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A taste of eight top non-Bordeaux brands sold via La Place
A masterclass at ProWine Shanghai in November highlighted the range of non-French fine wines now sold via La Place de Bordeaux. We taste and rate a top eight, as well as one benchmark Bordeaux from Pauillac.
The follow wines feature in the order in which they were served at the event, which took place on 12 November 2024. Please click here for a full report on the masterclass. Scroll down to see my tasting notes on the wines that were poured in Shanghai.
Castello di Fonterutoli, Siepi, 2022
- Blend: 50% Sangiovese, 50% Merlot
- Ageing : 18 months in French oak barrels (70% new): Barriques (Merlot), Tonneaux (Sangiovese)
- Alcohol: 14.5%
- Retail Price: CNY 1,000
We started the tasting of Hors Bordeaux handled by La Place with the outstanding 50/50 blend of Sangiovese and Merlot from the historic Castello di Fonterutoli in Chianti Classico DOCG. Called Siepi, we sampled the latest commercial release from the 2022 harvest, which was the 30th anniversary vintage – the wine was launched using grapes from the 1992 growing season. Hailing from the southern part of Chianti Classico, the vineyard for Siepi is a six-hectare plot in Castellina, featuring a mix of limestone and clay soils, known locally as alberese. Farmed organically since 2006, Siepi is a ‘Super Tuscan’, or, officially a Toscana IGT, because, containing 50% Merlot, it breaks the rules of Chianti Classico, which stipulate a minimum of 80% Sangiovese in the red blend.
Tasting note: Siepi 2022
For such a structured and age-worthy red, this is super youthful in style but, impressively, still accessible and pleasurable to drink. There’s baked cherry, some deliciously ripe plums, which are followed by fresher characters of cherry stone, cedarwood, wood shavings and toast, rounding off with a finish featuring fine, grippy tannins, bright acidity, and a lingering note of cherry fruit, with some blood orange too. It’s medium weight in mouthfeel, really easy to sip, and I love the combination of Sangiovese, with its fresh red fruit and firm tannins, and Merlot, which brings sweetness, while bolstering depth and colour. (Patrick Schmitt MW, November 2024)
Maquis, Franco, 2020
- Blend: 90% Cabernet Franc, 6% Carménère and
4% Cabernet Sauvignon - Ageing : 24 months in French oak barrels
- Alcohol: 14%
- Retail Price: CNY Approx 900
Next we sampled an exciting and novel fine wine, which was a Chilean red comprising as much as 90% Cabernet Franc – a grape that usually plays a supporting, as opposed to dominant role in great red blends. Hailing from great Colchagua estate Vina Maquis, this expression, called Franco, was first made with grapes from the 2008 vintage at the suggestion of consultant master blender from the Medoc, Eric Boissenot. So impressed was Boissenot by the wines from Cabernet Franc, he encouraged Maquis owner and winemaker Ricardo Hurtado to bottle them separately. The intensely-coloured and structured wine was from the 2020 vintage, and benefits from the site specifics of Maquis – a property located between two rivers that features old, ungrafted Cabernet Franc planted on free-draining gravels over clay. Such conditions allow for the deep-rooting pied franco plants to grow without irrigation despite near-arid conditions in this part of Chile.
Tasting note: Maquis Franco 2020
A beautifully made wine with pure, just-ripe red fruit – cherry, plums, fresh raspberries all featuring and deliciously so – framed by finely-grippy tannin, with a salty finish, featuring some cedar, and a chewy, taut feeling, with a subtle dry, toastiness too. This is a wine of persistence and great ageing potential, and while there’s a creaminess to the core, it’s got a refreshing bite to the finish, making it firm and mouth-watering. (Patrick Schmitt MW, November 2024)
Wynns Coonawarra Estate, John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon, 2021
- Blend: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
- Ageing: Matured for 16 months in French oak barrels of which 48% were hogsheads and 52% were barriques (23% new, 45% one-year-old and 32% two years old.)
