Episoder
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JamesSuckling.com Senior Editor Zekun Shuai talks to Santiago Deicas of Bodega Familia Deicas in Uruguay about their recent releases and how winemakers are starting to take albariño more seriously in the country.
Deicas goes into depth about the Deicas Albariño Maldonado Cru d’Exception 2020, and tells Zekun about their "cold brew" and "espresso" methods of winemaking – two unique approaches to extraction used in their Bizarra Tannat Sierra de Mahoma Espresso 2021 and Cold Brew 2021. -
In this podcast, Ian Hongell, Torbreck Vintners' general manager and chief winemaker, discusses the winery's recent vintages and the notable quality of 2021, which produced red wines that are both flavorful and fresh. James also shares his thoughts on the wines during the discussion, which covers topics such as Torbreck's old vines and more. Listen to the full podcast at JamesSuckling.com or via the link in the profile.
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In this new podcast, James discusses the latest release of Fleur de Miraval Champagne Exclusivement Rosé NV in Hong Kong with Alexis Blondel, who works as assistant winemaker for the partners behind the Fleur de Miraval project: Brad Pitt, Pierre Peters Champagnes and the Perrin family of Rhone.
Blondel explained what went into what James called the "unique blend," and said the only goal and purpose in making the wine was to make a high-quality rosé Champagne. Listen to the full podcast to hear more. -
Rare Champagne just launched its 2013 Rare Millésime, which will be on the market in June. In this new podcast, chief winemaker Emilien Boutillat and brand director Maud Rabin talk about the 2013 vintage with Associate Editor Claire Nesbitt. The wine is 70 percent chardonnay with 30 percent pinot noir, mostly from the Montagne de Reims, balanced with some fruit from the Cote de Blancs, and 100 percent vinified in stainless steel to focus on the purity of the fruit. Check out the full podcast to find out more about the vintage and the wine.
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James tasted and rated the new release of Champagne Bollinger RD 2008 in March over Zoom with the cellarmaster Denis Brunner who dialed in from Champagne. It’s an acid-driven, super-structured Champagne highlighting the unique character and winemaking of the house. It’s one of the best RDs James has tasted and rated. Listen to the full conversation to hear Brunner talk about their emphasis on ageability, compare the 2008 to other vintages, their aging process and more.
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Senior Editor Zekun Shuai tasted Henschke's 2018 wines over Zoom with the family and you can hear the full conversation here. 2018 is a wonderful and classic vintage that shows the singularity of these place-oriented wines with stellar length and svelte tannins.
They are fresh, lush, and concentrated in flavors but not hefty in form. Huge complexity, length, and most importantly harmony in Hill of Grace, and elegance and linearity in Mount Edelstone which has a citrus, bergamot-like freshness.
Listen to the full discussion and find out their thoughts on the 2018s, their philosophy, what they look for in Hill of Grace and more. -
Tuscan producer Bibi Graetz recently unveiled three new single-vineyard, small-production wines from grapes including sangiovese, colorino and canaiolo. James found the wines to be outstanding. In this podcast, James talks to Graetz to find out more about them. Graetz called them “really fun and great.” Listen to find out more about these offerings and hear how the 2020 vintage turned out.
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JamesSuckling.com Associate Editor Andrii Stetsiuk talks with the team at Australian winery Seppeltsfield about their 1923 100 Year Old Para Vintage Tawny.
Fiona Donald, Seppeltsfield's chief winemaker, and Lauren Mudge, the head of marketing, discuss Seppelstfield's history of making fortified wines and how it has evolved to encompass a broader range of offerings, including classic Barossa varieties like shiraz and grenache, as well as white wines and sherries.
Still, they say, the 100 Year Old Para Vintage Tawny is the winery's "jewel in the crown." Check out the full podcast to find out all their thoughts about what makes their winery unique. -
We’ve been making our way through hundreds of Bordeaux 2020 samples each week in our office in Hong Kong and have found some spectacular bottles. Famous wine estates both on the Right and Left Banks have stood out and St. Emilion is shining through beautifully with a freshness and finesse to the solid fruit and tannin structures in the wines. In this video, you can watch James talk with Pierre Courdurie of Chateau Croix de Labrie in Bordeaux about the 2020 vintage in bottle and the year's "amazing" upside. “Our 2020 Croix de Labrie is the best of the trilogy,” Pierre Courdurie, who owns his tiny biodynamic estate in St. Emilion with his wife, said. “In 2020, we gained energy in the wine” compared with 2018 and 2019, he said. Courdurie is like many wine producers in Bordeaux who felt that the hot and dry weather during the summer grape-growing season in 2020 was easier to handle because of the two similar vintages before it. Hear the full conversation in this new podcast.
