Maule is the engine room of Chile’s wine industry. With over 37,000 hectares of vines, it is by far the country’s largest wine region, churning out a quarter of the nation’s production. Although it has a long history, first planted in the 16th century, its modern reputation is for providing cheap fruit to bulk out the blends that have become synonymous with Chile’s supermarket standard-bearers. But a quiet revolution is underway, with a small group of producers championing the old-vine heritage of this region. And now Francisco Baettig is adding his name to the list, shining a light on the region.  Baettig – the man who built his reputation crafting the iconic wines of Errázuriz, Seña and Chadwick – started Vinos Baettig with his business partner Carlos de Carlos back in 2012, laying down literal roots in the little-known, cool-climate Traiguén district of Malleco, on the same latitude as Patagonia. They made their first commercial vintage of chiselled Chardonnay and vibrant Pinot Noir in 2018, but that was just the beginning for the duo.  They had, Baettig tells me, always planned to make Cabernet Sauvignon. And that’s no surprise given Baettig’s background, having studied in Bordeaux and made his name crafting Cabernet Sauvignon blends that rival those of the Médoc. They decided, however, to start with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the south, where they already had family ties and land was more affordable, while they hunted down the right site for their Cabernet project.  For Baettig, working their own vineyards is integral to Vinos Baettig, as is dry-farming – and, for Cabernet Sauvignon, Baettig was particularly keen to have old vines, and that, he shrugs sadly, is not so easy to find. As well as being resilient enough to be dry-farmed, older Cabernet Sauvignon vines generally produce lower pyrazine levels (compounds which are responsible for a green character in wine), as well as lower sugar levels at phenolic and flavour ripeness – allowing him to produce wines with more moderate alcohol levels.  He had previously worked with a parcel of Cabernet Sauvignon in Maule and loved the fruit from these low-yielding vines, which retained acidity and offered great aromatics, colour and gravelly tannins that are, in his view, almost Saint-Estèphe in style. It was he felt, “Cabernet with a special personality.” And so, they looked to Maule, but avoiding the warmer areas that can produce bigger, riper styles – instead they headed south of Cauquenes, towards the Cordillera de la Costa, or coastal range.  It took them over a year, but eventually they found an old País vineyard – planted 120 years ago – where two hectares had been grafted over to Cabernet Sauvignon. The grower was charging only 15 cents per kilo for the fruit – but the Cabernet was being harvested alongside the Pais, chucked in together and sold for a pittance. Baettig asked if he could quadruple the price and get it harvested separately. The grower couldn’t believe his luck.  Baettig and Carlos found another few vineyards that showed promise, which together formed the basis for the first vintage of Los Compadres Cabernet Sauvignon. This is one of their Vinos de Viñedo, or village-equivalent wines, with the name “Los Compadres” (close friends) a tribute to the growers with which they’re working. Alongside their “village” wine, however, Baettig always crafts a single-site bottling, a Selección de Parcelas (parcel selection, literally) – and that only ever comes from vines they own.  Fortunately, perhaps, the grower behind the 120-year-old País vineyard was looking to sell, faced with its economic unsustainability and developers queuing up for the land. The duo managed to purchase five hectares, including the two that had already been grafted to Cabernet Sauvignon, saving the centenarian vines from being ripped out of the ground. They grafted over the three remaining hectares to Cabernet Sauvignon in 2023 (with the fruit set to be used from the 2025 vintage). This site is now the source for their single-parcel Los Padrinos (meaning “the godparents”).  There are swathes of ancient vines like this, all at risk of being torn out for more profitable options. And it’s easy to see why, these old bush vines are beautiful – but yield tiny volumes. Baettig gets a mere two tons per hectare – “in a good year”, he’s quick to clarify. They’re dry-farmed – something that is rare in Chile’s dry climate, but made feasible by the high average rainfall in the Maule (between 500 and 700mm per year, although 2023 brought 1,000mm – welcome sustenance for Baettig’s just-grafted plantings). There’s no way of mechanising such old vines so all the work has to be done by hand – and Baettig’s plots see little more than sulphur and other organic treatments. If like most growers in the area, you’re only able to sell your fruit to the local co-op for cheap box wine, it’s easy to see why such efforts simply don’t make financial sense.  Alongside these parcels of old vines, there are vast, younger vineyards belonging to the likes of Concha y Toro and Santa Rita, yielding up to seven times as much fruit as their gnarly neighbours. Land here remains significantly cheaper than the more famous Maipo, Aconcagua or Colchagua (hence its appeal to the country’s biggest players) – but it’s the region’s distinct style of Cabernet that drew the Baettig team here.  For Baettig, towards the coastal range you find a totally different microclimate, producing wines of impressive tension and bright acidity. With the old País roots, the vines reach deep into the soil and produce limited yields of concentrated berries. The tannins have a particular imprint, less polished than those of Maipo, and given the fruit’s natural concentration and structure, it’s important to manage extraction carefully – with cooler temperatures, shorter maceration times and reduced pump-overs. Quite simply, Baettig says, they are “wines that you can age”. Fresh and verging on austere in youth, it’s easy to see the potential – and Baettig suggests the Compadres should age a good decade, while Los Padrinos will continue evolving far beyond that.   Baettig has already made waves with its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and – given the nature of these special vineyards – their Cabernet Sauvignon is guaranteed to do the same. But it’s not just the quality here that will make a difference. These sprawling plants, knotted, thick-trunked and twisted, have survived in spite of the economics. Having such a prestigious name invest in the Maule and its wealth of centenarian bush vines will help guarantee that this viticultural heritage isn’t lost for good.  Explore the full range from Baettig, including the first vintages of their Cabernet Sauvignon 