- Alcohol: 13.5%
- Retail Price: CNY 1,020
Having tried a Merlot from Italy, and Cabernet Franc from Chile, we then moved to Australia to taste a varietal Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine was from the great Cabernet region that is Coonawarra – known for its terra rossa, which is a ‘red earth’ comprising red clay-rich soil overlaying limestone – and was made by the pioneering producer that is Wynns. Sampled in Shanghai was the brand’s top expression, called John Riddoch, after the Scottish man who founded the estate in 1891 (it was later bought by Samuel and David Wynn, explaining the property’s name today). The inaugural vintage of the Wynns’ flagship John Riddoch Cabernet was 1982, and it was the first Australian wine to be distributed on La Place, taking part in the September 2021 campaign.
Tasting note: Wynns John Riddoch 2021
A wonderful and refined Cabernet with layers of flavour, from pure cassis to spicy peppercorn, a touch of vanilla pod and dark chocolate, followed by wood shaving, a hint of green capsicum, then salt crystals and crushed rocks. It’s just so persistent, with freshness lengthening the palate, and a finish that’s dry and finely tannic, offsetting the intense dark berry fruit at the heart of this fine, age-worthy wine. (Patrick Schmitt MW, November 2024)
Château Pichon Baron, 2019
- Blend: 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot
- Ageing: 80% in new barrels, 20% from barrels of one vintage, for 18 months
- Alcohol: 14.5%
- Retail Price: CNY 1,900
At this point, we poured the benchmark fine wine that is Château Pichon Baron from Bordeaux. Located in Pauillac, the 2021 vintage combined 87% Cabernet Sauvignon with 13% Merlot to yield a wine of depth and structure, a magnificent balance of fleshy fruit and firm tannin. Despite being a Second Growth, Château Pichon Baron is often considered one of the “Super Seconds,” which is a group of seven Second Growths – half the total – that produce wines considered comparable in quality to the First Growths. Château Pichon Baron was bought by AXA in 1987, which focused on extensive renovations and improvements, including replanting vineyards, building new cellars, and modernizing equipment. Today this is considered one of the world’s greatest and most long-lived Cabernet-dominant blends.
Tasting note: Pichon Baron 2019
An amazing wine, with such concentration, packed as it is with pure, intense blackcurrant fruit, with some fleshy raspberry too, then a touch of cream, and toast, followed by a dry, cigar box note on the finish. It’s wonderfully and refreshingly grippy, with tight, fine tannins bringing an appealing mouth-watering sensation, and, while ripe and dense, there’s freshness to the wine, but without any green notes. In short, it’s brilliant, with clearly a great potential for cellaring – there are decades of life in this. The only downside? It’s hard not to drink it now. (Patrick Schmitt MW, November 2024)
Viña Santa Rita, Casa Real Reserva Especial, 2021
- Blend: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
- Ageing: 20 months (82% new French barrels)
- Alcohol: 13.9%
- Retail Price: CNY 770
Back to Chile, and returning to a varietal Cabernet, the following wine was Viña Santa Rita’s Casa Real Reserva Especial, a stunning expression of the grape from the Andean foothills of the Maipo Valley. Almost half the Cabernet hails from ungrafted vines planted in the 70s and 80s, with the wine blended – like Viña Maquis – with the expert help of Eric Boissenot. According to the winemaker, much-respected Sebastian Labbé, Casa Real’s core source vineyard in the Alto Jahuel sub-region produces near-perfect Cabernet. “It has small bunches, small berries, and thick skins, and the shoots are completely lignified at veraison, which leads to homogenous ripening: it is the ideal vineyard you might read about in books”. Casa Real launched with a wine from 1989 harvest, and was first listed on La Place in September 2022 with 2018 vintage.
