During his time in office he has, among other things, overseen the formalisation of the ‘Menzioni Geografiche Aggiuntive’ (delimiting the individual vineyards in Barolo & Barbaresco) and facilitated the adoption of ‘Valoritalia’, a Brussels quango introduced last August aimed at controlling the certification of DOC and DOCG wines – a role currently carried out by the Consorzio and the local (Cuneo) ‘Camera di Commercio’. But, to a significant some, Valoritalia is simply an extra layer of bureaucracy (and cost) that adds no value at all in an already commercially tough climate.

As La Stampa reported yesterday, indeed using figures produced by Valoritalia, there’s been a 18% increase (to 3 million) in the number of bottles of Barolo remaining unsold in cellars since 2006, while those of Barbaresco have risen by 20.6% over the same period. However there’s no mention of the amount still lying in bulk…

The Consorzio’s answer to this growing problem has not been to reduce the number of bottles produced through a lowering of the yields (80 quintals/55 hectare litre) – an option tabled by Signor Rosso but rejected by the Consiglio d’Amministrazione – but to invest more behind the promotion of the region’s wines. In fact, when I caught up with Signor Rosso, he had just returned from Rome armed with a new 164 Law, an erga omnes obliging all Langhe and Roero producers, within and without the Consorzio, to contribute towards the increased promotion of the region’s wines. For unlike, for example, the Brunello di Montalcino Consorzio, those of the Langhe have to date placed individual interests above those of the region.

While Signor Rosso evidently places great store by this new ruling there are those that feel the problem of oversupply goes deeper; that it’s a root and branch issue, tied up with the liberalisation of planting rights as prescribed by Brussels…an issue for the next President of the Consorzio, Signor Argamante perhaps.

The Langhe and Roero Consorzio was set up in 1934 to defend the Barolo and Barbaresco wine (brands) and subsequently re-organised in 1992 and 1994 to oversee la gestione/ the management of the yields, the certification (based on chemical and organoleptic analysis) of the wines and increasingly the valorizzazzione, the enhanced communication of the region’s wine.

Now without doubt the best and cheapest tourist attraction in HK is the Star Ferry, and in particular the trip from the island (Wan Chai or Central) to Kowloon. At night this trip really comes alive, as you marvel at the neon clad, skyscraper jungle that is Hong Kong island’s skyline (above…picture not taken by me!) All for under fifty pence… cheap as chips! I think I’ve put a stone on in weight and I’ve only “cooked in” once. But eh… the variety of food in HK is incredible, whether you like your Tapas or Michelin Starred modern French. You can spend as much or as little as you want, and for me, engrossing myself in the local grub is what it is all about. My use of chopsticks is getting better by the day (it needed to!) and I’m now regularly enjoying such treats as Chickens’ Feet, ducks’ tongues and frogs’ glands! In seriousness the local Cantonese cuisine is just amazing, with so many different textures and flavours that I’m just not used to. Hence the new tyre round my belly! The Staff Yum Cha Lunches are a highlight of the week, though my colleagues Jenny Wee and Debbie Yeung still have to tell me exactly what I am eating.

Probably the most memorable night so far has to be a trip to Chung King Mansion (via the ferry of course) in Kowloon. Now this is an intimidating place to say the least, famous in these parts for it’s hedonistic mix of traders, cheap hostels and an abundance of little restaurants hidden away in this cement jungle. Not the kind of place a slip of a lad from the Home Counties goes on his own, so fortunately I had BBR HK’s own “Phil Mitchell”, Mark Arrowsmith, (a local in this part of town), on hand to guide us to the third floor, for a feed at his favourite curry house!!! Now we weren’t shy with ordering and it was all for under ten pounds each and by gee it was the best curry I have had for a while! After that we whisked our way through the market stalls and fake Rolexs on Temple Street (think an east end market on steroids!) and into the strangest Karaoke Bar I have ever been to. I cannot quit explain, but the locals were as nice as pie, incredibly friendly, and boy did they like to sing. Coupled with a gentleman in sequin blazer, tinkling the ivories behind the performer, this made the X factor auditions look tame. A great night and I am plucking up the courage to head back, get on stage and bring the house down with a bit of “Show me the way to Amarillo”.

