Italian Merlots: Tenuta di Castelgiocondo's Lamaione (Montalcino, Tuscany)

There are few Italian wine family names that are as storied or as pedigreed as Frescobaldi, a Florentine name that stretches back 30 generations to the 1300 start in wine production at Tenuta di Castiglioni in Val di Pesa. Today Marchesi Frescobaldi is one of the most significant wine producers in Italy with nine estates and over 1000 ha devoted to that task.

The family's wine production principles rest on two pillars: (i) respect for tradition and (ii) an openness to research and experimentation. This openness is illustrated by the family being the first producer in Italy to plant international varieties with the introduction of Bordeaux varieties at the Nippozano and Pomino estates in 1855.

Castelgiocondo, situated on the southwestern slopes of Montalcino, was acquired by the Frescobaldis in 1989. The estate, originally built in 1100 to protect the road between Siena and the sea, is 815 ha in size (230 ha of which is dedeicated to vines) and sits at elevations ranging between 180 and 400 meters.

Castelgiocondo's Merlot is a mono-varietal sourced from a 12-ha vineyard on the estate called Lamaione, also the name of the resulting wine. The Lamaione vineyard is 300 meters above sea level and has a southeast exposure and clayey soil that is rich in limestone. The vines are trained low spur pruned cordon and are planted to a density of 5500 vines /ha. The grapes undergo 12+ days of fermentation and 4 weeks of maceration. Malolactic fermentation occurs in barrique followed by 24 months of barrel aging in new French oak. The wine spends 1 year in bottle before release to the market.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

The St. Emilion wine region

The world's most renowned regions for the production of Merlot wines are St. Emilion and Pomerol on the right bank of the Dordogne River in Bordeaux. I have previously written about Pomerol and, as a precursor to an upcoming post on a French versus Italian Merlot tasting, I herein provide a similar treatment for St. Emilion.

St. Emilion, the oldest winegrowing region in Bordeaux, is located 40 km north of Bordeaux City and 8 km east of Libourne on the right side of the Dordogne River. Its 5400 hectares encompasses eight municipalities and a part of Libourne and supports the activities of 800 grape farmers.

The region is blessed with a mild maritime climate and higher daytime temperatures than other vineyard areas in Bordeaux. Average annual temperature is 12.8℃ and annual rainfall is 800 millimeters. The risk of frost is lowered as a result of the air movement facilitated by the Dordogne and Isle rivers.

Grapegrowers in St. Emilion contend with the most diverse soils of any Bordeaux region. The most desired locations are situated on clay- and chalk-rich soils that, while not well-suited to the reliable ripening of Cabernet Sauvignon, is a perfect fit for Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The soil underlying Châteaus Figeac and Cheval Blanc is a "gunzian" gravel akin to that found in Graves and the Medoc and allows Cabernet Sauvignon to flourish at these sites. The St Emilion soils are graphically illustrated in the figure below and their characteristics highlighted in the table immediately following.

St Emilion soils map (Source: http://en.vins-saint-emilion.com)

Beginning in 1955, St. Emilion chateaus were classified as being either Premier Grand Cru Classé A or B, Grand Cru Classé, or St. Emilion based on criteria to include "historical reputation of the winegrowing estate, as well as strict requirements regarding soil, analysis and tasting." Unlike the Medoc, the St. Emilion classification is designed to be revisited every 10 years in order to reward quality and, to that end, has been revised in 1969, 1986, 1996 and 2006. The 2006 revision was contested by chateaus that lost out in the process so the system functioned under the 1996 revision while the challenge wended its way through the courts. A 2012 revision was issued to replace the 2006 version and is now the "law of the land." The Premiers Grands Crus Classé chateaus of the 2012 revision follow:

Premier Grand Cru Classé A
Château Angelus
Château Ausone
Château Cheval Blanc
Château Pavie

Premier Grand Cru Classé B
Château Beauséjour
Château Beau-Séjour -Bécot
Château Bélair-Monange
Château Canon
Château Canon la Gaffelière
Château Figeac
Clos Fourtet
Château la Gaffelière
Château Larcis Ducasse
Château la Mondotte
Château Pavie Macquin
Château Troplong Mondot
Château Trottevieille
Château Valandraud

Sixty percent of the wine produced in the region is classified as St. Emilion. The requirements for this wine are yields of 9000 kg/ha, must weight of 180 grams of sugar per liter, and 11% minimum alcohol. St. Emilion Grand Cru wines have lower yields (8000 kg/ha), higher must weight (189 grams of sugar/liter), and higher alcohol requirements (>11.5%) than their St. Emilion counterparts. In addition, Grand Cru wines must have the approval of two tasting panels and must store the wine for an additional 14 months before release on the market.

