Chronicle 152-153: Down the aisles of Vinexpo 2013

Chronicles 152 (21st July) and 153 (7th August) 2013 DOWN THE AISLES OF VINEXPO • Domaine la Vérité in California, Paul Jaboulet Ainé in Tain l’Hermitage, Domaine Durieu and Domaine La Nerthe in Chateauneuf du Pape, Chante Cocotte Pays d’Oc, Domaine du Clos des Fées and Domaine Gauby in Roussillon. • Domaine du Père Caboche, Chateauneuf du Pape and Domaine de l’Amauve, a Côtes du Rhône Outsider • Bordeaux 2013: widespread poor Merlot fruit set The world-leading wine and spirits exhibition gathered 48,858 visitors this year and 2,400 exhibitors from 44 countries. Having said that, this was the first year I felt the aisles were less crowded than usual with times when nothing seemed to be happening, depending on whether you were in Hall 1, 2 or 3. According to Vinexpo, 37.8% of the visitors were non-French and represented 148 different nations. The number of Asian visitors grew with 14% more Chinese, 17% more Japanese, 32% more Indians, 21% more Malaysians and 20% more Vietnamese than at Vinexpo 2011. Attendees admitted to finding there were less people at the show. It was said that the exhibition that is gaining popularity is above all the Dusseldorf-based ProWein in Germany, which attracted 40,667 visitors in 2013. The show that was seen to be losing out was the London International Wine Fair. Meanwhile, Vinexpo is launching more new events outside France, which could dilute its following in Bordeaux. In 2014, there will be a Vinexpo show in Hong Kong in May, followed by Vinexpo Beijing just a few days later at the beginning of June. Here are some comments on non-Bordeaux wines, which caught my attention: STATESIDE Honours are due to Pierre Seillan. He does marvellous things in California despite the fact that his vines are young. For the vast majority of the remaining wines below (Screaming Eagle, Harlan Estate) there isn’t the sparkle of fruit in their taste. The day California wakes up and attaches more importance to this aspect, its wines will reach such levels of excellence that Bordeaux will really tremble. • VÉRITÉ WINERY IN CALIFORNIA offers a series of cuvées made of several grape varieties, in which one variety always dominates: Cabernet Franc in Le Désir, Merlot in La Muse and Cabernet Sauvignon in La Joie. Pierre Seillan, who comes from the Gers region in France, has been making these wines with talent since 1998, introducing aromas, the very treasure of great French wines to a society where body is considered to be king. LE DESIR 2009 16.75 // 93 Main variety: Cabernet Franc. Fruity nose with eucalyptus also. Melts on the palate, flavoursome, very pleasant and reasonably powerful. 2016-2036. LE DESIR 2008 18.5 // 97 Magnificent wine with a fruity, creamy nose, full on the palate, but graceful with noble texture and sparkling aromas. Grand multi-layered finish that makes it impossible to spit out. 2015-2045. LA JOIE 2008 ? Main variety: Cabernet Sauvignon. I loved this wine in 2012 and scored it 19 // 98, but in 2013, I only gave it 16.5 // 92. In 2012, I admired its complexity, its stature on the palate, full, rich in taste, fleshy and supple, and long. This year, I found myself before a much more ordinary wine. LA JOIE 1998 16.75 // 93 Blended with 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30 % Merlot. Intense nose that is pleasant and creamy. Full and very fruity on the palate, with taste and length. Drink now and up to 2020. LA MUSE 2008 18 // 96 Main variety: Merlot. With the same score in 2012 and 2013, this wine is outstanding for the subtlety of its nose, the texture of its tannins and its fragrant, long finish. 2014-2035. LA MUSE 1998 15.75 // 89 This is Pierre Seillan’s first vintage of a 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon blend. The nose is a little green, while on the palate it is ready to drink, richly supple, rounded and of ordinary length. Drink now and up to 2018. • Three other Californian wines SCREAMING EAGLE 2006 16.25 // 91 Nice wine, fruity, full and flavoursome on the palate, but has no sophistication. Drink now and up to 2025. HARLAN ESTATE 2000 15.75 // 89 Hint of asparagus on the nose. Both smooth and lively on the palate. Flavour lacks buzz. Ordinary length. Drink now and up to 2020. RIDGE MONTEBELLO 1990 16.5 // 92 Lovely wine with ripe fruit, which caresses the palate, nicely structured, full and flavoursome with elegant tannins. Very good without being sophisticated. Drink now and up to 2025. Latest News: François Pinault the owner of Château Latour, has acquired Araujo Estate in the Napa Valley in California. As I said about the region at the beginning of this Chronicle, I am curious to see how the style of this wine evolves.