BARTHOLOMEW BROADBENT - September's Guest Corner

[Roy Hersh]

Our next esteemed guest is Bartholomew Broadbent, who is an occasional contributor to .

He has been a mentor and good friend of mine for the past 15 years. I have enjoyed numerous Port and also Madeira (not to mention Musar vertical) tastings with Bartholomew in Aspen, Colorado over the years, as well as SF CA, Miami FL, Vancouver BC, Seattle WA and I am probably forgetting other places where we've hung out enjoying Port, Madeira and many other fine wines together.

Bartholomew was instrumental in driving the popularity of Port in the USA when he headed up Premium Port Wines for the Symington family in the 1980s into the 1990s. Afterwards, he created his own company Broadbent Selections to import small, top notch family-operated and independent wine producers from around the globe. Along with his father's input ... they chose some lots of Madeira to be bottled under their own Broadbent label and also approached Dirk Niepoort to create proprietary Broadbent Port blends. He also carries one of the truly great values in Vinho Verde from Portugal and is the sole USA importer for the Ports & Douro wines of Quinta do Crasto, Ferreira and Tuke Holdsworth. http://www.broadbent.com

After debuting our "Guest Corner" with journalist and author Richard Mayson, I thought it would be fun to have a very different perspective of the trade. Bartholomew's irreverent sense of humor and extraordinary knowledge of Port, Madeira and Douro wines (and other areas of Portugal ... he was the major importer of the Moscatel de Setubal wines of JM de Fonseca for years, but I don't think he does so any longer) will make for a GREAT week of Q&A. His insider's view into the 3 tier system, supply side, beneficio rights, old vintages and traditional methods vs. what is taking place now, is going to be wonderful for providing informed and insightful understanding of these dynamics. Having great success with his diverse portfolio of imports, I believe that everyone here will have something to learn from this multi-faceted, globally recognized wine expert.

Bartholomew has committed to September 21-27th to respond to your questions here in this thread. Please come back and visit at that time and meanwhile, think of some great question for him.

Cheers!

[Roy Hersh]

Bartholomew will be here on Monday and I hope you'll all have great questions for him!

I'll start with this one:

Hi Bartholomew,

What is your first memory of drinking Vintage Port and do you remember which it was?

[Andy Velebil]

Bartholomew,

It's no small task starting an import company, so what made you decide to start one?

thanks
Andy

[Glenn E.]

Hi Bartholomew,

Do you feel that the current 3-tier system for importing and distributing wine in the US still has value, or should we scrap it and find a different system?

If you believe it still has value, could you explain how it helps consumers? But if you feel it should be scrapped, what kind of a system should we switch to?

[Bartholomew Broadbent]

Bartholomew,

It's no small task starting an import company, so what made you decide to start one?

thanks
Andy

Hi Andy
I still want a ride in your cop car!

Why did I start an import company? I came to N.America in 1982 for a two year contract with the top Canadian wine Agency. Whilst there, I met James Symington because we represented Dow's Port. He offered me a job in the United States to promote their wine east of the Mississippi. About a week before I started, their US Agent in San Francisco died unexpectedly. James told me to set up Premium Port Wines, Inc. and I had the choice of living in NY or SF. I decided on SF for business reasons, it made most sense to set up a warehouse in wine country. I ran PPW for 10 years. Eventually, there was a power struggle with someone I hired and I ended up leaving the company. I like to say I reached the glass ceiling and didn't marry a Symington daughter! Anyway, instead of quitting San Francisco and returning to the UK, I decided to set up a company to compete with the Symingtons by setting up Broadbent Selections, Inc.! Ferreira and Offley both agreed to be my first Suppliers, back in 1996, and that showed me that I had the basis of an import company. I also had Tuke Holdsworth and, of course, started Broadbent Port and Broadbent Madeira. Immediately, several other wineries approached me. In fact, the very first wine I imported as Jose Maria da Fonseca's Setubal which I sold to The Sharper Image company. I had set up a wine division for them but it was really pre-mature for a company to tackle internet sales. Notably, Hajo Guntrum from Rheinhessen, another old Supplier to the Canadian Agency, contacted me and said "for the past 10 years you have been turning us down with the excuse that the Symington family did not want Premium Port Wines to diversify from importing Port and Madeira. Now you have your own company, you have no excuse not to represent us!" I agreed and he became my first non-fortified Supplier. We still represent Guntrum which is now owned by Konstantin Guntrum. So, it all happened by default. After starting PPW I had said I would never start a wine import company again because it is extremely difficult and hard work. My competitive nature was the only motivation to do it all over again with BSI and it was natural to make it another national business because I had such extensive contacts. I don't recommend it to anyone. It is a life, not a job and it isn't really the most fun part of life in the wine world!