The allowed grape varieties in the St. Emilion and St. Emilion Grand Cru appellations are Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Carmenère. The distribution of vineyards by variety is as follows: Merlot - 60%; Cabernet Franc - 30%; Cabernet Sauvignon - 10%; minuscule amounts of Malbec; and no Carmenère. Vineyards are planted to a density of 5500 vines/ha and the average size  is 5 ha.

Saint Emilion wines are primarily Merlot rounded out with Cabernet Franc and Malbec with Cabernet Sauvignon wines produced in the small, gravelly area adjoining Pomerol. The wines tend to red and black fruits when young and gain complexity with age where the aromas/flavors lean to spices, minerals and truffles. Annual production is around 36 million bottles and top recent vintages are 2000, 2001, 2005, 2009, and 2010.



©Wine -- Mise en abyme

A summary of noteworthy Tuscan Merlot offerings

In a January 2001 article on Italian Merlot (New Wave Merlot in Italy, Wine Business.com), Franco Zillani notes that the presence of Merlot in Italy was first documented by one Salvatore Mondini who identified the variety as being present "in various regions of the north as well as in Tuscany, Latium, ... and Campania ..." From these beginnings, Merlot, according to Zillani, spread through the northeastern zones of Veneto, Friuli, Trentino, and Alto Adige but, even though ranked fifth in vines planted in Italy, the variety was never taken seriously in the classic production zones. All of this changed in the 1990s, however, when non-traditional zones began to experience success with Merlot planted in the appropriate terroirs with tightly managed yields.

Kate Bailey (Italian Merlot Wine, wine.lovetoknow.com) agrees with Zillani's narrative, characterizing the "Merlot march" across Italy as having occurred in three distinct waves: (i) a late-19th-century initiative by vintners in the hillside region of Trento City and in the Vallagarina Valley: (ii) an early-20th-century spread through Veneto, Friuli, Trentino, and Alto Adige, the northeastern portion of the country; and (iii) a more modern advance in Tuscany, the former bastion of Chianti.

And it is with this "more modern advance" that this post is concerned. The Merlots of note in Tuscany are centered around Bolgheri and Suvereto in the Province of Livorno, Chianti Classico (Provinces of Florence and Siena), and Bucine (Province of Arezzo). A number of small-production, mono-varietals reared in this region have begun to gain critical acclaim. Names such as Masseto (Wine Spectator 100 points in 2001), Redigaffi (Wine Spectator 100 points in 1997 and 2000), and Messorio (Wine Spectator 100 points, 2004), among others, have grabbed the attention of critics and wine collectors alike and, in so doing, have led to steady value appreciation for those lucky enough to own these wines. The figure below shows the distribution of these wines-of-note across the Tuscan landscape.

Click to enlarge

Even though in pursuit of a common goal -- production of high-quality Merlot wines -- the conditions and approaches faced/applied by the relevant producers are, in many cases, markedly different. For example, locational differences mean that Chianti-based producers operate in a continental climate and with galestro and albarese soil while their coastal counterparts operate in temperate climates with stone- and rock-imbued clay soils.

With the exceptiuon of Petra, all of the producers have small Merlot vineyards and this fact, coupled with green harvesting, results in small final production numbers. It should be noted that at 30,000 bottles annually, Masseto has more than twice the production of the next highest Tuscan Merlot (Galatrona).

The majority of producers use stainless steel tanks for fermentation, age in new oak for 18+ months, and age in bottle for at least 6 months. The characteristics of the individual wines are summarized in the table below.

Click to enlarge

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Italian Merlots: Fattoria Petrolo's Galatrona (Colli Aretini, Tuscany)

The 272-ha Petrolo estate is located in Bucine (province of Arezzo) and falls within Colli Aretini, one of the eight Chianti sub-regions (to include Chianti Classico), where its vineyards are strategically positioned along the slopes of the hills bordering the Chianti region.

