My top 50 Argentine wines 2012

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Tim Atkin

These are 50 of my favourite Argentine wines, shown at a tasting in London yesterday and selected from an extensive report to be published next month.

To explain the way I made the selection: I restricted myself to two wines per winery and tried to show as many wines as possible that reflected their terroir rather than an imposed winemaking style. Some of these names will be familiar to tasters, some will be new. The idea, as ever, is to stimulate debate.

White Wines

2011 Alta Vista Premium Torrontés, Cafayate, Salta (£10)
2011 Susana Balbo Crios Torrontés, Cafayate, Salta (£10.99)
2010 Etchart Gran Linaje Torrontés, Cafayate, Salta (£12)
2011 Mendel Semillon, Mendoza (£9.75)
2010 Luigi Bosca Gala 3, Mendoza (£17.50)
2009 Catena ‘White Stones’ Chardonnay, Uco Valley, Mendoza (£55)
2006 Terrazas Afincado Late Harvest Petit Manseng, Mendoza (N/A)

Pinot Noir

2010 Chacra Barda Pinot Noir, Río Negro, Patagonia

Merlot

2009 Humberto Canale Gran Reserva, Río Negro, Patagonia

Bonarda

2011 Passionate Wines Inéditos, Uco Valley, Mendoza (N/A)
2010 Emma Zuccardi Bonarda, Santa Rosa, Mendoza (£18)

Cabernet Sauvignon

2009 Piattelli Grand Reserve, Uco Valley, Mendoza (NA)
2008 Andeluna Reserve, Uco Valley, Mendoza (£14.99)
2008 Riglos Gran Cabernet Sauvignon, Uco Valley, Mendoza (£27)

Cabernet Franc

2008 Pulenta Estate Gran Cabernet Franc,  Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza (£19.95)
2007 Andeluna Grand Reserve, Uco Valley, Mendoza (£29.99)

Malbec

2008 Diamandes de Uco, Uco Valley, Mendoza (NA)
2008 Eral Bravo Erales Malbec, Mendoza (NA)
2009 Lagarde Primeras Viñas Malbec, Mendoza (NA)
2008 De Angeles Viña 1924 Gran Malbec, Mendoza (NA)
2010 Doña Paula Estate Malbec, Ugarteche, Mendoza (£10.99) 
2009 Viñalba Gran Reserve Malbec, Mendoza (£14.99)
2008 Bressia Monteagrelo Agrelo Malbec, Mendoza (£15)
2008 Colomé Malbec Reserva, Salta (£15.50) 
2009 Chakana Estate Selection Malbec, Mendoza (£18)
2008 Bodega Riglos Gran Malbec, Uco Valley, Mendoza (£27)
2009 Trapiche ‘Finca Suarez Lastra’, Uco Valley, Mendoza (£28)
2008 Trapiche ‘Federico Villafañe’, Uco Valley, Mendoza (£28)
2008 O Fournier A Crux Malbec, Uco Valley, Mendoza (£28.50)
2008 Yacochuya, Cafayate, Salta (£30)
2009 Lindaflor Malbec, Uco Valley, Mendoza (£37)
2010 Noemía ‘J Alberto’ Malbec, Río Negro (£65)
2006 Altos Las Hormigas Vistaflores, Mendiza (£50)
2010 Noemía, Río Negro (£65)
2008 Zuccardi Aluvional, Uco Valley, Mendoza (£59.99)
2007 Achaval Ferrer Finca Altamira, Uco Valley, Mendoza
2009 Achaval Ferrer Finca Altamira, Uco Valley, Mendoza
2009 Mendel Finca Remota Malbec, Uco Valley, Mendoza
2008 Cobos Malbec, Perdriel, Mendoza

Red Blends

2008 Gran Enemigo. Mendoza (NA)
2007 El Tránsito ‘Pietro Marini’, Cafayate, Salta (NA)
2008 Fabre Montmayou Grand Vin, Mendoza (£22)
2008 Pulenta Estate Gran Corte, Mendoza (£22.80)
2008 Masi Corbec, Uco Valley, Mendoza (£24)
2006 Walter Bressia Conjuro, Mendoza (£29.95)
2009 Bodegas Caro, Mendoza (£30)
2007 Alta Vista Alto, Mendoza (£40)
2004 Cheval des Andes, Vistalba, Mendoza (£50)
2006 Nicolas Catena Zapata, Mendoza (£60)
2008 Cobos Unico, Mendoza (£110)

Posted in Top 50 Argentine Wines, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

They spelled my name wrong again by Ronald Atkin

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Tim Atkin

Ron Atkin (not Atkins)

That great American humourist and songwriter Loudon Wainwright III once wrote an hilarious ditty titled “They Spelled My Name Wrong Again”. At the Croydon concert I attended a couple of years back it was the first thing he sang, responding to the neon sign outside the Fairfield Halls that announced the presence of “Louden Wainright“.

