Reviews

Top wines 2008
«Cigar Clan» №6(42) December 2008 — January 2009

Every self-respecting wine magazine publishes wine scores or ratings.

Initially we planned to write this article as an analysis of the most exciting wines which were featured in the leading international publications in 2008. Then we thought again and came with a different idea. Why don’t we publish own hit parade and showcase wines which impressed Russian wine lovers most of all this year? So here it is.

To make things clear at once, Cigar Clan Top Wines 2008 is not an attempt to copy Wine Spectator Top 100, the world’s most influential annual wine rating. Wine Spectator Top 100 has been around for twenty years, and the magazine’s tasting team works throughout the year to choose the best hundred out of 15,000 samples. Our magazine started a wine section only recently, therefore it has neither resources nor time for such a massive undertaking.

We went a different way, by asking help from our wine importers. They determine which wines get to Russia in the first place. As a good rating implies high quality, only fine wine companies which work restaurants and wine boutiques were invited to participate. Everybody was asked the same question, “Which wines from your portfolio became hits this year?” Moreover, importers had to come up with wines whose popularity greatly rose this year. The wines also had to have unique selling points, such as a great vintage, a trendy producer, etc. Now it’s time to announce the winners.

The fashion for Italian goods in Russia wouldn’t fade, but even we couldn’t imagine that wines of the Apennine peninsula would win so easily. Statistically the Russians drank more French wine this year. Nevertheless, Italy could always make surprises, impress and amaze — hence such a great number of entries.

Tuscany remains a favourite wine region, being represented by 5 names. It is interesting that only two wines — Luce 2004 and Il Pino di Biserno 2005 — were Supertuscan. The rest come from classical production zones — Chianti Classico, Chianti Rufina and Brunello di Montalcino. Thus, our list confirms the latest trend that Russian wine lovers, like those around the world, are finally cooling down towards a mega-popular Supertuscan category. If we were making a rating 2-3 years ago, Supertuscans would surely have taken all places. Despite the change in preferences, both Supertuscan wines deserve to be in out hit-parade. Il Pino di Biserno, a blend of four Bordeaux grapes dominated by Merlot, is made on the Tuscan coast near Bolgheri. This is a new winemaking project of Lodovico Antinori, the father of Ornellaia. Il Pino di Biserno is a new wine on the market that instantly became a hit, especially in the restaurants, thanks to its stylish character. The other Supertuscan, Luce, from a Montalcino estate of the aristocratic winemaking dynasty of the Frescobaldis, is well known in Russia. Memorable bottle design and an impressive taste profile, made from equal parts of Sangiovese and Merlot, found Luce many followers.

There is one more bottle from Frescobaldi — Nipozzano Riserva 2005, regularly one of the best in the historic production area of Chianti Rufina. This wine, like the remaining two Tuscans — Castello Fonterutoli 2001 and Col d’Orcia 2003 — are made with Sangiovese, a king among the Tuscan grapes. We are especially pleased that this great grape is enjoyed by the Russian wine lovers, and that they equally appreciate different Sangiovese characters which come from various production areas — Chianti Classico and Brunello di Montalcino. It is fortunate that “Super” Chianti Classico Castello Fonterutoli 2001 is still being sold in Russia. This is a superb vintage which drinks well now.

Along with a great number of nominations, Italy’s success in Cigar Clan Top Wines is also remarkable because almost all Italian geography is covered. Here are Piedmont and Veneto, Alto Adige and Friuli, Trentino and Lazio, Sicily and Sardinia. Russian wine lovers, who enjoy Italian wine, can pass an exam on the leading Italian wine zones!

Meanwhile, Veneto was lucky to receive three entries — largely thanks to legendary Giuseppe Quintarelli whose name makes wine connoisseurs bow in respect. There was a strong interest to his red Valpolicella 1996 and white Bianco Secco 2006 throughout the year. Valpolicella surprised not only by an unforgettable bouquet of a mature wine, but also by a reasonable for such an exceptional vintage price. The white, formally marked as a table wine, appealed by its freshness, balance and suppleness — easily recognized features of the Quintarelli style. The third representative of Veneto is Prosecco Brut Fagher by Le Colture, one of the best offers in this class of sparkling wines.

