The Joy of Learning

The learning

joy of

Enjoying a glass of wine is an experience that’s enriched through knowledge. Wherever you are on your wine journey, there are resources to assist you

PAUILLAC

This Left Bank appellation, home to three first-growth and two second-growth estates, is one of the most legendary names in wine. And thanks to continued improvements among its other classed-growth properties, Pauillac is only adding to its reputation

STORY PANOS KAKAVIATOS

SECOND SITE St-Emilion & Pomerol

If you can’t afford the Right Bank’s starriest names, seek out smaller châteaux under the same ownership. You’ll often find first-rate wines, priced at a considerably more affordable level

STORY JAMES LAWTHER MW

Stumped by the price of a particularly famous château in St-Emilion or Pomerol?

Attracted by the style and execution but know the wine is out of reach? There may be a solution. A number of these grand estates also own properties in less exalted appellations, often using the same team and work practices as they do at the top estate. The wines, therefore, have a defined quality, but the bonus is they sell at a much more affordable price.

The most usual reasons for the acquisition of a secondary estate (or estates) are diversification and expansion into a more affordable region, land-wise. With prices per hectare popping in St-Emilion and Pomerol, the likes of Castillon, Lalande de Pomerol, the St-Emilion satellites and even parts of Entre-deux-Mers (see ‘Expert’s choice’, p86) can look highly attractive. There can also be a sentimental stimulus and, when it comes to a key figure running the great estate, the motivation of a more personalised project.

Come what may, the ‘other’ property, which, geographically speaking, is rarely situated far from its celebrated stablemate, is an interesting option for the discerning consumer. No, it won’t have quite the pedigree and gravitas of the top estate (the element of terroir does come into play), but it will have the same winemaking philosophy and rigour, the desire for quality and authenticity uppermost.

Château Haut-Simard

St-Emilion Grand Cru

This is one of several properties owned by the Vauthier family, the jewel in the crown being Château Ausone. And yes, it is also located in St-Emilion, not that far from Ausone but lower down on the sand and clay soils at the foot of the hill, or pied de côte, below the town itself.

In the 1860s, the Simard vineyard was split in two by the construction of a railway line, creating two separate properties, Simard and Haut-Simard. They were later reunited and are now both owned by the Vauthier family. The present identity of Château Haut-Simard, though, dates from the early part of the new millennium, when Alain Vauthier selected specific parcels to be planted to a density of 12,000 vines/ha with a majority Cabernet Franc (60%). The vineyard now comprises 10ha producing 35,000-40,000 bottles a year.

The same team, headed by Alain’s daughter Pauline, works Ausone and Haut-Simard (as well as the other properties), applying similar techniques: care in the vineyard, refraining from overripeness, gentle extraction and a light touch with oak ageing. With relatively young vines, Haut-Simard has already acquired added depth and structure and, at about £20-£25 a bottle, looks an attractive buy compared to Ausone’s £600.

Above: Pauline Vauthier

Top right: Château Les Cruzelles, formerly run by Denis Durantou, and now by his daughter Noëmie and her sisters

Château Pape Clément

If you’ve always wanted to visit a Bordeaux château, join us for an exclusive guided tour of one of the oldest and grandest of all

BAROLO 2013: A RETROSPECTIVE

The 2013 vintage was very strong for Barolo, despite variable conditions across the region, and while the wines continue to evolve, most are drinking extremely well now

FEATURE STEPHEN BROOK

Slopes of autumn vines below the Piedmont town of Serralunga d’Alba

GREAT TUSCAN VINTAGES TO DRINK NOW

Each growing season seems to bring different but equally challenging conditions in Tuscany: it’s rarely easy. We explain how producers succeeded in the five most significant recent vintages, and pick four standout wines from each to try

STORY MONTY WALDIN

The best Tuscan vintages are not always the easiest. In 2010 there was a chance of real glory, but you needed to earn it right through a season seemingly laden with bear traps – life was easier for the perennially attentive producers able and willing to sacrifice crop for quality in order to capture 2010’s elegance, both in terms of fruit clarity and tannic finesse.

The follow-on 2011 was the difficult child, scolded by brutal Saharan heat just before harvest – a small crop required laborious selection, which the best producers handled with sweat and skill. Tuscany

2013 can divide opinion, but it is a favourite of mine: wines with backbone, a sense of purpose and crystalline fruit expression.

The final two vintages would be called ‘a pair’ in Bordeaux, almost as if in 2015 the oven had been turned up a notch too high, with 2016 providing a tempering correction. The best 2015s are rich rather than dense, and the fruit needs time to unfold its full complexity. 2016 is the beautiful child, still in its infancy – the best vintage since 2004 (when I began spending much of my time in Tuscany), its joyful transparency is tempting now, but deceptively ageworthy.

BRILLIANT BARBERA

A hugely flexible grape variety, producing approachable yet often complex and food-friendly wines from diverse terroirs

STORY MICHAELA MORRIS

rarified

In air

Growing wines in Italy’s hilliest regions is complicated , expensive and demands huge effort. So why do high-altitude producers carry on, and what makes their wines well worth seeking out?

A NEW ERA

Bordeaux has many great traditions, but diversity hasn’t always been one. At last this is changing, though. We met some of the professionals bringing a breath of fresh air to the world of grand châteaux and family ties

STORY JANE ANSON