[Bartholomew Broadbent]

Hi Bartholomew,

Do you feel that the current 3-tier system for importing and distributing wine in the US still has value, or should we scrap it and find a different system?

If you believe it still has value, could you explain how it helps consumers? But if you feel it should be scrapped, what kind of a system should we switch to?

Hi Glenn
Of course, I am all for free enterprise and would love to see the three tier system scrapped. I'd love to ship my wine to any consumer directly. I agree with all the reasons for scrapping the three tier system and I can't stand the reasons that it has not been scrapped. It is almost criminal to argue for it to be kept in place.

However, I do see some huge advantages to the three tier system, for the consumer. It offers choice.

In the UK, an importer can also be a wholesaler and a retailer. As the retail chains grow, the small independent wine shops go out of business. Imagine, chains of wine shops, all owned by the same importer, each location offering the same wines. With the three tier system in America, every wine shop has the choice of any wine that any shop choses from not just every importer but also every distributor. I don't know of shops in the UK that offer 7,000 different wines. Each shop in the US has over 100,000 wines to select from. Now, imagine if the three tier system was suddenly scrapped. Who has the delivery infrastructure to deliver wine anywhere and who has the money to open wine shops all over the country? Southern Wines & Spirits... that is who. Imagine is suddenly they were allowed to import wine, distribute it and sell it in their own wine shops. They and the other BIG distrubutors would immediately be able to put all independent stores out of business and, probably, as a result, all small importers and distributors would go too. At least we have choice now, even if we can't ship to every State. To be able to buy just the wines that Southern or the likes select is a fate I'd not want to see.

America has a problem. The three tier system has allowed the huge distributors to become so powerful that the only way to control them now is by maintaining the three tier system. Unless deregulation also focused on preventing the monopolies from taking over, I'm not excited about the three tier system going away. I do, however, think that we should allow wineries AND retailers to ship wherever they like, to whomever they like. There are still ways for the States to capture those sales tax revenues.

[Bartholomew Broadbent]

Bartholomew will be here on Monday and I hope you'll all have great questions for him!

I'll start with this one:

Hi Bartholomew,

What is your first memory of drinking Vintage Port and do you remember which it was?

My first memory? I wish I could remember the last, let alone the first!

I do not really remember when I first had Vintage Port. As I was growing up, I was drinking wine every night from the age of 7. I was born in 1962 so I remember, back then, the every day wines we were drinking were the 1945 Bordeaux. I remember tasting Port back then but really don't remember which ones. The wine that prompted me to write tasting notes the very first time was when we were staying at Chateau Latour in 1978 and, drinking the 1865 Latour, the Director of Latour said to me this would be "the first and only time you have this wine in your life". I'm glad to say he was wrong about the latter but it did prompt me to write notes about wines from then on. By the way, your palate at the age of 16 is so much more fine than later on in life. In fact, before the age of 7, I could easily tell the difference between tap water from the bathroom and the kitchen. My parents couldn't believe I could tell the difference, so they did a blind tasting. After I proved that I liked the bathroom tap water more than the kitchen sink, they investigated to find out that there were two water tanks in the attic. The covered one was for the kitchen. The one with dead pigeons floating it it was for the bathroom.