Boy, do I know how Louden (sorry, Loudon) feels. Asked by Sports Journalists’ Association chairman Barry Newcombe (or should that be Bryan Newman?) to provide a tribute to the late Laurie Pignon, my emailed piece and the correspondence surrounding it between me, Steven Downes (Stephen Downers?) and Martin Castle (Marvin Castles?) carried the names of Ron Atkins, Ron Aitkin and then the full, four syllable, 11 letter byline I prefer – Ronald Atkin.

It’s been going on ever since my first titled piece in the Nottingham Evening Post back in 1948. Lovingly preserved on our kitchen notice board are the originals of letters and memos addressed to Ronald Gutkin, Roy Atkin, Rod Atkin and even Mr Dorothy Atkin. There is an invoice to Mr R. Hatkin and an accreditation to the Tennis Masters Cup made out to Ryes Atkin.

The Raffles Hotel in Singapore reserved me a room in the name of Ronald Attkini, Scotland Yard issued my security pass to Ron Atkine and the reservation slip on the table of a Paris restaurant was made out to Mr Hatchkin. The ones awarding me the “Atkins” plural are so numerous as to be not worth preserving.

I am known as Ron to my mates, Ronald to my wife and to God and my diminishing readership, and Ronnie to a very few chosen acquaintances. I am certainly not that famous football manager Ron Atkinson, though I have been asked for an autograph or two in Europe – and eventually supplied it so as not to disappoint.

And finally…I am, sadly, neither Scottish nor related to the Aitken family which once made Express Newspapers great.

This was an error I had to point out to my employers at The Observer when in March 1984 I became the SJA’s Sports Journalist of the Year.  That great publication, run in the main by a tight bunch of Oxbridge chums in those days, announced the award in one paragraph and called me Ronald Aitken.

Postscript: A piece that appeared in the Mail & Guardian last week identified me (not the first time) as…Tim Atkins. This was the same mistake that The Observer, a paper in which I had appeared for 16 years, made in 2009 when I won the Louis Roederer Wine Columnist of the Year Award.

Posted in Uncategorized | 11 Comments

Tasting the Top 100 South African wines

Posted on March 31, 2012 by Tim Atkin

St James: home of Top 100 SA Wines

I’ve just got back from the Cape, where I’ve been judging some of South Africa’s best wines for a competition called Top 100. To say that the event is controversial would be up there with the understatements of the last 12 months. When it was launched last year, Top 100 was greeted with a lawsuit and a snowstorm of negative publicity, most of it from local wine writers, but also from some winery owners.

Charges levied at the competition were that it was too expensive, too elitist, wouldn’t attract the right quality of entries, etc, etc. But it went ahead and achieved a measure of success. (I’m the chairman, so I should declare an interest, although I have no financial stake in the competition.)

The way Top 100 is run means that the judges don’t know who has entered what.  We just pick what we think are the best century of wines. We, too, are in the vinous dark until the list is published in book form. We also don’t know the identities of the wines we reject, so we never see the complete list of participants.

Top 100 was attacked last year (and again this) because it is not a definitive list of the Cape’s best wines. Several leading producers, such as Sadie Family and Boekenhoutskloof, never play the competition game, but it’s true that others choose not to enter, for now at least. I hope that as Top 100 becomes more established they will.

For all that, there was no shortage of impressive names on the roster last year. Any list that includes Klein Constantia, Le Riche, Rustenberg, Cederberg, Glenelly, Tokara, Cape Point, Anwilka, Steenberg, Hermanuspietersfontein, De Krans, Paul Cluver, Jordan, Hamilton Russell, Bouchard-Finlayson, De Morgenzon, Diemersdal, Raats and Teddy Hall isn’t doing too badly. Yes, it’s a top 100, but I’m not sure that the Top 100 exists. Some wines that are rated highly in South Africa fail to impress international judges.

