In the coming Guigal wine dinner at Jean Georges, you will be the very first one to taste Guigal’s single crus Saint Joseph that was specially brought in for this event besides all the famous single crus Cote Rotie’s la la.

I remember my travel to Rhone Valley over ten years ago. When I drove down from Lyon to the tip (or should I say the gateway) of Northern Rhone, Cote-Rotie (about 30 miles from Lyon), a breath taking view appeared in front of me – steep granite slopes, where vines fought their way in such tough condition and flourish. When sun torched on these steep slopes, the burning schist delivers the name of this most famous commune in Northern Rhone – Cote-Rotie, or roasted slopes.

It was relatively a quick drive from Cote Rotie to Condrieu, an area that is famous for its honeysuckle, flora fragrant white grape – Viognier. However, little did I expect that it took over an hour to drive through Saint Joseph before I arrived at the right bank of Crozes-Hermitage, or the town of Tain l’Hermitage, a far more extended region with the length of some 40 miles, which explains why Saint Joseph is the second largest area planted with vines in Northern Rhone (the largest being Crozes-Hermitage – 5,300 acres as contrast with 2,350 acres of Saint Joseph) and has 4.5 times more land planted with vines than its neighbor, Cote Rotie (550 acres). In the past, the quality of Saint Joseph wines was very uneven so the price was affordable. It was that sort of bulk “French Table Wine” that had largely been consumed in Lyon for that nature. The mistake occurred during the initial misguided expansion of the appellation boundaries including vineyards from the valley floor in 1956. These vineyards were well outside of its historic birthplace of Mauves and Tournon. In the 1990s, the boundaries of Saint Joseph finally were redrawn. Nearly a third of the previous vineyards were declassified, most of which were on the valley floor. Today, wines from Mauves and Tournon remain among the finest sectors of Saint Joseph, producing wines richer, spicier and perhaps more Southern Rhone-like when compared to the lighter, fruitier wines coming from the northern sector of Chabanay and Limony.

Guigal is the synonymous name of Cote-Rotie. In fact, the winery is the producer that single-handedly rebuilt the reputation of Cote-Rotie by introducing its single-vineyard luxury cuvee of La Moulin, La Landonne & La Turque. Guigal’s involvement with Saint Joseph came by chance when Jean-Louis Grippat, one of the finest producers of the area, decided to retire and all his daughters had no interest to continue their family business. After inspecting the vineyards, Guigal realized how potential the Grippat’s terroirs was thus the deal was immediately signed.

Grippat owned many old vines in his steeply, rocky vineyards (some up to 75 years old). 80% of Grippat’s parcels are located in the original Saint Joseph vineyard that is confusingly called “St.-Joseph”. That’s why Guigal later followed the Burgundian practice naming this historic parcel as “Lieu-Dit” Saint-Joseph. A 100% Syrah red and an interesting Marsanne based white (95% Marsanne, 5% Roussanne) Lieu-Dit Saint-Joseph is produced every year. In addition, a limited production of Vignes de l’Hospice (5.5-acre parcel or 10,000 bottles), which comes from high elevation, steeply terraced vines planted at the top of the small mountain that dominates the town of Tournon, is also made (only red). Perhaps this Saint Joseph could well echo the quality of the historic 15th-century royal vineyard of Clos de Tournon.

 One-Off Limited Offering of Single Cru Saint Joseph Set (1 White, 1 Red)  at RMB 1754 instead of the usual RMB 2245 – only 60 sets available:

“A good wine is something that pleases you and that you like because it satisfies your taste and knowledge and passion in wines”, Angelo Gaja

Learning about Italian wine is like searching for a particular star in the dazzling galaxy. No wine country is like Italy with so many different wine names and grape varieties. The overload of information plus the complication of Italian wine legislation, even the most assured, experienced tasters will be lost over some unheard grape varieties from some obscure villages tucked in some corners of Italy.

Italy is decidedly divided into two distinct styles of producers regardless of which districts, regions they're from. The Traditionalists, who are those that guarded the traditional regulations (DOC, DOCG), include the use of permitted grape varieties, labeling (label designations about place, like Barolo, Barbaresco in Piedmont, or Chianti Classico in Tuscan) as well as winemaking. Modernists are the most ambitious producers who turn their backs on all the above and make wine with experimental varieties that are non-traditional in the areas. They abort the use of legalized pyramid of class created by the authorities, using the self named, self created label (mostly goes by name such as Sperss, Darmagi, Magari) and willing to downgrade their class from the official ranking in exchange for their winemaking freedom. In the past, such a rebellious attempt to challenge the official wine law will be ruthlessly downgraded to the lowest ranking of Vino da Tavola, a category once associated with the cheapest, coarsest, lowest sort of bulk wines. But, when the birth of first “Super Vino da Tavola of 1968 Sassicaia”, a Bordeaux-inspired red from Bolgheri (coastal region of Tuscan) took the world by shocked due to its quality. All of a sudden, some of Italy’s most ambitious, sometime finest, and often most expensive wines all came from this category. To save face, the official has no choice but to simply change the law and create a new category. In Tuscan it is known as IGT (indication of geographical origin), in Piedmont, it is called “Langhe”.

There are two sorts of “Langhe” bottlings. First, the more traditional labeling of grape variety + legally defined zone, like Nebbiolo Langhe, Chardonnay Langhe (like Gaja two Chardonnays – Rossj-Bass and Gaia & Rey), etc. The other “Langhe” labeling is simply just qualified by the area, not by grape name. The later “Langhe” bottling was recently made famous by Angelo Gaja who has decided to do away with his DOCG status for all his single cru Barbaresco (Barolo & Barbaresco required 100% Nebbiolo) in exchange for his flexibility to blend some Barbera (usually 5%) to his Nebbiolo.

