A prince’s kiss rouses the cursed princess from a century-long slumber in Sleeping Beauty
but the man responsible for Bordeaux’s long-overdue reawakening was not a prince (this being the French Republic after all) but Alain Juppé, France’s former Prime Minister.  Bordeaux had been comatose, earning it the nickname la belle endormie, but the indefatigable politician has given the city the kiss of life. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2007, it is now the most desirable place to live in France and was voted “European Best Destination 2015’. Bordeaux's renaissance is a real-life fairytale. Bordeaux was a “melancholy, unwelcoming place” just 20 years ago but the arrival of Alan
Juppé as mayor in 1995 has transformed the city’s fortunes, making its centre as elegant as its wines. Blackened buildings and abandoned warehouses are now a thing of the past and, with the arrival of the high-speed rail link, connecting the city to Paris in just two hours, living in Bordeaux is as aspirational as drinking its first growths.” When Juppé was elected as mayor in 1995, Bordeaux was not the modern and vibrant place it is today. Deputy mayor Stephan Delaux, who worked alongside Juppé for more than two decades, admits: “Bordeaux had a reputation as a melancholy, unwelcoming town. The town wasn’t modern – that is to say that in the town centre, cars, trucks, buses, car parks dominated. The building fronts were black, the waterfront was a relic of a once-busy
port; the warehouses [on the waterfront] were empty. The people of the city no longer knew they lived by a river – there was no life there.” He paints a rather depressing picture but throughout its history, Bordeaux’s sons have
portrayed the city in a none-too-flattering light: the novels of Nobel-prize-winning writer François Mauriac (1885-1970) whose bust now stands in the leafy public gardens, depicted Bordeaux and the surrounding areas as a bleak and uptight place to live in the early 20th century. Similarly, one of Alfred Smith’s (1854-1932) best-known works ‘Le Tramway devant les Quinconces par temps de pluie’ depicts a grey, wet day on the banks of the Garonne, umbrellas up and those without hurrying, heads bowed. It’s not a place you would have aspired to live.  Things didn’t get much better during the 20th century: local tour guide Veronique Baggio recalls a ramshackle apartment she lived in in the 1980s. “The building’s bathroom was in the attic so I had to leave my apartment to use it.  At that time the city was trying to push locals to improve the inside of buildings [to improve living conditions].  It wasn’t until the late 1990s that they started to focus on cleaning up the outside of the buildings and the public places.” Today, the buildings are impeccable – a mass sandblasting effort has unveiled the natural caramel and blonde tones of the local limestone, which were long hidden. Here and there, a few reminders of the past can be seen along its narrow streets: a blackened façade, as if smeared with charcoal.  Yet the renaissance of Bordeaux required more than a spit and polish. The length of the city’s riverbank had long been hidden by a line of ugly warehouses designed to cater to the needs of a port city. Since the 19th century, sugar and spices from far-flung places were unloaded to be reloaded by local timber and wine. The commercial port moved away in the 1970s from the city centre but the warehouses remained, as did the businesses that catered for the all-male docking crews.  Charles Sichel, export director of Maison Sichel, a wine merchant in the Chartrons district since 1883, explains:  “20 years ago there were a few seedy bars [on the quais] and where the new bridge is [Pont Chaban-Delmas] there were working girls. It was interesting taking customers out to lunch when there were girls standing in the doorways waiting for business – it was quite something – but I can’t remember them ever saying anything!” How times change. The waterfront is now the playground of the Bordelais, filled with joggers,
cyclists and prams promenading along its length; a place for concerts, festivals and open-air markets.  It is a sunny day and a Viking cruise liner lounges at the edge of the city centre overlooking children skipping in the water mirror, a slick of water that, as its name implies, reflects the classical architecture of the Place de la Bourse (Stock Exchange Square). It has become Bordeaux’s iconic postcard picture (and an unwitting urban water park) and represents the new face of the city – clean, bright and, dare I say it, fun.  The reawakening of the city has been noticed far beyond the city’s ring road; it has become the most desirable place to live in France, according to a survey commissioned by the Observatoire du Bonheur in 2015. Asked in which French city they would most like
to live, nearly one in five respondents answered Bordeaux – ahead of Montpellier, Toulouse and streets ahead of Paris.  Just an hour’s drive from the beaches of the Atlantic and three hours to the ski slopes of the Pyrenees, Bordeaux is now within commuting distance of Paris. A high-speed rail link (TGV) cuts the travel time between the two cities from more than three hours to two hours and five minutes in July 2017.  The spruce-up now continues beyond the city centre. Gliding north along the quai past Sichel’s office in the Chartrons district, the tram has started to deposit an unprecedented number of tourists in the Bacalan district. It’s certainly not the prettiest of suburbs, home to run-down docks, abandoned factories and a huge concrete mass that was once a submarine base, but the Juppé magic dust is now being sprinkled here and the opening of the Cité du Vin in June 2016, a towering sphere of gold and silver in a Frank Gehry meets Zaha Hadid-construction, is a pivotal part of its future. Tourists  - and most locals -  have had no reason to come here but that’s changing with 421,000 visitors walking through its doors in 2018. La belle endormie has woken up but the city continues to dream big. Sichel is rightly proud of his hometown. “Now, every time my customers come here they all comment on how beautiful the area has become. Juppé has turned this city around.” Explore more Editorial

Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2007, it is now the most desirable place to live in France and was voted “European Best Destination 2015’. We explore the renaissance of Bordeaux 

Exploring the renaissance of Bordeaux, from being named a UNESCO World Heritage site to being crowned the most desirable place to live in France 

