Many years ago, when I still visited Burgundy (before deciding to focus on Bordeaux), at the end of a tasting at a very famous domaine, the proprietor asked if there was something else I would like to taste from his Grand Crus. I chose a village for one of the weakest vintages imaginable. The Frenchman was taken aback. And wondered, “why do you wish to taste that vintage and not another?”. My reply was, I hope, not taken in the wrong spirit nor caused any offence. I said, “I want to discover how good you are when faced with such a hopeless vintage”. When the chips are down, people who are imaginative, creative, and made of sterner stuff, they will weather through. These are the people who will make a difference. So it was that last week in Hong Kong, I had to take a red (and white) to dinner. I went to Watson’s Wine in Hopewell Centre in Queen’s Road East in Wanchai, Hong Kong. There was a more impressive 2015 of the same wine (and which was less expensive). But, I wanted something with evolution. So, although I knew 2011 was a challenging vintage, I put faith in the Sabon Family, proprietors of the wine. They did not disappoint. Although relatively light, I decanted it about an hour because the wine still needed to open up. The blend is about 80% grenache, 10% syrah, 5% mourvedre and the balance to counoise, vaccarese, muscardin, terret noir, picpoul noir and cinsault. Light, soft, sweetish cherry fruit. Elegant and fresh. Not concentrated but very balanced and thoroughly enjoyable.
CH’NG Poh Tiong
