Wine "Insight"
Sandhi Chardonnay 2012 St. Rita Hills
New-wave cool Californian with flavours of stone fruit and real substance.There is more than a hint of burgundy in this, and it gets better and better towards the finish. It has great intensity for the alcohol level and not a hint of sweetness. It is a great white for winter!
-Janice Robinson
Wine "Insight"
Dear Wine Lover
| Dear wine lover We pride ourselves on taking German wine more seriously than any other non-specialist wine website and this week was no exception. Our German specialist Michael Schmidt, who lives in the Ahr Valley, delivered the first of his three reports on his intensive tasting of Grosse Gewächse at this year’s showing in Wiesbaden – this week GG Weiss- and Spätburgunders. Once the other two are published next week, we’ll have published Michael’s detailed tasting notes on 240 of these GGs – mainly 2018 dry whites and 2017 reds. Many of these represent fabulous value compared with their non-German peers, particularly red and white burgundies. And then don’t forget that way back in April Julia treated us to a preview of the 2018 GGs from the hugely respected Keller of Rheinhessen. Just after last week’s email went out on Friday, we published Michael’s report of this year’s Nahe auction results, in which Keller wines, once again, reached incredible heights. We published perhaps our longest article ever, all the entries on brandy from the second edition of The Oxford Companion to Wine, which we were forced to omit from the third edition for reasons of space. An attentive Purple Pages member with a particularly long memory reminded me – 13 years afterwards – that I had promised to publish them on JancisRobinson.com. Samantha Cole-Johnson continued to share the secrets of winemaking and the 2019 Oregon harvest from her position as an intern in a Willamette Valley winery. There is so much topical information there, and interesting images, that we republished it free yesterday. Nick interviewed the popular Christine Parkinson on her first day of leisure after 18 years of guiding the drinks offerings at the Hakkasan group of restaurants all over the world. Her wise words on sommeliers and the evolution of taste in alcoholic drinks are well worth reading. Also on Saturday I published my thoughts on the state of rosé champagne, while my fellow Master of Wine Charles Curtis contributed an overview of the US champagne market after this year’s MW champagne tasting in America. I contributed one of those articles that will make many people sick, a description of two quite amazing dinners I was treated to in the space of three nights recently, in Mouton and Pol – perks of the job. I took this picture at Mouton’s extravaganza at the Palace of Versailles. Slightly more down to earth was my account of a presentation of wines by Australians Andrew Caillard MW and Mike Bennie chosen to represent likely future icons of Australia. I also wrote about a new annual award for the ‘world’s best vineyards‘. I’m a little sceptical about the enterprise but was delighted to find that those given first and second position in the inaugural awards, Zuccardi of Argentina and Garzón of Uruguay, happened to be kindly supplying wine for last night’s London wine gala for the global literacy charity Room to Read. My World Atlas of Wine co-author Hugh Johnson attended, to celebrate our UK publication day (Tuesday saw it published in the US), and donated a bottle of his Tokaji Essencia 1993 for the auction. Also at our table was Guillaume d’Angerville of Volnay, who was inspired to donate his top Jura Chardonnay from Domaine du Pélican for us all to drink with a Central Coast Chardonnay from Raj Parr because of his faith in the curative powers of reading. Today has a strong Australian accent. We offer up Julia’s detailed report on some top Clare Valley Rieslings (a riposte to Michael?) and Richard’s wine of the week, an Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir that withstood blind comparison with some other fine Pinots, including some from Burgundy. We wish you many great wine discoveries,  |
Wine "Insight"
Sigalas Assyrtiko 2018 Santorini
Delivering a haze of grapefruit, the Sigalas Assyrtiko 2018 Santorini is neither sweet nor bitter. It has breadth and power but doesn’t dominate the palate. Despite an alcohol con-tent of 14%, this wine delivers a flavor that is both graceful and balanced. Pair with shellfish, crab or lobster for a full experience.
Jancis Robinson
Wine "Insight"
Allegrini 2018 Valpolicella
“Deliciously, shiny-red, pure, unaffected red fruit-mouth-watering freshness,” is the only way to describe the Allegrini 2018 Valpolicella. The signature high acidity and relatively low tannins of this wine are balanced with a tart cherry fruit, making this an ideal wine for quick everyday meals including pasta and chicken.
Credit: Jancis Robinson
Gifts & Floral, Wine "Insight"
Zalze, Shiraz / Mourvèdre / Viognier 2016/17 Western Cape
Dark purple in colour, this wine has great appeal on the palate and also impressive length with good, juicy tannins. Then there is the proud proc-lamation of the wine’s mixture of grape varieties: Shiraz, Mourvèdre and Viognier, which have been blended in the proportion of 82%, 15% and 3%.
Contact your CUI Concierge to help secure your bottle today!
Gifts & Floral, Wine "Insight"
Mittnacht, Cuvée Gyotaku 2016 Alsace Jancis Robinson
A marriage between a French Wine-maker and a Japanese chef led to the creation of this fine wine. Made specifically for Sushi and Sashimi, this wine is blended with over 50% of the four noble grape varieties (Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewrztraminer, and Muscat); the exact blend being 40% Pinot Blanc, 30% Ries-ling, 10% Muscat, 10% Pinot Gris and 10% Gewurtraminer.
Secure this wine with your CUI Concierge today!
Wine "Insight"
Bolgheri-Sassicaia Sassicaia 2015
Named Wine Spectator’s #1 Wine of 2018, the Bolgheri-Sassicaia 2015 boasts an iconic flavor filled with rich black currant, blackberries, violet and spice flavors. The oak is beautifully integrated with this dense but lively, vibrant fruit filled after taste. This wine will be best enjoyed from 2023 through 2042.
Secure the top 100 wine with your CUI Concierge today!
At your service,
Concierge Unlimited International
Wine "Insight"
J Mourat, Collection Rouge 2017 IGP Val de Loire
A simple IGP Val de Loire is made from neither eggs nor a blanc de noir. It has a 12.5% piercingly fresh alcohol level and is blended with Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Négrette, and Cabernet Sauvignon vines between the ages of 15 and 30 years old. It comes in an odd flask like bottle, but packs a juicy taste of cherry with a kick of sweet oranges. An unpretentious wine, it pairs perfectly with tomato-based seafood stew or veal tonnato. Currently there are only four vendors selling this wine in the UK, but the U.S. has a wider selection.
Secure your bottle of J Mourat, Collection Rouge 2017 IGP Val de Loire with your CUI Concierge today!
At your service,
Concierge Unlimited International
Wine "Insight"
Wine Insight: Dom Jean-Baptiste Ponsot, Montplaisir Blanc Premier Cru 2015 Rully
Wine "Insight"
Mas Martinet, Menut 2015 Priorat
Mas Martinet, Menut 2015 Priorat is a blend of organically farmed Grenache (40%), Carignan (20%), Syrah (30%) and Merlot (10%), fermented in concrete tanks over 30–40 days and then aged 14-18 months in either older oak barrels or much larger wooden foudres. This red wine is great by itself or when you are throwing a party and entertaining guests!
Credit: Jancis Robinson
