Blanc de Blancs Tasting for Wine Ookoku Magazine, Tokyo

Recently I was invited to join a panel tasting alongside some renowned Japanese sommeliers. We tasted 68 Blanc de Blancs (all Champagnes) in groupings of four or five at a time, discussed each group and moved on.

Here are my top five, with Japanese to follow the English:

1. Taittinger Comte de Champagne '98-great purity of Chardonnay, age of wine / reserve additions and delicate clarity of fruit-impeccably blended-which is what Champagne and Blanc de Blancs is about. Nothing to do with 'terroir' but judiciously handled wine. Like Gosset but much more finessed Dancer of a wine with rich mouthfeel, delicate acidity and fine minerality. Long and creamy. 98

2. Tarlant La Vigne d'Antan Extra Brut NV-extremely ambitious style with lots of toasty oak. This is a style that usually I would not like. It is a winemaker's wine. However, the depth of fruit and ripeness allows the wine to handle the oak which adds, in my opinion, necessary structure to a very rich palate. Seems as if there there is very ripe wine in the reserve assemblage in addition to aged base wines. Very well done. It is wine-like (vinous) and demands food but is certainly a show-stopper! Complex hazelnuts and dried fruit. 96

3. Bruno Paillard NV Blanc de Blancs 95-liked the reticence in this wine. Much less showy on the nose than many others yet in the mouth, expansive power with layered complexity and excellent length through fine structure-persistent acidity and mineral force. Superb balance of reticent nose, powerful mouthfeel and structure. Superbly rendered Champagne. 95

3. Louis Roederer Blanc de Blancs '04 95-long, finessed and delicate. Quintessential Blanc de Blancs with soft palate structure, clear-cut varietal (Chardonnay) characteristics yet superb potential. Doesn't try too hard. 95

4. Gosset Celebris Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut 94-exaggerated highly aged style but very well done. Soft, creamy and loose in the mouth-could only be Chardonnay and thus, Blanc de Blancs. Juicy acidity. Extremely dry but balance achieved through fine wine-making and thus, use of fully fledged MLF (malo.) to soften the usually harsh tones of non/low dosage styles. Intense concentrated and very fine. 94

5. Jacques Selosse Brut Initial NV-eccentric wine but a wine/producer that tries to bring a sense of terroir to Champagne which for the most part, is about blending / winemaking rather than terroir per se. Eccentric. Vin Jaune notes of marzipan and pear-verging on oxidised. Yet incredible energy in the mouth due to balancing acidity, judicious phenols and oxidative handling. A wine made like this and this ripe can only achieve poise through a combination of rich yeastiness, phenolic grip and acidity. Not acidity alone. Bravo! 93


1. Taittinger Comte de Champagne '98-　熟成したリザーブワインが加えられた、すばらしく純粋なシャルドネ。果実の繊細な透明感との完璧な融合は、まさに、シャンパン、ブラン・ド・ブランの在るべき姿である。“テロワール”がワインの出来を操っているわけでなく、完璧なまでの技術こそが、このワインに賢明に施されている。Gosset のようだが、しかしそれよりも更に、豊かな口当たり、繊細な酸味、そしてきめ細かいミネラルを兼ねそろえた巧妙なダンサーである。 長い余韻と、クリーミーな風味。98

2. Tarlant La Vigne d'Antan Extra Brut NV-　しっかりトーストされたオークの、極めて野心的なスタイルである。私は普段、多くの技法、つまり人の手が多く施されているようなスタイルを好まない。しかし深い果実味と熟成感は、ワインに加えられたオークの風味を巧みに操らせる。私見ではあるが、このワインに兼ねそろえる必要な骨組みは味覚を豊かにする。まるで熟成した原酒に加えて、さらにとても熟成したリザーブワインが調合されているかのようだ。非常に良くできている。これは シャンパンというイメージよりも、スティルワインに近く、深く凝縮した味わいで、食事を共にすることが好ましいが、人の気を惹きつけることは確実であろうと思う。複雑なヘーゼルナッツとドライフルーツの風味。96

3. Bruno Paillard NV Blanc de Blancs-　このワインの控えめさに好感が持てる。鼻で捕らえるよりも、口の中では遥かに多くのものの印象が感じられる。重ねられた複雑性によって広がるパワーと、きめ細かい構造、いつまでも続く酸味とミネラルの力を通した優れた余韻。控えめな香りの素晴らしいバランス、口の中で感じる力強さと骨組み。見事に表現されたシャンパン。95

