AWC Wine Academy

International Merchant of Fine Wine and Spirits

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2014 Bordeaux En Primeur - Vintage Reaction

Martin Tickle, Fine Wine Director

[Above: the Left Bank performed well in 2014, including Ch. Palmer and Alter Ego de Palmer]

In the most general terms, 2014 is a Left Bank vintage that favours Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The Indian summer perhaps arrived too late for Merlot, but the later-ripening Cabernets were able to benefit. It doesn’t reach the heights of great vintages such as 2000, 2005, 2009 or 2010; the splendid Autumnal weather could not compensate entirely for the deficiencies of Summer. After all, one day of sunshine in August is worth the approximate equivalent of two days sunshine in September.

2014 is, however, a much better vintage than the three previous ones, and also better than 2002, 2004 and 2007. In our En Primeur expectations blog, we called for a good but not great vintage, and 2014 appears to be the best of the vintages that don’t quite reach greatness.  It’s the best vintage since 2010, but the wines lack the structure and ‘completeness’ of that year. There are echoes of 1996 in the Cabernets of the Medoc and we felt that the wines show similarities to 2006 and 2008, albeit in a riper style.

[Above: tasting the offerings from Ch. Haut-Brion and Ch. La Mission Haut-Brion]

The dry whites, particularly those of Pessac and Graves are very successful; the cool summer that was so worrying for the reds actually benefitted the whites by helping to retain freshness and acidity. These wines are always a difficult sell in a crowded marketplace, but 2014 could be the vintage to fall in love with white Bordeaux again, particularly given the pricing and allocation pressures of top white Burgundy.

It must be remembered that the embryonic 2014s we tasted are a snapshot of a wine at a particular point in its evolution, and there is also the on-going debate regarding how representative samples are of the final wine.

The stage is now set: the wines are charming and are destined to give the wine drinker much pleasure in their relative youth and over the medium term. The question remains that of pricing and whether it is a necessity for negociants in Bordeaux, merchants in the UK and ultimately the end consumer to finance these wines two years in advance of their physical release.

[Above: arriving at Ch. Ducru-Beaucaillou]

A return to 2008 pricing across the board is doubtful, and many Château owners we spoke with said that they were unlikely to reduce pricing below that of the 2013 vintage. It’s difficult to generalise for Bordeaux as a whole, there are some Château owners who have released recent vintages at sensible prices and it is unadvisable to tar the whole region with the same brush.  

What the Bordeaux En Primeur market has lacked in recent years is the emotional appeal of positive sentiment towards the wines and the practical necessity of a return on investment. Customers need a good reason to invest in these wines, and pricing and provenance are the two key arguments for the continued existence of the system. We’re pleased with the quality of the wines, and cautiously optimistic regarding their place within the wider fine wine market. If the pricing is right then we may have a campaign on our hands.

Register your interest in 2014 Bordeaux En Primeur »

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An Extraordinary Evening of Fine Burgundies & Great Company

Author: Craig Buckland, Marketing Associate

Above: Guests and AWC staff discussing some of the wines from the evening.

Last week, on Thursday the 16th October, we held our inaugural La Paulée de Londres event at our Wine Academy tasting room in Marylebone, Central London.

The first of its kind in London, this was an exclusive opportunity for attendees to gather with like-minded enthusiasts and collectors to enjoy and experience rare bottles from one another’s cellars.

Our initial Paulée was focused on wines from the legendary commune of Vosne-Romanée, in Burgundy, with each guest generously supplying a bottle from their personal collection and AWC supplying a further 10 bottles to compliment the already fantastic selection. Knowing the full selection of wines beforehand we realised that this could be one of our greatest-ever events. However, we were still completely blown away by the reaction, feedback and effusive complements from the guests. Here are just a few of the comments:

“This was up there with the best wine tasting events I have been to. Great concept and very well executed…”

 “What a fantastic event. Thank you. It is rare to have the opportunity to try so many fabulous wines and wonderful to be able to do so with like-minded people. Thank you for hosting and for supplying such a special collection yourselves.  Very generous.  I had never tried DRC before and will not forget where I was when I first did.”

The concept for La Paulée de Londres comes from Founder & CEO, Stephen Williams’ prior visits to the famous La Paulée de Meursault. Originally this was a gourmet luncheon that celebrated the end of the annual harvest in Burgundy. The event was strictly a Burgundians–only celebration, with the vignerons bringing out examples of their best wines from their private cellars to share amongst their close friends, vineyard workers, and the local community.

The contemporary version of La Paulée de Meursault has now evolved to become an international wine event attended by almost a 1,000 people each year. As one of the main celebrations of Les Trois Glorieuses weekend in Burgundy, it is now replicated for wine enthusiasts in both New York and San Francisco...and now at AWC's Wine Academy in London.

Our determination has been to re-create this special event on a smaller, more intimate scale. From all the positive messages we've received, we believe we have done the original justice and we are now looking forward to our Pomerol-centric Paulée II on November the 18th.

Above: Pork Belly and Quince Canapés 

Upon arrival last week, guests enjoyed a glass or two of Vintage Champagne from Franck Bonville in our reception area. This is a stunning sparkling wine that displays complex, rich flavours of brioche and pastries. It’s one of our exclusive brands and its delicate freshness makes it a perfect pairing for the canapés prepared by our own, amazing, Chef Antonia Bellini.

After initial greetings, guests proceeded to the Wine Academy and randomly selected seat assignment tickets from a champagne bucket to discover which of the four, appropriately-named tables (Échezeaux, Grands-Échezeaux, La Tâche & Romanée-Conti) they would be seated at. Stephen then introduced the Master of Ceremonies for the evening, presenter Charles Metcalfe, and explained how the tasting would progress.

Each table had five unique wines, all served blind, standing on it. These five selections were comprised of wines from various producers, different Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru vineyards, and a range of vintages. All also included at least one bottle of Grand Cru. The first phase of the night would be a formal tasting where guests would sample the 5 wines at their own table. After the formal tasting portion, guests would then be invited to sample the wines from the other tables, ultimately tasting 25+ different 1er Cru and Grand Cru Burgundies. To add an extra bit of fun and friendly competition to the evening, we asked each guest to keep tasting notes throughout the formal tasting portion and to score each of the wines on a scale of one to ten. The scores would then be tallied and the owner of the overall, highest scoring wine would win a mystery bottle, courtesy of AWC.

Above: AWC Founder & CEO, Stephen Williams, and Presenter, Charles Metcalfe.

Charles began the formal tasting by reminiscing on his own experiences at La Paulée de Meursault, which he described as an event where he has routinely tasted some of the finest wines of his entire career. He definitively declared that if any of the guests had the opportunity to go to the original event in the future that they should absolutely do so without hesitation. Charles also praised AWC for bringing this unique concept to London and noted how fun and interesting for all the attendees he anticipated the evening would be.

Before sampling the first five wines, Charles provided some additional background information on the specific vineyards, as well as some interesting features that are unique to the history of Vosne-Romanée, such as the origins of 1er Cru vineyard Les Suchots and of Grand Cru vineyard La Grande Rue.

As the largest of the Vosne-Romanée 1er Crus, Les Suchots is situated between three Grand Crus (Échezeaux, Romanée Saint Vivant and Richebourg) and is fascinating to Burgundy aficionados because certain plots are often described as possessing the potential to produce wines that deliver Grand Cru complexity and longevity. However, due to its considerable size, Les Suchots continually falls victim to the infamous problem of Burgundy’s Napoleonic code. With 20+ producers owning various parcels in Les Suchots, the quality can be somewhat variable, even though the raw materials arguably come from one of Burgundy’s best 1er Cru vineyards.

After discussing a number of other 1er Cru vineyards, Charles moved on to the history of Domaine François Lamarche’s Monopole of La Grande Rue. Previously owned by the famous Liger-Belair family, a cousin of the family sold it at auction to Edouard Lamarche in 1933, who in turn gave it as wedding present to his nephew Henry Lamarche. Even though La Grande Rue had been esteemed for centuries before, it wasn’t declared a Grand Cru along with other top sites in late 1930’s. This was no reflection on the quality of the vineyard, rather, Edouard was suspicious of this new classification system, as it would incur higher taxes and he figured that his wines were already selling perfectly well without Grand Cru status. As that was his opinion, he simply never submitted an application.

However, in 1984, François Lamarche, Henry’s son, persuaded his father to submit a new application to the INAO. The application required extensive and exceptionally detailed analysis of the vineyard soil and countless samples of wine. Despite the intrinsic quality of the wine having minimal to no impact on the final application decision, it was clearly thirsty work for the government inspectors, as they repeatedly requested additional bottles, ‘to test.’ The soil study finally concluded that the site was worthy of Grand Cru status and the application could now be sent to Paris for final approval. However, it would take more than 8 years from the submission of the initial application before the ultimate decree was signed in 1992 and, unfortunately, Henry did not live to see this happen.

Above: Charles Metcalfe speaking on the various 1er Cru & Grand Cru vineyards in Vosne-Romanée

Charles also spoke briefly about some of the other Grand Cru sites and answered a few questions from the guests. Then it was the moment everyone had been waiting for - time to taste the wines. One by one the guests tasted through the five exceptional Burgundies at each table (all served completely blind), made their assessments and finally scored each one.

