Douro white triumph
Amy Wislocki
The Gonzalez Byass importer tasting offered sweeping views over London. Almost the last wine I tasted, Quinta do Noval’s new flagship white, Reserva Vinho Branco 2021, stopped me in my tracks. This is a supremely ambitious wine produced in small quantities (about 6,500 bottles). Destined mainly for restaurant lists, it may appear a tough sell – a still white from native Portuguese varieties, with a punchy price tag (£70 RRP). But sommeliers will immediately recognise that this blend of 60% Viosinho and 40% Gouveio is as good, and remarkably similar in character, to quality white Burgundy and will cellar well, too. Aged in French barriques, 50% new, for five months, with regular batonnage, it’s rich and structured, with white floral and sage aromatics, but also has finesse, thanks to the Douro’s cooler 2021 vintage.
I followed up with Christian Seely, CEO of Quinta do Noval owner AXA Millésimes. ‘I’m excited about the prospects for serious white wines in the Douro,’ he said. ‘I planted a few hectares at the top of Noval about 17 years ago, and this is the result. The grapes work brilliantly together, Gouveio bright, fresh and mineral, with the Viosinho adding richness and structure.’
Right Bank: Vignobles K’s new Bordeaux expression
Georgie Hindle
Bordeaux has a reputation for tradition, so it’s always nice to see new and innovative cuvées hit the market. This one is a blend crafted to showcase the essence of the region’s ‘right bank’ (of the Dordogne river and Gironde estuary) in a single bottle. Inspired by the diversity of terroirs within the Vignobles K stable, Right Bank 2022 draws from five of the group’s seven estates: Le Rey, Enclos de Viaud, La Patache, Bellefont-Belcier and Tour St Christophe.
General manager Jean-Christophe Meyrou says it ‘captures the exuberance of Castillon’s blue clay, the silky tannins of Lalande de Pomerol and Pomerol, and the freshness of St-Emilion limestone’. Produced in a limited run of just 5,000 bottles, the 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc blend is designed to give immediate pleasure while still offering a sense of place. Each component is vinified and aged separately before the final blend is made. The result? A tasty, easy to like wine that’s both refreshing and packed full of flavour. The 2020 vintage was launched to ‘test the market’ and the 2022, the second vintage, is currently available for about €25 in Europe and $25-$28 in the US.
Japanese wines – but not just Koshu
Sylvia Wu
The Decanter team (Sylvia and Cesar, third and fourth from left) with our guests from Suntory, Château Mercian and Koshu of Japan in front of Decanter’s tasting suite
Just in time for this year’s Koshu of Japan London tasting – a trade event that celebrates Japan’s signature white grape – we invited two major producers, Suntory and Château Mercian, to the Decanter tasting suite for a masterclass with our team. Alongside the floral, creamy and poised Tomi Koshu 2023 (its 2022 vintage won Best in Show at DWWA 2024), Suntory showcased a sweet-spiced, blackcurrant-scented Petit Verdot 2020. Mostly used for blending in its Bordeaux home, Petit Verdot is believed to be the red grape that best expresses the hillside terroir of Suntory’s Yamanashi-based Tomi no Oka winery. Equally impressive was the group’s Tsugaru Sparkling Extra Brut Rosé 2019 from Aomori prefecture, offering cinnamon-dusted red berries and rich, yeasty depth from 36 months on lees.
Château Mercian impressed the audience with its Mariko Syrah 2021 from Nagano prefecture, featuring juicy dark berries and dried red fruits seasoned with sweet spices and well-integrated cedar. Its red Bordeaux blend Mariko Omnis 2017, also from the clay-rich Mariko Vineyard, presents eucalyptus-scented ripe dark fruits with a gentle grip for further ageing. Meanwhile, its Amicis Koshu 2024 from Yamanashi, made in collaboration with Chile’s Concha y Toro, highlights the perfumed, generous side of this subtle variety, with jasmine and juicy Nashi pear on display.
Something a bit different
James Button
How refreshing to have an event in the calendar that doesn’t require tasting dozens of wines or quizzing a winemaker about their barrel regime. Don’t get me wrong, those events are important, but when Brett Fleming, MD of Armit Wines, arranged the first of what he hopes will be an ongoing series of ‘discussions’, I jumped at the chance to attend. There we were, a handful of journalists, buyers and so forth in Soho’s Bocca di Lupo, surrounded by delicious plates of Italian-inspired food, talking about the state of both the wine world and the world at large. The new UK duty rates were a major talking point during the largely off-the-record discussion, as was what 2025 holds in store for retailers and consumers.
And the wines? With lunch we enjoyed Querciabella’s Batàr 2009, Sassicaia 2021 (£235 ib-£400 Widely available), Camartina 2019 (from Querciabella, again; £66.50-£89 ib Cru, Lay & Wheeler, Roberson), Giacomo Fenocchio’s Barolo Bussia 2013 (£40 ib Bordeaux Index, Fine Wines for All), and Robert Mondavi’s Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1978, the last of which was part of a cellar purchase made by Armit and surprised everyone present with how well it’s standing up at nearly 50 years of age.
South African sparkle
Julie Sheppard
Pieter Ferreira
On a recent trip to South Africa, I spent a fascinating day with Pieter Ferreira at Graham Beck Estate in Robertson. Known as Mr Bubbles, Ferreira has been making fizz at Graham Beck since its first vintage in 1991, and launched his own eponymous boutique sparkling label in 2012. His passion for Cap Classique is evident: ‘We’re not trying to imitate Champagne – we’re trying to be uniquely South African,’ he states. It was my first chance to get up close and personal with the 2025 SA vintage, as Chardonnay grapes arrived in the busy winery. ‘This vintage is unusual for Graham Beck; the season is extremely late.’
Climate change was a topic we returned to in an afternoon R&D session, when Ferreira noted that he’s experimenting with more drought-resistant varieties. But that’s just one of an array of experiments that demonstrate the attention to detail that goes into making Graham Beck the Cape’s leading sparkling specialist. One such experiment was South Africa’s first (and only) 100% Pinot Meunier fizz; the pioneering Artisan Collection Pinot Meunier 2022 is elegant and delicate, with remarkable persistence. Other tasting highlights included the creamy Pinot Noir Rosé 2018 (£24.99 North & South Wines) and top expression Cuvée Clive Blanc de Blancs 2018 – bottles with all the style of Champagne, but at a fraction of the price.