Piedmont receives a similar number of awards like Tuscany in Italian guides, but its great wines are rather difficult to understand by uninitiated audience. The better it is to see two Piedmont names in our hit parade. Gaja Barbaresco 2004 is highly sought after — and not only because this is a creation of the talented Angelo Gaja. Everyone agrees that 2004 is an outstanding vintage. Elegant and balanced Barbaresco can be drank now, but potential for further aging is huge. The other entry is La Scolca Gavi dei Gavi 2006. Wine lovers in Russia have long discovered white Piedmont wines made of Cortese grape. They appreciate La Scolca for intense almondy flavours with hints of flint.

Sicily remains a favourite region in Italy for the Russians. Several high profile projects were launched recently, and first results are already here. Businessman Antonio Moretti, known through his Tuscan estate Sette Ponti, invited consulting enologist Carlo Ferrini to work in Sicily, in a new winery Feudo Maccari. Thus Feudo Maccari Maharis was born, a blend of typical Sicilian grape Nero d’Avola with some Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. This is a powerful, but very appealing wine. Vineyards of Cottanera estate are planted to different varieties on the slopes of the Mount Etna. Russian wine lovers especially enjoyed Gramonte 2004 — an excellent Merlot that retains the essence of volcanic soils and generous southern climate.

Another island wine, this time made in Sardinia, received an unexpected nomination. Very good white wines Capichera Bianco from Vermentino grape enjoyed a high demand in Russia this year.

St. Michael-Eppan Sanct Valentin Pinot Grigio 2007 is also a white wine, but hailing from the mountainous Alto Adige. Italian Pinot Grigio became a fashionable alternative to Chardonnay, and there are not many Pinot Grigio wines of the superb level like Sanct Valentin that are sold in Russia.

Cigar Clan Top Wines has two more bottles from the north-east of Italy — Villa Gresti 2003 and Focus 2003. The former is from a well established estate Tenuta San Leonardo. This elegant Merlot-dominated red is possibly the only reasonably priced wine with tre bicchieri by Gambero Rosso on our market, and this fact was promptly recognized by the wine lovers. Another superb Merlot was also popular — Focus by Volpe Pasini in Friuli.

The last, but not the least in the Italian list is Montiano 2005 by Falesco in Lazio. The Russians have finally got the taste for wines made by leading enologist Riccardo Cotarella, and the demand is high. Moreover, Montiano is also Merlot!

Italy appears to have become the main supplier of wines from a traditional Bordeaux variety to Russia…

Let Italy continue to excite us, but no other winemaking country in the world cannot compare to France for fundamental wine values. Just note how the mood changes when we count great French regions — Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, the Rhone Valley… They are the wine classics, beyond time and fashion.

Bordeaux holds the second most prominent place after Tuscany in Cigar Clan Top Wines 2008. It is a shame that prices for the best wines have gone through the stratosphere, but this makes wine lovers look for good Bordeaux at reasonable prices. Two crus bourgeois should certainly be noted among them — Chateau Greysac 2004 and Chateau de Pez 2004. Both offer the highest possible level of quality in this category and genuine Bordeaux character. There is also Grand Bateau 2006 made by the enological team of a classed growth Chateau Beychevelle. We are happy to see white Bordeaux in our hit parade — Aile d’Argent 2005, made in the renowned Chateau Mouton Rothschild. White winemaking in Bordeaux is praiseworthy, but it is often underestimated because of the universal attention to red wines. Aile d’Argent is in the upper tier of the white Bordeaux hierarchy.

It is with sadness that we announce no red Burgundy wines in Cigar Clan Top Wines. White Burgundy is represented by universally loved Chablis. There are two wines from two popular in Russia producers — Jean-Marc Brocard and William Fevre.

Syrah wines have been in a strong competition with Cabernet and Merlot lately, and this is also reflected in our hit-parade. The entry of Monier de la Sizeranne 2003 by Chapoutier is not just a Syrah, but a wine from a legendary Hermitage appellation in the Rhone Valley. In addition, it made according to biodynamic principles. Biodynamic wines are currently trendy in Russia, and they were also featured in our magazine recently.

What rating of the finest French wines can be without Champagne? Perhaps, there are some, but not ours. Sales of the prestigious sparkling wine grow with a fast speed in this market, and last year Russia entered an informal club of only 15 countries where over a million bottles of Champagne is sold. Our wine lovers were buying a lot of non-vintage Laurent-Perrier Brut L-P and Ruinart Blanc de Blancs this year.

Spain ranks third in the popularity of winemaking countries. This result was quite predictable. Despite an abundance of offers and some in-vogue places like Priorat, the Russians are still in the process of getting acquainted with wines of this country. When a choice is made, it is usually about well familiar Rioja. Both entries in Cigar Clan Top Wines are from this region. It’ worth noting that both Gaudium by Marques de Caceres and Roda by Bodegas Roda offer an expressive, modern interpretation of red Rioja — hence a good reception from a big number of the Russian wine lovers.