Wines per table and in their respective tasting orders are listed below: 

Table One - Échezeaux

2010 Vosne-Romanée Les Suchots 1er Cru, Maison Roche de Bellene

2007 Vosne-Romanée Les Suchots 1er Cru, Domaine Jean Grivot

2005 Vosne-Romanée Les Beau Monts 1er Cru, Domaine Jean Grivot

1999 Vosne-Romanée Les Chaumes 1er Cru, Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux

1993 Grands-Échezeaux, Domaine René Engel (Grand Cru)

Table Two - Grands-Échezeaux

2010 Romanée Saint Vivant, Domaine Laurent (Grand Cru)

2007 Vosne-Romanée Clos du Château, Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair

2003 Vosne-Romanée Aux Malconsorts 1er Cru, Maison Nicolas Potel

1999 Vosne-Romanée Cuvée Duvault-Blochet 1er Cru, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti

1998 Vosne-Romanée Les Suchots 1er Cru, Domaine Jean Grivot

Table Three - La Tâche

2010 Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux 1er Cru, Emmanuel Rouget

2005 Vosne-Romanée Aux Brûlées 1er Cru, Domaine Jean Grivot

2002 Vosne-Romanée Les Chaumes 1er Cru, Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux

1996 Vosne-Romanée Les Chaumes 1er Cru, Domaine François Lamarche

1989 Échezeaux, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (Grand Cru)

Table Four - Romanée-Conti

2009 Vosne-Romanée Aux Malconsorts Christiane 1er Cru, Domaine de Montille

2006 Vosne-Romanée Aux Brûlées 1er Cru, Domaine Méo-Camuzet

2002 La Grande Rue, Domaine François Lamarche (Grand Cru)

2002 Vosne-Romanée Les Gaudichots 1er Cru, Maison Nicolas Potel

1999 Vosne-Romanée Aux Brûlées 1er Cru, Domaine Jean Grivot

Note: If you are interested in any of the above wines, please contact us on the details listed below.

Once the initial tasting had concluded and everyone had scored each wine, the scores were tallied up. This revealed that the below three wines were the favourites of the evening:

2009 Vosne-Romanée Aux Malconsorts Christiane 1er Cru, Domaine de Montille – (45.5 Points)

1989 Échezeaux, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti – (45.3 Points)

1993 Grands-Échezeaux, Domaine René Engel – (43.5 Points)

Interestingly (particularly since the wines were all tasted blind) the winning bottle was also the highest scoring wine from a critic in the tasting, with The Wine Adocate’s Robert Parker having rated it 96+/100.  The 2009 Vosne-Romanée Aux Malconsorts Christiane 1er Cru, Domaine de Montille was also a particular favourite of Senior Account Manager, Matt Thompson, who noted on the evening that, “Even among such a prestigious line-up, this incredible wine stood out for its purity, complexity and sheers class. The ‘Cuvée Christiane' refers to a tiny slice of Malconsorts that was once part of neighbouring heavyweight, La Tâche, and it certainly displayed the qualities of its Grand Cru heritage.”

Above: Senior Account Manager, Matt Thompson, re-tasting the Cuvée Christiane

As it happened the first and second place wines were actually supplied by AWC, meaning the mystery bottle went to the gentleman who brought the third place wine. The mystery bottle was presented by AWC Marketing Director, Levi Hensel, who revealed it to in fact be another bottle of the night’s winning wine. That this was the same wine was actually completely by chance (and was honestly not set-up by AWC), but proved to be the most fitting prize to cap the evening.

Above: Marketing Director, Levi Hensel, presenting the winning guest with his prize.

After the presentation, guests were offered the opportunity to sample wines from the other tables, ask Charles any further questions, and simply enjoy the rest of the evening over a number of delicious dishes: Balsamic Chicken, with Porcini mushrooms, and Sundried Sour Cherries on Paris Mash, Pork with Prunes and Cider on Celeriac Mash, and a Wild Mushroom Risotto with Truffle oil and Parmesan Crisps – agreeing that not only are these wines superb on their own, they are also incredibly food-friendly and versatile.

Our inaugural La Paulée de Londres event was an outstanding success and we look forward to our second event, which focuses on the fine wines of Pomerol and takes place on Tuesday, 18th November. For more information, or if you’re interested in attending this event please contact us on - e-mail: [email protected], Tel: [phone] or visit our Academy events page.

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Pol Roger Masterclass

"Pol Roger is a connoisseur’s Champagne," began James Simpson MW in his introduction to the evening, "most people start with the big brands and then graduate to Pol Roger."

Although many of the guests at this week’s masterclass were no strangers to this world-renowned producer, it was still a delight to welcome Pol Roger’s Sales and Marketing Director and noted Master of Wine, James Simpson to offer a closer look at the House’s production and history.

Upon arrival, guests enjoyed the most recent release of the Pol Roger Brut Reserve Non-Vintage. Simpson remarked that this was a particularly good version of the Non-Vintage as it had a large proportion of the excellent, 2008 vintage in the blend. It was paired with an appetizing array of freshly prepared canapés from Chef Antonia: Soya and mirin glazed salmon brochettes; Bacon, potato and goat’s cheese cakes with plum and apple relish; Confit of pork belly served with quince aioli; Red onion and fennel tartin.

The event’s wines were then presented in three flights: Blanc de Blancs, Brut Vintage, and Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill, with three key vintages in each set, allowing guests to directly compare the nuances between them and to examine the development of each style.

Flight 1: 2002 Blanc de Blancs, Pol Roger 2000 Blanc de Blancs, Pol Roger 1996 Blanc de Blancs, Pol Roger

Flight 2: 2004 Brut Vintage, Pol Roger 2002 Brut Vintage, Pol Roger 2000 Brut Vintage, Pol Roger

Flight 3: 2000 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill, Pol Roger 1998 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill, Pol Roger 1990 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill, Pol Roger

As he presented each wine, Simpson expertly wove in all of the technical details on what occurs in the vineyard, the winery, and the cellar at this traditional, family-owned estate.. "Before you get your bottle of Pol Roger, in order to ensure that the quality is at the very highest level, it will have been handled at least 45 times." He went on to explain that, while not all of the grapes are picked by hand, all of the steps involved after that, from remuage to disgorgement, are still done by hand.

While Pol Roger does not hire celebrity brand ambassadors like many of their competitors, it does proudly promote its most famous client through their prestige cuvée.

Sir Winston Churchill had a lifelong 'attachment' to Pol Roger and he insisted on enjoying the wine at every occasion, even during the most dangerous and dark periods of wartime. He famously borrowed a slogan of Napoleon's to describe his passion for this supremely invigorating Champagne: "In defeat I need it, in victory I deserve it."

In fact, historical records estimate that more than 500 cases of Pol Roger passed through Churchill’s cellars in the last ten years of his life. Pol Roger introduced the Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill to the market in 1984 (with the release of the 1975 vintage), crafting the wine exclusively from Grand Cru plots that were already under vine during Churchill’s lifetime. This exemplary and majestic cuvée is only made in the very best vintages.

By show of hands, it was determined that the favourite wines from each flight were the 1996 Blanc de Blancs, the 2000 Brut Vintage, and 1990 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill.

After the presentation, guests tasted all of the Champagnes again with a number of delicious dishes: Warm Puy Lentil Salad with celeriac, hazelnuts, and mint, and Pork with prunes and cider mash served on celeriac mash – agreeing that not only are these wines superb on their own, they are also incredibly food friendly and versatile.

On 11th of December, we will be holding a 5 Decades of Château d'Yquem & 5-Course, Michelin Star Dinner at Nobu and on 16th December, Thomas Duroux, Director of Château Palmer, will be presenting an exceptional range of the estate's Grand Vin and Second Label: Palmer and Alter Ego de Palmer. Book your tickets now to join us for one of these upcoming evenings.

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2005 Bordeaux Horizontal

2005 marked a monumental year in Bordeaux. Not only was it the third of the five, supremely great Bordeaux vintages of the 2000s, it was also the vintage that really ignited the global demand – pushed by a growing consumer base in Asia - for the region’s finest wines. In order to allow our clients to gain greater insight into the wines from this year, we recently welcomed Stephen Brook, one of the world’s leading experts on the region, as well as noted wine author and wine competition judge, to lead us through eight examples from this stellar vintage.

Prior to the vintage horizontal, Stephen and our guests enjoyed a Champagne reception with a selection of hot and cold canapés, including beef carpaccio crostini with rocket, parmesan, crème fraiche and truffle oil, pumpkin tortellini with sage butter, and salmon, quail egg and hollandaise baskets, as well as mini salmon fishcakes with tartar sauce. Our in-house chef certainly outdid herself on this occasion!

To start things off, Stephen reviewed some of his own notes on the 2005 vintage for both the Left and Right Banks, as well as for Sauternes, explaining that for each of these areas, "2005 stood out, from the very beginning and from the very earliest sampling sessions, as one of the best Bordeaux years in recent memory."

Right Bank Wine 1: 2005 Château Gazin Wine 2: 2005 Vieux Château Certan Wine 3: 2005 Château Trottevieille Left Bank Wine 4: 2005 Château Beychevelle Wine 5: 2005 Château Léoville Poyferré Wine 6: 2005 Château Palmer Sauternes Wine 7: 2005 Château Climens Wine 8: 2005 Château d’Yquem

The line-up started beautifully, with Château Gazin receiving a warm reception. Stephen commented that the estate’s plots are almost completely dominated by Merlot vines and that the land is of such high quality and is so ideal for the variety that in the 1970s, 4.5 ha of Gazin’s property was actually sold off to famous, neighbouring estate, Château Pétrus. Many people indicated their surprise at just how developed the Gazin already seemed for a 2005, however, Stephen felt that the wine still had significant potential to age well and that there remained a fine future ahead of it.

