Join us for our "Vintage Pairs" Blind Tasting on Saturday 22 August 2020

In this blind tasting session, we select five wines, serve them blind and, as a group, work deductively through the tasting process to uncover the wine. The trick here is we actually serve ten wines – two wines with something in common, served in pairs.

1^st Pair: 2014 Les Hautes Chevres 1er Cru Brut Nature & 2012 Les Longues Violes 1er Cru Brut Nature, Champagne Georges Laval 

This Grower Champagne, Georges Laval, has quite small holdings with only 2.5 hectares.  They produce approximately 15,000 bottles per year.  Based in Cumières in Vallée de la Marne, they are one of the oldest winemaking families (since 1694) in Champagne.  Georges Laval has farmed his vineyards organically since 1971, and he makes the wine in a natural and artisanal way. His son, Vincent, who took over in 1996 follows this same approach and farms and works in this way in order to preserve the original aromas and flavours of the great terroirs of Champagne.  For winemaking, Vincent uses indigenous yeast, ferments in oak barrels, and uses very little sulphur, and there is no fining or filtration.  

The 2014 ‘Les Hautes Chèvres’ 1er Cru Brut Nature is the first wine we are trying today.  It’s name translates to ‘The High Goats’, and the vineyard is located above the village of Cumières on clay-limestone soils.  This Champagne is made from Pinot Meunier vines that were planted between 1930 and 1971 and provide low yields which produce intense aromatics and concentrated flavours on the palate.  The wine spends ten months in barrel and four years in the bottle before disgorgement and release.  For the 2014 vintage, approximately 1,473 bottles were produced.

We are also trying the rarest cuvée from Georges Laval – the 2012 Les Longues Violes 1er Cru Brut Nature.  The Longues Violes is a unique parcel of 14.61 ares that has belonged to the Laval family for several generations. This wine is a Blanc de Noirs made from Pinot Meunier planted in 1947 and Pinot Noir planted in 1964 and 1984. The vineyard has never been treated with any herbicides or chemicals.  This Champagne is fermented naturally in oak barrels which gives it diversity and richness and allows the delicacy of aromas to come out.   The 2012 vintage is the first vintage of Les Longues Violes 1er Cru Brut Nature and 1,520 bottles were produced.  The first 480 bottles spent 50 months on the lees before disgorgement.

Champagne Georges Laval is for the wine lover in search of artisanal Champagne as this small production grower Champagne has its own unique style and character.  The style largely comes from their long history of organic farming and respecting the land which results in a minerally driven Champagne that’s concentrated and drinks much like a Chablis or other fine white Burgundy.  This Champagne is one for food and contemplation; it’s one that benefits from being decanted and can even be served in a Burgundy glass.  Let’s see what we think of these two cuvées.

2^nd Pair: 2002 Domaine Drouhin - Pinot Noir 'Cuvée Laurène' & Beaux Frères - The ‘Beaux Frères Vineyard' Pinot Noir

With this pair, we will have the opportunity to compare aged Pinot Noir from two leading estates in Oregon.  Domaine Drouhin was established in 1987 by the famous Drouhin family of Burgundy in the Dundee Hills American Viticultural Area (“AVA”) of Oregon’s renowned Willamette Valley.  It is Robert Drouhin’s vision of an Oregon estate that can produce wines to rival the great wines of Burgundy.  The estate comprises approximately 50 hectares of primarily Pinot Noir vines on hillside vineyards but also about 4 hectares of Chardonnay vines.  At Domaine Drouhin they follow sustainable farming practices.

In terms of the winemaking, they follow traditional Burgundy methods.  The fermentation is a slow process and takes place using indigenous yeast.  Then, the wine is aged in a combination of new (about 20%) and used French oak barrels that are custom made in Burgundy for Domaine Drouhin.  The wine will age for twelve to fourteen months.  Then, winemaker Véronique Boss-Drouhin tastes through all the barrels and decides which ones will make up each cuvée.  After the blend for each cuvée is made, the wine will rest for several months.  Then, it will go into bottle and age for another six to eighteen months before release.  ‘Cuvée Laurène' takes its name after Véronique’s oldest daughter.