Tuscan wine region map with Colli Aretini colored dark green

Originally part of the medieval fiefdom called Galatrona, the estate was bought by the Bazzocchi family in the 1940s and is currently owned by Lucia Bazzocchi Sanjust and managed by her son Luca. The lands are allocated to vineyards (31 ha, 26 of which is currently in production), olive groves (19 ha), and woods and arable land (222 ha).

The estate's 13 vineyards are distinct islands dotted across the property but with a concentration in the northern portion. Vineyard altitudes range between 250 and 450 meters and the soil is a layered mix of galestro (loose marl and limestone) and albarese (weathered sandstone). Vines are planted at densities of 5000/ha and yields are limited to 20 hl/ha.

Antonio Galloni (Wine Advocate, August 2009) stated, "Proprietor Luca Sanjust and his team craft some of the most beautiful wines in Tuscany at the equally picturesque Petrolo estate." That is no accident. The estate is focused on producing wines of the highest quality and that focus is reflected in its personnel as well as vitivinicultural practices. As regards personnel, the agronomist is Dr. Carlo Nesterini, the enologist is Dr Stefani Guidi, and the external consultant to both these gentlemen is the noted Dr. Carlo Ferrini. As it relates to viticulture, the winery conducts two green harvests: post-flowering and post-veraison. It is felt that this practice yields better wine balance.

In the winery, fermentation is carried-out in glass-lined, temperature-controlled, concrete vats. Grapes are fermented separately (vineyard, variety, condition) with each batch subjected to extended maceration (14 days) in order to achieve maximum extraction. The must is kept in contact with the cap via pump-overs.

After malolactic fermentation, the wine is racked off the lees for aging. They are aged in new French oak for 18 months, 6 of which are on fine lees. At the conclusion of the aging process, the wines are bottled and then returned to storage for an additional 6 months of aging.

Galatrona, the estate's 100% Merlot offering, was first brought to market in 1994 as a Tuscan IGT wine and has retained that classification ever since. The Merlot vines were first planted by Lucia in 1990 and today numbers 30,000. Annual Merlot production is 13,500 bottles.

The wine is well regarded and much heralded. It has been compared to Pomerol's Le Pin and Petrus and has been a consistent recipient of Gambero Rossi's Tre Bichieri award as well as being consistently assigned 90+ scores by Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

The hunt for an auction lot: Premier Napa Valley 2013

Leaving Orlando at different times, and travelling to Napa via different routes, a team of dedicated and focused wine hunters descended on Premiere Napa Valley 2013 (#PNV13) with the aim of lassoing one of the auction lots on offer and dragging it back kicking and screaming to the (former) land of orange groves. This was my second PNV event (having attended PNV11 with Mr and Mrs @wineontheway) and I was looking forward to the associated fun and excitement.

Premier Napa Valley is the Napa Valley Vintners annual, invitation-only, barrel auction for wine retailers, wholesalers, restauranteurs, and members of the press. Auction proceeds go towards the trade association's promotional and other activities on behalf of valley winemakers. A total of 211 wineries contributed lots to the 2013 edition of the auction. These were either 5-, 10-, or 20-case lots; were from a yet-to-be-released vintage (2011 for the most part with some 2010s sprinkled in); and were unique as regards the wineries current offerings.

I travelled out to PNV13 as a guest of Andres Montoya, proprietor of The Wine Barn (@thewinebarn), an Orlando-area wine retailer (Andres has had some success at this venue having successfully bid on lots offered by B Cellars (2011) and Tamber Bey (2012)). In addition to my wife, other "team members" included Ron and Bev Siegel, Carson Gray (Beverage Director at Luma on Park), and two other Wine Barn customers. Andrew took the responsibility of identifying events in which we would participate and booking our reservations. And a fine job he did.

Our scheduled events were as follows:

Thursday, February 21
Tamber Bey Vineyards -- Andrew only as he was scheduled in earlier than other team members
AD Hoc 20-case-lot tasting -- open only to prior successful bidders
First Taste of Yountville -- Trade-only preview of upcoming releases from Yountville producers
Robert Foley Tasting -- Tasting of Foley wines; held at 750 Wines in St. Helena
Next Generations Tasting -- held at the Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch

Friday, February 22
Boswell Caves Tasting
Spring Mountain Classic
Shafer Vineyard Tasting
Oakville Tasting

Saturday, February 23
Barrel Tasting
Auction

I flew in to San Francisco on Wednesday night, overnighted in the city, and then drove up to Napa on the following day. We were scheduled to meet at Ad Hoc to begin our quest. We rendezvoused in the reception area, greeted each other like long-lost siblings, grabbed our badges, and got down to business. This was the beginning of 2.5 days of intense tasting with the aim of identifying a few lots that we could bid on at the Saturday afternoon auction.