Like all the other judges, not to mention the producers who entered (and some who didn’t), I’m intrigued to see the list later this month. I’m not breaking any confidences by telling you that the stand out categories were the Chenin Blancs, Syrahs, Bordeaux blends and Cabernet Sauvignons, but there were some cracking wines in almost every style.

Top 100 won’t please everyone, but it’s an honest attempt to select and promote a line-up of some the Cape’s best wines.

Heading home: Cape Town airport

Posted in Top 100 SA Wines, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Hitchin, mon amour

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Tim Atkin

Hitching in Hitchin

Travelling in Burgundy earlier this year, I came across a sign outside the town of Nuits St Georges. “Jumelée avec Hitchin”, it proclaimed. It all seemed rather incongruous and I Tweeted to that effect, asking tweeps for some other unlikely urban twins. Milton Keynes and Bernkastel? Scunthorpe and St Emilion?

Needless to say, I’d never been to Hitchin. I always assumed it was a bit like Stevenage, one of the less aesthetically appealing English towns. But I was wrong. The Saturday Kitchen team went there to film yesterday and the place is lovely, with a beautiful central square, a great deli, an open air market, a lovely church and a warm welcome. Sorry, Hitchin, you deserve an apology.

We always have a laugh when we’re filming the wine VTs for the show, but yesterday was special. We had Tim Atkin in Hitchin choosing a wine to go with a dish created by Tom Kitchin for Saturday Kitchen. You couldn’t make it up.

You’ll have to wait for Saturday Morning for the recipes, but the food is really delicious this week: an original take on saddle of lamb from Tom and a squid bolognese from the legendary Pierre Koffmann.

The wines are from Sainsbury’s and Waitrose. I won’t ruin the surprise, but I’ve chosen a special offer Spanish red at £5 (amazing at the price) and a stunning £9.99 wine on the show. I want people to trade up and enjoy something delicious when the dish merits it. Tune in to BBC1 at 10am on Saturday.

Our producer: TV's Andy Clarke

Posted in Food and wine matching, Pierre Koffmann, Saturday Kitchen, Tom Kitchin, Uncategorized | 7 Comments

The Chancellor prepares to clobber wine drinkers (again)

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Tim Atkin

The Palace of Westminster

Tomorrow is budget day in the UK. Like the Grand National, the Baftas or the last night of the Proms, it’s something of a national ritual. The chancellor will be photographed outside Number 11 Downing Street with the red budget box, Dennis Skinner, the MP for Bolsover, will make a witty aside and alcohol duty will rise again.

The last of these three things is not a complete certainty, but the odds against it are very high. The four year “tax escalator”, which increases duty by 2% above inflation, was introduced in 2008 and reconfirmed by the Treasury in March 2010. Unless the Chancellor makes a tyre-scorching u-turn, UK wine drinkers are stuck with these increases until 2014 at the earliest.

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association is predicting an increase of 7.2%, even though duty and VAT already account for half the price of a bottle of wine. We already tax wine more heavily than most of the EU, right up there with Ireland and Sweden. And it’s about to get even worse, folks.

The government’s hypocritical argument is that this is a way or combatting alcohol abuse, when it’s primarily about revenue. There are 9 EU countries that have 0% alcohol duty and there doesn’t seem to be a correlation between low or no taxes and binge drinking or alcoholism. When did you last see a display of vomit-spattered public drunkenness in Madrid, Rome, Berlin or Paris? These countries just drink more responsibly than we do.

If wine is to be taxed more heavily, retailers have to pass on the rise this year rather than screwing their suppliers to fund it. If the supermarkets insist on keeping most of the wines on their shelves below £5 (the UK’s average price point is a measly £4.85), then the quality of what we consume will only get worse. It’s not an appetising prospect.

Posted in 2012 UK budget, Duty on wine in the UK | 5 Comments

Is this the best value Pinot in the world?

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Tim Atkin

Germany? Are you sure?

Drinkable cheap Pinot Noir is almost an oxymoron. We Pinotphiles are all too aware that we need to pay over the odds to get a fix of our favourite grape. Decent examples tend to start at £12 and even then buying Pinot can be something of a crap shoot. Chile and New Zealand make a few decent ones under a tenner, but if you want the complexity that is the variety’s hallmark, you need to be prepared to break into a £20 note at the very least.

