Report by Tim Wildman MW (again please accept my apologies for not having posted this earlier. Huge thanks to Tim for writing this)
"Last night the tasting room at Dunell's was transformed into the Oscars of wine, the red carpet rolled out to greet some of the world's most papped and praised celebrity bottles. Neil and the team had put together one of the most impressive arrays of fine wine I’ve ever had the privilege to taste in one sitting. In Hollywood terms this was pure A list.
At the start of the tasting I warned people that despite the eye watering prices that these wines sell for nowadays, not all of them would be everybody’s cup of tea. Elevated wines often have extreme styles and can divide opinion. Tasting at this level often leaves us lacking the words and vocabulary that can do justice to the quality and complexity of the wines. That said, iconic wines do not always live up to their celebrity billing. This promised to be a real adventure, expectations were great, and some impressive reputations were about to be put on the line
As well as my tasting notes below, which concentrate as much on texture, perfume and structure as fruit flavours, I have taken the liberty to have some fun and describe the wines in terms of which Hollywood star they personify. I explained to the tasters on the night, that as one of 289 Masters of Wine in the world, I am officially licensed to be a wine bore. In addition you may have to grant me a poetic license for the comparisons below. If you don’t like your wine, fine or otherwise, to be anthropomorphized, then please look away now.
Wine # 1
Hermitage La Chapelle 1990, Paul Jaboulet, Northern Rhone (£375)
If it were an actor: Sean Connery
There is a saying in the wine world that as wines age they become like mountaineers climbing a peak. They all start off from different locations, but end up tending towards the same place. In wine terms this means that old Barolo, or old Rhone, can start to look a lot like old Bordeaux and old Burgundy, and visa versa. The primary fruit of youth gives many clues to grape variety, and once this has faded, you are left with the structure and other more ethereal qualities to go on. So it was with these thoughts in mind that I opened the first bottle of twenty year old Hermitage La Chapelle. Despite the age, there was no mistaking this was 100% Syrah - red in tooth and claw. Gamey, reduced, balsamic, meaty aromas, and a soft, open, pliable palate, all pointing to a beautifully aged Northern Rhone Syrah. The 1990 La Chapelle is often cited as the best since the legendary 1961. Aged wine it may be, but like Sean Connery’s accent as the Russian submarine commander in The Hunt for Red October, there was no mistaking its provenance.
Wine # 2
Vega Sicilia “Unico” 1999, Ribeira del Duero, Spain (£225)
If it were an actor: Cate Blanchett
For many, including myself, this was the wine of the night. Not because it was the most polished, or most intense, powerful or complex. It wasn’t. But it had character. And great drinkability. I suggested at the time that if we were at a dinner party not a tasting, this would be the first empty bottle. Mid weight, russet ruddy garnet colour, showing age at the edges, haunting aromatics, supple, refreshing, energetic palate. I said to a good friend recently that the older I get the attribute I look for most in wine is character not quality. This wine had it in spades. Hugh Johnson once said that truly great wine does not make statements, it asks questions. Profound, quietly beautiful, and enigmatic.
Wine # 3
Bonnes Mares Grand Cru 2001, Comte de Vogüe, Burgundy (£135)
If it were an actor: Gwyneth Paltrow
Only one bottle out of the four we had was really singing, the others were affected to a greater or lesser extent by their cork. Not necessarily corked (ie suffering from actual chemical cork taint, TCA or associated compounds) but flattened, dull and not at their best. So most likely either slightly oxidised, or suffering from very low levels of cork taint that has stripped the fruit and the soul out of the wine. I was careful to make the distinction between a wine being faulty (corked, undrinkable) or flawed (drinkable, but with quality degraded).
But oh! That one bottle. Light, in both colour and body, insubstantial, but perfumed, alluring, filling the sense, a wine that appeals to the heart not the head, as all good Burgundy does. And Gwyneth Paltrow? A beguiling, classical beauty, ethereal and talented but probably quite high maintenance.
Wine # 4
Sassicaia 2001, Bolgari, Tuscany, Italy (£145)
If it were an actor: Robert de Niro
The marmite wine. Some loved it, others, myself included were slightly impervious to its charms. Two out of the four bottles were so badly cork affected that we couldn’t show them (one extremely corked, the other simply out of condition). Sassicaia is rightly famous as Italy’s first “Super Tuscan”, eschewing the native Sangiovese it is a blend of the Bordeaux grape varieties (Cabernet, Merlot, some Cab Franc). This is very much Bordeaux with an Italian accent, powerfully structured Cabernet, but with slightly gentler, but no less dry tannins, and slightly more pronounced acidity, balanced by the richer fruit of its more southerly location.
And Robert de Niro? Because he has played some definitive roles as an Italian, but his later career has been marked by inconsistency and some occasional duffers, although his reputation remains intact.