Team at Spring Mountain

Of the many events that we attended, three stood out for me: two scheduled events and one unscheduled. The first of the scheduled events was the Shafer tasting. The Shafer winery is beautifully positioned on the hillside with a commanding view of its surroundings and with the famed Sunspot Vineyard rising ever upward from its rear. The design of the space lends itself well to large gatherings and the event was well attended. The winery was pouring four vintages of Hillside Select from magnums, an experience that I had not previously had. And, finally, the men  (John and Doug Shafer and Elias Fernandez) responsible for the stature this winery has attained were casually roaming around among the attendees chatting freely with anyone who had an ear to lend.

Elias Fernandez sandwich

The fabled Sunspot Vineyard at Shafer

John and Bev

The second scheduled event was the Barrel Tasting on Saturday morning. Previous auction lot winners are allowed in 30 minutes earlier than the general population so you have the option of selecting the wines you have on your radar for additional follow-up in a more sedate setting. Once the room begins to fill up, tasting becomes more of a progression. What I find amazing though is the fact that a large majority of the key players in Napa are present in that room on that morning and are accessible for dialogue. I was especially pleased to meet Stephane Derenoncourt ( I am a huge fan of his wines) for the first time.

The unscheduled event was a visit to Corison Winery. I was live tweeting our activities as we went from event to event so Cathy tweeted me an invite to her event. I accepted her invitation and after our visit to the Oakville Tasting, we headed over to her establishment. We had arrived late at the Oakville event and had missed some of the wines we were on the lookout for and had also missed out on the food opportunities. We were hungry and so to fortify ourseleves before going into Corison, we stopped at Dean and Delucca and chowed down on some vegetarian Chili. The Corison event was scheduled to end at 7:00 pm and we barely made it in under the wire. We were the last visitors in the building and they were pouring a vertical of Kronos Vineyard from mags. Heaven. And Cathy was there to provide us insight into her vineyards and winemaking philosophy. A philosophy which has long endeared her to the hearts of wine lovers who believe in restraint. Heaven squared. We did not leave right away.

At the conclusion of the tastings, I queried Andres as to his thoughts. His response:

"Overall I was focused on finding wines with balance, mainly those that displayed good, bright, healthy, ripe flavors in their fruit, with very little to no herbaceous notes, but with fresh and abundant acidity and long finishes. This was obviously a challenge this year, as the majority of the Bordeaux varietal blends from PNV 2013 were from the somewhat difficult 2011 vintage, which you could say was not a typical sunny, all-is-well harvest as were the previous 2-3 years; or even the much-anticipated 2012 wines many were buzzing about. But I think years like 2011 present a good, fair challenge to the Napa establishment and really separates the technical winemakers from the true artists of the trade. I also felt that hillside vineyards were the best of PNV 2013, especially Spring Mountain wines, which showed deep, rich flavors and intense, punchy acidity, which I always feel is the backbone for ageability."

Based on the above criteria, he identified the following wines as worthy of consideration

Wine of the Show:

Lot #17 Spring Mountain Vineyard 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon La Perla Vineyard

Close-to-the-Top Favorites:

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Ignem et Aquam

Derenoncourt 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Las Posadas

Barnett 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain

Vine Hill Ranch 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Assesment Blend

O'Shaughnessy 2011 Petit Verdot Howell Mountain

Notre Vin Cellars (Denis Malbec) 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon One Hundred Vines Howell Mountain

Detert 2011 Cabernet Franc Oakville

Other Notable Lots:

Schrader Cellars 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon TSA Cuvee

Shafer Vineyards 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Sunspot Vineyard

Arkenstone 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Block 1 Lower Howell Mountain

Roy Estate 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Voix Basse

Promise 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford

J. Davies 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Rock Garden Block Diamond Mountain

Oakville East 2011 Cabernet Franc Majek Oakville

Gandona Estate 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill

BURE Family 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville

Kapcsandy 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Yountville

Seavey 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Masochist's Hill

Keenan 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Waited So Long Spring Mountain