Bordeaux revival - the city's transformation

Bordeaux revival: A reinvention of the city

Markus Molitor has been working in the vineyards since he was ten years old, literally becoming his father’s right-hand man after his father Werner lost his arm in an accident, “He needed support and help in the vineyard and cellar – so I became his right hand. He taught me all about viticulture and vinification and I spent every free minute with him in cellar or vineyard. I did not only learn every single step of winegrowing and winemaking, but I also took over his passion and enthusiasm.  One day we stood on the foot of Zeltinger Sonnenuhr vineyard site and looked up. My father told me about the glorious times of Mosel Riesling at the beginning of 20th century. I understood that the vines in these parcels, which were approx. 100 years old, were still the same.  So I asked myself: What has happened? Why do the wines not have the same reputation when all the preconditions have not changed at all? And that was the moment of inspiration for me. Since then my ambition has been very clear: I want to try to help restore the wines of our Mosel valley to their former glory by producing unmistakable Riesling wines true to their individual vineyard identity.” Markus took over control of the estate in 1984, which at that time amounted to just 1.5 hectares of the vineyard site Wehlener Klosterberg. Since then he has enlarged the holdings to 120 hectares comprising of many of the top Grand Cru sites on the steep slopes of the Middle Mosel and further south in Saar region. Markus Molitor is now among the largest privately owned estates in Mosel. 90% of the 120 hectares are planted with Riesling and various Pinot varieties. The goal has always been to produce very distinct expressions of each of the vineyard sites dotted throughout the Mosel  - “We try to express each individual character of vineyard in combination with each quality level, style and vintage. Therefore we harvest all of the vineyards by hand only to have the possibility of selecting each single berry in its own category. This work and time-intensive process leads to approx. 80 to 90 different wines per vintage, but each one absolutely unique in its composition and taste.” The whole team of workers in cellar, vineyards, office, warehouse and sales consists of approx. 80 people.  But this increases close to 120 people during the work intense period during the early summer months. Mapping the vineyards 1980-1990s To fulfil Markus’ ambition to reinvigorate the reputation of the great vineyards of Mosel he first began to focus purchasing the Grand Cru Sites of the Middle Mosel area beginning in the 1980s gradually buying more and more selected sites right through the 1990s. “One needs to imagine that until that time, it had been nearly impossible to obtain any plots
in these famous steep slopes.  Families passed these on from one generation to another. But in the 1980s the Mosel wine industry was completely devastated due to the glycol crisis and the overriding reputation of the mass-produced off-dry wines (highlighted in my “History of Mosel” article).  Nobody wanted to work the steep vineyards anymore. So for the first time in history, people offered it for sale or rent. I took the chance given and enlarged the vineyard surface to approximately 20 hectares in these vineyard sites.“ Asked what is so special about the steeper slopes of Mosel and the effects this has on the final wines Markus explains – “There are several advantages of steep slopes in comparison to flat vineyards. First of all the sun exposure: if the steep slope is south-facing, the sun moves
around each single vine from morning to evening. Secondly, the aeration is better because the winds blow down the slopes – the risk of frost is minimised, the heat as well as the humidity are carried away.  During the Indian summer prior to harvest, the temperatures may be quite warm during the day. The valley is narrow, so the heat is trapped in the valley. During the nights, the cold winds from the Eifel and Hunsrueck hills above fall down the steep slopes. These changes of warm and cool air contribute a lot to the formation of the unique Mosel-aromas in the Rieslings. Depending on the steepness and therefore the angle of incidence, the sunlight is reflected by the river in the vineyard and afterwards stored by the slate soil. It is the combination of all these points that leads to the unique effects of the steep slopes in our valley along with the interaction of the slate soils with the old vines."
 2000-2020 From 2000 onwards Markus started to purchase vineyards further south in the Saar Ruwer district. “I rented the first parcels in the vineyard site Niedermenniger Herrenberg in
the Saar river valley. This region really has its own character. The Saar and the Ruwer represent special variations of the Mosel Riesling. The side valleys are located at a slightly higher altitude and they are not as narrow. The average temperature is therefore a bit lower than in the Mosel region.  Due to these facts the vegetation period takes a bit longer (approx. 7-10 days). All of these components lead to Riesling wines with higher acidity, a bit more intensity, and a sharp and clean mineral expression and lighter fruit flavours than in the Middle Mosel region." In 2012 Markus was able to also secure some parcels in the famous steep slopes of Saarburger Rausch and Ockfener Bockstein in the Saar-Ruwer part of Mosel. In 2016 Markus got the chance to buy the former Staatsdomaine of Serrig which was built in 1903 by the Prussians, one of their government-led quality-driven wineries. Markus explains:  "It was 25 hectares of vineyards in one go, a unique possibility that I could not resist." As you go further east along the Mosel river and enter what is called Middle Mosel (identified into two separate regions named after the main towns of Piesport and Bernkastel and it is here the wine character changes slightly.  Markus explains: “The wines coming from Middle Mosel area are “warmer“ in taste: the fruitiness which often reminds me of exotic tropical fruits is more in the foreground, the wines are lush and rich in body. They are a bit smoother in acidity and pretty round in taste. However, it is worth noting that the differences between the areas have gotten much smaller over the last two decades due to the climatic change we are all faced by.“ In 2013 Markus expanded his vineyards east and took over parcels in the Kinheim district, namely in Kinheimer Rosenberg and Kinheimer Hubertuslay. “For me these vineyards were completely underrated and underestimated, therefore I wanted to (and I still want to) show their quality and make them famous all around the world.” During the last five years, Markus took the chances to piece together what he describes as his “personal jigsaw” of Grand Crus sites in the Middle Mosel area including the legendary Bernkasteler Doctor, Brauneberger Juffer (and Juffer-Sonnenuhr) as well as Erdener Prälat.  
 After 35 years of buying up single plots all over the region I ask what vineyards have become his favourites, he states, “It is like asking a father: which one of your children do you favour? It is hard to say which are more special than others due to the uniqueness of every single site, microclimate, steepness, slate soil composition, sun exposure, vines etc. All I can say is I believe all of them are justified to belong to the best vineyards of Mosel, of Germany, some even of the world and everyone of them has its own character. 
 Single vineyard characteristics and what defines them Identifying what is specific about the different vineyards along the Mosel is not simply geographical. Whilst Saar Ruwer is quite geographically and climatically different to Middle Mosel, each of the villages dotted along the Middle Mosel don’t simply represent different
styles of Riesling, the type of slate is perhaps a stronger factor.  Markus goes on to explain: “The character of a wine does not only depend on the village or better the vineyard site where it comes from. There are many more aspects influencing the taste and structure of a wine. The particular type of slate is responsible for the mineral and aromatics, as well as the acidity structure of the wine.  "It is distinguished by very specific local mineral compositions (mainly blue, grey and red slates, but there are many forms in between). In addition to that it depends a lot on the microclimate of the single parcel, on the slope and the sun exposure of the site, and those effects on the slate soil composition. There is also the age of the vines as well as their clones – and last but not least, it all depends on the philosophy of the winemaker. In general, we manage all our vineyards the same way. The work in the vineyard is of central importance because here the foundations are laid for physiologically ripe grapes full of extract to express their specificity of location.”
 Slate soils 
 The Mosel wine region is defined by its slate soils. All of Molitor’s vineyard soils are composed of slate – in nearly infinite variations. The main difference is the colour: grey, blue and red. But there are huge variations from vineyard to vineyard. Markus goes on “slate is a
very smooth stone which means that it can be very weathered. The stones may be splintered by hand. The vines´ roots are able to grow through the stony soil down to ten to twelve metres deep. They can collect many minerals through the different layers and transport it into the grapes (and therefore in a second step into the wines). It is distinguished by very specific local composition.  The slate reflects the sun and stores the heat so that the day and night temperature difference, especially during harvest, is not as high as in vineyards with other soils and therefore grapes do not only have light and warmth from above, but also from down below. In combination with the microclimate in the single vineyard site, the vines and the winegrowing philosophy, the wines vary from plot to plot: you may always recognise them as Mosel Riesling, but there are infinite possibilities from light to heavy, from expressive in mineral to spicy fruitiness, from cool to warm characters.”  Ungrafted vines "The character of a Riesling does not only depend on the age of vines, but also on the genetics grown in the vineyard. There can be young vines producing wines as full of character as from old vines, but these are really rare. In our vineyards we only plant selection
massalle, old genetics, because not only the age of vine, but the combination of both is crucial." "The ungrafted old vines in Mosel are getting rarer every year due to land consolidations. The winemakers are not allowed to plant ungrafted vines any longer because of the risk of phylloxera. But one is allowed to keep the old stocks in old plots. The root system of old vines is unique, it cannot be imitated.  Roots grow down to twelve metres deep in the mineral soil. They may take a lot of minerals into the grapes. The proportion of wood in comparison to the leaves and fruits is very high. Therefore the yield of old vines is extremely low – but the concentration of extracts and minerals in the juice of every single berry is extremely high. All these points lead to an incomparable structure and great texture in the wine. The balance of all components, mineral, acidity, fruitiness and sweetness is always given and inimitable." Explore more Editorial 

