TN: Mvenpicks Tour dEurope

[David from Switzerland]

The name of a trade tasting Remo and I attended on September 19, if I remember correctly. Wines not presented in the order we tasted them, but as they appear in the flyer. There would have been dozens of wines more on show that we did not taste.

Chteau Tronquoy-Lalande 2005
Stewed blackcurrant and fairly noble tobacco, quite dark-fruity, some mushrooms, lead pencil, best on the nose, a bit lean and not fresh enough on the palate. Rating: 84+/85(+?)

Vincent Girardin Bourgogne 2006
Some nice fat and/or roundness, a bit heavy, slightly metallic and short, powdery tannin. Rating: ~83

Maillard Pre & Fils Beaune 2005
Nicely tannic, wild raspberry, soft pepper, fair enough body. Yes, the superiority of the vintage does shine through. Rating: 85+/86?

Chteau Gruaud Larose St. Julien 2005
Quite modern and fruity, herbaceous and spicy vintage. Nice medium body and length, quite well-concentrated, fair enough depth. Remo was rather disappointed and is starting to wonder why people like Rainer and I (used to!) like this producers (Cordiers!) wines so much. Not at all what one expects in a hyped vintage like this, seriously, we wondered if the 2005 better than the e.g. 1999 we had together some time ago? Looks like a fairly even contest to me. More importantly, though, what has happened to the rustic power and expression of the great Gruauds of the past? Sniff... Rating: 89+/90?

Chteau Arnaud de Jacquemeau St. Emilion 2005
Quite fresh and racy, lightly grainy but nice tannin, tasty fruit, medium complexity and length at best. Rating: 84+/85

Poggiotondo Chianti Classico Cerro del Masso 2005
80% Sangiovese, 20% Canaiolo. A gastronomic-styled, easy to appreciate, lightly fat but not really concentrated wine of barely medium body and length, not firm and structured enough, plus the fruit is already lightly dusty-tired. Rating: 83-/82

Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto 2005
Very oaky, medium concentration and length, neither bad nor interesting main stream wine. Rating: 86+/87?

Vivaldi Amarone della Valpolicella Maestro 2004
Hot, slightly tired cherry chewing gum, sweet and chocolatey. Remo merely said Good gracious, if this were all Amarone is about... Rating: 77+/78+?)

Frescobaldi Giramonte 2005
A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Sangiovese, aged 14 months in new French oak. Quite balanced, early-harmonious fruit and tobacco, soft earth, tasty, nice body, medium length. But did not seem thoroughly or evenly ripe. Very expensive for what it is. Rating: 88+?

Les Fils de Charles Favre Petite Arvine Hurlevent 2007
Medium yellow colour, minor green reflections. Floral lime with suggestions of linden flower and balm mint, fairly concentrated, glyceric, round, tasty, with notes of pink grapefruit and pineapple, quite long. Pretty, but I would not dare keep this. Rating: 88-/87

Markus Molitor Riesling Mosel Qualittswein trocken 2007
Subtly blossomy, cherry blossom and lavender top notes, medium-plus concentration, nicely plush. Rating: 86+?

Van Volxem Saar Riesling trocken Fuder 13 2007
Well-concentrated, quite intense herbs and light viscous fruit, grey pepper minerality. Remo said Nice Fondue wine! and he meant it. Rating: 88+/89

Freiherr Langwerth von Simmern Riesling Kabinett Erbacher Marcobrunn 2007
Pretty, sweet, medium-light fruit, a suggestion of mirabelle plum perhaps, easy to appreciate; not too serious, though. Rating: 84

Don Sebastian Rioja Seleccin Especial 2004
Light, gastronomic, simple but pretty enough. Rating: 84

Don Sebastian Rioja Gran Reserva 2001
Plush, round, approachable, ripe, quite warming and long; higher-end gastronomic, so to speak. Rating: 87

Condado de Haza Ribera del Duero 2005
Medium-concentrated if lean on fruit. Tannic, a bit hard. Quite good depth for the vintage. A little alcohol sticks out. Rating: 84+/85(+?)

Quinta do Vale Meo Douro 2005
Opaque purple-black colour. A bit oaky, annoying acidity and alcohol spikes, even so, the complexity and terroir expression are interesting; a potentially attractive wine, even if Remo and I found the style hard to like. Sweet brambleberry and plum, black elder liqueur, nutty-curranty chocolate, cinnamon oak. Rating: ~90(+?)

Quinta do Noval Vintage Port Silval 2005
Dark chocolate, warm, thick and fairly rich, not especially fresh but nice, lightly marzipan-tinged fruit, warming alcohol, medium-plus length. Rating: 87

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________

J'ai gch vingt ans de mes plus belles annes au billard. Si c'tait refaire, je recommencerais. Roger Conti

 

[Rahsaan]

Mvenpick is some sort of wine importer/distributor across Europe?

They have pretty fair prices, do they not?

 

[The Fish]

Mvenpck is a wine distributor (and I assume importer) in Germany ... and obviously Switzerland.

 

[David from Switzerland]

originally posted by Rahsaan:
Mvenpick is some sort of wine importer/distributor across Europe?

They have pretty fair prices, do they not?

Yes, and they're in some ways not a favourite shop of mine. First of all they're huge ("Who are you anyway?"), omnipresent, whole forests must get felled each year to print their multicoloured sales flyers. They are rarely the least expensive when there is competition for a particular product at all. They have the exclusive import for some interesting wines, such as all the Jean-Pierre Moueix distributed Bordeaux, so that via subscription allocations, they indirectly (or is that directly?) force people who want e.g. Trotanoy, Lafleur, Ptrus to buy severel thousand bucks worth of lesser Bordeaux (says so explicitly in their yearly subscription offer, minimum amount of money in order to have a right to a bottle of this and that included) they could get for less money elsewhere. Same thing with Guigal LaLas, Noval Nacional etc. It's true those wines are unaffordable anyway, but they manage to make anyone feel silly about themselves who want them at all.
Another aspect many people quibble with is that Switzerland's best-known wine (in particular Bordeaux) critic, who publishes his own magazine of course, has for many years been their head purchasing agent. The tasting notes and scores from his magazines are invariably quoted in Mvenpick's flyers like an independent second opinion (as if there were no conflict of interests), alongside Parker, Wine Spectator etc. (oh yes, they were the first and in many ways still are the only shop that looks, feels and acts New Worldish - in its more negative ramifications). Since most Swiss wine lovers do not seem to read wine criticism unless quoted in sales flyers, most customers I've had a chat with about those favourable "ratings" for Mvenpick wines over the years were completely unaware of this.
Then there is the problem my friends Remo and Victor invariably deplore: shops are so occidental, spacy, brightly lit and well-heated - it makes one wonder if they have any respect for (fine) wine. Our local Mvenpick wine shop has a bottle of 2005 Ptrus exceptionally showcased in a cooling unit (so it it is locked up safe, no doubt), but placed directly under a bright lamp.
In other respects, or I should say the usual, I like Mvenpick the wine shop around the corner, of course: because I've known a number of people who work(ed) there over the years, very nice people. None I could convince of cherry-picking some rare bottles for me at non-inflated release prices, but nice. ;^)

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________

J'ai gch vingt ans de mes plus belles annes au billard. Si c'tait refaire, je recommencerais. Roger Conti

 

[SFJoe]

Recent vintages of this have been so disappointing. It sure seems like a great site, but the winemaking obliterates it.