Grape Expectations

Every October the Wine Spectator magazine puts on a fantastic few days of tastings, seminars and luncheons that end with a grand ball.

As my wife and I have done for eighteen years now we attended this event last week in the Big Apple.

A little more than two hundred and fifty of the World’s top wine producers are invited to attend and at the highest end folks like Prince Robert of Luxembourg was pouring his Chateau Haut Brion and Baroness Philippine de Rothschild her Chateau Mouton Rothschild, both wines being great First Growths of the 1855 classification of Bordeaux wines.

Chosen from more than 15,000 wines blind tasted by the team at the Wine Spectator last year there could of course only be one wine that took the overall first spot and it was Shafer Vineyards “Relentless” 2008.

The family was there to be honoured and I reminisced with John and Barbara Shafer about the dinner that we held on our porch for them.

Their son Doug told us all that this Syrah/Petite Sirah blend is named for the relentless pursuit for perfection by their winemaker Elias Fernandez.

Although we have no more of the 96/100 point 2008 we do have the 2009 that scored 95/100 from the Wine Spectator that described it as “brimming with dark, rich berry, loamy earth, crushed rock and espresso” and they suggest drinking from now until 2024. $79.35.

The Wine Spectator “Man of the Year”, a great honour, was Robert Drouhin and fortunately his family firm in Burgundy is represented by us. Robert was the head from 1957 to 2003 and now his children have taken over the reins.

Laurent Drouhin, who heads up the US marketing arm and who hosted a fine dinner at the Waterlot Inn last year, was pouring their Chablis Grand Cru “Les Clos” 2009 which we have in stock for $77.40.

This wine that won a gold medal at The Concours des Vins de Chablis is pale golden yellow with aromas of lily, honey and lemon.

It is astoundingly deep and velvety on the palate. Here in the birthplace of Chardonnay this hallowed vineyard plot, like all Drouhin land, is farmed biodynamically.

Robert Drouhin “discovered” Oregon in 1961 and in 1987 he purchased land in the Dundee Hills that lie on the same parallel north as his beloved Burgundy. He saw the potential for fine Pinot Noir and today his daughter Veronique heads up this operation that also farms biodynamically.

I had the pleasure of also chatting with her in New York and we carry two wines from them. The Drouhin of Oregon Pinot Noir 2010 that we sell for $39.40 is described by the Wine Enthusiast magazine as “open and immediately accessible, this is fragrant and gently floral with clearly defined varietal character.

It opens beautifully into an elegant, aromatic and crisply structured wine with excellent length 92/100”.

Their top wine is “Cuvee Laurene” Pinot Noir (we have the 2008) is named after the daughter of Veronique and if offers a splendid nose of smoke, floral notes, black cherry and black raspberry.

I cannot imagine anything better to accompany a fine salmon dish. $53.35.

How does one chose what to write about in six hundred words when over 350 wines were tasted in total? Maybe a quick word about my long time friend Pascal Jolivet and his excellent, organically produced, Sancerre and Pouilly Fume that both sell for $27.50.

As my wife rested in a chair at Pascal’s booth he told those visiting that he could not believe how much in demand his wines were in Bermuda.

From the birthplace of Sauvignon Blanc his Sancerre opens with a pretty nose of roses, honeysuckle and pears, a fairly light and so easy to enjoy wine. Pouilly Fume tends to be a little more intense.

$1,875.00 and you also can enjoy food and wine pairings with the likes of Emeril Lagasse, very educational seminars and of course tasting, tasting and tasting! A great few days for wine lovers.

Michael Robinson is Director of Wine at Burrows, Lightbourn Ltd. He can be contacted at mrobinson@bll.bm or on 295-0176. Burrows, Lightbourn have stores in Hamilton (Front Street East, 295-1554), Paget (Harbour Road, 236-0355) and St George’s (York Street, 297-0409). A selection of their wines, beers and spirits are available on line at www.wineonline.bm