Question: Just starting to study the Chablis region and wonder which are the best upcoming vintages I should buy and drink. Please help.

Answer: Yes, not that easy. 2017 wines are most worthy well-balanced examples (but not as intense as those outstanding 2014s). Both softer 2018 & concentrated 2019 are drinking forwardly but felt the effect of heat spikes from global warming showing less vigour. 2020 is the best bet with early picking and better resulting vibrancy in a more classic style. Your scribe has already purchased 2020 Butteaux 1er cru Domaine Servin & Les Clos Grand Cru from Christian Moreau. 2021 is a more difficult variable year that required careful attention in the vineyard & winery and again a smaller crop because of the frost issues. Generally less lively but some are showing fine quality. Shop carefully. Surprisingly, the 2022 presently in the pipeline may have survived the frosts, heat waves, and drought to produce higher
quantities (good news) with livelier better quality than expected. Check out the value of improving Petit Chablis & Chablis AC. Perhaps try these last 3 vintages and compare some distinctive terroirs from this wonderful unique wine region.

One of the joys and frustrations of collecting and drinking quality wine that requires some cellaring is knowing when best to open that bottle. General consensus is that these top wines eventually reach a plateau of optimum drinking and stay there to enjoy for quite a while. As an example, certainly many red Bordeaux classified growths and nebbiolo based Barolo & Barbaresco will surprise you with their amazing longevity that goes on for a lifetime and beyond. However that doesn’t take into consideration bottle variation and other contingencies that can affect the bottle you actually open. A favourite oenophile expression is “there is no consistent great old wine but only great old bottles”.

The same long life applies to many whites, especially those with some sweetness including Sauternes & Riesling among others, but even to white Burgundy – a favourite of your scribe. Just opened last night two 2010 Meursault 1er cru from Bouchard Pere of Genevrieres & Perrières. Both delightful and vibrantly impressive now (G more open developed complex nose + P with palate minerality) but not yet IMHO at their peak performance. Develop with decanting and airing. The 2010 vintage is a classic year of intensity with purity plus richness for white Burgundy that just are starting to come around. These benefit here by the wise earlier picking strategy (before this practice became the norm) of producer Bouchard Pere providing freshness and wonderful balanced acidity plus helped from any worrisome pre-mox issues by long Diam corks. Recommend waiting for these and your incomparable great 2014s (including Chablis) and enjoying the other surrounding vintages that presently are showing more forwardly. Outstanding wines but didn’t quite catch both these 2010 at apogee!

The 1988 red Burgundy vintage always seemed to be behind the seductive 1985s, generous underrated 1989s, and rich deep 1990s. Monitoring 1988 for many decades always found them to be with bright acidity plus harder tannins hiding the firm underlying fruit. Recently, we have opened several of the 1988 Faiveley Grand Cru conscientiously “mis en bouteille a la main sans filtration”. Firstly Clos de Vougeot but found it slightly disappointing as rather light lacking in fruit drying out and was better drinking earlier on. Waited too long. Therefore, we were keen to try the Latricieres-Chambertin which proved to be completely different, so sensational as one of my cherished wines tasted in the 2022 year. Perfect point in the orbit, it had come around with charming delicate mature fruit emerging over that fresh underlying acidity and softening tannins. What a wine. Hard to find but at apogee climax!

Encouraged by this spectacular showing of L-C we decided to open together at a dinner party this last week 1988 Mazis-Chambertin & Chambertin Clos de Beze. Wrong decision because both were packed with intense powerful fruit but not yet softened sufficiently to come together for this palate. Too early for that desired apogee. Decided to compare those to another Faiveley Corton Clos des Cortons from the more celebrated deep big fruit 1990 vintage. Same result as too early and probably even more so. Crazy I know but your scribe is confident that these three 30+ year wines all will develop further complexity as patience is still required to have the acid, fruit and tannins hopefully meld together in a perfect balance – like the L-C. Yes, it can be hard to capture that elusive apogee but this is all part of the fun of wine collecting and learning to enjoy wines at various levels of maturity so keep on trying!