Wine # 5
Chateau Haut Brion 1er Cru Classe 1995, Graves, Bordeaux (£269.50)
If it were an actor: Paul Giamatti
For a number of people I spoke to this was one of the more disappointing bottles of the night. For me, it was up there with the best. In no way showy, and possibly going through the well recognised closed down “teenage years” that can chatacterise the evolution of Bordeaux. Restraint not withstanding, the beauty and breed of this wine was to be found in its composition and structure, its internal construction if you like. The texture and detail of the wine had me transfixed. Every rivet in its coachwork was immaculately placed. A Swiss watch, a Rolls Royce. The Actor’s Actor.
Wine # 6
Opus One 2005, Napa Valley, California (£165)
If it were an actor: George Clooney / Cary Grant
Opus One is the kind of wine that people often have an opinion about having never drunk it. The most common is the misapprehension that it is some sort of super-rich, overblown Californian Frankenwine, a monstrous creation of fruit, oak and alcohol. Nothing could be further from the truth. The 2005 that we tasted seduced even those who said they never drank Californian wine. It was full of class, breed and distinction; the fruit was ripe certainly, but not overblown, with firm, elegant tannins, fresh balancing acidity and great presence and texture in the mouth. This wine was created by the coming together of two great wine families, the Mondavis of California, and the Rothschilds of Bordeaux. Their vision is well represented by this elegant expression of Californian Cabernet that nods towards the great left bank Bordeauxs. Like George Clooney and Cary Grant, it wears its maturity well, and although it is a formal suited-and-booted style, still has plenty of sex appeal.
Wine # 7
Shiraz “Hill of Grace” 2004, Henschke, Eden Valley, Barossa, South Australia (£265)
If it were an actor: Al Pacino / Johnny Depp
Very much the odd man out of this evenings tasting. Australian wine always has a generosity of fruit, often verging on the sweet, and for some this stylistic step change jarred after the less overt, savoury styles of the preceding wines. But what a wine for a finale! This wine demanded to be judged on its own merits, and they are considerable. As Australia’s most famous, and expensive single vineyard wine (remember Grange is a multi regional blend) Hill of Grace never fails to impress with its power, complexity and - in its Australian context - elegance. Yes, its youth, fruit weight and style may have appeared to some as a bit loud and brash. It’s true that switching between Australia and France requires a re-setting of the stylistic compass. But as a performance this was Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, or Al Pacino in, well, most things. Over the top? Slightly. Hugely enjoyable? Definitely!
Wine # 8
Chateau D'Yquem 1er Cru Classe, Sauternes, Bordeaux 1996 (£184.95)
If it were an actor: Marilyn Monroe / James Dean
There are only two types of people in the world. Those who love Chateau D'Yquem, and those who are wrong.
Lets make no mistake, unlike a number of the wines in tonight’s tasting, this isn’t about your own personal taste. This is one of the worlds greatest wines, full stop. Its history, consistently high quality over centuries (not decades), its painstaking method of production, all of this makes it the blue-est of blue chip wines. If you drank a bit too much of the preceding seven wines to truly enjoy the considerable charms of the Sauternes, then consider it a lesson learnt for next time.
Good Sauternes in general, and Chateau D'Yquem in particular, transcend any argument about personal preferences for sweet wine. This is a great wine, however you want to measure that term. Complexity, length, aromatic intensity and persistence, ability to age and develop over the long term. One taster on the night commented “It makes me want to curl up and cry, its that good”
Any why choose Marilyn Monroe and James Dean? Because having died young, and long enough ago for history to have judged them, they have passed into a level of stardom that goes beyond mere celebrity. They are beyond reproach, firmly established as cultural icons, immortals if you like. And so it is with Chateau D'Yquem. Disagree at your peril!
A note on cork taint: As the above notes indicate, we experienced a fault or flaw in the wines as a result of their cork closures of approximately one in three. The globally agreed average is 7%, so we were way above that. The wines were sourced for the most part directly from the importers, so there is no question of poor storage. Luckily Dunell's had sourced four bottles, and we only required three for tasting, and in the case of the Sassicaia, had to stretch out two bottles. The only wines that showed no fault or flaw in all four bottles were Hill Of Grace (screwcap), Vega Sicilia and D'Yquem."
end
Testimonials:
"What an excellent way to taste wines not normally on one's shopping list. Excellent commentary (and sensible too!) Thank you"
"Fantastic. Have been looking forward to this was ages and wasn't disappointed. Please sign me up for February."
"Absolutely brilliant evening!! Tim was terrific - I learned a tremendous amount. It was serious and fun. Superb range/selection of wines, attested to the fact that my 'favourite' kept changing over the course of the evening. Thank you - a memorable evening. Sign me up for February."
"Thank you for organising such a splendid tasting. I very much appreciated the pains you took to present the wines at their best and the notes guiding us. The tame MW was also very good value and the food much appreciated."
"The evening was very enjoyable, with a cracking selection of wines. Tim as one would have expected was very knowledgeable but also presented himself in very amusing and friendly way."
Our next Iconic tasting will be held on 10th February 2011. We are currently fully booked. Please call the office to be added to the waiting list.
Jane
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