£2 5 • €30 • US$ 35 • Can$ 35 • Aus$ 35 BWW SPECIAL EDITION F i n e T h e W i n e T H E W I N E M AGA Z I N E M a g a z i n e – B W W C o m p e t i t i o n E d i t i o n Andrea Bocelli • The Best Wine Critic • Clos Lanson • Vega-Sicilia • Aston Martin 1 B W W–T H E B E S T W I N E C O M P E T I T I O N 2 0 2 0 – 2 1

“The most extreme and performance-oriented Pagani car of all time.” Horacio Pagani

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F I N E W I N E M PAGE 100 Wolf Blass - The Icon of Australian wines A G A Z I N E C O N T E N T PAGE 30 Clos Lanson – The Heart of Reims 8 PAGE 76 BWW2021 The Best Champagne House – Piper-Heidsieck PAGE 16 Andrea Bocelli – The Super Tuscan PAGE 82 BWW2021 The Best New Winery – Promontory PAGE 24 From Lanson with love

I N E W I N E M A G A PAGE 88 BWW2021 The Best Winemaker – Cory Empting 15 PAGE 120 Aston Martin DB11 – Powered by AMG I N E C O N T E N T PAGE 70 BWW2021 The Best Winery – Penfolds 13 PAGE 106 Vega-Sicilia - Wine that Money Can’t Buy Z FINEEDITORIAL The successor of Robert Parker? FINENUIKKI Bordeaux 2020 – James Suckling vs AI 16 FINEPERSONALITY Andrea Bocelli – The Super Tuscan 24 FINECHAMPAGNE From Lanson with Love 30 FINECHAMPAGNE Clos Lanson – The Heart of Reims 32 FINECOMPETITION 34 FINEAWARDS BWW The Best Wine of the World 2021 36 FINEAWARDS BWW Award Winners 2020-21 38 FINEAWARDS BWW2021 The Best Red Wines Top 10 42 FINEAWARDS BWW2021 The Best White Wines Top 10 46 FINEAWARDS BWW2021 The Best Rosé Wines Top 10 50 FINEAWARDS BWW2021 The Best Champagnes Top 10 56 FINEAWARDS BWW2021 The Best Sparkling Wines Top 10 60 FINEAWARDS BWW2021 The Best Sweet Wines Top 10 64 FINEAWARDS BWW2021 The Best Fortified Wines Top 10 68 FINEAWARDS BWW2021 The Best Wine Shop – Millésima 69 FINEAWARDS BWW2020 The Best Wine Shops TOP 20 70 FINEAWARDS BWW2021 The Best Winery – Penfolds 76 FINEAWARDS BWW2021 The Best Champagne House – Piper-Heidsieck 82 FINEAWARDS BWW2021 The Best New Winery – Promontory 88 FINEAWARDS BWW2021 The Best Winemaker –Cory Empting 90 FINEAWARDS BWW The Best Wine Critic 2020 – Neal Martin 92 FINEAWARDS BWW2020 The Best Wine Critics by Wine Regions 100 FINELEGEND Wolf Blass - The Icon of Australian wines 106 FINEESTATE Vega-Sicilia - Wine that Money Can’t Buy 120 BWW Competition 2020–21 Awards FINELUXURY Aston Martin DB11 – Powered by AMG FINE Content F 9

F FINEMAGAZINES Oy Fine Publishing Helsinki Ltd Ahti Business Park Ahventie 4 02170 Espoo, Finland WWW.FINE-MAGAZINES.COM Editor-in-Chief Pekka Nuikki pekka.nuikki@fine-magazines.com Managing Editor Juha Lihtonen juha.lihtonen@fine-magazines.com Art Director Jouna Surenkin jouna@acema.fi Cover Photo Giovanni De Sandre Photographers 10 Pekka Nuikki, Alexander Rubin, Giovanni De Sandre, Luca Rosetti Contributors Andreas Larsson, Jan-Erik Paulson, Mario Sculatti, John Kapon, Rajiv Singhal, Ken Gargett, Dirk Niepoort, Damien Reid, Markus Del Monego MW, Tuula Hällström, Nora Löfving-Lihtonen Printing House H2 Print, Sweden Queries Juha Lihtonen juha.lihtonen@fine-magazines.com Publisher Fine Publishing Helsinki Ltd Ahti Business Park Ahventie 4 02170 Espoo, Finland www.fine-magazines.com FINE Magazines does not keep nor return illustrations or other materials that have been sent to us without request. The opinions of contributors or interviewees presented in this magazine do not necessarily correspond to the opinions of the publisher or editorial staff. We withhold the right to make any modifications in texts and pictures published in FINE Magazines. We reserve the right to refuse or suspend advertisements. © Copyright: European Fine Wine Magazine Ltd FINE – The Wine Magazine ISSN 1799-2222 I N E W I N E M A G A Z I N E W r i t e r s Pekka Nuikki Pekka Nuikki is the founder and Editor in Chief of the FINE magazines. Nuikki is also one of the leading and most productive wine authors in Europe. Several wine themed books of his have been published in recent years, most recently publications in English and German: Drinking History part II – Stories from Wines, and Vintages 1715-2010, Mouton-Rothschild Art and Wine and “Michelin Guide” of the wine world – 1000 Finest Wines Ever Made, The Wines of the Century, and The 100 Best Champagnes. Pekka is also founder of tastingbook.com and BWW The Best Wines of the World -competition. He is also a professional photographer and have had numerous solo exhibitions around the world since 1990. Besides wines and art, Pekka has been enthusiastic sportsman. He has played tennis in Finnish national team, and in golf his handicap is 1 and succeeded in making seven hole in ones (two of them in Par 4). He also has a black belt in Kendo. He lives in Helsinki with his family. Juha Lihtonen Juha Lihtonen is a co-founder of FINE publications, Tastingbook.com and BWW The Best Wine of the World Competition. He has been the editor for FINE The Wine Magazine, FINE The American Wine Magazine, FINE Wine & Champagne India and Tastingbook Viini&Ruoka magazine since 2007. He is an author of various wine books from fine wines to wine and food pairing. In his 25 years’ wine career he has been merited as a manyfold sommelier champion in his home country Finland and awarded as The Best Nordic Sommelier in 2003. Since 2018, he has consulted and selected wines for Finnair Business Class. Prior to FINE publications, he worked as the wine buyer and wine director for one of the world’s biggest ferry line operators, Silja Line, where he supervised wine selection of 40 restaurants and 12 wine shops. Before Silja Line, he worked as the wine educator and lecturer in the Wine Academy of Helsinki, which he founded in 2000. In 2003 he invented the first food and wine match application ‘Matchart’ which was distributed in Nokia mobiles worldwide. As part of his work for FINE publications, he organises wine travels to the most esteemed wine regions for the FINEINSIDE club members and hosts the numerous wine tastings around the world including the Napa Valley Classification and The 100 Best Champagnes tastings. Essi Avellan MW Essi Avellan is Finland’s first Master of Wine. Recognized as an international wine authority and a champagne specialist, Avellan is the author of numerous champagne and wine books. She has also recently revised and extended the third edition of Tom Stevenson’s award-winning sparkling wine bible Christie’s World Encyclopedia of Champagne and Sparkling Wine. Essi Avellan is a reputed wine judge, in addition to FINE Magazines and The World of Fine Wine tasting panels she has acted as the chair of Decanter World Wine Awards’ Champagne panel and is a jury member at Champagne and Sparkling Wine World Championships. She has been awarded the title of Dame Chevalier Officier of Ordre de Coteaux de Champagne. Ken Gargett Ken Gargett is a former lawyer from Brisbane, Australia, who specialised as a banking lawyer practising in London, Washington DC and Sydney, and then finance, commerce and property back in Queensland. Even though from a family that did not drink wine, he became obsessed with wine while at university and moved to wine writing as a full time profession nearly twenty years ago. Since that time, he has been a regular contributor to the AGT Wine Magazine for many years. He has also contributed to various other magazines, such as FINE The Wine Magazine and The World of Fine Wine, and a number of books, including the Global Encyclopedia of Wine and his own guide, ”Don’t Buy Wine Without Me”. He won the Vin de Champagne Award back in 1993, and then in 2003 was inducted as a Chevalier of the Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne. In 2005, he was a recipient of the Len Evans Scholarship and has done extensive wine show judging in Australia. He was a co-founder of www.spitbucket. com. Outside wine, he also occasionally writes on cigars, fishing, travel and food. Caroline Gilby MW Caroline Gilby is a freelance writer and consultant, specialising in Central and Eastern Europe. She has been visiting and tasting the wines of Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Moldova, Bulgaria and Romania for over 20 years. She covers these areas better than any international wine writer and is an esteemed contributor to various wine medias from books of Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book, The Oxford Companion to Wine, and the World Atlas of Wine, to magazines and multiple websites including Decanter, Harpers, and Jancisrobinson.com. She is a panel chair for The Balkans, Eurasia and Eastern Europe at Decanter World Wine Awards and president of judging at Vinistra in Croatia. Prior to her career as a writer, Gilby was a senior wine buyer at Augustus Barnet, where she became the first major buyer to import Hungarian wines to the UK. She holds a doctorate on plant biology, but chose a career in wine rather than science. Gilby passed her Master of Wine exams in 1992.

A F A M I L Y B E Y O N D S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y F I V E G E N E R A T I O N S A S W I N E P R O D U C E R S H AV E H E L P E D U S T O H AV E P E R S P E C T I V E . W E B E L I E V E T H AT A N E W WAY O F M E A S U R E S T O L O W E R O U R C A R B O N F O O T P R I N T B Y 3 0 % W H I L E AT T H E S A M E T I M E R E C O V E R I N G O L D G R A P E VA R I E T I E S A N D F O R F U T U R E G E N E R AT I O N S .

F I N E W I N E M A G A Z I N E The successor of Robet Parker? June, 2021 At that time there was only one media, or rather a person, who the winelovers kept an intense eye on. He was Robert M. Parker, an oracle of the wine world whose wine scores set not only the prices of wines but the standards of the entire wine industry. We pondered what happens after Parker? Who will succeed him and take his authority? Our unanimous belief was that no single wine critic would do it. The social media revolution was in its infancy back then and we saw its drastic impact on the wine business. New social media communities and platforms created opportunities for anyone to communicate and share information about wines whose origin or authenticity was uncertain, not to mention the expertise of the persons themself. This vision generated an idea of creating a respected online wine service that would provide everyone up-to-date and reliable wine information with all-encompassing points about the wines produced and assessed by the best wine experts in the world. If this was built with integrity, transparency and impartiality, we believed it could become the leading wine authority after Parker. TASTE OF FINE We processed the idea and started developing the Tastingbook service. In 2012 we had the closed beta version of it in use and finally ready for public launch in 2016. In a year tastingbook.com received over 14 million visitors across the world. Most of them were wine professionals — sommeliers, wine merchants, wine importers, wine producers, wine writers and wine investors — who searched for trustworthy expertise from wines and their points, wineries and vintages. We were inspired by the great number of them and required what wine these professionals considered as the best in the world and which wine critic they found most trustworthy. We welcomed them in the Tastingbook wine professionals’ community to vote and choose the best wine and wine critic in the world. We built the BWW Competition in Tastingbook for that purpose. On the debut year of BWW Competition in 2017, over 1.6 million votes were given for wines. In the grand finale tasting of the competition, Tastingbook professionals blindtasted 300 most voted wines and gave the highest scores to Harlan Estate 2013 which was awarded as BWW2017 The Best Wine of the World. The best critic was chosen exclusively by the voting. The voting was very even between the five most voted critics, but with a tight margin James Suckling was awarded as the BWW2017 Best Wine Critic. when the wine world’s most influential authority, Robert M. Parker, had announced of his retirement on May 2019. The situation that we discussed on our tasting table in 2005 had transpired. Who was the one taking his authority? James Suckling? Not least if we measure his success in the best wine critic votings in BWW Competition after 2017, as Jancis Robinson MW was voted as the best wine critic in 2018 and last year Neal Martin. All of the title holders are great wine critics and well-respected experts, but none of them are like Robert Parker with his power-ful scores. However, as part of the Tastingbook community all three of them together with 50 most esteemed wine critics and over 20,000 wine professional members, form an authority that cannot be challenged today by anyone alone. Juha Lihtonen Managing Editor FINE Editorial I remember the sunny September day in 2005 when I, Pekka Nuikki and Essi Avellan decided to found the FINE Wine Magazines. We sat in the Bordeaux First Growth wine tasting and discussed that the world was missing a publication that speaks for the fine wines in a manner and visual context that appeals to those winelovers who are willing to acquire the best of the best wines despite the cost. 13

I N E W I N E M A G A Z I N E Bordeaux 2020 wine scores – James Suckling versus AI June, 2021 Can artificial intelligence “taste” and evaluate wines as the best wine critics? – A fascinating idea that came to my mind last year, and with the Bordeaux vintage 2020 we had an opportunity to test it for the first time. I have to congratulate James and his taste buds, since after all, he was compared against the artificial intelligence, which had at its disposal the wine reviews of thousands of professionals from almost 50 years. Now that most critics have published their reviews and scores, there is an opportunity to compare them to the scores created by the Tastingbook’s artificial intelligence in March 2021. Was it just coincidence or can Tastingbook Al really rate the wines like a top wine critic? In comparison with James Suckling’s scores of the top 100 wines, 47 wines received the same score, 48 wines had one point difference and only 5 wines the difference was 2-3 points. For this first comparison, I chose James Suckling, a wine critic I greatly respect. With 40 years of experience at the top of the wine world, he represents the most superior personal knowledge and professionalism, especially when compared to other esteemed critics today. Only Jancis Robinson and Michel Bettane have, in my opinion, a similarly meritorious and experiential history. -How does the artificial intelligence of Tastingbook evaluate wines? Tastingbook.com rated Bordeaux’s 200 best known wines from 2020 vintage without tasting them. The points were formed by the Tastingbook algorithm, which took into account the wine ratings of the world’s 50 best known wine critics and thousands of Tastingbook’s professionals and users. It also observed the last 49 Bordeaux vintages (1980-2019) – the climatic conditions of all those growing seasons, the quality and the appreciation of the producers and their track record on producing wines in vintages similar to 2020. Based on these metrics and Tastingbook’s 60,000+ wine reviews, the Tastingbook’s artificial intelligence predicted the score for the Bordeaux 2020 wines. This process generated the predicted score for the each new wine. The future will shows us, but there is a possibility that artificial intelligence will be among the most professional and unbiased elite of wine critics in the future. Tastingbook.com will publish the ratings for the new vintages months before other critics in the future. Will it affect the evaluation, pricing and desirability of wines in the future? – Perhaps, but it cannot replace James Suckling’s taste buds, since without them and the tasting experiences of thousands of other wine professionals, artificial intelligence is just an empty algorithm without data. 15 -Well, how did the Tastingbook artificial intelligence scores compare to scores of James Suckling? The results were surprising. The scores of the 50 best Bordeaux 2020 wines formed by the Tastingbook AI were published at the end of April, weeks before James Suckling launched his scores. They were almost identical to Tastingbook AI’s! It was particularly gratifying that our artificial intelligence also identified the quality of Château Hosanna, Château Trotanoy, Château Pavie, Château Smith Haut Lafitte and Château La Fleur-Pétrus. Pekka Nuikki Editor-in-Chief A list of the best Bordeaux 2020 wines by both tastingbook.com’s AI and James Suckling before May 25, 2021. Tastingbook AI 100p. Château La Conseillante 2020 Château Haut–Brion 2020 100p. Château Hosanna 2020 99p. Château Angelus 2020 99p. Château de Valandraud 2020 99p Château Margaux 2020 99p. Château La Mission Haut–Brion 2020 99p Château Lafite–Rothschild 2020 99p. Château La Fleur–Pétrus 2020 99p. Château Trotanoy 2020 99p. Château Pavie 2020 99p. Château Ducru–Beaucaillou 2020 99p. Vieux Château Certan 2020 99p. Château Mouton–Rothchild 2020 99p. Château de Figeac 2020 98p. Château L’Eglise–Clinet 2020 98p. James Suckling 98–99p. 97–98p. 99–100p. 98–99p. 97–98p. 99–100p. 97–98p. 99–100p. 99–100p. 99–100p. 99–100p. 98–99p. 98–99p. 99–100p. 97–98p. 98–99p. FINE Editorial F Tastingbook AI James Suckling Château Clinet 2020 98p. 96–97p. Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2020 98p. 97–98p. 98p. 97–98p. Château La Mondotte 2020 Château Smith Haut Lafitte 2020 98p. 99–100p. Château Léoville–Poyferré 2020 97p. 96–97p. Château Le Gay 2020 97p. 98–99p. Château Petit–Village 2020 97p 97–98p. Château Rauzan–Ségla 97p 97–98p. Château Léoville Las Cases 2020 97p 98–99p. 97p. 96–97p. Château Léoville–Barton 2020 Château Cos d’Estournel 2020 97p. 97–98p. Château Trottevieille 2020 97p. 98–99p. Château Certan de May 2020 97p 95–96p. Château Troplong–Mondot 2020 97p 98–99p. Château Calon Ségur 2020 96p. 95–96p. Château La Confession 2020 96p. 94–96p.

16 ANDREA BOCELLI – THE SUPER TUSCAN Text: Juha Lihtonen Photos: De Sandre, Luca Rossetti One of the world’s most iconic tenors, Andrea Bocelli, is a superstar artist with over 80 million sold records. He is a worshiped singer among music lovers, world-renowned musicians, and top artists. However, without one of them, he might not have become known from his music and divine voice, but from his wines.

FINE Bocelli 17 " For me music as the art of sounds is continuous inspiration, passion, sometimes exaltation... It is, as I often say, a way to give lightness to life."

As a son of the Tuscan winegrower family, Andrea had always an option to succeed the family business with his brother, but he found his calling from the classical music. He began piano lessons at the age of eight and learned soon to play the flute and saxophone alongside the piano. Classical music had a great influence on him as a child. “My mother has told me, how classical music used to calm me down, when I was just six months old. By the age of five, classical music was the best cure to calm me down, when I suffered from the pain in my eyes caused by glaucoma”, Andrea recalls. Bocelli describes himself being always a very lively and even uncontrollable child, who enjoyed playing soccer with his brother and friends in his youth. Sadly, in one of the games, the ball hit on Andrea’s face and damaged his glaucoma-weaken optic nerve system for good. After the accident, the twelve-year-old Andrea put all his energy in music. Two years later he won his first singing contest with a rendition of ‘O Sole Mio’. 18 A singing lawyer Bocelli says that nothing else gave him as much pleasure and enjoyment as music – especially opera music. In his childhood, he recalls admiring the opera singers for the volume and expression of their voice and beautiful intonation. He tried to sing by imitating them, and enjoyed singing at birthday parties, school and church. “My classmates wondered about my preference for opera music, which sounded to them like shouting, but they still always asked me to sing and perform at school, since it was a good reason for teachers to end classes. It was at school, that I began thinking that singing could be my future, but I never imagined singing to audiences world-wide,” Bocelli laughs. Although he was dreaming of becoming a singer, he followed his parents wish and ended up studying law at the University of Pisa, where he graduated and worked as a lawyer for a short while. He never gave up his dream of singing though. During his university years, he practiced his passion for music by performing in local piano bars. Luckily, he continued playing in the piano bars also after graduating, as it was in one of them, where he was initially spotted. “I wasn’t a great musician, but I could play anything. Thanks to these piano bars, I became acquainted with pop music for the first time as there was no room for classical opera music in those bars. I remember listening to Stevie Wonder and the Beatles at the time. Pop music was like learning a new language for me and, in retrospect, I can say that learning pop music has helped me in my career as a musician.” After graduating from the University, Bocelli worked only temporarily as a lawyer, before he decided to follow his heart and dedicate to opera music. “I don’t know what finally made me give up my incipient career as a lawyer. Life is a strange adventure. The future cannot be predicted, and I have never tried to do it. I have always lived in a moment”, Andrea ponders. Voice of God Bocelli says that one of the highlights in his life has been the time that he spent in masterclasses of his idol, esteemed opera tenor Franco Corelli. It was Corelli, who saw the talent in Bocelli based on his charming singing voice that touched Corelli’s heart. He had said sensing the shedding tears in Bocelli’s singing voice. Bocelli’s voice has since enchanted many other celebrities. Céline Dion

Breaking boundaries Bocelli has followed Pavarotti as an ambassador of the great Italian opera tenors. He has become merited by breaking boundaries between the classical and pop music genres by perfoming with numerous pop stars from Céline Dion to Sarah Brightman, Eros Ramazotti, Christina Aguilera, Stevie Wonder, Adriana Grande, Mary J. Blige, Natalie Cole, Nelly Furtado and Jennifer Lopez. Thanks to him, the opera music has become familiar to broader and younger audience from pop music consumers. As the boundary breaker, Bocelli has been referred as the crossover opera tenor. He is not fond of this categorizing. " "Some of the sweetest moments in life are when I return home from my travels and have a bottle of our own wine waiting on the table. has stated that if God had a singing voice, it would sound a lot like Andrea Bocelli. While Corelli and his masteclasses played a great role in Bocelli’s life, the turning point in his music career occurred in 1992, when well-known Italian songwriter and rock musician, Zucchero Fornaciari, was looking for tenors for the Miserere demo tape written by him and U2 band’s vocalist Bono. Zucchero asked 34-yearold Bocelli to sing for his demo after hearing him singing in a piano bar in Massa Carrara. Zucchero, who at the time collaborated with Luciano Pavarotti, introduced Bocelli to Pavarotti. Pavarotti invited Andrea to perform with him at the Pavarotti International Festival in Modena in the fall of 1994. At the same year, Bocelli won the top honors in Sanremo Festival in the newcomers’ category and released his debut album. Andrea Bocelli’s childhood dream had finally come true. “I don’t like the term crossover, as it refers to me a concept that implies an idea of mixture. I believe that music, like each language, needs to be respected in its own way. To sing opera one needs to know, study and respect the language of opera. When singing a pop song, the language is completely different. Crossover is like speaking English mixed with Italian. You are creating a language which says a lot, but means nothing,” Bocelli explains and says that he wants to respect the purity of each language without mixing them. The secret of good life Opera has always been Bocelli’s language and the opera world his paradise. He is grateful for his success in music business, but stresses that he is not driven by the success, fame or money. He is not willing to fill his calender with concerts, as he values more spending time at home in Lajatico with his family. “I want to also save my voice from too many concerts, since as the old Italian saying goes, the voice is like a barrelful of wine, more you drink, less you have left in the barrel.” Bocelli says he is very happy how things have turned in his life, but points out that happiness is not worth pursuing because it is transient. Instead, he aims for serenity in his life for its permanency. For Andrea Bocelli, the serenity is found at home with his family in the middle of the family vineyards in Lajatico. ∆ FINE Bocelli Bocelli is grateful for Pavarotti for being the first person in music business who saw his talent and potential worth to be invested in. “I am also grateful to Luciano, as he made me realize how unpolished my singing technique was, which forced me to learn better techniques. Thanks to that my singing is easier today," Bocelli adds. 19

MOMENT WITH BOCELLI: 20 What inspires you the most in music? Music is a very special language, much more powerful than verbal language. It is something that can “change the moral character of a soul"as Aristotle said. It can educate us to beauty, open our hearts and minds, ignite sensual or contemplative desire in us. All art is the voice of the soul, but music is perhaps the most powerful of all arts, because it moves along paths that penetrate the most intimate spheres of our psyche, without being altered by prejudices or conditioning. I believe that good music possesses a strong message of peace and harmony. No wonder that music as the art of sounds, have always been related to prayers, it can be a mystical experience. For me music as the art of sounds is continuous inspiration, passion, sometimes exaltation ... It is, as I often say, a way to give lightness to life. What are the most touching compositions in the world for you? There is not enough space in the magazine to list them all. I love Giacomo Puccini’s entire opera production and most of the musical theatre pieces written by Giuseppe Verdi. I have enjoyed greatly Verdi’s “La forza del destino”, but I have studied, interpreted and loved Verdi’s operas and many others. Beside these, I also enjoy greatly the lyrics of the French nineteenth century composers – Charles Gounod, Georges Bizet, and Jules Massenet. I also can’t ignore great masterpieces, real classics like “My Way” and “Be My Love” and many more. Do you think music and wine have anything in common? Good music, like good wine, is one of the great pleasures of life with respect of reasonable drinking proportions. Wine and opera are two of the most popular symbols of Italy in the world. Whoever interprets the opera, inevitably encounters wine along their path: from Mozart's "Don Giovanni" to Verdi's "Falstaff", to the many solo or choral "toasts" present in the melodrama. The song derives from a rush of euphoria, from the need to express oneself beyond words.Certainly, the wine can predispose us to singing. In fact, before going on stage, I personally obey the athlete's strict discipline and therefore my diet does not allow alcohol. But after the last concert of a tour, I allow myself the pleasure of having a glass of wine. Even better if it comes from our family vineyards.

