James Bercovici - The Big Red Wine Company

Manzone's 2006 Gramolere

2012-01-19T07:44:00.000-08:00

Having finally finalised my order with Mauro Manzone (of Giovanni Manzone), I have done what I always do, albeit a couple of hours early: cracked open a bottle. This one is the 2006 Barolo from Le Gramolere in Monforte d'Alba. This site tends to give medium-bodied but luscious wines and this is no exception. The reason for opening it so early is that I feared it would be a typical 2006, overloaded with tannins. Yes, the tannins are noticeable but they will soften in the couple of hours or so between now and my (wholly inappropriate) dinner and they don't get in the way of the sweet cherry/berry fruit and liquorice/tar characters. This wine has the ethereal quality that I want from a fine Nebbiolo. It doesn't disappoint.

Decanter reviews Sicily

2012-01-01T08:34:00.000-08:00

Peter McCombie MW seems to like the wines of Baglio del Cristo di Campobello in the Italy 2012 supplement to Decanter - well, who can blame him? The more basic cuvees have lots to offer but it is the two prestige wines that really excite.

Lu Patri 2008: "Wide range of red and black fruit flavours, plenty of freshness and some grip; really a food wine. Very well made, will age and improve" 18/20

Lusira 2008: "Quite ripe and berryish Syrah with nice richness and palate weight. Well crafted with smooth tannins" 17.5/20

Autumn wine tastings

2011-11-23T10:39:00.001-08:00

A bit late in the day to update this but they are as follows:

26th November - Barton Mills
3rd December - Norwich

Please get in touch if you want to come along and I will let you know times and locations!

More from Piedmont

2011-11-11T01:30:00.000-08:00

I gave in to the pressure from Piedmont (actually the pressure all came from me: I couldn't hold out any longer!) and have wines from Crissante Alessandria and Filippo Gallino en route (what's the Italian for "en route"?)

Alberto Alessandria makes some superb Baroli. I was particularly struck by his 2007 Galina which seems quite modern in style but I think that has more to do with the vintage. Also, I was intrigued by his 2006 Roggeri, a typically tannic example but with some superb fruit. It needs time. However, in some ways, the star of the tasting was his 2007 Barbera "Ruge", an astonishingly complete wine (I have never tasted Barbera like this before, hence it being the star wine for me) with superb ripeness and low (for Barbera) acidity.

Filippo Gallino is head of a family based in Roero, just across the Tanaro River from Barbaresco, and the third main region for Nebbiolo based wines. However, it was their 2009 Barbera which came across as a superb bargain: silky and refined ripe fruit with lovely acidity and not too much weight (a real contrast to the Crissante Alessandria Barbera). I also couldn't resist the sweet wines: "Chinche", a late harvest Arneis to contrast with Fabrizio Battaglino's "Bric Bastia" and an intriguing sparkling red called "Birbet", made from Brachetto. With only 5.5% alcohol, the closest comparison I can make to the uninitiated (which included me until a couple of weeks ago) is Moscato d'Asti but, actually, I preferred this.

To wrap things up, I also yielded to the temptation of Serradenari's flagship label, Giulia Negri. The wines come from a tiny vineyard next to their truffle forest - hence they are called "La Tartufaia" - and are produced from low yielding Nebbiolo and Chardonnay vines, the latter from cuttings from a well-respected Meursault vineyard.

Oh, and Mauro Manzone (of Giovanni Manzone) is being very persuasive too.

Piedmont dinner at the Lido

2011-10-27T15:30:00.000-07:00

We arrived at the Lido at around 7pm ostensibly to help get things ready but everything was under control. It was good to finally meet Birger who was there with the winemakers, Enrico Nada and Fabrizio Battaglino who were accompanied by Alberto Alessandria. This was very welcome as Alberto had sent me a box of his wines to try when the shipment arrived for tomorrow's dinner (I admitted to Enrico and Fabrizio that I thought Alberto's Barbera even better than theirs - but, then, it retails for over £20 so it should be!).

There were ten on our table so it was always going to be lively. Enrico and Fabrizio introduced the wines, bringing a touch of live theatre to the evening. Two whites to start, quite different but both very good. Which went better with the wild mushrooms? Probably the Roero tonight but if they had been creamier, then I think the Langhe Bianco would have taken the prize. With the main course, I was pleased to see Fabrizio's too young Roero open up well with the osso bucco and Enrico's Barbera gained in richness and complexity with the food too, in true Italian style. The cheese was accompanied by Enrico's 2007 Barbaresco and, just before the dessert was served, Fabrizio's late-harvest Arneis came along to show that it also goes well with blue cheese.

All together, a good evening. My only gripe was that there were too few bottles to take home with me so I had to make do with an oddly perfumed (but quite interesting) Australian fortified Shiraz for a nightcap.

Last night at the IOD

2011-10-27T12:28:00.000-07:00

I have never been tempted by offers of membership of the IOD (Institute of Directors) in the past (although, as a sole trader, this wouldn't apply to BRW) but on arrival there yesterday afternoon, I understood why some find it hard to resist. I saw only the restaurant area but it is a luxurious setting with paintings bigger than most houses' walls. We had been allocated a generous space for tasting wines and enjoying them with dinner afterwards. I don't think any of us realised, though, that 30 wines in an hour with a bit of socialising was never going to happen.

I started with good intentions. I began with the whites: first Fabrizio Battaglino's Roero Arneis then the equivalent wine from Filippo Gallino followed by Nada Giuseppe's Langhe Bianco. The first two were quite similar in style (as was to be expected): very precise and well-defined whereas the Nada has another layer thanks to the blend with Sauvignon and Favorita. Not necessarily any better but different. Enrico Nada had the only rosado so that came next. I have never been a great fan of pink wines (with the odd notable exception) but this was perfectly acceptable (you see, it didn't rock my boat).

I wanted to re-taste a couple of Fabrizio's reds - the straight Nebbiolo d'Alba and the "Colla" (which is entitled to Roero status but which Fabrizio bottles as Nebbiolo d'Alba). I still found the latter wine a little hard (it's a 2008, maybe that's why) but the more simple wine has lovely fruit. Give it another year or two though.

I had, also, to taste a couple of wines from Crissante Alessandria (an estate I have recently become familiar with): in particular the "Ruge" Barbera (stunning) and Barolo Galina (exquisite), both from the forward 2007 vintage. The 2006s are much more tannic so I had every intention of coming back to them before the dinner (optimism blinded me to the fact it was less than half an hour to dinner).

The rest of the tasting session was spent at the Filippo Gallino table (I was going to be sitting with Enrico so would have another opportunity to taste all his wines at dinner). I was immediately struck by the freshness of the fruit-driven Barbera. I worked through all the Barbera wines from this producer (and went back to taste Fabrizio's as well) and in some ways preferred this to the richer, necessarily more complete wines further on. I was rather taken by the 2007 Superiore, however, due its almost Port-like richness. Not sure I could drink much of it though.

The real interest, for me, on this table lay in the two sweet wines. The other dry reds were good, certainly, but not stylistically different from some others. The "Chinche", however, is a late harvest Arneis (like Fabrizio's "Bric Bastia") with some entriguing characters (I need to taste this again!) and the "Birbet" is a highly unusual (to me) low alcohol lightly sparkling red made from Brachetto (I think). Necessarily sweet but, rather than the sickly mess I had envisaged, I found myself liking it very much.

A superb meal followed with superb wines from the Nada Giuseppe stable. I am familiar with all of these, of course, except that Enrico had sent over a sample of his 2007 Barbaresco Riserva. Quite simply, the star of the night.

Wine Deal

2011-10-20T16:41:00.000-07:00

The Deal Wine Tasting Society is less than ten years old but forty-odd members crowded into the Landmark Centre on Deal's High Street last night for a tasting of Rhone wines. Perhaps it was the sudden drop in temperature but, certainly, everyone was up for a bit of winter warming.

The evening got off to a start with club secretary John Howard introducing me and informing the group that BRW is ranked a five star merchant by wine-searcher (which is news to me, albeit good news, of course).

Two whites to start with: Domaine des Anges, Ventoux 2010 Blanc has a sweet attack but a crisp, dry finish, just what I want from a fruity Rhone white. I had to include at least one DDA wine because John's wife Barbara is the cousin of Janet Swan who, with her husband Malcolm, bought the estate in 1973 and still lives there now. Next was the fragrant Viognier-rich Domaine de Mourchon, CDR 2010 "La Source" with notes of tropical fruits, honey and peardrops. One to drink on its own, we all thought.

Domaine de Cristia's VDP 2010 Grenache (the organic one) is very accessible with its big, easy fruit whilst the more serious VDP 2009 Vieilles Vignes Grenache (in conversion) has sweet red fruit with some vanilla and liquorice. Any choice must be a matter of personal preference as the differences are stylistic only.

I decided to include an outsider: Domaine Treloar's 2008 "Three Peaks" from Roussillon shows the quality of this region when worked with passion. It also demonstrates that the rains that affected the Rhone in 2008 had no impact here. This is a very smooth, big, flavoursome wine with a good future. Then back to Domaine des Anges for the next wine: the 2007 Cotes du Ventoux "Archange" is a Syrah-rich wine with lashings of black fruit nicely supported by the oak (in contrast to Ciaran's first vintage when, perhaps, the balance between the fruit and the oak had not yet been perfected). One of my "at home" wines.

Domaine de Mourchon, again, this time the 2005 Grande Reserve which is, surely, the best that Seguret can offer (until, perhaps, 2007 is fully mature). This wine has been slow to develop but that is something to applaud when the result is this good. A rich, rounded, complex winter warmer of a wine. Very popular too although it was followed by the one dud of the evening: Xavier Vignon's "Debut" was not in a good place at first. However, with a few minutes aeration, it did begin to reveal its potential. I do wonder whether this wine is going through a transition at the moment.

To finish off, two fortified wines from Rasteau, each one quite different from the other. First, Domaine Bressy-Masson's Rasteau Rancio, a non-vintage, almost Madeira-like wine from some sort of solera system. Lovely aromatics (and flavours too). The the 2007 Rouge from Domaine des Coteaux des Travers which is developing extremely well into the southern Rhone's variation on the Port theme with raisin characters pushing through now. Having recently tried the Puig Parahy Rivesaltes Rancios, this is clearly good value for sharing.

After all this lot, I was very pleased that I was staying with an old college friend a mile and a half away, rather than going all the way back to Barton Mills!

Piedmont dinner at the Lido - the menu is revealed

2011-10-20T03:31:00.000-07:00

I have been sent the menu for the dinner next Wednesday:

Starter: Wild Mushrooms on Sourdough Toast
Main: Osso Bucco with Mash Potato and Spinach (veg alternative - Homemade Leek and Denhay Cheddar Sausages)

Cheese: Cheese with Biscuits and Quince Jelly

Dessert: Almond Zabaglioni with Vanilla Pears

Now we just need to work out which wines to go with each course!

Time Out Food & Drink Awards for 2011

2011-10-03T06:12:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to The Lido Cafe in London's Brockwell Park for scooping this award. A great ambience is well supported by superb food and, of course, a fabulous wine list.

I am looking forward to the Piedmont dinner there later this month with Enrico Nada (of Nada Giuseppe) and Fabrizio Battaglino and half a dozen of their excellent wines:

Fabrizio Battaglino, Roero Arneis 2010
Nada Giuseppe, Langhe Bianco 2010
Nada Giuseppe, Dolcetto 2010
Fabrizio Battaglino, Roero "Sergentin" 2009
Nada Giuseppe, Barbaresco 2007
Fabrizio Battaglino, "Bric Bastia"

Fabrizio Battaglino's 2009 Roero

2011-09-28T10:34:00.000-07:00

Having - at last - got round to ordering some of Fabrizio Battaglino's wines, I have done what I always do: opened a bottle to celebrate. Having opened the Roero Arneis and Bric Bastia for an Italian-themed meal with friends at the weekend, it is the turn of the (red) 2009 Roero "Sergentin".

This has really developed since I tasted it at the estate only a few weeks ago. Clearly in need of time to open up but some breathing should do the trick (I will report back later if I remember!). There is a hint of the barrel but overall the impression is one of really delicious fruit. I would be interested to taste this alongside the same vintage of a Barolo or Barbaresco as I think it would perform extremely well. That said, as a Roero, it really is a different expression of Nebbiolo.

Quite plummy fruit and the flavour of the barrel is more apparent than I have noticed before but not in an obtrusive way. This wine exudes class and, whilst it would be somewhat masochistic of me to attempt to drink much of this tonight, it is clear this wine is destined for greatness. I must confess that, whilst I thought the 2008 very good indeed, I am glad to be importing the more generous and instantly gratifying 2009. Can't wait to start showing it off.

An Italian themed meal

2011-09-26T10:34:00.000-07:00

Some friends who spend a lot of time in Piedmont came over last night. Having forgotten it was International Grenache Day, I had planned an Italian-themed meal even going so far as to make pomodoro al forno (three hours in the oven) and a chocolate panforte. Oh, and some chocolate almonds (I had blanched around 200 almonds the previous evening: TV schedulers take note: you really need to put something interesting on!)

We started with two whites from Fabrizio Battaglino and Nada Giuseppe, both excellent. Fabrizio's 2010 Roero Arneis was more poised and clearly defined; Enrico's 2010 Langhe Bianco "Armonia" more exuberant. Both were quite distinctive and, for once, I couldn't say I enjoyed one more than the other. Fabrizio's wine was used as an aperitif whilst Fabrizio's lasted until we sat down to eat so that may have had some bearing on it (would the pure and focused Arneis have worked so well with the flavoursome first course, I wonder?).

With the simple primi piatti of pasta puttanesca we also enjoyed the Pinot Noir-based "Renoir" from Tenuta Serradenari, high in the hills above La Morra, a very nice wine although it doesn't make me think Pinot at all, more Nebbiolo which makes up only 20% of the blend. Perhaps it really is a terroir thing: Pinot grown in Piedmont tastes of Nebbiolo?

We then moved on to the big guns for the main course of lamb cooked with anchovies. Nada Giuseppe's Barbaresco Riserva 2006 was all about classical elegance, a typical good Barbaresco; Serradenari's 2007 Barolo represented power, a very modern and accessible Barolo.

With the panforte Fabrizio's delicious "Bric Bastia" made from dried, late harvested Arneis topped things off brilliantly. There is sufficient sweetness to match the chocolate which was mixed with almonds (again), candied peel and cranberries (simple but delicious) and served with an Ameretto ice cream. The wine has more though but, frankly, it is enough to say it matched the food perfectly.

I just have to hope none of the Rhone producers read this and get cross that on today of all days I didn't drink Grenache!

Bordeaux Dinner at By Appointment

2011-09-22T09:58:00.000-07:00

I will be presenting a selection of Bordeaux (and other) wines at By Appointment in Norwich on 7th October.

The current line-up is:

Pre-dinner: Michel Rocourt, Champagne "Non dose"
Starter of mackerel wellington with a red pepper pesto: Pezat Blanc and Pezat Rose
Main course of lamb: Pezat Rouge 2005 and Chateau Teyssier 2006
Dessert of lemon curd tart with raspberry coulis and spiced mascarpone/cheese course: Domaine Berthoumieu's sweet Pacherenc wines (Charles de Batz and Symphonie d'Automne)

Post-script (Monday 10th October):

The Rocourt was extremely well received with even those who professed to disliking un-dosed Champagnes admitting they enjoyed this one, probably due to the extended ageing of this wine. It was enjoyed both on its own and with a turnip and vanilla veloute. With the mackerel, the white was well received but the rose was, on this occasion, too soft to cope with the fish (and, perhaps, it was subdued by the white). The two reds served with the lamb were both popular although diners were surprised that there was little between them. I explained that this was part of the reason why I showed these two wines together: in youth, Pezat and Teyssier do look remarkably similar; it is only as they age that the sheer class of Teyssier overtakes the Pezat red. On that basis, I asked diners if they would prefer to drink Pezat or the more expensive Teyssier with its more prestigious label. Most voted with the wallets which is a pleasing response. With the lemon curd tart, diners were evenly split between a preference for the younger, more acidic "Charles de Batz" and the rounder, sweeter "Symphonie d'Automne".

Chateauneuf 2009 in Decanter

2011-09-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

I can't remember which upcoming edition of Decanter will feature the results of their Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2009 tasting but it seems our friends have done rather well with seven high scoring wines between them. No reviews yet, only star ratings.

Raymond Usseglio picked up four stars for Stef's brilliant new cuvee, "La Part des Anges", a 70% Mourvedre wine which is as exotic as it is original. This is only the second vintage for this wine which was first made in 2007 (no 2008, obviously) and named after the portion of the barrel which evaporates (the angels' share). Stef has re-interpreted the expression and has given them the very best he has to offer in terms of both viticulture and vinification. A great wine that needs time.

Domaine de Cristia must have submitted all three cuvees as they all picked up some good scores. We enjoyed a bottle of the 2005 last night so I am looking forward to the even better 2009s being ready.

Christophe Coste's Chateau Capucine was on the medals table too for its debut vintage. My feeling is that this wine has barely begun to show its full potential so will score even higher in a couple more years or so.

Grand Veneur did well too with both the classic cuvee and Origines putting in a good show.

I can only assume that Beaucastel didn't submit its glorious 2009!

Treloar white: Terre Promise

2011-09-07T11:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, Domaine Treloar's "Terre Promise" is serious stuff. I - stupidly - took the bottle from the fridge and poured but, like any really good white wine, this made it far too cold. After a few minutes and some appreciative swirls, the wine started to open up, slightly disjointed at first (hey, it's only been in the bottle a couple of months) but then really together, integrating the fruit from the different grapes with the subtle oak. There's something weird and exotic on the finish I can't quite place but it only serves to make me want to come back for more. It's one of those wines you just know is going to be even better in a few years time - or just tomorrow night.

Note: the next day, the nose reveals more liquorice character. It promises a good future development in the same way as Mas de Daumas Gassac's white or one of the top old-vine Roussanne Chateauneufs.

Bordeaux dinner at the Lido

2011-09-07T04:36:00.000-07:00

The wines of Chateau Teyssier featured heavily at a Bordeaux-themed wine dinner which took place last night at the Lido Cafe in London's Brockwell Park sponsored by the CIVB (Bordeaux promo body). There was a three course meal with appropriate wines as follows:

Seafood starter with Pezat Blanc and Rose

Lamb with Lacroix, Pezat Rouge and Chateau Teyssier

Cheese (to help mop up the reds)

Peach tart with Rieussec Sauternes

Note: Pezat is, in effect, the second label of wines from Teyssier, comprising a range of high quality generic Bordeaux wines (all three colours). Lacroix is the everyday winem from the same stable.

The actor and comedian Frog Stone presented the wines for us and, as always, she did a great job. The wines were on top form - Pezat Rose, Pezat Red and of course that amazing Sauternes proving the most popular.

Food pairings also worked really well - so, an all round success.