Tasting note: Casa Real 2021
A beautifully-balanced example of dense and fleshy Cabernet, rich in fully ripe blackcurrant along with delicious, sweet red fruit flavours, from raspberry to strawberry, backed up by barrel-derived characters of toast, chocolate and a touch of vanilla-cream. It’s also tight-knit and mouth-watering, with a finish featuring a hint of sage, then peppercorn, which is followed by a lovely dry feeling, as the fine tannins reveal themselves, reminding one that is a structured red, and built for the long term – even if it’s a pleasure to drink in this youthful state. (Patrick Schmitt MW, November 2024)
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Catena Zapata, Nicolás Catena Zapata, 2021
- Blend: 46% Cabernet Sauvignon (1,400m Adrianna vineyard in Gualtallary), 44% Malbec, 10% Cabernet Franc
- Ageing : 18 months in French oak barrels
- Alcohol: 13.5%
- Retail Price: CNY 835
Staying within South America, but moving to a new country and adding a new grape variety, we then served another iconic label: Argentina’s Nicolás Catena Zapata from Bodega Catena Zapata – the most awarded producer in the nation. This flagship expression blends Cabernet with Malbec and Cabernet Franc to yield a complex wine with amazing colour, structure and complexity. Named after Nicolás Catena, who is credited with putting Argentinian Malbec and high-altitude viticulture on the global map. The label was first listed on La Place in September 2018 with 2015 vintage as part of vintner Laura Catena’s ‘100-year plan’ “to ensure all major wine lovers had a bottle of Catena in their cellar,” and “make Argentine wine stand alongside the best in the world” – something that was taking place that day in Shanghai.
Tasting note: Catena Zapata 2021
A remarkable and wonderful mix of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec that’s bursting with concentrated blackcurrant and fleshy red cherry fruit, allied to complementary notes of cedarwood, dark chocolate and rock dust. Despite the power and intensity of the fruit flavours, structurally, this is quite firm, with a tight-grained dry tannin texture, and a sour cherry freshness on the finish. In other words, a serious and complex red, with great appeal, but, due to its rigid frame, one that will be more accessible if cellared and drunk in five years’ time – or indeed, 25. (Patrick Schmitt MW, November 2024)
Morlet Family Vineyards, Coeur de Vallée, 2021
- Blend: 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc
- Ageing: 16 months in French oak barrels from selected artisan Coopers
- Alcohol: 15.7%
- Retail Price: CNY 3,214
Then came our first wine from the US. Proving an instant hit, this was the luscious top Cabernet-dominant blend from Morlet Family Vineyards, called Coeur de Vallée. Translating as ‘heart of the valley’, the red reflecting its source, which is a special site in the Oakville AVA of Napa Valley planted with fully mature vines that are 30-40 years old. Made by Luc Morlet, who is originally from France, the wine is said to benefit from his experience making wine in Bordeaux and Burgundy, combined with his work in California. Typically a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, with the former dominant variety providing structure, dark fruit flavours, and ageing potential, while the Cabernet Franc is said to contribute aromatic complexity, floral notes, and finesse.
Tasting note: Morlet Coeur de Vallée 2021
A wine that must be tried to be believed – this flagship Cabernet blend from Morlet is just so enveloping and indulgent, while still refreshing and cellar-worthy. The first sensations are of richness, sweetness even, with chocolate and cream, sweet berries and caramel, even a touch of blackberry jam. Then comes the finish, that’s surprising in its dryness, with ripe tannins giving a gentle, mouth-watering grip. Yes it’s warming, with a hint of alcohol heat, but the weight and power of this red hides that intimidating abv of 15.7%. indeed, probably not a wine for the fainthearted.
Viñedos Familia Chadwick, Seña, 2011
- Blend : 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Carmenere, 15% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc
- Ageing: 22 months in French oak barrels (75% new French barrels)
- Alcohol: 14%
- Retail Price: CNY 1,430
At this point, I stressed that the test of a fine wine is not just to assess its quality in its youth, but its ability to improve with time spent ageing in bottle. Ideally, an expression should have developed greater complexity and appeal after around 10 years cellaring. With this in mind we were lucky enough to be able to sample one of Chile’s great Cabernet blends in a state of maturity. That was Seña from the 2011 harvest. Made by Viñedos Familia Chadwick, Viña Seña was established as a collaborative project between Eduardo Chadwick of Viña Errázuriz and the late Robert Mondavi in 1991. The first vintage was 1995, which was released in 1997, with Viña Seña modelled on the French château concept, employing grapes from its own estate – which was located in an isolated, unspoilt part of the Aconcagua Valley.
