One of the stand out points from the tasting was the relative value that can still be found in Tuscany. There are expensive Tuscan wines too – often considered Tuscany’s answer to Chateau Petrus, the Masseto 2007 at $630 was a stunner. But it was simply a different style rather than an objectively better wine than, for example, the Sassicaia 2008 or Fontodi Flaccianello 2007, which were two of the stars of the tasting and sit at a substantially lower price point. Many of the absolute top wines we tasted, including the Flaccianello, retail for just a touch over $100 you could have over two cases for the same price as one bottle of a recent vintage First Growth Bordeaux!

Value-wise we were particularly impressed by the Argiano Brunello di Montalcino, one of the least expensive wines tasted. From the fairly warm 2007 vintage, the Argiano was fairly ripe and plush, offering great drinking now and is a relative bargain at $60.

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On Tuesday night we had a very special tasting of Burgundy wines, focusing on the grands crus of Gevrey-Chambertin. With an average price per bottle of $468, it was a rare and fascinating opportunity to taste a range of these increasingly expensive wines from vineyards regarded as among the finest in the world for Pinot Noir.

All of the wines were stunning and picking a preference for one over another was really only possible the context of tasting them among wines of a similar calibre. Put into another line-up, any one of these wines could have stood out as wine of the night.

We kicked things off with a rather decadent wine to whet our palates, Bouchard’s Chevalier-Montrachet 2010. Very refined and restrained on the nose but with great mouth-filling texture. This was still very tight and needs time but was beautifully elegant.

Heading into the reds, we began with the Bouchard Chambertin 2009. From a warm vintage, this had a deep, savoury nose, with floral hints. Medium-bodied, it had fresher acidity than you might expect from ’09, but a gentle, plush texture.

We then tried two vintages of Domaine Faiveley Chambertin-Clos de Bèze, the first, also 2009 had perhaps more complexity on the nose than the Bouchard wine, with delicious red berry, floral and very sexy spicy oak notes. With a plush and velvety texture and long, spicy finish, this was a terrific wine.

The 2010 vintage of the same wine shared a similar profile but with a bit more of a lighter, fresher character overall. Extremely elegant with a very long finish.

Another 2010 Clos de Bèze was up next, Bouchard Père & Fils. This had a deeper, fuller nose. Bigger and brawnier on the palate too. A spicy, rich and powerful style with great density and mouthcoating tannins.

It served as a warm-up to the three following wines by Domaine Dugat-Py which upped the ante again as far as big and powerful style goes. You could tell from the colours that these three were different beasts to the preceding wines. Deep, dark and purple, even the textures of the wines in the glass seemed more viscous. Bernard Dugat is known for crafting these dense and powerful styles that require long aging in the cellar to reveal their full potential. It’s certainly a style that has won him a huge following and Dugat-Py is now regarded as one of the very best producers in all of Burgundy (with prices to match that reputation).

The first of this trio, the Dugat-Py Charmes-Chambertin 2010 featured deep berry characters and earthy, mushroom notes on the nose.  Immense dark fruit flavours were wrapped up tight in big structured tannins.

The 2011 Dugat-Py Charmes-Chambertin was slightly more open and fruit-driven on the nose with some floral notes. Fairly soft and elegant in comparison to the 2010, there was still great depth to this big wine.
The final wine of the night was the Dugat-Py Mazoyeres-Chambertin 2011. Mazoyeres can legally be sold under the Charmes-Chambertin appellation and Dugat is one of the few producers to still bottle a separate Mazoyeres wine. A beautiful nose with a bit more of the typical Gevrey earthy character present. Spicy and dark, this was more structured and tannic than the Charmes. It was easy to see the potential in these Dugat-Py wines but they really deserve another 10+ years in the cellar.

