The Lafite Laureate is a wine tasting competitors for people within the Netherlands. It’s organized by the Verenigde Vinologen Nederland (Dutch Affiliation of Vinologists). “Vinologist” is a Dutch title for somebody who has handed the Dutch wine data SDEN examination at degree 4 (roughly much like the worldwide WSET). It was once a contest for vinologists solely, however as of this 12 months anybody can take part. The principle sponsor is Lafite, and the grand prize for the winner is a go to to Château Lafite Rothschild in Bordeaux, France, with a lunch and tasting on the chateau with the winemaker. To get to the semi-finals, you must be among the many greatest 20% of the preliminary rounds. The very best 10 within the semi-finals go to the finals. The finals for this 12 months had been in Oldenzaal on the premises of the opposite sponsor: De Monnik Dranken. The competitors has been organized yearly since 1997. I’ve been collaborating since 2018, largely to study and prepare my wine tasting expertise. On the finish of every spherical, the tasting notes and the way you could possibly have provide you with the right reply are mentioned intimately, which is a superb studying expertise. I’ve an obstacle in comparison with contestants that work within the wine commerce, as a result of they get way more apply in tasting totally different wines. I largely drink wine at residence and in eating places, with a bias in the direction of the varieties of wine that I like. Regardless of that, it was on my bucket checklist to win this contest at the least as soon as. I already managed to get to the finals twice earlier than, and even got here in third in 2020. (It additionally occurred that I used to be overseas in the course of the semi-finals and needed to drop out. This 12 months there was one contestant, Bernard Witzel, who was snowboarding in Austria, and flew again to the Netherlands only for the day to take part within the finals. It’s a good factor that he did, as a result of he got here in third.) I’m proud to inform you that this 12 months I’ve gained the Lafite Laureate and may name myself Vinologist of the Yr 2025!
Blind tasting is about recognizing a wine simply from tasting it. There is no such thing as a blindfold concerned, as a result of the looks of the wine can also be necessary. The “blind” half is that you don’t get to see the bottles. To be good at this competitors, you want tasting expertise, data, and analytical expertise. The tasting expertise embody assessing the colour of the wine, smelling and recognizing the aromas, assessing the acidity, alcohol degree, and sweetness of the wine, in addition to the feel of the wine and the tannins. The data includes the traits of all the principle grape varieties and wine manufacturing areas on the planet, in addition to wine making methods. Due to totally different winemakers and vintages, not all wines of the identical grape selection and wine manufacturing space are alike. And lots of winemakers attempt to make wines that the general public likes, so the identical traits happen everywhere in the world. So even when your tasting notes, data, and analytics are fairly good, you may nonetheless find yourself on the unsuitable reply. All of this makes wine tasting a humbling expertise.
The collection of the wines and the drafting of the questions for this 12 months’s finals of the Lafite Laureate was achieved by two Masters of Wine: Cees van Casteren (on the far left within the photograph above) and Job de Swart (on the far proper). Cees has been doing this for years, and he has gained the competitors himself twice in 2001 and 2004, earlier than changing into MW in 2012). I’ve realized rather a lot from him by collaborating on this competitors. The wines had been offered by sponsor De Monnik Dranken. (In concept it could be potential to coach for the finals by shopping for and tasting all of their wines, however with a whole bunch of wines of their portfolio, that isn’t actually possible.)
These had been the 12 wines that we needed to style and assess. A type was offered for our tasting notes. (It’s a good tactic to style the wines first with out trying on the questions, as understanding the query can ship you down a tunnel that makes you understand the wine otherwise.) There have been 25 questions we needed to reply in regards to the 12 wines, divided into 5 flights.
