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2008 Burgundy…at first taste
My colleague, Nicola Arcedeckne-Butler MW and I spent a busy and fascinating week in Burgundy at the start of October visiting our growers and tasting several hundred wines. When we were in Burgundy last year, tasting the 2007s, the 2008 harvest had just been picked and the growers were uncertain about the potential quality. The growing season had been difficult with periods of rain, hail and low temperatures leading to rot, mildew and under ripe grapes. These adverse conditions necessitated a great deal of extra work in the vineyards. The growers returned from their holidays to a dismal scene in the vineyards. However, high pressure moved in at the start of September, bringing warmth, a north wind to dry and intensify the flavours in the grapes and cool nights to preserve the acidities. Harvesting began in the middle of September and whilst a great deal of sorting was required (some growers sorting in the vineyard and again at the winery door) to eliminate any under-ripe, damaged or rotten grapes the fermentations commenced and the growers were surprised at the initial results – excellent colour for the reds, fine fruit flavours and ripe, supple tannins and high levels of malic acid. Nicola and I arrived in Burgundy, braced for challenging tastings – our initial fears were not founded and we were delighted to find a succession of juicy, succulent red wines with supple tannins, and racy, vibrant whites with lovely, precise fruit flavours.
Pricing for Burgundy is never volatile and many of our growers have not raised their prices for the past four vintages and don’t plan to do so with 2008 either so provided that we don’t see a further deterioration of the Pound against Sterling, these wines will again offer excellent value for money. We intend to publish our offer later this month and if you’d like to receive a preview, please e-mail me at amanda@privatecellar.co.uk and I will send you a copy upon publication.
Recommendations of Private Cellar wines to drink now !
We held our annual London Autumn Tasting at Centrepoint in mid-September and that has been followed by tastings for our customers near Oxford, last week, and Woodbridge, Cambridge and Winchester to follow. We’ve had a tremendous amount of good press and so I’ve selected five wines which have met with equal success with our customers and the press alike, all of which are perfect for drinking now as we enter the Autumn and our taste buds turn to delights such as game, venison and spicy, winter vegetable soups.
Rully Clos du Moulin à Vent 2007, Anne-Sophie Debavelaere £167.40 per case inc VAT
Based in the old Presbytery in the heart of Rully, with stunning views over the vineyards, Anne-Sophie is gradually handing over the day-to-day running of the Domaine to her son Félix. Gorgeously intense buttery white skinned fruits with hints of vanilla and crème pâtissier, this Rully is youthful, rich and satisfying.
Steven Spurrier wrote in Decanter Magazine
"Anne-Sophie Debavelaere’s Rully is bound for my cellar. Honeyed, hazelnut fruit, good acidity. Mini Meursault."
Bylines Hunter Valley Chardonnay, Australia 2008 £107.70 per case of 6 inc VAT
A wine made by David Fatches and John Duval, two of Australia’s most famous and talented winemakers. (John Duval is the man behind Penfold’s Grange). With the majority of the wine being fermented in barrel, a small part is kept aside and cool-fermented in tank to retain some tight, citrus aromas, which gives great balance to the wine. A fabulous nose of stunning, buttery, honeyed white fruits, toasty and rich, with an equally dense palate, with zingy citrus notes and fine acidity, this is proper Hunter Valley Chardonnay, so rarely seen.
Tamlyn Currin for www.jancisrobinson.com wrote
"Smoky flint and Bramley apple lingering on the nose. Creamy and leesy. Oak spice, with rich texture, full sweet melon but not over-ripe. Acidity and minerality with cut and thrust. Spicy caressing length. Well balanced."
Château Laurette 2006, Sainte Croix du Mont £131.40 per case inc VAT
This is a great time of year to re-discover delicious pudding wines and Château Laurette offers such great value, it would be a shame to miss it.On the right bank of the Garonne river, just a river’s crossing from Sauternes, is Sainte Croix du Mont, one of the locations favoured by nature for the formation of noble rot, the magic sauternes ingredient. A blend of Sémillon and Sauvignon, this is rich, honeyed and toasty with lovely grapefruit notes behind, fresh and not cloying.
Johnny Ray wrote in The Telegraph
"A classic late-picked, botrytis-affected blend of sauvignon blanc and Sémillon that would be twice the price if it came from neighbouring Sauternes or Barsac. With richly honeyed fruit and a delicate citrus freshness, it's the perfect credit-crunch accompaniment to late summer strawberries and cream or early autumn salads of pan-fried foie gras and pigeon breast."
Bordeaux 2004, Hubert de Boüard 2004 £131.40 per case inc VAT
As co-proprietor and winemaker at St Emilion 1er Grand Cru Classé Château Angelus, Hubert de Boüard knows his Merlot. Lovely maturing red fruits on the nose, with distant oak and a rich tarry note on the palate this has a firm tannic backbone and is clearly very classy.
Sally Easton MW wrote in France Magazine Hubert de Boüard is a high profile Bordelais, owner of La Fleur de Boüard, and co-owner and winemaker at Saint-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé, Château Angélus. He's brought his expertise to bear on this affordable and well-structured claret blend. A core of strong tannins provides the framework for red-berried fruit and earthy fruit-cake notes. Needs some red meat or Puy lentils.
Bishop’s Head Pinot Noir 2007, Wairapa NZ £160.80 per case inc VAT
Tasting this blind in the first instance, there was total agreement in the office – a well made Burgundy – which in fact comes from New Zealand’s South Island! Superb stylish red berry fruit on the nose, fresh and pure, with a fine zip of tannin to balance the beautifully rounded fruit.
Jane MacQuitty wrote in The Times
"Cellaring a juicy, Kiwi pinot noir with lots of delicious, sweet, young, plummy, beetrooty fruit does make sense. With age, all sorts of fine, complex, smoky, gamey flavours will pop up as that vibrant beetrooty fruit fades. Waipara, between Christchurch and Blenheim, is, with the top-drawer Central Otago, a South Island pinot noir source to watch."
Bourgogne Pinot Noir, Frédéric Magnien 2006 £162.00 per case inc VAT
Wonderfully pure Pinot Noir fruit from the young dynamo that is Frédéric Magnien. Having worked in the US and Australia he has brought new world know-how to bear on this classic region and produces wines with gorgeous linear red fruits, pure, crunchy and classic.
Jane MacQuitty wrote in The Times
"Scooping up a humble bourgogne blanc, or rouge, from a good producer and a top year can add up to great value for money drinking. As a négociant, or merchant, based in the northern Côte d’Or in Morey St Denis, Frédéric Magnien is renowned for his fruit-led wines just like this delicious ’06. Lap up this sweet, ripe, zesty, damson plum fruit-charged red burgundy, with a touch of leather and chocolate spice on the finish, before everyone else does."
Wines are quoted per bottle and per case of 12 bottles inclusive of VAT, unless otherwise stated. Please refer to www.privatecellar.co.uk for Terms & Conditions.
Private Cellar specialises in the wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy and comprises a group of individuals who have carved their careers in some of the UK’s leading wine merchants, over 20+ years. Amanda Skinner can be contacted at amanda@privatecellar.co.uk or by calling her on 01353 721 608. Private Cellar Limited 51 High Street, Wicken, Cambridgeshire CB7 5XR. www.privatecellar.co.uk.