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Southern Rhone estate, Domaine de la Janasse, was originally founded in 1967 by Aimé Sabon. It wasn’t until 6 years later in 1973 that the Domaine began to bottle their own wines from their vineyards in Chateauneuf du Pape and the surrounding area. The Domaine takes its name from the northerly lieu-dit of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, La Janasse. Since 1991, the winemaking has been overseen by Aimé’s son Christophe who was subsequently joined by his sister Isabelle in 2001. The Domaine has established a reputation as one of Chateauneuf-du-Pape’s finest producers, using a blend of traditional and modern viticulture and wine making techniques to produce wines that combine the best of both approaches.

Janasse has grown over the years from an initial holding of 15 hectares to a total of 55 hectares including 15ha in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, with the remainder made up of holdings in the Cotes du Rhone Villages and Cotes du Rhone appellations as well as IGP Principaute d’Orange and Vin de France.

Their expansive land holdings are spread out over sixty different parcels, each with it’s own distinct soil type and microclimate. This broad range of sites has allowed the Domaine to research the best possible combinations of grape variety, site and wine blend. The whites and Syrah are generally planted on the north-east oriented, sandy-limestone soils which helps to preserve freshness. The later-ripening Mourvedre on the other hand is planted to the warmer clay-limestone, pebbly sites. This diversity of sites helps each variety to achieve it’s optimum potential and also contributes complexity to the final blends of each cuvée. Janasse also produce a number of single-site wines that express the unique character of their particular parcel.

Three Chateauneuf’s are regularly produced. The standard, Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Tradition is generally around 75-80% Grenache with the remainder made up primarily of Syrah, Mourvedre and a small amount of Cinsault. It is aged in large oak foudres.

The Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Chaupin is 100% Grenache from a single parcel of vines planted in 1912. It comes from a slightly cooler site that allows for an extended ripening period while retaining freshness and acidity. Chaupin is typically a very powerful wine but with a real sense of elegance.

Cuvée Vieilles Vignes comes from a selection of the estate’s oldest vines. Four parcels located in different soils are assembled to create a harmonious wine: a southern pebbly soil brings fat and power, a Chaupin-like parcel adds freshness and acidity, a red clay pebbly soil, very late picked because of its location to the north of the appellation, brings structure and body, and finally a sandy-limestone soil adds smoothness.

Alongside the Chateauneuf-du-Papes, Janasse also produce a range of other wines including a terrific-value Cotes du Rhone rouge and dry Rose, and an excellent Principaute d’Orange Viognier.

Click here to see the range of Domaine de la Janasse wines available now at Caro’s.

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Last week we were joined by Carlos Lopez de Lacaille of top Rioja producer, Artadi, for a fantastic tasting of their wines. We’ve been importing in Artadi’s wines for several years now but this was the first chance we’d had to welcome a member of the family behind them to guide us through the range. It was a fascinating and informative evening!

Founded in 1985, Artadi rapidly established an excellent reputation for high-quality, terroir-focused wines, intent on expressing the qualities of Rioja wines at their best.

Artaid focuses on two key concepts when creating their various wines – wines blended from several vineyards to create a style that consistently expresses Artadi’s vision of Rioja, and single-vineyard wines expressing the unique style of a particular site. They were pioneers of the latter concept in Rioja and now produce three separate single-vineyard wines.

Artadi has also expanded their operations into the neighbouring wine regions of Alicante and Navarra, hoping to capture the essence of these regions too.

We kicked off the tasting with the delicious Artazuri Blanco form their Navarra estate. Elegant and fresh it’s an interesting blend of Viura and Chardonnay.

Moving on to the reds we began with the El Seque from Alicante. 80% Monastrell, 10% Syrah and 10% Tempranillo, it was surprisingly open and forward with loads of fruit but also nice hints of earthy, funky complexity.

The 100% Grenache Santa Cruz de Artazu from Navarra comes from vineyards planted nearly 100 years ago. Deep and complex it showed great floral notes on the nose and a terrific fresh acidity that Carlos describes as ‘electric’.

