As you drive along the N-122 from Valladolid towards Peñafiel it is easy to find Vega Sicilia. Just keep an eye on the red kilometre posts and when you reach km 323 you are there. A rather functional address for one of the world’s greatest wine domaines but reassuringly unpretentious and very handy if you do not have satellite navigation.

This was the first stop on our recent road trip to Spain to seek inspiration from two of Spain’s top wine regions – Ribera del Duero and Rioja. Javier Ausas Lopez de Castro, the technical director, was our guide for the visit and after a brief introduction we jumped in the cars and drove 10km down the road to their Alion winery.

Alion is Vega Sicilia’s newer Ribera del Duero winery (1991). A superb 120 hectare estate producing one wine from one grape variety – Tempranillo or Tinto Fino as it’s called here. The pristine grape reception area looks down on the vinification cellar, three quarters complete with wooden foudres, the other quarter currently being replaced as part of a rolling renovation programme. Post fermentation the wine undergoes ageing in new Nevers barriques for around 15 months followed by 2 years ageing in bottle. It is highly impressive to witness 2 years worth of stock gently ageing before your eyes. The attention to detail from grape growing to bottling – there is even a machine to make sure the Alion branded corks are always inserted the correct way up, is staggering. Statistics and superlatives abound but none more so than with harvesting. Everything is harvested by hand and up to 300 people are employed. In 1999 harvest lasted 6 weeks, in 2005 the harvest was completed in 5 days !

Alion 2007 : Lovely perfume, elegant red fruits, medium bodied, early drinking. Excellent wine from a cool and difficult vintage. Harvested 7-10 October. 100% Tinto Fino, 14 months ageing in barriques, 2 years ageing in bottle. Due for release late 2011.

Alion 2005: Fuller, more structured than 2007. Concentrated, fine grained tannins interwoven with wild strawberry fruits.A seamless wine with no rough edges or flaws. 100% Tinto Fino, 13 months ageing. Harvested 20 – 26 September.

Alion 2000 : Brick red, more savoury than others, a maelstrom of leather, truffle, spice and hedgerow fruit with trademark elegant finish. 100% Tinto Fino, 15 months ageing. Big vintage – 316680 bottles produced.

Vega Sicilia

Back in the car for a short drive back to Vega Sicilia via a trip though the vineyards.Here they just make 3 wines , Unico, a Gran Reserva vintage wine produced in the best years, Valbuena the second wine of Vega Sicilia  and Reserva Especial a non-vintage blend from exceptional years – rare as hen’s teeth. The impressive statistics keep on coming :

200 hectares of vineyard, 1.4million oak trees planted, carbon neutral, no vines under 10 years old are used, oldest vines 110 years, own massale selection of vines (15 types), average yield 22hl/ha…

One of the striking things about Ribera was the weather. Snow on the way down, morning mists, frost.. this is a marginal climate. At around 800m altitude it is common to experience frosts at either end of the growing season – spring and autumn, witness 27th September 2008 -4 degrees C ! As Javier remarked – people always underestimate the harsh conditions in Ribera, popularly referred to as ” 9 months hiver, 3 months l’enfer ..” The vineyards at Vega Sicilia are located either side of the N-122. In broad terms those on the North facing side are for Valbuena and Unico, the flatter more alluvial soils on the South facing side are predominantly Alion.

Tinto Fino is the main variety at Vega Sicilia, complemented by Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and a few vines of white Albillo. Full hand harvesting (300 people), severe selection in vineyard and winery, de-stemming and long oak and bottle ageing are the hallmarks of this domaine. The facility is a juxtaposition of several buildings with state of the art equipment (each destemmer alone costs around 60,000€) and a separate fermentation cellar for Unico. It’s not just a case of money no object, there is an understandable reason for each process and an awe in that nothing is left to chance.