… ALONG THE RHONE VALLEY • PAUL JABOULET AINÉ In November 2002, I was carrying out a vertical tasting of La Chapelle on the premises and was sampling the wide range the merchants had to offer. I remember being shocked by so much approximation in the way the wines had been made: green tastes, harsh tannins, volatile acidity and 4-Ethylphenol. Mr. Frey acquired Paul Jaboulet Ainé in 2006. He had owned La Lagune in Bordeaux since 1999. Since 2007, the team on site has been working hard at improving precision, which is detectable today in all the wines. At La Chapelle the local class persists, but now the mounting in which the gem is set sparkles too. 2010 is one of the best wines I tasted during Vinexpo. DOMAINE DE THALABERT Crozes Hermitage 2010 15.75 // 89 Very fruity, richly supple wine with a nose that is still discrete, but flavoursome and mineral as it persists. 2017-2030. DOMAINE DE LA CROIX DES VIGNES Saint-Joseph 2010 16.5-16.75 // 92-93 Superb colour and a nose of pure cherry. Juicy, rich and supple on the palate with incredible texture, both firm and airy at the same time. Superb, noble finish and very flavoursome. Bravo! 2016-2040. Price: around €30. DOMAINE DE LA CROIX DES VIGNES Saint-Joseph 2011 16 // 90 Elegant nose. Rich and supple, smooth and round on the palate, with fine-grained tannins and ordinary body. 2016-2035. DOMAINE SAINT PIERRE Cornas 2010 15.75 // 89 Lovely elegant nose. Juicy and powerful on the palate, slightly rustic as it lingers. 2016-2035. LA PETITE CHAPELLE Hermitage 2010 16.25 // 91 Discrete nose. Immediate subtle mouthfeel, with taste, melts on the palate and meticulous. Long finish with liquorice hints. 2016-2035. LA CHAPELLE Hermitage 2010 19 // 98 Lovely, intense colour. The nose is multi-layered, elegant, deep, fruity, subtle and spicy. Superb, ample attack. It develops to become noble, complex, rich in the middle with taste and opulence, while melting on the finish with magical grain. Bravo! 2020-2060. LA CHAPELLE Hermitage 2011 18 // 95 It’s only just been bottled, but the nobility of the nose does it all! Melts on the palate, fleshy, graceful, complex and refined as it lingers. Very long. 2023-2050. DOMAINE MULE BLANCHE Crozes Hermitage white 2011 16 // 90 Elegant nose of flowers and orange. Delicious on the palate, richly supple, alluring, ending up sappy and pure. Blended with 50% Roussanne and 50% Marsanne. Drink now and up to 2025. LA CHAPELLE Hermitage white 2006 17.5 // 95 First vintage to be made after production was abandoned in 1962. Production: 600 bottles. 100% Marsanne from the Rocoules terroir. Big, noble nose that is elegant, subtle and fruity with vanilla and liquorice. On the palate it starts off crystalline, then becomes heartier, then melting, then flavoursome, then powerful and finally very long. This wine has a Montrachet-like profile. Superb. Drink now and up to 2030. CHEVALIER DE STERIMBERG Hermitage white 2010 Favourite 17 // 94 Blend: 2/3 Marsanne, 1/3 Roussanne. Elegant wine that is fruity, subtle and multi-layered. Noble, complex and melting on the palate with hints of orange that hand over to floral notes on the finish. Superb wine that is impossible to spit out. 2013-2030. Price: around €57. • DOMAINE DU PÈRE CABOCHE CHÂTEAUNEUF DU PAPE I recommend the work of this property, which tasting positions as a pre-Outsider, by virtue of its aromatic qualities with no weakness in body. I will wait to taste it again in different circumstances, before confirming its final status. This wine is priced at €15. There is an Elisabeth Chambellan cuvée, made from old vines that costs €19. The red is proportionally of higher quality than the white. DOMAINE DU PERE CABOCHE Châteauneuf du Pape 2011 15.75 // 89 Elegant nose of violets. Fleshy and fragrant on the palate and very flavoursome on the finish. 2016-2025. ELISABETH CHAMBELLAN CUVEE Châteauneuf du Pape This cuvée brings together the 13 grape varieties of the appellation from old vines. The 2011 (16 // 90) is rich in taste with body, fine tannins and very good length. 2016-2030. The 2010 (16.25 // 91) has a lovely smell of violets. Smooth body with a refined feel, fine-grained and a fragrant finish. 2016-2030. This cuvée also exists as a white wine. The 2012 (15.75 // 89) surpasses the 2011 (14.75 // 86). This is a fragrant wine, quite richly supple, sappy, floral and flavoursome on the finish. Drink now and up to 2020. • DOMAINE DURIEU CHÂTEAUNEUF DU PAPE Vincent Durieu is now Mr. Boisson’s son-in-law. Mr. Boisson owns Domaine du Père Caboche. The style of these wines is different, more oriented towards the body than aromas. 