Louis Latour Agencies

London Wine Fair : New Takes on European Classics

04 May 2017

Stand B22

Taking inspiration from the classic wines of Europe is nothing new but this selection of wines demonstrates what a little inspiration coupled with a pioneering spirit and new terroirs can achieve. All six are far more than copies and are or are on the way to being classics in their own right.

McHenry Hohnen Semillon Sauvignon

Semillon Sauvignon blends, inspired by the whites of Bordeaux, are now common place in Margaret River however David Hohnen, co-founder of McHenry Hohnen, was the first to introduce this style of wine and is considered a pioneer of the area. Today McHenry Hohnen’s Semillon Sauvignon is produced following biodynamic farming methods and low intervention winemaking techniques to create a finely balanced and elegant wine with potential for medium term cellaring.

Seresin Memento Riesling

Although the Raupo Creek vineyard lies on the clay soils of the Omaka Valley, rather than slate soils of the Mosel, there are stylistic similarities that can be drawn between the two. Memento Riesling is characterised by its perfectly balanced acidity and sugar which give a fabulously juicy and refreshing character to this off-dry wine.

Wakefield St Andrews Chardonnay

Wakefield St Andrews Chardonnay comes from a vineyard with more than 100 years of history.  Winemaker Adam Eggin’s creates an elegant and age worthy Chardonnay which captures both the pure fruit and savoury notes found in their Southern Clare Chardonnays. Wakefield uses barrels made by Louis Latour at their small scale, artisanal cooperage in Beaune in the production of this wine, 80% new and 20% one year old.

McHenry Hohnen Tiger Country

Another Margaret River first is McHenry Hohnen’s Tiger Country, Tempranillo blended with Graciano and Petit Verdot, which takes its cue from the wines of Northern Spain. The vines grow on clay and ironstone soils which are known to produce some of the region’s best reds. The wines are fermented in concrete fermenters, with foot stomping and hand plunging and basket pressed. Ageing is for 14 months in mainly older French oak barrels.

Morgenhof Estate Red

The Simonsberg sub-region of Stellenbosch is well known for its structured, elegant age worthy Cabernet and Merlot based reds. Morgenhof have made their estate red since the mid-1990s and have developed a strong reputation for their reds during this time. The wine is inspired by the Medoc but heavily marked by varied terroirs on the undulating and hilly estate which are all dry farmed. It is released to the market following extended ageing at Morgenhof’s underground cellar.

Viu Manent ViBo Punta del Viento

Punta del Viento is a Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah blend from Viu Manent’s El Olivar vineyard. The vineyard is located in the eastern foot hills of the Coastal Range Mountains in Colchagua where they grow in medium to deep soils of volcanic origin with a large percentage of rocks, surrounded by clays which allows the vines root system to penetrate deeply into the soils. It is a highly aromatic wine deeply marked by its origin.

On tasting

Tuesday 2.30pm – 5.00pm | Wednesday 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.