We were firmly on Spanish time now and we moved to the private house for pre-lunch tasting, aperitif (a classy Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill 1998) and lunch. Pablo Alvarez, the owner of Vega Sicilia, hosted a fabulous meal which we finally got up from the table at 5;15pm. The pre-lunch tasting included :

Pintia 2008 : The VS estate in Toro.Deep purple, intense blackberry and blueberry fruit, tight structure like a caged tiger desperate to be unleashed. 100% Tempranillo (Tinto de Toro), 40-60 year old vines, 12 months in oak, 70% French/30% American, 2 years in bottle. Due for release later in 2011.

Pintia 2007 : Super ripe raspberry and fig, bold but integrated style with high degree of minerality, surprising freshness and elegance that belie the 15 degrees of alcohol.The big boulders in Toro (similar to the galets roulés of Châteauneuf) have a real influence on this wine.

Oremus “Mandolas” 2007 : The Tokaji estate owned by VS. 100% Furmint, pale gold, dry, modern style with traces of lanolin and quince underpinned by crisp acidity.  Fermented in Hungarian oak, aged for 6 months in barrel with batonnage and 1 year in bottle.

Wines with Lunch

Lunch was served with 2 vintages of Valbuena and 4 vintages of Unico – all served blind.

Valbuena 2006 : Perfumed, fragrant, pure core of red fruits, oak quite prominent but not overbearing. 15 months in new oak (60% American, 40% French), 3 months in one year old oak and 3 months in wooden vats. Tinto Fino 85%, Merlot and Malbec 15%.

Valbuena 2000 : More leathery and balsamic with gorgeous wild strawberry flavours, delightful tannins and refreshing acidity. A wine at peak but with the stamina and silkiness to keep going and going .. more Sebastian Coe than Steve Ovett.

Unico 2003 : Lightly fragrant, deceptive debut, starts slowly but quickly picks up pace. Lovely mélange of cherry, vanilla and spice with a suppleness and elegance that lingers. Hard to believe this wine has had over 6 years ageing in oak.. The next Unico for commercial release.90% Tinto Fino, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. 37000 bottles produced.

Unico 1999 : Deep ruby, cherry, forest fruits, leather, cedar, gunsmoke and wild herbs – like a symphony orchestra in full flow. Impressive on every level but still with the trademark restraint and class. Harvested really late even for Vega Sicilia. Started 11th October, finished 16th November.90% Tinto Fino, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.  Wood ageing : 21 months in vat, 20 months in new oak, 17 months in 1-2 year old oak and 24 months in large vats. 3 years bottle age.96159 bottles, 2596 Magnums, 157 Double Magnums

Unico 1994 : Brick red, more evolved style, cassis, menthol, mocca, pencil shavings and sweet spice.  A totally harmonious wine with unbelievable poise and class and an infinite finish. Like Margot Fonteyn and Darcy Bussell combined. Incredible wine. 85% Tinto Fino, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged 24 months in vat, 22 months in new oak, 30 months in 1-2 year old casks, 30 months in large vats followed by 3 years in bottle. 96280 bottles, 2196 Magnums, 150 Double Magnums

Unico 1953 : Verging on the garnet, cocktail of wild fruits, rosemary, truffle, iodine and cedar. Elegant and persistent with immense breeding and stature. Lovely weight, more akin to Grand Cru Burgundy than First Growth Bordeaux. 80% Tinto Fino, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, Malbec and Albillo. Ageing – long.. 32000 bottles produced.

And finally..

Oremus Aszú 5 puttonyos 2002 : Deep gold, huge botrytis, marmelade, beeswax and barleysugar all underpinned with searing acidity. Benchmark Tokaji in the modern rather than oxidative style. 75% Furmint, 20% Hársevelü, 5% Muscat de Lunel. Fermented in Hungarian oak for 2 months, aged for 2 and half years in new Hungarian oak. 12% Alcohol, 148g/l Residual Sugar.

After our final goodbyes and photos we left at 5:30pm. Often in the wine trade you are privileged to taste some top wines in wonderful locations. However in 24 years in this wonderful trade I find it hard to remember a more extraordinary day that I have experienced. To spend over 6 hours with one of the world’s greatest winemakers, enjoy unrivaled access to the majestic facilities, share lunch with owner Pablo Alvarez and to taste some outstanding wines including 4 vintages of Unico spanning 50 years will live for ever in the memory.