Despite being located less than 500 metres away from Gazin, Vieux Château Certan, the night’s second wine, had a completely different aroma and flavour profile, with greater wood influence - 100% new oak is used – as well as an unusual, herbaceous character with hints of dark chocolate and smoke. Despite VCC’s justifiable fame, overall, it was actually the third and final Right Bank wine, the 2005 Château Trottevieille, which was the favourite of the regional selections, with Stephen exclaiming that he felt it had, "really impressive length and that the acidity and structure would to allow it to go the distance."

Moving across the river and on to the Left Bank, it was the 2005 Château Beychevelle that led off the flight. Stephen explained how the ship with the dragon head on its prow - that emblem that appears on the wine’s label - helped sales of Beychevelle soar in certain markets, particularly in China, with the upswing in demand increasing dramatically around the time of the 2005 release. Interestingly, the 2005 vintage was also the first year that Beychevelle did not utilise the process of chaptalisation – this is a winemaking technique by which additional sugar is added to the just-crushed grapes in order to increase the potential alcohol that will result from their fermentation.

While the Château Léoville-Poyferré was certainly well constructed and tasty, for Stephen, as well as for the majority of the guests, it was the sixth wine, Château Palmer, which stole the show. The estate is named after General Charles Palmer, who acquired the property in 1814. Situated just a stone’s through from First Growth Château Margaux, the vineyards of Palmer are farmed completely organically, which is still a rare occurrence in Bordeaux.

After guests had a chance to go back and re-sample all of the red wines and discuss their notes with Stephen, everyone moved on to the final two wines of the night – the 2005 Château Climens and the 2005 Château d’Yquem.

The freshness and elegance of the Climens, which had a wealth of beguiling and attractive, floral notes was absolutely invigorating – particularly because the evening’s weather was quite warm and the bottle was nicely chilled. The finish on this wine was strikingly long and Stephen said that he’d wager that it could be placed in a cellar and enjoyed in 50 years’ time, without any issue.

In comparison, Château d’Yquem displayed significantly more texture and a notable creaminess on the palate. However, the acidity was so spectacular that it didn’t come off as overly heavy or cloying in any way. The delicious flavours of marmalade and crème brûlée that will appear significantly and will dominate the palate profile as this wine continues to age were only just starting to show themselves.

With everyone in agreement that 2005 was an exceptional vintage, by popular vote, it was decided that the Red Wine of The Night was the 2005 Château Palmer and that the favourite between the two Sauternes was easily the 2005 Château d’Yquem.

In October we will be welcoming Steven Spurrier, author, judge and wine educator, to present a ‘parallel horizontal’ (the 1998 vintage versus the 2007 vintage from four different estates) of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Mr. Spurrier will also be bringing a special bottle from his own personal cellar to share with everyone at the end of the evening. This event is going to be quite popular, so ensure you book your tickets early. We hope to see you there.

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Shades of Provence

Earlier this month, on the hottest day of the entire year in London thus far, expert wine writer and educator, Richard Hemming, of JancisRobinson.com, hosted our Shades of Provence: Rosé Masterclass & Regional Food Pairings event at AWC Wine Academy. The weather was ideal for enjoying rosé and all of the wines were expertly matched with delicious, Provence-inspired dishes throughout the evening.

As the rosés were being chilled down to their optimum serving temperature, guests were welcomed with a refreshing glass of Franck Bonville Blanc de Blancs Champagne and canapés with a Mediterranean twist. This included savoury tomato and olive tapenade tartlets, lemon flavoured salmon ceviche en croute and grilled courgette rolls with rocket & goats cheese.

During the first flight of wines, Richard introduced attendees to the processes involved with making rosé and the scope of rosé production in Provence. He explained that whilst 88% of total output in Provence is rosé wine, it accounts for only 8% of the world’s total production of rosé (however, it certainly remains the most premium and the highest quality).

Ensuring that attendees knew how to properly asses a rosé wine, Richard went on to briefly explain how these wines differ from whites and reds and what one should look for in the appearance, nose and palate in order to come to an overall conclusion on the quality of a rosé. He explained that the evening’s nine wines were categorized into three different flights with the following themes: very pale rosés from the Côtes de Provence, slightly fuller-bodied rosés from Bandol, and the Super Premium rosés that are currently the finest and rarest styles in production.

Flight 1: Côtes de Provence Wine 1: 2010 Château Miraval, Côtes de Provence Rosé Wine 2: Château Minuty, Rosé et Or Wine 3: 2012 Domaines Ott, Château de Selle Rosé, Coeur de Grain Flight 2: Bandol Wine 4: 2012 Domaine la Suffrène, Rosé Tradition Wine 5: 2012 Château de Pibarnon, Rosé Wine 6: 2012 Domaine Tempier, Bandol Rosé Flight 3: Super Premium Wine 7: 2012 Château Simone, Rosé Palette Wine 8: 2010 Domaine de la Source, Bellet Wine 9: 2010 Château d’Esclans, Les Clans

Two out of three of the wines in the first flight were the classic, ‘white peach flesh’ colour one would expect to find in a quintessential Provence rosé, a trait that guests were easily able to see from the built-in light boxes that are situated at each table in the Academy.

For the food, this first flight was paired with a light, seared tuna niçoise salad with quail eggs and rosemary croutons. It not only complimented the starting wines wonderfully, it was also a delectable choice to lead off the evening’s dishes.

The second flight of wines all had noticeably fuller and more concentrated palates compared to the first flight. There was a greater evidence of specific fruit characteristics and a noticeable persistence of flavour evident in all of them but particularly in the 2012 Domaine la Suffrène. As we moved further through this second set of Bandol selections, we reached Wine 6, the 2012 Domaine Tempier, which is, without a doubt, one of the most exceptional and well respected wines from the entire Bandol region. A deliciously creamy seafood risotto with langoustine and threads of saffron was served alongside the wines, perfectly complimenting this fuller style of rosé.

Between flights and food pairings the room was full of lively debate, as some people clearly preferred the higher acid and Sancerre-like, as well as somewhat herbaceous, character of certain wines, whilst others enjoyed the more fruit-forward examples and the wines that offered hints of melon, peach and red berries.

After the final wines were poured, Richard moved swiftly on to Wine 7, the 2012 Château Simone. Out of all the wines tasted on the night, this was the only one to show some noticeable tannin due to the longer maceration time that is applied during the vinification process. Richard also pointed out that Wine 8, which uses a very rare grape variety called Braquet, could quite easily be mistaken for a white wine if tasted blind due to its flavour profile and complexity. There are only 12 hectares of Braquet in the entire world, all of them are in one Provence village and Domaine de la Source owns half of the total, thereby establishing this wine’s premium positioning.

The evening ended with the 2010 Château d’Esclans, Les Clans – the most luxurious wine of the night. Produced using classically Burgundian winemaking techniques and with the influence of new, French oak barrels, the wine had a subtle hint of coconut and was exceptionally creamy on the palate.

As we finished this last wine, we also enjoyed the night’s final dish, lamb cutlets with anchovy and rosemary breadcrumbs, salsa verde and wilted chard, Richard received a round of applause from a room of very satisfied guests and it was revealed that the wine of the night was the 2012 Domaine Tempier.

In August we have the WSET Level 1 Certified Course being held here at the Wine Academy, as well as some great events throughout September, such as The Importance of Glassware: A Tutored Comparison on 10th September and a Château Pape Clément Masterclass on 17th September.

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Château Belle-Brise Vertical

Last week, we were delighted to welcome Henri-Bruno de Coincy to present wines from his estate, Château Belle-Brise, which is one of Pomerol’s greatest secrets. This tiny, 2 hectare property has a miniscule, annual production of just 800 bottles (similar to neighbouring, Pomerol stand-out, Château Le Pin).

Due to the small output and the fact that they do not sell any of their wines via En Primeur, in most vintages Château Belle-Brise can barely satisfy the market demand from their pre-existing, long-time customers. Principally this includes some of the world’s greatest, Michelin starred restaurants in locations such as Monaco, Switzerland and Japan, as well as the Élysée Palace in Paris and Hôtel Matignon, the official residence of the French Prime Minister.

During the welcome reception, guests were treated to glasses of Franck Bonville Blanc de Blancs Champagne and canapés prepared by AWC’s in-house chef, all of which featured local, seasonal ingredients. These included such delights as warm asparagus, goat cheese and black olive tartlets with red pepper pesto, pork and fennel sausage rolls and mini shepherds pies.

Reflecting the artisanal and family focused approach that Henri takes with his estate, it was lovely to see him arrive with his two daughters and wife for the masterclass.

As the guests took their seats, he greeted everyone warmly and began his very personal and illustrious presentation of the Château’s history and production – entirely in French. Luckily, AWC’s Purchasing Manager, Robert Hankey, was there to provide an excellent and continuous English translation.

Following the introduction, guests enjoyed a vertical of the 8 most recent vintages, aside from 2003 due to it being completely sold out – even Henri said he has none left in his library cellar:

Pair 1: 2010 Château Belle-Brise and 2009 Château Belle-Brise

Pair 2: 2008 Château Belle-Brise and 2007 Château Belle-Brise

Pair 3: 2006 Château Belle-Brise and 2005 Château Belle-Brise

Pair 4: 2004 Château Belle-Brise and 2002 Château Belle-Brise

Guests remarked that the purity of each vintage was outstanding and that the varying influences of the weather and harvest shone through on the palate. The 2010 was bold, with very ripe, dark fruit flavours and firm tannins, while the 2009 displayed a more elegant palate of sweet, red fruits and softer tannins, being quite reminiscent of a very fine Burgundy from a warm vintage.