This really is just the start of what life is like here, crazy fascinating and a place that is begging for you to scratch underneath the surface!

Now let’s get serious and talk about just how amazing our dinner (at H One in the IFC Tower) with the very humble Alfred Tesseron (Owner of Ch. Pontet-Canet) was. I say humble, as it doesn’t need me to point out just what an incredible job Alfred has done with this sleeping giant. At dinner he was keen to point out that it was the land and the respect and work in the vineyard that has allowed the vines to flourish, that is the reason behind this success and nothing to do with him and his work. I would point out that if it was not for Alfred’s hindsight back in the early 90’s to farm organically and now practice bio-dynamic techniques, this would not have come to fruition (in fact a trip to Pontet is not complete without a visit to the stable to see the horses – right – that plough the vineyard!)

At the dinner we went back to front, as they say. Starting with oldest, the 1990, and finishing with the youngest in 2007. The 1990 was lovely and mature; a classic example of Pauillac that has taken on those secondary aromas, the 1994 had more fruit and perhaps a bit more bang and character. We jumped to the 2000 that is still very young and tight and actually struggled when compared to the more classical and aromatic vintages in 2001 and 2002. For me 2001 is one of the most underrated vintages in recent years and, like 2000 in Burgundy, they are just coming into their own. 2003 was flashy, with gorgeous sweet fruit; classier and more composed than many 2003’s I have tasted (in general I am not the biggest fan of the vintage, sorry Mr Parker).

Now personally I think there was real step up in the wines from 2004. More energy, focus and precision; perhaps all the work in the vineyard was now coming to fruition. 2004 and 2006 were similar in style to perhaps the 2001 but with more fruit, texture and depth apparent. 2007 was lovely and honest, it is not a showstopper and not pretending to be a wine it wasn’t. Just fresh, vibrant and classic Pauillac that in 2-3 years this will be perfect. It’s a petty that 2007 has been tarred with such a horrible brush. Now I have left the 2005 last on purpose. There is no other way of describing this but… legendary. This is certainly up there as one of the wines of this historic vintage, the greatest Pontet I have tasted. Oh so young, but I couldn’t help but be blown away by the structure, depth and layers of fruit on offer. All the while it felt so precise and delicate with finish that lingered on and on. Incredible considering the concentration of this wine. As Alfred said, this is a wine that you can only make once in a lifetime. This was his Mona Lisa or the Sistine Chapel…. Well done indeed Monsieur Tesseron, I take my hat off to you. This is why I love wine so much!

Having said that he was also getting fairly excited about what the 2009 vintage has brought with it… we shall see!

Ps… If an American ever asks you to play touch American Football… say NO straight away. I have never seen the word “touch” misused so badly! I have no skin on my knees and on one side of my body. I have so many bruises I look like an Alsatian. Hiking this Saturday will be a struggle!

The Domaine de Chevalier was rich, almost waxy and very satisfying, without delivering the refinement of Laville. A cracking start to the evening, though we had already been practising on some admirable Bollinger 1990 Grande Année.

Four white Burgundies followed, alongside Berrys’ chef Stewart Turner’s pan-fried sea scallops with leek and pancetta ballottine, sage gnocchi and caper beurre noisette (which sounds over-complicated but, in fact, was a pure and brilliantly executed dish). All four were in fine condition and I found myself preferring them in order of service, the reverse of their initial pricing: Prieur’s Le Montrachet was beautifully rich though without quite the charm of Sauzet’s Bâtard-Montrachet (at that stage entirely a domaine wine). Lafon’s (right) Meursault Perrières was more tightly coiled, still with a generous richness of fruit but multi-layered and suggesting even more to come with further ageing. But the spine tingler of them all was Dauvissat’s Chablis Les Preuses.

The first three reds were a youthful Volnay Clos des Chênes from Michel Lafarge (below left), Hubert de Montille’s Pommard Rugiens showing approachable fruit backed by the firmer structure of Pommard, while my pick of the Côte de Beaune reds as drunk on the night was Chandon de Briailles‘ exceptionally graceful Corton Bressandes.