I would like to thank both Javier and Pablo for giving up their entire day to us and for providing us with such a memorable experience. Finally, an extra special thank you to Elisa Kwon for making the whole day possible. Muchas gracias !

During the WSET L2 course today, we conducted a cork/screwcap challenge. The wine in question was Château Couhins-Lurton 2007 white Pessac-Léognan, a 100% barrel fermented Sauvignon Blanc from the Graves in Bordeaux, kindly donated by Véronique Bouffard from André Lurton. All the students left the room while I poured the wine into 2 glasses. On their return they tasted the 2 wines and wrote down (in a kind of secret ballot) which wine they preferred. Wine A was cork, Wine B was screwcap. Wine A received 2 votes, Wine B 4 votes. A victory for the screwcap.

What was interesting is that there was a clear difference between the 2 wines. Wine A (cork) was deeper in colour, very expressive with more  evolved aromas of lanolin, bootpolish and honey. Wine B (screwcap), in contrast, was less aromatic on the nose but the palate showed a highly clinical purity of citrus fruit, tighter structure of oak and acidity and a more youthful vitality.

OK, so it’s not particularly scientific, but it does show that for these styles of wine consumers (and not just wine trade professionals) clearly appreciate the tauter, refreshing profile brought by the screwcap. These are consumers who before expressed no particular preference but were willing to approach the trial with an open mind. It worked well in a controlled, educational environment. I realize selling it to the wider French wine drinking public, especially here in Bordeaux, would be a much tougher challenge.

Another eleven students, this time from 8 different countries, turned up for our second MW exam blind tasting weekend at the end of January. The group, which included a big Scandinavian contingent and a fairly even split between first and second years, stepped up to the challenge Juliet and I had prepared for the weekend. The wines as usual contained a mixture of classic styles, well known and a few lesser known varieties and a few “curved balls” to test everyone’s knowledge and reasoning. In detail the wines were as follows :

Paper 1

1. Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay 2007, Margaret River, Australia

