2006
December
Joanna Simon recommends Pauillac de Château Latour
Grape Expectations
I’ve been sent a Bordeaux wine brochure and, as is so often the case, its opening gambit is: “Bordeaux is the largest fine-wine-making region in the world”. I can’t argue with the fact that Bordeaux is big – there are 120,000 hectares of vineyards, roughly 20,000 more than in South Africa – but even so, I’m uncomfortable with the description. It’s true, but only up to a point. Beyond that it’s misleading, because although the illustrious châteaux produce more of the world’s screamingly expensive wine than any other region, most of its bottles – red and white – are anything but fine wine.
This is partly because Bordeaux got left behind in the 1990s. While other countries and less celebrated French regions worked to improve their vineyards and winemaking, Bordeaux stuck its collective head in the famous soil. But it’s also because a lot of the area is never going to make anything other than ordinary wines: the climate and soil aren’t right. What to do? Well, don’t give up on Bordeaux – try the recommendation below for a start – but don’t expect fine wine for a fiver.
2002 Pauillac de Château Latour
'The famous château’s third label: classically pure and mellow.'
Joanna Simon, Sunday Times Style Magazine, 3rd December, 2006
(03.12.06)
November
The Times Magazine featured two wines from the Lay & Wheeler portfolio including Jane’s ‘Star White.’
Jane MacQuitty’s Top 100 Winter Wines, the under £20 category. Week four featured two wines from the Lay & Wheeler portfolio including Jane’s ‘Star White.’
What Jane MacQuitty had to say:
Star White
2004 Saint-Aubin, La Princée, Hubert Lamy, France.
Made from ten different parcels of vineyards, some of which have premier cru status, this white burgundy was easily the star white in this selection. Low yields and part maturation in new oak, combined with traditional vinification, all add to this gorgeous La Princée, overflowing with sweet, ripe, smoky, hazelnut-charged fruit.
Red
2003 Elio Grasso, Vigna Martina, Barbera d’Alba, Italy.
This humble barbera d’alba is a stunner with lots of dark velvety spice, and is a testament to Elio Grasso’s conscientious, hard working approach. Elio was supposed to have handed over responsibility for his estate and wines to his son Gianluca, but typically, he is still at the helm. With just 35 acres of vines, this tiny property, taken over by Elio in 1978, continues to vinifiy each plot separately, and this attention to detail shows, with this delicious, plump, plummy, perfumed red.
Call 0845 330 1855 for details
(26.11.06)
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The Times Magazine featured three wines from the Lay & Wheeler portfolio including Jane’s ‘Star Red.' The under £12 category.
The Times Magazine featured Jane MacQuitty’s Top 100 Winter Wines. , featured three wines from the Lay & Wheeler portfolio including Jane’s ‘Star Red.’
What Jane MacQuitty had to say:
Star Red
2005 Domaine Boudau Le Clos, Côtes du Roussillon, Véronique et Pierre Boudau, France
Remarkably, this powerful, 50 to 60-year-old grenache-based red, topped up with a dash of syrah and carignan, is one of the lesser wines Domaine Boudau produces. No matter, its magnificent, sweet, ripe, plum, prune and mulberry fruit is terrific value for money, and comes complete with a rich, creamy palate. Get cracking, though, as there is not much to go round.
Whites
2005 Fritz Haag Riesling Kabinett, Brauneberg, Mosel.
The 2005 vintage was a great one for Germany with rafts of gorgeous, honeyed, yet racy rieslings. Fritz Haag has long been one of the Brauneberg Hill’s top wine estates, and the blessings bestowed by the 2005 vintage make this Kabinett a very superior wine, with an elegant, light, floral bouquet and lots of delicious, waxy, spiced-peach fruit, the sign of a sunny riesling year.
2004 Meyer Fonné, Tokay-Pinot Gris, Réserve Particulière, François et Felix Meyer, France.
Alsace’s tokay grape is more accurately known as pinot gris to distinguish it from the Hungarian sticky of the same name. The rich, almost nutty, off-dry spice of the Alsace wine goes down wonderfully well with game terrines and rich chicken-liver pâtés, so tuck into this impressive, elegant, greengage-sweet 2004 with gusto.
