Fall 2013 | `900 Pétrus • Jarno Trulli • Spotlight Paris • FINE Nine • Liv-Ex • Meadowood • Pagani 1 0 0 B E S T C H A M PAG N E S F O R 2 0 1 3

Phantom Drophead Coupé A New World Rolls-Royce Motor Cars introduces Phantom Series II. The new generation of Phantom Drophead Coupé epitomises relaxed open-top motoring. Each hood is tailored by hand, and when raised offers a whisper-quiet intimate cabin. At the touch of a button it retracts, embracing the elements for an exhilarating ride. Contact us to experience a car with endless possibilities; a car built for today and designed for tomorrow. Fuel economy figures (l/100km): Urban 22.8 / Extra urban 10.2 / Combined 14.8. CO2 emissions: 347 (g/km). Energy efficiency category: G www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com © Copyright Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited 2012. The Rolls-Royce name and logo are registered trademarks.

F I N E 6 W I N E & C H A M P A G N E I N D I A F A L L 2 0 1 3 PAGE 12 FINE 100 Best PAGE 44 FINE Moment PAGE 50 FINE Spotlight PAGE 58 FINE Region PAGE 68 FINE Estate PAGE 76 FINE Collecting FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

W I N E & C H A M P A G N E I N D I A F A L L 2 0 1 3 FINE Contents F I N E PAGE 86 FINE Vintage 9 FINEEDITORIAL 12 FINE100 BEST PAGE 98 PAGE 112 FINE Destination Dark Knights and Regal Pomp 100 Best Champagnes for 2013 44 FINEMOMENT A FINE Moment with Jarno Trulli 50 FINESPOTLIGHT Paris 58 FINEREGION Discovering Champagne - Épernay 66 FINENUIKKI Birth of the Kingdom of Bordeaux 68 FINEESTATE Château Pétrus 76 FINECOLLECTING Liv-Ex 84 FINEGADGET Sowine - A Personal Wine Bar 86 FINEVINTAGE FINE Nine Vintages 98 FINEDESTINATION Meadowood 112 FINELIFESTYLE Pagani Huayra FINE Lifestyle FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 7

WRITERS Rajiv Singhal Rajiv Singhal is an entrepreneur who pioneered activities in the luxury sector in India. He studied FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA VOLUME 3 ISSUE 3 Q3 2013 Economics at Yale, and since then has been simplifying access to the Indian market for international clients. Among other path breaking initiatives, he helped set up the market for wine in India over the last 16 years. Mr. Singhal is the Ambassador of Champagne to India, who loves to challenge himself. Pekka Nuikki Editor Rajiv Singhal Publisher Rajiv Singhal for Fine Publishing India Private Limited Chief Executive Ritu Singhal Pekka Nuikki is an author and one of the leading experts on fine wines in Europe. He is the founder of FINE Magazines and has published over twenty acclaimed international wine and art books. He is an award winning photographer, who has exhibited his artwork all over the world and has worked as creative director of an advertising agency group. Mr. Nuikki is also the luckiest man in the world, having hit seven hole-in-ones. Juha Lihtonen Juha Lihtonen is the manyfold Finnish sommelier champion and was the best sommelier in the Nordic Director of Editorial countries in 2003. He is the quintessential Finn, but loves to chat - which earns him a reputation with Pekka Nuikki his 4 a.m. friends. He has worked as a wine educator, a wine host on radio and the wine buyer of a major cruise line. Besides his day jobs, Mr. Lihtonen studies for the Master of Wine qualification. Distribution Amrita Bhageria Meri Kukkavaara Meri Kukkavaara is an interior designer by trade, who has a wide range of interests in the field of art, as Art & Creative well as education. Since completing her art studies in Florence, Italy she has worked extensively with Sandeep Kaul art exhibitions and antiques, while occasionally contributing to art exhibitions as a free artist. She is Photographs Akshat Arora Administration Avneet Kaur Editorial & Business Offices 6F Vandhna, 11 Tolstoy Marg, New Delhi 110001 E: contact@fine-magazines.in W: www.fine-magazines.in also an art therapist, with more than ten years experience. Ms. Kukkavaara is a keen student of life and in her free time enjoys taking up courses such as drumming, Indian cooking and tango. Essi Avellan MW Essi Avellan is the first Master of Wine from Finland, second ever from the Nordic countries. She was awarded the Lily Bollinger Medal as the best taster and the Tim Derouet Memorial Award as the best overall student in the Master of Wine examination. Ms. Avellan judges at several wine competitions and was inducted as Dame Chevalier into the Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne. Amanda Regan Subscriber Information Amanda Regan has a Masters degree in Wine Technology, Management & Marketing and a backg- T: +91 11 23359874-75 round in art and design. With experience of making wine in Champagne, Burgundy and Victoria, she RNI no. DELENG/2010/35861 is an experienced wine judge, regularly tasting in major international competitions. Ms. Regan has ISSN 2231-5098 been awarded the honour of Scholar of the Len Evans Tutorial. Jeff Leve Edited, Printed and Published by Rajiv Singhal on behalf of Fine Publishing India Jeff Leve is the founder, contributor and editor of ”The Wine Cellar Insider”. He is a self-taught wine Private Limited. Published from 6F Vandhna, 11 Tolstoy Marg, New Delhi enthusiast who travels frequently to the Bordeaux region to taste from barrels. He calls Los Angeles 110001 India. Printed at Aegean Offset Printers, 220-B, Udyog Kendra Extension I, home, and consults numerous restaurants, merchants and private collectors on cellar acquisitions. Mr. Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201306 India. Leve’s other passions include travel, cooking and music. All rights reserved. No part of this publication maybe reproduced, stored in any retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher. The opinions of the contributors or interviewees Juha Jormanainen Juha Jormanainen is a well known journalist, photographer and outdoor writer and specialises in salmon fishing, big game hunting, gourmet food and fine wines. He has published fourteen books presented in this magazine do not necessarily correspond to nor reflect the since 2000. Mr. Jormanainen is also a passionate golfer, so it is not a big secret that he is also a opinions of the publisher or the editorial team. While the editorial team do their bachelor. utmost to verify information published they do not accept responsibility for its 8 absolute accuracy. Fine Publishing does not keep nor return illustrations or other Petri Nevalainen materials that have been sent in unsolicited, and hold the right to make any Petri Nevalainen has over 30 years’ experience in the media, of which he worked almost ten years for modifications in texts and pictures published in FINE Wine & Champagne India BBC World Service in London, and also for radio and internet. Mr. Nevalainen is a Master of Science magazine. We reserve the right to refuse or suspend advertisements. who has published 15 different non-fiction books, and is very interested in music and food. FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

offerings! Most oenophiles wouldn’t believe I was Savouring Australia. As India lifted the veil of protective controls on wines and spirits in 2001, I powered the Wines of France into virgin territory to corner monopolistic market share and exceptional notoriety. This was eroded only towards the end of the noughties – by Australia, and I found myself (and my raised antennae) in an aisle seat of the Dreamliner for my first expedition across the Equator. trade agreement with the European Union, from which the market for wine would have significantly benefitted, have been derailed by some narrow-minded self interest groups. Yet another missed opportunity for India! I joined the international wine fraternity in Adelaide for Savour Australia 2013 – Australia’s first global wine forum hosted by Wine Australia to challenge the perceptions around their wines. That Australian wine is steeped in history was revealed on its “sidelines”. At Brothers in Arms in the Langhorne Creek, the 5th generation of the Adams family, Guy & Liz, showed me the rare beauties – the Shiraz and Cabernet planted in 1891 in the Cellar Blocks and the Old Blocks – that still yield premium fruit. And these are not the oldest vines in phylloxera-free Australia. At Wynns Coonawarra Estate, Sue Hodder introduced their 1957 Cabernet and Bruce Redman opened a 1969 Claret (Shiraz) from the family estate. I had to be biased to this one – it’s my vintage - I did not imagine that Australia would afford me this pleasure! FINE Editorial I t was a toast to (and for once, not with) Champagne on Global Champagne Day – the 4th edition of the annual social media initiative that celebrates Champagne on the last Friday of October. The bubbles in the flutes were the handiwork of celebrated Chef de Caves. And sharing them were Champagne lovers and friends, who appreciated the finesse and diversity of styles from the celebrated wine region with Bombay sev puri and the crunchy nankhatais from the legendary Khaleefa Bakery in Lahore. In the last few months, several diplomats, some journalists, a historian and even a few politicians joined me to unequivocally underline the need for India to get its wine priorities right. Unlabelled, but crested, jeroboams of Champagne G.H. Mumm at the podium of the 2013 Formula 1 Airtel Indian Grand Prix highlight the eccentricity of the wine regime in India, specially with regards to advertising. The negotiations on the landmark The cover illustration for this issue has been inspired by the captivating game of chess, whose chequered squares lay testimony to scores of strategic duels between black knights and white rooks. The reigning world champion, Vishwanathan Anand will host his two decade younger challenger from Norway, Magnus Carlsen, in Chennai for the FIDE World Championship Match 2013. We at FINE, an Indo-Nordic collaboration, will cheer the Champion. But the pièce de résistance had to be the 24th Yalumba Museum Tasting hosted by Robert Hill Smith, Proprietor/Vigneron of Yalumba (depuis 1849), which gave the discussion around bottle age in the New World another dimension – the 1938 Riesling and 1922 Shiraz Port No. 9 upstaged the other twenty seven Rajiv Singhal Rajiv Singhal FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 9

12 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

F I N E 100 Be st Text: Essi Avellan MW Photography: Pekka Nuikki Illustration: Minna Liukkonen Champagne shelves are not short of choice. How is a consumer to pick out a champagne that is truly high in quality, worth its price and at its best on that particular day? This is where FINE’s shortlist of 100 best champagnes comes into play. This year we blind tasted 350 champagnes that are currently available on the market. Any champagne that makes into the Top 100 in our rigorous tasting can be warmly recommended. Still, there can only be one winner. In 2010 the title was given to Armand de Brignac Brut Gold NV, in 2011 Piper-Heidsieck Rare 2002, and in 2012 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 2000. This year offers a tribute to the Vintage champagne category, as the winner of great value and class outdid even a long list of outstanding prestige cuvées. FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 13

C ontrary to common belief, the scope in style and quality is at least as wide for champagne as any other fine wine of the world. Perhaps even wider due to champagne’s blended nature and the large role played by the cellar master in crafting the final product. Even if many markets are saturated by just a few famous names, the reality of champagne is incredibly diverse. Champagne is made under thousands of different labels, by large houses, cooperatives and small growers alike. It comes in variable types, from prestige cuvées to vintages and non-vintages. Its styles range from blanc de blancs to blanc de noirs, rosés and alternating sweetness levels. In the following we will guide you to make the best picks for each of the types and styles. The world’s best champagne – today Our aim with this annual ranking is to taste the entire offering on the international markets in order to select the champagnes that are showing best at this very moment. The most important criterion is the quality of the wine and its accessibility today. In fact, we believe these to be the only characteristics that really matter to the consumer. We assess the wines on the 100-point scale. We do not give points for future expectations, which is the reason most of the top champagnes' points are likely to rise as they approach maturity. We may mention the wines cellaring potential in the verbal evaluation, and will also give our estimate of when the wine should be at its best. As many age-worthy prestige cuvées are released young, they may not be able to show their true character at this early stage. These are the wines the consumer should leave in the cellar for a number of years. 14 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA Contrary to many other wine rankings, this list of the 100 best champagnes is not based on a single tasting; instead, we wish to take into account all of the tastings that we have been privy to during the year. At best we have tasted individual champagnes more than ten times, and even at worst at least twice. This gives us a comprehensive view of the quality and enjoyability of the wines and allows us to eliminate the odd “bad” bottle from our ratings. Before our final decision, we conducted three more large-scale tastings. For the shortlist we chose the three hundred and fifty champagnes and carried out a blind tasting. Results The average score of the wines chosen for the list was, similarly to last year, 89 points, which is a great achievement for young wines that have only recently become available. The competition was tight in the top 10, the wines 2–10 were within a 1.4 points-range. However, we had a clear winner, which charmed every taster at every tasting occasion, averaging a magnificent 95.19 points. After our winner, Charles Heidsieck Vintage 2000, prestige cuvées expectedly occupied the majority of the top spots, and make up around 35 per cent of the whole Top 100 list. Quite satisfactorily, the non-vintage wines take up a further 38 per cent, with the first of them – Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve – achieving an amazing second position, seven positions up from last year. Its ‘little brother’, PiperHeidsieck Brut, performed better than ever, arriving in seventh position. The vintage category was better represented in this list than before, with 27 wines making it to the Top 100.

F I N E 100 Be st Top vintage champagnes All in all, the older champagne vintages on offer stood out as attractive wines with their generous, developed character. The variable and ripe-charactered 1998 vintage was represented successfully by Comtes de Dampierre Prestige (30) and a magnum bottle of De Castelnau Millésimé (70). Out of the soft and mellow 1999s it was Charles Heidsieck Rosé Millesimé (4), Pommery Cuvée Louise (48) and Deutz Cuvée William Deutz (79) that shone the brightest. The bold, impressively rich 2000 vintage is still performing well. Our winning wine, Charles Heidsieck Vintage, as well as the third-placed Krug Vintage, came from the year. Also, Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Nicolas François Billecart (20), Pol Roger's regular (53) and as Blanc de Blancs (78) vintages all made it on the list. There are still great offerings available from the excellent 2002 vintage. Our winner in 2011, Piper-Heidsieck Rare (7), is holding strong. Some great and still youthful cuvées were submitted: Taittinger Comtes de Champagne, Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon Rosé (18), PerrierJouët Belle Epoque Blanc de Blancs (31), Dom Pérignon Rosé (36) – all of which will undoubtedly rise in points as time goes by. The hot 2003 season produced rather unusual wines, and many houses skipped the vintage altogether. Henriot’s rich 2003 finished in 16th position and is followed soon by Dom Pérignon’s approachable 2003 in 22nd position. One of this year’s most successful vintages was the fine and energetic 2004. Piper-Heidsieck Millésime (11), Louis Roederer Cristal (12), Cristal Rosé (13), Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage Rosé (23), and Bollinger La Grande Année Rosé (33) were amongst the finest. The ripe 2005 vintage had a few highlights. Pierre Gimonnet excelled, with Special Club (13) and Fleuron (64) making it into the Top 100. Other excellent wines were Taittinger Vintage (28) and Palmer & Co Millésime (43). Palmer Vintage performed even better in the 2006 vintage (6). This vintage was also successful for Canard-Duchêne Brut Millésimé (40) and Thiénot Cuvée Garance (52). There were few wines submitted from the 2007 vintage but Heidsieck & Co Monopole Gold Top (26) and Deutz Rosé Millésime (39) show promise for the launches to come. Not one of the few submitted 2008s made it on the list. Pleasant surprises in non-vintages Yet again, a magnificent performance for Charles and Piper Heidsieck in the non-vintage category. Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve finished in second position and Piper at eighth. Taittinger followed with its greatvalue single-vineyard champagne Les Folies de la Marquetterie in 14th position. De Saint Gall Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Grand Cru did well again in 15th position, as did Palmer & Co Brut Réserve in 17th. Of the non-vintage rosés, Henriot’s toasty, rich Brut Rosé charmed its way into 8th position and was followed by Jacquart Brut Rosé (25) and the two most famous non-vintage rosés, namely Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé Brut (27) and Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé (29). The annual list of the 100 best champagnes available on the markets is based on tastings and ratings by FINE Magazine’s editorial team and selected expert guest judges. The final point score of each wine consists of the average of the blind tastings. > FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 15

100 Best Champagnes 2013 16 Ranking 1 - 25 Points 1 Charles Heidsieck Millésimé 2000 95,,19 95 2 Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve NV 93,,00 93 3 Krug Vintage 2000 92,,14 92 4 Charles Heidsieck Rosé Millesimé 1999 92,,13 92 5 Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage Collection 1993 92,,00 92 6 Palmer & Co Blanc de Blancs 2006 91,,79 91 7 Piper-Heidsieck Rare 2002 91,,76 91 8 Piper-Heidsieck Brut NV 91,,75 91 9 Henriot Rosé NV 91,,67 91 9 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 2002 91,,67 91 11 Piper-Heidsieck Millésime 2004 92 12 Louis Roederer Cristal 2004 92 13 Pierre Gimonnet Special Club 2005 91 14 Taittinger Les Folies de la Marquetterie NV 91 15 De Saint Gall Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Grand Cru NV 91 16 Henriot Millésime Brut 2003 91 17 Palmer & Co Brut Réserve NV 91 18 Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon Rosé 2002 91 19 Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé 2004 90 20 Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Nicolas Francois Billecart 2000 90 21 Krug Grande Cuvée NV 90 22 Dom Pérignon Brut 2003 90 23 Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage Rosé 2004 90 24 Palmer & Co Amazone de Palmer NV 90 25 Jacquart Brut Rosé NV 90 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

26 - 50 Points 26 Heidsieck & Co Monopole Gold Top 2007 90 27 Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé Brut NV 90 28 Taittinger Vintage 2005 90 29 Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé NV 90 30 Comtes de Dampierre Prestige 1998 90 31 Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque Blanc de Blancs 2002 90 32 Pommery Brut Royal NV 90 33 Bollinger La Grande Année Rosé 2004 89 34 Georges de la Chapelle Cuvée Nostalgie Brut NV 89 35 A. Robert Cuvée Le Sablon Brut NV 89 36 Dom Pérignon Rosé 2002 89 37 Henriot Blanc de Blancs Brut NV 89 38 Louis Roederer Brut Premier NV 89 39 Deutz Rosé Millesimé 2007 89 40 Canard-Duchêne Brut Millésimé 2006 89 41 Laurent-Perrier Alexandra Rosé 2004 89 42 G.H.Mumm Mumm de Cramant Blanc de Blancs NV 89 43 Palmer & Co Millésime 2005 89 44 Vilmart & Cie Grand Cellier NV 89 45 A. Margaine Cuvée Extra Brut NV 89 46 Armand de Brignac Brut Rosé NV 89 47 De Saint Gall Brut Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru NV 89 48 Pommery Cuvée Louise 1999 89 49 Henriot Brut Souverain NV 89 50 Charles de Cazanove Vieille France NV 89 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA F I N E 100 Be st Ranking 17

100 Best for Champagnes 2013 18 Ranking 51 - 75 Points 51 Charles de Cazanove Grand Apparat Brut NV 89 52 Thiénot Cuvée Garance 2006 89 53 Pol Roger Vintage 2000 89 54 Pannier Egérie de Pannier Extra Brut 2002 89 55 Laurent-Perrier Millésime 2004 89 56 Canard-Duchêne Charles VII Blanc de Noirs NV 88 57 Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Magnum NV 88 58 De Venoge Cordon Bleu Brut Select NV 88 59 Jacquart Millésimé 2002 88 60 Gosset Grand Millésime 2004 88 61 Duval-Leroy Rosé Prestige Premier Cru NV 88 62 Moët & Chandon Brut Impérial NV 88 63 Didier Ducos Brut Millésime 2006 88 64 Pierre Gimonnet Fleuron Blanc de Blancs 2005 88 65 Guy Charlemagne Brut Nature NV 88 66 Dom Caudron Millésimé 2006 88 67 Pierre Gimonnet Oenophile Blanc de Blancs 2004 88 68 Pierre Mignon Brut Prestige NV 88 69 Laurent-Perrier Brut L-P NV 88 70 De Castelnau Millésimé Brut Magnum 1998 88 71 Château de Bligny Clos du Château de Bligny Cuvée 6 Cépages NV 88 72 Devaux Cuvée D Brut NV 88 73 Jacquart Blanc de Blancs 2006 88 74 Guy Charlemagne Mesnillésime Grand Cru 2004 88 75 Collet Brut Grand Art NV 88 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

76 - 100 Points 76 Joseph Perrier Blanc de Blancs 2004 88 77 G.H.Martel & Co Cuvée Victoire Premier Cru NV 88 78 Pol Roger Blanc de Blancs 2000 88 79 Deutz Cuvée William Deutz 1999 88 80 Prat Confidence Brut NV 88 81 Pierre Mignon Année de Madame 2005 88 82 Boizel Brut Réserve NV 88 83 Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Sublime NV 87 84 Joseph Perrier Brut Rosé 2004 87 85 Philippe Gamet Cuvée 5000 NV 87 86 Barons de Rothschild Blanc de Blancs NV 87 87 Pierre Paillard Bouzy Blanc de Blancs Les Mottelettes 2007 87 88 G.H.Mumm Brut Rosé NV 87 89 Deutz Millésime 2006 87 90 Dom Caudron Camille Philippe Brut NV 87 91 Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle NV 87 92 Gratiot-Pillière Rosé NV 87 93 Veuve Clicquot Rosé NV 87 94 Pommery Rosé Apanage NV 87 95 Armand de Brignac Brut Gold NV 87 96 Dom Caudron Camille Philippe Rosé NV 87 97 G.H.Martel & Co Brut Rosé NV 87 98 Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut NV 87 99 P. Lancelot-Royer Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut 2005 87 100 Cattier Clos du Moulin NV 87 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA F I N E 100 Be st Ranking 19

Interview with Régis Camus Chef de Cave and Winemaker for Champagne Piper-Heidsieck What is the significance of excelling in wine competitions to P & C Heidsieck and to you personally? It is a great pride for the team, for the brands, for the house and a personal satisfaction. It tends to confirm that my work to renew the quality of the Piper-Heidsieck wines is on the right track and that we were able, at the disappearance of Daniel Thibault, to perpetuate the style of Charles Heidsieck. This responsibility I have now passed on to Thierry Roset. What is the biggest lesson you have learned from your predecessor Daniel Thibault? Daniel Thibault taught me the importance of communicating about the wines that I was elaborating, sharing and to share my vision and my passion with the trade and the consumers. And, of course, to listen to their comments. What is the best champagne you have ever tasted? There are so many exceptional champagnes that I have tasted. However, one more recent occasion comes to my mind: last year, I tasted two bottles of Charles Heidsieck 1928 with the three generations of the Descours family, our owners. It had the extra taste of sharing an inheritance of the past with our house’s future. What do you drink if not champagne? When not drinking Champagne, I greatly enjoy drinking white wines from Burgundy or red wines from Bordeaux. But I also enjoy tasting wines from everywhere in France and around the world, for the pleasure of discovering other ways. Which of your accomplishments makes you most proud? Having brought on subtle changes, over the past 15 years, to the blend and style of Piper-Heidsieck, helping it join the class of the great international houses that it belongs to. Thus, sourcing more Pinot Noirs from the Côte des Bar, extending the period of maturation on lees and post-disgorgement, creating a collection of younger reserve wines specifically adapted to the house’s style, etc. In your mind, what is the most important characteristic of a great cellar master? I believe a winemaker needs to know how to follow his intuition, of course – but must never forget to be foreseeing. When tasting the wines of a harvest, one needs to think of the future wines as well as the wines that can be elaborated that year – in other words, always ensuring one has the reserve wines one might need for the future blends. That is the price of stability in style, which I consider to be essential for a champagne house. What is the best champagne you have ever made? I believe it was my first try alone at the Rare blend – so that would be the Rare Vintage 2002. It was an excellent year, but we decided to put a lot of wines aside for the reserve wine collection, after we had a more difficult 2001 harvest. We therefore did not release any brut Vintage – but elaborated a Rare 2002, which still today is as refined as I had wished it. 20 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA Régis Camus

F I N E 100 Be st Charles Heidsieck – A Serial Winner Text: Essi Avellan MW A podium position is nothing new to Charles Heidsieck, which has been the number one ranked Champagne brand in major international wine competitions throughout the last decade. But in this year’s FINE TOP 100 ‘Charlie’ hit the jackpot with its three cuvées – Millésimé 2000, Brut Réserve NV and Rosé Millesimé 1999 – making it into our top four. It is the richness of the Charles Heidsieck style, the wines’ aged, sweet opulence that charms in blind tastings, but it seduces in open tastings, too. With a track record of excellent cellar masters, the founding blocks of Charles Heidsieck’s top form of today were laid by the late Daniel Thibault, who was snatched from Henriot to Charles Heidsieck when Rémy Martin acquired the house in 1985. Rémy Martin supported Thibault’s vision of creating what was targeted to become the best non-vintage on the market. Thibault started collecting an enormous stock of reserve wines, aiming ideally for 40 per cent of reserve wines in the blend. Also, the wines held back for future blends were to be much older than the usual 1–2 years, averaging 4–5 years and including some 12-year-old wines. It is these reserve wines that allow Charles Heidsieck to craft their non-vintage cuvée into a rich, seductively toasty, honeyed wine of great depth. Its toasty nature fools many into thinking there is oak involved in the manufacture. But the wines see only stainless steel vats and are kept for an extended amount of time in the vessels on the lees, which brings the richness of flavour and texture to them. Piper Heidsieck became a part of the group in 1990, and since then a merging of the two houses has taken place. The company is now P&C Heidsieck, with all vinification taking place under the same roof at the new, ultra-modern winery. After Daniel Thibault passed away unexpectedly in 2002, the winemaking responsibility was given to Régis Camus, who had worked together with Thibault for years. If anything, the quality has only increased during Camus’ time, winning him numerous titles as the Sparkling Wine Maker of the Year. In 2012, Thierry Roset, who had been working with the two previous cellar masters for 23 years, was promoted to look after Charlie as the cellar master, while Régis Camus still oversees the winemaking of both Piper and Charles Heidsieck as the cellar master of PiperHeidsieck. Although Charles Heidsieck is the higher ranked of the two, Piper was the obvious choice for Régis, to whom Charles was always Daniel’s baby and Piper his. Simultaneously with the cellar master change, the Charles Heidsiecks were dressed in new bottles and labels with some alterations in the wine, too. The assemblage remains as the classic equal blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The blend was reduced from 120 villages to a still outstanding but selected assembly of 60. The blending is followed by a highly respectable eight-to-ten years of ageing on the lees. Even though the non-vintage Brut Réserve is a real masterpiece, the entire range is superb. Our winner this year, Charles Heidsieck Vintage, gets an even longer lees ageing time, extending to over ten years. We have been enjoying the vintage 2000 for years already, with the wine showing divine quality year after year with no signs of tiring. The third superb Heidsieck this year was the Rosé 1999, which, in accordance with the house style, is particularly rich, toasty and gastronomic. But, as Charles Heidsieck has learned, there’s a long way from winning competitions to the shopping baskets of champagne drinkers. P&C Heidsieck’s new owners since 2011, EPI, are still struggling to bring Charles into the limelight, a position deserved due to both the quality and pricing of their cuvées. FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 21

