Some wine regions dance to the beat of their own drum. From the sweeter reds of Ethiopia’s Rift Valley to the soft-styled fizz of Altos de Pinto Bandeira, Arnica Rowan explores far-flung regions with distinctive approaches to growing vines and making wine – almost exclusively for their own people

Arnica Rowan explores wines that don’t make it to the international market – with distinctive styles from Ethiopia, Brazil, Thailand and beyond

Discover the wines of Ethiopia, Brazil and beyond

Not for export

Juliette Couderc didn’t have the easiest start at Ch. l’Evangile. She arrived in September 2020, in the heart of the pandemic, and just in time for the 2021 growing season – a vintage that saw incredible mildew pressure and a return to the chaptalisation that was, pre-climate change, normal for the region.  But the 31-year-old isn’t one to shy away from a battle. The Sunday before I spoke to her, she’d broken a finger playing rugby – something about which she was particularly blasé (it was “very, very blue”, she told me). Indeed, she used to play fullback for Narbonne’s team in the Fédérale 1 league, and now represents the local Libourne squad. In a wine region that is dominated by the slick and suited, she’s a breath of fresh air.  Born in the Charente, Couderc studied winemaking in Bordeaux and Montpellier before travelling to opposite ends of the earth – Chile and then New Zealand – to learn her craft. But L’Evangile – one of Pomerol’s most respected names – is a far cry from the wineries she started in. Both Escudo Rojo (a Mouton Rothschild project) and Wairau River in Marlborough were big operations, giving her exposure to larger-scale winemaking. She returned to France and worked her way through Burgundy and the Rhône before settling in the Languedoc for several years, focusing on viticulture. It was here that she first met Olivier Trégoat, who was then Technical Director of Domaines Barons de Rothschild’s projects in Chile, China and the Languedoc. In 2017, he recruited her – then aged just 26 – to head up the vineyards for Long Dai, their winery in Shandong Province. She’d planned to only stay a year, but then she was made Technical Director, managing work in both the vineyards and winery. It was Covid’s arrival, along with China’s strict lockdowns, that saw her return home – and Olivier Trégoat, who had just taken the reins for L’Evangile and Rieussec gave the talented winemaker her next opportunity, as Chief Operating Officer at Ch. l’Evangile.  For the rest of the team – including a Cellar Master that had been there 20 years – she may not have been the obvious choice. Despite growing up just an hour away, the 29-year-old had never worked in Bordeaux, let alone one of the region’s top estates – one that is sibling to First Growth Ch. Lafite Rothschild.  “At the beginning, it was pretty stressful for me,” she confesses, “because I’m pretty young in comparison to the rest of the team.” But it didn’t take long for them to realise why she’d been chosen. She’s not the sort to sit behind a desk. She was instantly out in the vineyards and winery talking to the team, digging into the DNA of the estate – and gently starting to question why they did things this way and that.  Baron Eric de Rothschild bought shares in Ch. l’Evangile in 1990, taking full ownership in 1998. Significant investment and change followed, with a new winery completed in 2004, extensive replanting and an additional seven hectares bought to complement the original 15. Bearing in mind the Rothschild family has owned Lafite since 1868, L’Evangile is just a baby – but that hasn’t held them back. Robert Parker gave the 2009 vintage 100 points – and the estate has been a cult address ever since.  L'Evangile is big by Pomerol standards, with 22 hectares spread over various sites. Between four and five hectares sit on the appellation’s famous blue clay (shared by Pétrus), with the rest on sandy clay and gravel soils. It’s the Merlot from that blue clay that contributes the creaminess that is key to the property’s fingerprint – along with soft yet dense tannins. Couderc is looking to make sure that that fingerprint shines through in the wines, even with climate change.  Her appointment is part of an ongoing shift at Domaines Barons de Rothschild. Since Saskia de Rothschild took over in 2018, she’s been pushing for a new vision, putting Jean-Sébastien Philippe in place as her right-hand man, and a flurry of fresh faces throughout the company, with the hope to move from “aristocratic” to “up-to-date” – and certainly more approachable, breaking the fourth wall to talk to consumers. This is the new generation taking over at the highest level. The broader vision is enormous, with the cornerstone establishing an agricultural ecosystem. They are reintroducing corridors of vegetation, establishing ponds and natural waterways, and planting cover crops to improve biodiversity and soil health. They’re re-structuring the vineyards, breaking up plots into smaller parcels, reducing vineyard density, re-orienting vines and adjusting the trellising, working on massal selections and trial plantings of different varieties, as well as moving towards biodynamics – all with extensive trials and studies to ensure changes are for the long-term. Indeed L’Evangile has become a “laboratory” of sorts for the family, with many of these changes introduced at the smaller estate before they are implemented at Lafite. At L’Evangile, the aim has been to pull back – unmasking the terroir. Couderc is experimenting with ways to manage extremes – both drought conditions (as experienced in 2022) and mildew (as in 2021). One key from her point of view is managing the vineyard to retain freshness in the wines – reducing the canopy size and using cover crops, as well as farming both organically (certified since 2016) and biodynamically (certified since 2018).   When she first arrived, she plotted areas to harvest based on how the fruit tasted, planting flags to mark off areas, often stopping partway along a row. Although having done it “blind”, the final map matched up with the different soil types almost exactly. The differences between these parcels are particularly accentuated in hot years, with as much as a week between harvest dates for plots. And, as Couderc tells me, while once they might have waited a little, with warmer September days, finding exactly the right moment to pick has never been so important.   With each parcel harvested separately, it can be treated differently, Couderc explains – pushing the extraction of Merlot on the blue clay, for example, but being more careful for gravel-dominant sections which can bring overly “straight” tannins.  She’s also planting more Cabernet Franc, having seen the success of the variety on sandy plots. Naturally more resistant to mildew and bringing welcome freshness, she feels it will be key for the future – and aims to have it represent around 30% of the vineyards eventually (up from around 20% currently).   In the winery, élevage has been the focus – tweaking to find the right balance. She’s worked closely with Trégoat, Saskia de Rothschild and the cooper Taransaud to find the right oak profile, which has then been translated across three additional coopers (including the Rothschilds’ in-house operation) for barriques, as well as starting to use both foudres and amphorae. For Couderc, amphorae are tricky – with a risk of crude tannins, but the ability to emphasise tension and freshness which she likes, anticipating they will represent a small but important 8-15% of the final blend each vintage. Foudres were trialled on the second wine (Blason de l’Evangile) first, but will now also be used for the Grand Vin. With the natural generosity of Merlot, Couderc sees her job as “to keep the austerity, the freshness” of the wine – while also preserving the innate density of their terroir.  Tasting through a flight of vintages, it’s easy to see the transformation that is underway here. The 2015, for example, is one of the last “old-style” vintages, only enhanced by the generosity of the year. The wine is exotic, rich and ripe – a voluptuous, decadent wine that envelops you. By contrast, the 2019 and 2020 display a crunch and vibrancy, while not losing any of the property’s signature density. The 2022, meanwhile, manages to take the generosity of the year and contain it – with restrained precision and perfume, smooth but gravelly tannins and a seductively lighweight feel.  It's clear already that Couderc is set to be a star – and L’Evangile will only rise higher with her.   Browse all Ch. l’Evangile listings or read more about Bordeaux 