Question: 1. Your favourite vintages of Champagne in this century?

Your Champagne recommendations from the BC Liquor inventory:

     2. To be cellared for a long time for a very special milestone occasion

     3. For New Year’s Eve to be shared with the family, and

     4. To be gifted to the festive season gathering hosts

Answer: Four specific key questions all on Champagne by you Jenny C. Most topical and well asked. Thanks. Lots of current information out there on social media. I admire the thorough most skilled job done by Treve Ring on www.gismondionwine.com with 90 Champagnes reviewed on December 8, 2022. Check it out. Your scribe will try to give some personal guidance to a subjective most difficult question:

1. My favourite is 2008 closely followed by 2002 & 2012. All three produced good balanced bubbles that will age well.

2. Many choices (prefer Magnum size for aging) including my fav of Krug in any vintage and the multi-vintage Grande Cuvee. Also Dom Perignon 2008 or Bollinger La Grande Annee 2012 if you still can find some bottles. New Louis Roederer Collection 242 for $83 is a good value. Special mention to a new exciting listing 398622 just arriving this month Philippe Gonet 2008 (also 2007 arriving) Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs en Magnum $194.99 from Le Mesnil Sur Oger (or old vines mainly planted in 1929 in their 2009 Belemnita $279.99). Another Salon?

3. Fresh lively Champagne that currently shows well even in flutes (rather than my preferred tulip shaped) like Piper-Heidsieck Cuvee Brut or Pol Roger Reserve Brut.

4. Lots of wonderful choices for gifts. I would recommend NV Charles Heidsieck Brut regularly $74 on sale (until December 31) for $69 to introduce your host to a beautifully complex drinking treat that adds 50% Reserve wines to the current vintage the results of which is enjoying an expensive full white Burgundy with bubbles.

Don’t forget that private stores have other interesting selections not carried by the BCLDB. Check out Marquis Wine Cellars for an outstanding emphasis on Grower Champagnes including newly arrived Paul Bara 2014 (variable vintage) Grand Millesime $99.91.

Château Margaux is a top wine estate with a long history ranked as a First Growth in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification but shining brightly since the acquisition by the Mentzelopoulos family in 1977. Prior to that there were some disappointing wines with underperforming vintages under the Ginestat ownership but also some treasures like 1961 & 1953. The wines improved immediately with 1978 & 1979 both pretty stellar followed by great wines from the excellent decade of the eighties and subsequently. So much credit for the remarkable restoration goes to Corinne Mentzelopoulos (started by her father Andre who died in 1980) plus the talented managing director Paul Pontallier who arrived in 1983 (but sadly passed away in 2016) for taking a long term quality historic view rather than just as an investment.

Our Commanderie de Bordeaux also started in 1977 so your scribe organized a special mutual 20 year celebration tasting-dinner inviting Corinne at The Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver on April 26, 1997. What a memorable event! Showed 9 vintages from fragrant leaner 1966 in magnum, lovely drinking “not quite ripe” 1978 and those excellent run of vintages in the eighties all so excellent. Fortunate to have dined many times at the Chateau plus many insightful times spent being educated by Paul back on June 29, 1998 trying the nineties with 1996 “huge yet easy at the same time – delicate but also powerful the way it should be”. My last visit with Paul at the property was on July 8, 2015 enjoying over dinner magnums of their surprisingly complex 1959 & 1945 and reviewing in some detail all his vintages. He served to begin the day 2010 “precision, purity, structure 90% cab sauv”, 2009 “generous, ripeness, voluptuous”, & 2005 “extraordinary concentration, classy, intensity, firmer tannins, perfect” which he modestly declared were “the 3 best vintages of Chateau Margaux in the last 100 years”. Congrats.

Nine vintages of Chateau Margaux were assessed by the Vancouver Group of Eight event #106 on December 8, 2022 with dinner at CinCin restaurant.