Call 0845 330 1855 for details
(21.11.06)
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International Wines for Oysters Gold Medal
2005 Staete Landt Sauvignon Blanc
Each year, the Old Ebbitt Grill in Washington DC holds a competition to find the best wines to drink with oysters. This year Staete Landt’s fresh, zesty 2005 Sauvignon Blanc was awarded a gold medal by the judges.
The Old Ebbitt Grill is a famous establishment, frequented over the years by many a US President including Grant, Cleveland, Harding and Theodore Roosevelt. The oyster bar is a Washington institution, holding an annual ‘Oyster Riot’ just before Thanksgiving at which around a thousand people devour tens of thousands of oysters washed down with glasses of the gold medal winning wines.
Lay & Wheeler’s Wine List has featured Staete Landt’s Sauvignon Blanc since the estate’s first vintage in 2000. The wines are from prime sites in Marlborough’s Rapaura region and are all single vineyard wines. The fresh, harmonious Sauvignon has gathered quite a following among staff and customers alike. It came as no surprise to us that it has been awarded a gold medal in this competition as many of us have been sipping it with the Colchester native oysters this season!
Judges’ comments: “Once again, New Zealand wines have done extremely well in showing their ability to match with food, and in particular with shellfish. Any restaurant that serves fresh-shucked oysters, should also feature them with New Zealand wines”.
(10.11.06)
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News from the International Wine and Spirit Competition
Award Winning Wine
We are delighted to announce that Viña Arboleda was judged to be Chilean Wine Producer of the Year. In addition to this, Viña Arboleda won the Wines of Chile award for best Carmenère. Lay & Wheeler are the sole UK distributors of Arboleda wines.
About the competition
The International Wine and Spirit Competition is the premier competition of its kind on the international stage. Each year, a panel of expert judges select the best producers in various categories through a series of blind tastings, backed up by chemical and microbiological analysis of the wines.
Viña Arboleda
Eduardo Chadwick, owner of Errazuriz has had great international success with his wines under this label. Arboleda is his latest venture, started in 1996. The estate comprises vineyards planted with Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carmenère and Syrah. The vineyards are situated in the Colchagua Valley, and benefit from the cooling ocean breezes, a long ripening period and careful irrigation to ensure low yields. These award-winning wines have quickly gained a strong following among Lay & Wheeler customers.
2004 Carmenère, Arboleda, Colchagua Valley, Chile
Judging panel’s comment: “Big, powerful with some fresh plum, bell pepper – vibrant fruit, rich oak. Characteristic Carmenère structure”.
(05.11.06)
October
Fromm Winery has the excitement X Factor
Fromm gained high praise from its peers in the wine business for wine quality excellence and for developing new types of wines. The survey involved in-depth interviews with owners, directors, managing directors, and general managers of wine companies. They were asked to rate the excitement factor in companies other than their own in areas such as new products, and quality excellence to name a few. It is designed to unearth businesses that are doing fantastic things. Fromm Winery received an excitement score of 74, similar to a personality test, 3 points behind Millton Vineyard and Astrolabe who took out shared first place in the survey. Here is what they said about Fromm: “Brilliance in wine quality. Not a weak wine in their portfolio. Just fastidious – they are Swiss Role model from a winemaker's point of view. First to show what could be done with red wine in Marlborough. Leading charge in red wine quality and new varieties, Syrah, Malbec. Very small company, employs 12 people.” Fromm is proud to receive such high praise from its industry peers. “We are excited and humbled to know that our peers hold us in such high regard”, say directors Georg Fromm and Pol Lenzinger. Fromm has an elaborate wine portfolio of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Merlot. Further specialties are Syrah, Malbec and a range of delectable low alcohol Rieslings. The certificate is posted on www.frommwineries.com
September
August