James Bercovici - The Big Red Wine Company

 In advance of a Decanter tasting of 2009 and 2019 Châteauneuf, I thought it was time for me to try a mini-vertical tasting of the wine from Raymond Usseglio et Fils . The 2019 is 80% Grenache, 20% Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault and Counoise and weighs in at 14.5%. It was a hot year in the region, especially the summer. It has a very youthful but very pure nose and the Grenache is certainly the dominant feature here as it is on the palate . The other grapes are there in the background but definitely in support (try the 'Part des Anges' cuvée, on the other hand, for a completely different story). It is medium-to-full bodied, a nice weight to complement the palate, and has slightly chalky tannins at present but these give a little more flesh to the wine. Presumably they emanate from the barrels which are subtly present (more so texturally than in flavour). A good finish - it persists for quite a while and in a very pleasing way. Stef recommends decanting this in its youth. I didn...

 A quick perusal shows that Fabrizio Battaglino has some well-deserved awards in the 2022 edition including for his 2019 Nebbiolo d'Alba 'Paradi', a wine which is coming into its own well now ( Due Bicchieri ) and the 2020 Roero Arneis 'Bastia', a lovely Arneis with a little more richness than the younger vine 'San Michele' (both also Due Bicchieri,  the latter in the 2019 edition).  Lots of entries too for I Campi, our Veneto superstar estate. This year it has yet another  Tre Bicchieri  but, for the first time (I think) for the regular Valpolicella Superiore in a vintage I have yet to try. If Covid restrictions are eased in time, it will be on my list of addresses to visit while stocks last! Only (a maximum of) one Tre Bicchieri is awarded per estate each year so the red Due Bicchieri  for the Soave Classico "Vulcano' should be regarded as every bit as worthy of the top prize.  Elsewhere, in Decanter last month, Matt Walls' focus on "othe...