 One of the newest members of the team is Juliette Couderc – who took over as Chief Operating Officer at Ch. l’Evangile in 2020, aged just 29. Sophie Thorpe sat down with the vigneron to talk about Lafite’s Pomerol sibling and the evolution at this prestigious stable of estates

Sitting down with star vigneron Juliette Couderc, the Chief Operating Officer at Pomerol’s Ch. l’Evangile – owned by First Growth Ch. Lafite Rothschild

Talking to Juliette Couderc of Ch. l’Evangile

All change: evolution at Evangile

Since Bruno-Eugène Borie took over Ch. Ducru-Beaucaillou in 2003, the estate has become one of the best-known and most-loved properties in Bordeaux. The 2023 vintage will be his 20th at the helm – during which time the estate, and the region, have been transformed.  “Everything has changed, and nothing has changed,” Borie says, laughing. “Go all the way back to 1720. Even then, Ducru was trying to improve and adapt to current market conditions.” While he insists that Ducru’s quest to produce the best wine possible dates back centuries, facilitating that motivation has not always been easy. Bordeaux thrived throughout much of the 18th and 19th centuries, prior to the arrival of phylloxera in 1875. The economic turmoil in Europe during the first half of the 20th century was even more challenging, and the recovery slow. It’s only really in the 21st century that many of the top Bordeaux estates have regained the resources and clawed back their premiership. Borie took over Ducru at a key turning point for the region – with both the climate and markets rapidly changing. Economic reform in China led to a huge influx of new customers for the fine wine market, and Bordeaux in particular. “China represents 30-40% of the Bordeaux sales today,” says Borie. “It changed everything.” For Borie, this sudden and huge expansion of the market began to lure investors from all over the world. As investment flooded into the region, new wineries, new equipment, new viticulture and new technology began to pop up everywhere. “More investors meant more managers, and more managers hired innovators,” says Borie. It facilitated a whole qualitative movement that, he believes, is behind so much innovation in the region. But the investment in Bordeaux was not the only factor behind the big changes at Ducru. Borie’s decision to slash production had a huge impact on the estate. Before he took over, the property made around 15,000-20,000 cases of the Grand Vin. Today, it’s closer to 7,500 to 8000. Few estate owners can attest to such a dramatic drop in yield for the sake of quality. Such a bold move was certainly helped by Ducru’s independence – it is one of the few Classed Growths that is still 100% family-owned. And the risk has paid off, with Ducru regularly competing for wine of the vintage in the Médoc. Climate also brought about big changes at the property. Borie’s first year in charge – 2003 – was the hottest on record. Soaring temperatures were causing havoc all over France and not just in the vineyards. “People were dying on the streets of Paris,” recalls Borie. He remembers his viticulturist at the time came to him in June, suggesting they start leaf-thinning the vines (removing leaves, opening up the canopy and bring more sunshine to aid ripening). With the vintage’s blazing sun, Borie thought it was madness. “People did it because it’s what they always did,” says Borie. But he resisted. He quickly realised it would be the weather – rather than tradition – that dictated work in the vineyard going forward. As harvest dates crept forward, the days of an August off at the beach were disappearing. Everything was changing. While the investment and innovation in these early years coincided with rapid change in the region, it is over the last 10 years that Borie has witnessed the most impactful changes in Bordeaux. In the vineyard, these changes have not arisen from flashy new machinery, but in the strategic employment of companion planting and cover crops. These agricultural techniques have been used through the ages, but, Borie believes, never as dynamically and rigorously as today. “We plant a certain type of radish in the vineyard where we find compaction, this opens the soil and creates more oxygen. We plant alfalfa at the beginning of spring where needed, bringing nitrogen to the soil at the right time,” he explains. The control of organic matter, Borie believes, is the key to healthy soils, healthy vines and, most importantly, the quality of the grapes. But, Borie is quick to emphasise, this is not simply a revived practice from the days before chemical farming. For Borie, the science behind which and what cover and companion crops to use is much more advanced. Practices are no longer habitual, but much more scientific. “The companion planting of crops between the rows is very new,” says Borie. “Each plot has different requirements.” It doesn’t always work. Borie recounts how the planting of sorghum to encourage the root development of the vines resulted in a nematode infestation (a pest similar to phylloxera) – and the sorghum was quickly replaced. They’re still learning, admits Borie, but he’s convinced the vineyards have never been in better shape. Over the last 10 years, there have also been technological developments in the winery too. Borie is very proud of his “smart” tanks – which analyse the must and wine throughout fermentation, 24 hours a day. It’s a game changer for Borie who has been experimenting with them since 2019. In recent vintages, the Grand Vin has been made exclusively in these tanks. The information these tanks provide is perfect for monitoring temperatures and maceration levels – allowing Ducru to get the best out of the tannins without over-extracting. With live updates on what’s going on inside the tank (and no need to manually take a reading), they can adapt their processes instantly. Ducru has always been family-owned – giving Borie a sense of responsibility and duty. He still lives at the estate, making it one of the very few inhabited châteaux in the Médoc. Borie resides in one of its famous towers, while his mother (95 years old) lives in the other (and still enjoys two glasses of wine for lunch and one for dinner).  As custodians of the estate, Borie – and his mother – have witnessed many changes. And as Borie has grown accustomed to greater precision in the vineyard and winery, he has returned to consider older vintages in the estate’s cellars. He and his team set about checking every mature bottling, re-corking only those in perfect condition and destroying the rest. These bottles are more than history, they represent his family – and his sense of duty to their reputation has been the driver behind many similarly costly projects over his 20-year tenure. Having the opportunity to taste the entire range from Ch. Ducru-Beaucaillou from the magnificent 2019 vintage (now all in bottle) was a wonderful experience. Across the range, it is the textural quality of the wines that really stands out. The clarity of fruit – which Ducru has become renowned for – is also apparent. The quality of the Grand Vin, however, is so impressive – the depth and concentration, the layering of abundant tannins while never losing its finesse. Even at such a young age, its drinkability is a perfect example of contemporary Bordeaux with that extra level of precision. Tasting the 2005 alongside proved how well the wines at Ducru age. Still youthful with plenty of fruit, the first hints of midlife tertiary development bring so much complexity to the palate. It was only Borie’s third vintage, but the lower yields produced a wine of incredible concentration and balance.  The fortunes of history and the new wealth in Bordeaux has benefitted practically every property in the region but few have been so effective at capitalizing on it than Ducru. The transformation of this Saint-Julien property, both in the vineyard and winery, is impressive but there is, Borie believes, still room for improvement. His latest investment is a state-of-the-art winery planned for completion in 2024. With Borie in the driving seat and committed to championing the Super Second’s – and his family’s – reputation, Ducru-Beaucaillou is in a safe pair of hands. Browse all Ch. Ducru-Beaucaillou listings or read more Editorial

Ch. Ducru-Beaucaillou had been transformed under Bruno-Eugène Borie. On the eve of his 20th vintage at the helm, Gavin Smith sat down to talk to the winemaker and owner about the changes, family – and why there is still more he can do at this Saint-Julien Super Second

On the eve of Bruno Borie’s 20th anniversary in charge of Ducru-Beaucaillou, he identifies his key motivations behind transforming this Bordeaux Super Second