What are your favorite wines? What kind of wines do you enjoy the most? First of all, I believe that quality of Italian wines has grown dramatically in recent years. For the past two decades, small producers have understood the great importance of interpreting winemaking as an art – both ancient and modern at the same time. Regions such as Tuscany, Veneto, Piedmont and Sicily have shown very high qualitative level with their wines and wines have become a primary economic and cultural resource. As for my preferences, I particularly like the great Tuscan reds and some Sicilian and Piedmontese whites. What is your favorite food and what wine compliments it best? Without a question – Italian. My profession requires me to spend a good part of the year traveling around the world, so I think it is understandable that every taste that can be traced back to Italy becomes a taste of home. It’s part of nostalgia and part of mitigating the absence of home. I love pasta, whether it's with sauce, pesto, or simply seasoned with extra virgin olive oil. I love pecorino cheese, Tuscan bread, artisanal sausages, vegetables just picked from the garden... to name a few. For wine, even if I am aware of many “important” wines, for emotional reasons I always prefer my family wines. What role does the wine play in your life? I was born in the winegrower family in Lajatico, Tuscany, and raised in “the middle of the rows of vines”. I have continued cultivating our family vineyards and making wine with my brother. We produce today mainly red wines from Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon varieties. When it comes to wines, some of the sweetest moments in life are when I return home from my travels and have a bottle of our own wine waiting on the table. What kind of emotions Bocelli wines evoke in you? Each of our wines has its own character and story with a lot of memories. Wines are like time machines that take me back to my youth. As we enjoy them, memories arise also of those loved ones who have already left us. Especially my father and his voice in the dinner table where we had all gathered and listened him to praise the fruits of our vineyards and the work and love that had been put in vines to secure a good harvest. ∆ FINE Bocelli What are the best wine experiences of your life? My best wine experiences are related to moments with great cuisine – excellent combinations of wine and food. Many of those have been experienced in the best Italian restaurants around the world. One of such occasions was in Piedmont, where my Barolo producer friend and great culinary connoisseur, Oscar Farinetti, hosted a wonderful gastronomic event at The Mirafiore Foundation in Langhe. 21

BOCELLI WINES TASTING Bocelli Prosecco Extra Dry NV 86p 22 PRODUCER: Bocelli Family Wines ORIGIN: Veneto, Italy VARIETY: Glera PRICE: 16€ COLOUR: Light, greenish colour NOSE: Fresh, delicate, floral, pears PALATE: Light-bodied, dry, fruity, fresh FINISH: Moderately short, pure and fresh DECANT: – SERVICE °C: 5–7°C AT ITS BEST: Now FOOD: Aperitif, light salads, socialising Bocelli Pinot Grigio delle Venezie 2019 85p PRODUCER: Bocelli Family Wines ORIGIN: Veneto, Italy VARIETY: Pinot Grigio PRICE: 14€ COLOUR: Light, green colour NOSE: Fresh, herbaceous, peachy, honeydew melon PALATE: Light-bodied, dry, round fruitiness, fresh FINISH: Moderately short, easydrinking, gentle DECANT: –¬ SERVICE °C: 6–8°C AT ITS BEST: Now FOOD: Aperitif, fresh seafood, light salads Bocelli Chianti DOCG 2018 86p PRODUCER: Bocelli Family Wines Tuscany, Italy ORIGIN: Sangiovese VARIETY: PRICE: 21€ COLOUR: Light, ruby red colour NOSE: Moderately intense, violets, cranberries, cherries PALATE: Light-bodied, delicately fruity, red fruits, cherries, vivid acidity FINISH: Medium length, lingonberry finish with polished gentle tannins DECANT: 1.5 hours SERVICE °C: 15–16°C AT ITS BEST: Now FOOD: Pasta, pizzas, smoked fish, antipasti Bocelli Tenor Red Toscano IGT 2017 89p PRODUCER: ORIGIN: VARIETIES: Bocelli Family Wines Tuscany, Italy Cabernet Sauvignon (33%), Sangiovese (33%), Merlot (33%) PRICE: 19€ COLOUR: Dark, ruby red colour NOSE: Moderately intense, blackcurrants, brambles, cherries, hints of vanilla, chocolate, clove and violets PALATE: R  ich medium-bodied, supple tannins, gentle acidity, balancing cherry fruitiness FINISH: Moderate length, toasty oakiness, ripe sour cherries DECANT: 2 hours SERVICE °C: 17–18°C AT ITS BEST: Now FOOD: Salty cheeses, grilled duck, pork chops, rabbit rillette

FINE Bocelli 23 THE BOCELLI FAMILY WINES The Bocelli family has crafted classic Tuscan wines on their small estate in Lajatico for nearly 200 years. In 1831, the head of the family at the time, Gaspero Bocelli, used all his savings and purchased the vineyard instead of continuing the family tradition as a sharecropper for a local landowner. He acquired a small vineyard parcel called Poggioncino and started growing Sangiovese variety. Andrea and his brother Alberto are now the seventh generation of producers for​Bocelli Wines. Although Andrea chose the career first as a lawyer and then as a musician, and Alberto as an architect, they both have been committed to continue their family estate and have developed it in a revolutionized manner. They have turned the estate from the family farm into a modern world-class winery and cherished the winemaking legacy of the family. The family possess today 20 hectares of vineyards that are located on a promontory between two wide rivers and are surrounded by medieval forests. Apart from the winegrowing, the brothers have revived the small village with a restaurant and wine bar designed by Alberto. The establishment has also an art museum and gallery. The art of music is also involved in the village as each summer Andrea performs on its ancient hillside theatre – Teatro di Silencio. For wine selection, the Bocellis expanded their selection from the beginning of 2010, when they teamed up with a small group of friends in the southern Tuscany and north-eastern Veneto to produce a broader array of wines. Apart from their family estate, they produce denser red wines from Scansano in the southern Tuscany and refreshing Prosecco and Pinot Grigio from Veneto. All the wines in the selection are produced and selected by Alberto and Andrea Bocelli and their partners – from estate-grown, single cru wines with just a few hundred cases made, to partner-grown selections. The Bocelli Family Wines represents to Andrea and Alberto the three favorite things in their life: music, wine, and la famiglia. ∆ www.bocellifamilywines.com

Text: Juha Lihtonen, Photos: Champagne Lanson Maison Lanson has been celebrating its 260th Anniversary with refurbished champagne packages and new cuvees. With a quick glance, it might seem like just another portfolio facelift, but in fact for Lanson, it is much more than that. It is a crowning of a revolutionary project at Maison Lanson with in the company as ‘the Reconquest’. What is behind the project and what exactly is Lanson willing to reconquer? 24 As one of the oldest champagne houses, Lanson has enjoyed an esteemed reputation around the world among champagne lovers thanks to its active presence on international markets for centuries. For decades it has had a strong position in the world’s leading champagne export market UK, where it has enjoyed of the reputation as the official champagne of Wimbledon Tennis Championship since 1977, as well as, being one of the champagne brands that holds the Royal Warrant of the British Royal Family. Lanson’s strong position in the UK has however kept the brand resting on its laurels as a Sleeping Beauty for a long time. Instead of the kiss of a prince, Lanson was awoken up by three well-esteemed champagne families–Baijot, Boizel and Paillard– who acquired the company in 2006. For at the time being, Lanson was a brand that lived from the past. The brand was lacking the attraction of emerging markets and was seen as a faceless, traditional big house champagne brand with serious champagnes that lacked flirty appeal. The Lanson brand had nothing for new consumers to attach to emotionally, unless you were a fan of Wimbledon tennis or the British Royal Family. The new owners saw the potential in Lanson. In the last ten years, the company has accomplished a metamorphosis that had not been experienced in Lanson’s Hervé Dantan, the Cellar Master of Lanson

history. For champagne production, the change has taken place in record time–from vineyard management to winemaking, and from portfolio development to the transition of the business to new visionary leaders. Under the new president, François Van Aal, and Lanson’s cellar master, Hervé Dantan, the company has announced a new beginning for Lanson with the 'Reconquest plan’. Premium quality grapes The company has been committed to sustainable viticulture since 2010 when they acquiredt hey acquired 16 hectares of organic vineyards slowly converted by the Lanson team in biodynamic vineyards, consolidated in the Domaine de la Malmaison property. It was the fruit from this property of which Lanson created its first organic champagne Le Green Label. Aside from this biodynamically and organically grown property, the company supports sustainable practices from all 460 hectares where they acquire fruit for their champagnes. Thanks to the strong historical relationship with growers, dating back through generations, Lanson has access to more than a hundred different vineyards in Champagne from which half are Grand and Premier Cru vineyards. Premium tools in winemaking To ensure that the winemaking facilities are up to the standard to handle the premium quality fruit, the company invested 15 million euros in brand new, state-of-the-art winery with thermo- and hydro-regulated ageing cellars and 23 large new oak vats. The project was supervised by the new ambitious and experienced cellar master, Hervé Dantan, who was hired by Maison Lanson in 2013 to succeed its retiring cellar master, Jean-Paul Gandon. The two men worked together until 2015 and focused on improving the quality of the champagnes both in the vineyards and new winemaking facilities. Dantan continued the precious work of Gandon with the reserve wine collection and introduced several new practices at Lanson, including sustainable viticulture, a parcel by parcel vinification, oak ageing of reserve wines and partial malolactic fermentation in winemaking. ”We have experienced so many improvements at Lanson since 2014. We have ensured the best quality fruit from our own and contracted growers’ vineyards with respect of sustainable practices. The new state-of-the-art winery has allowed us to focus on single parcel vinification practices and introduce oak ageing in purpose to get more richness and complexity in our wines”, Dantan comments. The passionate cellar master has also made a revolutionary move at Lanson by introducing a partial malolactic fermentation for Lanson’s historical cuvee Le Black Label. FINE Lanson The Lanson style The foundation of Reconquest plan relies on several key factors; a premium quality grape supply with respect to sustainable development, high-profile industrial tools and facilities for winemaking, a passion and humility in winemaking serving for high quality, a respect for the long history and style of the house, and the availability of a great reserve wine collection for blending. 25

”It is a matter of balance. With this partial malo practice we are able to add some roundness and complexity into Le Black Label without giving up its DNA–the fresh and firm malic acid backbone–which gives Le Black Label its recognizable character”, Dantan clarifies and also stresses the importance of reserve wines in the final blend: ”The greater complexity, smoothness and richness is also achieved by extending the cellar ageing of the cuvee from three to four years and by increasing the amount of reserve wines in the blend. Since 2014, we have increased the share of reserve wines in Le Black Label from 15–20% to 35% in the cuvee from ten different vintages.” The treasure in the cellars The large library of reserve wines is a unique asset for Lanson, which Dantan looks forward to nurturing well. “We are looking forward to continue extending our reserve wine library. We are fortunate to have today a selection of reserve wines from 1998 onwards.” The reserve wines are not the only assets that Dantan and his team have in Lanson cellars. The company is known for one of the finest collection of vintage champagnes in Champagne dating back to 1904. From this collection, Dantan says that they can offer champagnes for sale from vintage 1976 onwards, mostly in Magnums! 26 The refurbished champagne selection The changes in vineyard management and winemaking practices have also had its effect on Lanson champagne selection. The product portfolio has been narrowed down from fourteen to ten cuvees. The Extra Âge range is no longer produced. Despite narrowing the range, two new cuvees have been introduced; Le Black Réserve and Le Blanc de Blancs. Le Black Réserve is a big brother of legendary Le Black Label. The varietal blend is the same but Le Black Réserve has a higher proportion of fruit from Grand and Premier Cru vineyards and reserve wines. It has been aged a year longer than Le Black Label and has one gram lower dosage. Le Blanc de Blancs is a 100% chardonnay, sister to Le Black Réserve with five years of ageing and grapes selection deriving predominantly from the Grand and Premier Cru vineyards. The high proportion of reserve wines gives champagne an extra complexity and richness. The three tiers Le Black Réserve and Le Blanc de Blancs are included in the new tier, called Core Range, together with Le Black Label, Le White Label Sec and Le Rosé.

FINE Lanson 27 Le Vintage, Le Green Label Organic and Le Clos Lanson included in the tier called Rare&Exceptional. Le Vintage is made only from the harvest years that are declared as exceptional. The fruit for Le Vintage comes from Grand and Premier Cru vineyards exclusively and the champagne is aged on lees for ten years. Le Green Label Organic is limited production champagne made exclusively from bio-dynamically cultivated grapes from Lanson’s Domaine de la Malmaison vineyard sites in Verneuil and Vandrières. Le Clos Lanson is bio-dynamically grown, single vineyard Blanc de Blancs champagne from the walled, unique one-hectare plot located in the centre of Reims. The production is extremely limited. less than 8,000 bottles a year. The most prestigious champagnes are La Noble Cuvée Brut and La Noble Cuvée Blanc de Blancs, which represent the Lanson flagship tier called Cuvée de Prestige. These champagnes have an extra long ageing on lees of 17 years. The Lanson Noble Cuvée Brut was launched in 1979 and has been produced 14 times since, the Noble Cuvée Blanc de Blancs only 11 times. The fruit for both champagnes comes exclusively from Grand Cru vineyards.

The new beginning After the 10-year refurbishment project, the Lanson champagnes are showing greater complexity than ever before. However, in heavily competitive markets, the great quality alone is not enough to conquer the hearts of consumers, they need to be emotionally bonded to the brand. To do so, Maison Lanson needs to transmit the passion, the nurture and care that have been put into each bottle of Lanson to consumers. For that, Lanson has initiated a communication campaign that is supporting the company manifesto and values – openness, humility, kindness, authenticity and elegance. The key part of the communication is the company’s new slogan: “It’s all about love”, which stands for love for the soil, love for the terroir, love of a job well done, love for sustainability, love of sharing, love of being together, and love of making people happy. To express the love for its champagnes, the company has added the precise technical information on the back label of each cuvee. The love for Lanson is also demonstrated in the new advert campaign; where the bottle of Le Black Label is resting in the hands of its creator, cellar master Hervé Dantan. With this campaign the company is willing to express the love for the Lanson legacy, cherishing the bottles with great care and respecting the work that has been put in each bottle. It remains to be seen if Lanson will conquer the hearts of consumers with its new advert campaign, but with the quality of its refurbished champagne selection, it definitely deserves to have its chance. ∆ 28 THE EMBLEM OF LANSON – The red cross The son of the company founder, was a knight of the Order of Malta, the oldest charity worldwide, founded in 1048. Since 1798, the Maltese Cross, redesigned as the Lanson Cross, has been adopted as the emblem of the Maison. Today it is still the symbol of the openness, kindness and hospitality of Maison Lanson. www.lanson.com

LANSON MANIFESTO In a world of uncertainty that becomes more and more divided each day, we’re among those who believe that the world – like happiness – is better when shared. Those who believe that love for others, is also love of life. At Lanson, we’re among those who believe in love. Love for the soil, for the terroir, of a job well done, a sustainable love, a love of sharing, of being together, of making people happy. At Lanson, we will always stand for the values of openness, kindness, humility, authenticity and elegance. Since 1760, we’ve been for those who hold out a hand, who love each other, and prove it. FINE Lanson Each in their own way, but always the most beautiful way. 29

Clos Lanson – THE HEART OF REIMS Text: Essi Avellan MW Vineyards have had to give way to the expanding city of Reims. Only one clos, walled vineyard, remains within the heart of the city, the 1-hectare Clos Lanson sits on the hill of Courlancy next to the winery, viewing the cathedral from almost the opposing angle. In 2016, Lanson revealed the first vintage of its cuvée. 30 The plot itself is remarkable with 30 meters of dry, highly friable chalk beneath, covered with 15 to 20 centimetres of topsoil. The walls and location in the city raise the temperature by some two degrees, allowing production of ripe, generous Chardonnay. Lanson records note the plot being planted since the 18th century but its today’s vines date back to 1962 and 1986 massal selections from Avize. Wine from Clos Lanson used to make its way to the Le Gold Label, now Le Vintage 2009, and has a special place in the hearts of Lanson employees, as the harvest is done entirely by them. In addition to the bond it gives, there are also other benefits such as full attention to selection. On more challenging vintages such as 2010 the staff are given instructions of super selective picking. After all, the idea is to recreate cuvée Clos Lanson every vintage, as makes sense for a single-vineyard champagne. In the winemaking they have added a new dimension to the usual Lanson recipe, oak barrels. ’The aim is to increase Clos Lanson’s expression with the use of oak, not really to bring an oaky character to it’, explains Hervé Dantan, cellar master at Lanson since 2015. The minimum 3-year-old oak comes from both Burgundy and Argonne, the local Champagne forest. ’Because of the oak quality but also because the Lanson family are originally from Argonne’, Dantan reasons. As for most other Lanson cuvées, the malolactic fermentation is blocked, which contributes to the wine’s bright, expressive fruitiness and ageing capacity. The wine has indeed been a slow developer in the cellar. Originally it was intended for launch in 2014, but finally the wine appeared ready in 2016. Dantan promises one disgorgement per vintage and a minimum of 12 months’ ageing post-disgorgement. How about the wine then? Worth the wait, definitely! As Hervé Dantan aptly describes it: ‘it is a generous chardonnay with a lot of flavour. But there is a return to the chalk at the end, enhancing its finesse’. The perfect wine aiding the new owners and cellar master to polish the brand and bring forward a more vinous side of Lanson. ∆

Tasted first in 2016 and then 2019 with bottles disgorged one hour before tasting. The notes for 2006 and 2007 are for finished wines. Clos Lanson 2006 93p Rich golden colour. Highly expressive nose with tropical fruit, smoky layers sweet brioche and spicy vanilla aromas and finely integrated note of high-quality oak. Voluptuous, round, fleshy palate that is mouthfilling at first until the fine, zesty acidity kicks in and lifts the palate. The finish is minerality driven, fresh and succulent, emphasizing fruit purity. Great intensity and length. With time the oak is getting even better integrated to a mellow, monumental whole. Clos Lanson 2007 92p Shiny golden colour. There is pleasant charred, bonfire expression on the coffee and cream nose with honey and butter tones in the back. The oak is noticeable but pleasant. Velvety opulent palate with caressing smoothness and vinosity to it. A mouthful with an open, welcoming character to it. Will not be one of the longest lived of Clos Lanson but one to enjoy now. 2008 ++++ This has layers and layers of complexity and fine, elegant depth. Lovely nervosity and mineral salinity. Good concentration and richess for the year. But not ready yet. 2009 ++++ The 2009 feels complete and ready to go in its openness, fullness and inviting character. Tropical fruit profile. Soft and creamy but supported by a fine acid line. Ready and I would like to see this enter the market before the 2008. FINE Clos Lanson TASTING 31

THE WORLD'S LARGEST WINE COMPETITION 32 Text: Juha Lihtonen The BWW Competition is the biggest and the most unique wine competition in the world. It is powered by the world’s largest wine information service Tastingbook.com, where hundreds of thousands of wine lovers — both professionals and wine enthusiasts — take part in the competition by voting on the wines that they consider deserve the title — the Best Wine of the World. In the BWW2021 Competition the respected title was awarded to Château Mouton-Rothschild 2018, which was declared as the winner from the 20,675 voted wines. The wines were given over 3 million votes in total by the Tastingbook visitors and members from 115 different countries. The BWW competition is a two-part competition that starts first by the 3-month voting phase on Tastingbook.com. During this time the Tastingbook users can give votes to the wines and follow the vote rankings in real-time.

THE BEST WINE OF THE WORLD COMPETITION After the voting phase, the hundred most voted wines in each category are proceeded into finals, where they are assessed by the Tastingbook pro jury in multiple blind tastings. The members of the jury are chosen from the 20,000 Tastingbook professionals, including esteemed sommeliers, Masters of Wines, winemakers and wine critics. The final ranking is formed from the average scores of the jury members. The wine that has the highest average score of all wines in all categories is awarded with BWW The Best Wine of the World -title. Besides the grand prize, the competition awards the winners and top 10 wines in each wine type category with platinum and gold medals according to their scores. The awards are also announced for the ‘BWW Best Wines by Region’, the ‘BWW Best Wines by Grape Variety’, and the ‘BWW Best Buys’. One of the most sought after accolades is ‘BWW The Most Voted Wine’, which is announced after the voting phase. ‘The Most Voted' -title is also given to wines in wine type categories. The wines that get over 2,000 votes receive the recognition ‘BWW People’s Choice’. This year there were 94 wines that were given this recognition. The BWW Competition debuted in 2017. In 2019, the competition was expanded to voting of the ‘Best Wine Critic’ and in 2020 to the ‘Best Wine Shop’. In addition to this recognition, the BWW competition also gives special awards for the Best Winery, the Best New Winery, the Best Champagne House, and the Best Winemaker. These prizes are awarded according to how successful the wines of the producers have been in the competition. Find more information from the competition from tastingbook.com. FINE COMPETITION 2020–2021 AWARDS 33

BWW2021 THE BEST WINE OF THE WORLD THE BEST WINE OF THE WORLD Château Mouton-Rothschild 2018 (Bordeaux, France) 34 This wine shows the potential that Bordeaux and its best producers are able to offer today. Bordeaux’s Left Bank and its most prestigious First Growth producers have always produced multilayered, vividly aromatic and elegant wines, the superiority of which emerges after decades of cellaring. However, richness, abundance and enjoyability at a young age are features that are not traditionally related to Bordeaux wines, especially the First Growth wines. Château Mouton-Rothschild 2018 proves this claim wrong. This succulently rich, supple, nuanced and opulently elegant wine gives instant pleasure at this early age, which is for claret, and especially for the First Growth, truly exceptional. MoutonRothschild has made substantial investments in vineyard management, cellar facilities and technology for the past decades. As a result, they can produce superb and more consistent wines also in lesser vintages. However, 2018 was far from being a lesser vintage. The growing season in 2018 was twofold and turned out to be rewarding after all challenges. The first half of the year did not promise a great vintage. The rough winter with heavy rainfall and severe hailstorms luckily ceded and the weather turned into a cool and mild spring. In April, the warm spell encouraged the vegetative growth of vines resulting slightly earlier flowering than usual. The summer season was tricky. The hot and sunny weather in June turned into humid and moist weather in July that led to the risk of mildew. With careful canopy management and the spell of hot and dry weather that arrived in late July, the mildew problems diminished. The hot and dry spell lasted for three months and turned the end of the growing season into a drought. The harvest for red grapes started at Mouton-Rothschild on September 10 and finished on October 3. The harvest yielded very small and concentrated grapes with high sugar levels and ripe tannins. The final blend is cabernet sauvignon (86%), merlot (12%), and cabernet franc (2%).