TOP 10 100 BEST Champagnes for 2013 1 95p (95,19p) Charles Heidsieck Millésimé 2000 Colour: Shiny deep golden Nose: Opulent, giving and evolved nose of roasted coffee beans, sweet tropical fruits and honey Palate: Rich, voluptuous, silky smooth and caressing Ending: Long and concentrated In a nutshell: Polished to perfection When to drink: 2013–2019 Final verdict: Mindblowingly rich, seamless and complex 3 92p (92,14p) Krug Vintage 2000 Colour: Deep golden Nose: Rich, ripe, toast, tropical fruits and light oakiness Palate: Wide and fleshy yet firm Ending: Long and concentrated In a nutshell: Made to impress When to drink: 2013–2030 Final verdict: Seamless, full-bodied and rich, full of potential 22 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 2 93p (93,00p) Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve NV Colour: Deep golden Nose: Sweet spicy and rich toasty with exuberant layered fruit Palate: Beautifully velvety with balanced ample dosage Ending: Seamless In a nutshell: Pedigree When to drink: 2013–2018 Final verdict: Perfect body, perfect mind 4 92p (92,13p) Charles Heidsieck Rosé Millesimé 1999 Colour: Deep peachy Nose: Rich, maturing, dried fruit, coffee, oriental spices Palate: Wide and smooth Ending: Long-lasting and in line with the palate In a nutshell: An evolved, impressive, cellared to perfection rosé When to drink: 2013–2018 Final verdict: Not your simple little rosé but a gastronomic companion

5 92p (92,00p) Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage Collection 1993 Colour: Medium-deep lemongold Nose: Fragrant, yeasty and toasty with lemon Palate: Brisk and full of life Ending: Long and linear In a nutshell: Style icon When to drink: 2013–2022 Final verdict: Where freshness meets complexity 7 91p (91,76p) Piper-Heidsieck Rare 2002 Colour: Medium-deep lemon Nose: Lemony fragrant, toasty and creamy, coffee and pastry shop Palate: Lovely toast and zesty freshness and linearity Ending: Crisp, firm and lingering In a nutshell: True fi nesse When to drink: 2013–2025 Final verdict: She has got it all 9 91p (91,67p) Henriot Rosé NV Colour: Medium-deep peachy Nose: Inviting toasty nose, luscious ripe Pinot fruit, coffee, baking spices Palate: Velvety, rich, gentle and crisp Ending: Clean and compact In a nutshell: Pretty When to drink: 2013–2016 Final verdict: Charming combination of evolved toastiness and bright red fruit 6 91p (91,79p) F I N E 100 Be st TOP 10 100 BEST Champagnes for 2013 Palmer & Co Blanc de Blancs 2006 Colour: Medium-deep lemon Nose: Beautifully elegant toast and coffee over lemon marengue and minerality Palate: Intense yet lightened by a lovely acid line Ending: Long, pure and mineral In a nutshell: Benchmark blanc de blancs When to drink: 2013–2022 Final verdict: Dressed to impress 8 91p (91,75p) Piper-Heidsieck Brut NV Colour: Deep golden Nose: Powerful gunpowdery, fruit-forward nose full of toast, brioche and honey Palate: Full of fruit from the beginning to the end, medium weight with freshness Ending: Long, Intense In a nutshell: Bold and beautiful When to drink: 2013–2018 Final verdict: Chapeau! 9 91p (91,67p) Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 2002 Colour: Medium-deep lemon Nose: Refined, toasty, vanilla, lemon, white flowers, perfume Palate: Firm, energetic, linear, crisp Ending: Long and zesty In a nutshell: Still holding it back When to drink: 2013–2025 Final verdict: Still tight and compact and will shine even brighter in the years to come FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 23

100 BEST Champagnes for 2013 11 92p Piper-Heidsieck Millésime 2004 Colour: Deep lemon-gold Nose: Impressive sweet, toast and caramel Palate: Full, Ending: In a nutshell: When to drink: Final verdict: 14 91p 12 92p 15 91p 91p Palmer & Co Brut Réserve NV Colour: Medium-deep lemon Nose: Refined, lightly charred toasty and lemony Palate: Lean and focused, full of life Ending: Pure and fresh In a nutshell: Seamless from the beginning to the end When to drink: 2013–2016 Final verdict: Outstanding value 24 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA De Saint Gall Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Grand Cru NV 16 91p 91p Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon Rosé 2002 Colour: Medium-deep peachy salmon Nose: Restrained and delicate, maturing peach and pepper Palate: Velvet smooth, with super refined mousse Ending: Long and firm, still holding it back In a nutshell: A grande dame When to drink: 2013–2022 Final verdict: Stunning evolution to be expected, all pieces at place and so charming already Henriot Millésime Brut 2003 Colour: Medium-deep lemon Nose: Lovely rich, toasty character with bright fruit in exuberance Palate: Wide and smooth with fine freshness Ending: Long and fruity In a nutshell: Ripe and round yet lively When to drink: 2013–2017 Final verdict: Instantly impressive Colour: Medium-deep lemon Nose: Lemony mineral with toast and patisserie Palate: Linear with fine acid line Ending: Pure and long In a nutshell: Streamlined When to drink: 2013–2018 Final verdict: What a value 18 Pierre Gimonnet Special Club 2005 Colour: Medium-deep lemongold Nose: Mineral with ripe white fruit Palate: Intense, firm and structured Ending: Long and in accordance with nose In a nutshell: Character When to drink: 2013–2019 Final verdict: Goût de Terroir Palate: Compact and linear with brisk acid backbone Ending: Pure, mouthwatering In a nutshell: Youthful energy When to drink: 2013–2024 Final verdict: Starting to open up and reveal some of its glories Colour: Medium-deep lemon Nose: Playful, sweet and fun nose of confectionary, lemon and mild toast Palate: Seamless, medium-bodied and full of life Ending: Long and harmonious In a nutshell: Crowd-pleaser When to drink: 2013–2017 Final verdict: Liquid silk 17 92p Colour: Medium-deep lemon Nose: Refined, bright fruity nose with ripe white fruit, light spice voluptuous, lively Pure and fresh Enchanting 2013–2019 Joie de Vivre Taittinger Les Folies de la Marquetterie NV Louis Roederer Cristal 2004 13 19 91p Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé 2004 Colour: Pale peachy Nose: Timid with fresh, youthful fruitiness and gentle spicy touch Palate: Smooth, round yet light-weight with gorgeous soft mousse Ending: Focused and energetic In a nutshell: Full of life When to drink: 2013–2025 Final verdict: Vivacity and elegance

20 Billecart-Salmon Cuvée 90p Nicolas François Billecart 2000 21 90p Final verdict: Charmer 90p Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage Rosé 2004 24 90p 90p Heidsieck & Co Monopole Gold Top 2007 Colour: Deep golden Nose: Deep, wide and powerful with aged leesy characters Palate: Depth and freshness with red fruit dominance Ending: Long, structured In a nutshell: Claims its crown When to drink: 2013–2020 Final verdict: Not at all modest but righteously so Palmer & Co Amazone de Palmer NV Dom Pérignon Brut 2003 Colour: Pale lemon Nose: Charmingly toasty, gunpowdery nose with lemon, white flowers, lime, herbs Palate: Compact, round and crisp Ending: Powerful medium-long finish In a nutshell: Instant attraction When to drink: 2013–2020 Final verdict: Appealing and easy-going, lacks the firmness and focus of best vintages 25 90p Jacquart Brut Rosé NV Colour: Medium-deep cherrysalmon Nose: Lovely evolution on the strong, soft Pinot nose Palate: Juicy fruitiness and fine freshness on the palate Ending: Clean and fruity In a nutshell: Solid effort When to drink: 2013–2016 Colour: Medium-deep lemon Nose: Rich coffee toastiness, seductive, soft vanilla and patisserie nose Colour: Medium-deep orangehued Nose: Deep with rich Pinot character, cherries and baking spices Palate: Vinous and round still with vivacity Ending: Long and inline with the palate In a nutshell: Young with lots of ripe Pinot fruit When to drink: 2013–2020 Final verdict: Silky and rich, craves more time 26 90p Colour: Deep golden Nose: Very concentrated with coffee, mature, raisiny character with coffee, honey and wood Palate: Full, long, voluptuous Ending: Very long and complex with fine supporting acidline In a nutshell: Velvet-smooth and opulent When to drink: 2013–2025 Final verdict: The painter's palette Colour: Deep lemon-gold Nose: Refined, deep, soft and toasty nose with sweet tropical fruit and apricot Palate: Full, fleshy and almost as good as the nose Ending: Medium-long, round and fruity In a nutshell: Sweetheart When to drink: 2013–2015 23 Krug Grande Cuvée NV 22 F I N E 100 Be st 100 BEST Champagnes for 2013 Palate: Opulent, voluptuous, soft palate Ending: Long and crisp In a nutshell: Comfort wine When to drink: 2013–2017 Final verdict: Soft, caressing Final verdict: Seductively delicate yet with smooth vinosity 27 90p Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé Brut NV Colour: Medium-deep peachy Nose: Stylish, elegant, pretty coffee and berries combination Palate: Full, soft palate with chewy strawberry fruit Ending: Lingering and vinous In a nutshell: Soulful When to drink: 2013–2017 Final verdict: Ready to go, an attractive combination of young and maturing elements 28 90p Taittinger Vintage 2005 Colour: Deep lemon Nose: Overt, ripe, intensly fruity toast and honey nose Palate: Wide and fleshy yet firm palate Ending: Long and full of fruit In a nutshell: At your disposal When to drink: 2013–2020 Final verdict: Solid performer, enjoy now or later FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 25

100 BEST Champagnes for 2013 29 90p Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé NV 30 90p Colour: Pale peachy Nose: Soft, candied, clean nose with gentle toast beyond red fruit overtones Palate: Crisp, linear and silky with pencil shaving tones Ending: Fresh and vivacious In a nutshell: Cheerful When to drink: 2013–2018 Colour: Deep lemon yellow Nose: Opulent, smooth patisserie and fresh ground coffee, spiciness Palate: Round and soft, caressing Ending: Medium-long, round and fruity In a nutshell: Harmony When to drink: 2013–2017 Final verdict: Ready to be enjoyed Final verdict: Will not let you down, not simple despite its youthful character 32 90p Pommery Brut Royal NV 33 Colour: Medium-deep lemon Nose: Clean, bright, fragrant, pure, appetising, gently toasty Palate: Medium-bodied, rich, stylish, with noticeable yet balanced residual sugar Ending: Long and seamless In a nutshell: Pretty and fault-free When to drink: 2013–2016 Final verdict: Attractive and well crafted 35 89p A. Robert Cuvée Le Sablon Brut NV Colour: Deep lemon-straw Nose: Fragrant, earthy slightly austere nose with plenty of character Palate: Spicy, firm, muscular, structured, different Ending: Nice long finish In a nutshell: Vive la difference! When to drink: 2013–2016 Final verdict: Big personality 26 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA Comtes de Dampierre Prestige 1998 31 90p Bollinger La Grande Année Rosé 2004 89p Dom Pérignon Rosé 2002 Colour: Deep orange-hued Nose: Very Pinot dominant nose, forest floor, spice, complex Palate: Velvety, round, fleshy Ending: Long and seamless In a nutshell: Gorgeous, structured Pinot still holding it back When to drink: 2013–2025 Final verdict: Still tight and youthful, full of promise Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque Blanc de Blancs 2002 Colour: Pale lemon Nose: Highly mineral and restrained, still timid with chalk, yoghurt and hay Palate: Linear with brisk, linear acidity Ending: Medium-long and highly mineral In a nutshell: Reserved with tightpacked fruit When to drink: 2015–2025 Final verdict: Too young really but shows promise 34 89p Georges de la Chapelle Cuvée Nostalgie Brut NV Colour: Pale lemon green Nose: Fresh, refined, stylish, crisp lemon twist, nice toast and minerality Palate: Fresh and fruity with stylish, soft mousse Ending: Medium-long and balanced In a nutshell: Refined but with personality When to drink: 2013–2015 Colour: Medium-deep peachhued Nose: Overt, candied, orange marmalade, overripe apple and earthy complexity Palate: Powerful, fleshy, vibrant, fresh, muscular Ending: Long and concentrated In a nutshell: Full and fleshy When to drink: 2013–2023 Final verdict: Oxidative notes on the nose but a very solid palate, should be given some time 36 90p Final verdict: Highly satisfactory with fine underlying toast 37 89p Henriot Blanc de Blancs Brut NV Colour: Medium-deep lemon Nose: Fine-tuned, lemony, some autolytic toast, toffee and dough Palate: Refined, fresh, linear Ending: Lingering and pure with minerality and a gunpowdery fi nish In a nutshell: Elegant style, comes with layers When to drink: 2013–2016 Final verdict: Ready to charm

38 89p Louis Roederer Brut Premier NV 39 Final verdict: Understated elegance 89p Laurent-Perrier Alexandra Rosé 2004 42 Colour: Deep orange-hued Nose: Attractive ripe Pinot fruit, developing, forest floor, fresh red fruit, plenty of layers Palate: Vinous yet elegant with good freshness Ending: Sweet, seductive strawberry fi nish In a nutshell: Depth meeting elegance When to drink: 2013–2016 Final verdict: Maturing beautifully with already aged elements alongside berried notes 44 89p Vilmart & Cie Grand Cellier NV Colour: Medium-deep lemon Nose: Fresh, youthful, zesty, lemony, ripe green fruits Palate: Linear, succulent palate with muscle and spine Ending: Stylishly toasty and lingering In a nutshell: Soulful When to drink: 2013–2018 Final verdict: Zesty with excellent acidity and fine intensity of high quality fruit Deutz Rosé Millesimé 2007 Colour: Pale peachy, pretty colour Nose: Soft, refined nose with cool, bright fruit intertwined with light toast and smoky minerality Palate: Crisp and firm with a fine mousse Ending: Long and clean In a nutshell: Purity When to drink: 2013–2018 Final verdict: Beautifully fresh and focused rosé Colour: Medium-deep lemon Nose: Soft,stylish, overt, ripe white fruit Palate: Compact, sophisticated, gentle, caressing Ending: Suitably long and appetising In a nutshell: Firm and fresh When to drink: 2013–2019 41 89p 89p G.H.Mumm Mumm de Cramant Blanc de Blancs NV 40 43 A. Margaine Cuvée Extra Brut NV Colour: Pale green Nose: Attractive zesty green fruitiness intertwined to a light toastiness Palate: Focused and lean, elegant and mineral Ending: Gunpowdery complexity on the long, dry, linear finish In a nutshell: Minimalistic When to drink: 2013–2016 Final verdict: Refined and purist 89p Palmer & Co Millésime 2005 Colour: Medium-deep lemon Nose: Pronounced fruity nose with sulphuric toasty complexity and minerality Palate: Fine, focused palate with length and zestiness Ending: Long and intense In a nutshell: Stylish toasty style When to drink: 2013–2018 Palate: Lean, zesty, fresh, pure, long, dry Ending: Feather-light and vivacious In a nutshell: Perfect aperitif for the next sip When to drink: 2013–2016 Final verdict: Fun and finesse 89p Canard-Duchêne Brut Millésimé 2006 Colour: Medium-deep lemon Nose: Accentuated gunpowdery nose and ripe, fresh white fruits, floral Palate: Linear, fresh, zesty Ending: Adequately long and pleasantly clean In a nutshell: Pure precision When to drink: 2013–2016 Final verdict: Fresh, turning toasty Colour: Pale lemon-green Nose: Youthful, lemony, floral, candied with a seductive toasty overtone 45 89p F I N E 100 Be st 100 BEST Champagnes for 2013 Final verdict: High quality fruit crafted to impress 46 89p Armand de Brignac Brut Rosé NV Colour: Pale peachy Nose: Soft, mild, clean with youthful fresh red fruitiness Palate: Succulent fruit, floral, straightforward but pleasant and appetising Ending: Medium-long and refreshing In a nutshell: Youthfully playful When to drink: 2013–2016 Final verdict: Ready to drink pure red fruit charm FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 27

100 BEST Champagnes for 2013 47 89p De Saint Gall Brut Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru NV 48 89p Final verdict: Pure, pleasurable and invigorating 89p Charles de Cazanove Vieille France NV 51 89p Colour: Medium-deep lemon Nose: Overt, rich, developing nose of ripe fruit and light spiciness Palate: Round, fleshy and easy-going Ending: Medium-long and intense In a nutshell: Pleasurable When to drink: 2013–2016 Final verdict: Ready to drink in a style pleasing many 53 89p Pol Roger Vintage 2000 Colour: Very deep golden Nose: Soft and evolved, apricotty, honeyed, delicious coffee and patisserie complexity Palate: Full, round, fleshy, opulent Ending: Long, concentrated In a nutshell: Mature but does not lack life When to drink: 2013–2016 Final verdict: Old wine lovers' treat 28 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 89p Charles de Cazanove Grand Apparat Brut NV 52 54 89p fleshy, structured Long and firm Quite a Casanova 2013–2016 Full, firm impressive style, great value Pannier Egérie de Pannier Extra Brut 2002 Colour: Deep lemon-gold Nose: Stylish, highly toasty, sweet tropical, apricotty Palate: Full, fleshy, verging towards heavy Ending: Medium-long, weighty and concentrated In a nutshell: A rich red fruit style When to drink: 2013–2017 Final verdict: Ambitious in the heavyweight division 89p Thiénot Cuvée Garance 2006 Colour: Deep orange-hued Nose: Rich, savoury with red fruit depth and ash-like minerality, raspberry candies and earthy spiciness Palate: Voluptuous and velvety, mouthfilling Ending: Long and concentrated In a nutshell: Dressed to impress When to drink: 2013–2017 Final verdict: Well-built and firm, with character Colour: Medium-deep lemon Nose: Complex and deep smoky, gunpowdery, lemony, tropical Palate: Full, Ending: In a nutshell: When to drink: Final verdict: Henriot Brut Souverain NV Colour: Medium-deep lemon Nose: Soft, stylish, nice toasty undertone, pure fresh lemony fruit Palate: Elegant, soft, silky, refined Ending: Long and balanced In a nutshell: Great craftmanship When to drink: 2013–2016 Final verdict: Perfectly polished champagne with attractive toasty complexity and creamy texture Colour: Pale lemony Nose: Stylish, coffee, vanilla, sweet candied nose with layer upon layer Palate: Tight, floral, vegetal palate still in restraint Ending: Long, pure, fresh In a nutshell: Elegance When to drink: 2013–2020 Final verdict: Still reserved but opens up in the glass over time Colour: Pale lemon Nose: Fresh, floral, pure, elegant, light pencil shaving toastiness Palate: Linear, stylish, long, fresh, zesty, polished, very clean with lemony acidity Ending: Lean and pure In a nutshell: Squaky clean Chardonnay charm When to drink: 2013–2015 50 Pommery Cuvée Louise 1999 49 55 89p Laurent-Perrier Millésime 2004 Colour: Medium-deep lemon Nose: Fresh, mild, floral, white fruit, soft toastiness in the back Palate: Wide, linear, structured with fine tension Ending: Medium-long and refreshing In a nutshell: Fresh and floral but with intensity underneath When to drink: 2013–2019 Final verdict: Delightfully playful and invigorating now but will have complexity to be gained

56 89p Canard-Duchêne Charles VII Blanc de Noirs NV 57 88p Ending: Chewy with enough freshness In a nutshell: Bold Pinot bomb When to drink: 2013–2018 Final verdict: Something different with plenty of character 88p Jacquart Millésimé 2002 Colour: Medium-deep lemon Nose: Fragrant nose with yeasty complexity, vanilla and brioche Palate: Round and creamy with firmness Ending: Long-lasting and clean In a nutshell: Harmonious with instant appeal When to drink: 2013–2017 Final verdict: Inviting and attractive without being obvious or boring 62 88p Moët & Chandon Brut Impérial NV Colour: Pale lemon Nose: Light and mild, fruity, fresh, pure, lemony, fl oral Palate: Linear, fresh, clean Ending: Medium-long with balanced high dosage In a nutshell: Morning dew When to drink: 2013–2016 Final verdict: Attractive in its lightness and smoothness here and now, some complexity to be gained over the next 2-3 years 58 88p Colour: Pale lemon-green Nose: Inviting and elegant gunpowdery and flower nose Palate: Smooth and creamy with fine mousse Ending: Fine, linear and feisty In a nutshell: Reductive with pretty gunpowdery toast effect When to drink: 2013–2019 Final verdict: Beautiful in magnum with additional bottle age Colour: Pale lemon Nose: Creamy rich red berry and vanilla Palate: Weighty, stylish and muscular, more interesting palate than the nose 59 Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Magnum NV 60 88p Gosset Grand Millésime 2004 Colour: Deep golden Nose: Overt, spicy, earthy, appley, herbacious Palate: Full, fat and could use some spine Ending: Long with juicy, succulent fruit In a nutshell: Pinot richness When to drink: 2013–2015 Final verdict: A food champagne with opulent fruit and weight 63 88p Didier Ducos Brut Millésime 2006 Colour: Pale lemon-green, youthful Nose: Light, lemony with floral Chardonnay note and straightforward fruity character Palate: Light-weight and elegant with enough intensity Ending: Medium-long and clean In a nutshell: Pretty little thing When to drink: 2013–2015 Final verdict: Ready to drink, crisp and clean wine of fine value De Venoge Cordon Bleu Brut Select NV F I N E 100 Be st 100 BEST Champagnes for 2013 Colour: Medium-deep golden Nose: Opulent red fruit nose with faint spice and toast Palate: Soft, fleshy and fruit-forward Ending: Long enough with succulent fruit In a nutshell: Performs When to drink: 2013–2015 Final verdict: Appealing red fruit character without great complexity 88p Duval-Leroy Rosé Prestige Premier Cru NV Colour: Deep peach-hued Nose: Mild, elegant, lightly berried nose Palate: Similar refinement continues on the palate, fleshy, succulent Ending: Clean and fresh In a nutshell: A beautiful young lady When to drink: 2013–2017 Final verdict: Understated elegance 64 88p Pierre Gimonnet Fleuron Blanc de Blancs 2005 Colour: Pale lemon Nose: Mild, restrained, lightly floral nose of excellent purity Palate: Fresh and vibrant with fine soft mousse Ending: Medium-long and zesty In a nutshell: Delightfylly clean and crisp When to drink: 2013–2015 Final verdict: With subdued charm FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 29

100 BEST Champagnes for 2013 65 Brut Nature 88p Guy Charlemagne NV Colour: Pale lemon-green Nose: Soft, mild, floral nose with cardamom and lemony minerality Palate: Fresh, zesty, firm Ending: Long and linear, dry but balanced In a nutshell: Clean, crisp and very dry When to drink: 2013–2015 66 88p Dom Caudron Millésimé 2006 67 88p Colour: Deep, bright lemon Nose: Deep, soft, fruity nose with red fruit opulence and nice integrated toast Palate: Overt, rich, powerful Ending: Long and fruity In a nutshell: Blockbuster style When to drink: 2013–2015 Final verdict: Muscular and fruity with character Colour: Medium-deep lemon Nose: Soft, creamy-fruity nose with sublime charred toasty note Palate: Rich, soft, perfectly balanced Ending: Seamless with a mineral fi nish In a nutshell: Supressed power When to drink: 2013–2016 Final verdict: Lean and linear with plenty of fruit underneath Final verdict: Subtle, stylish and pure 68 88p Pierre Mignon Brut Prestige NV 69 88p Colour: Bright, youthful lemon Nose: Fresh, pure, clean, lemony, patisserie Colour: Medium-deep lemon Nose: Overt, ripe, slightly earthy nose with faint yeasty-toasty note Palate: Linear, restrained, fresh, slightly foamy but compact and pleasurable Ending: Medium-long and dry In a nutshell: Serious and focused When to drink: 2013–2018 Final verdict: Some austerity but firm and structured 71 88p Château de Bligny Clos du Château de Bligny Cuvée 6 Cépages NV Colour: Deep golden Nose: Rich, floral, evolved, even a touch of oxidation, wax and spice Palate: Strong and wide Ending: Long, dry and aromatic with good fruit intensity In a nutshell: Flower power When to drink: 2013–2015 Final verdict: Particular but with power and presence 30 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA Laurent-Perrier Brut L-P NV Palate: Creamy texture, soft, silky Ending: Long and fresh In a nutshell: All pices at place When to drink: 2013–2016 Final verdict: Pristinely made and likeable 72 88p Devaux Cuvée D Brut NV Colour: Pale lemon Nose: Restrained with some sulphuric complexity Palate: Wide yet light and zesty Ending: Dry and clean In a nutshell: Rounded and easygoing When to drink: 2013–2016 Final verdict: Slightly overshadowed by sulphuric notes for the time being Pierre Gimonnet Oenophile Blanc de Blancs 2004 70 88p De Castelnau Millésimé Brut Magnum 1998 Colour: Medium-deep lemon Nose: Evolved, rich toastiness, sweet fruit, dried apricot Palate: Full, long, compact Ending: Long-lasting and mature In a nutshell: Aged appeal When to drink: 2013–2016 Final verdict: Fully mature, great gastronomic companion 73 88p Jacquart Blanc de Blancs 2006 Colour: Pale lemon Nose: Fine-tuned, bright white fruit nose with creamy and yeasty tones Palate: Energetic, fresh and light-weight, with intensity Ending: Long and suitably dry In a nutshell: Elegant and streamlined When to drink: 2013–2017 Final verdict: All pieces at place, charming

74 88p Guy Charlemagne Mesnillésime Grand Cru 2004 Colour: Medium-deep lemon Nose: Soft, nice charred toffee and caramel note with tropical fruit Palate: Minimalistic, smooth and crisp Ending: Long and linear In a nutshell: Purity When to drink: 2013–2018 75 88p Colour: Pale lemon Nose: Fresh, floral, soft, elegant, candied Palate: Attractive, creamy, linear Ending: Medium-long, straightforward fruity In a nutshell: A lovely summer day When to drink: 2013–2015 Final verdict: Solid, harmonious with everything in place Final verdict: The slight onedimensionality is compensated by the purity and minerality 77 87p G.H. Martel & Co Cuvée Victoire Premier Cru NV 78 87p 87p Prat Confidence Brut NV Colour: Pale lemon green Nose: Soft, mild, white fruit nose with pretty underlying toasty note Palate: Fresh, linear, light Ending: Medium-long and refreshing In a nutshell: Pretty and seamless When to drink: 2013–2016 Final verdict: Higly satisfying and appealingly soft and creamy Pol Roger Blanc de Blancs 2000 87p 81 87p Pierre Mignon Année de Madame 2005 Colour: Medium-deep golden Nose: Pronounced, fruity and spicy Palate: Firm and rich, wide Ending: Medium-long and fruitforward In a nutshell: Fleshy When to drink: 2013–2017 Final verdict: Rich Pinot character with Chardonnay livening up the palate Joseph Perrier Blanc de Blancs 2004 Colour: Medium-deep lemon Nose: Fruity, slightly dusty and oxidative, apple and baking spice layers Palate: Full, fleshy, voluptuous, gentle and round Ending: Lemony, fresh In a nutshell: Easy-going When to drink: 2013–2016 Final verdict: Ready here and now, no great complexity but pleasurable and undemanding 79 87p Colour: Deep lemon Nose: Lovely, accentuated coffee nose, sweet patisserie, plenty of bottle age characters Palate: Full, sweet, concentrated, caressing Ending: Long and packed In a nutshell: Big boy When to drink: 2013–2017 Final verdict: Explosive Colour: Medium-deep lemon Nose: Fresh, lemon, gentle yeastcomplexity in the background Palate: Rich, creamy, soft Ending: Fresh and pleasurable In a nutshell: Unfussy When to drink: 2013–2018 Final verdict: Aims to please 80 Collet Brut Grand Art NV 76 F I N E 100 Be st 100 BEST Champagnes for 2013 Deutz Cuvée William Deutz 1999 Colour: Pale lemon-gold Nose: Pronounced, spicy and lemony nose with peculiar medicinal notes Palate: Full, velvety, fresh with smooth mousse Ending: Compact and mellow In a nutshell: Fine but leaves you wanting still a little extra When to drink: 2013–2017 Final verdict: Character of its own but misses the wow factor 82 87p Boizel Brut Réserve NV Colour: Bright yellow Nose: Promising, soft, creamy, developed, pleasant Palate: Fresh, linear, compact, elegant,light, floral, pin-cushiony mousse Ending: Long and fruity In a nutshell: Fleshy and fruity When to drink: 2013–2017 Final verdict: A mouthful with fruitforward succulence FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 31