Henri spoke at length about his transition from the banking industry to the world of fine wine, as he first settled in Bas-Armagnac – where his family has made Armagnac for over 700 years at La Fontaine de Coincy - and he worked on reuniting more than 30 separate plots of land that had been sold off over the generations to re-form the original Domaine de Toujun estate, which now produces a still white wine.

He confessed his passion and commitment to all things natural and to the concept of complete terroir expression. Through his acquisition of Château Belle-Brise in 1991 he settled in Pomerol and adopted the same methods that he had already been practicing in Armagnac. Although many Left Bank estates have already done so, Henri is now the first producer in Pomerol to reintroduce the use of horses to work the vines.

While the guests enjoyed discussing the intricacies between the various, recent vintages, a show of hands proved 2005 was the clear wine of the night.

One of the guests commented that, “I thought the wines were very good and [I now] understand the Burgundy comparison…the 2009 and 2005 were my favourites (along with the 2008)…the 2005, in my opinion, was the shining star, [with] really good structure, complexity, excellent length and balance...it was a surprising tasting for me because I haven’t been too excited about Bordeaux recently but it proved to me that I shouldn’t forget them…also that good Pomerol is really classy and can have excellent texture and weight.”

Following the presentation, attendees revisited the wines alongside freshly prepared polenta with mushroom ragout and slow roasted lamb shoulder served over sweet potato mash.

If you’re interested in purchasing selections from Château Belle-Brise, please contact us directly as AWC is now the exclusive agent, importer and distributor for the estate in the UK.

We also have some fantastic events coming up here at AWC Wine Academy, including a 2005 Bordeaux Horizontal: Fine Wine Seminar with Stephen Brook on 23rd July, and a WSET Level 2 Certified Course running between 21-23 August. We hope to welcome you to one of these evenings, or to one of our many other upcoming events in the near future.

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Super Tuscan Rarities: Special Italian Masterclass

Walter Speller, Italian Wine Correspondent for Jancis Robinson MW’s website, led an exceptional Masterclass at AWC yesterday evening, which saw guests enjoy a number of outstanding vintages from Masseto, Ornellaia, Solaia and Sassicaia.

Our in-house chef created some stupendous, Italian-inspired canapés specifically for the event. These included prosciutto wrapped prawns, shaved fennel and parmesan wrapped in bresaola, and butternut squash arancini, which were served to guests along with Champagne to start off the evening.

For the main event, each of the below wines were openly displayed, except for the final wine which was served blind.

Wine 1: 2010 Tenuta Dell’Ornellaia, Le Volte

Wine 2: 2010 Tenuta Dell’Ornellaia, Le Serre Nuove

Wine 3: 2007 Tenuta Dell’Ornellaia, Ornellaia

Wine 4: 2003 Tenuta Dell’Ornellaia, Masseto

Wine 5: 2009 Antinori, Solaia

Wine 6: 2010 Tenuta San Guido, Guidalberto

Wine 7: 2007 Tenuta San Guido, Sassicaia

Wine 8: 2000 Tenuta San Guido, Sassicaia

Wine 9: Tasted blind

Walter began by explaining to everyone the term ‘Super Tuscan’ and the fact that it refers to wines that were originally produced outside of Italian wine production law. This was because international grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, as well as French oak, tended to be used and this meant that they could not be recognised by the EU. Producers coined the term ‘Super Tuscan’ to distinguish their wines from the more traditionally-styled, relatively inexpensive and generally lower-quality wines that Tuscany was known for producing at that time. Today, the majority of Super Tuscans use the legal appellation of IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica), which allows for more flexibility than the likes of Chianti and other Tuscan DOCs.

As guests tasted through the various vintages of Ornellaia, Walter described how a fruit selection method pioneered within French cellars is applied when producing these wines as well. In particular, the grapes are individually inspected by hand and any that look at all imperfect are carefully removed.

When transitioning to the fourth wine, guests learned how Masseto’s vineyard is split into three parts and that it is the clay section of the vineyard that provides the ideal soil for producing this particular, stand-out wine. Walter rightly described it as being ‘one of the best examples of a Merlot wine anywhere,’ with which most of the assembled agreed whole-heartedly.

Discussion between the guests and Walter grew throughout the evening, particularly concerning matters of the effect that global warming has had on the production of wines in Tuscany and the differences between the various vintages of each wine in the line-up, as, for example, guests preferred the 2007 over the 2000 Tenuta San Guido, Sassicaia.

Following the eight wines, guests reached wine nine, which was tasted blind. To add a competitive element guests were informed that whichever person correctly guessed the vintage and type of wine, they would win a complimentary bottle of 2000 Sassicaia – an impressive prize indeed! Gradually the vintages were whittled down until one lucky attendee correctly guessed the wine as a 1987 Sassicaia, which meant that they went home with a superb bottle to add to their collection.

Bowls of spring vegetable risotto and duck, black olive and tomato ragu were served to guests as they revisited their favourite wines of the evening and discussed the wines on offer. By popular vote it was revealed that the wine of the night was the 2007 Tenuta San Guido, Sassicaia, followed closely by the 2003 Tenuta Dell’Ornellaia Masseto.

Later this month we have a fantastic 2005 Bordeaux Horizontal: Fine Wine Seminar presented by wine expert and author Stephen Brook, followed by a Private Collection Showcase: 1997 Piedmont & Tuscan Treasures on 4th September. We hope to see you at of our Wine Academy events in the near future.

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Château Haut-Bailly Vertical

We were delighted to welcome Véronique Sanders, Managing Director of Château Haut-Bailly, to AWC earlier this week for an insightful and engaging vertical of the estate’s wines.

During the Champagne reception, which featured our superior house selection, Champagne Franck Bonville, guests enjoyed canapés of smoked salmon and sweet potato rosti, confit of pork belly with quince aioli, and chervil pancakes with aubergine caviar and pomegranate. Certainly this was a very delicious way to start off the evening!

Véronique started out by giving everyone a thorough overview of Pessac-Léognan and Château Haut-Bailly’s place in the Graves region. Explaining the long history of the property, she revealed that in the beginning of the 20th century, Château Haut Bailly was actually considered amongst the Top 8 of the greatest Bordeaux estates, alongside the likes of Château d’Yquem, Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château Latour, Château Ausone, Château Margaux, Château Mouton Rothschild, and Château Haut-Brion. Amazingly, she even had an original advertorial print to prove the point!

The Sanders family had owned Château Haut-Bailly for 4 consecutive generations until 1998 when it was sold to an American banker. While Véronique admitted that it was a difficult decision to sell the estate, she was pleased to have been appointed Managing Director by the new owner and she reported that she still works just as passionately as she would if the estate was still her own. She was also pleased to note that they are very much on track to achieve the objectives that they had originally set out for themselves during the sale proceedings.

Responsible for every major decision at Château Haut-Bailly and travelling over 50% of the time, Sanders maintains this is a, “fantastic profession– one day you can be in the vineyard, the next in the cellars, and the following in another country altogether promoting the wines you produce.”

Véronique strives to maintain the identity of Château Haut-Bailly year after year. If they’re not happy with how a vintage shows, they simply won’t bottle it. That, she comments, “is a very expensive decision to make, believe me!” However, if they’re not convinced that the wine will achieve anything less than the excellence and elegance they expect, then they also wouldn’t want their consumers to experience it and they are willing to take the loss of not releasing the wine.

Following the introductory overview, guests went on to experience the following, carefully paired vintages:

Pair 1: 2010 Château Haut-Bailly and 2009 Château Haut-Bailly

Pair 2: 2008 Château Haut-Bailly and 2006 Château Haut-Bailly

Pair 3: 2005 Château Haut-Bailly and 2004 Château Haut-Bailly

Pair 4: 2000 Château Haut-Bailly and 1998 Château Haut-Bailly

Beginning with the first pair, 2009 was described as being exceptionally charming with its long, silky finish. Véronique admitted that when 2010 vintage came along right after the success of the 2009 they were amazed that a wine of such high but equal quality could be produced. How could it be that the alcohol, sugars, tannins and acidity could be so high? “No one will ever believe us, we all thought!” With this, she also acknowledged the importance of wine critics and the key role that they play, “it’s great to produce a fantastic wine, but people need to be told about it.”

For Véronique, 2008 was a good, representative example of Château Haut-Bailly’s house style, with 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot in the blend. As guests moved through the pairs, questions began to flow regarding her views on this particularity of this style and how it differs from the neighbouring estates, along with more technical queries on such areas as average annual production levels and the processes involved in harvest.

Reflecting, Véronique recalled a time she enjoyed a magnum of 1964 Château Haut-Bailly. She said she instantly recognised the taste, texture and aroma of the wine and that in tasting it she felt transported back to the times she spent with her grandfather as a young girl. Recalling this, she spoke of how wine can have quite strong emotional ties to certain points in someone’s life and that the taste and smell of a particular wine can easily transport you back to a specific memory.

The vote for Wine of The Night was overwhelming in favour of the 2000 vintage. Guests commented that although all of the vintages presented were remarkably consistent and pure, the 2000 was an outstanding and complex wine that showed beautiful development and yet promised a long life ahead of it still.