There will be another Bordeaux-themed dinner soon, this time at By Appointment in Norwich on 7th October and, on 26th October, the Lido will be hosting a Piedmont dinner with winemakers Enrico Nada and Fabrizio Battaglino. The wines for these meals are all subsidised so they are fabulously well priced and not to be missed if at all possible (worth the train fare to be there!).

Domaine Treloar - here at last

2011-09-01T10:56:00.001-07:00

Jon Hesford's wines arrived in London a few days ago and today I got my hands on them at last. TNs posted over the next few days:

One Block 2009 14% ABV. Composite cork.
Rich and sweet with a good mouthfeel and quite tannic. This has a good balance between sweet fruit and structure. Presumably quite old vines to achieve this level of concentration (or is this a Roussillon thing?). Almost over-ripe, reminiscent of a 90% Grenache Sablet I had around 10 years ago which, when left to age a couple more years was more Chateauneuf-like than many Chateauneufs! Texturally, there is a suggestion of old oak but no toast here, just pure, ripe fruit. Will be better in 6/12 months (note: over the following two nights it evolved but only very gradually) and will drink well until 2016.

Three Peaks 2008 13.5% ABV. Composite cork. Syrah/Grenache/Mourvedre/Carignan.
Quite a meaty nose at first (the fruit appeared only after 24 hours!) but the palate is very fruity and quite oaky too (in harmony with the distinguished fruit). Not too heavy and a good finish. The following day, the nose is more evolved but there is more oak and it seems tighter than on day one but by day three it is singing. Drink to 2015.

Le Secret 2008 13.5% ABV. Natural cork. Syrah with 10% each Grenache and Mourvedre.
Very Syrah with a nice dollop of oak on the nose. Lots of black fruit. Quite distinctive, rounded and smooth. Day two: opening up gradually, still quite tannic. Day three: just getting into its stride. To 2016.

Motus 2009 14% ABV. Natural cork. Mourvedre with 10% each Grenache and Syrah.
Very dark in colour. The nose is not very expressive at first although there is clearly oak here alongside the fruit (must bear in mind this has only recently been bottled). The palate shows more immediate potential but really needs a couple of years at least. Day two: quite closed with little on the nose or palate. The fruit is lurking but this really needs time but, then, show me a great Mourvedre that doesn't! Drink to 2018+.

Tahi 2007 14% ABV. Natural cork. Syrah/Grenache/Mourvedre.
Thick and dark (the cork end was inky!) and with a more evolved, quite meaty nose (salty bouillon?) and juicier palate. The oak comes through here. Needs a few minutes to open up but has good potential. By day two it is just about there (and doesn't survive the night!). To 2018.

Overall, this is a very pleasing range to be adding to the list (and gives me a good excuse to visit Roussillon!). The quality is high across the range; not once did I think that I would prefer not to be drinking any of the wine. Rather, the question was which one now? All the wines could benefit from further ageing but, having tasted them over a three day period, another thing that struck me is the incredibly slow evolution of all the wines. To be expected with Mourvedre and, to a lesser extent, Syrah but the One Block Grenache was still incredibly fresh after three days.

So, how long do these wines need and how long will they last? I have made my estimations based on my general experience and on Jon's reckoning but I really wouldn't be surprised to see them take longer to come round and to last a lot longer than these conservative estimates.

Domaine Joblot harvest news (in brief)

2011-09-01T09:50:00.000-07:00

Not very happy as short crop, plenty of triage, and all finished tonight! Quality looking good though.

Domaine Joblot visit

2011-08-22T12:10:00.000-07:00

Having stayed very near to Givry last night, I was able to slip in a quick visit to Clos Saloman before my 10.30 appointment with Jean-Marc Joblot. Here I tasted his 2009s from Montagny (white - very aromatic) and Givry (red, a Premier Cru with excellent fruit and good structure, almost as good as his 2005).

When I arranged the meeting, this really was the last day Jean-Marc was prepared to see me as the harvest will be started on Thursday! Incredibly early and still lots to do. Still, he was generous with his time and proved a good communicator. Of course, he knew nothing about me so we discussed my interests in wine and knowledge of the wines of Givry in particular (I have been following the wines of Domaine Joblot for over a decade so knew something of what today's tasting would have in store. Fortunately, Jean-Marc agreed that the other two Givry estates I know well, Clos Saloman and Michel Sarrazin are both excellent producers; the man who is the undisputed leader in his appellation can afford this generosity, of course).

We spent a good while getting to know each other before heading for the cave. I warmed to him immediately: his enthusiasm is infectious and he has a slightly mischievious glint in his eyes which betrayed a wicked sense of humour.

In the cave, we tasted only 2010s, the 2009s having all sold out. The 2010s were all in new barrels although there is another cave with wines maturing in older barrels too. The taste of the new oak has to be compensated for, of course, but before we tasted anything at all, Jean-Marc instructed me to put my nose deep into a barrel already in place for the fermentation and ageing of the 2011 white. There was little in the way of toast; rather, a sweet smell with notes of confection. When we later tasted the 2010 white, I was brought back to this point; the fruit is in no way overwhelmed by the oak. In fact, it took me back to my earlier tasting at Clos Saloman where the nose of the Montagny was more expressive than Jean-Marc's but the palate less complex. The barrel may well have had something to do with this.

Jean-Marc discussed the importance of barrels to him (coopers being part of the winemaking family along with the nursery and, of course, the vigneron). He has a longstanding relationship with the great Burgundian tonellerie at St Romain, Francois Freres, so they know exactly what he likes. With the nursery, again, they know the clones he likes to use; for Jean-Marc, it is not the age of the vine that matters but the quality of the wine it produces.

There were five reds, all remarkably different given the raw materials were virtually identical. From the (comparitively) soft Clos des Bois Chevaux to the powerful and structured Cellier aux Moines then the rounded Pied de Chaume and the complete Clos de la Servoisine and, finally, a blended cuvee (that is, a blend of wines matured in new and old oak; Jean-Marc doesn't like to blend the different lieux-dits) from Maroles, this was a superb lesson on terroir. Jean-Marc pointed out that the vines were the same, the vinification was the same, the barrels were the same... only the soil was different and yet the wines themselves are so very different already and, in time, they can only grow further apart. Truly fascinating. I have never properly understood Burgundian terroir before this.

And what of the oak? Yes, there was more in the samples I tasted than I would want to drink but these had not been blended with the old barrel-aged wines, much less aged in bottle for up to 15 years (Jean-Marc reckons their potential to be at least this long). From experience, two or three years in the bottle, then two or three hours in carafe should bring these wines close to perfection.

Jean-Marc was adamant that his job was easy; all he did was let the wine ferment and put it into the barrels where he left it untouched until it was time for bottling: C'est simple! Of course, his eyes were twinkling as he spoke.

Piedmont dinner at the Lido - 26th October

2011-08-18T08:07:00.000-07:00

Both Enrico and Fabrizio are going to be in London during half-term week for a posh dinner at the IOD but we have lined up another meal where they will be presenting some of their wines for only £40 for a three course meal including the wines.

The Lido Cafe in Brockwell Park is a hidden gem in south London (near to Dulwich). If you are interested, contact Duncan at the Lido to reserve a place - duncan@thelidocafe.co.uk or call 020 7737 8183

The Lido Cafe
Dulwich Road
Brockwell Lido
London
SE24 0PA

Fabrizio Battaglino visit

2011-08-11T13:14:00.000-07:00

Satellite Navigation will be the making of Fabrizio Battaglino. His family estate is tucked away from the rest of the world so you would need an incredibly detailed map to find him - he did offer to come to meet me and bring me back to the estate but I was determined to try on my own.

Obviously we made it there and, once installed, spent some time getting to know Fabrizio and his mother who was exceptionally hospitable (when the children eventually got bored of our conversation, they went to play outside; next thing we heard them playing in the house above our heads which was quite warming to hear on the grounds that our children have only a handful of words in Italian and Signora Battaglino seems not to know any English at all).

The tasting began with the white, Fabrizio's Roero Bianco 2010. Roero is a fairly young region next to the Barbaresco zone and its reds are based on Nebbiolo too but for the whites, the local Arneis variety is used. The fruit is not dissimilar to a southern Rhone white but with more pronounced acidity giving the wine greater ageing potential. Fabrizio agreed although he admitted not many bottles get the opportunity to see this through.

The reds began with his (young) 2010 Barbera which has a really wild animal nose. Fabrizio thought it would evolve well for drinking in another couple of months. I like its savageness now though but can see it would probably have wider appeal later in the year. The acidity is good and, when tasted with a slice of salami, it is easy to appreciate the need for many Italian wines to have food to show them at their best.

There are three reds: first a relatively straightforward Nebbiolo which spends most of its life (prior to bottling) in stainless steel tanks with just a short spell in barrel to soften it slightly. Fabrizio doesn't like to use too much new oak so he uses them for three or four years which gives the wines all the benefits of barrel ageing (aeration) without the flavour (another advantage of this approach is cost: new barrels cost over 500€).

There is only one red labelled as Roero for marketing reasons (long-standing customers know the top wine, Colla, as a Nebbiolo d'Alba even though it is entitled to Roero status). The Roero "Sergentin" 2009 has more weight - and more tannin - than the simple Nebbiolo and it is apparent that given some more bottle age, this will be rather good. The "Colla" was presented last and is stylistically quite different to the "Sergentin" although both betray a house style of pensive sophistication. Again, it needs to age to show at its best.

All these last three wines show another side of the Nebbiolo grape: more subtle than any of the wines tasted over the previous couple of days. Is it the winemaker (intelligent, sensitive and throughtful compared with Enrico's exuberant confidence, for example) or the terroir, I wonder? Well, I have to go back to France now so I will have to return another time to explore the region in greater depth to discover the answer to this.

Post script. We didn't taste the wine at the estate but Fabrizio gave me a bottle of his Bric Bastia, a late harvest Arneis, to taste later. Following an attempt to make a proper Italian ragu for Sunday lunch, I opened it with a simple dessert (Amaretti di Mombaruzzo - delicious). When I tasted it before, I thought it reminiscent of tinned peaches but, actually, there is far more here including grapefruit. Actually, it reminds me of Domaine Rotier's Gaillac Doux "Renaissance" which is one of my very favourite sweet wines so I am going to be doing everything I can to extol the virtues of Fabrizio's range if only for this wine!

Tenuta Serradenari visit

2011-08-10T18:47:00.000-07:00

Gabriella Spallino billed Serradenari as the highest vineyard in Barolo and, certainly, our old camper van didn't seem to enjoy the journey up the hill as much as it might have done. We had lunch in La Morra before the visit so most of the work was done. It is a shame that just behind the vineyard are all the telephone masts of the region but Gabriella explained that, as the highest hill around, Serradenari had little alternative but to host these. Still, the estate looks the other way, across the valley (an ocean floor in prehistoric times) towards the Alps. A stunning view.

We spent an hour walking (hiking) around the tiny estate which includes vineyards planted to Nebbiolo (of course) and Barbera but also Pinot Noir (Gabriella clearly has a passion for this variety and hopes, one day, to produce a world class mono-varietal Pinot) and Chardonnay grafted from vines in Meursault which already makes a fabulous wine with an Italian twist (I enjoyed it sufficiently to buy some for my own use). There is a small vineyard of older vine Nebbiolo and Chardonnay planted on sandy soils which produces stunning wines under the Giulia Negri label (these will be included in our next import!), next to the truffle forest.

A thirsty hour or so later, we had consumed a bottle or more of water and now it was time to taste some new (to us) wines, principally the whites. At room temperature it would be reasonable to expect these to be far too warm but, actually, fridge cold would have been far too far the other way. We agreed with Gabriella's suggestion that they would be best enjoyed around 15 degrees to allow the fruit to give its all.

The basic Chardonnay was fleshy and fruity with good acidity. A couple of degrees lower and I would have enjoyed drinking it rather than just tasting it (it is very hot today!) and I did sneak a small sip, I must admit. Then came the Giulia Negri Chardonnay, more obviously oaked but not overly so, with incredible flavour nuances, many reminiscent of the earlier walk around the vineyard. Clearly not a cheap wine at all but when Gabriella told me the price, I calculated it to be around £25 in the UK and figured it is not possible to get a Burgundy as good as this for that sort of money.

Finally, the jewell in the crown: the Giulia Negri Barolo 2007. We had tasted the 2005 and 2006 before which both showed immense promise behind the brooding tannins but this 2007, like the regular Serradenari Barolo from 2007 (from the vineyard at the top of the hill with more clay in the soil), is remarkably approachable. Some oak is evident but the fruit dominates, together with a sublime texture. With a slice of 30-month-old Parmesan to accompany the wine, we felt extremely privileged to be sitting in Gabriella's house enjoying this incredible wine with views of the snow-capped Alps across the valley floor.

Nada Giuseppe visit

2011-08-09T12:33:00.000-07:00

Having arrived in Piemonte yesterday afternoon, we agreed it would be better to visit Enrico this morning when we had had a chance to freshen up from our journey (we had been travelling - slowly - for five days to get here from Cahors). Probably a good idea.

Enrico is quite young (the right side of 30) and confident. He speaks good English (which bodes well for the forthcoming tasting dinners in London) and clearly knows where he wants to take the family estate. Enrico has plans to capitalise on his father's successes (Giuseppe began bottling the wines back in the 1960s, just before Barbaresco received DOC status and built the estate from there).

One thing immediately struck us: the overwhelming friendliness of this family. Enrico sat us down at the family table and we chatted about ourselves, our businesses and our interest in wine. It was a good half an hour before we even thought about opening a bottle. By the time he was pouring the first wine, his white Arneis, called Armonia, his mother, Nella, had brought snacks to the table to accompany the wines and some specifically for the children who were patiently drawing and reading throughout all of this.

We didn't really taste anything new: the Dolcetto was from 2010 (and superb: usually I am not enamoured with this variety but in Enrico's hands it is much more than the Beaujolais of Piemonte) but otherwise we tasted his wines together for the first time: the Barbera, Nebbiolo and Barbaresco 2007 and 2008. These last two impressed most, not only because they should but also because of their development since Easter when we first tried them. Then they showed promise but were, at the same time, quite hard and I felt the difference between these and the Riserva quite marked. Now they are singing and I am regretting not buying more! Still, there is always next time.

One thing we learnt from this and subsequent visits: when in Piemonte, there is no such thing as a lightening visit. If you come here (and I strongly recommend you do), make appointments in advance and allow at least two hours per visit.

Chateau du Cedre visit

2011-08-04T15:22:00.000-07:00

Pascal Verhaegue began by introducing us to another vistor, one of the writers from the Revue du Vin de France, then we all piled into his car for a quick tour of the vineyards to see the two distinct terroirs which make up the estate: chalky, sometimes sandy soils giving finesse to the wine and clay soils with galet stones providing the power. These are blended together in the final wines.

Back in the cellars, we tasted the component parts from the 2010 vintage, first for Chateau du Cedre, then for "Le Cedre" and finally for "GC". After each cuvee was tasted in components, Pascal put together an approximate blend of the finished wine which, in each case, was greater than the sum of its parts. The sandier soils did, indeed, offer refined characters and the clay more powerful ones which, at this stage, were more attractive (they stand up better to the oak). The difference between the wines is, essentially, vine age although the first cuvee does include a very small amount - around 5% each - of Merlot and Tannat. "GC" also has its primary fermentation in the same barrels it spends the rest of its elevage in, starting out in upturned, open-topped barrels which are then sealed and laid on their sides for the extended ageing.

As a vintage, 2010 is clearly extremely good and I am looking forward to finalising my en primeur order for these wines. However, they were eclipsed by the more complete 2009 wines, all of which had extra flesh, as you would expect from wines which have had longer to develop. I left there very pleased that I had personally bought quite a lot of both "Le Cedre" and "GC" which has the texture of a top Pomerol but, I think, more interesting fruit.

We finished off with a tasting of the current vintages in bottle, mostly 2008. Having tasted , and enjoyed, the 2007s last year, I agreed with Pascal's assessment then that whilst 2007 is better than 2006, 2008 is better still and 2009 and 2010 are probably going to be excellent vintages to round off the decade. I left with a case each of the Chateau du Cedre and "Le Cedre" in the boot for current drinking (proviso: current drinking in Cahors means in about 5-10 years time).

Domaine des Anges' new wine: "Seraphin"

2011-07-13T10:35:00.000-07:00

In stock at last, the new Chateauneuf lookalike from Ciaran Rooney. 95% old-vine, tank-aged Grenache (the label says 100% but who's counting?) with 5% Syrah from the cask. It's a wine that needs some bottle age to shine: just now the slightly shy nose has youthful qualities such as candy sweets which really need to take on some secondary characters. On the pallet, there is more to interest just now: a well-structure wine with lovely tannins and sweet, red berry, quite spicy fruit. The finish is good: more of the same really but, as with the nose, I think there is more to come with a bit more age. This is really good news because, frankly, the wine is rather nice right now.

How will it evolve? Difficult to tell with any debut vintage since there is nothing direct to compare with it, only similar wines made by rival winemakers using slightly different techniques. My guess is that, whilst it is enjoyable now, it really needs an extra year or two to flesh out, develop that nose, lengthen the finish and gain some secondary fruit characteristics that will indicate whether this really is a wine to give Chateauneuf a run for its money.

Check in in two years time!

2009 Southern Rhone wines just arrived

2011-06-24T07:04:00.000-07:00

For some reason it has taken much longer than usual to organise the various collections but, except for Domaines Grand Veneur and Coteaux des Travers, the 2009s are now in stock (and a handful of 2010s). The big question is what to crack open first! Tonight I am out to a barbecue so I will take a bottle or two from my own stocks to celebrate: perhaps Cristia's Cotes du Rhone "Garrigues" and Stef Usseglio's Cotes du Rhone. Maybe, just maybe, I will report back.

Serradenari Barbera 2006

2011-06-21T05:23:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to try this again for a while but the bottle I had got out of stock was obscured underneath something else with a lot of wrapping so I had forgotten about it until last night when I needed something to go with spaghetti (a typical Monday evening meal in these parts).

Absolutely what I was expecting from this. Nice, deep, plummy fruit and almost searing (but not quite) acidity that sliced through the tomato better than any of the knives in our kitchen. Good depth to it, enough to match the rich sauce. I did import a different Barbera a couple of years ago which was quite oaky and very drinkable on its own but less so with food. I had forgotten how much the Serradenari one sells for; it's a good value wine.

Marco Maci "Duca d'Antene" 2001

2011-06-20T06:36:00.000-07:00

A chap in Norwich bought some of this recently and seems to have enjoyed it - see here.

Apologies to anyone else who read my blog last October and has been waiting for me to report on this wine! I did taste it (and enjoy it) but completely forgot to post.

