James was featured in the article below that first appeared in Italy’s Panorama magazine on May 6, 2020 and is translated and reproduced here with kind permission.

Open Winery

By Chiara Risolo

New rules imposed during the time of the coronavirus mean wineries have had to adapt, delivering wines to your home and making deliveries on demand. 

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Paris, 1999. Pietro and Anna fall in love at a restaurant table. Their witness: a sangiovese wine. This red speaks to them and they get married. In 2020 he wants to surprise her and for their anniversary he seeks out that same old wine. But the Perlato del Bosco 99 is nowhere to be found during the time of COVID-19.

Luckily, producers are now delivering their wines directly to wine lovers’ homes, shortening the distance between the two. Pietro sends an email to Tua Rita and the wine is shipped. “The request from this person was very emotional to us,” says Stefano Frascola, from Tua Rita in Tuscany. “We ship all over the world at a very competitive rate, and through social media we answer any questions that come our way.”

This is an example that James Suckling would call smart. The critic, one of the most authoritative in the world, told Panorama: “I have always advised Italian producers to expand commercial strategies. Traditional sales channels work, but it is useful, especially now, to feed the direct relationship with individuals, making the most of the power of the web. I am also referring to communication on demand, videos, photos. This medical emergency will last for months. It is good to act now.”

It seems there is no time to waste. On Instagram and Facebook the message is crystal clear: “Stay home, we’ll bring the wine to you.” Zorzettig has taken this to heart too. The Friulian company in addition to shipping throughout Italy, has produced a limited edition bottle with an unequivocal label: “It will be all right.” Proceeds from the sale of the Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso wine will go to the Udine Hospital for the purchase of materials necessary to face these critical moments. “We love our land. We asked ourselves how we could be useful in this terrible situation,” says Annalisa Zorzettig.

Bianca Rizzo is also keen to do the same. Together with her parents, Marco and Carla, Laura Aschero is at the helm of the Pontedassio company. “In recent years we have developed an important network of private customers that has allowed us to keep going. We enter people’s houses with our wines. It is a privilege.”

It also makes the pigato grape the undisputed white berry king of western Liguria: a large and full-bodied ennoblement of home-made aperitifs and dinners. How beautiful. It must be said: a glass of wine’s mission is also to distract people from Covid. The bubbles in this perspective have a lot to say. Ernesto Balbinot, patron of Le Manzane, a Treviso-based company, has organized everything so that his elegant Prosecco can arrive in time at Italian tables.

“I never thought before that I could expand my sales network with e-commerce. This brings me to new and important reflections.”

From bubble to bubble, Bortolomiol and Merotto also now deliver to homes. The new Rive 70th Anniversary (just 8,000 bottles produced) wine is creamy and harmonious. As for Merotto, focus on the Cuvée of the Founder Graziano Merotto.

Another effective antidote to boredom is the Classic Method, Moratti Cuvée from Castello di Cigognola. Gian Matteo Baldi, CEO of the company confesses: “As far as sales and communication are concerned, we try to take all possible routes as we do not know if, how and how much the scenario will change.”

The diehards of Franciacorta can count on Castello Bonomi and Ca ’d’Or: online there is all the information you need to get it delivered straight to your home.

Mr Suckling reopens the battle of the reds (music for expert palates): “Recently I was fascinated by some labels of Barolo and Barbaresco 2016 for their structure and intensity and of Brunello di Montalcino 2015.”

What do you recommend? “Old vineyards of Siro Pacenti, Luce della Vite, Brunello di Renieri, Eredi Fuligni and Barolo Cerequio 2016 by Roberto Voerzio.”

Don’t worry, they all deliver to your house. In addiiton: the purple, round and velvety Vigna Casi, Chianti Classico Riserva dogc Castello di Meleto and, among others, as well as the ruby colored ​​Notti di Luna Piena di Ca ’di Rajo, Malanotte del Piave Docg, with powerful tannins.

But this time is not only about home deliveries. Virtual visits to the cellar, the vineyards and tasting tutorials are also happening, such as those from San Felice, a jewel of Castelnuovo Berardenga in the Siena area. So make yourself comfortable. And wait for someone to knock on your door.

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Ao Yun is one of the highest wineries in China, sitting in the Mekong valley at 2,200m-2,600m above sea level in northern Yunnan Province.

Last week at James Suckling Wine Central in Hong Kong, James sat down with Maxence Dulou, the French-born winemaker and estate manager of Ao Yun, one of the most prestigious wineries in China. Owned by luxury goods company LVMH (which also owns Cheval Blanc and Chateau d’Yquem) and one of the highest wineries in China too – its 28 hectares of vineyards sit in the Mekong valley at 2,200m-2,600m above sea level in northern Yunnan Province, southwest of China – could this be the face of China’s wine future? 

When Ao Yun’s debut 2013 vintage came out, it was hyped as China’s first cult wine, retailing at over $300 a bottle with a limited quantity produced. At that time, few people could have imagined that China was capable of producing a world-class cabernet blend whose price topped some of the most revered new-world names such as Opus One and Almaviva.

Last year, we tasted 140 Chinese wines (with more to come this year). That is not a vast number, but 55 percent received 90+ points. We are confident in saying that China’s era of producing quality wine has arrived, which is very different to the situation 15 years ago. And the Ao Yun 2015, of the 140 bottles we tasted, received the highest score of 95 points. (See our report here: SMALL CHINA TASTING REVEALS BIG PROGRESS FROM TOP PRODUCERS)

“2015 was our warmest and driest year with a big yield for us but still only around 2,700 liters per hectare,” said Dulou.

The high altitude of Shangri-La assures the ripeness of the wine with intense sunshine and solar radiation framed in a moderate climate, which is not as wet as Shandong, and far less extreme than China’s modern wine hub Ningxia, where vines need to be buried in the soil to “hibernate” through the cold winter.

