The team from the UK are coming out to join me tomorrow, flying in the face of BA strikers, pens and palates at the ready.
I couldn’t wait, so visited Chateau Teyssier this afternoon to taste Jonathan Maltus’ striking range of Saint Emilion Grand Cru wines. Jonathan has cannily acquired over the years, parcels of Grand Cru vineyards from all over the appellation, which he brings back to vinify at Chateau Teyssier near Vignonet. He crafts them separately, creating and bottling single vineyard wines. In true Burgundian rather than Bordelais fashion, Jonathan majors on terroir, definition and expression.
I found his 2009s serious; seriously good, seriously concentrated, seriously elegant, seriously grown up.
With a predominance of Merlot in all of them apart from his Cabernet Franc rich Le Dome, the wines are deeply coloured and appealingly aromatic. They are remarkably fresh on the palate, succulent but not sweet, structured but not tough. The finish is long and very pure.
There is a distance of only 100 metres between his Grand Cru vineyard parcels Le Carre and Les Asteries. Same tiny volume production, same winemaker, same barrels, same cellar. But the taste sensation is miles apart! The soil structure in each parcel of vines is very different, the layer of clay over limestone being much deeper in the former than the latter. As a result Le Carre is gentler, more generous now, floral and very smooth. Les Asteries shows much more minerality, structure and backbone.
Le Dome, 80% Cabernet Franc, is a show stopper this year; super ripe without a hint of sweetness, velvety textured, extremely smooth.
Jonathan also produces a small volume of Bordeaux blanc, his Clos Nardian, which is refreshingly elegant and lightly polished.
A classy way to start the week.
Visit laithwaites.co.uk
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