After the main course of roast duck, braised puy lentils with five spice jus and confit turnips, we compared a trio from the Côte de Nuits. Pernin Rossin’s Nuits St Georges La Richemone was light and agreeable but was the least interesting of all the reds. Preferences were divided between the final two wines, the almost inevitably magical Armand Rousseau Clos St Jacques, Christophe Roumier’s elegant, precise Ruchottes-Chambertin. Both were superb. Those who have slightly decried the 1990 vintage for an excess of heat and lack of refinement would have had to eat their words.

If all this sounds too good to be true, then one key fact needs to be taken into account. All the wines came from the cellar of Christian Canalès, a collector friend of ours who has a marvellous cellar, deep underground with a naturally unchanging temperature all the year round. Congratulations to Christian for having sourced these wines in the first place and especially for having stored them so immaculately.

This milestone event in Berrys’ history set out to break new ground, not just by hosting such an event but also with a Question and Answer session aimed at uniting journalists and producers in Vintners’ Hall, London, spiritual home to the UK wine trade. Next up, a journalist tasting (see the video of  Tim Atkin MW above) and one later devoted to 180 private customers. As way of finale, the following day there was a four-hour luncheon in the No.3 St. James’s Street cellars, ‘La Festicciola!’ (‘the get-together’) to celebrate older wines and company, along with Berrys’ fine wine advisors and cherished customers.

For the Q and A session, a panel of producers (including Alberto Graci, below left) joined me to debate a series of topics with journalists that included:

Whether the ‘en-primeur’ should be adopted by the Italian fine wine industry (A: never in the Bordeaux sense, although allocations of sought after wines could perhaps be made available prematurely to meet demand, as per Burgundy)

If the ‘menzioni geografica aggiuntive’ or ‘cru’ system recently rubber stamped by Rome for adoption in Piedmont, was merely style over substance, simply copying the French, or something more meaningful to be rolled out elsewhere (A: that the Piedmontese ‘menzioni geografica aggiuntive’ highlighted vineyards rather than organising them in any hierarchical, prejudicial order, Grand or Premier Cru, encouraged a better understanding of the territory and its wine. Montalcino has identified several different geological zones, so could in theory adopt the system in due course)

What role climate change had played in the increasing quality of the wines over the past two decades (A: that other factors, such as better work in the vineyards and more investment in the cantina was just as influential); what had changed the UK’s perception of Italian fine wine: the market, wine, or press? (A: that wholesale improvements in the quality of UK diet/restaurants had encouraged more adventurous wine lists, meeting a more educated appetite stemming from widespread air travel/tourism up and down the peninsula, so encouraging artisan producers.)…and with that it was off to the local Indian! (later)

The Anteprima tasting itself centred on the exciting 2006 vintage, in several cases showing unfinished samples before being bottled and shipped, alongside older vintages such as the perfumed, elegant 2005s. The quality of the 2006 vintage being unequivocally fine, among all our suppliers (‘course I’d say that!) A princely twelve Piemontese producers (above right, near the cellars – Cascina delle Rose, Cigliuti, Rivella Serafino, Roagna, Alessandria, E.Pira, Sandrone, Cantina Mascarello, Cascina Fontana, Marcarini, Giovanni Rosso, Giuseppe Mascarello) showed their Barbaresco and Barolo wines to grandstand effect; the wines offering generosity, complexity as well as verve. The Sicilian Alberto Aiello Graci slotted in next: his sun-kissed elegant reds from the volcanic Monte Etna paving the way for several Toscanese: Valgiano, Castello di Ama, Rasa di Andrea Mantengoli, Fonterenza, San Giuseppe and Cerbaiona; their 2006s broad, fleshy, profound and structured for the longer term. Duccio Pompili’s Sagrantino di Montefalco Cantina Fontecolle very much continued the distinguished theme while Marinella Camerani’s pinpoint Mithas Amarone brought up the tail ever so sweetly!

