More Bordeaux to please your palate

The growing number of wine lovers in the Jakarta area is certainly good news for vintners.

Wine is not exclusively for tourists or expatriates anymore, as young people are beginning to appreciate the illustrious libation.

In Jakarta alone, there are various wine communities such as the Indonesian branch of the International Wine and Food Society and the Commanderie de Bordeaux — an exclusive wine club with more than 70 branches around the world, including Jakarta.

The club is known for its toast “Bordeaux, toujours Bordeaux” — meaning Bordeaux, always Bordeaux.

The list of wine varieties in the country will be enriched by the import plan of the Bernard Magrez company, which is expected to be realized in the first semester of this year. Magrez is a French wine producer and owns prestigious estates and 36 vineyards in a number of countries including France, Spain, Morocco, Uruguay, Argentina and the United States.

Bernard Magrez’s Asian sales director Jan Christophe Visser said the company had so many vineyards around the world to adapt to changes in wine consumption that have occurred in the last 20 years.

He said his company had found two kinds of consumers. The first one consists of more traditional people who only drink Bordeaux and Burgundy and do not want to hear about any other wines.

The younger generation demanded things to be fast, he said. They are also willing to try a Spanish wine one night, then switch to Portuguese wine or New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc another night.

“We must also cater them. We don’t want to be seen as a stuffy old Bordeaux Chateau, which sometimes becomes the image the Bordeaux can get, unfortunately,” he said.

Visser explained that many people today wanted something more modern in wine making. They don’t really like the rustic, traditional tannins of Bordeaux made 20 years ago. Modern-style wines suggest characters with sweet, ripe fruit, velvet textures and are drinkable at a younger age.

During a recent wine tasting and lunch at Amuz restaurant, four Bordeaux red wines from a young vintage of 2008 were presented: Chateau Pape Clement, Le Prelat du Pape Clement, Chateau La Tour Carnet and Cuvee Sire La Tour Carnet.

The first and the second were composed of 60 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 40 percent Merlot, while the third and the fourth were 40 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 50 percent Merlot, 7 percent Cabernet Franc and 3 percent Petit Verdot.

The first two wines were produced in Chateau Pape Clement in Pessac Leognan, one of the oldest properties in Bordeaux, while the other two were produced in Chateau La Tour Carnet estate in Saint Laurent Medoc.

“Chateau Pape Clement and Chateau La Tour Carnet are the company’s two locomotives,” Visser said.

He said wines in Haut Medoc, where Chateau la Tour Carnet was located, were generally more inclined to be Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated.

However, after the procurement of the estate, his company noticed a lot of Merlot in most of their plots. The company later decided to use a bigger percentage of Merlot than Cabernet Sauvignon to cater to the growing demands for round wines.

Cuvee Sire La Tour Carnet 2008, which is aged on the lees in French oak wine barrels for 18 months, with regular stirring by stick, is definitely rounder than the three other wines. It is silky smooth and has no rough edges on the first sip.

Asia regional manager Jean Philippe Guillot said his company wants its wine to be more accessible to people.

“The 50 percent Merlot makes your wine much silkier and round,” he said.

Chateau La Tour Carnet 2008 is more complex in aroma and flavor. It features acidity that strikes with freshness in the beginning and remains longer on the palate.

Like many other chateaus, the winemaking in Chateau Pape Clement still uses manual, traditional methods.

The chateau employs labor-intensive procedures, as the grapes in the 30 hectares of area are hand-picked into
small crates.

Visser said the workers control the quality of grapes while manually de-stemming them in a horizontal manner.

“If the skin of the grape has just a slight tear, it will then be rejected for wine because if you have a torn grape and you put it back with the rest, obviously it will infect other grapes,” he said.

The company also still uses manual punch down in order to get the proper concentration, good tanning and more smoothness in the wine, he said.

Being kept for only 10 to 12 months in barrels, Le Prelat du Pape Clement 2008 — a casual wine that has refreshing fruitiness — is intended to be consumed young.

Chateau Pape Clement 2008, which was kept 18 months in barrels, presented a surprising experience. The wine is very soft as it first passes the lips, but then explodes with flavor as it goes down the throat. The combination of pleasant acidity and fine tannins create a balance in the oaky wine.

As an age potential wine, Visser said Chateau Pape Clement 2008 could be consumed in six to seven years, but it could also be left to age for 30 years.

When asked what food would best match his Bordeaux, he said he would not dare to impose upon people what to consume with his wine.

The company website suggests French dishes, but it would be very difficult to judge all regional foods.

“People should enjoy our wine with local food, if that’s what they want.”