Bruno Borie on 20 years at Ch. Ducru-Beaucaillou

Duty of service: Bruno-Eugène Borie on two decades at Ch. Ducru-Beaucaillou

Barolo Chinato. Utter these words and you’re likely to receive one of two responses – “I absolutely adore it” or “Come again?” For the unacquainted, Barolo Chinato is an aromatised, fortified wine from the Piedmont region. It is made by infusing up to three dozen herbs and spices, the principal one being quinine, in grape neutral alcohol. The infusion is then used to fortify Barolo DOGC wine made from 100% Nebbiolo grapes. The blend is then matured in oak barrels for up to 12 months. Prior to bottling, a small amount of sugar is added. At around 16% alcohol, it is the same strength as most red vermouths. Its name comes from the Italian “China”, for quinine.   Two men are credited with the invention of Barolo Chinato: Giuseppe Cappellano and Giulio Cocchi. It is thought Italian pharmacist Cappellano created the recipe in Serralunga d’Alba in the 1800s and Cocchi created a new formula in 1891.  “I first tasted Barolo Chinato 10-15 years ago, when I was forging my path in the world of vintage spirits, and still remember being struck by the complexity of the drink,” purveyor of antique and unusual spirits, Edgar Harden, tells me. “The soft, viscous mouthfeel, the fruit flavour compounded with herbs and spices and a bittersweet finish lingered until the next sip,” the Old Spirits Company director adds.   Harden is an expert in rare and vintage cocktail ingredients – for want of a better word – often from defunct or discontinued producers. He says we are “blessed” to live in a time where there is such a range of antique vermouths, amari and Barolo Chinatos available. If you know where to look, he says, there are “hundreds of brands from every little town in Italy” to be found, and interest in these liquids is at an “all-time high”.   Barolo Chinato was originally meant to be consumed any time after bottling. But, because of the additional alcohol and small dose of sugar, it can be left for decades, even a century, if it has been stored correctly – “in its brown glass bottle in proper, dark, humid, subterranean environment,” Harden explains.   “Although Barolo Chinato is only slightly stronger than a Barolo wine, the introduction of a grape-spirit-based liqueur into the blend provides it with significant fuel for longevity,” he continues. “The inevitable oxidisation that occurs in a product on the lower part of the alcohol spectrum, the different rates of decay of the 30-plus herbs and spices and the recombination of those receding and advancing flavours at rates not originally intended provide for magical and harmonious combinations for the palate.”  He says, while traditionally it would be served neat, room temperature, in a small glass after a meal with dark chocolate, it is increasingly being used as a stand-in for many vermouths and Amari in classic and modern cocktail recipes.  Cocchi owner and Managing Director Roberto Bava says this idea to promote Barolo Chinato as the perfect companion to dark chocolate (“Like the French had with Pineau de Charentes,” he explains) saved the drink from extinction in the 1970s.   To many people’s surprise, the idea worked and the number of producers steadily increased. “It was a very simple detail but it was the lifesaver of the whole category,” Bava says, “I am very proud of this”.   Bava acknowledges Barolo Chinato is and will likely remain a “boutique” product, in part because of its price – “of course it is more expensive than amaro – you have to use a DOGC Barolo to make Barolo Chinato”, he says – but he believes its heritage and quality will continue to recruit fans.  With these credentials, and an ever-growing appreciation for rare and intriguing liquids, we think this lesser-known export from the prestigious wine region is going to struggle to remain a secret for much longer. Explore more Editorial

It is fair to say Barolo Chinato is a niche category. While some may know it well, others might have never heard of it. We explore the history of Barolo Chinato and why it’s firmly got a place in our hearts and drinks cabinet

A look at the Piedmont region’s lesser-known, fortified export

What is Barolo Chinato?