4. Louis Roederer Blanc de Blancs '04-　長い、精妙で繊細な余韻。やわらかく味覚を刺激する骨組み、輪郭のはっきりしたヴァラエタル（シャルドネ）の個性、その上、素晴らしい潜在力を兼ねる、本質的なブラン・ド・ブラン。あまり手の加えられていない、果実のシンプルな味わいだ。95

5. Jacques Selosse Brut Initial NV-　テロワールの意味をシャンパンに映し出そうと努力する醸造家が大多数である中で、この一風変わったワインは、テロワールよりもむしろワインのブレンドや醸造法によってエキセントリックさを表現する。マジパン風味の黄ワイン、そして酸化が進むことで、洋梨を思わせる。さらに、バランスのとれた酸味と思慮深いフェノール化合物と酸化の操りが驚くべき力を放つ。このように造られたワインとこの出来上がりだけが、豊かな酵母とフェノール化合物、そして酸味の結合を通してのバランスを達成することができる。酸味だけでは無理なのだ。Bravo! 93

Beaucastel Continued

Beaucastel is imported by Jeroboam in Japan.

The wines tasted in order:

1. Ch. de Beaucastel Blanc 2007-aromas of white flower, marzipan and lemon oil as warms in glass. Creamy and expansive in mouth due to judicious meld of phenolics, reductive lees work and minerality, and Roussane-driven acidity. Long and streamlined. 91

2. Perrin Reserve Rouge 2007-Blueberry and violet scent akin to a Syrah-like expression of Grenache. However the warmth of the sun is apparent in the mouth with a creamy texture and kirsch-like sweetness. Very ripe yet not at all jammy with soft yet appropriately pronounced tannins for balance. Good drink. 88

3. Cairanne Peyre Blanche 2007-Greater concentration of aroma-briar, smoked meat and bon bons-with a more dark fruited backdrop, echoed on a thick frame exhibiting olive flavours and some Mediterranean scrub. However, as with all wines from this domain, the emphasis is on clarity of fruit punctuated by brushy tannins. 89

4. Gigondas la Gille 2007-In stark contrast to the Cairanne, the nose is much cooler and floral. I went from the former glass to the Gigondas glass, pondering this expression. Clearly the Gigondas hails from higher ground with the elevated Dentelles de Montmirail serving as a dramatic vineyard-scape imbued with granite and other meager soils, excellent drainage facility and most importantly, a cooler environment allowing for more attenuated ripening, less bumptious fruit and subsequently, a finer expression of Syrah and its violet scent, while serving as a difficult platform to ripen the tougher Mourvedre, seldom found in Gigondas. And here, perhaps, is where the difference between the Cairanne and the Gigondas lies. The Gigondas shows peet, pepper and orange peel notes, very lifted. The tannins are also more finely grained for form, with juicy expressive acidity for life and line. Quite suave for a southern Rhone wine; finessed even. Despite all of this however, I preferred the Cairanne. I felt the Gigondas could do with a bit more stuffing. 88

5. Ch. de Beaucastel Rouge 2007-'Surmatur' aromas of fig, coffee bean and traditional English Christmas cake yet far less expressive on nose than preceding wines, boding well for the future. Formidably concetrated in mouth-olive, lavendar-with a multiplicity of layers, balancing acidity and extremely fine, tight tannins giving an overall impression of grace and elegance for the idiom. Mellifluous and superb length. 94

6. Hommage a Jacques Perrin 2007-60% Mourvedre. Inky, jet black. Startling colour! Soaring notes of blackberry confiture, meat and char; peaty smoke from sexy oak and olive aromas. Very ripe and concentrated yet bristling with intent in the mouth rather than offering any real complexity at this stage. The wine cometh the nose in time. Portends for a very long future if only I could afford a bottle! Lively and tingly, with superbly rendered tannins. Very long and muscular. 96

The Style of Beaucastel

Recently I was fortunate enough to be invited to a tasting of a selection of current releases by Beaucastel in Tokyo.

It is curious to note that while the flash pasteurization system patented by Beaucastel serves to negate oxidase enzymes and other stability issues, extract colour and allow for more sensitive use of SO2, it is the final point, no doubt, together with biodynamic principles applied to vineyard practises, that facilitates an astutely honed, contemporary and fashionable angle when marketing this producer's wines in markets such as Japan, enthralled by the concept of 'natural' wine.