100 BEST Champagnes for 2013 83 87p Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Sublime NV 84 87p 87p 87 87p Colour: Medium-deep lemongold Nose: Soft, even muted, vanilla and pastry shop promising nose Palate: More expressive palate with firmness and structure Ending: Long and concentrated In a nutshell: Means business When to drink: 2013–2016 Final verdict: Go getter 89 87p Deutz Millésime 2006 Colour: Pale lemony Nose: Fragrant, floral, lemony, fine-tuned Palate: Very soft, excellent creamy mousse Ending: Long, pure, fine In a nutshell: Caressingly soft When to drink: 2013–2016 Final verdict: Smooth yet full of life Pierre Paillard Bouzy Blanc de Blancs Les Mottelettes 2007 Colour: Medium-deep lemon Nose: Fresh, pure, bright nose of soft white fruit, vanilla, the lightest seductive toast underneath, Palate: Firm and muscular Ending: Lingering and fresh In a nutshell: Degree of elegance When to drink: 2013–2018 Final verdict: Well-built with soul inside 90 87p Dom Caudron Camille Philippe Brut NV Colour: Medium-deep lemon Nose: Soft, clean and fresh, promising nose of vanilla, ripe white fruitt Palate: Medium-bodied, soft, overt Ending: Medium-long and clean In a nutshell: Smoothness When to drink: 2013–2015 Final verdict: Ready to please 32 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA Philippe Gamet Cuvée 5000 NV Colour: Pale lemon Nose: Soft, mild, white fruit, peach, vanilla Palate: Fruity, mouth-filling but feels light due to crisp acidity, soft mousse Ending: Long and feisty In a nutshell: A wake up call When to drink: 2013–2017 Final verdict: Invigoratingly fresh yet full of fruit Palate: Plush and vinous, giving on the earthy and fruity palate Ending: Medium-long and a mouthful In a nutshell: Surprise on the palate When to drink: 2013–2016 Final verdict: Nose and palate don't quite match but the whole still works well. No need to wait. Final verdict: A fine performance due to lovely balance and not overly sweet character Barons de Rothschild Blanc de Blancs NV 87p Colour: Medium-deep peachy Nose: Stylish, soft, fruity with restraint Colour: Deep lemon Nose: Bright, soft, white fruit and flower nose Palate: Sweet, but good, very clean and balanced Ending: Sweet but finishes fresh In a nutshell: Smooth criminal When to drink: 2013–2016 86 Joseph Perrier Brut Rosé 2004 85 88 87p G.H. Mumm Brut Rosé NV Colour: Bright cherry nose Nose: Fragrant, quite elegant, fun, soapy, clean Palate: Light, youthful, fresh, simple palate Ending: Long, compact In a nutshell: Flirtatious When to drink: 2013–2017 Final verdict: Easy-going and quaffable 91 87p Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle NV Colour: Deep golden Nose: Opulent, dried apricot, lovely toasty whiff with depth Palate: Full, buttery, so soft a mousse Ending: Strong and vinous In a nutshell: Bubbles are a side factor, a great wine When to drink: 2013–2020 Final verdict: Still slightly reserved but promises good

92 87p Gratiot-Pillière Rosé NV Colour: Medium-deep cherry Nose: Fruity, stylish, evolving Palate: Structured and appealing Ending: Medium-long and clean In a nutshell: Not a stand-out but works well When to drink: 2013–2015 Final verdict: Delightful 95 87p Armand de Brignac Brut Gold NV Colour: Medium-deep lemon Nose: Clean, soft, ripe peach, marmalade, birch leaves Palate: Full, soft with a fluffy mousse Ending: Easy, balanced In a nutshell: Crowd-pleaser When to drink: 2013–2016 Final verdict: Creamy, soft and youthful 98 87p Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut NV Colour: Pale lemon Nose: Light, highly floral, mild, smooth, creamy, vegetal and mineral complexity Palate: Fresh, light-weight with good intensity Ending: Long but very dry finish In a nutshell: Refined, linear style When to drink: 2013–2017 Final verdict: Youthful and crisp, still ageworthy 93 87p 94 87p Veuve Clicquot Rosé NV Colour: Deep cherry with peachy hues Nose: Fresh, berried, tight with stylish Pinot fruit Palate: Structured with muscle and vinosity Ending: Medium-long and firm In a nutshell: Bodybuilder When to drink: 2013–2016 Final verdict: Ready to go but with potential 96 87p Colour: Pale peachy, pretty colour Nose: Mild and smooth, sophisticated ripe peach with some leesy complexity Palate: Vinous and silky, elegant Ending: Pure, light and fresh In a nutshell: Sophistication When to drink: 2013–2016 Final verdict: A cool, refined style 97 Dom Caudron Camille Philippe Rosé NV 87p 87p Colour: Pale lemon Nose: Fresh, vibrant white fruit and floral Palate: Stylishly lean and zesty Ending: Medium-long with good fruit purity and freshness In a nutshell: Solid performer When to drink: 2013–2016 Final verdict: Crisp and delightful Final verdict: A clever, easy, round, non-offensive style 100 P. Lancelot-Royer Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut 2005 G.H.Martel & Co Brut Rosé NV Colour: Deep cherry-salmon Nose: Pronounced, berried, ripe and wooing Palate: Fleshy and soft, supple Ending: Medium-long, clean In a nutshell: As easy-going as it gets When to drink: 2013–2015 Colour: Deep cherry Nose: Fruit-forward, overt, clean with light earthy complexity Palate: Fleshy, fresh and fruit-driven Ending: Medium-long and dry In a nutshell: Sweet fruit bomb When to drink: 2013–2015 Final verdict: Simple yet deliciously quaffable 99 Pommery Rosé Apanage NV F I N E 100 Be st 100 BEST Champagnes for 2013 87p Cattier Clos du Moulin NV Colour: Deep lemon Nose: Round, white fruit laden spicyearthy style Palate: Layered, wide and vinous and structured Ending: Long, opened up in the glass In a nutshell: A character of its own When to drink: 2013–2017 Final verdict: Interesting and layered but with edges and still very youthfull FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 33

Non-vintage champagne Non-vintage (NV, sans année) champagne is the backbone of every champagne house's production, typically accounting for 80–90 per cent of the total volume. Hence, it is also their most important product, taking up the most time and effort. Maintaining the consistent style and quality of the house's non-vintage champagne year after year is a challenge, yet it is paramount, because the very idea of non-vintage champagne is that no vintage-related variation can be detected in the taste – thus allowing the consumer to select his or her favourite cuvée with confidence. In the varying climatic conditions of the Champagne region, consistent quality is achieved by using reserve wines from previous years. Moreover, non-vintage champagne must be ready to drink as soon as it has been released – the majority of champagnes 34 are consumed immediately after purchase. Therefore, nonvintage champagnes usually consist of all three grape varieties – which are sourced extensively throughout the region. The cellarmasters of major champagne houses may blend more than four hundred base wines into their classic champagne in order to create a high volume of balanced, subtle champagne. The minimum maturing time of non-vintage champagne after bottling is 15 months, but most prestigious champagne houses mature their non-vintage for 2–3 years or longer in order to achieve the autolytic, toasty aromas typical of champagne. Overall placement NV Blanc Top 10 1 (2) Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve NV 92p 2 (8) Piper-Heidsieck Brut NV 90p 3 (14) Taittinger Les Folies de la Marquetterie NV 90p 4 (15) De Saint Gall Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Grand Cru NV 90p 5 (17) Palmer & Co Brut Réserve NV 89p 6 (32) Pommery Brut Royal NV 89p 7 (37) Henriot Blanc de Blancs NV 89p 8 (38) Louis Roederer Brut Premier NV 89p 9 (44) Vilmart & Cie Grand Cellier NV 88p 10 (45) A. Margaine Cuvée Extra Brut NV 88p FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

F I N E 100 Be st Vintage champagne Vintage champagne (millésime) is made in better-than-average years and cellared longer than non-vintage champagnes. In other words, it resembles the reserve wine category that is familiar in other styles of wine. Unlike non-vintage champagnes, their vintage counterparts are not meant to be consistent year after year. On the contrary, the cellarmaster composes vintage champagnes from the base wines that best reflect that particular year's characteristics. Despite the variation between different vintages, champagnes of this category are quite easy for consumers to buy: whenever a champagne house releases a vintage champagne, it theoretically indicates that the year is a good one and, consequently, so is the champagne. Furthermore, vintage champagnes contain longer-life base wines, and while they are quite enjoyable immediately upon release, they still have significant development potential. The wines feature certain intellectualism, because they provide us with information about the differences between certain years. Vintage champagne also entails a promise of greater tasting pleasure in the years to come, as it improves with ageing. Vintage champagnes are cellared over fur for a minimum of thirty-six months, and usually for much longer. In spite of this, they are less expensive than prestige cuvées. Overall placement Vintage Top 10 1 (1) Charles Heidsieck Millésimé 2000 93p 2 (6) Palmer & Co Blanc de Blancs 2006 92p 3 (11) Piper-Heidsieck Millésime 2004 92p 4 (16) Henriot Millésime 2003 92p 5 (26) Heidsieck & Co Monopole Gold Top 2007 90p 6 (28) Taittinger Vintage 2005 89p 7 (40) Canard-Duchêne Brut Millésimé 2006 89p 8 (43) Palmer & Co Millésime 2005 89p 9 (53) Pol Roger Vintage 2000 89p 10 (55) Laurent-Perrier Millésime 2004 89p FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 35

Prestige cuvées Every bottle of champagne is a luxury product, but not everyone wants to settle for the classic non-vintage. The uppermost category in the champagne pyramid consists of prestige cuvée (Cuvée Prestige) champagnes. This category originated in 1873, when Czar Alexander II of Russia found no ordinary champagne to be good enough for him and ordered his own special blend in a crystal bottle from his trusted supplier, Champagne Louis Roederer. Nevertheless, Moët & Chandon was the first champagne house to release a commercial prestige champagne, the Dom Pérignon vintage 1921, which was released in 1936. The Cristal champagne by Louis Roederer as we know it today was launched after World War II. The category started as a niche branch but rose to its current status in the 1950s and 1960s, and it is continuously increasing in significance. In many markets, especially in the Far East, the current demand for luxury champagne clearly exceeds supply. 36 Prestige champagnes are made from grapes harvested from the highest-rating Grand Cru villages, and often exclusively from Pinot Noir or Chardonnay as they have the longest maturation potential. In addition to the premium ingredients, the rich variety of aromas, as well as the intensive structure and small bubbles associated with prestige champagnes, can be attributed to the prolonged ageing in bottles on the lees. Due to its superb acid structure, champagne ages beautifully, and prestige champagnes in particular are at their peak long after release. Nearly all prestige champagnes, especially Cristal, Dom Pérignon, Philipponnat Clos des Goisses and Salon, require long cellaring before they reveal their true, rich, subtle and aristocratically stylish essence. Tasting soon after release may leave questions on the taster’s palate: the champagnes are often very tight and vacuously mineral, with only slight references to their future potential. It is a shame that such champagnes are released and consumed much too young – every year of patient cellaring is like putting money in the bank. Overall placement Prestige Cuvée Blanc Top10 1 (3) Krug Vintage 2000 94p 2 (5) Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage Collection 1993 93p 3 (7) Piper-Heidsieck Rare 2002 92p 4 (10) Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 2002 91p 5 (12) Louis Roederer Cristal 2004 91p 6 (13) Pierre Gimonnet Special Club 2005 91p 7 (20) Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Nicolas Franç François Billecart 2000 91p 8 (21) Krug Grande Cuvée NV 91p 9 (22) Dom Pérignon Brut 2003 91p 10 (24) Palmer & Co Amazone de Palmer NV 91p FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA Points

Even though rosé champagne has allegedly been manufactured in the Champagne region since at least 1775, it has never been as popular as it is today. No more than ten years ago, rosé champagne accounted for approximately five per cent of many houses' total production, while today 15 is a more common percentage. It seems that rosé champagne is here to stay. Pink champagne has a rather girly Overall image, but this does not reflect its actual Prestige Cuvée and Vintage TOP 10 placement style. As a matter of fact, rosé champagne is the most masculine champagne because 1 (4) Charles Heidsieck Rosé Millesimé 1999 of its wine-like and often stronger character. Many rosé champagnes go well with meals, Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon 2 (18) and some are even able to stand up to red Rosé 2002 meat. Rosé champagne can be made in two 3 (19) Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé 2004 alternative ways: by macerating dark grapes in the juice (rosé de saignée) or by blending 4 (23) Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage Rosé 2004 in some red wine from the Champagne 5 (33) Bollinger La Grande Année Rosé 2004 region to a white base wine (rosé d’assemblage). More than 95 per cent of 6 (36) Dom Pérignon Rosé 2002 rosé champagnes are products of the latter method, which allows better control over 7 (39) Deutz Rosé Millesimé 2007 the outcome, but neither of these methods can be raised above the other. It is often 8 (41) Laurent-Perrier Alexandra Rosé 2004 impossible to determine the manufacturing method when tasting the wine, although 9 (46) Armand de Brignac Brut Rosé NV sometimes a saignée wine can be recognised 10 (84) due to its more tannic nature. LaurentJoseph Perrier Brut Rosé 2004 Perrier is one of the few Grande Marque houses currently using the saignée method in rosé champagne production. Rosé champagne is often approximately 20 per cent more expensive than white champagne, due not only to its trendy popularity but also to higher manufacturing costs. The production of mature, high quality red wines for rosé champagne is difficult and expensive in Champagne. In addition, the arrangements required for the extra Overall vinification and smaller batch sizes are Non-vintage TOP 10 placement costly. Whether rosé champagne is worth the extra price is a question of style rather 1 (9) Henriot Rosé NV than of quality. Along with the increased popularity, 2 (25) Jacquart Brut Rosé NV the quality of rosé champagnes has risen significantly over the past few years. Rosé 3 (27) Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé Brut NV champagnes are available in a wide variety, ranging from fresh berry flavoured to highly 4 (29) Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé NV developed, champagne-like wines. The colours may vary from pale pink to nearly 5 (61) Duval-Leroy Rosé Prestige Premier Cru NV as dark as red wine. The rosé champagnes that belong to 6 (88) G.H.Mumm Brut Rosé NV the luxury category are the best of the 7 (92) Gratiot-Pillière Rosé NV best in the world of champagne. Cristal Rosé, Dom Pérignon Rosé, Laurent8 (93) Veuve Clicquot Rosé NV Perrier Alexandra, Dom Ruinart Rosé and Pommery Cuvée Louise Rosé are all 9 (94) Pommery Rosé Apanage NV wonderful examples of the ageing potential, depth and multidimensionality of rosé 10 (96) Dom Caudron Camille Philippe Rosé NV champagne. These champagnes are true rarities: for example, the edition of Cuvée Louise in vintage years is 200 000 bottles but that of the corresponding rosé is only 5000. Due to the low volumes, these wines may not even be mentioned on the producer's website. Furthermore, their prices are often twice or three times as high as those of white champagne. F I N E 100 Be st Rosé champagne Points 93p 93p 93p 93p 92p 92p 91p 91p 90p 90p Points 91p 90p 88p 88p 88p 88p 88p 88p 87p 87p FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 37

Blanc de Blancs The term blanc de blancs refers to wines made exclusively from white grapes, so in champagnes the grape is, in most cases, Chardonnay. This is a very common style: for example, the Côte des Blancs region is almost entirely dedicated to this grape and, consequently, local grower-producers automatically concentrate solely on blanc de blancs. Being an elegant and fruity grape, Chardonnay works very well by itself. At a young age, the wines may be markedly acidic and feature a linear, even bony structure. With ageing, 38 Chardonnay soon develops a lovely, toasty and creamy aroma. The young wines can be aggressive, and therefore many producers, such as G. H. Mumm and Varnier-Fannière, keep the pressure of Chardonnay champagnes slightly lower. These wines used to be called Crémant – for example, Mumm de Cramant was previously named Crémant de Cramant – but nowadays this term is reserved for sparkling wines made in other wine regions of France using the traditional method. Overall placement Blanc de Blancs Top 10 1 (6) Palmer & Co Blanc de Blancs 2006 Points 94p 2 (10) Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 2002 92p 3 (13) Pierre Gimonnet Special Club 2005 91p 4 (15) De Saint Gall Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Grand Cru NV 90p 5 (30) Comtes de Dampierre Prestige 1998 90p 6 (31) Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque Blanc de Blancs 2002 89p 7 (37) Henriot Blanc de Blancs NV 89p 8 (42) G.H.Mumm Mumm de Cramant Blanc de Blancs NV 88p 9 (45) A. Margaine Cuvée Extra Brut NV 88p 10 (47) De Saint Gall Brut Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru NV 88p FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

F I N E 100 Be st Cooperative champagnes There are a great many cooperatives in the region, but at the moment 67 of them make and sell Champagne under their own label. Although cooperatives account for just about 9 per cent of total Champagne sales, they process more than 50 per cent of all the Champagne produced, at one stage or another. The 67 producing cooperatives sell Champagne under an astonishing number of different brand names – 2 234. Still, the direction is towards building strong brands of their own, and the most commercially successful ventures include Nicolas Feuillatte, Jacquart and Devaux. But there are many eager quality-concious cooperatives on the rise: the Champagnes of say Palmer & Co, De Saint Gall and Collet represent excellent value for money. Overall placement Cooperative Top 10 Points 1 (6) Palmer & Co Blanc de Blancs 2006 91p 2 (15) De Saint Gall Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Grand Cru NV 89p 3 (17) Palmer & Co Brut Réserve NV 89p 4 (24) Palmer & Co Amazone de Palmer NV 88p 5 (43) Palmer & Co Millésime 2005 88p 6 (54) Pannier Egérie de Pannier Extra Brut 2002 88p 7 (59) Jacquart Millésimé 2002 88p 8 (66) Dom Caudron Millésimé 2006 87p 9 (70) De Castelnau Millésimé Brut Magnum 1998 87p 10 (72) Devaux Cuvée D Brut NV 87p FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 39

Grower champagnes As a counterforce to the champagne houses, a number of smaller grower-producers are making and selling their own products. From an international perspective, growerproducers’ champagnes appear to be a secret closely guarded by the French, judging by the fact that only 12 per cent of these wines are exported. Compared to the champagne houses, the growerproducers’ philosophy when it comes to winemaking is very different. Their wines are made from their own grapes, often grown in a small area, making the extensive blending practised by the champagne houses impossible. Grower champagnes typically represent the taste profile of the wines from a particular vineyard, village or sub-region in the area. It goes without saying that not all grower champagnes are excellent – nor are all champagnes from champagne houses – but in recent years with the new generation of growers taking over the reins, a positive trend has emerged with regards to top-quality grower champagnes. Names like Jacques Selosse have paved the way to fame for other grower-producers. 40 Many of the up-and-coming grower-producers have adapted a very natural approach to champagne-making, working intensely in their vineyards in order to maximise the quality of their products. Organic or biodynamic production is not unheard of, even if most growers practice viticulture according to the sustainable principles of lutté raisonnée. Grower-producers concentrate largely on producing terroir wines, i.e. denoting the special characteristics that the habitat has bestowed upon the champagne, often by sticking to natural yeasts and minimising the sulphur dioxide content and the sweetening dosage. The grower community in the Champagne area is undergoing constant changes, and there are still a number of ‘undiscovered’ quality growers in the region. Wine connoisseurs visiting with their eyes open will have a great opportunity to make interesting acquaintances. However, due to the restricted resources of the grower-producers and the lack of a worldwide distribution network, only a small share of the growers sent their champagnes to this tasting. Overall placement Grower champagnes Top 10 1 (13) Pierre Gimonnet Special Club 2005 91p 2 (34) Georges de la Chapelle Cuvée Nostalgie NV 90p 3 (35) A. Robert Cuvée Le Sablon Brut NV 90p 4 (44) Vilmart & Cie Grand Cellier NV 89p 5 (45) A. Margaine Cuvée Extra Brut NV 89p 6 (63) Didier Ducos Brut Millésime 2006 89p 7 (64) Pierre Gimonnet Fleuron Blanc de Blancs 2005 89p 8 (65) Guy Charlemagne Brut Nature NV 89p 9 (67) Pierre Gimonnet Oenophile Blanc de Blancs 2004 88p 10 (74) Guy Charlemagne Mesnillésime Grand Cru 2004 88p FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA Points

F I N E 100 Be st FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 41

C L I V E . C O M

B R I T I S H L U X U R Y I N T E R I O R S b y C L I V E C H R I S T I A N

44 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

FINE Moment a FINE MOMENT with Jarno Trulli Text: Essi Avellan MW Photos: Pekka Nuikki and Jarno Laine A thrilling day, hosted in Helsinki by FINE, shed some light on a wellliked Formula 1 master and put Jarno Trulli behind the wheel of a Ferrari for the first time. A mid the hustle and bustle of Arrivals at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, I await the appearance of Formula 1 star Jarno Trulli. I consider the fact that someone’s loss can be someone else’s gain: Trulli was replaced on the Caterham F1 team just before the beginning of the season, and FINE is now able to have him as its guest on this May weekend. Devoid of his driving duties, Trulli finally has time to perform ambassadorial tasks for his Italian winery and Swiss luxury hotel. Trulli steps through the gate with his entourage, looking jovial yet professional, and slightly late, as any selfrespecting Italian should be. “It’s probably best if you drive,” I say to him after we have exchanged greetings, and hand him the keys to a Ferrari 550 Maranello. FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 45

NomeN est omeN Trulli’s manager Lucio Cavuto, winemaker Angelo Molisani from Trulli’s Podere Castorani estate, and director Orlando di Fruscia from Hotel Mayerhof in Davos have to settle for a more ordinary vehicle. I have obtained the fireengine red 1997 Ferrari specially to make our guest of honour feel comfortable. Entering the car, the expensive smell of old leather upholstery hits my nose. I’m surprised when Trulli asks for instructions before starting the car. Isn’t the skill of driving a Ferrari passed down in Italian mothers’ milk? There is no end to my amazement when he reveals that this is actually the first time he has ever driven a Ferrari! “It’s really strange that I should drive a Ferrari for the first time in Finland,” says Trulli. “But I’m actually not that interested in street cars. For me they are just a way of getting from A to B.” Lucio Cavuto, Angelo Molisani, Jarno Trulli and Orlando di Fruscia enjoying Finnish archipelago 46 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA The car’s 12-cylinder engine purrs as the star driver turns the ignition. The seat is a perfect fit for the slightly built man. Once, having negotiated the airport traffic, he gets to test the Ferrari’s handling characteristics, he grants me the explanation I am after: “It’s really strange that I should drive a Ferrari for the first time in Finland,” says Trulli, who was born in 1974 in Pescara, Italy. “But I’m actually not that interested in street cars. For me they are just a way of getting from A to B.” I, on the other hand, greatly enjoy my journey in the top driver’s capable hands, as he weaves through the city-centre traffic. We do not put Ferrari’s claims of acceleration from 0 to 60 in four seconds to the test at the traffic lights, however. Trulli clearly has no need to prove himself outside of the race track. Despite spending hundreds upon hundreds of hours in cars, he only really likes racing, but when I ask who it is that drives in their family – he or his wife – he answers as expected: “Me, of course!” So there is at least something of the Italian in this otherwise atypically sedate, down-to-earth and self-effacing driver. As we approach the Kulosaari Casino, Jarno repeatedly expresses his admiration for the lush Finnish nature, which is at its best on this unusually hot spring day. “Previously, I’ve only visited in winter.” He has deeper links with Finland, however: his parents named him after the legendary Finnish motorcycle racer Jarno Saarinen, who was killed at the Monza track a year prior to Trulli’s birth. The name Jarno became very popular after Saarinen’s death, and lately some have also named their boys after Trulli. “The tragic death of Ayrton Senna in San Marino in 1994 had a similar effect,” Trulli recalls.

