This week has seen Douglas Blyde in Soho and drinking Pol Roger out of tankards, Matthew Hoggard firing up the grill, Franciacorta at the Emmys, and Wines of Tejo’s first Manchester tasting. Superstar South African First unveiled in 2010, FINE Wine magazine crowned the Grand Vin of 4G Wines, G. Le Capitaine, as “the South African Shooting Star” while sommelier/consultant, Germain Lehodey described it as “like swallowing silk.” In 2018, just 5,339 bottles of G. Le Capitaine were produced, uniting Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc from twenty vineyards across the Western Cape in partially new French oak from six cooperages for 18 months. Following in the illustrious footsteps of the late Denis Dubourdieu, founders Vanessa and Philipp Axt brought on Dr. Valérie Lavigne as Master Winemaker, with Tian Scholtz overseeing the cellar, and Gustav Andrag tending the vines. The Axts, ever keen on memorable launches, unveil each vintage in a country linked to the wine’s subtitle. Hence, for G. 2018, “Going, Going, Gone” was debuted at the Banksy Exhibition, Soho, its label playfully nodding to the artist’s Balloon Girl including a shredded effect. Hours before, a panel of tasters – including two Masters of Wine and three Master Sommeliers, convened at 67 Pall Mall for a blind tasting. Subject to four hours of decanting, among the contenders were five legendary wines from 2018, all boasting 100 Parker points: Châteaux Lafite, Margaux, and Ausone, alongside Pingus and Sine Qua’s Non Eleven Confessions. Fortunately for the Axts, who had
This Article was originally published on The Drink Business - Wine
