That Special Wine

Wine is a very personal thing indeed so I decided to ask around our office to see what they would choose to have with family and friends this Holiday Season.

Lee Watson - Sales Manager

• 1996 Dom Perignon
• 2004 Valduero Reserva Magnum (Spain) 

Casey Chan - Assistant Sales Manager

"I would like to have the Van Zellers Rufo Douro Tinto 08

 Sweet nose, lovely plum fruit, slightly herbal. Versatile for matching both Chinese & Western dishes. Might go well with your Christmas Pudding too!"

Pierre Tam - Manager China

• Syunka Irdori Junmai Daiginiyo Sake
• 2005 Domaine Jacques Prieur Echezeaux Grand Cru 

Connie Fok - Sales Manager Spasa (Sake)

" I would like to select ' Hatsugokoro Junmai Daiginjyo '  which is full bodied with a little acidic sharpness in the flavor & a slight flower fragrance.

As this sake is on a premium level & packed in gift box, it is also good as a Christmas present as well."

 And for me? I would have to start the day sharing a bottle of 1997 Louis Roederer Cristal with my wife, then a bottle of 1990 Valduero Gran Reserva 12 year with lunch and finish the day sipping some 2006 Quinta Vale D. Maria LBV Port with my grand father.

On behalf of all of us at Saveurs I would like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

Cheers!

Dean Aslin

Marketing Manager

Mid Autumn Festival - Something for the sweet tooth!

We've put together a few recommendations if you are looking for a great match for the Moon Cakes or a gift for someone special.

Dessert Wines

Domaine Marcel Deiss (Alsace)
Gewurztraminer Vendange Tardive 750ml 2002 $560


Chateau Pajzos (Hungary)
Aszu 5 Puttonyous, Grand Cru Classe 500ml 1993 $325


Undurraga (Chile)
Late Harvest Reserva 375ml 2004 $105


Chateau Rieussec (France)
Sauternes, Premier Cru Classe 375ml 2000 $345


Forrest Estate ( New Zealand)
Late Harvest Riesling, Marlborough 375ml 2007 $160




Port Wine


Quinta de Roriz (Portugal)
Vintage Port 750ml 2003 $600 


For a full list of our dessert wine and ports have a look through our price list HERE

Rebecca Leung Interviews Mathieu Deiss

Rebecca Leung took some time at the Vinexpo to talk to Domaine Marcel Deiss wine maker Mathieu Deiss.

In English and Cantonese.

Over 90 under $500

We are often asked to recommend a good wine that is not too expensive. So we pulled out a selection that we think are suitable for many different occasions. All of these wines are rated at 90 points or over and are under $500.

Burgundy

D. Jacques Prieur Beaune 1er Cru Les Champs Pimont, 2006         BH90      750ml    $455       

D. Jacques Prieur Beaune 1er Cru Les Champs Pimont, 2007         BH91      750ml    $470      

Alsace

D. Marcel Deiss, Gewürztraminer Bergheim, 2005                            WA90     750ml    $300      

Rhone Valley

D. Les Pallieres, Gigondas, 2003                                                     WA90      750ml    $260      

D. Courbis, (Les Eygats), Cornas, 1997                                           WS90      750ml    $380      

Spain

Valduero, Reserva, 2004                                                                  WA91      750ml    $300      

Australia

RockBare, Barossa Babe Shiraz, 2005                                             WS90      750ml    $260      

Portugal

Quinta de Roriz, Reserva Douro Tinto, 2004                                    WA92      750ml    $310

We have over 70 wines in stock that fall in to this category so if you don't see the one you are looking for we are happy to help you select.

Contact Dean on +852 9730 0781 or deanaslin@saveurs.com.hk    

July 14th - Bastille Day

To all our french friends - Happy La Fete Nationale

To celebrate this great day what better than great French wine like:

2000 Dom Perignon, Brut Vintage Champagne Wine Advocate 94 $950

2005 Domaine Jacques Prieur Beaune 1er Cru Les Champs Pimont, Burgundy

Burghound 90 $570 

Green-gold with silvery tints colour and the nose is pure and fine with aromas of fresh almonds, warm brioche and dried fruits. Palate has flavours of hot toasted bread with lemony notes and the finish is fresh with lovely persistence of good minerals. 100% Chardonnay.

