Taking Gordon Ramsay’s wine programme to the next level
Ines Salpico
Having recently been appointed head of wine for Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, the talented Giuseppe D’Aniello (the UK Sommelier Association’s Best Sommelier, UK 2023) has hit the ground running. Just a few weeks into his tenure he’s actively exploring how to boost the wine programme across the group’s many venues. One of his goals is to leverage the wine lists and beautiful private dining rooms in a new series of guided tastings. I was lucky to serve as guinea pig at a prototype session, hosted by D’Aniello at the Savoy Grill. The tasting took us on a journey through the world’s best traditional-method sparkling wines.
Beyond the inevitable Champagne (well represented by Devaux, Grande Réserve NV and Perrier-Jouët, Grand Brut NV) we tasted, among others, a trio of blanc de blancs from Trentino (Ferrari’s Maximum NV), Penedès (Raventós i Blanc’s 2022) and Tasmania (the House of Arras NV). The line-up showcased singularity and quality from different provenances and also the incredible value to be found by looking beyond the obvious – all elegantly guided by D’Aniello. I look forward to the development of his budding changes and ideas.
St-Emilion’s young visionary targeting young Bordeaux lovers
Georgie Hindle
Born in St-Emilion on Bordeaux’s Right Bank, Paul Junet is a talented, sixth-generation winemaker with regional family roots that date back to 1858. At 35, Junet – who studied oenology at Bordeaux University and honed his craft at Napa’s Harlan Estate and Burgundy’s Louis Latour – makes wine at several Bordeaux estates, including his family’s St-Emilion Grand Cru Château Clos Junet (the 2022 is delicious – ripe and heady with fine tannins and fresh acidity: £24.31 vinatis.co.uk).
He’s also reviving his ancestors’ Grand Mirande label, which emphasises unique terroir identities through distinct lieux-dits, similar to climats, via bottlings of single varieties or blends. Currently ageing, the 2023 Merlot-driven Grand Mirande Berthonneau, from a clay-rich terroir, offers silky tannins and vibrant, crystalline fruit. The gravelly Bellescise is a highly untypical 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that shows purity, energy and juiciness.
To highlight and distribute this new range (there’s also a Pomerol and several others), Junet has launched Maison Paul Junet, targeting 30- to 40-year-olds with direct sales via a new website. ‘The current context is pushing us to reinvent ourselves – otherwise, it’s liquidation!’ he said. Junet’s elegant wines and forward-thinking marketing make a compelling invitation to discover the region’s Right Bank soul.
Williams Selyem: Russian River Valley icon stays fresh
Clive Pursehouse
Jeff Mangahas (left) with Clive Pursehouse
I popped in to see Jeff Mangahas while passing through Sonoma. Burt Williams and Ed Selyem started making wine together back in 1979. After relaunching under the name Williams Selyem in 1984, the Healdsburg Pinot producer launched its classic label. Bob Cabral became head winemaker in 1998 as John Dyson acquired the brand. Mangahas came to work with Cabral in 2011, taking the lead role in 2013.
Mangahas believes the current releases show an elegance cultivated by one of the brand’s founding practices: all wines are fermented in repurposed, open-top dairy containers. The shallow stainless steel vessels create a greater skin-to-juice ratio, which Mangahas believes gives the wines excellent texture without over-extraction. The Saitone Estate Zinfandel 2022 (US$180 Fine Wine House, Liquorama, Napa Cabs), from vines planted in 1895, shows a freshness and lift that the variety can often lack. The Lews MacGregor Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022 (US$168-$200 The Wine House, Wally’s, Wine Ranger Cellars) is elegant and nuanced, with lively citrus and savoury character.
Look for our take on the full line-up in our 2022 Sonoma County vintage report on Decanter Premium later this summer.
Meerlust 50th celebrations
Julie Sheppard
Hannes Myburgh, eighth-generation owner of Meerlust Estate in Stellenbosch, and cellar master Wim Truter were in London recently to celebrate 50 years of production under the winery’s own label. Although the historic estate can trace its roots back to 1693, its first bottled release was a 1975 Cabernet Sauvignon, which we were lucky enough to taste as part of an impressive line-up of back vintages that included four other Cabs (1980, 1993, 2014 and 2021) plus five vintages of icon Bordeaux blend Rubicon (1980, 1995, 2001, 2015, 2021).
Standouts were the 1980 and 1993 Cabernet Sauvignons, harmonious, with incredible depth to the palate and a still-youthful vibrancy. But the inaugural Rubicon 1980 vintage truly shone – a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, 22 months in Yugoslavian oak, showing beautifully plush, savoury evolution, elegance and complexity. Hard to choose between that and the Rubicon 1995: the first word of my tasting note was simply, ‘Wow!’, a visceral reaction to a wine that steals your breath with its purity, presence and neverending finish. ‘We’re working towards the best Rubicon still to come,’ said Truter as we discussed the evolution of the blend’s winemaking, though to be honest, I’m not sure there’s actually room for improvement…
Cellarworthy Prosecco
James Button
There’s a new school of thinking emerging around top-quality Prosecco, with several wineries now tucking away vintages for release at a later date, including Bottega and Masottina, both based in Conegliano. Masottina has kept back 10 vintages of its top RDO Levante Extra Dry, a Prosecco Superiore Rive bottling that I was invited to taste at the winery this April.
The results were surprising, and my takeaway is that there are definitely a couple of sweet spots: the 2020, for example, is the perfect balance between freshness and complexity, with a tertiary porcini touch just beginning to emerge, and the mousse softening slightly from its youthful vigour. Citrus peel, apricot skin and jasmine introduce an explosion of flavours.
The 2014, meanwhile, stands out for its incredible fragrance; an exotic perfume of camomile, jasmine, musk and sandalwood, with spices and dried pineapple flavours. It’s the umami complexity rather than the typical Prosecco fruitiness that makes this appealing. Don’t look past these older vintages if you see them – and I get the feeling we will begin to see back vintages of the best Proseccos appearing on the wine lists of the finest establishments sooner rather than later.
