Champagne "Lobster Academy"

I got a news posting from ChampagneHuset this morning saying that there is a release of a wine called Champagne Hummerakademien. The Hummerakademien is an institution dedicated to spreading knowledge about the lobster. The society was founded in 1996 and costs 100 SEK to join.

The wine is 85% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Noir and naturally it is claimed that it is a perfect fit for drinking whilst eating a lobster.

The wine can be ordered from the Systembolaget as a box of three bottles costing 279 per bottle. the order number is 82815.

Website : Svenska Hummerakademien
Website : ChampagneHuset

Chateau Pape Clement Visit 2007

On August 9th 2007, I visited Chateau Pape Clement in Pessac on the outskirts of Bordeaux.


It was very easy to get to, either bus from Bordeaux or tram from Bordeaux and then bus. The bus stop is right outside the chateau and is called Pont L'Orient. The journey takes about 30 minutes altogether.


We were greeted by a friendly tour guide who turned out to be very knowledgeable. Our tour lasted about 45 minutes in total and cost us nothing.


First we walked into the vines where we had a short talk about the viticultural philosophy. The vines are green harvested but only on one side so the grapes are subjected to the morning sun but are not sunburnt in the afternoon. The grapes were going through veraison so half of each bunch was black whilst the other half was still green. The fermentation hall was not viewable as all the steel tanks were being replaced by oak vats (a la Robert Mondavi Winery).


We saw both the red and white maturation rooms. The rooms are kept at nearly 100% humidity and no topping up of the barrels is performed as no wine evaporates. Next we toured the basement of the house which contains a replica of the tomb of the ex-pope but I thought it was a bit out of place and the choral music (from a boom box) didn't help.


Lastly, the tour guide took us to the wine boutique for a tasting. Unfortunately, we couldn't taste the grand vin but it was possible to taste a wide variety of Bernard Magrez wines from around the world as well as Gerard Depardieu wines as a lot of the times their properties are adjacent.


If I lived in Bordeaux, I would be making regular trips to this wine outlet. I believe Bernard Magrez also has an outlet in Paris. The chateau came into ownership of Bernard Magrez as his wife inherited the property.



More details about the history of the chateau etc. can be found on the website.

Website : Chateau Pape Clement

Systembolaget Monoploy Wine Blog

I have just discovered an interesting wine blog about the Systembolaget (the monopoly in Sweden). It is written by the publishers of the excellent BKWine newsletter.

Website : Monopolet i Sverige

TN : Ihringer Fohrenberg, Pinot Blanc 2006, Kaiserstuehler WZG, Baden, Germany

Kaiserstuehler Winzergenossenschaft Ihringen was founded in 1924. With a storage capacity of 3,2 million liters of wine annually. There are 850 devoted winegrowing members of this coop.

This wine is 100% Pinot Blanc. Fermentation was in stainless steel tanks.

Colour : Pale yellow

Aroma : Pear drops, apricots

Taste : Grapes, pears, lemon, almond finish, flabby

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 68 SEK

Mark : C-

Website : Kaiserstuehler WZG

TN : Chateau de Monteberiot 2005, Cotes de Bourg, France

This wine is a blend of 80% merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. It was matured for 15 months in "one or two wines" oak barrels. Cotes de Bourg is north of the city of Bordeaux.

Colour : Dark plum

Aroma : Green vegetally, oak, plums

Taste : Red fruits, plums, oak, coffee

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 99 SEK

Mark : C-

Website : Chateau de Monteberiot

TN : Coyam 2004, Vinedos Emiliana, Colchagua, Chile

This wine is a blend of 37% Syrah, 34% Carmenere, 14% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2% Mourvedre. It was matured for one year in oak, 70% French and 30% American. The winemaker was Alvara Espinosa.

This wine was imported by Premium Wines Sweden.

Colour : Very dark purple

Aroma : Red and dark berries, spicy, herbs

Taste : Red and dark berries, herbs, liqourice

Alcohol : 14.5%

Price : 150 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Vinedos Emiliana
Website : Premium Wines Sweden

Occasion Wine Newsletter September 2007

I received the September 2007 newsletter from Occasion Wine AB yesterday. Occasion Wine AB started up in 2004 and is located in Stockholm

There are two new wines available. A Pouilly-Fuisee 2005 from Domain de Fussiacus which is orderable from the Systembolaget monopoly and the Langmeil Barossa Old Vine Shiraz 2004 which is orderable by the case from Occasion Wine AB. The latter wine received 96 out of 100 points from noted Australian wine writer James Halliday in the 2008 revision of his Australian Wine Companion.