A paradox: if in Italy we easily trust new wine projects, as long as they are backed up by a recognized name, we remain conservative in our choice of New World wines, relying only on the most ‘secure’ estates. Why? Russian people who appreciate wine seem to find a refined European style more acceptable for their palates than straightforward, explosive examples of the New World, thus they are more careful with the latter. There is also a perception of certain cultural heritage in the European wines, and this is an additional argument in their favour.

As a result, only 2 wines out of thirty come from New World, and their popularity can be explained. Clos Henri 2007 is from Marlborough in New Zealand. It goes without saying that it is made of Sauvignon Blanc. Virtually nothing else is imported to Russia from that area. It belongs to a French winemaking family Bourgeois that owns one of the leading estates in Sancerre, Henri Bourgeois. It explaines why Clos Henri has a definite European stance that sets it apart from other New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. The other New World entry is Argentinian Nicolas Catena Zapata 2004 by Bodega Catena Zapata in Mendoza. The wine is produced from the best parcels of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec, and it vies to compete with Bordeaux First Growths.

***

This is our first Cigar Clan Top Wines hit parade.We hope that it will become annual. Good wines deserve to be written about, but moreover — to be opened, drunk and enjoyed. We drink to that.

CIGAR CLAN TOP WINES-2008
Italy
Tuscany — Castello Fonterutoli Chianti Classico 2001 — Chianti Classico DOCG
Tuscany — Col d’Orcia Brunello di Montalcino 2003 — Brunello di Montalcino DOCG
Tuscany — Luce della Vite Luce 2004 — Toscana IGT
Tuscany — Nipozzano Riserva Chianti Rufina 2005 — Chianti Rufina DOCG
Tuscany — Tenuta di Biserno Il Pino di Biserno 2005 — Toscana IGT
Veneto — Guiseppe Quintarelli Valpolicella Classico Superiore 1996 — Valpolicella Classico Superiore DOC
Veneto — Guiseppe Quintarelli Bianco 2006 — Vino da Tavola
Veneto — Le Colture Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Brut Fagher — Prosecco di Valdobbiadene DOC
Piedmont — Gaja Barbaresco 2004 — Barbaresco DOCG
Piedmont — La Scolca Gavi dei Gavi 2006 — Gavi dei Gavi DOCG
Sicily — Cottanera Grammonte 2004 — Sicilia IGT
Sicily — Feudo Maccari Maharis 2005 — Sicilia IGT
Alto Adige — St. Michael -Eppan Sanct Valentin Pinot Grigio 2007 — Alto Adige DOC
Trentino — Tenuta San Leonardo Villa Gresti 2003 — Vigneto delle Dolomiti IGT
Friuli — Volpe Pasini Zuc di Volpe Focus 2003 — Venezia Giulia IGT
Lazio — Falesco Montiano 2005 — Lazio IGT
Sardinia — Capichera Bianco 2006 — Vino da Tavola
France
Bordeaux — Chateau Beychevelle Grand Bateau 2006 — Bordeaux Rouge AOC
Bordeaux — Chateau Greysac 2004 — Medoc AOC
Bordeaux — Chateau Mouton Rothschild Aile d’Argent 2005 — Bordeaux Blanc AOC
Bordeaux — Chateau de Pez 2004 — Saint-Estephe AOC
Chablis — Jean-Marc Brocard Domaine Sainte Claire Chablis 2006 — Chablis AOC
Chablis — William Fevre Chablis 2006 — Chablis AOC
Champagne — Laurent-Perrier Brut L-P — Champagne AOC
Champagne — Ruinart Blanc de Blancs — Champagne AOC
The Rhone Valley — M. Chapoutier Hermitage Monier de la Sizeranne 2003 — Hermitage AOC
Spain
Rioja — Bodegas Roda Roda 2000 — Rioja DOCa
Rioja — Marques de Caceres Gaudium 2002 — Rioja DOCa
New Zealand
Marlborough — Clos Henri Sauvignon Blanc 2007
Argentina
Mendoza — Bodega Catena Zapata Nicolas Catena Zapata 2004

We thank importers Vinicom, DP-Trade, MBG, Simple, United Distributors and Grandi Vini for their help in compiling the Cigar Clan Top Wines 2008.