It is a real shame that most people drink their white wine too young. I recently gave a talk (including tastings) to a couple of wine clubs whose members were fairly dubious when they learnt that the evening was going to be centred around old white wines. The aversion to mature white wines is not only a Maltese phenomena but it is a worldwide problem. Just as incorrectly people think that all red wines get better with age, most people think that the earlier white wines are drunk the better they taste. This is why importers and restaurateurs start panicking when the new vintages of the popular whites start arriving. Whilst this is Ok regarding the cheap and industrial stuff, the argument is ill founded when it comes to the better wines. And when I say better , I don’t mean expensive! Take for example Gavi. If kept in the right conditions, a good Gavi always tastes better after 2 or 3 years, sometimes even more. When most Gavi is bottled it tastes harsh and acidic, whilst the minerality of the wine is not integrated. After some bottle age, the wine becomes smoother and more homogeneous. The acidity much less apparent. The same principle can be applied to most whites with good acidity and minerality.

To illustrate my point during the above mentioned tastings, I showed the following wines. We started with 2 vintages of Denis Dubourdieu’s famous Bordeaux, Clos Floridene which we tasted side by side. These were 2004 and 1999 which of course were very different. To my satisfaction all the tasters present preferred the older 1999. After this we had a succession of mature whites which included the fabulous Clos de la Bergerie –Savennieres 1997 from Nicholas Joly in the Loire. This is a wine made from Chenin Blanc grown with Bio Dynamic ideolodgy. Nearly 10 years old and still vibrant, expressive and magical. A few months back I tasted the Coulee de Serrant which is Joly’s masterpiece. This has even got more years to go. Maybe as much as 20 or even more. Also from the Loire we tasted Pascal Jolivet’s Pouilly Fume ‘Les Griottes’ 1996 bought from Wands 2 days earlier at the fantastic price of Lm6.00 per bottle. This when the recent vintages sell for more than Lm 8.00. Also bought from Wands at a discount was Jaboulet’s ‘Chevalier de Sterimberg – Hermitage Blanc 1998’. This was perhaps the wine which was most at its peak. Acidity a bit on the weak side but still very much alive with a nutty aftertaste. Sweet white wines can age for a long time too. Probably even more than the dry ones. Hugel’s Riesling Selection de Grains Noble 1989 proves just that.

This reminds me of a wonderful bottle of Hugel’s Riesling – Tradition 1998 which I drank in a restaurant in Gozo with much pleasure and surprise last summer. Surprise ….because the owner was so apologetic when he realised that he had run out of the 2004 and found this 1998 at the back of the fridge somewhere.

So this summer, don’t send the Gavi 2005, or Chablis 2004 back. Providing that they were kept well, they should still taste good. Probably even better than the 2006.

Bicanter Ltd, the people responsible for introducing the Sicilian wines of Cusumano here in Malta, have ventured into the new world with their representation of Chile’s Casa Lapostolle. The wines are expressive of their origins in the Rappel Valley and quite different from the industrial output of the more popular and affordable Chilean output that we see here. The Lapostolle estate has an interesting background which goes back to 1994 when Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle, the great granddaughter of the creator of Grand Marnier decided to start a winery in Chile. French ownership in Chile was nothing new. The Rothschilds, the Vallettes and many more had already done that but Alexandra managed to employ on exclusive basis the services of the brilliant and hugely successful wine maker from Bordeaux, Michel Rolland as consultant. Which meant that Rolland could not work for any other Chilean winery.

I doubt very much that Rolland would have accepted the exclusive contract had he known how influential he was to become in the wine world! Today he vinifies around 130 wines in 5 continents, employs hundreds of people and has a turnover of many millions of Euros per year. He is the original ‘flying winemaker’. On top, his style of wines is liked by Robert Parker and therefore, more or less, his name will guarantee a certain exposure for the wines he hires his name or hands to.

