COOL CLASSICS
10 TIMELESS RECOMMENDATIONS FROM SARAH HELLER
CLARET FOR THE AGES La Conseillante 2005
We all know Pétrus. However, teeny Pomerol’s other stars remain lesser known because, unlike elsewhere in Bordeaux, there is no official classification to highlight them. La Conseillante is more than deserving, with lusciousness befitting the world’s greatest merlot region. This vintage is as luxuriant as a floor-length mink coat but with a stiletto spike of acidity to balance it.
BURGUNDY TO BRING TEARS TO YOUR EYES x Red: Clos des Lambrays 2015
The most affordable of “tradeable,” this red has always been a favourite of those in the know. It wafts a perfume of lavender, mossy herbals and cherry bitters, its texture like the dense velvet interior of a jewellery box.
White: Domaine Hubert Lamy St Aubin Premier Cru En Remilly 2014
St Aubin, while a mere stone’s throw from the greatness of neighbouring Chassagne- and Puligny-montrachet, isn’t quite in the league of those villages’ top wines. However, under the deft hand of grower Olivier Lamy, this wine’s green apple and lemon fruit, smoky flint and toast, and firm-fisted, taut structure get you shockingly close.
THE ONLY CHAMPAGNE YOU’LL EVER NEED
Louis Roederer Brut Premier NV w I crave grower champagne as much as the next wine geek, but this grower-like house farms an impressive proportion of its own vineyards and is actually Champagne’s largest biodynamic vine- grower. The Brut Premier is of exquisite quality (and value). Replete with roasted hazelnuts and nougat, it also ages shockingly well in bottle.
BAROLO TO WEAN YOURSELF OFF BURGUNDY Cappellano Piè Franco 2004
From an arch-traditionalist who has inspired a cult-like following, these wines are more music than mere beverage. The archetypal 2004 enters the mouth with a dark cherry liqueur rumble followed by cello-like strings of perfumed musk, clove and oud; the finish is morose and brooding, vibrating moodily in the mouth.
RIOJA TO WEAN YOURSELF OFF BAROLO Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 904 2009 w
Arguably the most age-worthy red of them all because of the stabilising effects of extended barrel ageing, traditional Rioja will probably remain criminally inexpensive even as the prices of Burgundy and Barolo continue to soar. This Gran Reserva is the perfect coupling of lucent, pure strawberry fruit with piney, resinous complexity.
AUSTRALIAN GOLD RUSH AP Birks Wendouree Shiraz Mataro 1998
The perfect riposte to those who’ve dismissed South Australian reds as ponderous and overbearing. While still reflecting the warmth of its origins, this blend’s complex aromas of medicine chest, furniture polish, quinine, iodine and eucalyptus are complemented by a sleek body without an acidic sting.
CALIFORNIA DREAMING IN A BOTTLE Arnot-roberts Syrah 2010
Probably the last thing you think of when you think “California red,” this now iconic coastal syrah embodies California’s edgy new wave. Dramatically low in alcohol and cool in demeanour, it exudes dried blueberry and tart cranberry, Marmite, funk, subtle fizz and a white pepper tingle. Just so rad.
THE MOSEL WITH THE MOST Clemens Busch Marienburg GG Falkenlay
From the unpromising-sounding village of Pünderich outside the Mosel’s riesling epicentre stems this prime example of why German almost-dry riesling is a white-hot category. Evoking honey water with lemon, lime blossoms and pine needles, this leaps into the sinuses like horseradish, continuing with a beautiful line of acidity.
THE SWEETEST THING Royal Tokaji 5 Puttonyos 2013 w
A sweet for those who’ll always pick a fruit tart over chocolate cake, this is the textbook definition of finesse and balance. 2013 was a great year for noble rot in Hungary’s Tokaj region, drawing out flavours of quince, apricot jelly, honeysuckle, mandarin marmalade and lime blossom tea, with a spear of acidity keeping the wine centred.