Baettig has pioneered Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Malleco – but now they’ve released their first Cabernet Sauvignon. Sophie Thorpe caught up with Francisco Baettig to find out more about the project 

From Malleco to Maule: as Chile’s Baettig releases their first Cabernet Sauvignon wine, we caught up with winemaker Francisco Baettig to find out more

Discovering Baettig’s Maule Cabernet Sauvignon

The Maule mission: Baettig’s new Cabernet Sauvignon

After months of design discovery, client interviews and client testing, we successfully launched the back-end systems in readiness for the new site this spring. Now, we are ready to introduce our new site which has been optimised to improve your global wine and spirits buying and selling journey.    Search and filter functionality improvements have been implemented site-wide. This means you will be able to smart filter wine and spirits in seconds and browse by myriad criteria such as region, style and price point when looking for inspiration. You will also be able to access producer and region profiles, buying guides and long-form features faster than ever before. Signposting to this rich content has been vastly improved to ensure you have all the tools you require to make the most informed purchase possible.   We hope you enjoy familiarising yourself with the new FINE+RARE site. In the coming weeks and months, more functionality will be rolled out for our clients around the globe – some of which are detailed below. All these updates have been designed to ensure you receive the best end-to-end service, tailored for your needs, wherever you are in the world.    If you have any questions or feedback about this, or anything else, please contact Group CEO Patrick O'Connor directly.  A feel for what’s to come:  NEW PORTFOLIO AND TRADING PLATFORM  In August, we will launch the first iteration of the new Portfolio platform, which has been built following your feedback to fundamentally improve your experience. For the first time, you will be able to see a single-page cellar view featuring all the most critical buying and trading facts, which is a significant reduction from the current four pages.  In the next iteration, market data will populate your account and inform you about key trading opportunities and how these might affect your portfolio. Peer-to-peer trading will also become available, as you will be able to set your own trading prices online using market insight and data, list and unlist products, with new features to receive or place bids.  As part of this release, we will also be improving the current checkout journey, making it more intuitive and efficient. GLOBAL FINERARE.COM AND LOCAL DOMAIN LAUNCHES  Significant changes will continue to be introduced to improve your online service needs. Following the launch of the user-centred website in 2023 and the Portfolio update mentioned above, a global website will go-live in 2025. This will provide greater visibility for sourcing new wines and improve your collection management. Order tracking and status updates will also be vastly improved.  New local domains will roll out throughout 2024. These domains will enable global clients to buy, sell and trade with greater ease as they access short- and long-form content tailored to specific local market requirements. You will also be able to explore and register interest in our local events online, and you'll have access to local stock availability, services and listings.

Earlier this year, we brought you exciting news about how FINE+RARE is evolving. Now, we mark a new milestone: the launch of our new-and-improved website. 

Exploring the new-and-improved FINE+RARE website built following extensive user research to provide the best fine wine and spirits buying service possible