Beaux Frères is another of the Williamette Valley’s elite wineries.  It’s located in the Ribbon Ridge AVA.  Michael Etzel discovered this pig farm while on vacation in the area in 1986.  And then decided to purchase it with his brother-in-law, Robert Parker, Jr.  The property is roughly 36 hectares with almost 10 hectares planted to vines.  They were planted beginning in 1988 with Pinot Noir, and now they also have Chardonnay vines (planted in 2014).  For the cultivation of the vineyard, they follow many tenets of biodynamic farming.

In terms of the winemaking, the fermentation happens with the help of indigenous yeast, and they follow a traditional style of winemaking.  Then, the wine will go into French oak barrels with 30-50% being new depending on the strength of the vintage.  The secondary fermentation occurs naturally and at a slow pace.  They only do racking after about ten to twelve months of ageing.  At this time, the wine will be racked into tank and allowed to settle before bottling.  The style of winemaking at Beaux Frères allows for quite a build up of carbon dioxide (a natural preservative), so in the end they don’t have to use as much sulphur as most producers to protect the wines during the bottling process.  Because of this left over CO2, sometimes it’s helpful to decant these wines or give them at least thirty minutes of air to allow the CO2 to blow off before drinking them. Since 2017, they have been jointly owned by Maisons & Domaines Henriot.  The Beaux Frères Vineyard' Pinot Noir is their flagship wine.

3^rd Pair: 2015 Vietti - Barbera d'Alba 'Scarrone Vigna Vecchia' & Barolo Ravera

Vietti was founded in the late 1800s by Carlo Vietti in the village of Castiglione Falletto in the Langhe Hills of Piemonte.  In the 1960s and 1970s under the direction of Luciana Vietti and Alfredo Currado, this wine estate made major strides.  In 1965, they made one of the first Barolo crus – Rocche di Castiglione.  In 1967, they made the first single vinification of Arneis.  And in 1974, they started using artist labels on their bottles.  With this pair we are trying two of the most famous grapes in Piemonte – Barbera and Nebbiolo.  Let’s see if we are able to identify these Italian gems.

For the Barbera, we are tasting Vietti’s top example, 'Scarrone Vigna Vecchia'.  ‘Scarrone’ refers to the area where the vines are located, and ‘Vigna Vecchia’ translates to old vines as these vines are over 90 years old.  Because of the age of the vines, they are naturally low yielding and stricter sorting in the vineyards also keeps the production low.  After the fermentation is completed, the wine will go into large oak casks for eighteen months of aging.  Then, the wine is bottled unfiltered.

By comparison, we have an example of one of Vietti’s Barolos.  The one we are tasting today is from the Ravera vineyard, a famous single-vineyard in Novello.  It’s 100% Nebbiolo, and the average age of the vines is 26 years old with the oldest vines planted in 1935.  For the vinification, the grapes are fermented for about four weeks in stainless steel tanks.  Then, they move into cask for the malolactic fermentation which will continue for a year with the wine on its fine lees without racking it.  Afterward, the wine is aged for thirty months in Slovenian oak casks.

4^th Pair: 1994 López de Heredia - Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva & Vega Sicilia - Unico

This pair offers the opportunity to experience the finest examples from what are considered to be two of Spain’s most famous wine regions – Rioja and Ribera del Duero.  And the vintage 1994 is an outstanding vintage for both.

We are starting in the north of Spain just below the Basque country in Rioja, with the 1994 López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva, one of the top wines from likely the most legendary winery in Rioja.  Don Rafael Lopez de Heredia y Landeta, the founder of this winery, began its construction around 1877.  It’s located in the Rioja Alta area in Haro and is the oldest winery there.  Don Rafael started the Tondonia vineyard in 1913-14; it comprises 100 hectares and is located along the Ebro river.  The soil is alluvial clay with a high proportion of limestone.  This vineyard has gone on to produce this bodega’s most legendary wines.  The first ‘Reserva’ of this wine was made in 1890.  In exceptional vintages like 1994, they will bottle a ‘Gran Reserva’ from this vineyard.  This bodega is a very traditional producer that features the traditional blend of grapes allowable for the reds of Rioja.  The 1994 is a blend of 75% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacha, 5% Graciano, and 5% Mazuelo.  Then, for the Gran Reserva the wine was aged for nine years in barrel and then for a minimum of eight years in bottle prior to release.