2005 Domaine Jacques Prieur Volnay 1^er Cru Santenots, Burgundy 

Burghound 92 $755

It’s an intense ruby-red wine with fine and delicate aromas of spice and flowers like violets. The palate is soft and tender with flavours of spices and fruits on the palate with soft and fine tannins. 100% Pinot Noir.

For more information or to purchase contact Dean

Burgundy, Part 1c: Cote de Nuits

The 3rd installment of Lee Watson's look at Burgundy.

(The rest of Cote de Nuits)

• Nuits-Saint George:

The second largest commune in Cote de Nuits after Gevrey-Chambertin, this commune is large and like Clos de Vougeot in the fact that sometimes people will over charge for wine because the name is famous. There are no Grand Crus now until the Cote de Beaune. The wines here have good depth and finesse with good structure and richness for 1er Cru level. Some of the best 1er Cru’s are on the border with Vosne-Romanee. Half way through the commune is the town Nuits-Saint-George and it splits the vineyards in half the southern vineyards 1er Cru’s all on the slopes. This Commune can produce some good 1er Crus, but as said before get to know the grower as this 1er Cru and villages status can be abused with lazy wine making.

• Premeaux:

This commune is next as you drive down the N74 and leave the last 1er Cru on your right hand side up the slope, all the 1er Cru and villages appellations will be labelled as Nuits-Saint-George and the 1er Cru can be more like the 1er Crus of the north Nuits-Saint-George that borders Vosne-Romanee and they produce a good sturdy and masculine wine. Both these communes produce awesome wines, but you must be aware of the name being taken advantage of.

• Comblanchien / Corgoloin:

From the last 1er Cru of Nuits-Saint-George in Premeaux called Clos de la Marechale you are now entering in to 3km of Village status communes before you go into Cote de Beaune. Like in the north of Cote de Nuits you have Brochon and Fixin; these will all be labelled as Cote de Nuits Villages. Out of the whole Cote de Nuits there are some great Cote de Nuits Village wines which I recommend to only buy depending on the grower you know or have been recommended. Cote de Nuits Village wines are not expensive and deserve a try to introduce your self to Cote de Nuits wines; it will be a simple trial and error situation.

General notes for Cote de Nuits

Each wine will be labelled as either:

• Hautes-Cote-de-Nuits (from all the vineyards outside the commune appellations)
• Cote de Nuits Village (either from Comblanchien, Corgoloin in the south or Brochon and Fixin in the north)
• Under just the name of the commune (i.e. Gevrey-Chambertin)
• 1er Cru, naming the vineyard & Commune(i.e. Gevrey-Chambertin, 1er Cru Clos Saint-Jacques)
• Grand Cru, naming the vineyard & Commune(i.e. Chambertin, Grand Cru)

There is one more appellation its time to mention and that’s Hautes-Cote-de-Nuits, wines with this on the label are from the vineyards all over the cote de Nuits, all around the village vineyards and the 1er Cru vineyards. Land that isn’t considered to be good enough for village level will be under this appellation. There are now over 1,400 Hectares under vine, which 85% is red. Be careful when you buy a white under this appellation, in my mind you’re probably better to buy a white from Cote Chalonnaise or buy a Chardonnay Bourgogne. You can get good reds, but buy from a hot year like 2003, 2005 or even maybe 2009 (yet to be tasted). The white should be ok for a 2007, choose only good vintages for Hautes-Cote-de-Nuits.

Our recommendations:

  Domaine des Perdrix, Nuits-Saint-George, 1er Cru Aux Perdrix,         2005 $660

If you have any comments let us know here.

Next week: Cote de Beaune

Burgundy, Part 1b: Cote de Nuits (The Grand Cru legends and hangers on)

Here is Part 2 of Lee Watsons look at Burgundy.

  

This is in the heartland of Grand Cru red wine, the heart land of the Cote de Nuits and the heart land of the history of the Cote de Nuits with the Cistercian Monks building the huge wall around the now biggest Grand Cru appellation called Clos de Vougeot. I personally love Clos de Vougeot, as you can pick up some great wines at an affordable price. The Echezeaux also you can pick up some great wines at an affordable price, but some Vosne-Romanee’s can demand a very high price. Let me tell you a little bit about these next 3 appellations that could all fit in the whole of Gevrey-Chambertin together, they are the most famous and some of the most expensive Pinot Noir wines in the world.