We moved to the Rioja wines next with the Artadi Tempranillo first up. Coming from the estates younger vines, up to around 15 years old, this was a fruit-driven, easy-drinking style that offers really good value.

Artadi’s Viñas de Gain comes from the older vines, around 30 to 50 years old. There’s a definite step up in depth and concentration with a much weightier mouthfeel. A beautiful wine.

Next up were a pair of Artadi’s single-vineyard wines which were both stunning, but in quite different styles. The Valdegines, coming off 50 year old vines, was more fresh and elegant, a style Carlos described as feminine. The La Poza de Ballesteros was a distinct contrast with a deeper, earthier and more savoury nose. It was an intense wine, bigger and burlier than the Valdegines but still beautifully balanced. One of the wines of the night.

The final wine was the Pagos Viejos. This is from a selection of Artadi’s oldest vines that results in terrific depth and complexity. More subtle in style than the preceding La Poza but equally superb.

Click here to see the full range of Artadi wines available now at Caro’s.

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Last week we were lucky enough to be joined by Cristina Callejo, of Bodegas Félix Callejo in Spain’s  Ribera del Duero, who flew in for just one night to host a stunning tasting of her family’s wines.

We’ve been importing Callejo for a number of years now and have always been impressed by their quality, but this was the first time we’ve held a tasting dedicated solely to their superb wines. We don’t often get to have representatives from our international wineries come over to guide us through their wines, so this was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up! It was fascinating to try the entire range together and hear Cristina share her in-depth knowledge of Callejo’s wines.

One of the revelations of the tasting was the 2011 Flores de Callejo. This is Callejo’s entry-level Tempranillo, aged 6 months in oak and we were amazed by its quality. Dense purple, with a beautiful floral nose and a lush, ripe impression, it’s seriously good value.

The 2009 Callejo was similarly ripe and densely coloured, but with slightly more tannin and acidity adding structure.

One of the stars of the tasting, the 2009 Majuelos de Callejo was refined and silky with absolutely beautiful balance and a complex, perfumed nose. ‘Majuelo’ is an old word for small vineyard.

The 2006 Gran Callejo was also complex and refined with a softness and delicacy to it from its extended aging making it an absolute pleasure to drink now.

We took a break from 100% Tempranillo wines to try the 2009 Finca Valderoble, a Tempranillo, Merlot and Syrah blend from a single vineyard, Ribera del Duero’s highest. The site was originally intended to become a small airstrip until Jose Felix Callejo realised the extreme climate and limestone soil had great potential for quality wines and planted it to vine in 2004. The wine is certified organic and is moving towards becoming bio-dynamic. Cristina pointed out that in fact, all of the Callejo wines are produced under organic farming, but the long and somewhat arduous task of official organic certification has only been undertaken on this small site. This wine is also unique in that it is fermented in unlined concrete vats, allowing for softening micro-oxygenation during fermentation. Due to a bureaucratic quirk, this also means the wine is not allowed to be labelled Ribera del Duero so is instead sold under the Castilla Y Leon designation, depsite being within walking distance of the Callejo winery. An interesting wine, dense and opaque with a very complex, savoury nose and deep, dark berry flavours.

We finished off with a trio of vintages of Félix Callejo, the 2009, 2006 and 2005. These big wines were seriously impressive with serious cellaring potential too. The 2005 was still powerful and young, while the 2009 was an absolute baby.

Click here to see the full range of Callejo wines available now at Caro’s.

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La Rioja Alta S.A. is one of the most renowned producers of traditionally-styled Rioja, with a history dating back well over a century. Originally founded as the Sociedad Vinicola De La Rioja Alta in 1890 by five viticultural families of the Basque and Rioja regions, the name was soon changed to simply La Rioja Alta.