The wine has deep purple colour. The intense and concentrated nose shows refined, yet rich aromas of ripe wild strawberries, blackcurrants, violets, mocha and bamboo shoot tones. The full-bodied palate has great vibrant mouthfeel with ripe and elegant fruitiness, silky, yet firm tannins, and gentle spicy toasty oakiness. The opulent and lingering finish is harmonious and charming. The alcohol (13.8%) is extremely well integrated. This wine delivers great pleasure today, but has the power and balance to show its true colours in decades to come. If enjoyed today, make sure to decant the wine 5–6 hours before serving and serve at 17–18°C. It makes a perfect companion for classic medium-rare fillet of beef, venison or Beef Wellington. THE BEST WINE OF THE WORLD COMPETITION FINE The label design for 2018 was created by the Chinese artist and writer Xu Bing. The art reflects the artist’s work on the illusory splendour of appearances as manifested by his Square Word Calligraphy, which resembles traditional Chinese characters, but is actually composed of the letters of the Latin alphabet. Xu Bing expresses his linguistic creativity in the invention of a unique script in which the words are absorbed into the codes of traditional Chinese ideography. In this coalescence of cultures, the label for the 2018 vintage features the two words “Mouton Rothschild”. 35 Xu Binga "We are thrilled to hear about the BWW competition result, setting Mouton Rothschild 2018 as 2021 best wine of the world. The 2018 was a vintage with its own challenges, and this award recognizes the work and commitment of the entire team at Mouton to express, each year, this extraordinary terroir at its highest level. Mouton 2018 conveys all the unique personality of its site, along with the depth and richness of the vintage. We are delighted and proud that it shined and was recognized at such a level during the blind tasting finals." Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy, Director of Properties – Baron Philippe de Rothschild, S.A

THE BEST WINE OF THE WORLD WI NNERS 2020–21 THE BEST WINE OF THE WORLD Château Mouton-Rothschild 2018 (Bordeaux, France) The Best Red Wine Château Mouton-Rothschild 2018 (Bordeaux, France) The Best White Wine Penfolds Yattarna Bin 144 Chardonnay 2018 (Australia) The Best Rosé 36 THE BEST WINES BY VARIETY: Ixsir Grande Réserve Rosé 2018 (Mount Bekaa, Lebanon) The Best Cabernet Sauvignon The Best Champagne The Best Merlot Rare Champagne 2008 (Champagne, France) The Best Sparkling Wine Fontanafredda Contessa Rosa Alta Langa Rosé Brut 2014 (Piedmont, Italy) The Best Sweet Wine Robert Weil Kiedrich Gräfenberg Riesling TBA 2018 (Rheingau, Germany) The Best Fortified Wine Niepoort Vintage Port 2017 (Douro, Portugal) THE BEST WINEMAKER Cory Empting – Winemaker of Harlan Estate, Bond & Promontory (Napa Valley, USA) THE BEST NEW WINERY Promontory (Napa Valley, USA) THE BEST CHAMPAGNE HOUSE Champagne Piper-Heidsieck (Champagne, France) THE BEST WINE CRITIC Neal Martin (Vinous) THE BEST WINE SHOP Millésima Bond St Eden 2015 (Napa Valley, USA) Masseto 2015 (Tuscany, Italy) The Best Pinot Noir Armand Rousseau Chambertin Grand Cru 2014 (Burgundy, France) The Best New World Pinot Noir Coldstream Hills Deer Valley Pinot Noir 2017 (Victoria, Australia) The Best Syrah Penfolds Grange 2016 (Australia) The Best Sauvignon Blanc Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux 2015 (Bordeaux, France) The Best Grüner Veltliner Knoll Loibner Grüner Veltliner Vinothekfüllung Smaragd 2017 (Wachau, Austria) The Best Viognier Darioush Napa Valley Viognier 2019 (Napa Valley, USA) MOST VOTED WINE Masseto 2014 (Tuscany, Italy)

BWW2017 The Best Wine of the World: Harlan Estate 2013, Napa Valley, USA BWW2018 The Best Champagne of the World: Dom Pérignon Rosé 2006, Champagne, France BWW2017 The Best Champagne of the World: Dom Pérignon 2002, Champagne, France BWW2018 The Best Red Wine of the World: Masseto 2009, Tuscany, Italy BWW2017 The Best Red Wine of the World: Harlan Estate 2013, Napa Valley, USA BWW2018 The Best White Wine of the World: Joseph Drouhin Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche 2010, Bourgogne, France BWW2017 The Best White Wine of the World: E. Guigal Ex-Voto Ermitage Blanc 2013, Rhône, France BWW2018 The Best Rosé Wine of the World: Château de la Soujeole Malepère 2017, Languedoc-Roussillon, France BWW2017 The Best Sparkling Wine of the World: Bisol Private Cartizze Valdobbiadene Superiore Non Dosato, Veneto, Italy BWW2018 The Best Sweet Wine of the World: Château d’Yquem 2009, Sauternes, France BWW2017 The Best Sweet Wine of the World: Robert Weil Kiedrich Gräfenberg TBA 2016, Rheingau, Germany BWW2018 The Best Fortified Wine of the World: Niepoort Vintage Port 2015, Douro, Portugal BWW2017 The Best Fortified Wine of the World: Graham’s Vintage Port 2011, Douro, Portugal BWW2018 The Best Wine Critic: Jancis Robinson MW BWW2017 The Best Wine Critic: James Suckling BWW2018 The Best Winery: Niepoort, Douro, Portugal BWW2017 The Best Winery: E. Guigal, Rhône, France BWW2018 The Best Winemaker: Richard Geoffroy & Vincent Chaperon – Dom Pérignon, Champagne, France BWW2017 The Best Winemaker: Matthieu Taunay, Monteverro, Tuscany, Italy THE BEST WINE OF THE WORLD COMPETITION BWW2018 The Best Wine of the World: Masseto 2009, Tuscany, Italy BWW2018 The Best Sparkling Wine of the World: Bründlmayer Brut Rosé NV, Kamptal, Austria FINE PREVIOUS WINNERS 37

BWW2021 The Best Red Wines of the World BEST RED WINE 2021 1. Château Mouton-Rothschild 2018 (Bordeaux, France) This magnificent wine was made from the drought harvest that yielded very small and concentrated grapes with high sugar levels and ripe tannins, thanks to the drought conditions. A superbly harmonious and well-integrated wine that shows moderate level alcohol (13.8%). The final blend has cabernet sauvignon (86%), merlot (12%), and cabernet franc (2%). 38 Dark, deep purple colour. Very intense and concentrated nose reveals extremely refined, rich aromas of ripe wild strawberries, blackcurrants, mocha and bamboo shoots. Full-bodied supple palate with vibrant mouthfeel. Ripe elegant fruitiness balances well with the elegant toasty oakiness and silky tannic structure. Refined, lingering finish reveals the pure seduction, elegance and harmony of the wine. This wine drinks surprisingly well already, but will show its full complexity after 15–20 years’ cellaring. If you wish to drink it now, make sure to decant it 5 hours prior and serve it at 17–18°C. Perfect companion with Venison Tournedos or grilled Wagyu entrecôte. 2. Harlan Estate 2016 (Napa Valley, USA) PLATINUM AWARD This ”First Growth” wine from the Napa Valley is one of the best vintages of Harlan Estate. The blend is 75% cabernet sauvignon, the rest being cabernet franc, merlot and petit verdot, partly from old vines. The harvesting was done by, picking bunch by bunch in the vineyards, followed by berry-by-berry sorting in the winery. The fermentation took place partly in steel and partly in wooden fermenters followed by ageing in French new barriques for 26–27 months. No fining or filtration took place. Deep, ruby red colour. Intense and layered nose shows lovely toastiness, ripe fruitiness and charming aromatics – ripe blackberries, roasted coffee, violets and layers of sweet spices. The full-bodied palate is astonishingly smooth, like velvet. Opulent yet elegant, vivid yet serene. Fabulous silky tannic structure gives great backbone to the muscular body. Long, harmonious finish. This wine is as close perfection as wine can be. Drinking well already, but give it a chance to show its full potential after 5, 10, 15, 20 years ageing. If enjoyed today, decant for 6 hours prior to drinking and serve at 18–19°C, with bacon-wrapped venison tenderloin with blackberry sauce and roasted root vegetables.

THE BEST WINE OF THE WORLD COMPETITION Deep, purple red colour. Impeccably rich nose with great complexity and A charming plethora of aromas – blackberries, cassis, hoisin sauce, dark chocolate, eucalyptus and menthol. Full-bodied, dense and explosive palate with ripe black fruits, spices, vibrant acidity and refined silky tannins. A seductive lingering finish. One of the best Grange ever. Drinking surprisingly well already and if it does not blow your mind now, it will most certainly do so after 5–10 years ageing. If enjoyed now, decant for 5 hours earlier and serve at 17–18°C with BBQ lamb or grilled venison. FINE 3. Penfolds Grange 2016 (South Australia) PLATINUM AWARD 39 4. Promontory 2014 (Napa Valley, USA) PLATINUM AWARD A big Napa Valley Cab based wine from unique metamorphic terroir. Dark, deep purple colour. Intense and vibrant nose with jammy blackberry aromas, Mediterranean herbs and toasty spiciness. Full-bodied and concentrated palate is explosive and shows vivid fruitiness, subtle spiciness and a silky smooth tannic structure. Extremely harmonious wine with long and lingering finish. Energetic and expressive. Drinks well already, but will evolve well for the next 8–10 years. If enjoyed now, decant for 4 hours and serve at 17-18°C. A perfect wine for roasted wild boar or elk Tournedos. 5. Blankiet Rive Droite 2016 (Napa Valley, USA) PLATINUM AWARD This merlot based wine has a gentle touch of cabernet sauvignon (4.5%) adding vibrancy. Moderately dark, ruby red colour. Intense, refined nose with vivid spicy aromas, dark berries, chocolate and toastiness. Full-bodied, vibrant acidity and velvety tannins. Energetic mouthfeel shows vivid red fruitiness and lovely dark chocolatey notes derived from 19 months ageing in new oak. The finish is lingering, spicy and long with a touch of dark cacao in the end. Drinking perfectly already, but will get much better if cellared for at least 5–7 years. If enjoyed now, decant for 4 hours and serve at 17–18°C. Perfect match with grilled beef, roasted duck or hard cheeses.

BWW2021 The Best Red Wines of the World 6. Château Lafleur 2015 (Bordeaux, France) PLATINUM AWARD The classic Lafleur from a great vintage is a blend of 54% cabernet franc and 46% merlot. Dark, ruby red colour. Very intense, earthy and vegetal nose, with blackcurrants and pine. Full-bodied, solid palate shows vibrant acidity, supple tannins and dense black fruit character. Very concentrated and well-knitted. Spicy and herbaceous flavours, black pepper and hints of pine resin in the drying finish. A promising wine that will benefit from 10–15 years cellaring. For now, it reveals only half of its charming soul. So, lock it in the cellar until 2030–2035. 40 7. Bond St. Eden 2015 (Napa Valley, USA) GOLD AWARD The finest Bond wine from the 11-acre iron-rich red rocky knoll vineyard on the eastern side of Oakville. Dark and intense purple colour. Refined intense and charming nose with lovely vanilla and jammy strawberry and cassis aromas. The full-bodied palate is very vibrant and intense with deliciously dense jammy dark fruits and balancing spicy toastiness. The tannins are super refined and smooth. The palate is in great balance and well-integrated. Long and lingering finish. What a charmer! Great to drink already but will keep well over a decade or two! If served now, decant for 4 hours and serve at 17–18°C with grilled venison and black truffle risotto. 8. Masseto 2015 (Tuscany, Italy) GOLD AWARD This 100% merlot wine is a classic Masseto with lovely intensity. The colour is dense and ruby red to purple. The rich nose shows the plethora of classic Bolgheri terroir characteristics from ripe blackcurrants and brambles to black olives, Mediterranean dried herbs, spicy cocoa and dark chocolate aromas. The full-bodied palate is settled and smooth with vibrant acidity, velvety tannins and ripe cassis fruit. The long-lasting finish shows lovely toastiness and dark chocolate flavours. The wine is opulent and energetic. It charms already, even at this young age, but will have a long life ahead. This wine will peak in next 5–10 years but will continue to evolve long after that. If served now, decant for 5 hours and serve at 18–19°C. The wine compliments perfectly medium-rare venison fillet with blackberry sauce.

The ruby red colour is dense. The nose shows great complexity with ripe red and black fruits, spices, menthol and charming floral notes. The full-bodied palate is extremely settled and smooth with velvety tannins, exuberant ripe fruitiness and vibrancy given by acidity and minerality. Harmonious and lingering finish. The wine is very expressive, but is nowhere near showing its full potential yet. To experience that, we need to wait for 15–20 years, but even without that ageing, the wine delivers an appealing opulence already. So, if enjoyed today, make sure to decant for 6–8 hours and serve at 18–19°C. A great companion to roasted rack of lamb with cassis sauce and Dauphinoise potatos. 10. Vega-Sicilia Unico 2008 (Ribera del Duero, Spain) GOLD AWARD This tinto fino (tempranillo) based wine with 3% cabernet sauvignon, was made from 35-year-old vines on average. Dark, ruby red colour. Refined complex nose with intense aromatics – orange peels, leather, star anise. Full-bodied, vivid palate with dense fruitiness, refined oakiness and intense minerality. Lingering and long spicy finish. A vibrant wine with good density. Will improve if cellared for the next 5-8 years. If enjoyed now, decant for 3 hours and serve at 17-18°C with roasted lamb saddle and garlic potatoes or with grilled T-bone steak with fries and aioli. THE BEST WINE OF THE WORLD COMPETITION This superb Cheval Blanc from the great vintage of 2009 charms with its smooth, intense and opulent style. The opulence is given by merlot (55.9%) and vibrancy by cabernet franc (42.5%). The small dose of cabernet sauvignon (1.6%) gives a good backbone to the wine. FINE 9. Château Cheval Blanc 2009 (Bordeaux, France) GOLD AWARD 41

BWW2021 The Best White Wines of the World BEST WHITE WINE 2021 1. Penfolds Yattarna Bin 144 Chardonnay 2018 (Australia) Penfolds Yattarna, the greatest white wine produced in Southern Hemisphere, and one of the greatest in the whole world, was finally crowned as the Best White Wine of World, thanks to its 2018 vintage. 42 Yattarna, which made its debut with the 1995 vintage, was an initiative of John Duval, the chief winemaker of Penfolds at the time. He wanted to create a premium white wine to sit next to Penfolds iconic red, Grange. The ”White Grange” project started in 1992. Duval and his winemaking team made trials with various white varieties from semillon to riesling and chardonnay from multiple regions. Finally, the cool climate chardonnay from Adelaide Hills and fruit from McLaren Vale showed the best results and after 144 trials the first Yattarna was born. The wine was named with the Aboriginal word ’Yattarna’, meaning ’little by little’, due to the gradual increments in the process. Since its creation, the Penfolds winemaking team has continued to improve and finetune the quality of Yattarna. The fruit for the wine is now sourced from cooler climates from Tasmania and New South Wales’s Snowy Mountains (Tumbarumba), as well as from the Adelaide Hills. The wine is fermented with wild yeasts followed by battonage, but is now aged for a shorter period of time than it originally enjoyed. The inaugural vintage of Yattarna was matured for 18 months in 100% new oak, whereas the 2018 saw only 60% new oak for 8 months. In 2004, Penfolds changed the closure for Yattarna from cork to screwcap. Thanks to these actions, Yattarna shows freshness, vibrance and complexity today that challenges the Montrachets. The 2018 yielded excellent quality grapes for Yattarna. Like Grange, Yattarna is a multiregional blend. All three regions enjoyed a relatively wet winter and spring, setting the vines up with healthy soil moisture profiles for the ensuing growing season. Tasmania experienced clear and generally warm conditions from January onwards, with no extreme heat spells leading into harvest. The temperature only breached 35°C once in January, resulting in optimal conditions for ripening. Tumbarumba had plentiful rainfall right up to December, when a dry spell set in. In February, temperatures were generally cool allowing for slow, consistent ripening. The Adelaide Hills fruit-set was slightly above average. The region experienced a warm finish to the growing season, however well-developed canopies shielded the fruit from adversity and ensured the berries ripened evenly. Harvest was an orderly affair across the three regions, with chardonnay exhibiting outstanding varietal characteristics with bracing natural acidity. The wine has a relatively high acidity of 7.3 g/l (pH 3.12). It is, however, well balanced with the ripe refined fruitiness and well-integrated alcohol (13%). The gentle spicy oakiness gives a harmonious backbone to the wine with seductive spearmint and tropical fruit flavours. Absolutely delicious wine that will age beautifully for the next 10-15 years. If enjoyed now, decant for 2 hours and serve at 10-12°C with fine fish and seafood dishes. A great match also with gently spicy Asian food such as coconut curry shrimps or chicken.

3. M. Chapoutier Ermitage de L’Oreé 2015 (Rhône, France) PLATINUM AWARD This single vineyard 100% marsanne wine is made exclusively from vines over 60 years old that have been biodynamically farmed. Besides the old vines, the great vintage guaranteed extremely concentrated grapes of quality. The grapes were pressed and cold-settled for 24 hours. Half of the wine was vinified in large wooden vats (600L) with regular stirring of the lees (bâtonnage), followed by six months maturation after the fermentation, again with bâtonnage. As a result, this wine is showing complex aromas of ripe apricots and peaches, with some buttery, spicy, lemon custard and toasty notes. The palate has a full-bodied mouthfeel, rich in texture with a vibrant, mineral finish and lingering floral, toasty and spicy tropical fruit flavours. The wine can be cellared for 10–15 years but drinks well already. Decant for 2 hours and serve at 12–14°C with white meat dishes and rich spicy food such as Chicken Tikka. 4. Robert Weil Kiedrich Gräfenberg Riesling Trocken GG 2018 (Rheingau, Germany) PLATINUM AWARD Light, green yellow colour. Refined, complex nose with lemon and mineral – wet hot stones – aromas. Dry, vivid and broad palate, with great concentration and an elegant, long and lingering finish shows charming mineral vibrancy. This aristocratic riesling wine from one of Germany’s greatest grand cru sites, Gräfenberg, charms with its purity and concentration. The wine will benefit from at least 3–5 years further cellaring. If served now, decant for 2 hours and serve at 9–11°C with smoked seafood and grilled fish. THE BEST WINE OF THE WORLD COMPETITION This wine is a sauvignon blanc dominated blend with 5% sauvignon gris. Five percent of sauvignon blanc was matured in 50% new oak barriques. Light, green yellow colour. Very refined, complex nose with lovely toastiness, some herbs and nettles. Dry, elegant palate with refined acidity and elegant oakiness. Delicate toasty flavours add a nice complexity to the palate, which shows lemony fruitiness and herbaceous tones. Long and lingering finish. A very sophisticated wine that with toasty elegance. The wine will evolve in the cellar and should peak between 2028–2035. If enjoyed now, decant for an hour and serve at 11–13°C, with sauteed white fish with beurre blanc sauce. FINE 2. Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 2015 (Bordeaux, France) PLATINUM AWARD 43

BWW2021 The Best White Wines of the World 5.Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne 2014 (Burgundy, France) PLATINUM AWARD Bright, golden yellow colour with green tints. The complex nose shows multiple layers from smoky flinty tones to ripe yellow fruits, baked apples, melted butter, hints of honey and baking spices. Very refined and intense palate is full-bodied and polished. Very pronounced mineral mouthfeel with spicy buttery flavours. Lingering lemony bite in the long complete finish. Extremely elegant and sophisticated white wine shows great concentration. The wine will age beautifully in the cellar for another 10–15 years. If served now, decant for two hours and serve at 12–14°C with classic fish and seafood dishes, such as Lobster Thermidor or Sole Meunière. 44 6. Domaine de Chevalier Blanc 2015 (Bordeaux, France) GOLD AWARD The wine is a blend of sauvignon blanc (75%) and sémillon (25%), partly barrel-fermented (35%) and aged 18 months on lees. Bright, green yellow colour. Multilayered nose shows seductive fresh ripe fruit notes of pineapple, honeydew melon and lime with gentle toastiness and spiciness. The medium-bodied palate is dry and crisp with some tropical fruit and lime notes. Thanks to barrel-fermentation and lees ageing, the palate is broad and intense. The finish is long and lingering with mineral flinty flavours. Drinks well already, but will evolve nicely for the next 5–10 years. If opened now, decant for 2 hours and serve at 11–13°C, with gratinated oysters or grilled scampi. 7. Weingut Knoll Loibner Grüner Veltliner Vinothekfüllung Smaragd 2017 (Wachau, Austria) GOLD AWARD Emmerich Knoll makes his Vinothekfüllung wines by selecting the best grapes from three top vineyard sites – Kreutles, Loibenberg and Kellerberg. The wine is ‘smaragd’ level, which means that the grapes used for the wine were extremely ripe and concentrated. In 2017, they reached a record ripeness due to the drought that had not been seen in Wachau for 50 years. The appearance of the wine is intense yellow with high viscosity. The nose is mesmerizing with fresh, perfumey, intense and pristine aromas of flowers, honey and spices. The full-bodied palate is medium-dry, broad and dense. Gentle acidity, spiciness and minerality form a great structure on palate enriched by the ripe tropical fruit and honeyed flavours. Thanks to its concentration, the wine will evolve for the next 30 years, but is perfectly enjoyable already. Decant for one hour and serve at 11–13°C with spicy Asian food, grilled veal, spicy tuna salad with ginger and papaya.

9. Louis Jadot Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2008 (Burgundy, France) GOLD AWARD This big evolved white wine that howls for food. Moderately intense, golden yellow colour. Evolved and pronounced buttery nose with patisserie, apricots and some mineral wet stone tones. Dry and broad palate with rich and vivid mouthfeel that shows ripe fruitiness and charming toastiness. Vibrant minerality adds layers in the texture. Long and lingering mineral aftertaste. Ready to drink. Decant for an hour and enjoy at 12–14°C with Roasted Guinea Fowl or Sole Meunière with capers. 10. Monteverro Chardonnay 2016 (Tuscany, Italy) GOLD AWARD Monteverro is a winery to watch, not only for its red wines but also for this solid classic Burgundy style chardonnay made with long lees contact and partial new French oak fermentation. This harmonious wine shows lovely complex toasty white truffles on the nose with lemon and white fruit aromas. Dry, solid medium-bodied palate with good acidic structure and balanced toasty oaky tones. Long, mineral finish with citrus flavours. The wine will evolve for next 4–6 years but drinks perfectly now. Decant for 2 hours and serve at 10–12°C with grilled swordfish or smoked salmon and lemon risotto. THE BEST WINE OF THE WORLD COMPETITION Bright, lemon yellow colour. The nose is complex, very refined, dense and vibrant with classic lemony, fresh white fruit and toasty mineral notes. Dry and elegant palate, with great concentration. The palate shows zesty acidity, solid structure with harmonious spicy oakiness and firm minerality. The finish is lingering and shows the seductive touch of baking spices. The wine will benefit from 5–10 years further cellaring, but if opened now, decant for three hours and serve at 12–14°C with fine seafood or fish dishes. FINE 8. Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet 2015 (Burgundy, France) GOLD AWARD 45

BWW2021 The Best Rosé Wines of the World BEST ROSE WINE 2021 1. Ixsir Grande Réserve Rosé 2018 (Mount Bekaa, Lebanon) This refined and delicate rosé wine, a blend of 30% mourvèdre, 30% cinsault and 40% syrah, stood out in the BWW finals with its charmingly nuanced and vibrant style. The style is reminiscent of the finest Provence rosés, but with a more nuanced structure from the vibrant acidity that gives wine a lovely vividness and lingering finish. 46 The wine comes from an arid and warm winegrowing region in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. Instead of the valley floor cultivation, the vineyards are located on Mount Bekaa slopes, at one of the highest grapegrowing altitudes in the world, 1,800 metres above sea level. The producer is IXSIR winery, which was established in 2007 by three Lebanese friends, Etienne Debbane, Hady Kahale and Gabriel Rivero. The winemaker, Gabriel Rivero, had worked for ten years as a winemaker at Sociando-Mallet in Bordeaux before returning to Lebanon as a technical director of highly esteemed Château Kefraya winery. To help this flying start, the trio welcomed Château L’Angelus owner Hubert de Boüard from Bordeaux as a consultant for Ixsir. The vineyards enjoy an exceptionally good microclimate, thanks to the Mediterranean humidity from the west and the heat that comes from the east. The vineyards are cultivated according to sustainable viticulture practices and the 400-year-old stone building that was restored and rebuilt as a state-of-the-art winery, operates with ecological practices and low energy consumption by using gravitation techniques during winemaking. 2. Gérard Bertrand Château La Villa Sauvageonne 2019 (Languedoc, France) GOLD AWARD This rosé has a fabulous structure, imbued by biodynamically produced grenache, vermentino and viognier, barrel fermentation and by 6 months maturation in new French oak. As a result the wine offers complex aromas of fresh red fruits, peach and lilac, combined with lovely toasty and smoky nuances. The dry and vivid palate is broad and elegant. Intensive and voluminous mouthfeel, with great harmony. The lingering finish shows vibrant minerality combined with fresh fruitiness and spicy toastiness. This is a complex rosé, for some, an acquired taste. At its best from now to 2024. Serve at 10–12°C with roasted chicken, grilled tuna or smoked salmon.

4. Château d’Esclans Whispering Angel Rosé (Provence, France) GOLD AWARD A delicate rosé made from a blend of grenache, cinsault, rolle (vermentino), syrah and tibouren grapes. The nose has fragrant, floral and charmingly fresh red berry aromas. The palate is dry and vivid with vibrant mineral character. The finish is pure and lingering with red fruit and orange blossom flavours. A perfect rosé for immediate consumption. Serve chilled at 8-10°C with tuna carpaccio, grilled scallops or fried scampies. 5. Squealing Pig Pinot Noir Rosé 2020 (Marlborough, New Zealand) GOLD AWARD Light, salmon rosé colour. Lovely fresh, vivid and intense red fruit nose. The palate is dry and fruity with fresh red fruit flavours and vibrant acidity. Moderately intense and lingering finish. Very harmonious and straight-forward rosé offering joy and happiness. Drink now. Serve chilled with cold cuts, fresh seafood or crayfish pasta with lime and coriander. 6. Antinori Scalabrone Bolgheri Rosato 2018 (Tuscany, Italy) GOLD AWARD Scalabrone is an iconic Italian rosé, made by the Antinori family at their Guado al Tasso estate in Bolgheri. This intense and firm fresh rosé is made from cabernet sauvignon, merlot and touch of syrah varieties. Thanks to these intense grapes the wine has a moderately deep, intense rosé colour. The nose shows a mix of black and red fruit aromas combined with spicy floral notes. The dry and fresh palate is highlighted by crisp acidity and fresh blackcurrant and raspberry notes. Vivid acidity, refined tannins and concentrated fruitiness give the wine its solid structure. The finish is lingering with fresh raspberry flavours. Drink now at 10–12°C with chicken ragout, grilled sweetbreads or pulled pork. THE BEST WINE OF THE WORLD COMPETITION A solid rosé wine from Provence, this is a blend of grenache, cinsault, rolle (vermentino) and syrah. Light, salmon rosé colour. Refined and elegant nose shows lingonberries, raspberries and white flowers. The dry and delicate palate is pure and fresh with fragrant red fruit flavours and some spicy flowery nuances. Pure and elegant wine with a lingering finish. Drink now. Serve at 9–11°C. Perfect match with grilled scampi or Salade Niçoise. FINE 3. Miraval Rosé 2019 (Provence, France) GOLD AWARD 47

BWW2021 The Best Rosé Wines of the World 7. Niepoort Redoma Rosé 2016 (Douro, Portugal) GOLD AWARD This flavourful rosé wine is made predominantly from the tinta amarela and touriga franca varieties, from 50–80 years old vines. The colour is a moderately intense rosé. The nose is pronounced, smoky and spicy with red fruit notes – cranberries, lingonberries and red currants. The dry and firm palate shows vivid acidity and fresh red fruit flavours. The finish is lingering, floral and spicy with mineral tones. Drink now at 9–11°C and serve with grilled seafood, Caesar Salad, or veal escalope such as Saltimbocca alla Romana. 8. That's Neiss Pink Riesling 2019 (Pfalz, Germany) GOLD AWARD 48 This unique wine comes from Pfalz, Germany, and was created in autumn 2019 in collaboration with wine producer Axel Neiss, thanks to the initiative of Finnish wine importer Tuomas Meriluoto MW. The wine is a riesling with a 2.99% addition of pinot noir, as a red wine. The light pink-coloured wine has pronounced riesling aromatics from floral aromas to fresh lemon, peaches and apples. The off-dry palate with 9 g/l residual sugar is balanced by the crisp acidity. The medium-bodied palate is fresh and vivid with fruitdriven aromatics. Lingering long and lemony finish. Drink now. Serve at 9–11°C. Great companion to various spicy, sweet and sour dishes or scampi pasta with lime and ginger. 9. Hampton Water Rosé 2019 (Languedoc, France) GOLD AWARD This blend, of grenache, cinsault and mourvèdre from Languedoc, is made by Gérard Bertrand in collaboration with Jon Bon Jovi and his son Jesse. The wine has a beautiful light, salmon rosé colour. The fresh and fruity nose shows ripe red currants and lingonberries. The palate is dry and fresh with good fruit intensity and floral tones. The moderately long finish has A fine touch of chalky minerality. Drinks well now at 9–11°C. Serves well with clam risotto, spicy tuna salad, and various pintxos. 10.Wolf Blass Makers’ Project Pink Pinot Grigio 2019 (South Australia, Australia) GOLD AWARD A sexy rose wine from the Wolf Blass winery. The wine is made by fermenting free run juice and enhancing the natural pink colour of the pinot grigio skins. The colour is light salmon rosé. The fresh and fruity nose has lovely floral, wood sorrel and tropical fruit aromas. The dry and crisp palate is lean and pure with fresh white and yellow fruit flavours. A well-made easy-drinking rosé wine for instant consumption. Serve chilled to 9–11°C with seafood, cold-smoked salmon and snacks.