2. Temporada Chardonnay 2009, Mendoza, Argentina

3. Talmard Macon- Chardonnay, Mallory et Benjamin 2009, Macon, France

4. Carillon Puligny Montrachet 2007, Burgundy, France

5. Château de Fesles Anjou Sec 2008, Anjou, France

6. Grosset Springvale Watervale Riesling 2009, Clare Valley, Australia

7. Millton Te Aria Vineyard Chenin Blanc 2007, Gisborne, New Zealand

8. Villiera Chenin Blanc 2010, Stellenbosch, South Africa

9. Condrieu Chéry, Perret 2009, Condrieu, France

10. Clay Station Viognier 2009, Lodi, California

11. Vina Real Rioja, CVNE 2006, Rioja, Spain

12. Picpoul de Pinet, Cave de Pomerols 2009, Languedoc, France

Paper 2

1. Nicolas Catena Zapata 2006, Mendoza, Argentina

2. Yalumba “The Menzies” Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Coonawarra, Australia

3. Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 2006, Pauillac, France

4. Ridge Montebello 2007, Santa Cruz, California

5. Clos Mogador 2006, Priorat, Spain

6. Laderas de El Seque 2009, Alicante, Spain

7. La Rioja Alta, Vina Arana, Reserva 2001, Rioja, Spain

8. Bohorquez Ribera del Duero 2004, Ribera del Duero, Spain

9. Castello di Brolio Chianti Classico, Barone Ricasoli 2007, Tuscany, Italy

10. Gerard Bertrand Merlot IGP Pays d’Oc 2009, Languedoc, France

11. Quinta da Rigodeira Bairrada 2005, Bairrada, Portugal

12. The Den Pinotage, Painted Wolf 2009, Coastal Region, South Africa

Paper 3

1. Graham’s Vintage Port 1980, Douro, Portugal

2. The Wine Society’s LBV (Symington) 2005, Douro, Portugal

3. Dow’s Colheita 1996, Douro, Portugal

4. Château Sociando-Mallet 2005, Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux

5. La Demoiselle de Sociando-Mallet 2008, Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux

6. The Wine Society’s Chilean Pinot Noir 2009, Leyda, Chile

7. Leyda Lot 21 Pinot Noir 2008, Leyda, Chile

8. Côte Rôtie, Les Bécasses, Chapoutier 2006, Rhône, France

9. St Joseph, Deschants, Chapoutier 2007, Rhône, France

10. De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon 2007, Riverina, Australia

11. Samos Anthemis Muscat 2004, Samos, Greece

12. Jurançon Moelleux La Megendia de Lapeyre, Clos Lapeyre 2006, Jurançon, France

Juliet Bruce Jones MW and I hosted our first MW blind tasting weekend in December. The idea was simply to give MW students experience and practice at answering the practical under exam conditions – a sort of mock exam. The tastings follow the exam format (2 and a quarter hours for each paper) and these are then followed by feedback sessions, whereby the students are given constructive advice on how to answer in a manner the examiners are looking for.

Eleven people from five different countries participated in this first event with one first year student coming from Vancouver for the weekend ! It’s not all school and exams : there are also dinners where people share bottles they’ve bought (more about this in an upcoming post) and even some free time..The main focus, however,  is the tasting papers and as any MW student will tell you, the more you practice the luckier you get….

The wines tasted over the weekend as follows :

Paper 1

1. McHenry Hohen Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Margaret River, Australia

2. Domaine de Chevalier Blanc 2005, Graves, Bordeaux

3. Tyrell’s Vat 1 Hunter Semillon 2002, Hunter Valley, Australia

4. Isabel Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Marlborough, New Zealand

5. Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett JJ Prüm 2007, Mosel, Germany

6. Forster Pechstein Bürklin-Wolf Riesling 2007, Pfalz, Germany

7. Erbacher Marcobrunn Riesling Kabinett Von Simmern 2007, Rheingau, Germany

8. Kumeu River Estate Chardonnay 2006, Auckland, New Zealand

9. Kumeu River Village Chardonnay 2008, Auckland, New Zealand

10. René Muré Signature Pinot Gris 2009, Alsace, France

11. AS Sortes Godello 2008, Valdeorras, Spain

12. Tesco Reserve Chenin Blanc 2009, Western Cape, South Africa

Paper 2

1. Clos St Denis Grand Cru Jadot 2006, Morey St Denis, Burgundy

2. Volnay Vieilles Vignes Nicolas Potel 2006, Volnay, Burgundy

3. Bourgogne Cuvée St Vincent, Vincent Girardin 2006, Burgundy

4.Vosne Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots, Conferon-Contedit 2006, Vosne Romanée, Burgundy

5. Brunello di Montalcino, Gianni Brunelli 2003, Tuscany, Italy

6. Brindisi Vigna Flaminia Vallone 2007, Puglia, Italy

7. Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso Torre del Falasco 2008, Veneto, Italy

8. Barolo Monprivato Mascarello 2005, Piedmont, Italy

9. De Martino Legado Reserva Carmenère 2008, Maipo, Chile

10. Cline Zinfandel 2008, California, USA

11. Domaine Pierre Cros Minervois, Les Aspres 2008, Minervois, France

12. Faldeos Nevados Malbec 2009, Mendoza, Argentina

Paper 3

1. Nyetimber Brut Classic Blend 2005, Sussex, England

2. Pelorus Brut Cloudy Bay 2006, Marlborough, New Zealand

3. André Gallois Vin Mousseux NV, France

4. Billecart-Salmon Brut Réserve NV, Champagne, France

5. Barroubio Muscat de St Jean de Minervois 2009, St Jean de Minervois, France

6. Stanton and Killeen Rutherglen Muscat (av 12 years), Victoria, Australia

7. Cave de Beblenheim, Muscat Sec 2009, Alsace, France

8. Asti Spumante Villa Jolanda NV, Piedmont, Italy

9. Hardy’s Nottage Hill Cabernet Shiraz 2008, SE Australia

10. Château Musar 2003, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

11. Lustau Oloroso Don Nuno, Jerez, Spain

12. Henriques & Henriques Bual 15 y.o. , Madeira

Some may argue that calling yourself an “outsider” in your adopted country may lead to a certain scepticism and reticence on behalf of the locals. Others would say it should be seen as a compliment and proof that people from beyond the French territoire are proud to invest their time and considerable ressource in an area that deserves recognition. Whatever your opinion it’s always great when a bunch of like-minded people group together to put on an excellent tasting.