FINE Moment Jarno Trulli offers a gentleman’s hand to editor Essi Avellan MW Thanks to his father’s enthusiasm for karting, Trulli raced as a small child, and 12 years of karting experience formed a solid basis for his driving skills. After a successful career in Formula 3, the Minardi team opened the door for Trulli to enter Formula 1 in 1997. Having raced later for Prost, Jordan, Renault, Toyota and Lotus, he has earned a reputation among his fellow drivers and fans as a skilled and agreeable, if unlucky, driver, who has suffered from bad timing in terms of finding a sufficiently high-performance, reliable car. Trulli’s manager and childhood friend Lucio Cavuto, who negotiates his team placements, faces a tough challenge, because the driver’s desire to win has by no means relented. “I want to drive for a few more years, but only in a car that has a chance of winning. It’s not about money but about performance, and I will continue turning down offers until I find a good enough car.” FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 47

JARNO TRULLI’S FAVOURITE CHAMPAGNE must be G.H. Mumm Cordon Rouge in the special F1 jeroboam format. G.H. Mumm has been the official podium champagne for F1 since 2000, and the house has just renewed its deal to ensure it continues to be seen on the lips of the F1 champions. For more insight into the long and interesting history of champagne at Formula 1, see FINE Wine & Champagne India, Fall 2012 issue. 48 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

FINE Moment The FINE Champagne group celebrating at Villa Ruusuniemi toAstING HIs FIRst WIN We turn into the yard of the seaside casino at Kulosaari and Jarno offers me a gentlemanly hand out of the car. We will continue our journey to our dinner destination by sea, to make the most of the perfect weather and the Finnish landscape. The perfect replacement for the Ferrari is the former plaything of one-time Ferrari driver Kimi Räikkönen, a Princess V42 yacht. Having boarded the stylish vessel, we drink a toast to Trulli’s first F1 victory at the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix with Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque of the same vintage. We are also “Although I own a winery, I don’t drink much wine. I don’t really like alcohol, and one glass of wine is enough for me. But champagne is, of course, an inseparable part of the race podium. Spraying champagne means you’ve done your job well and succeeded!” pleased to be able to offer Jarno his first taste of a champagne from his birth year, in the form of the 1974 Prince A. de Bourbon Parme. Jarno is happy enough to taste the champagnes, but much greater enthusiasm is displayed by his young winemaker colleague, Angelo Molisani, who lingers over the mature champagne. Jarno confesses: “Although I own a winery, I don’t drink much wine. I don’t really like alcohol, and one glass of wine is enough for me. But champagne is, of course, an inseparable part of the race podium. Spraying champagne means you’ve done your job well and succeeded!” WINe Is tHe FUtURe As the Princess ploughs through the waves towards Villa Ruusuniemi in Vuosaari, we chat with Jarno’s key personnel about the future that the driver has purposefully and sensibly been building for himself over the last few years. The wine estate in his home region of Marche is mostly managed by his father, but Trulli, who nowadays lives in St. Moritz, Switzerland, has also recently bough a hotel in Davos, the destination of choice for the well-to-do. Restaurant Jarno at Hotel Meierhof offers genuine Italian food, as well as a wide selection of the driver’s own wines. Trulli’s lively conversation on dining and restaurant management clearly indicates that gastronomy is an issue close to his heart. It is also evident that the star has surrounded himself with the people he trusts the most – his family and long-time friends. Th ey all get to share in the lifestyle and possibilities brought by Jarno’s success. The hiatus in his Formula 1 career has given Jarno more time to devote to his family, especially his two young sons. Neither of them is – as yet – particularly interested in cars. As our boat moors at the Ruusuniemi dock, Trulli says that his greatest strength is determination. “It has kept me in Formula 1 for fifteen years. Thinking about it, I’ve come quite far from where I started in Pescara!” With regard to weaknesses, he winks: “No comment,” and strides off to greet FINE’s other guests for the evening. > FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 49

E CH M PAG N A SPOTLIGHT 50 Le Dali Restaurant FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

F I N E Spotlight SPOTLIGHT Text: Amanda Regan Introduction: Essi Avellan MW There is nobody who knows the bubbly scene in Paris as well as Amanda Regan. In Paris since 2002 to pursue her love of French wine, art and culture, she has discovered the best spots in town to enjoy Champagne, from five-star establishments to the grand attractions and all the way through to the cosy bars and elegant cafés. With her shortlist, a sparkly time in the most romantic city in the world is guaranteed. FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 51

SPOTLIGHT Le Jules Verne vue Paris 52 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA “Alain Ducasse wishes the Jules Verne to be the most beautiful place in Paris to enjoy the pleasure of a contemporary and accessible French kitchen”

F I N E Spotlight F ashion, philosophy, art, design, cuisine, romance and effervesence. That is Paris. It is a living dream and Champagne adds magic to a once-in-a-lifetime or recurring visit. Even after ten years in town, I discover something new every day. Having studied interior design, philosophy, art and wine, Paris offers me everything. Yet, one of the best benefits Paris offers is how close it is to Champagne; it is often faster to Reims than to cross Paris. Paris is, in fact, the original and closest market place for Champagne, as it was first city to celebrate the region and its wine. Champagne was shipped directly down the Marne river to town, with no shortage of bubbly publicity. Champagne was made famous in Paris by cabaret bar girls, painted by artists such as Toulouse Lautrec, and represented in publicity posters by Mucha. Eugène Mercier famously transported his “Eiffel tower” of wines and “Cathedral of Champagne” by 24 oxen to the 1889 The World Fair in Paris. A pioneering marketing man of his era, Mercier also flew branded hot air balloon flights at the same height as the Eiffel Tower during the 1900 Paris World Fair. Today, Champagne houses sponsor many cultural events in Paris throughout the year, from Pommery at FIAC international contemporary art fair at the Grand Palais, to Louis Roederer pho- CHAMPAGNE TOWERS tography exhibitions in the national library and literature awards at Café del Flore. Champagne and shopping are well coordinated, with the new Bar à Champagne overlooking the coupole inside Galeries Lafayette, and cafés at Printemps and Le Bon Marché. Winter is a magical time, when ephemeral Champagne bars by Perrier-Jouët and Bollinger pop up in fashion stores, Krug on top of construction sites, or Taittinger in a giant glass bubble in a courtyard on the Champs Elysées. Summer is the time for me to to visit a caviste and buy a chilled bottle for Champagne picnics in the parks. Paris unfolds around the Eiffel Tower and sparkles throughout the arrondisements of Paris like a muselet releasing before a Champagne cork pops. Spectacular places to experience Paris through a Champagne glass are from rooftops or the banks of the Seine, focusing on the Eiffel Tower. Only a few high rise buildings have been permitted in Paris, and make unique viewing platforms from which to enjoy Champagne and Paris. Even as a resident Parisian, I still get excited when I see the Eiffel Tower sparkle every night. Looking at it from different perspectives, accompanied by a glass of Champagne, is always a new experience. This spotlight on Paris takes you to Champagne bars and restaurants with unforgettable views. works display. Access is by private lift into the restaurant from the ground only. THE EIFFEL TOWER The Eiffel Tower is a world famous monument and the focal point of Paris. Illuminated by 20 000 lights, the Tower sparkles like a glass of Champagne every night. A reservation for the restaurants will grant you special lift access to the perfect panorama for an aperitif. JULES VERNE The Michelin-starred restaurant on the second level of the Eiffel Tower is named after the author of “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” and “Around the World in Eighty Days”. You can now make a 360-degree tour of Paris at 125 metres above the ground with a glass of Alain Ducasse selection Champagne from the 100 per cent French wine list. Champagne can be requested to be served in a 1930s “Reims” flute redesigned by Cristallerie Vallerysthal. Special menus are designed for the Fourteenth of July evening fire- Tour Eiffel, Champ de Mars, 75007 Paris Tel: +33 176 64 14 64 www.restaurants-toureiffel.com BAR À CHAMPAGNE The Champagne Bar is niched into the highest possible level of the tower at 320 metres altitude. The perfect place for an orientation coupe and a kiss. Following your glass around the 360 degree views of precisely laid out monuments, parks and avenues is the perfect appetizer before you descend to enjoy lunch or dinner one platform below. The Bar à Champagne serves Alain Ducasse selection or Henriot in a coupe classique cone shaped flute or a glowing coupe lumineuse – special souvenirs to keep for future Champagne picnics. Bar à Champagne FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 53

Le Ciel de Paris LE CIEL DE PARIS ? THE SKY OF PARIS LA TOUR D’ARGENT ? THE SILVER TOWER With exceptional panoramic views “from the sky” at 210 metres altitude onto the axis of the Champs de Mars, Ecole Militaire and Eiffel Tower, you can see for 40 kilometres from the Tour Maine Montparnasse. Recently redesigned to make the city of lights the star of the show, the polished bar, made from naturally sparkling materials, is dedicated to Champagne. Le Bar à Champagne is open until 1 am and serves by the glass Jacquart, and offers degustation flights of three small coupes chosen from Besserat de Bellefon, BillecartSalmon, Canard Duchêne, Gosset, Laurent Perrier and Ruinart. The restaurant takes reservations for special dinners, with exceptional views of the Fourteenth of July fireworks. Built by Charles V in the 14th century on the left bank of the Seine in the heart of Paris, the southwest tower of the Château de la Tournelle was made from mica-rich stone from Champagne, and was called the “Silver Tower” because it glittered in the sun. Champagne still plays a glittering role inside La Tour d’Argent, welcoming guests to the restaurant and on the wine list of the restaurant on the sixth floor, with views of Notre Dame Cathedral and monuments along the quais of the Seine. A sommelier for over thirty years, David Ridgeway devotes fifteen pages of his famous wine list to Champagne. Ridgeway says that Champagne clients have a very personal affiliation with Champagne and usually stay loyal to one brand, depending on the occasion, with special events calling for Cristal and Dom Pérignon. Over 650 selections cover the major houses and renowned Growers such as EglyOuriet, Fleury, Larmandier-Bernier and Maillard. The list covers all styles, from non-vintage to prestige cuvées, and has offered low dosage wines for over twenty years. The popular House Champagne is produced by Legras in Chouilly, a 100 per cent Grand Cru Chardonnay. Tour Maine Montparnasse, 56th Floor, 33 avenue du Maine, 75015 Paris Tel: +33 1 40 64 77 64 reservation.cieldeparis&elior.com www.cieldeparis.com 54 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA La Tour d’Argent 15 quai de la Tournelle, 75005 Paris Tel: +33 1 43 54 23 31 www.latourdargent.com resa@latourdargent.com

SPOTLIGHT On top of the Pompidou Centre, the restaurant Georges offers a striking view of Paris. Opened by the Coste brothers in 2000, Georges blends avant garde museum and restaurant design by architects Jakob et McFarlane: surreal and futurist, industrial chic and minimalist. Bubble-shaped spaces in the Pink Bar move a light and transparent interior space into a large terrace overlooking Paris onto Notre Dame, the Tour Eiffel and Sacré Cœur in the distance. Enjoy the view after an exhibition or take the private elevator directly from the court next to the main museum entrance. A simple and creative contemporary menu of French and international food, and of course Champagne. By the glass Moët & Chandon and by the bottle Billecart Salmon, Louis Roederer Cristal, Dom Pérignon, Krug, Moët & Chandon, and Veuve Clicquot. Perfectly located at the angle of the golden triangle joining Avenue de Montagne and Avenue Georges V, Chez Francis is a ‘brasserie de luxe’ with views across the Seine and of the Eiffel Tower. Request a table in the glass fronted restaurant or the front row of the hedged terrace and enjoy a glass or bottle of Lanson or Pommery. 6th Floor, Centre Pompidou, Place Georges-Pompidou, Paris 75004 www.beaumarly.com/georges/accueil 7 place de l’Alma, 75008 Paris Tel: +33 1 82 28 77 39 www.chezfrancis-restaurant.com CHAMPAGNE STAR BARS Chez Francis at night CHEZ FRANCIS Promenade in the Tuilleries gardens or watch the final laps of the Tour de France peloton with their celebratory coupes of Champagne, then step inside one of the grand hotels on the Rue du Rivoli and Place de la Concorde and celebrate. F I N E Spotlight LE GEORGES LE MEURICE The five star hotel Le Meurice offers a range of champagnes in the bar and restaurants. “You can not have a fête without its glittering cascades. Its Champagne bubbling around will open the dance for you … . You have bottled the whole French spirit. Champagne, fill my glass Champagne, I’ll drink to my loves! Champagne, to my friends! Champagne for ever!” Claude Terrail BAR 228 is a timeless meeting place, cosy and intimate and faithful to the original, it was redesigned by Philippe Starck in 2007. Head Sommelier Estelle Touzet invites wine lovers to discover the best Champagnes at hosted wine tastings “Les Nocturnes du 228”. RESTAURANT LE MEURICE has an impressive six-page Champagne list. By the glass: Jacques Lassaigne, Laurent-Perrier, Pommery Cuvée Louise and Bruno Paillard. Bottles include: Billecart Salmon, Bollinger, Deutz, Alfred Gratien, Perrier-Jouët, Pommery, Louis Roederer, Ruinart, Jacques Sélosse, Taittinger, and Veuve Clicquot. Prestige cuvées include: Dom Pérignon and Oenothèque, Cristal, Salon, Taittinger Comtes de Champagne, Dom Ruinart, Krug Clos du Mesnil and Krug Collection. RESTAURANT LE DALI offers Bollinger, Bruno Paillard, Deutz, Henriot, Krug, Laurent-Perrier, Perrier-Jouët, Pommery, Louis Roederer, Ruinart and Veuve Clicquot. Le Georges on top of Pompidou Centre Eiffel Tower in background 228 rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris +33 1 44 58 10 10 www.meuricehotel.fr/bars-restaurants FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 55

LE DOKHAN’S BAR The first dedicated Champagne bar in Paris, hidden away from the bustle of the Trocadero, takes you in with intimacy and comfort. Dockhan’s Champagne Bar is welcoming in cooler weather and evenings. Like Alice walking into a shrinking wonderland, you are transcended in time through a triangular corner entrance into an 18th century interior with low ceilings, and a sumptuous lounge with sofa settings creating private rooms and a warming fireplace. The official Champagne Bar is through yet another entrance; gilted panels from another 18th century private residence were added during the 1990s refurbishment. Before selecting a Champagne, the bar offers a special touch verging on novelty, giving guests their choice of glass: coupe, fine glass, Pompadour and traditional flute. Head Sommelier Mikael Rodriguez has a sincere passion for, and impressive knowledge, of Champagne. Mikail has spent seven years creating and transforming the only Champagne bar in the Radisson world group of hotels. Champagne dominantes 90 per cent of the drinks list of not only the oldest, but one of the only nonsponsored Champagne bars in Paris. There are 85 Champagne references and more than 60 prestige cuvées, including Dom Pérignon, Moët & Chandon, G.H. Mumm, Perrier-Jouët, Ruinart and Veuve Clicquot, as well as more medium-sized houses like Billecart-Salmon, Bollinger, Delamotte, Deutz, Gosset, Charles Heidsieck, Henriot, Krug, Philipponnat, Drappier, Jacquesson, Bruno Paillard, Pol Roger, and Taittinger. Grower Champagnes, too, have a strong presence on the Champagne list: André Jacquart, Agrapart, Françoise Bedel et Fils, Bérêche, Franck Bonville, Cédric Bouchard, Francis Boulard, Brice, Coulon, Diebolt-Vallois, De Souza, Doyard, Egly-Ouriet, René Geoffroy, Janisson-Baradon, Larmandier-Bernier, Marie-Noëlle Ledru, Pierre Moncuit, Pierre Peters, Eric Rodez, Jacques Selosse, and many more. Each week a different producer and different cuvées are highlighted, including prestige cuvées such as Dom Pérignon by the glass, and each month has a different theme: for example, organic Champagne or women cellar masters. Three different cuvées are offered by the glass, each served in small degustation flutes with a personal explanation of style and production. The bar offers Champagne and Chocolate and Champagne and Caviar tastings by reservation, and also schedules monthly Champagne tastings and live jazz events. 117 rue Lauriston, 75116 Paris Tel: +33 1 53 65 66 99 www.radissonblu.com/dokhanhotel-paristrocadero bar.dokhans@radissonblu.com 56 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA Le Dokhan’s bar CHAMPAGNE ART L’OPÉRA RESTAURANT The original Paris stage set, L’Opera restaurant and terrace is an avant-garde design by Odile Decq opened in 2011, with the restaurant run by Chef Yan Tanneau. The interior of the Palais Garnier appears completely transformed, however the dramatic restaurant and bar are brilliant installations that do not touch the heritage-listed building. Open every day from 7am to midnight from the outside and during performances. During performances, take a coupe of Charles Heidsieck from one of the original bars into the spectacular hall of mirrors, reminiscent of Versailles, which looks towards the Louvre. Palais Garnier, Place Jacques Rouché, 75009 Paris Tel: +33 1 42 68 86 80 www.opera-restaurant.fr MONSIEUR BLEU, PALAIS DE TOKYO The latest opening in Paris, at river level within the tiered contemporary art complex Palais de Tokyo, Monsieur Bleu exhibits a 650m2 terrace and cosmopolitan atmosphere by architect Joseph Dirand. A luxurious palette of green, with velvet banquettes and art deco inspired table settings, marble highlights and corner mirrors reflect the green hedges on the terrace. Uninterrupted glass windows continue inside to out, and a stunning view of the Eiffel Tower across the L’Opéra restaurant Seine. Classical, traditional and contemporary menu, with music and DJ until 2 am. Champagnes by the glass Irroy, PerrierJouët, and by the bottle, as well as Barbier, Billecart-Salmon, Dom Pérignon, Louis Roederer Cristal and Ruinart. 20 avenue de New York, 75116 Paris Tel: +33 1 47 20 90 47 www.palaisdetokyo.com/en/lifestyle/monsieur-bleu monsieur@monsieurbleu.com

CAFÉ MARLY F I N E Spotlight SPOTLIGHT An ideal location, beside the Napoléon Court and arcades of the Louvre museum, Café Marly is classic and contemporary, and was the first restaurant opened by the Coste brothers. Designed by Olivier Gagnère et Yves Taralon to be contemporary and comfortable, and in harmony with the style of Napoleon III, from the interior to the arcaded terrace, the atmosphere is romantic. Looking onto the Pyramid by Pie, the scene captures the light and beauty of the Louvre. The creative, terroir-based menu by starred Chef Jean Francois Piege is refined and simple. Champagne Moët & Chandon is offered by the glass, and Dom Pérignon, Frerejean Freres, Louis Roederer Cristal, Ruinart, as well as Veuve Clicquot, by the bottle. Palais du Louvre, 93 rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris Tel: +33 1 49 26 06 60 www.beaumarly.com/cafe-marly/accueil contact@beaumarly.com ENCORE The perfect excuse to return to Paris in 2015 for a coupe would be the reopening of two iconic hotels, The Ritz on Place Vendome and Hotel Crillon on Place de la Concorde. Also worth exploring is Café de L’Homme at Trocadero, as it boasts restaurant and terrace with the closest view of the Eiffel Tower across the Seine. It is currently closed for renovations. > Cafe Marly Le Louvre The Ritz FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 57

Épernay Text: Essi Avellan MW Photos: Michael Boudot Épernay, located at the meeting point between the departments of the Champagne region, could be referred to as the capital of Champagne. It literally lives on champagne. Épernay’s most inviting tourist destination, the Avenue de Champagne, is like the Champs-Elysées of Champagne, featuring producers such as Moët & Chandon, Pol Roger, Perrier-Jouët and De Venoge. This pleasant town of 26 000 inhabitants has lately received new energy from fresh restaurants, and friends of champagne will also be gratified by the high-quality wine merchants in the town. FINE Wine & Champagne India is currently publishing extracts from Essi Avellan’s champagne book, Matka Champagneen (‘Discovering Champagne’). In her book, Avellan visits 50 of the most interesting producers in the wine region. Furnished with maps, the book is also an opportunity for champagne lovers to discover the epicurean’s dream location for themselves. Avellan opens doors to the region’s best restaurants, hotels and wine stores. In this issue, we feature her top tips for Épernay. 58 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

T he big brother of all champagnes, Dom Pérignon, started as a luxury cuvée of Moët & Chandon, but has now attained a life of its own. With cellar master Richard Geoffroy as the brand’s stylistic and qualitative guardian, Dom Pérignon has been separated from Moët & Chandon. Dom Pérignon’s spiritual home may be the Abbey of Hautvillers, but the wine is produced in Moët & Chandon’s facilities. The paths of both champagnes diverge in the cellar, however. After a joint winemaking process, Dom Pérignon has first call for its base wines of choice, because its elegant and long-lasting style demands streamlined, mineral and silky wines. The exact volumes are a trade secret, but in any case more of this champagne is produced here than in most of the sizeable houses put together. I admire Dom Pérignon’s balancing act between the two extremes; it manages to retain its image as a desirable and rare luxury product despite the large production quantities. Geoffroy’s wine also admirably joins together two contradictions: early drinka- bility and ageing potential. Contrary to many other luxury champagnes, the cellar master’s aim is to create a drinkable, harmonious champagne that does not divide opinion too much. Geoffroy speaks poetically of Dom Pérignon. He places the greatest emphasis on the wine’s liveliness and mouthfeel, or texture. It must progress seamlessly and silkily caress the palate. Geoffroy knows the long structure that he aspires to as Dom Pérignon’s slide, which is reminiscent of the movement of a surfer on the crest of a wave. Upon its arrival on the market in 1935, Dom Pérignon gave rise to the all-new category of luxury champagnes. The idea of the estate’s legendary leader, Robert-Jean de Vogüé, to dedicate a wine to the father of champagne, Dom Pérignon, changed the entire structure of the market. The first wine came from the 1921 vintage, and possesed a previously unheard-of bottle ageing period of 14 years. Until the 1943 vintage, however, Dom Pérignon was the same as Moët & Chandon Vintage, as it was transferred to the old-fashioned containers only after bottle ageing. Dom Pérignon Rosé was launched in 1971 from the 1959 vintage. With its emphasis on Pinot Noir, the rosé version is much stronger and vinous than the basic Dom Pérignon. This characteristic is particularly emphasised in the latest vintage, 2000. Geoffroy also dared to lay a finger on a repository of old vintages, which had previously only been accessible to cellar masters. The Oenothèque series, launched in 2000, brings to market small batches of wines that have been kept on lees for very long periods. If any sceptics remained, these champagnes finally proved the true potential of Dom Pérignon, which is only fulfilled after a su?ciently long ageing process. F I N E Region dom pérignon ? Champagne Dom pÉrignon nm www.domperignon.com 20, avenue de Champagne, 51200 Épernay Tel. +33 (0)3 26 51 20 20 annual production (bottles): unconfirmed Cellar master: Richard Geoffroy I had excitedly awaited the Dom Pérignon 2002 vintage, launched in late 2010, as that was one of the best vintages in history. To my great joy even the first sip confirmed to me that we would be enjoying a quite excellent champagne for the next two or three years. According to the winemaking team, this vintage is reminiscent of the legendary DP 1990, but “even better”. From that decade’s vintages my favourites have been 1990, 1995, 1996 and 1998, but the 2002 is in a league of its own. It has an intensity, freshness and clarity I value, and its character is unmistakably Dom Pérignon-like. It already garners a top score of 94, but the coming years will raise it near to perfection. Dom Pérignon is one of the most reductive champagnes, which refers to refraining from any oxidation during the production process. This makes it slightly closed, very minerally and cool in its youth. As a reductive wine made from top-quality grapes, it ages very slowly but beautifully. It has an interesting blend of tightness and mildness, as well as sensitivity and a strong backbone. Most of the grapes for Dom Pérignon come from nine villages, including the Chardonnay villages of Chouilly, Cramant, Avize and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, and the Pinot Noir villages of Aÿ, Bouzy, Mailly, Verzenay dom pérignon 2002 moët & Chandon and Dom pérignon are open to guests daily, 9:30–11:30 a.m. and 2:30–4:30 p.m. Bookings can be made at www.moet.com. The cost of the visit is € 14.50–27.00, depending on the tasted champagnes. There is an exclusive Moët & Chandon and Dom Pérignon shop by the cellars. and Hautvillers. This is not written in stone, however, and neither is an exact blend. More important than the exact proportions is the perfect harmony of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the taste. Wine production: Fermentation in steel tanks with minimal oxygen contact. Once the final blend is made, the wine is bottle-aged, after the second fermentation, for some seven years. In recent years, the sweetening of Dom Pérignon has been reduced; the 2002 vintage only has 7 g/l added sugar. Style: Deep and clear lemon-yellow colour. Streamlined, refined fruity aroma with notes of lemon, peach, toffee, gunpowder, straw and a charming and sweet toastiness. Powerful and intense mouthfeel with roundness and length. The mild character hides a sleek acidity. Young and somewhat reserved, but contains a lot of strength and concentrated fruits. 94 p. ? € 127 ? € 127 Serving temperature: 10 °C Drinkability: 0—35 years grapes: Roughly even blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Dom pérignon rosé 2000 94 p. • Dom pérignon oenothéque 1996 95 p. Dom pérignon oenothéque rosé 1990 95 p. FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 59

pol roger T he greatest champion of Pol Roger wines, Sir Winston Churchill, called the location of the house on the Avenue de Champagne “the world’s most drinkable address”. Pol Roger is, in fact, perhaps best known for its links to Churchill, who was known as an epicurean and a champagne lover. Churchill was also good friends with Jacques Pol-Roger’s wife Odette. Pol Roger, native of the Grand Cru village of Aÿ, established the estate in 1849 at the age of 19. Upon his death in 1899, the estate was left in the hands of his sons Maurice and Georges Roger, who changed their surname to Pol-Roger in honour of their father. Maurice led the company until 1959, when it was transferred to his son Jacques and Jacques’s nephew Guy. The fourth generation, Christian Pol-Roger and Christian de Billy, took over the reins in 1963. Christian de Billy’s son Hubert is currently at the helm. He is assisted by directors Patrice Noyelle and Laurent d’Harcourt, both of whom hail from outside the family. ? The family business owns 89 hectares of parcels, which provide around one half of the grapes needed by the champagne house. Cellar master James Co?net implemented the practice of settling (débourbage), which contributes to the wines’ clean fruitiness and fine effervescence. Another factor that sets this house apart from others is the low temperature of the cellars, 9.5°C, which lengthens the second fermentation. Otherwise, there are no particular tricks in the house’s methods; for instance, oak is not used at all. The current cellar master, Dominique Petit, who came to the estate from Krug in 1999, is about to have access to a state-of-the-art cellar, all of whose tanks have been gradually replaced between 2000 and 2010. There are no weak points in the estate’s selection. The Brut Réserve, created from an even blend of the three major grapes, is continuously one of the best standard champagnes from the region. Its completely dry version, Pure, is a successful novelty, although in a side-by-side tasting I prefer the Brut. It is in the vintage champagnes Champagne pol roger nm www.polroger.com 1, rue Henri le Large, 51206 Épernay Tel. +33 (0)3 26 59 58 00 annual production (bottles): 1 800 000 Cellar master: Dominique Petit that Pol Roger’s autolytic, baked style really comes into its own. Of its three vintage champagnes, my favourite is the creamy and refined Blanc de Blancs, which was until recently known as Blanc de Chardonnay. The ordinary vintage champagne is a sure bet, while in the rosé category Pol Roger’s characteristic Pinot Noir is elegantly emphasised. Thanks to Hubert de Billy, the Rich has also undergone a transformation; with its developed toasty aromas it is now one of the region’s best demi-secs. Its secret lies in longer bottle ageing than that of the Brut Réserve, as well as in cellar ageing after disgorgement. pol roger does not admit guests, but friends of champagne may admire the beauty of the house’s cellars while walking along the Avenue de Champagne. The friendship between Odette Pol-Roger and Sir Winston Churchill was sealed in many ways. Pol-Roger sent Churchill a case of his favourite vintage, 1928, every year for his birthday. Despite going as far as naming one of his race horses Pol Roger, Winston Churchill never visited the house in Champagne and could therefore not fulfil his promise of coming to crush some of their grapes with his bare feet. Churchill gave an apt description of his preferences: “My tastes are simple: I am easily satisfied with the best.” In accordance with this principle, the cuvée is made from grapes from the best vineyards, in the best years. Stylistically, the wine is in line with Churchill’s likes, as it is strong, mature, full-bodied and muscular. The exact grape takes place in steel tanks and only the core of the pressing ends up in the cuvée. The wine then undergoes malolactic composition of the Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is a secret, but it places strong emphasis on Pinot Noir. Twelve vintages of the Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill have been launched: 1975, 1979, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998 and 1999. The recently released 1999 is voluptuous and rich. Not a top vintage, but a good version of this wine with medium-term potential. Wines that are currently at a great stage of development include the 1995, 1990 and 1988. slightly tight, but mouth-filling and powerful. Minerals are emphasised in the taste, which also has a hint of tannins and a very long, intensely fruity aftertaste. fermentation. According to house tradition, the final blend is determined only by family members. The wine ferments and matures in exceptionally cool cellars for around ten years, before the sediment is manually riddled into the neck of the bottle. Sweetening: 7–8 g/l. After disgorging, the Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is left to rest in cellars for a further 6–12 months. Style: Deep, gold-tinged lemon-yellow colour. The aroma is open with notes of baked apple, pear and spices. As the wine breathes in a glass, coffee notes reveal themselves behind the sweet fruitiness. The broad, creamy taste is still Wine production: After pressing, the juice is clarified twice at cool temperatures (débourbage). Fermentation pol roger cuvée sir winston churchill 1999 92 p. ? € 120 Serving temperature: 12 °C Drinkability: 0—25 years grapes: unknown, emphasis on Pinot Noir 60 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA Brut réserve nv 89 p. • pure Brut nature nv 89 p. • rich nv 87 p. vintage 2004 91 p. • Blanc de Blancs 1999 92 p. • vintage rosé 2002 92 p.