Good Buys:

Louis Martini 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon 254 Meritage Blend

St. Supery 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon

Volker Eisele 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Chiles Valley District

Cain 2011 Cabernet Franc Orchard Block Spring Mountain

Hill Wine Co. 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

Tierra Roja 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Katherine's Blend Oakville

So the partying is over. This is where the rubber meets the road. Auction time. An enterprising member of our team had locked off seven seats in the front row to the left of the auctioneers and I thought that was great. Until the air conditioner started blowing cold air directly on us and never stopped. I was a block of ice by the end of the proceedings. The biggest shock for us happened while were were still trying to get comfortable in our seats. The Schrader lot was offered at too high a price and the auctioneer had to back it down. He offered it at $25, 000, got one bid and no follow-ups. And it was sold. Shocker. That was a bargain based on what that wine had previously done at this event.

We bid prudently on our lots of interest and then sat on our paddles when the per bottle price got above our threshold. We were disciplined. And proud of ourselves (This was out of character for Ron who has never met an auction wine that he does not own.). Eventually the Louis Martini 20-case lot came up for bid. Now this was the very first wine that we had tasted at Ad Hoc way back on Thursday and we had tapped it as a sleeper. We waited until a few rounds of bidding went by and then went in with a decisive bid. The auctioneer said the magic words (Going once! Going twice! Sold to Paddle #) and we were the proud owners of a 20-case lot.

We left the auction flushed with the glow of a successful hunt. But we could not stop talking about the one that got away. The Schrader purchaser got a real good deal.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Italian Merlots: San Giusto a Rentennano's La Ricolma (Chianti Classico, Tuscany)

The second of our Chianti Classico Merlots is San Giusto a Rentennano's La Ricolma. As is the case for Castello di Ama, San Giusto a Rentennano is located in the village of Gaiole in Chianti but is east and south of its compatriot in a position overlooking the upper course of the Arbia River.

The current estate site has had a storied life beginning as a medieval monastery for Cistercian nuns, then becoming a 9th century military fortress which served as the boundary between the formerly warring polities of Siena and Florence, and finally, passing into the hands of the Martine di Cigala family through a 1914 marriage.

The estate is 160 ha in size and is sub-divided into the following activity spheres: 31 ha devoted to vineyards; 11 ha for olive groves; 40 ha to woods; and 78 ha for cultivated and grazing lands. Management is the purview of Martini di Cigala family members Elisabetta, Francesco, and Luca.

The estate's vineyards sit at 270 meters on steep hillsides with southeastern exposure and is rich in sand, clay, lime, volcanic ash, and calcium. The vineyard -- certified organic since the 2008 vintage -- falls under the stewardship of Ruggero Mazzilli with Attilio Pagli as the consulting oenologist.

The overriding philosophy is an almost fanatic pre-occupation with quality. According to Skurnik Wines, San Giusto will sell off all or part of a poor vintage in bulk rather than place lower quality product on the market. Antonio Galloni, writing in the Wine Advocate, stated, "This small, family-run property is a great source for hand-made artisan wines that reflect the best of the Tuscan vigneron spirit."

La Ricolma -- appellation IGT Toscana -- is a 100% Merlot sourced from grapes grown on 1.5 ha of vineyards that sit on marl, limestone, and clay soils. The grapes are hand-harvested at full maturity and, in the 2009 vintage, was limited to yields of 50 quintals/ha. Yield is managed via green harvesting where between 30% and 50% of the fruit is dropped in July and August.

The grapes are fermented in stainless steel tanks for approximately 18 days after which the must is racked and pressed. After an additional racking, the wine is placed in French oak barriques to mature for 20 - 22 months. At the completion of maturation, the wine is bottled unfiltered and held for an additional 6 months before being placed on the market. Annual production averages 5000 bottles.

Galloni, writing about La Ricolma in the Wine Advocate (in 2012), said "San Giusto's Ricolma is differentiated from most other Tuscan Merlots for its firm sense of structure and generous tannin, both of which place it closer to Sangiovese than Merlot stylistically. There are more famous (and more expensive) Merlots being made in Tuscany but few that consistently reach this level of excellence."