Introducing our new-and-improved website 

Everyone remembers their first bottle of Soldera, such is its impact on the senses. Speak to anyone lucky enough to have tasted it and watch their eyes glaze over as they are immediately transported back to the moment, the friends they shared it with and no doubt the food it accompanied. It is one of those rare wines that has a way of imprinting itself on the memory. Such is the magic at work in seemingly every bottle of this special Tuscan red that it’s not just the first bottle, but every bottle that you remember. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of this enigmatic estate set in the hills of Montalcino. In its comparatively short existence, the wine has built a considerable reputation, yet after founder Gianfranco Soldera passed away in 2019, the property finds itself at an interesting crossroads. Right up until his death, Gianfranco Soldera had very much been the face of the estate. His personality and strong opinions made him a memorable character – and a man not beyond controversy. He was a leading voice against the Brunello consortium’s handling of the Brunello-gate scandal in 2008 and fiercely believed that Brunello should be 100% Sangiovese. In 2012, his winery was the victim of sabotage, in which large volumes of wine (from vintages between 2007 and 2012) were lost – simply poured down the drain. After the attack, the Brunello consortium offered to help club together and replace the wine, but Soldera rejected the offer and soon left the consortium (although the exact reasons behind his resignation or expulsion are unclear). After this incident, Soldera simply labelled his wine as Toscana IGT (today IGP), to make a point that his wine was and will always be 100% Sangiovese. Despite his polarising nature, ultimately Soldera let his wines do the talking. He was incredibly ambitious from the start, setting out to produce a wine that would compete with the world’s finest – a feat he achieved remarkably quickly, considering he started the vineyard from scratch – replanting the vineyards in their entirety when he arrived at the estate in 1972.  While Gianfranco was the face of Soldera, he did not work alone. The estate has always been a family affair. Both Gianfranco’s son Mauro and daughter Monica, along with her husband Paolo Franco, have worked at the estate for many years. It is Monica’s husband who has since taken charge of the winemaking at Soldera, after working alongside Gianfranco for 16 years.  As we sit down to taste through seven vintages of Soldera that span 21 years, Monica introduces her husband, on what is his first visit to the UK as Soldera’s winemaker. She makes the point that before joining the family business, Franco was in fact a skilled silversmith – requiring a keen sensibility of the hands, eyes and mind. Skills, she believes, are ideal for working at Soldera, and perfectly attuned to her father’s perfectionist mentality. Gianfranco was by all accounts not an easy man to work with. “It’s a difficult job,” Monica laughs. “We are not him, but we try our best.”  Monica also explains that, despite her father’s headstrong approach, he was always open to advice and frequently invited university students to the estate, experimenting with vines on the property, exploring ways to bring out the best in the grapes and vines. Monica believes that science is the key to making wine more naturally. “The more we study, the more natural our processes become,” she says. Working with students has allowed them to fine-tune what they do, keeping the vines healthy in the shifting climate. The 2017 vintage – the penultimate wine made under Gianfranco’s watch – is due to be released later this year. It was a very difficult vintage in Tuscany, with a ferocious heatwave in the summer of 2017. There were concerns that it might be similar to 2003, when their vines were badly affected by the high temperatures. But to their surprise, the vines showed no signs of water stress, the leaves remained green and rich in colour. Soldera felt this was down to the vines’ deep roots and higher trellising, something they introduced after 2003.  Despite the lack of water in 2017, the team was still able to work with a bigger canopy – meaning more leaves to shade the grapes. The intensity of the summer saw them harvest the grapes a whole month earlier than is typical, starting on 26th August. “To lose one month is extraordinary,” says Monica. Production was also down to 11,000 bottles, versus a normal 15,000. Technically they are allowed to produce as many as 50,000, giving an idea of how much they are prepared to sacrifice to maintain their high standards. Tasting the 2017, there is only a hint of the heat that severely marked the vintage for many of Soldera’s neighbours. The wine still has the trademark perfumed aromatics of old rose and the sinewy tannins that flex beautifully on the palate. It is easily one of the most elegant wines produced in Montalcino in 2017. The 2017, however, was always going to struggle to live up to its predecessor, the 2016– a vintage that is amongst the very best in the region. Monica noted just how easy 2016 was in terms of the growing season; everything was just right, right up until harvest. The sheer amplitude of aromas is really quite extraordinary, with strawberry fruit, old rose perfume, fiery earthy, irony, ferric tones and a wild floral note. The energy on the palate is wonderful and thick, tender, with almost elastic-like tannins that make the mouth water. The wine has such vibrancy and a really long finish. The 2015 as a vintage sits somewhere between 2016 and 2017 in style. While it was very warm, the vines were less affected and produced wines of great concentration. The wine does not have the aromatic amplitude of the 2016 and is nuttier in its aromas rather than perfumed, but seemingly the signature of Soldera – those tender tannins, like silk, bring so much energy and emotion to the wine. The 2014 is perhaps a surprise highlight of the flight. It was a difficult vintage, with lots of rain. For Monica, it proved very tough and required lots of sorting and fruit selection. In the end they got just 400kg of fruit from one hectare, making just 8,400 bottles. The dried rose, perfumed scent is matched by earthier, ferric tones. I get tomato leaf – which is often considered negative in tasting notes – but here it adds a wild, lifted, herbal tone that brings more complexity to the wine, complementing the sweeter rose notes and savoury, dried-stone aromas. The breadth on the palate is where the magic really is. It stretches right across the palate and brings such effortless depth too. The tannins are still tight but just starting to ease up, and there is so much freshness too. It really is in a wonderful place. A 10-year gap and the 2004 is the wine of the flight. Despite the bottle age, the scented Pinot Noir-esque perfume is still there in abundance, matched again by an earthy ferric richness. The tannins have eased up as you would expect, developing more mid-palate richness, making the wine incredibly juicy. The tannins are still elastic and bring a huge lift to the palate. It is a mesmerising wine. It was a great vintage in Tuscany, albeit with moderate temperatures for Montalcino, and it has matured beautifully. Some argue that Soldera excels in more moderate vintages – something that shines through in the 2004 and 2014.  The 1999 is another great vintage in Brunello and the next wine in the line-up. Distinct tertiary notes are now showing on the wine, with blue cheese, roasted walnut, dried cherry, sage and light herbal tones mingling together. There is still so much vibrancy to the wine. The tannins are not quite as silky as the younger vintages, but the acid is still so striking. It definitely feels like a wine of its age and, despite the minimal approach at Soldera, the framework suggests extraction levels were higher back then, in keeping with the trends of the time. It is a lovely wine, but not as ethereal as others. Finally, the 1996: at 26 years of age still holds on to those wonderful, scented aromatics as exuberant as ever. Again, matched with more tertiary notes, blue cheese along with dried cherry fruit, lots of dry extract, the tannins as structured and sinewy as ever, but still very fresh. It’s an unforgettable flight of some of Montalcino’s top vintages, but it’s Soldera’s ethereality that emerges – with that heady mesmerising scent and tender tannins consistent across the wines. Soldera might thrive in cooler vintages, but the quality of this wine rarely drops below outstanding. Even without Gianfranco at the helm, it’s clear that – under the watchful eye of Monica Soldera, Paolo Franco, and the rest of the Soldera family, not to mention their research team – the estate has a very exciting future ahead. Huge thanks to Zubair at Raeburn Fine Wines for organising the event. Discover the history of Soldera and all current back vintages available

It’s 50 years since Soldera – the iconic Tuscan estate that crafts some of the region’s finest Sangiovese – was established. To mark the occasion, Gavin Smith caught up with Monica Soldera to taste through back vintages and talk about what lies ahead for the remarkable property

Soldera is the iconic Tuscan estate who crafts some of the region’s finest Sangiovese wines. We caught up with Monica Soldera to taste through back-vintages

