillard Rose Pourpre Domaine Gilles Barge Côte Brune Benjamin et David Duclaux La Germine Domaine Guy Bernard Côte Rozier Vignobles Levet Cuvée Améthyste

2006 2006 2006 2007 2007

Wine styles: these red wines are single varietals made from Syrah, occasionally augmented with a tiny proportion of Viognier. Their deep red colour with purple tints takes on orangy-yellow tints when they reach 10 to 15 years of age. The wines are extremely well-structured, tannic and unctuous with a characteristic intense bouquet. Wines from Côte Blonde tend not to keep for as long as those from Côte Brune. They display aromas of violet, spices (pepper, vanilla), red fruit (raspberry), black fruit and undergrowth. They pair with water fowl, subtly-flavoured meats (roasted young wild boar), truffles and asparagus.

92 89 90 91 91

n/a 90 90 n/a n/a

92 n/a n/a

n/a: not available

112

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

SEE ALL OUR SELECTION ON www.gilbertgaillard.com

CROZES-HERMITAGE Overview: this area is set in the northern part of the Rhône Valley. It forms a boundary around Hermitage in the north and south and embraces 11 villages surrounding Tain-l’Hermitage. Soil types vary greatly with primarily granite hillside sites in the north and alluvium and terraces covered with pebbles of various origins in the south. The red wines are made from Syrah, the white wines from Marsanne and Roussanne.

CROZES-HERMITAGE Domaine Ferraton La Matinière Domaine Paul Jaboulet ainé Domaine Mule Blanche Domaine Paul Jaboulet ainé Domaine de Thalabert

2005 2007 2006

Wine styles: the Crozes-Hermitage appellation produces red and white wines. The deeply-coloured red wines are supple and aromatic. They display aromas of blackcurrant, vanilla, cinnamon, liquorice and menthol notes. Try with a rack of lamb or roast chicken. The floral, elegant white wines are supple and fat, displaying fragrances of almond, passion fruit and white flowers. Serve them with eel in a parsley and garlic sauce, fish in a sauce or goats cheese.

88 89 89

89 91 88

85-87 n/a n/a n/a: not available

HERMITAGE Overview: the appellation area is located in three villages set on the left bank of the Rhône, in the northern portion of the valley. Terraces chiselled into the sheer hillsides are home to the vines here. The soils are predominantly granite though for many years the area was divided into climate-specific sites, each with its own soil make-up. The climate sites situated along the far western end of the hill are formed of gravel and sand on a granite bedrock. On the lower climate sites, clay dominates, whilst calcareous clay occurs on the higher sites. The wines are vinified traditionally at controlled temperatures. Both the red and white wines can be aged either in tanks or oak casks. Wine styles: the Hermitage appellation produces both red and white wines. As in the neighbouring appellations, the red wines are single varietal Syrah. As

HERMITAGE M Chapoutier La Sizeranne M Chapoutier Chante Alouette white Delas Frères Marquise de la Tourette white Delas Frères Marquise de la Tourette Domaine Paul Jaboulet ainé Chevalier de Sterimberg white Domaine Ferraton père & fils Les Dionnières Domaine Ferraton père & fils Le Reverdy white Cave de Tain Au Cœur des Siècles white

2004 2004 2006 2006 2007 2005 2006 2005

a rule of thumb, they display a deep red hue evolving into an orangy colour down the years, and an extremely fragrant nose. These wines are opulent, sumptuous, elegant and will keep for twenty to thirty years. Aromas of violet, peony, blackcurrant, raspberry, spices, truffle, leather and prune are present. Try with game served in a sauce, for example. The white wines are drawn from Marsanne, with a small proportion of Roussanne. They exhibit a pretty golden hue, are fat and full with an elegant framework. The best examples come from vineyards set on the highest elevations. They display fragrances of flowers, unroasted coffee, gunflint, vanilla and toasted almonds, leading into notes of honey and wax as they mature. They marry extremely well with lamb curry, pastilla or chicken tajine with lemon confit.

96 93 91 93 92 90 92 88

91 92 93 92 92 89 93 89

88 94 93 94 90 91-93 94 n/a n/a: not available

SAINT-JOSEPH Overview: the Saint-Joseph area extends over fifty or so kilometres, along the right bank of the Rhône, between the Condrieu and Cornas appellations. The appellation, which produces red and white wines, embraces 23 towns and villages in Ardèche and three in Loire. The soil is poor (shale and gneiss on a bedrock of granite). Wine styles: Saint-Joseph red wines are fruity and pleasant. The best examples come from Mauves, Tournon, Saint-Jean-de-Mujols, Lemps, Vion

SAINT-JOSEPH Domaine Courbis Les Royes Domaine Courbis Delas Frères François de Tournon Pierre Gaillard Les Pierres Domaine Vallet Le Secret d'Antoine

2006 2007 2005 2006 2005

and Glun, north of Cornas. They exhibit aromas of raspberry, blackcurrant, black cherry, violet and liquorice and pair well with braised ham or rabbit casserole. The white wines are fresh and relatively robust with good acidity and pleasant fruitiness, with fragrances of peach, apricot, pear, hawthorn, acacia and honey. They pair with rosemary-flavoured goats cheese or turbot in a mustard sauce.

92 89 89 88 88

92 89 90 91 n/a

90 89 89-90 n/a 90 n/a: not available

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2010

113

COMING UP SOON...

