Pétrus

During my whistle-stop tour of Bordeaux for en primeur 2011 earlier this month, I was lucky enough to taste Château Pétrus 2011 with wine writer Margaret Rand in front of the iconic statue of Saint Peter at the famed Pomerol estate. Click on the video to find out our impressions of the wine, and the Bordeaux 2011 vintage in general.

Wine of the Week: Ornellaia 2008

Welcome to a new section of Wine and the City – Wine of the Week, where each week I will taste and rate a different wine from around the world. While I’ll endeavour to make the majority affordable and accessible, I’m starting the section on a high note with a very special wine, Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore 2008.

One of the three so-called “Super Tuscans”, along with Sassicaia and Solaia, it’s easy to forget the estate of Tenuta dell’Ornellaia was founded a mere 31 years ago in 1981 by Lodovico Antinori, who chose an unspoilt patch in the hills near the medieval hamlet of Bolgheri, set in a triangle formed by the Tyrrhenian Sea, Bolgheri and the town of Castagneto Carducci. The ambition was to create fine wines to rival the best in the world. Since establishing the estate, Lodovico has passed the baton on to current owner, the Marchesi de Frescobaldi.

Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore is the estate’s flagship wine, produced since 1985 from select, hand picked parcels across the estate’s 97 hectares of limestone-rich calcerous soils. Made from a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc and a 3% dash of Petit Verdot, while showing beautifully now, the 2008 vintage is one for lying down. The 2008 growing season was marked by a wet spring, which lead to low yields of high concentration. The summer was hot, but temperatures cooled at night, allowing for the development of colour, aromatics and phenolic ripeness in the Cabernet Sauvignon, resulting in a bold, structured wine built for ageing.

Crafted by German winemaker Axel Heinz, after the grapes are gently crushed, the wine is fermented in French oak barrels (70% new) then aged in small barriques for 18 months, followed by a year of bottle ageing. An intense deep purple, the nose is full of ripe blackberries and black cherries alongside tobacco, balsamic and herbal notes, and hints of dark chocolate, mocha, tar and spices. The Cabernet dominant palate is dense, concentrated, textured and giving. Fleshy, soft and opulent, with a sweetness to the fruit, it’s a Rubens of a wine, with velvety, fine-grained tannins and a lightening bolt of minerality running through it. Firm yet racy, with a liquorice finish and incredible length, it’s a clever balance of power and elegance made very much in the international style, which will go on happily for 20 years.

Wine and the City rating: 18/20.

Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore 2008 is available from Berry Bros & Rudd, Harper Wells and The Wine Society for £100-120 a bottle.

Rolland collaborates on charity wine

Bordeaux go-to consultant Michel Rolland has partnered with international charity Wine to Water on a South African wine that will help provide thousands of Ethiopians access to clean water. As reported on the drinks business, Bonne Nouvelle 2003, a Cabernet, Merlot and Pinotage blend from Stellenbosch, means "good news" in French.

US$20 from every bottle sold will go directly to Wine To Water to dig deep bore wells in the Dale region of Southern Ethiopia, where 6 out of 10 people lack access to clean water. The project's initial goal is to raise US$40,000 – enough to fund four wells, providing permanent water access for over 8,000 people. Ethiopia is currently battling a water crisis, with millions struggling to survive every day due to drought and contaminated water.

California winery and importer Montesquieu Wines is facilitating the project by distributing the wine in the US at no charge. Owner Fonda Hopkins, who works separately with Michel Rolland and Wine to Water founder Doc Hendley on other projects, brought the pair together. "Michel and Doc come from very different backgrounds, but both are so passionate about life and committed to excellence that the partnership was a natural fit,” she said.

“It's wonderful to see some of the top players in the wine community step up to the plate to make a difference,” said Hendley, whose charity has provided water to over 100,000 people in twelve countries, including Sudan, India, Cambodia, Uganda and Kenya. Hendley is currently touring the States promoting his book Wine to Water: A Bartender's Quest to Bring Clean Water to the World, published by Penguin.

Michel Rolland is one of the most influential winemakers in the world. He consults for over 100 properties, including Angélus and Ausone in Bordeaux, Ornellaia in Tuscany and Harlan Estate in California. Bonne Nouvelle is available at www.winetowaterstore.com for US$39.

Video: Tasting of Vergelegen Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot

Wine and the City and Jimmy Smith of the West London Wine School taste Vergelegen Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, Stellenbosch, 2007, made by outspoken South African winemaker Andre van Rensburg. You can find the wine at Majestic for £10.99.