Soldera: tasting 50 years of a Tuscan wine icon

Defining Soldera: tasting 50 years of a Tuscan icon

When Jean-Marc Roulot wandered through the family estate’s cellars one, seemingly ordinary day, he happened upon something unexpected. The vigneron had walked the hallowed paths innumerable times during his legendary father Guy’s life and during the 15 years since his sudden passing in 1982. But there, in a long-forgotten corner of the cellars, lay 12 dusty bottles of apricot liqueur. Jean-Marc knew all about his father’s production of pear and apple brandy, and his family tradition of producing marc de Bourgogne and fine de Bourgogne. The still, which he used and remains in operation today, dates back to 1866 and used to be on wheels so the family could move from village to village. So well-known was this distillation heritage, in fact, that Jean-Marc’s mother used to joke that the still paid for their vineyards. What came as a surprise to the actor-cum-winemaker was the existence of L’Abricot. “I had never seen him make this liqueur,” the 65-year-old says. “It was absolutely delicious and I wanted to try to find this recipe.” This discovery in 2008 set Jean-Marc on a mission to reproduce the liqueur from instinct, as no recipe existed, and increase the estate’s staple of brandies, eaux de vie and liqueurs. In some instances, the winemaker was able to follow recipes and meet with fruit producers to reinstate his father’s relationships. For others, he had to forge his own path. “I wanted to reconnect with that [tradition],” he adds. Jean-Marc says he’s always had a passion for distillation, having learned the skill from his father, and feels it has influenced his winemaking. When distilling, Jean-Marc focuses on two things: purity and authenticity. When asked, he says it is of paramount importance that the end product tastes like the fruit. It seems obvious, perhaps, but this is not always the case with overly saccharine fruit-based liqueurs. In order to achieve these two things, Jean-Marc has reduced the sugar levels over time – from 180g/l sugar 10 years ago to 160g/l in the latest iterations. “Sugar is of course a flattering element in a liqueur, but it can also mask the fruit,” he says. “By lowering the sugar levels, I feel like I'm putting the fruit forward.” From more classic pear and raspberry to the most recent addition, lemon liqueur, Jean-Marc says the fruit choices have largely been emotive. “I chose to make a pear alcohol since my father already made this 40 years ago with fruits from the Hautes Côtes de Beaune,” he says. “He was doing the same thing in a much smaller amount with the raspberry than I am doing. For these two fruits in brandies, it is therefore a family tradition.” The pears are sourced from the same site in the Hautes Côtes de Beaune that his father used, while the apricots (previously from the orchards of Chave) come courtesy of Laurent Combier (of Domaine Combier) in the Rhône. While he used to be able to source them locally, raspberries are now hard to find – and these, along with his lemons, come from further afield (Bulgaria and Sicily, respectively). After finding the bottles of apricot liqueur and working with the fruit in that capacity, the idea occurred to Jean-Marc to ferment them to make brandy as well. He’s also turned his hand to lemon liqueur and doesn’t rule out further fruit experimentation, perhaps with grapefruit. When asked about these fruits in relation to terroir, Jean-Marc says he doesn’t think they can reflect their terroir “as well” or “as faithfully” as grapes. “Perhaps this is due to the size of the plant, the density of planting, the attention we pay to the work of the vineyard and all the care we take around the grape when it comes back to the winery,” he adds. “There is generally a ‘signature’ effect in grapes that I do not find in a fruit like pear for example.”  He does, however, think the distillation process has taught him a considerable amount. “As we are mainly winegrowers, we seem to think that our knowledge on this subject has influenced the work on the still, but I sincerely believe that the precision that distillation requires has influenced us in the other direction, towards our work as a winegrower.” One senses Jean-Marc’s discovery of those 12 unassuming bottles all those years ago had a much greater impact on him than merely influencing his production of superlative wines, and now, his fruit brandies, eaux de vie and liqueurs. Find out more about Domaine Roulot or read more Editorial

Meursault-based Domaine Roulot is one of the finest estates in the Côte de Beaune. But it’s not just grapes that cross the threshold at this domaine. Owner and winemaker Jean-Marc tells us about the family’s fruit-based spirits – and how they’ve influenced his winemaking

The famous Meursault vigneron Domaine Roulot on his family’s other project - the family’s fruit-based spirit