The company now owns two wineries with the original building located in Haro, being joined by a second, modern winemaking facility built in 1996 at Labastida just 1.5km to the north-east. The new winery contains temperature-controlled stainless steel fermentation tanks, allowing La Rioja Alta much greater control of the fermentation process. The estate covers 360 hectares of vines with parcels in much of the best parts of the Rioja Alta subregion. Though primarily Tempranillo, small amounts of Graciano and Mazuelo are planted and the estate also has 63 hectares of Garnacha vines in the Rioja Baja subregion.

The winery has its own cooperage producing barrels from oak imported from America and dried for two years. The production of their own barrels had been an integral part of La Rioja Alta in its early days through to the 1950’s but the practice had stopped until 2002 when the company returned to tradition and revived its in-house cooperage.

Returning to their own cooperage is not the only move to traditional practices shown by the estate. During the 1980’s, many Rioja producers were experimenting with shorter aging times in order to produce fresher, more ‘modern’ style wines that embraced a trend for more fruit-forward wines. La Rioja Alta decided to go against the trend and actually increased the aging of their wines in barrel and bottle, cementing their commitment to quality, traditional Rioja wines. Even the entry-level Viña Alberdi receives two years aging in oak and an additional three years in bottle.

The Viña Alberdi is 100% Tempranillo selected from the highest plots of their Rodezno and Labastida vineyards. The vines here are over thirty years old and grow in a soil composed of limestone and clay between 480 and 790 metres above sea level.

Next in the line-up is the Viña Arana Reserva Rioja, made up of 95% Tempranillo and 5% Mazuelo, given three years barrel age with racking every six months.

One of the true stars of the La Rioja Alta range is the Viña Ardanza Reserva. First created in 1942, it is named after one of the founding families. It is only produced in the best years, La Rioja Alta skipped both the 2002 and 2003 vintages, and the current vintage is the 2004. The wine is made up of 80% Tempranillo from thirty year old vines and 20% Garnacha coming from very old, goblet-pruned vines 600 metres above sea level in Rioja Baja. The Tempranillo spends 36 months in American oak while the Garnacha receives ‘only’ 30 months in oak to preserve its freshness, before the components are blended and bottled. The wine receives a further four years bottle age. Structure, elegance and aromatic complexity are the hallmarks of this superb example of traditional Rioja wine.

The two top wines of the range are the Rioja Gran Reserva 904 and Gran Reserva 890, named after the years they were first produced (1904 and 1890 respectively). Both are made up of a strict selection of the best grapes, 90% or more Tempranillo, from La Rioja Alta’s oldest vines. The 904 receives four years in oak before bottling while the 890 is aged for six years in barrel before additional bottle aging.

Click here to see the range of La Rioja Alta wines available now at Caro’s.

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One of the most well-known and highly-regarded producers in Germany, Dr. Loosen has done much to restore and reinvigorate the reputation of German wines, particularly the stunning Rieslings of the Mosel valley.

The estate has been in the hands of the Loosen family for over 200 years, but it was not until Ernst Loosen took over in 1988 that the producer began to establish their worldwide renown. Ernst immediately recognised the potential for quality that lay in the Loosen family’s plots of very old, ungrafted Riesling vines scattered throughout some of the Mosel’s absolute finest vineyards. The vineyard practices were completely overhauled to emphasise quality over quantity. Yields were reduced, strict selection at harvest was introduced and the use of all chemical fertilizers was stopped.

Riesling is the sole grape variety grown by Dr. Loosen and it is produced in a broad spectrum of styles. The German Pradikat system classifies wines based on the ripeness (sugar levels) of the grapes at harvest time and this generally corresponds reasonably closely to the sweetness of the finished wines. Kabinett wines are made from grapes harvested earlier and thus tend to be less sweet than Spätlese or Auslese made from later-harvested, riper grapes. Dr. Loosen produces Rieslings that range from bone-dry Trocken wines, to off-dry Kabinetts, medium Spätlese and sweet Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese and Eiswein.

