www.jancisrobinson.com - Hemming's round-up
We were very pleased to welcome the latest recruit to Jancis Robinson's Purple Pages, Richard Hemming, to our London wine tasting in September. Here is what he thought of some of our wines. To order any of the wines listed below, simply click on the wine name.
Champagne Chauvet NV:
Drink 2008-18. 90% Pinot Noir, 10% Pinot Meunier. Ripe and expressive nose, lots of sweet doughy flavours and rather bold Pinot fruit. This would easily hold its own against the Roederers and Bollingers of this world. Dry, rather pronounced for champagne (some 03 showing through maybe?) a hint of honey and citrus, clean and gradual finish. Excellent for less than £20. 12% (RH)
Rully, Domaine Anne-Sophie Debavelaere 2005:
Drink 2008-18. Honey on toast and a complex blend of tropical citrus fruit here, a triumph for such a humble appellation, but a fabulous reflection of the top quality vintage. Dry, opulent fruit, some super- subtle butter and a crisp green apple finish. This is highly evocative wine, really exciting the palate and showing pure, sophisticated flavours. 12.5% (RH)
Chablis, Isabelle et Denis Pommier 2006:
Drink 2008-13. A very open bouquet of apple and earthy, funky hints. It is absolutely typical Chablis – but with the power of a Grand Cru on the nose. Textured, layered mineral hints and a touch of iodine and smoke on the finish. A little short after all that promise, but very very good nonetheless. 12.5% (RH)
Montagny 1er Cru les Bassets, Laurent Cognard 2006:
Drink 2008-10. Conventional oaked Chardonnay, although in a recognisably French vein – dairy, smoke, ripe fruit. Sweet citrus, pineapple and buttery flavours on the palate, and a lingering finish. 13% (RH)
Ch Haut Troquard la Grace Dieu, St Emilion 1999:
Drink 2008-13. 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc. A magnificently mature nose, and a bright rusty/ brick shade in the glass. St- Émilion Grand Cru is perhaps the most overbandied appellation, but this is the absolute real deal. Meaty, medicinal, over- ripe strawberry and cherry fruit – this could almost be Pinot or Sangiovese, it’s very ornate – and to find something this mature, lengthy and well made at this price is a genuine steal. 12.5% (RH)
Ch Cap de Haut, Haut Medoc 2001:
Drink 2008-18. 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc. Broad and expressive and beautifully reflective of its terroir – this is Bordeaux through and through. Dry, minty, blackcurrant leaf, plum, tobacco, currants and expertly supple tannins that fade very gently with the finish. A class above your average cru bourgeois. 13% (RH)
Ch Haut Gay, Bordeaux Superieur 2006:
Drink 2013-23. Plum, ripe redcurrant, quite primary but very charming. Sweet oak, very grippy and a good splash of pencil- shaving cigarbox claretyness on the finish. This punches above its weight and is outstanding value considering its ageworthy structure. 13% (RH)
Ch Beauchene Premier Terroir, Cotes du Rhone 2005:
Drink 2008-13. 70% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 5% Mourvèdre. Black fruit, liquorice, a bit primary on the nose. Firmly structured and giving a little aromatic spice on the finish,plus a more open and complex range of flavours than you might anticipate from the aromas. 13.5% (RH)
Sasso Arso, Villa Bizzari, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2006:
Drink 2008-13. Leathery and savoury, with a hint of farmyard as well as dark cherry fruit. An astonishingly vibrant fruit on the front palate – quite surprising – then the very dry, austere leather and cedarwood flavours that lead into the finish. Exemplary winemaking at this price. 13% (RH)
Morellino di Scansano Podere 414, Simone Castelli 2006:
Drink 2013-23. Cherry, pepper spice, a hint of black cherry. The high tannin is a bit unbalanced as it stands, although I can imagine it pairing with a hearty Tuscan dinner rather well, and the concentrated fruit is very alluring. 13.5% (RH)
Insignia, Joseph Phelps 2005 (please contact us for details):
Drink 2018-28. 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, 1% Merlot. Very very tight, wilfully obscure fruit flavours. Very enigmatic – you are willing it to express more on the nose than it does. Sweet and pure cassis on the tongue, with posh creamy oak and a seasoned finish with round tannins and a proud depth of concentration with a lengthy finish. 14.5% (RH)
Cabernet Sauvignon, Joseph Phelps 2004 (Sold out! 2005 vintage available in small quantities):
Drink 2013-28. 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot. Very pure, virtually saintly clarity to the blackcurrant flavour, and choc- mint secondary characters too. Dry, absolutely focused ripe and juicy fruit. Natural flavours, organic tasting, if there is such a thing. Immensely lengthy too, and only just hinting at the development to come, despite being very approachable now. 14.3% (RH)
Ulumbaza Shiraz, Springfontein, Walker Bay 2005:
Drink 2008-18. Richly spiced fruitcake, well- developed secondary aromas of mocha, cherry liqueur and coffee bean. Very good. Lengthy finish featuring pinhead balance between tannin, acid and fruit, this is amongst the best South African Shiraz I’ve ever tasted. 13.5% (RH)
Ch Laurette, Ste Croix du Mont 2005:
Drink 2008-28. Lime pickle, blossom, raw honey and thick- cut marmalade. Very interesting nose indeed, with more definition than the standard sticky at this price. A little more conventional on the palate, with orange peel and a golden treacle tone to the sweetness – that faintly metallic tang. 13.5% (RH)
For more information on Jancis Robinson's Purple Pages, visit www.jancisrobinson.com.