Domaine Roulot Meursault fruit-based spirits

A secret still: Domaine Roulot

Getting to taste a vertical of any one wine is undoubtedly the best way to understand it. It provides that rare opportunity to see how well each wine has evolved, how each vintage was shaped by its growing season and whether the wine’s character and personality remains a constant throughout. But these 14 vintages of Colore – spanning the first 20 years of its existence – are as much about Bibi Graetz’s own evolution as that of the wines.  Over the last two decades there has been a dramatic change in the production of Colore – one that mirrors Bibi Graetz’s journey of discovery in winemaking and viticulture, having started as a complete amateur. From 2000 to the most recent vintage (2018), the wine has completely transformed in both where it is grown and how it is made.   As Graetz says, the concept behind Colore never changed. “I wanted to make the best wine possible. All that changed was how! In the past I thought the best grapes had to be the most powerful. We were green harvesting in the vineyard – getting the production as low as possible, we were bleeding off juice in the winery to increase the concentration, we were using new oak to bring more body, intensity, power.”  In complete contrast, today there is no green harvest in the vineyards: Graetz doesn’t even hedge the vines, preferring them to find their own balance. There is no more bleeding off, with Graetz believing a natural balance is more important than a higher level of tannins. There is no new oak anymore – just old barrels, large foudres of various sizes and cement tanks for maturing the wine. At the beginning, Graetz worked with a consultant, but as he took on more of the winemaking himself (from 2004 onwards), each experiment saw the wine style and production change, based on his own experiments and intuition.  One thing has remained consistent throughout: the unusual method of fermenting the wine in barrel. With Graetz’s commitment that Colore should be made with only the very best grapes, quantities were so small, a normal fermenting vat would not work. “My winemaker at the time came up with the idea – he said simply open up a barrique and ferment the grapes in them. Winemakers in California and South Africa were already doing these micro cuvées very successfully and I thought why not?” Graetz feels this is key to Colore’s style – exposing the must to lots of oxygen, integrating the oak with the tannins better, and with the smaller size leading to a different temperature range during fermentation.   While most of these changes were gradual, perhaps the biggest turning point for Colore came in 2008 with the discovery of the Lamole vineyard. Graetz’s focus has always been on sourcing grapes from Tuscany’s oldest vines and this vineyard – sitting at some of the highest altitudes in Chianti Classico – was to have a profound effect on the wine. The fruit from this special site rapidly started to dominate the blend. Prior to 2008, Colore sat alongside Bibi Graetz’s other prestige cuvée Testamatta – two wines of equal status exploring two different concepts, with Testamatta pure Sangiovese and Colore, a blend of the three red Tuscan grapes (Sangiovese, Colorino and Canaiolo). Graetz knew there was something special about the 2008 vintage, particularly with the introduction of the Lamole vineyard. Graetz decided to choose only the very best barrels for Colore, making production very limited and pitching it above Testamatta. The first vintage of the new Colore, 2008, sent the critics wild – and the price too.  For Graetz personally, the 2009 vintage marks another significant change, with a shift from power to elegance. The 2009 vintage was very difficult in Tuscany – making it difficult to get any concentration, something that Graetz was originally worried about. “But when I made the wine, the response was one of universal approval. It was lighter, more elegant and I saw the value in that.”   Tasting through vintages back to 2000, the 2008 remains the stand-out wine of the line-up and, whatever changes happened in the winery, you feel the 2009 difficult vintage conditions didn’t capture the magic and personality that the 2008 exudes. This is just one pair in the line-up that proves that vintage remains at the heart of a wine, no matter the changes in the wine cellar. The 2010 for example tells of its low yields, needing time to fully unfurl. Similarly, the more difficult 2011 and ’12 vintages show much more maturity than the ’10, ’08 or ’06.   The modern vintages become much more consistent – and, although still very youthful, you feel Graetz found his feet in terms of what he wants Colore to be. There is both elegance and natural power in these beautiful renditions of Sangiovese. The switch in style from the early vintages is remarkable. The 2005, 2004 and 2003 in particular are much more “international” in style. They are perfectly well-made monoliths, but don’t exude the personality of more recent vintages.   While today the 2008 remains the finest expression to date, you can’t help feel that many of the younger vintages could – with maturity – match it. As the vintages progress, Colore becomes ever more elegant, reflecting Graetz’s changing philosophy. Graetz’s evolution as a winemaker shines through in these wines, but the transparency that comes with that evolution – allowing the fruit to speak more clearly of a time and a place – that is the narrative. The resulting wines have as much personality as their maker.  Tasting through two decades of Bibi Graetz’s Colore  2018 Colore: The 2018 has a translucent ruby colour and a light floral perfume with pure, very compacted aromas of pot-pourri and red aniseed. Medium bodied, the tannins are fully ripe, resolved and beautifully silky for Sangiovese, bringing an effortless structure to the wine. Warming, ripe black cherry fruit fills the palate and sustains a long finish. Drink 2028-2045.  2016 Colore: With two years more in bottle, the 2016 is much more expressive than the 2018. Dried tobacco, rose talc, geranium, even a touch of cumin brings lovely floral complexity to the aromas. The tannins are that much more integrated and meld around a good core of fruit – with solid black cherry fruit flavours and dark chocolate notes. There is an overriding florality to the wine, adding further complexity to this beautifully balanced rendition. Drink 2026-2041.  2015 Colore: The 2015 is less expressive today than the 2016, which is somewhat surprising since you would expect the 2015 to be more open. There are darker elements to this wine, dominated for now by fragrant aniseed and dark chocolate aromas. The palate is silky soft with lovely, resolved tannins. It has compacted, concentrated fruit with an impressive density to the mid palate. Again, a solid core of fruit at its centre, melded with layered, detailed tannins. This will blossom but needs time. Drink 2025-2040.  2012 Colore: There is a huge difference contrasting 2012 and 2015, with three more years in bottle, heightened no doubt by the cooler vintage conditions. The wine in itself is in a lovely stage of evolution, with tertiary, savoury, maturing elements intertwined with more primary, floral and black plum fruit. The tannins are noticeably softer on the palate, less overtly present in dictating the wine’s character. This is both fresh and funky and with a touch of tertiary leather too. This is drinking beautifully now. Drink 2021-2028.  2011 Colore: Similar to the 2012 there are some noticeable maturing elements to the wine, providing a lovely complexity both to its aromas and palate. While the fruit character is less plush, the wine has a fantastic vibrancy and firmer acidity. Earthy, savoury tones and a touch of bloody iodine gives good typicity to the region, the variety and the vintage. Drink 2021-2030.  2010 Colore: The 2010 is incredibly youthful compared to the 2011 and 2012, showing how arguably vintage conditions play a significant role in the wine’s ageing ability. Yields were significantly down in 2010 and this shows in this dense rendition. The wine, similarly to 2015 is a little closed right now offering hints of iodine and earthy, black cherry fruit. Tasting the next day, the wine is much more open, the tannins are incredibly concentrated and there is amazing acidity too. The fruit on the palate is very pure. This is powerful and will no doubt mellow beautifully with age. Drink 2025-2035.  2009 Colore: Very developed on the nose, so much so that this bottle may not have been in perfect condition. The wine comes across a little oxidised with black liquorice aromas and light acetate notes. Fruit is ripe and slightly raisined, it seems almost later picked than other vintages and certainly more developed than older vintages.  2008 Colore: The wine of the line-up. This is an exceptional wine, firmly in its drinking window but with bracing acidity that offers plenty of life ahead. There are lovely tertiary notes, while also remaining fragrant and clean on the nose. The palate is very fresh with fine, silk-coated tannins providing a lovely breadth to the palate. This is so elegant and yet so rich; very Italian in style with dried floral lift, liquorice spice and bountiful black cherry fruit. Drink 2021-2030.  2007 Colore: The 2007 has a very complex nose with dry spice, aniseed, cured meats and a touch of blue cheese. This funkiness dissipates with air becoming more integrated and all the better for it. The palate remains very silky with maturing cherry fruit, pickling juices and figs. The acidity and tannins are totally melded to the fruit, providing an excellent textural quality to the wine, with a spicy chili finish. Drink 2021-2025.  2006 Colore: This wine shows very little sign of age, maturing at a snail’s pace. It retains a lovely Italian identity with vibrant acidity, cherry fruit and liquorice notes. There is almost no tertiary character to this wine, possibly another nod to the exceptional vintage conditions? The fruit is very concentrated, clean, and surprisingly youthful in character. I would love to explore this again with more maturity. Drink 2022-2030.  2005 Colore: Still quite youthful but lacks the perfumed fruit of younger vintages. Very ripe fruit with additional dry oak spices on the nose. The wine has a fine texture, layered tannins and more oak influence on the palate. Not so obviously Italian and more “international” in its style. Drink 2021-2026.  2004 Colore: Similar to the 2005, the wine has a lot of ripeness and intensity as well as spicy notes. More expressive than the 2005, there is a floral lift too. Tannins are a little less pleasing – slightly blocky in character and the fruit is quite ripe, bordering on raisined in character. The dried fruits developing possibly from age, although lacks the personality of some of the younger vintages. Drink 2021-2025.  2003 Colore: The 2003 was perhaps the most disappointing wine in the line-up and quite closed down. Graetz thought the wine was slightly oxidized. There was bitter chocolate on the nose, but the tannins were silky and beautifully melded and the acidity is well balanced. Despite this, the 2003 falls into a monolithic character similar to the 2004 and 2005, lacking a bit of personality. Drink 2021-2025.  2000 Colore: Certainly less monolithic than the ‘03, ‘04 and ‘05 and much more developed. This is fully mature, with pure tertiary characters on the nose – smoky, undergrowth and touch of funky Brett notes. This has lost much of its primary fruit and is on the decline. Drink now.  Find out more about Bibi Graetz and browse all listings or read more Editorial 