Guests were then given the opportunity to retaste each vintage and dine on a light, seasonal supper, while Véronique answered additional questions and wrapped up a thoroughly enjoyable and informative vertical.

The following day, The Drinks Business also had quite a nice article on the event. You can read it here.

We look forward to welcoming you to one of our upcoming events at AWC Wine Academy in the near future, such as our 2005 Bordeaux Horizontal: Fine Wine Seminar on 23rd July, or our Private Collection Showcase: 1997 Piedmont & Tuscan Treasures on 4th September.

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Château La Conseillante Vertical

Last week, Jean-Michel Laporte, Director of Château La Conseillante, flew over to London from his property in Pomerol to present a fantastic vertical of the estate’s wines.

As guests settled into their seats following a wonderful Champagne and canapé reception that featured seared scallops with cauliflower purée and pomegranate and orange salsa, rare roast beef with caponata served on bruschetta, and pumpkin, thyme and gorgonzola tartin, Jean-Michel kindly commented to the audience that AWC Wine Academy was one of the best tasting rooms he had ever seen, anywhere in the world.

Taking guests on a virtual tour of the region of Pomerol, Jean-Michel began by speaking passionately about the region and by telling guests that if there was to be one thing that they should take away from the evening, he preferred it be this – that because it straddles the appellation border, Château La Conseillante is, in reality, actually a blend of both Saint-Émilion and Pomerol, something which is quite unusual amongst the châteaux of the region.

As a long standing family operation, it is now the fifth generation that is in charge of the property. The family’s overall goal is still to preserve the style of the wines and the estate’s history and to continue crafting the wines with the same ‘soul’ of La Conseillante, as has been done on the property for several centuries now.

Following the introduction, guests enjoyed the following, eight vintage vertical:

Pair 1: 2010 Château La Conseillante and 2009 Château La Conseillante

Pair 2: 2008 Château La Conseillante and 2005 Château La Conseillante

Pair 3: 2001 Château La Conseillante and 2000 Château La Conseillante

Pair 4: 1998 Château La Conseillante and 1996 Château La Conseillante

The 2010 was described by several guests as having a more spectacular finish than the 2009, although both were vibrant and complex. Jean-Michel said he finds that he, personally, now enjoys the 2010 more than the 2009 despite them both being wines that are approachable quite early in their lives.

As for pair two, the tannins present in the 2008 were not as prominent as those in 2005. Interestingly though, both wines have been rated similarly by critics, with the 2008 scoring 95 points from Robert Parker at The Wine Advocate and the 2005 scoring a 96. Despite having this in common, the difference between the two wines was certainly noticeable, as the 2005 was significantly more balanced and offered an increased roundness in the mouth, more explosive aromas, pronounced but smooth tannins, better acidity and a greater sense of finesse.

The third pair, 2001 and 2000, presented the room with the biggest challenge. Attendees found it hard to choose their favourite of the two, with both wines receiving an outstanding reception. Jean-Michel explained that when he first arrived at La Conseillante, he asked to taste a vertical of the wines in order to fully immerse himself in the history of the estate. At that time it was the 2000 which stole the show for him. However, in the intervening years, his personal preference has now changed to the 2001, which he believes is the wine that best reflects the ‘true identity of La Conseillante.’

The 1996 vintage in the final pairing, Jean-Michel confessed, is more widely known as a superlative vintage on the Left Bank. However, he noted that 1996 was also very successful at La Conseillante specifically and it was very nice to compare it against the 1998 as the ageing of the two wines seems to have taken a similar trajectory. Both wines showed nuanced and layered fragrances and flavours of finely aged claret, however, it was the 1996 which seemed to edge out the 1998 as it had a slightly more expressive and floral nose.

After an interesting, insightful and highly enjoyable evening, attendees indulged in bowls of lamb, rosemary and black olive stew which was served over roasted garlic mash, as well as warm, puy lentil salad with celeriac, hazelnuts and mint, while they continued enjoying their favourite vintages. Ultimately, it was quite hard to decide on the Wine of The Night, as the room was very much split between the 1998, 2000 and 2001.

We have some fantastic events coming up here at AWC Wine Academy, including a Château Haut-Bailly Vertical with Veronique Sanders, Director of Château Haut-Bailly on 8th July, and a Super Tuscan Rarities: Special Italian Masterclass with Walter Speller (Italian Wine Correspondent for Jancis Robinson, MW) on 10th July. We hope to welcome you to one of these, or one of our many other upcoming events very soon.

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Red & White Burgundy Masterclass: 1er and Grand Cru Selections

Award-winning wine expert and respected author, Mr. Robert Joseph, guided attendees through an exceptional selection of Premier and Grand Cru Burgundies last week here at AWC Wine Academy.

After a Champagne and canapé reception, the evening began with the following four whites:

2009 Meursault-Goutte d’Or 1er Cru, Domaine des Comtes Lafon

2005 Chablis Vaudesir Grand Cru, Domaine Billaud-Simon

2007 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, Domaine Bonneau du Martray

2007 Montrachet Grand Cru, Maison Louis Latour

Although the order was a bit unusual, Robert explained his reasoning behind starting with the Meursault rather than with the Chablis. As both wines were examples of newer styles of winemaking in their regions - with less and more oak influence respectively - than might otherwise be found, this dictated the order change. The 2009 Meursault-Goutte d’Or 1er Cru, Domaine des Comtes Lafon was a beautiful starting point. Rich and opulent, with layered flavours of lemon meringue and sweet, grapefruit pith, it thankfully lacked the intense, new wood influence that can, in certain vintages, be overpowering in this wine. All in all, it was a very classy effort from a first rate producer. Having previously lived in Burgundy for 6 years, Robert reminisced about his first impressions of the town of Chablis and explained how the use of new oak in the region has transformed over the years from a simple method of storage to a purposeful, stylistic production choice. An example of even-handed oak use would be the 2005 Chablis Vaudesir Grand Cru, Domaine Billaud-Simon which we enjoyed next. It remains one of our favourite ever white wines here at AWC because it is a serious, mineral-driven, ‘Chablis lover’s Chablis’ and also a simply brilliant, everyday drinking Chardonnay.

Given that there were a few of London’s star sommeliers in attendance, Robert put them to the test by asking which foods they would serve with the Meursault in order to enhance its character. The confident consensus amongst the service professionals was that either a roast chicken or sautéed lobster dish, or perhaps an assortment of creamy, cow’s milk cheeses, would enrich the qualities of the wine beautifully.

After the first two wines, Robert kindly asked everyone to alter the finishing order and take a sip of the 2007 Montrachet Grand Cru from Maison Louis Latour before the 2007 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru from Domaine Bonneau du Martray. By way of explanation, he noted that when he tested all of the wines before the start of the evening, the Corton-Charlemagne was actually his favourite of the whites. Despite the inarguable pedigree and the impressive nature of the Montrachet, Robert felt that by enjoying the wines in reverse order it would allow everyone to appreciate the full magnitude of the Corton-Charlemagne. This was prescient, as the group ultimately voted the Corton-Charlemagne as their top white of the night.

We then moved on to the following red selections:

2008 Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses 1er Cru, Domaine Robert Groffier

2007 Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru, Domaine Claude Dugat

2005 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru, Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot

‘Mystery’ Domaine de la Romanée-Conti

Robert divulged that he believes people don’t pay enough attention to the texture of wines as they should, whilst perhaps simultaneously paying too much attention to the aromas. Surprisingly, he also maintained that people don’t necessarily smell wines as much as they believe they do.   Despite the differences between the various vintages, crus, and producers of the reds it was still incredible to experience such an obvious variance between the wines, particularly considering they all came from the same variety and were all produced within the same decade, “that’s the power of terroir for you,” explained Robert. The highlight and grand finale of the night was the mystery Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, selection which was served blind. Teasing guests with a game of ‘Wine Options’, Robert whittled down the various facts about the wine until there was one clear winner in the room, who successfully guessed the correct wine in its entirety - a 1999 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru, Cuvée Duvault-Blochet. It is fair to say that this was definitely the red wine of the night and that it was thoroughly enjoyed by all, as there were nothing but completely empty glasses left at each table afterwards!

At the end of the evening, guests dined on two delicious dishes - roast pork shoulder with prunes served over celeriac mash and a fresh, summer vegetable risotto. We look forward to welcoming you to the additional, upcoming events we currently have scheduled. Book your tickets now.

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The French Classics vs. South Africa’s Finest

AWC Wine Academy transformed itself into a wine safari last night for our “French Classics vs. South Africa’s Finest” event. In partnership with Premium Independent Wineries of South Africa (PIWOSA), guests were guided through variety stations of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Bordeaux Blends, Rhône Blends and Chenin Blanc, with winemakers at each station pouring five different wines from the same grape variety.

The walk-around style event began after a Champagne reception and an introduction to the evening from AWC Managing Director Stephen Williams and an overview of South African wines by the Managing Director of Newton-Johnson Wines, Mr. Bevan Newton-Johnson. All wines were tasted blind and guests attempted to identify the French contenders that were hidden amongst the premium, South African wines.

Attendees were split into groups and each group was allocated 10 minutes at each station to try and mark which ones, if any, they felt were the French classics. This sparked some intense discussion and a created a bit of healthy competition, as the Grand Prize for identifying all the French wines correctly was a week-long trip to South Africa, including flights and accommodation, and a tour of 15 different estates.

Debate and deliberation was passionate at each station, with attendees discussing the appearance, aromas and flavours of each wine, trying to detect its country of origin.

