As Jane Anson finishes her report on the 2023 Bordeaux vintage she talks to Sarah Kemp about her impressions after tasting over 800 wines. She advises which appellations did well, how it compares to previous vintages, and names the châteaux she believes will offer value for money. Find out which wine she would buy, money no object, and why. Sarah was delighted. Jane’s report is released on May 2nd and she is offering a 10% discount during En Primeur. Listen in to get up-to-speed with a vintage Bordeaux lovers will love.Find out more at wine-conversation.com
News and views aplenty in this month’s Omnibus, good, bad and damn frightening. Elin McCoy finds there is great wine, food and art at Château La Coste in Provence (currently showing 85 of Damien Hirst’s works), reviews the new releases from Champagne Bollinger, and discusses the new Mouton Cadet range designed for Gen Z with Philippe Sereys de Rothschild. Over in Macau Jane Anson judges the new Wynn Signature Chinese Wine Awards and reveals the winner. It’s April so inevitably John Stimpfig and Sarah Kemp are talking about the Bordeaux En Primeur campaign, with the perennial question, what price will the châteaux release at. The good news is that the tariffs have been lifted on Australian wine into China and the Old Vine Conference has announced their Hero awards. The frightening news is that a report has come out predicting 29% of vineyards will not be able to produce premium wine by the end of the century. Great news for charity though, John Stimpfig is back on his bike to raise money for the Hospitality Industry, a 200km bike ride across Burgundy, but before then there is a Gala Dinner in London. Listen in to hear all about it. This Omnibus is brought to you by our Founder Sponsor, Santa Rita Wine Estates.Find out more at wine-conversation.com
The first report on the 2023 Bordeaux vintage from Jane Anson and Sarah Kemp. Sarah joined Jane for her second week of tasting, and found much to love “I felt a lot of these wines, not all, were what made me fall in love with Bordeaux. It’s the vintage I will buy my son to remind him why I loved Bordeaux and was away so often”. They discuss the factors which shaped the wines, with mildew and the question of whether to strip the leaves and risk burning the grapes a major decision. Yields, economic conditions, appellation success – a full discussion after a week of long days travelling round Bordeaux putting together the jigsaw puzzle of understanding the latest vintage. Jane will produce her full report for subscribers on May 2nd. For listeners who are not subscribers, there is a Flash sale, to be taken up by April 25! Please use the following discount code on a yearly subscription to start your 7-day free trial, at www.janeanson.com/subscribe: TRYJAIB24 Find out more at wine-conversation.com
Jasper Morris MW, today’s leading Burgundy expert and author of the award-winning book “Inside Burgundy”, conducts a 10-Minute Masterclass on St-Aubin, the fourth great white Burgundy village. Jasper discusses its terroir, the best vintages to look out for, its renowned names and the one producer that is up and coming. For wine lovers, there is the added bonus that it still offers value for money. Find out more at: wine-conversation.com
7 minutes on the weather conditions that have formed the 2023 vintage from Bordeaux expert Jane Anson. As the En Primeur tastings get into full swing Jane looks at the difference in yields, the problem mildew caused for some producers “Just 5 % of mildew in a tank can make the difference to the taste”. Listen in to the first of our En Primeur podcasts and get up-to-date with Bordeaux’s 2023 vintage.Find out more at wine-conversation.com
Drunk by hedonists, made by masochists, Sauternes is one of the world’s greatest fine wines. Join Jane Anson and Sarah Kemp for a 10-minute masterclass as they discuss this renowned appellation. Find out the difference between Sauternes and Barsac, why it is in decline after being one of the most-sought after wines in the world. Discover the new dry styles being produced, the new upcoming producers and why there is a new demand for Sauternes barrels from spirit producers.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com
Listen in to Omnibus XXVIII for all the latest wine news and views. John Stimpfig looks at a mysterious sabotage at the Pepa 21 winery in Ribera del Duero, and recounts that winery sabotage is not unknown. The latest court case in Bordeaux is causing shock waves, Ginestet and Cordier have been ordered to pay a Medoc grower under the relatively new Egalim Law for offering abusively low prices, as a result there is complete paralysis on the Bordeaux bulk market. Weather watch makes grim listening with hail in Argentina, wild fires in Chile and a deep frost in British Columbia, which has wiped out the harvest. Happier news from Elin who reports on the DRC 2021 tasting in New York, and discusses the new Millesima wine store, a destination for wine lovers. More good news for wine lovers as the Premiere Napa Valley auction lots, which were bought by the trade, are now listed on their site, allowing collectors to track down rare parcels. George and Amal Clooney are about to release their first wines, watch this space….Find out more at wine-conversation.com
Listen in to our brand new series of 10-Minute Masterclasses on Burgundy with Jasper Morris MW, the world-leading Burgundy authority and author of the award-winning book Inside Burgundy. First in the series is a look at Nuits-St-Georges. Find out about its terroir, where to find value for money and much more. Jasper, whose subscription website www.insideburgundy.com is essential reading for any serious Burgundy lover, believes the appellation deserves more attention, tune in and discover why. 10-minutes of brilliant and entertaining wisdom.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com
Gary Boom of Bordeaux Index talks to Sarah Kemp in our series “Great Wine Lives”. Listen in to discover how he left South Africa as a beer drinker and ended up falling in love with wine and building one of the world’s largest fine wine companies. He talks about his successes and failures, opening an office in Hong Kong a year before the duty was abolished, why he expanded the company’s portfolio to include spirits, and much more. He has just relaunched Live Trade, the wine trading platform, now open to anyone who wishes to sell their wine. A fascinating interview with the outsider who is now seen as part of the fine wine establishment.More information at wine-conversation.com