BWW2021 The Best Champagnes of the World BEST CHAMPAGNE 2021 1. Rare Champagne 2008 (Champagne, France) 50 Rare Champagne established itself as among the elite of the world’s finest champagnes in 2011, when its 2002 vintage was ranked as the best champagne of the year by FINE Champagne Magazine in its ‘100 Best Champagnes’ listing. Rare is not a newcomer in the world of champagnes. It has been produced twelve times since its debut with the 1976 vintage, but the true turning point for the brand was the 2002. Esteemed cellar master, Régis Camus, who had supervised both Piper-Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck for years, decided in 2002 to focus exclusively on Piper-Heidsieck and its prestige cuvée, Rare. When Régis Camus retired from Piper-Heidsieck in 2018, he decided to continue, in consensus with Piper-Heidsieck, the Rare concept that he had developed in 2002. Rare was separated from the Piper-Heidsieck brand, and Camus has continued as the cellar master of the refurbished concept and brand, ‘Rare Champagne’ ever since. “I am very proud that Rare Millésime 2008 is awarded as the Best Champagne of the World. It is a great recognition for this vintage that is the 12th of the Rare Champagne library. We took our time in crafting the 2008 vintage. The cold year bestowed an intense, taut minerality upon the chardonnay grapes, along with remarkable freshness and unparalleled longevity. It was necessary to wait for the right moment for the release, when it burst into bloom. For me, Rare Millésime 2008 embodies the infinite, with its unlimited, rich, constantly present youth and freshness. These sensations intertwine on the palate in a constant cycle of flavours, each more precise and harmonious than the one before. While already a pleasure to drink, this vintage has now acquired an exceptional complexity and mineral character, punctuated with exotic spices notes that promise infinite longevity. Rare Millésime 2008 is true to the Rare Champagne signature. Its spring-like purity heralds unlimited growth,” is how Régis Camus summed up this vintage of rare. The Rare 2008 has a light, green yellow colour. The nose is absolutely delicious and seductive with lovely toastiness, minty asparagus tones and hints of ginger. The dry and crisp palate shows great finesse and concentration. The creamy mousse on the palate is combined with lingering minerality that creates a broad mouthfeel, highlighted by the refreshingly minty and lemony notes. A Longlasting sophisticated finish. This champagne will peak in 5–10 years, but will evolve in the cellar for well over a decade – even two. If served now, enjoy it from the proper glass – either Riedel Veritas Champagne or Lehmann Grand Champagne. To enhance the expressiveness of the champagne, decant for 20 minutes. Serve at 10–12°C (50–54°F). Great match with Lobster Thermidor or grilled swordfish with lemon-basil butter.

The benchmark blanc de blancs champagne that is made from five Côte des Blancs grand cru villages’ chardonnays. Five percent of the wine is vinified in new oak barrels to add structure and complexity. Light, green colour. Pronounced, intense and refined nose shows lovely white floral notes, rich toastiness, some roasted coffee, and fresh spearmint notes. The dry and delicate palate is super smooth and vivid with a dense creamy texture. Fresh, lemon and ginger flavours add a lovely vibrancy to the lingering toasty finish. an elegant champagne with great precision. Drink now, or keep for another 20 years. If enjoyed now, chill it to 8–10°C and serve with fine seafood and fish dishes. One of the best Comtes de Champagnes ever. 3. Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle No. 24 NV (Champagne, France) PLATINUM AWARD This is the 24th cuvée of Grand Siècle since 1959. The grape blend is made exclusively from Grand Cru site chardonnay (55%) and pinot noir (45%). The blend is made from 2007 (60%), 2006 (20%) and 2004 (20%) vintages. The bottles have aged 12 years on the lees. The dosage is 7 g/L. Light, green colour. Pronounced, dense nose with great complexity – toastiness, brioche, and spearmint. Dry, intense and solid palate. Great concentration of fruitiness, minerality, acidity and toastiness. The dense and focused finish is charming, although still a bit reserved. Will be at its peak in 2030s. If enjoyed now, decant for 30 minutes and serve at 9–11°C. Perfect match with grilled lobster, smoked salmon and gratinated mussels. THE BEST WINE OF THE WORLD COMPETITION FINE 2. Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 2008 (Champagne, France) PLATINUM AWARD 51

BWW2021 The Best Champagnes of the World 4. Dom Pérignon 2010 (Champagne, France) PLATINUM AWARD 52 Once again Dom Pérignon team succeeded to make a glorious cuvée from the challenging vintage. The quality of the harvest was immensely good with great concentration. Sugar levels were just behind the levels of 2002 and 2003, and acidity close to 2008 vintage. The heavy rainfall in August raised concerns about botrytis, but after micro-mapping all 800 individual vineyard plots, cellar master Vincent Chaperon came up with a decision of cutting 20% of later ripening pinot noir harvest to avoid risk of botrytised grapes. The final blend was 54% chardonnay and 46% pinot noir. The dosage is 5 g/L. Light, green yellow colour. Fresh and pronounced nose shows loads of layers – ginger, lemon, spearmint and toastiness. The palate is dry and firm with great intensity and a smooth mousse. Round and subtle texture. Long-lasting concentrated finish. This wine will benefit from 10–15 years of ageing. If enjoyed today, decant for 45 minutes and serve chilled at 9–11°C with Lobster Thermidor or blinis with caviar. 5. Maison Mumm Cuvée Lalou 2006 (Champagne, France) PLATINUM AWARD This cuvée is made from pinot noir and chardonnay grapes from the 12 best parcels of Maison Mumm from seven different Grand Cru vineyards. Light green yellow colour. Rich, complex and a very refined toasty nose. Broad, silky smooth palate shows lovely complexity – toastiness, white fruits, and brioche. The long and harmonious finish lingers. Will age well in the cellar for another 8–10 years. If enjoyed now, serve at 7-9°C with smoked white fish and Nantua sauce. 6. Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 2007 (Champagne, France) PLATINUM AWARD A champagne is made exclusively from chardonnay from Grand Cru sites and aged on lees for 10 years. The dosage is 5 grams per litre. Light green yellow colour. Pronounced and charmingly seductive toasty nose with mocha and spearmint aromas. The dry and crisp palate has AN elegant, silky texture with great concentration and A refined creamy mousse. Delicately soft chardonnay-structure. Extremely polished and lingering finish with spearmint flavours. Still a young wine which will not reach its peak until much later – 2025–2030. If served now, decant for 15 minutes and serve at 9–11°C with grilled Turbot with butter sauce. A Montrachet of champagnes!

A golden colour with refined small bubbles. The nose delivers wonderful flavours of complexity and maturity showing preserved citrus fruits, fresh apples and pears, ripe apricots and charming toastiness with coffee and hazelnuts. The palate is dry, rich and layered. The seven grams per liter dosage enhances the soft textural sensation with gentle bubbles and lovely toasty nuances. The evolved nutty finish is balanced with energetic fresh fruitiness. Serve at 8–10°C with grilled Guinea Fowl and wild mushrooms. 8. Louis Roederer Cristal 2012 (Champagne, France) PLATINUM AWARD This is the first Cristal that is produced exclusively from biodynamically grown pinot noir (60%) and chardonnay (40%) grapes. The dosage is 7.5 g/L. Bright, yellow colour. The fresh nose reveals lovely gentle toastiness, hints of ripe apricots and refined smoky mineral tones. On the palate, the champagne shows its precision and intensity. Extremely refined bubbles form a lovely mousse in the mouth. Subtle fresh fruity – peach flavours – escort the lingering long silky and round aftertaste, resulting in great harmony. Amazingly enjoyable already, but will reach its peak in 6–8 years from now and will last for decades. Decant for 15 minutes and serve it 10–12°C with grilled lobster and turbot. THE BEST WINE OF THE WORLD COMPETITION The masterpiece champagne from Moët & Chandon is a blend of seven different vintages from three different evolutionary stages of champagne. One part of the blend (40%) is from 2003 pinot noir and chardonnay still wines from stainless steel tanks. One part of the blend (40%) is made from reserve wines from the Grand Vintages still wines from 1998, 2000 and 2002. The remaining part of the blend (20%) is from 1993, 1998 and 1999 Grand Vintage champagnes that had gone through the second fermentation in the bottle, but had not been disgorged yet. The three parts were blended and bottled for second fermentation in 2004 as the debut cuvée of MCIII (001) and cellared for ten years before being released in 2014. The name MCIII 001.14 is a combination of Moët & Chandon’s abbreviation MC, while the III reflects the parts of the blend and .14 the year when the cuvée was launched. FINE 7. Moët & Chandon MCIII 001.14 NV (Champagne, France) PLATINUM AWARD 53

54 9. Rare Champagne Rosé Millésime 2008 (Champagne, France) PLATINUM AWARD This second vintage of Rare Rosé shows more of everything than did the debut vintage of 2007. It also offers great promise for the future of this exclusive cuvée. Refined salmon rosé colour. The complex nose delivers layers of aromas from red fruits to floral notes, brioche and seductive toastiness. Dry and dense palate has A mouth-pampering mousse, vivid acidity and supple structure. The finish is lingering and elegant with fine nuances of red fruits. Will evolve in the cellar until 2025–2030. Serve at 8–10°C with tuna pastrami or grilled scallops with crusted bacon. 10. Armand de Brignac Blanc de Blancs NV (Champagne, France) PLATINUM AWARD This rare cuvée of Armand de Brignac range is produced less than 10,000 bottles annually. The style is very delicate and seductively floral. The nose offers fresh apples, hints of ginger and white flower aromas. The dry and crisp palate has a smooth creamy mousse and fragrant flavours of fresh fruits, with some brioche notes. Very delicate and gentle finish. Drink now at 6-8°C with fried scallops or crayfish cocktail.

BWW2021 The finest Champagne from Côte des Blancs A TRUE MASTERPIECE “A great Champagne designed for true wine lovers” Falstaff 100pts “A truly lovely wine that will keep on growing” Decanter 96pts www.duval-leroy.com “This a complex and bold Champagne, suplle, silky and stunning” #duvalleroy IWC 96pts

BWW2021 The Best Sparkling Wines of the World BEST SPARKLING WINE 2021 1. Fontanafredda Contessa Rosa Alta Langa Rosé Brut 2014 (Piedmont, Italy) 56 This fabulous sparkling wine gained its award as the Best Sparkling Wine of the World 2021 for the charming finesse, pristine quality, harmony and complexity that impressed the BWW Competition jury. This unique traditional method sparkling wine is a benchmark under Piedmont’s Alta Langa DOCG. Fontanafredda, a highly esteemed Barolo pioneer, has been one of the forerunners in Piedmontese quality sparkling wines. In 1990, Fontanafredda and six other Piedmontese producers came up with the idea of producing high quality sparkling wines under strict restrictions, based on the method of champagne production. The group created a concept, known later in the 1990s as Alta Langa. In 2002, Alta Langa received its own DOC classification, elevated to DOCG in 2011. This wine was made from Langhe region chardonnay and pinot noir grapes that were cultivated at an altitude of 450-600 metres, from the white clay soil vineyards with some layers of sand and calcareous marl. After hand harvesting the grapes in September 2014, they were crushed as whole bunches. Part of the pinot noir was left on skins for 12–24 hours at 10°C to extract rose colour into the juice (saignée method). Afterwards, the must was gently pressed and fermented in stainless steel tanks at low temperatures, 18–20°C. The wine rested in tanks on lees until the spring of 2015, before it was bottled for second fermentation and stored in the cellar for 4 years. What makes this wine very special is its finishing. After the disgorgement, the wines were topped with expedition liqueur made from wine from the excellent 1967 vintage in Barolo. The wine is named after Rosa Vercellana, the lover of the first King of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, who had acquired the Fontanafredda property in 1858, but gave it to Countess Rosa after marrying her in 1877. Fontanafredda produced their first sparkling wine in 1959 and named it after the Countess, the Contessa Rosa Spumante Gran Riserva. The colour of the wine is softly pink with onion-skin tints. An intense, refined and seductive nose shows charming fragrancy and aromas of orange blossom, peaches, wild strawberries, brioche, some ginger and gentle toastiness. The dry, medium-bodied palate is concentrated. The mouthfeel is elegantly rounded with creamy mousse, supple texture and vivid acidity. The long and intense after­ taste shows finesse and harmony with lingering mineral length. A very sophisticated sparkling wine which drinks perfectly now. Serve at 7–9°C with tuna pastrami, antipasti, white truffle risotto or with local speciality, Agnolotti del Plin.

3. Vardon Kennett Cuvée Esplendor 2014 (Penedès, Spain) GOLD AWARD Light, pale yellow colour with fine bubbles. Pronounced, fresh and pure nose – peach and apple aromas enhanced with supple toasty tones. Very dry palate with a vivid and refined structure. Lovely mousse with toasty pastry flavours. Lingering, lemony finish. Drink now. Serve chilled at 6–8°C as an aperitif or with white fish croquets. Elegant, traditional method sparkling wine made from pinot noir (55%), chardonnay (40%) and xarel-lo (5%) with 17% barrel fermentation and 38 months ageing on lees. 4. Seppelt Original Sparkling Shiraz NV (Victoria / Great Western, Australia) GOLD AWARD Deep, purple colour and foamy bubbles. Dense, perfumey blueberry and raspberry nose with spices and hints of eucalyptus. Rich, full-bodied palate with silky ripe tannins and a mix of red and black fruit compote. Harmonious, long, gently spicy with a fruity finish. Vinified on skins, followed by maturation in 70% stainless steel and 30% seasoned French oak for 12 months prior to secondary fermentation. Drink now at 10–12°C with fried Skrei and chickpea and chorizo. 5. Bründlmayer Brut Reserve NV (Kamptal, Austria) GOLD AWARD Bright, green yellow colour. Vivid and elegant nose with ripe lemon, whitecurrants, golden apple and gentle toastiness. The dry and crisp palate has an intense and fresh fruity structure and good concentration with a lingering mineral finish. A refined traditional method made sparkling wine made from a blend of pinot noir, chardonnay, pinot gris, pinot blanc and grüner veltliner, which were aged for a short time in large Austrian oak barrels with 10% of the lees before resting on lees in the bottle for 18 months. Serve at 6–8°C with fresh seafood or as an aperitif. THE BEST WINE OF THE WORLD COMPETITION A great, traditional method sparkling wine made from organically and biodynamically grown old vine xarel-lo exclusively. Great concentration and complexity is shown on both nose and palate. The wine has pronounced brioche flavours with oxidative notes generated from the long barrel ageing with lees contact (70 months). The acidic backbone, revealed in the lingering finish, shows xarel-lo at its best. Serve chilled, 7–9°C, with smoked whitefish with morel sauce. FINE 2. Raventos I Blanc Manuel Raventós Negra 2012 (Penedès, Spain) GOLD AWARD 57

6. Bisol1542 Cartizze Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore (Veneto, Italy) GOLD AWARD Bright, green colour with fine bubbles. Fresh, intense and perfumey nose with white flowers, peach and pears. The off-dry, light-bodied palate is vivid and crisp with A silky mousse and intense fruitiness. Moderately long, floral finish. There is a great balance between the residual sugar (25 g/l) and acidity (5.6 g/l), making this wine an excellent companion for various dishes, from spicy Asian seafood and vegan dishes to chevre salads with balsamico or asparagus with chili-hollandaise. Serve well chilled at 6–8°C. 7. Seppelt Show Sparkling Limited Release Shiraz 2008 (Victoria / Great Western, Australia) GOLD AWARD 58 Deep, purple colour with foamy bubbles. Intense nose delivers blackberry compote, clove, and eucalyptus aromas. Dry, full-bodied palate with foamy mousse, vivid acidity and supple tannins. Long, harmonious finish. Seppelt’s flagship sparkling shiraz is made only in exceptional years by traditIonal methods, with 14 months large French oak vat maturation and 8 years ageing in bottle on lees. Perfect match with grilled duck breast and cherry sauce. Serve at 10–12°C. 9. Gérard Bertrand Ballerine Brut Étoile Rosé NV (Limoux, France) GOLD AWARD Light salmon rosé colour with small bubbles. Open, intense, youthful, and generous nose with ripe strawberries, peaches, and brioche. The dry, medium-bodied palate has a silky mousse and round intense texture. Harmonious and round finish with buttery toastiness, smokiness and orange blossom flavours. Enjoy chilled at 6–8°C and serve with fried calamaris or Salade Niçoise. This chardonnay-pinot noir blended sparkling wine is made in the traditional method and aged on lees for three years before disgorgement. 8. Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir Chardonnay 2015 (Victoria / Yarra Valley, Australia) GOLD AWARD Light yellow colour. Fresh and complex, it shows a lovely toastiness, ripe white fruits, apples and brioche. Dry, crisp and with a medium-bodied palate, this has a zesty lemony bite with citrus blossom. Gentle toasty flavours merge with the lingering chalky mineral finish. Serve chilled at 6–8°C as an aperitif or with fresh oysters or grilled tiger prawns. The wine is a traditional method sparkling wine made from a blend of chardonnay (58.3%) and pinot noir (41.7%) and aged for 4 years on lees, prior to disgorging. The high acidity level (7.7 g/l) is balanced with ripe fruit flavours and residual sugar of 6.5 g/l. 10. Schloss Gobelsburg Brut NV (Kamptal, Austria) GOLD AWARD Bright, green yellow colour. Intense nose shows fresh apples, brioche and buttery tones. The palate is light-bodied, very dry and intense. Gentle buttery toastiness and fresh stone fruit flavours are found in the lingering mineral finish. This traditionally made sparkling wine comes from a blend of grüner veltliner, riesling and pinot noir, which were rested for 6 months in oak vats before being bottled and cellared for a further 2–3 years on lees. Serve at 6–8°C as an aperitif, but works well with vol-au-vent canapes and fried whitefish with hollandaise.

WHICH GREAT VINTAGE WILL YOU DISCOVER? Blanc de Blancs ’96 | Extra-Brut ’98 | Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature ’02 Clos des Bouveries ’06 | Cumières ’07 | Cuvée « MOF » 1er Cru ’08 Let us celebrate Carol Duval-Leroy’s 30 years of professional excellence by sharing some of the secrets of Champagne’s most influential woman. Dégustation Secrète is a unique opportunity to explore 6 magnificent cuvées picked by Carol. Find out more at DEGUSTATION.DUVAL-LEROY.COM www.duval-leroy.com #duvalleroy

BWW2021 The Best Sweet Wines of the World BEST SWEET WINE 2021 1. Robert Weil Kiedrich Gräfenberg Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese 2018 (Rheingau, Germany) 60 The success of this wine is no surprise to any German riesling and sweet wine connoisseur. The light blue color labelled wines with the Weingut Robert Weil logo have been the proof of premium quality Rheingau rieslings for over a century. However, this wine is the legend in Robert Weil’s portfolio. The Gräfenberg vineyard has been the crown jewel of the company ever since its founder, Doctor Robert Weil, established the company and acquired this unique plot of land in 1875. He fell in love with the beauty of the southwest-facing ridge and the steep cliff above the Kierdich village, with its inclination of up to 60 percent, and also the well-recognized quality of the Gräfenberg. The site had appeared in history books as far back as the 12th century as ’Mons Rhingravii’. In 1258, it was already known as Grevenberg. In 1867, the esteemed author Friedrich Wilhelm Dünkelberg published a study, where he classified the Gräfenberg as one of the few "first class vineyards" in Germany. Weingut Robert Weil and the Gräfenberg Rieslings soon became highly respected. In 1900 the imperial Habsburg court in Vienna ordered 800 bottles of Weil’s Gräfenberg Riesling 1893 at a price of 800 euros a bottle (current value). In 1929, Weil’s Kiedrich Gräfenberg Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese 1920 became known as ”the Zeppelin wine” when it was served on board of the LZ 127 ”Graf Zeppelin” on its circumnavigation of the world. In the 21st century, it has been in the headlines, breaking the world record prices – the 1999 vintage for 2,600 euros and the 2003 for over 5,000 euros. The soil and microclimate at Gräfenberg vineyard is unique. The soil is deep and stony with fragmented phyllite partially mixed with loess and loam. The well-drained soil, with the steep inclination and southwestern exposure, ensures great concentration of sugars and minerals in the grapes. The vines are cultivated with sustainable viticulture. Organic fertilizers are used only if needed and herbicides never. The green cover is planted in alternating rows to optimize the humus content of the soil. The grapes are hand-harvested with extreme selective care. In 2018, the harvesting was accomplished in 17 different picking tranches in the vineyard. The vintage was extremely hot in Rheingau – the second warmest in the history, after 2003. The sugar levels in harvested grapes reached 274 Oechsle. Thanks to drought, the risks of fungus or harmful insect problems were eliminated. The wine has a golden yellow colour. The intense, pure and seductive nose delivers complex aromas of honey, apricot marmalade and crème brûlée with ginger and lemon crust. The lusciously sweet palate is so pristine and vivid. Nectar-like glycerol texture is balanced with an extremely solid acidic backbone. The endlessly lingering finish shows lovely nuances of honey, some toastiness, ginger and lemon. The residual sugars are as high as 339 g/l, but the super high acidity level of 12,6 g/l makes the wine taste extremely vibrant and harmonious. The alcohol level is 7%. This wine will compliment any sweet dessert but especially lusciously sweet and sour lemon tarts. Serve chilled at 7-9°C. The wine is very enjoyable already now and will last in the cellar for a lifetime. 2. Château d’Yquem 2014 (Bordeaux, France) PLATINUM AWARD Bright, golden yellow colour. Intense, pure and concentrated nose with tropical fruits – mango, peach, tangerine, and lovely spicy nuances of vanilla and honey. Lusciously sweet, medium-bodied palate with good acidic structure and charming spicy toasty oakiness. Intense tropical and yellow fruit flavours with a lingering toasty and honeyed finish. The 2014 was a great vintage with plenty of botrytis. The blend is sémillon 75% and sauvignon blanc 25%. The grapes were picked in several rounds during a nine week period. Decant for 3 hours and serve chilled at 8-10°C with Foie Gras or salty cheeses. Drinks well already, but will keep and evolve in the bottle in perfect conditions until well past 2050.