Angelo Gaja – “The undisputed king of Piedmontese winemaking, as well as Italy’s premier modernist”. This is how Matt Kramer calls Gaja in his famous book on Italian wine – Making Sense of Italian Wine. The Gaja winery was founded by Giovanni Gaja in 1859. Angelo Gaja, the great-grandson of Giovanni joints the family in the early 60s. His pioneering introduced new French barriques (225-liter) to age his wines, along with a comparatively brief fermentation/maceration time aimed to reduce the formidable tannins of the Nebbiolo grapes, making wines that are richer and more concentrated in its fruit expression than traditional models. Perhaps his three single-cru Barbarescos (now Langhe Rosso) – Sori San Lorenzo (first releases in 1967), Sori Tildin (in 1970) and Costa Russi (in 1978) truly exemplify his genius skills (both in term of winemaking and marketing) as well as set Barbaresco among the world’s greatest wines (not just Italy). The tireless Gaja didn’t stop there. He subsequently acquired a vineyard in Barolo at Serralunga d’Alba where he later created a wine called Sperss. Gaja took another drastic move to venture into Tuscany, where he purchased the existing Brunello di Montalcino vineyard called Pieve Santa Restituta in 1994. In 1996, he took another acquisition in Bolgheri, coastal of Tuscan, where he created a new wine out of the ground and named his wine, Ca’Marcanda, which means “endless negotiations”. The name was inspired from his negotiations to name his new vineyard with his brother. Totally, three red wines were made in this new property, Promise, Magari (means “I wish”) and Ca’Marcanda.

1. First removed the capsule, make sure the entire capsule is removed (including the neck portion, otherwise you can not see the sediment) (* many of the contestant made the mistake of only removed the lip of the capsule).
   
2. The cork should be draw genteelly and slowly as many “old” cork can be very fragile. If the cork is not intact (broke or become mashie), some point will be deducted.
   
3. Clean the bottle lip as many of the cork deposit might dirty the lip (otherwise if wine pours through the dirty bottle-lip is not very hygiene).
   
4. First, taste the wine before the decanting (many contestant fail to do that) to make sure the wine is still alive or not corked.
   
5. Hold the bottle in one hand and decanter on the other. Steady hand is the keep to do a good decanting. The wine should pour at the side of the decanter (see picture) not directly to the decanter (a good decanting should not be rushed and should never pour directly to the decanter, which will create a lot of bubble and old wine will be shocked. Good decanting after completion has no bubble). The candle should torch at the bottle between the need and shoulder area, and the candle should never be too near to the bottle. The pouring should be slow in order to have the candle see through the wine to spot sediment. Once the sediment was spotted under the light, the decanting should stop immediately and regardless how much wine is left in the bottle.

The modern Bordeaux begins with one man, the late Emile Peynaud, great professor of Bordeaux University. He modernized what was once a thin, tart, often showing signs of spoilage of Bordeaux in the 60s and70s to a cleaner, fruitier, more supple wines that were accessible in their youth but also built for the long haul. He encouraged Chateau owners to pick ripen fruit with softer tannins and threw away their old, bacteria-laden oak barrel to replace them with newer ones. Peynaud has previously worked as a consultant for Chateau Leoville-Las-Cases, Lagrange, Pontet-Canet. However, his biggest wine making achievement was when he accepted the consulting role for Chateau Margaux in 1977 and single-handedly resurrected the quality of this once quality inconsistent first-growth. Outside Bordeaux, one of Peynaud greatest triumph was to identify that Mas de Daumas Gassac, a small estate in Languedoc, had the right soil and condition for producing great wines from Bordeaux’s grape varieties.

How does one measure the greatness in wine? The contemporary movement of appreciating everything else to be measured by power, weight and speed can be witnessed in music (louder musical instruments replaced the too soft, too insipid-sounding instrumentation of an earlier age), spot (golf & tennis use to be a game of finesse until the rise of Tiger Woods, Williams Sister, Andy Roddick) and now, wine. Sheer power became our generation of quality definition for wine. Modern taste demands for deep color, with obvious power and strength along with easily identifiable oakiness in wine has franchise from one continent to another. Today, it is becoming harder and harder to tell if the wine is coming from the Bordeaux’s right bank St.-Emilion garagiste, or the Californian Cult Cabernets, or the modern Aussie creamy-oak Shirazes, or the Alta expression wine of Spain’s Priorat, Toro. The power and extraction of the wines have blurred the wine identity, let alone the grape's variety. Like what my favorite author, Matt Kramer said, “power without subtlety, depth of flavor without balance, color without underlying substance was unrewarding”.

At our coming dinner, we would like to introduce you the wine from Mas de Daumas Gassac, also known as “Lafite of Languedoc”, a creation from the great maestro, Emile Peynaud, a wine that distance from the market homogenizing influence wine, a wine of substance that spoke about its land (authenticity), about purity (minimum new oak treatment), about finesse, and above all, balance. Both Mas de Daumas Gassac white and red are blended wines with red consisting of predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon (80%) and 20% blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Tannat, Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto. For white, it is made from 25% each of Chardonnay, Viognier, Petit Manseng and 15% of Chenin Blanc and 10% of Marsanne, Roussanne, Sercial, Muscat and others. The wine is tang-fermented and subsequently aged in used-barrel (replaced every seven years). Anyone who has experience in pairing Chinese cuisine understands that, tannins or wood tannins (derived from new oak) do not work well with umami-rich orient cooking which explains, why young Bordeaux generally pair poorly with Chinese cuisine. The elegant, balance, subtle-oak, polished tannin Mas de Daumas Gassac would be an ideal match.