Or maybe not. After last year’s London Pinot Noir tasting, when Germany showed brilliantly against the rest of the world, the country has done it again, this time at £8.99. The 2011 Palatia Pinot Noir (£8.99, Marks & Spencer) is made by Gerd Stepp (who used to be an M&S buyer) and Matthias Gaul and it’s the best sub-£10 example I’ve had in a very long time: soft, fragrant and supple with a touch of oak and beguiling wild strawberry fruit. It scores on the green front, too, thanks to its light bottle.

Posted in German Pinot Noir, Marks & Spencer, Palatia Pinot Noir | 5 Comments

Drinkers versus investors

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Tim Atkin

Listening to people discussing their claret portfolios has become as boring as the house price conversations we Brits used to have to endure in the 1990s. For “I bought this rundown semi in an up and coming area and it’s doubled in price” read “Jee, am I happy I bought three cases of 2009 Pontet-Canet”.

The housing market may have taken a long, icy bath, but out there in claret land, the market is still hot. Well, patches of it are: largely those that have received high Parker scores or are considered “collectible” by people who frequently wouldn’t know a Margaux from a Madiran.

In the UK, wine merchants used to differentiate between vintages that were good for laying down and those that would make good “luncheon clarets”. The latter included some pretty dire harvests, it must be said, but the wines were often light, refreshing and comparatively forward. Nowadays the distinction is increasingly between harvests that are good investments and those that aren’t.

The last decade has seen examples of both. Years that have attracted people looking to turn a fast pound, buck or increasingly Hong Kong dollar are 2000, 2005, 2009, 2010 and (at a pinch) 2003, while those that haven’t are 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008. The brand effect has pumped up the prices of some châteaux’s wines in lesser years, but the divide is still there.

As the prices of the best wines in the best years has increased, so the gulf between bottles that ordinary punters can afford to drink and those that are “investment vehicles” (the term is odious, is it not?) has widened and deepened. I’ve nothing against great vintages, but the hype surrounding them does more for château owners, wine merchants and investors than it does for those of us who buy wine to pull corks.

Tomorrow I will post my tasting notes and findings on a 10 year retrospective of the 2002 Bordeaux vintage, hosted by Bordeaux Index, on my site.

Posted in Bordeaux 2002, Bordeaux vintages, blue chip wines | 3 Comments

Beards, wine and biodynamism

Posted on November 13, 2011 by Tim Atkin

Pierre Weindel of Domaine de la Tour des Vidaux

I was keeping my eyes out for deer’s bladders in the rafters or even the odd cow horn, but it was the facial hair that was more noticeable at this week’s Biodyvin tasting in London. Biodynamic winemakers appear to share a love of abundant beards and moustaches as well as the teachings of Dr Rudolf Steiner.

Noel Pinguet of Domaine Huet

The snappily-entitled Syndicat International des Vignerons en Culture Bio-Dynamique (SIVCBD to its friends) was founded in 1995 at a time when biodynamism wasn’t as fashionable in wine circles as it is today. Its membership has grown to 75 domaines, all of whom are 100% organic and biodynamic.

According to president, Olivier Humbrecht, “every member is committed to producing wines that show the personality of the people who made them and also the characteristics of the place where the grapes are grow in a given vintage. This the true definition of terroir.” It certainly is. All too often the French seem to assume that God, or Nature, makes the wine without any human intervention.

There wasn’t a full list of members in the catalogue, but I found one on line. There are 75 from France and one, incongruously, from Germany. There are some top names in there, with the Loire, Alsace and Burgundy leading the way in terms of numbers. Not all of the biodynamic superstars are there, but any organisation that has Chapoutier, Domaine Leflaive, Huet and Zind-Humbrecht on its books isn’t doing too badly.

This was only the second time the SIVCBD has held its tasting in London, with 42 of the 75 members in attendance. Next time, I’d love to see a tasting that covers the whole world, not just France and a slice of Germany. France has its Millésime-Bio (coming soon in January 2012), why not the UK? The likes of Vanya Cullen from Australia, James Millton from New Zealand and Alvaro Espinoza from Chile would add another dimension.

The Burgundians weren’t there in force – only Domaine Trapet made the trip – but that didn’t matter, because there were some superb wines on show, especially from the Loire and Alsace, two of France’s three best white wine regions. I hope this will become an annual event and grow in size.

