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Cellar Favorite: 2008 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti Grand Cru
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Burgundy
, Sep 2024
I know, I know, I know. With all the discussion about the unaffordability of Burgundy, why this 2008 Romanée-Conti Grand Cru? Simply because this bottle was not scurried away in some dusty cellar. It was not used to make a profit. It was not brandished about to show off someone’s wealth. It had one reason and one reason only–to be drunk for what it is, something as banal and wondrous as wine.
Cellar Favorite: 1985 Lisini Prefillossero
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, Italy
, Aug 2024
Vines planted in their own roots is a subject that has intrigued me for a while, not least after my now infamous article on Liber Pater. The topic arose again recently with Eric Guido’s excellent piece on Tiberio’s Fonte Canale. Addressing ungrafted vines, one must not conflate recent plantings on vines’ own roots and the plots of surviving vines that predate the phylloxera louse in the late 19th century. This story is about the latter.
Cellar Favorite: 1961 & 2012 Mouton-Rothschild
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Bordeaux
, Aug 2024
Last year, I attended the unveiling of the new artist label at Mouton-Rothschild. This was the first time it was held at the First Growth in Pauillac. Once the artist, Chiharu Shiota, had received her round of applause for her 2021 ‘balloon’ label, guests gathered for dinner featuring two vintages.
Cellar Favorite: 2001 Rustenberg Peter Barlow
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, South Africa
, Aug 2024
The 2001 Peter Barlow from Rustenberg was poured blind at a comparative tasting of South African Cabernets against Bordeaux during this year’s visit. The Peter Barlow acquitted itself admirably, even here, pitted against an impressive 2001 Léoville Las-Cases. The Peter Barlow is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the estate’s oldest vines, named after the man who bought the property back in 1941. This vintage was made by his son, Simon Barlow, while his grandson, Murray, has been the winemaker since 2012.
Cellar Favorite: 1928-1998 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Bordeaux
, Aug 2024
When visiting this Pauillac Second Growth earlier this year, Nicolas Glumineau poured several vintages blind. The theme turned out to be years ending in eight, though when he invited me to choose another, I headed for one of the more disparaged of the 20th century, not without sound reason…
Cellar Favorite: 1949 and 1959 Pape Clément
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Bordeaux
, Aug 2024
Like many Bordeaux estates, Pape Clément suffered during the 1930s and the war. Under owner Paul Montagne, it was not until the 1950s that renovation was completed and the wines could reach their potential. Might that explain why the 1959 Pape Clément outshone the 1949 when served at a Bordeaux-themed dinner in Hong Kong last September? Both bottles came from the same cellar.
Cellar Favorite: 2022 Kei Shiogai Bourgogne Blanc
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Burgundy
, Jul 2024
A couple of years ago, I ordered the maiden Kei Shiogai 2020 Bourgogne Blanc En Pellans from a restaurant list, as members of the fourth estate are persona non grata at the winery in Beaune. I was interested. Sadly, the bottle left me indifferent. When dining in Chablis recently, I decided to try another bottle.
Cellar Favorite: 1995 Domaine J.L. Chave L’Hermitage Blanc
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Rhône & Beaujolais
, Jul 2024
I don’t drink enough white Rhône wines. But when I do, it might as well be amongst the very best.
Cellar Favorite: 2015 Envínate Lousas Parcela Camiño Novo
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Burgundy
, Jul 2024
During the Burgfest tasting, we tend to diversify our drinking habits at dinners as members proffer bottles from their cellars. One of the best was the 2015 Lousas Parcela Camiño Novo from Envínate, which translates as “wine yourself”.
Cellar Favorite: 1971 Latour & 1971 Les Forts de Latour
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Bordeaux
, Jul 2024
Wine is often a moving target. The greatest tend to be shape-shifters in the glass. Just when you think you’ve got a wine pinned down, it mutates into something different, and you end up crossing out words in your carefully written note. It’s like a child toying with you, playing peek-a-boo. Now you see me…now you don’t.