After speaking with some of the foremost fine tea experts in the western world, a few things are immediately apparent. Fine tea is complex. There are undoubtedly parallels with the world of fine wine. And, almost without exception, the best examples are incredibly hard to source this side of Asia. It is also an incredibly tricky subject to learn more about if you, like me, don’t speak Chinese or Japanese. A quick stroke of the key will yield information on fine tea and where to find it. But your best bet is either boarding a plane to Asia (which is currently not without its difficulties) or finding somebody who has spent years immersing themselves in the fine tea world – they’ll likely speak the local dialect. “People are very literate when it comes to fine wine and whisky,” Jameel Lalani is quick to tell me, “not so literate when it comes to tea, although it is completely applicable.” When he set up his specialist single-batch tea business, Lalani & Co, 11 years ago, Lalani was very deliberate in borrowing the language of fine wine. “Tea is much like wine,” he explains, “it’s a drink of the terroir. Everything you do from when you choose the land and the seeds and the people you are going to work with is going to affect the flavour.” The choice of varietal, distance above sea level and picking season are also of the utmost importance. Lalani says tea is his drink, and has been since the age of four. He hasn’t looked back since tasting green tea for the first time while holidaying in North Africa as a child. One of the magical things about fine tea, I’m learning, is the paths people have taken into it. Burgundy expert and Master of Wine Jasper Morris, for example, was introduced to the world of fine tea in New Zealand, of all places, by a blind Taiwanese winemaker. From that day onwards, Morris attended Chinese tea ceremonies and swotted up on all things fine tea whenever the opportunity arose on wine trips to China and Japan. “I absolutely love it and drink it all day – from first getting up through to after dinner,” he enthuses. Fine tea is now a real passion of his, frequently hosting tasting and writing on the subject. Timothy d’Offay’s induction began while studying Japanese in Kyoto in the early 1990s. He’s been a disciple ever since – writing numerous fine tea books (in English and Japanese) and establishing one of the most highly regarded fine tea shops, Postcard Teas, in the process. Many years later, d’Offay says he is still learning, and it’s one of the things he loves most about the fine tea world. “It’s so disconnected,” d’Offay says. “Whereas specialty coffee is a world industry now and you can drink a similar product with a similar style in Sydney, Seoul, London or San Francisco, tea isn’t like that. Tea is very, very regional and very local. The predominant sales of the fine teas are local, in China in particular. “And the Chinese tea world is so different from even other countries like Japan that get their tea culture originally from China. It’s so vast.” Morris says things we have learned from wine – soil, subsoil, drainage etc – matter a great deal in fine tea. “In the Wuyi Mountains, for example, each individual mountain has its own character,” he explains, “so the underlying rock is crucial. Then also, instead of the grape variety, the cultivar of tea can make a difference as well. How and when you pick it – again a parallel – and how and when you process it.” D’Offay says wine and tea are both at the pinnacles – wine in the west, tea in the east – and despite the groundswell of appreciation for fine tea, many still struggle to shake misconceptions and get their heads around the complexities. “You’re always learning,” he says. “Probably the biggest barrier people have is a concept of what tea is,” Morris adds. “If somebody says black tea to you, they probably mean they don’t want milk in it, but there is a style of tea which we loosely call black. In fact, in China it’s more likely to be called red tea than black tea – that sort of dark tea – but there are white teas, yellow teas (which are pretty rare), red teas, green teas, and a lot depends on the season things are picked. “So, if, for example, we switch from China to India to Darjeeling. Darjeeling is in fact a type of tea which is much much more similar to Chinese tea than it is to the rest of Indian tea. If you get a first flush Darjeeling, it’s almost almost not quite a green tea, and that’s a tea that I adore and buy in big quantities.” Another hangover from old is the misconception surrounding price and what one should pay for quality. “One of the challenges in the tea world is that the mass market has demanded tea at a very low price,” Lalani says. “Some of these terroirs are phenomenal but the market says we want our tea cheap and quick. And that’s kind of like if you went to Bordeaux and you said I’d like your wine for €3.60 a bottle. What are you going to do? It doesn’t give you enough room. So what happens is the quality just goes down because you have to produce in quantity.” When purchasing fine tea, there are good resources online but d’Offay cautions: “Buyer beware.” Some enthusiasts, he explains, have a vested interest and commercial gains tied to your purchase. “The more you pay doesn’t mean that you’ll like the tea more. It’s very important to find out what you like first, before spending a lot of money online.” He says there is no right thing, just like with wine. “It’s a wide field and often your taste will not coincide with somebody else’s, so it’s really important to taste a lot of tea and find out what you like.” On this, Morris says it’s the same as when buying wine. “You just need to be buying it from somebody you trust – both for their taste and their integrity. Then let them guide you down the learning curve. And as with wine, there are some brilliant teas which may just not suit your palate.” If you are interested in getting into tea, d’Offay advises spending more money on tea and less money on the tea-making equipment. “You really need very basic tea equipment,” he explains. For Chinese teas, d’Offay says a Gaiwan – lidded cup – or a simple brewer is a good starting point. Porcelain, he says, is quite robust and glass is ok. You don’t, for example, need Yixing (the exquisite teapot pronounced yee-shing) to start with. He says he did a tasting with some “pretty good teas” with two mugs and a strainer recently. But is quick to add: “I’m not recommending that everyone brews in one mug and strains in another mug, but it is better than wasting a lot of money on really fancy stuff.” It’s always a good idea to ask questions and look for certain things when purchasing fine tea, Lalani says. “Most of the tea that gets produced gets blended – it will be picked, it will be sold to a brand, they will blend it up and it will sit on a shelf somewhere with their brand on it and that’s it. You may know where it’s from, for example, you might know what you’re buying is a Darjeeling, you may know the season – they might tell you it’s a first flush or a second flush. But it could be a blend of any number of different batches. It could be a blend of any number of different producers. It could be a blend of any number of different vintages. So the less information they give you, the less you know what’s in it.” Taking the time to make an educated purchase is a vital step, so too is the time spent learning how to prepare tea correctly. For this, Lalani has the shorthand: leaf, dose, temperature, time, decant. “Like with any of your passions, it’s going to take a bit longer,” he explains. “If you want to get a suit made, you can’t walk out with it the same day – you’ve got to wait six to eight weeks but it’s worth it. If you want to get into fine wine, you’re going to need some better glassware, you’re going to need temperature-controlled storage and you’re going to need to invest your time in a bit of knowledge.” He continues: “When you get into chocolate, you can’t buy it for 50 pence a bar, you’ve got to pay £5 to £10 a bar for a craft-made chocolate – another one of my passions – and it’s worth it.  "So, with tea, you can’t brew the bag – excuse my language – in hot water for 10 seconds, but it only takes three to five minutes to do it well – less time than it takes to make a cocktail. But it’s worth it and the rewards are enormous.” We second that. Everything you need to know about purchasing and preparing fine tea Location, location, location: When it comes to buying tea, you need to know where it was grown – particular regions have particular styles. It’s also important to know the producer and the name of the garden. Seasons matter: Tea is grown pretty much all year round. A leaf picked in the premium spring season is going to be better than a leaf picked in the rainy season. As a quick rule of thumb, look for things like first flush, second flush or spring season. It’s usually the early part of the year when you get the better quality. This is true of Japan, Taiwan and India. Vintage picks: Look for the vintage. This will give you some indication if you should be drinking it young and fresh or aged. Some teas, like the first flush season Darjeeling, are best when young and fresh –drink them as quickly as you can. Some teas, like certain white teas or oolongs from Taiwan, are great if aged. If you buy them young, you’d expect to buy them at a young price, but then if they’ve been intentionally aged, then their value – and price – will increase. So you might buy something from 2015 or 2000 or 1998, for example, where you’ll be paying a premium, but it has been aged and likely improved in flavour. Brewing to perfection: A useful shorthand for how to prepare your tea is leaf, dose, temperature, time, decant. It’s important you follow the instructions regarding the volume of leaves and temperature of water the particular tea you have purchased requires (on many modern kettles you can set the temperature, making this element very simple). There should be ample information about this on the packaging. Lalani wholeheartedly recommends purchasing precision scales to ensure you have the precise quantity of leaves every time. Balance scales cost circa £10. Essential kit: While d’Offay says a temperature-controlled kettle isn’t a must to start with, Lalani suggests it’s a worthwhile purchase at approximately £40. Both say you should be mindful with lower-temperature teas and ensure it’s the desired strength and taste. Lalani also thinks a single-pour tea pot is a wise investment. The Alethea, sold at Lalani & Co, is a beautiful and practical single-serving vessel.  Read more Editorial

The fine tea world is a treasure trove of discovery. As beguiling and complex as any wine or spirit, this enchanting liquid steeped in history can be incredibly confusing to master. Holly Motion talks to a handful of fine tea aficionados about why it's well worth investing the time.

Exploring the world of fine tea: beguiling and complex as any wine or spirit, and why it's well worth investing the time