[David Spriggs]

Hi Bartholomew,

Thanks for doing this! When we were in Madeira last May, Justino's tasted us on both your wines and theirs. Contrary to what I had been told previously - that the Broadbent wines were just a relabel of the Justino's - your Broadbent Madeiras are quite different from the Justino's. What are you looking for in your Madeira's when making your blends?
-Dave-

[Bartholomew Broadbent]

Hi Bartholomew,

Thanks for doing this! When we were in Madeira last May, Justino's tased us on both your wines and theirs. Contrary to what I had been told previously - that the Broadbent wines were just a relabel of the Justino's - your Broadbent Madeiras are quite different from the Justino's. What are you looking for in your Madeira's when making your blends?
-Dave-

Thanks for your question...

I sent my parents, Michael and Daphne Broadbent, to the island to formulate the original blends and search out barrels of older wines that we could purchase. I was happy with all the wines they selected, except for the 10 year Malmsey blend. I changed that blend, hence the first time it was reviewed by the Wine Spectator is did not score well, yet subsequently has been almost universally praised, including Roy Hersh's review, as the finest of all the 10 year old Malmseys. Roy, himself, recognized the improvement, which was the most valued recognition I could hope for.

When they were selecting barrels of older wines, my father's notes were good but my mother's were great. She described one wine as being a "death bed raiser!". I asked what she meant and she said that if someone had given her this wine on her death bed she'd spring back to life!

Our winemaker is from Portugal's mainland and not stuck in any old habits. He has been great to work with. We've experimented with different aging conditions. Unlike some of the competition, who continuously heat and cool the Madeiras, resulting in fat wines, we age some of the wines in cellar temperature, some at room temperature and some on a higher floor at slightly warmer temperatures. We also limit the 115F "estufa" and other heating methods to the 3 months that are required by law. We feel that having some wines aged at cooler temperatures result in leaner, more elegant Madeira.

We are very proud of our Madeira quality, particularly the Colheita, the 5 year Reserve and the 10 year Malmsey. I went over to the island earlier this year to select the blends for the next Colheitas. We are excited at the quality.

You are correct to observe that, although bottled by Justino's on our behalf, the wines are our own unique blends. That was always most important to us and any rumors to the contrary, suggesting that we are just a private label, are probably just being put out by competitors who want to undermine us!

I hope this all makes sense... I'm just back from a tasting in Charlottesville, at which I was not able to use a spittoon, and we tasted the Broadbent Vinho Verde, Crasto White Douro, Crasto Douro Red, Crasto LBV, Broadbent Auction Reserve, Ferreira 20 year Duque de Braganca, Broadbent 5 year Reserve Madeira, Broadbent 1996 Colheita Madeira and Broadbent 10 Year Malmsey Port. Chased down with a Guinness!

I look forward to more questions tomorrow...

[Marco D.]

Hi Bartholomew,

In 2001 I attended a Madeira tasting you and Paul Costigan (of The Rare Wine Company) hosted at Citizen Cake in San Francisco. One of the wines I enjoyed was the Broadbent Terrantez Old Reserve, a wine that seems increasingly difficult to find. Is this wine still being produced?

Also, what was the most memorable Madeira you recall tasting?

Thanks!

[Andy Velebil]

Hi Andy
I still want a ride in your cop car!

The cop car is waiting for your next visit to L.A., just let me know.

When you decided to make a Vintage Port, what led you to chose Dirk Niepoort to make your Ports? Are there any plans to make a Tawny with an indication of age or a Colheita Port?

Many Thanks

[Moses Botbol]

Wine Spectator is did not score well, yet subsequently has been almost universally praised, including Roy Hersh's review, as the finest of all the 10 year old Malmseys. Roy, himself, recognized the improvement, which was the most valued recognition I could hope for.

I adore the your 10 year Malmsey and it is the best out there for the money or 10 year age bottles. No way is it like the regular Justinho and whomever said that did not have them side by side or is talking not from their mouth...

Why did you keep the Justinho's t-cork instead of branding your own?