As the evening drew to a close, all of the score cards were collected and reviewed. Unfortunately, no one was able to correctly identify all 5 of the French wines in order to qualify for the South African trip. However, an impressive score of 3/5 resulted in one clever guest winning a dinner for two at Quo Vadis in Soho, London.

As each wine was revealed, guests were given the opportunity to re-sample the selection and chat with the individual winemakers in depth, while simultaneously enjoying an array of delicious, South African canapés and traditional foods, such as Bobotie, Boerwors and Blatjang.

We look forward to you attending one of the outstanding, upcoming events we currently have scheduled at AWC Wine Academy and to welcoming you at our Marylebone venue in the near future.

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Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Masterclass: A Journey Through Pauillac

Last night, Château Director Nicolas Glumineau, guided Academy guests through the following, comparative vertical of eight wines:

PAIR 1: 2006 Réserve de la Comtesse vs. 2006 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

PAIR 2: 2005 Réserve de la Comtesse vs. 2005 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

PAIR 3: 1996 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande vs. 1995 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

PAIR 4: 1986 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande vs. 1985 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Following a selection of exquisite canapés and Champagne, each of the above pairs was examined in detail as Nicolas provided expert guidance and insight. He began with a history lesson on this prized 2nd Growth château, covering the origins of the two, different Pichon estates while noting that Lalande has always been considered to be quite a ‘feminine’ style of Pauillac. Speaking passionately about the wines, Nicolas commented that “the identity and elegance of Pichon Lalande is due to the percentage of Merlot in the blend,” and that the many, clay heavy vineyard plots are especially suited for the growing of Merlot, much more so than Cabernet Sauvignon.  Additionally, Nicolas stressed how the “Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot are the ‘salt and pepper’ of the blends,” adding spice and nuance. The Founder: Virginie Comtesse de Lalande Attendees enjoyed a lively discussion on the relative readiness of drinking, the fruit quality and the overall ageing development of these particular wines. Nicolas also revealed his personal preferences on when to drink Bordeaux, “My father-in-law is 85 years old and from the Left Bank. He says, ‘I love my wines when they are 30-40 years old.’ Ok, fine, but I want to drink my wines before my sons and grandsons…For me, I just want to see balance.” Nicolas then went on to explain that the comparatively higher than usual percentage of Merlot (for a Pauillac) made Pichon Lalande accessible at a much younger age. After considerable examination and debate, the wines were put to the vote and, by majority, the 1996 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande came out on top as The Wine of The Night. With its combined elegance, power, and rich, dense body, yet with soft tannins, the wine easily took centre stage. The evening concluded with a delicious array of bowl food prepared by our in-house chef and guests continued to sample the wines late into the night, while getting the chance to enjoy one-on-one discussions with Nicolas.

We hope you are able to attend some of the exceptional, upcoming events we currently have scheduled at AWC Wine Academy and we look forward to your joining us here at our Marylebone venue in the near future.

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Book tickets now for our Burgundy Masterclass »

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We're excited to announce our updated calendar of summer events at AWC Wine Academy.

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Tuscan Master Class

Our first Master Class, focusing exclusively on Tuscan wines, was held at AWC Wine Academy recently and it was a tasting I had been looking forward to for quite some time. Clearly I was not the only one, as all of the tickets were sold out well in advance of the event. The heavy demand resulted in an extensive waitlist, so we have now scheduled an additional session for anyone unable to make the first one. Given the popularity, I recommend your register for it promptly.   Understandably, with the range of impressive Tuscan wines we planned to show, there was a palpable excitement leading up to this event. Italian wines in general and Tuscan wines specifically are hot topics these days, with demand for top wines from these regions continually on the rise. Additionally, we were delighted to welcome our expert speaker for the evening, Master of Wine Michael Palij. Michael is, without question, one of the world’s leading specialists on Italian wines. In addition to writing for Decanter Magazine, he also writes all of the course material related to Italy for the Wine & Spirit Education Trust. Along with his academic credentials, Michael is an engaging and charismatic presenter. He is able to add colourful insight to his lectures due to his very personal knowledge of and experience with the wines, estates and people of Tuscany. Michael was certainly able to call upon his expertise for this Master Class, conducting an extremely interactive session, which was a joy to attend.

Forty years ago, ‘great’ was not a word that was generally associated with Tuscan wines. At the time, the category of very fine wine barely even existed in the region. So what has changed? According to Michael, many of the advances can be traced back to the dramatic establishment of the Super Tuscan movement. Led by the likes of Piero Antinori and Nicolo Incisa della Rocchetta, these Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines were controversial, glamorous and most importantly, different. Crucially, they were also of an extraordinarily high quality. These wines helped establish Tuscany’s fine wine credentials at a time when they were sadly lacking. Interestingly and perhaps more significantly, the Super Tuscan movement also spurred a revivalist ‘Risorgimento’ with Tuscany’s native Sangiovese, which Michael described as, “an underrated but truly world-class grape variety.” “The key to the success of Sangiovese comes down to where and how high it is planted. While the French have terroir and attitude,” Michael told us, “Tuscany’s secret is that they have terroir and altitude. In Tuscany, how high up you plant is often the critical factor.” “You also have to remember that Italian wines are primarily meant to be enjoyed with food. Sangiovese is no exception,” he added. “As a variety, it has a lot of tannin and quite a kick of natural acidity. These wines have a real heft to them. They will certainly age and improve, but ultimately they are meant for the dining table.”

Above: Master of Wine Michael Palij lectures on the finer points of fine Tuscan wines.

We began our tour of Tuscany’s greatest wines in the southerly coastal region of Morellino di Scansano. Morellino became a DOC in 1979 and a DOCG as recently as 2009, largely because of the pioneering work done by Elisabetta Gepetti at Fattoria Le Pupille. The wine we started with was her single vineyard, Poggio Valente from the 2005 vintage. This is a Riserva which is only made in great vintages. According to Michael it is also, “without doubt, the top wine of Morellino.” The Poggio Valente is a blend of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Alicante, a variety which adds more depth of colour. At seven years of age, this was showing lovely black fruits and a touch of earthy tomato leaf. There’s plenty of grip, weight and acidity, with excellent integration and balance. “This is what Morellino should be all about,” Michael pointed out. “This is not a vin de garde though, it is really a wine for early or medium term drinking. This is probably at its best now and will be for the next five years.”

Above: Account Manager Annabel Dent takes careful tasting notes.

The next wine was one of Michael’s professed favourites, Fontodi’s 2006 Vigna del Sorbo, a Chianti Classico Riserva from Panzano. At 500m in elevation, Panzano is right in the heart of Chianti Classico, often making it too cold to completely ripen Sangiovese. However, in exceptional years such as 2006, it matures to perfection. Giovanni Manetti’s magnificent wine proved a prime example. A blend of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, there were more red fruit expressions in this wine than in the previous, including raspberries and redcurrants, on both the nose and palate. It had a lovely elegance and lift to it as well, with more refined, silky tannins and an abundance of refreshing acidity. Michael informed us that he had actually tasted the 1990 Vigna del Sorbo the day before and thought that this wine would age just as well, if not better. “This is brilliant today, but you should really wait another 20 years before you open this wine.”

If we wanted certain proof of Tuscany’s ability to age, we got it with our next wine, the 1995 Vigneta Bellavista from Castello di Ama. Owner Marco Pallanti was one of the pioneers of the single vineyard, ‘cru’ concept in Tuscany back in 1978. This 22 hectare vineyard now produces one of his finest wines. Selection is extremely strict and Pallanti only makes Bellavista in the best vintages.

Above: Account Manager Lucy McMillan quizzes a taster on his thoughts.

Beautifully constructed, this wine had great finesse, complexity and elegance. The primary fruit was still there but is now giving way to tertiary, bottle age flavours of sous bois and minerals. Also interesting to note was the alcohol level. As Michael pointed out, this bottle was 12.5%. “Now, ten years later on and with global warming, the current release is listed at more like 14.5%.”

The fourth wine was the 2005 Brunello di Montalcino from La Fiorita, owned and run by one of Italy’s best known ‘flying winemakers’, Roberto Cipresso. Heading over to Montalcino and moving forward a decade, we were now seeing a completely different style and expression of pure Sangiovese. This was a big wine at 14.5%, but it holds it together very nicely. Quite modern in style, with a bold, rich and forward expression, this wine had spice, intense black cherry flavours, firm tannins and superb acidity. Ultimately, this was a beautifully balanced and utterly beguiling example of Brunello di Montalcino. I have to confess that I did struggle slightly with the tannic structure of the next wine, Soldera’s 1999 Case Basse. This was also a Brunello di Montalcino, but it is produced in the southwest of the region. Michael has visited this estate many times and regaled us with stories about the beauty of the gardens and vineyards. The property owner, Gianfranco Soldera, is something of a legend in Tuscany. His interests are not geared towards chasing ratings or critical acclaim. “He just makes wines that he personally likes to drink,” Michael told us. Though this wasn’t my personal favourite of the night, many, including Michael, absolutely raved about it, describing it as, “one of the greatest Brunellos ever made.”