It’s 20 years since Bibi Graetz created Colore, one of Italy’s top wines. To mark the occasion, Gavin Smith tasted through 14 vintages – exploring the evolution of this rare Tuscan red, and its maker 

Tasting through 20 years of Bibi Graetz's Colore, one of Italy’s top wines – and exploring how the Tuscan red has evolved over the past two decades 

Tracing the rare Colore Tuscan red's evolution

A story in Sangiovese: two decades of Colore

Mark Reynier is angry. After decades of shouting into the wind, his landmark Terroir Project – which scientifically proves the existence of terroir in whisky – has landed, and largely been derided or ignored by his peers.   “We have known this all along,” the founder and CEO of Waterford Distillery says. “There is a defence [in the industry] that terroir can’t exist in whisky because too many terrible things are done to the barley that negate it.”  Reynier is in the process of penning a “stinker” of a rebuttal to the latest dismissal of the academic study when we speak on a gloriously sunny, spring Islay morning. “It depends on whether you want terroir to exist or not,” he continues. “Of course it bloody doesn’t if you’re buying shiploads of [barley] in from the Ukraine. Who are you kidding? Open your eyes.  “But to deny it outright. To attack the message, attack the messenger, and destroy my reputation and everything. That’s why I have to do the Terroir Project, because I needed to be able to say: ‘You’re wrong, leave me alone.” When he joined the drinks industry in 1980, single malts represented 0.1% of sales and the national drink had become an industrial dog’s dinner, according to Reynier.    “I think everything went wrong, in my book, in the early ‘70s with the oil crisis, shutting down distilleries, recycling wood to cut costs and then adding [colour] at the last minute and chill filtering the whole thing to buggery,” he says.   He talks of an “age of innocence” before the ‘70s “when wood mattered, and barley actually tasted of something”. This halcyon period, coupled with his 20 years in the wine world, have influenced every decision he has made since. After 11 years polarising and challenging perceptions of age, peat-level, raw ingredient, and wood style at Bruichladdich, Reynier wanted to push the envelope even further with his next venture, Irish single malt distillery, Waterford.   “There is an enthusiasm in Ireland with the glass half-full as opposed to the Scottish half-empty,” Reynier says. “There is baggage in Scotland, even in Bruichladdich, with colleagues saying ‘ach no, you can’t be seen doing that. We’ll be laughed at.’” Absolute traceability is the goal at Waterford and this begins with the barley – looking back to that pre-1970s golden era, with varieties such as Hunter and Goldthorpe, trying to find flavours that have been bred out. Part of the Terroir Project has shown the two parent varieties from which all modern varieties are now propagated are too close together. “It’s like having a brother and sister as the source genetic material,” Reynier says. “For 50 years it has all come from the same bloody parents. And it wasn’t chosen on its flavour.” If confronting the Scotch and Irish whisk(e)y industry’s traditional wisdom wasn’t enough of a challenge, Reynier took up the mantle for rum in 2020 with the construction of the $20 million Renegade Distillery in Grenada. “I think rum’s problem is that nobody knows what real rum should be,” Reynier says. “Sixty countries make rum and it’s made from all sorts. There’s no uniformity, anything goes. So, everything does.  “For me, Renegade is a really simple question that we are seeking to answer and, no surprise, it is about terroir,” Reynier says. “It is about growing cane on different terroirs to produce different flavour compounds.”   In terms of other spirit categories Reynier has already got a remarkable gin to his name with Bruichladdich-produced Botanist. Most recently, he has toyed with the idea of agave, but fear of lawlessness and excruciatingly long harvests are battles he does not wish to tackle, yet.   “If a harvest of grapes fails one year or if a harvest of barley fails one year, then well fine, you’ve got the next year but with agave you haven’t. I think if I ever did anything it would be a Mezcal based on agave genetic modification to make it fruit more than once every 15 years and growing more of it. But that’s a bloody long-term project.” One suspects it won’t be long before that seemingly insurmountable challenge lures the tour de force that is Mark Reynier.  Browse all available Waterford whiskies and Renegade rums or read more Editorial 