La Festicciola! luncheon (left) deep in Berrys’ St. James’s Street cellars the day after brought together  producers, salesmen and customers; a celebration of the collective, of the artisan producer and of the older vintages they’d brought along to share out. There were too many wines to list here but here’s a flavour: a magnum of Graci’s ’09 Etna Bianco (a singularly, sapid  blend of Catarrato/Carricante), Roagna’s ’05 Solea (a rapier like Chardonnay/Nebbiolo blend), Vittore Alessandria’s ’95 Monvigliero (delicately fresh and perfumed), Teobaldo and Maria Rivella’s ’01 Montestefano (profound but still so young), Davide Rosso’s ’01 Cerretta (resolute, gifted, a delight), Cascina delle Rose’s ’01 Rio Sordo (saw no oak apparently but still so complex and pretty), Chiara Boschis ’00 Cannubi (in magnum, supreme succulence and poise), Manuel Marchetti’s ’03 Brunate (confounding all those who’d written off the vintage with its detailed complexity), Marinella’s ’98 Mithas Amarone (mmmm!), Barbara Sandrone’s ’96 Cannubi Boschis (sensual, and still so young), Rivella’s ’99 Montestefano (as if the ’01 wasn’t impressive enough, Teobaldo pressed home with this jewel, still ten years off its best), Maria Teresa Mascarello’s ’89 Barolo (in magnum, heaven-sent)…

And now my mind swims with what might be achieved next February 2011. Pencil it in!

 

Giovanna’s story is a fascinating one: descended from Napolitana, Milanese (Como), and local Monferrato stock, her family had been mill owners and silk merchants in the region during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; not quite ‘minted’ but not far off. Silk here in the Langhe? Silkworms have a fondness for the leaves of the mulberry tree (‘gelso’) that once grew happily in these parts; there’s a squat old one outside the back door. Located in the Barbaresco hamlet of ‘Tre Stelle’, Cascina delle Rose was bought in 1948 as the family’s summer retreat (‘una casa d’estivo’).

At first the five hectares were farmed polyculturally; vineyards, hazelnuts, pastoral, maize, wheat, livestock – a classic fattoria setup, complete with contadini /peasants who worked the land and sold the produce on behalf of the Rizzolio family. This ancient ‘mezzadria’ system, one of the reasons why Italian vineyards, and with that wine, failed to keep pace with their French neighbours, was in place even when the cantina was inherited by Giovanna in 1992. She immediately took a broom to the old ways, once referred to as ‘mezza-ladri’ (‘half crooks’) by a perceptive young relative, and took to her tractor, setting a new course that would realise the first bottling in 2002 and new winery in 2003.

Surrounded by twenty (yes 20) cats, including the door-opening ‘Jack’ (left), as many chickens and a solitary black rabbit sitting in the kitchen, it’ll come as no surprise to learn that Giovanna Rizzolio, aided by husband Italo and his sons Davide (22) and Riccardo (17), tends her three hectares of vines as sympathetically and naturally as possible. The soils spring with life. The Barbaresco Cru/Vigna Tre Stelle on the right of the old road has a thin layer of earth over pure calcareous marne, while Cru/Vigna Rio Sordo to the left is deep-seated with more clay; stylistically, a perfect reflection of the ethereal, raspberry kirsch Tre Stelle and mulberry-rich Rio Sordo wines.

Italo and Davide share the winemaking responsibilities; 2004 was Davide’s inaugural vintage after serving a nine-year apprenticeship under Giovanna’s gaze. Oh, and he’d also attended Alba’s well thought of Scuola Enologica Umberto 1. The wines are vinified in static stainless steel, using selected yeast, before being transferred to a battery of large 10 to 30hl slavonian oak botte, where they remain, silently, for between 15 and 18 months before bottling.

I’m chuffed to bits that Berrys is working with the wines in the UK, Hong Kong and Japan.

Their label (above) says it all: a picture of harmony!

Trying a cask sample is a risky thing to do as the wine is still very much in its infancy, with the grapes only being picked from the vine a handful of months ago. From the start Jean-Guillaume stressed the importance of not seeing this as the finished article, but instead to taste the potential of this extremely young wine. It was a fascinating exercise for our customers and I am sure that what stuck out most of all was the obvious quality of fruit and potential that was found in the glass. I am looking forward to tasting many more 2009s in a few months’ time when I visit Bordeaux (though I’m not sure if my teeth and gums are going to thank me!)