4. Château Climens 2011 (Bordeaux, France) GOLD AWARD Bright, golden yellow colour. Intensely honeyed nose with lemon custard, apricot compote, some tropical fruits and mineral flinty notes. Sweet, intense and concentrated palate with tropical fruit flavours and supple acidity. The lingering, gently spicy finish shows some honey, preserved apricots, orange peel, and saffron flavours. This biodynamically grown, 100% sémillon from Barsac will evolve for next 10–15 years and last for decades. Serve at 9–11°C with Tikka Masala. 5. Vin de Constance 2015 (Cape Town, South Africa) GOLD AWARD Bright, straw yellow colour. Aromatic and floral with tropical fruits, apricots, orange blossoms, and honey. Sweet, persistent palate with balancing acidity and charming floral and spicy tones. Fresh and fragrant finish with a lingering aftertaste. This 100% muscat wine has gained more structure and body from the 50% barrel ageing with lees in new French and Hungarian oak, and French Acacia for 3 years. The alcohol of 13.97% is well integrated into the wine and the residual sugar of 172.7 g/l is in fine balance with the acidity (TA 6.5 g/l). Serve chilled 9–11°C with pannacotta or spicy cheeses such as Munster or Mont d’Or. 6. Kracher Chardonnay TBA Nr. 10 Nouvelle Vague 2006 (Neusiedlersee, Austria) GOLD AWARD Intense, golden yellow colour. Pronounced honeyed pineapple nose with seductive toasty and spicy vanilla aromas with gently burnt sugar notes. Lusciously sweet, oily and concentrated palate, offering great harmony between the residual sugar (293.1 g/l) and acidity (8.1 g/l). Tropical fruit notes of banana and honeydew melon with ripe golden apple flavours and spicy toastiness enhances the lingering long finish. A perfect wine for sweet dessert, chocolates and blue cheeses. Serve chilled at 9–11°C. THE BEST WINE OF THE WORLD COMPETITION Deep golden yellow colour. An intense, rich and multilayered nose reveals lovely toastiness, honey, lychée, mango and apricot marmAlade enhanced with some gentle smoky mineral tones. The sweet and rich palate is focused and has great concentration. The vivid mouthfeel is highlighted by spicy toastiness and a glycerol sensation. The lingering long finish has lovely orange peel and vanilla notes. A harmonious wine with charming balance. The blend is 94% sémillon and only 6% sauvignon blanc. Ageing of 18 months has taken place in new French oak barrels (50%) and in one year old barrels (50%). The 14% alcohol is well-integrated and the balance between residual sugar (138 g/l) and acidity (3.8 g/l) is in great harmony. A great wine to enjoy at 9–11°C with salty cheeses and Panang Curry Chicken. FINE 3. Château Suduiraut 2015 (Bordeaux, France) GOLD AWARD 61

7. Château Rieussec 2011 (Bordeaux, France) GOLD AWARD Golden yellow colour. Absolutely charming, complex and rich nose with a plethora of aromas from honey to apricot marmalade, spicy toastiness to vanilla pastry notes. Very dense and luscious palate, which has great concentration and harmonious balance between the residual sugar (147 g/l), acidity and oak. Long and lingering finish leaves lovely spicy, tropical fruit and honeyed flavours. Extremely enjoyable already, but will evolve in cellar for decades. Serve at 10–12°C with strong cheeses, foie gras or panna cotta. The blend is 95% sémillon, 3% muscadelle and 2% sauvignon blanc. 62 8. Château Filhot 2015 (Bordeaux, France) GOLD AWARD Bright, golden yellow colour. The fresh, intense nose has white flowers, honey, lime pie, and anise. The palate is viscous and sweet with a good backbone from the acidity and minerality. Toasty vanilla and lemon flavours escort lively spicy finish. Drinking well already, but a long living wine that will evolve in bottle for decades. If enjoyed now, serve at 10–12°C with spicy Asian food, salty cheeses and light desserts. The wine is a blend of sémillon 60%, sauvignon blanc 36% and muscadelle 4%. 9. Château Coutet 2011 (Bordeaux, France) GOLD AWARD Rich straw yellow colour. Seductive fresh and vibrant nose with white flowers, ginger, peaches, lemon, musk and honey. Medium-bodied palate is sweet and crispy. Very sophisticated and elegant structure with the distinctive sharp ”Coutet-minerality”. The lingering finish shows spicy toasty oak notes and caramelized quince. This Coutet vintage is 100% sémillon, fermented and aged in barrel for 18 months. Although the wine has a high level of residual sugar (155 g/l), it feels surprisingly light and vibrant. It has great ageing potential for decades to come, but drinks well today. Serve at 10–12°C with green Thai curry chicken or salty cheeses. 10. Robert Weil Kiedrich Gräfenberg Riesling Beerenauslese 2018 (Rheingau, Germany) GOLD AWARD Golden yellow colour. Open and fresh nose is honeyed, charmingly floral and seductively spicy. The luscious and dense sweet, light-bodied palate has vivid acidity and intense honeyed flavours with hints of preserved rhubarb flavours. Long and lingering nectar-like finish with refined minerality. The wine does not feel as sweet as the residual sugar of 256 g/l suggests, since the acidity level of the wine is extremely high at 11.9 g/l. Drinking perfectly now, but can be cellared for decades. Serve at 7–9C and enjoy with apple or lemon tart.

BWW2021 The Best Fortified Wines of the orld BEST FORTIFIED WINE 2021 1. Niepoort Vintage Port 2017 (Douro, Portugal) 64 For Niepoort, the vintage turned out to be unique. The head of the company and its winemaker, Dirk Niepoort, not only considers that the vintage was the best vintage at Niepoort since the legendary 1945, but this port is the closest to perfection that he has ever made. The 99–100 points rating from Robert Parker Wine Advocate speaks for it as well. What makes this wine so charming and unique is the freshness that derives from the superb concentration of fruit and acidity. These features, together with ripe tannins and well-integrated alcohol, create a voluptuous sensation on the palate, which is in great harmony with the long-lasting lingering finish. The greatness of this wine is not only in its potential to age for decades and last for a century, but also to give instant pleasure at this young age. The wine was made from a field blend of touriga nacional, touriga franca, tinto cão, tinta francisca, tinta amarela, sousão and tinta roriz from schist soils. The vineyards are located in VInha da Pisca, Pinhão and Ferrão, and the average age of vines varies from 60 to over 100 years old. The grapes were foot-trodden in circular granite ’lagares’ with 100% the stems. The wines were racked soon after harvest and aged in large barrels in the upper Douro over the winter before being moved to the Niepoort cellar in Vila Nova de Gaia in March 2018. The wine has a deep inky color with dark purple reflections. The aroma is complex and full of black fruits, spices, licorice, smokiness and ashes. The palate is rich and intense with great concentration. Vibrant acidity refreshes the palate and rinses the mouthpuckering powdery tannins from the gums. The finish is long and spicy with well-integrated alcohol that warms in the lingering licorice-like finish. If served now, decant at least for 6 -8 hours and serve at 18–19°C with cheeses, like Stilton, aged cheddar, or Camembert.

3. Taylor’s Vintage Port 2016 (Douro, Portugal) PLATINUM AWARD Deep, purple colour. Rich and intense nose shows great concentration and spiciness. Ripe jammy blackberry and cassis notes combined with eucalyptus, licorice and toasty notes. The sweet and full-bodied palate is concentrated with vibrantly spicy, toasty and jammy flavours. Muscular structure with refined tannic structure, vibrant acidity and delicate woody and floral notes. The persistent finish has a powerful grip. A lovely wine that will definitely benefit from further bottle ageing of at least for 5–10 years, preferably more. If served now, decant for 8 hours and serve at 14–16°C. The young tannins and the residual sugar of 102 g/l will suit salty blue and hard cheeses. 4. Niepoort Vintage Port 2015 (Douro, Portugal) GOLD AWARD Dense, dark, purple red colour. An intense and elegant, jammy nose with cassis, spices and licorice. The full-bodied, viscous palate has extremely fine tannins and great concentration. Lovely flavours of jammy black fruits, smokiness, fresh herbs, licorice and violets. The harmonious finish is very long and lingering. Dirk Niepoort considers this vintage as one of the best since 1970, even on a par of 1945! The wine is already charming but will evolve to great heights over the next 15–20 years. If enjoyed now, decant for 10 hours and serve at 14–16°C with the finest dark chocolates and salty powerful cheeses. 5. Fonseca Vintage Port 2016 (Douro, Portugal) GOLD AWARD Opaque purple colour. The pronounced blackberry and cassis nose has some mintiness and sandalwood tones. Full-bodied, spicy and jammy black fruit palate has a good, fine tannic structure and vibrant acidity that enhances the lingering herbacous finish with a spicy licorice character. Great concentration, thanks to the dry spring and summer, which caused the low yields of 2016. The wine drinks well already but will deliver its best in 10–20 years time. If served now, decant for 6 hours and serve at 14–16°C with BBQ Ribs and blue cheese dip. THE BEST WINE OF THE WORLD COMPETITION Deep, dark purple colour. The intense and concentrated nose is rich with ripe black fruits – blueberry, blackberry and black cherries, spices, dark chocolate, mint and floral violet notes. The sweet, fullbodied and dense palate, with delicious jammy black and red fruit flavours, combines with spiciness and chewy supple tannins. Long and warming finish has some licorice, dark chocolate and mint notes. Drinking well already, but has great ageing potential for decades. Serve chilled at 14–16°C. Perfect match with aged salty cheeses. This harmonious wine has 115 g/l residual sugar and is a blend dominated by touriga franca (42%) and touriga nacional (37%). FINE 2. Graham’s Vintage Port 2016 (Douro, Portugal) PLATINUM AWARD 65

BWW2021 The Best Fortified Wines of the orld 66 6. Warre Vintage Port 2016 (Douro, Portugal) GOLD AWARD Deep, dark purple red colour. Refined and elegant nose with ripe black fruits and fragrant floral notes of violets and roses. The full-bodied palate is elegant and charming with fresh acidity, supple tannins and discreet ripe black fruit flavours. The finish is lingering and delicate. A feminine style of Vintage Port, made primarily from the blend of touriga nacional 46% and touriga franca 37%. Drinks well already but will show its true colours in 2035–2040. If served now, decant for 5 hours and enjoy chilled to 14–16°C with salty cheeses. 7. Dow’s Vintage Port 2016 (Douro, Portugal) GOLD AWARD Moderately deep, dark purple colour. Refined perfumey nose has ripe cherries and cassis notes combined with smoky, spicy, star anise and clove aromas. Full-bodied, vibrantly acidic palate with supple tannins and opulent black fruit. Lingering toasty and spicy finish with some violet flavours. Although the wine has 111 g/l residual sugar, it tastes sweet but on the drier side. The structure is solid and elegant thanks to the blend which is based on touriga franca (48%) and touriga nacional (31%). A very elegant Vintage Port that has great ageing potential, and which should reach its peak in 2035–2040. If enjoyed now, decant for 6 hours and serve at 14–16°C with chocolate fondant, Bourbon vanilla ice cream and black cherry compote.

9. Niepoort Bioma Vintage Port 2015 (Douro, Portugal) GOLD AWARD THE BEST WINE OF THE WORLD COMPETITION Deep, dark purple red colour. Pronounced spicy licorice nose with jammy cassis, blackberry and blueberry aromas. The dense and sweet palate shows vibrant minerality, vivid acidity and concentrated jammy black fruit. The tannins are very fine yet firm. The harmonious and concentrated finish is lingering with lovely complexity topped up with floral spiciness. The wine is a blend of touriga nacional, touriga franca, tinta cão and sousão, all from the three core parcels of Noval from high altitude terraces. The wine has been aged for 18 months in wooden barrels and has residual sugar of 94 g/l. A great match with aged cheeses and salty nuts, or with chèvre canapes and fig compote. FINE 8. Quinta do Noval Vintage Port 2015 (Douro, Portugal) GOLD AWARD 67 Opaque, purple red colour. Dense and concentrated nose is full of black fruits, violets, dark chocolate and spicy aromas. The full-bodied and concentrated palate has a chunky texture with firm refined tannins, vibrant minerality and jammy blackberries, blackcurrants and wild strawberries. The focused fresh finish is spicy and mineral-driven with a balancing medium sweet aftertaste. There is great potential for long-term cellaring, reaching its peak in 2040. If enjoyed today, decant for 8 hours and serve at 14–16°C with roasted mint jelly glazed lamb chops with blackcurrant sauce and grilled root vegetables. The wine is made from 80–100 year old vines from the 7.5 ha Pisca vineyard in Pinhão. 10. Wynns Coonawarra Estate Pedro Ximenez (Coonawarra, Australia) GOLD AWARD Moderately intense, bright brown colour. An open and rich nutty nose has intense fig and prune compote aromas with malt, toffee and raisins. The sweet and full-bodied palate is dense and vibrant with nutty and toasty flavours. Round and supple texture. Long and seductive finish delivers lovely caramelized almonds and roasted marshmallow flavours. The alcohol of 17% is in perfect balance with the residual sugar of 245 g/l. This wine is a blend of five vintages – 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2015. Perfectly enjoyable now, but will keep forever. Serve chilled to 10–12°C with chocolate fondant, halva ice cream or aged cheeses.

BWW2020 The Best Wine Shop of the World The Best Wine Shop of the World -title is granted for the wine shop that receives the most votes in BWW Competition from the Tastingbook users. THE BEST WINE SHOP 2020 MILLÉSIMA 68 Millésima has been a leader in the sale of fine wine and wines futures since 1983. As the key wine merchant of Bordeaux marketplace dedicated to private individuals, Millésima proposes one of the most comprehensive selections of fine wines from everywhere in the world. Over the last 20 years, Millésima has successfully carried out more than 300,000 deliveries to 150,000 customers worldwide. The company has on offer an exceptional selection of fine wines from more than 2,500,000 bottles, halfbottles, magnums, double-magnums, jeroboams, imperials that age slowly in the two hundred year-old cellars of Millésima cellars in the very heart of Bordeaux. Since the purchases are exclusively made from the producing estates and stored in Millésima cellars, the company guarantees the quality and the authenticity of each bottle sold. The company is one of the biggest buyers of en-primeur wines with 70,000 cases (840,000 bottles). The range on offer is wide, counting over 400 references allowing each wine lover to find the perfect wine to replenish their cellars. Millésima has not only superb selection of the best Bordeaux wines, but a vast array of fine wines from the best regions in France and abroad. The Millésima has also the “Imperial Library” cellar with a collection of 12,500 large format bottles. Millésima is part of the family-owned-andoperated Group Bernard, whose parent company Lucien Bernard was founded in 1928, specialising in wines and spirits. A graduate of ESC Bordeaux with a Master's Degree in Economics, Patrick Bernard first worked at Banque du Drouas before joining the family business through Lucien Bernard. In 1983, he established a company by the name of Vins des Grands Vignobles, which became Millésima in June of 1988, dedicated to the traditional trade of Bordeaux crus classé wines. On January 1, 1988, the company published its first catalogue of the 100 greatest classified growths of Bordeaux, with the objective being to focus on sale to individual customers. From 1992 onwards, a printed catalogue has been published and sent out to the following countries: Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Austria, French and German Switzerland, Great Britain, Ireland, Luxembourg, Italy and Spain. The company has been a pioneer of the modern age. It has been moving towards e-commerce ever since 1997, developing its platform for online wine sales through its 15 websites, each adapted to different foreign markets. Representing the fourth generation of the family business, it is today Fabrice Bernard who joined the company in 2007 and has succeeded Patrick Bernard at the helm of Millésima as its CEO since 2017. www.millesima.com

FINE THE BEST WINE OF THE WORLD COMPETITION BWW2020 The Best Wine Shops Awards BWW2020 – The Best Wine Shop of the World Competition was organised first time in 2020. The BWW2020 Competition presented the shortlist of fifty best wine shops in tastingbook.com chosen by the Tastingbook users. The Tastingbook wine professionals and wine lovers were able to give votes for the shortlisted shops that they considered as the best. The shops received 214,198 votes in total from 71 countries and here is the list of the TOP 20. The Best Wine Shops of the World TOP 20 1. Millésima (France) 2. Rare Wine (Denmark) 3. Vinmonopolet (Norway) 4. Farr Vintners (UK) 5. Berry Bros & Rudd (UK) 6. Sokolin (USA) 7. Justeri & Brooks (UK) 8. Wine.com (USA) 9. Lay & Wheeler (UK) 10. Vivino (Denmark) 11. K&L Wine Merchants (USA) 12. Corney & Barrow (UK) 13. Acker Wines (USA) 14. Fortnum & Mason (UK) 15. Alko (Finland) 16. Vanquish (UK) 17. Nickolls & Perks (UK) 18. Paulson Rare Wine (Germany) 19. Best of Wines (Netherland) 20. Fauchon (France) 69

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BWW2021 – The Best Winery of the World F I N E Pe n f o l d s The Best Winery of the World award is given to a winery, which wines have succeeded in the BWW competition with high marks in various categories. 71 Penfolds (Australia) THE BEST WINERY OF THE WORLD Text: Ken Gargett Photos: Pekka Nuikki When a wine enthusiast comes up with the Penfolds name, the instant thought is likely to be Penfolds Grange, one of the world’s finest red wines. But there is so much more behind Penfolds brand and the winery other than the legendary Grange and its glorious vintages. Penfolds have an unparalleled array of red wines and an ever improving offering of whites, such as their flagship white, Yattarna, that has established itself as one of Australia’s finest Chardonnays. There is even a sprinkling of fabulous fortified wines and of course, the foray into Champagne through their joint venture with the Thiénot Champagne house. Their international march continues with the recent release of a collection of wines from California, and Bordeaux is the next stop on the Penfolds express!

The company and its board have set the bar high at all times and in every respect. Their attention to detail is second to none and their team is first class at every level. A visit to the famous Magill Estate will confirm all that. And yet, they remain the archetypal Aussie winery, friendly and welcoming. Penfolds dates back to 1844 when Dr Christopher Penfold and his wife Mary, both newly arrived in Australia, purchased 500 acres of land at Magill. Dr Penfold set up a surgery and vineyard, as well as a little mixed farming, and called it all, ‘The Grange’, after their new homestead. The vineyard was planted because Dr Penfold believed in the health and restorative properties of wine. 72 Within a decade or two, Penfold was shipping wine to the other Australian colonies. After his death in 1870, Mary expanded the wine business, working with her son-in-law, Thomas Hyland. By the 1880’s, they were producing a third of the entire colony’s (later known as the State of South Australia) wine and winning medals as far afield as Paris. Over the years, further expansion took place, while ownership has bounced around various corporations. One of the key moments for Penfolds and for the entire Australian wine industry, took place in 1931 when the 16-year-old Max Schubert joined the company. Twenty years later, he would make a revolutionary experimental wine, intended to replicate the great First Growths of Bordeaux, which he had encountered on a study trip to Europe in late 1940s. Lacking access to sufficient Cabernet and Merlot, Max opted for Shiraz as the cornerstone of the new wine. This wine was about to change the winemaking practices in Australia forever. The wine was named ‘Grange Hermitage’ after the homestead, combined with Hermitage, a name interchangeable with Shiraz at that time, thanks to the esteemed Syrah-based wines in Rhône. As proud as Schubert was of his trials, the Board of Penfolds was less excited, and a few years later, he was ordered to cease and desist. In those days, there Magill Estate, Adelaide

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Chief Winemaker Peter Gago " 74 It is hard, even impossible, to name another winery in the world that has been as innovative and adventurous as Penfolds in exploring, experimenting, developing and launching new wines and concepts decade after decade. "

We’re very proud and grateful to receive these awards in the world’s largest wine competition The Best Wine of the World (BWW) Competition 2021 - in not one but five categories! This acknowledgement is a testament to the hard work of our Penfolds team – who strive to deliver excellence through innovation & experimentation – finessing 177 years of knowledge into every bottle. As our flagship, Grange holds a special place in our stable and it’s great to see this sentiment is shared by those voting around the globe. This wine is forever true to its House Style, yet the awarded 2015 & 2016 vintages compellingly extol two very different Grange traits. The 2015 Grange – a Grange of the ‘Old School’, dark & foreboding; The 2016 Grange – alluring & charming at release. Both will confidently cellar for well over half a century, or reward opening at any point in the interim. This year Grange celebrates its 70th Anniversary - so what a terrific way to start 2021! And the 2018 Yattarna Chardonnay? Many endorse it as possibly the finest Yattarna vintage yet released. Time will tell …”. were no computers to track stock and the Sydney head office was a very long way from Magill, so Max defied the beancounters and kept making his new wine, hiding the results in estate cellars. Eventually, the gloriousness of Grange revealed itself in 1960s and a legend was born. Penfolds has never missed a vintage in all the subsequent decades and even those hidden vintages occasionally pop up at auctions. As well as Grange, and wines such as Bin 389, St Henri, Bin 707 and so many more, there have been a series of Special Bins, none more famous than the wine often dubbed the greatest ever made in Australia, Bin 60A from 1962. This blend of Coonawarra Cabernet and Barossa Shiraz typifies Penfolds. They are the masters of the blend – multi-varietal and multi-regional. While Max Schubert always gets the glory, the research achievements of Dr Ray Beckwith should be acknowledged as just as important. After the retirement of their first Chief Winemaker, Max Schubert, in the mid1970s, Don Ditter took the reins. In 1986, John Duval succeeded him and then in 2002, the current incumbent, Peter Gago, took over. It is hard, even impossible, to name another winery in the world that has been as innovative and adventurous as Penfolds in exploring, experimenting, developing and launching new wines and concepts decade after decade. It is hard to imagine that the future will not see Penfolds continue to excel. It would not be a surprise to see Penfolds add this very award to their bulging trophy cabinet a few more times in the coming years. ∆ www.penfolds.com F I N E Pe n f o l d s Peter Gago, Chief Winemaker – Penfolds 75

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BWW2021 – The Best Champagne House F I N E Champagne Piper-Heidsieck When several different champagnes from one Champagne house qualifies to the BWW final and get high rankings, the producer deserves ’BWW The Best Champagne House’ -award. 77 Text: Juha Lihtonen Photos: Pekka Nuikki Piper-Heidsieck, the champagne brand known from the red carpets of Hollywood, and its former flagship champagne Rare, now an independent Rare Champagne, redeemed their place among the best champagnes in the world in the BWW2021 competition. As a brand, Piper-Heidsieck has enjoyed the glamor of the movie and fashion world for more than half a century, but from the turn of the millennium its champagnes have gained meritorious recognition especially for their quality. The quality development of Piper-Heidsieck champagnes really took off in the 1980s when the Cognac company Rémy Martin bought the house. The company had bought Charles Heidsieck champagne house two years earlier and had hired Daniel Thibault, a respected cellar master, to develop the quality of the champagnes. Thibault started significant quality development with Charles Heidsieck and extended it to Piper-Heidsieck. As Thibault focused on developing Charles Heidsieck champagnes, the company hired Régis Camus in 1994 as Piper-Heidsieck’s cellar master to renew its champagnes’ quality. He was devoted and passionate winemaker, who was willing to add more soul into Piper-Heidsieck’s champagnes.

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To achieve his purpose, he paid attention to three factors: grape sourcing, lee ageing times, and reserve wines. For grape sourcing, he decided to increase the proportion of pinot noir grapes sourced from Côte des Bar area, which he found intensive by their character. In the cellar, he decided to extend the lee ageing times in the second fermentation and post-disgorgement. In addition to these, he invested in a collection of younger reserve wines specifically adapted to the house style. As a result, PiperHeidsieck champagnes have today reserve wines from over ten different vintages – the oldest being Chardonnay Cramant 1996. The quality of the champagnes have continued improving ever since 2011 when PiperHeidsieck was acquired together with Charles Heidsieck by the French luxury good company EPI. The Descours family behind EPI has given full support to Camus and his team to enhance the quality of the champagnes. As a result of Camus’s vision and implementation, Piper-Heidsieck champagnes have evolved from light and straightforward champagnes into elegant multi-layered champagnes with elegantly rich texture toastiness. In addition to this, Camus has processed the house’s flagship champagne Rare into an independent luxury brand called ‘Rare Champagne’, which he has continued to manage and develop after retiring from the position of Piper-Heidsieck’s cellar master in 2018. F I N E Champagne Piper-Heidsieck " Piper-Heidsieck champagnes have evolved from light and straightforward champagnes into elegant multi-layered champagnes with elegantly rich texture toastiness." 79

Piper-Heidsieck found the perfect successor of Camus, an energetic new-generation cellar master, Emilien Boutillat, 34. As the native Champenois, Boutillat grew up in the wine growing family. He learnt working on the vineyards with his dad and riddling bottles in the cellar from a young age. Later he studied winemaking and viticulture in Montpellier and gained working experience from the esteemed wineries around the world, such as, Château Margaux in Bordeaux, Domaine de la Solitude in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Mud House in New Zealand, Peter Michael Winery in California, Viu Manent in Chile, Foncalieu in the south of France and La Motte in South Africa. Prior to moving to Piper-Heidiseck, he served as cellar master for Champagne Cattier and the luxury brand Armand de Brignac. 80 Boutillat succeeds the valuable work of Camus to improve the quality of PiperHeidsieck champagnes. He and his team have a great concern of a global environmental footprint in every aspect of the wine production from viticulture to winemaking. They aim to minimise the water, energy and carbon footprints. The vineyards are already certified sustainable, and from 2020 onwards there are no herbicides or insecticides used in the company’s own vineyards. To increase the biodiversity of the vineyards, they have planted various species of trees next to vineyards, established fallows and build up the beehives to attract bees and insects to the area. In the vineyards, Boutillat is paying increasing attention to the perfect harvesting times and in winemaking, he continues the actions introduced by Camus and aims to reduce the use of all oenological products, such as sulphur. Although Piper-Heidsieck champagnes have achieved significant recognition in recent years, we have not seen yet the full potential of Piper-Heidsieck champagnes. Under the watch of an exceptionally experienced and ambitious young cellar master, Boutillat, we can surely expect to see more awards for Piper-Heidsieck in near future. ∆ www.piper-heidsieck.com

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BWW2021 – The Best New Winery of the World The Best New Winery of the World award is given to a winery that has been founded recently and whose wine achieved high marks in the BWW competition. (Napa Valley, USA) BEST NEW WINERY OF THE WORLD 82 Text: Juha Lihtonen This extraordinary winery has produced wines that have achieved scores exceeding 95 points from critics around the world in every vintage since its debut. The winery is Promontory in the Napa Valley. Although construction of the state-of-the-art winery was completed in 2017, the vineyard property has produced wines since 2008. The first vintage to be released to their private mailing list was 2009, and the first vintage available commercially was 2012. Promontory was initially discovered by the visionary Napa Valley wine producer, Bill Harlan, in the early 1980s when he was hiking through the western hills of Oakville, looking for potential sites for the founding of Harlan Estate. On one of his hikes, he went further south and over the ridge where he discovered an isolated and undeveloped territory with steep hills and covered by woodlands and forest. The place moved him deeply, and he felt strongly that it had potential for producing fine wine, but