Even if you don’t believe in biodynamism – and even the people who do so find in difficult to justify its teachings scientifically – there is often an extra dimension of aroma and flavour to the best wines from biodynamic vineyards. Call it vitality, call it integrity, call it (pass me that spliff) a life force. But it’s there in the glass.

Olivier Humbrecht acknowledged that the word biodynamics often sparks heated discussions, which is why, he added, “we’ve decided to host this tasting and let our wines speak for themselves.” They do, Olivier, they do.

To read my tasting notes on my favourite dozen wines, click here.

Posted in Biodynamic wines, Biodyvin, Domaine Huet, Domaine Leflaive, Domaine Zind-Humbrecht, Noel Pinguet, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Reviewing Platter

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Tim Atkin

Earls Court

It was flattering that the team from South Africa’s respected Platter Guide chose to announce their latest 5 Star awards at the Cape Wine Europe tasting in London recently. The presence of a number of the UK’s top journalists at the tables in Earls Court, tasting what are supposed to be the Cape’s finest wines, was testament to the clout of the annual publication.

Speaking to editor Philip van Zyl about the methodology used to select the 45 wines, it was clear that he takes his role extremely seriously. Producers’ wines are reviewed, sighted, by the guide’s team of reviewers, who can nominate as many potential 5 star wines as they like. “The instruction to tasters is to avoid nominating speculative wines,” he said.

In other words, they have to believe the wines have a chance of emerging from the pack. This year 139 wines were pre-selected and then tasted (or retasted) blind by 13 judges, split into two teams. They can then choose as many, or as few wines as they want. The winners were down from 52 last year, which may indicate more rigour in selection.

One criticism that can be legitimately leveled at the Platter Guide is that many of its judges lack international experience. They may know the Cape wine scene but they have little clue about the wider world of wine. How does Cape Sauvignon stack up against examples from, say, San Antonio or the Awatere Valley? Are its Pinot Noirs world class? How revolutionary are its white blends?

Cape Town

That said, I think the Platter Guide does a professional and honest job. As I know from my involvement with the Top 100 South African Wines, you will be criticised locally which ever wines you select. Choose famous names and everyone accuses you of being conservative; pick wines from wineries that are less familiar and you are accused of ignoring the classics.

If the Platter Guide has a weakness, at least in my view, it is that it is too indulgent. Too many wines get four stars or more. I also think that, in the past at least, the panels were insufficiently critical of virus characters in Cape red wines, possibly because of what Australians call “cellar palate”.

How did this year’s 5 Stars stack up? The first thing to say is that there were obvious omissions from the list – nothing from Adi Badenhorst, Cape Point, Eagle’s Nest, Teddy Hall, Waterford, Le Riche, Hamilton Russell, Klein Constantia, Cederberg, De Morgenzon, Diemersdal, Morgenster, Raal, Ken Forrester, Rust en Vrede, Ernie Els, Ataraxia, Raats, Paul Cluver, Quoin Rock, Rustenberg, Rijk’s, Saronsberg, Simonsig, Tormentoso, Vergelegen or Zorgvliet. Indeed, you could have a lot of fun compiling an alternative selection of 45 winners.

Adi Badenhorst

Overall, the list is more than decent. There are some wines I wouldn’t have chosen, but quite a few I would. (I’ve listed my own scores in brackets below). The stand-out categories were the sweet wines, the Bordeaux-style reds and the white blends. I’d also like to have seen at least one Pinotage, more Chardonnays and Chenins and fewer Sauvignon Blancs and (over-oaked) Shirazes.

The best thing about the Platter 5 Stars is that they encourage debate and reward some very good wines. In what remains a comparatively young wine industry, still feeling its way internationally, that’s no bad thing.

Eben Sadie

Platter 5 Star Wines for 2012

Cabernet Franc
Warwick 2008 (4)

Cabernet Sauvignon
Boekenhoutskloof 2009 (4 ½)• Graham Beck Chalkboard #3 2007 (4)• Stark-Condé Three Pines 2009 (3 ½ )

Pinot Noir
Cape Chamonix Reserve 2010 (5)• Newton Johnson Domaine 2010 (4)• Oak Valley 2009 (4)

Shiraz/Syrah
Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 2009 (5)• Fairview The Beacon 2008 (3 ½)• Mont Destin Destiny 2007 (3 ½)• Mullineux Family Syrah 2009 (5)• Saxenburg Select 2007 (3 ½)