You can subscribe via their website.

Website : Occasion Wine AB

TN : Alix, Chateau Plaisance, 2005, Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux, France

This wine was awarded 85/87 out of 100 by Robert Parker. It is a blend od 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Cabernet Franc. The bottle was heavy and tall with the Château Plaisance Lion Head embossed on it.

Colour : Dark plum, cassis

Aroma : Dark fruits, plums, spice

Taste : Dark fruits, blackcurrant hints, violets, very spicy finish leading to dry chalky tanins

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 16.50 Euro (price at Bernard Magrez Wine Boutique, Chateau Pape Clement, August 2007)

Mark : B-

Website : Bernard Magrez
Website : Chateau Plaisance

VinUnic Newsletter September 2007

The latest newsletter from VinUnic AB can now be downloaded.

Website : VinUnic Nyhetsbrev September 2007

TN : Intriga Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Vina Intriga, Maipo, Chile

This wine was slightly spoilt by the burnt rubber finish which was presumably due to the very toasty oak that was used.

Intriga was founded in 1865, then called Linderos, by Alejandro Reyes. Today's winemaker is Cristian Correa and Alberto Antonini is the consultant.

The grapes for the 2005 Intriga Cabernet Sauvignon were all hand harvested and carefully selected prior to fermentation. Made from 100 % Cabernet Sauvignon grapes the wine spent 14 months in oak, 30% of which was American with the remainder French.

Colour : Deep dark cassis

Aroma : Blackcurrant, toasty oak, mint

Taste : Blackcurrant, coffee, mint, licquorice, toasty oak, slight burnt rubber finish

Alcohol : 14.5%

Price : 139 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Vina Intriga

TN : Chateau de Rochemorin 2005, White, Pessac-Leognan, Andre Lurton, France

This wine is 100% Sauvignon Blanc. The vins are double guyot pruned. The grapes are harvested by hand and fermented in oak barrels. The fermentation temperature is between 18 and 23 degrees. There is no malolactic fermentation. The wine is matured in oak for 10 months, of which 35% is new, on full lees with stiring.

The vineyard dedicated to white grapes is 18 hectares out of 110 hectares. The soil is deep gravel slopes with limestone outcrops at the foot of the slopes. The rootstock is 101.14 Riparia gloire 3309.

Denis Durbourdieu is the consultant.

This wine won the regional white Bordeaux under 10 pounds trophy at the 2007 Decanter World Wine Awards.

Colour : Pale yellow

Aroma : Blackcurrant, leafy, lemon

Taste : Creamy, blackcurrant, leafy, lemon

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 125 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Andre Lurton

TN : Geoff Merrill Jacko's Blend, McLaren Vale Shiraz, 2003, Australia

This wien is dedicated to Michael James, nickname "Jacko", who worked at Geoff Merrill wines. He died aged 26.

Colour : Deep dark purple

Aroma : Fruity, violets, oak, blackberry, spicy

Taste : Long peppery finish, alcoholic heat on finish, dark fruits

Alcohol : 14.5%

Price : 131 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Geoff Merrill Wines

TN : Sine Sole Nihil, Rose, 2006, Chateau Mourgues du Gris, Costieres de Nimes, France

Mourvedre grapes are fermented and aged in barriques and then blended with Grenache and Syrah to produce this rose.

Colour : Pale pink, strawberry

Aroma : Candied red fruits, herbs

Taste : Bone dry, candied cherry, raspberry, strawberry, long finish with herbs

Alcohol : 14.5%

Price : 119 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Chateau Mourgues

TN : Chateau Roylland 2003, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, France

This is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Green harvets was performed and all the grapes were picked by hand. Vinification takes place in concrete and stainless steel vats with capacities of between 50 and 90 hl. The wine was matured in oak barrels of which 50% were new. 45000 bottles were produced.