Last night in Lakenheath

2011-06-15T06:16:00.000-07:00

The wine tasting group that meets at the Brewer's Tap in Lakenheath asked me to conduct an impromptu tasting last night so a quick round up of some of the less expensive Rhone wines seemed in order. The Domaine des Anges rose was appropriate for the warm summer evening but, for me, the wines of the night were Domaine de la Charite's 2009 Cotes du Rhone, fresh and sweet-fruited with an easy structure that offers much in the way of versatility. The other stand-out wine for me was Domaine Grand Veneur's 2007 CDR Villages "Champauvins" which, for the first time, really did come across as a mini-Chateauneuf rather than a top CDR with potential. Perhaps it was tasting it alongside the various other wines but I was very impressed with this one.

Funny goings on at Domaine des Anges

2011-06-14T05:03:00.000-07:00

Some irreverent answers given by Domaine des Anges' owner, Gay McGuinness to questions asked by a South African publication:

(A) Your full address ?

postal address: Domaine des Anges, 84570 Mormoiron, France; physical address: Domaine des Anges, Quartier ND des Anges, 84570 Mormoiron, France

(B) History of the winery.

Domaine des Anges is a beautiful, small, hillside estate in the Ventoux in the Southern Rhone region of France. It looks out across a large valley towards Mont Ventoux – the Giant of Provence – with spectacular views on all sides.

The estate covers 40 hectares and is overlooked by the chapel of Notre Dame des Anges and a 12^th century Moorish tower, living together happily in the sunshine of timeless, historic, rural France. The total area of the vineyard is 18 ha.

There have been vineyards here since Roman times. We do not know the name of the original owner, but it is believed that he was stabbed to death by a group of Roman politicians jealous of the quality of his Domaine des Anges wines and the beauty of his Egyptian girlfriend. All this was recorded by an English reporter named Shakespeare, so it must be true.

Since that time, Domaine des Anges has seen many owners. It is now in the care of Gay McGuinness from Kilkenny, Ireland who fell in love with the estate in 1989. However, he did not throw caution to the wind: he went to Rome to make sure that the original owner had not passed on the deeds of the land to Silvio Berlusconi, a man who knows all about love.

McGuinness and Dublin man Ciaran Rooney, a Stellenbosch trained winemaker, found each other and probably deserved each other. Together, or more often, separately, they began replanting and rebuilding the vineyard and its reputation, without much caring about their own, as they fought over terroir, labels, tannins, rugby matches and anything else that would encourage a thirst.

Despite all this, the vineyard staggered towards a type of prosperity and its wines have won an international reputation for quality. McGuinness claims that this is because fun and profit should mix. Rooney’s view is prosaic: he thinks winemakers are witch doctors who can work wonders when owners and Masters of Wine (MWs) leave them alone. Despite, or perhaps because of, the insults they hurl at each other, Domaine des Anges is now one of the top producers of quality red, white and rose wines in the Southern Rhone. Given the two involved this is, well, a miracle.

We fully realize how all this may seem to you, even if you are getting Beckett on the nose and Joyce on the palate. Like our fellow Irishmen, we don’t much care. We live for our art and hope you will pay for it. If you want to know more about Domaine des Anges you are going to have to buy the wine and/or visit the vineyard. Make sure it’s a day when both principals are at their charming best. Slainte.

The owner is a recluse, who only communicates with his winemaker in Urdu or something equally unintelligible, the replies are in Afrikaans with an Irish accent, which makes for interesting conversation. He didn’t purchase the vineyard, he got the deeds when he lost a tipsy poker game. He keeps it, because he can’t find a poker player worse than himself to lose it to.

He really doesn’t want to talk about his family, who spend a great deal of time not talking to him. He is afraid that if they get to know where he is they will kidnap him and force him to finish his treatment.

In person, since you asked the question, he is unkempt, opinionated and spends a great deal of time cataloguing South African ducks which, since they don’t lose very often, gives him time for his other great passion: hula-hoops. He is a graduate of the KGB Charm School and has a tendency to throw hula-hoops at visiting MWs with colourful instructions about what they can do with them.

The winemaker sniggers when McGuinness explains his love of wine and his investment to the odd visitor brave enough to climb the hill. Winemakers are like that: they know everything, run down Parker behind his back and could have done a better job than God in making the world, except for the fact that they are too busy making wine that the world often does not appreciate.

The facts are that McGuinness, being Irish, grasped the opportunity you offered to talk about himself and just couldn’t finish the book in time. It was left to us to provide you with a few carefully chosen words.

(D) Current winemaker, education, philosophy and style. Cellar, vinification...

The current winemaker, Ciaran Rooney, and we stress current, is a contrary, abrasive, vertically challenged individual who hates owners and Masters of Wine, not necessarily in that order.

Although Irish, he grew up in South Africa, but not much. Maybe it was because he was living in the shade of all the big people down there. He graduated from Stellenbosch and his current employer came across him at an auction of winemakers. He looked quite harmless – the leg irons were not immediately obvious. He makes great wine, but his language, he swears in Afrikaans, is appalling, we think. He has never got over being mistaken for the ball in a muddy rugby match in South Africa – it wasn’t pleasant in that scrum. And the put-in was crooked.

He doesn’t have a philosophy. He has attitude. His style is confrontational – the vines shed their leaves when he approaches. The reason he became a winemaker is because he could stand on top of large tanks talking down to big people, spouting nonsense about the importance of terroir, the need for balance, elegance, depth and bottom, whatever that is, in wine and castigating anyone foolish enough to disagree with him. It is a complete mystery to those who know him that he makes great wine that does not have even a hint of venom.

(E) General technical details : Terroir, Soil, Grape varities...

Do we have to get technical? It bores people. Terroir, that great vague French word which embraces atmosphere, weather, soil and munificent nature doesn’t quite capture a flat tractor tyre on a wet day, a back-breaking crawl through the vines or sunburn. But it does seem profound and philosophical. It’ll have to do. It is a lovely word. And it is us, because we were raised on Blarney.

Our soil is principally chalk (no, not “and cheese”). In some places, it’s less chalky with ferrous clays splashed with lots of rocks, which the winemaker and owner throw at each other. We are thinking of making a wine called “Wait Until I Get my Hands on You”.

Each year we pray that our Grenache, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Clairette and Bourboulenc will grow and prosper through divine intervention. It never happens. We have to work. We do that reluctantly, but we take great care, respecting nature and tradition, which seldom respects us, when we prune and later tie the vines, cover their feet in sheep droppings, using specially trained sheep, and strip them of cover when the sun is at its hottest. Revenge is sweet.

Bottom line? 80% of winemaking happens in the vineyards. If you don’t look after your vines, your bank manager will quickly disperse the seductive fog called terroir and cut straight to the chase. Of you.

The cellar is the preserve of the Contrary One, who reminds everyone that there is magic in his hands, which is a great relief, as nobody is sure about what’s in his head.

Peering through the veil of mystery and suspicion created by the genius (which we are encouraged to believe lurks behind the Contrary One’s grim exterior) is not easy. But we will try.

After sundry fowl have been offered in sacrifice, if an MW can’t be found, the fruit, hand-picked, luscious and panting for tender loving care, is rammed through a de-stemmer and, if it is the reds, brutally beaten to subjugation in the tank, by the Contrary One while he mutters incantations learned at Stellenbosch. It is horrifying on first sight, but it seems to work.

In the tanks, the grapes are never allowed a moment’s peace, with regular pump-overs to extract gently their luscious tannins and deep colour. But their torture is not over. Finally, they are squeezed, kicking and screaming, through the press before, at last, finding refuge in either tanks or French oak barrels where they can quietly lie, temperature controlled for 12 months, before bottling and, finally they are released to screams of approval from our hordes of supporters throughout the world.

The whites, the ladies, are treated as gently as the Contrary One can manage, going straight into the press before the blessed relief of clarification – more than you are getting here - and cold fermentation in stainless steel at 12 degrees, or in barrel. After fermentation they are left on the lees until filtration. Bottling takes place in spring and shortly afterwards the wine begins crossing the palates of our adoring fans: the winemaker’s father and mother.

(F) Where are you situated. Surroundings. Tourist attractions...

We are at the centre of our world! Provence and the south of France, which is itself one large tourist attraction, lies at our unstable feet. Domaine des Anges sits on the side of a hill with spectacular views in all directions. It is about an hour’s drive from Avignon, Gordes and the Abbaye de Senanque, and a universe away from reality. The road up to the vineyard is usually crowded with wine buyers.

No one is permitted to look at the views or leave the vineyards before they buy, we give them glasses made of bottle ends. We are currently holding two Americans, an irate Australian, a Tibetan monk with a llama, a Mongolian wrestler, who doesn’t want to leave and we aren’t going to force him, four very annoyed MWs and ten lost Munster rugby fans demanding Guinness. Come and join them.

(G) Size of the estate

We can’t really tell you that. If we go public, everyone will know we have 18 ha of vines and we will no longer be able to tell our clients that we only produce 15 cases of each variety and they can have two.

(H) Details of harvest

Each year, the Contrary One crushes 100 tonnes of grapes with relish, intoning the names of all those that ever played rugby against him, and with him for that matter, mainly huge South Africans. Fortunately, they are thousands of miles away. It is mayhem in there – we can’t believe there isn't a law against it.

(I) Biodynamic/Organic ?

Biodynamic/organic? We have trouble with this question. We are dynamic but we do only the bio we think necessary maybe two tubs of yogurt a day. However, if we catch the wild boar that regularly eats our grapes we will bury him and his horns, with or without a full moon.

Our big problem is that during full moons, one has to watch out for the owner, who turns into a Yeti, which is a considerable improvement. As for organic: we’ve only got a piano at the moment, but we play it as we move through the vineyard. We are green, but we are not pure. Sometime dear Lord, but not just yet, because we want to see just what purity gives and takes away from our competitors, may their grapes go square and rot at the corners. We didn’t mean that, ha, ha.

(J) Icon Wines and quantities

Archange and Seraphin. We wanted to call it Lucifer after the winemaker, but the owner, Gabriel, got stroppy about the competition. You could say it was a dispute made in heaven.

We produce 150 cases of glorious white: 90% Roussanne and 800 cases of oaked Syrah/Grenache under the Archange label. In exceptional years we make a great pure Grenache called Seraphin (“the N” is French – don’t argue). A seraphin is a better class of angel, because we were getting tired of all the regular archangels flying around us. Actually, these wines do fly out of the winery, which is what really counts.

(K) Best restaurant stocking your wine, worldwide ?

We never reveal this information for fear that it will stop its current two bottles a year. Actually, we don’t like to boast.

More wines from Piemonte - Fabrizio Battaglino

2011-06-09T03:10:00.000-07:00

I seem to be drinking (sorry, make that "tasting") a lot of Italian wines these days but it's not my fault. When the pallet arrived with Enrico Giuseppe's wines (a 2006 Barbaresco Riserva was quickly removed and consumed), an extra case was discovered from one of Enrico's friends, Fabrizio Battaglino.

Fabrizio is a winemaker in the Roero district, north of the Langhe region where Barolo and Barbaresco hail from. Nebbiolo is still the main grape here and Fabrizio concentrates on this for most of his reds. Last night, we treated ourselves to a tasting of the three reds he had sent.

First, a 2009 Nebbiolo d'Alba which is aged in stainless steel for 12 months. Young fruits dominate the nose – sweet, red, summer fruits (strawberry and cranberry) which follow through to the palate which has some spice, good concentration and mouthfeel (medium bodied) and soft tannins which are slightly dry at present (it’s a young wine) and mute the wine a little at this stage. It will be better in another year or two and over the following four or five years but there’s plenty to enjoy now.

Next up, the 2008 Nebbiolo d'Alba "Colla". This wine is aged in 225 litre barrels for 12 months and is destined for the longer term. Quite restrained on the nose but wafts of purple fruits including raspberries and blackberries. A little closed at present but there is clearly much to look forward to: the palate is richer than the basic Nebbiolo and has deeper, darker fruit. More structure here so leave it for five (?) years when it will have begun to evolve into its secondary phase with more meat. For drinking 2015-2020+.

Finally, the 2008 Roero, also aged for 12 months in 225 litre barrels. More expressive than the Nebbiolo Colla 2008 with an enticing perfume of stewed red fruit which comes through on the rich palate alongside such bittersweet flavours as chocolate and coffee. Well wrapped and rounded and surprisingly accessible but I suspect it will close down to re-emerge in a few years as something quite spectacular. 2015-2020++.

Fabrizio also makes a white from the local Arneis grape, which we tried at the weekend. Quite citrusy - fresh - this is a sophisticated, balanced wine with a lovely long finish.

The other wine we tasted is the unusual, but exotic, late harvest Arneis (probably unique in that sense) which Fabrizio thinks of as his answer to Sauternes. I find it quite different, offering an uncanny reminder of the tinned peaches I loved as a child (OK, I don't like them so much now but this is grown up tinned peaches). Obviously there is a lot more going on here than just that though.

So, time to start saving up for yet more wines from Piemonte!

Nada Giuseppe wines now in the UK

2011-06-02T07:53:00.000-07:00

A Danish importer who specialises in wines from Piemonte caused a whirlwind of interest in Enrico Nada's wines when he presented them at a dinner in London in March (I think). There was so much interest but no-one to bring them in so I offered to help. As soon as I did so, Enrico sent me some samples which were duly tasted.

First was the Langhe Bianco, a delightfully fresh wine, enjoyed with Ciaran Rooney from Domaine des Anges on a baking hot day in the Vaucluse shortly before Easter. We were impressed enough to move on to the 2006 Barbaresco Riserva. Quite simply, this is a stunning wine: the texture is so silky and the fruit has so much there. It is quite possibly one of the best Nebbiolo wines I have tasted. That rather clinched things for me: from that moment, Nada Giuseppe had a UK importer.

A couple of days later, other wines were tried: I liked the other (non-Riserva) Barbarescos but, for my palate, the Riserva was so superior for very little extra. I especially enjoyed the Dolcetto (unusual for me!) and found the Barbera Superiore, Langhe Nebbiolo and Barolo all very good too. No prizes for guessing which wines have found their way onto the list then.

More tales from Canterbury

2011-04-29T11:19:00.000-07:00

The Wine Tasting Society that meets each month in Christchurch University will be celebrating its 30th anniversary later this year so congratulations to Keith and everyone for that. I have been going along every year for the last ten or so, so they must think I am doing something right. They are a great crowd: they always want Rhone wines which, of course, I am happy to give them and they are very knowledgeable about both wine and what they want from it. That all makes my job extremely easy.

Highlights included the mature 2002 white Chateauneuf from Domaine Grand Veneur: "La Fontaine" is 100% old-vine, barrel-aged Roussanne and it is quite stunning. The secondary characters have taken over now and the wine is very much enjoying its (relative) old-age.

The most popular reds were probably the 2009s: Bressy-Masson's Cotes du Rhone (more like a Rasteau Village wine), Cristia's Cotes du Rhone "Garrigues" (100% old-vine Grenache aged in small barrels) and Domaine de la Charite's Christophe Coste's new venture in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Chateau Capucine (also 100% old-vine Grenache aged in small barrels but very different from the Cristia wine: more classic, less oaky).

Other wines were also well-received including Laurent Brusset's 2007 Cairanne "Chabriles" which is a rich, spicy blend of equal parts Grenache and Syrah, Coudoulet de Beaucastel 2007 and Charite's "Dame Noire", a pure Mourvedre cuvee. A brief mention of Christophe's ice wine from the south of France aroused curiosity too.

In the Rhone again

2011-04-09T07:36:00.000-07:00

The excuse was a couple of weeks to sort out my year end but, inevitably, I have done no paperwork whatsoever although the tax man cannot say I have not been working.

Arrived here on Sunday and on Monday went off to Gigondas where they are working on the Caveau with the walls being held up by big metal things (my technological vocabulary could be better!). Went off to Clos des Cazaux, an excellent estate which has holdings in both Gigondas and Vacqueyras. Unfortunately, they set the pattern for what seems to be the norm down here: tell everyone how great 2008 is and get shot of it quickly. The wines were not all bad though but it was the superb Grenat Noble (a later harvested, botrytised Grenache) and Prestige (largely Syrah), both from 2006 which impressed.

At the temporary Caveau, there were walls and walls of 2008s and a handful of other vintages. For old times' sake, I tasted the 2007 Notre Dame des Pallieres (nothing to do with the VT-owned vineyard) which had a delightful elegance to the fruit unlike one or two others which were a little jammy (Terme) or worryingly tannic (Redortier which, sadly, has never been the same since Etienne de Menthon handed over the winemaking reins to his daughter).

On Thursday, I picked up a friend from the airport in Nimes and popped into Chateau du Campuget - their 2007 Cuvee Sommeliere (pure Syrah, apart from the oak) was extremely good but their other label, Chateau l'Amarine "Cuvee des Bernis" was a steal at 7,50€. I bet it costs rather more in the UK!

Tomorrow I hope to go to the fair in Chateauneuf. I will report back later!

Budget 2011: Osborne's choice

2011-03-23T00:48:00.000-07:00

With inflation at 4.4% but a stated desire to reduce the £150 billion deficit as quickly as possible, will duty on wine be increased today?

Wine Relief 2011

2011-03-21T12:56:00.000-07:00

Rather late in the day, we decided to join in with the wine trade's efforts to do its bit for Comic Relief. An impromptu tasting was arranged for Friday evening and any local who looked like he or she had at least a fiver to spare was press-ganged into coming along. In the end, around 40 people turned up (it was a two hour tasting in our living room at home so there was a very friendly atmosphere) and tasted from 18 bottles I had opened.

I also put together a quiz which I thought was fairly easy and a blind tasting competition which was less so. In the end, no-one scored more than 11/20 in total so I guess my questions were trickier than I had thought (it was all multiple choice and wine-related although that did include a question about the wine the character Miles in Sideways drinks out of a paper bag - answer, Cheval Blanc).

The highlights, wine-wise, for me at least were the Baglio del Campo di Cristobello "CDC" from Sicily, a white based on Chardonnay and the indiginous Grillo and, in the reds, the Serradenari 2007 Barolo so I must have been in the mood for something Italian on Friday.

Anyway, we raised over £500 so thanks to everyone who came along and/or otherwise donated.

What does it mean when the press starts quoting you?

2011-03-03T08:08:00.000-08:00

Someone just emailed me to tell me I have been quoted by The Drinks Business, a very glossy UK trade publication which has been sent to me from time to time. The full page on Live: Budget Watch can be seen here but since these are apparently my words, I can't see a problem with quoting them here.

At precisely 12.20pm, a full forty minutes before George Osborne stood up, this was posted:

A rise in VAT is widely expected in today's budget as is yet another increase in duty. What will this actually mean? James Bercovici, of Big Red Wine, writes: "Given that VAT is a percentage and duty a flat rate, this is actually quite simple to work out. VAT is expected to rise to 20% so it is only duty that is uncertain at the moment. But it is reasonable to assume that any [duty] rise will be a percentage increase on the current £20.25 per dozen (still wines). A 5% increase will mean a 2.593% increase in the price of any bottle; a 7% increase will amount to 2.7792%. In monetary terms, a £10 bottle of wine should increase by around 35 pence."