“For us, each vintage lends its unique characteristics to the wine as the weather is quite variable – even within a day. And 2016 was our coolest vintage until mid-July, followed by a very sunny and dry season with the highest temperature recorded in August, which helped a lot.”

The cool 2016 vintage unveils a purity of polished fruit in the glass, both red and black, with some adornments of fresh leaves. It is a harmonious melange of richness and freshness, but in a broad, layered form that is shaped with class and depth. (See the tasting notes of 2016 and 2015 vintages below)

“For this vintage, we also tried to use less new oak, at around 35 percent, but more one-year-old barrels, which makes the wine an honest and heartfelt utterance of our terroir through finesse, freshness and complexity with long aging potential,” explained Dulou. “And for the first time in the blend, we have added some syrah (4 percent) and petit verdot (2 percent) that we planted in 2013, which fine-tuned the dense fruit and added more complexity and length to the wine.”

Although the first vintage was 2013, Ao Yun’s vineyards are not as young. Half of the vines were planted in 2000 by Tibetan farmers, and the rest were planted between 2013 and 2015 after a comprehensive study on the soil and climate. Today, the 28-hectare vineyards are divided into 314 blocks, and most are leased to 114 families, who tend the vines organically and sustainably.

“One of the challenges for us is communication, as the local farmers are Chinese Tibetan minority and the technical team is Chinese Han or other Yunnan minorities. In practice, we have a four-level management, mainly to break down the language barriers, from French/English to Mandarin and then to Tibetan, with some other dialects mixed in the middle. It is a teamwork adventure!”

This year marks only the fourth vintage of this premium Chinese wine. As Dulou and his team are gaining more experience with their amazing terroir and the people who care for it, they have blazed a new trail in this distant, almost isolated Xanadu in which the conglomerate Moet Hennessy continues to invest heavily.

With the vines picking up some age in the future, we have every reason to believe that Ao Yun’s journey as a fine wine from China has just started. If you got a chance to taste the new vintage, you would probably agree that Ao Yun has lived up to the hype as a legendary Chinese wine, and it will continue to ride high in China.

Read the new tasting notes of 2016 and 2015 (retasted) from James below, as well as the other vintages.

– Zekun Shuai, associate editor in Beijing

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Soave should be known as one of the great undervalued Italian white wines. For people who are not familiar with the area, which is from the Veneto region in northeast Italy, the name “Soave” might be assumed to mean a wine that is “suave,” if not a little bland. And many of them are, since a large percentage of the production of the wines come from a massive wine cooperative producing cheap whites at low cost for bargain customers around the world.

For a long time the excessive production has chipped away the reputation of some of the finest renditions of Soave. As a workhorse grape, garganega can be way too generous in yields, tempting producers (including many co-operatives) to think about quantity over quality to meet demand.

Yet the value of Soave has improved tremendously, thanks to some dedicated, quality-conscious producers, including the most famous ones such as Pieropan, Pr, Suavia, Inama and Gini, just to name a few, who used to produce bulk wines, but not anymore.

The nose of an excellent Soave is often not immediately obvious, but ranges from ripe lemony citrus, melon/mango-like tropical fruit to some light spicy and floral characters that extend to the palate in a medium to full body. James likes to compare the best to top dry riesling.

With the yield being reined in and ripeness under check, Soave can become a serious white. Despite the controversy, Soave Superiore was raised to DOCG status in the early 2000s as the region keeps treading its road of premiumization, making riper, fresher and more complex wines.

Today, the most acclaimed Soaves often come from the heartland of Soave Classico DOC where vineyards are mostly located high on the steep hillside (often 200-300m above sea level) on various terroirs with different microclimates and aspects, giving rise to diverse expressions and rendering a sense of place. Classic examples include the single-vineyard wines from the well-acclaimed Pieropan – Calvarino and La Rocca. The former has soils rich in volcanic basalts, giving the wine an austere yet savory edge with an almost pungent, sulfurous accent. In contrast, the latter shows riper characters with its limy, calcareous soil. These are often a bit denser and more opulent wines but still fresh and zesty with that Chablis-like tautness and textural allure, sometimes with a subtle complexity developed from the discreet influence of botrytis.

While Soave (Classico) as a region/wine is well known, its low-profile grape garganega, which makes up at least 70 percent of the wine, is behind the scenes, with the remaining 30 percent made up by trebbiano di Soave (verdicchio) and sometimes to a lesser extent chardonnay, contributing to an even more variable style.

In most cases, excellent Soaves are real steals, simply because Soave is still shadowed by the old image of inexpensive wins that are massively produced, and people are not ready to take the serious versions of Soaves very seriously. I enjoy Soave ripe, fresh and taut, and a few bottles may develop stunning complexity when properly aged up to decades. But most don’t go that far, and many still face the risk of premature oxidation. I recently experienced a few oxidized bottles. So be careful with producers and storage conditions with your merchants.

Also, Soave should be your go-to dry white for food (if you like luscious whites, then check out Recioto di Soave). A fresh Soave pairs well with almost everything on your dinner table thanks to its approachable styles, freshness and wonderful balance that are keys to drinkability.

I consider the following seven bottles from the 2018 vintage among the classic picks of Soave that consumers can easily come across with excellent quality and great value at around $15. Take advantage, and toast the stupendous value of the modern Soave!