The fermentation takes place in 240 hectolitre oak vats and is kicked off by indigenous yeast.  Then, for the secondary fermentation the liquid and solids will be drained from the vat and separated.  Afterward, the secondary fermentation will take place in Bordeaux style barrels for about five to six months.  Then, the wine will go into used American oak barrels for ageing.  They have had their own cooperage at López de Heredia since their founding and make their own barrels. 

Now, let’s take about a two hour and twenty-minute drive southwest to Ribera del Duero.  From this wine region we are tasting the legendary, Vega Sicilia ‘Unico’.  The great wine estate Vega Sicilia is located in Ribera del Duero in Northern Spain about a two-hour drive from Madrid.  It’s original founder, Don Eloy Lecanda Chaves, brought cuttings from Bordeaux – Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot - which he planted alongside their indigenous grape, Tempranillo.  ‘Unico’ is the flagship wine of Vega Sicilia and is made from a blend of Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon.  The soils where the grapes grow are made up of colluvial deposits, limestone and quartz gravel deeper down.

For the winemaking, the fermentation takes place in wooden tanks with indigenous yeast.  The malolactic fermentation also takes place in wood.  Then, the wine is aged at different stages of the process in both French oak and American oak barrels with a combination of new and used barrels.  After the ageing in barrel, the wine is also aged in bottle prior to release.  On average, ‘Unico’ spends approximately six years in wood and three years in bottle prior to release.

5^th Pair: 2013 Jean-René Germanier - Cayas Reserve Syrah & Xavier Gérard – Côte-Rôtie

Jean-René Germanier is located in Balavaud, a hamlet of the commune of Vétroz situated in the centre of the Valais and the Rhône Valley, and was founded in 1886; it’s one of the oldest wineries in Switzerland.  The grapes are from Balavaud, Vétroz, Chamoson and Fully; they are grown on Schisteux hillsides on the right bank of the Rhône.  The soil is a combination of glacial moraine and slate

In terms of vineyard practices, they use a sustainable approach to the use of chemical intervention and are farming in accordance with the standards of Bio Suisse (only 3 wineries in Switzerland are following these standards).  They’re focused on preserving the traditions and grapes of the region and do regular soil studies to see what grapes will grow best in what soils. The average age of their Syrah vines is 35 years old.

For winemaking at Jean René Germanier, the grapes are macerated for 10 days, and they do 20-day cap peeling.  Then, the wine is aged in barrel for twenty-four months, 50% of which are new.  The wine undergoes light filtration before bottling.

This Syrah from Jean-René Germanier is unique because this winery is one of the oldest in Switzerland, so they bring experience and a long history to their winemaking.  And the climate created where these vines are situated from the impact of the Föhn wind enables Jean-René Germanier to produce a fresh and vibrant Syrah.

Finally, from the Northern Rhône, we are trying the wine of talented winemaker Xavier Gérard.  He took over his family’s small domaine in 2012 with his first full vintage in 2013.  Xavier Gérard’s father was a part-time winemaker, grower and Crédit-Agricole employee, so Xavier learned to make wine at home as well as through wine studies and experience traveling and working at other wineries.

The Côte-Rôtie is coming from the estate’s finest parcels in the area with the Mollard lieu-dit making up 65% of the blend and then the rest of the cuvée a mix of Font-Jean, Viallière, and La Landonne.  The Mollard can be credited with bringing a minerally character to the wine with the rest bringing a peppery element to the wine.  Sometimes Xavier uses up to 5% of Viognier in this wine, but for 2013 it’s 100% Syrah.  He used 15% stems for this vintage too.  Fermentation takes place with indigenous yeast, and Xavier follows traditional winemaking practices.  The wine was aged with 65% in large oak barrels and 35% in a combination of 550-litre barrels and 228-litre new oak barrels for one year.  Then, the wine is aged for another year in 228-litre one to six-year-old barrels.  The 2013 was bottled at the end of August 2015.