Mr.Wheeler's Journal
2019 in the Rhône is yet another resounding success based both on our tastings and on the comments of the wine critics which include 'stellar year' and 'beautiful, possibly exceptional'.
In advance of our official Mr.Wheeler communication we wanted to let you know that exciting news has started to surface from Bordeaux regarding this year’s delayed En Primeur release. In a nutshell the campaign is officially underway, with a number of notable wines already starting to find their way to the market. Though at this point in time we are witnessing Petits Châteaux releases, with speculation that the region’s star wines will start to appear across June and July, the message from the region is clear...
There will be a 2019 Bordeaux En Primeur Campaign this year.
We tasted a lot of very good Burgundy in 2018, and the quality of the vintage shines through from top to bottom. But something particularly struck us about Pommard this year…
January is the time of year for us to turn our attention to the new vintage from Burgundy and with 2018 we have made an outstanding selection of wines which really deliver at every level.
The superb 2018 vintage in Bordeaux was very much the result of two diametrically opposed periods – a very wet first half of the season, with just enough dry weather to allow flowering to happen smoothly, which on the one hand lead to the loss of part of the crop through mildew but, crucially, replenished water tables.
As 2019 continues apace, Mr.Wheeler’s fine wine department has continued to grow and indeed, flourish since the turn of the year. The worldwide release of 2017 Burgundy was met with keen demand from Merchants and private buyers alike. The vintage offered a sensationally supple, modern classic of a year and was equally successful for both pinot noir and chardonnay across the length of the Côte d’Or and Chablis.
There is simply no doubt that 2017 Burgundy has been a huge hit for the Mr.Wheeler team and our customers alike.
With so much planned for the first half of 2018, we anticipate a foray into France’s Rhône Valley too, offering 2016 to our customers from both the North and South of this majestic region for the first time.
As the year moves on we find ourselves knocking on Bordeaux’s door once again.
So as the dust settles on a frenetic 2016 Bordeaux campaign, it is plain to see that the undisputed high quality evident in the wines produced has translated into burgeoning consumer demand.
On 3rd May Stephanie de Bouard-Rivoal together with Johnny Wheeler and Simon Wrightson hosted a Château Angelus Dinner at Simon’s home The Grange in Manfield for 15 very fortunate wine lovers.
I recently had the opportunity to attend a vertical tasting of Bordeaux from the 2016, 2015 and 2014 vintages (the term ‘vertical tasting’ always prompts some amusement amongst non-wine people – as if the tasting might at some point become horizontal if it goes on too long!)
The tasting included such luminaries of the region as Montrose, Pontet-Canet, Canon and Rauzan-Ségla – to name but a few (it’s a tough job etc..etc..) and proved to be a fascinating vintage comparison.
2015 was always going to be a hard act to follow, but Bordeaux has responded with another show-stopping vintage, which in many cases surpasses its predecessor.
Buying En Primeur is a method of purchasing wine before it becomes more widely available on the open market, particularly from the more sought after regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy.
Quality shines through from top to bottom - in short, this will go down as one of the truly great vintages.