Last chance to order three spectacular wines that have years ahead of them in terms of drinking.
I am guilty as charged of wanting to taste wines as soon as they are bottled. It is my job. Better still, when they are in a barrel or a tank, it is my job. I like scoops. It is my job. However, continuously chasing young wines, pre-release screenings, if you will, is the job of the reviewer or critic, but in the case of wine, it is rarely when these wines taste at their best.
If I were a film critic, standing on the set would have little bearing on the final cut of the film. But seeing it before the red carpet is unfurled is essential to being able to prime the public. In the wine world, I find it immensely useful to see wines, especially those bottles I like best, on as many occasions during their life as possible.
This privilege informs me of their potential, their curve of enjoyment, and the ability of each bottle to open doors to undiscovered perfume and vaults of evolving flavour, which, in truth, is the reason why we drink this stuff in the first place. Having been working in this industry for nearly forty years and having had the pleasure of drinking many of the so-called greatest wines of the 20th century (and a good few from the 1800s, too), I am aware that the finest bottles from this millennium are all still figuring out their journey plans, which is fascinating.
This month’s piece is not concerning the ‘last orders’ bell ringing in a pub, but a last chance to order three spectacular wines that have years ahead of them in terms of drinking, but which will be usurped by newer vintages being released. This is, in effect, the absolute opposite of any piece I have written before.
These wines might be ‘old’ releases, but they are still young wines, and I have had the pleasure of tasting all three several times, so plotting their drinking graph is a doddle. And, importantly, they have all inched closer to the peak of their drinking windows, and this is the critical piece of information you need to digest.
While most wines ought to be snapped up on release for fear of missing out on owning valuable stock down the track when they have sold out, these wines ought to be placed in cellars until they are ready to drink. In this new world of immediate gratification and the distinct absence of cellars in modern dwellings, we ought to be seeking out those wines that are at the peak of their powers, as opposed to the newborns! So, I raise my glass(es) to these three wines that are still, just about, in stock, AND utterly stunning with it!
2021 Camel Valley, Pinot Noir Rosé Brut
£36.00 www.camelvalley.com
As Waitrose prepares to move on to the new vintage, Camel Valley HQ still has stocks of this celestial vintage. It is fair to say that this wine style is Camel Valley’s most famous.
There is always a perfect Pinot perfume emanating from the glass in this 100% Pinot Noir sparkler. The palate follows with glorious volume and silkiness, which the Lindos attribute to a long fruit hang time and their medium-loam soils.
Camel Valley is not an estate that demands the drinker squirrel this wine away for aeons before popping the cork, as they understand that most buy to drink without delay. However, there is a magnificent degree of fruit integrity here that genuinely needs a few years to blossom to reveal its peacock’s tail of talent. So, while I do not doubt that the new vintage will be delicious, there is no doubt it cannot hope to match the allure and complexity the 2021 shows right now.
2018 Woodchester Valley, Blanc de Blancs
£45.00 www.woodchestervalleyvineyard.co.uk
I fell for this 100% Chardonnay BdeB nearly a year ago, noting its balance was nothing short of epic. Significantly, I added a ‘+’ to my score of 18/20 in my notes, and this designated a wine that will greatly benefit from extended ageing.
Of course, this does not preclude drinkers from enjoying this wine now, but it informs readers that the length of this wine’s life might shock people who ordinarily think it needs to be guzzled at speed.
This plus sign relates, more often than not, to the acid profile of a wine. It does not, however, imply that the acid is in any way powerful or marked. By contrast, it signals a wine with a visible battery pack that is in harmony with its accompanying fruit notes.
I am convinced that Woodchester’s thrilling 2018 Blanc de Blancs was a wraith-like creation in its youth that flatters and tempts, but which has metamorphosed into a revelatory beauty now that it has reached its mid-life. And there will be more excitement to come. This is a landmark wine for this brilliant Cotswolds estate, and there will be many more chapters to keep us turning the page.
2020 The Grange, White from Black, Hampshire
£43.00 www.thegrangewine.co.uk
Leaving aside the prominent and hopefully provocative notion of shunning the French expression for a white wine made from black grapes, and the fact that I was privileged to write this wine up as a genuine scoop on this very page two years ago, this wine is the one that inspired this month’s column.
Yes, it was delicious when it was first released. Unresolved, but mouthwatering. But Pinot Meunier, from the excellent 2020 vintage, could not hope to be exhibiting its full array of skills and moves at only three years of age. The clock has ticked by, and the assimilation of the orchard fruit and spice is finally complete.
Not only does this wine today taste more complex, engaging, and complete, but it has also finally found its identity, setting it apart from all others in the country. This was worth waiting for. I signed off my previous note with, ‘I have no doubt it will age beautifully, too!’. It has, and I urge those of you who have not tasted a wine of this pedigree made from Pinot Meunier to jump in quickly. 2020 WfB has ascended to its higher plane of enjoyment, and it has never looked better.
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