Wonderful aperitif to start of 2002 Billecart-Salmon Cuvee Nicolas Francois from top vineyards 60% pinot noir & 40% chardonnay with 20% vinified in oak barrels plus only partial malo to save fresh acidity and aged 10 years on the lees + 4 grams/litre dosage. Some spice. Brilliant outstanding digestif of 2001 Chateau d’Yquem Sauternes one of the all-time greats with superb botrytis & perfect balance and breathtaking depth of complex flavours on the rich middle palate. Long. What a treat!

Some brief comments on the showing of the 9 Chateau Margaux:

2005 CHATEAU MARGAUX: Dark deep look Pure intense powerful fruit bouquet with “extraordinary concentration and firmer tannins” that Paul described so well. Hold as this will be a great treasure indeed. More outstanding delicacy and complexity to come with patience.

1996 CHATEAU MARGAUX: Depth paler edge in a classic style with 100% new oak but does combine some “delicacy with power” already. No rush.

1995 CHÂTEAU MARGAUX: Darker rim than 1996 but more approachable in a lighter style with even more delicacy and elegance showing well that Margaux signature charm. Lovely.

1990 CHATEAU MARGAUX: Lighter more mature colour than 86 & 83 showing complex tertiary development on the nose. Classy viscosity combining power with elegance yet again. Popular but your scribe found this bottle a bit too ripe, soft and forward for a perfect 100 score. Can enjoy it now.

1986 CHATEAU MARGAUX: Darkest of second flight. Big tannic fruit but this bottle shows slightly musty TCA. A different type vintage that Paul stated “will be great but will take many years because of the strong big hard tannins”. Showed best of all wines young in 1997 tasting at Corinne 20 year event and excellent potential every time subsequently. Lots of fruit extract is still there. Advise you to continue to cellar 1986. Should turn out to be something really unique.

1983 CHATEAU MARGAUX: Classic cassis, floral, & flowers. Your scribe has experienced many bottles of this vintage with TCA issues. Inconsistent bottles. Caveat emptor. Higher yields but exquisite and opened superbly in the glass. Still like it more than “soupy” 1982 when it is from a great bottle. Lovely charming one here!

1981 CHATEAU MARGAUX: Less power than above wines but beautiful Margaux aromatics. Probably wine of the vintage in Bordeaux. Admire the elegance and delicacy. Tried many bottles, always so stylish. Admire this at 40+ years.

1975 CHATEAU MARGAUX: Clearly is gone. Shows all the worst of 1975 with acid and hard tannins remaining but no fruit left. Very dry. As usual for Chateau Margaux in 1975 this is disappointing.

1970 CHATEAU MARGAUX: Provided as a mystery by your scribe but accurately guessed by others to be an older off vintage Chateau Margaux. In the early days was always badly beaten when compared to the outstanding 1970 Palmer. Here has a very dark look compared to 1975 and way more flesh. Shows some minty eucalyptus on the bouquet and dried fruits on the palate that are improved in a refreshing way by the acidity when paired with the choice ribeye. For sure not as delicious as some wonderful 1970s still showing at 50+ (Latour, Lynch Bages, Ducru) but actually IMHO several bottles recently show 1970 is somewhat underrated and can be a serviceable bottle. Drink up.

Question: Which Pauillac producers make a Bordeaux Blanc and are those grapes grown in Pauillac or elsewhere?

Answer: Yes there are some labelled Bordeaux Blanc from Pauillac producers using combinations of Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, Semillon, and Muscadelle grapes.

Two excellent ones and easiest to find are:

Aile d’Argent by Chateau Mouton Rothschild: Planted 53%SB, 11%SG, 35%S and 1%M

Blanc de Lynch-Bages by Chateau Lynch-Bages: Planted 60%SB 27%S and 13%M 

Sometimes producers in the Medoc make a small non-commercial production of white wine for their own personal use. They use combinations of the 4 main white wine grapes from vines situated both within and outside the Pauillac AC. No one in Pauillac has reached the consumer level of Pavillon Blanc du Chateau Margaux with their special 100% Sauvignon Blanc grown on a unique 11 hectare site on their property. All wines worth checking out.

The most unique interesting ones your scribe has ever tasted are the 1960 & 1959 Blanc from Chateau Lafite Rothschild. Impossible to find those treasures now.