Great value Soave wines

I Campi Soave Classico Campo Vulcano 2018 – JS94
International Price: $16

Suavia Soave Classico 2018 – JS93
US Average Price: $16

Pieropan Soave Classico 2018 – JS93
Available at JJ.Buckley: $16.94

Tamellini Soave 2018 – JS92
Available at Wine.com: $14.99

Inama Soave Classico Vin Soave 2018 – JS92
Available at Wine.com: $13.99

Prà Soave Otto 2018 – JS92
Available at Zachys：$14.99

Gini Soave Classico 2018 – JS91
Available at Zachys: $15.99

– Zekun Shuai, associate editor in Beijing

DON’T MISS:

$15 BOTTLES THAT TASTE LIKE $50: CHILEAN SAUVIGNON BLANC

10 OUTSTANDING NAPA 2017 CABERNETS FOR UNDER $75

GREAT VALUE WINES: 5 CHABLIS VILLAGES 2017 FOR LESS THAN $50

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“SEMAINE BORDEAUX” PROMOTION @ JAMES SUCKLING WINE CENTRAL

Bordeaux Confidential 2020: 2019 En Primeur & En Bouteille

Hong Kong wine tasting promotion for Bordeaux 2019 vintage

June 8 – 13, 2020 @ James Suckling Wine Central, Hong Kong

Be among the first to taste the 2019 En Primeurs as well as wines from top vintages such as 2017, 2016, and 2015.

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SEMAINE BORDEAUX @ JAMES SUCKLING WINE CENTRAL

The Bordeaux Week at James Suckling Wine Central is a curated tasting of Bordeaux 2019 En Primeur by James Suckling as well as other hand-selected recent releases and top vintages from Bordeaux.

Be among the first to taste the 2019 En Primeurs as well as wines from top vintages such as 2017, 2016, and 2015. James has already rated almost 450 2019 barrel samples and he compares it in quality to 2018, 2016, 2015 and 2010, but much more “classic Bordeaux” in style.

The tasting will present more than 100 wines from 40+ selected top Bordeaux producers. James will be present too, to discuss the tasting and vintage. Our team of sommeliers will organize and select the wines you wish to taste.

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[!] Your safety is important to us

Our sit-down tasting conforms to HK government recommendations and practices for social distancing rules of a minimum of 1.5 meters. The venue is sanitized hourly. All participants will have their temperature checked and will sign a health declaration form before entering. Face masks must be worn when not tasting.

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BOOK YOUR SPOT

June 8 (Mon) – June 12 (Fri); 9.15 am – 5.15pm

Private tasting sessions open to members of the wine trade (identification required)

Multiple small-group 90-minute sessions a day.

Click here to book your session

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June 13 (Sat) – “Taste Bordeaux Like a Critic” Masterclass with James Suckling 

Taste 2019 En Primeur and other young vintage wines with James Suckling (10 wines). James will enlighten you to the intricacies of tasting and evaluating young, unfinished wines. Talk about wine appreciation in this interactive session up close with the international wine critic. Ticketed sessions (HK$498 pp).

Masterclass One: 2.30pm – 3.30pm (60min)

Masterclass Two: 4pm – 5pm (60min)

List of Wines: Château du Domaine de L’Église Pomerol 2019 (96-97 pts), Château d’Issan Margaux 2019 (96-97pts), Château Marsau Francs Côtes de Bordeaux 2019 (93-94pts), Château Pape Clément Pessac-Léognan 2019, (96-97 pts), Château Péby-Faugères St.-Emilion 2019 (96-97), Château Phélan Ségur Saint-Estephe 2019 (95-96), Domaine de Chevalier Pessac-Léognan Blanc 2019 (95-96 pts), Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild Pauillac 2019, Château Tour Saint Christophe St.-Emilion 2017 (93 pts), Château Suduiraut Sauternes 2015 (95 pts)

Click here to book your spot

* * *

LIMITED SPACE PER SESSION. FIRST COME FIRST SERVED.

NOTE: Only serious RSVPs please! Seats will be assigned. Please don’t block space if you don’t intend to taste. 

Seats will be confirmed on a first come, first served basis. Private group booking (by company) is available on request.

For enquiries contact info@jamessuckling.com

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LIST OF PARTICIPATING CHATEAUX

Click here for the full list of wines available to taste.

Château Arnauld, Château Bastor-Lamontagne, Chateau Batailley, Château Belgrave, Château Bellefont-Belcier, Château Beychevelle, Château Branas Grand Poujeaux, Château Cantemerle, Château Cantenac-Brown, Château Cantin, Château Clerc Milon, Château Croix de Labrie, Château d’Armailhac, Château d’Issan, Château Dalem, Château Dauzac, Château De Carles, Château de Ferrand, Château de la Huste, Château de Lamarque, Château du Tertre, Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, Château Faugères, Château Ferrande, Château Fombrauge, Château Fourcas-Hosten, Château Giscours, Château Grand Barrail Lamarzelle Figeac, Château Grand Corbin, Château Guiraud, Château Haut-Brisson, Château La Dominique, Château La Garde, Château La Patache, Château La Tour Carnet, Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey, Château Lafon-Rochet, Château Laroque, Château Larose Trintaudon, Château Larrivaux, Château Lascombes, Château Le Boscq, Château Magrez Fombrauge, Château Maillet, Château Malartic-Lagraviere, Château Marquis de Terme, Château Martinet, Château Mouton Rothschild, Château Montlabert, Château Nenin, Château Pape Clément, Château Peby-Faugères, Château Pedesclaux, Château Phélan-Ségur, Château Pichon Baron, Château Prieuré-Lichine, Château Rocheyron, Château St. Pierre Pomerol, Château Suduiraut, Château Tour Saint Christophe, Château Trottevieille, Château Villemaurine, Clos Beauregard, Clos de Sarpe, Clos du Marquis, Clos Dubreuil, Clos Haut-Peyraguey, Couvent des Jacobins, Domaine de Chevalier