F I N E Region Sights, Restaurants and Bars in Épernay avenUe De Champagne 51200 Épernay The number one destination in Épernay is undoubtedly the Avenue de Champagne. It is worth traversing from its beginning at the Place de la Republique all the way to Champagne Mercier. All of the city’s famous champagne houses, such as Moët & Chandon, Pol Roger, Perrier-Jouët, Boizel, De Venoge and Mercier, are located along the avenue. Beneath the surface, the Avenue de Champagne is like Swiss cheese, with a huge number of underground tunnels comprising cellars filled with champagne. It is also worth stopping to admire Épernay’s oldest hotel, Trianon, erected opposite the Moët & Chandon cellars by Jean-Rémy Moët in 1793. Inspired by the Palace of Versailles, the Trianon was built for the purpose of housing Jean-Rémy’s friend Napoleon and his troops on their visits. A beautiful orangery was built at the back of the park that follows on from the Trianon, in order to help the emperor feel at home. Also along the avenue is the handsome Renaissancestyle Château Perrier, built in 1854. Once a champagne château, it is now a museum and library. The Moët & Chandon cellars kick off the Avenue de Champagne. Champagne De CaStellane 63, avenue de Champagne, 51200 Épernay Tel. +33 (0)3 26 51 19 11 www.castellane.com Open daily from April to the end of December, 10 a.m.– 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.–6 p.m. January to March only by appointment. Champagne de Castellane can be recognised thanks to its high tower, which stands proudly over the Épernay cityscape - even from afar. If you wish to awaken your appetite, climb to the top of the 66-metre tower, as it affords a great view over Épernay, the river Marne and the surrounding vineyards. As you climb, you can take in the history of de Castellane. The museum on the ground floor illustrates the history of champagne production. A visit to the cellars is not possible, but there are tastings and sales of the estate’s champagnes. hÔtel la villa eUgÈne 82—84, avenue de Champagne, 51200 Épernay Tel. +33 (0)3 26 32 44 76 www.villa-eugene.com Named after the original owner of the villa and the creator of Champagne Mercier, Eugène Mercier, this delightful boutique hotel is right at the end of the Avenue de Champagne. The hotel’s 15 unconventional rooms and suites are decorated in either the romantic style of Louis XIV or in a colonial manner. Room prices range from €129 to €344, and the hotel also has a charming swimming pool. De Castellane tower is a land mark. FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 61

Champagne merCier 68—70, avenue de Champagne, 51200 Épernay Tel. +33 (0)3 26 51 22 22 www.champagnemercier.fr Open daily, no appointment necessary. Closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 18 February and 24 March, and between 16 November and 13 December. The cost of the cellar tour and a tasting of one champagne is €9, or €17 with the three-champagne tasting option. Children aged 12–18 admitted for €5 with no tasting. Free admission for children under 12. C Comme Champagne 8, rue Gambetta, 51200 Épernay Tel. +33 (0)3 26 32 09 55 www.c-comme.fr Open daily at lunch and dinner times. I recommend a visit to the Mercier cellars mostly from a tourism point of view, because its tours are exceptionally well organised. Nowadays a part of the LVMH Group, Mercier champagnes are approachable and uncomplicated, if a little characterless. Mercier is easy to visit, and the fact that the tour of the huge cellars is done by train makes it more exciting than usual for children. The estate also has an enticing shop selling champagnes and related products. The story of Eugène Mercier, known as the great advertising man of his time, is worth hearing. Among other things, Mercier made the world’s first-ever advertising film with the Lumière brothers concerning the production of Mercier champagnes, and 3 723 821 people queued to see it! He also had the world’s largest oak barrel built for the 1889 World’s Fair in Paris. Its journey from Épernay to Paris, drawn by 24 oxen and 18 horses, attracted great attention as bridges collapsed under its weight and entire buildings had to be demolished for it to get through. “Located in central Épernay, the smallholder-owned C comme Champagne is a pleasant champagne bar with an extensive selection of interesting wines from grower-producers, which are available for purchase by the glass or by the bottle.” Claude mandois, Champagne mandois Champagne leClerC-Briant 67, rue Chaude Ruelle, 51204 Épernay puh. +33 (0)3 26 54 45 33 www.leclercbriant.com Leclerc-Briant is open to visitors Monday to Friday, 9 a.m.–12 p.m. and 1.30 p.m.–5 p.m. Open by appointment on weekends, bank holidays and outside opening hours. Closed during the second and third weeks of August. Tours are available in French and English and, by previous arrangement, in German or Swedish. A grower-producer which is focused on biodynamic farming, Leclerc-Briant has made its cellar tours more exciting and tourist-friendly than usual. By advance booking, it is possible to descend into the champagne cellars by rope through a 30-metre pit. Originally excavated for the purpose of moving champagne bottles, the pit was transformed into its current format 20 years ago. The cost of this experience is €28 per person. Cave Salvatori 11, rue Flodoard, 51200 Épernay Tel. +33 (0)3 26 55 32 32 Open Monday to Saturday 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m.– 7 p.m., and Sundays 9 a.m.–12 p.m. Madame Jacqueline Salvatori’s wine shop on the main street of central Épernay is legendary. Now past retirement age, the agreeable Madame has served oenophiles for over 50 years. With its packed shelves, the store is reminiscent of an old-time grocery store. The 62 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA After this unique cellar experience, you get to taste the champagne selection of the house, including three very interesting single-vineyard champagnes. While tasting, you may also try your hand at opening a champagne bottle with a sabre. When walking past the Leclerc-Briant building, watch out for raining champagne, as this flamboyant exercise is carried out on the third-floor balcony! The Leclerc-Briant cellars are a real adventure. excellent selection mainly comprises high-quality wines from Grande Marque champagne houses, although there are plenty of vintages and the prices are reasonable. Most people become loyal customers from their very first visit. For me it happened a few years ago when I heard that Madame Salvatori had a good selection of Philipponnat Clos des Goisses champagne, which I greatly value. I picked my favourite out of the few vintages displayed on the shelves, but the Madame pulled out her last bottle of the excellent 1996 vintage from under the counter and offered it to me, because I “clearly understood champagne”. On my next visit she recalled I had been there before. It is rare to find such wonderful, old-fashioned customer service!

F I N E Region la grillaDe goUrmanDe 16, rue de Reims, 51200 Épernay Tel. +33 (0)3 26 55 44 22 www.lagrilladegourmande.com La Grillade Gourmande has quickly become the place where many champagne houses entertain their guests in Épernay. Christophe Bernard is inspired by local delicacies and French classics, and features them with a personal touch. Many love the restaurant for its excellent fish and meat dishes; the dishes cooked on the open grill are wonderful and the fresh oysters are served all year round. The champagne list is extensive, with a comprehensive selection of wines - especially from producers in the Épernay region. The emphasis is on the best-known houses. The price level is reasonable and the service is warmly welcoming. Christophe Bernard of La Grillade Gourmande barbequing delicacies on an open fire. la BanQUe 40, rue du Général Leclerc, 51200 Épernay Tel. +33 (0)3 26 59 50 50 www.brasserie-labanque.fr Open daily for lunch and dinner. Situated at the heart of Épernay, by the roundabout at the start of the Avenue de Champagne, La Banque is the latest addition to the city’s restaurant world. Unusually for France, the large establishment has a long champagne bar right by the entrance. The restaurant, with its stylish modern décor, is very comfortable, with an inviting terrace at the back during the summer months. The menu is fairly unsurprising, and, although the food is good, it is somewhat overpriced. You seem to be paying more for the location and surroundings than for the food. The champagne list follows an unusual concept, comprising a very heterogeneous selection of champagnes from relatively unknown small producers and a couple of larger houses. A few of the choices are rather puzzling. The best thing is the availability of all champagnes by the glass and, it seems, their turnover, as in my experience the champagnes have at least been optimally fresh. parva DomUS rimaire 27, avenue de Champagne, 51200 Épernay Tel. +33 (0)3 26 32 40 74 www.parvadomusrimaire.com Located in a superb setting along the Avenue de Champagne, Parva Domus Chambre d’hôtes is a new accommodation choice for tourists to consider. The beautiful house has a handful of very simple but elegantly decorated rooms, all of which offer a homely and peaceful milieu. The couple who run the establishment take good care of their guests and the overnight rate of around €80 is more than reasonable. Tout en Bulles is a welcoming, affordable place. toUt en BUlleS 22, rue de Reims, 51200 Épernay Tel. +33 (0)3 51 61 31 52 Open Monday to Saturday 12 p.m.–2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.–10:30 p.m. There are many fine restaurants in Champagne, but few quality places that are as relaxed, youthful and pleasant to spend time in. One of the latest additions to the restaurant palette in Épernay, Tout en Bulles, fills that niche. Offering uncomplicated, delicious food, Tout en Bulles is easy to approach. It has a relatively brief but interesting champagne list with an emphasis on highquality small producers and easy affordability. The courtyard terrace is a must in summer. FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 63

Key to symbols Winery presentations I have rated each wine estate in two ways. Firstly, the glass rating refers to the general quality of the house’s champagnes: I have awarded between one and five glasses. Second, I have given a star rating (one to five stars) to the organisation, setting and content of the visit to the estate, as well as the personnel and their language skills. These ratings are provided at the top right-hand corner of each estate’s presentation page. No rating is available for the estates that do not accept guests. At this point I want to draw attention to the fact that each visit is unique. My evaluations are based on my own limited visits to the estates, so there may be surprises – both positive and negative. I give the essential details of each house, listing reasons for visiting it and tasting its champagnes on location. I also provide some background information on the estates and their protagonists, and provide an overview of the product selection. easier to organise a visit. These details may change, however, so I recommend checking in advance with the estate, either on its website or by email. I also offer production volume figures and the name of the cellar master. Favourite Champagne The second part of each presentation is reserved for my favourite champagne, i.e. the wine that shows the producer at its best or that provides the best introduction to the house. I did my best to formulate a comprehensive catalogue of champagnes of different styles and prices, ranging from 15 to more than 200 euros. I write about my chosen champagne in greater detail. For each wine, I give the producer’s recommended retail price and, if applicable, the price directly from the cellar. Contact details and information concerning visiting arrangements and opening hours are supplied to make it top producer top visit excellent visit good visit average visit excellent producer Quality producer average producer Below-average producer I have awarded a star rating to restaurants as follows: top-class restaurant excellent restaurant Quality restaurant Basic visit The price level of each restaurant is classified as follows: expensive restaurant, menu over 50 euros mid-priced restaurant, menu 25–50 euros inexpensive restaurant, menu under 25 euros average restaurant Basic restaurant I have awarded a star rating to hotels as follows: luxury hotel high-class hotel Quality hotel average hotel The price level of the hotels (overnight stay including breakfast) is classified as follows: expensive hotel, rooms over 180 euros mid-priced hotel, rooms 90–180 euros inexpensive hotel, rooms under 90 euros Basic hotel vintage tables Vintages are also given a star rating, as follows: top vintage excellent vintage average vintage ordinary vintage poor vintage 64 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA R recommended retail price C Cellar price

COLUMN PEKKA NUIKKI Birth of the Kingdom of Bordeaux I n 2002, I predicted in what was then Issue 6 of The Vine News that fine wine prices would increase five-fold by 2015. My “wild” claim received little support, at least publicly – in fact, it was harshly slated both by my wine investor friends and by subscribers to the newsletter. They thought it was impossible. And good for them, because I was wrong. When the first wave of classified Bordeaux wines from the 2009 vintage reached consumers in early July 2010, the prices had already quintupled. The starting price for Château Lafite was an astronomical 1,200 euros, and not per case but per bottle. (When the 1999 vintage was first released a decade ago, a case of 12 bottles of the same wine cost 650 euros.) Despite the record prices, however, wine merchants in Asia and America sold out their entire en primeur quota in less than a week. Now the Lafite already costs 1,400 euros per bottle, meaning that a case will set you back by about the same as the latest hybrid car from Honda. How is it possible that while the rest of the world writhes in the grip of recession, the top Bordeaux wines are multiplying their prices 66 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA and desirability? At least the secret cannot be found in marketing or trendy advertising campaigns. While most other producers of luxury goods inject hundreds of millions into advertising and marketing, the Bordeaux nobility seem to sit on their thrones, doing nothing to further their cause. One would be tempted to conclude that the record prices are only due to an excellent vintage and the scores that the wines have received from Parker. That would be a mistake, however. It is true that many wine critics, like Parker, have praised the 2009 vintage as the “vintage of the century”, even before the wines had not even been bottled or the final product produced. Naturally their claim may prove true, but now that there have been several “vintages

FINE Nu i k k i of the century” already within the first decade of the 2000s, the claim is beginning to lose credibility. Numerous top vintages from Bordeaux are currently available on the market at half the price of the 2009. Naturally, the e?ect of quality on wine prices cannot be denied. Without quality there will be no demand, and therefore no price in?ation. Despite their romantic image, vineyards are businesses whose aim is to generate profits. In fact, the traditional estate owners have been removed from administration of many top estates and replaced by highly trained management professionals. They have brought in a system, tried and tested elsewhere on the market, in which companies strive to control the relationship between their products’ supply and demand. Ten years ago, most top estates would release their whole vintage for sale at once. Now they keep their wines under close guard and release them carefully in several small tranches. The first tranche is the lowest in price and, depending on the producer, accounts for 10–30 per cent of the production batch. In the case of an excellent vintage, demand always exceeds the supply, which is purposely kept low at the beginning, and this causes an inevitable, swift rise in prices. By the time the second tranche arrives on the market a few months later, prices have risen by 10–20 per cent. The wealthiest estates may continue releasing a good vintage in small batches for few years, thus maximising their gain from the price in?ation. Although the 2009 vintage is expected to be outstanding, the reason for the high prices lies not just in the wines’ quality or in the control of supply and demand. The main reason cannot even be found in Bordeaux, but in China. The abrupt emergence of China as a great wine country has surprised everyone. In ten years, Bordeaux has multiplied its wine exports to China by forty, and only last year the growth was over 60 per cent. Considering that the production cost of fine wines is still pretty much the same as at the beginning of the millennium, you would assume all of Bordeaux to be wallowing in money. That is not the case, though. The Chinese will only buy the best, and are not interested in cheaper or more cost-e?ective wines. The minimum requirement for a wine to succeed in China and to reach astronomical prices is to be in the 1855 Classification. This o?cial and superior classification system only includes a total of 61 wines. However, there are nearly 10,000 vineyards in the region. Only a few hundred participated in the en primeur campaign, with varying degrees of success. The others must fight for their place in the sun in the same economic conditions as tens of thousands of winemakers around the world. In a way, the 2009 vintage has taken Bordeaux back to the 1800s. The divide between the “noble estates” and the unclassified ones is now wider than it has been for decades. It is said that to become a true luxury product, a brand must make a clear distinction between itself and “common goods”. Any wine tourist visiting Bordeaux can now witness it: new gates and fences have appeared on the avenues leading to estates. The last time I was in the region I saw scores of Asian tourists – who are ultimately to blame for the top estates’ new wealth – photographing each other in front of the gates, far from their idols. In 1949, George Orwell predicted the rise of a totalitarian world in his classic novel 1984. Fortunately Orwell’s dystopian illusion has not yet materialised, but what will happen in the future? Will the heady growth in wine prices give rise to a wine culture in which a handful of estates determines who does what and at what price? We have already had a foretaste of this in the form of Mr Parker, who alone wields the greatest in?uence in the wine world. My own dystopian prediction is of a world ruled by the Kingdom of Bordeaux, once it has knocked King Parker o? his throne. The conditions are brewing for the next French Revolution. > FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 67

– one of the two most exclusive wines in the world.* C hristian Mouiex has a problem that many of the world’s winemakers would love to be burdened with. The demand for his wines is so huge that collectors are prepared to pay almost anything to get even one bottle. The high price leads to high quality expectations. This often means disappointment, because just like the other top wines of the world, Pétrus is often drunk much too young, when its taste is still raw and undeveloped. Pétrus requires at least 20 years to mature. * Romanée Conti being the other. 68 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

FINE Estate FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 69

Château Pétrus the tough law of supply and demand It is true that, to a certain extent, price and quality do correlate – it is simply more costly to produce good wines than poor. After a certain point, however, the price is defined by the law of supply and demand. Nobody doubts the quality of Pétrus. There is no question about its being Premier Cru, even if Pomerol wines have never officially been categorised. Demand for Pétrus does not fall behind, for example, Latour, Mouton or Margaux. The difference is in supply: Mouton produces some 300 000 bottles a year, Pétrus only 30 000. The result is that, generally speaking, one bottle of Pétrus will cost more than a whole case of the neighbouring winery’s quality wine. Of course, it is impossible that a wine could taste ten or twenty times better than another wine. Having participated in blind horizontal tastings (several wines of the same vintage are tasted without knowing which is which) of many of the most important vintages for a number of years, I have noticed that the quality difference between the best wines is only marginal, often no more than half a point on the 20-point scale. Even so, I have rated Pétrus as the best of Pomerol wines many times – and not because it is the strongest wine, but because it has so many dimensions and is the most fascinating. There is no doubt that Pétrus has a deep colour and a strong, tight 70 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA composition, but it also has intensity, balance and the capability to mature. The combination of these properties make it a truly great wine. Personally, I am not a great friend of wines made of the Merlot variety. In my opinion, they are often flabby, taste of alcohol and are, in plain language, dull. The firm structure and intensity of the Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines is missing. The secret behind the different nature of Pétrus, besides careful cultivation and wine making, is its unique soil. Almost the sole winery in Pomerol, Pétrus vineyards are on clayey soil. Under the clay, there is a hard, ferrous stratum. These factors create an elegance in the nature of top quality Pauillac combined with Cheval Blanc type soft fruitiness and sensuality after maturing. Increasing value The Pétrus estate is small at only a little more than 11 hectares. The château itself is also only a small building that does not attract much attention. This is typical of Pomerol. Whereas the best vineyards in Médoc were owned by the gentry, affluent financiers and influential wine traders who over the centuries expanded their estates and had impressive manors built on them, the Pomerol estates were much smaller and owned by local families who also lived there and tended to them. The phenomenal rise of the fame and price of Pétrus’ wines is a fairly recent event. At the beginning of the 1960s they were at the same level as the second or third great growths of Médoc – it was the 1982 vintage that accounts for Pétrus’ stellar price increase. In the spring of 1983 it was sold at Premier Cru prices, but just a year later, the price was more than double that of the other wines. At the moment, Pétrus costs approximately four times as much as Mouton or Cheval Blanc. The woman behind Pétrus Pétrus’ fame is to a large extent attributable to Madame Edmond Loubat. She bought the estate piecemeal between 1925 and 1945. Madame Loubat had strong faith in the quality of her wines and asked higher prices than any other producer in Pomerol. Jean-Pierre Mouiex was the perfect partner for her: he was a négociant from Libourne and owned some properties himself. Mouiex was successful in marketing Pétrus and catapulted it to global fame. When Madame Loubat died in 1961, Mouiex became a part-owner of Pétrus. Today, the Mouiex family owns most of it. The son of Jean-Pierre Mouiex, Christian, has been responsible for winemaking at Pétrus since 1970, supported by Jean-Claude Berrouet. . A change in generations is now under way with the son of Jean-Francois, Jean, taking charge of Pétrus, whereas the son of Christian, Edouard, is to manage their other properties like Trotanoy and Hosanna. Also, the son of Jean-Claude Berrouet, Olivier is following in his fathers footsteps.

FINE Estate The Pétrus estate is small, only a little more than 11 hectares. The château itself is also only a small building that does not attract much attention. FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 71

Quality with a helicopter The small size of Pétrus is handy at harvest time. Harvesting can be done quickly when the grapes are at their best, and usually within a few days. Perfection is strived for, regardless of the effort required. For example, the grapes are picked only in the afternoons to avoid morning dew. One year, rain was forecast during the harvest, so the vineyard was covered with plastic sheeting to prevent rainwater from penetrating the soil and diluting the grapes. In another rainy year, a helicopter was hired to fly over the cultivations, airing and drying the wet that is at least 10 to 20 years old, because a young Pétrus is difficult to approach; besides which oak and tannins predominate in its taste. A young Pétrus may be impressive, but it ages fantastically and requires more time than any other Pomerol wine to reach its culmination. Finally, I would recommend that you to decant the wine with care and well in advance, and also to give it time to develop in the glass. Then you will have the opportunity to enjoy an unforgettable experience. > grapes before the pickers started their work. Decant in good time Drinking Pétrus can be an unforgettable experience. I have been lucky to have the opportunity to taste most of its great vintages, and that is why wine enthusiasts often come to me for advice. Firstly, I advise you to choose a good vintage, an excellent one if your wallet allows. If you taste a poor vintage, you will notice how it rises above most other wines of the same vintage, but you will miss the actual point of Pétrus. Second, purchase wine The best Château Pétrus Vintages to drink today 99p 1921 Château Pétrus Average auction € 11400 / 2011 price: Colour: Dark, black, vigorous Nose: Open, full, intense, mature, spice, tobacco, far, fruity, coffee, sweet, cedar Palate: Sweet, opulent, rich, concentrated, seductive, deep, silky texture, nicely balanced, soft tannin, low acidity, multi-layered Finish: Multi-dimensional, silky, lingering, long In a nutshell: Hardcore wine Buy or not: Too risky and too expensive – just enjoy the ones you already have Tasted: Decanting time: Glass time: When to drink: Food pairing: Fake factor: 18 times 30 minutes 1 hour Now, not later on A piece of aged Gouda cheese Super high – beware of big bottles – we haven’t seen or heard any real ones for ages. Inside information: Very small production. They did not bottle any double-magnums or bigger ones at the Château. Or try this: Margaux 1900 Final verdict: One of the best Pomerol’s ever made 72 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 99p 1929 Château Pétrus Average auction € 3560 price: Colour: Light, garnet, deep, mature, promising Nose: Seductive, mystical, ripe, exotic fruits, gentle, coffee, herbs, cedar, mocha Palate: Big, powerful, quite tannic, massive, concentrated, thick, intense, port-like, rich, great balance Finish: Long, passionate, well-integrated In a nutshell: Pétrus with balls Buy or not: Price is reasonable, but risk of the fake bottles is quite high Tasted: Decanting time: Glass time: When to drink: Food pairing: Fake factor: 17 times 1 hour 1 hour When ever you find a real one Aged cheddar cheese Also very high – beware of “newly printed labels” and green capsules. Inside information: The best Pomerol vintage since 1900. Or try this: Haut-Brion 1929 Final verdict: One of the rarest existing Pétrus

99p 1945 Château Pétrus Average auction € 6480 / 2010 price: Colour: Dark, ruby, healthy Nose: Open, pure, fruity, black olives, violets, herbs, tobacco, liquorices, truffles, dark chocolatey Palate: Big, refine, fresh, well-balanced, firm, delicate, muscular, multi-layered, focused Finish: Fragrant, extended, commanding In a nutshell: Sleeping giant Buy or not: We rather buy 1947 or 1959 Tasted: 14 times Decanting time: 3 hours Glass time: 2 hours When to drink: Now to 2030 Food pairing: Raw meat Fake factor: Substantially high Inside information: Pétrus’ fame is to a large extent attributable to Madame Edmond Loubat. She bought the estate piecemeal between 1925 and 1945. Madame Loubat had strong faith in the quality of her wines and asked higher prices than any other producer in Pomerol. Or try this: Mouton 1949 Final verdict: Still a lifetime to live 1947 Château Pétrus Average auction € 3450 / 2010 price: Colour: Deep, dark, healthy Nose: Mature, intense, pleasant, delicious, jammy, chocolate, truffles, buttery, smoke FINE Estate 100p Palate: Massive, port-like, viscous, rich, thick, fruity, soft tannin, multi-layered Finish: Exploding, warm, never ending In a nutshell: Never ending story Buy or not: Or a table from Pétrus restaurant in London Tasted: Decanting time: Glass time: When to drink: Food pairing: Fake factor: 44 times 2 hours 2 hours Now to 2030 Grilled fillet of lamb with thyme sauce Huge – don’t buy any VDM or any other negociant bottlings, without reliable knowledge of provenance, Inside information: 1947 was a legendary vintage on the right bank of Bordeaux. It was extremely hot at the time of harvest and the warm grapes were so rich in sugar that the winemakers had problems in controlling the fermentation. Many wines had residual sugar and most had high volatile acidity, but this was masked by the richness and concentration of the fruit. The wines were attractive at youth but have lasted extremely well in most cases, so it is quite safe to try any one of them today. Pétrus 1947 has been tasted with enthusiasm more than 40 times, but only on 25 of them has it been blessed with a perfect 100 points. This is mainly because there are so many variable négociant-bottlings and regrettably also innumerable frauds for sale. Final verdict: Non-fake Château bottling 97p 1950 Château Pétrus Average auction € 2090 / 2011 price: Colour: Mature, healthy, deep Nose: Fully open, seductive, fragrant, intense, blackberries, vanilla, ripe fruits Palate: Rich, well-balanced, massive, sweet texture, thick, smooth, silky, multilayered, generous Finish: Harmonious, gentle, intense, long In a nutshell: A thriller Buy or not: If there are any bottles left from 2010’s sixties birthday parties – yes Tasted: Decanting time: Glass time: When to drink: Food pairing: Fake factor: 14 times 45 minutes 2 hours Now to 2020 Wild boar cassoulet High, especially among non-château bottlings Inside information: Superb vintage in Pomerol. Or try this: Lafleur 1950 Final verdict: A real connoisseur’s Pétrus 98p 1959 Château Pétrus Average auction € 2540 / 2010 price: Colour: Bright, deep, vivid Nose: Sensitive, concentrated, narrow, smoky, sweet, jammy, coffee, mocha, firm Palate: Elegant, refine, great balance, firm structure, fresh, full, fruity, finesse Finish: Long, rich, warm, classy In a nutshell: Excellent ripe Pétrus Buy or not: Yes Tasted: 43 times Decanting time: 2 hours Glass time: 2 hours When to drink: Now to 2020 Food pairing: Beef Bourguignon Fake factor: Getting higher Inside information: Although the vintage was abundant, the frost that had killed two thirds of vines in Pétrus vineyards on 1956 caused that the yield was very low. Or try this: Lafleur 1955 Final verdict: Less scare, more flair FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 73