I have spent a week long in Bordeaux tasting the barrel sample, infant-wine of 2008. Obviously, the current economic climate (the collapse of Lehman, Merrill and AIG) has significantly affected the crowd for this year en primeur. The turnout is substantially less compared to last year. I remember tasting at La Conseillante UGC’s booth for Pomerol wines on Thursday. I could literary count the number of people inside the tent. Interestingly, the weather was perfect – sunny, with cool breeze (past en primeur campaign often cursed by gloomy weather).

Before I tell you what I think about 2008, let's first talk about the impact of the current economy which has an influence on Bordelais 2008 prices. Clearly, UK biggest buyer for en primeur, Farr Vintner, boycotting en primeur campaign this year and the poor sales response from UK and US for last year 2007 en primeur have sent a clear message to all the Bordelais that, the honeymoon period is over, the previous luxury of enjoying a higher and higher price fetch for each year en primeur is over. Prices need to come down and they need to reflect the market situation. “En Primeur need to return to their historical role when value is reserved for people who enter buying early. We have made some mistakes in the past. Some vintages do not reflect the price they command”, says Pierre Lurton of Cheval Blanc. Before the week long 2008 en primeur campaign ended, rumour has already spread that the opening price for 2008 will drop somewhere between 30-40% from last year's to what 2004 Bordeaux prices used to be.

I have often thought that both Priorat of Spain and Langhorne Creek of South Australia share much similarity. First of all, the modern drinking of appreciating precocious, fruit-driven, high alcoholic wine has resurrected both areas that are previously known for making unfashionable, high alcohol wines (remember those days, when Californian Zinfandel use to tip at alcohol level of 16°?). Both areas share the same treasure of old vine (or bush vines), low yielding Grenache (or Garnacha) vineyard. Either Drew Noon (graduated from Roseworthy Agricultural College as well as passed the exam of Master of Wine) of Noon Vineyard or Alvaro Palacios (studied oenology in Bordeaux). Both are from traditional winemaking family (Alvaro is from the prestigious Rioja famed of Bodega Palacios Remondo) who introduces modern winemaking techniques that invigorates the wine of their regions.

After apprenticing from Jean-Pierre Moueix of Ch?teau Pétrus as well as wineries in Napa Valley, Alvaro Palacios returned to Spain. Instead of joining his family business, he ventured into what was called, "Gratallops Project" with another famous Catalonian winemaker, René Barbier and began his work at this once quality non-exist region of Priorat (or the Spaniard would called "Priorato"), a coastal, rural wine region just outside the famous tourist capital of Spain - Barcelona.

Alvaro Palacios, in his 25 hectares vineyard, planted with Grenache (Garnacha, 15 hectares), Cabernet Sauvignon (5 hectares), Syrah (3.5 hectares), Merlot (1 hectares) and Carinena (0.5 hectares). His aim was to make a hypothetical blend of Ch?teau Pétrus and Grange. In the early 90s, Alvaro Palacios released his debut 1989 Finca Dofi made mainly from Grenache and aged in 100% new French oak. It was an instant success and completely changed the image of Priorat wine! He later introduced a super-cuvée called L'Ermita from vine that was originally planted in 1940 in a steep hillside, much like those Hermitage in northern rh?ne. Today, L'Ermita is competed alongside with the Spanish legendary wine, Vega Sicilia on who made the finest wine of Spain.

2004 Bodgas Palacios Remondo Placet Finca La Montesa, Rioja

Palacios started making his family wine after the passing of his father in 2000. He has made several changes including stop making the Reserva & Gran Reserva to avoid being confined by the strict wine law. He also stopped irrigating and reducing the yield drastically. The result has turned this elegantly fresh, with cool fruit of cherry, black raspberry, hint of liqueur sweetness, as well as mocha oak infused. Nicely balance palate with well buffered acidity and finished with the marked Grenache's kirsch, liqueur-alcohol touch. Made primarily from Garnacha & Tempranillo. Good

2005 Petalos de Bierzo, Descendientes de J. Palacios, Bierzo

Bierzo is a relatively new area for many people (northwest corner of Spain near Galicia). It was only awarded the DOC (Deniminación de Origen) in 1989, however, the vineyard here is quite old and planted on the extremely steep hillsides, much similar to those of Priorat. The principal grape here is Mencía and is said to be related to Cabernet Franc, or at least, resemble. Palacios joined force with his nephew, Ricardo Perez, which has previous winemaking experience in Ch?teau Margaux as well as Moueix properties. Palacios loves the Cabernet Franc of Chinon in Loire, however, I think this wine is more serious and has more to offer. New oak smokiness, spice and quite intense spirit-soak fruit of dark berries. Round and fleshy, almost velvety. Very generous and fresh, despite the soft tannin, the wine remained focus. Delicious stuff. Very Good

2004 Les Terrasses, Priorat

This is the entry-level of Alvaro Palacios Priorat wine. Made from a blend of Grenache, Carignan and Cabernet Sauvignon aged 12 months in mixed French and American oak. Less precocious and distinctly elegant, with intense dark fruit in a ripe, polished, supple texture. Not particularly concentrated, but unmistakably Grenache-like of spirit-sweetness. Sexy and attractive. Good