WINE LIST

– 2019 En Primeur-

Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild Pauillac 2019

Clos de Sarpe St.-Emilion 2019

Clos Haut-Peyraguey Sauternes 2019

Couvent des Jacobins Calicem St.-Emilion 2019

Couvent des Jacobins St.-Emilion 2019

Domaine de Chevalier Clos de Lunes Bordeaux Lune d’Argent 2019

Domaine de Chevalier Pessac-Léognan 2019

Domaine de Chevalier Pessac-Léognan Blanc 2019

Château Bastor-Lamontagne Sauternes 2019

Château Batailley Pauillac 2019

Château Bel-Air Lussac-St.-Emilion Jean & Gabriel 2019

Château Branas Grand Poujeaux Moulis-en-Médoc 2019

Château Cantemerle Haut-Médoc 2019

Château Cantenac Brown Margaux 2019

Château Cantin St.-Emilion 2019

Château Clément-Pichon Haut-Médoc 2019

Château Clerc Milon Pauillac 2019

Château Croix de Labrie St.-Emilion 2019

Château d’Armailhac Pauillac 2019

Château d’Issan Margaux 2019

Château Dalem Fronsac 2019

Château Dauzac Margaux 2019

Château de Carles Fronsac 2019

Château de la Huste Fronsac 2019

Château du Domaine de L’Église Pomerol 2019

Château du Tertre Margaux 2016

Château du Tertre Margaux 2019

Château Faugères St.-Emilion 2019

Château Fayat Pomerol 2019

Château Fombrauge St.-Emilion 2019

Château Fourcas-Hosten Bordeaux Blanc 2019

Château Fourcas-Hosten Listrac-Medoc 2019

Château Giscours Margaux 2019

Château Grand Barrail Lamarzelle Figeac St.-Emilion 2019

Château Grand Corbin St.-Emilion 2019

Château Guiraud Bordeaux Blanc G 2019

Château Guiraud Sauternes 2019

Château Haut-Carles Fronsac 2019

Château La Dominique St.-Emilion 2019

Château La Garde Pessac-Léognan 2019

Château La Garde Pessac-Leognan Blanc 2019

Château La Tour Carnet Haut-Médoc 2019

Château Labat Haut-Médoc 2019

Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey Sauternes 2019

Château Lafon-Rochet St.-Estèphe 2019

Château Laroque St.-Emilion 2019

Château Lascombes Margaux 2019

Château Le Boscq St.-Estèphe 2019

Château Le Rey Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux Les Argileuses 2019

Château Lynch-Moussas Pauillac 2019

Château Maillet Pomerol 2019

Château Malartic-Lagravière Pessac-Léognan 2019

Château Marsau Francs Côtes de Bordeaux 2019

Château Pape Clément Pessac-Léognan 2019

Château Péby-Faugères St.-Emilion 2019

Château Pédesclaux Pauillac 2019

Château Phélan Ségur Saint-Estephe 2019

Château Prieuré-Lichine Margaux 2019

Château Rocheyron St.-Emilion 2019

Château Trottevieille St.-Emilion 2019

Château Villemaurine St.-Emilion 2019

– Earlier Vintages –

Château Arnauld Haut-Médoc 2018

Château Bellefont-Belcier St.-Emilion 2016

Château Beychevelle St.-Julien 2016

Château Cantenac Brown Margaux 2016

Château Caronne-Ste.-Gemme Haut-Médoc 2015

Château Clerc Milon Pauillac 2014

Château Croix de Labrie St.-Emilion 2017

Château d’Armailhac Pauillac 2015

Château Dauzac Margaux 2017 

Château de Ferrand St.-Emilion 2015

Château de Ferrand St.-Emilion 2016

Château de Lamarque Haut-Médoc 2016

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou St.-Julien 2017

Château Faugères St.-Emilion 2016

Château Ferrande Graves 2016

Château Ferrande Graves Blanc 2017

Château Giscours Margaux 2015

Château Haut-Brisson St.-Emilion 2018

Château La Dominique St.-Emilion 2016

Château Laroque St.-Emilion 2017

Château Larose-Trintaudon Haut-Médoc 2018

Château Larrivaux Haut-Médoc 2016

Château Lascombes Margaux 2016

Château Maillet Pomerol 2015

Château Malartic-Lagravière Pessac-Léognan 2015

Château Marquis de Terme Margaux 2016

Château Marquis de Terme Margaux 2017

Château Martinet St.-Emilion 2017

Château Montlabert St.-Emilion 2016

Château Nenin Pomerol 2012

Château Phélan Ségur St.-Estèphe 2016

Château Pichon-Longueville Baron Pauillac 2015

Château Pichon-Longueville Baron Pauillac 2016

Château Prieuré-Lichine Margaux 2015

Château Saint-Pierre Pomerol 2017

Château Suduiraut Sauternes 2015

Château Suduiraut Sauternes 2016

Château Tour Saint Christophe St.-Emilion 2017

Clos Beauregard Pomerol 2016

Clos de Sarpe St.-Emilion 2016

Clos du Marquis St.-Julien 2008

Clos Dubreuil St.-Emilion 2016

Clos Dubreuil St.-Emilion 2017

La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou St.-Julien 2017

Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild Pauillac 2015

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James and friends taste and rate the four Tuscan 2017 reds in James Suckling Wine Central in Hong Kong.

A blind tasting of the new vintage of the four most famous reds of Tuscany’s coastal region of Bolgheri doesn’t happen every day. But last week I got together with a few friends at my restaurant and wine bar James Suckling Wine Central in Hong Kong and we tasted the Guado al Tasso, Masseto, Ornellaia and Sassicaia before dinner.

The results were not that surprising but the conclusions were. The 2017 vintage was one of the hottest in memory for Tuscany. The summer was boiling hot with temperatures in July and August well above 100 Fahrenheit. And there was no rain. I remember flying over Tuscany in a helicopter in August and the land was parched and brown. It resembled a high desert more than a famous vineyard region. Yet the wines we tasted were fresh and fruity with beautiful richness and flavor.

For me the Masseto was particularly linear and bright with so much fruit intensity and fine tannins. It was structured and complex for the future. I expected it to be a blockbuster with low acidity, high alcohol and dense fruit and tannins. Yet it was the opposite. I remember the boiling 2003 vintage in Europe and Tuscany and most of the wines lacked definition and were high in alcohol and a little flabby.

The 2017 vintage didn’t deliver this for the top reds of Tuscany. I think that viticulture and winemaking have greatly progressed since 2003 in the region. Winemakers better understand how to protect their crop from intense sunlight and heat as well as a lack of water. Plus, they are most interested in making better balanced reds than before.