While this pasteurization system did not prevent brettanomyces (well above the perception levels of most drinkers)from appearing in the critically acclaimed `89 Ch. de Beaucastel Rouge (indicating the need for utmost hygiene in the barrel room and within the barrels themselves; and appropriate SO2 levels depending on pH/ripeness levels and residual sugar), it does appear to imbue these wines-at least in their contemporary manifest-with very pure, layered fruit and aromatic intensity. Moreover, these wines see no stems in the cuve which despite the rustic reputation of `89 and other vintages, places them in the modernist camp to a degree. Modest use of new wood however, also allows the style to pay respect to regional tradition.

....and next the wines.

Littorai

I was fortunate enough to partake in a recent tasting of Littorai wines care of Ted Lemon, producer, and his Japanese importer Wine in Style. The tasting was held at '45' in the Ritz-Carlton. While many of the wines were fine indeed, I found the food a little distracting due to interwoven Japanese influences alongside weighty French strokes of foie, morilles, sweet breads and sweet sauces including ginger, honey and mandarin.

The wines I tasted:

2007 Littorai Charles Heintz Vineyard Chardonnay Sonoma Coast: very natural feeling in the mouth with a whiff of volatility to boot, presumably from indigeneous yeast. This is supported by a mushroomy, earthy nose and a hint of nougat. The wine boasts a broad textured palate that could have done with a bit more lift. Rich yet a bit flat. 85

1997 Charles Heintz Vineyard Chardonnay Sonoma Coast (served from magnum): a wine that took more than a decde to resolve its obdurate acidity apparently. And resolve it has! Wonderful mature nose of marzipan and truffle-not at all past it-that served to draw one back for another glass. Arguably the finest Californian Chardonnay yet tasted. The palate is broad yet alive with a tensile minerally presence for impeccable balance; staining intensity of numerous layers and a long finish. This wine is etched by site. 95

2007 Thierot Vineyard Chardonnay Sonoma Coast: like chalk and cheese when compared to the '07 Charles Heintz. While the Heintz is bumptious, this wine is tangy, precise and linear; febrile even. Some oak sits atop-as yet unresolved-but the wine bodes very well for a long future with fine mid-palate weight held together by juicy acidity, thrust and excellent line. 93

2008 Littorai les Larmes Pinot Noir Anderson Valley: simple lolly-like nose bringing to mind gentle extraction from a less-than-ideal year and the subsequent carbonic influence of whole clusters. The palate too is fruity upfront with slightly ropey tannins and moderate acidity for lift. Overall quite simple and sweet. A beetroot/bottom of band-aid/smoke-house nose brought to mind many `03`s from certain regions of Australia and the smoke-taint that inflicted them. Indeed, the wine suffers from these pungent notes because of the Sonoma fires in 2008. While the wine is an easy quaffer if suitably chilled, at JPY 6,000 once landed it hardly represents a quaffable price! 83

2006 Savoy Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley: sweet aromas of maraschino cherry and ripe plum on a plump frame with some underlying acidity for grace and balance. While this wine will benefit from some age and tertiary complexity, it is currently too sweet for me. 87

2006 Littorai Cerise Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley: kirsch and dansom plum-sweet/sour and slightly carnal compared to the primary simplicity of the Savoy. More intoxicating due to a hint of five-spice and mulch which to me, in its finest manifest, is what one seeks in fine Pinot Noir. Perhaps these descriptives can be expressed in a different fashion such as the line used by a former sommelier co-worker of mine: 'smells like after sex'. In any event, while the wine is rich and distinctly Californian, it exhibits lacy acidity and textured mineral presence to keep it persistent, long and svelte. 92

2002 Cerise Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley: wow! Reticent nose of sandalwood and Chinese herb shop yet, not at all about fruit which is what wowed me. Despite its age this wine portends very well for another decade of ageing with sufficient fruit sweetness gracefully draped across a sculptuesque frame of lean yet ripe tannins and moreish acidity. Long, sumptuously textured and like all top Pinots, judiciously balances its delicate fruit, flavour intensity and complexity, and structural components with guile and finesse. Everything in place here. 97

Chateauneuf `98

I remember my sommelier days at New York's Veritas when suddenly, a meager smattering of Chateaneufs on a single page of the wine-list turned into ten-pages. Parker's review had just been published and the region, with the `98 vintage, was turned on its head. Revisiting some of the big names made for an interesting evening and a sore head-exacerbated by Australia's meek performance against a German juggernaut in the World Cup-the following morning.

