Weekly Tasting Report (Aug 15-21, 2020): Australia, Austria, France, Italy, USA
James tastes Burgundy and Champagne among others in last week’s tastings.
It is almost wall-to-wall Burgundy in our highlights wrap this week as James tasted through some of the region’s larger negociant producers and found them all producing top quality wines. In our total of nearly 300 wines tasted this week, it was the big names of Burgundy and their best Grand Cru holdings that stood out, particularly from the 2018 harvest. The quality can be found as much in whites as it can in reds. Scores are very comparable to those of the 2017 wines.
But it is Champagne that takes top place with the artisanal Henri Giraud Champagne Argonne Brut 2012 (99 points) delivering “an extraordinary, hand-crafted Champagne” that has a wide range of fruit aromas and flavors and a “finish that goes on forever.” James also rated the Henri Giraud Champagne Aÿ Grand Cru MV15 Brut NV at 97 points. It is a 70% base of the 2015 vintage with the balance from reserve wines and is “an edgy, lively Champagne with bread dough, dried apples and apricots … light oxidation … full-bodied and very layered with so much going on.”
Leading the procession of Grand Cru Burgundy wines featured this week are four wines all rated 98 points, including a pair of Montrachet 2018s. The Louis Latour Montrachet Grand Cru 2018 (98 points) is a “magnificent white with such great depth of fruit and super intensity,” as well as “deep, deep depth that brings you down through the wine,” said James. Whilst the Joseph Drouhin Montrachet Grand Cru Marquis de Laguiche 2018 (98 points) is “a dream” and “a glorious white with such length, complexity and character that changes all the time.”
The Louis Latour Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru Les Quatre Journaux 2018 (98 points) is a “dense, layered young red with extraordinary depth and power … but it’s the texture that makes it great,” according to James. The Bouchard Père & Fils Echézeaux Grand Cru Domaine 2018 (98 points) has wow factor and is “a stunning combination of perfectly ripe fruit with strawberries and plums that turn to dried flowers and spices.” The palate is “full-bodied, yet so tight and formed with fruit and tannins that intertwine and spread across the palate.”
Executive Editor Nick Stock tastes in Australia.
Alongside their great Montrachet 2018, Louis Latour has delivered two more exceptional Grand Cru whites from 2018. The Louis Latour Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru Les Demoiselles 2018 (97 points) has “boldness and energy … with superb concentration of fruit and density” and is “superbly complex and subtle”. The Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2018 (97 points) is a more “open and aromatic” expression that “grows slowly on the palate with an intense, powerful finish.”
The Bouchard Père & Fils Montrachet Grand Cru Domaine 2018 (97 points) is “full-bodied, yet so tight and compressed with a very dense center palate,” and “the finish is what really makes this the great grand cru that it is.” James found it to be compact and solid with a superb core of fruit and he loved the “creamy, phenolic texture” that “melts into the wine.” Drinkable now, this wine needs three to four years to open, a hallmark of great Montrachet.
Louis Latour also delivered a very impressive Chambertin Grand Cru Cuvée Héritiers Latour 2018 (97 points) which has “captivating blue fruit on the nose, as well as lavender and rose petals,” and a palate that is “full-bodied with very tight, chewy tannins that are wonderfully polished and energetic.” This too needs some time to really show its potential and should be left for four years before drinking.
And finally a duo of consistently highly-rated wines from Tuscany to complete this week’s top wines. The Le Macchiole Bolgheri Messorio 2017 (97 points) is a pure merlot that shows “beautiful clarity and class on the nose.” James really liked the palate with “such polish and finesse … so sophisticated and intense for this vintage.” From the same vintage, the Marchesi Antinori Toscana Solaia 2017 (97 points) is “extremely aromatic” and full-bodied with “chewy and very polished tannins” that James described as “foursquare and slightly austere.” It is a wine that needs five to six years to soften and come together completely.
This week’s selection of our top rated wines demonstrate power and structure across the board. These qualities are enduring hallmarks of great wine, whether from Tuscany, Burgundy or Champagne. Enjoy and stay safe.
– Nick Stock, executive editor