©Wine -- Mise en abyme

In search of the missing link(s) II: Post-Mortem of a tasting

A little over a year ago I wrote a post describing a wine tasting where the objective was to identify the linkages between wines after tasting them blind. On Friday night last we revisited this quite entertaining format and the subject of this post is an analysis of the wines and the associated linkages (Please visit Steve Alcorn's blog for the tasting notes.).

The tasting was organized and hosted by Ron Siegel and was held in the basement cellar of Luma on Park, our regular haunt. The schedule called for a cocktail hour, followed by a sit-down tasting of five flights of two wines each.  A second round of five flights would be tasted concurrent with our multi-course dinner. Each flight would consist of two linked (linkage based on bottle-owners' perception) wines poured from bottles which were covered in order to conceal any identifying characteristics. These wines would be tasted by the group, analyzed and discussed, and then everyone would give their take on the wines and their linkage(s). At this point the owner of the bottles would reveal them so that the attendees could determine how deeply they wanted to slash their wrists. Attendees were expected to bring four bottles to support the two rounds of linkage tastings as well as additional bottles for "recreational" tasting.  The bottles for recreational tasting would not be "blinded."

Andres opening his wine while trying to keep it hidden

A total of 11 people participated in the event and proceedings were launched when Ron opened a bottle of NV Jacques Selosse Initiale. We examined the bottle closely looking for -- in jest -- evidence that this was not part of the haul from the recent break-in at the Selosse facility. The Champagne was accompanied by small slices of thin-crust pizza and truffle popcorn and was followed by a 2003 Georg Breur Berg Schlossberg that was opened by Andres. At around 7:00 pm we were told to take our seats so that the first round of tasting could begin.

The plan called for two rounds of blind tasting, each round to consist of five two-bottle flights. As it unfolded, our first round was continuous and orderly and was separated from the second round by a bottle of NV Billecart-Salmon in the role of "palate-rejuvenator." The second round was more extended as it wended its way around, between, and through a multi-course meal and several ancillary bottles that were opened up along the way.  We finally brought the second round to a conclusion after six flights had been tasted.

A total of 22 wines were consumed in the linkages-tasting portion of the event and a significant portion of those wines were from the decades of the '90s and 2000s. A total of eight wines each originated in those two decades. In addition, three wines each were from the decades of the '70s and '80s.

Sixty-eight percent of the linkage wines originated in France with Bordeaux and Burgundy having the greatest contribution -- 22% each of all wines and 33% each of the French contribution. Pinot Noir, Bordeaux blends, and Syrah were the dominant variety/blends on offer for the tasting.

The dominant linkages between pairs were Country of Origin (36%) and Variety/Blend (27%). The linkages were fairly widely distributed with only three types receiving multiple mentions. There were only two cases of a single-link pairing and one case of a "missing" link.

There were a number of interesting pairings and I will mention a few here that were of especial note. I opened up the proceedings with a 2006 Silex and a 2004 Cheval Blanc. The group tagged the Cheval Blanc as a Bordeaux immediately and so had their palates led astray by their brains which said that the link had to be with a white Bordeaux. My wife tagged the Silex. When the bottles were revealed, there was a lot of grumbling and questions as to what was the linkage. The obvious one was a country link and they had gotten that but they were also going after a region link. The actual link is that Cabernet Franc (the underlying variety of Cheval Blanc) and Sauvignon Blanc (the Silex variety) are the parents of Cabernet Sauvignon. The group did not take this linkage too kindly. They thought it was a curve ball.

Ron had the distinction of having the most ephemeral and the most complex linkage pairs. Taking the former first, he paired a 1989 Angelus with a 1970 Vega Sicilia because, he said, Vega Sicilia is sometime referred to as the Latour of Spain. This, I think, is a missing link. On the other hand, Ron also paired the 1990 Montrose and Beausejour. These wines have in common vintage, country of origin, region, variety/blend, and Parker score (100 points).

Steve's pairing of 1975 Haut-Brion and Heitz Martha's Vineyard was revealing in that it showed how some of the older Napa wines were really close in quality to the First Growths of the time. It should be noted that both of these wines were participants in the Judgement of Paris but the vintage, in both cases, was 1970.

This is a very difficult but entertaining and informative format where your conclusion after tasting the first wine could be placed in doubt after tasting the second and the public discussion of the options further muddies the water. It is, however, a format that we will continue to revisit in the future because it is a lot of fun.


©Wine -- Mise en abyme