Château Roylland is located in the commune of Saint Emilion, more precisely in the Anse de Mazérat, on the southwest slopes of Saint Emilion. Château Roylland has 5,5 hectares of vines at the base of a hill, on even terrain with sandy clay soil, resting on a vein of hard iron rich sandstone, and another 5 hectares on the limestone plateau in the commune of Saint Christophe des Bardes with chalky clay soil.

Colour : Dark burgundy red

Aroma : Oak, dark fruits, red fruits

Taste : Oak, vanilla, plummy, dark fruits, red fruits, drying tannic finish

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 16.15 Euros (price at Maison du Vin de St Emilion, St Emilion, August 2007)

Mark : B

Website : Chateau Roylland

TN : Saint Clair Pinot Noir 2006, Malborough, New Zealand

The is wine was bottled with a screwcap. The winemaker was Matt Thomson.

The grapes were ourced from several low cropping vineyards in the Wairau Valley, Marlborough, each block of fruit was harvested at optimum ripeness in the cool of the evening. At the winery each batch of fruit was held cold for four to five days prior to ferment to help extract maximum flavour and to enhance colour stability. A mixture of indigenous and cultured yeasts were used to carry out the primary alcoholic fermentation during which the fermenting must was hand plunged up to six times daily. At dryness each batch was pressed to tank and then racked off gross lees to stainless steel tanks and a mixture of new and used French oak. The wine then underwent malolactic fermentation and barrel portion was aged for eight months before being blended and prepared for bottling. The Titratable Acid is 5.4g/litre and the pH 3.6

The bottle had a gold sticker proclaiming that Saint Clair was the New Zealand producer of the year at the 2005 International Wine and Spirit Competition in 2005 (held in London). Interesting but not really relevant as this wine is a 2006 vintage.

Colour : Stewed red fruits, raspberry tint

Aroma : Stewed red fruit, spicy

Taste : Stewed red fruits, cherry, violets, spicy finish

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 106 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Saint Clair

TN : Kuenstler Hochheimer Stielweg Riesling Spaetlese Dry 1999

The grapes in Stielweg were grown on light loam soil. The vineyard was 50 years old and the yield was 38hl per hectare.

Colour : Deep yellow

Aroma : Honey, petrol

Taste : Citrus, petrol, honey,long mineral finish

Alcohol : 11%

Price : 159 SEK

Mark : B

Website : Weingut Kuenstler
Website : AB Nigab

TN : La Grola 2003, Veronese, IGT, Allegrini, Italy

Colour : Deep plum

Aroma : Oak, red fruits

Taste : Oak, slight vanilla, red fruits, some dark fruits, drying tanins at end of long finish

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 149 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Allegrini

TN : Chateau Lyonnat 2002, Lussac-Saint-Emilion, France

Chateau Lyonnat is one of four Bordeaux chateaux owned by Ets. Milhade S.A. It is located in the southeastern part of Lussac Saint-Emilion. The vineyard is located on a hillside with a southern exposure and is 52 hectares. The soil is composed of thin, red sandy clay over limestone. The average age of the vines is 30 years old and some vines are 100 years old

At reception, the grapes are sorted on the bench to eliminate any undesirable berries. Then there is 100% destemming and a gentle crushing before placing the berries in temperature controlled vats. Natural yeasts initiate fermentation which generally last 10 days. A long maceration (3 Weeks) follows that extracts color, flavor, and tannins. The wine is transferred by gravity into new oak barrels (Demptos, Seguin Moreau) for malolactic fermentation and continues to age in these casks for 18 months. Fining is with egg whites and because the wine is racked clear, there is only a light filtration.

The wine is a blend of Merlot, Carbernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet France

Colour : Maroon, purple

Aroma : Black fruits, raspberry, oak, cedar, pencils

Taste : red fruits, some black fruits, oak, soft dry tanins

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 143 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Chateau Lyonnat

VinUnic Newsletter August 2007

I have just read the VinUnic AB newsletter for August 2007. Australia and South Africa are the focus. However, the highlights for me are the tw wines from Shafer.

Website : VinUnic August 2007 Newsletter

Systembolaget New Wines September 2007

The next issue of Varunytt (September 2007) is available for download from the Systembolaget site. This month there is a large offering of 2005 red and white burgundies.

Website : Systembolaget Varunytt September 2007