Steven Spurrier’s wines of the month

Decanter’s long-standing consultant editor and 2017 Decanter Hall of Fame Award recipient picks fine wines to drink now and others to lay down, all priced from £25 upwards...

From the cellar

Antinori, Tignanello 1999

On 28 February I had the honour to attend the Lord Mayor’s Banquet at London’s Mansion House. The theme was ‘Cuvées Exceptionnelles’, with a specially chosen four-course menu to precede an auction in aid of the Lord Mayor’s Appeal; this was directed with energy by Sotheby’s Lord Dalmeny, and raised £350,000. The aperitif was the magnificent Pol Roger, Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 2006, followed at dinner by three Chardonnays: Marchesi Antinori, Cervaro della Sala 2014 showing purity and charm with 10% Grechetto; Leeuwin Estate, Art Series 2012 as stunning as ever; and Domaine Leflaive, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru 1999, rich gold in colour, still full of vigour, entering its third decade in triumph. The reds, linked by Cabernet Sauvignon, were a deep, seamlessly smooth Opus One 2010; a superb Château Haut-Brion 2003, with its 58% Merlot surviving the heatwave vintage; and a striking Marchesi Antinori, Tignanello 1999 presented by Albiera Antinori herself, the 20% of Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc blending beautifully with Sangiovese in a pure expression of elegance and energy. With dessert came a sublime JJ Prüm, Goldkapsel Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese 2003; and with the Welsh rarebit savoury, Fonseca 1985 proved yet again it is the Port of that vintage.

For the cellar

BV, Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

Beaulieu Vineyard, founded in 1900 and recognised by its red BV logo, is Napa Valley’s most renowned estate. Now with 450ha of vineyards running from Carneros in the south to Calistoga in the north, the original plantings by Georges de Latour were on what was called the Rutherford Bench, now Rutherford AVA. The great André Tchelistcheff became the winemaker in 1938 and prepared the final blend of the Private Reserve’s first 1936 vintage for bottling in 1939. Today, the grapes for the Private Reserve 2015 come from BV Ranches No1 and No2, which were first planted in the early 1900s. Described by head winemaker Trevor Durling as ‘small in yield, but mighty in concentration (15.5% alcohol)’, additions of 4% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 3% Malbec joined the 90% Cabernet to further enhance the wine’s aroma and flavour profile. Dense in colour, the 2015 expresses superbly the intensity of Napa Cabernet along with hints of mint and spice. It’s surprisingly fresh on the palate with total absence of over-extraction, the fruit, oak and tannins being in perfect harmony, leading to a firm and polished finish. This is historical Napa at its very best. For me, 97 points, drinking 2020-2035.

The Spurrier Selection

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