Dr. Loosen has around 25 hectares of vines in six of the Mosel’s most highly regarded, ‘grand cru’ vineyards, Bernkasteler Lay, Graacher Himmelreich, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Ürziger Würzgarten, Erdener Treppchen and Erdener Prälat. These steep, slate and volcanic-soil vineyards lining the banks of the Mosel river are key to the quality of Mosel Riesling, offering maximum exposure to the sun. The river reflects sunlight and heat onto the vines and the slate soils also have excellent drainage and heat retaining properties. All vital elements in successfully ripening grapes in this cool climate area. Many of the best vineyards have virtually no topsoil at all, being comprised completely of weathered slate and volcanic rock. This soil has proved to be an inhospitable home to the phylloxera louse which decimated European vineyards in the 1800′s and necessitated the grafting of European vines onto phylloxera-resistant American rootstocks. Because of this many very old ungrafted vines exist in the Mosel’s vineyards, including those of Dr. Loosen.

Single-vineyard wines of varying styles are produced from all six of the ‘grand cru’ vineyards along with blended wines, such as the entry-level ‘Dr L’ Riesling which always offers excellent value. Though styles and sweetness levels vary, each of the single vineyards do possess a unique character that carries through into each of the wines.

The Bernkasteler Lay vineyard lies between the Loosen estate house and the village of Bernkastel. Its slate soils are slightly heavier and its slope gentler than many of the Mosel vineyards and the wines tend to be dense and richly textured with racy acidity.

Graacher Himmelreich lies between the villages of Bernkastel and Wehlen. It’s a steeper slope than Bernkasteler Lay with deep, slate soils. The wines from here always possess a strong mineral structure and citrus flavours.

Wehlener Sonnenuhr is perhaps ones of the most highly regarded vineyards of the Mosel. The grapes from this pure blue slate soil produce elegant and complex wines with very fine acidity and a mineral streak running through peach and citrus fruit flavours.

Ürziger Würzgarten is a very dramatic vineyard. An extremely steep slope of vivid red volcanic rock. This is home to Dr. Loosen’s oldest vines and the wines produced here are uniquely exotic with ripe, tropical fruit flavours and strong spicy notes (Wurzgarten translates as ‘spice garden’).

Though directly adjacent to the vineyards of Ürzig, the vineyards of Erden produce quite different wines. The wines of the Erdener Treppchen vineyard produce big, quite dense and powerful Rieslings from these iron-infused red slate soils.

Also in Erden is the Erdener Prälat vineyard, one of Dr. Loosen’s most prestigious holdings. this tiny 1.6 hectare vineyard is completely south facing, giving this very steep red slate slope a uniquely warm micro-climate that ensures excellent ripeness in every vintage and allows for the production of stunningly concentrated and rich Ausleses with great aging potential.

Click here to see the range of Dr. Loosen wines now available at Caro’s.

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One of the vinous highlights of John’s trip last year to Southern Italy was tasting the fine wines of Feudi di San Gregorio, so this year we’re bringing them in! Feudi di San Gregorio was first established in 1986, yet despite its relatively short history, it has established an enviable reputation as one of Italy’s finest, most innovative, and critically acclaimed producers.

Although Feudi was established less than 30 years ago, the area in which their vineyards are based, the Irpinia region of Campania in Southern Italy, has a much longer history. Records indicate that vines have been grown here since at least 590 AD. The area is home to some of Italy’s most unique volcanic terroir and ancient grape varieties. It was these attributes that Feudi di San Gregorio set out to promote, almost single-handedly pioneering a renaissance in Southern Italian winemaking. A skilful blend of contemporary and traditional viticulture and winemaking techniques is applied to indigenous varieties such as Fiano di Avellino, Greco di Tufo, Falanghina and Aglianico.