100p 1961 Château Pétrus Average auction price: Colour: Nose: Palate: € 6200 / 2011 Full, healthy Sound, open, rich, compound, sweet - then yes 38 times 2 hours 2 hours When ever possible and not with too many friends Food pairing: Forget the food Fake factor: Considerable – don’t buy with green capsules or from e-Bay Inside information: Only 680 cases produced. Or try this: Space travel Final verdict: Our grandchildren may get bored of 1970 Château Pétrus Average auction € 1690 / 2011 price: Colour: Bright, deep Nose: Open, fruity, complex, opulent, spice, tobacco, mocha, truffles Well balanced, complex, intense, delicious, smooth, mighty, perfect Finish: Endless, superbly balanced In a nutshell: Hedonistic delight Buy or not: If you already own Aston Martin DP9 Tasted: Decanting time: Glass time: When to drink: 98p Palate: Extracted, full, well-balanced, jammy, muscular, multi-dimensional, sweet, mature Finish: Long, sophisticated, intense In a nutshell: True nectar Buy or not: Yes, cheaper than most of it’s rivals Tasted: 28 times Decanting time: 1 hour Glass time: 2 hours When to drink: Now to 2025 Food pairing: Frird Pigeon with risotto Fake factor: None so far Inside information: Best Pomerol vintage since 1961. Or try this: Pétrus 1971 -almost as good! Final verdict: Wine of the vintage hearing about it 100p 1982 Château Pétrus Average auction € 4650 / 2011 price: Colour: Dense, ruby, deep Nose: Complex, open, intense, black berries, cedar, violets, mint, herbs Palate: Rich, medium-bodied, velvety texture, powdery tannins, good grip, crisp acidity, fleshy fruitiness, great balance Finish: Long, mineral, savory, sweet, intense In a nutshell: The fist modern day Pétrus Buy or not: Price is almost the same with Lafite 1982, so yes! Tasted: 14 times Decanting time: 3 hours Glass time: 2 hours When to drink: Surprise! It is already peaking! Food pairing: Grilled fillet of dove Fake factor: Haven´t seen any Inside information: A milestone vintage and a milestone wine. Early even flowering was followed by a hot and dry summer, which continued until the harvest in mid-September. This time a great heat wave was ripening the grapes astonishingly fast and, in particular early-ripening Merlot gained loads of must weight. This is well-delivered in the wine. Or try this: Château L’Evangile 1982 Final verdict: One of the first, great 1982s, which is already at it’s best. 74 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 100p 1989 Château Pétrus Average auction € 2750 / 2011 price: Colour: Immensely dark almost opaque, ruby Nose: Very dense, rich ripe black fruit character, spices, black truffles, violets Palate: Rich medium-bodied, loads of ripe black fruits, mellow acidity, fleshy tannins Finish: Long and rich with dark chocolate, smoke and violet flavours In a nutshell: Beauty and the beast Buy or not: If you are real millionaire Tasted: 27 times Decanting time: 3 hours Glass time: 4 hours When to drink: Now to 2040 Food pairing: Smoked reindeer fillet Fake factor: Moderately high Inside information Because of the size of the vineyard, they can harvest the entire crop in one day at Château Pétrus as they did in 1989. “I’ll never make a better wine than the 1989. It will age forever.” Christian Moueix Or try this: Le Pin 1990 Final verdict: A great wine that will become even greater after years of ageing

1990 Château Pétrus Average auction € 3654 / 2011 price: Colour: Dark, ruby red Nose: Complex with pure black fruits, black truffles, violets Palate: Full-bodied, round and rich, velvety tannins, ripe black fruits, smoky Finish: Long and rich but still very elegant In a nutshell: Powerful yet generous Buy or not: Yes in an investment point of view, for instant enjoyability 1959 delivers the greater pleasure with less cost Tasted: 16 times Decanting time: 3 hours Glass time: 3 hours When to drink: Now to 2030 Food pairing: Roasted venison fillet Fake factor: Moderately high Inside information: A hailed vintage together with 1989. They were very similar but the hot period that hit in 1989 on July was in 1990 on August. This affected on lower acidity levels in grapes on 1990 vintage. The wines are rounder and seem to mature more rapidly than 1989 vintage. 98p 1998 Château Pétrus Average auction € 2950 / 2011 price: Colour: Opaque, purple to ruby Nose: Rich, energetic, smoky, licorice, vanilla, FINE Estate 98p black fruits Palate: Full-bodied, concentrated with loads of ripe black fruits, firm tannins, lively acidity Ending: Long-lasting finish reveals mocha, ripe brambles, licorice and toastiness Finish: A big gun In a nutshell: Price is too high, but it is the Pétrus Tasted: 5 times Decanting time: 6 hours Glass time: 10 hours When to drink: Now to 2050 Food pairing: Venison tournedos with truffle sauce Fake factor: None yet Inside information: Small production, only 2400 cases, which is sixty percent from normal yield. Or try this: Screaming Eagle 1997 Final verdict: A gentle monster Or try this: Pétrus 1989 Final verdict: Already enjoyable, nowhere near its full potential FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 75

LIV–EX, CHANGING THE WAY THE INDUSTRY BUYS AND SELLS WINE TeXt: JEfF LeVE 76 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

FINE Collecting F ounded in 1999 by James Miles and Justin Gibbs, Liv-ex set out with the admirable goal of changing the way the fine wine trade operates, despite hundreds of years of tradition. Using their background in finance, Liv-ex strove to add higher levels of efficiency, transparency and safety, as well as provenance, in business to business transactions between members of the trade. From its humble beginnings, Liv-ex has morphed into an incredibly respected company that is widely quoted all over world. Their myriad of self-created indexes, based on weightings similar to the stock market, are seen as reliable indicators of the fine wine market. With 420 active merchants from 35 different countries, Liv-ex has become an established player in the world of fine wine. To uncover how this happened and gain an inside view of their future plans, we sat down with the founder, James Miles, for an extensive interview. We asked fair and often straight-forward questions and received honest answers. FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 77

“Liv-ex is an acronym for the London International Vintners Exchange.” “65 per cent of our income comes from transactions and 30 per cent from data, subscriptions and the balance from storage, settlement and transport.” 78 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

FINE Collecting FINE From where does Liv-ex earn its income? JAMES MILES “65 per cent of our income comes from transactions and 30 per cent from data, subscriptions and the balance from storage, settlement and transport.” FINE What was the inspiration behind Liv-ex? JAMES MILES “We had bought and sold a small amount of fine wine in the traditional way and became fascinated by the market. Our observation was that it was both opaque and inefficient. We had a hunch that the Internet had the potential to change this and revolutionise the way fine wine was traded. At the time, we were stockbrokers and (as strange as it may seem) were struck by the similarities between stocks and wine (both are very fragmented markets in terms of products and players). With the advent of the Internet, many of the innovations devised to make stock trading more efficient, such as electronic trading and settlement, seemed transferable to wine.” FINE Were either of you involved at all in the wine trade, FINE For people not familiar with Liv-ex, what is your core business? JAMES MILES “Liv-ex is an acronym for the London International Vintners Exchange. I guess everything you need to know is in the name. People often find it hard to get their head around what an exchange does.” FINE What is Liv-ex’s business model? JAMES MILES “When people talk about a stock exchange, or a metals exchange, or a wine exchange, they think of the product. Actually, an exchange is an information exchange, and the product is pretty incidental. Our business is about information and our unique selling point is our price data. Merchants come to us to find out the current price of wine, particularly the transaction price, where their competitors are actually trading. They can’t get this info from anywhere else. Furthermore, they also come for liquidity. Our marketplace has £20m of firm bids (to buy) and offers (to sell) advertised every day. Liv-ex is now amongst the biggest suppliers and/or biggest customers for many of our members.” or was your primary experience in trading stocks? JAMES MILES “I think it is fair to say that we weren’t particularly qualified. Justin was an equity salesman and I was an equity analyst covering small cap stocks in Asia. We knew little about wine and even less about the market – the only thing going for us was that we understood how markets worked. I think a healthy dose of naivety was essential. If we had been better informed we would never have attempted it. Not being from the trade also helped us to establish our independence early on, which was vital.” FINE What was your next step? JAMES MILES “Our idea was to build a wine exchange for merchants along stock exchange lines, although this was a relatively contrarian idea at the time. Most people felt that the Internet provided the opportunity to cut out the middle man. Our thinking was that an exchange would only work along B2B lines. The rationale was, and remains, that consumers don’t have the time to trade wine all day long! We saw the opportunity not in terms of disintermediation, but in terms of cost. We felt that by driving down the cost of distributing information to almost nothing, the Internet opened up a gap in the market for our idea. Our vision was to make trading wine more transparent, efficient and safe to the benefit of wine lovers everywhere. It still is.” FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 79

FINE You make a big issue of transparency – is it more FINE What is your estimate as to the value of fine wine important than price? They are related. Transparency gives buyers confidence in the price. traded today on an annual basis? JAMES MILES “In 2011 it was about £4bn, but it will be down at least 30–40 per cent this year.” FINE Is wine a passion for you? JAMES MILES “We love wine, but we were drawn to the FINE How much of that is Bordeaux? JAMES MILES “Last year, 94 per cent of Liv-ex trade was trade by the business idea rather than by our passion for the product, which I know makes us pretty stupid!” Bordeaux. This year it is 85 per cent.” FINE What wines do you purchase for your own personal FINE How much of that is First Growths? JAMES MILES “Currently about 30 per cent, by value. cellar? But that is lower than normal.” JAMES MILES “I tend to only buy to drink, although there is stuff in my cellar – like Carruades and Duhart Milon – which has become too expensive for me. My cellar is heavily concentrated in second and third tier Bordeaux like Lynch, Barton, Pontet Canet. I tend to only buy less expensive wines in the great vintages; I have a lot of lesser 2009s in magnums, for example – which I am delighted to have. I also have a smattering of Fourrier, Clos Papes and Boillot. I don’t tend to pay more than £500 per case for anything, but most of my stuff has an in price of £20–30 per bottle.” FINE During the formative years, did things progress slower or faster than you had originally anticipated? JAMES MILES “I think nothing prepares you for just how hard it is to start a business. Convincing the middlemen that they needed a middleman was a tough ask. They would say, ‘I have been in this business for 20 years, why do I need you?’ It took us up to eight years to get the four or five biggest players in the UK on board.” FINE What intrigues you about the wine market today? JAMES MILES “Everything! it is a fascinating market. I suppose this is fortunate, because we spend all day every day emerged in it, trying to make it more transparent, efficient and safe. But the most intriguing thing (as in all walks of life) is the people. It is the people that make the market tick. Most of our business is now done online, but we still like to meet our members and see the whites of their eyes.” 80 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA FINE Do you think the current system of selling Bordeaux wine en primeur will continue in its present form? JAMES MILES “Yes, as it is a brilliant system for the producers. I don’t see the structure changing in my lifetime, but it could still be more transparent, efficient and safe than it is currently.” FINE Where is the fine wine market heading these days? JAMES MILES “The underlying themes are unchanged and positive. More people are drinking wine and, by and large, the rich are getting richer – particularly in emerging markets. This is good news for fine wine. Prices got way ahead of themselves – particularly those wines that were sought after in China, like Lafite Rothschild. The correction has been tough, but it is cyclical and not structural. The underlying demand and interest in fine wine hasn’t gone away, and I suspect it will be a while until we see another year like 2010 and 2011, which were both unprecedented.” FINE Why do you feel the model of trading wines using a stock exchange is the best model for the industry? JAMES MILES “It is more transparent, efficient and safe.”

FINE How much has the 100 Index changed since its first began? inception? JAMES MILES “The Internet has made the market much more transparent and information travels much faster. In turn, this has made the market more accessible, increased confidence, opened up a multitude of new opportunities and made it much larger.” FINE What type of growth are you experiencing at Liv-ex? JAMES MILES “Our growth has been affected recently by the sharp fall in prices and activity, but en primeur is less important to us than it is to many of our customers. In addition, 35 per cent of our income (a number which is still growing) comes from non-trading income. This means our business is less cyclical than most. Our income has grown ten-fold in the last seven years. It still feels like day one.” JAMES MILES “The 100 index is weighted by multiplying price by production and scarcity, and we depreciate supply as the wine ages to reflect the fact that wine gets scarcer as it gets older. So, there is a natural bias towards young wines with high production and big prices. Inevitably, this means the index is heavily weighted towards recent vintages of the First Growths. This reflects the reality in the market – i.e. Lafite makes 25 000 cases at £5–10 000 per case. Clearly, it is always going to be more important than a top Burgundy or a garage wine in California, where prices are high but quantities are tiny. Likewise, there is more Lafite 2009 about than the 1982. So, to answer your question, the vintages have changed but the brands that matter have not.” FINE Collecting FINE How have things changed for you at Liv-ex since you FINE Are you still focused on business to business transacFINE Why did you create the initial Liv-ex 100 in 2004? JAMES MILES “We publish a monthly market report for subscribers on our Cellar Watch service – cellar-watch.com is our cellar management tool for collectors. We first did it for fun to demonstrate a point in one of our reports and it just caught the imagination of the press. We realised that we had stumbled upon something quite important and spent a lot of time working out how to make it more scientific and useful. One day Bloomberg and Reuters called us up and asked if they could list our index on their platform. Since then, the 100 has become the benchmark for the industry. From a marketing perspective, it was a huge coup.” tions exclusively? JAMES MILES “Yes, we have no interest in trading with consumers or producers. Our members do this job very well. Consumers and producers do not trade wine all day long, as they have other priorities in their life. Our job is to facilitate trade amongst our members, not to put them out of business. If they do well, we do well.” FINE How many members are currently part of the exchange? JAMES MILES “We have 420 merchants in 35 countries!” FINE Which countries are the most active? JAMES MILES “The UK and France: London and Bordeaux are still home to nine of the ten biggest players in the world. The biggest merchants in Europe are also the biggest in China.” FINE Aren’t consumers better off purchasing wines at auction, rather than through traditional merchants? JAMES MILES “Definitely not. Outside the US (and possibly Asia for the time being), auctions are an irrelevance. It is much cheaper and more convenient to trade with a merchant, and that is why the merchant market is ten times larger.” FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 81

“We will continue to obsess about making trading wine more efficient, transparent and safe for the benefit of wine lovers everywhere.” FINE What is your opinion regarding the decision by FINE How pervasive is the problem of counterfeit wines Chateau Latour to no longer offer their wines for sale as futures? JAMES MILES “The decision is impossible to fathom. Not because it is bad for the market and the consumer, which it is, but because it makes no sense for the owners. When you can sell your wine for 500 euros per bottle in a single phone call, with minimal distribution or marketing costs, at gross margins of 98 per cent and hold no stock, why would you want to change a thing? It is a high risk, low return strategy.” today? FINE What wines should consumers look to invest in? JAMES MILES “Well stored, older “drinking” Bordeaux seem to represent great value for drinkers and investors relative to recent vintages.” FINE On the flip side, what wines should consumers be selling today? FINE Where do you think the next generation of consum- ers is going to come from? JAMES MILES I hope from traditional markets like the UK, the US, Europe and Japan, but also from new ones like China, Brazil and Russia. FINE How strong is the Asian marketplace today? JAMES MILES “It is very tough, particularly in Greater at the moment. But, some young wines are still too expensive, particularly the second wines of the First Growths.” China – which includes Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan. These markets are at the heart of the slow down and there are currently far too many players there. There is going to be a shakeout, which will be painful but necessary.” FINE What do you think will happen to the Bordeaux FINE With that as a starting point, what is your view of the market when Robert Parker retires? JAMES MILES “People will pay more attention to the consensus. I think this will be healthy.” Chinese market today – and its foreseeable future? JAMES MILES “It is an exciting new market for the wine trade. There are early signs of some restocking at the moment for Chinese New year, which is positive and didn’t happen last year. We expect a gradual recovery as the new political order establishes itself, but the kind of activity we saw in 2010 and 2011 seems unlikely to return for a while. The market is going to be more sophisticated and discerning as it matures, but the interest in wine is real and enduring.” JAMES MILES “It is not a great time to be selling any wine 82 JAMES MILES “It is not a big problem for us at the moment, as most of our business is in young wines and the chain is easily tracked back to the producer. But, it is vitally important that we all remain vigilant. Counterfeit prevention begins with the producer. Thankfully, the chateaux are starting to take the problem more seriously and technology such as proof tagging is going to make a big difference!” FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

FINE Collecting FINE Where are the prices for Bordeaux wine and other collectible wines heading? JAMES MILES “It is a much more mixed picture than the headline numbers suggest. Away from the First Growths, mature wines and third and fourth tier wines in Bordeaux continue to do well. Wines on the Right Bank, like Angelus and Pavie, are actually experiencing all-time highs at the moment. Champagne, Burgundy and Rhône have also been relatively untouched. High quality wines at sensible prices will do well whatever the weather, as they are in high demand, are being drunk and are in short supply.” FINE With wines being purchased solely for investment, obviously excessive shipping is a costly endeavour. What are your plans to lessen the need for movement in transactions? JAMES MILES “That is a very big question! The reason stock moves around is that legally an entity can only prove ownership of a wine if it is actually in their warehouse account. Our idea is to build and manage a central depository of ownership (basically a database of owners) above a certified network of warehouses that all perform to the same standards with regards to storage conditions, verification process, etc. In this scenario, transferring ownership would become a simple book entry (database transfer) and goods would not need to be moved unless physical delivery was a necessity. This will dramatically improve efficiency, transaction speed and provenance. There is far too much movement within the current system. If you were to build a supply chain for fine wine today, you wouldn’t build the current one. Furthermore, this is not just about investment wine as the vast majority of trade is in young wines; indeed, 90 per cent of Liv-ex’s trade is in the last ten vintages. On the whole, these wines are too young to drink and, as a result, most of our business is transacted between one storage account and another – even if it is travelling half way around the world in the process.” LIV EX FINE What are your plans for the future at Liv-ex? JAMES MILES “We will continue to obsess about making trading wine more efficient, transparent and safe for the benefit of wine lovers everywhere.” – FINE What does the future hold for wine investing? JAMES MILES “Wine and speculation in wine have been bed fellows since the beginning of time. As long as there is wine, there will be speculation. Both have a great future.” > FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 83

84 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

FINE GADGET Sowine a personal wine bar A glass of wine, please. A glass of wine in the evening is encouraged by many health experts, although I have to admit that I usually like to partake of a glass of wine for completely different reasons. Most of the time one glass of good wine suffices, but one glass is seldom a good enough reason to open a whole new bottle, particularly a good one. What is one then supposed to do with the rest of the wine? It often does not stay drinkable in an open bottle overnight, meaning that glass of good wine frequently stays in its bottle. However, there is now a way to prevent such an occurrence. Eurocave has developed a “personal” mini-bar, from which you can serve yourself a glass of wine every night, so that the pleasure of one bottle lasts for every night of the week. TEXT AND PHOTO: French Eurocave developed the first wine cabinet for home use over thirty years ago, which made wine storage in “cellar conditions” possible, even in apartments. Now Eurocave has introduced Sowine wine bar to the market, which stores wines at the perfect serving temperature and preserves opened wine bottles, rendering them suitable for serving up to a week later. Sowine keeps red and white wine at the ideal temperature and operating the device is painless. Simply place a bottle in one of the two compartments, choose a serving temperature and press a button. For an PEKKA NUIKKI unopened bottle this is enough. If a bottle has been opened, one should also depress the upper part of the cabinet’s pump and let oxygen extraction system seal the bottle and secure it, thus protecting the wine from oxidation. In my experience the system functions well and is easy to use. I bought Sowine some time ago. Ever since it has been in frequent use and has functioned without fault. Sowine needs about three hours to adjust the temperature of the wine in order to make it ready for serving. In my opinion it keeps an opened bottle in good form for three to four days, depending on wine quality and how often the wine is removed from the cabinet. I open several bottles of wine a day for work, often just for half a glass and even then it is routinely spat out. The rest of the wine goes down the drain if friends are not around to enjoy it. This is a very frustrating operation, especially if the wine is excellent. Sowine has helped preserve the best bottles from a tasting, making it possible to enjoy said wines with friends during the following days. After all, the best thing about wine is sharing it with others. FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 85

ine F ine N 86 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

FINE Vintage vintages for cele?ating the ?ound ?ea? TEXT: JUHA JORMANAINEN PHOTOS: PEKKA NUIKKI Nine is a fascinating number. Nine is the number of wisdom, indifference, reason and insanity, and both virtue and immorality. In numerology, nine is the number of friendship. When it comes to wines, nine has magic in it. Many wonderful wine vintages end in the number nine, and if the wine receives 99 points, its drinker has had the opportunity to experience something unforgettable. Those whose birth year ends in the number nine will celebrate even-numbered years. Indeed, there is no better way to celebrate the occasion than with a wine from one’s own birth year. When the wine in the glass is as old as its drinker, the atmosphere of the occasion is always memorable. Then you can truly say that you are drinking a glass of history. Those whose birth year ends in a nine are lucky – at least when it comes to wines. The years 1949, 1959 and 1989 were magnificent wine years, and 1979 was not bad at all. The year 1939 was difficult in many ways, but one can still find drinkable wines from that year. On the other hand, one has to pity the friends of Bordeaux wines who were born in 1969, as very few of that year’s wines offer staggering sensations. Luckily, that wine year was very good in Burgundy, even though the harvest was small. Strong feelings are always associated with the wine of one’s own birth year and, contrary to any other vintage, perfection may not be such a pivotal factor when making a purchase. The most important thing is to enjoy the wine at the right time, and with friends. On the other hand, one should be a realist when acquiring mature wines and forget the inexpensive special offers. The truth is that one cannot buy a mature wine in good condition cheaply. Caveat emptor – buyer beware. The price range is confusingly wide, and the 1949 Mouton-Rothschild, for example, costs some 1300 euros at its least expensive and over six thousand euros at most. How is that possible? It has to do with the condition of the wine bottle, in which the standard of the wine is often noticeably low in the more inexpensive bottles. The lower the standard of wine, the higher the risk the wine will not be in good condition anymore. One must pay a high price for a topclass bottle, indeed an old saying has it that there are no good or bad vintages, only well or poorly preserved bottles. When acquiring old wines, it is a good idea to trust wellknown stores and one should take care of the matter a few years in advance. It is certain that for a 1949 bottle one must pay considerably more today than just a few years ago. One should also acquire the wines early on because old wines, especially red wines, do not travel well. They should be kept in a cellar to settle for a month before they are enjoyed. Then, when the big moment is approaching, the wine bottles are to be kept in an upright position for a few days, even in a refrigerator. At that time, the fine-grained dregs will have time to descend to the bottom of the bottle. Then, the cork should be carefully removed, before the wine is decanted into the carafe and allowed to breathe for between half an hour and a few hours, depending on the wine. Finally, the proper glasses are brought out, and the festivities can begin. Old wines have to be hunted down somewhat, but there are certainly good online shops around with nice selections. FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 87

1939 1939 was the year of big upheavals. February 10 saw the death of Pope Pius XI in Rome, while on September 1, German troops marched into Poland,. In France, the summer was miserable, cold and rainy – somewhat akin to the overall mood in Europe. Partially due to the rains, the harvest was also carried out very late. This resulted in light wines with a modest structure, whose ageing potential was weak. It is, therefore, not worth acquiring red wines from this year for a 70th birthday party; the risk is too high. Both Latour and Haut-Brion are to be found around the world, but the price of approximately one thousand euros is quite harsh. Instead, it is better to direct one’s gaze towards Madeira and Barbieto Malvasia, whose prices vary between 150 and 300 euros worldwide. The alternative is Real Compania Velha Royal Oporto Vintage, which lightens the wallet by slightly over five hundred euros. These wines will certainly bring pleasure towards the end of your dinner. 88 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

FINE Vintage 1949 The year 1949 was a time of reorganising the post-war world. On March 18, NATO was established, from October 4 to 12, the DDR was founded, and on October 1, Mao announced the birth of the People?s Republic of China. 1949 was the third top vintage of the famous post-war trio (the previous ones were 1945 and 1947). The summer of the brilliant harvest year was the driest and hottest in living memory. The heat continued through August, but the beginning of September saw some stormy conditions. Farmers heaved a sigh of relief when the weather was favourable at the end of September, in time for the harvest. The result was fine wines, which do not quite contain the lushness of the 1947 wines or the tannin content of the 1945s, but do have more elegance and style than both the above combined. The wines have aged beautifully, and most of them are still more than enjoyable today. There is a reasonable amount of 1949s on offer, although the prices vary greatly. Italian Barolos, Fontanafredda, for example, are sold for 200–300 euros, but experience has taught us that the risk faced is fairly high. We have come across too many old Barolo that have already seen their best days. Bordeaux is a sure choice if you want red wine for a 60th birthday celebration. Lafite-Rothschild, Gruaud-Larose and Cos d’Estournel render you poorer by some five hundred euros, but if one nevertheless wants to acquire top wines, money will, afterall, inevitably need to be spent. For example, Ausone and Margaux cost some 1500 euros, and those after Pétrus can anticipate a bill of three thousand euros. For Latour and Mouton-Rothschild, one must be prepared to pay roughly three thousand euros when the bottle is in good condition. On the other hand, both are the vintage’s top wines. For the fans of sweet dessert wines, Banyuls Grand can be bought for under one hundred euros and the odds are very high that the wine is in good condition and enjoyable. FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 89

90 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

FINE Vintage 1959 On January 1, Fidel Castro rose to power in Cuba, on January 2 the conquest of space began when the Lunik satellite was flown to the moon and on December 1, Antarctica was declared neutral. In France, the wine farmers forecasted that the year would produce the vintage of the century, and for once the weather gods seemed to be on their side. The February-March weather was virtually summery, the spring was reasonably good, June was brilliant and July was almost too hot. September began well, but the rains pestered until the thirteenth of the month. At harvest time, which began on September 23, the weather was ideal, and the result showed a medium-sized yet top-class harvest. The forecast of ‘vintage of the century’ did not, however, quite materialise. Nevertheless, the 1959 vintage can be considered the best of the decade, both in Bordeaux and Burgundy. Many wines can even be called classics, the best ones are still incredibly strong, full-bodied and aggressively seductive. Château Mouton-Rothschild, Château Haut-Brion and Château Lafite are considered to be the best wines of Bordeaux, but Château Palmer, Château Pétrus and Château Margaux also offer fine wine pleasures. I myself would also rate Château Latour and Château Lafleur among the top wines of the vintage. The fact that this is a top-class wine year is also reflected in the prices, and many 1959 wines are rather expensive. The price of Château Giscours is roughly 250 euros, with the Gruaud-Larose costing some 400 euros. The heavyweight wines, such as Margaux, Latour, Haut-Brion and Mouton-Rothschild cost 1000– 1500 euros in good condition, the exception being Pétrus, which cannot be obtained for under 3000 euros. In any case, in Bordeaux the 1959 selection is abundant and the price range wide. 1959 was also a top year in Burgundy. The hot harvest year produced rather extracted, highly tannic, lush and long-lived wines. Indeed, the vintage is the last that produced traditional and full-bodied Pinot Noirbased wines. This year is absolutely one of Burgundy’s best throughout the years. For example, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC) La Tâche is one of the best Burgundys ever made. The price reflects the quality, for which one has to pay at least 3000 euros for a bottle. It is worth searching for DRC’s, Louis Jadot’s and Faiveley’s wines on the market, if one is a dedicated Burgundy fan, even though finding these wines is exceptionally difficult. Champagne is an integral part of a birthday celebration, and 1959 was an excellent champagne year. For instance, Taittinger’s Comtes de Champagne fetches roughly 500 euros and Roederer’s Cristal Brut about double that. Finally, there needs to be a mention of Hermitage’s La Chapelle, which is Rhône’s response to the top year. The wine is excellent, and I would even place it above the famous 1961 vintage. The price totals roughly 2500 euros, provided the bottle can be found. FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 91

1969 On December 24, the Apollo VIII travelled around the moon for the first time, on February 3, Yasser Arafat rose to the top of the PLO and on 21 July at 2:56 UTC, Neil Armstrong became the first man to step onto the surface of the moon. In Bordeaux, the year began on a weak note, because the weather did not favour blossoming. July and August were promising, but it rained for twenty-three days in September, and that was that. The harvest was carried out in early October, and the farmers experienced their third bad year in a row. The harvest was the smallest in twenty years, therefore the prices were high to begin with. Today, 1969s can be obtained cheaply, but the price/quality ratio is bad, and I would not recommend them. If one absolutely wants a Bordeaux wine for one’s party, Château Latour and Château Haut-Brion are the surest purchases. Their price is roughly 200 euros per bottle. Bordeaux’s miserable year cast its heavy shadow over the whole of France, and the wines of Burgundy were especially underappreciated for a long time. On the other hand, 1969 was the best vintage in Burgundy between 1965 and 1977. The early summer rains and chilly weather slowed the blossoming of the vines. July and August were sunny, which helped the grapes to mature before 92 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA the September rains. The harvest remained very small in Burgundy, but the quality was very high. Due to the small number, the availability of these very fruity and acidic wines is low and the price level – naturally – high. Romanée-Conti La Tâche and Richebourg are fine examples of this year, because they both are nearly perfect. They are priced accordingly, with a La Tâche fetching some 2000 euros and a Richebourg half that price. A Comte de Vogüe Bonnes Mares costs about 1200 euros, Leroy’s Charmes-Chambertin about 600 and DRC’s Echézeaux some 800 euros. Expensive, but fine wines. In Rhône, the year was as brilliant as can be imagined. The Côte-Rôtie wines are the region’s best, but because of the small harvest, they are nearly impossible to find. The best wines of the northern Rhône Valley are even considered equal to the legendary 1961 ones. Marcel Guigal’s CôteRotie La Mouline’s third vintage borders on perfection, but the price is a wild 4000 euros per bottle. People on a small budget should examine port wines, because one can find fine wines amongst them at reasonable prices. For example, Dows Colheita costs one hundred, and one can buy Quinta Do Noval’s vintage port for 250 euros a bottle.

