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London Wine Fair : Ultimate Expressions - Special Wines & Cognac
28 April 2017Stand B22
Every winery has one wine they hold above the rest, the true expression of their philosophy and techniques. They all look for different characters to tease out of the terroir but the factor that binds them all is their quality. These are just some of our producer’s iconic wines and cognac.
Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne
The Latour family are long established in Burgundy's wine trade. They began as vine growers in the village of Aloxe-Corton as early as 1760s and went on to establish today's business, Maison Louis Latour, in 1797. Today they are one of the region's most famous names, creating wines from their own 50 hectare domaine in the Côte d'Or and from grapes and wines purchased through the negociant arm of the business. They also produce all their own barrels at their small, traditional cooperage in Savigny-Lès-Beaune. In the 1890s the third generation of Latour, named Louis, took out the phylloxera damaged vines of Aligoté and Gamay and decided to replant with Chardonnay on phylloxera-resistant American rootstocks. These Chardonnay vines created the first Corton-Charlemagne wines. Maison Latour are the biggest owner of this appellation, owning nearly 12 hectares of vineyard in the best location and are proud to be one of top producers in this appellation.
Simonnet-Febvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
In 1840 Jean Febvre, a barrel cooper from Montbard, founded the winery which is now Simonnet-Febvre. Today it remains one of the oldest and most traditional Chablis producers in the region. Maison Louis Latour bought the company in 2003, along with a small domaine of Grand Cru, Premier Cru and Chablis vineyards. Jean-Philippe Archambaud joined as its winemaker the following year and investments have been made to introduce a new, modern winery. The seven Chablis Grand Crus are all located on a continous south west facing slope in the heart of the Chablis region. Les Clos is the largest of these vineyards covering approximately 25 hectares taking its name from the wall that once surrounded it. Its wines tend to be closed in their youth but develop considerable power and richness with time. The depth of the soil produces a wine of consistent quality that always takes time to develop.
Gosset is the oldest wine house in Champagne. It was founded in Aÿ in 1584 by Pierre Gosset an alderman and wine-grower who made mostly red wines. In the 18th century Gosset joined their neighbours and began to make the sparkling wines for the first time. It was at this time that the house adopted the unique antique flask-shaped bottle that is still used today. Gosset’s wines are characterised by their purity and expressiveness. Grapes come mainly from premier and grand cru vineyards surrounding Epernay and their winemaking style is characterised by minimal intervention, extended ageing and no malolactic fermentation. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are the house’s focus. CELEBRIS is a contraction of the adjective ''célébrissime'' meaning extremely famous. This Rosé has a high proportion of Chardonnay so has cellaring potential, general opinion is that Rosé does not age well. The great Chardonnay of the Côte des Blancs brings an exceptional freshness to this Cuvée, making it the exception to the rule.
Cognac Frapin has an illustrious history. Still in original family ownership, the company’s head Jean-Pierre Cointreau is a direct descendant of the founder and can trace his family’s vine growing and distilling history back to 1270. Frapin is unique and differs greatly from the region’s other significant producers. Their Cognacs are made entirely on the family’s single estate which includes 240 hectares of vines surrounding the Château de Fontpinot (pictured) with its distillery and ageing warehouses over two levels. The whole property lies in the Grande Champagne area which is regarded as Cognac’s best appellation and is highly prized for both the quality and intensity of its spirits and their longevity. Occasionally they release a vintage and this 25 years of age Grande Champagne Cognac from Domaine Château Fontpinot is a replica of the Cognacs of long ago, the flamboyant character and rich floral and vanilla aromas lend this vintage an inimitable personality for an unforgettable tasting experience.
McHenry Hohnen Vintners is a venture between pioneer Margaret River winemaker David Hohnen and his brother-in-law and vine-grower, Murray McHenry. All the grapes are sourced from family owned vineyards in the southern part of the Margaret River region. They embrace a 'hands-off' winemaking philosophy, where each wine is a focussed expression of its variety, its growing season and its individual site. Viticultural practices embrace old-school holistic farming philosophies and biodynamic practices which cultivate an environment where the soil and its organisms, along with plants, insects and animals, co-exist in a thriving equilibrium. 2012 was the first release of this wine and there are only four barrels made. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot, this wine can cellar for another 20 years. The complexity and balance of this wine rivals the Bordeaux classics McHenry Hohnen first took as their inspiration.
Founded in 1992 by cinematographer Michael Seresin, Seresin Estate is farmed organically and operates under biodynamic principals. Seresin Estate encompasses not only the vines and olive groves, but also pasture land, livestock, vegetable gardens and orchards, as well as native vegetation. Seresin Estate is a new world winery with an old world approach. Organically and biodynamically grown, hand-tendered and hand-picked, the grapes are hand-made into wines of passion, grace and spirit. Made only in good years and from the finest grapes, this is the purest expression of Pinot Noir Seresin make. The vines are cropped to produce enough fruit for slightly less than one bottle per vine, and this fruit is handpicked and completely destemmed before being fermented with wild yeast.
All artists have a signature and for Wakefield, St Andrews is that signature. Every bottle is a testament to their winemaking philosophy. Although they also make a Chardonnay, Cabernet and Shiraz, we have chosen Riesling to show today to demonstrate the skill Wakefield use to create a wine that can delight in youth and also age gracefully. The wine is hand crafted from individually selected parcels of fruit, grown on the family’s estate vineyards, and is a true labour of love. This Riesling is restrained with a linear focus to the palate and purity of fruit flavours. There are lashings of fresh lemon/lime juice characters and a slate-like minerality across the mid-palate.
On tasting
Monday 10.00am – 12.30pm | Tuesday 2.30pm – 5.00pm
Don’t forget to join us in the last half an hour of the day for a Frapin cocktail and a demonstration of how using dry or hot chais during maturation can impact cognac.