In fact, because duty didn't rise, the bottle retailing at £9.99 would have increased to £10.20 but not on the BRW website where prices were - and still are - maintained at pre-VAT rise levels. So why did I bother writing that stuff in the first place? Don't ask me; I don't even remember writing it!

Fusion Wines Inaugural Portfolio Tasting

2011-02-28T20:10:00.000-08:00

I am involved in another business with a couple of colleagues. Imaginatively, we have called it Fusion Wines (well, it doesn't really matter what it's called and I couldn't be bothered to consider any number of suggestions, most of which would have been far worse) and its raison d'etre is to sell into the restaurant trade (so come and see me in the poor house soon!).

We had our first tasting on Monday 28th February 2011 and, apart from the low turnout (considering we had invited just about every restaurant in London), it was a great success. Probably the highlight of the tasting was the newly arrived, BRW-sourced, Tenuta Serradenari Barolo 2007, a deliciously oppulent and forward Barolo from ungrafted vines in La Morra, the highest planted anywhere in the denomination. I decided against showing its older sibling, the 2006, as far too reserved (ie. a tannic brute) to be of interest at a trade tasting. Both are astonishingly cheap, though, for Barolo (don't you just love that qualification?)

Dulwich Wine Society tasting

2011-01-27T09:05:00.000-08:00

The Society's chairman, Colin Wagstaff, asked me to present a selection of Southern Rhone wines last night which, of course, I was pleased to do. The venue is the upstairs room of a pub in Dulwich Village with around 35 or so members present. They like to take a break half-way through for cheese etc and, having recently returned from the Rhone, I decided this provided a good opportunity to slip in a few "en primeur" wines.

Starting with a couple of whites, Domaine des Anges' regular bottling from 2009 was well received because of its tasty fruit but, perhaps even more, behind the fruit lay a good structure which, now Ciaran is moving towards organics, is more apparent. This was followed by Xavier Vignon's white "Debut" (or, simply, "Xavier") which is atypical, having a Chardonnay base (actually, it's not really a Rhone wine; rather a vin de table, originating from both the Rhone and the Languedoc. Impressive though but some of us felt it needed a little longer to mesh together.

The 2009 reds came next, first a simple Cotes du Rhone from Domaine Bressy-Masson. Actually, not at all simple; the fruit is superb and there is a good tannic structure too. The wine needs another year or two really, then it will be more Rasteau than CDR in style. Domaine de Cristia's old-vine Grenache VDP followed, the sweet oak better integrated now than a few months ago. Almost Burgundian in style, very pure and delicious. The third of the EP selection was, however, one of the stars of the tasting: Christophe Coste's first vintage in Chateauneuf-du-Pape at his newly created Chateau Capucine was a revelation of what old-vine Grenache can really be when not messed around with. Amazing texture and purity. Very drinkable already!

After the break, we went back a couple of years to 2007 with Domaine des Anges' red "Archange", from 90% Syrah, the blackest wine of the night. It still betrays some of Ciaran's New World start in the wine world although more cool climate Aussie Syrah than jammy Barossa Shiraz. Very good - the chap who helped me open bottles accidentally opened the spare I had brought along so this was enjoyed when I got home later on! Domaine des Coteaux des Travers' Rasteau Prestige from 2007 was the only wine that really needs to develop further to bring the alcohol in line with other structural elements. Domaine Brusset's 2007 Gigondas "Le Grand Montmirail" had a slightly farmyardy nose but opened up magnificently.

Back another couple of years, Domaine Grand Veneur's Lirac "Clos des Sixte" 2005 still seems quite youthful, a characteristic of the vintage, perhaps, but with a great future (and it was not exactly unenjoyable now!) and Raymond Usseglio's Chateauneuf from the same vintage showed its class, a superb wine with wonderful mouthfeel and flavours. Even more concentrated was Domaine de Mourchon's 2006 Seguret-Cotes du Rhone Villages "Family Reserve", a truly luxurious wine.

Christophe Coste, the winemaker

2011-01-19T10:52:00.000-08:00

As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, Christophe has had a meteoric decade, from newcomer fresh out of college to president of his local syndicate (Signargues - and he was one of the reasons why this village was promoted in the first place), father of two and winemaker extraordinaire.

Whilst his Cotes du Rhone remains one of our very best sellers (it is, perhaps, the most versatile wine on the list - we have enjoyed it with seafood, curry and everything in between) and his new Chateauneuf is heading for the top table, the wines in between can get overlooked. A foolish thing to do.

Tonight, I am opening the 2007 CDR Villages "Cayenne" which could easily pass for an oaked Gigondas at around twice the price. That said, it has much more black raspberry character than many I tasted on my recent visit to the Caveau des Vignerons in Gigondas. It's bursting with fruit and has a nice layer of oak lurking in the background. This will become even more integrated in time but I doubt the wine will stay on the shelves much longer!

Restaurant mark-ups

2011-01-18T03:37:00.000-08:00

Got into a bit of a scrap with someone over restaurant mark ups. First, as a supplier to a small number of restaurants, I have some insight to how and why they price wines as high as they do (much of it comes down to our unwillingness to set foot in an establishment that would charge us £40 for a steak) and, partly because of this, would rarely go for the house wine. I do like the idea of restaurants that impose a maximum mark-up per bottle so that the more you pay, the better value (ie. a £10 bottle for £25 or a £30 bottle for £45).

The debate highlighted the fact that most people calculate gross profit in different ways. For me it is this: assume the restaurant wants 70% (not unknown) and pays £10 for the wine. In that case the bottle will be listed for £40 (£40 less 20% VAT then take off 70% of this brings you back to £10). So, it is taken from the top price and not, as some think, a 70% mark up of the original price which would be a mere £20.40 including VAT - that way, the GP at £40 would be 233%! Ouch indeed!

NYE - a round up of the last ten days in the Vaucluse

2010-12-31T11:18:00.000-08:00

What a place to spend Christmas and New Year in! We came with friends who have returned to London for New Year and the only disappointment has been the lack of snow on Mont Ventoux on Christmas Day. Never mind; a delicious capon and all the trimmings that all four adults demanded from their own childhoods made up for this. The weather has been reasonably kind too - whereas it is barely above freezing at home, we have seen temperatures of up to 17 degrees (although it was minus seven on the mountain so, perhaps, not such a bad thing there was no snow).

The wines I have tasted from 2009 have been exceptionally good. I don't remember 2007 being any better. Critics who have suggested this is, perhaps, only a four star vintage compared with the 2007's five stars may be right of course. I can only judge it by what has passed my lips and, given the quality of the estates I have been fortunate enough to befriend over the years, I won't be passing these up either personally or professionally.

A few highlights from the last week or so (estates are listed alphabetically; see individual blog entries):

Domaine des Anges, Ventoux 2009 "Seraphim" is an exciting new wine from Ciaran Rooney and his 2010 Viognier is going to be lovely this summer.

Domaine Bressy-Masson, CDR 2009 punches well above its weight (but wait a couple of years and Paul-Emile will sky-rocket).

Domaine Brusset, CDRV Cairanne 2009 "Les Chabriles" continues to be a perennial favourite (but the CDR is a superb bargain) and, of course, the Gigondas should sell themselves.

Domaine de la Charite: Christophe Coste's Chateau Capucine Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2009 is a star in the making but I was extremely impressed with some really fabulous 2008s and the excellent 2007 "Les Ombres" Syrah.

Domaine des Coteaux des Travers, Rasteau 2009 "Prestige" and Cairanne were both irresistible.

Domaine de Cristia's old vine Grenache CDR is packed with potential and as for the Chateauneufs...

Domaine Grand Veneur, Lirac 2009 "Clos des Sixte" (all the red wines, really, and the old vine Roussanne)

Domaine de Mourchon's Grande Reserve (in two or three years time) should be as good as the 2007.

Raymond Usseglio's 2009 Part des Anges is simply stunning, one of my wines of the vintage, but the Imperiale is rather special too (and the regular Chateauneuf and Cotes du Rhone are rather good too!)

Domaine Bressy-Masson - the end of a long, hard week!

2010-12-30T18:49:00.000-08:00

My final professional stop of the trip, Domaine Bressy-Masson is one of the superstar estates in Rasteau (the others are Soumade and Coteaux des Travers). Marie-France Masson is handing over the winemaking to her son, Paul-Emile but still likes to welcome visitors. Not many wines to taste today as only one Rasteau made in 2008 (Souco d'Or) and too little Gloire in 2009 to be worth tempting me with apparently (a shame as this is one of my favourite Rasteau wines).

We started with a wine I have rarely considered properly. A CDR at more or less the same price as Christophe Coste's excellent Domaine de la Charite would be, at best, duplication in most vintages. However, Marie-France's 2009 Cotes du Rhone, a blend of 70% Grenache with 20% Carignan and 10% Syrah and no oak has a strong, fruity nose, good body and structure with a long finish. More Rasteau than CDR and very full for the appellation. This will be a lovely wine to enjoy over the next three or four years.

The 2008 CDR Village Rasteau "Souco D'Or" is a good achievement for the vintage. As there was no "Paul-Emile", this includes all the old vine grapes normally destined for that wine and, as such, is probably the best "Souco" I have tasted. 65% Grenache, 25% Syrah and 10% Mourvedre with 12 months in oak. Spicy/peppery with some oak evident but pretty fruit. A little lacking in the mid-palate, perhaps, but decent enough depth and length. One to drink soon-ish. In Burgundy terms, if "Paul-Emile" is like a Grand Cru (as it often is), this is a decent Villages.

Inevitably, the 2009 Rasteau "Paul-Emile" is head and shoulders above the "Souco". Made from the grapes of the same 90-year-old vine Grenache (60%), Syrah (30%) and Mourvedre (10%) as much of the older wine, this was only bottled on 15th October after its elevage en foudre. Very closed now but the red cherry fruit can't be prevented from coming through on the nose and (massive) palate which has lots of body and matter. Excellent potential, when the spicy tannins resolve themselves, and a long finish. Hold for two or three years at least.

We finished with a quick round-off of the VDNs, first the regular Rasteau VDN from 100% Grenache, a rose wine which is all honeyed/stoned fruits with just a hint of oxidation and quite complex, very much like Robert Charavin's "Dore". The Rasteau Rancio VDN is in a different class with its deliberate oxidative style and oak ageing. Rich, very complex and fascinating. Rather like just about every wine that has been put before me over the last week or so.

Domaine de la Charite and Chateau Capucine

2010-12-23T16:51:00.000-08:00

Christophe Coste was barely 20 when we first met. He had recently taken over his grandfather's estate, Domaine de la Charite, in Saze, to the west of Avignon where he made some good wines from the Cotes du Rhone and Villages appellations. Now, his village, Signargues, has been promoted to a named village, he is president of the sydicate, he is married to Sandrine with whom he has two young daughters and he now makes a dozen or so wines including one from a recently acquired hectare of old-vine Grenache in the Gallimardes sector of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Not a bad decade!

If all that isn't enough, Christophe made the only wines outside Chateauneuf in 2008 which I can honestly say I would be happy to stack my own cellar with. His 2008 CDR Villages Signargues "Bastien" is packed with kirsch and garrigues, very full with great texture and length. A superb wine for the difficult vintage.

Even better, the 2008 CDR Villages Signargues "Cayenne" is more or less the same with a lovely, gentle veneer of oakiness. Excellent balance without any of the hint of bitterness which some other wines of the vintage have displayed.

We discussed why his wines were so much better than most others. Christophe joked that it was his winemaking and, of course, that has much to do with it. The weather was, perhaps, a little kinder to him than to producers in the eastern Vaucluse (Signargues is in the Gard) but Christophe has acquired various bits of kit including top of the range sorting tables which can pick out only the very ripest of grapes. A shrewd investment for vintages such as this.

The one wine he has still from 2007 was always going to be a winner. I have a case at home already and was pleased to taste it again at the estate to see how it is developing. Now drinkable (although with much further to go), the 2007 Cotes du Rhone "Ombres" is Christophe's way of putting top Northern Rhone Syrah or good, cool-climate New World Syrah in its place. Elegant and long with lots of black fruit, a whiff of mint and wrapped in a little new oak, this is simply gorgeous.

Finally, we tasted the 2009 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Chateau Capucine named after Christophe's oldest daughter. This is going to be an excellent wine and, with Christophe's skills, an estate to follow. He is clearly going for the prestige end of the market quality wise but, knowing Christophe, it will be priced extremely competitively (around £220 per dozen in bond). At first tasting, this pure Grenache wine is quite tannic with rich cherry fruit but, warming it up in the glass a little reveals all sorts of nuances including liquorice, garrigue herbs and spices but, as with all great wines, it is the texture that is the key to its quality. The oak used is second hand so imparts little if any flavour but assists in the textural development. Give it a couple of years to develop further and enjoy it over the next five years although it will, no doubt, go on much longer. A star is born!

Back in Rasteau: Domaine des Coteaux des Travers

2010-12-22T21:22:00.000-08:00

Robert Charavin of Domaine des Coteaux des Travers is one of the people I have been working with since I started up and we have got to know each other quite well in that time with only one thing getting in the way: his non-existent English/my lousy French. This time, I met with his new assistant Lucie who does speak English (although she charmingly pronounces grapes as "grap").

Two big developments: first, Rasteau is now a Cru alongside Gigondas, Chateauneuf etc so it no longer needs to include Cotes du Rhone Villages on the labels. An interesting development because (a) Cairanne still can't do this even though it has a longer history of top tier wineries (apparently it has missed the boat and won't be able to apply now for a couple of years) and (b) there will, inevitably, be some confusion with the vins doux naturels which are also simply AOC Rasteau. The sensible thing will be for VDN producers to mark this clearly on the bottles but, as I undestand it, there is no compulsion to do this (I hope I am wrong and, if not, that the authorities will soon bring this in).

I knew Robert was going over to organic viticulture (the estate will be fully Ecocert from 2010) but Lucie told me he is following biodynamic principles, not something commonly found in this region. He has only recently started with this so we will see what impact it has on the wines.

For now, we had to make do with the 2009 vintage, so not too much of a disappointment then. Beginning with the generally excellent white, the 2009 Rasteau Blanc "Marine", a blend of equal parts Grenache, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier which sees a little oak in the upbringing of the Roussanne. The nose has a pugency about it which is probably from the recent bottling because the flavours on the palate are lovely: all honeysuckle, apricots etc, everything you would want from a blend dominated (in terms of the flavours) by Viognier and Roussanne, the region's two star white grapes. The mouthfeel is superb, quite fat but with decent acidity. All in all, another strong performance from this wine.

The 2009 CDR Villages Cairanne has very pure, spicy (peppery) fruit with lots of cherry and raspberry character (60% Grenache with 30% Mourvedre and 10% Syrah), well rounded with excellent balance. One to start drinking now despite the high Mourvedre content!

It seems I usually have a strong preference for either the Cairanne or Rasteau (in 2008 the Rasteau was very good, the Cairanne not) because I found the 2009 Rasteau a little hard and short on the finish. Essentially a good wine which will probably come together well (I had similar concerns about the 2007 two years ago; now it is drinking extremely well), it has a rich, deep nose and rounder, less peppery fruit than the Cairanne although it seems to be a bigger wine. Give it a couple of years and it will probably be every bit as good.

The last of the reds is the 2009 Rasteau "Prestige" which is very full with an intense, sweet, rich nose of red berry fruits and a hint of oak. The attack is gorgeous, full of sweet, spicy cherry fruit, very concentrated with excellent balance and a long, long finish. Drinkable now, it seems, although I would leave it to develop a couple of years or so. I still have recollections of the 2005 which at only four years had developed into a magnificent wine. Sadly, my recent cataloguing of my own cellar has revealed not a single bottle of this - I'll just have to wait for the 2007 and, now, 2009!

We finished off with the VDNs, three of them now with a 2009 Rasteau VDN Blanc a recent addition. Not as interesting, perhaps, as the other VDNs but probably more commercial. Very sweet, quite citrus. A good dessert wine with lots of possible food pairings: Lucie suggested tarte tatin which felt like a good match.

The 2008 Rasteau VDN Dore tastes of caramelised sultanas. Quite full and sweet, almost rancio in style but not quite: that is not a style Robert wants to achieve clearly. Complex, interesting and probably impossible to sell in the UK market!

The 2009 Rasteau VDN Rouge is, like its 2007 counterpart, very young still but with good potential to develop into a Rhone version of an aged tawny port. Will be good.

After a break, Domaine de Cristia

2010-12-22T20:59:00.000-08:00

Arriving at Domaine de Cristia this afternoon, Dominique called to say she had a stinking cold and would not be able to see me which was a great shame as meeting up with her is one of the highlights of my visits. Baptiste was there though and his cousin Emmanuel (which gave me an opportunity to speak French even though it became apparent he spoke very good English). Not many wines from 2009 to taste as virtually everything has been sold now and the 2010s are mostly still fermenting. However, there were wines to taste and what wines!

We began with the 2009 Cotes du Rhone Vielles Vignes "Les Garrigues", a big brother to the Vieilles Vignes VDP Grenache I enthused about last Easter. This also is pure Grenache from a new vineyard (for Cristia; it is planted with 50-year-old vines) so, whereas the rest of the Cristia production is now certified organic, this wine has just started the conversion process. Bottled in September, it has a youthful nose with some oak evident but less than the VDP wine. The palate is sweet with some of the oak creeping in alongside the spicy, cherry and garrigue flavours. Some tannin is noticeable but the mouthfeel is quite creamy and fairly full and the finish long. Young but filled with potential. A great value wine.

Then came the Chateauneufs - wow! The 2009 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge has a classic Cristia nose and palate, quite chewy at present with excellent Grenache (over 90% of the blend), big and rich, sweet fruit and no evident oak (I don't think this wine sees any oak). Very full, long, classic. Give it a couple years and drink it over the next five to eight.

2009 Chateauneuf-du-Pape "Renaissance" was presented next (60% Grenache, 40% Mourvedre from very old vines, 100+ years). The nose is quite oaky and there is gorgeous rich, sweet peppery fruit intertwined with Asian spices and some animal notes (the Mourvedre) and the toasty oak. Pretty close to perfection, the wine needs three or four years for those Mourvedre tannins to melt and the oak to give way to the fruit. Very long. Baptiste said he had intended this to be the power house of the vintage and the Vieilles Vignes to be more feminine but, in the end, things turned out the other way. However, as always, I enjoyed the complexity of the Renaissance blend.

Finally, the 2009 Chateauneuf-du-Pape "Vieilles Vignes", 100% Grenache from 85-year-old vines planted at the Cristia lieu-dit which is adjacent to Rayas. Despite all the new oak thrown at this cuvee, it is barely noticeable because of the fullness of the sweet, pure Grenache fruit. Very rich and full-bodied with considerable weight and perfectly rounded for drinking over the course of the decade (although, if recent tastings of earlier vintages are anything to go by, expect it to close down at around five years for a couple of years or so).