2002 Finca Dofi, Priorat

From a yield of just 20 hectoliters per hectare made from a blend of Grenache, Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and aged in 100% new French oak. Dark Raspberry, black cherry with round and seamless palate. Densely sweet, however, the sounding acidity kept the wine both fresh and elegant. The finishing tannin came across dry (sign of dehydration?), but who can refuse the opulence, profoundly sweet personality of this beauty? Very Good

THE HISTORY OF CHIANTI

Chianti has been the best-known wine that is associated with Italy. It is also a name which has long been abused that all cheap reds with light appearance from Italy with straw-covered bottle are likely to be Chianti. So much so that, at one stage, any wine that using Chianti production method can be called Chianti, even those it can came from the vicinity of Rome, which was the case in the 1920s.

In 1932, an outline was drawn to subdividing the Chianti area into seven subzones. The same year, producers are allowed to label those subzones into their labels and became a part of Chianti legislation. Beside "Chianti Classico" which has enjoyed prestige over the time and often costs twice or more than those wine that simply labeled "Chianti".

Chianti Rufina also gained considerable success due to the unique climate as well as efforts of two quality conscious producers, Frescobaldi's Castello Nippozano and Francesco Giuntini's Selvapiana. However, beside the Chianti Classico, where producers are able to invest in renovating their vineyard and using the newly improved Sangiovese clones. Outsides the Classico, vineyards replanting has been slow as well as the technology gap from Chianti and Chianti Classico are distance apart due to poor funding from those local subzones consortiums.

To many subzones producers outside Classico and Rufina, the results of having the benefit of include the subzones in their "Chianti" has been mixed. Colli Aretini, Montalbano, Colline Pisane and Montespertoli, where producers have been selling their wine as Chianti DOCG, instead of using subzone name, which has little sale impact nor image, even within the Tuscan wine market. In the case with Colli Fiorentini and Colli Senesi, due to their association with famous tourist site along with the support of local and national sales. Such association is still very helpful.

I have spent considerable time learning about the avant garde farming technique of biodynamics. Besides the 'mumbo-jumbo', witchcraft-like practices of burying an animal skull and/or cow horn during certain phases of the moon and subsequently using those specially prepared homoeopathic remedies to treat the vineyard, the whole belief of cultivating fruit in tune with the rhythms of the moon and cosmic forces seems to resemble ancient Chinese Daoist yin-yang principles and five elements cosmology. Interestingly, the mythically structured world of Daoism which is based on the tripartite harmony of Heaven, Humanity and Earth (tian-di-ren), also echoes most burgundians' belief that the birth of a great wine is the consequence of good weather, unique soil (terroir) and a gifted winemaker.

Lalou Bize-Leroy (born 1932), the champion practitioner of biodynamic farming in Burgundy, started her early career in wine at the age of 23. In 1955, she persuaded her father, Henri Leroy, to allow her to manage the family negociant business (Maison Leroy) in Auxery-Duresses. In 1942, Henri Leroy bought a half stake in Domaine de la Romanee-Conti from Jacques Chambon and thus became the co-owner along with his longtime friend, Edmund Gaudin de Villaine, of this noble estate. Edmond Gaudine de Villiane passed away in 1950 and Edmond's son, Henri, continued to jointly run the estate with Leroy until the passing of Henri Leroy in 1974. After that, the co-directorship of DRC continued with the next generation, Lalou Bize-Leroy along with her sister Pauline (Henri Leroy's daughters), and Aubert de Villaine (son of Henri de Villaine). Each own one quarter of the domaine.
There is no question that much of the esteemed achievement of DRC can be put down to the nobility of its vineyards. However, the commitment and painstaking care from Lalou Bize-Leroy and Aubert de Villaine should not go unnoticed. In 1992, following a boardroom dispute, Leroy left DRC.

In 1988, when Mme Bize-Leroy was still a co-director of DRC, she bought the 12-hectare Domaine Charles Noellat in Vosne-Romanee for a reported 65 million francs for Maison Leroy. Part of the finance of that 65 million francs acquisition came from the sale of one-third of her Maison Leroy share to her Japanese agents Takashimaya. In subsequent years, Leroy in her own right further acquired the 2.5 hectare Domaine Philippe Remy in Gevrey Chambertin, a parcel of Le Musigny (27 acres) from the Moine-Hudelot family, along with some Cortons (43 acres Corton-Charlemagne and 50 acres Corton-Renardes), and Volnay-Santenots 1er Cru "Les Santenots du Milieu". In addition, Mme Bize-Leroy inherited her other estate, the Domaine d'Auvenay in Saint-Romain, from her father, incorporating: 51 acres of Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru "Les Folatieres", 6.4 acres of Criots-Batard-Montrachet, 16.3 acres of Chevalier-Montrachet (from Jean Chartron), 26 acres of Bonnes-Mares, and 26 acres of Mazis-Chambertin (from the Collignon family). The significant holding of those prime vineyards has made Domain Leroy one of the most important estates in Burgundy.

Is interesting to note that there are more female winemakers in Vosne-Romanee than in any other village of Burgundy. Besides Mme Bize-Leroy, we have the attractive and charming Anne Gros of Domaine Anne Gros, the mother and son team of Mme Jean Gros and Michel Gros, the Mugneret ladies of Jacqueline, Marie-Christine and Marie-Andree of Mugneret-Gibourg and from Francois Lamarche, Nicole Lamarche.