[Bartholomew Broadbent]

Hi Bartholomew,

In 2001 I attended a Madeira tasting you and Paul Costigan (of The Rare Wine Company) hosted at Citizen Cake in San Francisco. One of the wines I enjoyed was the Broadbent Terrantez Old Reserve, a wine that seems increasingly difficult to find. Is this wine still being produced?

Also, what was the most memorable Madeira you recall tasting?

Thanks!

You have a good memory!

The Broadbent Old Reserve Terrantez is an unusual wine. We don't know exactly how old it is but when Darrel Corti tasted it, he thought it was from the 1930s. Incidentally, Darrel Corti, of Corti Bros in Sacramento, was the one true great Madeira expert in the United States prior to 1985. The late Barney Rhodes came a close second. Darrel is still one of the top three in the country.

Back to that wine, we bought a barrel of it. There was more than one barrel. It was discovered in the attic of a farm which was purchased more than fifty years ago. The previous owner of the farm had no records of when it was made. Some of this wine was sold in Japan, by an importer there, not under our label, and purporting it to be from the late 1800s. All I am willing to say is that it is at least 60 years old, probably from the 1930s. We bought it cheaply and it was selling initially for around $50 a bottle. A bargain. We had the exclusive rights to that juice for the U.S. market but, unfortunately, I did not buy all of it at once. Therefore, because there was a demand for that wine in Japan and the Japanese were willing to pay a much higher price, whenever I ordered more of it under the Broadbent label, the price had gone up. I suppose that is nothing new. When I began selling the Cossart Gordon 1845 in about 1987, we were retailing it for about $45. Today, it is over $1,000.

The Broadbent Old Reserve Terrantez is still available through our website http://www.broadbent.com but it is, today, $210 [and we only state that it is 45-50 years of age]. It is still a bargain considering the 1978 Terrantez is $448!

As for the greatest Madeira tasting I've ever been to? Good question... there have been so many. One that jumps to mind was put on by Dr. Robert Malliner in Florida, I think that was under the auspices of the Hollywood Wine Seminars, an annual weekend of wine which he organized in Hollywood, Florida. Arlette Cataldo took over these when Bob stopped being interested in running them, she changed the name to The Great Wine Seminar. They are worth going to. In fact, she also put on a good Madeira tasting, one which Roy Hersh and Jancis Robinson attended. I have pictures of Roy and Jancis on my http://www.facebook.com/broadbentselections both taken at that tasting. It was a good tasting too.

[Bartholomew Broadbent]

Hi Andy
I still want a ride in your cop car!

The cop car is waiting for your next visit to L.A., just let me know.

When you decided to make a Vintage Port, what led you to chose Dirk Niepoort to make your Ports? Are there any plans to make a Tawny with an indication of age or a Colheita Port?

Many Thanks

Thanks, as long as I'm in the front of the car!!

When I decided to make a Port I went to top producers and asked them if they would make me a Port. All of them offered to provide my wine but most of it would have been private label, not unique wine. Dirk offered to make a unique wine and he wasn't even worried if my Vintage came out better than his own! I was thrilled to work with Dirk because he is, in my mind, one of the best winemakers [and cooks!] in the whole of Portugal. He is also the only true wine ambassador for Portugal, willing to promote not just his own but also talk equally highly of everyone else's Ports. Dirk made the wines and lined up lots and, through a process of elimination, we came up with the first blend for the first Vintage. This gets repeated with each Vintage we Declare.

I am particularly excited about our Broadbent Auction Reserve. Yes, there will, in time, be an aged Tawny but we only started with the 1994 Vintage, so the wines being aged aren't yet old enough, as we'd want a good range of aged wines if we put up a 10 year old Tawny. We'd need some older wines and they aren't quite ready yet. Yes, we've considered a Colheita and even a Douro Red. Stay tuned...

[Bartholomew Broadbent]

Wine Spectator is did not score well, yet subsequently has been almost universally praised, including Roy Hersh's review, as the finest of all the 10 year old Malmseys. Roy, himself, recognized the improvement, which was the most valued recognition I could hope for.

