August Pre-Arrivals: including 100 points wines from Egly Ouriet, Masseto, and La Ricolma.
In today’s offer we are highlighting some of the wines that will be arriving in August in Hong Kong.
All wines offered subject to final confirmation and remaining unsold. E. & O. E.
Good Value Bordeaux
Chateau Meyney 2009
HKD 400 per 75cl
A wine that often performs well above its classification of Cru Bourgeois, the Chateau Meyney confounded merchants and critics alike in the 2019 “Ten Years On” blind tasting in the UK.
" The 2009 Meyney is a step up from Haut-Marbuzet and Lafon-Rochet on the nose: blackberry, raspberry, crushed stone, forest floor and a hint of pain d’épices - wonderful definition and intensity. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannin, very well judged acidity. Good grip and quite stocky/broad-shouldered in style with a persistent but at the moment, still a tightly wound finish. This is impressive and when its identity is revealed - cue gasps from the audience. Go buy. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.“
Score: 94
Neal Martin, Vinous.com, February 2019
Something different
Chateau Bel Air-Marquis d’Aligre 2010
HKD 550 per 75cl
An estate from a bygone era of Bordeaux, with a proprietor, Jean-Pierre Boyer, that has presided over 68 vintages, Chateau Bel Air-Marquis is a wine unlike any other currently produced in Bordeaux. A five-minute drive from Chateau Margaux, the vineyards, while not officially certified organic, are farmed naturally with no modern treatment. The wines see no new oak, and according to Neal Martin in his profile of the estate, Last Man Standing: Bel-Air Marquis d’Aligre, the wines “were remarkably consistent, and their backstory made them intermittently profound, extraordinarily pure, almost Saint Julien-like in style with sappy finishes that urged another sip. Let me emphasize that those who relish satin-like textures and big, bold fruit in their Bordeaux ought to steer clear of Bel-Air Marquis d’Aligre. Without the protective, cosseting carapace of wood you inevitably obtain a “raw” wine that can be jarring to taste buds accustomed to élevage in high-quality barriques. They are expressions of terroir in its most unadulterated and unmasked form.”
We suggest decanting these wines in advance to give them sufficient air to open up.
“The 2010 Bel-Air Marquis d’Aligre is even better on the nose than the 2009: beautifully defined with blackberry, raspberry preserve, a hint of tobacco and later a hint of black truffle. The palate is medium-bodied with tangy red berry fruit, raspberry and wild strawberry. This is endowed with impressive density and it offers a captivating and slightly saline finish. You could broach this now if you wish, though I would prefer to let this age for another four or five years. What a magnificent, cerebral proposition this is. Tasted at the Bel-Air Marquis d’Aligre dinner.“
Score: 93
Neal Martin, Vinous.com, May 2018
Rarities
Egly Ouriet Brut Grand Cru Millésime 2008
HKD 3,000 per 75cl
This is the second ever 100 points champagne from the Wine Advocate, and the first ever for a grower.
“The 2008 Brut Grand Cru Millésime was eventually disgorged with only five grams per liter dosage, as Francis Egly and I had discussed last summer, and the wine has turned out just as magically as I anticipated. I have already drunk five or six bottles, and on every occasion, the 2008 has immensely rewarded time in the glass, as it's as tightly wound as one would expect a great Ambonnay Champagne in a great vintage to be. Blossoming with inviting aromas of orchard fruit, citrus oil, pralines and freshly baked bread, much as I observed last year, it's full-bodied, deep and layered, with immense depth and concentration, racy acids and elegantly muscular structuring dry extract. Long and penetrating, this will really reward further aging; indeed, Egly mentioned that he intends to keep back some of the 2008 for re-release at a later date, a decision which means more consumers will have the chance to experience the wine at the true peak of its powers. But even at this early stage, it is already a monument to what Champagne's grower revolution has achieved over the last 30 or so years.“
Score: 100
William Kelley, The Wine Advocate, May 2020
Masseto 2016
HKD 6,000 per 75cl
One of Italy’s most revered wines from an epic vintage in Tuscany. Made with 100% Merlot, this is often compared to the legendary Merlot dominated Petrus and Le Pin from Bordeaux’s right bank.
“Masseto has pulled off back-to-back home runs. This is the first time that an Italian wine has earned 100 points in successive vintages. The 2016 Masseto is a thunderstorm of emotions, but it manages to keep them under perfect control. Like the 2015 Masseto before it, this vintage is a seamless wine of the highest pedigree. It represents an encore performance, continuing the string of successes that is bringing Italy to the forefront of the wine world. The first thing you'll notice is the thickness and concentration of the fruit that makes an immediate impact on all the senses, in terms of appearance, aroma and mouthfeel. There is no overstating the sheer power and richness of this iconic vintage of Italy's groundbreaking Merlot. Despite that considerable mass, this Masseto remains delicate and graceful. You gain better perspective as the wine opens in the glass and reveals deeper layers that were not immediately apparent on first nose: dark fruit, spice, sweet tobacco and black cherry. There is great tightness and laser focus to the fruit. I tasted the 2016 and 2015 vintages together for comparison when I scored this wine, and then I tasted this 2016 edition alone about a month later to confirm my impressions. These vintages are identical twins, two perfect wines.“
Score: 100
Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate, April 2019
Fattoria San Giusto a Rentannano La Ricolma 2016
HKD 2,500 per 75cl
Another Merlot dominated wine from Tuscany’s superb 2016 vintage with lower production, but also lower profile, than Masseto, the La Ricolma 2016 was rated 100 points by both the leading Italian critics of Vinous.com and The Wine Advocate.
“The 2016 La Ricolma soars out of the glass with stunning aromatic intensity, power and nuance. An infusion of blackberry jam, sage, menthol, licorice and graphite run through a wine that will leave readers weak at the knees, such is its extraordinary beauty. The sweetness and ripeness of the tannin is truly remarkable. Powerful and yet incredibly refined, the 2016 is simply breathtaking and a more than worthy follow up to the equally captivating 2015. Readers who can find the 2016 should not hesitate, as is insanely beautiful not to mention a wine of pure and total pleasure.“
Score: 100
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com, December 2019
“It is my job to come up with words to describe a wine, but the 2016 La Ricolma left me speechless. "Wow" is all I could say just after tasting it. The 2016 vintage has a greater sense of focus and precision compared to the 2015, which is happier and almost carefree by comparison. The 2016 vintage is buttoned up and tightly knit. The two vintages are tricky side by side, because both are stunning, but they show different kinds of beauty. It's like comparing the colorful, folkloric and somewhat haphazard landscape of Postiano (representing the 2015 vintage) to the linear, straight and well-engineered landscape of Manhattan (representing the 2016 vintage). In terms of scoring, I gave 98 points to the 2015 vintage, which gives me only so much room to express a preference for the 2016 vintage. This edition offers so much magic on so many levels. I get black fruit and even a touch of cheerfully sweet cherry juice, alongside more mature notes of black olive, spice, tar and road paving. This is a dense, rich and succulent wine with abundant beauty and depth. Black mineral and graphite notes appear as the wine takes on more air. It really is gorgeous. A mere 4,373 bottles, 300 magnums and 30 double magnums were made.“
Score: 100
Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate, September 2019