Since 1984 Markus Molitor has been managing his estate in Wehlener at the heart of the Middle Mosel, buying up some of the region's finest Grand Cru sites. Molitor provides a fascinating insight into these widely differing vineyards and how they have such a profound effect on the wines produced.

Markus Molitor owns several hectares of top Grand Cru sites in Mosel and Saar Germany. We explore how he has restored Riesling to its former glory.

Markus Molitor interview

Markus Molitor on his special Mosel project

Maule is the engine room of Chile’s wine industry. With over 37,000 hectares of vines, it is by far the country’s largest wine region, churning out a quarter of the nation’s production. Although it has a long history, first planted in the 16th century, its modern reputation is for providing cheap fruit to bulk out the blends that have become synonymous with Chile’s supermarket standard-bearers. But a quiet revolution is underway, with a small group of producers championing the old-vine heritage of this region. And now Francisco Baettig is adding his name to the list, shining a light on the region.  Baettig – the man who built his reputation crafting the iconic wines of Errázuriz, Seña and Chadwick – started Vinos Baettig with his business partner Carlos de Carlos back in 2012, laying down literal roots in the little-known, cool-climate Traiguén district of Malleco, on the same latitude as Patagonia. They made their first commercial vintage of chiselled Chardonnay and vibrant Pinot Noir in 2018, but that was just the beginning for the duo.  They had, Baettig tells me, always planned to make Cabernet Sauvignon. And that’s no surprise given Baettig’s background, having studied in Bordeaux and made his name crafting Cabernet Sauvignon blends that rival those of the Médoc. They decided, however, to start with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the south, where they already had family ties and land was more affordable, while they hunted down the right site for their Cabernet project.  For Baettig, working their own vineyards is integral to Vinos Baettig, as is dry-farming – and, for Cabernet Sauvignon, Baettig was particularly keen to have old vines, and that, he shrugs sadly, is not so easy to find. As well as being resilient enough to be dry-farmed, older Cabernet Sauvignon vines generally produce lower pyrazine levels (compounds which are responsible for a green character in wine), as well as lower sugar levels at phenolic and flavour ripeness – allowing him to produce wines with more moderate alcohol levels.  He had previously worked with a parcel of Cabernet Sauvignon in Maule and loved the fruit from these low-yielding vines, which retained acidity and offered great aromatics, colour and gravelly tannins that are, in his view, almost Saint-Estèphe in style. It was he felt, “Cabernet with a special personality.” And so, they looked to Maule, but avoiding the warmer areas that can produce bigger, riper styles – instead they headed south of Cauquenes, towards the Cordillera de la Costa, or coastal range.  It took them over a year, but eventually they found an old País vineyard – planted 120 years ago – where two hectares had been grafted over to Cabernet Sauvignon. The grower was charging only 15 cents per kilo for the fruit – but the Cabernet was being harvested alongside the Pais, chucked in together and sold for a pittance. Baettig asked if he could quadruple the price and get it harvested separately. The grower couldn’t believe his luck.  Baettig and Carlos found another few vineyards that showed promise, which together formed the basis for the first vintage of Los Compadres Cabernet Sauvignon. This is one of their Vinos de Viñedo, or village-equivalent wines, with the name “Los Compadres” (close friends) a tribute to the growers with which they’re working. Alongside their “village” wine, however, Baettig always crafts a single-site bottling, a Selección de Parcelas (parcel selection, literally) – and that only ever comes from vines they own.  Fortunately, perhaps, the grower behind the 120-year-old País vineyard was looking to sell, faced with its economic unsustainability and developers queuing up for the land. The duo managed to purchase five hectares, including the two that had already been grafted to Cabernet Sauvignon, saving the centenarian vines from being ripped out of the ground. They grafted over the three remaining hectares to Cabernet Sauvignon in 2023 (with the fruit set to be used from the 2025 vintage). This site is now the source for their single-parcel Los Padrinos (meaning “the godparents”).  There are swathes of ancient vines like this, all at risk of being torn out for more profitable options. And it’s easy to see why, these old bush vines are beautiful – but yield tiny volumes. Baettig gets a mere two tons per hectare – “in a good year”, he’s quick to clarify. They’re dry-farmed – something that is rare in Chile’s dry climate, but made feasible by the high average rainfall in the Maule (between 500 and 700mm per year, although 2023 brought 1,000mm – welcome sustenance for Baettig’s just-grafted plantings). There’s no way of mechanising such old vines so all the work has to be done by hand – and Baettig’s plots see little more than sulphur and other organic treatments. If like most growers in the area, you’re only able to sell your fruit to the local co-op for cheap box wine, it’s easy to see why such efforts simply don’t make financial sense.  Alongside these parcels of old vines, there are vast, younger vineyards belonging to the likes of Concha y Toro and Santa Rita, yielding up to seven times as much fruit as their gnarly neighbours. Land here remains significantly cheaper than the more famous Maipo, Aconcagua or Colchagua (hence its appeal to the country’s biggest players) – but it’s the region’s distinct style of Cabernet that drew the Baettig team here.  For Baettig, towards the coastal range you find a totally different microclimate, producing wines of impressive tension and bright acidity. With the old País roots, the vines reach deep into the soil and produce limited yields of concentrated berries. The tannins have a particular imprint, less polished than those of Maipo, and given the fruit’s natural concentration and structure, it’s important to manage extraction carefully – with cooler temperatures, shorter maceration times and reduced pump-overs. Quite simply, Baettig says, they are “wines that you can age”. Fresh and verging on austere in youth, it’s easy to see the potential – and Baettig suggests the Compadres should age a good decade, while Los Padrinos will continue evolving far beyond that.   Baettig has already made waves with its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and – given the nature of these special vineyards – their Cabernet Sauvignon is guaranteed to do the same. But it’s not just the quality here that will make a difference. These sprawling plants, knotted, thick-trunked and twisted, have survived in spite of the economics. Having such a prestigious name invest in the Maule and its wealth of centenarian bush vines will help guarantee that this viticultural heritage isn’t lost for good.  Explore the full range from Baettig, including the first vintages of their Cabernet Sauvignon 