2011 and 2012 both scored 15.25 // 87 and are round, juicy flavoursome wines, but ordinary for their surroundings. They are less attractive than those of Père Caboche. 2012 white (15 // 87), pleasant but aromatically simple. Drink now and up to 2020. Only when you get to the Lucile Avril cuvée, made from old vines, do you find more of a taste challenge and real emotion. 2011 with 16.25 // 91 has a very ripe, one-dimensional nose. On the palate, however, it has a lovely fleshiness, a less commanding attack than the 2010, but a long finish. I get the impression here that the effect of the terroir is to elongate the Grenache at the end and give this wine its refinement. 2016-2030. 2010 (16.5 // 92) is the fullest, sappiest, most powerful and most uniform with multi-layered notes and lovely length. It is priced at around €21. 2016-2030. • CHÂTEAU LA NERTHE CHÂTEAUNEUF DU PAPE Christian Vœux runs La Nerthe and also has his own property, Domaine de l’Amauve, a very intriguing Côtes du Rhône. LA NERTHE 2010 16.5 // 92 Fragrant, richly supple, powerful and long. 2016-2035. LA NERTHE 2009 Cadettes cuvée 17.5 // 95 This cuvée is made from fruit from old Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah vines. It’s a great wine! Intense, elegant, fruity, ripe, subtle nose. Richly supple attack, melting as it develops, silky and multi-layered on the midpalate, building to be long and sappy with fine tannins and lovely taste on the finish. Very noble. Delicious wine. 2016-2040. Price around €68 before VAT. LA NERTHE white 2012 15.75 // 89 Pretty floral nose, fruit burst on the palate, but a high proportion of gas. The most sensitive tasters will find it sparkling. Drink now and up to 2018. LA NERTHE white Clos du Beauvenir 2010 16.75 // 93 Lovely wine with spice and truffle notes on the nose. Richly supple on the palate with refined texture and multi-layered taste. Slightly woody, but sappy on the finish. Great flavoursome length, impossible to spit out. Blend: 50% Roussanne and 50% Clairette. Price: €63 VAT included. Drink now and up to 2030. DOMAINE DE L’AMAUVE Laurance cuvée Côtes du Rhône 2010 16 // 90 Here’s another pre-Outsider to find out more about that I’d like to taste again in other circumstances. Deep colour and sparkling fruity nose. It caresses the palate and is smooth, very fragrant, refined, sappy and long, with a taste of fruit, violets and liquorice. Delightful. €9.50 VAT included per bottle. 2015-2025. DOWN ROUSSILLON WAY A real find: CHANTE COCOTTE, vin du pays d'oc: shining Merlot from the south. In 2007, Régis Franc, a French novel and cartoon writer, bought an old house in Fontcouverte in the south-central département of Aude, surrounded by 2.6 hectares (61/2 acres) of vines, which were in poor condition. Following advice of friends and quite arbitrarily, he kept them even though he knew nothing about wine. They turned out to be old Merlot vines, quite well set out, not too widely and a nearby spring enables them to survive the fiery summers, which is reminiscent of how Dominus is located in California. The first vintage was born in 2010. The oenologist Claude Gros and the renowned winegrower Philippe Courrian, who owns Tour Haut Caussan in the Medoc, helped Régis Franc develop Chante Cocotte, a Merlot varietal. What makes it stand out is its flavour. The Merlot shines here with an unusual fruity sparkle. It is not bland and prematurely worn out as is often the case in Bordeaux. We await the next chapters of this adventure. Price to the consumer: about €65. Production: 875 bottles of 2010 red, 300 magnums and 700 bottles of 2011 red and 700 bottles of 2011 white 2010 15.75 // 89 Deep colour. Fruit and truffles on the nose. Full on the palate with body and especially flavoursome with a real sparkle in the taste. Average length. 2016-2025. 2011 16.5 // 92 Fruity and a little woody on the nose. Fleshy with more structure than the 2010 on the attack, the midpalate and the finish, with body and above all real persistence with refined tannins. It’s very tasty. 