Fortunately, nearly everyone in attendance agreed on the next wine, Piero Antinori’s 2004 Tignanello. This is, of course, the original Super Tuscan and the wine which caused all the fuss and brouhaha back in the 1970s. It was the first Sangiovese to be aged in small oak barrels and also the first wine in modern times to use Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. Today, the blend is roughly 80% Sangiovese and 20% Cabernet. This was a huge pleasure to drink. It is wonderfully lush, plump, and fleshy and it is absolutely brimming with creamy, plum fruit flavours and baking spices. As Michael noted, “it is a very generous, ‘come hither’ sort of wine, largely because it gets a complete, new oak treatment. Significantly, Antinori only utilizes 50% new oak with [neighbouring property] Solaia, but Tignanello gets a full 100%.” Following the Tignanello, we tasted the current latest release of Ornellaia, another Super Tuscan legend, which was founded by Piero Antinori’s brother, Lodovico. Michael explained that this estate was really born out of an internal family feud between Piero and Lodovico. However, this initial conflict was only the beginning of the drama that has befallen Ornellaia in recent years.

In 1999, the Mondavis of California became serious shareholders in the estate. When the Mondavi Company was subsequently taken over by Constellation Brands, the corporation felt that Ornellaia did not fit within their portfolio of global properties. In a subsequent, bizarre twist, Constellation then sold Ornellaia to the Antinori’s arch-enemies, the Frescobaldi family. It all sounds a bit like something out of an Italian opera performance. In spite of all the management changes though, the estate and the quality of its wines have remained very much intact. This particular Tignanello was the 2008, which is admittedly a bit too young to drink still, yet was fascinating to taste due to its ripe, modernist style. The mix is a classic Bordeaux blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon with the rest comprised of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and a bit of Petit Verdot.

As is our tradition here at AWC Wine Academy, we always like to liven up our tastings at the finish to make them as interesting as possible. Therefore, the last three wines were all tasted blind. The first was definitely my wine of the night – an absolutely fabulous 1997 Solaia which was a complete tour de force. The wine showed extraordinary class, elegance, complexity and length. Michael agreed, pointing out that you could put this alongside a really good First Growth Bordeaux and it would not look out of place.

Just to prove the point, that is exactly what we did! The next wine was an equally superb 1996 Château Mouton Rothschild. Last, but by no means least, the third wine in the trio was Nicolo Incisa della Rochetta’s 1997 Sassicaia from Tenuta San Guido in Bolgheri.

Personally, I felt that the Château Mouton Rothschild and the Solaia just edged the Sassicaia. Ultimately though, the line between these three extraordinary, Cabernet-based wines was incredibly thin. Interestingly, when Michael asked for a show of hands, almost everyone picked the Mouton as the mystery First Growth – an impressive feat. Yet, for the evening’s preferred wine, it was much more evenly spread out. Although the greatest number of people (11) voted for the Mouton Rothschild, both the Solaia and the Sassicaia were just behind it in the popularity poll. Indeed, talking to people after the event, it was clear that the Mouton Rothschild did stand out. This was not because it was necessarily better than the two Tuscans. Simply that it was noticeably different. In other words, the concept of terroir is alive and well, as is the future of great Tuscan wine. Below is the complete list of wines tasted on the evening. All wines are currently available on request from The Antique Wine Company and prices quoted are in bond.

To join us for a tasting or to reserve AWC Wine Academy for yourself, please visit - http://www.awcwineacademy.com - or contact Deborah Ives via email or on [phone].

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Wines for Seasonal Celebrations

With Christmas rapidly approaching, we thought it was high time for a bit of seasonal food and wine matching at AWC Wine Academy. Who better to lead us through what to enjoy this year than the ever-engaging and multi-talented Susy Atkins? As many of you know, Susy writes for the Sunday Telegraph and is a regular presenter on the BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen. It was a real pleasure to have her back at the Wine Academy presenting to another packed audience.

For the purposes of this tasting, Susy chose eight holiday-themed wines. The wines were then served in pairs, with each wine selected specifically to go with a variety of classic Christmas dishes. ‘For each pair, I’ve selected one traditional match and one ‘adventurous’ match,’ she explained.

Great Champagne is de rigueur at this time of year, so we kicked off the tasting with a few glasses of Franck Bonville’s blindingly good 2006 Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs. This is so divine it has now become our ‘house’ champagne here at the Academy.

Paired alongside it was the more adventurous of the two wines – although both were meant to match up with the salted Marcona almonds and green olives - an equally impressive Manzanilla Sherry from Equipo Navazos. The wine is called ‘I Think’ Manzanilla ‘En Rama’ and it packs a serious punch of flavour. Completely unfiltered, it was fabulously nutty, tangy and absolutely bone dry. Take note, this delectable style of sherry is much more intense and concentrated than any of the commercially produced Manzanillas you generally come across. It is well worth seeking out.

Whilst the sherry was an excellent match with both the olives and the almonds, I felt the champagne performed better with the almonds than it did with the olives, as they somewhat overwhelmed it. As Susy explained, ‘salty foods can be a difficult to pair with wine – particularly big tannic reds, which tend to clash horribly.’ Susy also liked the sherry and olive match. ‘I think the somewhat yeasty character you often find in sherries works beautifully with the ‘brininess’ of the olives.’

This initial pair was followed by a sublime white Burgundy from Domaine JM Boillot, their 2008 Puligny-Montrachet, Les Combettes 1er Cru. For many tasters this was the star of the tasting. I certainly loved its ripe texture and pinpoint acidity, as well as its creamy pear and mineral-laden, golden fruit flavours.

Wine number two was another one of our favourites here at AWC Wine Academy - JJ Prum’s beautifully delineated, 2009 Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Riesling Kabinett from the Mosel. I never tire of this wine. It is delicately aromatic, with peach and elderflower notes and it has exquisite balance.

With its slightly off-dry sweetness, it wasn’t quite everyone’s cup of tea. However, people genuinely enjoyed it when it was matched with some deliciously smoky salmon blinis. ‘The wine’s acidity cut through the oiliness of the salmon and provides the perfect foil,’ explained Susy.

Nevertheless, the Puligny-Montrachet and salmon match was still the more popular of the two. Additionally, when it came to matching both of these wines against the creamy, diver scallop dish which immediately followed the salmon, the Burgundy won the competition hands down. This combination was food and wine heaven and it actually drew gasps of delight from everyone in the room, including Susy. ‘You can always tell when a dish works well because the end result is more than the sum of the parts,’ she commented.

Next it was on to the red wines. The first was the 2007 Châteauneuf-du-Pape ‘Bargeton’ from Rhône negociant Patrick Lesec. This was benchmark Châteauneuf from a stellar vintage – perhaps the best in the past decade. Big, ripe and round, it had spice-box, liquorice, tar and peppercorn notes. Paired alongside it was a sweet and fruity Californian Zinfandel from Seghesio, their 2008 ‘Old Vine’.

Both of these wines were served with a pair of savoury canapés; Roast turkey, followed by baked ham and cranberry sauce – truly classic Christmas fare.

Susy was quite forthright about the type of red wines she recommends for the set piece Christmas lunch. ‘When you are choosing red wines for the main event, you have to think beyond just matching with the meat,’ she advised. ‘You have to factor in all the other elements of the dish too – stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy etc. So it can be a bit of an obstacle course for reds.’

As a result, Susy suggested that light-bodied reds, particularly if they have any sort of green flavours or unripe tannins in them simply won’t cut the proverbial mustard. ‘To cope with all these different – and often contrasting - flavours on the plate, you really need big, gutsy red wines with soft, easy tannins.’

So, what did the tasters think of her Southern Rhône and Californian choices? Both the wines and the dishes went down extremely well, yet the most popular pairing (with both the turkey and the ham) was the Zinfandel, which also happened to be Susy’s preference.

Of course, a holiday food and wine matching wouldn’t be complete without some serious Christmas pudding or some mince pies with brandy butter. So naturally we had both!

The wines with which these desserts were paired proved to be something of a surprise to many of the attendees. First was a Tawny Port from Graham’s, their 30 year old blend. Tawny Port is a style which is often overlooked, with people generally being more familiar with the Vintage, Late-Bottled and Crusted styles that are particularly popular around this time of the year. This group was quickly caught up in the many charms of this wine – sweetly complex flavours of fig, caramel, nuts, raisins and mocha. As one guest enthusiastically pointed out, ‘this is like liquid Christmas pudding!’ I couldn’t have put it better myself.

The other, more unusual, wine in the pairing was a complete contrast and a delightful surprise to several palates. It has been ages since I had a really good Moscato d’Asti. Tasting it again, I was reminded of just how exceptional it can be when paired with the right dish. This 2010 Contero Moscato d’Asti di Strevi from Piedmont was sweet, frizzante and playfully light. It was the ideal foil to the heaviness of the puddings and really lifted and ‘de-cluttered’ the palate – very much like a refreshing bite of sorbet.

At the end of the tasting, Susy asked everyone to vote on their favourite wines. Clear winners were the Puligny-Montrachet and the Tawny Port.

2006 Franck Bonville Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Champagne 2006: 3 votes

NV Equipo Navazos ‘I Think’ Manzanilla ‘En Rama’ Sherry: 2 votes

2008 Puligny-Montrachet, Les Combettes 1er Cru, Domaine JM Boillot: 8 votes

2009 Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Riesling Kabinett, JJ Prum: 4 votes

2007 Chateauneuf-du-Pape ‘Bargeton’, Patrick Lesec: 1 vote

2008 Seghesio ‘Old Vine’ Zinfandel: 7 votes

Graham’s 30 year old Tawny Port: 9 votes

2010 Contero Moscato d’Asti di Strevi: 2 votes

All of these wines are available on request from The Antique Wine Company.