Baettig has pioneered Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Malleco – but now they’ve released their first Cabernet Sauvignon. Sophie Thorpe caught up with Francisco Baettig to find out more about the project 

From Malleco to Maule: as Chile’s Baettig releases their first Cabernet Sauvignon wine, we caught up with winemaker Francisco Baettig to find out more

Discovering Baettig’s Maule Cabernet Sauvignon

The Maule mission: Baettig’s new Cabernet Sauvignon

As the drone camera takes us up over the trees, you can see how dense the forest is around Promontory’s vineyards in the western hills of Oakville district in Napa. Apart from the small vineyard plots dotted along the canyon, the landscape is rugged and untamed. In total, just 10% of the Promontory estate is planted to vines, representing 34 hectares of the property.  The whole area is protected so this site will remain small and genuinely cut-off – but that is exactly how proprietor Will Harlan wants it. “Promontory is truly a world apart from the Napa Valley that most people experience,” he says. For a long time, this canyon was hidden in plain sight. Many locals born and raised in Napa were completely unaware of its existence. Looking up from Napa, all you see are the mountain ridges above, yet beyond theses ridges lies this hidden valley, its undulating hills ideal for vineyards. It was in fact Will Harlan’s father H. William, or Bill, Harlan (founder of Napa’s most prestigious cult Cabernet, Harlan Estate) that literally stumbled across the canyon while hiking back in the 1980s. Although his interest in the land spans over 30 years, the opportunity to buy the property only arose in 2008. At first, the family thought the vineyards might be used for Bond or Harlan – but the character of the fruit was so fundamentally different, Will explains, that they decided to make Promontory its own project. Fast forward to the current day, and the 2016 vintage – the eighth ever – is about to be released. With the second generation of Harlans (Will) and winemaker Cory Empting (also from Harlan Estate) at the helm, Promontory has fast become one of Napa’s most consistent and captivating, not to mention collectable, Cabernets. While only a 20-minute drive from the Harlan winery, Promontory feels remote – with a totally different microclimate. The vineyards are mainly on the valley’s cooler east-facing slopes (with an average gradient of 38%), but they have some decent elevation too, sitting at between 150 and 340 metres above sea-level. The fog that settles in the valley brings much-needed moisture to the vines, as well as moderating the temperature and allowing the team to produce cooler-toned and fragrant Cabernet Sauvignon. 
The first vines were planted in the mid-1980s and early 1990s, with a mixture of varieties, but the team started replanting in 2011, focusing entirely on Cabernet – the grape that they feel best expresses the place. The fruit from the young vines is being used for a separate wine (The Mascot) that isn’t part of Promontory. The older vines are dry-farmed, and the plan is for everything to be long term – with just a little irrigation being used to establish the young vines and “educate them not to be irrigated”, Will explains. 
Beyond the seclusion, these hillside vineyards have two distinct fault lines running through them, roughly demarcating the boundaries between volcanic, sedimentary and metamorphic soils. This diverse geology is another facet that distinguishes the Promontory vineyards from the rest of Napa and is what Harlan believes provides a distinct mineral backbone and tension to the wine. As we walk (virtually) through the winery, we arrive in the barrel room, faced with a gigantic piece of volcanic rock. It is a beautiful sight in itself – lifted out of the vineyard and displayed at the winery, underpinning the specificity of the terroir of this secluded canyon. The place is so different that Harlan feels they needed “to unlearn and relearn” an approach that suited the property. The barrel room holds another important element in creating these special wines – their Stockinger barrels. Austrian coopers Stockinger have become one of the most reputable for fine wine in recent years and Promontory was the first in the US to use them. They realised the wine’s tight but very fine tannins needed more time as it evolved slowly. As such, they started looking for larger barrels and in 2012 purchased a range from Stockinger – from 1,800  to 4,400 -litres.  The Stockinger barrels are praised for their ability to limit the influence of oak flavour, while carrying out all the subtle micro-oxygenation that enables the building of long tannin chains. These tannin chains produce a fabulous textural complexity in the wine, while at the same time the fine-grained oak preserves the natural aromatics and fruit purity. Harlan and Empting give the wines five and a half years between harvest and release – with two and a half to three of those in barrel, allowing the wines to “unfold” in these more neutral and “respectful” barrels.  The results are breath-taking. Tasting the soon to be released 2015, which was aged for two and half years in cask, the textural finesse and precision of the tannins in some ways make the wine feel almost weightless in structure, while at the same time being detailed and complex. It's astonishing that this property and its potential lay undiscovered for so many years. One thing’s for sure now, though: the secret’s out. Find out more about Promontory, or its sister estates Harlan and Bond

Promontory’s owner Will Harlan took us on a virtual tour of this remarkable property tucked out of sight in the Napa Valley.

Visiting Promontory in Napa’s Oakville district with Will Harlan (from the family who founded Napa’s most prestigious cult Cabernet, Harlan Estate).