  Vougeot:

The famous and controversial Grand Cru in Burgundy ‘Clos de Vougeot’. Its controversial because of the Grand Cru Status, the soil here has a sandy structure and produces a ripe wine that’s plump and lush, but can lack the depth of a Grand Cru at the level of Richbourg, Romanee St. Vivant or Musigny. Traditionally the area was graded on location, lower slopes the poorest quality were Cuvees des Moines (wine for Monks), the middle slopes were Cuvee des Rois (wine for Kings), the top of the slopes produced the best quality and were called Cuvee des Papes (wine for Popes). Choose your wine now though on the grower not the location. Just because it says Clos de Vougeot on the label it cannot always guarantee a Grand Cru fine wine. There are 1er Cru and village wines under Vougeot, but I feel it might be worth sourcing and spending your money on a 1er Cru from either Gevrey-Chambertin or maybe Nuits St George just to name an example.

 Flagey-Echezeaux: (pronounced “ E-shoe-zoo”)

This commune is normally mentioned together with Vosne-Romanee unless it’s under Grand Cru. Flagey has two Grand Crus; Grand Echezeaux (9,ha) and Echezeaux (37,ha) and in size they are similar to Clos de Vougeot (50,ha) and carry the similar status to connoisseurs as a second division Grand Cru. To put the size in to perspective, the top Grand Cru Romanee-Conti is only 1.8 ha. The 1er Cru in Flagey is all labelled as Vosne-Romanee. You can find some great Echezeaux at good value and the Grand Echezeaux will generally be a little higher in price as the wine is generally richer with more intensity of black fruits and some gamey flavours.

  Vosne-Romanee:

When you say the words Romanee-Conti it creates an image of the greatest Pinot Noir in Burgundy, but to some like me, Romanee-Conti means in English “an unobtainable wine”. This whole region can be unobtainable to some even the 1er Crus demand a high price. The region holds 6 of the 24 Grand Crus of Cote de Nuits (Romanee-Conti, La Romanee, La Tache, Richbourg, Romanee-Saint-Vivant, La Grand Rue). Echezeaux Grand Cru still produces more wine than all these Grand Crus together, that’s how small they are from 0.85 ha of La Romanee the smallest appellation Controlee in France to 9.4 ha of Romanee-Saint-Romanee. Vosne-Romanee and Flagey-Echezeaux are a good place to look out for 1er Crus, there are 14 and start on the slope about 500 meters from the main road (RN74). Between the 1er Crus and the main road are all labelled under Vosne-Romanee, which any in my mind are worth looking for.

Our recommendations:

            Jacques Prieur, Clos de Vougeot, Grand Cru,             2004 $1,105

            Jacques Prieur, Clos de Vougeot, Grand Cru,             2006 $1,115

            Jacques Prieur, Echezeaux, Grand Cru,                    2004 $1,785

Jacques Prieur, Echezeaux, Grand Cru,                    2006 $1,820

Burgundy, Part 1a: Cote de Nuits (The King & Queen with their consort)

Lee Watson is sales manager at Saveurs International  and thought you might like some more information on some of the popular French regions. Here is the first part of three on Burgundy, Cote de Nuits. 


Cote de Nuits is such a small place and has some of the best pinot noir red wines produced in the world. Many will say the best in the world. Here is a brief outline on what to go for when it comes to choosing wines from the Cote de Nuits.

What’s the best commune? What’s the best wine? Well let’s stick with a few communes that you are likely to find in Hong Kong. We will start with the north to south of Cote de Nuits  in the first 3 blogs. Then we will move on to Cote de Beaune.

·         Gevrey-Chambertin:

There are 26 Premier Crus and 9 Grand Cru’s. The wines are sumptuous, full and sturdy, rich and masculine. They can even be more flamboyant than Vosne-Romanee and more substantial than Chambolle Musigny. Choose this wine if you want to have in my mind the King style of Cote de Nuits and even Cote d’ Or. Be careful when buying villages level as the commune to the north is called Brochon and has 50 hectares that can label their wine as Gevrey-Chambertin villages and these wines can be up and down in quality so you need to know the growers, same goes for the east of the main road (RN74 that runs the length of Cote d’Or) in Gevrey-Chambertin these wines can be lighter in style. Look out for the most west of the commune and into the Premier Crus up to the slope, one in particular is called Clos St Jacques which some critics have said it deserves Grand Cru status.

