The Gilbey’s portfolio tasting took place in the Guinness Storehouse last week. it’s an essential entry in the annual wine calendar. Last week’s event didn’t disappoint, with some fantastic wines up for tasting. Below, my favourites from the day.

Marqués de Murrieta

Three wines from this Spanish producer piqued my interest.

  • The Pazo Barrantes Albariño, Rias Baixas 2008: beautifully crisp with a salty finish, ideal match for sea food.
  • Cappellina Blanco Reserva Rioja 2004: a white Rioja made from Viura (Macabeo) which has spent 18 months in oak. Straw coloured with flavours of peachstone, nuts and toast. Very pure, full flavoured.
  • Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial Rioja 2001: very much an old school classic Rioja with no new world pretensions. Intense sour cherry, vanilla and leather, all in great balance.  Terrific Tempranillo & mouthwatering Mazuelo spend 31 months in 225l oak barrels getting to know each other before spending another 3 years in bottle before release. Loved it.

Domaine Drouhin Oregon

Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir 2006 from Oregon (not Burgundy) was soft and mellow with drying tannins. Plenty of cherries, redcurrants and raspberries.

Trimbach

The Alsation sensation delivers across all styles and pricepoints. I focused on the Rieslings.

  • Trimbach Alsace Riesling 2007: Very pure, great acidity and minerality.
  • Trimbach Alsace Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile 2004: more aromatic and floral than the above, with loads of minerals and peachstone dominating the palate.
  • Trimbach Alsace Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile 2002: Two years in the difference, but this seemed slightly sweeter as well as purer, cleaner and more precise.
  • Trimbach Alsace Riesling Clos Sainte Hune 2002: a real stunner, here. Precision, steal-like minerality, purity are words which come to mind, but which couldn’t adequately describe it. This retails for over €100 but it’s arguably the perfect example of what Alsace is capable of.

Domaine Louis Latour

An established Burgundy producer with some great examples from their stable of fine wines. Firstly, the whites:

  • Louis Latour Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Les Chenevottes 2007: rich, buttery and toasty. Gorgeous creaminess to the mouthfeel of this white.
  • Louis Latour Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Les Chenevottes 2005: Two years previously, this is ultra smooth and creamy with butterscotch the main note I took.
  • Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2005: nuts, spices and creamy toffee.

Staying with Louis Latour, there were also two reds which I thought were worth .

  • Louis Latour Corton-Grancey Grand Cru 2005: fresh, clean, subtle, strawberries, cherries with spicey, earthy notes. A bit of weight on it – needs a few more years to deliver all it’s capable of.
  • Louis Latour Corton-Grancey Grand Cru 1998: in the glass this was dramatically different to the 2005, lighter and browner, showing the age difference. Mellow, ultra smooth and aromatic, strawberries have faded to a very earthy, dusty tea-like character – drinking perfectly now and perhaps not for much longer. Ideal Burg-hound wine.

Hunter’s Estate/Stoneburn

  • Hunter’s Estate Kaho Road Oak Aged Sauvignon Blanc 2009. 40% of the grapes which go into this wine are oak aged, which is then back-blended with the rest. It’s got all the characteristics of the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc we know and love, passionfruit, gooseberries, cut grass, but it’s far more restrained. There’s a hint of the oak at the end, but certainly not the scary oakmonster which comes out in various episodes of WLTV. The oak aspect is something other wineries in Marlborough are experimenting with. The thinking is that it will add ageability and greater complexity, differentiating it from the big, over the top, cheaper ones which we’re now starting to see on the supermarket shelves.
  • Stoneburn Pinot Noir, Marlborough 2008: bright fresh cherries, not too concentrated. A very decent “entry” level Pinot.
  • Hunter’s Estate Pinot Noir, Marlborough 2008: stunning, beautiful bouquet of cherries burst out of the glass and what follows is just a beautiful expression of Pinot Noir. Finessed, elegant. New Zealand, for me, is about fantastic Pinot Noirs at decent prices. The Louis Latours retail for about €100, this is around €20. Potentially, my best in show.

Surprise of the show: Yellow Tail Limited Release Wrattonbully Cabernet

Yellow Tail took the under $10 market by storm in the US. I’ve had plenty of better wines for the same price here in Ireland but I still wanted to try this Limited Release. It’s not on sale here, but if that changes, it’s likely to be around €30. Big, good fruit forward wine. Blackcurrants, mint, spices with oak making its presence felt.

The challenge in selling this at the hefty price tag, but no doubt leveraging the medals and accolades it has picked up will help in some way.

Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 2005

Almost amber in the glass, smelling of apricot jam, marmelade, orange peel, leading to a viscous and unctuous oranges and apricot syrups. A rich history too, having been Napolean’s favourite wine in his exiled home of St. Helena.

Oriel

Oriel is a relatively new brand and concept in wine which goes something like this: fly some winemaking superstars to some of the best wine regions in the world and let them at. Bottle up the fruits of their labour, and brand it all under the name Oriel. Three of these wines were on show at the Gilbey’s portfolio tasting and the two Italians stood out for me:

  • Oriel Taralula, Toscana 2002 – essentially a Brunello di Montalcino in all but name. Plums and cherries, elegant, balanced and ultrasmooth. Sangiovese is the grape and a bit of post-tasting research unveiled the following, “Limestone and galestro soils on Montalcino’s favored southern hills. Careful pruning and minimal intervention winemaking tied to the phases of the moon. Aged for 20 months in French oak (100% new)”.
  • Oriel Barolo Etero 2000 - Etereo is the Italian word for “ethereal,” signifying something highly refined, delicate, out of this world, and heavenly. Perfectly matching what was in the glass – complex, rich and spiced, but perfectly balanced. Contender for best in show.

Knappstein

I was about to leave when I spotted the wine of St. Hallett sharing a table with Knappstein. I had tried the full range of St. Hallet’s wines when their winemaker was over for a Wine Australia Tasting (An Evening in the Barossa) so I headed straight for the Knappsteins. Fantastic whites on show and very reasonably priced.

Knappstein Hand Picked Riesling, Clare Valley 2009: limes, florals, creamy. Gorgeous. Around €14.

Knappstein 8.8.18 Riesling, Clare Valley 2009: very very interesting. The numerical name comes from the levels of acidity, alcohol and residual sugar in the wine, so definitely one for the winenerds. Full of gorgeous zesty acidity which is a perfect foil for the sweetness. Definitely not sweet, more off dry and for €14 or thereabouts, an absolute bargain.

Knappstein Three 2009 – made from Gewürtztraminer, Riesling and Pinot Gris, a typical Alsatian blend, another really, really interesting white. On the nose, tropical, lychees and roses. On the palate, smooth, zesty with butter and spice, due no doubt to the Gewürtz influence.

And that’s it – great event, well organised lovely food, lovely wine and already looking forward to next year.