Recently, i was privy to a very special tasting. The famed Chateau Haut Brion itself decided to grace us with a sip, and it was the MD himself, M Gerard Blanloeil, who came to deliver the message in person. For a wine whose demand always exceeds supply, a wine which Napoleon himself regarded as one of the finest from Bordeaux, nay, France, to be invited to taste that—surely, this was an Xmas gift coming early. I hastily RSVP’d, confirming my presence.
No suspense but the wines showcased that afternoon were the manna that reminded me why I got into wines in the first place. The reds were divine, showing great length and texture on the palate. Sure, Chateau Haut-Brion is among the finest reds at the convergence of means to afford and refinement but Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion is an equally worthy contender for your cellar space. Chateau Quintus, their wine from the other side of the river, has already proved its mettle in blind tasting where it was cheekily cached between the top Grands Crus of the region (think Angelus, Ausone, Pavie, and others) and yet it managed to conspicuously impress the tasters with its range of flavours, complexity and elegance. One thing I found particularly interesting is that unlike Bordeaux wines from a few decades ago, which needed decades before they tasted approachable, all these wines came out fairly aromatic and friendly from the start while still showing ample potential to age.
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But it was the whites—one particular white, viz, La Clarté de Haut-Brion— which, for me, stole the show and, even as I write this, a few days later, the aftertaste distantly lingers. This is the stuff you drink when you want all the intensity of a red but married to the freshness of a white. Not simply the wine you open to impress your golfing circle or business associates, La Clarté is what you uncork when you want to be awed in silence, whether accompanied or all by yourself.
Now all these wines aren’t the stuff we will open every day so for that, look out for the Clarendelle range—white, red, rosé—which still showcase Bordeaux pedigree but in an accessible format. By the way, you’d be surprised just how many movies and popular shows they have been recently featured in.
Then, moving onto a dram of a different intensity, I had another very special interaction, similarly hallowed and memorable. Brian Kinsman was a scientist by training but once he joined William Grant & Sons in 1997, just like a fine eau de vie, his skill set was honed over time, so much so that in 2009 he took over as Glenfiddich’s Malt Master in 2009. He is only the 6th Malt Master in the company since their first batch was prepared here at the stills, about 125 years ago.
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Recently, they launched their 21 year old aka The Glenfiddich Gran Reserva, which mentions “Reserva Rum Cask Finish” just underneath. Now, that is quite a maverick move—to take such an old single malt and then to finish it in rum casks. Many wouldn’t take that chance but Brian, in all his wisdom did, so, over a specially arranged one-on-one video call with the guru, I asked him about it. “A cask finish is to add polish, a little bit more character.” And so they thought of aged rum. But since used rum casks of such quality are hard to come by, Brian went and did something uncommon encore. “We bought the rum with the casks it came in!” So, one can say it took a lot of rum to make this single malt. If the proof is in the pudding, then this whisky is perfectly timed for Christmas—like a heady rum-tinged fruit cake in a glass with a touch of crème brulée and vanilla that follow. Brian isn’t too hung up on instructing people on how to have it either; “To genuinely enjoy and celebrate the flavour, that should remain the hero,” is all the advice he met out when I asked how should one drink it and if cocktails, albeit expensive, would be a fine consideration. Frankly, I wouldn’t waste this on mixed drinks. It’s too smooth and complete by itself to be deconsecrated so.
If you want that one rewarding single malt for your festive shelf, I think this should pretty much be it—from the bright orange packaging to the golden liquid inside, it is bursting forth with all the mirth of a celebration waiting to be unwrapped. As for Brian, when not tinkering with whisky, he enjoys wines. “A Pinotage or maybe a Merlot”. I was in the process of placing an order for some of the wines from the Chateau Haut-Brion tasting and now I think I know just the Malt Master I’d like to share them with. For what good is a festive cheer if not shared.
And on that note, this is me signing off on 2022; see you on the other side. Sober or sot, stay safe.
The writer is a sommelier