“I think 2017 is a vintage full of surprises, that could really make interesting wines if handled well,” said Axel Heinz, the technical director of Ornellaia and Masseto. “While it was one of the warmest vintages all across the growing season, during harvest temperatures were almost back to normal, with cool enough nights to give the vines a rest (actually if we look at average temperatures during harvest 2017 was not warmer then both 2018 and 2019). The key was early harvest (all merlot was picked in only four days at the end of August, and the rest was finished by September 26). In the winery we went for very soft extraction with low temperatures, very few pump overs and short macerations, to really focus on the elegance and freshness of flavor, knowing that the wines would not lack concentration as the berries were really extraordinarily small.”

He added, “In the end it is a much more classic vintage than 2003, undoubtedly because it had much better conditions during harvest. In 2003 it didn’t cool down at night which resulted in really roasted fruit.”

So who won the blind tasting after I tallied the votes from my friends? It was Ornellaia, Masseto, Guado al Tasso and Sassicaia in that order. My order was Masseto, Guado al Tasso, Ornellaia and Sassicaia.

Below are my official tasting notes that were done in a blind tasting a few days before in my office.

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Grenache has transformed in the past decade from the little wine that could, to the most exciting wine on offer. It is now re-writing the script of the region and re-defining the story of great McLaren Vale wine. 

There’s a veritable army of winemaker talent clustered around this grenache space making many great wines that are packed with interest. 

The post McLaren Vale Delivers Top Mediterranean Styled Reds appeared first on JamesSuckling.com.

Taurasi DOCG is one of the most revered names in southern Italy. But it is still overshadowed by the ABB trio of Amarone, Barolo and Brunello, which means it still offers lots of value for money for savvy consumers. But you can also go one step further and check out even lesser-known regions where the fabulous aglianico grape thrives, producing high-quality and more affordable versions of the rich and powerful Taurasi wines. These wines might be a little less rich, compacted or concentrated, but they can also be more drinkable with lots of immediate appeal, providing bright and agreeable fruit with excellent freshness and structure for everyday drinking.

In the Campanian Apennines, many regions contribute to the production of fine aglianico wines. As much as we love the historic and iconic Taurasi wines that, when youthful, are brooding in black fruit with savory spices and tarry minerality, they are often loaded in a full, broad palate and armored with ripe and dense tannin structure, holding back the depth of rich flavors. Some top producers like Mastroberardino and Feudi di San Gregorio make many wines like that. These are the bottles that I keep, take out from the cellar and then send back, always assuming that a little more oxygen would do justice to these worthy bottles, mostly over $50. Still a very fair price for what you get.

But in the wine world today not everyone is willing to invest either money or time on future enjoyment like this. Even though great bottles are made to be aged, wine in general has become a pleasure to be enjoyed now, rather than saved for later. This is especially true of the younger generation of consumers like myself.

If you are one of these impatient drinkers looking for a good-value aglianico for right now, then look out for Irpinia DOC, a broader appellation that surrounds Taurasi, where younger, fresher and more energetic versions of Taurasi are made and usually cost a lot less.

Within Campania, Aglianico del Taburno DOCG and Sannio DOC also offer similar value and quality. In Cilento DOC, where vines are bathed under the sunshine and enjoy cooling breezes near the coast, producers make fresh and elegant wines and many have eschewed the jammy, even raisiny and porty styles that lesser aglianicos could be accused of, especially when picked too late in hot vintages. And don’t overlook Campania IGTs, especially Paestum IGT, where aglianicos can be vibrant, juicy and detailed. Try Luigi Maffini’s wine, for example, as recommended below.

Also, consider the neighbors of Campania. For example, Basilicata, where Aglianico del Vulture DOCG is widely acclaimed as a genuine alternative for Taurasi. The elevated vineyards that surround the extinct volcano, Mount Vulture, produce pure expressions of aglianico (where laws require 100 percent of the grape instead of a minimum of 85 percent in Taurasi) with the same amount of power and depth as Taurasi but often cost less, sometimes just half the price. Further off the beaten path, you can find a few excellent examples of Aglianico in Molise as well, Di Majo Norante being one of the producers that should make it onto your smart-buy list.

Being a thick-skinned and late-ripening grape with promising qualities in color, flavors, tannin and acidity, the potential and the popularity of aglianico are still mostly unsung outside Italy. I remember tasting some fine varietal aglianicos in Baja California, Mexico, where Paoloni of Villa Montefiori had adapted the variety to the local terroir. In China, Grace Vineyard from Shanxi, one of the most reputable producers, has also started to make limited quantities of aglianico, but I found that the fruit from 2014 didn’t hold up well to the generous dose of oak. With more aspiring producers in the warmer New World countries seeking to create new trends of taste, I would bet on a bright future for aglianico.

The following 10 bottles are some of our top picks to grab both quality and value, most of them just above $15 a bottle.

10 great value aglianico wines

Di Majo Norante Aglianico Molise Contado Riserva 2014 – JS94
Available at Wine.com: $16.99

Nativ Aglianico Irpinia Blu Onice 2017 – JS94
International Average Price: $16

Luigi Maffini Aglianico Paestum Klèos 2013 – JS94
International Price: $11

Salvatore Molettieri Aglianico Irpinia Cinque Querce 2015 – JS94
Available at Wine.com: $20.99

Donnachiara Aglianico Irpinia 2017 – JS94
US Average Price: $20

Alois Aglianico Campania Campole 2017 – JS93
US Average Price: $17

Mastroberardino Aglianico Irpinia 2017 – JS93
US Average Price: $17

Feudi di San Gregorio Aglianico Irpinia Rubrato 2017 – JS93
US Average Price: $18

Paternoster Aglianico del Vulture Synthesi 2016 – JS92
International Average Price: $11

Antonio Caggiano Aglianico Irpinia Taurì 2017 – JS92
US Average Price: $19

– Zekun Shuai, associate editor in Beijing

The post $15 bottles that taste like $50: Italian aglianico appeared first on JamesSuckling.com.