With two single malts about to launch and a study at long last proving terroir in whisky exists, Waterford CEO Mark Reynier should be cock-a-hoop. Holly Motion finds out why that isn’t the case  

Waterford's Mark Reynier on his mission to produce single malt whiskies with a sense of place in Scotland with Bruichladdich and now in Ireland with Waterford

Waterford CEO Mark Reynier on terroir in whisky

Mark Reynier uncensored

Quality in the Douro Valley has arguably never been higher – with a run of recent vintages universally declared (2011, 2016, 2017). The 2018 vintage was declared by some and, in the last few weeks, Sogevinus and Niepoort have declared 2019. These Ports, however, won’t be ready for years – so what should you be drinking in the meantime?  When to drink vintage Port  Traditionally Port is considered to go through phases: its open, ebullient youth; a sometimes tricky teenage phase; and then – once the wines hit their 20s – the wines open out, becoming more approachable with additional layers of complexity.  While the British palate might be more attuned to mature wines, it’s not true of everywhere. Anthony Symington notes that while the British go for Ports that are 20+ years old, in America, France and Portugal, vintage Ports tend to be drunk around the 10-year-old mark.   “I get a lot of personal enjoyment between four and 12 years of age, when fruit is your main character,” the Fladgate Partnership’s David Guimaraens says. “It’s a magical time to drink vintage Port.” The “teenage” phase – between 14 to 19 years – is a safer time to open bottles than it used to be, he argues, but is inevitably a transitional phase, with the fruit fading and bottle maturity just developing. It is, in his view, worth waiting for the complexity that comes with 20 years in bottle or more.  Which wines to drink now  Such is the quality of recent vintages, Dirk Niepoort even suggests that 2017 and ’15 can be drunk now. For him, however, “Old proper Port is the king of Ports.” With that in mind, he suggests that anything between 1987 and 2011 are currently closed; but savour the 1980, ’82, ’83 and ‘87s. The 1977s are still a bit closed, although he thinks it’s “a great year”. For him, 1970 remains under-valued – a vintage that he rates higher than 1963. It’s a year worth looking out for, he says, particularly because everyone did well – so there’s little risk, whichever producer you are drinking. It’s one of his favourites, an old-fashioned vintage with the emphasis on spice rather than fruit, with fantastic tannins and lots of structure.  Of course some years are better than others. Symington notes that if you can track down 1945s or ‘24s, these legendary vintages are still drinking beautifully now. As for other wines that are at their zenith, he suggests the classic 1963 (“the vintage that saved Port”), ’66 and ’70 – all of which he feels are in their prime. The wines from the ‘80s are just moving from that secondary to tertiary stage – and ’80, ’83 and ’85 are “more concentrated, but beautiful, velvety wines”.   Carlos Agrellos of Quinta do Noval splits wines from the property into pre and post AXA (AXA Millésimes acquired the property in 1993). He personally prefers wines that are around 15-20 years old, feeling the wines benefit from time in bottle; however he also notes how much more drinkable the wines are in their youth today, thanks to advancements in viticulture and winemaking. From the pre-AXA era, he highlights what he deems “iconic wines” – the 1931, the 1963 (“absolutely stunning”) and 1970.  Under AXA’s ownership, he starts with the 1994 – the first vintage released under AXA – feeling that both Noval and Nacional “are showing brilliantly now”. Looking just at Noval, he favours ’97, 2000 (a year of which he’s “really fond”), ’03 and ’07 – the latter which, even though it’s only 13 years old is, in his view, “delicious… with stunning balance”. After that, the 2011 – “It’s a stunner.”  As for Nacional, he suggests uncorking 1931, ’63, ’66, ’70, ’94, ’97 and 2003 – but advises, given the wine’s concentration, to hold anything younger. He emphasises the importance of cellaring the wines properly – best done by purchasing on release.  Guimaraens highlights that single quinta vintage Ports tend to be more approachable and enjoyable in their youth (wines that he notes still offer “incredible value for money”), given they tend to be less structured. Looking at single quintas that can be uncorked earlier with less guilt, he suggests savouring anything back to the 2005s, which all still have beautiful fruit – the 2008s in particular, he notes, are in a beautiful phase. As for classic vintage Ports, Guimaraens favours cooler years in their youth: “The 2016s – classics – are the epitome of purity of fruit,” he explains. The 2017s, by contrast, from a hotter year have harder tannins and warmer fruit which need time to mellow. For mature Ports – those in that “magical place” – he’s drinking mostly 2000s at home, a year that he considers “almost perfection in vintage Port”. Otherwise, drink the 1992s and ‘97s – but be patient with ‘94s; crack on with 2000s and 2007s (another cool year), but leave any 2003s (“a huge year”) tucked away for the foreseeable.   The Port vintages to drink now For a more youthful style: 2007, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017  Mature wines: 1963, 1966, 1970, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1992, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2003  And if you can find them: 1924, 1931, 1945  Browse all Port or read more Editorial

Ahead of St George’s Day – the day on which Port houses traditionally declare a vintage – we caught up with the Douro Valley’s leading producers to find out which vintage Ports you should be uncorking now 

Exploring the top vintage Ports you should be uncorking now with the Douro Valley’s leading producers

