Posts

Showing posts from 2015

Chianti Classico Gran Selezione

Image
Chianti Classico wine region (DOCG) in Tuscany, identified by a black rooster logo, covers the territory lying between the provinces of Florence and Siena, and includes a number of communes such as Greve, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Radda, Castellina, and a few others. Encompassing the original Chianti zone dating back to 1716, it's officially different and more prestigious than Chianti (DOCG) which had spread outside the initial boundaries, and includes areas such as Chianti Ruffina, Chianti Colli Senesi, Chianti Colli Aretini, Chainti Colli Pisani, etc. In 2013, producers of Chianti Classico created a new denomination of quality within their zone, the highest rung in the ladder, their version of a "grand cru" called "Gran Selezione". Approximately 10% of the production based on stricter selection and longer aging qualifies to be the creme of the crop, one step above the already serious Riserva designation. While Brunello has more prestige and commands higher p

Thibault Liger-Belair 2012

Image
Thibault Liger-Belair 's 2012 red burgundies are a step up from any previous vintage I recall from this producer. I hadn't drunk many of his wines in the past, simply because on the occasions I had tried them, they had left me uninspired. However, the 2012's are high-quality, albeit not necessarily all to my liking in terms of style and flavor. The domain is relatively young, though the vineyard holdings go back for generations. In its present shape under Thibault's name, it was established in 2001 by then the 26-year-old passionate Thibault Liger Belair who took back family vineyards from share-croppers. It is perhaps not surprising that several years were required for the results of that work to start showing. The 2012's certainly make me re-consider the 2012 as a more serious vintage for reds than I have been giving it credit for. Recently, I had an opportunity to taste several of Thibault's 2012's and though not exhaustive, the tasting pulled this prod

2012 Raveneau Chablis

Image
Raveneau is the top Chablis producer, everyone knows it, the prices are sky high, yet worth it in my opinion, as the quality experience is virtually guaranteed, both young and especially with age. 2012 vintage in Chablis was particularly strong, and Raveneau's 2012's that I tasted were fabulous. Riesling-like minerality, honeyed, spicy butteriness that lingered on the lips for hours, viscous oily textures and exotic seawater / seaweed salinity were the hallmarks of this lineup, with the bonus 1999 Montee de Tonnerre showing amazing seamless silkiness and marvelous complexity. Yet with all those admirable attributes, these are not wines of weight and obviousness, but rather of elegance, complexity, texture, precision and enormous class. My oh my, I was smitten, they were the best 2012 white burgundies (if you can call Chablis that) I have had! In 2012, there were other excellent Chablis producers that cost a fraction of Raveneau - the likes of Dauvissat, William Fevre, Christian

Initial Look at 2013 Burgundies - Armand Rousseau, Faiveley, and more

Image
Iron Chevsky and Erwan Faiveley (right),  with his outstanding 2013 Corton-Charlemagne. At the 2015 Frederick Wildman Burgundy portfolio tasting in San Francisco, I got a chance to sample some very good wines from the upcoming 2013 vintage. Some (like Olivier Leflaive) are currently being bottled while others are a few months away. But the vintage characteristics already shine through. And I very much liked what I saw, at least from the top producers at this tasting. I generally preferred the reds here to the 2012's. While the 2012 is hyped by many as a great vintage, I personally don't think so. The 2012 reds are fluffy, juicy and plush - but they seem to lack structure. The 2013's on the other hand have it - they are more serious and angular, with nice ripe dark fruits reminiscent of black tea, with tart acidity and fine tannins. The acidity seems to stick out just a bit on some of the reds at this early stage, but I think it will integrate nicely in the coming mon

Tre Bicchieri 2015

Image
Luca Currado of Vietti (on the left), my favorite Barolo producer at the event, and Iron Chevsky (me, on the right) holding the red wine of the year - Vietti Barolo Riserva "Villero" 2007 The 2015 Tre Bicchieri in San Francisco took place in February. The weather was spectacular, the setting at Fort Mason gorgeous, yet it seemed like few famous producers attended, and few bottlings per producer were poured, many of the wines ran out well before the event end. Despite my expectation to taste Brunello and Barolo from the much heralded 2010 vintage (because last year we tasted 2009 Barolo), there were but a handful of 2010's. Perhaps producers don't feel the need to promote their 2010's. Perhaps the famous brands of Italy are focusing on Antonio Galloni and James Suckling events rather than Gamero Rosso's. Whatever it is, I am left thinking that somehow this event is losing its importance to the big names, which is unfortunate as this has always been the top