Steven Spurrier’S fine wine world
Decanter’s long-standing consultant editor and 2017 Decanter Man of the Year hand-picks fine wines for drinking now and recommends others to lay down, all priced from £25 upwards
From the cellar Wines from a Canadian connoisseur
Marc Nadeau, an old friend, opened a branch of my Académie du Vin in Toronto in the 1980s. A dinner he gave at 67 Pall Mall in May offered his guests some extraordinary gems. After a beautifully classy, creamy magnum of Taittinger, Comtes de Champagne 2004, we had three matched pairs: a perfectly balanced Domaine des Comtes Lafon, Meursault-Perrières 1er Cru 2001 and a more golden, yet more grippy Maison Leroy, Meursault-Charmes 1er Cru 1999; a floral and warm Lucien Lemoine, Bonnes- Mares 2003, with still some way to go, and a really lovely Bouchard Père & Fils, La Romanée Grand Cru 1995, a truly grand vin that combined taffeta and grip; then a fine Château Talbot, St-Julien 1982, much better than I expected but outclassed by an extraordinary Château Latour 1959, a Pomerol magnificent in its still-youthful maturity. Finally, two wines on their own: Guigal, La Turque Côte- Rôtie 2001, wonderfully rich yet totally controlled, described later by Philippe Guigal as ‘a fine young gentleman’; and a deep ambercoloured Château d’Yquem 1976, more ‘burnt than botrytised’ from this heatwave year, crackling with energy for years to come. What an evening, the La Turque being the most emotional for me.
For the cellar Marimar Estate Pinot Noir
The estate that Marimar Torres, younger sister of Miguel Torres Sr, oversees in Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley released its first wines in 1991 and, with European methods adapted to Californian conditions, it has been biodynamically farmed since 2010. Over a recent dinner with Marimar, her Albarino 2015 showed fragrant clarity and her unoaked Chardonnay Acero 2014 blended ripeness and acidity, but it was her 2013 Pinot Noirs from Swan, Pommard, Dijon 115 and Dijon 667 clones close-planted (for California) to 4,940 vines/ha, bottled unfiltered and unfined, that really impressed. La Masía (‘farmhouse’ in Catalan) Don Miguel Vineyard (91/100, £41.99, 2017-2023, 14%), immediately attractive like a Santenay 1er Cru, with unforced savoury notes and a firm finish. Mas Cavalls (‘horse farm’) Doña Margarita Vineyard (93, £41.99, 2017-2025, 14%) showed more depth and structure; Côte de Nuits-like with a lovely nose and silky texture. Finally Cristina Don Miguel Vineyard (95, £51.49, 2017-2028, 14%), named after her daughter, is a special barrel selection that best represents the terroir: rich, earthy nose, elegance, refined tannins and depth that will repay cellaring. Contact www.fells. co.uk for stockists.