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 A few years before KRSMA started wine production from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes grown in the estate vineyards on a hilly terrain, crushed in 2010 and fermented in their own winery in a small unheard of place, now recognised generally as Hampi Hills, another winery had started production from bought out grapes and a rented winery in Maharashtra. I was surprised- more shocked really, when I read a media report that the winery claimed to have produced the best Indian wine that could compete with the best in the world. What an overstatement!
Fast forward to 12 September 2015 at the Vertical Tasting of Cabernet Sauvignon in Magnum bottles and 2011, 2012 and 2014 vintages at The Oberoi, Bangalore (Bengaluru)! We are enjoying an interactive chat by the owner-couple Krishna Prasad Chigurupati and his wife Uma who is also completely involved with the winemaking process sat on a sofa setup on the elevated stage. As the full house of 40 wine connoisseurs, journalists and other professionals pan India listened to an interactive and quasi informal chat as Magan chatted with the producer couple, Krishna was candid enough to admit that they were constantly experimenting and didn’t have a fixed winemaker though they did take help from outside experts frequently. Krishna believes that’ Next year is the Best Year for quality and says learning might be a long term process.
Contrast and the 2010 and 2013 vintages
The sharp contrast between the winemaking style and philosophy of the two wineries indicates how the Indian wine industry has been evolving in recent years. With passion and pocket to support it, the quality has taken a quantum jump. But KRSMA has done a lot more than that. When the maiden 2010 vintage was ready, he was not happy with the result- the vines were young, the extraction was not satisfactory and the ageing did not yield the results he envisioned. So the couple decided not to release the vintage. It’s still lying bottled up at the winery.
2013 good but not great
After 2011 and 2012 which were also bottled in Magnums to observe the evolution of the Cabernets in future- certainly a first in India and shows Krishna’s vision, 2013 was disappointing for the perfectionist couple. It was a good example of how vintage can affect the quality of wine in this region too. The same soil, same viticulture and winemaking but the vagaries of weather humbled the Chigurupatis. It was a difficult vintage with rains before the harvest. There was no fungus but saline aromas and not as perfumed as the earlier vintages. Tannins were strong and aggressive. ‘It was a good vintage but not great so we debated whether to sell it as bulk wine,’ reflects Krishna as he discloses to the audience, ‘we even considered giving it away free but no one was interested.’
The quality would be acceptable to many other vintners but not to them. They were debating even after they harvested 2014. Early this year, they decided to declassify it and introduce it as a new label K2-as reported in delWine. The Bangalore market was supplied at practically half the price, with a lighter bottle and screwcap (the regular estate Cabernet Sauvignon uses carbon footprint- hogging heavy bottles) at Rs. 780. In future K2 will be produced each vintage from the same grapes and process but after the best have been used up for the regular Cabernet Sauvignon.
KRSMA Wines Set Foot in New York City
Tasting of non Magnums
 Earlier in the day, we had enjoyed a special tasting of Sauvignon Blanc 2013, 2014 and 2015 (regular bottles of 750 mL each) with Chinese lunch. It was a perfect way of enjoying their wines with food-all clean, fruity, crisp and drinking beautifully (2014 was delicious and complex though I felt 2015 was very fresh and with a crisp acidity that balanced the slight extra residual sugar. 2014 was elegant with gooseberry flavours sans cat’s pee smell that seem to entice many Sauvignon lovers.
The evening started with canapés, sushi and oysters with white wines and a taste of Sangiovese before the 40 people were ushered in.
Taste of Magnums
After a brief video Krishna clarified that this evening was not about comparing the different vintages necessarily but to share how their winemaking process had evolved since beginning. When someone wondered whether they were gradually shifting from Old World to New World, Krishna who is equally enamoured of Napa Cabernets as much as Bordeaux, stressed that it was neither. He said it was truly an effort to define the Indian wines. ‘We have our own terroir and we need to learn from our own experiments and not what the French, Americans or the Australians tell us to do,’ he said.
But somewhere in his mind, the new world charm seems to have taken root. ‘Vintage matters, he says adding ,’place doesn’t matter-you can do it (make wine) anywhere,’ The French in Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne would perhaps not like to hear that, though they believe in the power of nature and what it can do to the quality and ageability of wine. Uma conceded she liked fruity wines, leaning more towards the New World though.
In order to look at the evolution of the winemaking styles, the tasting order was reversed and wines were poured from 2011 to 2012 to 2014. The first wine Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 was light in texture. It was a floral and perfumed wine but one could feel oak as slightly powerful. Good structure and elegant wine. But the wine is still evolving and may change its personality in the next 5 years. Rating 88/100
 Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 was floral, full of berries and red fruits and a bit of liquorice on the nose. It was better extracted with a lot of concentration of fruit. Firm tannins, nice structure, good length. Elegant and homogenous wine. To me, this was the most favourite wine of the evening. Rating 92/100
It was rather bold of Chigurupatis to showcase the Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 though many liked the wine despite the untamed tannins. Most found it too young and oak is still predominant. The wine was very perfumed and fresh on the nose with black fruit in abundance with a layer of vanilla in the fragrance. The tannins are still quite harsh and will take a year or two though, again, many thought it was already drinking well even now.
With the tendency for novices to like to drink the wines young, I am afraid the fine wines meant to age but sold young, would mean people not getting the best of flavours and what the wine is supposed to offer in terms of complexity. Uma agrees that they should perhaps keep the wines for another year before release. But there has been too much pressure of the market and this has not been possible. But she hopes that within 2 years they will be in a position to hold back the majority of a vintage in the winery before releasing. Rating 90/100
 Cabernet 2015 was an interesting and surprise addition to the repertoire. Though the wine is still in the barrel, it was poured to give an idea about the evolution. This is somewhat like En Primeur tasting. I am not sure many people in India can analytically look at the possible evolution of the wine. I for one did not particularly care for the aromas though the flavours were smooth. The aromas were bland and slightly pale and stifled on the nose. Apparently, sulphur has been added during vinification and is playing havoc with the nose. It reminded me of Chianti Classico Anti Prima where the producers are wary of showing their latest vintage from the barrel as they are afraid those who are not experienced enough, may not understand them and be unduly and prematurely critical about them.
Krishna made it clear that he is focussing on improved quality-he aims to make the Cabernet Sauvignon that will compare with the best of Napa. But it is heartening that all the wines we tasted at the #KRSMAVerticalTasting organised by @KRSMAEstate were very clean on the nose and pleasant on the palate-any novice or a connoisseur would enjoy them. And one day, perhaps 20 years from now, such Tastings will be highlighted in the foreign Press too.
For the moment Krishna is leaving for New York to focus on the new Tasting at the Michelin starred French Restaurant Bouley in New York ‘where we will taste the KRSMA Sauvignon Blanc 2014, Chardonnay 2014, Sangiovese 2013 and Cabernet 2012 in regular format on 16th,’ he tells me.
Bon Voyage and have another Great Tasting, Krishna Prasad!
Subhash Arora |