Port vintages to drink now

The constant tension in wine is between art and science; the best winemakers managing to toe the line between the two to create something that can be inspirational. This relationship is most tangibly expressed on the labels of the world’s most iconic wines, with the likes of Ch. Mouton Rothschild, Leeuwin Estate or Domaine de Trévallon bearing specifically commissioned works. But at Castello di Ama, art is much more than an aesthetic afterthought; it is entwined with the very substance of the forward-thinking Chianti Classico estate. While the property has a long history – its hilltop location praised for the quality of its wines as long ago as the 18th century – the most recent chapter in Castello di Ama’s tale starts in the 1970s, when four friends identified the potential of the abandoned hamlet. It was, however, the arrival of Marco Pallanti in 1982, and then with current CEO Lorenza Sebasti in 1993 – daughter of Lionello Sebasti, one of the founding four – that proved pivotal. Together this duo has drawn equally on the worlds of art and science to thrust the estate to the forefront of Italy’s winemaking scene. When Pallanti arrived, fresh from his studies in Bordeaux, the cellar had been built, the vineyards established. The winery was remarkable for Tuscany – flush with stainless steel and temperature-control technology, lightyears ahead when much of Italy (and Europe) was still making wine in the same way their grandparents and great-grandparents had. The vineyards, however, needed work, planted at low densities and on overly vigorous rootstock. Pallanti gradually transformed the vineyards, switching them over to the lyre system – an open trellis that allowed more exposure for the fruit and fuller ripening, tweaking the varieties planted and using only the finest fruit in the cellar.  While the winery has all the latest gadgetry, there are no hard and fast rules for Pallanti – it’s all about having the option to tailor his winemaking to each cuvée. This palette of possibilities is a luxury of being, in his words, a “pedestrian winemaker” – being amongst the vines and barrels all year round, able to respond and adapt accordingly. “I’m not a consultant… I have the possibility to taste the berry, taste during the ageing and can decide step by step,” he explains. In many ways science allows him the luxury of playing the artist – armed with the knowledge and tools to craft each wine. Over four decades at the estate for Pallanti, and almost 30 years for Sebasti, one thing remains consistent: the importance of their role as “guardians” of Castello di Ama. “I never follow the fashion,” Marco Pallanti tells me. “It’s not about changing vats, or using another kind of temperature, or ageing more or less in barrels… but truly having more and more spiritual identity of the vines. This strong personality – this is what we have to keep. This is a gift.” In search of this spiritual identity, Pallanti has adapted his oak usage over the years – and how he talks about it, placing more emphasis on size rather than origin. At first he worked with big casks, of 20 to 40 hectolitres, but as the wines gained in body, they could support small casks – something which he feels is important for the stabilisation of colour. His aim, however, is never for the oak to be too present; in fact, over the last decade, the portion of new oak used at the estate has been halved, as he seeks to unmask the fruit and its terroir. Their responsibility is not to fads or fashions, but to the soul of this special site. Sebasti and Pallanti (previously married) have always loved modern art – but the inspiration for Castello di Ama’s remarkable project was the restoration of its cellars in 1998-99. Stripping it of concrete and artificial lighting, there was a huge wall just as you entered the winery with a line of large casks no longer in use. The duo felt intensely that they needed to get rid of them. “It didn’t show how we feel about the wine and the winemaking,” Sebasti explains. “Looking at this space, we both dreamed… this is a great space for a contemporary art sculpture.” They had recently been to see a Michelangelo Pistoletto show, and they thought maybe they could invite him to create something. He did just that, finishing his work L’Albero di Ama in 2000.  Since then, 15 artists – including Anish Kapoor – have produced pieces of art that are now part of the estate, gradually infiltrating the gardens, vineyards and winery. Initially the works were commissioned via the influential Galleria Continua, but since 2015 Philip Larratt-Smith has been in charge of curating the collection. The most recent addition, by Miroslaw Balka, was conceived over nine visits, with the Polish artist spending more than two months in total at the property. But every single artist visits Ama – the artwork inspired by the place and its wines, the finished pieces eventually returning to inspire Sebasti and Pallanti in their own art. “I believe our pieces of art can explain my wine better than me,” Pallanti says.  “Our dream has been to develop this collection,” Sebasti explains. “All the artists that we have met, they fall in love with the place… [They] get inspired by the story, by the history, the real methodology of our winemaking, that we don’t produce only from our vines. Somehow the art of wine and the art itself, they can have a dialogue.” That dialogue sparked the creation of Haiku, Ama’s other Super Tuscan – a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Daniel Buren’s Sulle Vigne: Punti di Vista consists of a mirrored wall, two metres high and 25 metres long, that stretches along the edge of their San Lorenzo vineyard, offering five different windows, or five different impressions, of the same site. “So strong, so powerful… it’s about wine, art, history, landscape – everything is there,” Sebasti says of the work. It was standing in front of this impressive installation that Pallanti was inspired to make Haiku, a wine which he sees as an alter ego of the estate.  These remarkable contemporary sculptures are scattered around the hilltop site, providing a dramatic contrast to the original 16th century buildings – and a neat reflection of the estate’s philosophy. “We have this grafting with the new, with the rootstock of the past,” Sebasti says. “We work in a traditional place, with traditional varieties, but for the new world, for the consumer of today.”  The latest installation will be revealed later this year, 22 years after the first piece was commissioned for the collection. “As human beings, we all live with art,” Sebasti says. “If we can bring art into everyday life, it’s a great strength.” Combining respect for their history with the latest technology, she and Pallanti are forging a path ahead, artfully curating the story, and soul, of this extraordinary estate. Explore all listings from Castello di Ama or browse more Editorial

In amongst the vines and 16th century buildings at Castello di Ama, you’ll discover striking modern sculpture. Disruptive and disarming, the art and wine of this Chianti Classico estate is at the cutting edge. Sophie Thorpe spoke to CEO Lorenza Sebasti and winemaker Marco Pallanti to find out more

Exploring the sculpture and art collection at cutting-edge Chianti Classico wine estate Castello di Ama with CEO Lorenza Sebasti and winemaker Marco Pallanti

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