My visit to Margaret River last year inspired this month’s tasting event in Tokyo: an opportunity to show not just the quality of Margaret River’s great wines, but how well they can mature. I hand-picked eight examples that were gathered together, many sent especially from the producers themselves. The line-up was as follows:
- Pierro Chardonnay 2023
- Stella Bella, Suckfizzle Chardonnay 2021
- Voyager, MJW Chardonnay 2019
- Leeuwin, Art Series Chardonnay 2010
- L.A.S. Vino, Pirate Blend 2020
- Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
- Xanadu, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
- Cullen, Diana Madeline 2007
We took over the atmospheric cellars of Legrand Filles et Fils in Minato for most of Sunday 22 March, running the same masterclass back-to-back to accommodate two capacity crowds. The reds were opened, filtered and double-decanted one hour before the masterclass to give them maximum breathing space. Translation into Japanese was provided by Yoko Obara (pictured below), our indispensable Japanese consultant.
Our audience included several Masters of Wine who were in Japan for a forthcoming winery tour (stay tuned for more on that soon) plus several distinguished members of the Japanese wine media and trade. Most importantly of all, we welcomed many members of JancisRobinson.com and their friends. The level of questioning that accompanied each session – higher than the norm for Japanese wine events, I’m told – demonstrated the sophisticated levels of knowledge and curiosity that our readers have. But it was also revealing that several attendees had never had mature wine from a screwcapped bottle before.
Topics of discussion included diminishing oak usage in Chardonnay, the impact of vine density on flavour concentration, how screwcaps can decelerate the bottle-maturation process, and comparisons between Margaret River and Napa.
For tasting notes on the wines themselves, I’ve added mine here.
Organising a wine event is a logistical juggling act at the best of times, and even more so when done from different countries. Many thanks are due to Emilie Hosack from Team Jancis, who organised so many of the fine details with saintly patience; to Yoko for her impeccable translations; to Koichiro Machida and his wonderful team at Legrand; to Grace Pigram and Amanda Whiteland at Margaret River Wine Association and all the producers that participated; to their Japanese importers, Rippa Wines, Farmstone and Village Cellars; and to Rosemary MacDonald at Wine Australia for volunteering her invaluable assistance.