I adore the your 10 year Malmsey and it is the best out there for the money or 10 year age bottles. No way is it like the regular Justinho and whomever said that did not have them side by side or is talking not from their mouth...

Why did you keep the Justinho's t-cork instead of branding your own?

That's a good question! I guess we didn't think about it. We just specified a t-cork and they supplied that. It didn't occur to me that it had their branding but nobody ever mentioned it until your post! I'm not worried, it would be more costly to produce our own branded top and I'm also proud to be associated with Justino's, so no worries on my part. It's what's in the bottle that counts! It was a long time ago, they may have asked if we wanted to have our own branded t-tops and for cost reasons we probably said not to bother. Maybe that has added to the confusion and people asking whether it is a unique wine or not. However, I don't think the top would stop those sorts of questions.

Why a t-top? Well, no point in driven corks for Madeira. Oxidation doesn't really matter and Madeira is stored standing up, so no need for a very serious cork. It is only there to stop the wine spilling out and preventing dust from getting in!

[Marco D.]

The Broadbent Old Reserve Terrantez is an unusual wine...

Wow... thanks for that superb summary on the history of that wine. It's great to have it archived here on Roy's forum. For a stroll down memory lane, here is a pic from the Citizen Cake tasting:



Just out of curiosity, what is your "short list" of the best bottles of Madeira you've tried?

[Glenn E.]

I am particularly excited about our Broadbent Auction Reserve.

It is one of the only Ruby Reserve level Ports that I drink! I keep several half bottles around for those days when I don't want to open a full bottle of something, yet still need a glass of Port. I tried several reserves before finally stumbling upon your Auction Reserve, and it has been a staple ever since.

[Eric Ifune]

It's only Monday afternoon and David and Marco have already asked the Madeira questions I was going to pose. I was with David at Justino's when your and the regular Justino wines were tasted side by side.
I've a bottle of the Old Reserve Terrantez ready to open in a couple of weeks.
I also love the 10 yo Malmsey.
Was the decision to label it as Malmsey rather than Malvasia because of marketing in the US?
When you changed the blend, what specifically where you most interested in changing, i.e. acidity, sweetness, ect?
Thank you!

[Bartholomew Broadbent]

The Broadbent Old Reserve Terrantez is an unusual wine...

Wow... thanks for that superb summary on the history of that wine. It's great to have it archived here on Roy's forum. For a stroll down memory lane, here is a pic from the Citizen Cake tasting:



Just out of curiosity, what is your "short list" of the best bottles of Madeira you've tried?

I was doing a wine dinner tonight in Williamsburg, VA. One of the guests came up to me and reminded me of a time I had been a Speaker on a cruise five years ago and he talked about a 1795 Madeira that we'd tasted. Frankly, I'd completely forgotten about it. In fact, it took me a while to remember which cruise, let alone the wines we tasted. There are so many great Madeiras and, for about ten years or so, I was speaking on a couple of cruises a year, it all becomes a blur.

I don't think a short list is possible without having to go through too many notes. I'm not trying to be smug, so forgive me, I just can't remember them all without a lot of digging. It makes me think of the greatest Yquem tasting...in Chicago, over the course of two days, we tasted all the Yquems going back more than two Centuries. Certainly the greatest Yquems I've had were in those tastings but the greatest Yquem I had was not in that tasting. The greatest Yquem is the one my twins tasted the day they were born [just a dab on the lips]. So, to talk about the best bottles of wine, context is all important.

Thanks for the picture. That does bring back memories...

[Bartholomew Broadbent]

I am particularly excited about our Broadbent Auction Reserve.

It is one of the only Ruby Reserve level Ports that I drink! I keep several half bottles around for those days when I don't want to open a full bottle of something, yet still need a glass of Port. I tried several reserves before finally stumbling upon your Auction Reserve, and it has been a staple ever since.

Thank you! I'm truly honored...