Red Blends
Bouchard Finlayson Hannibal 2010 (4)• De Toren Fusion V 2009 (5)• Glenelly Lady May 2009 (5)• La Motte Pierneef Shiraz-Viognier 2009 (4)• Meerlust Rubicon 2007 (4)• Miles Mossop Max 2008 (4 ½)• Sadie Family Columella 2009 (5)

Chardonnay
De Wetshof The Site 2009 (3 ½)• Jordan CWG Auction Reserve 2010 (4)

Chenin Blanc
Beaumont Hope Marguerite 2010 (3 ½)• Diemersfontein Carpe Diem 2010 (4)• Vins d’Orrance Kama 2010 (5)

Grenache Blanc
KWV Mentors 2010 (4 ½)

Sauvignon Blanc
Graham Beck Pheasants’ Run 2011 (4)• Hermanuspietersfontein No 5 2010 (5)• Kleine Zalze Family Reserve 2010 (4)• Steenberg CWG Auction Reserve The Magus 2010 (5)• Strandveld 2010 (4 ½)

White Blends
Fable Jackal Bird 2010 (4 ½)• Flagstone CWG Auction Reserve Happy Hour 2009 (5)• Mullineux White Blend 2010 (5)• Nederburg Ingenuity 2010 (3 ½)• Tokara Director’s Reserve 2010 (5)

Méthode Cap Classique Sparkling
Colmant Brut Chardonnay NV (3 ½)• Topiary Blanc de Blancs Brut 2009 (4 ½)

Natural Sweet
Badsberg Badslese 2009 (5)

Dessert Wine Unfortified
Boekenhoutskloof Noble Late Harvest 2008 (5)• Fleur du Cap Noble Late Harvest 2010 (5)• Mullineux Family Straw Wine 2010 (5)• Nederburg Edelkeur 2010 (3 ½)• Nederburg Eminence 2010 (5)

Port
Boplaas Family Cape Vintage Reserve 2009 (5)• De Krans Cape Vintage Reserve 2009 (4 ½)

Posted in Boekenhoutskloof, De Toren, Meerlust, Mullineux, Nederburg, Platter 5 Stars, Tokara, Uncategorized, Warwick | 37 Comments

Au revoir, Monsieur Dubosc

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Tim Atkin

It’s hard to imagine the Cave de Plaimont, one of the most forward thinking co-operatives in France, without André Dubosc.  He’s been associated with the Gascon operation since 1972, first as winemaker and then as director.

But in November this year he’s hanging up his beret and pipette – or, as he puts it, spending more time, Candide-like, “in my garden”. It seems a huge waste of talent, energy and expertise. Dubosc is still only 66 and has the wiry frame of someone who clearly likes to keep fit. The man should be running the French wine industry.

Dubosc was in London recently to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Saint Mont appellation and to launch two new wines from Plaimont under the L’Empreinte (thumb print label) before he steps down.

Now is a good time to remember his achievements: he created Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne, rescuing the growers of a region that had traditionally focused on Armagnac, changed the way his co-operative made and marketed its wines and promoted the native grapes of the South West (Arrufiac, Gros Manseng, Petit Manseng, Petit Courbu, Tannat, Pinenc/Fer Servadou).

He leaves Plaimont in capable hands. The co-op is experimenting with 39 different grapes and has just completed a soil-mapping project in Saint Mont, which has resulted in L’Empreinte, combining its best terroirs to produce two impressive wines. Let’s hope the co-op keeps him on as a consultant.

2010 L’Empreinte de Saint Mont Blanc (£12.99, Adnams)
A zesty, tangy, lightly oaked blend of mostly Gros Manseng with 15% Petit Manseng and 10% Petit Courbu, this is focused and minerally with notes of pink grapefruit, lemon zest and subtle oak. Very long. This is better than many Péssac-Léognans.
93 points

2008 L’Empreinte de Saint Mont Rouge (seeking distribution)
Less tannic than the yet to be released 2009, this is an assemblage of Tannat with 10% each of Pinenc (Fer Servadou) and Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s a firm yet elegant wine: claret meets Chianti perhaps, with polished tannins and flavours of cassis, damson and plum. Still a baby and will keep for 8+ years.
91 points

Posted in André Dubosc, Cave de Plaimont, L'Empreinte, Saint Mont, Uncategorized | 2 Comments