In a discussion of Mme Bize-Leroy's winemaking style, it is interesting to compare the winemaking philosophies of Leroy and the late Henri Jayer. Besides both commanding the highest prices of all Burgundy (along with DRC), they seem to share a certain stylistic similarity as well as having a strong signature on their wines.

To begin, let us start from the vineyard. Leroy, like Jayer, shares the belief that quality begins in the vineyard and only vineyards with low yields (through pruning) and old vines will produce the best fruit while following the rigorous practices of biodynamics. Leroy's average yield is the lowest of all it's neighbors, if not, the entire burgundy appellation. Below are some interesting statistics to compare her production to her more quality-conscious neighbors, which in fact already produce at a lower-than-average yield. It is clear from this that Leroy produces at a frightfully low yield from her ancient vines.

	Average Yield from Domaine Leroy	Average Yield from other Domaines
1999 vintage	24 hl/ha	35-40 hl/ha
2000 vintage	20- 22 hl/ha	40- 45 hl/ha
2001 vintage	17 hl/ha	32- 42 hl/ha
2002 vintage	15.6 hl/ha	25- 35 hl/ha
2003 vintage	12-20 hl/ha	35 hl/ha
2004 vintage	25 hl/ha	40 hl/ha
2005 vintage	20 hl/ha	32- 39 hl/ha
2006 vintage	20 hl/ha	30-38 hl/ha

Jayer believed in totally destalking, a five to seven days pre-fermentation maceration, and minimum use of sulphur dioxide. Leroy, like DRC, does not practice destemming. The maceration and fermentation takes place in large, upright, open-topped wooden vats with stainless steel temperature-controlling coils installed near the bases of the vats. Jayer preferred to ferment his wine in cement vats with long maceration, with two pump-overs per day for the first few days and pigeage (punching-down) for the remainder. Leroy installed an overhead hydraulic plunger to perform the traditional punching down. The fermentation/maceration generally ends in three weeks and like Jayer, only 100% new oak barrels are utilized to age her cuvees. Both Leroy and Jayer wines are dramatic and at the richer, grander end of the spectrum of burgundy. However, unlike New World pinot noir of a similar grand scale that is often ruined by excessive alcohol and obtrudes oakiness, underneath these marvelously concentrated Burgundies there is a clear indication of the individual terroir's definition as well as that "richness without weight" balance which can only come from the hand of a great maestro.

The 2004 vintage was a challenging vintage from a weather standpoint, in that it had around 25 percent of normal sunshine hours and double the usual rainfall (is it a curse in burgundy when the vintage ends with a "4"? 1974, 1984, 1994). The vintage was further threatened by hail (particularly for higher vineyards such as Volnay, Pommard, Chambolle Musigny), oidium (powdery mildew) and mildew. However, it is only really in such catastrophic years that the finest piece of "dirt" (terroir) and the most skilled winemaker will truly be able to shine through and excel.

Leroy has taken the most extraordinary step of declassifying all her premier and grand crus and blended them into the humble villages level. When asked why she made such a decision, she explains that, due to the high standard she sets for all her wines, she felt that in this vintage her upper level wines lack the level of quality she desires for them, so by releasing them as premier or grand crus would not justify what her clients deserve from her domaine wines. Subsequently, when all her 2004 wines were released on the market, they drew a stunning array of praise from all wine critics, leading her to question whether she actually should have declassified them after all.

Consumers should take advantage of the 2004 Leroy "Domaine" bottling as all the village crus are blended from her prime 1er cru and grand cru vineyards, which would normally fetch around RMB 8000 or above.

I will always remember the cold and rainy tasting at Chateau Smith Haut-Lafitte for the Graves' en Priemur 2004 tasting in late March 2005. It was both a physical and a mental challenge since there were so many wines to taste at the Union des Grand Crus tasting and due to the prolonged harvest, late finish of malolactic fermentation and delayed assemblages in 2004. Many wines didn't complete their secondary fermentation until February or early March (February and early March in 2005 with it freakish cold weather further delayed the occurrence of malolactic fermentation), I was told, there were some wines that had not even fully converted their malic acidity, thus made the tasting even more difficult to access.

Weather

The 2004 vintage is marked by the abundant crop and extended harvest. Also, there were two significant events occurred - 1) Excessive of rainfall in the month of October, January, May and August, with each month reaching more than 180% of the average monthly amount of rainfall. 2) Much less than average rainfall in December, February, March, especially in June and September, when the rainfall hardly exceeded 30% of the normal average.

Details of the Growing Season

A cold March resulted in a late budbreak, spring continued to be cool and dry, this lack of water situation for the vine was further accentuated when an extremely dry and hot June arrived (11 mm of rainfall instead of the usual 65 mm). The extreme heat and sunlight of this month accelerated the vine development and resulted in rapid flowering and potentially abundant crop.

July was normal for both temperature and rainfall. The first Merlot berries began its veraison (grape changed in color) in July 20th, however, the worst month of the growing season - August set in with rainy and cool weather that eventually slowed down the veraison. Some observers also note that, the excessive of cluster per vine and number of berries per bunch were also the cause for such slowing down due to the excessive crop loads that the vines needed to carry. The more quality conscious Chateaux began their green harvest to remove the excessive clusters of grapes. Leaf trimming was also carried out to improve air circulation and it helped to dry the grape. September saw the return of sunny weather, which helped to ripen most of the grape, especially the early ripening grape of Merlot, which was picked under the ideal dry and sunny conditions in the last part of September and the first third of October. Even the late-picked Cabernets might be caught in the rain towards the end of October, however, the natural thick skin of Cabernet resisted the rain well and was further benefited from the extra hang time.

