It is always a pleasure to visit Bordeaux and this year Vinexpo has been less hectic than usual giving one time to taste around!
I was able to taste a comprehensive range of 2008 Bordeaux Grand Crus. It was interesting to note that the style of the 2008 year for Bordeaux wines is similar to the Douro; elegant wines with excellent acidity, light in structure but with good definition and a tannic finish. The better wines are the riper ones which have more of a middle palate that helps to balance out the acidity.
June 24, 2009
May 21, 2009
Let's clean up this tasting act!
I despair at the ineptitude and lack of professionalism of some of our influential wine journalists these days in tasting young Vintage Ports. Yes, assessing young Vintage Ports is not an easy job, but if you don't have the confidence in your tasting ability to do it blind then don't do it at all!
What service are you providing your unfortunate subscribers by bringing all your prejudices to the tasting bench. What credibilty can you have if you reassess your marks after seeing the name on the bottle!
Sour grapes I hear you say. Yes, I am upset by the way my wine has been rated. I am extremely proud of the Churchill 2007. It is probably the best Vintage Port we have ever produced and that includes our trophy winning 1985.
Ignorance is forgivable. Not everyone realises that a young Vintage Port blend should be as tight as a drum. It should be tannic, unyielding and not reveal very much, so beware of all those wines with the flowery adjectives.
But let's clean up this tasting act please!
What service are you providing your unfortunate subscribers by bringing all your prejudices to the tasting bench. What credibilty can you have if you reassess your marks after seeing the name on the bottle!
Sour grapes I hear you say. Yes, I am upset by the way my wine has been rated. I am extremely proud of the Churchill 2007. It is probably the best Vintage Port we have ever produced and that includes our trophy winning 1985.
Ignorance is forgivable. Not everyone realises that a young Vintage Port blend should be as tight as a drum. It should be tannic, unyielding and not reveal very much, so beware of all those wines with the flowery adjectives.
But let's clean up this tasting act please!
May 17, 2009
The power of the Press!
I drank some memorable bottles with my friends here in Oporto when James Suckling was in town.
My old friend Paul Symington produced a Graham's 48 and a Dow's 31. At 60 years old the Graham's 1948 was still tasting amazingly young and fresh whilst the Dow's 1931 was delicate and dry.
Dirk Nieport also kindly invited me to his house for dinner and produced a decadently sweet Nieport 1955, which I guessed right! First however we had his fabulous Batuta 2001. James and Paul both thought it was French and a top line Rhone wine. I thought the terroir was familiar and said to the assembled company how I wished it could be from the Douro!
"James come back , all is forgiven, more or less!"
My old friend Paul Symington produced a Graham's 48 and a Dow's 31. At 60 years old the Graham's 1948 was still tasting amazingly young and fresh whilst the Dow's 1931 was delicate and dry.
Dirk Nieport also kindly invited me to his house for dinner and produced a decadently sweet Nieport 1955, which I guessed right! First however we had his fabulous Batuta 2001. James and Paul both thought it was French and a top line Rhone wine. I thought the terroir was familiar and said to the assembled company how I wished it could be from the Douro!
"James come back , all is forgiven, more or less!"
May 16, 2009
US sales visit
I have been away for the past two weeks launching our 2007 Vintage; one week in the US and one week in England encompassing the London Wine Trade Fair.
The US was a whistle-stop tour of 5 cities beginning in New York and finishing in San Francisco. I had good intentions of writing my blog each evening but would arrive back at my hotel late each night absolutely whacked!
Despite the job losses and the difficult financial times being experienced by many people, I found the mood in the US to be upbeat. You cannot underestimate a market of 300 million people who are regaining their national pride!
The Churchill's 2007 Vintage was showing very well and there is a razmatazz about the wine with its fresh fruit and racy tannins. It also has a density and structure which in my opinion sorts out the sheep from the goats!
You can't imagine my disappointment and amazement when I saw the rating given by James Suckling of the Wine Spectator. I don't think James accredits enough the tougher more complex wines over the intense eye-catching fruit bombs!
The US was a whistle-stop tour of 5 cities beginning in New York and finishing in San Francisco. I had good intentions of writing my blog each evening but would arrive back at my hotel late each night absolutely whacked!
Despite the job losses and the difficult financial times being experienced by many people, I found the mood in the US to be upbeat. You cannot underestimate a market of 300 million people who are regaining their national pride!
The Churchill's 2007 Vintage was showing very well and there is a razmatazz about the wine with its fresh fruit and racy tannins. It also has a density and structure which in my opinion sorts out the sheep from the goats!
You can't imagine my disappointment and amazement when I saw the rating given by James Suckling of the Wine Spectator. I don't think James accredits enough the tougher more complex wines over the intense eye-catching fruit bombs!
April 26, 2009
Churchill's 2007 Vintage Port Declaration
We have declared the 2007 Port Vintage!
2007 was an outstanding year in the Douro for both Port and Douro wines.
In my opinion the Churchill's 2007 has the fresh, fruit driven style of the 1985's combined with the tough chunkiness of the 1994's.
I have already posted my Vintage Report and Tasting comments.
2007 was an outstanding year in the Douro for both Port and Douro wines.
In my opinion the Churchill's 2007 has the fresh, fruit driven style of the 1985's combined with the tough chunkiness of the 1994's.
I have already posted my Vintage Report and Tasting comments.
Churchill's 2007 Vintage Port Technical data
Tasting Comments:
A rich and solid purple colour; on the nose, a combination of wild lavender and concentrated blackberries; broad shouldered and complex on the palate with a meaty structure and lingering tannins; a classic Vintage Port to put away in the cellar for many years.