The 340-hectare property is located on steep and rugged terrain, on the border between Oakville and Yountville, with east-facing exposures. At the time of purchase, there existed 30 hectares of vineyards, partly planted in the late 1980s as well as mid-1990s, but which were not originally cultivated with the intent for fine-wine production. After the acquisition, Bill’s son, Will Harlan, and winemaker Cory Empting took the lead in working with the vineyards. They began by striving to understand this new place, and made wine from the existing vines for a few years while making a few significant discoveries about the land. The true magic of Promontory is based not only on its isolated location in the wilderness, but also in its unique terroir that exists nowhere else in the Napa Valley. “There are certain similarities to the Harlan Estate, as most of the Harlan Estate is located on a fault line that continues through Promontory. On either side of this fault there are both volcanic and sedimentary soils, but at Promontory we found a secondary, parallel fault line—as well as something completely different. Between the volcanic and sedimentary formations they discovered the third geologic formation—metamorphic rock”, Will Harlan says and continues: “There is a stretch of metamorphic material that runs right through the center of the property. It should be much deeper in the strata, but the two faults have pushed up this metamorphic layer to the surface. So, we have a whole new geologic material that doesn’t exist elsewhere in the area.” Will noted that there are hundreds of different soil types in Napa Valley, but only three different geologic formations exist on the planet—and all three of them are found at Promontory under vine. Thanks to these metamorphics—schist, shale, slate, and gneiss— the vines produce a different character. This can be seen in Promontory’s linear, mineral drive, with the feeling of an almost weightless structure. Along with the geology, the topography of the valley also has its effect on the vines. The steep hillside vineyards, planted at an altitude of 150–340 metres, enjoy an eastern exposure to the morning sun. The moisture and marine air from the San Pablo Bay flows across the property and is absorbed by the woodlands around the vineyards, keeping the valley cool and refreshed throughout the dry, summer months. After working with, and beginning to understand the land, as well as making wine from 2008 to 2010, the team realized that the character of the wine from here was so fundamentally different, that it deserved to have an identity of its own, and did F I N E Pr o m o n t o r y he had to wait for 25 years before the Harlan family was finally able to capture the land. When the opportunity appeared in May 2008, he did not hesitate to buy it, even though at the time, he and his team did not have a clear plan for what to do with the property—unsure whether it might fit within the family’s other winegrowing endeavors. 83

84 not belong within the Harlan Estate or BOND endeavors. A new winery was built, and a new team recruited in order to give this unique property the focus and differentiation it deserved. The winery itself was situated in close proximity to Harlan Estate and BOND wineries— separate from the Promontory vineyard territory—in order to keep the land as wild and untouched as possible. Cory then hired David Cilli, from Tuscany, Italy, to be the dedicated winemaker for Promontory. The land produces two red wines: Promontory and Penultimate. Penultimate is a wine made from the blocks of vineyard that are almost ready for inclusion in Promontory, but are still in a final stage of research and development—

F I N E Pr o m o n t o r y " There is a stretch of metamorphic material that runs right through the center of the property. It should be much deeper in the strata, but the two faults have pushed up this metamorphic layer to the surface. So, we have a whole new geologic material that doesn’t exist elsewhere in the area.” 85

almost like an artist’s final sketch before the masterpiece. The vineyards at the property are planted to about 99% Cabernet Sauvignon, but there remain small blocks of Cabernet Franc and Malbec that were planted back in 1980s. Viticulture at Promontory began with the practices of organic and biodynamic farming, and has evolved to embrace the natural principles developed by the Japanese farmer and philosopher Masanobu Fukuoka, as well as native farming techniques from the indigenous peoples of California. 86 " The results that we got from the first vintages, we realized that the wines benefitted from longer aging and so required more neutral vessels." The harvesting is done plot by plot, with several harvest passes (46 passes for 2012). There are 60–90 separate lots, which are all harvested and vinified separately. Due to the unique profile and tannin structure of the wines, winemaker David Cilli uses large, Austrian oak casks rather than French-oak barriques for aging. He explains: “The results that we got from the first vintages, we realized that the wines benefitted from longer aging and so required more neutral vessels. We travelled to Barolo to explore how the best producers handled the use of oak with their reds. We found out that many of them used casks from the Austrian cooperage called Stockinger, which inspired us to import these casks to Napa Valley, and we have been extremely pleased with the results. We use different sized casks, from 600-liters to 40-hectoliters. After fermentation is finished, the wines are kept separately for 6 to 7 months to finish malolactic before being blended, and put into the casks for aging. The wine is aged for a total of 5 years before it is released on markets, which gives us flexibility on a per-vintage basis to decide how much of that time is in cask versus bottle.” The name, Promontory (“peninsula on land”), was given to both their vineyard property where the land formation occurs, and to the wine that comes from it. ∆ www.promontory.wine Will Harlan and David Cilli

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BWW2021 – The Best Winemaker of the World The Best Winemaker of the World award is given to a winemaker, who has achieved extraordinary results in the BWW Competition. THE BEST WINEMAKER OF THE WORLD Cory Empting Harlan Estate, Bond & Promontory (Napa Valley, USA) Text: Juha Lihtonen Photo: Harlan Estate When three different wines made by the winemaker are ranked among the top 10 red wines in The BWW competition, the winemaker deserves recognition as The Best Winemaker of the World. 88 Cory Empting, 40, the winemaker and the director of winegrowing behind the three “First Growth” wines in Napa Valley – Harlan Estate, BOND and Promontory – is a talented interpreter of the unique terroirs of Napa Valley. Cory was born and raised in the heart of Napa Valley in Saint Helena. As a teenager, he dreamed of becoming an archeologist, as he loved history and traveling. Despite growing up in the legendary wine region, he had no plans to work in the wine industry. The turning point in his future plans occurred when he was fifteen. Before school started, he worked the chardonnay harvest with Forman Vineyards in Napa Valley, employed by the esteemed winemaker, Ric Forman. He was immediately hooked by winegrowing. After school, he attended Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, and in 2001, he joined the Harlan Estate team. As a new member of the team, he had the best possible mentor, Bob Levy, the legendary winemaker in the Napa Valley, who had worked with Bill Harlan for years, even before Harlan Estate or BOND were founded. “The list of things that I have learned from Bob, and continue to learn, are numerous. Bob has often said to me that, if you are green, you grow; and if you are ripe, you rot. We must always be willing to question even the most fundamental of our practices. Bob has always lived that way and demonstrated a willingness to drill down into the most microscopic detail of any aspect of our work,” Cory says. He adds that, besides working with Bob Levy, he feels rewarded to work for the Harlan family, where he is able to dream on a longer time horizon, alongside the multiple generations of the team, and is inspired by the intimacy that the team has created with the land. He feels that the humility of working with nature and the necessity for empathy in the human aspects of winegrowing have been important factors in his success as a winemaker. With respect to working at three different estates, Empting considers the challenges less in terms of the logistical and physical demands than in understanding, reflecting and living the DNA of each. To improve himself as a winemaker and to become a better interpreter of the land, Cory lists five different areas he considers worth focusing upon – tasting, reading, working, traveling and, of course, reflecting. "In regard to tasting, searching out the reference wines both historical and contemporary across the world. It is important to grasp their context, both the original and the current, geo-sensorially and culturally. In terms of reading, it is an important meditation. Over time philosophical and cultural readings have become more alluring than technical ones, though admittedly both are important. Understanding how humans approach their environment and ultimately their medium can bring flashes of inspiration. There is richness in understanding these connections and patterns between disciplines that help us approach our work with the land in a deeper and more intuitive way. When it comes to working and reflecting, manual labor is important, for our team, to stay connected to. Working with our hands allows us to digest ideas and keep our conversations with the vines alive. Last, but not least, is travel, which I consider being a crucial component to becoming a better winegrower. As a Domain,

The great wines are made from the great terroirs by winemakers who understand and cherish their land. Cory Empting is one of them. He has had a unique opportunity to grow and deliver his ambition and devotion as a winemaker on the Harlan dream team, working on its fabulous estates for two decades. Today, he works as the Director of Winegrowing for the Harlan Family Winegrowing Domain. Despite having worked for over a half of his lifetime for the Harlan family, he has become “riper” but kept himself “green” for growing and learning more about cherishing the unique terroirs and making better wines. With his increasing knowledge and understanding of the Harlan family estates, there is no need for a crystal ball to discern that we will experience even greater wines from him in the future. ∆ FINE Cory Empting we have always valued the importance of travel. Traveling allows a separation from our environment, so that we spend less time defending our own perspectives, and trying more to understand different ones. It doesn’t change our purpose, but challenges ideas so that they are strengthened or abandoned.” 89

BWW2020 THE BEST WINE CRITIC OF THE WORLD Best Wine Critic of the World -title is granted for a wine critic who gets most votes in BWW Best Wine Critic of the World -competition organised in Tastingbook.com. All Tastingbook users got to vote for the 50 most respected wine critics selected by Tastingbook professionals. In BWW2020 Best Wine Critic voting, the selected critics were given over 190,000 votes by the Tastingbook users. The Best Wine Critic of the World -competition was organised third time in 2020. Previous BWW Best Wine Critic -titles were granted to Jancis Robinson MW in 2018 and James Suckling in 2017. BEST WINE CRITIC OF THE WORLD: The Best Wine Critic of the World -title: Neal Martin Best Wine Critics By Regions: WINES OF AUSTRIA 90 The Best Austria Wine Critic of the World -title: Peter Moser WINES OF AUSTRALIA The Best Australia Wine Critic of the World -title: Andrew Caillard MW WINES OF FRANCE The Best Alsace Wine Critic of the World -title: Stephan Reinhardt The Best Bordeaux Wine Critic of the World -title: Michel Bettane The Best Burgundy Wine Critic of the World -title: Allen Meadows The Best Champagne Critic of the World -title: Richard Juhlin The Best Rhône Wine Critic of the World -title: Jeb Dunnuck WINES OF GERMANY The Best Germany Wine Critic of the World -title: David Schildknecht WINES OF ITALY The Best Italy Wine Critic of the World -title: James Suckling PORT WINES The Best Port Wine Critic of the World -title: Axel Probst SOUTH AFRICA The Best South Africa Wine Critic of the World -title: Platter's WINES OF SPAIN The Best Spain Wine Critic of the World -title: José Peñin WINES OF CALIFORNIA The Best Napa Valley Wine Critic of the World -title: James Laube

THE BEST WINE OF THE WORLD COMPETITION Neal Martin has been one of the most esteemed wine critic in the world for the past decade. He is known for his expertise on wines from various regions, and his humble and passionate enthusiasm for wines is highly respected by wine producers as well as buyers around the world. This was proven by the BWW The Best Wine Critic voting organised in autumn 2020. In his tasting notes Neal describes the profile of the wine – its aromas, structure and balance – in a way that reader can form easily an understanding of the wine character and qualities of the wine without tasting it. Martin assesses also the vintage quality of the wine and often gives comparisons from the past vintages with similar characteristics. He provides often additional information of the production figures of the tasted wine. Neal Martin began his wine career more than twenty years ago with a Japanese import company specializing in Bordeaux and Burgundy. Regularly visiting both regions, he rapidly gained first-hand knowledge of their wines and winemakers. Discovering a love for writing, in 2003 he started his own website, Wine Journal that rapidly gained a global audience attracted by its independence, insight and irreverent style. Its popularity prompted Robert Parker to ask him to join The Wine Advocate in 2006, eventually taking over responsibility for coverage of Bordeaux and Burgundy. In 2012 he published the seminal book on Pomerol that won the André Simon and Louis Roederer awards for wine literature. Having established himself as one of the foremost wine writers and critics, in 2018 he rejoined his former colleague Antonio Galloni at Vinous, charged with expanding coverage of Bordeaux and Burgundy, as well as South African and English sparkling wines. "Thank you to everyone who voted for me in the Best Wine Critic Competition, not least since many of the votes are cast by fellow wine professionals. Although by definition a competition, everyone that contributes towards communicating about wine has something to offer and is fighting the same cause - to encourage more people to drink well. That is more important today than ever in the shadow of proposed import tariffs and ever-stronger anti-alcohol lobbyists. Despite these immediate challenges, wine has been enjoyed for thousands of years and it will be enjoyed for thousands more.” – Neal Martin (Senior Editor - Vinous) Vinous.com FINE BWW2020 COMPETITION – THE BEST WINE CRITIC OF THE WORLD 2020 Neal Martin 91

BWW2020 THE BEST WINE CRITIC OF THE WORLD WINES OF AUSTRALIA The Best Australia Wine Critic of the World -title: Andrew Caillard MW 92 WINES OF AUSTRIA The Best Austria Wine Critic of the World -title: Peter Moser Peter Moser, the Editor-in-Chief of Falstaff Magazine, is a descendant of a famous Austrian wine dynasty (Lenz Moser), and born in Krems in the excellent vintage of 1961. He has worked as a specialist wine journalist for over 30 years. In 1997, he became Executive Editor of the Wine Department at Falstaff, the leading German language gourmet and wine magazine. Peter Moser has published contributions in numerous international wine media and is a member of various tasting panels both at home and abroad. His work has brought him recognition in the form of awards from a number of different countries. www.falstaff.com Andrew Caillard is a consultant Master of Wine and has worked with many leading wine businesses in Australia, Europe and Asia over his 43-year career. He is best known as a co-founder of Australian wine auction house Langton’s and as an advocate for Australia’s fine wine agenda. Educated at Worth School in the UK, he went on to study wine in Bordeaux, Germany and Roseworthy Agricultural College in South Australia. In 1993 he passed the notoriously difficult Master of Wine examination winning the Madame Lily Bollinger medal for excellence in wine tasting. For 19 years Andrew Caillard was a specialist wine auctioneer and director of Langton’s (in association with Christie’s). After the acquisition of Langton’s in 2009, Caillard moved across to supermarket group Woolworths. He continues to consult as an expert advisor to buying and winemaking teams at Endeavour Group and Pinnacle Drinks. This includes sourcing and new product development of both Australian and imported brands. Caillard is also a reviewer and author. In 2020 he was voted “Best Australian Wine Critic of the World”. He contributes to Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine, tastingbook.com and other publications particularly the UK’s Academie du Vin Library’s In Vino Veritas and On Bordeaux. Andrew Caillard is the author of several reference editions including Penfold’s “The Rewards of Patience” (editions III to VIII), Marqués de Riscal – A Travel Through Time, Langton’s Classification of Australian Wine (editions I to VII) and Imagining Coonawarra – The story of

"I am rather surprised and delighted. I am a small voice in fine wine and not nearly as prolific as those in the top ten. Neal Martin is a wonderful writer with a barbed wit and insightful palate. He is a very worthy winner and I am extremely pleased for him. Wine writing is very specialised. Most of my work is related to writing books like Penfolds The Rewards of Patience, Langton’s Classification of Australian Wine and Marques de Riscal A Travel Through Time. But I do of course review wines on many occasions, especially the Bordeaux Primeurs etc. Tastingbook.com is a great way of reaching an international community of wine lovers and sharing information. It is like an international Speaker’s Corner for wine people. There are many fine Australian wine writers who deserve such an accolade as this and so I am genuinely touched that there are people who feel that my work is of some value." www.caillardwine.com WINES OF ALSACE The Best Alsace Wine Critic of the World -title: Stephan Reinhardt Reinhardt is a German journalist who was born in 1967 in Düsseldorf and who began to specialize in wine at the turn of the millennium. Before he had studied and taught theatre science at Münch University for a decade, and financed his living by working in a local wine shop aside. His career as a wine writer started from translating Oz Clarke's Wine Encyclopedia. After this he started to write about wine daily for sueddeutsche.de, the online platform of the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Stephan has since published numerous articles for renowned daily and weekly German newspapers, such as Süddeutsche Zeitung and Welt am Sonntag, as well as, for German, Austrian, and Swiss wine and lifestyle magazines such as Der Feinschmecker, Falstaff, and Fine – das Weinmagazin. In 2008 Stephan became chief editor of the Swiss/German newsletter Weinwisser. In 2012 he took the same position at Vinum, whose ten issues per year are published in Zürich, but distributed also in Germany and Austria. He has also contributed to The World of Fine Wine magazine regularly since 2004. Stephan is co-author of Wein spricht deutsch, a 720-page monster book on the wines of Germany, Austria, Alsace, Alto Adige and Switzerland that was edited by Stuart Pigott in 2007. In 2012, Stephan's book The Finest Wines of Germany came out in the UK and the US and was soon shortlisted as "Best international wine book of the year 2013" by the Louis Roederer International Wine Writers' Award. The book was translated and published in Japan and China in 2013. Stephan has a passion for Riesling, Port and Pinot Noir and all the people, who craft serious and authentic wines, regardless of which grape variety or in which style they are made. Besides wine, Stephan loves music (especially jazz), good food and soccer. He lives with his family near Hamburg in Germany and joined the Robert Parker's Wine Advocate team in May 2014. www.stephanreinhardt.de THE BEST WINE OF THE WORLD COMPETITION Andrew Caillard is also an associate producer of the AACTA award-winning feature documentary film Red Obsession and the upcoming documentary Blind Ambition which was recently selected for Robert de Niro’s Tribeca Film Festival in New York in June 2021. Widely travelled through the world of wine, Caillard’s career is linked to the cause of Australian wine, education and trade with Europe (Bordeaux particularly) and China. He has been involved in many forums, wine auctions and wine shows around the world. In 2011 Andrew Caillard received the “Australian Wine Communicator of the Year Award” and was inducted as a 'Baron of the Barossa.' FINE Wynns Coonawarra Estate John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon. He has also coauthored student reference books Australian Wine and A Taste of the World of Wine with academic scientists Dr Patrick Iland, Dr Peter Dry and Penfolds chief winemaker Peter Gago. A History of Australian Wine and a book about the Mornington Peninsula’s early vignerons are also in the pipeline. 93

BWW2020 THE BEST WINE CRITIC OF THE WORLD WINES OF BORDEAUX 94 WINES OF BURGUNDY The Best Bordeaux Wine Critic of the World -title: Michel Bettane The Best Burgundy Wine Critic of the World -title: Allen Meadows Michel Bettane is a leading French wine critic, and for twenty years, a writer for the French consumer wine publication La Revue du vin de France. He left La Revue in 2004 to work for the rivalling wine publication Le Classement des Meilleurs Vins de France. He now runs his own website. Allen Meadows was a finance executive for 21 years, holding a variety of positions, including stints as the senior vice-president and director of corporate development for Great Western Financial. In 1999 he elected to retire to author a book on the subject of Burgundy but a year later decided to found together with his partner Erica, Burghound.com, a quarterly review that is devoted exclusively to the coverage of Burgundy and pinot noir with rotating coverage of champagnes and sparkling wines. Following the acquisition of La Revue du vin de France by Marie-Claire and media group Lagardère, Bettane and his colleague Thierry Desseauve left the publication on grounds of editorial differences, and the two launched their own series of wine guides, Le Classement des Meilleurs Vins de France. Bettane also appears in publications such as Le Monde, Decanter and The World of Fine Wine. Bettane is credited with coining the term "vin de garage" and its winemakers "garagistes". Burghound.com was the first of its kind to offer specialized and more importantly exhaustive coverage of a specific wine region. The first Issue was released in January 2001 and there are now subscribers in more than 64 countries and nearly all 50 states in USA. Meadows spends over five months a year in Burgundy and visits more than 300 domaines during that time. The Burghound.com is a true family company as the son of Allen and Erica, Chris Meadows, joined as a business partner in 2011. Chris and Erica handle all aspects of the business. "All my team at Bettane Desseauve and myself are very proud about the result of your votes. It is sure than after more than 40 vintages (my first was 1978 and I was the first to assess that 1982 will be a great one) and 40 harvests looked after I think I am beginning to know something about Bordeaux wines. Once again a great merci to all of you." – Michel Bettane. "It is rewarding to be recognized by the wine community and fellow professionals as the “Best Burgundy Wine Critic in the World.” When we started Burghound.com in 2000, it was the first of its kind to offer specialized, and more importantly, exhaustive coverage of a specific wine region/grape and pioneered the on-line format. Of course we have expanded since then to cover Champagne and U.S. Pinot Noir and are grateful to have subscribers in over 65 countries and nearly all 50 states. In addition to publishing two books, The Pearl of the Côte – the Great Wines of Vosne-Romanée and Burgundy Vintages – A History from 1845 (the latter written with co-author Doug Barzelay), and an in-depth 7-part Burgundy Essentials Audio Series, every year since 2000 I have spent over 5 months a year in Burgundy and annually visit more than 300 domaines, to provide the expansive coverage offered in the pages of Burghound. I am thankful to Tastingbook.com for their work and contributions to the wine world and for this honor.” – Allen Meadows www.bettanedesseauve.fr Burghound.com In an interview with Swiss newspaper Le Temps Bettane stated that wine critics are "not gurus", and stated that criticisms by Jonathan Nossiter in his book Le Goût et le Pouvoir were "infantile".

An aerospace engineer by training, Jeb Dunnuck grew up on a farm in rural Indiana where 2% milk was the beverage of choice and wine was hard to come by. It wasn’t until 1996, when living abroad and traveling through Europe, that he became interested in fine wine. CHAMPAGNE The Best Champagne Critic of the World -title: Richard Juhlin Richard Juhlin is one of the top Champagne experts in the world. A Stockholm-based Juhlin is a physical education teacher by profession, whose passion for champagnes led him to new career as the Champagne critic in the turn of the millennium, when he launched his first champagne book 2000 Champagnes. At the annual Spectacle du Monde tasting in 2003, Juhlin successfully identified 43 out of 50 champagnes that were tasted blind. He is the author of several books, including “A Scent of Champagne” released this year, which provides descriptions and ratings of 8000 Champagnes. In addition to television and writing, Juhlin is often involved in consulting work with Champagne houses, as well as speaking at major events around the world. In 2013 Juhlin received the highest rank in France when he was awarded the medal National Order of the Legion of Honour by the president of France, François Hollande. At present Juhlin is working as a freelance journalist, writing for several magazines such as Spectacle du Monde, La Revue de Champagne, Decanter, Wine International, Fine Wine and others. He has run the Champagne Club by Richard Juhlin for over 18 years with members from all over the world. He is currently working on his epic book ’Champagne Magnum Opus – 13,000 champagnes’ and welcoming all champagne lovers to his recently launched Champagne Master class programme on his website. Moving to upstate New York in 1999 to work for Lockheed Martin, and later to Colorado in 2001 to work for Ball Aerospace, he travelled extensively throughout the wine regions of Europe and the United States, where he quickly developed a passion for the wines of the Rhône Valley and the Rhône Ranger Movement in California and Washington. To gain a better understanding of the business side of the wine industry, he took a temporary wine retail position in 2006. Jeb launched the “The Rhône Report” publication and website in 2008 and began releasing a quarterly newsletter reviewing Rhône variety wines from around the world. Completely independent and including coverage on wines from France, Spain, Australia, and both California and Washington in the United States, the publication continued to gain in popularity and subscribers, and by 2013, was read in over 24 countries and seen as one of the leading authorities on Rhône variety wines. In 2013, after being approached by Robert Parker to join The Wine Advocate team, Jeb gave up his engineering career and wrote full-time for the Wine Advocate. Described as a younger version of himself by Robert M. Parker Jr., Dunnuck was the leading reviewer for California, Washington and Southern France from 2013 to 2017, publishing more reviews than any other professional reviewer. In 2017, Jeb decided to leave the Wine Advocate and go back to his roots as an independent wine critic, launching his own publication JebDunnuck.com. Through the platform, Dunnuck offers comprehensive, consumer-focused coverage of the most interesting wines from California, Washington, Southern France and Bordeaux, while seeking out discoveries from around the world. “I feel so extremely honored receiving the prize as the best Champagne Critic in the world. It is a fantastic proof for me that my hard work over 33 years was not only for my own pleasure. To be able to share my enthusiasm over the most elegant and multifaceted wines in the world is a privileged gift for which I will always be grateful. I hope all my fans worldwide will be pleased with my new Champagne Hiking app and the world leading platform Champagne Club launch in 2020”. Dunnuck’s goal with JebDunnuck.com is to provide insight and up-to-date information that can’t be found anywhere else. “Too often today, the ‘story’ behind a wine is put before the quality of a wine,” Dunnuck said. “I want to help consumers cut through the marketing and the spin and zero in on what’s in the glass. I plan to deliver the information consumers really need to know when trying to decide what to buy and what to drink.” www.champagneclub.com JebDunnuck.com FINE The Best Rhône Wine Critic of the World -title: Jeb Dunnuck THE BEST WINE OF THE WORLD COMPETITION WINES OF RHÔNE 95

BWW2020 THE BEST WINE CRITIC OF THE WORLD WINES OF ITALY WINES OF GERMANY 96 The Best Germany Wine Critic of the World -title: David Schildknecht David Schildknecht worked as a restaurateur before spending a quarter century in the U.S. wine trade. His curiosity and affection were aroused by bottles of German Riesling savoured during his University years, but it was only after he entered the trade, and especially after (in chronological order) Barbara and Johannes Selbach, Terry Theise and Rudi Wiest found their ways to Rex Wine & Spirits in Washington DC that David became a real Riesling convert. David’s tasting reports from Germany were from the late 1980s, a fixture of Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, and appeared from 2005-2014 in Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. Since 2015, he has reported on wines of Germany, Austria and parts of France for Antonio Galloni’s Vinous. A columnist and feature contributor for Wine & Spirits, The World of Fine Wine and Austria’s Vinaria, he is responsible for the German entries in the recently-published 4th edition of The Oxford Companion to Wine and a co-author of the seventh edition of Robert Parker’s Wine Buyer’s Guide. vinous.com The Best Italy Wine Critic of the World -title: James Suckling James Suckling is one of leading wine critics respected by wine lovers, serious wine collectors, and the wine trade worldwide. He is a chairman and editor of JamesSuckling.com, the wine media platform and events company with offices in Hong Kong. His wine career began in 1981 as an assistant editor of Wine Spectator. In 1985, Suckling moved to Paris to establish Wine Spectator’s European bureau, where he spent nearly 30 years as Senior Editor and European Bureau Chief of The Wine Spectator. Shortly after in late 2010, Suckling launched JamesSuckling. com, a site that evolved from him seeing a need for wine to be communicated in a more modern way. The crux of the site are his tasting notes and high-definition video content from wineries around the world. The site attracts viewers from over 110 countries. Suckling estimates having tasted and rated close to 225,000 wines in his career. Last year he and his small team of tasters tasted more than 18,000 wines. His website provides today more than 130,000 wine ratings. They current rate about 2,000 wines a month. The website has more than 600,000 unique visitors per year. About 50% is North American. It has around 5 million followers with coverage with its website, social media, newsletters (Chinese, Korean, Thai and English), Prestige magazine in Hong Kong and Thailand, Noblesse magazine in Korea and China, WeChat, and Weibo. On Instagram he has almost 280,000 followers. JamesSuckling.com also organizes about 20 wine events annually around the world. He is also a highly respected instructor for Masterclass.com where his program on “Wine Appreciation” has over 20,000 subscribers. In 2017, James received a knighthood from the Italian government – Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia – for his decades long coverage of Italian Wines. In January 2018, he received an honorary citizenship from the town of Montalcino for his almost four decades of writing about and rating Brunello di Montalcino. In December 2020, he was merited with the Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Merite from the French government for his four decades coverage of the French wine world. Today he is permanent resident of Hong Kong where he lives with his wife and two children. He currently rates most of the wines at his wife’s restaurant in Hong Kong, James Suckling Wine Central, which features more than 500 wines by the glass and 800 wines overall. JamesSuckling.com