Its aim? To produce a Bordeaux-style blend with a distinctively Chilean character, provided by the inclusion of the country’s emblematic Carmenere grape in the blend. The name Seña – meaning ‘sign’ – was chosen, because this brand would serve as a signal that Chile could develop world-class wines. This was something proved in 2004 at the ‘Berlin Tasting’, in which Seña 2001 bettered all its illustrious competition, including Lafite, Margaux, and Sassicaia.
As for the 2011 expression we sampled, the room and I were delighted with the quality of this biodynamically-farmed Cabernet-dominant blend, which had some tertiary characters of cedar wood and tobacco, along with dried fruit, but still plenty of youthful energy – apparent in its deep colour, textural density and lively lip-smacking edge.
Tasting note: Seña 2011
Hailing from a cooler, slow-ripening vintage in Aconcagua, this 2011 expression was born with fresh-tasting fruit that was destined for a long life spent slowly evolving in the bottle, and this, after 13 years, is just starting to unravel and deliver delicious age-Cabernet flavours, from cigar box to prunes, orange peel to sweet tobacco. Mingling with this is some hay, and dried cherry, and there’s some blackcurrant still present. The finish is wonderful and refreshing, with a touch of concentrated balsamic, then a chalky taste and a dry tannic texture, followed by a complexing and appealing pencil led character. Delicious now, but would still benefit from another 5-10 years of slow evolution. (Patrick Schmitt MW, November 2024)
Jackson Family Wines, Cardinale, 2007 (magnum)
- Blend: 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot
- Ageing: 22 months in 100% French oak barrels (90% new French barrels)
- Alcohol: 14.8%
- Retail Price: Enquire for price (latest release of 2019 in bottle is CNY 3,245)
Finally, we had an even older wine. Standing tall and prominent in magnums, our concluding brand was a statement in look and style, not forgetting state. Coming from the 2007 vintage, it was the unique, collectible Cardinale Cabernet-dominant brand from Jackson Family Wines, now in a state of relative maturity. A single flagship wine, it is a limited production wine made primarily of Cabernet Sauvignon blended with small amounts of Merlot. It is crafted from grapes sourced from several of Napa Valley’s top sub-regions, including Mount Veeder, Howell Mountain, Spring Mountain, and Stags Leap District. Such top-end, high-altitude sites yield smaller grapes with thicker skins, resulting in wines with deep colour, intense flavours, and firm tannins. Complementing this fruit character is the winemaking, which is done by the hugely-talented Chris Carpenter – db’s Master Winemaker of the Year 2024 – who lets the wine rest for 22 months in 90% new French oak barrels before bottling.
What a way to round off a remarkable tasting, with this outstanding wine proving the power, balance and quality as well as age-ability of top Napa Cabernet – had the wine been served ‘blind’, few would have suspected this intense blend was 17 years old. For many, this sample was not only a favourite, but a revelation for the age-worthiness of so-called New World wines.
Tasting note: Cardinale 2007
An incredible wine that’s hard to fault – indeed, it’s complete: one can’t take a point off this remarkable drop. Layers of stewed, sweet ripe red and black berry fruit lead the charge of wonderful maturing flavours, complemented by some blackcurrant jam and dried cherry, then cigar smoke and cedarwood, which rise to the fore as the initial fruit flavours fade. Any new oak-derived characters have disappeared, leaving the focus on the powerful concentrated Cabernet in an evolved but far from fully mature state: there’s still fleshy depth to this, and masses of colour too. Then comes the finish, which has a lovely lift, featuring a mouth-watering mix of fine dry tannins and fresh berry acidity. Yes this is full-on, rich, ripe Napa Cabernet, but it’s bursting with brightness, and has the sort of energy one would expect of a 10 year-old red, not one approaching double that age. (Patrick Schmitt MW, November 2024)
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