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The JamesSuckling.com tasting team talks with owners and winemakers from Brunello vintners Ciacci Piccolomini D'Aragona, San Polo, Renieri, Casanova di Neri and San Polino to find out their feelings on the 2018 vintage, which will be released on the market in January.
Read the full report here: https://www.jamessuckling.com/wine-tasting-reports/can-brunellos-cool-and-classic-2018-vintage-be-considered-great-2022-annual-report/ -
James chats with Chris Tyrrell, winemaker for his family's Tyrrell's Wines in Australia's Hunter Valley. They discuss the latest vintages and how they compare with previous years.
"First rule of our vines is just because they're old doesn't make them good," Chris tells James. "I think the old-vine thing ... you shouldn't do it unless the wine is worthy."
Read more about his wines and other great bottles from down under in our 2022 Annual Australia Tasting Report. -
JamesSuckling.com Senior Editor Zekun Shuai talks with Spanish winemaker Telmo Rodriguez about his latest releases, including some single-vineyard wonders. You can read more about the wines and the latest trends toward wine drinkability and gastronomic harmony in our new Spain report here, by clicking here.
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James sits down with Charles and Harry Symington of the eponymous Symington Family Estates in Portugal's Douro Valley to discuss in detail their 2020 vintage Port offerings.
"How did it go down and how did it compare to the last declared year?" James asks the two.
Charles Symington, the head winemaker of the winery, said rain and warm weather in the early part of the year led to bud bursts two to three weeks early and an early flowering, followed by a dry summer with below-average rainfall and a hot stretch from early July to early August. Then, in mid-August, more rains finally came, "which allowed us to get through maturation quite nicely."
Have a listen to their entire conversation to learn how the weather in 2020 went into bottle for each of the wines they made from that year, including their Warre's Vintage Port 2020 and Dow’s Vintage Port Quinta do Bomfim 2020.
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Associate Editor Claire Nesbitt recently tasted and discussed the latest vintages of Rare Champagne with chief winemaker Emilien Boutillat and brand director Maud Rabin on Zoom from our office in Tuscany and you can listen to the conversation and insights shared here.
Rare Champagne 2008 is supple and soft for a cool vintage, with a complex array of tropical fruit and spice notes, having spent 11 years on the lees with almost two years of bottle age. Rare Champagne Rosé 2012, just released on the market, shows fresher fruit and fantastic vibrancy and elegance, made as a blend of 60 percent chardonnay and 40 percent pinot noir, with 8 percent of pinot noir red wine from Les Riceys.
Both wines are vinified in 100 percent stainless steel and are blends of chardonnay and pinot noir mainly from the Montagne de Reims.
Read about more great Champagnes in our annual Champagne report.
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JamesSuckling.com Senior Editor Zekun Shuai interviews Robert Santana of Spain's Envinate about his winemaking philosophies.
"We want to taste wines that take you to the place," Robert says. "The second important thing for us is the character," which comes from a deep understanding of how vintages are affected by the weather each year, and the third element is the "soul" of the wine – "that is the people that are around in the vineyard and in the cellar. We think it's very important that these people are happy and understand [our philosophies] and do the work." -
Francisco Baettig and JamesSuckling.com Senior Editor Zekun Shuai talk about the differences between the 2020 and 2021 vintages in Chile.
Because 2020 was dry and hot, Baettig said, "the challenge was to preserve the freshness of the fruit ... so vineyard management really was key in terms of promoting a little bit of the vigor of the plant."
Harvesting was also done earlier than normal in order to preserve the color, "so overall when we try the wines you'll see that the alcohol is pretty moderate," Baettig said. "You won't see overripe flavors but of course, you will see wines with some power and concentration."
To read our full 2022 Chile report, click here. -
Senior Editor Zekun Shuai sits down with Ricardo Baettig of Chilean winery Morandé to talk carbonic maceration, new varieties in Chile and what the future holds for the country's wine scene.
You can read our full 2022 Chile report here: https://www.jamessuckling.com/wine-tasting-reports/chile-annual-report-beyond-carmenere-and-into-an-ocean-of-freshness/ - Se mer