The primary flight was three glowing wines. We needed to decide by what technique they had been made, and from what international locations. The one clue offered was that two wines had been from the identical nation. An important strategies for making glowing wines are the charmat or martinotti technique (second fermentation in a tank) and the normal technique (second fermentation within the bottle). Probably the most well-known charmat technique wine is Prosecco and essentially the most well-known conventional technique wine is after all Champagne. The standard technique will be acknowledged by what is known as autolyse aromas, that are developed by yeast cells that disintegrate because the wine rests after the second fermentation within the bottle. This autolyse aromas scent like brioche or toast. The primary wine had solely a really faint whiff of toasty aromas, and from the acidity and fundamental high quality I assumed it could possibly be Crémant de Bourgogne and thus conventional technique from France (which turned out to be right). The second wine had aromas of pear and yeast, and a special mousse. Due to the yeast I questioned for a second whether or not this could possibly be a wine the place the yeast of the second fermentation is left within the bottle (pétillant naturel or méthode ancestrale). However because the wine was fully clear quite than cloudy, I concluded it must be a (good high quality) Prosecco, and thus Italy and martinotti technique (which additionally turned out to be right). For the third wine, I had little question that it was a standard technique due to the sturdy aromas of toast (which turned out to be right). It was a top quality with a really persistent mousse, however there are top quality conventional technique wines from France, Italy, and Spain. Due to the elevated acidity, I made a decision it must be Champagne and thus France (which turned out to be right).
The second flight was three white wines from France. We needed to decide the grape varieties and manufacturing areas (understanding they had been all French). The primary wine had a impartial aroma with buttery notes (pointing to malolactic fermentation), some oak, and medium acidity. The principle ‘impartial’ grapes utilized in France are Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Gris. As a result of malo and oak are most typical in Burgundy, I made a decision it must be Chardonnay from Burgundy (which turned out to be right). In reality, it turned out to be Chablis. Chablis is understood for its excessive acidity, however this was a Grand Cru (from one of the best vineyards with southern exposition) and from the nice and cozy classic 2022, so the acidity was solely medium. I’m glad that we solely needed to decide the area and never the appellation. The second wine had an aroma of bruised apple and better acidity than the earlier wine. I instantly acknowledged Chenin Blanc, which is dangerous as a result of it will possibly trigger tunnel imaginative and prescient, nevertheless it turned out to be right. Loire is the principle manufacturing area for Chenin Blanc, so I put that for the area (and turned out to be right). The third wine was the simplest of all twelve wines, and I imagine everybody had this one right. Golden colour, very fragrant with lychees and roses, that would solely be Gewurztraminer from Alsace (which it was). To make it much more clear, the wine had vital residual sugar (which might have made it straightforward to tell apart from Gewurztraminer from Alto Adige in Italy, however we already knew it was France).
The third flight was two wines from the identical producer in the identical nation, one white and one purple. We needed to decide the nation and grape varieties, the place it was specified that the purple was a mix of two. The white one was fragrant and a bit inexperienced in each aromas and colour, with medium plus acidity and comparatively low alcohol. I instantly thought it was a Sauvignon Blanc, which as I mentioned is harmful as a result of it’s arduous to get out of such a tunnel as soon as you’re in it. The purple one had very ripe jammy fruit aromas and aromas of eucalyptus. Only one sniff and I used to be in Australia (which turned out to be right). (Reds from Chile can even have a eucalyptus aroma, however the fruit is extra perfumed.) The white could possibly be a Sauvignon Blanc from Australia, in order that match with the image and I didn’t think about different grape varieties as I used to be positive it wasn’t a Riesling or Chardonnay (the commonest whites in Australia). Nonetheless, that was unsuitable, as a result of it was a Viognier from Australia. I’m very conversant in Viognier from its most well-known manufacturing zone: Condrieu within the Rhone Valley, France. I’ve tasted Australian Viognier solely a few occasions earlier than, and to me it doesn’t have the standard apricot aromas. For the reds I assumed I acknowledged Shiraz and Grenache. I did surprise about this, as the standard mix in Australia is Grenache with Shiraz and Mataro (Mourvèdre). The Shiraz was right, however the second grape was a Cabernet Sauvignon. In Australia the mix of Shiraz and Cabernet is kind of widespread, however I didn’t discover any aromas that I affiliate with Cabernet.
