FINE Wine & Champagne India - Winter 2018

In the Barossa, Torbreck RunRig 1998 was a superb example
of old vine Barossa Shiraz. At a stated 14.5% alcohol, it could
be enjoyed without fear of a headache in the morning, unlike
some subsequent vintages (like 2006 and 2007) of RunRig that
went to 15%+, with the prospect of high Parker scores perhaps
as much a cause of this as warm vintages.
FINE History
For 21st celebrations, Italy enjoyed a wonderful vintage almost
everywhere in 1997. It was a good vintage in the Rhône, too.
Jaboulet’s Hermitage La Chapelle 1997 was included in a
vertical tasting by a London auctioneer in May 2005 and it was
excellent, albeit atypically fruity and “sweet”.
Bordeaux ’97 was a notoriously expensive vintage when
released en primeur. The wines were charming but nowhere
near the level of the ’96s. However, some ’97s have persisted
and flourished – for example, Château Lynch-Moussas 1997,
which I tasted repeatedly in December 2016.
It was a white Burgundy vintage of plump, rich wines but
the dreaded “premox” – premature oxidation with a variety
of possible causes (higher-yielding Chardonnay vine clones,
vinification techniques, lower sulphur dioxide [SO2] levels,
faulty corks… Who knows?) – makes sourcing (and serving)
these wines a risk.
Extremely rich wines for extremely rich people were made in
Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, and the Rhône in 1988.
An old tasting note by me on Vieux Château Certan ’88
reads, “Very elegant and balanced, with the exception of the
exuberant tannins, which seem rather out of place here. Lacks
the finesse of the 1998 and 2000.”
Forty year olds can enjoy great wines from Burgundy and the
Rhône in 1978 – DRC and Hermitage La Chapelle if you can
afford them. It was also a great year for Barolo and California.
Bordeaux had a challenging year, saved by a lingering summer.
Château Margaux 1978 – the first wine of the Mentzelopoulos
era – has always enjoyed a high reputation. When last
encountered it was a style of wine that would be perceived
by many nowadays as unacceptably lean and tannic. Indeed,
Margaux 1989 was harvested almost a month later than this.
Other ’78s noted on my travels include a fading Château
Pichon-Longueville-Baron and a pleasantly fruity Château
Léoville-Poyferré.
Argentina won the football World Cup in 1978 but there are
not many Argentinean wines of that age still available. They’ve
probably been drunk by Argentineans to commemorate their
first World Cup win.
Fifty year olds can compare how they’ve aged with great wines
from California and Tokaj. Old Rioja can be of exceptional
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