Most years I have a strong preference for the Renaissance over the Vieilles Vignes. This year it's too close to call.

Baptiste then brought out another barrel sample, this time the very young 2010 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge from grapes harvested exactly three months earlier. Packed with fruit and remarkably similar to the 2009, this is clearly going to be another good year at Cristia with superb balance although quantities are down 25%.

On leaving, Baptiste gave me some 2006 Chateauneuf "Vieilles Vignes" in magnum - looking forward to Christmas now!

Domaine de Mourchon: 2008 and 2009

2010-12-20T21:57:00.000-08:00

To round off the day, I went up the hill to visit Walter McKinlay at Domaine de Mourchon. The 2009s are not being bottled until March or April but we went down to the cave after tasting the wines that are in the bottle. Beginning with the 2008 CDRV Seguret Tradition, this is fresh on the palate with good depth of fruit. No Grande Reserve was made this year so the grapes that would normally be used in this cuvee were downgraded to the Tradition (and some of the grapes that usually go into that wine went into a Cotes du Rhone). A good bistro wine.

Perhaps not the usual order but we then tasted the 2008 Cotes du Rhone which I have had in stock for about a year now. This has really come on. It is quite mineral and fresh and has spicy Syrah/Grenache fruit. A good quaffing wine for a very fair price and comparitively low alcohol (12%) for the region.

As I mentioned earlier, no Grande Reserve was made in 2008 but the estate has perservered with the Family Reserve wines debuted in 2006. The barrel-aged 2008 CDRV Seguret "Family Reserve" Syrah has a classic Syrah nose of toasty black fruit which follows through on the palate combined with a pleasant freshness. A wine that can only be made from low yields in a vintage like this.

The 2008 CDRV Seguret "Family Reserve" Grenache is more unsettled at present with a more woody but less toasty nose and palate although it does open up well after a minute in the glass. Both these wines were produced from 60-year-old vines harvested at 15 hl/ha and fermented in open barrels, a technique that seems to be gaining in popularity (I came across this quite a lot in SW France in the summer, notably at Chateau du Cedre for the GC cuvee and Domaine Rotier for L'Ame).

Inevitably, the younger vintage provided more excitement. The 2009 CDRV Seguret "Tradition" is around 2/3 Grenache, 25% Syrah with Carignan making up the balance. It is a spicy, young wine that needs a couple of years to develop its big, black cherry character.

The 2009 CDRV Seguret "Grande Reserve" is, typically, excellent with a good ten years in it. It is rich and sweet fruited - cherry liqueur, blackberries etc - and very long. Surely one of the better wines outside Chateauneuf and Gigondas?

Day one, third visit: Laurent Brusset

2010-12-20T21:56:00.000-08:00

Laurent was in the cellars when I arrived at Domaine Brusset's Cairanne home but he soon emerged smiling: pleased with his 2009s, hopeful for his 2010s too. We skipped the whites (the Viognier is sold out in any case) which we tasted together at Easter. As always, these are very good but, as with most estates outside Chateauneuf, it is the reds that shine.

His 2009 Cotes du Rhone "Laurent B" is probably the most hedonistic example of this wine I have encountered. Pure, simple enjoyment: the wine has a sweet Grenache nose which follows through to the palate which is spicy, slightly smokey, deep fruited but medium bodied and not overly tannic. One to enjoy in the near term.

A step up to Cairanne: 2009 CDR Villages Cairanne "Les Travers" seemed slightly muted on the nose compared with the CDR but I have enjoyed several bottles of this at home so know this is not really the case. The palate is silkier with more refined tannins but lots of peppery spice and garrigue herbs with red/black fruits. On this tasting, I would leave it a year or two to come round but previous bottles have been enjoyed. Perhaps it has closed up a little. An excuse to crack open another bottle when I get home.

A long-standing favourite of ours is the prestige Cairanne - we first came across this with the 1997 vintage which was excellent here. No surprises that the 2009 CDR Villages Cairanne "Les Chabriles" is the best so far then. More blackberry Syrah character on the nose and palate and some of the oak (from the Syrah's upbringing) comes through. Plenty going on here - best in another two or three years and over the following five years or so.

Of course, the Brusset's are best known for their Gigondas wines. The first cuvee, sometimes referred to as "Tradition" is 2009 Gigondas "Le Grand Montmirail" (LGM), a blend of 70% Grenache with Cinsault, Mourvedre and Syrah, partly aged (around a quarter) in barrels, the rest in cement. This is refined, elegant, long and complex with massive potential. Bottled in July so it has had some time to settle down and develop in the bottle. A very enjoyable Gigondas and worthy successor to the ever-popular 2007.

The star of the show is, however, the 2009 Gigondas "Les Hauts de Montmirail" (HDM). 50% Grenache, the rest Syrah and Mourvedre in equal parts with these last two aged in a mixture of new and used barrels. More used than in the old days if tasting is anything to go by (I recall a tasting with Daniel Brusset several years ago where he leaped from one barrel to another demonstrating the effect of different woods and different toasts on the wine; recent cuvees have, perhaps, been better and certainly more accessible for the lower use of new oak). A big wine, certainly, but fresh and characterful. Interestingly, Laurent had another bottle which had been open for eight days which showed some of the wine's potential evolution and remarkably little oxidation. A big and long future for this wine.

Next stop: Raymond Usseglio

2010-12-20T21:17:00.000-08:00

Actually, it is Raymond's son, Stef, whom I see these days on my visits to Domaine Raymond Usseglio, in my experience the best of the Usseglio estates in Chateauneuf today (Raymond's father, Francis, built up the estate after his arrival from Piedmont in the thirties; he had three sons each of whom has an estate bearing his name). Winemaker here for the last decade, Stef has lifted the estate into the top tier of Chateauneuf and is a perennial favourite of consumers who, like me, don't always want blockbuster wines. That isn't to say his wines are light; rather they are elegant and stylish. His "Cuvee Imperiale" is one of the more Burgundian wines I have tasted from the appellation with seamless, pure fruit that is pure hedonism without knocking your head off!

Stef's 2009 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc, made from Grenache, Roussanne, Clairette and Bourboulenc, is very correct with good flavours of fruit and flowers and with fresh acidity. A nice wine but not in the same league as his 2009 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc "Rousanne Pur" aged in a mix of new and used barrels. I obviously have a thing for these old-vine, barrel-aged Roussannes because I can't get enough of a wine like this. It is exquisite now and, from experience (the 2005 has turned a corner into a magnificent bottle), will age exceptionally well over the next few years. The wine is all honeysuckle and melon with some garrigue and spice notes with an exquisite waxy texture. Very long.

We tasted the 2009 Cotes du Rhone, the only wine in the portfolio not a Chateauneuf. This is a GSM blend from sandy soils just outside the appellation and, as with others can be said to represent one of the region's great bargains even at around a tenner a bottle in the UK. Now it has good Grenache red/black fruit and Provencal herbs, evolving well if a little short on the finish at present but it is very much its more prestigious counterpart's little brother and, if past vintages are anything to go on, will develop into a wine far better than many other Chateauneufs in time.

The 2009 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge is the same blend as in recent years (a dollop of Counoise has crept in which gives the wine a real lift) and has the classic Usseglio nose of herbs and cherry liqueur, a lovely mouthfeel which is not overdone and lashings of red/black fruit (sorry, I have been reading Famour Five books to my younger children). The tannins are fine and well balanced and the wine is clearly going to develop well over the decade and, perhaps, beyond.

As indicated above, the prestige cuvee has long been a favourite and the 2009 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Imperiale is no exception. Made almost entirely from Grenache planted at La Crau in 1902, with just a dash of other varieties (principally Cinsault, Counoise and Muscardin) to add seasoning, this is more intense on the nose with deeper, richer, blacker fruit. It has more body too, balanced tannins and acidity and a structure to age well (the 2001, tasted recently, is still very youthful).

I enjoyed the 2007 debut of a Mourvedre-based wine produced by Stef but, if anything, find the 2009 Chateauneuf-du-Pape La Part des Anges even better at this stage. This is exceptionally ripe Mourvedre (which forms 70% of the wine along with 20% Grenache and 10% Syrah): intense black fruit and whiffs of new oak which follows through to the palate. It will undoubtedly need time although I have enjoyed a bottle of the 2007 after 3-4 hours in a jug to soften the tannins. Exceptional.

2009 tastings in Chateauneuf - first stop: Grand Veneur

2010-12-20T20:59:00.000-08:00

Day one proper of my from-the-bottle tastings in the Southern Rhone this season. With mixed reviews - is the 2009 excellent as my earlier impressions have suggested or merely extremely good as Parker has suggested - what will today bring? To be fair, I am not giving the region an even covering: in Chateauneuf I will be visiting Domaines Grand Veneur and Raymond Usseglio, Domaine Brusset in Cairanne and Domaine de Mourchon in Seguret. All, arguably, among the very best and certainly most consistent in these villages.

First stop, I met Christophe Jaume at Domaine Grand Veneur. Christophe is very tall, young and smiles a lot (he's the one in the middle of the photograph). He speaks excellent English so, whilst this visit didn't provide me with much opportunity to practise my French, at least I understood all the subtle nuances of the vintage! After we had said our hellos, we began with the tasting, starting with the whites in the relative warmth of the tasting room.

2010 CDR Blanc: a blend of Viognier, Roussanne and Clairette, bottled only three days before. In any case, it is fresh, flowery with some apricot character. Quite light and pretty on the palate and fresh acidity. An easy, pleasant drink. This was followed by the 2010 CDR Viognier which has an extremely youthful, almost musky nose with overtures of New Zealand Sauvignon (Christophe agreed with this suggestion). On the palate, this gives way to sweet Viognier fruit, quite full with some fat and good body. Nonetheless the wine is fresh with good length.

2009 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc is a relatively light (these days) wine at 14% ABV. A blend of Roussanne and Clairette, it has deeper, richer fruit on the nose than the CDRs and more body but with a well balanced palate of fat and acidity. No oak used, even for the Roussanne so plenty of primary fruit characters coming to the fore, notably pineapple with hints of grapefruit and honey and soft flower aromas. Certainly a far more serious wine than the earlier ones but, as so often is the case, I think standard cuvees of white CDP don't offer the best value for money.

Far superior, and worth every penny, is the 2009 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc "La Fontaine", a pure Roussanne wine aged in demi-muids. This has a powerful Roussanne nose (lots of citrus, honeysuckle, apricot etc) with some oak showing through and hints of the liquorice that will eventually come (anyone who has tried the fabulous 2002 vintage of this wine will know what I mean - 2002 was by no means a bad year for whites!). The nose carries through to the palate which is rich with the oak lending texture but not flavour. A very long wine to drink now or through the next six years in Christophe's view although my recent experience of the 2002 suggests longer, perhaps. Interestingly, we tasted the 2008 after this which is a much less forthright but fresher, more mineral wine. Apparently some prefer it - I can see why but for me the 2009 would win hands down every time.

After this, we tasted the 2009 Cotes du Rhone Reserve Rouge, a young, slightly hot wine which is decent enough but, I suspect, more tannic than most. A bistro wine, perhaps. Given what was to follow, not much point in dwelling here.

2009 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge is a GSM blend (70/20/10). I tasted VAT 64 which was instantly recognisable as a Grand Veneur Chateauneuf. A big cherry wine but no jamminess whatsoever, a cross between 2007 and 2003 perhaps but without the OTT characters of the earlier vintage. Grapes stayed on the vines two weeks longer than in 2007 (which explains why some other wines from the vintage were jammy and hot) and for the better estates this was advantageous as it gave maturity to the grapes and, consequently, to the wines. It must be stressed, however, that many estates were unable to take proper advantage of this condition. The barrel samples tasted were similarly recognisable as Chateauneuf with big, fleshy, rounded, sweet fruit. This wine is going to be very accessible from a young age although the Mourvedre, whilst more accessible than the Lirac Mourvedre (tasted before this, see below) is more muted now, providing body and structure to the wine.

Jumping about, we next tasted some Grenache which will form a part of the 2009 CDR Villages "Champauvins". A pretty nose, sweet fruit with noticeably less body than the CDP but big, nonetheless for a Cotes du Rhone. A second vat showed similar fruit but with sweetness and instensity at different levels. The Syrah is quite restrained at first, very black and tannic. Ageworthy. The raw materials of this yet-to-be-blended wine are extremely promising.

The 2009 Gigondas "Terrasses de Montmirail", a negociant wine is stunning: 85% Grenache about to be bottled. It has an intense nose of sweet dark fruits with savory notes, quite spicy with more grip than the other wines. It will age well.

The 2009 Vacqueyras seemed more refined than the Gigondas, more feminine somehow but with more wood showing at this stage and more tannin. For me, this was the only wine which showed any hint of jam but very enjoyable in any case.

I have become a big fan of the Jaume's excellent Lirac (I bought several cases of the 2007 for my own cellar whilst I was there). the 2009 Lirac "Clos des Sixte" Grenache is incredibly rich with sweet fruit but no jam despite its 15% alcohol. A little later we tasted the Syrah, first from the vat (a little of the same wine is oak aged) which would be a fabulous wine if bottled on its own. Rich and chewy, the barrel-aged version is stunning, almost the wine version of blackcurrant fruit pastilles, sweet and black with hints of vanilla. Almost drinkable now, perfect Southern Rhone Syrah! The Mourvedre for this wine is less forward on the nose at present and more structured with spicy, peppery characters. It is clearly a very long wine.

Lastly, the two prestige Chateauneufs: 2009 Origines is very refined and long with pure, sweet fruit. It has more Mourvedre than other wines so will benefit from longer ageing to let this shine. Quite a lot of black fruit here with good minerality too. It is at least as good as the 2007 at this stage.

The 2009 Vieilles Vignes has an unmistakable Chateauneuf nose. Wonderful barrel-aged Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah aged in new oak but you wouldn't know it, the fruit is so intense. The wine has a very smooth and rich palate, some cherry liqueur and liquorice coming through. A slow burner but a hedonistic wine so the only question is whether the bottles will survive into maturity.

A great start!

Tasting in the Ventoux: Domaine des Anges

2010-12-19T15:49:00.000-08:00

My first day of tastings was at Domaine des Anges in the Ventoux. Most of the wines tasted were from the 2010 vintage (which is looking pretty good already if these are anything to go by).

At Domaine des Anges, Ciaran showed me his 2010 Ventoux Blanc which was typically fresh and fruity, a good everyday bottle for those who like a bit of flavour and varietal character in their whites (Grenache Blanc, Marsanne and a little Roussanne make up the backbone of this wine). Next up was a first taste of a new wine for this estate: pure Viognier. From the tank, it had an almost New World Sauvignon intensity but around 25% of this wine will have seen some wood which fleshes it out beautifully. Put together, this will be gorgeous; it's only a pity there is so little of it.

The only 2009 I tasted - also from the tank - was a pure Grenache cuvee which Ciaran describes as his Chateauneuf. Certainly the wine has depth and length and plenty of structure. Time will tell whether it will fool tasters into thinking it is from the more heralded appellation but in any case it will be a lovely wine for those who can get hold if it.

Why I work in the wine trade

2010-11-23T04:56:00.000-08:00

This email came in today - very nice to receive something like this!

Hi,

I am brand new to your site, having found it whilst looking for something else: and I must say that it is one of the best wine websites I've come across so far.

There is an excellent selection of wines of a type that you just don't see in the supermarkets and at competitive prices to boot!

I just like the layout and the user-friendly way it works, plus you give more in-depth details about each wine.

Well done, I am already telling my friends about you.

By Appointment Wine Dinner last night

2010-11-20T07:48:00.000-08:00

Started with Michel Rocourt's superb Premier Cru Champagne which was extremely well received. The extra bottle age (over most NV Champagnes available) contributes to the wine's complexity and the softness of the mousse, it was generally agreed.

With the goats cheese starter, Jonathan Maltus' "Pezat" Blanc seemed an obvious choice with its Sauvignon lemony zing and was a far better food match (though not necessarily a better wine, of course) than the Givry Blanc from Michel Sarrazin, a far softer wine with its subtle oak ageing.

The main course of lamb was the time to bring out the big guns: first a 2004 Rioja "Amenital" from Miguel Angel Muro (Oz Clarke has just rated it his 9th best wine for 2011) which has lovely forward fruit and good acidity and tannins so very much a wine for food.

I was slightly nervous about the 2004 Cahors "Le Cedre" from Chateau du Cedre, thinking it would be far too young still. In the end it was a fairly unanimous wine of the night thanks to its intense, rich fruit complemented by a superb structure of acidity and tannins balanced by just enough alcohol. A magnificent wine.

The pear and apple tarte tatin was paired with two very different wines: Domaine Rotier's "Renaissance" Doux from Gaillac and Bressy-Masson's Rasteau Rancio. The first is a deliciously sweet, late-harvest white from the Loin de l'Oeil variety (not one you see every day!) with around 150 grams/litre residual sugar. Always a winner, my only concern is how well the wine ages as it is never around long enough to find out.

The Rasteau Rancio is a wine whose ageworthiness is never a concern: its Rancio character means there is no harm in letting this age further. All that will happen is that the Rancio effect will be exacerbated. A slightly nutty character came though with the food at least. Some preferred this to the Rotier; others enjoyed the Gaillac more. I didn't hear anyone say they didn't like either though!

A good tasting dinner (and a good dinner!) - now I have to prepare for this afternoon's walkabout tasting here!

Italian wines

2010-11-12T09:11:00.000-08:00

For some reason, all orders received today have been for Italian wines. Very strange. All the reds have sold one way or another and I even had an enquiry about a wine I haven't stocked for some time. Having tasted most of the Italian range quite recently, I realised there was one I hadn't: Marco Maci's Copertino 2001 "Duca d'Antene". A recent bottle of the 2004 "Fra Diavolo" was big with sweet, slightly raisined fruit, exactly what I want from a Primitivo (or, come to that, a Zinfandel) but the 100% Negroamaro "Duca" should offer something quite different. Time to pull the cork? Actually it's only ten past five so I am getting ahead of myself! In the words of an indifferent Hollywood actor, I'll be back.

Pre-Christmas Wine Tasting Evening at By Appointment, Norwich

2010-11-12T03:52:00.000-08:00

From http://www.byappointmentnorwich.co.uk/littleexcuses.htm

... on Friday 19th November 2010

'This is going to be an informative as well as a very enjoyable fun evening where you will get the chance to try some lovely wines and indulge in some delicious food'

James Bercovici from the Big Red Wine Company based in Mildenhall, has very kindly agreed to come and show us some fabulous Big Red Wines from the Rhone as well as a selection of white and red Bordeaux / Burgundy and Rhone wines. To accompany these spectacular French wines there will be a delicious three course dinner, cheese and coffee.

This evening is priced at £59.95 per head and includes everything.