Exploring the world of fine tea

The time for tea: next-level brews

The spirits market is booming. In October 2019, a bottle of 1926 Macallan FINE+RARE 60-Year Old became the most expensive bottle (of either wine or spirits) ever sold at auction in the world, going for £1.5 million – £300,000 more than the same whisky had sold for a year before.  That record may not have been broken yet, but it’s likely only a matter of time. There was a 33.37% increase in the volume of single malt Scotch whisky sold at auction in 2019, with 143,895 bottles sold, worth close to £58 million – a 41.54% increase on 2018. Over the last 10 years, rare whisky has outperformed every other alternative luxury asset, with 353% growth to 2020 Q2. “The rare whisky market has performed phenomenally well over the last decade, outperforming many other categories. We’ve seen growing demand in premium whisky from clients globally,” says Craig Norton, our Managing Director for the UK and Ireland. In five years, we’ve seen the number of spirits buyers rise by 601%, with spirits sales in the same timeframe growing by 698%.  It’s an exciting time for whisky, with a growing international audience as Scotch whisky exports rise (105% in the last 10 years), especially in developing markets like China (up 323% in 10 years). There are also an increasing number of younger consumers diving into the category nose-first; Sotheby’s first online spirits auction last year saw 42% of buyers aged under 40.  The market has so far been dominated by a handful of the biggest names in single malt Scotch, with The Macallan representing an astonishing 40% of the market by value; however
Japanese whisky isn’t far behind. A bottle of 55-year-old Yamazaki sold for HK$6.2 million (US$795,000) in August last year, setting a new record for the category.  The now-closed Karuizawa has become a cult name among collectors, and had something of a halo effect, as our Head of Spirits David Walters said, “Japanese whisky is still going crazy. We sold the Karuizawa Pearl Geisha 37 Year Old (56.9%) pre-release for £12,500 in bond; just a year later it was going for £24,800. The most expensive single bottle of whisky we’ve sold was a Yamazaki 50-year-old (2011 release), for £170,000.” The last two to three years has, however, seen a shift, with a new focus and interest on not buying just bottles but whole barrels or casks. “The ability to personalise or customise single cask bottling has proven extremely appealing to clients,” Norton says, “However, it’s not simple. Barriers can be a lack of understanding of value, the process of maturation or
reselling, or gaining access to the market.”  “The challenge can be guaranteeing provenance,” explains Walters. “Our preference is always to work directly with the distillery.” The IWSR estimates the value of the Scotch whisky cask market at $40 million – and forecasts a trend for cask sales in other categories, such as Bourbon, rum and other US whiskey. While occasionally we see more mature casks (such as a mature Macallan Sherry butt we sold last year, for £600,000), it is more common to see casks as futures, much like en primeur.  Given the long-term timeframe for producing fine whisky, with the first product often not released for five or 10 years, cask sales have fast become a way for the rising number of new distilleries to build revenue in their early years. It is rare for casks to be sold after the first year of production, however, making them a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get in on a new distillery – one that may just be the next big thing. It’s this excitement, Walters says, that should attract buyers who are also in it for the journey. Naturally, “founders’ casks” – as they are known – are finite in supply, adding to their appeal for collectors. The spirits market remains dominated by single malt Scotch – with Brora, Karuizawa, Dalmore, Bowmore and Springbank amongst the most collected names – but consumers are branching out. “We’re beginning to see collectors diversify their portfolios,” says Walters, “discovering premium and collectable rums.” He highlights the popularity of Caroni – a Trinidad distillery, no longer in production, that has parallels with Karuizawa – and Hampden, in particular. Fortunately, Covid seems to be having little impact on sales. Even in the last year, the
market has seen 12% growth; as Knight Frank reports, “Anecdotally, drinkable investment classes have always down well in a downturn, perhaps as their owners have looked to drown their sorrows.” In fact, IWSR data shows that “between 2008 and 2012, global prestige-plus
spirits (generally $100+) grew 82% in volume, and almost 230% in value, [reinforcing]
the resilience of high-end spirits after economic challenges”. Nevertheless, our advice is always to buy only what you are prepared to drink – a worst-case scenario that few wine or spirits lovers find much of a burden. Browse all whiskies or read more Editorial

The spirits market has seen a decade of astounding performance – but what is happening, and what should you be looking to buy? 

The spirits market is booming. We take a closer look at the spirits market and explore what is happening, and what should you be looking to buy 