Château Pontet-Canet, the idiosyncratic fifth growth of Pauillac, set the tone for Bordeaux 2019 en primeur or futures, releasing its high-quality wine at more than one-third less than its 2018. Wine merchants in Bordeaux reported that their email inboxes were filling with orders.

One London wine merchant was already offering six bottles of the 2019 for £367 compared to £648 for the 2018.

“Great wines are for pleasure and I try to bring more happiness to this crazy world!” said Alfred Tesseron, owner of Pontet-Canet, through an email a few minutes ago. The property grows all of its grapes biodynamically and adheres to some unorthodox winemaking techniques for the region such as fermenting and aging part of its production in amphoras and aging in large used wooden casks. This year I found the 2019 exceptional and one of the best I tasted so far out of the more than 750 wines. I have about 200 more to taste.

My best wines so far have been three first growths – Lafite, Margaux and Mouton as well as second growth Ducru-Beaucaillou. These all could be perfect wines once I review them in bottle in 2022. And there are many other excellent wines. I find the vintage to be outstanding and at the same quality as the extraordinary 2018 but the young wines show more classic, even traditional style with fine tannins and bright and vibrant acidity. Alcohols are slightly less in the blend than most 2018s. Check out my first report on the vintage.

It’s hard to generalize about it being a Right or Left Bank vintage or particularly great in one district over another. I do have a slight preference for the northern Medoc with St.-Estephe and the north of Pauillac being the sweet spots in my tastings as well as St.-Emilion. Some chateaux such as Pontet-Canet clearly made a better 2019 than 2018 from what I tasted from barrel.

I have been tasting samples in my office in my wine bar and restaurant in Hong Kong and the wines have showed very well. It usually took samples about two or three days to arrive from Bordeaux with DHL or FedEx. The wines were tasted a day or two after arriving in Hong Kong. I also conducted regular Zoom interviews and tastings. It’s almost better than being in Bordeaux. It’s certainly easier!

“I think everyone just wants to get
on with things – lots of wine, prices
should be reasonable, overall
quality is good”

– Shaun Bishop of JJ Buckley

The big question I had after substantiating the very good to excellent quality of the wines from simple Bordeaux to grand chateaux was if anyone would want to buy them as futures. Some key trade members in London and Hong Kong certainly were not interested and sent emails to winemakers and merchants asking them to forego sales or at least delay them. Some American wine merchants were not sure what to make of the whole thing as they still had to contend with trade tariffs as well as the decimated economy and COVID-19.

“I think everyone just wants to get on with things – lots of wine, prices should be reasonable, overall quality is good, etc, etc,” said Shaun Bishop of JJ Buckley in Oakland, California, by email. “But tariffs will remain the obstacle in the U.S. (at least for us). I don’t want to take the risk that tariffs go up, if I cannot cancel my orders. What if the price of Chateau X comes down from 100 Euros to 75 Euros, but tariffs go up 50 percent between the time I buy and the time I take delivery? Sorry, but retailers and end-clients should not be the ones to take this risk.”

Yet some other wine merchants in other parts of the world are okay with the idea of en primeur 2019, according to chateaux owners and managers. “When the crisis started for us, I wrote to more than 100 clients around the world and I asked their opinion on whether to have the en primeur campaign or not, and most of them answered that they want to have an en primeur campaign because they need Bordeaux for their business,” said Veronique Sanders, the head of Chateau Haut-Bailly. “I was surprised to see how attached they were to the en primeur campaign.

“So I think it’s positive that Bordeaux makes the move despite the conditions, despite the complexity of launching this vintage,” she added. “I think we should we should all say thanks to Bordeaux for trying its best to make it happen. Although the conditions are difficult, although we don’t know if there will be a market, I think all the clients also told me, we just want to move on to start making business – we just don’t want to keep talking about the coronavirus and we need to move onto the next step, and I think this en primeur campaign is a good opportunity to create a dynamic, and we’ll see how it goes but I think it’s an opportunity.”

The 2019 en primeur market has officially started. Let’s see if buyers come, as the quality seems to be in the wines.

See below my top 20 en primeur wines tasted so far this year, listed by score and then alphabetically. 

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It was surreal to think that this year’s Washington report began with a tasting in Napa Valley and ended with Zoom tastings in Hong Kong in my wine bar, James Suckling Wine Central. But it was well worth the extra effort considering all the outstanding wines I found in the more than 400 samples I tasted and rated, mostly in Hong Kong.

I also had many great conversations with some of the best winemakers of Washington over Zoom. I appreciate their professionalism and down-to-Earth nature. It’s fun to learn about what they are doing and how they make their wines while tasting and comparing notes. And I like their enthusiasm for their wines which comes with a critical eye on how their bottles relate to their neighbors in Oregon and California as well as Europe. Most of the wines they were talking about were the recently released 2017 reds.

Alex Stewart, winemaker at Quilceda, said that the 2017 vintage was “one of the best of the string of hot years in recent memory.” Check out the videos.

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Mencia is the epitome of Spanish freshness. Genetically identical to Portugal’s jaen grape, mencia has had huge success in Spain thanks to acute winemaking know-how, conjuring freshness, authenticity and drinkability in red wines from Galicia. Bierzo, Ribeira Sacra and Valdeorras are prominent DO appellations to be sought out.

Like many neglected grapes, mencia was once considered a little simple and rustic. Young vines planted on plain, fertile land often translate into wines of significant volume, even though mencia is not known for its yields.