Probst was born in one of the greatest Port vintages –1970. Axel has a colourful background. He has succeeded winning the European Championship in 100m backstroke swimming during his early years. After his business administration studies, he joined in the German Air Force and became a fighter pilot, flying the Tornado and the Eurofighter combat aircrafts. He retired from the air force in 2011 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In the early 1990s, during his flying training in the United Kingdom, Axel very much appreciated the English tradition of finishing the evening with a decent glass of Vintage Port – a habit, which he has not missed ever since. With a short detour in trading with Bordeaux’ wines in Germany in the mid 90s, Axel contacted the Instituto do Vinho do Douro e do Porto (IVDP) in 2005 to become their focal point for Germany. Since then he organised many large tastings under the umbrella of the IVDP, most recently a tasting of the 2016 Vintage Ports with more than fifty producers present in Germany, a comparative tasting of the Colheita Vintages 1937 and 1995 and many Master Classes in Douro DOC and Port. Axel teaches at the major wine universities Geisenheim and Heilbronn in Germany and writes articles for WeinWisser, Weinwirtschaft and Vinum, as well as, for the World of Fine Wine magazine in the UK. He is an organiser and lecturer of the Port and Douro seminars held Pro-Wein in Germany. He has published a book on Port for the German market, which won the Gourmand Awards “Best European Wine Book” in 2018. He is a Cavalero do Confraria do Vinho do Porto and a certified Sherry Educator from the Consejo Regulador in Jerez. In September 2013 Axel convinced the 25 major port shippers to unify in a project to produce a unique Vintage Port that has never been produced before, which 100,000 Euro-profit was donated to charity (www.o-port-unidade.com). worldofport.de WINES OF SOUTH AFRICA The Best South Africa Wine Critic of the World -title: Platter’s The 2021 Platter's South African Wine Guide marked the incredible 41st edition of the guide, as 1980 was the very first edition. Platter's remains the leading South African wine guide, rating and reviewing nearly every one of the approximately 8,000 wines produced annually. The founder of the guide, South African journalist John Platter, established his reputation in professional circles as an excellent wine critic of South African wines, because he was not only an objective, reserved critic, but also a subjective-emotional fan of the Winelands. For many, this is not necessarily positive, but particularly in regards to taste there will always be a subjective aspect that John Platter never tried to hide, despite his rating system with the stars. Despite John Platter is no longer contributing or aligned to the guide, his legacy remains with the Platter's South African Wine Guide. It has become a standard for wine from South Africa since it especially offers novices and also experts a good decision support and helps navigate among all great wines from the Cape. The guide has been edited for the last 23 years by Philip van Zyl, and he heads up a tasting panel of about 14 experienced wine reviewers, so it is much more of a "team effort" today. Platter's introduces each winery with a detailed introductory paragraph, and contains wine tasting notes and scores using both the classic "stars" and the 100-point system, which was introduced three years ago to help explain South African wine quality to the international market. www.wineonaplatter.com THE BEST WINE OF THE WORLD COMPETITION The Best Port Wine Critic of the World -title: Axel Probst FINE PORT WINES 97

BWW2020 THE BEST WINE CRITIC OF THE WORLD 98 WINES OF SPAIN The Best Spain Wine Critic of the World -title: José Peñin José Peñin is the father of La Guia Peñin, Spain's most famous and comprehensive wine guide, which he founded in 1990 after working in the wine trade since 1970s. José Peñin has gathered his impressive knowledge of international and Spanish wines as a professional wine writer and journalist for more than 40 years. In 1980 Peñin created Spain's first wine magazine – Bouquet – that was dedicated to wine and the wine industry, and now continues his writings through freelancing work for such prestigious publications as El País and Tiempo. The print version of the guide is now complemented by the Guia Peñin website (Guiapenin.com). The Guia Peñin lists tasting notes and scores for more than 8,000 Spanish wines. Guiapenin.com WINES OF CALIFORNIA The Best Napa Valley Wine Critic of the World -title: James Laube James Laube has been writing for Wine Spectator since 1980, and joined the staff full-time in 1983. During his career with the magazine, he has reviewed every category of wine made in California, as well as wines from around the world, and he continues to apply his experience to verticals, retrospectives and other special tastings, and provide leadership for the Wine Spectator staff on both coasts. Laube grew up in Anaheim, California, and majored in history at San Diego State University. He moved to Napa Valley in 1978 and started his career in wine journalism. He has written four books: California's Great Cabernets (1989), California's Great Chardonnays (1990) and two editions of Wine Spectator's California Wine (1995 and 1999), the first edition of which won the James Beard Award for best wine book in 1996. He lives in Napa, where his favorite hobby remains reading, and enjoys sports, music, traveling and the outdoors—especially activities that take place off the coast (abalone diving) and on the high seas (salmon fishing). www.winespectator.com

Hungary – A Diverse and Fascinating Wine Country By Caroline Gilby MW D iverse and fascinating, modern and ancient at the same time – Hungary is a country worth discovering. It lies at the heart of Europe, a landscape shaped by volcanism and dotted with extinct volcanoes and over 1300 hot springs. At least two-thirds of the country’s vineyards are planted on volcanic soils giving a certain fiery, lively quality to the wines. Hungary’s wine history goes back millennia, at least as far as the Celts in pre-Roman times. The country was once the third biggest grapevine grower in Europe, though today with 58,000 ha in production it’s seventh in area in the EU. It’s close to New Zealand in wine production and makes more wine than better-known countries like Austria and Greece. Vineyards are divided into 22 wine regions and 33 PDOs, though some are more notable than others. Tokaj (Tokaji the wine, Tokaj the place) is the jewel in the crown. It’s been renowned for centuries for its utterly glorious, sweet wines, described as “Wine of kings and king of wines,” by Louis XIV. Today, a new generation of thrilling dry wines from these cool volcanic hills are adding to Tokaj’s reputation as a world-class wine destination. The key local grape Furmint (ably supported by its daughter Hárslevelű) is proving to be world-class: look out for single vineyard selections that demonstrate how well it can translate terroir to the glass. Hungary has much more to offer beyond Tokaj, with its fascinating mosaic of 180 grape varieties, many indigenous. Most important is the red grape known as Kékfrankos (Kék means blue in Hungarian) though it is more famous under the name Blaufränkisch. It probably originated in a historic Hungarian territory that lies in Slovenia today, and found favour in the previous era as a workhorse grape. Today, it’s being treated with much more care and its elegant, acid-driven, cherry-fruited style really suits modern tastes for balanced wines to go with, rather than dominate, food. It’s also the backbone for modern Bikavér, the flagship blended red wines from Eger and Szekszárd. Other wine highlights in Hungary include the mineralrich whites from Somló, once renowned as wedding night wines and even sold in pharmacies and the rich reds of Szekszárd and Villány, especially Cabernet Franc which has found a new home in the south of Hungary. Another grape that almost disappeared but is enjoying a rebirth is Kadarka – at its best in joyous light reds (think spicy Pinot Noir). The shores of Lake Balaton, central Europe’s largest lake, are also worth exploring – especially Olaszrizling and Kéknyelű from volcanic slopes on the northern shore of the lake. And there’s so much more. Indeed, everywhere you turn in Hungary, there are handcrafted and very personal wines with great human stories behind them. Egészségedre!

100 Wolfgang Blass

Text: Ken Gargett Photos: Treasury Wine Estate, Pekka Nuikki Wolf Blass has proven to be one of Australia’s most successful wine producers over the last few decades. Incredibly popular around the world for their full of flavour, great value wines, they also produce several wines that sit among this country’s elite, all part of their rainbow. I say rainbow, as Blass has always had a very simple and easy to follow system of using coloured labels to represent various levels and styles. Wolfgang Franz Otto Blass, born in East Germany in 1934, was a misbehaving child. After running away from school, the family gave him the choice – back to school or a winemaking apprenticeship. To the great benefit of winelovers the world over, Wolf chose the latter. He spent time in Champagne, studying their techniques, and also undertook a Masters in Oenology at Veitschoechheim-Wuerzberg in 1957, becoming their youngest graduate. He studied blending in England in 1959 and then, in 1961, had the chance to move to either Venezuela or Australia to make wine. He chose the latter, a decision that would play a major role in the modernisation and internationalisation of the Australian wine industry. Why Australia? Wolf had arranged a tasting of Australian wines while in London and thought that they were so “bloody awful” that he could hardly fail to do better. He has also been quoted as saying that he thought that Europe was not big enough for him. Wolf has never lacked confidence. Even so, the Barossa in those days must have been one massive culture shock for the young German. Although this region does have a strong link to Germany through immigration over the previous century, this is quintessential Australia. Dry, dusty, it could hardly be more different to places like the Mosel River if it were on another planet. There were only large producers in those days, very few making elite table wines as fortifieds dominated. Wolf worked with Kaiser Stuhl, on a three-year contract to make sparkling wine to compete with Orlando’s wildly successful ‘Barossa Pearl’. After three years, Wolf became a freelance technical advisor, driving for thousands of kilometres every week in his 1957 Volkswagen Beetle wearing with his trademark bow tie. He has said his salary was $2.50 an hour. By 1966, Wolf decided that the world was ready for his own company and Wolf Blass Wines was formed, though he continued to consult. It was eventually such a success that in 1991, it was taken over by Mildara, the resulting company becoming Mildara Blass, itself bought by Fosters in the late 90s. This was a time of the never-ending musical chairs in corporate winemaking in Australia, mergers and takeovers as common as the next vintage. Today, it is part of the Treasury Wine Estates. Wolf might be diminutive in stature, especially as he heads towards his 90th birthday in a couple of years, but he has always been a larger than life character, a force of nature and a giant of the Australian wine industry. He was at the forefront of the winemaking move from fortified and sweet wines to table wines. F I N E Wo l f B l a s s The Icon of Australian Wines 101

" 102 The success has continued. They have well over 10,000 medals and trophies as evidence of that."

TST then gave him an ultimatum. They demanded Wolf cease making his own wines and concentrate exclusively on TST wines. Wolf stopped the collaboration and commenced Wolf Blass Wines International operations in 1973. He was joined by his long term compatriot, John Glaetzer. Together, they made an unbeatable team and Wolf soon picked up the most famous wine trophy in Australia, the Jimmy Watson Trophy from the Melbourne Show, not once but three times in succession which has never been done, before or since. There are those who say that the Jimmy Watson was simply just one more trophy among many, until Wolf won it and convinced Australia that it was the pinnacle. He was well known at the time for his slogan, “My wines make weak men strong and strong women weak!” His winemakers knew that internally, the slogan was “No medals — no job”, while the winemaking philosophy he pursued with Glaetzer was “no wood, no good”. Wolf BLass With Wolf having stepped back from the winemaking some time ago, Chris Hatcher and his team now makes the wines. The success has continued. They have well over 10,000 medals and trophies as evidence of that. Although oak has always played a role, it is fruit flavour that rules. The “oak” tag has tended to stick with the company, but it is exaggerated on many occasions. Visitor Centre Wolf was a brilliant marketer. He employed a colour-coded label system for which his wines became known. He kicked off with Yellow for his Riesling. Most labels at the time were white so Wolf thought this would stand out. It did. Gold was originally for First Class on Qantas. Brown was his favourite football team’s colours. Red was when he took his wines to Hong Kong, for the Chinese market. Platinum was reserved for the best of the best, even topping the famous Black Label. The first vintage, 1998, was a mix of Barossa vineyards, but from the 2008 vintage, it has been all Medlands, a single vineyard in the Barossa. The team believes it offers “richly textured red wine of power, elegance, purity of fruit and extraordinary presence”. Recommended retail these days is around the $200 per bottle mark. The 1998 was under cork but screwcap has ruled since then. As well as the Shiraz, there is now also a Platinum Cabernet from the same vineyard. Medlands is located at the sub-region of Dorrien on the central north Barossa Valley floor. First planted by Thomas Radford Sage in 1882, it slopes towards the North Para River, and receives cooling breezes from the foothills, as well as low humidity. The soils range from loamy sands over light clays to sandy loams over medium clays, laid down 5 million years ago when an uplift of the Eastern ranges and a sinking of the valley floor caused the central valley to fill with sediments. Wolf Blass has been incredibly successful by following a simple formula — making wine fun and making wines that were full of flavour and which people really enjoyed drinking. Today, it is estimated that the annual production of Wolf Blass wines is around 60 million bottles. ∆ www.wolfblass.com F I N E Wo l f B l a s s His first wine came from an annual trip he made to watch the Australian Rules Football Grand Final in Melbourne, with other winemaking mates. With money he was leant by the local baker, Wolf purchased two hogsheads of Malbec, which he blended with Shiraz from Langhorne Creek – the beginning of a very long and mutually rewarding relationship between him and the region. He made 2,500 bottles. By this time, Wolf had given up the consultancy and was working with Tolley, Scott and Tolley (TST), who were largely bulk winemakers and distillers. His second vintage yielded 18,000 bottles and the batch was bottled free by a friend for whom he had made a popular sparkling wine. 103

104 WOLF BLASS PLATINUM SHIRAZ vertical tasting notes by Ken Gargett (KG) Wolf Blass Platinum ‘Medlands Vineyard’ Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 Dark purple/red with a crimson edge. Notes of dark berries on the nose plus vanillin touches. Black cherries. Real concentration surrounds a sweet core of fruit. There are cigar box and dry herb notes, old leather. This seamless and focused. Has very good length. slightly chewy tannins. The entire package is immaculately balanced. This has fifteen to twenty years ahead of it without a problem. Superb. Even though we tend to think Shiraz when we think Platinum (at least I do), this is as good a wine as any in the series. KG 96+p. Wolf Blass Platinum ‘Medlands Vineyard’ Barossa Shiraz 2018 Wolf Blass Platinum ‘Medlands Vineyard Barossa Shiraz 2012 Deep purple. If asked, I'd have put money that this would be the standout of the Platinum pair from the excellent 2018 vintage, but as good as this is, I think the Cab tops it, at the moment. This has an impressively complex nose for such a young wine. Truffles, dark berries. More savoury than the Cabernet, it is powerful, coiled, concentrated. There are notes of mulberries and various purple fruits, animal skins, chocolate and more, all in a gentle casing of well-integrated oak. Lots of grip here. It lacks the immediate gratification offered by the Cabernet but has everything in place for a very exciting future. Will definitely get better and score higher in the years to come. KG 94p. 22 months in 75% new and 25% one-year-old French barriques. A very dark, basically opaque purple. Opens with plush chocolate notes. Blueberries here with spices, florals and more. Dry herbs and violets. Coffee beans and blackfruits. There is oak to be found here but it is well integrated. Despite approaching its tenth birthday, this is still so young, it seems wrong to be drinking it just yet. Wrong, but wickedly enjoyable. A powerful structure, built for the long haul. There are fine tannins but lots of them. Indeed, quite mouth-puckering by the finish. Some plum notes emerged on the finish. There is good length here but not quite as much as one finds with the very best. KG 94p.

Wolf Blass Platinum Shiraz 2010 The colour of a day-old bruise but this is a much more enjoyable experience. We seem to have crossed a form of Rubicon with this wine. More presence than potential. The 2012 was all about what is coming. This wine has arrived. It will still take a decade plus cellaring, and no doubt improve even further, but there is now some development evident. Some maturity. It works. Plums, coffee beans, chocolate and prunes. Blackfruits. Warm earth. Complexity, that has advanced beyond what the younger wines can offer. Ripe, plush and open. This is still offering as much concentration as any of the wines, but with it, impeccable balance. There are silky tannins here, but they still provide good grip, and real length. The wine’s intensity is maintained throughout that length. Still a long future but perhaps the first of the series where I did not feel that opening a bottle now was more an intellectual exercise about what is to come then simply a hedonistic pleasure. KG 96+p. Wolf Blass Platinum Shiraz 2008 22 months in 100% new French oak. A really interesting wine. The quality seemed to ebb and flow to an extent. One moment, gorgeous; the next, seeking it. Deep magenta/purple in colour. Fragrant and florals. Chocolate and blackberries. Plums. This is well structured and finely balanced and it has flesh. Seamless and supple with excellent grip and serious length. Black cherries and a hint of almonds in the oak that remains evident. Very fine tannins. So far, matured impressively and in its good moments, seems to have years ahead of it. What is a little curious is that all of this suddenly seems to disappear and we are left with a relatively nondescript wine, but that only lasts a moment and then all is well again. This is not something I can quite recall happening in this manner before. Curious indeed. Without those dips, this would rank much higher. KG 93p. A mix of Barossa and Eden Valley fruit, 20 months in new French oak. Screwcap as noted, and these samples all came from the winery, so one assumes infinite care exhibited. When I opened the screwcap, there was a dark gooey sludge in the neck of the bottle. I thought this did not augur well, but I suspect that the bottle must have been angled down and what was becoming sediment was simply settling there. I poured the first half inch down the sink and problem solved. No further issues at all and the wine performed beautifully. A deep red colour, this was a little more rustic and old fashioned than most in the range. And absolutely nothing wrong with that at all. Slightly more herbal, there were cigar box notes, florals, game and animal skins. Warm earth. Truffles. The texture was pleasingly soft, as were the tannins. Good length of flavour. This is now quite mature but be in no rush, it has plenty of time ahead, although the sediment might build up more than expected. A lovely lingering wine, good balance and very seductive. KG 94p. Wolf Blass Platinum Shiraz 2002 24 months in a mix of new and one-year-old French oak. It has picked up a truckload of trophies. Deep reds here. The immediate aroma was intriguing – like freshly turned garden earth. Dry herbs and tobacco leaf notes. Quite complex. About to hit twenty years of age and yet it was still vibrant with bright acidity, all finely balanced. Floral notes gently emerged. Excellent length and such silky tannins. The finish was all black fruits. Really impressive. KG 95p. Wolf Blass Platinum Shiraz 1998 Under cork, this is from fifty-year-old vineyards in the Eden Valley. 18 months in new French oak, this wine won the 2000 Great Australian Shiraz Challenge. Coming from such a great vintage, this was a real achievement, given the competition. What is most pleasing is that the judges’ decision has been more than vindicated in the long haul. A glorious wine. The only likely issue is the cork – one bottle was crumbling but it had held up well enough that the wine was still superb. Soft maroon hues. Wonderfully aromatic. The smells flooded from the bottle and filled the room as soon as the cork was freed. Fleshy, mature, complex. A red at its peak. Blackfruits, delicatessen notes, cloves, chocolate, black olives, bergamot and game. It might well be right at its peak now, but it should hold this for at least another decade. Silky tannins. Still a healthy flick of acidity behind the structure. Great length. Indeed, it has been a while since I have seen length quite like this in a mature red. A supple, seamless texture. A wonderful wine. KG 98p. ∆ F I N E Wo l f B l a s s Wolf Blass Platinum Shiraz 2004 105

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F I N E Ve g a S i c i l i a 107 Text and Photos: Pekka Nuikki

B odegas Vega Sicilia Unico is still “a prophet in its own land”, Spain, and only a small part of the production leaves the country to be sold abroad. The production of Unico varies from 30 000 to 100 000 bottles depending on the year. The commercial success of Unico is nevertheless decided beforehand regardless of the amount produced, as each vintage is already sold out before the bottling. The list of the privileged subscribers to Unico does not exceed 4 000, and they naturally remain anonymous. Pablo Alvarez, manager of Vega Sicilia, is conscientious when it comes to impartiality towards long standing loyal customers, even though the balance between the company’s firm commercial policy and influential quarters outside its customer list is not always easy to maintain. 108 Respecting loyal customers has been a matter of tremendous importance for Bodegas Vega Sicilia throughout its history. When Jesús Anadón was the estate steward the United States’ importer paid a visit and told him that in his faraway homeland the demand was more than 200 000 bottles. As he determinedly insisted that his order be multiplied, the inimitable Jesús stated without blinking an eye that the limit was 500 bottles and no more, and this was his last word. Unico’s desirability and rarity outside Spain have guaranteed a strong increase in price and demand, especially in the United States. Although Unico has a great track record as an investment, the “track record” of quality has been supreme. Is it just coincidence or fate that my first vineyard visit, nearly twenty-five years ago, just happened to be to Vega Sicilia? An estate that does not receive just any guest and, even today, requires those who enter its gates to prove their identity. Back then, the trip to the vineyard took me through the hypnotically flat landscape of the Duero Valley, with only the occasional small village popping up every now and then, before quickly disappearing into the distance as we passed. It’s a different story today: the journey to Vega Sicilia takes us along the same road, but this time the landscape is covered by row after row of grapevines, stretching as far as the eye can see. The modern main buildings of each vineyard punctuate the green expanses, challenging the traditional perception that tourists have of Spanish wine regions and keeping me alert for the entire trip. It is perhaps this outward appearance that best conveys to an outsider the change which the Spanish wine industry has undergone over the past few decades. Upon reaching Vega Sicilia, the winds of change have calmed and the serenity quietens the arriving visitors. The slow pace of life is further accentuated by the Japanese garden fronting the vineyard’s main building. The soothing babble of the garden’s brook and simple, clean aesthetic of the buildings enhance the visitors’ peace of mind. The garden is a veritable work of art which respects the surrounding environment by expressing the essential. Vega Sicilia’s wines have been made with the same philosophy since the 19th century. A LEGEND IS BORN The origins of the Vega Sicilia estate date back to 1859, when Castilian businessman Don Eloy Lecanda Chaves received two plots – Vega Santa Cecilia and Carrascal – as a gift from his wealthy father. From the very start, he believed in the Tinto Fino, or Tempranillo grapes. In addition to this, he acquired nearly 18 000 Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir vine cuttings from France’s Bordeaux region. Other varieties, such as Carmenère, Moscatel and Albillo also used to be grown here. In the spirit of the time blends were made at nurseries. The original name of the estate was Bodegas de Leganda. When the Herrero family, a line of prominent bankers, acquired ownership of the estate after Don Eloy declared bankruptcy in 1903, the name was changed to Hijos de Antonio Herrero and then to Vega Sicilia. Herrero’s philosophy did not include the sale of wine: bottles from the first vintages were bestowed upon Spanish royalty and nobility at no charge, with the remainder given to friends and family. This served to create the legend of Spain’s most precious wine, which could only be acquired through friendship. In 1915 the first bottle of Unico saw the light of day, followed that same year by the estate’s “secondary” wine, Valbuena. In the 1920s Vega Sicilia’s wines achieved world renown under the direction of Domingo Garramiola (aka “Txomin”), who was the head of the Herrero winery. It was during that time that Vega Sicilia won a host of international awards. Even today, despite the fact that the production of Unico has increased from a few thousand bottles to 50 000–100 000 bottles, depending on the vintage, it is extremely difficult and rare to find a bottle of Unico, particularly outside Spain’s borders. Only 35 per cent of the production volume is earmarked for export. In the 1920s a list, which is still valid today, was created, containing the names of some 4000 lucky restaurants, merchants and private persons who would receive these wine rarities. Pablo Alvarez, explains: “The list is over 80 years old, so there are families on it which have already been receiving their allocation for four generations. The allocation is handed down from generation to generation. The names of those who have not

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110 BEST UNICO VINTAGES 1917, 1921, 1929, 1936, 1944, 1949, 1957, 1962, 1964, 1968, 1970, 1975, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1994, 2007, 2009.