A bottle of Mourchon

2010-11-11T19:06:00.000-08:00

I really can't see the 2005 Grande Reserve from Domaine de Mourchon getting any better than it is now. The tannins have fully integrated and the wine is now like a thick, plush velvet chocolate bar only better because it's wine, not chocolate. It wasn't really the right wine to go with the Thai curry I had made but it went surprisingly well. That said, the rest of the bottle, enjoyed after the meal showed what this wine really can do.

2005 was undoubtedly a great vintage but some of the wines were quite hard initially and I would include the Mourchon wines in this group - the 2005 Tradition seemed almost impenetrable until it was about four years old (then it all sold out, of course!). The oak ageing of the Grande Reserve always helps to make it a little more accessible in its first flush of youth but this wine shut down to the point where, at a two day tasting this time last year, it wasn't until day two that I was happy showing this to anyone. I think you have to be interested enough in wine to be reading blogs like this to have the appreciation and understanding of wine's ability to develop with age. I suspect that, for many, this is just an urban legend. Before I get slapped on the wrist for this, the facts bear me out with the vast majority of wines being consumed within eight hours of being purchased (or is this just another urban legend?)

This wine is now appearing at Cafe 103 in Norwich - or you can still buy it here!

Cheap, everyday Italian wine

2010-10-20T07:36:00.000-07:00

Asked recently about the development of Marco Maci's IGT Salento "Luce Barocca" from the 2007 vintage, I realised I hadn't tasted this wine recently although I have had both the "Fra Diavolo" 2004 (Primitivo) and the Copertino "Duca d'Antene" 2001 (Negroamaro) from this estate in recent weeks and was impressed by both. The Fra is getting more interesting every time I taste it with its sweet, brambly fruit and underlying tar. The Duca is one of the best straight Negroamaros I have had at this price point, very stylish, sweet and sour and no hard edges at all.

So, what about the Barocca? The issue raised concerned a slight spritz in the glass when it was first released. Maybe, but (a) that is a sign of low sulphur use (unless, of course, the wine is refermenting which certainly is not the case here) and (b) that was two years ago so, surely, it has gone by now? The only way to answer the question is to crack open a bottle, of course.

Well, no complaints here. For a sub-£6 bottle of southern Italian magic, this is really very good. Remarkably fresh for such an inexpensive wine - really, I could see myself enjoying this in another five years, maybe more. The tell-tale fruit of the Negroamaro/Malvasia blend presents itself extremely well but, as always, it is the depth of the wine that never ceases to amaze me. At this price, most French wines would be too thin, Spanish wines too clumsy, Australian wines too blowsy and Chilean wines just plain nasty (I have been tasting a lot of cheaper wines recently!) but this pitches itself perfectly for a simple pizza or pasta dish.

Now to try the Rioja again...

Oz Clarke's 250 Best Wines, 2011 edition

2010-10-08T08:23:00.000-07:00

Four in this year! Oz clearly has good taste (especially bearing in mind the majority of the 250 is reserved for wines available from supermarkets and multiples). Two in the top 100 and two in the specialist sections.

At Number 9 in Oz's Top 100 is Miguel Angel Muro's 2004 Rioja 'Amenital'. He writes "2004 is a classic vintage for Rioja: dark, ripe, rather closed in, promising long life. Well, this is dark but it isn't brooding and introspective. The fruit's darkness is the darkness of real ripeness, so ripe that a heady plum blossom scent shimmers on the surface of the wine. It does have some tannic toughness but not nearly enough to interfere with the pleasure and it's the fruit acidity that provides the backbone to the wine. You don't usually get that tingling acidity in modern Rioja but here they've used 20% of the Graciano grape in the blend (along with the traditional Tempranillo) to provide vivacity and verve. The acidity keeps the wine fresh while the waxy texture and mellow vanilla warmth wrap around the fruit and ooze over your palate".

Domaine des Anges' 2007 Côtes du Ventoux Rouge is at Number 90 on the list, "ripe and full but seductively scented with cool orchard air and the dark red fruit of cherries and strawberries flows effortlessly through the local landscape of rocks and herbs". At £7.65 it is listed as one of the very cheapest wines in the Top 100 but in fact we have been able to drop the price to £7.35 thanks to the improved exchange rate.

Jonathan Maltus' 2008 Bordeaux Blanc 'Pezat' also makes an appearance in the Keeping It Light section.

Finally, the superb 2007 Gaillac Doux 'Renaissance' from Domaine Rotier is "rich and fat, not hysterically sweet but waxy and dripping with quince, fresh figs and honey, with a funky mix of melon, pineapple chunks and marrow jam unexpectedly appearing on your tongue just before the wine drifts off into a delightful aftertaste of strawberry and honey".

Chateau du Cedre 2009 - tasting from the barrel with Pascal Verhaeghe

2010-08-05T19:05:00.000-07:00

The day of the 25th Fete des Vins at Puy l'Eveque in the heart of Cahors, a wine fair which has never impressed me as much as it should so I am off to Chateau du Cedre, one of the region's greatest estates and one which I am very proud to work with.

This morning saw my second visit to Chateau du Cedre for a meeting with Pascal Verhaeghe, winemaker extraordinaire. Pascal is extremely charming and clearly loves his work; it was a joy to be in his company, even more so because we had some truly great wines to taste. We came away wondering why anyone would want to spend £180 on a dozen bottles of, say, Chateau Le Crock, when the same money will buy "Le Cedre", let alone over £700 on, for example, Rauzan-Segla when "GC" costs under £400. No accounting for taste it seems, unless depth of pocket has anything to do with it, of course.

It was a fascinating tasting: the regular cuvee is superb with the 5% each of Merlot and Tannat contributing well without detracting from the overall impression of the Malbec as Merlot, in particular, can.

My memory of the other two wines is extremely clear:"Le Cedre" is stored as "LC1" and "LC2" from different plots and stored in a mixture of barrels from Burgundy and around the Cognac region. Some barrels are 225 litres but Pascal, clearly aware of some of the criticisms from the international press, has moved towards using more 500 litre barrels. The differences were surprisingly marked with LC2 more pronounced and LC1 giving a touch more acidity and tannin. Pascal also has a new large foudre which he is very pleased with - the wine from here is slightly reductive so more muted at this time with some CO2 but, obviously, this will come together soon enough and, for now at least, this wine forms only a small part of the whole. Pascal hopes to install more of these foudres in years to come which will further reduce the oak flavour in the finished wine.

"GC" is similar in style (there is clearly a house style: very ripe, sweet fruit but not over-extracted, approachable relatively young but with plenty of life ahead - in other words, everything you would want from a top winemaker working with a superb terroir in a profound vintage). It is fermented in open-top barrels which are then sealed for the storage. Pascal enthusiasm for this was very apparent, so much so that it was difficult to understand exactly what is the benefit of this method. I assume, having tasted the wines, that it helps extract the fruit over and above the tannins as the wine is already very smooth. I regretted having to spit!

Wine Merchant of the Month - again!

2010-07-06T08:46:00.000-07:00

Wine Behind The Label has decided to make us Wine Merchant of the Month again! That's two months in a row.

Wine Behind The Label is one of the most complete guides to wines and winemakers produced in the UK. Regions are introduced and estates are rated along with their wines with a brief overview. You can be fairly sure that any wine in the publication is worth checking out and, conversely, that any winery not included has been omitted for a reason. Needless to say, almost all the people we work with are in the book. If you want to join and get 10% off, click here.

Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2008: a mini-horizontal

2010-06-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

With some in the press talking the vintage down, what is 2008 really like?

Sandwiched between the glorious 2007 and possibly even better 2009 vintages, 2008 was always the ugly duckling but are comparisons with 2002 justified? Not at all if this trio is anything to go by. All three were tasted separately at the domaines around Easter but I wanted to compare them and only a mini-horizontal tasting would achieve this. One thing about all these wines: in top vintages, all these estates make prestige cuvees; in 2008 they started to make these wines but decided the economy and the reputation of the vintage rendered this self-defeating so blended them back into the "Tradition" cuvees. This gives the wine the potential to be much better than it would otherwise be.

With no other criteria to go by, the wines were tasted according to alcohol strength so at 14%, Raymond Usseglio was first up. This wine has changed the blend over the last few years from a straightforward GSM blend (75% Grenache) to a slightly different mix of 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre, 6% Syrah and 2% each of Cinsault and Counoise. This last variety has, I think, really lifted the wine even with such a small amount of it. It adds some lovely black fruit pepperiness and a little more zing to the wine.

On the nose, a whiff of smoke but black cherry dominates. A touch of sourness, perhaps because the fruit was less ripe this year. Some oak comes through (from the aborted cuvee "Imperiale", presumably) and the wine has big, chewy tannins although these are well balanced with the acidity and alcohol. There is a touch of rawness at this stage but in another six months to a year it will smooth out well. Probably best drunk by the middle of the decade.

Domaine Grand Veneur's 2008 weighs in at 14.5% ABV and has a smoother but less pronounced nose with oak quite evident alongside the black cherry. The palate is much oakier than the Usseglio and, consequently, the fruit profile much sweeter and softer/smoother. Much more drinkable than the Usseglio at this stage although it is less obvious where this is heading.

When I visited Domaine de Cristia, Dominique Grangeon was cross that Parker had awarded them only 87 points for the 2008 and, tasting the wine, I can see why she thinks he was wrong. I would put it at 89+ (in Parker terms), the wine just falling short of the magic 90 but only just. It's the strongest of the line-up at 15% and is made from a similar blend as Stef Usseglio's wine except that it is just GSM with the latter two accounting for 10% of the total. The fruit is more evolved here than in either of the other two wines, richer and sweeter than the Grand Veneur although this could be down to the different use of oak at this estate. The wine was more full-bodied and rounded than the other two.

On the night, the wine that slipped down most easily was probably the Grand Veneur although I preferred the Cristia for its more subtle use of oak. However, the Usseglio has, I think, more potential to evolve. The only question is whether anyone will be interested in monitoring the evolution of a 2008 when they could (and will) be saving up for the 2009s. The only reason for stocking up on these wines is if you have to wait for other vintages; 2008 will be a superb stop-gap.

Wines with spit-roasted lamb

2010-06-06T07:14:00.000-07:00

Saturday started as a baking hot day in the high twenties - not ideal for the morning after the night before, especially when the party hasn't even started yet! A very leisurely walk around the Barton Mills Scarecrow Festival for the benefit of the children who had spied opportunities for us to part with some cash in the ice-cream vans and bouncy castleswas followed by an ever more relaxed afternoon with the fire being lit around 1.30pm.

The lamb was stuffed with different marinades and put on the spit around 2pm being turned diligently by college friends Saki and Adam under my insistent but only occasional supervision whilst others turned up from time to time and needed help erecting tents. Beer was the drink of choice at this point.

We did eventually - inevitably - move onto wine as the evening approached with the first glasses being filled with Domaine de Cristia's VDP Grenache from 2009 but tasting so advanced for a wine only seven months old. This wine astounds me - it sells for only £7.50 but has so much going on and really incredible depth. For the meal itself, I found a jeroboam of Chianti I had been given a couple of years earlier. Not a bad wine but slightly diluted compared with the Cristia. Adam has long been a Fleurie fan so I brought out a magnum of Domaine de la Madone's 2002 Vieilles Vignes which Jean-Marc gave me a few years ago as well as a magnum of Cristia's 2003 Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Another friend, Chae, had brought a rather decent Rioja from the 2001 vintage, much more interesting fruit than the 2003 Ribera del Duero I received a few days earlier and with oak that was very much present but not bullying the fruit into submission.

By this time the meal was over and the fire rebuilt so, gradually, everyone moved over to find a spot from which they would not move for the next several hours. The Vieilles Vignes Grenache from Domaine de Cristia had a lovely lightness of touch without being a lightweight wine at all but after the CDP and Rioja, a different dimension was required. However, it was straight back onto a Rhone retrospective with the next two wines from Raymond Usseglio: the 2007 Cotes du Rhone and 2006 Chateauneuf both excellent with the former showing the qualities of this vintage (superb fruit but, perhaps, just a touch too much alcohol) and the latter showing the class of the appellation (2006 is particularly forward for this wine).

I did notice an opened bottle of Mordoree's Reine des Bois Lirac from 2001 when I came downstairs this morning but I had gone to bed before this cork was pulled!

Wine Merchant of the Month

2010-06-01T00:04:00.000-07:00

Just for June - in Wine Behind The Label

Organic wine from Domaine de Cristia

2010-05-24T10:16:00.000-07:00

Domaine de Cristia has gone entirely organic - almost!

There are some new vineyards which are "in conversion" (it takes three years of bureaucracy to gain Ecocert status) including the plot of old-vine Grenache that goes into the incredible Vieilles Vignes Grenache, a vin de pays, that would put many Chateauneufs to shame. This wine was first produced in 2009 from 60-year-old vines so, when I tasted it only four days after the bottling, the grapes had only been off the vine for around six months. Quite incredible.

There are two other notable exceptions to the organic range from Cristia: the Cristia Collection range of negociant wines which are adequate but not in the same league as the estate wines and, more lamentably, the red Chateauneuf itself. The failure of this wine to be classed as organic is purely down to bureaucracy: when Dominique and Baptiste applied to Ecocert, they had to provide all the plot numbers they wished to convert to organic status. They asked their dad to help identify all the relevant plots and, by oversight, the Mourvedre in their Chateauneuf vineyards was omitted. This means that any CDP wine containing Mourvedre cannot - yet - be Ecocert (indeed, official conversion for this started only when they realised this early in 2009) so the 2008 is not organic. 2009, however, will be as all the Mourvedre will go into the "Renaissance" wine. The 2009 Vieilles Vignes (CDP) will also be organic. 2010 and 2011 may revert back to non-organic, of course, depending on whether or not there are multiple cuvees. Confused?

One estate wine that is Ecocert is the VDP Grenache (not the same cuvee as the Vieilles Vignes VDP Grenache - now, come on, you must admit this is confusing: the only way to work it out properly is to buy a mixed case and see which bottles go where in the jigsaw!) which I will be opening this evening. When last tasted, the fruit was surprisingly deep for such a nominally simple wine. The only downside was that, three days after bottling, there was still quite a lot of residual carbon dioxide from the bottling. Fingers crossed that has gone now!

Usseglio mini-vertical

2010-05-24T10:04:00.000-07:00

Having tried the 2005 Chateauneuf-du-Pape from Raymond Usseglio with the Canterbury Wine Tasting Society recently, I wanted to have a proper taste so opened a bottle on Sunday night. It seemed much less evolved than the Canterbury bottle - the only explanation I could think of was that, whereas the Canterbury bottle came from stock, this was one Stef gave me when I visited him at the domaine a few years ago. A different batch, perhaps?

As a comparison, I nervously opened the 2006 last night - if the 2005 was a little too youthful, how would the 2006 come across? Nothing to worry about: this was Usseglio at its most glorious best. Looking back at my notes for the 2006 on the website, they still ring true:

"One of the most impressive young wines I have ever tasted, Stéphane showed this to me alongside his superb 2005. It is even better! The depth and purity of fruit is incredible. The wine is very concentrated with a nose that draws you in for more. Tasted alongside the very good 2005, the 2006 shone out. Probably the best standard wine produced at this estate – and one of the very best wines of the vintage."

I couldn't put it any better now after another two years!

Beaucastel 1997 - my last bottle

2010-05-16T19:49:00.000-07:00

Jill has a ridiculous idea that we should refrain from wine this week - she clearly has not thought this out properly (the London Wine Trade Fair is this week!) - so something special is required: in this case my last '97 Beaucastel. This was prompted in part by several comments about the current "difficult" phase of the 1998.

Brick red tones and fading a little towards the rim. The nose is surprisingly fresh though although secondary fruit is emerging, quite earthy with plenty of spice. Drinking well now but I really don't think there's any hurry to finish this one.

Election 2010: what has our world come to?

2010-05-12T17:08:00.000-07:00

So, after nearly a week of blissful limbo, we have a government, the first Conservative lead one for thirteen years and the first coalition since the second World War. Gladstone must be turning in his grave.

Without wishing to be partisan, I have some serious misgivings about this coalition. There are some very obvious problems with the new power-sharing agreement:

First, the provision for the LibDems to abstain on budget - and some other - resolutions leaves the Tories with 308 out of 593 voting MPs (ie. 650 less the Libs), a majority of 23.

Second, the 55% of MPs required to dissolve Parliament before the end of the proposed five year fixed term requires 358 to vote for it but there are only 342 non-Tories, 16 short of the 55% needed.

Just a couple of examples of a mathematical stitch-up.

So, if the LibDems abstain from voting on something they disagree with, the Tories still get their way. This smacks of un-democracy. I gather this also applies to all things nuclear. This means the LibDems can stand up and say "we didn't vote for it" but, really, they will have done just that since, without their votes against, the opposition cannot win and, similarly, with their abstention, the Government cannot lose. Something wrong here.

On the second point, the LibDems cannot, if they fall out of bed with the Tories, help to bring down an unelected Government (and, for all Hague's nonsense about Brown being unelected, what exactly is Cameron's majority again?) even with a combined 53% of MPs. It has always been a simple majority and should stay that way. The other side of the coin, of course, is that the Tories cannot simply resign when the going gets tough but, somehow, I doubt they would do that anyway.

Elsewhere, I wonder why Clegg has gone for the prestige of DPM rather than having a portfolio and being able to make a real difference. He may say he has more influence this way but the first time he and Cameron disagree, well, no prizes for guessing who is going to get his way.

Similarly, Vince Cable ("InVinceCable": almost a super-hero but not quite) may be nominally in charge of banking reform but does anyone seriously think Osborne is going to let him do anything that might upset the Tory paymasters? OK, so the LibDems have Scotland but only because the Scots have roundly rejected the Tories who therefore want as little to do with them as possible.

It is very disappointing that we were promised a new kind of government yet, when you read the text and, no doubt, listen to what the players themselves will have to say over the coming days and weeks, what we have is a minority Conservative government which has successfully pulled the wool over the eyes of the LibDem leaders to give them exactly what they - and only just over a third of those electors who chose to vote (or about 22% of the elctorate) - want.

This is in no way democracy.

Cahors 2009: how en primeur should be done

2010-05-07T11:16:00.000-07:00

What is EP all about? One of two things: buying wines which will be sold out if you don't get in early OR buying wines at prices which will only head skywards once in the bottle.

Last year was Rhone 2007's turn: plenty of excellent wines to choose from but buyers went for the limited production cuvees from CDP, Gigondas etc and left the "Tradition" wines alone in the main. Why? Simply because they thought - rightly - these wines would still be available when they are ready to drink. Prices will increase a little to take account of storage charges but, otherwise, they will still be around.

So, with 2009 Bordeaux etc now on the market, what should we be buying? If you have the budget for first growths, my guess is you are not reading this. If you are a mere mortal, however, I would look for the bargains which are few and far between in Bordeaux these days.

This is why I was so excited when I received an email from Pascal Verhaeghe of Chateau du Cedre in Cahors offering his top wines and that of Chateau Haut-Monplaisir en primeur. For once, great wines are offered at bargain prices. I am stocking up for myself. The rest of you can form an orderly queue!