Uncovering Oakville’s hidden valley, Promontory

Uncovering Oakville’s hidden valley: Promontory

En primeur is the system of buying unfinished, young wine, essentially as “futures”. The wines are sold while still maturing in barrel, and shipped once bottled to wine-lovers around the world. Bordeaux pioneered the system, and it remains important in the region, although en primeur has now spread and wines from Burgundy, the Rhône, Italy, the US, Australia and beyond are now all sold in this way. But how did it start? 
While consumers have only been purchasing wine en primeur since the 1980s, wine has been sold “unfinished” to merchants for centuries. Traditionally wine was not bottled or sold by the châteaux; once the wine went into barrel it would be transferred to négociants who would age the wine in their warehouses in the Chartrons district of Bordeaux, and be responsible for their sale and distribution – an unseemly business that didn’t sit well with the noble château-owners. The wine would then either be bottled in Bordeaux or shipped on in barrel to markets like the UK, and bottled for sale to consumers there. 
While Bordeaux might seem glossy and polished today, with its grand châteaux, manicured lawns and immaculate wineries, the region’s wine industry has not always been so prosperous. In the mid-19th century, mildew arrived and devastated much of Europe’s vineyards, followed by the arrival of phylloxera, killing vines and forcing producers to, eventually, replant. When winegrowers had recovered from Mother Nature’s attacks, the First and Second World Wars arrived, bringing further economic challenges. Producers needed ways to finance their operation, while merchants were always on the lookout for a way to secure stock and the best price possible. 
As producers struggled, they resorted to selling grapes while still on the vine, “sur souche”, agreeing a price based on the previous vintage and gambling on the final quality of the crop. Sur souche sales continued into the 1960s – eventually waning after producers were burnt by the low-yielding, excellent and woefully undervalued 1961s. When times were particularly hard, châteaux – even the most fabled addresses – committed to selling their crop for up to 10 years at a fixed price to a merchant, tying themselves into an “abonnement”, guaranteeing a base level of income, but losing out on potential profits if or when prices rose. 
Up to this point, early sales of wine (or grapes) had only been to négociants in Bordeaux, but the 1973 oil crisis prompted a shift. The subsequent crash left producers, négociants and every layer of the wine trade in dire need of funds. Having struggled to sell the 1972 vintage, châteaux didn’t have the money to invest in the production of the challenging ’73 and ’74 vintages. The 1975 growing season arrived with more favourable conditions and the wines showed promise; samples were shipped to London for buyers to sample and sell.  
En primeur really took off, however, with Bordeaux’s 1982 vintage. Robert Parker had started writing his newsletter in 1978, introducing the world to his 100-point rating system for wine. He came out early with a firm endorsement of the 1982s, and urging consumers to buy them; when others were less convinced. Many, especially in the US, took the opportunity to buy up the wines en primeur – and were duly rewarded, with the vintage now considered legendary. 
The early sale of the wines eased cash-flow problems for producers and négociants, while merchants and consumers benefited from being able to secure stock of wines at a favourable price. As en primeur sales grew, properties became much more profitable businesses, able to funnel investment back into their vineyards and wineries. At the same time, ownership of estates was shifting. In 1981, inheritance taxes doubled, making it harder for families to keep châteaux and companies – from insurance to luxury goods and everything in between started buying up properties. While some corporations focused on quantity rather than quality, many arrived with the necessary finances to push quality forward. The 1990s saw many estates introduce second wines, allowing them to further elevate quality of their Grand Vin, and Parker’s influence continued to grow. All of these elements combined to see Bordeaux as a region and its wines evolving at pace – giving even more reason to secure a new vintage up front. 
For consumers, en primeur provided a way to secure the most sought-after wines at the best prices. In top vintages, the wines offered significant returns too – and speculation ensued. The wine market expanded, with new interest from Japanese and Chinese buyers. The market exploded when Hong Kong abolished tax on wine in 2008. The frenzy built and prices rose – with the top-rated 2009 and 2010 vintages hitting new, inflated highs. En primeur no longer offered the safe return it had. The bubble burst. 
Châteaux, merchants and collectors were all stung, and there is now greater awareness of potential inflation in the market. This consciousness and understanding has settled the market and made en primeur relevant once more, although fortunately without the speculation of previous vintages. 
In 2012, Ch. Latour announced it was abandoning the en primeur system – deciding instead to offer wines only when they are ready to drink, with 2011 the last vintage to be offered as futures. It was a significant blow for en primeur to see a First Growth abandon the system, but while there was a fear this step could open the floodgates, no one else has yet followed the First Growth. 
Today, en primeur remains significant for Bordeaux. In April of each year, the world’s wine trade descends on Bordeaux to taste the latest vintage (harvested the previous year). Organised by the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux, the “Primeurs” week is an impressive publicity machine, focusing attention on the region – and while the spotlight might be on the very top properties, there’s a clear halo effect for the entire region. 
There has been a move for estates to hold back a little more stock, some of which may be offered ex-château at a later date, but most Classed Growths still sell between 70 and 90% of their entire production en primeur.  
The benefits for Bordeaux and its châteaux are clear, but what is in it for those wanting to buy the wine? Many of the reasons to buy en primeur are unchanged. There are no guarantees that you’ll make a financial return with en primeur, but inevitably wines do become rarer with time; as wines enter their drinking window, they become more desirable (and often increase in value), and over time they become scarcer, as bottles are uncorked and the finite supply of a specific vintage dwindles. As such, en primeur can offer a useful way to secure stock of wines, particularly those from small, sought-after properties which can be near-impossible to obtain after release. 
Buying en primeur also offers flawless provenance. The wine will move from the estate to wherever you store your wine, and then once more when it is withdrawn for consumption, ensuring optimal maturation conditions, and retaining maximum value should you decide to sell rather than drink. An additional luxury of buying en primeur is being able to buy any format; as the wine isn’t yet bottled, you can purchase half-bottles, magnums, jeroboams, imperials or any other size you desire easily. 
While critic scores certainly still influence the sale of wines, no single voice has the power that Robert Parker had in his heyday. Today, there are more critics than ever before – with individual writers breaking away from larger publications like the Wine Advocate to create their own platform, each with their own tastes, offering different perspectives on the vintage – arguably giving consumers more information than ever before. 
It’s little surprise that other regions have adopted the system, with Burgundy in particular embracing en primeur. Opportunities undoubtedly remain – as a vintage like 2019, sold in the midst of 2020 and the Covid-19 pandemic shows. Faced with an uncertain market, producers dropped their prices and consumers flooded to buy Bordeaux’s wines. The vintage turned out to be spectacular, with buyers justly rewarded for investing in the wines. When a vintage is good, and the pricing right, there really is nothing like the palpable buzz and excitement that the Primeurs season brings to the world of wine.  
Find out more about en primeur, including how it works, or browse all wine currently available en primeur

Each year, key fine wine regions offer their wines en primeur, or as “wine futures”, but it hasn’t always worked this way. Sophie Thorpe dives into the origins and history of the system – and what it means for wine-lovers today

En primeur is the system of buying wine futures: we delve into its origins, history and what it means today for chateaux, negociants merchants and wine-lovers