2016-2030. There is a white Chante Cocotte, made from old Maccabeu, Grey and White Grenache. I tasted the 2011 twice with a six-month interval between the tastings. The first time, I gave it 14 (85), finding it too flabby. The second time I gave it 16 (90), finding it more accomplished and better balanced. We will have to wait for the other vintages to discern the style of this white wine more clearly. For further information: http://www.chantecocotte.com/wp/ • DOMAINE DU CLOS DES FÉES, CÔTES DU ROUSSILLON Un faune avec son fifre (A faun with his fife) 2011 (16.25 // 91). Here is the fourth vintage of this unusual wine, blended with 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot. This is top flight Cabernet Franc from mass selection carried out at Eglise Clinet in Pomerol. Deep colour. Truffle and cocoa on the nose. Caressing, refined body. A wine that comes into its own at the end, which is flavoursome and fine-grained with good length. As the vines grow older, this wine will improve proportionally. 2017-2035. La Petite Sibérie 2011 (17.25 // 94) . A sunny nose with truffles. Marvellous mouthfeel. A wine that has it all with a multilayered finish which is impossible to spit out. 2017-2035. Domaine du Clos des Fées white, 100% Sémillon 2011 (15.75 // 89) . This Semillon has been grafted onto 15-year-old vines. Elegant, fruity nose that is ripe and spicy. Subtle on the palate, airy and flavoursome, ending up elegantly crystallised as it lingers. Delicious. Drink now and up to 2020. • DOMAINE GAUBY, CÔTES DU ROUSSILLON I tasted the 2011s quickly and I was attracted by the aromatic sparkle of these wines. I will try to visit this property this summer. This brief glance at the 2011s made me want to open the bottle below: Domaine de Gauby, La Muntada Côtes du Roussillon Village 2000 (16.5 // 92) . Incredible cherry nose. Full, juicy and very fresh on the palate with noticeable tannins, but which have softened. After 48 hours, the nose had a lovely smell of violets, which characterised this wine until it died six days later! In the meantime, the tannins had become smoother and the score went up. A delicious, powerful wine that is especially fresh. It has another thirty years ahead of it. Drink now and up to 2040. BORDEAUX 2013: VERY POOR FRUIT SET ON THE MERLOT It has been confirmed that the Merlot variety has suffered poor fruit set, generally across Gironde, including the young vines. Usually, old virus-infected vines are the most affected. The Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes came out unscathed. The right bank has been heavily impacted by this accident caused by the weather, which reduces the number of grapes per bunch. Despite promising budburst, the yield per vine will be low. In Pomerol, the Merlot growing on gravel soils failed to set, while that growing on clay produced “hens and chickens” (small green grapes without seeds that are difficult to sort out of the harvest. Here the yields of the best wines on the plateau will be low, which means price levels could well be maintained and interest in 2011 and 2012 could be rekindled. Connoisseurs, be aware! In Saint-Emilion and on clayey limestone soils, the poor fruit set appears less crippling and more mixed depending on the areas or the vines. Some areas are not very productive, while in others fruit will have to be harvested green in order to achieve proper results! In terms of future quality, the vines are still two to three weeks late in their growth cycle. At this rate, many people cannot see any red wine harvest happening before October. We will also need a generous Indian summer to make sure the Cabernet ripens adequately. For now, substantial work on the green fruit is an absolute must to get the best out of the harvest to come. As it turns out, many estates are shrinking from the job for founded or pretended financial reasons. The only positive thing is that Bordeaux has enjoyed an exceptionally hot and dry July. We could not have hoped for more, given the circumstances. No-one knows what this vintage will become if this weather carries over into August. However, I’ll be here to tell you all about it! The chronicles now take a break until 7th September. Happy holidays to everyone. Jean-Marc Quarin _________________________________________________________________________ © Copyright 2010. This publication is the original work of Jean-Marc Quarin Sarl, 10 allée de Ginouilhac, Le Taillan-Médoc. France. - E-mail : jmquarin@quarin.com The news media and subscribing wine distributors, importers and retailers may use portions of this material (such as tasting notes, ratings or quotes) provided that it is not distorted, the proper wine and vintage are stated, www.quarin.com is given credit for the material utilized, and Jean-Marc Quarin (JMQ) is shown as the Copyright holder.

2013 Chronicles

Chronicle 152-153: Down the aisles of Vinexpo 2013

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