The spirits market overview 

In high spirits: market overview

It’s often noted that Burgundians know nothing about Bordeaux and its wines – and vice versa. This is an exaggeration, though it retains a nugget of truth. These two great French wine regions are poles apart culturally. This is not a novel observation. Indeed, Jean-Robert Pitte, a professor at the Sorbonne, wrote an entire book, Bordeaux Bourgogne: Histoire d’une rivalité (2016), on this very theme. Just a couple of examples. In Bordeaux you will encounter people with names such as Basile, Vanessa, Diana or Jennifer – that would be inconceivable in Burgundy. This may be to do with the fact that Aquitaine was English-owned for centuries, or it may be that some Bordelais believe that an English name confers a certain cachet. At celebrations organized by the Chevaliers du Tastevin at Clos de Vougeot, and just about anywhere where Burgundy’s wines are praised and consumed, the ban bourguignon is an unavoidable part of the proceedings. It entails raising both arms in the air and twisting them in time to a raucous ditty with the words ‘Lala, lala, lalalala layla, lala, lala, la, la, la’. Can you imagine such a thing at Haut-Brion? Another striking difference is that Burgundy excludes, while Bordeaux includes, at least in terms of embracing those it considers helpful to its promotion, such as merchants, auctioneers and journalists. I have visited Burgundy and its growers every year for over three decades and can count on the fingers of two hands the number of times I have been invited to stay for lunch, let alone dinner. Without fail, a 10.30am appointment will come to an end at noon, and the visitor will be politely shown the door. Hungry after a morning of tastings? That’s your problem, monsieur. I used to find this irksome but soon came to understand that for the Burgundian, noon is the time when family members return to the homestead from pruning or tractoring or delivering bottles. It’s the sacred lunch hour, and outsiders have no place. You can taste from every barrel in the cellar, but that hospitality doesn’t extend to the dining room. It’s the exact opposite in Bordeaux, where it’s assumed that a visitor with a late-morning appointment will stay for lunch. Indeed, when researching one of my books in Saint-Emilion, I was amazed to find that my programme, organised with enthusiasm by the local syndicat, included lunch and dinner every day, weekends included. The Bordeaux proprietor will usually use the occasion not just to offer a fine meal, but to open some older vintages for the delectation of the visitor. The Burgundian really couldn’t care less. On one occasion, a grower with whom I spent a morning to research a profile for a magazine, had suggested, when I made the appointment, that I might like to stay for lunch. With pleasure, I responded, hoping that a mature Richebourg might be brought up from the cellar for my appreciation. But sur place, when I had completed my interview, it was clear that the owner had completely forgotten his offer. (However, after an embarrassing few minutes all around, his wife did rustle up a rather good meal.) Born to be hospitable Burgundy’s wine culture is about the nuances of terroir; Bordeaux is about selling wine that’s produced in far larger quantities than from patchwork Burgundy, and all those who can serve that purpose are corralled into a network of hospitality. A lunch will always take the same form. Coats and bags are deposited in the hallway of the château and one is led into a salon, where a small table supports a bottle of Champagne (often Pol Roger, sometimes Bollinger) and some glasses.  In comes the butler or maid (often on hire from the local traiteur, or caterer) with a plate of gougères or roundels of toast with foie gras to stimulate the appetite. Then the host rises to his (and occasionally her) feet and leads the way into the dining room. Lunch is invariably a butler-service event, so guests must calculate how much meat or veg to convey onto one’s plate without either appearing greedy or depriving others of their fair share. The dishes are always replenished, however, so seconds are in order. No need to panic. If the aim is to impress, it usually succeeds. In contrast, the Burgundians en fête are after a good time. Other than the rather forced jollity of the Chevaliers du Tastevin dinners, usually accompanied by indifferent wines, the highlight of the Burgundian wine calendar is the Paulée de Meursault (other paulées are available, but all agree that Meursault does it best). This is in effect a giant bottle party. Each producer, who may be accompanied by family or guests, will bring a basket stacked with a few bottles or magnums of a venerable or prized vintage. These will be poured and later circulated in the course of a five-hour lunch. Those lucky enough to attend can often taste spectacular rarities. This is not the Bordeaux way. At a formal dinner, for example during the en primeur tastings or Vinexpo, invited merchants or journalists will find themselves at a large round table in the company of two or three château owners or winemakers. They will have brought bottles – often very fine bottles – that will, in due course, be delivered to your table. There’s a certain amount of swapping with other tables to provide more variety, and certain journalists, towards the end of the evening, will be seen roving the room in search of wines to try on distant tables. (I plead guilty.) Here again, the aim is to impress. Brigades of waiters and waitresses, quite often students from a local catering college, will swoop in from the kitchen with such efficiency that a few hundred guests can be served almost simultaneously. Moreover, the food will usually be excellent, provided by one of the many highly professional traiteurs who flourish in Bordeaux. Access is the name of the game. The privileged guest, sipping Champagne or Sauternes during the prolonged apéritif hour before a grand Bordeaux dinner, will be in the company of dozens of château owners. Reach out a hand, even to someone you’ve never seen before but vaguely recognize, and it will instantly be shaken: ‘Bonsoir, monsieur.’ Everyone present is within the magic circle. You have been appointed, like it or not, as an ambassador for Bordeaux. Over 20 years ago I was present, along with 400 other guests, at the Fête des Vendanges, a great feast organized each year before the harvest by a leading château. I could see from the menu that 1985 Haut-Brion was to be the final wine of the evening, but what I hadn’t anticipated was that it was to be served in magnums only. Moreover, on a very warm evening each magnum had been lightly chilled before serving to ensure that it would retain
its freshness and digestibility in the glass. Other blandishments include guests of honour who are often prima donnas or celebrated actresses. Who wouldn’t want to be around when, as once happened, Gina Lollobrigida was escorted between the tables by the château owner? These feats of generosity, glamour and service are to be observed at all such events in Bordeaux. If you’re lucky enough to be present, it’s hard not to experience a wave of self-satisfaction. This warm embrace of the wine trade is not extended to mere consumers, of course. Although châteaux are more open to visitors than they were in the past, most wine tourists making their way up the roads that connect Margaux to Saint-Julien and Pauillac are confronted by closed gates or notices that read ‘by appointment only’. Some 25 years ago a delegation of Bordeaux worthies came to London to ask friendly journalists (over a good lunch, of course) what they could do improve the image of their region. ‘Try opening your gates,’ was my suggestion, and it did not go down particularly well. Fees, factotums and fixers Oeno-tourism has been slow to come to Bordeaux. Showcase châteaux such as Pavie, Smith Haut Lafitte or Lynch-Bages have become adept at offering tours and tastings, though at a price. A fee is understandable, as the cost of staffing the tours and the wines to be poured needs to be recouped. Napa does it differently. Visitors are courted, and the customary tasting fee will be refunded if you buy a bottle or two. In Australia, the ‘cellar door’ is always open for visitors to enjoy the wines and other merchandising. However, in Bordeaux, most prestigious châteaux make little effort to welcome visitors.  In Burgundy, top growers sell to a band of importers and perhaps a few private customers and restaurants. In Bordeaux, châteaux sell to négociants, who distribute their wines worldwide. Châteaux have no direct influence over who sells or buys their wines. That’s why it’s important to have influential writers and critics on their side. A high score from a wine guru may just persuade a group of merchants or consumers to buy Château X in preference to Château Y. And the other way around the following year. No wonder top châteaux treat the media with affection and respect. Consultants, too, form part of the hype machine. They are rarely present in Burgundy, where savoir-faire is passed down (not always successfully) from one generation to the next. But in regions such as Tuscany or Bordeaux, where estate owners are often rich and enthusiastic but short on expertise, the consultant is an essential member of the team. Nothing wrong with hiring good advice, of course. But choosing the right consultant also adds lustre to the estate. In Italy, take on Carlo Ferrini or Riccardo Cotarella and you can be certain, at the very least, of media attention. In Bordeaux, the consultant is more than an adviser on viticulture or vinification, suggesting how high your canopy should be or which coopers are best suited to your style of wine. They have influence too. Michel Rolland, notoriously, had the ear of Robert Parker for many years. This was perfectly understandable because, broadly speaking, they liked the same style of wine. I once asked a château owner with a group of properties why he had chosen a particular consultant rather than another of similar renown. ‘He’s good at what he does,’ was the reply, ‘but he also has a track record of getting his clients’ wines onto airline lists.’ Many of the older generation of consultants were invisible. In decades of visits to Bordeaux, I never encountered Jacques Boissenot, who advised most of the top estates of the Médoc, or Gilles Pauquet in Saint-Emilion. Others, such as Stéphane Derenoncourt, court importers and the press assiduously, with regular tastings that provide a showcase for all their clients. Wine writers like, for sound reasons, to be on close terms with consultants such as Derenoncourt, as they can be invaluable sources of information. Save time and score it? Admission to the magic circle of Bordeaux carries its own risks. I doubt there is much corruption as such – no wine writer of any importance would, I assume, be foolish enough to accept backhanders in exchange for favourable ratings – but what has happened is that independent assessment has been almost abandoned. And there are stories of bribes, often in the form of a few cases of wine, being offered. Newly minted bloggers would be particularly susceptible to a helping hand. Back in the 1980s or even 1990s revered critics such as Robert Parker would not hesitate to give a poor score to a wine he considered below standard. These days a poor score has become close to inconceivable. A score below 90 has become the equivalent of a smack in the face. In an article some years ago I predicted the scores that the major critics would give the 2014 vintage when, a few months later, the wines became available for tasting En Primeur.  My educated guesses, made without tasting a single wine, were alarmingly accurate. That, simply put, is because critics now score the brand and not the wine. No one is going to rate a first growth or scarce Pomerol at below 96; likewise, no obscure fifth growth or Côte de Bordeaux red, however fine, will ever be scored at 93 or higher. Bordeaux has succeeded in imposing its own self-valuations on its critics. Price has become equated with quality, as has been the case since the 18th century. This is why new owners of certain properties relentlessly push up their prices, because this is the best way to confer prestige on the wines. For Bordeaux as a whole, it may be a costly business organizing lavish dinners with superlative vintages, but it has paid off in establishing a group of wines as safely within the band of the world’s most appreciated and sought-after. For the wine critic, it’s a tricky balance. Without access, an article or vintage assessment becomes impossible. I am not immune. To research my own publications on Bordeaux, I have accepted offers to stay at comfortable châteaux for extended periods. I do my best not to let my judgment be swayed by this quid pro quo (which I disclose), but one can never be certain. Schmooze or you lose? It’s not only the wine press that is courted and pampered. Top châteaux will lay on lavish feasts for négociants and brokers too. Corinne Mentzelopoulos of Château Margaux once described such events as a way of thanking the Bordeaux wine trade for their success in selling her wines (not an arduous task, I would have thought). She intimated that it was also a way of keeping the trade on her side. Selling top claret in a great vintage is a doddle (except when grotesquely overpriced); selling the same label in a mediocre year such as 2013 is another matter. Maintaining brand loyalty – to Brand Bordeaux and individual châteaux – is crucial. By 2020 the region was having to face the threat of USA tariffs, the cold shoulder from China, the uncertainties of Brexit for the important British market, not to mention the growing climatic vagaries bringing drought, frost and hail in their wake.  Other challenges are stylistic rather than economic. A colleague who is involved in assessing the wine lists of top restaurants worldwide notes that there are a growing number of such lists that ostentatiously scorn Bordeaux in favour of, usually, ‘natural’ or other styles considered trendy. This is sommelier-driven, and Bordeaux producers and merchants are not always aware of how old-fashioned and stuffy their offerings appear to sommeliers (and their clients) in search of novelty rather than reliability. It’s hard for individual châteaux to promote their wines worldwide since they don’t know precisely who is buying their superb wines. In contrast, their Napa Valley equivalents stage auctions and other events targeted very precisely at super-rich clients and social media. Australia has its highly regarded agricultural shows, awarding medals that confer more prestige than most medals from wine competitions.  Bordeaux doesn’t have such marketing opportunities at its disposal, which is why generic marketing campaigns, prestigious tasting events, and the assiduous wooing of the media are such necessary tools. Whether they will continue to be effective as they have been in the past is undoubtedly open to question. On Bordeaux: Tales of the Unexpected from the World’s Greatest Wine Region – an anthology of writing on Bordeaux with a foreword by Jane Anson – is published by Académie du Vin Library and available now.  Explore more Editorial 

