Best in show
ALSACE
Dopff-au-Moulin, Gewurztraminer, Grand Cru Brand 2017 (14%)
This grand cru above Turckheim is magnificently exposed, giving Gewurztraminer all the ripeness it needs to reach its aromatic apogee. Billowing scents of lychee, rose and ginger lead to a palate of great sumptuousness yet feathery softness, lush but never cloying thanks to the bitterness of Gewurz from this granite hilside. It’s not dry but it’s not a dessert wine either; instead it’s a lavishly complete wine to enjoy on its own or partnering with rich pâté or cheese. Drink 2019-2022
£35.49 Hallgarten & Novum
$29.17 Heritage Wine Cellars
Etienne-Arnaud Dopff is the 13th generation in charge of his family property, a responsibility he assumed willingly: ‘I grew up on the estate but was never forced into anything,’ he says. ‘My parents and grandparents always let me discover their fascinating job on my own and let me make my own decisions.’
‘The first vintage I saw was 1973 as I was born in February of that year, but my first full vintage of actually being involved was 1998 – with a tremendous Riesling Grand Cru Schoenenbourg and late-harvest Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Brand. I’ve been here for more than 20 years now, and while I’m running the estate, it has taken several years to find my place. Luckily I’ve always had the good advice of my father.’
Brand translates as ‘grilled’ or ‘burnt’, due to the amount of sun that beats down on the slopes. Another story tells the tale of a dragon who lived on the hillside and whose blood gave strength to the land after its death.
Growing grapes here presents several challenges: ‘This is Brand,’ says Dopff. ‘It’s granitic and sandy, faces south and the gradient can be as severe as 35%, but this is the expression of an elegant grand cru we want to transmit: that granitic terroir magnified through the grape variety.’
ARGENTINA
La Luz, Iluminado Vinos de la Luz Single Vineyard Malbec, Altamira, San Carlos, Mendoza 2015 (14.5%)
An energetic, vital Malbec: European-style freshness combined with Andean generosity and solar brightness. It has refined, intricate aromas of forest flowers, blueberries and blackberries with sweet tobacco leaf. It’s intensely perfumed on the palate, too – sumptuous plum, damson and sloe – with lively acidity and generous yet chiselled tannins. Drink 2019-2030
N/A UK www.callejondelcrimen.com
Vinos de la Luz operates a small collection of wineries in Argentina, Spain and Italy with lead winemakers in each who are native to that country. However, those winemakers spend significant periods during the growing season, including at harvest, broadening their knowledge at the sister wineries. Hence, while Pablo Navarrete was responsible for this Best in Show wine – its inaugural vintage – the success was achieved with back-up from Spain and Italy.
‘Illuminado represents the best wines of each country,’ says Vinos de la Luz, ‘be it Sangiovese in Montalcino, Tempranillo in Ribera del Duero or Malbec in Argentina.
‘For this Malbec, we must thank the immigrants who left their homelands 100 years ago to plant the first vines in valleys almost totally covered by snow from the Andes. Paraje Altamira in Uco Valley is an extraordinary place. These small parcels get lots of light exposure at 1,100m, where Malbec finds its best expression.’
Grapes for this award-winner came from a 2ha vineyard and only 3,500 bottles were made.
AUSTRALIA
Dawson James, Chardonnay, Derwent Valley, Tasmania 2015 (12.2%)
This impressed for its assurance, its grain and its darting yet ripe and resonant cool-climate style. A little reduction when first poured soon clears to reveal a tempting spectrum of dessert apple, nectarine and lemon with understated creamy wealth from its barrel-fermentation. On the palate it is ample and round yet fresh and vivid, the purity of its Derwent Valley origins singing out without any winery forcing. A Tasmanian thoroughbred which underscores the potential of its site. Drink 2019-2024
£38.15-£46.99 Exel Wines, Liberty Wines, Selfridges
Peter Dawson and Tim James have been close friends for over 30 years, 25 of those as winemaking colleagues at Hardys. ‘We have had a long friendship and have shared the enjoyment of great wines,’ says Dawson. ‘At some stage a joint winemaking venture was inevitable.’