The Wines of 2004

As I have previously stated that, 2004 is a mixed bag vintage and the best achievers of this vintage often fall into those Chateaux with adequate financial backing, that could afford to spend the money on labor to conduct green harvest and left pulling to get more sun on the fruit. Christian Moueix of the famed Petrus echoes that, "we spent 19,000 extra man hours in our vineyards in 2004, but for many properties elsewhere (especially the petits chateaux), this extra work was simply too expensive."

This is a vintage that required buyer to make their buying decision carefully. I have found some examples lacking of middle palate whilst others clearly suffering from excessive of saignée (bled, a process that commonly employed in high crop year to drain off some free-run juice to increase the skin to juice ratio, thus concentrate the phenolics and flavor compounded in the juice. However, if such practices are not done carefully, it can also exaggerate the tannins, making the wine off balance). Also, some chateaux from the left banks, especially many cru bourgeois appeared to have the tendency to use a higher percentage of Merlot, which gave one that floral note as well as fine-grained texture. My personal favorites for the right bank often fall to those chateaux that used a high percentage of Cabernet Franc (or in some cases, increased the blend of this variety for 2004), which fetched extremely well for this vintage (those vineyards from limestone plateau, generally known as c?tes in St.-Emilion, and the gravel terraces of Pomerol). I remembered talking with Alexandre Thienpont, winemaker for Vieux Chateau Certan (also winemaking consultant for Le Pin), where he spoke enthusiastically how well he achieved his Cabernet Franc in that year, which was picked on the first week of October (benefited from extra hang time with more thorough phenoic ripening), and among few 2004s I have tasted that have both the middle palate stuffing and sweet tannins.

My Recent Tasting of 2004

Unlike the ripe 2003 or 2005 vintages, the barrel samples of which are obviously appealing, 2004 was very challenging to taste during the en primeur campaign in Bordeaux. Young reds were hard to access due to the fact that, it carried both the grape tannin and wood tannin. It would require someone with experience to look beyond those clouds of tannin. The case of 2004 Bordeaux, not only was it marked by tannin, but also the natural sounding acidity. However, my recent tasting has suggested that, the tannin has subtracted, some better examples even pose sweet tannin. Many reds have put on weight since, with few examples even display impressive rich middle palate that can only be found in a great year. I always admired the well structured and precise palate of this vintage. Also, the pure berries, floral, slightly spice aroma of this year that closely recalls my beloved burgundy. This vintage may not pose the texture of 2001 (in some case more dehydrated ripeness), the forbidden tannin of 2002 (for Cabernet), the profound, jammy sweet of 2003. However, it was supplement with elegance, finesse and balance that is not found in those former vintages.

The following tasting notes highlight encompass my Cru Bourgeois tasting in July, UGC tasting in late November and the recent Cheval Blanc tasting at The Wine Residence.

2004 Chateau Lynch Bages, Pauillac

The usual black currants, smoke oak flavor in a well lifted and elegant palate. Lack the usual tannin spine and muscle, but it has more pristine fruit rather than the often "wild" flavor of leather and animal found in Lynch Bages, which to me has more in common with "brettanomyces" (yeast spoilage) instead of the French would associated it with "terroir". This is a highly accessible, soft and delicious interpretation of Lynch Bages.

2004 Chateau Smith Haut-Lafitte, Pessac-Leognan

Sexy leap pencil nose, along with some earthy element. Not particularly dense, but the hallmark of Graves' stone mineral and tobacco you could effortlessly found in this red. The vintage fruit purity also nicely display in this wine, plus, the sweet tannin I mentioned early on.

2004 Chateau Angelus, St.-Emilion

More black fruit scented nose, with attractive bitter chocolate sweetness. Sweet and concentrated with lovely textured palate. Slightly on the overripe side, however, well delineated and once you get over the candied/caramel infused fruits, you can sense the purity and the overall symmetrical. Another good example from a high Cabernet Franc left banks.

2004 Chateau Canon La Gaffeliere, St.-Emilion

Another high Cabernet Franc reds (45% Cabernet Franc and Merlot makeup the remaining). Less flamboyant than Angelus, but it has better lift and inner-mouth energy than the former wine. Also, I like complex smoked oak, Medoc-like cedar and mineral quality. Tangy berries fruits, with violet in a pure and elegant palate.

2004 Cheval Blanc, St.-Emilion

Nice red and black berries scented nose and bitter chocolate. Trace of liqueur-superripeness element, however, it has the verve and structured to keep the wine focus. Similar fine-grained textured, however, more lushness than Le Petit Cheval, equally more middle-palate creaminess and complex smoked oak. When compared with 2001 Cheval Blanc alongside. It might not have the richness and density of this vintage. It was however supplement with the inner-mouth energy, the elegant and balancing from this subtle beauty.

2004 Le Petit Cheval, St.-Emilion

Marked by red berries fruit. Smooth and suave and despite more straightforward when compared to the grand vin, it has the vintage's smoothness and silkiness, along with a well energized freshness. Some attractive oak's sweetness toward the end, making this wine even more appealing.

2004 Chateau Troplong-Mondot, St.-Emilion

I like this red for it burgudian look-alike personality. High toned of red and black berries fruit intertwined with rock, mineral-like element. Elegant and pure, with refinery smooth palate along with tight, linear and details feel. A discreet wine that deserved equal attention.