But this promising variety has undergone a revival since the discovery of some old vines rooted in the poor but slate-rich soils on steep hillsides, a terroir that conjures up the landscape of Priorat, and this has had a big impact on mencia’s quality. These old vines produce grapes concentrated in tangy flavors but rarely get too jammy or candied fruit-like, producing wines with focused, fresh fruit often featuring strawberries, dark cherries and plums, along with fine herbs and floral perfume. The bright, lively acidity of mencia can rinse the palate, making it extremely food-friendly, and the dense flavors are framed in a taut, grippy medium body, sometimes lightly peppery with a sense of minerality in the finish.

The styles of mencia also reflect well of the land and the vintage. Depending on where it is grown, it drifts from a fruity and lightly rustic gamay to a cool, spicy syrah, or from an ethereal, elegant pinot noir to a fresh, concentrated Loire cabernet franc, sometimes with a rich and spicy edge of grenache in a warmer year. The vibrant mencia makes wines that deserve to be appreciated in their own right.

That said, winemaking also gives mencia versatility, and what I find it tantalizing about this grape is that more thoughtful, avant-garde winemakers like Raul Perez and the Palacios have successfully conjured “naturalness” without deliberately making “natural wine”.

With minimal intervention to bring transparency and the uniqueness of the terroir into the glass, I sense that for mencia, “naturalness” is not a creed, but more like a concept. It sets no boundaries and does not bind the hands of winemakers, but creates honest and heartfelt wines that are closer to the vineyards than to the winery, more agricultural than they are industrial.

Today, mencia wines make up many of the hidden gems waiting to be discovered, especially by wine lovers who look for natural purity of fruit and drinkability. But don’t expect to be guided by labels and categories. “Naturalness” and “authenticity” come hand in hand with mencia wines, a byproduct perhaps of the free spirit of the people who make them.

Check out the following eight bottles we selected under $30 for mencia. These wines are a starting point for the exceptional values of mencia. With their fresh fruit and vibrant acidity,they go great with tacos or enchiladas!

8 great value Spanish mencia wines

Losada Vinos de Finca Mencía Bierzo 2016 – JS96
US Average Price: $19

Envínate Ribeira Sacra Lousas Viñas de aldea Vinos Atlánticos 2017 – JS96
International Average Price: $24

Bodegas y Viñedos Merayo Mencía Bierzo Las Tres Filas 2016 – JS95
US Average Price: $17

Pedro M. Rodríguez Pérez Ribeira Sacra Guimaro Camiño Real 2016 – JS95
US Average Price: $26

Luna Beberide Mencía Bierzo Finca la Cuesta 2016 – JS94
US Average Price: $19

Godelia Mencía Bierzo 2015 – JS93
US Average Price: $18

Descendientes de J. Palacios Bierzo Pétalos 2017 – JS93
Available at Zachys DC: $19.90

Alberto Orte Valdeorras A Portela 2015 – JS93
Available at Wine.com: $26.99

– Zekun Shuai, associate editor in Beijing

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Since publishing our first Bordeaux en primeur tasting report we have tasted in Hong Kong an extra 380 en primeur wines, taking our total to more than 850 this year, so far. The full list of scores and notes is posted below, including the new tastings from Lafite, Mouton, Margaux and many other top wineries.

James expects to taste about 1,000 wines overall from barrel with the 2019 vintage in Bordeaux. All the samples were shipped directly from Bordeaux by air freight and we haven’t found many samples in questionable condition. The shipping has been fairly simple with most samples arriving in Hong Kong from Bordeaux within two to three days. The zero tax and duty on wines make it easy.

With a few prices for top wines already released, it looks like the futures market for 2019 will offer some superlative deals. In this news report that we published last week, Pontet-Canet was first to announce its prices, at 30 percent lower than last year. Palmer followed yesterday with about the same decrease. Wine merchants in Bordeaux reported that their email inboxes were filling with orders on Pontet Canet and one London wine merchant was already offering six bottles of the 2019 for £367 compared to £648 for the 2018. Palmer also sold well.

Many other big Bordeaux producers are expected to follow suit, dropping prices significantly. This represents excellent value for anyone looking to buy futures although it also suggests that prices have been too high in the past. People are buying.

“It might seem surreal to think about selling 2019 Bordeaux now as futures,” wrote James in his first report. “But the wines I have tasted so far from 2019 seem good to excellent and comparable in quality to 2018, 2016 and 2015 – all excellent vintages.

“And if you love wine you should find it reassuring to remember that wine has always been made, sold and drunk even during terrible moments in history, from wars to pandemics. So, the market will indeed decide if now is the time to buy 2019 en primeur.”

Many of the dozens of winemakers and owners James spoke to (you can see some of these conversations below in our Zoom video highlights) also agreed that the en primeur campaign should go ahead, and with lower prices.

“If we want to have success with en primeur (in 2019) then the price must be down,” said Hubert de Boüard, whose family owns one of the top growths of the Right Bank, Chateau Angelus, and who is also a leading consulting enologist in Bordeaux.

“I think everyone just wants to get on with things, prices should be reasonable, overall quality is good,” added Shaun Bishop of JJ Buckley, an American wine merchant in Oakland, California, by email.

We will continue to add our notes to this report as we taste new wines. Enjoy.

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When it comes to finding great value in nebbiolo of Piemonte, it’s natural to look at Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d’Alba. Both these DOCs provide great selections that are more supple and pristine than the equivalent in Barolo or Barbaresco, and that can be enjoyed sooner, while often costing no more than $30 a bottle. And for Langhe Nebbiolo, many of the grapes may come from declassified vineyards in Barolo/Barbaresco, making its styles and price more variable than Nebbiolo d’Alba.

While we always sing the praises of those timeless bottles from Barolo and Barbaresco made by a few stellar producers and spend time digging into the stylistic divergences among the troops of traditionalists, modernists or reformists, to do so is to miss a bigger picture. Barolo and Barbaresco can offer incredible value for nebbiolo as well, especially when excellent vintages like 2015 and 2016 arrive on shelves (Barolo 2015 and Barbaresco 2016). James is now tasting over 200 Barolos from the 2016 vintage in Hong Kong and will be publishing a report very soon.