Bordeaux and Burgundy couldn’t be much more different. In this extract from Académie du Vin Library’s new publication On Bordeaux, Stephen Brook considers how the two regions market themselves – asking whether wooing the world’s press is enough to keep Bordeaux in pole position

Stephen Brook considers how the Bordeaux and Burgundy wine regions market themselves 

Bordeaux, Burgundy wines and building the hype

Bordeaux, Burgundy and building the hype

Three of the five First Growths are situated in Pauillac. What is it that makes this appellation so special? As Chateau Lafite neighbours Saint-Estèphe does it share an affinity with both appellations?

We can only be very biased when making comments on the Pauillac appellation, having two Chateaux in the appellation (Chateau Lafite & Chateau Duhart Milon). We are Pauillac
lovers and defenders! It is deeply rooted. The capacity to combine density, complexity
and elegance is unique. The capacity to age the wines is remarkable, such is the potential to seduce wine lovers with captivating aromas. One phrase, not from us, that we feel symbolises Pauillac’s wine is “an iron fist in a velvet glove”. When it comes to Saint-Estèphe, we are also very biased as we have four hectares planted next door to Cos d’Estournel and Lafon-Rochet. Those four hectares produce remarkable Cabernet Sauvignon which goes into the Lafite Grand Vin nearly every year. It is part of the original estate of Chateau Lafite, which is one of the reasons why we have a specific authorisation to include it in our final blend. Ripeness, structure, capacity to seduce are really what makes our Saint-Estèphe grapes so special. In the past you have talked about how well the terroir of Lafite manages with warm vintages – why do you think that is?