The influence of motion pictures on our lives is evident everywhere. It sets trends on how we dress, how we eat, even how we talk. Here are some classic quotes, which I doubt I need to mention further in regard to the name of the movies. "May the force be with you" (Star Wars), "Houston, we have a problem" (Apollo 13), "Can you handle the truth?" (A Few Good Men), "I'll be back" (The Terminator), "Show me the money" (Jerry Maguire).

No surprise, therefore, that when the first wine movie hit the big screen, Alexander Payne's Sideways (2004), it influenced the palate of the American wine consumer, turning them off their old favorite of Merlot on to the new found love of Pinot Noir.

Released around the same time but having a smaller impact overall, although a larger impact within the wine industry, was Mondovino (Italian for "World of Wine"), a documentary about globalization in the world of wine directed by Jonathan Nossiter, where two distinct groups of wine personalities test the merits of homogeneous versus heterogeneous wines. The group defending wines of individualistic character and uniqueness in wine, representing the "good character" in the movie, is led by Hubert de Montille (Domaine de Montille) whereas the "bad guy" is played by the highly influential, globe-trotting winemaking consultant, Michel Rolland.

In the movie the designated villain is accused of using his influence over the media (particularly American wine critics) and his clients (in this case, wineries such as Robert Mondavi and Chateau Pape Clément) to promote wines of sameness, the 'internationalization' of wines, drawing a parallel to the famous Matt Kramer quote, " all airports may be different, but in the same boring way"!

Aimé Guibert de la Vaissière, owner of Mas de Daumas Gassac, the hero of the movie and defender of "terroir" (where great wine reflects it's land rather than the ego of the winemaker), was formerly a glove manufacturer, and witnessed first hand the effects of globalization, which killed this industry in France in 1985. He is well aware of such a threat and values the importance of his own unique landscape, where the precipitation, air and water drainage, elevation, sunlight and temperature all contribute to the distinction of his vineyard. When the arrival of global consumer-driven multinationals such as American Robert Mondavi threatened to buy up the area and remove the forests of Massif de l'Arboussas to make way for vineyards, Guibert stood and fought, eventually preventing the American colonisation in Aniane.

Since this movie hit the streets, this artisanal farm from Aniane (in respect to the natural environment, only one-third of the surface area of Mas de Daumas Gassac, or 30 hectares, is devoted to grapevine cultivation), seen as largely responsible for the quality renaissance of Languedoc's wine, has once again drawn the world interest in this wine region, previously not known for their quality wines.
Originally an Aveyronnais (from the Averon region), Aimé Guibert acquired the Mas (meaning 'farm' in the south of France) by chance from the Daumas family that had farmed the land for 7 to 8 generations. 'Gassac' refers to the stream that flows through the property. Little did he know that the land he bought initially to grow wheat, asparagus and olive trees was in fact a special site that was best suited to grapevine cultivation. A visit of an old friend from his hometown of Averon, Professor Henry Enjalbert, a famous geographer and geologist of the University of Bordeaux, further confirmed that. The combination of altitude (500 meters), the nocturnal currents of cool air that pass over the vineyard (nightfall cold air from the Larzac) and the unique soil found beneath the property creates a terroir unlike any other in his region of Languedoc.

The red glacial soil found in Mas de Daumas Gassac is rich in iron and copper, and was formed during the Ice Age (180,000 to 400,000 years ago). The poor but well-drained soils enable the vine to establish a deeper root system to search for nutrients while at the same time keeping the yield low. The uncommon red glacial dust (white "luthecian" limestone was more commonly found in this area) was in fact more suitable for non local grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Tannat, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, as well as Italian varieties like Nebbiolo and Dolcetto. White varieties planted here include Viognier from the Rhone Valley, Petit-Manseng from Jurancon, Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley and Chardonnay from Burgundy. Like the case in Tuscany, since the wine is made out of the non-traditional varieties from the region, this "outlaw" wine does not qualify for the official status (traditional varieties in Languedoc consist of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre) and was given an "unclassified", 'Vin de Pays' classification.

Questions have been asked about the authenticity of the world's most expensive bottle of wine - the famous lot 337 "Th.J." engraved 1787 Chateau Lafite (went under the hammer in 1985 at Christie's auction in London, and went for a historical record price of GBP 105,000 for a single bottle of wine) which was claimed to be truly owned by Thomas Jefferson. Some believe it is actually a conspiracy between the discoverer of the bottle - the onetime pop band manager turned wine collector, Hardy Rodenstock, and his auctioneer, Michael Broadbent, head of Christie's Wine Department.

Several articles and books have been released since to attempt to unveil the truth of the Jefferson bottle. James Gabler's "An Evening with Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson" as well as Benjamin Wallace's "The Billionaire's Vinegar" were two of the most interesting reads on the subject (both currently available at The Wine Residence's library). Both authors have supported the research done by Lucia (or Cinder) Goodwin, a full-time generalist scholar at Monticello, who has spent her last five years consumed with editing the Memorandum Books, Jefferson's financial diaries. Goodwin has denied the authenticity of the 1787 Lafite and, according to her, there is no evidence of any Jefferson letter or memorandum book mentioning the order or possession of 1787 Lafite by Jefferson. She also disproved the connection made by Broadbent that the 1787 Lafite has anything to do with Jefferson's Bordeaux order in 1790. The only record shown on Lafite was a letter Jefferson wrote to M. Pichard, owner of Lafite in 1788 for an order of 250 bottles of 1784 Lafite. However, the acquisition was declined by Pichard, as he had completely sold out of his entire 1784 vintage. Jefferson later took advice from John Bondfield, honorary American consul in Bordeaux, to substitute the Lafite with Chateau Haut-Brion 1784, which, according to Bondfield, was the second best wine of the 1784 vintage. However, this last purchase of Bordeaux that Jefferson made while in France never made it to his hand.

