▻ Jane Anson’s New Website Launch
In conversation with Jane Anson
Episode Summary:-
On the eve of the launch of her own website, leading Bordeaux critic Jane Anson talks to Sarah Kemp about her decision to leave Decanter magazine after 20 years and launch, this October, www.janeanson.com, which will concentrate on the wines of Bordeaux and the wines which are sold through the Place de Bordeaux. Jane talks about the different types of content which will be on the site and why she felt now was the time to launch. She notes that there are several sites devoted to Burgundy, but none in the English language which provided in-depth information on Bordeaux and the icon wines sold through the Place.
Sarah asks Jane about her views on the current state of Bordeaux, including the En Primeur system. They discuss whether it is fair to assess the wines at such an early stage and whether En Primeur will remain an important sales tool, given the trend for châteaux to hold back stock. They also talk about the challenges that Bordeaux faces in an increasingly competitive market, and whether Bordeaux can attract younger wine lovers who are not used to the taste of older wines.
Jane talks about the challenge of climate change and points out the upside for certain regions like Fronsac, where a warmer climate is a positive for ripening grapes in their cooler area. Sarah tries to get Jane to reveal her favourite châteaux and vintages, with a little bit of success.
““There’s not a site that looks at what you do when you’ve got them, when you open them, when they are ready, and I want to put a focus on that.””
Running Order:-
-
0.00 – 8.15
“There is a lot of love for Bordeaux, still.”
Jane Anson talks to Sarah Kemp about www.janeanson.com , a new website about to launch for lovers of Bordeaux and the great wines of the world. She explains why she now believes the time is right to launch as, despite “Bordeaux-bashing,” she has found that from consumers “there is a lot of love for Bordeaux, still.” She explains that the site is totally independent, with no venture capital or outside investment, and that 1% of the turnover will go to environmental charities, from the start. She also announces the Connoisseur Week, which she will be running with Sarah, a stellar week in Bordeaux for 12 wine lovers visiting their favourite châteaux, and a Mentor Week, where she will tutor people in the trade who have little knowledge of Bordeaux: “I want to help young sommeliers to find their way into Bordeaux, for example.” -
8.16 – 17.44
Jane talks about some of the content which the site will launch with, including verticals of Lafite, Canon and other prestigious properties. The site, she explains, will launch officially in October but wine lovers can sign up now and download her report—for free--on the icon wines launched this September through the Place de Bordeaux.
-
17.45 – 21.04
“A lot about En Primeur is logistics.”
Jane explains: “En Primeur – it’s a brilliant way to take stock of what’s happening,” seeing who is improving, and getting a feel for a vintage. She reveals that she prefers assessing the wines in the bottle tasting, and thinks it’s important to assess at both stages for a true reflection of the wine. Sarah and Jane discuss whether En Primeur will remain an important sales tool for the Bordeaux châteaux, given the policy of increasingly holding back stock. -
21.05 – 27.11
“The growing season now tends to be chaotic.”
Sarah asks about Bordeaux’s biggest challenge, and Jane answers that it’s climate, especially the instability of weather during the growing season. There are positives, however, for some cooler regions like Castillon and Fronsac, which are benefitting from better ripening of their grapes.
On the eve of launching her site, Sarah tries to get Jane to name her favourite châteaux and vintages. Her vintage choices are 2005, which remains a favourite even though it is going through a quiet period now, 2010 for longer term, and 1996, which is giving much pleasure. Favourite châteaux include Domaine de Chevalier, Smith Haut-Lafitte and Lafite, but Jane will not be drawn further—she says she likes to be surprised; she adds that she is also happy to be writing about the great wines from outside Bordeaux which are sold through the Place de Bordeaux, an exciting development.
RELATED POSTS
Keep up with our adventures in wine
Further Information:-
www.janeanson.com is launching on Oct 4th.
Lorenzo Pasquini talk to Elin McCoy about his life at Château d’Yquem. From childhood dreams of becoming a professional fencer to landing the ultimate wine job, discover his amazing story.