Sourcing:
Old vineyards in the Douro Superior and in the Cima Corgo; Quinta da Gricha on the south bank of the river Douro, Quinta do Rio in the Rio Torto valley and Quinta do Sto Antonio in the Pinhão valley.
This is the first time that we have included a wine from the Douro Superior in our Churchill’s Vintage blend; a richer, riper style of wine to compliment the finer, more intense style of wine from the quintas in the Cima Corgo.
Grape Varieties:
A field blend from old vineyards (av. Age 40-50 years old) that include grape varieties such as Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Francisca and Tinto Cão.
Vinification:
All our Ports are made in “lagares” or traditional granite treading tanks. This is our preferred choice of vinification for Port. Although more costly, we believe it is still the most effective maceration process for making top quality Vintage Port. We have treading teams working throughout the day and up to 10pm each evening.
Analysis:
Alcohol – 20 %
Sugar – 92.0 g/l
Total Acidity – 5.6 g/l
Volatile Acidity – 0.27 g/l
Winemaker: Johnny Graham
A rich and solid purple colour; on the nose, a combination of wild lavender and concentrated blackberries; broad shouldered and complex on the palate with a meaty structure and lingering tannins; a classic Vintage Port to put away in the cellar for many years.
Sourcing:
Old vineyards in the Douro Superior and in the Cima Corgo; Quinta da Gricha on the south bank of the river Douro, Quinta do Rio in the Rio Torto valley and Quinta do Sto Antonio in the Pinhão valley.
This is the first time that we have included a wine from the Douro Superior in our Churchill’s Vintage blend; a richer, riper style of wine to compliment the finer, more intense style of wine from the quintas in the Cima Corgo.
Grape Varieties:
A field blend from old vineyards (av. Age 40-50 years old) that include grape varieties such as Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Francisca and Tinto Cão.
Vinification:
All our Ports are made in “lagares” or traditional granite treading tanks. This is our preferred choice of vinification for Port. Although more costly, we believe it is still the most effective maceration process for making top quality Vintage Port. We have treading teams working throughout the day and up to 10pm each evening.
Analysis:
Alcohol – 20 %
Sugar – 92.0 g/l
Total Acidity – 5.6 g/l
Volatile Acidity – 0.27 g/l
Winemaker: Johnny Graham
2007 Vintage Report
2007 VINTAGE REPORT
Climatic conditions:
As often happens in great Vintage years, the climatic conditions in the Douro in 2006/2007 were not a text book example of what you would expect from a year that produced such outstanding wines.
Heavy rainfall during the winter months of November and February was closely followed by further precipitation during the spring months of May and early June. These humid conditions produced heavy vegetation in the vines giving rise to potential fungal and parasitic problems during the flowering and in the early summer which had to be carefully controlled.
The summer months, however, were then hot and dry but the temperature in August was cooler than average. With the exception of one day’s rain in mid September, the dry weather continued right through to the end of October with hot days and cool nights.
This Indian summer compensated for the lack of real heat in August and concentrated the grapes bringing them to perfect ripeness by the time of the vintage. At Churchill’s we delayed picking our old vines and top vineyards to ensure that these grapes were at optimum maturity.
Vinification:
The vintage started on 10th September. The grapes were in excellent condition and very few were rejected on our sorting tables. Although the daytime temperature was hot, our new overnight cold storage system ensured that the grapes were crushed into the lagares at a cool temperature the next morning. Fermentations were long and even and the lagares took plenty of work producing wines with stunning colour and concentration.
Maturation:
The young Ports spent their first winter in seasoned oak “tonels” up the Douro and then were brought down to our Port lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia in the following spring. Here they spent the next year in seasoned oak vats and stainless steel tanks where their development was carefully accompanied.
The final selection was made in the early Spring this year. The young Vintage Port and Single Quinta Vintage Port blends will now spend six months in seasoned oak vats before being bottled in the early autumn.
Johnny Graham
Oporto, 20th April 2009
Climatic conditions:
As often happens in great Vintage years, the climatic conditions in the Douro in 2006/2007 were not a text book example of what you would expect from a year that produced such outstanding wines.
Heavy rainfall during the winter months of November and February was closely followed by further precipitation during the spring months of May and early June. These humid conditions produced heavy vegetation in the vines giving rise to potential fungal and parasitic problems during the flowering and in the early summer which had to be carefully controlled.
The summer months, however, were then hot and dry but the temperature in August was cooler than average. With the exception of one day’s rain in mid September, the dry weather continued right through to the end of October with hot days and cool nights.
This Indian summer compensated for the lack of real heat in August and concentrated the grapes bringing them to perfect ripeness by the time of the vintage. At Churchill’s we delayed picking our old vines and top vineyards to ensure that these grapes were at optimum maturity.
Vinification:
The vintage started on 10th September. The grapes were in excellent condition and very few were rejected on our sorting tables. Although the daytime temperature was hot, our new overnight cold storage system ensured that the grapes were crushed into the lagares at a cool temperature the next morning. Fermentations were long and even and the lagares took plenty of work producing wines with stunning colour and concentration.
Maturation:
The young Ports spent their first winter in seasoned oak “tonels” up the Douro and then were brought down to our Port lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia in the following spring. Here they spent the next year in seasoned oak vats and stainless steel tanks where their development was carefully accompanied.
The final selection was made in the early Spring this year. The young Vintage Port and Single Quinta Vintage Port blends will now spend six months in seasoned oak vats before being bottled in the early autumn.
Johnny Graham
Oporto, 20th April 2009
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