What is en primeur? Explaining wine futures

What is en primeur: the origins of wine futures

The headline for the latest Brunello vintage is that it was a challenging year. But don’t write it off. The vintage was an opportunity for the most sensitive and gifted vignerons to prove their mettle, producing a number of excellent wines that should not be missed. It is never easy for producers, or wine merchants for that matter, to promote the vintage following a classic. The 2016 vintage was a touchstone year for the region with a vast array of spectacular wines produced throughout the rich and varied appellation. The 2016 Riservas (also released this year) remind us again just how good the vintage was, and how it allowed both the character of the different terroirs and the style of each vigneron to strut their stuff. In comparison, 2017 was a lot less straightforward and Mother Nature threw a lot more curve balls. The beginning of the season saw some erratic temperature changes and the threat of frost on some early-budding vines.  There was drama in the town when Pietro Buffi (of Baricci) decided to lay damp hay bales around the perimeter of his vineyard; by setting fire to them, he created a smoke screen limiting the impact of the frost. The local fire brigade were called and there was much confusion, but no flames. It proved incredibly successful for him, at least. Unlike most producers, whose yields were drastically cut by the frost, Baricci lost just 10% of his normal crop. Yields for most producers are very low, not only due to the spring frost, but also the irregular weather at flowering, and the long drought and heatwave that marked the summer. For Matthew Fioretti at Cerbaiona, the elevation and exposure of his northeast-facing vineyards helped temper the hot conditions.  Even so, he admits that the 2017 Brunello was made almost entirely with his oldest vines, whose deep roots had better access to the limited water resources available. The clay-rich soils at Canalicchio di Sopra to the north eased the lack of rainfall, but no vigneron was immune to the vines shutting down at the height of summer. The concern was whether the grapes could reach full phenolic maturity by harvest. The cellars at Poggio di Sotto All the vignerons were in agreement that the arrival of rain in early September was a godsend. The rain brought the vines back to life and then it was a waiting game as the grapes pushed through to full phenolic maturity. Francesco Ripaccioli (Canalicchio di Sopra) is a strong believer that the last 20 days prior to harvest are the most crucial in determining the success or failure of a vintage.  In 2017, these last 20 days were, in his view, those of “a great vintage”, with mild temperatures during the day and substantial drops in temperature during the night, preserving acidity and aromatic complexity of the grapes. Favourable days were interrupted with a bit of rain, that was immediately dried up by the wind. Many producers we spoke to agreed – the final weeks in September brought plenty of character to the final wines. Thick skins and a nicely toasted fruit profile were, for many, positive attributes. The 2017 growing season remains fresh in the memory of Montalcino’s growers partly because the 2021 vintage was almost a carbon copy. Both vintages saw widespread frost followed by a hot and dry summer. In 2017, the drought meant that the berries were very small with high skin-to-pulp ratios, meaning lots of tannin.  The poorer examples are therefore quite dry as opposed to heavy. It is only where the grapes were resuscitated enough by rain to push through full phenolic maturity that producers could make balanced wines. For Fioretti, there were two options: either pick early and retain a bigger crop before more of the grapes’ juice evaporated, or hold out and see if the grapes took on more complexity left on the vine. He chose the latter starting on 19th September and finishing on 24th. Fioretti notes that while the fruit hadn’t reached full phenolic maturity, he was very satisfied with their ripeness in tank. With such huge variation in altitude across Poggio di Sotto’s different vineyards, the team spread their harvest over nearly a month, picking the warmer sites as early as 29th August and ending on 27th September. Although 2017 was one of the hottest and driest years ever, at Poggio di Sotto the wines have maintained excellent richness of fruit and acidity, due to rigorous selection and an elongated harvest. Based in the cooler northern district of Montalcino, Canalicchio di Sopra, another real success in 2017, picked even later, starting 25th September and finishing 6th October. It was the southern sections of Montalcino, however, that suffered the worst from the drought. The north received 300mm of rain between March and November, while the south saw just 160mm. Sangiovese is so sensitive to drought and the conditions were so drastic that parts of the south were even allowed to irrigate. The Montosoli vineyards at Canalicchio di Sopra Despite the challenges, a handful of top producers produced outstanding wine in 2017. The best examples have fully ripe tannins, a lovely crunch to the fruit and vibrant acidity. While not as fleshy as the 2016 Riservas tasted alongside, the top examples are not at all mean or lacking in concentration. Whereas in poorer examples the fruit aromas can be a little candied and sometimes a little meaty (suggesting possible issues with fermentation), others have a pleasing roasted fruit character, rather than raisined ripeness. At worst, the tannins can feel a little abrupt and hard-edged. Top producers, such as Casanova di Neri, Canalicchio di Sopra, Poggio di Sotto and Talenti have made great wines in the toughest of vintages, and their 2017s are no exception – they really are special. Wines selected wisely will give great short to mid-term drinking pleasure and should not be missed.

As the latest wines from Montalcino are released, we delve into the 2017 vintage. Talking to and tasting with leading producers at the annual Benvenuto Brunello event last November, here’s everything you need to know about a tricky year for the region’s growers

Why you shouldn’t dismiss the challenging Brunello di Montalcino 2017 vintage – and which wines are worth seeking out: Poggio di Sotto, Montosoli and more

2017 Brunello vintage report

Brunello 2017: vintage report

Winemaker Jessica Servet has certainly been busy since our last visit to Hegarty Chamans, an enchanting vineyard in the hills of the Minervois. The winery’s success over the last few years and conversion to biodynamics has earned them an enviable reputation – both abroad and locally. Servet has since been elected deputy mayor of the local village and asked to take the lead on environmental sustainability issues in the wider district. Once a team of outsiders – with the estate founded by Englishman Sir John Hegarty and his wife Philippa, they are now increasingly influential in the region. But this wasn’t always the case: Hegarty Chamans has always seen itself as the “black sheep” of the Minervois.  From the outset it had a very clear goal to promote organic principles, which back in 2002 was radical for the region. The estate was also keen to produce wines of a certain style, wines that were elegant and very pure, resisting what Servet describes as “the make-up” of products that can be (and are) widely used in the region to affect the style and flavour profile of the wines. “People want the wines very ripe but with acidity,” Servet explains, “so they simply pick late and add acidity in the winery. This is something we are strongly against. We want to produce a balance in the wine without manipulation.” In the southern French heat, it can be tricky to produce wines that are fully ripe, while also keeping the alcohol in check and retaining freshness. Servet explains the key to their success is not to push the vines too hard. “You look around and some vignerons are willing to push their vines to the extreme to maximise yield, 80 to 90 hl/ha is not unusual for the region. The vines are weak, susceptible to uneven ripening and disease and finding balance in the wine is not easy. We realised we had to drop right down to 25 to 30 hl/ha to find that natural balance.”  She goes on to explain this approach produced a wine style that initially was deemed “not Minervois enough”. Their wines had even been rejected by the appellation at tasting (to carry the appellation’s name, wines have to be presented to a tasting panel).  The irony is that their purist attempts to reflect the vineyard were seen as atypical of the region. This rejection, while unhelpful, did not steer them off course. Thankfully in more recent years their philosophy and the success of the wines both locally and further afield has seen their approach become influential in what is a true representation of Minervois, or
perhaps what is more important for Servet, a true representation of the Hegarty Chamans vineyards. It is a very particular site and not dissimilar to the likes of the secluded wineries of Ch. Rayas, further north in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, or even the secluded vineyard of Soldera in Tuscany. What they all have in common, alongside low yields, is a belief that great vineyard sites need biodiversity to produce great wine.  All these vineyards are surrounded by forests that not only protect the vineyard from chemical infiltration from neighbouring sites, but benefit from a rich ecosystem that protects soil health and the vine’s natural resistance to disease, extending its natural life. The ultimate goal is to have a vineyard in perfect self-sustaining health. Servet believes this rich biodiversity is key to the vineyard working with its surrounding environment. Animals are a fundamental part of this: the estate raises a small flock of sheep which eliminates the weeds which grow between the vines and provides natural fertiliser, supplemented by other organic manures.  They also keep bees and prepare their own composts which are energised using specific biodynamic preparations. After spreading on agricultural soils, they encourage microbiological life and the mineral and organic richness which Servet believes is at the source of the strong terroir expression found in the wines. Beyond Hegarty Chamans, Servet is also encouraging others to employ a sustainable approach. In the region, all three of the main wineries are now organic and her latest domestic project is to organise a communal composting system for all residents living in the region.  Hegarty Chamans’ top cuvée, Black Knight, comes from the estate’s finest vineyards and is made only in the best vintages. We were fortunate to taste the 2016 on a number of occasions earlier this year, from barrel and following bottling (which is exclusively in magnum). We were blown away by the quality, the textural richness of the wine, the layering of the tannins and the purity of fruit – which is really special. It certainly has the signature elegance the winery has always promoted above anything else, but there is Minervois power too. Servet knows in the run up to harvest whether there will be a Black Knight cuvée – and in 2016, it proved to be a very easy decision. “We had enough rain in the spring to see us through the summer with very steady weather, no heat spikes and very even ripening, it was the most relaxed season I can remember,” she explains. The cuvée is made typically from the same favoured plots. Syrah, which makes up 80% of the blend, always comes from the Rabbit vineyard. “It's special due to the particular exposition of the vineyard and the effects of a distinct red and white clay in the soil. It produces an unbelievable freshness to the Syrah from this site,” says Servet.  The Carignan (typically around 10% of the blend) always comes from the oldest vines on the entire property, high up on the hill above the winery, 60 to 70 years in age and offering consistency every year. The Grenache, however, is not always from the same site, and is often chosen after vinification.  “I know the flavour profile I am looking for and when I find it, it goes in. The best expression of Grenache is based on picking it at exactly the right time. It gives you incredibly pure strawberry jam flavour with white pepper. When you capture both that sweet and spicy flavour in the wine you know you have got it right,” explains Servet. Using only natural yeast, the grapes go through fermentation and undergo a four-week maceration with gentle extraction, with the wine kept at a low temperature to retain aromatics. Only the free-run juice used for Black Knight – again retaining the elegance in the wine. The wine is then aged in a mix of one, two and three-year-old 300-litre barriques, Stockinger and Séguin Moreau barrels for 22-24 months. It is this long élevage that creates the wonderful layered texture in the wine. “There are lots of tannins in the wine and it needs this time to fully integrate in barrel,” Servet says. As I push further to understand the secret behind this cuvée, Servet admits there is always a sense of mystery in winemaking. A lot of the time her work is done on instinct and how she feels. Servet explains that if she is in a bad mood, she doesn't go near the wines. "There is energy here and I trust in that. I feel it in the vineyards and I feel it in the winery.” There is certainly a bit of magic that goes on in winemaking and the vineyards of Hegarty Chamans are certainly special – as you can feel in the wine. The 2016 Black Knight is the finest cuvée we have tasted from the property, and it is fast becoming one of the most exciting wines from the south of France.  Find out more about Hegarty Chamans and browse all listings

