Weekly Tasting Report (Oct 19-25): Record 429 wines tasted, from 7 countries
James finished tasting more than 1,100 Spanish wines this week, while Executive Editor Nick Stock continued his tastings in Barossa Valley, including with Stephen Henschke.
We’ve had a very busy time tasting this week with 429 wines tasted and rated by the tasting team, our biggest weekly coverage since we started our weekly reporting from lockdown earlier this year. James tasted many more Spanish wines in Hong Kong this week, with a range of French regions also covered, plenty from Italy and the US too. I’ve been tasting across various states of Australia as well as a tranche of good value Burgundy. Stuart Pigott has sent in more excellent 2019s from Austria and William McIlhenny has a few more from the US in the mix here too.
I visited the Henschke Cellars and tasted a ten vintage vertical with Stephen Henschke this week alongside some of their new releases from the Barossa and Adelaide Hills. The Mount Edelstone Vineyard was planted more than 100 years ago and the strength of character of the wines, as well as enduringly consistent quality is so impressive. This is one of the greatest Australian shiraz wines for collectors, with the winery selling a rolling offering museum releases.
The Henschke Shiraz Eden Valley Mount Edelstone Vineyard 2010 (98 points) was the standout and our equal top-pointed wine this week. From a great vintage and with a good amount of age, it is showing very complex “sarsaparilla and anise” aromas, as well as blueberry and blackberry. The “powerful tannins” have much time ahead here.
James tastes and discusses Domaine Glantenay Burgundies with Jason Ginsberg, a friend and Hong Kong wine merchant.
The 2008 and 2005 vintages (both 97 points) are two very different vintages with the 2005 currently being offered on a museum release program by the winery. The 2008 has an “expressive nose with intense fruit” and a “plush palate.” The 2005 has dropped into a mature zone with “red berries, blueberries and leather” and there’s striking richness of fruit on show here in a mature stage. It has “great concentration” in a focused and balanced mode. Both the 2006 and 2009 vintages are also rated 96 points this week too and don’t forget the 100-point 2015 current release from our earlier tastings this year.
A number of 2019 Austrian riesling wines are rated highly this week, further adding to our comprehensive coverage of this great vintage. The Stagård Riesling Kremstal Ried Steiner Hund 2019 (98 points) is the pick with “pure, mineral” aromas in “exceptionally elegant riesling.” The Stagård Riesling Kremstal Ried Steiner Gaisberg 2019 (96 points) has hypnotically “ripe-peach, fresh-pineapple, spice and mineral” aromas and “remains so poised and elegant” on the palate, easily carrying all this rich, ripe fruit. A hallmark of the vintage.
The Stagård Riesling Kremstal Ried Steiner Schreck 2019 (96 points) is a “super-ripe” dry Danube riesling with a “super fresh and precise” finish with “a ton of flinty minerality.” Also rated 96 points, the Stagård Riesling Kremstal Steinzeug 2019 is full of flint and mineral and “marries ripeness and elegance in a way that’s sophisticated, yet easy to understand.”
From the nearby Wachau, the Pichler-Krutzler Riesling Wachau Ried Kellerberg 2019 (96 points) is a “stunning dry riesling” that “marries ravishing fruit aromas” and a long finish that “flickers between lime zest and white chocolate.” And there’s also a set of impressive rieslings from Australia’s iconic riesling maker Crawford River this week. Their Riesling Henty Reserve 2008 (96 points) is an aged release that has developed so well with “gently glossy texture” from age and a long, complex and seamless finish.
Another great Dilworth & Allain release this week in the form of the Pinot Noir Macedon Ranges Doug’s Vineyard 2019 (97 points) adds to this new producer’s already impressive list of wines reviewed this year. Here is a very complex pinot that has such bright, pure fruit as well as a ”brightly composed and very fine-tannined” palate. It is an excellent follow up to the 2018 vintage of this wine.
Just six of the noteworthy wines we tasted from a total of more than 400.
From Rioja, the Olivier Rivière Rioja Pozo Alto 2017 (96 points) is an impressive wine for the way it marries power with beauty. James found “fascinating aromas of crushed berries and dried flowers with some cedar and sandalwood” and a “full-bodied” palate with with “round, ripe tannins” that will only improve with age. This is a producer that walks a very clever stylistic line.
And it is not often we see a rosé in the top scoring wines but James singled out the Château d’Esclans Côtes de Provence Garrus Rosé 2019 (96 points) as really something special. This is a unique rosé in that it is “very powerful yet subtle” and “full-bodied, yet so tight and compact with fantastic freshness and length.” It is great to see rosé being taken to this level of quality.
We are so thrilled to be tasting so widely and our tasting year is now building towards our annual Top 100 announcements in the coming weeks. This is an exciting time for us. There are so many countries, styles and producers covered this week and we have found great quality in all corners of the world of wine. We hope you enjoy the coverage.
Enjoy and stay safe.
– Nick Stock, executive editor