In our next issue HISTORY OF THE VINEYARDS MEDOC AND ITS EXCEPTIONAL TERROIRS: Situated between the Landes pine forests and the mouth of the Gironde, Médoc’s flat landscape is not exactly inspiring. How is it that this area produces some of the world’s very best wines?

7, parc des Fontenelles - 78870 Bailly - France Tel.+33 (0)1 30 80 08 08 - Fax +33 (0)1 30 80 08 88 EDITORIAL DIRECTORS: François Gilbert and Philippe Gaillard EDITOR IN CHIEF: Sylvain Patard TASTING COMMITTEE: François Gilbert, Philippe Gaillard, Sylvain Patard, Olivier Delorme and James Turnbull REDACTION: Michèle Huyard CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE: Bernard Barbuk, Jim Budd, Pierre Courdurié, Christine Fabre, Guillaume Gilbert, Walid Haddad, Bernard Hudelot, Louise Hurren, Jean Natoli, Edward Peters, Franck Rousseau, Philippe Roux

REGION THE DOURO VALLEY: this remarkable area, renowned both for its landscape and the quality of its Port wines, is also one of the first places in the world to have put in place codified and restrictive rules concerning production.

TRANSLATION: Elise Bradbury, Sharon Nagel CORRECTION: Louise Hurren

FAMILY BUSINESS LOUIS LATOUR: An independent, familyrun business, Maison Latour is known worldwide for the quality of its red and white wines. The Latour family have been winegrowers since the 17th century; today, they head up a 50-hectare domaine that constitutes the largest surface of Grands Crus in the Côte d'Or.

And...

COVER STORY: NEW YORK’S HOT SPOTS ● SYRAH AND THE RHONE

VALLEY: A PERFECT MATCH OF GRAPE VARIETY AND TERROIR ● THE VINEYARDS OF OREGON ● AWAY TO THE HIGHLANDS! ● PROVENCE ● SARDINIA ● TOURAINE ● WINE AND FOOD ● RECOMMENDED WINES ● NEWS ● WINE ON LINE ● PARIS LIFE, NEW YORK LIFE, TOKYO LIFE ● ORGANIC NEWS ● INTERNATIONAL WINE QUOTATIONS ● EXPORT...

Page 81

Vignerons de Beaumes de Venise Tel.+33 (0)4 90 12 41 19 sica@beaumes-de-venise.com

Champagne Marquis de Pomereuil Tel.+33 (0)3 25 29 32 24 marquis.de.pomereuil@hexanet.fr www.marquisdepomereuil.com

Domaine des Amouriers Tel.+33 (0)4 90 65 83 22 domaine@amouriers.com Domaine Nudant Jean-René Tel.+33 (0)3 80 26 40 48 domaine.nudant@wanadoo.fr www.domaine-nudant.fr

114

Champagne J. M. Gobillard & fils Tel.+33 (0)3 26 51 00 24 champagne-gobillard@wanadoo.fr www.champagne-gobillard.com

Champagne P. Lassalle-Hanin Tel.+33 (0)3 26 03 40 96 gaec.lassalle.hanin@wanadoo.fr Château de Berne Tel.+33 (0)4 94 60 43 60 vins@chateauberne.com www.chateauberne.com Domaine de l'Olivette Tel.+33 (0)4 94 98 58 85 contact@domaine-olivette.com www.domaine-olivette.com

GILBERT & GAILLARD WINE INTERNATIONAL

LAY-OUT: Renata Lahalle PRINTING: MAURY - FRANCE DISTRIBUTOR IN FRANCE: MLP DISTRIBUTION SUPERVISED BY EXPORT PRESS DISTRIBUTORS IN EUROPE: UK: Native Publisher services ltd, LS28 7LG Pudsey Belgium: Imapress, 2300 Turnhout Holland: Betapress, 5126PT GILZE Germany: WE Saarbach gmbh, 50332 Hurth Denmark: Interpress, 2605 Broendby Sweden: Svenska ab, 120 22 Stockholm DISTRIBUTORS IN NORTH AMERICA: USA: Speedimpex, 11 101 New York Medis Marketing Direct, New York Source Interlink, FL 34134 Bonita Springs Canada: LMPI, H1J 2L5 Anjou DISTRIBUTORS IN ASIA: China and Hong Kong: FPPS, Hong Kong Japan: DIP, 107 0051 TOKYO Taiwan: MULTI-ARTS, 10455 Taipei Korea : UPA, 110-850 Séoul DISTRIBUTORS IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW-ZEALAND: Gordon and Gotch Australia, Sydney Gordon and Gotch Australia, Auckland

CONTACT DETAILS OF ESTATES FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE: Page 21

ADVERTISING: Annick Delauneux - Tel.+33 (0)3 26 55 28 92 Sophie Michels - Tel.+33 (0)1 30 80 13 70 Alix Noblet - Tel.+33 (0)1 30 80 81 69

MAY 2010

Gilbert & Gaillard Wine International is published by Vinipresse, SARL with a capital of 35,500 euros • Head office: 7 Parc des Fontenelles, 78870 Bailly, France • Legal representative and Editorial director: Sylvain Patard • Legal deposit: second quarter 2010 • Joint consultative committee: in progress. Reproduction of part or all of the contents of this magazine in any form is expressly prohibited. Any company names that appear in the articles are given for information only and have no publicity purpose.