Château de la Tour Clos-Vougeot Vieilles Vignes 1985-2016
Verticals & Retrospectives, featured, France: Burgundy
, Jun 2019
The largest single owner of land in Clos de Vougeot is making some of its best wines today. Director François Labet’s special bottling from vines planted in 1910 has been an essence of this legendary grand cru in recent years.
Long Distance Runner: Brane-Cantenac 1924-2015
Verticals & Retrospectives, featured, France: Bordeaux
, Jan 2019
True, Brane-Cantenac has had its ups and downs over the years, but it is now creating some of its best ever wines. In one of the most comprehensive verticals ever written, I examine the estate from its formation to the present day and what influences the character of this singular Margaux.
Ceretto Barbaresco Asili: 1974-2014
Verticals & Retrospectives, featured, Piedmont, Italy: Piedmont
, Dec 2018
Asili is arguably one of Italy’s greatest vineyards, and Ceretto owns probably its best section, the bricco at the top of the hill. Ceretto’s Barbaresco Asili ages splendidly and can rightly claim its place among Italy’s most distinctive red wines.
Port Is For Life: Symington Vintage & Tawny Ports
Verticals & Retrospectives, featured, Portugal, Fortified Wines & Spirits, Fortified Wines & Spirits
, Dec 2018
“Port is for life, not just for Christmas.” True, though I am sure sales figures would confirm that more bottles of port, in all its multifarious forms - Vintage, Ruby, Tawny, Single Quinta, Colheita, White or Crusted - are ceremoniously passed to the left over the festive period than at any other time of the year. So it would be remiss of me not to offer Vinous readers an early Christmas present in the shape of a port-themed article.
Eternal Leroy: 1937-2010
Verticals & Retrospectives, featured, France: Burgundy
, Oct 2018
I still remember the first time I visited Domaine Leroy. It was a much earlier time in my tasting and writing career. As I walked into the understated winery in Vosne-Romanée I noticed the walls covered with photographs of what looked like incredible tastings. Gently softened by the passage of time, those photos bore testament to the extraordinary legacy built by Lalou Bize-Leroy and her late husband, Marcel Bize, over the six decades they spent together. My mind wandered as I imagined what it might be like to attend one of those events. Little did I know that in the coming years I would have the opportunity to participate in several historic tastings at both Domaine Leroy and Domaine d’Auvenay, Lalou Bize-Leroy’s home estate in the hills outside Meursault.
Golden Oldies & Goodies: The Ageworthiness of Verdicchio
Verticals & Retrospectives, featured, Italy
, Oct 2018
Long overlooked and underrated, Verdicchio is starting to make a name for itself, not just for delicious, easily affordable site-specific whites, but for surprisingly ageworthy wines too.
Albert Mann Gewurztraminer Furstentum: 1993-2015
Verticals & Retrospectives, featured, France: Alsace
, Oct 2018
Albert Mann is admired for wines of remarkable purity and precision. Arguably most famous for their Riesling Schlossberg and Pinot Noir bottlings, the estate’s Gewurztraminer Furstentum is just as outstanding, showcasing how well this variety can age in Alsace.
Le Potazzine Brunello di Montalcino 2001 – 2013
Verticals & Retrospectives, featured, Italy: Tuscany
, Oct 2018
Despite its short history, Le Potazzine is universally regarded as one of Montalcino’s top dozen or so wineries. The estate is known for remarkably refined Brunellos that speak of vintage, place and grape variety with utmost precision.
Picture This: Domaine Henri Gouges 1945 – 2016
Verticals & Retrospectives, featured, France: Burgundy
, Oct 2018
Photographs so often convey history better than words. They can stimulate our imagination and trigger emotions. A photograph presents minimal information, its temporal limitation governed by the click of the lens that ensnares a moment in time. Our minds are left to colour in what comes before and after. This retrospective traces the history of Domaine Henri Gouges through eight decades and more than fifty wines.
Malvirà Roero Arneis Vigna Renesio: 2007 – 2015
Verticals & Retrospectives, featured, Piedmont, Italy: Piedmont
, Oct 2018
Arneis is an Italian native white grape that can give remarkably charming wines with early appeal and juicy fruitiness. Malvirà’s outstanding Vigna Renesio bottling shows that Arneis can also produce layered, ageworthy wines.