The impact of prestige wines in the Southern Rhone

2010-02-09T03:25:00.000-08:00

Several comments/enquiries about the impact of luxury cuvees on the quality of standard wines have been received. There are debates about this very thing with Rhone wines. My own feeling is that it can certainly be true that prestige wines are made to the detriment of the regular bottling, it is not always so.

Before elaborating, the other way to approach multiple cuvees is that used by most Bordelais: the best grapes make the main wine; anything deemed not quite up to standard goes into a second wine and so on. The Rhone works the other way round (although it must be said that inferior grapes are sold off to cooperatives, negociants or turned into industrial alcohol, at least they are if they come from any self respecting grower!).

For example, in a vintage such as 2002, Rhone wines were not all good (an understatement in many cases). However, when I visited Raymond Usseglio, all ready to tell him that I would see him the following year without placing an order for the 2002s, he produced two cuvees, one early bottled for the American market (before Parker released his verdict?) and one later bottled including the old vine grapes that usually go into "Imperiale". The difference was phenomenal - the second wine really was very good, not just for the vintage although it was difficult to assess whether this was the result of the later bottling or the inclusion of old vine Grenache (rather unfortunate in this particular case since the vines had been planted in 1902 so this would have been it centinary year). That is an example of prestige wines potentially detracting from the standard bottle although not in actual fact (although there are some estates who still made prestige wines in 2002).

However, the flip side can be (but not necessarily is) that prestige wines are often produced in such small quantities that they would have little effect on the standard wine. Usseglio's 2007s could be cited here as the quality of the regular wine is so high that the grapes included in the prestige wines would have little effect. Indeed, the main difference between the wines is stylistic rather than qualitative.

Another example is Domaine de Mourchon which has made the Family Reserve wines in 2008 but not the Grande Reserve simply because there was a big enough harvest of first class grapes to warrant micro-cuvees of the FR wines with no apparent impact on the Tradition but to produce the GR would be to reduce the quality of the Trad. Sadly, not enough producers here (or anywhere else) have this level of integrity.

Cahors terroirs

2010-02-04T05:14:00.001-08:00

I am told that, far from being three distinct terroirs, the alluvial zones of Cahors are now classified by as defined by Ferme Experimental Anglars Juillac as:

T1 - 1st terrace
T2 - 2nd terrace
T3 - 3rd terrace
T4 - limestone scree
T5 - limestone covered slopes: limestone slope
T6 - upper quartenary
T7 - limestone plateau: siderolitic
T8 - white marly-limestone
T9 - limestone plateau

Does it matter to us as consumers? The answer is almost certainly "no". Most estates claim to be in T1-3 (made up of alluvial deposits from the Massif Central) or on the causse. Altitude and soil testing are the only ways of knowing precisely where they lie. It has long been understood that the lower terraces close to the river produce supple, fruity, easy-drinking wines. The medium ones produce fleshier wines. Somewhat inevitably, higher terraces have better drainage and it is here where the soil is made of limestone scree from the plateau that the richest, most ageworthy wines are made. This is T4.

Some vineyards are planted on the surrounding slopes and limestone plateaux of the quaternary era consisting of alluvial soil deposits covering the rocks and resisting erosion: these are much rarer, but they also produce very renowned wines. This is T6!

Paul Strang (in his excellent book South-West France) admits to many different terroirs but goes on to say that it is difficult to differentiate between Malbec grown on different soils here and, further, Malbecs grown on the same soils can be quite different from one another.

Indeed, often the best Cahors wines are those blended from different terroirs. In which case, the differences matter to growers certainly - they need to ensure they have the best range of soils - but for most of us, all we need to know is what is in the bottle.

Chateauneuf bottles

2010-02-03T07:47:00.000-08:00

One question I am sometimes asked concerns the embossed logos on Chateauneuf bottles. There are several of these. As Chateauneuf is the birthplace of the appellation system, it is no great surprise that the community has developed other ways of guaranteeing the wines. If the appellation system guarantees where the wine comes from, the different bottles are used to indicate whether the wine is estate bottled, negociant bottled within the region or bottled anywhere else in the world (please avoid this last category at all costs!)

First, and most simply, if there is no logo at all, it probably (but not definitely!) means the wine has been bottled outside the region, possibly by a negociant (but possibly a bottling company or similar). Many such wines are made from grapes or wines from estates that do not deem them to be of high enough quality to include them in their estate bottlings. These are the wines of supermarket own labels and the like.

The traditional embossed coat of arms - the large crossed keys under the bishop's mitre with the wording round the outside - can only be used by a grower, or proprietaire recoltant, and in case there is any doubt, the label will state mis en bouteille au domaine or chateau. This is the bottle used by estates such as Raymond Usseglio and Domaine de Cristia

The crossed keys represent the keys of the kingdom of heaven entrusted to St Peter. The mitre, or triple crown (tiara), representents the pope's three functions as "supreme pastor", "supreme teacher" and "supreme priest".

Some producers (including Domaine Grand Veneur) have started to use an updated version of this with a larger mitre embossed on the bottle. Again, this is an indication of the wine's pedigree.

The other main bottle used is like the second (the tradional crossed keys) but the keys are much smaller. These are wines bottled within the appellation by negociants. Some may be OK but the question remains, why take the risk when there are some good estate-bottled wines for little more outlay?

Decanter's 2007 Chateauneuf tasting

2010-02-02T01:22:00.000-08:00

The March issue has just landed through my letterbox with the results of a tasting of 2007 Chateauneuf-du-Pape. An overhyped vintage which deserves such a lukewarm reception?

I should start by stating that I find these things interesting reading. Some panellists really know their stuff and there is something to be said for a horizontal tasting on a large scale. But ...

I am interested to read the views of John Livingstone-Learmonth as he probably knows more about Rhone wines than just about anyone else in the UK and those of Steven Spurrier who has an excellent palate and an open mind but, frankly, some panellists at this and other tastings should be disregarded. I mean this with complete respect but, let's face it, who would be impressed to read my opinions in such a tasting when I have a vested interest in several of the wines? Even tasted blind, I should be able to recognise these wines and I cannot entirely trust myself to be unbiased so how can I trust others?

I would expect to recognise the wines I import in a blind tasting (although I still think I would be on the floor before I got to them if they were between 100 and 200 in the tasting order). Even if I didn't identify the precise wines, it would be reasonably to assume that, since I have put my money where my mouth (palate?) lies, I would prefer these styles of wines and mark them up.

I did attend a tasting like this many years ago and was led to believe that my own comments and notes on wines I imported would be disregarded. However, that does not get past the point that I am still likely to mark up all wines made in certain styles.

So, even if I am not lacking in integrity, my marks would be biased.

My view is that this tasting is fairly irrelevant really (as is any tasting by a panel representing different interests). Over 200 wines were tasted apparently (some boast!), many of which were never going to be top tier anyway; there are, perhaps, 60 or so estates in Chateauneuf making consistently world class wines. Even in a vintage such as 2007, there will still be a good number of the remaining 250-odd who won't make wine I would want to drink.

There is also the, perhaps more important, issue of development of the wines. Of the "Tradition" cuvees I import, Domaine de Cristia has real purity of fruit in 2007, almost Burgundian in style and very different from previous vintages. It desperately needs another three years to knit together. Domaine Raymond Usseglio manages to combine finesse and concentration but, true to form, has a lightness of touch about it which could be viewed as dilution now but will undoubtedly grow and be superb in another five years. Both these wines got very good reviews in the tasting but both were marked down for drinking from 2010. No-one in their right mind (and certainly neither JLL nor SS, I am certain) would contemplate them just yet.

Surely comparative tastings are always a waste of time. One of the more interesting articles in this month's Decanter was a profile of Haut Brion. Prince Robert of Luxembourg was emphatic that the wines don't perform well in such an environment (so he doesn't enter them) and few here would disagree that he makes extremely fine wines.

Similarly, you can't expect to taste over 200 wines from anywhere and get any consistency. Some wines won't show as well because, like Haut Brion, they just don't, others because they are simply not showing as well at the moment or because the bottle is not in A1 condition. Another possibility (probability) is that with so many wines to get through, no-one can remember what the first few were like once they've hit 50/100/200 wines (depending on palate fatigue levels of tasters).

A lot of consumers buy wines in exactly the same way as I do for myself or for BRW: they visit estates and taste wines in situ. They buy a case (or more) of wines they like and sit on them for a number of years before trying them out when they are ready to drink. At that point they may compare CDP1 with CDP2 but even then they are presumably looking less for qualitative differences than the panel tasters given that they already made the qualitative choice to buy the wine in the first place. Surely the best way to buy wines is to taste in a relaxed environment or, failing that, to buy from a trusted source - ie. a merchant with whom your palate coincides. A group of 8 or 10 different palates is not going to give a cohesive result so I suggest take them with a pinch of salt. (No doubt I will still include the reviews in my publicity though).

Raymond Usseglio's "Part des Anges" 2007 - Part 2

2010-01-27T03:12:00.000-08:00

The wine has been opened. The colour is a deep cherry red, very bright. There is more sediment than I expected but since that is (generally) no bad thing and I have a suitable funnel with a mesh to catch it, I have poured the wine into the jug to let it open up over the next several hours. At this stage the nose is more profound than I recall it being a couple of months ago - black fruit and earth dominating - but it is early so I'm going to (try to) resist temptation for a little while at least!

7pm - giving myself a pat on the back for waiting so long. One sip reveals so much about this wine: it is packed with potential. The fruit is concentrated but not too big or sweet - there is much to be gained from ten years in the bottle. There is some oak which glosses over things; I would like to see this fade away a little which, of course, it will. This will let the fruit sing out a little more on its own. But the main thing that stands out about this wine for me at this time is its texture. People sometimes refer to a wine having a texture of liquid velvet and this wine reveals why. It has body, not too heavy though but it's not just about glycerin (think Australian wine in particular but a lot of CDP too); there's something else here, something more real, more substantial. Maybe the clue is on those fine tannins that I filtered out earlier. The wine was clear after this but there was a slight "creamed potato" quality to the texture which, to me at least, rendered it as near to perfection as possible. I will be looking out for this a lot more.

Raymond Usseglio's "Part des Anges" 2007 - Part 1

2010-01-27T02:31:00.000-08:00

"La Part des Anges" (the angel's share) is the winemaker's term for the wine that evaporates out of the barrel during the elevage. It has little to do with this wine though as there is plenty left for us here. Instead, Stef Usseglio has named the wine to highlight that this really is the very best his vineyard has to offer. Too much for some, perhaps, although in true Raymond Usseglio style, it is in no way overblown.

I first tasted this at the estate from barrel and was overawed by the wine. Towards the end of last year, we finally shipped the wine with the rest of the estate's 2007s. Whilst most of this cuvee (and all the "Imperiale") was pre-sold, I was pleased to have a few cases spare of this wine to play around with.

I opened a bottle soon after it arrived - I know it was wrong but I just couldn't wait! My first reaction was to kick myself for being too hasty. The wine was completely closed. All I got was a mass of tannins masking a bit of background fruit. Poured into an open jug and left for three hours, though, and it completely transformed. Massive black fruit character with superb structure, the oak at last showing through (but not too much). In other words, the baby had become an adolescent.

Now, having given the wine a suitable amount of time to rest after its journey, and with several people suggesting that 2007s are drinking well already (that's another blog!) I am succumbing to it again. This time I am opening the wine now (11am) and it will have up to 8 hours in the jug. Wish me luck!

2008 en primeur - Southern Rhone

2010-01-26T06:54:00.000-08:00

The 2007 campaign was the most successful to date but should you buy the less successful 2008 vintage?

White wines are often very good indeed so, if you like white Rhones don't dismiss them at all. Reds from better producers are decent enough but why bother? Don't forget that next year there will be the fabulous 2009s to buy and there are still some (not many) superb 2007s available, some even at sensible prices (especially standard cuvees from CDP growers - the luxury cuvees are, by and large, all gone now).

There are some very good wines from including Beaucastel and, a perennial favourite, Raymond Usseglio (exceptions to the "why bother" question). My point is really that most 2008s will still be around when they are ready to drink so, whilst as an importer of these wines, I should be pushing them, as a consumer/wine lover first and foremost, I would recommend people not to buy them except for "allocated" wines. If you like Beaucastel then you do need to get it now, I guess.

Domaine de Mourchon did not produce a Grande Reserve in 2008 as it was felt the grapes were not good enough and they wanted to ensure the Tradition was up to standard. That said, they have creamed off the very best for their micro-cuvees, the "Family Reserve" wines (don't believe everything Parker writes, by the way; there are two cuvees of this: one Grenache and one Syrah). However, Mourchon also downgraded some of the CDRV grapes to produce a decent CDR in 2008 which is quite admirable.

The question about whether wines benefit from the grapes normally destined for luxury cuvees is interesting. The answer should be "yes" (assuming they are of higher quality even in the poor vintages) although the impact can be quite small when you consider the miniscule quantities produced of such wines.

However, when I visited Raymond Usseglio to taste his 2002s, I was prepared to say "thanks but I'll see you next year" (in French, of course: neither Raymond nor son Stef speak much, if any, English). We tasted the red which displayed all the characteristics of a bad vintage of Bordeaux (lean, unripe, herbaceous, stalky etc) and Raymond looked at me in agreement. He told me it had been bottled early for the American importer (presumably trying to sell it before Mr P released his verdict) but there was another, later bottling which also included the grapes normally destined for the "Cuvee Imperiale". This was probably the best 2002 CDP I tasted, a little lighter than usual but it still had some depth and good CDP character. I supported him in that vintage and my customers knew I would not sell them a bad wine so they, in turn, supported me. Everyone seemed quite happy with the results.

Whilst we must demand certain minimum quality levels, we cannot cherry pick all the time if we want the high quality in the top vintages at reasonable prices.

So, what will I be offering in 2008? All depends on what I taste when I visit later in the spring. If wines are good enough, then it doesn't matter that they come from a supposedly inferior vintage. If not, I will work with the estates to put together an attractive offer in any case. As always, I will not recommend (much less, buy) wines I would not like to drink myself.

Cahors wines and oak

2010-01-18T07:28:00.000-08:00

In discussion with someone about the various levels of Cahors wines, I maintain the standard cuvees are always going to have more typicity at an early stage. But the prestige wines are more concentrated and absolutely pure Malbec which is, perhaps, why they sometimes come across as atypical. Give them time!

The "Le Cedre" (and I would guess prestige cuvees from other estates, certainly Lamartine's "Expression" and Haut-Monplaisir's "Pur Plaisir") wines are typically more concentrated and oakier than their junior counterparts although, for example, the 04 is more classic than the 05. Even then, I decanted a bottle of the '04 at lunchtime (a few days ago) and by 6.30 it wasn't exactly ready (still very much enjoyed though) so don't rush into any of these prestige cuvees.

The oak question seems to be quite divisive. As far as I can see, the oak barrel is a traditional means of ageing wine before bottling/consumption but in the modern era when there are other alternatives for the elevage, there are certainly too many using oak as a flavour component which, I agree, should be avoided. However, like any really good wine, oak is used in Le Cedre, for example, to assist with the elevage and contribute to the textural profile. If aged sufficiently, there will be little or no oak influence on the flavour of the wine but you will notice the leap in quality between, for example, Cedre's "Prestige" (now renamed simply "Chateau du Cedre") and "Le Cedre". A bottle of Lamartine's "Expression" in 2002 or 2004 has no discernible oak on the nose, only when it hits your mouth is it at all apparent and then only in the texture.

So, whilst I agree that oak is too often over-used, it does have its place.

Mas de Daumas Gassac

2010-01-13T02:28:00.000-08:00

Having read numerous posts on a wine forum about this wine (in particular the 2000 vintage which I have been enjoying recently), I am curious to hear your views about it - no need to post if you don't want to.

The 2000 has good colour for a Cabernet-based wine, just beginning to show signs of maturity. The nose is quite Cabernet too (you'd hope so, given it's 80%) with a little extra sweetness to the black and blue berries (rather than currants) and mint with some hints of the forest. Altogether a decent variation on the Bordeaux theme, clearly a quality wine and one that can be enjoyed now (as I have been) or, being quite firm and tannic still, kept a few more years.

The 2001 was always an advanced wine although, as this was the first year they made the special "Emmanuel Peynaud" bottling, I have always wondered what impact this would have on the regular wine. Probably very little as quantities of the Peynaud were relatively small so, even though all the best grapes went into that, there was plenty of good wine left for the straight "Mas".

Anyway, a cork was pulled last night revealing another classic Daumas Gassac. Not a "wow" wine but very solid. Similar to the 2000 but, possibly, slightly more forward and with more orange peel on the nose and, I thought, gentler tannins. Bearing in mind my ambivalence towards much Bordeaux, this went down without any complaints.

Happy New Year

2010-01-06T06:14:00.001-08:00

No posts in December (except a brief one to praise Paul Strang's book on South West France which has had the inevitable effect of making me want to return this summer to check out all things I missed last year). Things got hectic - as always - and I thought people would prefer to receive their wines than read my rants.

Most things went OK. There was the odd wrong delivery, of course, and always the ones that are most difficult to put right (a case of Monte Rosola's "Crescendo" delivered to Ireland in place of their "Corpo Notte" was by far the worst example) but I think (hope) everyone had the wines they wanted on their table over the holiday season. We did!

We have been drinking through some of the more mature wines on the list and in our own cellar such as Raymond Usseglio's superb 2000 Chateauneuf-du-Pape. This is everything I want a Chateauneuf to be: spicy but smooth, rich and complex but not so heavy I need a knife to slice it with. On NYE, we opened (from the same vintage) a magnum of Pegau and bottles of Beaucastel and Vieux Telegraphe. The Beaucastel showed extremely well (as it has from a relatively young age) although I would like to see what it is going to be like at the next decade's end; the Pegau classic. VT was, as I too often find, a big disappointment with a little too much oxidation (the last bottle of 2003 was so ghastly that I am finding it difficult to open another!). Raymond - or, rather, Stef - Usseglio's wine held up extremely well in this exalted company. I wouldn't particularly rank them as they are quite different; only the VT was below par.

For Christmas Day, with twelve at the table (OK, so four of them were under 12 years old), I decided against the very best (apart from anything else, some of them might not know a decent wine if it bit them) but still had to have something good enough for us to enjoy. The day started early: our oldest woke up at 3.15 although it was three hours later when we said they could all come through to show us what was in their stockings. By 11am, the first family members arrived so we cracked open a Rasteau Rancio from Domaine Bressy-Masson which struck me as a very sophisticated way to get into the day: sweet but with a dryness about it that left you searching for the bowl of nuts that we had overlooked.