Ahead of the latest release of Hegarty Chamans’ top cuvée, Black Knight, we caught up with Winemaker Jessica Servet to find out more about what makes this secluded vineyard in the hills of the Minervois so special

Winemaker Jessica Servet talks about what makes the secluded vineyard of Hegarty Chamans’ top wine cuvée Black Knight in the hills of Minervois so special. 

Making a mark in the Minervois

Percarlo and La Ricolma are two of Italy’s finest wines – both crafted by Luca Martini di Cigala at San Giusto a Rentennano. Percarlo is the Tuscan estate’s top Sangiovese bottling, made with the most concentrated and best fruit, picked in a third and final pass through their vines (with the previous passes used for the estate’s Chianti Classico and Chianti Classico Riserva). When Martini di Cigala first made the wine in 1983, however, it was illegal for Chianti Classico to be 100% Sangiovese, so he had no choice but to declassify the wine to an IGT. Although the rules have since changed, Percarlo’s reputation precedes that of the Chianti Classico denomination and remains an IGT.  La Ricolma is 100% Merlot – a variety with a very different temperament to Sangiovese. The fruit for this wine is picked all in one go; the secret to finding balance in Merlot, the Martini di Cigala says, is to slow its ripening – a challenge that must be tackled throughout the season.   The result is two completely different wines from two different varieties grown on the same estate in Gaiole – Chianti Classico’s southernmost district.  Last Thursday, we hosted a special dinner pitting these two legendary wines against each other. Luca Martini di Cigala returned to London for the first time in over 30 years, with his wife Bettina, to present some of the estate’s finest bottlings, with vintages back to 1998. Tasting these wines at full maturity was a privilege, made all the more special by the fact they were all served from magnum – and came from Martini di Cigala’s personal cellar. With so few magnums produced, many of the wines on show had never been commercially available – the large formats reserved for the family’s private consumption.   Martini di Cigala selected a range of vintages that he felt were in their sweet-spot and included the 2007, 2006, 2005 and 2004 of both Percarlo and La Ricolma – followed by a rare 1998 Percarlo. The wines were extraordinary.   Having been fortunate enough to have tasted the 2018 La Ricoma and Percarlo earlier in the day – which were stunning in their youth – it is mind-blowing to see how these wines develop with 15 years or more in bottle. With age, the purity of fruit found in the younger vintages takes on hedonistic, richer aromas that set the drinker’s pulse racing.   The aromatic appeal of La Ricolma is about as beguiling as wine gets and the 2007 (in what Cigala describes as a hot vintage) was arguably the wine of the night. It just shows how resilient Merlot is in San Giusto’s vineyards. A grape often seen as too alcoholic and overpowering in hot vintages, in the right place it produces a wine of outstanding purity. While having all the opulence the finest Merlots can muster (which is not dissimilar to Pétrus), the balance is impeccable. Tasting 2007 Percarlo alongside 2007 La Ricolma was a fascinating comparison – something that rang true throughout the vertical we tasted. Where the Ricolma was more exuberant, Percarlo was more austere, although this seems too stern a word, such is the wine’s finesse. The Percarlo certainly seems more vertical – yet it is one of the smoothest and most rounded Sangioveses you are ever likely to taste.   Martini di Cigala notes that the San Giusto vineyards are not that high in altitude compared to his neighbours at Castello di Ama. This means that during the day his vineyards are as hot as those in the more southerly, warmer Montalcino; the difference is that San Giusto has much cooler temperatures at night, allowing the fruit to retain vibrancy and cooler fruit tones – something that shone through in all the wines tasted.  Martini di Cigala is one of the most modest winemakers I have ever met. Asked what his secret is, he says he has none. But, as he talks about his wines, the terroir – and his amazing memory of weather episodes decades ago –  he clearly has an exhaustive understanding of his craft. It was a delight therefore to see him become so animated when the 2006 Percarlo was poured. Tasting the wine, he professed to the guests, with a big smile on his face, that this was one of the finest Percarlos he has ever made – this was the wine he always wanted to make. He recalls the harvest and said, “These were the best grapes I had seen in my life.” It was a joy to taste this wine 16 years on with its deservedly proud maker.  The 2005 vintage, noted Martini di Cigala, was a vintage full of expectation. Vignerons were very excited about the wines’ prospects, but then the vineyards were hit by wet weather during harvest. Despite this, the 2005 Percarlo and La Ricoma are magical. While they don’t have the concentration of the 2007 and 2006, they still capture the San Giusto magic. In my 2005 La Ricolma tasting note, it says “otherworldly” – so it must have been pretty special.  The 2004 La Ricolma is particularly elegant. The nose is again extraordinary – the palate texturally sublime and the wine has impeccable balance. The 2004 Percarlo is, as Martini di Cigala noted, “a particularly elegant vintage for Sangiovese”.  The wine has fantastic clarity to the fruit, mouthwateringly juicy but with amazing structure too. The tannins are just so fine – it is incredible. Just 18 magnums of the 2005 and 2004 La Ricolma were ever made – so it was a real privilege to have them at the tasting and for them to be showing so well.  After comparing the four vintages Martini di Cigala felt the 2005 and 2004 have reached optimum maturity, having fully opened and reached their peak. The 2006 and 2007 on the other hand, “still have a certain amount of coiled spring energy to the wine – they still have more to give”.  We begged Martini di Cigala to bring a very rare 1998 Percarlo from his cellar – providing a particularly grand finale. At nearly 25 years of age, the wine was magnificent. It captures all the character that runs through the previous vintages of Percarlo – with incredibly refined tannins, vibrant acidity and classic Sangiovese structure, while also being so smooth and rounded. Even with age, the structure was solid and had matured beautifully.  Looking back at the wines, it is the Tuscan terroir that clearly defines these two wines. La Ricolma has the opulence and complexity of Pomerol but with that austere edge, that vibrancy and verticality that you only get from Tuscan soils. In comparison, the Percarlo has the vibrancy and Tuscan verticality, but there is no astringent edge – such is the finesse of the tannins. Some preferred Percarlo’s more classic Italian acerbity, while others loved the uniqueness and profundity of La Ricolma. Tasting them side by side was such a joy, the wines offering two very different varietal expressions while also sharing a similarity of place. These wines – even the Merlot – just couldn’t be from anywhere but Tuscany.  It's fitting that Alessandro Masnaghetti – the man who created the groundbreaking viticultural maps of Barolo and Barbaresco – has just published his new book, mapping the terroirs of Chianti Classico. It’s a book Luca Martini di Cigala is immensely proud of, having championed the differences in sub-zones for decades; now he has the proof – and he brought a copy for both us and the River Café’s Ruth Rogers. Her late business partner and co-founder of the London institution, Rose Gray visited San Giusto many years ago – it was fitting for Martini di Cigala to be able to repay the favour for this special evening.  While the tasting might have been billed as Percarlo versus La Ricolma, it was a friendly battle. It was great to see them both showing so well and how complementary they were tasted side by side. One of the most notable takeaways from the evening was the outstanding consistency. Every wine on the table sang. Every wine was impeccably balanced. Every wine was full of character and complexity. It was a special, rare opportunity that will live long in the memory. I just hope we don’t have to wait another 30 years before convincing Martini di Cigala to come back.    Explore all listings from San Giusto a Rentennano or register interest in future events 