It is these unique grape varieties upon which Feudi’s reputation is based. Originally, 30 hectares of vines were planted by husband and wife owners, Enzo Ercolino and Mirella Capaldo. The estate has since expanded to around 270 hectares and in 2004 a new, state of the art winery was built. Ricardo Cotarella, Italy’s most respected consultant winemakers, oversees the production. They produce a multitude of wines from several varieties but are most well known for their highly regarded white Greco di Tufo DOCG, Fiano di Avellino and Falanghina del Sannio DOC, and red Taurasi DOCG and ‘Serpico’, both made from Aglianico.

Greco di Tufo was elevated to DOCG status in 2003 and is Campania’s largest producer of DOC quality wine. The soils of the region are composed of tuff, a rock formed from the volcanic ash of Mount Vesuvius, which Feudi believes imparts the wines with their distinct mineral character and freshness.

Feudi di San Gregorio produce two cuvees of pure Greco di Tufo. The regular cuvee is one of the best in the region generally showing aromatic notes of peach, pear and almond with a distinct minerally streak. The top-tier ‘Cutizzi’ Greco di Tufo is made from a selection of the best grapes, with the inclusion of a small amount of late-harvested grapes adding additional richness and complexity.

The Fiano grape was in danger of extinction throughout most of the 20^th Century, it’s low yields combined with thick skinned berries that give little juice making it a less economical variety to grow. Along with other wineries dedicated to preserving Campania’s grape legacy such as Mastroberardino, Feudi di San Gregorio helped to reverse the decline in Fiano’s popularity. Along with Greco di Tufo, Fiano di Avellino was elevated to DOCG status in 2003.

Fiano wines are fairly weighty with aromas and flavours of honey and spice. From a good vintage, Fiano di Avellino has potential to age beautifully in bottle, developing complex nutty and spicy notes. Feudi produce two cuvees, a regular Fiano di Avellino and the top ‘Pietracalda’ which like the ‘Cutizzi’ sees the addition of some later-harvested fruit and also lees-stirring to develop weight and complexity.

Falanghina, a variety not indigenous to Irpinia, but typical of neighbouring Campania regions was a later addition to the Feudi line-up. An ancient variety, Falanghina was appreciated by the Romans and produces perfumed, fresh, floral wines. Again, Feudi di San Gregorio produce two versions, a regular cuvee and the deluxe ‘Serrocielo’ from a selection of the best grapes.

Feudi di San Gregorio’s most highly-regarded reds are made from Aglianico, the most important fine red wine grape in Southern Italy. Their ‘Rubrato’ offers a fresh, youthful expression of the variety with juicy black fruit and licorice flavours. Their Taurasi DOCG is widely considered the best example made and is one of the finest reds of Italy. Their prestige cuvee ‘Serpico’ is also extremely well-regarded , crafted from grapes grown on century-old Aglianico vines in the heart of the Taurasi zone.

Click here to see the range of Feudi di San Gregorio wines available now at Caro’s.

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We were pretty chuffed to open Metro Magazine’s annual ‘Best of Auckland’ issue this week to see that Caro’s Wines has been named Best Wine Store for the ninth consecutive year! Huge thanks to all our customers and suppliers who’ve helped us along the years. Here’s to the next nine years!

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Our newest container of European wines arrived last week and everything has been unpacked and hit the shelves. There are loads of new things to try including new Ribera del Duero wines from Callejo, a new producer for us, Clos Figueras from Priorat and Godello from Luna Beberide in Mencia among the Spanish goodies.

From France we have 2010 white burgundies from Vincent Girardin and Talmard and great value 2009 red Bordeaux from Chateau Carignan. One of the new wines we’re all eager to try is the 2011 Le G de Chateau Guiraud, the dry white from the renowned Sauternes producer.

There’s a bunch of great Italian wines in too, including top Chianti producer, Felsina, and our favourite value Sangiovese from Di Majo Norante. This year we’ve also brought in a small amount of their fantastic Aglianico called Contado and the delicious Italian white, Falanghina.

Here are just some of the wines we’ve loaded onto the shelves this week…

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