Hammer Time!

Last month our buyers Julian Campbell and Mark Dearing hit the road again in pursuit of the world’s finest Rieslings at the annual VDP auctions in Trier and Bad Kreuznach. 

As one might expect, the organisation was seamless, and following the tradition of a “wet” auction (excuse the phrase), all lots were tasted multiple times ahead of and during the auction itself. A raft of lacy, elegant Kabinetts, sumptuous Spatlesen and a handful of noble sweet wines were this year under the gavel. Fears of diminished demand ahead of the day in Trier were soon allayed once auctioneer Max Von Kunow began rattling through the lots. 

Early on though, with a hammer price of just €25.00 per bottle the A.J. Adam Hofberg Alte Reben Kabinett proved to be one of the great bargains of the auction – perhaps unsurprising given that this was their first appearance – and thus an unknown entity somewhat. On this showing, bidders will surely pay attention in future! Hopefully we’ve not missed the boat on that one…  Similarly, Dorothee Zilliken’s heavenly Rausch Kabinett closed at just €30.00 per bottle – a veritable steal for a wine from such a storied Saar estate, and a total production of just 600 bottles and 24 magnums. We are delighted to have secured a small amount for our stocks including 12 magnums. At a hammer price of €95 per magnum ex taxes, the rarity to value ratio doesn’t get any better than that and proves that the auction is not all about fever-induced prices! 

Breaking New Ground

At Justerini & Brooks it is a privilege to be afforded the opportunity to taste at some of the world’s most prestigious estates. However, it’s worth remembering that many producers now widely regarded to be at the pinnacle of their respective regions were of humble origins, for whom success came later. We were championing the likes of René Rostaing, Elio Altare, Bruno Clair and Fritz Haag long before they were famous.

Following in that wine buying tradition, this week I put myself under the cosh and set about breaking new ground in Northern Portugal and Galicia. 1,400 kilometres in a hire car saw me hit the Dao, Bairrada, Douro, Bierzo, Valdeorras, Ribeira Sacra and Rias Baixas regions in pursuit of new emerging winemaking talent.

Burgundy 2020: The Early Birds

After three weeks of tastings at fifty domanies across Burgundy, we are delighted to discover a 2020 vintage of records and surprises. Most wine-growers had never known such early picking dates – the very first pre-harvests beginning on the 17^th August - whilst for the majority of Domaines it was certainly the first time a vintage had started and ended in August. Even in the coolest, most northerly parts of the Côte de Nuits such as Marsannay, harvest was done and dusted by the 10^th of September. One of the driest years on record had also produced one of the smallest for reds. Flowering was largely successful but berries were small. Summer conditions were characterised by drought rather than heat, and this concentrated both sugars and acidities in the Pinot Noirs, resulting in reds of higher than average alcohols (broadly between 13.5% – 14.5%) and high acidities. When 2019 offered record-breaking analyses, no one would have guessed that just one  year later growers would once again proclaim that new boundaries had been broken in terms of the balance between alcohols and pHs.