REVIEWING ENGLISH SPARKLERS AND CHILEAN REDS AT LE TAILLEVENT IN PARIS
by Steven Spurrier
FOLLOWING A SIMILAR presentation at 67 Pall Mall in London, Decanter Man of the Year Eduardo Chadwick and my-self—2017’s Decanter Man of the Year—hosted a June 6 tasting at the famous Le Taillevent restaurant in Paris. The event was described by Jeremy Cukierman, MW, as “Du Dorset au Chile, les Vins du Futur?” in the autumn issue of the French magazine Vigneron; for those who need a translation, that’s “From Dorset to Chile, the Wines of the Future.”
The wines in question were three English sparklers and seven of Chadwick’s Icon Chileans. As part of the renaissance of the Académie du Vin—the wine school I co-founded in Paris in 1973—the co-hosts were Antoine Pétrus, head of wine buying for the Taillevent Group, and renowned Paris sommelier Georges Lepré, who was part of the Académie’s team in the 1980s.
Here, in translation, are Cukierman’s words, which exceptionally summed up the impression these hitherto-unknown wines made on him: “The tasting started with Nyetimber Classic Cuvée, honouring this pioneering estate from across the channel. [It’s] a wine showing white flowers, green apple flavours, and satiny texture, with a lively finish and perfect balance. The Wiston Estate 2010 Blanc de Blancs followed: More austere, it quickly opened up with toasty, grilled notes [and was] very pure and piercing on the palate, a wine looking for verticality rather than volume. Nevertheless, the high point of the sparkling spectacular was certainly the Bride Valley 2014 Rosé Bella. With a subtle vinosity, a striking level of fraises des bois (wild strawberries) aromas, and a touch of pepper, it combines volume, character, delicacy, and length.”
Chadwick then presented the most momentous wines of the evening, beginning with three labels from the 2015 vintage. Two Cabernet-dominant blends, Don Maximiano’s Founder’s Reserve and Seña, both hail from Aconcagua Valley vineyards and also contain Carménère, Malbec, Petite Verdot, and Cabernet Franc. The wines—both awarded 100 points by international wine critic James Suckling—were followed by the Errazuriz Viñedo Chadwick with 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot from Maipo Valley. The consensus from attending sommeliers, merchants, and wine writers seemed to be that the wines were impressive, yet too young to form a firm opinion on just yet.
Then came the Errazuriz 2006 Kai, another icon from the Aconcagua Valley featuring 87% Carménère, 9% Petit Verdot, and 4% Syrah. It proved a very different animal, showing lift and spice in an elegant style. The Errazuriz 2000 Viñedo Chadwick, meanwhile, showcased the superb quality of a vineyard that used to serve as Chadwick’s father’s polo grounds, while the Don Maximiano 1989—100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in Chilean oak—practically silenced the room.
“Superb Cabernet Sauvignon at just 12% ABV reminded us that old recipes provide marvels,” Cukierman wrote in Vigneron.
“The palate is perfect, not over-extracted; the tannins are still present and noble; the finish structured and persistent. [It’s] a superb wine, racy and aristocratic. Into the future with England and into the past with Chile?” An intriguing question, indeed.