FINE Vintage 1979 On February 1, Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran, on March 28, a serious nuclear accident took place in Harrisburg, USA and, on December 26 Soviet troops began their occupation of Afghanistan. In Bordeaux, the winter was rainy and the spring damp, but the blossoming season proved a success in St-Emilion. However, storms did cause some damage in Médoc. July was dry but not too hot, and August was dry and unusually cold. Luckily, September was better, and the result was the largest harvest since 1934. Graves and Pomerol were the most successful, and their best wines are still enjoyable today. Château Margaux, Château Latour, Château La Mission Haut-Brion and Château Haut-Brion are all worth trying. Their prices range from 100-300 euros, but they do not offer largerthan-life wine experiences. The absolute best wine of the vintage is the first-ever produced Château Le Pin. This rarity is priced at 2500 euros. Since Bordeaux does not offer immensely attractive wines from this year, one’s gaze wanders towards Champagne. There, the vintage was good. Acquiring Roederer’s Cuvée Cristal for roughly 400 euros is easy, as is the same producer’s Blanc de Blancs for 300 euros. Krug Collection is one of the best champagnes that I have enjoyed. The price is high, about 900 euros, but if the bottle is in good condition, one will get the full value for money. Spain’s best red wine, Vega Sicilia Unico, is as rare as it is fine. Unico’s price hovers around 250 euros worldwide, and the younger Valbuena is available for just under half that amount. Both wines are worth their price. Australia’s most famous wine, Penfolds Grange Hermitage, costs about 300 euros a bottle. These are just a few examples if one is looking to celebrate a 30th birthday. FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 93

1989 On May 15, protests in China began in Tiananmen Square, on November 9 the Berlin Wall fell and on December 22, the “Danube of Thought,” Nicolae Ceausescu, was relieved of his position as President of Romania. During this year, people were not cold in France, as the year was the hottest since 1949. The growing season began three weeks early, because May was extremely warm. Blossoming took place in near-ideal conditions, and this promised a large harvest. June was exceptionally hot, and the good weather continued all the way to August. The harvest was the earliest since 1893. Médoc produced the most successful wines, stronger even than the 1990 ones. Graves, for their part, are elegant and lighter in style compared to the 1990. For Merlot, 1989 was a top year, which is why very concentrated wines were produced in St-Emilion and Pomerol. Good examples include Château Pétrus, which is priced at around 2000 euros per bottle, and Château HautBrion and Château la Mission Haut-Brion, priced at around 700 euros. The availability is good, and the prices have remained at a reasonable level. 1989 saw a very long and warm growing season in Burgundy, resulting in mature, fruity and alcoholic wines. It could be considered worthwhile to favour the wines of the Chambolle-Musigny, Pommard and Vosne-Romané regions, the best of which include de Vogüé Musigny, Comte Armand Pommard Clos-des-Epeneaux and Bouchard La Romanée. Prices vary from 250 to 400 euros. Altogether charming wines were produced in Champagne. The vintage has been compared to the legendary hot vintages of 1947, 1959 and 1976. The wines are marked by a full-bodied composition, a rich mouthfeel, tropical fruitiness and gentle acids. Roederer’s Cristal Brut Champagne, Philipponnat’s Clos des Goisses and Krug’s Vintage Brut Champagne are real festive drinks. The wines are priced at around 300 euros per bottle. All in all, the year 1989 was an excellent year, and it has plenty to offer. Therefore, start looking for that perfect bottle in online stores! The search will pay off, because when celebrating landmark birthdays, the peak of the celebration is the opening and decanting of the wine bottle; particularly a bottle, which shares a birth year with the guest of honour. 94 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

FINE Vintage FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 95

1999 August 11, A total solar eclipse is seen in Europe and Asia. Earlier this year Apple Computer released the Power Macintosh G4 and Microsoft its first version of MSN Messenger. A record year for Burgundy in terms of quantity and quality. The legendary vigneron late Henri Jayer said once that the last time Burgundy experienced such a remarkable vintage was in 1934. The splendid weather conditions yielded 20 million bottles more wine in Burgundy than the previous five years on average. The weather conditions were special in Burgundy. The winter was a very mild and dry in 1999. The spring was generous and the flowering occurred under a great spell during the May 31 and June 15. The temperatures remained between 28–34C during the flowering and the latter part of the summer turned out be very hot and sunny with temperatures reaching 36–37C. As a result, the wines show a great concentration and intensity. While the vintage was astonishing especially in Burgundy, Rhône was not far behind. Especially in the northern Rhône, the grapes ripened extensively and reached record sugar levels. Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu appellations celebrated the vintage 1999 as one of the bests in two decades. Outside France Italy’s top regions yielded great wines. In Piedmont, the vintage turned out to be not as good as the previous two vintages, but the wines of the esteemed producers are great. The Tuscan producers were luckier with the vintage which turned out to be even hot and dry. As a result the wines show very good, full-bodied and opulent in style. 96 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

FINE Vintage FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 97

98 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

FINE De stination Perfection from Beginning to End • Meadowood • Text: Pekka Nuikki Photography: Pekka Nuikki A s with any other wine region in the world, the complete experience of Napa Valley is a sum of visits to the vineyards, the sounds and smells of the valley in the air, the tastes of its great and individual wines lingering in your mouth, encounters with the people behind these wines, and the joy of sitting down to a delicious meal where the food and wines of the area are united with skill and love. During our numerous annual visits to Napa Valley, we have found a place, hidden in the middle of the vineyards, where the unique location, the perfect weather, discreet privacy, natural beauty, long heritage and local culture meld seamlessly. FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 99

“We wanted a restaurant for our members and visitors that had the highest standard of service, food and wines.” F or decades, the Meadowood Resort has attracted people from around the world with its privacy, tranquil surroundings and varied activities. The place has become a melting pot of the valley’s greatest offerings, especially when it comes to food and wine. In the last five years, the resort has gained more media attention than any other retreat in the valley. A lion’s share of the glory belongs to the young, successful chef Christopher Kostow and his team at The Restaurant at Meadowood. Under Kostow’s command, the restaurant became only the second restaurant outside of New York to gain a third Michelin star in 2010. The wooden grey-and-white, modern American country house stands in the shade of foliage on a slope overlooking Meadowood Golf Course. Nothing except a small discreet sign indicates that I am on the doorstep of one of the best restaurants in the United States. As I enter the casual lobby, the friendly personnel welcome and guide me into the dining room, where large windows allow the spacious room to be bathed in bright daylight. The interior is comforting, harmonious and neutral but stylish. It is a normal weekday but the 44-seat restaurant is full. A quick glance across the dining room reveals casually dressed middle-aged and older couples and groups. I am given a seat, and the joyride that is the experience of The Restaurant at Meadowood kicks off impressively as the sommelier pours me a 100 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA glass of the crispy Krug Grande Cuvée. For the next three hours I will enjoy several courses of beautifully presented, pure and intensely flavoured dishes such as Hibiscus-Cured Foie Gras with Radish and Puffed Seeds, and Goat Poached in Whey, Curd Gnudi and Tiny Vegetables. Upon my request, the sommelier lays a fascinating palette of Napa Valley’s finest wines by the glass next to the dishes, and the dinner experience is complete. So complete, in fact, that it is impossible to point to any single highlight of the experience. I look forward to going behind the scenes to find out more about the philosophy behind the great restaurant. The next day I have a chat with Patrick Davila, Director of Wine and Cuisine and Hotel Manager, who is in charge of all food and wine operations here. This sharp and determined man is the behind-the-scenes mastermind for the Meadowood Resort when it comes to developing wine and food services. He is in charge of the three kitchens that provide these services to Meadowood’s members and customers at The Restaurant at Meadowood (fine dining), The Grill (casual dining) and the catering for room service, poolside service and off premises. Before arriving at Meadowood, Davila gained substantial experience of working at and opening top restaurants in the US and collaborating with great chefs like Daniel Boulud in New York, Wolfgang Puck in San Francisco and Joachim Splichal’s Patina Group in Los Angeles. The Meadowood Resort, however, presented a challenge the likes of which he had never encountered before. “When I arrived here in 2005, The Grill was the only restaurant operating on the property. It served the club members meals from breakfast to dinner and was a traditional hotel restaurant. The Meadowood owners’ focus was on creating a top-notch dining experience on the premises and my task was to make it happen. We had no intention of challenging the legendary restaurant The French Laundry; we wanted a restaurant for our members and visitors that had the highest standard of service, food and wines. I hired the staff and renovated the premises in order to execute the plan. We brought in Nathaniel Dorn as Restaurant Manager to oversee all front of house operations; and then we hired the highly esteemed chef Joseph Humphrey.

FINE De stination Meadowood “With our wine selection, we want to showcase the ?nest wines of Napa Valley as well as our vintner friends’ wines from around the world.” The team gained two Michelin stars for The Restaurant at Meadowood already in its first operating year, 2007. After he left, we found the young and hungry two-Michelin-star chef, Christopher Kostow. We knew it would be a great challenge to keep our two Michelin stars after a change in chefs, but with Kostow we managed it. Unexpectedly, while we were relieved and proud to have kept the two stars, the third star came as a surprise already in the second year after Kostow’s arrival.” While Kostow built up the kitchen team and the food, Dorn built up the service and front of house. Davila and Dorn worked with the wine team to create an exclusive selection and an extensive range of the finest wines by the glass and wine list. “With our wine selection, we want to showcase the finest wines of Napa Valley as well as our vintner friends’ wines from around the world. We carry 1400 choices on our wine list, with the major part being Napa Valley and other Californian wines plus Burgundies, which pair particularly well with Kostow’s dishes.” Most recently, Dorn has been working on an exclusive offering, where they serve a vast number of half-bottles and wines that are available nowhere else in the world, such as a Sauvignon Blanc from Screaming Eagle and half-bottles of Bond and Harlan. On top of the extensive range of wines served by the glass – around 50 wines in total – the sommeliers at The Restaurant will not hesitate to open even the finest wines to be served by the glass. Now that The Restaurant is recognised and operated on the targeted level under Kostow and Dorn, Davila’s current project is The Grill. “It’s time to refurbish its setting to a level that suits the standard of The Restaurant at Meadowood and complements it with a more casual offering.” Davila is confident about the quality of the food served at The Grill, as its great chef Victoria Acosta is well versed in Kostow’s cuisine and her ingredients derive from the same origin as those of The Restaurant – their own gardens. “We are lucky to have our own gardens as an asset that guarantees the quality of the ingredients that we use in our cooking across the board: The Restaurant, The Grill and the catering operations. While Kostow takes care of his restaurant, we have his former sous chef, the talented Victoria Acosta in charge of The Grill, and catering chef Alejandro Ayala who has been at the Meadowood Resort for 25 years. With highquality ingredients nurtured by our skilful team and the extreme competence of the chefs, we can provide a level of dining that matches the standard raised by Kostow and his team.” With Davila talking about Kostow with such great respect, it is time to find out the principles and philosophy behind the man and his cooking. FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 101

Food with a sense of place It is a nice sunny autumn afternoon when I meet Kostow on his restaurant’s terrace. I am curious to find out what lies at the heart of his cooking and behind his team’s success. The tall, slim top chef has the looks of a contemporary rock star rather than a chef, with styled hair, beard and designer glasses. He certainly does not look like a chef you’d find in a countryside resort, but rather someone from the big city scene. However, first impression of the urban, easygoing artist quickly fades and the man turns out to be more serious and philosophical than expected in our chat about his cuisine. Kostow considers moving to Napa Valley and working at the Meadowood to have brought about big changes in his style. “I believe that living in these unique surroundings in Napa Valley and Meadowood has had a great influence on me and my entire team. This is not another restaurant in the big city where we work for some time before moving to the one next door; no, we have all changed our lives and brought our families to live here. For me, that creates the sense of an investment, which in turn generates appreciation for our work and for the area on which we expend so much effort. It is very enjoyable for me as a chef to lay down roots. Inevitably my team and I were going to create better food than before, as we are cooking from somewhere and for someone now. We show off the place to our guests. We are saying something and there is more to say now than before. As long as we do a good job in saying it, we are going to be very successful.” Wine The Meadowood Wine Programmes Meadowood’s multiple wine programmes cater for everyone, from amateurs to wine professionals. The different programme options vary from half an hour’s tastings to full-day winery visits, on which Meadowood customers can visit wineries that normally receive no visitors and get to taste the wines with the winemakers. Other programme options include private wine tastings, private wine picnics, and private guided wine tours. 102 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA “We are lucky to have our own gardens as an asset that guarantees the quality of the ingredients that we use in our cooking.”

“I believe that living in these unique surroundings in Napa Valley and Meadowood has had a great in?uence on me and my entire team.” By having direct access to the provenance of our raw materials we are also able to improve their quality by influencing farming methods.” obligation to impress your concern on them, because that might be your only chance. You have three hours and ten dishes, so that is your little window to show your concern.” FINE De stination Kostow stresses that the value of the work derives from understanding the history of the valley, working in the gardens and living in the countryside. These factors set The Restaurant at Meadowood apart from many city restaurants in the US. An ability to visit the gardens on a daily basis, to sense the origin of each ingredient and to produce ingredients on the premises helps the team to improve the quality of the products and creates greater regard among the chefs for the products they use in cooking. Kostow believes that this is one of the key factors in the success of his kitchen. For him, a lack of connection with the origins of the products is a great challenge for any urban chef. “It is very hard to make really honest and consistent food when you get out from your apartment and drive to the city to work in your restaurant – compared to the situation we have, where we get out of bed and go first to our gardens or orchard to pick our daily ingredients before entering the kitchen. We are able to sense the origins of our ingredients and I truly consider that it has inevitably affected the food that we serve. A taste of care What is good food? For Kostow, good food means honest food. “It is food that is prepared with care and concern. It is not necessarily the most technically precise food, but it is food created from the spirit of the person who prepared it. In my opinion you can tell from the dish if a chef cares about what he is serving. When a chef cares about the food he prepares, he cares about you as a customer. Too often there are meals where you can tell that the chef didn’t care about what he was doing. At that point I feel that the guy didn’t care about me. I take this very personally as a customer. When you pay somebody but walk away with the sense that the person didn’t care enough, that bothers me. As a chef you know what it takes to make it right. It is about concern for the customer. I always remind my team that we are an expensive restaurant and the guests might only come in once in their lives. You have a duty and an In Kostow’s view, in modern cooking chefs focus too much on different cooking styles and techniques. They are important, but more important is the emotion that should be transmitted from the chef into the cooking. It is a taste of care, which the client can sense from the plate in any restaurant – from a fancy molecular gastronomy place to an easy-going diner. Kostow’s mantra, the taste of care, is formed of three factors: the taste of the food, the cooking technique and the quality of the ingredients. These factors seem to be well tuned at The Restaurant at Meadowood by Kostow and his team, as the food they serve is tasty and pure. The high-quality ingredients are prepared with techniques that respect and do justice to their pure flavours. When all this is done by a team who have not only a devotion and passion for food but a relationship with the origin of the ingredients, the result is somewhat magical – an emotional cuisine that radiates FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 103

Christopher Kostow Age: 38 Origin: Chicago, Illinois Cuisine: Modern Napa Valley Philosophy of life: • Put yourself in a position where you can be as happy as possible. • Do the things that you know will provide you satisfaction in the end. • Give yourself the space to fill creatively and emotionally. • Take up on the challenges that are going to create a life that is stimulating and satisfying. 2008 Chef, The Restaurant at Meadowood, St Helena – Napa Valley (3 Michelin stars) 2006 Chef, Chez TJ, San Francisco (2 Michelin stars) Prior experience Sous Chef, Campton Place Restaurant by Daniel Humm, San Francisco Prior experience Cook, Le Jardin des Sens, Montpellier, France (1 Michelin star) 1999 Cook, George’s at the Cove by Trey Foshee, San Diego Merits: Best Chef – West in 2013, James Beard Foundation Award Nominee for The Best Chef – Pacific in 2011 and 2012, James Beard Foundation Award Four Star Restaurant 2010, The San Francisco Chronicle Three Stars 2011, 2012 The Michelin Guide The Best New Chefs 2009, Food & Wine Magazine Two Stars 2008, 2009, 2010 The Michelin Guide Room for improvement positivity towards its creators, the service personnel and the customers. Combined with the high standards of service and the wine list, this makes it clear to see that The Restaurant at Meadowood has earned its three Michelin stars. Kostow is pleased by the recognition but says: “It is stressful to live with the idea of keeping the stars, but we do not cook with fear. We do not get up every day with the idea of working for those stars. I know and I am very confident that if we do what we aim to do, the rest of the things will follow – whether they are Michelin stars or The World’s Best Restaurant title; all of those things will take care of themselves. A true three-star restaurant is one that is specific to its region. It is not just being the best chef or the most technical, or having fifteen kinds of chocolate and twenty kinds of bread, which is so in nowadays. We know that if we are clear in our message and we deliver it well, we will succeed. I am too young to cook with the intention of keeping my three Michelin stars and it does not interest me at all. It’s not that I don’t value it – I value it very much indeed and consider it an incredible honour – but I believe I will do the whole thing a disservice if I stop and just try to protect what I’ve got. It just does not make a lot of sense to me.” 104 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA Last winter The Restaurant at Meadowood was closed for the remodelling of both the interior and the service concept. The dining room and lobby were gently updated, but the major changes took place in the kitchen, which was refurbished and completed with a new chef’s counter experience. This allows guests not only to feel the action in the kitchen but also to enjoy dinner inside the kitchen, where Kostow and his team prepare a special Counter Menu of 15 to 20 courses. During the dinner, Kostow interacts with the guests and guests may also walk around the kitchen. The 500-dollar Counter Menu with its fixed prices (tips and taxes included), may feel pricey for a menu, but getting to witness the three-star kitchen in action exclusively and being part of it is a unique dinner show well worth experiencing. The Chef’s Counter was not the only change that occurred. Another major refurbishment focused on the menu. “We decided to get rid of the menu,” Kostow says and continues: “Instead of serving the same food to customers as fixed menus, we decided to go for personalised menus, where we create an exclusive experience for each table. It challenges us, but this is something I have always wanted to do. Everyone in the kitchen has an understanding that our goal is not only to be the best restaurant, but a very specific restaurant where we create unique dining experiences that you can only have here and that will be different every time.” Peace on earth Meadowood’s guests get to enjoy not only some of the top gourmet experiences in the country, but also the exceptional peacefulness of the location, luxurious services and the fruits of the resort’s seamless collaboration with local winemakers. Bill Harlan, an esteemed wine producer and the founding partner of Meadowood, says: “Meadowood began as a private club for the local winegrowing community in 1964. In 1979 the property became available for sale. Two friends and I acquired the small secluded 260-acre valley, as I was considering planting a vineyard where the golf course is today. It turned out that the land was not appropriate for a high-quality vineyard. It seemed the valley needed a common ground for the vintners and growers. From this need, together with the historic use of the land as a gathering place for recreation and social activities, we felt that creating a

FINE De stination FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 105

The Meadowood Spa building is also light in colour, representing a classic and sophisticated American style of wooden architecture like the other buildings in the area. Its pure grey and white tones provide a refreshing contrast amid the greenery. 106 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

FINE De stination FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 107

small country resort showcasing Napa Valley wines would be the most appropriate use of the land here in the heart of the Napa Valley. “Today, the three original goals of Meadowood still stand and I feel we have made great progress. First, the Napa Valley Vintners Association has been holding many of its meetings as well as the Auction Napa Valley at Meadowood for over thirty years. Second, the original club has grown and thrived with the families of our local community and is certainly part of the culture of the valley. Third, Meadowood has been a member of Relais & Châteaux for 25 years, and has a Michelin Guide threestar restaurant and a wine list with the finest wines of the Napa Valley.” life, and our spa services are tailored to meet that need.” The spa’s treatments are all designed to pamper, and one is even called “Bliss”. Speaking of food and pampering, I ask about the collaboration between the restaurants and the spa. “We do not have an explicit spa menu at our Meadowood restaurants, but our staff are more than happy to take into account individual wishes regarding lighter meals. If necessary they will bring forth a light yet nutritious off-menu meal out of fresh ingredients from local producers. We take a holistic approach toward our customers’ wellbeing, meaning that we seek to produce wellness from both the inside and the outside,” Kerry says. Some of the spa’s beauty and wellness treatments are directly connected to the surrounding wine-growing region, which adds interest and stays with people as one of the things to experience in the Napa Valley. The treatments use grapes in many forms; for example, a body scrub is made from ground-up grape seed, which is rich in antioxidants. The oil from the seeds is a true gift of nature to beauty care, as its polyphenol content provides a targeted antidote to skin aging. The oil is used for both facials and body treatments, and the spa’s Grape Seed Rejuvenation package is specifically designed to pamper body, mind and spirit. In addition to unprocessed natural ingredients, the spa uses the Australian biodynamic Jurlique range of cosmetics, which is like a super food for the skin. This reflects the same approach of the Meadowood restaurants towards purity and authenticity: the cleaner and more organic the ingredients, the better a basis they create for a wholesome and truly nourishing result. Customers do not need to hesitate to put themselves in the spa personnel’s capable hands. The treatments are peaceful and luxurious and add a delightful bonus to any visit to Meadowood. Wine spa The architecture at Meadowood was designed to blend seamlessly into the beautiful, natural setting. California enjoys a Mediterranean climate, which means indoor and outdoor living for much of the year. Thus the guest rooms include abundant outdoor space in addition to the interior areas. The interior design is guided by the beauty of the surroundings and the philosophy behind the décor is to reflect indoors what the guests have the joy of seeing outside. Soft tones found in nature are a common theme at Meadowood. The Meadowood Spa building is also light in colour, representing a classic and sophisticated American style of wooden architecture like the other buildings in the area. Its pure grey and white tones provide a refreshing contrast amid the greenery. It is located in a meadowy clearing in the middle of the forested Meadowood valley, and its pool and terrace bask in the sun from morning until early evening. Next on our agenda is a meeting with the spa’s director Kerry Brackett, who is kind enough to explain some of the philosophy behind the place. “Meadowood is primarily a place that people visit to enjoy the brilliant restaurant, as well as the wines, being located as we are in the United States’ most celebrated wine district. The guests who come here are seldom on a diet. They come to experience a small break from everyday 108 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA Tennis Meadowood’s tennis pro Doug King sheds some light on this fine sport and its part in the whole sports scene: “Tennis is a very vital part of Meadowood. We consider sport and recreation as an important ingredient in a healthy lifestyle. Our mission at Meadowood is to help people experience a sense of rejuvenation and find proper balance in their lives. Sport and recreation is a means of finding that in our physical beings through movement with other objects. We learn how to move with balance and grace. In the experience of sport we also learn how to move with our teammates and opponents to develop the skill of sportsmanship. So tennis and sport become another means by which we develop health balance and grace within our physical bodies as well as our social relationships. “We believe that sport is especially valuable to teach these skills to young people. It helps them to develop concentration, coordination and character through a dedicated commitment to sport. “My biggest personal challenge is to get people to appreciate the value of sport, strengthen their commitment to it, and at the same time keep it in a healthy perspective. Sport is an opportunity to learn new things about ourselves and to develop a greater awareness of our bodies. But more important is the spirit that we bring to the court, and this is independent of one’s playing skill or level. It is important to me that people keep this perspective. “We offer a full array of tennis programmes covering lessons, playing experiences and competitive events.”