Just as fixed was that Tasmania would be the go-to region for their start-up, the island having made a strong impression on the duo throughout their years in the cellar – and one vineyard in particular: ‘We have a strong belief that Australia’s best Chardonnay will come from Tasmania and we were fortunate to know Gerald Ellis, having sourced fruit from the Meadowbank vineyard for Hardys since 1995,’ explains Dawson.
‘Tasmania has the benefit of a cool climate, not far removed from Dijon, which lends itself to the best expression of Chardonnay in both varietal character and natural balance. With this wine we aimed to capture the fruit purity and the characteristics of Meadowbank. The two features go hand in hand and result in a wine which is a true expression of the vineyard.’
McGuigan, Bin 9000 Semillon, Hunter Valley, New South Wales 2007 (11.2%)
Those who relish aged Hunter Valley Semillon are in for a treat with this beautifully developed 2007 – an almost copybook example. Amply articulate aromas of crushed lime and preserved lemon, toast, bean pods and parsley. Vivid freshness is still on the palate, but the butter of age is starting to seep satisfyingly in and its ultra-restrained alcohol means it drinks as cleanly as any high-latitude Riesling. If you don’t know it yet, a glass or two will show you why it’s such a favourite of wine-trade insiders. Drink 2019-2023
N/A UK www.australianvintage.com.au
One of our sayings at McGuigan is “make wine the hero”,’ says chief winemaker Neil McGuigan. ‘Our focus is on putting brilliant wines in consumers’ glasses and exceeding their expectations at every level.’ Considering the haul of awards that the company has garnered over the years, such an outcome is arguably now more of an assumption.
McGuigan grew up in a family of winemakers, later studying oenology in South Australia. From there he went on to Wyndham Estate, Briar Ridge and Rothbury Estate before going on to work with older brother Brian at McGuigan Simeon wines in 2004.
‘This wine epitomises the best of Hunter Valley Semillon and showcases what it is capable of delivering with age,’ McGuigan explains. ‘The grapes were unirrigated and low-yielding, giving high flavour intensity. The soil is a sandy loam and the climate is highly variable, though it is generally moderated at harvest by onshore wind and cooler overnight temperatures. The conditions are tough for the grapes due to the harsh climate and, as a consequence, the yields are invariably low; we generally make around 4,000 cases.’
Brokenwood, Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz, Hunter Valley, New South Wales 2017 (13.5%)
Hunter Valley Shiraz is a breed apart. Here, you’ll find softly savoury aromas like finest unlit Havana leaf; it’s balanced, round-shouldered, understated, even shy, on the palate, with gentle tannins and discreet, underplayed acidity, but that savoury warmth grows, and few Aussie Shirazes perform as well as this throughout a meal. This supremely gastronomic Hunter Valley classic deserves a much wider audience. Drink 2019-2026
£140 Bancroft
Make great wine and have fun,’ is the mantra at Brokenwood, established in 1970 by a triumvirate of Sydney lawyers as a hobby project. It only started to become something of more consequence in 1978 when it acquired the neighbouring land for Graveyard Vineyard.
Chief winemaker and managing director is Iain Riggs who has been at Brokenwood since 1982, while senior winemaker Stuart Hordern has just chalked up a decade of vintages, with assistant winemaker Kate Sturgess there for four.
‘The Hunter Valley is the oldest commercial grape-growing region in Australia and while small in overall Australian production, it is all bottled premium wine,’ explains Riggs. ‘The Hunter Valley has over 11ha of pre-1900 vines Shiraz alone, while those on the Graveyard Vineyard were planted in 1968. With this wine it’s all about classic Hunter characters: savoury red fruit and medium-bodied palate weight’.
The wine is Brokenwood’s flagship: just 6,000 bottles were made from the winery’s total annual production of 1.2m bottles.
