Meeting 451 - -" Wines by Henry Laithwaite"
Friday 12th August 2022
Harrow & Hope Vineyard
Back in 2007 we had a tasting of wines made by Henry Laithwaite.
At that time he was a 'garagiste' winemaker, spending half the year in Castillon and the other half in McLaren Vale.
We were very impressed by the wines, and decided to purchase a selection for the Branch cellar. Now we decided that
it was time to revisit these wines. The Laithwaite family have invested in land which is a prime vineyard site in
Marlow, and Henry has established himself there as a premier producer of English Sparkling Wine, under the name
Harrow & Hope. We have maintained a close liaison with Henry - and his charming wife Kaye - and we were very
fortunate to be able to hold this meeting at the winery. It is a beautiful site, and the weather was perfect,
if perhaps too warm for some at the beginning of the evening. We started with an aperitif wine, the
Brut Reserve No. 6. This is 40% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir and 20% Pinot Meunier, reflecting the same
proportions of these grapes grown on the 6 hectare site. Henry explained that this is called No. 6
because it is the sixth blended wine he has made. He was asked how long the wine will keep, and he
expects all his wines to keep well, probably for at least ten years. We then tasted the Blanc de
Blancs 2017, 100% Chardonnay. Both sparklers had very good balance, with complex fruit flavours and fresh acidity.
The 2017 had rather greater richness of flavour and great depth; this is clearly a wine worth laying down for a while.
We then moved on to Henry's older wines. The first was a white wine labelled rather cryptically just KR 1st Edition.
Henry thought it was probably a 2008 vintage, made by a friend for Henry to give to Kaye (KR were her initials then)
because she preferred drinking white wine. It was a blend of Chardonnay and Viognier. It proved an interesting drink,
quite oxidised and rather too old, but still with fairly attractive flavour. Then we tasted five wines, all red, and
all of which gained very high marks from our members and guests. First was Aux Trois Frères Côtes de Castillon 2005,
100% Merlot. Great fruit on nose and palate, very good balance, and a long soft-tannin finish. Second Khwezi Reserve
Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz 2003, Stellenbosch. This wine was made by Adam Mason. It had woody notes on the nose
and slightly bitter but pleasant fruit flavour, again with good balance and length. Third Le Presbytere 2002 Côtes de
Castillon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Lovely fruit and soft tannin on the finish. Then to Oz for Wilson Gunn 2005
Late Harvest Shiraz, McLaren Vale. Henry explained that the term 'late harvest' had no meaning in regard to picking;
it was simply needed in the title to enable the wine, with an abv of 16%, to be exported to UK. The wine was enormously
rich and smooth, even slightly off-dry, a very luscious drink. Finally La Curio 2005 Reserve Shiraz, McLaren Vale.
This was the finest of all, with rich, complex fruit, perfect balance and great length. Henry explained that these
wines were made when he was learning techniques, not having very much control over the growing of the grapes, all
bought from farmers persuaded, often with considerable difficulty, to let him have a portion of their crop, and with
improvised equipment.
Mark was lured away with a last-minute football opportunity, but he sent his friend David, whom we have met before,
to prepare the BBQ. David did a great job, and we had tender and tasty beef, lamb and chicken, accompanied by salads,
followed by lemon posset with raspberries. This excellent food was accompanied by Chateau de Pitray 2018, 75% Merlot,
23% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec, a wine from The Wine Society, which proved a very good BBQ complement.
Aperitif:
The Whites:
1. H & R Blanc de Blanc 2017
2. KR 1st Edition (2005?)
The Reds:
3. Aux Trois Frères Côtes de Castillion 2005 (100% Merlot)
4. Khwezi 2003 Reserve. Stellenbosch
5. Le Presbytere 2002 Côtes de Castillion
6. Wilson Gunn 2005 Reserve Late Havested Shiraz. McLaren Vale
7. La Curio 2005 Reserve Shiraz McLaren Vale
The Supper Wine:
Chateau de Pitray 2018 (Wine Society)