Steven Spurrier’s fine wine world

Decanter’s long-standing consultant editor and 2017 Decanter Man of the Year hand-picks fine wines for drinking now and recommends others to lay down, all priced from £25 upwards

From the cellar

2005 claret

Every few years, Johnny Goedhuis organises a wine dinner for two charities. It’s a black-tie affair preceded by a tasting of 30 or so top crus classés or equivalents from a fine and mature claret vintage.

This year it was 2005, confirming the view of the Southwold group that 2005 is the finest vintage of the 21st century. The wines were excitingly faultless, with years in front of most of them.

My notes show that: Domaine de Chevalier edged out Haut-Bailly; Figeac dominated Canon and Angélus; La Conseillante was just ahead of Vieux Château Certan and L’Evangile; Palmer and Rauzan-Ségla led Brane-Cantenac, d’Issan and Giscours; Ducru-Beaucaillou headed Léovilles Barton, Las Cases and Poyferré; the seduction of Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande just took my vote over Pichon-Longueville Baron, then Grand-Puy- Lacoste, Pontet-Canet and Lynch-Bages; Cos d’Estournel and Montrose led Lafon-Rochet.

For the first growths it was a Left Bank vintage: Latour and Lafite very different and both superb, Margaux and Mouton Rothschild just behind, La Mission Haut-Brion, earthily classy. But the palm goes to the lissom fragrance of Haut-Brion, which may outlast them all.

For the cellar

2014 claret

For more than 20 years, the major UK buyers of Bordeaux en primeur and one or two wine writers have met in Southwold, home to Adnams, to taste a full range of the vintage entering its fourth year.

Since last year, Farr Vintners has acted as host for the two-day marathon, now known as ‘Southwold on Thames’. The wines are tasted blind within their appellations, ranking is on the 20-point scale, the scores added and divided by the number of tasters (maximum 20), with the highest and lowest marks being eliminated.

This year the winning wines and the runner-up were: St-Emilion – Tertre Roteboeuf, Canon; Pomerol – L’Eglise Clinet, Gazin; Pessac-Léognan – Domaine de Chevalier, Smith Haut Lafitte; Margaux – Palmer, d’Issan; St-Julien – Léoville Barton, Léoville Poyferré; Pauillac – Lynch-Bages, Pichon Longueville- Baron; St-Estèphe – Cos d’Estournel, Montrose.

The first growths are also judged within their appellations, with the marks being compared. This year’s results put Mouton Rothschild ahe

ad of Latour and La Mission Haut-Brion. My personal best was Latour, but I bow to my colleagues’ ranking, such is the exceptional quality now being made at Mouton Rothschild by Philipe Dhalluin and his team.

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