“Christmas was close at hand, in all his bluff and hearty honesty; it was the season of hospitality, merriment, and open-heartedness.” Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers
There are parts of London that seem steeped in a Dickensian Christmas. As if you might round a corner, only to meet Bob Cratchit rushing the other way.
Pass along St James’s Street, in front of Lock & Co hatmakers, John Lobb shoemakers and the glowing windows of Berry Bros. & Rudd, and you might have stepped into a forgotten era. Cross over to Pall Mall, to number 67, and you’ll feel every bit as transported.
It’s here, at London's "club for wine lovers" amidst tastefully decked Christmas trees, where we sit down with Laura Rhys, a Master Sommelier of 15 years standing, and Gusbourne’s Head of Wine Communication, Education and Style. It’s a hefty job title – one which Laura wears lightly. Impeccably polite, softly spoken and a true perfectionist, Laura has been (gently) spreading the word about Gusbourne for a decade.
It was back when she was working as the head sommelier in Michelin-starred La Trompette in Chiswick that Laura first discovered – and listed – Gusbourne’s wines. Since joining the company, her remit has become wide-ranging – from tasting, grading and blending Gusbourne’s wines through to championing them in emerging markets.
Today, we’re calling on Laura’s finely tuned palate for another reason – and a seasonally decadent one at that. Two years after its release, how has Gusbourne’s prestige bottling Fifty One Degrees North developed?
The 2014 vintage is now hard to get hold of. If you’re lucky enough to have a bottle or two in your cellar, then – as we quickly confirm on first swirl and sip of our tulip-shaped glasses – you’re in for a treat.
Today, the wine is more impressive than it was on release. It's bolder; more complex. The ambition behind it shines through. "From the outset, Andrew Weeber [Gusbourne's founder] wanted to create a wine which could make this kind of statement," explains Laura. "When the 2014 vintage came around, we realised that we had base wines which could live up to that ambition."
How did the winemakers recognise that the base wines in 2014 had this potential? "It comes down to the quality, style, structure and balance of those initial baseline blends," says Laura. "That's when we set aside wines which had something special about them - elements which could combine to become Fifty One.
"We were looking for wines which were perhaps a little richer in fruit, and richer in structure as well with more generosity on the palate. And something luxurious when it comes to texture too."
Then, once the blend was compiled from these X-factor components, it was given years of lees ageing, followed by generous time on cork. "It's the ageing process which allows those lovely tertiary flavours to develop," says Laura.
"In the glass, the 2014 vintage has this wonderful lemon posset nose to begin with; this evolves to orchard fruit. There's a spicy element, and vanilla too. As the wine opens up and warms a little, it has an apple crumble-like note, sweet spices, oranges and cloves.
"On release, the 2014 wasn't as fresh as the 2016, so it's fascinating to retaste it. There's no doubt this will continue to evolve well - it will be really interesting to see what it's like in another 10, 15 or 20 years."
Throughout our conversation, we go back to the wine to taste and retaste. It's incredible how it shape-shifts, moulding itself to the dishes we enjoy it alongside - from buttery fish to rich pasta.
But perhaps it's at its finest just on its own.
"If you have a couple of bottles, and somewhere to store it, it would be well worth holding on to one for a good few years longer," advises Laura. Then again - it's Christmas. And, as Laura attests, the 2014 vintage is drinking beautifully at the moment. It deserves a little ceremony, time and attention - attention it will repay with a wine experience to remember.
You can find out more about Fifty One Degrees North, and purchase the current release, here.
