Evidence that Hong Kong's economic recovery is now well underway is occasioned not only by the rise in real estate values, but also by a surge in visits from representatives of the UK fine wine trade - always a sure barometer of economic health.
It was no surprise, therefore, that John Armit duly made a reappearance after an eight-year or so gap, to regale a select audience with intriguing insights into the wine world accompanied by some rare and exotic wines from Bordeaux and elsewhere.
One of the most engaging and entrepreneurial figures in the wine trade - after a colourful few years at Oxford, he failed to show up for his final exams sending his Tutor a telegram "Sorry can't make it. Love John" - he started his career at Corney & Barrow in the 1960s at a time when it was part of a large British wine and spirits group. When it became clear that a specialist firm of wine merchants did not fit comfortably into a group focused on spirit brands and volume, John engineered a management buyout and re-established the firm as an independent fine wine merchant with a growing business in City Wine bars, and himself as Managing Director.
During his years in charge, John, an accomplished linguist, and regarded by Robert Parker among others as one of the best palates in the business, built up the firm's agencies across a range of the finest wine estates and producers in France and, latterly, Spain and Italy. He also pioneered the wine list as a form of customer PR opportunity with an anecdotal and personalised style which made it a highly entertaining read.
In the 1980s having finally obtained the agency for Petrus, he left Corney & Barrow, and founded a new firm, John Armit Wines now one of the UK's best fine wine merchants and traders, while at the same time dabbling in restaurants, bars and clubs - the highly successful Groucho Club in Soho, London, was one of his creations.
Given John's background, firmly anchored in the great European wine tradition, it was perhaps natural that at one of the evenings during his visit, we should be treated to a vertical tasting of one of the greatest names in Bordeaux, Cheval Blanc.
Situated in the graves area of St. Emilion, right on the border of Pomerol (it is often said to be almost as much a Pomerol as a St. Emilion), Cheval Blanc enjoys a special gravelly terroir and sandy/iron/rock soil unique to the region.
It undoubtedly stands comparison with, and at times exceeds, the very best names in Bordeaux and is a wine of great richness and depth, with a concentrated long finish. "Exotic"; "spicy", "unctuous"; "velvety"; "sexy"; "tarry" are all words used for this wine which as with all great wines is impossible to describe precisely, and has to be drunk to be appreciated.
Uniquely, Cheval Blanc uses a very high proportion of cabernet franc grape variety - at times more than half of the final assemblage - with the balance being almost entirely merlot. It is perhaps this which gives the wine its flamboyant, voluptuous appeal and makes it a wine which is deliciously approachable when relatively young, but with the capacity to age for decades thereafter. It is no surprise that Cheval Blanc is at or near the top of many Asian oenophiles Bordeaux pecking order.
The property was recently acquired from the Fourcaud Laussac family who had owned it for many generations by Bernard Arnault and Albert Frere, who have a total commitment to maximising the quality of the wine - but who, unfortunately for us consumers, have an equal determination to see Cheval Blanc priced accordingly.
It was thus with a keen sense of anticipation that I materialised at Grissini at the Grand Hyatt in Hong Kong to participate in a vertical tasting of some of Cheval Blanc's most brilliant vintages, including the legendary 1947, over a beautifully judged and presented dinner prepared by chef Vittorio Lucariello.
As an entree, we started with the rich and stylish Krug 1990, a great champagne, and continued with Louis Latour's Corton Charlemagne 2000 in magnum, one of the best in recent years - bearing in mind this wine has not always been up to form.
The Cheval Blancs were then shown in sequence 1982, 1959 and 1953, and finally 1949 and 1947, with 1961 a late addition. They were all decanted, the 1982 for two hours before drinking, the rest approximately for one hour. Overall the wines - which had been acquired in the UK from cellars of good provenance - showed astonishingly well, penetrating heady aromas and rich and flavoury on the palate, with only the 1947 showing a hint of oxidation.
The 1982 fully deserves its place as one of the greatest wines of this vintage, which is now, at the top level, beginning to justify its exalted status. A spicy, smokey aroma hints of liquorice and tobacco on the palate with a long velvety finish.
John thought it well on the way to be one of the very best wines Cheval Blanc has produced. The 1961 is a very fine wine and a good 1961 is drinking deliciously now: rich, flavoury and with no hint of fatigue but it lacks the concentration of the best from this great vintage. By contrast the 1959 rivals the very top wines from this fabulous year, ripe, intense, powerful, splendid balance, hints of leather and spice, gorgeous unctuous finish will still last for years.
The 1953 showed all the characteristics of the year not the power of the 1959 but more delicate, silky, lush with an elegance and style that was wholly engaging. Then came the 1949 and 1947, with the 1949 a perfect example of what is a genuine rival to the 1947. It combines the elegance of the 1953 with the power and richness of the 1959: a bouquet of briar fruits and spice which leaps out of the glass, harmonious, opulent with a silky finish: a beauty.
And finally the 1947 which sadly was a little out of sorts but nevertheless, showed the trademark ultra ripe "porty" fruit; viscosity and a finish that lasts and lasts - behind the whiff of oxidation - fully deserving its status as one of the two greatest Bordeaux of the 20th Century.
With wines of this quality, rankings become as much a personal preference as an objective measure of quality but broadly speaking there was a general consensus as to the order, namely, 1949, 1959, 1947, 1982, 1953 and 1961 with most discussion surrounding whether the 1959 and 1947, and 1953 and 1982 should be reversed, with John a firm advocate for the 1982. On the evidence of this tasting, none of the wines ranks less than 95/100 and most would be 98+ (see table).
Other vintages drunk recently from this marvellously consistent property include 1964, one of the best from this uneven year and still lively and vigorous; 1966 a fine elegant wine; 1970 a real charmer but lacks the weight of the best of the year; 1975 with softer tannins than most from this hard year, now drinking well; 1983 up there with the best, from this vintage a rich and stylish example from an underrated year; 1985 a beautifully made near perfect claret with all the elements in exquisite harmony; 1988 packed with fruit flavours and showing well now; 1990 a gorgeous concentrated wine from a great year but will benefit keeping 5-10 years; 1996 good but not one of Cheval Blanc's best showings.
As we concluded the evening with a glass of the splendid Yquem 1983 an aura of mellow somnolence descended. John described the wines as one of, if not the very best range of wines he had tasted at one sitting, at which there was no dissenting voice.
Reid Wines
While increasingly rare and always sought after, older vintages from Cheval Blanc can be found or obtained from a number of sources. One of the best and most reliable is Reid Wines, a small Bristol-based wine merchant that sources old wines from private cellars and other places of reliable provenance. Given the cost and desirability of these wines, and rising examples of fraud, a guarantee of provenance is essential. Most of the wines for this evening were sourced from Reid Wines who can currently offer or find the following (prices are quoted per bottle on a Sterling Pound UK-in-bond basis without applicable duties/shipping charges): 1947 £3,000(!); 1949 £950; 1953 £750; 1959 £495; 1961 £695.
Reid Wines, The Mill, Hallatrow nr Bristol UK, Tel: 44-1761-452-645, Fax 44-1761-453-642.
John Armit Wines Limited, 5 Royalty Studios, 105 Lancaster Road, London W11 1QF, UK, Tel: 44-20-7908-0600, Fax: 44-20-7908-0601