The Lafite terroir is extraordinary, it is such a privilege for us to work on this very particular piece of land. The density and depth of gravel, the capacity to restrain water, the quality
of the vegetative material, the high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon… all those elements combined are certainly part of the answer. Cabernet Sauvignon is a fascinating grape in that regard, the resistance and capacity of never becoming too extreme is very fortunate. But Lafite is not only one terroir. People think about the hill of Lafite of course, but we have Anseillan which is a very interesting territory to explore, we have Bel Air on the South West not far from Duhart-Milon which is a bit more arid, we have the Plateau des Carruades –  a playground for Grands Vins for a century, and we also have the Caillava in the Saint-Estèphe appellation which makes us a bit unique in that regards. Our fortune is to be able to play
with this diversity in the final blend, always challenging ourselves every year. Tell us more about the five defining terroirs of Chateau Lafite: Plateau de Lafite: Located just outside the Chateau from our cellar up to the hill of Lafite down south on one side, and up to the villages of Milon and Loubeyres going west on another side. This plateau, from the quaternary period is a mix of very deep Clayey gravel on top of the hill, sandy-gravel closer to the Chateau on the western part, and some parcels planted on aeolian sandy soil. All is mainly planted with old Cabernet Sauvignon. This is the backbone of Lafite Grand Vin nearly every year. It gives fruit elegance, texture, and exceptional density. The magical playground for us. Plateau des Carruades:  The iconic and historic terroir des Carruades nestled between the south of Duhart-Milon and Mouton, is one of the most extraordinary pieces of deep clayey gravel soil from the
quaternary period. This plateau is planted with great Cabernet Sauvignon but also with the best Merlot of Lafite. It is today a terroir of experimentation for us where we conduct most of our biodynamical analysis. As for the Plateau de Lafite, it is a core component of our Grand Vin blend nearly every year bringing structure. Le Caillava: Le Caillava is unique and is one of the reasons why we believe Lafite has something special. Le Caillava is located in Saint-Estèphe between Cos d’Estournel and Lafon-Rochet. A wonderful terroir of deep clayey-gravel soil from the Quaternary period. Planted in 1927, Cabernet Sauvignon on this terroir gives spicy, ripe and structured grapes entering every year in the final blend of Lafite Grand Vin. Bel Air, Passe-Temps, Berret:  Our most southern and arid terroir is located south of Duhart-Milon vineyards, next door to our cooperage. Most of the terroir is gravel soil from the quaternary period, with some
blocks mixed with more sandy soil. Grapes from those two terroirs are very expressive, generous, and sometimes more hard than other plateau, but always useful in blends. Our plot of Cabernet Franc is also planted in this part. 
Anseillan:  Located on the eastern side of the estate, the closest to the riverside, on the other side of the road from Pauillac to Saint-Estèphe. Some terroir of clayey gravel soil on top of Anseillan
surrounding the village. On the lower part of Anseillan down the road and up north closer to the Saint-Estèphe border the terroir is alluvial-clay-limestone from the tertiary period. It is relatively evenly planted in Cab Sauv and Merlot, and with our parcel of Petit Verdot. It is a new terroir of exploration for Carruades that looks very promising. An even more precise “laser-cut approach” towards parcel management enabling us to pick lovely grapes bringing us joy and confidence for the future of this terroir that we better master. 
Making a wine for such a historical estate, do you feel the pressure to maintain the status quo? Making wine and working in such a historical estate is a privilege, first of all. And because it is such a privilege, we have a moral duty of not maintaining status quo and always challenging ourselves. What can we do better? How is Bordeaux evolving? What is
driving wine lovers’ appetites today?...  Great companies and chateaux are led with an entrepreneurial spirit. We work for the long term, to prepare the estates for the next generation, the decisions we take when it comes to
investment or vineyard management are really long-term. This is strongly rooted in values of Lafite and the Rothschild family. 
How do you balance this with your own desires as a winemaker to make an impression on the wine? It’s a very good question! It was a little bit difficult at the beginning for a young agronomist/oenologist arriving at Lafite. At this age, you always think that you will be able to start the revolution and change everything and have a huge effect on the wine. But, rapidly, you understand that Lafite is not yours and belongs to the family of course, but also to the World, to the great clients, and to the history. Thus, when that is understood, your action is only focused on increasing the quality step by step, but with respect to all those who are waiting for Lafite. 
With the 2019 vintage what do you feel are the most important elements behind the vintage? 
The vintage started beautifully with a dry and mild winter. Fine weather continued in early spring with an early vegetative cycle. Cold came between March and May and we crossed our fingers/held our breath 6 times fearing that frost might hit us badly. Careful vigilance from the team was key, so was the use of candles. The first flowers appeared in Pauillac around 28th May. This flower was unfortunately capricious due to important rains arriving during the second part of flowering, leading to small amount of “coulure” and “millerandage”. Early summer was the warmest recorded since 2003, fortunately relatively short, and the vineyards showed beautiful resistance. Rain miraculously arrived on 26th July with 45mm in Pauillac  – ideal for “veraison” to start. August was then fine, with average temperatures and some rain. Early September was dry, enabling us to start the harvest on 19th September in Pauillac, 13th September at L’Evangile and 8th October in Rieussec. As always at Lafite we follow our philosophy and DNA of wine with freshness, tension and beautiful ageing capability. We have a viticulturist approach to winemaking, 80% of a great wine comes from the quality of the fruit and the investment we put in the vineyards. What have been some positive surprises of the vintage? This year we had lovely surprises from “outsider vineyards” producing pure and elegant wines that have been replacing some typical vineyards in the final blend – as always testing is key, such as the capacity to always question ourselves. This is particularly true for the Merlots planted on more gravely-clay terroirs showing beautiful tension this year. For Carruades (the second wine of Chateau Lafite), the very important work done over the last year of precision and exploration of our Anseillan terroir is really paying off. The Merlots of Anseillan and our Cabernet Franc are giving a lovely density and elegance to the pure Lafite DNA. Overall for Lafite, this is a vintage that we call “modern-classic”. In the pure Lafite style, very Cabernet led, very pure, very precise, with some ripeness. This is reflected in the final blends that is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot for Chateau Lafite Grand Vin, and 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc for Carruades. Our gut feel is that just as there will always be a discussion between 2009 and 2010, we will have the same between 2018 and 2019. 2018 being closer to 2009, and 2019 being closer to 2010. What are the most important factors in regard to Chateau Lafite’s winemaking philosophy? 
When it comes to winemaking, we have a very traditional and, we could say, “hands-off” approach to preserve the quality of the fruit and reflect the vintage conditions. As an example, we always use a high proportion of press wine as we don’t go for “maceration pre-fermentaire à froid” or even “maceration post-fermentaire à chaud”. We don’t do “delestage”, we have always been very gentle on vinification at Lafite.  We don’t push on the dregs/marc - we are always very soft and traditional. This explains why we then have super high quality press wine that we can include in the final blend, this year up to 15% of the blend comes from the press wine! Normally this is closer to 10-12%. 
Have you made any changes at Lafite due to global warming? We are already very well equipped at Lafite in the context of global warning. The extraordinary terroir we mentioned previously, our strong Carbernet Sauvignon planting, the quality of vegetative materials are strong assets.  Nevertheless, we try to anticipate these changes. We have an internal research and development team running some tests with different plantings, with grass development (enherbement) in vineyards, with canopy management.  We are not sure that the future will be the introduction of new grape varietals, given the Cabernet Sauvignon is already a very resistant grape. The topic of density of plantation is more important, and we are working on a slow decreasing of it. The main change in Bordeaux is the succession of extraordinary vintages. In the past, once every 5 years we had a great vintage and every 10 years an exceptional vintage. Now nearly every year the vintage conditions are such that we can produce very good wines.  How we can sustain beautiful vintages year on year in the markets is one of the big questions for the future. But it is a great challenge to have – we prefer to have amazing wine every year, it will always be drunk at some point! It is our duty as owners and producers to create the moment for wine lovers to open our bottles. Something that Bordeaux Chateaux have not been particularly active on in the past. 
How do you feel Bordeaux’s reputation has changed in the world of fine wine in the last 20 years? 20 years ago Bordeaux was by far the leading region in the world of fine wine, maybe followed by Napa and Piemont. Then Burgundy and Northern Rhone were under the spotlight. Today we have seen the rise of other regions like Tuscany… Cabernet Sauvignon was the acclaimed varietal also, now Pinot Noir is trendy - of course from Burgundy but also from Central Otago in New Zealand, and from Oregon State. The world is more open, wine lovers are maybe more curious, the loyalty to big names in the world of fine wine (as in other categories) is also weaker. This can explain why today younger generations may enter the world of fine wines through other regions, when in the past Bordeaux was the point of entry. What is also striking is how Bordeaux is modernising itself with more professionalism in many Chateaux, more willingness to travel and meet wine lovers, more open to welcome people at the property, a better understanding of the world of fine wine. With the quality of the wines produced, with more willingness to travel and understand consumers, with greater attention on crafting experiences and creating occasions for people to open bottles, there is no reason to doubt that Bordeaux will continue to shine and seduce the younger generations of wine lovers that today might not consider Bordeaux as a preferred choice. What is Bordeaux's greatest asset? We don’t see many regions in the world like Bordeaux that have the capacity to produce extraordinary wines year on year with significant volume to create a very capillary distribution. The investments that are made both in the vineyards and in the cellar are absolutely impressive in Bordeaux. Bordeaux is one of the greatest and most dynamic cities in France today, very well reachable from Paris, London, Amsterdam, Geneva…, with many things to do for a week or weekend in the region. Many Chateaux have invested in great hospitality experiences to provide customers with a memorable experience. Bordeaux has everything in its hands to really stand out and continue to seduce wine lovers from around the world, we just need to communicate it! 
What is Bordeaux’s biggest challenge? Its lack of capacity to communicate the assets discussed previously. There is no other region in France and in the world that is experiencing so much “bashing” over the last few years. Are all the criticisms unfair? Certainly not, but everything is exaggerated, and Bordeaux is not able to speak with one voice on some big topics, to have a consensus, to unite forces to make people realise how Bordeaux has changed, how modern and open to world things are now, on top of the extraordinary quality of the wines produced! How have you been affected by Coronavirus? We have been observing the evolution of this terrible pandemic for several weeks, and we have been taking immediate measures in line with the authorities. Our first priority is the safety and well-being of our people in our Chateaux, in our Bordeaux and Paris offices, in our Domaine of Aussière, but also in our properties in China, Chile and Argentina. The second priority has been to maintain minimal staff in the properties for mandatory activities – we are right in the middle of harvest in South America, we were planning the bottling of Duhart-Milon 2018, we were finishing the blending of vintage 2019 in our
Bordeaux Chateaux… We hope strongly that this terrible situation will pass very soon for everyone. 
With En Primeur tastings postponed how will this affect the release of Chateau Lafite 2019? You know that we are very strong believers in the en-primeur system as it is a unique platform for Bordeaux wines enabling the Chateaux to have the best reach and international spread possible. However, as with every system it needs to be fine-tuned, recreating a
sense of magic to maintain desirability, and needs to provide a customer incentive to purchase en-primeurs. So yes, postponing the en-primeurs is not a decision taken easily, but given the circumstances it is a choice that had to be made. It is almost impossible to have a clear view of when this terrible crisis will end and thus when we would be able to reorganize the en-primeurs. One thing is for sure, as soon as the conditions are in place for people to travel safely, which we all hope to be in June/July, we will be delighted to meet them for tastings (either in Bordeaux or around the world) to share the wines of the 2019 vintage, and share our passion and dedication to produce some of the best wines in the world! Explore all current Ch. Lafite listings or browse more Editorial 

Chateau Lafite Rothschild Technical Director Eric Kohler and Commercial Director Jean-Sebastien Philippe of Domaines Barons de Rothschild on Bordeaux’s continued relevance in an ever-expanding and competitive global fine wine market

Interview with one of the most prestigious and world-renowned wine estates, Chateau Lafite Rothschild

Interview with Chateau Lafite Rothschild

Exclusive interview with Chateau Lafite Rothschild 

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