One of the undeniable privileges of working at Farr Vintners is that you get to taste a lot of very good wines. So much so that one’s perception of what constitutes a very good wine changes somewhat and you find that the figurative bar (no pun intended) by which you judge wine has been raised.
However, every so often you taste a wine that makes you sit up and think, “Wow, this is truly great”. Such wines create lasting impressions that, like all your special memories, never leave you. For example, the very first time that you try a First Growth, a Château d’Yquem, or a truly great, mature bottle of Bordeaux (Ducru Beaucaillou 1961 - I would like to have said Margaux 1959… but the bottle was corked!)
Returning to work after the Christmas and New Year break, we were discussing the wines that we drank on Christmas Day. The discussion soon shifted to recounting the very best wines that we had drunk over the past 12 months. When we had written down our individual Top Tens and compared lists the combined wines read like a veritable “Who’s Who” of the wine world.
For those of you who are interested, our individual Top Tens are listed below. If you ever get a chance to taste these sublime wines then take the opportunity with both hands. And if you’ve tried them already then you’ll know what we're talking about!
The most impressive wine that I tasted last year was Ausone 2005, which blew me away me with its purity, concentration and length. It is worth every single one of its 100 points! Cos d'Estournel 2003 with its exotic aromas and forward style is quite simply sexy. Hedonistic and full-bodied, yet elegant, I would happily drink it again tonight. Margaux 1990 epitomises for me the nobility of a truly great mature Bordeaux from an outstanding vintage. Opulent, full-bodied and elegant, it was both an honour and a privilege to drink. I do not drink enough red Burgundy for my liking so I always welcome an opportunity to try a great bottle. Sylvain Cathiard is fast becoming one of my favourite producers and his Vosne Romanée Les Orveaux 1999 only serves to reinforce this. There is a tendency to overlook the Rhône when one is so immersed in Bordeaux. The stunning Hermitage 1999, J-L Chave really impressed me with its richness, concentration and complexity and has inspired me to further discover this great region.
I must admit that I was never a fan of white Rhône wines... until I tried this. The Condrieu Coteaux du Vernon 2006, Georges Vernay has to be the most sublime white wine that I tried in 2009 with its alluring aromas of honeysuckle and apricot and a rich, yet perfectly-balanced, palate. German Riesling has really captured my imagination over the past 12 months and you cannot over look these wines for quality, value for money and pure drinking pleasure. The Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett No. 6 2001, Egon Muller impressed me with perfect balance, walking a tightrope between sweet and sour. In a different style but equally impressive, the Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese 1985, Ernst Loosen demonstrated the amazing ageing potential of Riesling at its best with the perfectly harmony of sweetness, richness and acidity that only a great mature wine can possess. The Syrah Le Sol 2007, Craggy Range shows the NZ is more than capable of making stunning red wines with this fine effort. The wine has seductive aromas of pepper and black fruits and is perfectly ripe without ever being jammy. The Chardonnay Coddington Vineyard 2007, Kumeu River is undoubtedly the best chardonnay that I tried in 2009. White burgundy often leaves me feeling under-whelmed but this stunning wine combines the richness and exotic allure of a top Meursault with the purity and fresh fruit of a top NZ offering.
Unlike Alastair and Henry, I unfortunately missed out on the Ausone 2005! I was however, lucky enough to have the Margaux 1990 which was as elegant as I have tasted and a truly great Bordeaux wine. I'm not going to go through every top wine but pick out a few that stick out foremost in my mind. I have to continue with the Dom Perignon Oenotheque 1975 which I was very lucky to taste in the Abbey of Hautville along with Henry and like he says, this Champagne was incredibly youthful despite it age and and a length that went on forever! Another truly great experience. I conclude with the Le Pin 2002 of which I tasted in a 2002 Bordeaux tasting that we had here at the Farr Vintners tasting room in October 2009. The 2002's were showing well at the higher end and forward for its age and Le Pin was showing plenty of ripe fruit, medium bodied and had a lovely, long heady finish to it.
The Selosse Brut Intial N.V. was a revelation for me, with a fine mousse and an aroma reminiscent of a mature bottle of Krug Grand Cuvee, it certainly didn’t show any of the oaky, more oxidised character that some of his other bottlings show. With its laser like acidity and trademark brioche and hazelnut character the Krug 1988 (en magnum) was a lesson in how great vintage Krug can be. The Meursault Perrieres 2002,Coche Dury is likely to be one of the greatest white Burgundies I will ever try. It was so incredibly balanced with wonderful precision and balance yet immense power and concentration and an incredibly long finish. A very rare treat indeed! Jean Louis Chave’s 1999 Hermitage Rouge was absolutely bewitching. Full of brambly back fruit and soft wood spice it was incredibly seductive. Whilst I tiptoe around other appellations and flirt with other countries my heart will always belong to Bordeaux. 2003 Bordeaux is a vintage I love, it’s so hedonistic and opulent. The 2003 Cos d'Estournel and 2003 Lafite were exotic, pure and powerful, with amazing concentration and complexity. Although benchmark wines for the vintage, stylistically they’re different beasts, each adhering to their Chateau’s respective style but gearing it up a notch. Despite their youth, I think they’re accessible from the word go although a few more years in bottle will really hit their stride.
With a good few hours in the decanter, the two 1996s; Latour and Leoville Lascases, surpassed my expectations. They were like boxers, muscular and powerful yet balanced and precise. I decanted these at least 3 hours before they were served with dinner and they showed all the better for it. I personally don’t see why you can’t start drinking them now, particularly with red meats. Yquem, rarely ever disappoints and the 1988 Yquem, with its nose of peaches and cream was everything it should have been. Rich and unctuous with classic marmalade character, it was a truly perfect Yquem. From Sauternes to Mosel; Joh Jos Prüm is without a doubt one of my favourite white wine producers and his Riesling Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese Goldkapsel 1983 was a definite highlight of last year with its honeyed-apricot fruit beautifully underscored by mouth watering acidity. What a year 2009 was!
2005 Ausone was the mightiest wine of the year, clearly a modern day masterpiece. The 2003 Cos d'Estournel was the sexiest and a wine to instantly fall head-over heels in love with. 1990 Margaux displayed the heady heights that mature 1st Growth claret can reach and was an honour to drink. 1990 Leoville Lascases on the other hand left me speechless with its power, youth and laser like delivery of flavour. Wow.
Yquem 1975 is difficult to ever fully express, but the one word I think of is: Luminescent. I was totally in awe. Coche-Dury Meursault 2006 restored my faith in white Burgundy with its layer upon layer of delineated flavours, so if you can get hold of the wines of Jean-Francois then buy, buy, buy. Dom Perignon 1975 Oenotheque was enjoyed during a trip to the Abbey of Hautville and despite being older than me was still youthful and fresh. A tasting experience that perfectly explained the word 'terroir'. German Riesling remains, in my opinion, the best value wine in the world at the moment and if you buy quality, such as the Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese Goldkap 1983, J.J. Prum, then you are in for a vinous treat. Both young (Hermitage Rouge 1999, J-L Chave) and old (Hermitage La Chapelle 1978, Paul Jaboulet) from the Rhone valley proved why there is renewed hype surrounding this region. They were both perfect expression of Syrah, with such spice and warmth that in this cold weather I want to try them both all over again.