Under $40, the virtues of the powerful Barolo and Barbaresco wines are different, but in a nuanced way (think Cotes de Nuits versus Cotes de Beaune, or Pauillac versus Pessac-Leognan). Most wines at this price point are not single-vineyard “cru” bottlings, which tend to allow the terroir to speak through the wine, but are wines that tend to give more of a general impression of the region or the commune.

Compared with Barolo, Barbaresco might be overlooked by many people. Its proximity to the Tanaro river means the region can be a bit warmer, and the nebbiolos here tend to ripen earlier than in most Barolo communes, thus are more drinkable and less demanding when young. The co-operative Produttori del Barbaresco, for example, makes many great-value Barbaresco labels that are readily enjoyable upon release, but can effortlessly age for at least a decade or two. The macroclimate difference, along with the alluvial-rich soil with calcareous clay in Barbaresco, produces wines that are usually more fragrant on the nose and slightly mellower on the palate, unlike the densely compact and austerely tannic wines at youth made in communes such as Serradunga d’Alba. But it is worth comparing Barbaresco to Barolo wines from the communes of La Morra and Verduno, where the climate and terroirs are a little more comparable, yielding elegant nebbiolos that age well but also possess early appeal.

Some nebbiolo connoisseurs would also mention names like Gattinara and Ghemme, as both appellations have great wines. But they are not yet well known outside Italy. I remember tasting some beautiful wines from producers like Travaglini, Nervi and Rovellotti. We have enclosed one of them in our great value list. These wines are the pearls that deserve to be exported more and known by nebbiolo fans around the world.

Below is our selection of 10 bottles from 2015 and 2016, including four 2015 Barolos, five 2016 Barbarescos and one 2016 Gattinara. Next time, if you are seeking out great value nebbiolos from Piemonte, don’t overlook the tall-poppy regions!

10 great value nebbiolo wines

Arnaldo Rivera Barolo Ravera 2015 – JS96
US Average Price: $43

Orlando Abrigo Barbaresco Meruzzano 2016 – JS95
Available at K&L Wines: $29.99
Available at Zachys: $34.99

Fratelli Revello Barolo 2015 – JS95
Available at Wine.com: $37.99

Ca’ del Baio Barbaresco Autinbej 2016 – JS94
Available at K&LWines: $29.99

Pasquale Pelissero Barbaresco Cascina Crosa 2016 – JS93
US Average Price: $34

Silvio Grasso Barolo 2015 – JS93
Available at Wine.com: $36.99

Mauro Veglio Barolo 2015 – JS93
Available at Wine.com: $39.99

Rizzi Barbaresco Rizzi 2016 – JS93
International Price: $28

Michele Chiarlo Barbaresco Reyna 2016 – JS93
Available at Zachys: $ 39.99

Travaglini Gattinara 2016 – JS93
US Average Price: $31

– Zekun Shuai, associate editor in Beijing

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Christian Wylie (center), manager at Bodega Garzon, detailed how much potential there is in Uruguay to James during his small tasting in early 2020.

Something is incredibly familiar to me about Uruguay. It reminds me of Southern California in the 1970s when I was growing up. It seems so untouched and original. People are friendly. Ambiance is chilled and natural. Beaches are pristine like the countryside. It’s unspoiled. 

Of course, I have only been to Punta del Este a few times. But the vibe is a cool place to make wines and the wines are getting better every year. My only regret is that I didn’t taste more wines with only 45 wines rated in a quick tasting in February. I look forward to going back or at least tasting more wines from Uruguay in the future.

In general, less is more for winemaking here. I found many producers were simply trying too hard. They either picked too late, or they over-extracted tannins during the winemaking, or they used too much new wood in aging and left their wines in barrel too long. Those who tried to make more refined and straightforward wines received better ratings. 

“The possibility for making quality wine is endless,” said Hans Vinding-Diers, who is best known for making plush wines in Argentina, particularly at Noemia in Patagonia, but who also consults in Uruguay at Bodega Oceanica Jose Ignacio. “I am really happy with the balance of the wines, particularly the whites.” 

The winery he consults for is in the region of Maldonado where all of my top rated wines from this report came from. It reminds me of parts of the Central Coast of California like Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo county but it’s less hot and dry. The vines are planted on rolling hills that are used for other agriculture plantings and livestock.

This is the area is where the Argentina oil magnate Alejandro Bulgheroni created a phenomenal wine estate, Garzon. The massive property has more than 200 hectares of vineyards planted in the sandy granitic soils. It also has a beautiful golf course and visitors center complete with a restaurant by arguably the world’s greatest open-fire chef and master of Argentine cuisine Francis Mallmann. Bulgheroni’s dream is to make Garzon Latin America’s Napa Reserve, a private club allowing wealthy members to make their own wines with all the amenities. 

The fact is that Garzon has a way to get there and happily the wines from Garzon are some of the best value in interesting wines in South America instead of overpriced Napa wines. Garzon’s top wine such as the blended Balasto, which is mostly tannat with cabernet franc, marselan and merlot, is indeed world class with intensity, structure and balance. But the entry level wines are really impressive particularly the whites from albarino and reds from marselan. They have a purity and unadulterated character that really makes you want to drink them. 

‘There is so much to do here in Uruguay,” admitted Christian Wylie, the manager of Garzon during a visit this February. He pointed out that the country has about 8,000 hectares of vineyards but only 50 percent are fine wine grapes. The other half is planted to muscatel.

Wylie and others are still convinced that Uruguay can make its name on tannat, but I find so many of the wines overdone with jammy fruit and a weird balance of tannins and acidity. I find marselan or even cabernet franc potentially more interesting. But it’s early days and everything seems possible in Uruguay.

Perhaps that’s why Uruguay reminds me of my childhood in Southern California. I have fond memories of how everything was possible then, particularly with the beach nearby and all sorts of natural beauty, not to mention the wine that was free flowing at my father’s house. 

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