Join us for a “10-minute masterclass” on Cabernet Franc. Jane Anson and Sarah Kemp take a deep dive into Bordeaux’s oldest grape. Discover where it is grown (spoiler alert – China has more than you think), find out which famous varieties it parented and why there is concern about clonal diversity. Find out Jane’s recommended producers and be ready for her obscure facts – including which vintage of Cheval Blanc is 98% Cabernet Franc.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com
Giampiero Bertolini, the CEO of Biondi Santi talks to Sarah Kemp about Italy’s iconic estate. He discusses its history and reveals the new developments in the vineyard since it was bought by the EPI Group (owners of Charles and Piper Heidsieck) in 2017. Find out how the tennis court has been turned into an experimental nursery with different mother clones, how Pedro Parra came over to map the soil and the new vinification by parcel. As he releases the famed Riserva Storica 1988 and 2010, he says “It’s evolution, not revolution”.Find out more at wine-conversation.com
Sarah Kemp meets Marcheses Francesco and Marchese Filippo Mazzei of Castello di Fonterutoli, who have 600 years of winemaking history in the family. As their Super Tuscan “Concerto di Fonterutoli” celebrates its 40th anniversary, they discuss Tuscany’s quality revolution. Listen in to hear about the changes they made in the vineyard and cellar, and the new generation of wine lovers and sommeliers who are putting Tuscany firmly on collectors’ map.Find out more at wine-conversation.com
Join us for our 10-Minute Masterclass on Pessac-Léognan with Jane Anson and Sarah Kemp. Discover the appellation’s history, price per hectare, its classified growths, its terroir and its most famous châteaux. A deep dive into one of Jane’s and Sarah’s favourite appellations.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com
Listen in to Omnibus XXVII to hear John Stimpfig and Elin McCoy’s predictions for the main wine trends in 2024. As usual, news aplenty including France’s reaction to Dry January (Spoiler alert – Alain Ducasse reduced the price of his top Bordeaux and Burgundy to encourage people to drink more), the new ingredient labelling required for wines marketed in the EU, reaction to the Burgundy 2022 campaign, Naples Charity Wine Auction raises over US$ 33 million dollars and much more. For those in the freezing northern hemisphere, Elin has researched the new luxury wine experiences in Chile – find out where she recommends wine lovers should go and how she found her night in the room entitle “Shape of Women”.Find out more at wine-conversation.com
Celebrated but not classified, Château Siran is one of Margaux’s most loved properties. Elin McCoy talks to Edouard Miailhe, the 6th generation of his family to run the estate for our series “Great Wine Lives”. Listen in to hear how he returned from the Philippines to take over from his parents, and how friends knew before he did that he would return as they saw Siran was in his DNA. Edouard recounts many anecdotes, including why the property was not classified (spoiler alert – the previous owner was a royalist and didn’t like Napoleon 111 who organised the 1855 Exposition de Paris) and how he heard that there was a restaurant in the Napa Valley with an extraordinary list of old vintages of Siran – it turned out the owner had bought the authentic Rudi Kurniawan cellar. A great interview with the man whose heart is firmly in the Margaux appellation.More information at wine-conversation.com
600 years of winemaking runs through the blood of Giovanni Mazzei, son of Marchese Filippo Mazzei of Castello di Fonterutoli. Sarah talks to him for our Next Generation series about his life with his wife and three young boys at the Il Caggio estate where he runs Ipsus, the wine he wants recognised as the finest Sangiovese in Italy. “I wasn’t sure I was given the responsibility, I asked for it” he tells Sarah as he describes why he believes that the Sangiovese at the Il Caggio estate is second to known. A fascinating interview with one of Italy’s most dynamic and passionate personalities.Find out more at: wine-conversation.com
What is the next thing for wine collectors should look out for? Nick Pegna, the new head of Sotheby’s wine and spirits, talks to Elin McCoy about the fine wine and spirit market. He reminisces about his early days in the wine trade, where he started out as a shop assistant at Lea and Sandeman before going on to join the newly formed Berry Brothers and Rudd’s broking department. He discusses setting up the Berry Brothers’ Hong Kong office with chairman Simon Berry and how he watched the interest in fine wine in Asia explode. 100 days into his new job he reveals some of his plans for the future and predicts the areas he thinks are worth investing in.Find out more at wine-conversation.com
Elin McCoy talks to Jean-Charles Boisset, the audacious Burgundian vintner who shook up the US wine scene. Listen in to hear how he bought some of California’s most historic wineries, his pioneering work in organic an biodynamic viticulture. Discover his passion for innovation as he discusses satin and leather labels, jewellery on bottles, and why his wines are backed up by high-scores from critics “Transporting people into a different world is what I am about” A fascinating interview with the wine world’s most innovative vintner.More information at wine-conversation.com
In a few days’ time the doors of The Gavroche will close for the last time. Jane Anson talks to Michel Roux Jnr about his legendary restaurant and its amazing cellar of 100,000 bottles. Listen in to find out what is going to become of the cellar and find out which wine Michel has chosen to drink on the last day. A huge thank you to Michel for all the fabulous memories you have given us at The Gavroche – some of our happiest days.Find out more at wine-conversation.com
In our last Omnibus for 2023, John Stimpfig, Elin McCoy and Sarah Kemp discuss the big news stories: how war is affecting Israeli and Palestine vintners, that terroir has been scientifically proven and worldwide production falling by 7% with 2023, the hottest year on record. Plus, Italy becomes the star of the wine investment market, Elin’s top 10 wines and much more.Find out more at wine-conversation.com