Vieux Telegraphe 'la Crau' 1998: while a friend informed me that Vieux Telegraphe was one of the first Chateauneuf properties to install stainless steel tanks, I had the impression that the wines were of a somewhat rustic, traditional idiom. Perhaps it is because of the relatively large percentage of Mourvedre in the blend giving a carnal meatiness to the wines and less than finely hewn tannins. Notes of scrub, olive and coffee bean led to a rather rustic palate-shape that I thought would open and offer some pleasure. While I returned to the wine an hour or more after the first taste, it had failed to live up to my expectations and remained a bit scrawny and hollow with modest length 87

Domaine Charvin 1998: scented aromas of southern France in all its glory-lavender, thyme, rosemary. Rich and expansive on the palate with firm tannins giving balance from whole clusters/non-destemming as is the way at this property. Moreish, layered and long with real verve. However, a slight menthol note gave the impression that over such a warm year as `98 when grape sugars outpaced phenolic ripeness, there were less than ideally ripe stems in the mix. This detracted from overall poise and pleasure 93

les Cailloux 1998: coffee, chocolate and warm earth with less of a herbal spectrum and more obvious surmatur prune and Christmas cake-aromas. The palate is broad and expansive; thick and concentrated; yet not at all over-extracted. Almost mellifluous in a hedonistic way due to balancing acidity. Rich and easy. Superbly concentrated and still very much alive as opposed to the decomposing V. Telegraphe. However lacking the layers and intrigue of great wine. 91

Domaine du Caillou: lifted aromas of lilac, violet and some garrigue-almost Northern Rhone in the sense of its perfume although packed with the dense sweetness of Grenache and the warmth of the southern sun. The most elegant wine thus far. No rough edges yet still interesting with a round, densely concentrated palate of multitudinous layers balanced by bright acidity and fine grained tannins. Impeccably rendered and delicious. 95-96

A wine that was served blind to round out the `98 theme was Chateau de Saint Cosme Gigondas: piercing acidity was my first impression aside from the nose which, dichotomously, offered the brick-earth-warmth and briar of the south, with a hint of tomato and mulch suggesting age. The wine was a year or two past its optimal drinking window, yet still offered charm, modest length and complexity. The acidity hailed from the high vineyards in Gigondas abutting the crest of the Dentelles de Montmirail. There you go! Not a bad evening despite the discouraging loss to Germany. 85

Renegades: Tenuta la Palazza drei Donna

While a producer crafting mostly Sangiovese-dominant blends may be hardly called 'renegade', these wines hail from neither Tuscany nor Umbria as the literature distributed by the Japanese importer, Mottox, suggested. Rather, this sprightly set of wines is from the considerably less fashionable Emilia-Romagna, known for ham and dairy more than wine. Some of us may grin wryly at fond memories of Lambrusco, however. Indeed, good Lambrusco may be thin on the ground but it is not an oxymoron!

Anyway, back to the subject at hand-

Drei Donna 'Notturno' 2008 (JPY 2,300 retail constituting excellent value): quintessential Sangiovese. Red fruit notes, hint of sandalwood with firm grape tannins, no oak discernible and yet considerably layered and long due to tangy juicy acidity and mineral grip. This made me hungry-very-which is what good wine should do. As my brother Glen once quipped, good wine makes you salivate. Very easy-drinking style yet the level of complexity belies the price. 88

'Pruno' 2006: favourite wine of the group. Again, 100% Sangiovese and its sour red fruited aromas melded with some dried floral notes; greater concentration rather than over-extraction. Cascading layers with judicious use of high quality oak lending further complexity to a svelte texture echoed by savoury, moreish tannins and acidity. Nothing here is overdone and as I noted despite an aesthetically ominous bottle-heavier, broader-'not tannin manged to an inch of its life'. Very, very good wine. 92

'Magnificat' 2006: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon caused my eyes to roll back in anticipation-or dread-of the one wine (in what had been such a poised set thus far) portending to be the beast within! But you know what, the wine remains within the same tasteful, balanced parameters of its preceding brethren. Ripe currant yet attractive hint of leaf for lift, concentrated and firmer rather obdurate tannins-not at all negated by high tech winemaking-hint of coffee and bitter chocolate from well toasted oak yet harnessed tastefully to an overall package of relative restraint and superb thrust and length due to fine grained tannins and acidity. Very good. 91

Graf Noir `00: a field blend of Sangiovese, Uva Longanesi and Cab. Franc all co-fermented from small parcels within the same 0.85 ha. vineyard. Floral and sappy with attractive secondary notes of mulch emerging. Again, this producer's hallmark of finely grained tannins giving texture, focus and real line to a mid-weight, concentrated and compelling wine of poise and grace. Bravo! 90

Frankland Estate Dinner

I am always a little circumspect when revisiting wines that I was fond of as a younger bloke. Sometimes new realities eviscerate idyllic memories!