After this intriguing insight it was time to kick back, relax and taste Cos through the ages. The 2002, a Bordeaux vintage that largely managed to slip under the radar, was showing superbly with lovely aromatics. Then the 2000; a wine that is still young, but like a two year-old thoroughbred race horse seems to be putting on some muscle and loosing the puppy fat, allowing us just a glimpse of the layers of fruit on offer. This wine really has great potential. The 1995 had a large amount of Merlot in it and consequently offers a more luscious, exotic and hedonistic edge. I have always loved this vintage and yet again it proved to be exceptional. The 1985 was a beautiful example of a mature delicate Cos, with that lovely juxtaposition of seduction and grace.

All in all a great evening was thoroughly enjoyed by all.  Jean-Guillaume, as ever, was a superb host, providing considerable detail on all the vintages being drunk and I would also like to make particular mention of Kent Wong (a man who loves and knows his wines) and his staff at Amuse Bouche. Kent and his team offered great service, which combined with a fantastic venue and a stunning view made for a cracker of an event. Oh, and the food is tip top as well! Not that I am Hong Kong restaurant expert (yet!) but I will certainly be going back. At the end of the dinner there was much deliberation as to the wines of the night, but what everyone agreed on was the vision and direction that Cos d’Estournel seems to be going in with Jean-Guillaume at the helm. Personally I believe that the best wines to come from this Chateau have been made over the last decade and given how tasty and impeccable older vintages are now, boy oh boy am looking forward to tasting more recent vintages in years to come.

I had such a good time that I failed to make Boot Camp in the morning, much to my colleagues’ dismay. So another tough hike beckoned on Saturday, although this time I had the treat of some Yum Cha in Mong Kok afterwards… not that I had any idea what I was ordering!

However it plays out with the full tastings at the end of March, what is clear is that we are onto something spectacular again. What we have tried so far are all superb, rich, powerful, sexy beasts with great structure, depth and almost magical promise. A few specific wines which will be worth keeping an eye on the release of are:

Both the Grand Vin and Pagodes de Cos, which were sublime. Cos itself was every bit as spectacular as the magnificent 2005 perhaps a tad fatter but with brilliant balance. Pagodes, with almost half the Grand Vin declassified into it, is off the scale. It’s without question the most impressive Pagodes I have ever tried and if you didn’t have the Gran Vin to compare it with you’d say it was a great Cos!! Jean- Guillaume thought his second wine could have rivalled many of his Grand Vin from years gone by…

Slightly further south in the heart of Margaux, the irrepressible Alexander Van Beek showed us the component parts of his two estates. The ever-improving Chateau du Tertre (right)and the very famous Chateau Giscours, proclaiming that they are the finest he has ever produced in his 13 years of managing them. I have to say, tasting both Chateaux Merlot, Cabernet and even Petit Verdot was breathtaking and I really can’t wait to taste the final blend at the end of March. We had a bash at blending and even our amateur attempts were sumptuous. A highlight from across the river in Pomerol was the spectacular Chateau Petit Village. We have been watching this potentially great estate for a few years now. It has a fabulous location overlooking Le Pin, Vieux Chateau Certan, Conseillante and, if you go on tiptoes, Petrus. Its 2008 was very special but its 2009 is on another level all together. Oh, one more to mention was the impressive, understated Chateau Bellefont in St Emilion. Nestled in the centre of Troplong Mondot, Larcis Ducasse and Tertre Roteborff, this could be a little gem in 2009.

It’s too early to speculate on pricing, but having said that, the ‘market’ dictates what prices the wines sell for and with an ever increasing demand, especially from Asia, Bordeaux 2009 won’t be cheap – but the wines look to be brilliant and we will find our customers some great value. So turn off the heating, sell the car/kids/excess organs to save up for and sign up with us for the rollercoaster ride that will be Bordeaux 2009!!

This has been a momentous week here at BB&R.