FINE De stination FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 109

FINE has hit balls on the Meadowood Golf Course’s fairways on many occasions, and now Doug Pike, Meadowood’s resident golf professional, describes the golf course to us. “We have a gorgeous executive nine holes that when played with our hickory golf clubs and golf ball from over 100 years ago feels like a step back in time. We value the beautiful setting that we are so naturally blessed with at Meadowood, and do all that we can to preserve the ever-growing wildlife as it brings a very powerful charm to what people might think is only a ‘smaller course’.” When asked about his biggest everyday challenge at Meadowood, Pike answers: “Personally... it’s going home. I love what I do and where I do it. Having been around golf for 25 years now, I find that the people that I come into contact with are always so happy, relaxed and refreshed that even a bad round of golf can’t change their mood.” “My biggest working challenge is now behind me. I spent years teaching in a cage without ball flight to go off of. Then spent a few more years teaching solely on the course with ball flight but with it came the interruptions of other golfers passing by. Now I guess the answer would truly be tempering my enthusiasm and confidence in my ability to help everyone. Since our new Studio has been open we have had stunning results.” Meadowood offers both TrackMan Pro and the new TrackMan Range technology. Available to hotel guests and Meadowood members, the studio offers an opportunity for both beginners to learn the basics and more seasoned players to perfect their technique, all while enjoying stunning, dramatic views of the property in a comfortable, quiet environment. The new technology used by the Meadowood Golf Performance Studio “transforms the way players learn and how the game is taught,” Pike sums up. Golf 110 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

Mike McDonnell Meadowood croquet pro In addition to treatments, the Meadowood Spa offers diverse opportunities for maintaining the body’s wellbeing, ranging from a well-equipped gym and lessons to mountain biking and swimming. Brackett says that the schedule includes 28 different fitness classes each week, including pilates, yoga and dance-like lessons, as well as aqua aerobics in a pool that, at these latitudes, is very tempting. Personal training services are also available, and that may just be the ticket after a delicious and perhaps rather lengthy dinner the night before. The Meadowood Spa has more than one thousand members, some of them from the FINE has visited Meadowood on several occasions, always relishing in its peacefulness and the high-quality yet straightforward service. On this visit, we asked Meadowood’s director Patrick Davila what kinds of visitors and guests would enjoy Meadowood the most. “Discerning travellers who have a passion for wine and food and who value gracious hospitality. There are many beautiful guest rooms throughout the Napa Valley, but at Meadowood, however, we have a longstanding tradition of exceptional dining and wine experiences, including the only threestar Michelin Guide restaurant in a hotel in the United States, and we are utterly committed to service. “What challenges our daily lives here the most is the vast acreage of the property. The guest rooms at Meadowood span the length of our expansive, private estate. This affords our guests great privacy as well as room to walk, hike and enjoy nature. With lodges tucked into the wooded hillsides over many acres, however, comes a great deal of work to maintain the property, from balconies and roofs to the forested pathways. At Garden Garden and husbandry projects Kostow is proud to talk about the garden and husbandry projects at Meadowood. “We are lucky, not just in what grows around us but what we ourselves grow, which is really important. The two garden projects that we have define us, they determine how we cook. You almost cook better when you have some limitations; it forces you to become better. By the end of this year we will probably produce 70 to 80 per cent of what we need. Currently our focus is on producing herbs, vegetables and fruits. There is a little garden next door at the Napa Valley Reserve and a bigger garden close to the St. Helena Montessori School, which we nurture together with the school kids. This garden is important for us, not only for access to great ingredients, but because it is an essential part of the Napa Valley community. We do not want to be an isolated, lone restaurant on the hill. We want to be involved with the people in the valley. To be a part of this garden project with the Montessori School, it generates good for the community, good for our clientele and good for our staff. Encountering the joy of the school kids when they run into our kitchen is a very positive thing for me and my team. I tell my sous chefs that generating positive feelings in people is more important than the world-known 50 Best Restaurants ranking.” Meadowood, wild turkeys, woodpeckers and other wildlife and natural elements impact the everyday care and keeping of a fine resort and club. The owners of Meadowood set out to make the estate a common ground for the Napa Valley vintners and growers, and a gathering place for our members, their families and friends. The owners also had a vision that Meadowood should be among the finest wine country resorts in the world. In more recent years, the property has become the home away from home for members of the Napa Valley Reserve.” FINE De stination area, which demonstrates the locals’ regard for the resort and its facilities. The members also bring a different sort of liveliness to the spa’s activities; the usually very quiet fitness classes directed only at hotel guests receive a different form and energy here, when the yoga mat next to yours may belong to the winemaker from next door. Meadowood is also a common ground for the local winegrowing community, and it has maintained its commitment to this since the 1970s. Meadowood is the annual setting for Auction Napa Valley, the world’s leading charity wine auction; meanwhile, the Napa Valley Vintners trade association has a long tradition of holding key meetings and gatherings at Meadowood. Similarly, Meadowood is the home for the annual Symposium for Professional Wine Writers, and many of the Napa Valley’s most prominent vintners and growers have membership at Meadowood. Davila would like to remind us, however, that “despite Meadowood’s location in the heart of America’s most celebrated winegrowing region, Meadowood is not only a gathering place for the burgeoning local winegrowing community but also a luxury destination for discerning travellers from around the world seeking an authentic Napa Valley experience.” Of all the wine regions in the world, Napa Valley feels the most balanced. The natural environment here is almost perfect both for local wine production and for receiving visitors. The area’s super-positive and laidback atmosphere and the first-rate services are beyond compare. The region’s numerous fine wines and visitor-friendly estates are the icing on the cake, creating a whole that makes us, like hundreds of thousands of others, return here again and again. The word perfection will easily come to mind when speaking of a trip to Napa Valley. But as Meadowood founder Bill Harlan likes to point out, the journey is only just beginning. “The future outlook of both the Napa Valley and Meadowood is greater than it’s ever been. The vintners, growers and community as a whole have a clear vision and commitment to our economic, social, and environmental responsibility. Great progress has been made over the past 50 years; it’s only the beginning.” > FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 111

PAGANI The supercar that controls T he view over the Mendoza wine district from the highest peak of Aconcagua* in the Andes is stunning and – quite literally – breathtaking. The air up there at 7000 metres from sea level is thin and deadly for humans, but perfect for Huayra-tata, the ‘god of the winds’. There he keeps guard, invisible to the human eye, among the ancient labyrinthine rock and ice formations. The vineyards and wineries visible far below are susceptible to his unpredictable nature, which at worst can manifest itself as ferocious storm winds. These bring icy rains down from the mountains, and hailstones that can ruin a whole year’s crop. Fortunately, Huayra-tata is known as a benevolent god, whose primary desire is to please his wife, Pachamama, the goddess of nature, who is also known as Mother Earth. Mostly in summer, the Huayra winds bring down gentle rain clouds which shower the high-altitude vineyards, making them and Pachamama blossom. This, the kingdom of Huayra-tata, is the homeland not only of excellent everyday wines but also of Horacio Pagani, a god in the world of supercars. His latest creation is far, far from the everyday. It is the Pagani Huayra, the supercar that controls the wind. *The name Aconcagua comes from the Quechua Ackon Cahuak, meaning ‘sentinel of stone’. 112 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

FINE Lifestyle Huayra uayra the wind and the mind Text: Pekka Nuikki Photos: Pekka Nuikki / Pagani FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 113

114 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

FINE Lifestyle PAGANI T he Pagani Huayra’s gullwing door reminds me of the entrance to the transporter in Star Trek, through which characters in the TV series were beamed to distant and unknown worlds. I settle into the sculptural carbon fibre and titanium ‘captain’s chair’ on the control bridge of the Huayra, which could quite easily belong to the Starship Enterprise. The door closes softly, isolating me completely from the old world. Teleport successful. The view before me is not one that is familiar from the worlds of Ferrari or Lamborghini; it is new and fascinating. The interior of the Huayra is hand-wrought from aluminium, carbon fibre and honey-coloured leather. Stylistically, it could be said to be neutral, but only in that so many different styles meet here. In theory, they shouldn’t even go together but somehow they do and they form a whole new genre of their own. In it, diverse and freely created ideas, executions and influences create their own sculptural, hypnotic and lively Paganian whole. A different car planet Horacio Pagani stresses the fact that he doesn’t just manufacture cold, mechanical supercars, but cars that live, breathe and have a soul. “We try to make them so that every piece of the car transmits something unique; that all the hard work of our designers, the crafters of our cars, represents the passion and love with which they are actually made.” The Huayra is full of hand-finished details – some of them perhaps superfluous. This means everything from leather latches to toggle switches, but the ethos finds its purest expression in the mechanical aluminium gearlever assembly, which a monument to the art of the manual gearshift and representative of progress that does not deny the past. The aluminum dashboard takes inspiration from the most complex Swiss watch designs. Every last titanium bolt and part is etched with the Pagani FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 115

name. In fact, any part of the car around me could be placed in a showcase of the world’s leading design museums. Inside the Huayra I feel as if I have been teleported onto a different car planet, but the journey is not over yet. The impression only strengthens as I turn the aluminium Huayra-shaped ignition key and awaken the beast. The god of the winds has woken Only a few dozen centimetres behind my back, the 6.0 V12 twin turbo engine comes to life. The feeling of power is immediate and palpable. The god of the winds has woken and, based on the noise he is making, I predict a hurricane. The Pagani Huayra has a six-litre V12 biturbo Mercedes-Benz engine tuned by AMG, which produces 730 hp and 1000 Nm. The top speed is 370 km/h and it does 0 to 100 in 3.2 seconds. The engine is made according to the ‘one-man-one-engine’ principle: a selection of skilled master mechanics will individually handcraft each single production engine, as a commitment to Mercedes-AMG’s tradition of precision and quality. Pagani is very happy with his partnership with Mercedes-AMG and sees no reason to start developing his own engines. “It is not in our plans because we are very much aware of what we are capable of and what we are not. Building an engine is particularly di?cult nowadays because of all the regulations you have to consider, which is a huge problem to take on – even for a major manufacturer. We are very fortunate to have this relationship with Mercedes-AMG. We are the only independent car manufacturer that has the privilege of receiving this exclusively developed engine, so we see no reason to create our own.” “THE AERODYNAMIC concept of the Huayra is that of a wing. The vehicle can modify the properties of this wing by varying the front ride height, which can be adjusted dynamically, and by regulating the four control flaps on each of the four corners of the car. Our goal is to have neutral vehicle behaviour under all conditions and to control body roll via aerodynamic means.” 116 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

FINE Lifestyle A wing man The hefty 1000-Nm-torque AMG turbo engine is linked to a seven-speed sequential gearbox and a dual-disc clutch designed by racing specialists Xtrac. In a car like the Huayra, the enormous power must be set off by topcalibre brakes which, combined with the body shape, make maximum use of deceleration forces. Horacio Pagani says that the significance of brakes must never be underestimated. “It is not the speed of the Huayra which is our greatest challenge. The Huayra is already fast enough. It is made to go at 340–400 km/h. Our main task is to ensure that the car can stop from those speeds in just a few seconds.” My first impression at the wheel of this car, though, is that I never want to stop: I want to drive forever. In motion, the Huayra effortlessly slices through the air, or rather, should I say, controls it. “The aerodynamic concept of the Huayra is that of a wing. The vehicle can modify the properties of this wing by varying the front ride height, which can be adjusted dynamically, and by regulating the four control flaps on each of the four corners of the car. Our goal is to have neutral vehicle behaviour under all conditions and to control body roll via aerodynamic means.” This is also important to ensure safety. On the edge of madness The Huayra is loud, to say the least, but in a good way. The soundscape of the engine is di?cult to express in words. Su?ce to say it seem to be continuously screaming on the edge of madness. The Pirelli P Zero tyres howl as the huge ceramic brakes take them to their extreme limits; the seven-speed sequential gearbox gives loud clicking reminders of the mechanical changing of gears, and add to this the noise of the road, the wind FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 117

TECHNICAL DATA Engine Mercedes-AMG M158 V12 twin-Turbo displacement: 5980 cc power: 700cv torque: 1000 Nm Gearbox Transverse sequential seven-speed gearbox AMT robotised system with driving programmes 118 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA Dimensions length: 4605mm height: 1169mm car’s body width: 2036mm car’s width with rear mirrors: 2356mm dry weight: 1350 kg (*) weight distribution: 44% front 56% rear

FINE Lifestyle BELOW ARE THE AWARDS WON BY PAGANI AUTOMOBILI DURING ITS HISTORY Pagani is a privately owned Italian sportscar manufacturer. The company was founded in 1991 by Horacio Pagani and is based in San Cesario sul Panaro, near Modena, Italy. Pagani is known for its extensive experience in advanced composite materials and for crafting some of the world’s fastest supercars. Customers can find dealerships by visiting the website at www.pagani.com. Zonda R: Nürburgring Nordschleife Fastest Laptime: 6:47 on June 2010. Pagani Automobili: Best of Italian Luxury Award September 2010 • Hurun Report China. Supercar of the year Pagani Zonda Cinque Year 2009 • C! Magazine. Mothers Choice Award: Excellence in Automotive Design Year 2009 • SEMA SHOW – Las Vegas. Supercar of the Year: Zonda C12 S Year 2006 • C! Magazine. “Zonda F: customer’s best choice” Year 2009 • Sport Auto Francia. Zonda Roadster F: Nürburgring Nordschleife Record: 7:29:70 August 2008. Pagani Automobili Specialist Manufacturer Award Year 2002 • Autocar UK. Top Gear Powerlaps Zonda F fastest time November 2005 • Top Gear UK. Best Car of the Decade: 2nd place April 2004 • Evo. “Palme d’Or”: Zonda F Coupé is best supercar 2005. December 2005 • Sport Auto F Zonda F: Nürburgring Nordschleife Laptime: 7:24:44 August 2008. Zonda C12 S Performance Car of the Year 2002 • Car. Zonda F: “Best Drivers’ car” Year 2009 • Evo. Zonda C12 S Car of the Year 2001 • Evo. Supercar of the Year: Zonda F Clubsport Year 2008 – C! Magazine. Record Nürburgring homologated cars June 2002 • Sport Auto. Nürburgring Nordschleife Laptime: 7’32” November 2005 • Sport Auto Zonda F: Nürburgring Nordschleife Record: 7:27:82 September 2007. and the aerodynamics, and I almost forget the deafening beating of my heart, which is racing at least at the speed on the speedometer. The feeling is dizzying and addictive. I am physically unable to step out of the Huayra immediately after driving it. I have to wait for my body to recover, my adrenalin levels to fall, my pulse to slow down and my mind to clear. The gullwing opens and the teleportation is over, but my return is not quite complete. As in the movie The Fly, in which a scientist accidentally melds himself with an insect, I have melded into the Huayra. I step out of the car carrying a small part of its creator’s divinity, madness, perfectionism and creative freedom. The storm may be over, but there is no return. > FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 119

“We are very enthusiastic about the public’s reception of the newborn Pagani Huayra. It has always been our intent to unite art and technology and our customers and car enthusiasts were able to see these values that accompany us every day in the Huayra. All this is further confirmation of our approach to combine art and science by the means of meticulous research.” Horacio Pagani 120 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

FINE Lifestyle Pagani Pagani Text: Petri Nevalainen and Pekka Nuikki Photos: Pekka Nuikki The man has a designer’s sensibility coupled with an engineer’s passion. This is why the Zonda and Huayra supercars manufactured by Horacio Pagani’s factory are objects of desire around the world. In them, the power of the winds has been translated into unique looks and performance. Z onda is a type of wind, and Huayra means “god of the winds”. Two words, two car models and two different dreams that the Argentinian auto-maker has fulfilled in Italy. The most enthusiastic fans of Pagani’s supercars are prepared to pay as much as 1.7 million euros to obtain one of these rare vehicles. And that’s not all: one customer is known to own six Zondas. It all started very differently. Born to a family of bakers, Horacio began carving cars out of balsa wood as a little boy. A little later, he designed and built a light motorcycle. He completed his studies in technology and industrial design. In 1977, the 26-year-old Pagani’s one-man workshop designed and manufactured bar stools in his home country. Through many var- ied projects, the engineer and designer grew to be a diversified and visionary professional who is still not afraid to listen to his gut. These days, he also listens to his offspring. In the late 1990s, Lamborghini displayed an interest in buying Pagani and Horacio considered it. The Pagani Zonda, made since 1999, would have been a Lamborghini instead. The interest of the more established supercar maker sprang from Pagani having worked on its design team for several years; they knew his skill. Pagani asked his family what they thought. The then 10-year-old Leonardo persuaded his father to continue as an independent maker. “You have always wanted to make your own cars. Why sell the factory now that your dreams are about to come true?” the boy asked. His father could not properly answer the question. Deep down, he knew his son was probably right, and so Pagani remains a family business. However, other offers, worth hundreds of millions according to some rumours, have been made since. The Huayra in production The atmosphere is relaxed at the Pagani factory in San Cesario sul Panaro, near Modena. The last few Zondas are taking shape on the downstairs assembly line. Meanwhile, production of Huayras is reaching full speed, with more than 100 orders received by summer 2012. FINE was invited to meet the director general of the company in his second-floor o?ce. We go up the stairs to a light and airy room and wait. FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 121

Leonardo, Horacio and Christopher Pagani Soon, the legendary car designer walks in wearing a burgundy shirt and grey trousers. The elegantly greying gentleman is still extremely interested in automotive design and construction; after all, his factory is just starting its second production era with the new model, the Huayra. Like Huayra-tata, the ‘god of the winds’, and the wines made from the Malbec grapes imported into Argentina in the 1800s, Pagani comes from Mendoza Province. He is not a “The work begins in the mind but ends with the creative mark made by the hand.” big wine drinker, because even a small amount gives him a headache and makes him feel ill. He sometimes enjoys a small amount of highquality wine, however. He is more likely to enjoy the growling of horsepower. His daily driving is done in a Mercedes-Benz, but he satisfies his grander desires with one of his own cars. His personal Pagani is a wonderful deep-blue Zonda. 122 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA Pagani’s design philosophy is influenced by the Renaissance world, and above all Leonardo da Vinci. “Leonardo demonstrated that art and science can walk hand in hand. I see the world a little like Leonardo did, and I always strive to create something new and different. The same applies to our entire design team. We try to listen to our emotions,” Pagani says. “Our design process goes from the brain to the hand, via the heart,” he says, emphatically. In Pagani’s view, Renaissance genius relied on humans’ manual skill. He sees this reflected in the work of his own design team: the work begins in the mind but ends with the creative mark made by the hand. “This trifecta can never be dismantled, because you may have excellent design skills and equally good manual abilities, but the heart makes a crucial contribution,” Pagani says. He feels that the three elements are present in all kinds of labour. When you love your work you achieve the best results. Unusual appearance A Pagani is different from most cars. If anything, it is distantly reminiscent of some of the 24 Hours of Le Mans racing cars. Where, we ask, did the cars get their appearance? “I’m a curious man, so many things influence the look of our cars, including the environment and people. When I start designing a new car, I go much deeper than the blank sheet before me. I have to create something out of nothing, out of ground zero,” Pagani says.

FINE Lifestyle “I’m a curious man, so many things influence the look of our cars, including the environment and people. When I start designing a new car, I go much deeper than the blank sheet before me. I have to create something out of nothing, out of ground zero.” FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 123

Zonda R A Pagani Zonda is never shy of a drive at the racetrack, a fact duce the overall weight of the car; Poggipolini Titanium screws that was undermined numerous times in the past with records are, in fact, used on the whole car. These measures lead to a set for production vehicles at the Nurburgring Nordschleife. dry weight of 1070 kg. With the input of its avid track-focused customers, the Pagani The interior has been designed to offer a perfect environteam has created the Zonda R using bespoke engineering soment for the driver. The controls are limited to the indispensalutions to meet the performance demands of a trackday verble, but the quality finish reflects the usual demanding Pagani sion of the highly popular Zonda F. standards. The bespoke Toora seats are FIA homologated and The central monocoque is made of a Carbon-Titanium comply to the latest HANS standards, while five-point safety composite, which increases rigidity while significantly reducbelts and a CrMo roll-cage assure the occupants’ safety. ing the weight. Bolted directly to the chassis is the Mercedes The lucky owners of the Zonda R will experience a levAMG 6.0 litre race derived V12 engine, with 750 hp and 710 el of performance on the track that is simply not possible on Nm of torque. A direct throttle actuation via a mechanical cathe road. A power-to-weight ratio of 701 hp-per-tonne will catble ensures immediate throttle response. apult them from 0 to 60 mph in less than 2.7 seconds; the The Xtrac Magnesium-cased dog ring gearbox combined, Brembo carbon ceramic brakes ensure the car comes to a with the Automac Engineering AMT system, performs gearstandstill even quicker. shifts in 20ms, and triggered by the drivers input on the padThe Zonda R is built in a limited production run and sold at dles behind the steering wheel. A 12-way Bosch Motorsport a price of 1 460 000 euros plus taxes. For this, you get a pertraction control and ABS system allows the driver to fully adformance machine, a track toy, a collector’s item, and a masjust the settings while driving the Zonda R. terpiece signed by Horacio Pagani. In the pits, each driver will be able to find a suitable setup thanks to a fully adjustable suspension and wing configuration. The effectiveness of the rear is matched by a complex new front bonnet – a masterpiece realised thanks to the help of models by Ennegi, as well as the closed underbody and rear diffusor. Furthermore, the aerodynamic set-ups rage from a high downforce setting of 1500kg to a 350km/h top speed setting. Aspa-forged AvionAl suspension components, as well as machined structural ErgAl parts that hole the engine and gearbox, have been designed to re- 124 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

An aeroplane for the streets The Huayra was entirely designed in the Pagani design department, in such a way that everyone was aware of the big picture all the time. Each person is responsible for individual components, but also for the totality. Horacio Pagani feels that this is a good way to work. “The Huayra is an aeroplane for street use. We wanted to bring some of the qualities of the aeroplane into the car: the drone of the engine, the sound of the turbochargers, the feel of acceleration like a plane’s take-off. “In the car you are entirely in your own world. You and the vehicle become one. Your worries are left on the outside,” Pagani says. Pagani designs his cars entirely, inside and out, to stop anything from marring his world. According to the designer, the driver must be able to feel what the car looks like on the outside. It must also be unique in appearance. Some have wondered why the Zonda was named after a harsh wind, even a desert storm, but Pagani has the answer. “It was the nature of the car. The Huayra has a more romantic character, like the winds of God which bestow life to the earth and valleys,” he says. In his view, a car should live its own life, and there is nothing to fear in that. On the contrary; it is beautiful. How does Pagani design his cars: for himself or for a potential client? “The customer is always on my mind. I would not be able to do the job if I thought selfishly. 1999 was a big challenge for us, because the Zonda was ready but our brand was not yet well known. We had a mental image of our customers, but weren’t sure how to reach them. Now the situation is different and FINE Lifestyle The Huayra is an example of the breadth of his design vision. It comprises more than 4000 individual components, but Pagani feels it is important to start by seeing the car as a whole. “Gradually, I start to pare back details in order to achieve the perfect form,” he says. we are known all around the world. The number of orders we have received for the Huayra demonstrates that people have learnt to appreciate our work.” Pagani admits that it was not simple to find their place on the supercar map. It took a lot of work but then no one expected anything different. “In 2012, 25 Huayras will see the light of day, and another 40 will follow in 2013. The first deliveries will be made in April. The Pagani Huayra represents a global project for Pagani Automobili. The Pagani dealership family has grown in 2011 and 2012 with new dealerships in Chile, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand, the United Kingdom and, in the United States, Los Angeles, Miami and San Francisco. Nonetheless, Pagani is very strict about safeguarding the exclusivity of its small volume production in the respective markets.” Alberto Giovanelli, head of Sales at Pagani Automobili. FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 125

“POWER IS NOTHING WITHOUT CONTROL” Pirelli say “Power is nothing without control” and to assure complete control for the driver Pirelli has developed the bespoke P Zero tires, specifically for the Huayra. The Pirelli engineers were faced with a demanding task, combining road holding for excitement behind the steering wheel and lower rolling resistance to reduce CO2 emissions and fuel consumption. These P Zero tires are built in a dedicated MIRS™ (Modular Integrated Robotized System) facility, dedicated to the production of ultra-high performance tires and are at the forefront of what is technically possible, suited to top speeds above 370 kph as well as to lateral forces exceeding 1,5 G. 126 FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA

FINE Lifestyle Super contacts Pagani as a manufacturer has good relations with the managements of its neighbours, Ferrari and Lamborghini. “We talk regularly and we have a good relationship. Everyone knows our products differ from each other. We currently produce around 25 cars per year, rising to 40 in 2013. Ferrari’s production lines, meanwhile, make 7000 cars per year.” “Pagani is like a luxury watchmaker. We have an established clientele,” he says. Pagani uses Mercedes-Benz AMG engines. Pagani sees nothing out of the ordinary in this; luxury brands in general follow this procedure. “We have the fine AMG, Bugatti has Volkswagen, Lamborghini has Audi, Rolls Royce has BMW and Aston Martin and Jaguar have Ford. Building a whole new motor from scratch would be di?cult and very expensive with today’s restrictions. Therefore, we are happy to continue working with the AMG. It has been a good choice for us,” says Pagani. The familiar nature of Pagani’s business is emphasised by the fact that 93.3 per cent of its shares are held by Horacio, his wife and their two sons. The boys, Leonardo and Christopher, also work at the factory. “We live modestly and the boys do not long for luxury or private jets. It might make sense for us to sell some of our shares to fund some other projects of the design department, but I do not support selling for the sake it,” Pagani says. The cars he designs are also a kind of homage to Juan Manuel Fangio, the legendary Argentinian racing car driver who died in 1995. “It made me very sad. He had helped us a lot. But he is still among us,” Pagani says. > FINE WINE & CHAMPAGNE INDIA 127

Your Personal Wine World “It is great to be part of this extremely advanced wine sharing community. Such a great tool for any professional or amateur to expand their wine knowledge.” Gerard Basset MW MS OBE, UK, The World’s Best Sommelier 2010 “A great site that is easy to use. You can become a part of a friendly, generous community of experienced tasters from around the world who are drinking the world’s greatest wines, often. Where else can you easily find recent notes on 1953 Lafite and 1996 Bollinger VVF for example? Thetastingbook.com is an excellent resource for fine wine lovers and collectors.” John Kapon, USA, CEO Acker Merrall & Condit “Finally I have all my notes in one place and I can share them with the rest of the world” Richard Juhlin, SWEDEN, The World´s number One Champagne expert “Tasting Book finally allows people to access to notes from some of the worlds greatest critics that do not regularly upload to other sites. A revelation!” Gareth Birchley UK, Bordeaux Index “Making tasting notes without writing them, it’s the perfect, effortless way to compose tasting notes. Tastingbook works if you have only a few notes to write, or hundreds. With a single click, anyone can share their notes with friends and all the other members of Tastingbook!” Jeff Leve, USA, The Wine Cellar Insider Create your wine world and join the tastingbook now! It’s Fast, Easy and Free! Sign in: thetastingbook.com © Tastingbook 2013 Powered by: Wine professionals from over 20 countries, FINE – the world’s leading fine wine magazines, Champagne Magazine – the world’s only Champagne magazine, FINEst WINEs

The world’s first intelligent wine tasting tool and social wine community With tastingbook tastingbook You You can: can: With Have an an easy easy access access via via internet internet to to your your wine wine tasting tasting notes notes where where ever ever you you are. are. Have Tastingbook isis specially specially designed designed for for iPad iPad and and other other tablets. tablets. Tastingbook Make aa tasting tasting note note easy easy and and fast fast –– just just inin 20 20 seconds seconds without without writing writing aa word word Make Share notes, notes, pictures, pictures, and and thoughts thoughts with with your your friends, friends, colleagues colleagues and and wine wine professionals professionals Share Find the the most most up-to-date up-to-date tasting tasting notes notes and and pictures pictures from from all all the the finest finest and and rarest rarest wines wines Find Taste wines wines using using your your own own language language –– English, English, Chinese, Chinese, Français, Français, Deutsch, Deutsch, Espanol, Espanol, Portugues, Portugues, Finnish, Finnish, Swedish Swedish Taste Easily find find educational educational and and entertaining entertaining information information about about the the wines, wines, producers producers && vintages. vintages. Easily Learn and and taste taste with with wine wine professionals professionals from from over over 20 20 countries countries Learn theworld’s world’sonly onlywine wineinvesting investing&&collecting collectingmagazine, magazine,Acker AckerMerrall Merrall&&Condit Condit––the theworld’s world’snumber numberone onewine wineauction auctionhouse, house,and andYou You––your yourworld’s world’smost mostimportant importantwine winecritic. critic. ––the