Today, the 198-year-old bottle of Lafite remains displayed in a glass case in the lobby of the Forbes building (the successful auction bidder was Christopher Forbes of Forbes magazine) in New York, but due to the heat from a spotlight, the cork fell in and the contents ran out, turning it into the World's Most Expensive Vinegar.

Chateau Haut-Brion was amongst the first red Bordeaux to be mentioned by name in English literature. Samuel Pepys, the renowned 17th century diarist on April 10th, 1663 wrote in his diary: "to the Royal Oak Taverne in Lumburd-Street and here drank a sort of French wine called, "Ho Bryan" (Haut Brion) that hath a good and most particular taste that I never met with." It was also the first Chateau to establish the concept of truly great red Bordeaux under the 17th-century owner - the de Pontac family (the rest of the first-growths only appeared after the Dutch engineers drained the marshland of Medoc that later provided a suitable environment for grapevine cultivation). The earliest references to the wine's quality can be captured in a letter, which Thomas Jefferson, "America's first wine expert" and at that time America's ambassador to France (1784-1789) wrote to John Bondfield on May 25, 1787. This letter mentioned that Haut Brion, being a wine of first growth, seems to please the American palate more than all the others. Haut-Brion was subsequently served at the White House not only when Jefferson was president, but also by Presidents Washington, Madison and Monroe.

Haut-Brion, apart from its lavish historical track, the reputation and quality consistency truly lies on the uniqueness of its site and soil. Haut-Brion is among the few Chateaux that is clustered close around the Bordeaux city, still surviving after urban development. The city and its vineyards are built on a large gravel mound. Like all the greatest vineyards of Medoc and Graves in common - they possess an eclectic mix of gravel soils. In recognition of the significance of gravel in the vineyard soils, the area was named Graves, the French word for gravel. Graves is the only wine region in France to take its actual name from the soil.

Gravel is particularly prevalent at Haut-Brion, where in some spots the Gunzian gravel can be as deep as 50 to 60 feet. The thick Gunzian gravel here is on the bedrock of Calcaire à astéries, a type of limestone with starfish fossils, believed to be responsible for the mineral quality found in the wine. Gunzian gravel was originally transported from the Pyrenees and the Massif Central that carried a deposit of pebbly debris. These pebbles, which retain heat from the sun and radiate the warmth back into the vine after sunset, enable Haut-Brion to produce consistent quality wine even in lesser years. Pessac, the appellation where Haut-Brion is located, due to its proximity to the city, gives a warmer microclimate, which in turn ripens the grapes earlier and generally avoids the threat of heavy autumn rains.

Today, Haut-Brion is owned by Domaine Clarence Dillon (Haut-Brion was acquired by American banker Clarence Dillon in 1935). Head of the Domaine is Dillon's granddaughter Joan Dillon, the Duchesse de Mouchy (she married to the Duc de Mouchy) and her son by a previous marriage, Prince Robert of Luxembourg.

The success of this estate is not possible without the presence of the Delmas family, which has been running the estate since1921 when Georges Delmas, grandfather of the current administrator, Jean-Philippe Delmas, worked there. Since the talented Jean-Bernard Delmas assumed the winemaking responsibility from his father, Georges, in 1961, he has done a remarkable job both in revamping the cellar as well as his research in clonal selections. He was among the first to install self-designed temperature-controlled, stainless steel tanks, making Haut-Brion the first major estate in Bordeaux (even before Latour) to vinify in stainless steel. His early research on the selection of appropriate rootstocks and clones to suit the terroir has later established the quality of plant material in the vineyards, where yields are naturally controlled and do not rely on green harvest.

In my opinion, Haut-Brion, along with Latour, are two of the most consistent first-growths. However, no first-growth has given me such pleasure that I can always "call" a wine blind, that I can honestly say, "I know this wine. I feel the terroir" That inherent greatness of Haut-Brion, which Matt Kramer may call 'the taste for emotions of surprise', continues to astound me with it's uniqueness.

Andy was formerly the head Sommelier of The Regent, Four Seasons Hotel in Singapore and has been attached to various famous restaurants in New York like Vong, Jean Georges and Daniel by Daniel Boulud for his Sommelier apprenticeship.

After leaving the hotel industry, Andy established himself as a leading wine merchant specialized in hard-to-find, limited production boutique wines. Over his career spanning 14 years in the wine business, he has discovered and introduced thousands of wines to his audience and has befriended many world-famous winemakers as well as wine consultants.

In his early days in the restaurant trade not only did he come second in Singapore’s Grand Prix Sommelier finals but the wine list he designed also won him a Wine Spectator best of service award of excellent and best of award of excellent. At the same time Decanter Magazine gave him an award of excellence for “Best Wine List in Asia”. He has previously worked as a wine judge for Sonoma Harvest Fair in California, one of the most important annual events in this part of the world.

Recently, he received another accolade for his jointly-written article, “Wine Trends of the World”: It was awarded the title of “Best Wine Article of the Year” at the world gourmet summit in 2003.

Andy was selected by the most influential local gourmet magazine, Food & Wine as 50 Wine Faces You’ ve Got to Know for China Wine Market.