Held in a super “cool” bistro in downtown Montpellier, Chez Boris, 11 producers from all over the region put on a total of 4 wines each. Less is often more in the wine business, a maxim that many importers should consider when presenting to buyers, and all the more manageable in what turned out to be probably the most tightly packed tasting I’ve ever attended. Sadly the crush became so intense towards the end that I couldn’t actually reach the table (long given up on the spittoon) and so was not able to get round all the producers.

Nevertheless, I did manage to give it a good go and highlights of the evening included : Rives-Blanques Dédicace, certainly one of the best 100% Chenins outside of the Loire, Classique Blanc La Clape White from Château d’Anglès, a really refreshing Bourboulenc based blend from a generally arid location, and Jones Blanc 2009 a lovely 100% Grenache Gris from the eponymous vineyard of Katie Jones in the foothills of Queribus castle.

New to me were the impressive estates of Mas des Dames, close to Saint Chinian and Domaine de Cébène on the outskirts of neighbouring Faugères. I loved the concise named ‘La Dame’ from owner and winemaker Lidewiji van Wilgen of Mas des Dames, a quintessential Languedoc red blend of Grenache/Syrah and Carignan. The Cuvée Ex Arena from Brigitte Chevalier at Cébène, on paper a blockbuster Grenache/Mourvèdre blend but in reality a triumph of subtlety and elegance, was also a revelation and a steal at what I guess amounts to around 10€ retail in France.

To round off the tasting a visit to some regular friends, Combebelle the Biodynamic Estate owned by Catherine Wallace whose “Fleurs Sauvages” captures the high-top, garrigue fuelled plateau of Saint Chinian to a tee, and O’Vineyards Proprietor’s Reserve Cabardès, a big, bold Atlantic/Mediterranean blend that would rival many a Cru Classé Bordeaux in a blind tasting challenge. The least you would expect from Ryan O’Connell , a man who has done more to put this most westerly Languedoc Appellation on the map.

With the distance to the bottles, table and spittoon increasing, the persistent inward flow of restaurant diners it became impossible to taste further so I was unable to reach Domaine Treloar, Calet, Vella Frontera and Domaine Sainte Rose. Still a good reason to visit when next in their respective areas.

All in all a very good tasting, superbly organised and arranged by Louise Hurren. I managed to catch up with some old friends and discover something new. For the record I think the Outsiders is a great name, it embodies the notion of a struggle for acceptance, a very necessary quality when setting up a domaine in the Languedoc-Roussillon ! It seems appropriate to leave with a quote from Albert Camus whose most famous novel carries the same name : “Charm is a way of getting the answer yes without asking a clear question.”

Last week I spoke to several winemakers from across the region, their opinion on how the English speaking countries drink wine was not very favourable. Many were appalled by the amount that we drank in one sitting, one winemaker citing that he had often witnessed ‘couples drinking a bottle each over dinner’. Others believed that we did not drink wine with food at all, only as a ‘drink’, an apero or after dinner, and so did not respect the wine,saying we just want an alcoholic fruit juice.

I was given the impression that they felt that wine should be enjoyed at the table and only at the table. However little mention was given as to whether it mattered what we ate just as long as we ate with the wine. Which confused me, as if the whole idea is that wine is an integral part of the meal and only becomes whole with food, does that not mean that the taste of the wine will then change depending on the food served with it? Sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse?

I was at a professional tasting last week and they put out bread and olives alongside the wines and I witnessed all the wine makers munching on green olives with big, burly reds!? Now that can’t be right can it? Salt exaggerates tannins bitter causing them to taste bitter.

At present the average consumption in France is (approx) 55 lt per person per year, whereas in the UK it is only 25 lt. So why is it with less than half the average consumption of the French do the British (amongst the other English speaking nations) have such a poor reputation of guzzling alcoholics?