" Quality wines must contain all the components and none of its basic elements must override another. It has to be complex and refined. In my opinion, our region produces exactly these kinds of wines. But, as I said before, you can’t do this without a vineyard that gives the wine its personality and structure.” It is highly unlikely that this is a common occurrence, as there is a waiting list with some 5000 names on it. The list constitutes 65 per cent of the estates entire customer base and a quarter of the total sales volume. Vega Sicilia’s latest projects – the Alion and Pintia wines – have their own allocation lists. Due to limited availability, it is no wonder that Vega Sicilia wines have such considerable aftermarkets. COMMERCIALISING QUALITY In 1982, when the winery was acquired by the Alvarez family, major investments and the modernisation of its wine production were made in Vega Sicilia. The Alvarez family also questioned the length of maturation times in barrels and bottles, making an effort to shorten them – however, this was done for quality rather than commercial reasons. The head of the family, Pablo Alvarez, is Pablo Alvarez the man who is largely responsible for Vega Sicilia’s current success. He is one of the owners and oversees the estate’s wines. Pablo is a pensive and modest man, whose unassuming way of expressing himself is just as significant as the thing being said. For him, quality and striving to achieve it are essential to the production of wine. Indeed, the inclusion of quality in every aspect of UNICO 1962 – PERHAPS THE BEST WINE WITH WHICH TO CELEBRATE YOUR 90TH BIRTHDAY ONCE UPON A TIME, as I was walking the narrow side streets of Rincon, a seashore town east of Malaga, I spotted a very promising looking wine shop. I had been looking for old Unicos on my previous trips to Spain without success, but once again I decided to try my luck. Inside, I found one Unico 1985 on the shelf, but that was all. I took a little time to look at what other interesting bottles the dusty shelves might hold, and, in a far corner high up on the last shelf, I discovered a small wooden case. On tiptoe I managed to get it down, and as I blew away the dust the text on it revealed: Unico 1962 Magnum – my own birth year. The smile on my face grew even wider as the owner told he had for years assumed the case was empty, and would now happily sell it to me for the original price. The bottle itself was as good as new – as was the buyer. In Spain the climate conditions in 1962 had all the characteristics of a great year: a cold winter and a mild spring with substantial rainfall. During the hot summer there were great thermal fluctuations between day and night, a phenomena which contributes to the mark of a great vintage. The harvest took place under excellent temperature conditions and sunny skies. Because of the excellent climate conditions, the harvesting began at the beginning of October. The result was very good, and it was possible to bottle 87 600 regular bottles and 2000 magnums. “The Unico wine is produced only in exceptional years, that is, in the course of a decade two or three vintages are ‘sacrificed’ in order to maintain the high quality. It is right that the effect of the harvest is present in each wine: the wines of 1981, -74, -75, -66 and -65 are Unicos with aromatical complexity that reaches baroque extremes, and the 1970, -89, -62, -42 and -22 offerings are based on the tannic power reaching to be perpetual wine,” explains Pablo Alvarez when I asked his personal opinion about other vintages that might reach the level of the 1962 vintage. As I turned 40 in 2002 I held a 1962 tasting for my friends. We tasted 26 wines from that year, among them Pétrus, Grange, Latour, Lafite-Rothschild and Mouton. The best wine of the night, with an average of 97 points, turned out to be this very Unico! Let´s see if it is a different story in 2022. winemaking is sacred to him, as he himself explains: “In my opinion, the philosophy of winemaking and quality are one and the same. But what exactly do we mean when we say quality? In the world of winemaking there are no secrets or magic formulas. As in any profession, you just have to work to the absolute best of your abilities, which is, of course, easier said than done. In practice it is not a question of having a good site in a prime location or using state-of-the-art wine production equipment – people are also needed in the equation. They not only have to be real professionals – and there are plenty of those to be found – but also something more: they have to be honest and they have to contribute more than just their know-how to the work – they also have to love their work.” Vega Sicilia’s own vineyards are located on the slopes along the right bank of the Duero River, between Valbuena and Quintanilla. It is here that the estate owns 965 hectares of land, approximately 250 of which are covered by vines. “I believe that Vega Sicilia is located in one of the world’s best production regions and that it has truly unique vineyards, which, when you consider the end result, is more important than the production process itself. The climate here is very harsh, almost at the limit of where grapes can generally be grown, and that is why the grapes grown in this area are of such high quality. This comes from all the hard work done on the vineyards year after year. The result is a magnificent grape, which remains virtually unchanged throughout production. The wine must be kept pure and unprocessed – we can do that here. Quality wines must contain all the components and none of its basic elements must override another. It has to be complex F I N E Ve g a S i c i l i a accepted their allocation for two years are removed from the list.” 111

and refined. In my opinion, our region produces exactly these kinds of wines. But, as I said before, you can’t do this without a vineyard that gives the wine its personality and structure,” Alvarez says. THE FRUITS OF VEGA SICILIA Vega Sicilia produces three different wines. Unico is the estate’s flagship wine, which has a production of 50 000–100 000 bottles a season. Unico is only produced during excellent years. It is allowed to mature for an exceptionally long time in oak barrels and bottles before being shipped to stores. The process used to take more than ten years, but now it “only” takes ten years (six in oak and four in bottle). For example, the outstanding vintage of 1970 was not released for sale until 1997 and all the Unico magnums with the same vintage, some 2000 bottles, were finally released in 2000, thirty years after the harvest. 112 Weaker vintages of Unico are sacrificed for use in the production of the excellent Valbuena. The production yield of Valbuena 5 ranges between 100 000 and 200 000 bottles. The number 5 in Valbuena’s name indicates the maturation time in the cellar, which is three years in oak vats and barrels and two in bottles. Previously, the repertoire included Valbuena 3, but its production was discontinued after the 1987 vintage. In addition to these wines, Vega Sicilia also produces Unico Reserva Especial. This is the winery’s most expensive and, in their opinion, finest wine. The Unico Reserva does not have a specific vintage; Vega Sicilia has adopted an old Spanish winemaking tradition, where the best old vintages are blended to combine the best characteristics of each, thus resulting in the wonderfully balanced and consistent Reserva Especial – which is arguably the winery’s finest wine. Only the absolute best Unico vintages are used to produce Reserva Especial. The production volume is very small and the price is nearly twice that of the Unico. Pablo Alvarez explains: “The wine vintage concept is itself a newer practice than blending. We produce some 10 000–15 000 bottles of this well-tuned Vega Siciliano-style wine every year, blending both older and newer vintages. Our current blend contains vintages from 1989, 1991 and 1994. Our quality control is very tight in every phase of production; we don’t act on impulse here at the winery.” When the Pintia Toro project started in 1995/96, Pablo Alvarez began to buy plots ­(46 hectares of old grapevines, ranging from 25 to 53 years of age) in Toro, wisely neglecting to mention that he was

F I N E Ve g a S i c i l i a 113 UNICO AS AN INVESTMENT REGARDLESS OF THE VINTAGE, Unico has always been an excellent investment, particularly if some effort was expended and the bottle is purchased directly from a small wine shop in Spain. Its desirability and rarity outside Spain have guaranteed a strong increase in price and demand, especially in the United States. Due to its long maturation period at the winery, this wine should not be cellared for much longer, three to five years at the most, in order to maximise the investment. The best way to see a return on the investment is to purchase a vintage immediately upon its release at the right place and then sell it soon after, at a location where it will fetch the highest price.

114 WINEMAKING GRAPE VARIETIES Ageing: Once the process of fermentation has been completed, the wine remains in large-capacity wooden vats for 22 months. It then matures for 22 months in new casks, 28 months in semi-new casks and 24 months in large capacity wooden vats. The remaining time is spent in the bottle until being released. 85% Tempranillo (Tinto Fino) 15% Cabernet Sauvignon (from 1995 vintage)

the owner of Vega Sicilia. In 1997 he began researching the output of these plots. It wasn’t until the 2000s that he finally introduced the first official vintage – the 2003.” “After that vintage with the problem corks, we selected 19 suppliers and analysed their corks very closely together with a Bordeaux laboratory. We finally narrowed the field down to two suppliers, whose corks were of a high enough quality to meet our high standards. We still inspect every cork, rejecting about half. We also pay a very high price for them: 1.30 euros per cork.” After the 1994 Valbuena cork taint incident, Pablo Alvarez decided to solve the cork quality problem once and for all by planting 20 000 cork oaks on the estate: two thousand oaks are needed to provide the corks for a year’s worth of production. Due to the region’s widely varying temperatures and cool growing conditions, a cork oak will take ten years to reach production maturity. Alvarez has calculated that he will be able to produce his own corks in 45 years. Talk about longevity! LOOKING FORWARD TO A BRIGHT PAST During the last 60 years time seems to have stood still at Vega Sicilia. It was difficult to see the development, which was constantly advancing the estate’s wine production processes and production equipment, but not anymore. Vega Sicilia has now built a shining new winery to maximize the expression of Vega Sicilia’s different vineyard sites. Construction began in November 2009 and was completed in nine months, just in time for the 2010 harvest. Pablo Alvarez proudly explains: “The new fermenting facility is an important step forward for the quality of our wines, and, without being pretentious, that has always been the main idea behind our work at Vega Sicilia. “We have tried to apply in this new facility all the achievements and mistakes learned in the first 150 years of our history – especially in the vineyards, where, after so many years, we know the characteristics of the grapes in every parcel as well as the diversity of the 19 different types of F I N E Ve g a S i c i l i a Vega Sicilia also makes its own barrels, which are used for no more than four years. The amount of French oak used is increasing, and currently accounts for 50 per cent of the wood used. This extremely strict adherence to high quality control standards is also applied to corks. Alvarez mentions that the vineyard had some cork problems in 1994: 115

UNICO 1922 – THE BEST WINE WITH WHICH TO CELEBRATE YOUR 100TH BIRTHDAY I WAS WORKING AS a photographer on a trip to Bilbao, a city whose commercial structure had been successfully changed by the Basques from industry and port trade to tourism, and which was now competing with Madrid and Barcelona for the ever-growing tourist trade. The infrastructure of the city had been improved by the building of a new metro, airport and railway station. Surprisingly, the most important reform for tourism had been the modernisation of the local museum. The timing was most excellent and a true stroke of luck for Bilbao when Guggenheim, which had long been looking for an opportunity to expand in Europe, decided to land in the city. Frank Gehry, an American architect who strongly divided opinions, was chosen to design the museum and his titanium plated Art Museum was both a commercial and visual success. 116 As I packed my photographic equipment into my car, which was in the museum yard, the polymorphic building seemed to change its form and shape in the shadows created by the light of the setting sun. This phenomenon gave no reason for suspicion, for even though the museum had closed its doors an hour ago there were still hundreds of tourists wandering around it. I had just finished a two-day photography session at the museum and was heading for dinner at a restaurant recommended by Frank Gehry himself: Victor Montez at the Plaza Nuevo. Our table reservation was for eight o´clock and I arrived early, contrary to my habit, with my assistant. The lower floor of the restaurant was already packed with people welcoming in the weekend, and we managed to get to the bar counter only with the help of our elbows. On the wall behind the counter was an endless array of hundreds of whisky bottles. Withstanding this impressive scene we ordered Unico 1990 which was available by glass at the bar, and this fact alone raised our expectations of the wine list. This was not in vain, as when the restaurant opened at exactly eight o´clock and we were taken to a charming corner table, there were hundreds of old, patinated best Spanish wines on the shelves of the glass cabinets surrounding us. It felt as if we had walked into a vast, ancient treasure chamber and the feeling was not weakened by the sight of dozens of dusty Vega Sicilia Unicos, the oldest of which were from the beginning of the last century. By now the menu had lost its meaning and it was difficult for us to even concentrate on the biblesized wine list, given the treasures that were demanding our attention. Since the waiter had stood an embarrassingly long time waiting for our wine order I decided to choose as our first wine that which lay closest to me in the cabinet, Unico’s first commercial vintage 1915. The waiter nodded approvingly and I said goodbye to my day’s earnings. After a short while the waiter returned carrying an almost unrecognisable dust covered bottle, and apologetically said that the Unico on the shelf next to me was their only vintage 1915, and that he did not believe it to be drinkable any more due to the storage conditions. Instead, the vintage 1922 was now splendid, according to him, and the dusty bottle he was holding was their last one from this vintage. The next decision was easy. This rare Unico looked very old indeed, but had an admirable top-shoulder level and both original label and capsule. Decanted for 30 minutes. Very dark, with an almost black, deep and healthy looking colour. The bouquet was slightly weak in the attack, but when it gradually opened up during the first 30 minutes in the glass, it was amazingly powerful, sweet, ripe and leathery. No rush! Incredibly youthful and fresh. It had a good structure, sweet fruit and great acidity. The taste was smooth and balanced, which emphasised the harmony between fruit, wood and reduction in the bottle. This 1922 Unico was a round, delicious wine with silky tannins and lovely length. A truly fine wine.

soils. All these are reflected in the new facility. Although the work took less than a year to complete, it was designed in more than double that time, between 2005 and 2007. Every detail in the process was taken into account: we visited wineries and suppliers, and decisions were made concerning every part of the new building.” “All of the design was concentrated around one idea: to adapt the vats to each and every parcel, soil and grape variety that we have in Vega Sicilia. This way we can carry out micro vinifications of every characteristic of our wines, we can age them separately and at the moment of the final blend we can select from 40 different lots of wine, allowing us to blend the best quality possible before bottling.” In short, all the investment in the new fermenting facility, which is the third in the history of Vega Sicilia, has been designed with the sole aim of increasing the quality of our wines. VEGA SICILIA RESERVA ESPECIAL TRADITIONALLY IN SPAIN the few wineries that bottled their wines (most sold their wines from the cask) made two types of wine with each harvest: that of the current year and another wine without a specific harvest, which was called “Reserva Especial”. It was a blend of wines from the best harvests, which came to be the most representative wine of the winery. With Reserva Especial, Vega Sicilia seeks to continue a very old Spanish custom and bring together the balance of different vintages. Vega Sicilia Especial Reserva, released in 2004 – a blend of the 1985, 1990 and 1991 vintages Vega Sicilia Especial Reserva, released in 2005 – a blend of the 1985, 1991 and 1996 vintages Vega Sicilia Especial Reserva, released in 2006 – a blend of the 1989, 1990 and 1994 vintages Vega Sicilia Especial Reserva, released in 2007 – a blend of the 1990. 1991 and 1994 vintages Vega Sicilia Especial Reserva, released in 2008 – a blend of the 1990, 1991 and 1996 vintages Vega Sicilia Especial Reserva, released in 2009 – a blend of the 1990, 1994 and 1996 vintages Vega Sicilia Especial Reserva, released in 2010 – a blend of the 1991, 1994 and 1995 vintages Vega Sicilia Especial Reserva, released in 2011 – a blend of the 1991, 1994 and 1998 vintages Vega Sicilia Especial Reserva, released in 2012 – a blend of the 1991, 1994 and 1999 vintages Vega Sicilia Especial Reserva, released in 2013 – a blend of the 1995, 1999 and 2000 vintages Vega Sicilia Especial Reserva, released in 2014 – a blend of the 1994, 1995 and 2000 vintages Vega Sicilia Especial Reserva, released in 2015 – a blend of the 1994, 1996 and 2000 vintages Vega Sicilia Especial Reserva, released in 2016 – a blend of the 1996, 1998 and 2002 vintages Vega Sicilia Especial Reserva, released in 2017 – a blend of the 2003, 2004 and 2006 vintages Vega Sicilia Especial Reserva, released in 2018 – a blend of the 2005, 2006 and 2007 vintages Vega Sicilia Especial Reserva, released in 2019 – a blend of the 2006, 2007 and 2009 vintages Vega Sicilia Especial Reserva, released in 2020 – a blend of the 2008, 2009 and 2010 vintages Vega Sicilia Especial Reserva, released in 2021 – a blend of the 2009, 2010 and 2011 vintages Apart from the new fermenting facilities, the cooperage is also new – as are all the agriculture warehouses, winemaking facilities, garages and changing rooms. The total investment was twenty million euros.” Even though the structure and style of the wine seem to indicate adherence to the decades-old recipe, that recipe is not the same as the one used 50 years ago. Tasting these perfectly elegant and harmonious wines at an oak table in the estate owner’s residence raises questions about the future of the estate. Is there anything more that could possibly be done to improve the quality of these wines? Is it even necessary? After pondering for a moment, Pablo Alvarez answers: “Quality will always come first, both now and in the future. The only way to move forward is to produce vintages, each one better than the next, because that is the very essence of wine – there will never be an absolutely perfect product. However, the quest for that unattainable goal represents our future.” ∆ Bodegas Vega Sicilia S.A. Finca Vega Sicilia Carretera Nacional 122, km 323 47359 Valbuena de Duero Spain Tel. + 34 983 680 147 Fax + 34 983 680 263 vegasicilia@vega-sicilia.com www.vega-sicilia.com F I N E Ve g a S i c i l i a “The vats can hold 8 000 and 6 000 kilos, which means going from 23 deposits in the former ­facilities to 75 in the new. Every detail was thought about and then executed. 117

A VEGA SICILIA TIME LINE 1848 – Acquisition of land The history of this estate began in 1848, when Toribio Lecanda, a landowner of Basque origin, bought a 2000-hectare estate used for agriculture and cattle farming from the Marquis of Valbuena. 1864 – Vega Sicilia founded Eloy, son of Toribio Lecanda, and founder of the Vega Sicilia winery in 1864, bought 18 000 shoots of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot and Pinot Noir in Bordeaux, in order to use them in the making of brandy and ratafias. In 1876, at the Philadelphia Fair, Lecanda obtained a quality certificate for his brandies. 1904 – The incorporation of Domingo Garramiola With the estate having been acquired by the Herrero family, it is then rented to Cosme Palacio, who creates the winery with the help of enologist Domingo Garramiola, a person who is crucial to the history of Vega Sicilia. 118 1915 – The birth of Unico 1915 was the birth year of two new wines: Vega Sicilia Unico and Valbuena. These wines followed along the lines of the Rioja wines of the day: lengthy ageing in vats and wooden casks and bottled to order. The distribution of these first bottles began among the upper class bourgeoisie and the aristocracy, but none were available for commercial purposes. Thus began the forging of the legend of Spain’s most exclusive wine, as it cannot be bought with money – only with friendship. 1929 – A Prize at the World Fair The wines of Vega Sicilia first gained real public recognition thanks to prizes awarded at, among others, the World Fair in Barcelona in 1929. On this occasion, accolades were bestowed on the 1917 and 1918 vintages. 1933 – The Death of Domingo Garramiola Domingo Garramiola died in 1933. The ­responsibility of continuing with his work fell on his closest collaborator, Martiniano Renedo. 1956 – The arrival of Jesús Anadón Jesús Anadón joined the wineries in 1956. He was to be director of the company for several decades. 1982 – The Alvarez family acquires Bodegas Vega Sicilia The current stage began in 1982, when David Alvarez acquired the winery and the vineyards from the Venezuelan businessman Miguel Neumann.

A VEGA SICILIA TIME LINE 1991 – The creation of Bodegas Alión Alión winery was born on the 5th of November 1991. This is a name laden with emotion, as it corresponds to the town of León in which the family patriarch, David Alvarez, was born. 1993 – The Alvarez family arrives in Hungary Tokaj Oremus is founded by Vega Sicilia. 1997 – The purchase and constitution of Bodegas Pintia Bodegas Alquiriz is the new project that has been designed to promote Vega Sicilia. The desire of the Alvarez family is to make the best Toro wine. In order to do this, 70 hectares of vineyard have been bought in different places since the harvest of 1997 within the Designation of Origin. In 2001, after four years of studying the concept of the wine, it was made for commercial purposes for the very first time. 1998 – The consolidation of a team of expert oenologists 1998 saw the incorporation of Xavier Ausás into the technical management of the winery group after six years working as an oenologist in Vega Sicilia. Xavier, together with his sister Mercedes and Begoña Jovellar, is considered to be the father, master and educator of the company ‘s wines. 2000 – Primum Familiae Vini and Vega Sicilia Primum Familiae Vini is an organisation formed by the twelve family-run wineries of the highest international prestige, and which includes Vega Sicilia. The year 2000 was also the year which saw the end of the renovation and modernisation process of the winery. 2011 – A launch of a new winery project in Spain Pablo Alvarez launches a new joint venture winery with Baron Benjamin de Rothschild in Rioja. A 26-million euro winery is named Bodegas Benjamin de Rothschild & Vega Sicilia – in Rioja. ∆ F I N E Ve g a S i c i l i a 1985 – The retirement of Jesús Anadón The retirement of Jesús Anadón meant the leaving of a man who carried out his responsibilities as director and oenologist of Vega Sicilia in a highly personal way. Upon his departure, Pablo Alvarez took full possession of the general management of the winery; the oenology area was taken on by Mariano García, who had been Jesús Anadón’s assistant since joining the company in 1968. 119

ASTON MARTIN DB11 – Powered by AMG There’s an air of optimism over at Aston Martin these days with a big dose of technical input coming from partner Mercedes-Benz and the first product of this relationship is the breathtaking new DB11 V8. 120 When it comes to the new Aston Martin DB11, less is definitely more as the recently launched 5.3-litre V12 has been joined by a smaller AMG-sourced, 4-litre twin-turbo V8 and as we found out, it’s a belter. Text: Damien Reid Photography Supplied Aston Martin’s all-new DB11 GT Coupé has expanded with the addition of a more affordable V8 to sit alongside the big V12, but as we found during the launch in Spain, it’s not only a more affordable way to DB11 ownership, but it’s probably a better driver’s car too. Mercedes-AMG parent, Daimler holds a five percent stake in Aston Martin and the DB11 V8 is the first product of the partnership. Therefore this is a watershed car for the British manufacturer as this engine borrowed from the ‘63’ badged AMG cars as well as the AMG GT Coupé will also feature in several future Aston Martins, but for now it’s in the svelte new DB11.

121 FINE Aston Martin DB11

122

FINE Aston Martin DB11 Not backward in coming forward, Aston Martin has several wild interior colours including purple, however the red on our test car sat well with the Divine Red exterior paint. 123 " “This is a watershed car for the British manufacturer as this engine borrowed from the ‘63’ badged AMG cars as well as the AMG GT Coupé will also feature in several future Aston Martins.”

Now with two engine options, the DB11 represents the start of a new era for Aston Martin. 124

A sign of Aston Martin’s close ties with Mercedes-Benz, the mouse pad is a familiar feature on all Mercedes interiors and is now making its debut in the DB11. The more compact 4-litre twin-turbo V8 can now sit snugly behind the front axle. One of the very few clues distinguishing the DB11 V8 from its bigger V12 brother is the unique alloy wheel pattern. Not only is the AMG motor 115kg lighter than the V12 but it also sits back behind the front axle making it a front, mid-mounted car for better weight distribution. Its lighter front is easier on the brakes while the suspension has also been tweaked with softer front springs to give a more direct feel through the steering. This also reduces the pedal travel, plus it now also has a slightly quicker steering rack. With three settings for GT, Sport and Sport +, the instrument cluster also changes, seen here in cruising GT mode. Aston says the V8 will get to 100kmh in under 4.0 seconds and top out at 300kmh so I doubt you’d feel the effects of 97 fewer horses under the hood compared to the V12. Its 503 bhp and 675Nm of torque is still about the same as the stonkingly quick Mercedes-AMG GT S coupe. Visually, you’d have to be an anorak to spot the differences between the two aside from the missing V12 badges on the side. The V8 loses two bonnet vents and gets smoked headlamp bezels and different alloy wheels. Inside, it’s identical to the V12 and buyers can still choose from the same options menus. When it comes to ergonomics, the only real telltales of Aston’s AMG influence is from the infotainment system with its Mercedes mouse pad in the centre console and the display screen. The DB11 V8 is probably the most driver focused car in its class with the exception perhaps of the AMG GT for obvious reasons but otherwise, it’s the most rewarding big dollar GT currently on the road. ∆ Switching to the most aggressive Sport + mode introduces you to the flame red instrument cluster that is dominated by its 7000rpm red line. FINE Aston Martin DB11 In keeping with the new direction, the winged Aston badge is accompanied for the first time by the name in chrome lettering on the bootlid. 125

JOHN AND MARY LEE FINE WINE SOCIETY & DOM PÉRIGNON PRESENT THE VINTAGE GOLF CLASSIC CARD SOUND GOLF CLUB Spring 2022 BENEFITTING OCEAN REEF COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ALL CHARITIES DINNER AT CARD SOUND PREPARED BY MASTER CHEF RICH ROSENDALE DONATION: $5000 PER PERSON ANNOUNCING THE SECOND ANNUAL VINTAGE GOLF CLASSIC 2022 OCEAN REEF CLUB® KEY LARGO, FLORIDA USA

UPCOMING EVENTS The 3oth Annual LEGENDS INVITATIONAL GOLF TOURNAMENT November 11-15th, 2021 Our Thirtieth Annual Legends Invitational Golf Tournament takes place on November 11-15th, 2021. A one-of-a-kind experience, we pair NFL legends, sports greats, and Navy SEALs as “Celebrity Captains” with every foursome, providing three first-class days of exceptional golf. Recognized as one of the most prestigious and longest-running privately owned tournaments at the Pebble Beach Resorts, the 31st Legends Invitational reserves three days of exclusive play on Pebble Beach, Spanish Bay, and Spyglass Hill golf courses. THE WHITE TRUFFLE DINNER at the French Laundry November 10, 2021 At the invitation of John & Mary Lee, world-renowned Chef and owner Thomas Keller prepares and hosts a one-of-a-kind culinary event for select guests of the Legends Invitational. This exclusive evening, held in an intimate, private setting at the French Laundry, includes an extraordinary five-course “White Truffle” formal dinner with Napa Valley wine pairings. This unique evening honors our military’s Special Forces while raising funds for the Navy SEAL Museum and support for SEAL families in times of distress or need of financial aid. Inclusive in this special occasion are active and former Navy Admirals and Medal of Honor Recipient guest speakers. NAPA CULT WINE EVENTS Ocean Reef Club® Winter 2021-Spring 2022 Several winery representatives will be at these events along with other special guests. Wines served will include Harlan, Scarecrow, Colgin, Napa Valley Reserve, Schramsberg, Gargiulo. About Fine Wine Society Co-founded by John & Mary Lee at Ocean Reef Club® in Key Largo, Florida, the Fine Wine Society is a very exclusive private wine club, hosting the some of finest wine events in the world. Membership in Fine Wine Society includes invitations to our events and exclusive offers directly from Private Client Advisors of the world’s most prestigious wine and spirits brands. TO INQUIRE ABOUT MEMBERSHIP AND ATTENDING EVENTS VISIT: FINEWINESOCIETY.COM

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Beyond rare vintages Recreating the perfect year 98/100 95/100 18,5/20 Grand Siècle Nº22 in magnum. On allocation. www.laurent-perrier.com - #grandsiecle LPGS22.8_246x297x2_FineMagazine_EN.indd 1 01/07/2021 17:55

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