The fourth flight was two reds from the identical producer, similar grape selection, and the identical manufacturing space. We needed to decide the grape selection and nation, in addition to which of the 2 wines was the upper high quality. The primary wine had a comparatively mild colour, earthy advanced aromas, excessive acidity, and really excessive grainy tannins that had been very astringent. The second wine was additionally a comparatively mild colour however extra purple, decrease acidity and tannins, however nonetheless aggressive tannins, and candy-like fruity aromas. It was clear that the primary wine was the upper high quality, because the second was made for simple ingesting (which turned out to be right). The grape selection was tougher. There are only some grape varieties with the mix of sunshine colour and (very) excessive tannin, as each colour and tannin come from the pores and skin of the grapes. Often a darkish colour coincides with excessive tannin (Cabernet, Syrah, Tannat, Aglianico, Sagrantino, and so forth.) The exceptions with mild colour and excessive tannin are largely in Italy: Nebbiolo, Nerello Mascalese, and generally Sangiovese. It’s the latter that didn’t happen to me in the course of the finals, as Brunello is the commonest Sangiovese that has such excessive and grainy tannin, however I had not tasted Brunello in a very long time and Sangiovese wasn’t actually on my radar as a grape selection with mild colour and excessive tannin. And so I wrote down Nebbiolo, regardless that particularly the second wine had aromas that aren’t common for Nebbiolo and so I used to be not assured about my reply. It was in truth Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino, and so I didn’t rating very effectively on this query. As I already talked about, this isn’t only a contest but in addition a studying expertise. I did really feel a bit silly because it was revealed this was Sangiovese, as Italian wines often give me a bonus (as a lover of Italian wines).
The ultimate flight was two Coteaux du Layon from the identical producer, however totally different classic, with comparable sugar and alcohol ranges. Coteaux du Layon is a candy wine from the Loire Valley in France, of late harvest Chenin Blanc. We needed to decide which of the 2 wines was the oldest, and the sugar degree, alcohol degree, and classic of the primary wine (selecting between 1995, 2005, and 2015). I gauged the alcohol degree shut sufficient (it was 13.5% and I had put 12.8%, so inside the 10% margin), however the sugar too excessive (it was 90 grams/liter and I had put 113 grams). What was difficult about these wines, was that the primary wine had a lighter colour than the second wine, whereas the primary wine had extra developed aromas and tasted much less candy than the second wine (regardless that it was acknowledged that the sugar degree was comparable). The fruit aromas of the second wine had been extra fruity and fewer developed. White wines darken with age, so from the colour the oldest wine must be the second. However candy wines style much less candy as they age, and the aroma turns from fruity to developed. So for the style and aroma, the oldest wine must be the primary. (Cees and Job talked about that this issue was not on function; the colour had been a shock for them as effectively.) I made a decision that the aroma and style are extra necessary than the colour, and put the primary wine because the oldest. I put the classic as 2005 because it was developed, however not as developed as I might anticipate from a 1995. Each turned out to be right. The second wine was from 2011.
I didn’t have an ideal rating (and I don’t assume it’s cheap to place attaining an ideal rating within the finals of this competitors as the following merchandise on my bucket checklist), however I did have the very best rating of all of the finalists with 20 out of 25 factors. And so I will probably be going to Château Lafite with my husband, and I’ll positively write a weblog about that. (I heard final 12 months’s winner solely went to Lafite not too long ago, so it might take some time.) Because of the VVN, Cees, Job, Andrea, Linda, and naturally the sponsors for organizing this nice occasion.
If you wish to study extra about wine tasting, I can strongly advocate the guide “Anybody can style wine” by Cees van Casteren (obtainable in English and Dutch).