Eighty seven years after it was born in the parlour at 3 St James’s Street, the Cutty Sark brand has been sold. For as long as I can remember the familiar yellow label has been part of our identity. Somehow this always seemed to be paradoxical: very few of our UK wine customers automatically associated BB&R with an international whisky blend, but the reality is that the wine division of our business would never have survived, let alone prospered, if it hadn’t been for Uncle Cutty paying the bills for forty years or more.

Cutty Sark itself was a bit of a paradox. It was invented by London wine merchants (including my grandfather) who rarely drank whisky. They decided it should be pale in colour because the best wood aged spirits – Cognac, for example – did not have to be darkened by caramel to hide their flaws. It was drunk, initially, in Prohibition-bound America, where its pale colour convinced suspicious eyes that tea – or at any rate a weaker dram – was being consumed. For a whisky with such a British heritage (including a royal warrant), it was strangely always an export brand: America initially, especially after Prohibition was lifted, but subsequently markets as diverse as Greece, Japan, and Spain. As it grew more and more successful, it seemed to shun its BB&R roots, appealing to a younger, international audience with little in common with a traditional St James’s wine merchant.

Nevertheless, Cutty was a huge success. In the 1970s, it was the largest selling brand in the largest spirits market the world has ever known: blended whisky in the USA. As it declined in America, it spread throughout the world, at one time being sold in over 150 separate countries. Financially, it was a gold mine for us. By the mid 1980s, it was contributing 90% of our turnover, and 105% of our profit. It could be accused of imparting to the Wine Division a sense of complacency. On the other hand it allowed us to maintain traditions and standards of service that were being swept away by the modernity of the late twentieth century (and if you want to know what I mean try calling British Gas to discuss your account!). To mix avian metaphors, the cuckoo in the nest was laying very golden eggs.

So what happened?

Basically, three things changed over the course of the past 15 to 20 years. Firstly the world-wide spirits trade began to consolidate and become much more competitive. Whereas previously we had been a nimble, independent squadron able to operate effectively against larger concerns like the brand-owning breweries, now the world is dominated by the super-powers of the drinks industry. Diageo and Pernod Ricard exercise such power that a family-owned business such as ours has little chance to compete when it comes to mass-market brands. Margins began to dwindle. You had to be massively powerful to survive.

Secondly the Wine Division decided to stand on its own two feet, and has done so remarkably successfully. Building on the values that Cutty’s success allowed us to maintain, the unprofitable ‘Home Trade’ (as it was called) transformed itself from a ‘dinosaur’ into ‘the best wine merchant in the world’ in a remarkably short space of time. The wine trade, and especially the fine wine trade, is a fickle industry, at the mercy of climate and fashion. However since 1993 the Wine Division’s turnover has increased from £5 million per annum to over £100m, and for the last 10 years has been in profit every year but one. Berry Bros & Rudd, the Wine Merchants, are now a multi-faceted business in their own right.

And thirdly, we have realised that, as far as Spirits are concerned, our strengths lie in fostering premium, niche brands. We invented the Glenrothes in its present form in 1994, and watched as it became the fastest growing single malt in the world. Yet we never owned it; we merely relied on a 10 year marketing contract. As we add to our spirits portfolio (the re-branding of King’s Ginger, and the imminent launch of Number 3 Gin being the first steps) it was important to make the Glenrothes ours and ours alone.

The Edrington Group, who have been our partners in Cutty Sark since they started blending the liquid over 70 years ago, were sure that the brand would prosper if they owned it outright. They have already achieved enviable success with Famous Grouse and the Macallan, and with Maxxium Worldwide (their international distribution alliance with Beam Global Spirits) they are certainly in a better position to take on the multinational mega-corporations. They also recognised our ability to grow the Glenrothes, which they still distil. So, finally, a deal was done which benefited – like all good deals – both parties.

I am sure that it will feel strange without Cutty Sark for a while. Certainly the business will change, with the Wine Division more focussed on profitability and the Spirits Division determined to build the assets of their new brands. However I am equally sure that the company as a whole is now playing to its strengths as never before. And that in times to come this momentous week will be recognised as central to the continuing success of Berry Bros & Rudd.