·         Morey-Saint-Denis:

There are 20 Premier Crus and 4 Grand Crus with a little of Chambolle’s Grand Cru to the south called Bonnes Mares. I could easily explain these wines as being a little bit of both the communes to the north and south, it’s generally not as sturdy as the wines from the north (Gevrey-Chambertin) and not as fragrant as the wines from the south (Chambolle-Musigny). The main Grand Cru here to look out for is Clos de Tart, described as full-bodied but feminine, good cherry fruit and robust tannins.

·         Chambolle-Musigny:

If Gevrey-Chambertin in the north is the King then Chambolle-Musigny is the Queen with its delicate wines. It has only 2 Grand Crus with Bonnes Mares having 1 ½ Hectares in Morey-Saint-Denis to the north. There are 24 Premier Crus. This is a large area so if you know where your favourite grower is you can have an idea about the wines. Premier Crus to the north are generally sturdier and to the south they become light and delicate. The best wine is the Grand Cru Musigny; this Grand Cru is in the premier league of the whole of Cote d’Or. Production is small as always is in Burgundy, so if you can afford it and you are lucky to get you hands on some then you can experience the delight of a top Pinot Noir.

Our recommendations:

Masculine:
  Antonin Rodet, Gevrey Chambertin,                2005     $365

  Jacques Prieur, Gevrey Chambertin, 1er Cru 2006     $645

  Jacques Prieur, Chambertin Grand Cru,         2004  $1,845

Feminine:   
  Antonin Rodet, Chambolle Musigny,                2004     $405

  Jacques Prieur, Musigny Grand Cru,               2006  $3,485

Wine and Spice and Everything Nice

Everyone was telling me that the best wine for Cajun food is Beer!
So when a good friend asked me to supply the wines for her birthday dinner at Magnolia private kitchen in Sheung Wan, I was a little apprehensive. However, being the fool that I am, I accepted the challenge.


Not having eaten a lot of Cajun I was expecting food that was quite spicy so I headed in the direction of the whites. It was, of course, a celebration so a couple of bottles of Verve sufficed as a starter and soon relaxed the room. The 07 Domaine Marcel Deiss Riesling ($230) was the perfect starter and held up nicely to the Gumbo. We then moved on to soft shell crab and wonderful smokey ribs for mains. I opted to go for another white but this time something a bit bolder with a fresh palate and good acidity. My choice was the 08 Clos La Roquette, Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc ($300) and the combination was excellent.


It turned out that the food was less spicy than I was expecting yet full of wonderful character. The resulting merger meant that the wines were able to contribute handsomely to the flavour combination.


So it was left to the Pecan Pie to wrap up the evening and what better than an Antonin Rodet 2006 Bourgogne Pinot Noir ($145) to finish off.


Everyone was delighted with the meal and I could finally relax, reassured in my decision not to bring beer! Phew!


PS: I'd really like to hear if anyone else has found some great combinations with foods that are a bit harder to match with wine. Leave a comment below.

Bordeaux: Vineyard Report Mid December 2009

You might recall that we posted a Bordeaux vintage update back at the end of October on our website. Well, now our friends at Bordeaux Vins Selection have released further details on the exciting 2009 vintage.


Their report in summary:
Winter provided an idyllic start to the cycle. A mixture of cold and rain left vines in good condition with ample stores of water for the rest of the year. 
An early Spring brought with it quick and even flowering allowing bunches to arrive at maturity together during the grape-picking.
Humidity alternated with heat in July facilitating even and regular development of the grapes. August's climate was sunny, hot and dry and continued into September where the advent of cool nights caused a slower, more even, maturing process. A short period of rain in the middle of the month relieved the stress on the vines and the subsequent harvest was relaxed through to the middle of October. 


Analysing the year's climatic conditions alone leads to a prediction of a great vintage. The grapes were gathered in incredibly good condition and the technical teams have worked hard even thought the richness of the must has not been equaled since 1982.
The resulting wines from this vintage are rich in density, fruit and freshness. Although the pH is slightly higher they remain balanced. A mythical vintage could be in the offer judging by the roundness of tannin and the succulence gained from a few weeks aging. It all brings to mind past vintages like 1982 and 1989.


Click HERE for the full report.