English speakers what make you of this slander???!!

I have just finished reading the Imbibe.com article on the top wine lists in the UK and decided to check these lists out for myself. What I found was not that surprising but still disappointing, as on searching through these lists I noticed that the wines of the Languedoc-Roussillon were very poorly represented.

There are some great lists, imaginative and well thought out. But when it comes to wines of the Languedoc-Roussillon the majority are still only buying simple VdP D’Ocs at entry level. Both The Bull and The Ambassador only had 2 from this region, at pouring wine level. Whilst the Cherwell and The Bell at Skenfrith faired better, but still the range was very limited in comparison to the selections from the Loire or the Rhone Valleys.

Which made me query why? It is not because the quality is lacking or that they do not offer good value for money. Nor is that they are snubbed by the wine press, Jancis Robinson often raves about the wines found here as does Tim Atkin. So what is it that is holding the restauranteurs back from buying a more interesting, dynamic selection of wines from the Languedoc-Roussillon. Is it that they are worried that their clients will not buy them? Are they themselves not aware of the range of quality wines available here?

Either way it proves that as region we still have a long way to go to be accepted as a quality wine region.

http://bit.ly/aTkoZM

Just put together our plan to celebrate Grenache with the rest of the world. The 24th of September is International Grenache Day where winemakers, professionals and lovers around the world get together to celebrate the, often over looked, Grenache. As a variety it is one of the more complex and certainly most varied coming in blanc, gris, rouge and noir!

Today we held our first public Family Tasting and I am delighted to say it was a roaring success. We had 11 adults tasting 8 wines from across the Languedoc-Roussillon and 5 children, aged from 3 to 10, tasting 8 juices ‘blind’! Together they got to learn how to identify tastes and then whilst the adults learnt about the diversity of the wines of the region their children sampled a mix of ‘mono cépage’ and ‘assemblage’ fruit juices!

Although we have always said that children are welcome at our Tastings, and we have had several attend in the past, this was the first time that we had run an event where we actually catered for the kids. The 5 children were great fun, when it came to working out the 4 different tastes the 10 year old was on the ball and identified 3 immediately!

If you are thinking that wine tasting and children don’t mix, think again! Today the children were not only were encouraged to taste a range of flavours but also to think about what it was they were tasting. Maybe this is something they should introduce at school to encourage children to explore their palates and be more adventurous.

Whilst Matt and I talked the adults through the wines, the children tasted and coloured, and it was the adults that were noisy and rambunctious not their kids!!! It is worth noting that children have very defined palates, they have not yet destroyed them with strong flavours such as coffee, spice and cigarettes, and so they found ‘blind’ tasting a lot easier than we do. The winning score was 9 out of 12, at only 8 years old! Impressive and I am not sure how well we would have done had the tables been turned.

Our next Family Tasting is the 11th of August but I think we may well be running a few more….

I have often been asked whether organic wines give hangovers or not!! My reply is usually that drinking enough of anything will give a hangover, organic, biodynamic, cheap, expensive….

However it is often found that organic wines do not give the painful headache in the middle of the forehead as this comes from excessive use of sulphur and spraying pesticides onto the vines. The sulphur allowed for organic wines is half that of conventional wines. What I find particularly interesting is that those who suffer headaches from drinking wine are able to drink cheap beer with apparently no ill affect. Also, to my knowledge, they have not had an ill effect from eating non-organic dried apricots or drinking fresh orange juice, both of which contain high levels of sulphur.

So is sulphur the dastardly culprit that we all think it is?? Actually it is often the naturally occurring histamines that cause the headaches. These are found on the skins of the grapes, hence a general feeling that red wines give more headaches than whites.Produced by wild yeasts and bacteria they are also common in food stuffs where some fermentation has taken place.

So if you suffer from a ‘wine headache’ take note whether the following foods also give you a headache: cheese, charcuterie, chocolate and oriental foods.

Organic wines will definitely have less sulphur and no traces of chemical sprays but they cannot prevent a hangover!

Cheers!