San Giusto a Rentennano is one of Chianti, Tuscany and Italy’s finest producers –best known for its iconic Percarlo and La Ricolma. After an incredible dinner tasting a vertical of these wines back to 1998, we report on what defines these special Super Tuscans 

Digging into San Giusto a Rentennano’s La Ricolma and Percarlo – with a vertical of the Super Tuscan icons with Luca Martini di Cigala

La Ricolma vs Percarlo vertical wine tasting

Tasting La Ricolma versus Percarlo: a special Super Tuscan vertical

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Local delivery is free for orders over HK$1,800 (to a single location). For orders below this value, delivery is HK$150 for up to four cases and HK$50 per case thereafter.

Shipping starts from €15 within Italy and €45 to Switzerland and the rest of Europe for up to 48 bottles (75cl). Costs vary by destination. Larger shipments can be quoted on request.

The date shown below is when your order will ship from our local warehouse. Your final delivery date, along with full tracking details, will be provided once our team has processed your request.

You can arrange collection from our Retail store on 22nd Floor, 8 Wyndham Street, Central Hong Kong.
Collection times are between 9:30am-13:00 and 14:00-18:00pm, Monday to Friday. We are closed on public holidays.

You can arranged collection from our warehouse STI INTERNAZIONALE SPA, on Viale del Lavoro, 57, 37051 Bovolone, Verona.
Pick-up hours are between 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM and 1:30 PM to 5:30 PM, Monday to Friday. We are closed on public holidays.

This is the current estimated market value for this item.

Manually set prices will be overwritten. Already listed wines are not affected.

Updates all unlisted wines to current market price.

Set all at market

represents all the wines you currently have in your Portfolio that aren't stored with us. Press the

My cellar

Name

Net price

New portfolio available

New portfolio

You do not have any invoices at this time.

shows all the items from your Portfolio that are currently on the market.

On sale

shows all the items you currently have in your Portfolio. You can perform individual actions on them from this page.

Overview

shows any items that are currently awaiting user action.

Pending

This is the dynamic estimated value of the item with trading margin removed.

This is the amount of profit you will receive if your listing sells.

Pre-authorised payments enable automatic transactions on your behalf, ensuring seamless and hassle-free payments. This allows recurring charges, subscriptions, or scheduled payments to be processed without manual approval each time.

The number of cases you wish to place on sale

Your catalogue item will be archived. Are you sure you want to continue?

Your catalogue items will be archived. Are you sure you want to continue?

Before you request delivery, you can adjust the quantity for each item in your selection below.

* At time of sale a 15% trading fee will be deducted from the final sale price.

Total estimated value*'

The fixed custom price you wish to sell each item for.

Split into {caseSize} individual {bottleSize}cl bottles.

Title

shows all the items you currently store with us. These items can be sold.

Available for sale — items stored with {name} eligible to be listed on the marketplace.

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This item is at Vinfolio, available for storage or shipping. For more information on shipping and handling visit vinfolio.com/shipping

This item is at FINE+RARE HOME Hong Kong, available for delivery or local pickup. Most Hong Kong deliveries can be made within 3 working days, an exact date will be available when arranging delivery. International deliveries have longer lead-times, please contact us for details.

Wines sold en primeur will be released from the producer after bottling, typically 18 months after the so-called campaign ends. Upon arrival your wine will be stored at Vinfolio in our temperature-controlled warehouse until you decide to take delivery.

We will source this item at the guaranteed price from our network of suppliers and arrange expedited shipment to FINE+RARE.
 The lead-time depends on many variables, but 2-4 weeks is typical for expedited sourcing.
 Once your order is confirmed, we'll keep you updated on its ETA.
 Every item is checked on arrival by our expert team, with photographs available on request (please note that charges may apply).

When a wine is on "pre-arrival", it means that we have a confirmed order on the bottles from our supplier and we are simply waiting for the winery or distributor to ship the wine to us. The delivery timeframe for pre-arrival wines varies significantly, depending on where the wine is coming from. We will notify you once they arrive at our warehouse and, at that point, you can decide to arrange shipping or list them for sale.

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