Subscribers joined for some time might remember our 6 May 2020 newsletter “What is a Car?” It must give driving pleasure for sure but there is more. Yours truly recently had a bad traffic accident. Modern automobiles (or at least Mercedes) would automatically dial 999 and report the incident. The Police and ambulance all came within minutes to support. Rather than blaming poor luck, it is actually quite a blessing. The car has been severely damaged but there is no real personal injury. It also reinforces the notions of:
Never under-estimate what could happen even with the slightest distraction when one is driving
Never drink when one needs to drive as the alcohol breath test for the driver is mandatory any time a traffic accident occurs. Responsibility of course, guess most of us also don’t want to get into probably the only situation of potentially being sent into prison!!!
A well-designed and manufactured car is so important in terms of protection as in this case, all the positive and negative devices for safety were functioning perfectly. Give credit to Mercedes. If yours truly was in a car made in the older eras or anything less engineered, you probably won’t be reading this now and the service of Vinopolis will definitely have to stop for quite a while.
Now onto wines with some of our arrivals for you to consider. Those who celebrate Valentine’s Day will find the Petrolo Galatrona and Calon-Segur particularly relevant as both have the heart on their main labels:
2019 Errazuriz Las Pizzaras Chardonnay (WA97 at HK$480/bottle) – From Argentina, this elegant white offers an effervescent palate and an intensely mineral and salty character. There is terrific balance with plenty of freshness and volume. It finishes long and dry with a mineral-saline sensation and also citrus notes, all making the wine very tasty.
2020 M. Chapoutier Hermitage Blanc Chante-Alouette (WS95 at HK$480/bottle) – Our favourite Rhone white cuvee that shows impressive concentration, with layers of melon, quince, heather and wet stone. Lightly honeyed and well-defined, the palate has beautiful integration and drive, revealing notes of dried verbena, white tea tannins and salted, buttery brioche on the lingering finish.
2015 Smith Haut-Lafitte Blanc (RP96+ at HK$1,150/bottle) – This wine has a special label that commemorates the 650th anniversary of the estate. Composed of 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sémillon and 5% Sauvignon Gris, it has an incredibly compelling nose of ripe apricots, passion fruit, honeyed lemons and crushed stones with a hint of lime blossoms. Medium-bodied and yet intense with minerality, the palate sings of stone fruit and citrus layers, finishing with incredible persistence, alluring fruitiness and a savoury contrast that will keep you reaching for another glass.
2019 Domaine de la Vougeraie Vougeot Clos du Prieure Monopole Blanc (WS94 at HK$850/bottle) – A powerful and intense white that is marked by citronella, hazelnut, peach and matchstick aromas and flavours. As it settles down on the palate, the wine builds into a long finish of lemon, stone and saline notes. Excellent value proposition too when good Burgundy whites can be priced quite unrealistically.
2018 Domaine Duclaux Cote Rotie Maison Rouge (WA96 at HK$620/bottle) – This Northern Rhone red is a showstopper and a superb example of the generally softer, more elegant style from this sub-region of the appellation. Scents of violets, stone fruit, anise-like spice and mixed berries combine to create a complex nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is concentrated yet supremely silky, smooth and charming, ending long and elegant.
2015 Canalicchio di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino (WA95 at HK$480/bottle) – A little red sticker on the front label marks the special 50th anniversary of this wine. The body is of medium weight, with a nose that shows a generous spread of forest fruit, licorice, blue flower, bay leaf, Provence herbs and fragrant wet soil aromas. The mouth sensation it gives is compact, contoured, long and polished.
2019 Petrolo Galatrona (WA97 at HK$650/bottle) – Made with Merlot grapes, this Tuscany red is soft and luscious, spreading evenly over the palate with elegance and sweeping intensity. The bouquet shows dark fruit, black cherry and sweet prune, all woven into pretty layers of spice, leather and perfumed tobacco. At this price level, it certainly gives the many other examples of what have been known as the “Super Tuscany” a run for their money.
2016 Calon-Segur (WA96 at HK$980) – This Bordeaux red is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot aged in 100% new French oak for 20 months. Deep garnet-purple coloured, it is a little closed to begin, then slowly revealing warm red and black currants, kirsch and plum preserves with wafts of fragrant earth, violets, chocolate box and wood smoke. Medium to full-bodied, elegantly expressed and finely crafted, it has a wonderfully fine-grained texture and bold freshness supporting the densely packed black fruits, finishing long and mineral-laced.
2018 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon (WA97+ at HK$420/bottle) – Leeuwin has developed an association with the Australian art fraternity and launched the first Art Series wine in 1980. Many of the paintings by local artists have since appeared on the main labels of wines of this cuvee. The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is medium weight for an Australian red. Sweetly fruited, there are flavours of graphite, tobacco, bay leaves and minerals, all making this wine extremely enjoyable.
2019 Arterberry Maresh Maresh Vineyard Pinot Noir (WA98 at HK$500/bottle) – From Oregon of NW USA, this Pinot offers particularly pure, bright red fruit and a stony mineral character. Its aromas unfurl very slowly, segueing from flint to raspberry and pomegranate liqueur, then onto wafts of charcuterie, gravel dust and soaring floral perfume. It is devastatingly delicious, flooding the mouth with highly perfumed and concentrated red-fruit flavours. Despite its depth, its silky tannins and fireworks of fresh acidity offer a sense of weightlessness, and it has a very long, kaleidoscopic finish.
Thank you for reading. We would also wish you the very best for the upcoming Year of the Snake. Please feel free to go to our website www.vinopolis.com.hk to browse the full wine list. Purchases can be made through the website or by sending us an e-mail or simply WhatsApp 9195-7383.
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