Once again, this was another terrific tasting at AWC Wine Academy, providing plenty of commentary, interaction and live entertainment. We’re planning on several more food and wine matching sessions in 2012 and we look forward to welcoming you in the coming months. Happy Holidays from everyone here at AWC!

To join us for a tasting or to reserve AWC Wine Academy for yourself, please visit - http://www.awcwineacademy.com - or contact Deborah Ives on [phone].

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Latour versus Petrus

It’s been another enthralling week of fine wine tastings at AWC Wine Academy. On Tuesday, we enjoyed some breathtaking Grand Cru Burgundies. On Thursday, it was the very finest of Bordeaux, where we compared the likes of Pétrus, Latour, Haut-Brion and Cheval Blanc. As the saying goes, it’s a tough job, but someone has to do it!

Our primary interest was in conducting a head-to-head tasting of the best estates from the Left and Right Banks of Bordeaux. The plan was to do this with eight wines, in four vintage pairs, followed by a final mystery wine. For this event, we were delighted to welcome several of our top clients alongside a number of American Express International Currency Card and Centurion cardholders. The knowledge of the attendees and the quality of the wines being served promised to make this our most impressive tasting yet.

In addition, we were delighted to welcome back wine writer (and co-founder of the International Wine Challenge), Charles Metcalfe as our host. Charles had already proved his mettle by hosting our magnificent 1990 Bordeaux retrospective a few weeks prior. On this occasion however, Charles wasn’t the only wine writer in attendance. I was particularly pleased that Robert Parker’s UK colleague Neal Martin was also able to join us. I’m a great admirer of Neal’s writing and his palate is top notch. I’m certainly looking forward to reading his new book on Pomerol, which he has just completed, when it is published in September 2012.

Above: Journalist Neal Martin and Account Manger Lucy McMillan discuss the upcoming wines.

One of my definitions of truly fine wine is that it doesn’t just engage and intrigue our palates; it must also engage our intellect. This process of engagement is something we strive for at all Wine Academy tastings as we find it is integral to both understanding and enjoyment. It is important that wine tasting be both fun and interactive so that people leave with smiles on their faces, having been entertained just as much as they have been informed.

Our primary technique for getting people involved is to put them into teams and to encourage them to taste the wines blind. We taste wines blind for a number of reasons. First and foremost, not knowing what the wine is in advance removes any pre-existing prejudices that could easily influence the way we regard and rate particular wines. Additionally, because tasting wines blind is more challenging, it is also much more fun!

Above: Purchasing Manager Berenger Piras pours the wines.

Moreover, putting people into competitive teams adds immeasurably to the atmosphere of the evening and is something people invariably enjoy. This promotes inclusiveness and, as a result, tasters tend to ask more questions and become more involved. As a result, they often learn more too – almost without even realising they’re absorbing the information.

Charles began with a short, insider’s guide to the key differences between the Left and Right Banks and how those differences influence both the flavour and structure of the wines. On the Left Bank, the wines are generally dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, thanks to the prevalence of gravelly soils in the region which allow the variety to thrive. On the Right Bank however, Merlot is more common and it tends to do well on the heavier, clay-based soils.

However, as Charles pointed out – there are always exceptions. In Saint-Émilion for example, there is still quite a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon planted in its cooler soils. Additionally, at the likes of Château Ausone and Château Cheval Blanc, significant quantities of Cabernet Franc make it into the final blend.

Above: Charles prepares for his lecture.

The first two wines set the standard for the evening. Wine one was a stellar 2004 Château Margaux from the Left Bank, which was both magnificent and completely true to its trademark, elegant style. As Charles pointed out, the First Growth was, “perfumed, graceful and classical; everything good Margaux should be all about.” I noted lovely cassis fruit, finely tuned acidity and supple tannins from this underrated vintage. 93 Points.

The Right Bank counterpart (wine number two in this pair) was the 2004 Château Angelus. Somewhat counter-intuitively, this was darker and deeper in colour than the Margaux, with more tannin and grip on the palate to match - which is perhaps why some tasters mistook this for the Left Bank wine of the pair. Whilst I enjoyed Hubert de Bouard’s 2004 Angelus and rated it 91 points, personally, I think it needs a bit more time in bottle.

I wasn’t the only one who preferred the Margaux over the Angelus. When we took a vote on which of these wines people preferred, Margaux was the favourite by a nearly 2 to 1 margin. In total, 19 tasters chose it versus just 10 for the Angelus. At this early stage of the competition, Team Latour (perhaps aided and abetted by Senior Client Relationship Manager, James Woodhead), had swept into an early lead by correctly identifying both the vintage and the respective origins of both wines.

The next pair presented a bit of conundrum. Wine three was revealed to be Gerard Perse’s 1998 Château Pavie, a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru. The estate is a favourite of Robert Parker and he rated this wine 95 points, while predicting that it will last for at least 50 years. High praise indeed, yet not without appropriate basis - you can see exactly where he’s coming from when you taste this wine. Again, much like the 2004 Angelus, this was deep, tannic and powerfully extracted, with fabulous flavours of black cherry fruit. 94 Points.

Of course, 1998 was correctly regarded as a great Right Bank vintage. Unfortunately, that means that many Left Bank wines from the year are regularly overlooked. The magisterial 1998 Château Latour, wine number four, ideally proved the point – these 1998 Left Bank wines are not to be missed! This Latour was commanding, powerful, beautifully delineated and exquisitely balanced, with lovely fruit, cedar, minerals and a terrific amount of length. 95 Points.

As many people pointed out, the Pavie improved considerably in the glass – it clearly has a long life ahead of it. However, the overriding consensus was in favour of the Latour. It just pipped the Pavie by 11 votes to eight with the remainder of tasters undecided.

By now, all the teams were warming to their tasks as the competition heated up and the quality of the wines was increasing in kind. The next pair was simply stunning and it began with a 1996 Château Pétrus. This was a gem of a wine, with poise, power, brooding black fruit, lovely sweetness and that tell-tale spiciness that so often characterises great Pétrus. I rated it 97 points. Paired with it was the 1996 Château Haut-Brion which was a lovely contrast. The Haut-Brion was more evolved and had more smokey and savoury notes. It was also lighter in body, with finer grained tannins and flavours of liquorice root, cigar box and creamy cassis. 95 Points.

It was a tough call between these two wines. The Pétrus was just slightly preferred and it won-out with 11 votes against 10 for the Haut-Brion. Significantly, put perhaps not surprisingly, it was also voted the wine of the night, just edging out the Haut-Brion which came in second overall. Meanwhile, in the team competition, the Lafite table was challenging Latour as they correctly nailed both the vintage and the respective region of origin.

The last pair of wines hailed from the 1995 vintage and did nothing to tarnish the extraordinary levels of quality tasted thus far. First up was Pierre Lurton’s stunning Château Cheval Blanc. Beautifully crafted, with an almost unimaginable purity of fruit, this was benchmark Cheval Blanc at its elegant best. While drinking beautifully now, this will also age and improve for many years to come. 98 Points.

Paired against it was a much more intense Château Mouton Rothschild which was both rich and powerful. It brought an interesting sensation of total completeness with it. The firm and beguiling structure had notes of cured meat, Morello cherry, dark soy and black olives set atop the tannic framework. 94 Points.

So, which wine went down as the best from this final Left versus Right pair? The answer from the very enthusiastic and increasingly competitive audience was the Cheval Blanc, by a hair – just 10 votes to 9. Meanwhile, the team competition was also down to the wire and was only decided in the final round, with Team Latour sealing an impressive victory over Team Lafite.

However, neither the evening’s wines nor the competitive elements were quite done and dusted. What remained was an individual, blind tasting round of the ‘Wine Options’ game. The wine in question was revealed to be an older vintage of Château d’Yquem…but which vintage?

By process of elimination, the triumphant taster eventually emerged, to great applause from the attendees, and was rewarded with a half bottle of the wine in question - a sumptuous, honeyed, marmalade-laden, richly-textured 1983 d’Yquem which I rated 97 points.

Above: A taster admires the evening's wines.

Once again, it was quite a night at AWC Wine Academy. Great wines, great people and great fun. What more could you possibly want?

At the end of this remarkable evening we took a vote on which were the top wines of the night. Here are the results: [Please note that all of these wines are available on request from The Antique Wine Company]

- 1st Place - 1996 Château Pétrus – Enquire for pricing - 2nd Place - 1996 Château Haut-Brion - Enquire for pricing - 3rd Place - 1995 Château Cheval Blanc - Enquire for pricing - 4th Place - 1998 Château Latour - Enquire for pricing

For each paring, here is how the voting tallied up: Pair 1 – 2004 Château Margaux: 19, 2004 Château Angelus (Enquire for pricing): 10

Pair 2 - 1998 Château Pavie (Enquire for pricing): 8, 1998 Château Latour: 11, Undecided: 8

Pair 3 - 1996 Château Haut-Brion: 10, 1996 Château Pétrus: 11, Undecided: 8

Pair 4 - 1995 Château Cheval Blanc: 10, 1995 Château Mouton Rothschild (Enquire for pricing): 9, Undecided: 10

We look forward to welcoming you into the Wine Academy in the coming months, whether for another exceptional night of Bordeaux, for your own private tasting or for one of the other exciting events we have planned.

To join us for a tasting or to reserve the Wine Academy for yourself, please visit - http://www.awcwineacademy.com - or contact Deborah Ives on [phone]. To purchase any of the wines which were covered in this particular tasting, please contact one of our staff wine experts.