I don’t particularly like his style of wines especially when there is too much of him or alcohol present or when he works with very classical wines. However, I can appreciate the technical brilliance and outstanding qualities that he can put into a wine especially when it’s aimed for winning competitions and getting noticed. With Casa Lapostolle his presence is not overbearing , leaving enough rawness in the wine to give character and Chilean typicity. Especially in the estate’s classic Merlot and the Cuvee Alexandre (Merlot with a little Caremenere) , both from the Rapel valley, there is the tell tale rich berry fruit enriched with very ripe and oaky tannins. At around 15% of alcohol they are not for the faint hearted or the copious drinkers! Clos Apalta, the estate’s top wine is a blend of Merlot/Carmenere/Cab Sauv coming from old vines in various districts. It is equally bombastic in approach but this one introduces a certain amount of elegance. The 2004 is very dark in colour, rich and in your face. Heady. The palate is quite balanced and fresh with a long finish.

The white Cuvee Alexandre Chardonnay is good. Alcahol of above 14% with Tropical flavours enriched with oak but balanced with a good degree of lively acidity. Also in the white domaine but this time from the more northern and closer to the ocean Casablanca Valley, they produce a cheaper Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc which form part of their ‘classic’ collection. In my opinion the Chardonnay is dull and way overdone with both alcohol and oak. It starts off all right but tires very quickly. The Sauvignon on the other hand is fresh and lively and much more refreshing. Quite pleasant.

I disagree with the statement that ‘Sicilian wines have improved ’. The majority of Sicilian wines are still. dull, heavy, heady and unbalanced. I much prefer the statement ‘Some Sicilian wines have improved ’ . Don’t misunderstand me. The ones that have improved have done so dramatically.

I was very pleased to attend a presentation of Sicilian wines by Azienda Agricola COS whose wines have recently started being imported by NM Arrigo Ltd. Without a doubt these wines fall under the dramatically improved wines in Sicily and quite possibly the Azienda is one of the inspirations behind the recent Sicilian successes. Certainly from an ideological point of view COS were pioneers in putting forward the idea that small producers can improve their wines and compete with the likes of Regaleali, Corvo etc on the quality front.

I have been following the Azienda’s wines since my first visit to Sicily in 1990 (sorry,,,yes so late in life). I remember tasting their Cerasuolo di Vittoria which was so different to the zillions of gallons of wine we drank during a week long visit. This was clean, fresh and more importantly did not give me a hangover. I was intrigued and looked COS up. The estate was started by 3 students around 1980. Rare at the time one was female. Not long ago Giuseppina left the winery and now it is Giambattista and Giusto who look after things. The latter was here to deliver the presentation and it was refreshing as well as encouraging to hear that the aim of the COS is still as it was at the beginning. ‘To produce wines which respect the tradition and typicity of their origins in South East Sicily’. Completely ignoring the trend for full,heavy and over extracted wines. Parker points and consultants their wines are original and very food friendly. Which means you can drink your full normal allowance! There is much that distinguishes these wines from other Sicilians and for that matter any other wine. But very interestingly and proving the point, in the new winery which is being built at present they have not planned for any barrel cellars. Instead, they will be using other vinification and storage materials such as vats and tanks made of clay.

Anyways. We tasted a number of wines out of which my least favourite was Contrada Labrinto 2001. Discussing the wine with Giusto he admitted that this is the only wine made for an international audience and therefore not in line with the Azienda’s philosophy. The rest I thought were all very interesting and although not cheap worth discovering. In particular try the Pithos 2005 which is a very mineral Cerasuolo di Vittoria made in clay pots. There is also a Classico version where 2^nd hand barrels were used . Both have good ageing potential. Pojo di Lupo 2004 is a fruity style wine made for early drinking. Scyri is considered by many as the company’s top wine. The 2001 is earthy, naturally concentrated , with very ripe tannins but lively acidity. Whilst most of these wines have a high percentage of Nero D’Avola, Vastunaca 2004 is 80% Frappato. Lighter in colour, maybe a bit more delicate but very aromatic on the nose and mineral on the palate. There was also the white Rami 2006 made with Grecanico and Inzolia.

Oh..nearly forgot. Cerasualo do Vittoria has recently been awarded the DOCG, which if I am not mistaken is the first in Sicily and the presentation took place at the Xara Palace. It was well handled by Paul and his team considering the tasting part overran by an hour or so. That’s what happens when people are enjoying natural wines.

Happy drinking