Bearing this in mind I began to tread water cautiously at a recent Frankland Estate dinner at Tokyo's SALT restaurant with a glass of Isolation Ridge 2009 Riesling as an apero. Fortunately, what I once liked about Frankland Estate remains: understated wines with little flash but great purpose in that they work very well with food, age gracefully and reflect the site whence they hail. Joyously, they are also incredibly good value. These wines tend to receive solid rather than remarkable scores from critics. Funnily, I remarked at the dinner that my favourite wines tends to hover around the 88-91 RPP barrier. Beyond this, there is often an element of undrinkability.

This is what I was served:

2009 Isolation Ridge Riesling: iron-stone and gravel soils allowing for drainage and lower ripening propensity reflected in the talc and very slatey palate, brisk and highly citric. While I think this wine will fill out with age and show greater drinkability as a result, this style is too severe for me right now. A personal gripe: while many Australian Rieslings have sufficient fruit ripeness to be fermented bone-dry they are often overly acidified. Some age well; others less so. Either acidify less and/or leave some balancing residual sugar in the mix for balance. Otherwise, count me out as a customer! No fun in these chops despite a modicum of respect for the style. 88

2009 Poison Hill Riesling: quartz and white clay soils enable greater water retention and access to nutrients resulting in a thoroughly more enjoyable, rounder and riper experience without being fat due to Riesling's inherently high acidity. This wine boasts aromas and flavours more of the stone fruit spectrum-peach and apricot-and even a whiff of the highly exotic such as mango, despite being made in the same manner as the Isolation Ridge. Less austere citric notes but still tensile, vinous and very long. Far more natural in the mouth. Bravo! 91

Cooladera Riesling 2009: a thicker, slightly phenolic example spanning the spectrum of fibrous grapefruit skin to quince. Less austere than the Isolation although not as creamy and appealing at the Poison Hill. Texturally very interesting. While these wines get no skin-contact, they are fermented at very low temperatures for a long period of time-three-weeks if necessary and are enriched by extensive less contact. This method was inspired by a trip to Germany and Austria in 2001, apparently. I would like to see warmer fermentation temperatures, some skin contact and the use of ambient yeasts. Then again, this would mean that the wines would become completely different animals and there would be little point in writing about them in their current manifestation! 90

Isolation Ridge Riesling 1998: aldehydic and caramel-like; ginger beer notes with little fruit left on a drying frame. Cork? NS

Isolation Ridge Chardonnay 2006: effortless in mouth with judicious new oak and leesy, mealy notes for complexity. Controlled hint of MLF, melon and peach; nothing too broad. Again, this is a wine that epitomizes the Frankland Estate style. It doesn't try too hard and is delicious to drink. Certainly not overly complex but very well crafted. Everything is in place. 88

Isolation Ridge Shiraz 2002: White cracked pepper, olives and briar aromas lead to a mid-weight frame of modest complexity and some wild, grippy tannins for an overall impression of savouriness. Good sneaky length. Reminds me of a Languedoc Syrah rather than anything from the N. Rhone. 88

Olmo's Reward 2002: Appears to be the flagship red after the founding family spent some time in Bordeaux and were smitten by the wines on the right-bank in particular. Thus, the wine is unusually-for a New World red-dominated by the sappy, floral presence of Cab. Franc doused with a good dollop of Merlot. Slightly volatile tomato notes on the nose subside to coffee bean, some chocolate and peat. Good concentration if not a bit hot with slightly ropey tannins giving the impression of last-minute ripening in an overall cool vintage. 87

Olmo's Reward 1998: some real tertiary notes emerging here: leather, tobacco, sandalwood with the sweet/sour lift of damson plum. Suave oak tannins, real freshness and slightly rustic tannins indicating perhaps, a cooler year. Good length and overall, a lovely savoury style-if not a wee tad simple-that belies the New World stereotype. 90

Olmo`s Reward 1997: riper, more expansive and layered on the palate yet not at all overwrought. Real juicy vibrancy here with that sappy vinosity so typical of Cab. Franc, violets and saddle leather with a hint of mulch in the best sense. Great clarity, intensity and length. Very fine. 93

Olmo's Reward 2001: While I didn't taste this wine at the event per se, I had tasted it only the night prior and feel it useful to insert it here considering its surrounds.
Floral notes of violet and peat with a hint of savoury tomato skin given breadth by a full concentrated palate and mouth-watering acidity very much in balance. Gorgeous silky tannins imbued with a touch of classy oak add to the pleasure and complexity. The label states 14.5% but the wine handles the alcohol very well. Poised and perhaps the best red of them all despite its relative youth. 94