A bottle or two from Champagne Michel Rocourt for those who don't like Buck's Fizz (personally I prefer their music, and that's really saying something!) with the traditional brunch then a break before lunch where the wine choice was Pascal Perrier's Domaine de Gachon 1999 St Joseph. This wine has been sitting around for seven years and has finally come together. Almost Burgundian in its finesse but with classic mature Northern Rhone Syrah fruit including a whiff of the bacon fat associated with Cote Rotie. Several bottles later, we completely forgot about pudding wines although this was more than remedied on NYE with a bottle of Domaine Bernardins' Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise "Hommage", a Rancio of sorts which tastes more like Christmas than some of the mince pies pushed my way over the last few weeks. Actually, as someone who usually finds Muscat rather insipid, I have to confess a liking for their regular Muscat. I only hope some of the people who bought this by the case recently will let a few bottles mature (don't let anyone tell you that fortified Muscats don't age; it's a lie to keep you off track and keep all the best wines for the person giving you this misinformation!)

Happy New Year - and I will try to be more observant about posting this year (note, this is not a resolution).

South-West France: The Wines and Winemakers by Paul Strang

2009-12-03T01:14:00.000-08:00

After months of waiting for Amazon to notify me when this book is available in the UK, my copy arrived yesterday. Whilst timing like this obviously intends the book to be given as Christmas presents, University of California Press should be congratulated of finding a sure-fire guarantee that I won't be able to get any work done between now and the end of the year.

First impression: coffee table presentation belies the fact that this is clearly a serious work and a must have for any SWF nut. A quick glance at some of the comments suggests that Paul Strang and I agree about several things (the New Black Wine from Clos Triguedina, for example: for me, it's like drinking squid ink! Other wines from them are good, though, if overpriced) and, of course, I'm pleased to see he rates all the estates I am working with.

More soon, no doubt

Lamartine: lamenting the end of a vintage

2009-10-22T12:36:00.000-07:00

My last bottle of Lamartine's 2004 Cahors tonight (still got some "Particuliere" though which is even better): quite chocolatey, very Malbec in a Cahors sort of way. It even worked with the chicken curry I made!

Ten wines at the RBS

2009-10-09T01:08:00.000-07:00

A lively crowd of mainly Claret lovers invited me to show a range of wines from the Southern Rhone! I told them: next time, South-West France. At least it's closer to the style of wines they enjoy. I find it rare that I "get" Bordeaux at all; maybe it's just that I can afford decent wines from the Rhone and SWF but the really good Bordeaux tends to be out of my league. That said, a recent bottle of Teyssier's 2005 was rather enjoyable - maybe it's not that typical! As this was the first wine of the evening, everyone had a full glass; no-one complained.

First up was Domaine des Anges' 2007 "L'Archange" Blanc, a monovarietal - and, therefore, technically illegal - wine from the renamed Ventoux. Still very youthful and fresh with citrus on the nose and palate. Some liquorice and almond and the merest whiff of oak. It really needs another couple of years or more to flesh out; it noticeably improved as the glass drained. Perhaps it should be less chilled to allow its character to show fully. I can understand that anyone unfamiliar with Roussanne could find it difficult to know what to make of this wine; you have to know how Roussanne develops to appreciate where this is going. For the Claret crowd, this is best explained by comparing it with Semillon which can have a light fragrance in youth, developing its waxiness as it ages.

A wine that is not remotely shy, Domaine des Coteaux des Travers' 2007 "Cuvee Marine" is far more intense with the Roussanne aromas and flavours, well matched by the Viognier with Grenache and Marsanne in supporting roles (in fact, all four varieties make up 25% each of the blend). Quite a sweet palate with a lingering, dry finish. My sort of white!

Enough of the whites then; on to Domaine des Anges' 2006 Rouge, chosen as a good for current drinking, typical, high quality, fruit-driven wine that shouldn't offend anyone - except for the chap who announced that he enjoyed the Xavier Rouge (next up) almost as much as he disliked this! I questioned why he had come to a Rhone tasting if he disliked the region's wines so much. He didn't really have an answer but spent the rest of the tasting moving around the room talking to other people rather than focusing on the wines (I should explain: this sort of tasting is quite formal like a lecture only with wine). I found the wine faultless within its context and would be happy drinking this with most food or on its own, as would most other consumers I know. I find it bizarre that anyone would have a problem with any good wines from this region although there is no doubt that strong prejudices exist, even in the world of wine (the Bordeaux/Burgundy divide for starters).

Xavier Vignon's "Rouge" seemed very slightly oxidised on the nose but I think it was just the bottle I tried (interestingly, this was also the bottle the chap who didn't like the DDA tasted from) but the palate was fresh: rich with red/black fruit and very big.

I had to show them something from the 2007 vintage, given how good it was in the Southern Rhone (or so I thought before I remembered most of them don't know anything about the region apart from what I tell them and show them every couple of years) so I thought Laurent Brusset's Gigondas "Le Grand Montmirail" would be a good bet, especially given how well it had gone down in Canterbury earlier in the year (but they know how to enjoy the wines from this part of the world). Chewy, as you would expect from a young wine, with wonderful dark fruits - black cherries and blackberries and quite a bit of liquorice. I won't open any for drinking at home for a couple of years but it's heading for glory.

The next few wines were all from 2005, another great vintage so not fully mature but showing quite well nonetheless. First, Mourchon's "Grande Reserve". Walter McKinlay's estate is undoubtedly the leader in Seguret, one of the most delightful of the region's medieval villages. One of the tasters was interested enough to observe that Michael Broadbent had written up the 2006 in Decanter this month so I was rather buoyed up by this. I found it had quite a meaty Syrah component and chewy tannins (a chunk of cheese took the edge off this) which surprisingly dominated the Grenache-based wine at this time.

Rarely have I ventured into Lirac before: the geography and architecture on the right bank is less appealing than the main CDR Villages area of the Vaucluse departement. Grand Veneur's "Clos des Sixte" is worth making an exception: at present, it is not unlike the Mourchon although less obviously chewy. The hint of Mourvedre (15%), though, will shine through more and more with time. A very good wine at a fair (by which I mean favourable to the consumer) price.

The first bottle of Raymond Usseglio's Chateauneuf-du-Pape was, unfortunately, corked (one out of 32 bottles opened tonight - still too many in my view). The others were in good condition and revealed a gorgeous Chateauneuf, one of the defining characteristics being its superb mouthfeel. I didn't actually taste it last night as there were only two bottles to be shared between around 35 tasters but I have opened one today instead and am enjoying every sip of it!

The wine society's Chairman - very much a Claret man - told me recently that the reason he didn't go for the Rhone wines was because he doesn't like Syrah. Of course, all the above reds are Grenache-based but have some Syrah mixed in. I had a choice - to include Mourchon's "Family Reserve" or Ussglio's "Imperiale" or some other pure Grenache wine (the Usseglio does have around 2% Cinsault but who's counting?) - or, I thought, go to the Northern Rhone instead (my brief was Rhone wines - I generally stick to the south). Instead, I opted for Domaine de la Charite's "Ombres", a mere CDR which I haven't tasted for a while so was slightly nervous about. It was fantastic: that perfect synthesis of Rhone Syrah and cool climate Oz Shiraz. Lovely sweet black fruit carrying on and on. Sometimes I think Christophe Coste makes too many cuvees (he probably does) but when I taste a wine like this, I can't fault him for doing so.

To round off, the Chairman and I discussed a vin doux naturel, one of the region's local specialities from either Beaumes-de-Venise (Muscat) or Rasteau, these being from the Grenache grape in various guises: Rouge, Dore or Rancio. I had included Bressy-Masson's Rancio the last time so thought it only fair to show the Rasteau Rouge from Domaine des Coteaux des Travers this time. The Chairman was happy when I told him this was a Southern Rhone take on Port. More evolved than last time I tasted this, it is beginning to take on some of the figiness that will make this so enticing in another year or two.

Overall, I was very pleased with the selection - it was only a shame that so few of the members can divorce themselves from the preconception that Bordeaux is best. Perhaps some of these wines will sow a seed of doubt in their minds. I hope so.

Advice for drinking your best wines

2009-10-08T07:44:00.000-07:00

I was presenting a selection of ten Rhone wines at the NatWest Bank Wine Society last night in central London. I will post notes later but at the start of it, one of the the members came up to me to thank me for some tips I had given a couple of years earlier (I don't remember but I'm happy to take the credit!). Best of all was: when you want to open a bottle of really good wine, don't do so at a dinner party where most people won't appreciate it. Better to save it for an occasion where there are just two of you, the other one preferably teetotal.

Michael Broadbent writes up Domaine de Mourchon (again!)

2009-10-02T07:02:00.001-07:00

"Back to the old country - France - for yet another wine new to me, Domaine de Mourchon's Grande Reserve 2006 from Cote du Rhone-Villages Seguret. Owned since 1998 by a British family, the MacKinlays, who kindly sent me a bottle to taste. Familiar grapes, 65% Grenache and 35% Syrah, old vines, low yield, 40% in oak blended with 60% in concrete vats. A most attractive brochure which, as is my wont, I read avidly. Set in a secluded valley, the 'steep slopes' looked rather on the flat side to me but there was a rather sensuous hint of a downward slope on the near horizon. Still, I musn't carp. I liked the wine despite its robust alcoholic content (15%) which gave it a hot finish. Colour appropriately deep with youthful purple core and rich legs. Nose and flavour full of fruit, meaty and spicy. I didn't open it 'several hours' before serving - surely right - but, the next best thing, decanted it (not for sediment's sake - I didn't notice any) into my open jug. It is worth leaving to age and mature. Well priced for its quality." Michael Broadbent (Decanter, November 2009)

Domaine de Mourchon on wineanorak.com

2009-10-01T05:37:00.000-07:00

I just came acrioss this review of Domaine de Mourchon's 2007 Seguret "Tradition" in Jamie Goode's blog on his website (www.wineanorak.com)

"Domaine de Mourchon Séguret Tradition 2007 Côtes du Rhône Villages, France
14% alcohol, unoaked. A beautiful expression of the southern Rhône, this is a deep coloured wine with lovely sweet, dark cherry, blackberry and plum fruit aromatics, as well as hints of meat and spice. The palate shows lovely sweet, vivid fruit, but with added meat and pepper complexity, adding a deliciously savoury counter to the ripe fruit. It’s dense and well structured, but lush and smooth at the same time. Really successful: modern but interesting, with plenty of non-fruit complexity. 91/100."

I haven't had a bottle since the early summer when it still seemed very young (though with lots of potential) - it sounds like I need to give it another whirl!

A weekend of 1999s

2009-09-24T06:16:00.000-07:00

With our oldest son just turning ten, the weekend was the perfect opportunity to re-taste some of his vintage in wines.

First up was Beaucastel - one person thought it slightly corked and threw it away in disgust. Everyone else thought it was brett and enjoyed everything else that was going on in the glass. When I suggested to the dissenter it had, perhaps, more of a farmyard smell than he was accustomed to (he is a dedicated New Zealand Pinot Noir drinker), he agreed it could be that (he still through it away - will I ever get over that?). Perhaps I should have decanted it! In any case, I found it to have lovely deep black cherry fruit, quite brambly, big without being overdone.

De Vallouit's Cote Rotie 1999 "La Voniere" on Sunday was the perfect partner for roast beef. I had been asked to try it by someone who had opened a badly shaken up bottle. This was in perfect condition, very clear and bright. It looked like it had plenty of life ahead. The nose was sublime, exotic and captivating - this is possibly the only CR with the maximum 20% Viognier included. The palate superb, almost impossible to pin down; words can't do it justice so I won't try. Simply superb.

Monday night's wine was the 1999 St Joseph from Pascal Perrier's Domaine de Gachon. Pascal is one of the wine world's great characters: huge moustache, non-stop Gauloises and some great stories surrounding him. The wine started life as one of the most awkward I have encountered but now has an enticing, almost Burgundian nose, deliciously sweet. The palate is more solid but still has that lightness of touch which surprises me when I look back at the label to see it really is ten years old.

Shortage of rosé wines

2009-09-03T04:15:00.000-07:00

On this blustery day in Suffolk I have sold the last of my Domaine des Anges Rosé. A good time to run out, you may think, given that the summer seems to have ended so abruptly. Not so - rosé is more popular now as a year round drink than ever before it seems and we have it listed in a few restaurants who are never too happy having to make changes to their lists. So, the obvious thing is to call Ciaran and arrange for some more to be shipped. Already tried it - he's sold out and is only now thinking about harvesting the 2009 crop so that won't be available until next Easter.

The problem is that 2008 was a smaller vintage than usual - around 25% down on an average year (more for some wines) - and the summer of 2009 has (until today) been a hot one both home and abroad so rosé sales have been phenomenal. We have some Mourchon and Pezat left but that's all. Oh well, the weather will, no doubt, continue to worsen so those heavy Cahors and Madirans we have coming in will hit the spot!

Madiran - the best fete des vins ever?

2009-08-15T08:31:00.000-07:00

Having spent most of yesterday at a Citroen garage in Aire sur l'Adour waiting to find out how long it would take to replace the gearbox after it seized just outside Termes d'Armagnac, we were probably more receptive to light relief than usual but this was one of the great wine fairs.

The reason was plenty of seriously good wines - all Madiran and Pacharenc - mixed in with some great entertainment including a bunjee-trampoline for the kids (and quite a lot of people who should have known better after tasting all those wines) and some fabulous live music. One band consisted of a singer equipped with a megaphone, a guy with a snare drum, another with a tuba and one with a guitar (there was one more - I can't remember what he did and the photo doesn't help much). Their version of Jumping Jack Flash made the Stones look and sound extremely amateurish which, of course, they were. My musical highlight of the year!

Lots to do around the village too although this all cost money unlike the tasting arena which was all free (including the bunjee) - the only cost in the tasting zone was 3€ for a glass. And any wine purchased, of course.

So many wines to taste and with three small children on a blazing hot day, I only got to taste at half a dozen or so stands including Berthoumieu, Aydie, Capmartin, Producteurs de Plaimont and Crampilh. For me, the Berthoumieu wines were the most interesting but I enjoyed Guy Capmartin's exceptionally good value "Vieilles Vignes" enough to buy a few bottles and visit the estate a few days later to stock up.

Of all the sub-regions of South-West France, this has to be least interesting to visit in terms of geography and architecture but I will be returning to the Madiran fete which is certainly worth a detour if not a trip in itself.

Star gazing in Gaillac

2009-08-13T23:43:00.000-07:00

Tonight we are staying in Cordes-sur-Ciel, one of the "100 most beautiful villages in France". It lives up to both this tag and to its name, rising into the sky as of from nowhere. Cordes is about 20 minutes north of Gaillac, itself a very attractive town, and is surrounded by many other stunning sites.

We are at a campsite just outside the village and the sky is perfectly clear. The youngest two boys have just gone to sleep but out oldest son has asked to stay up to look at the stars. He could not have chosen a better night for it. In the thirty minutes between 10 and 10.30 we must have seen as many shooting stars. The sky is lit up like a fireworks display. Absolutely incredible.

I found out later that this was a rare meteor shower which would have been visible from the UK if the skies were clear (apparently they were not) rather than this being a regular occurance but we did see more shooting stars over the next few nights so we were in the right place at the right time. A memorable end to our stay in this beautiful region.

Domaine Rotier, Gaillac

2009-08-10T15:59:00.000-07:00

Having missed Alain Rotier of Domaine Rotier at Gaillac on Saturday, I was curious to see how his wines would stack up against those I did taste at the fair. The estate has been "in conversion" since the start of the year so will obtain organic status from the start of 2012. This seems to be a common theme amongst the better estates of the region: we came across this at Haut-Monplaisir last week, for example.

After a tour of the winery (which as Alain said, is fairly standard except for his use of 400 litre barrels - the standard is 225 litres), we got down to the wines starting with the "entry level" white "Initiales". This is 40% each Mauzac and Loin de l'Oeil with the balance Sauvignon and is one of the most acidic whites I have tasted for a while but it is pitched perfectly for salty seafood.

The oak-fermented "Renaissance" white is very different, made from older vines with good Loin de l'Oeil character on the nose (the Sauvignon Blanc seems to give more to the structure than to the flavour), a touch of wood and very good length. Well restrained, refined wine. Quite different from all those Chardonnays, Sauvignons etc; a welcome change.

The only rose is part of the "Initiales" range and is made from 70% Duras, the balance Syrah. It has a sweet palate like those candy cigarettes that must surely be banned these days. Red fruits (Grenadine) flavours. Not very long but easy and enjoyable.

Three reds: the "Initiales" has a young, fruity nose and pleasant, easy-drinking palate. 80% peppery, black fruited Duras and 20% cassis-flavoured Braucol. Fermentation at 25 degrees to extract fruit rather than tannins. Decent grip and medium length.

"Gravels" followed with deeper colour and some vegetation on the nose. Very Cabernet in style - 55% Duras, 30% Braucol and 15% Syrah - with black fruit and good length. No oak.

"Renaissance" Rouge is a vin de garde needing a minimum of five years to loosen up those tannins. Made from older vines (50% Braucol, 30% Syrah, 20% Duras) and aged in oak, there is lots of black fruit/cassis on the nose but the palate is almost impenetrable now.

A new red, as yet unnamed was much easier. Made using 80% Duras and 20% Braucol with the fermentation in barrel, it offers more red fruit on the nose and a much softer palate (even more so later that day when we polished off the rest of the bottle).

The sweet wines came as something of a relief after those tannins. The first is "Gravels" which has a lovely honeyed nose with stoned fruits, good freshness and length, helped along by good acidity. 90 grams/litre residual sugar makes this well pitched as an aperitif, for example. 65% Loin de l'Oeil, 35% Sauvignon.

One of my old favourites is the "Renaissance" Doux which I first came across when Ciaran from Domaine des Anges gave me a case insisting I would love it - he was right. This is 100% Loin de l'Oeil, much richer and sweeter (150g/l) than the "Gravels" with great length. The 2006 vintage deservedly won a Gold Medal and will easily keep for 15 years although I can't see my case lasting that long.

My only concern about these wines from a business perspective is their commercial value. I don't know how well known Gaillac wines are so the simple question is, would they sell in the UK?

31st Fête de Vins, Gaillac

2009-08-08T07:58:00.000-07:00

Another day, another wine fair!

Better organised than the Cahors wine fair a couple of days ago, each of the estates represented had its own shack. Interesting to see, therefore, which ones were difficult to get to. I had an appointment to see Alain Rotier on Monday morning and thought I should introduce myself. Even on the quieter Saturday there was no chance of this as his stall was constantly packed with visitors – not surprising really given his reputation as the best producer in Gaillac (whilst writing this I am sipping on some of his 2006 “Renaissance” Doux which has 155 grams/litre residual sugar, a simply stunning wine.

Better organised for families too: a magic show in the afternoon and various games and rides for when they – and you – need a few minutes out of the fair.

The wines? A mixed bag: some really good fruity wines offering superb values and some tannic brutes (lots of Syrah for the top reds mixed in with the local Duras and Braucol grapes) some of which had potential, some of which didn’t. One estate had some bizarre wines but for me the stars were the Gaillac Doux wines and, apart from the Rotier offerings which I didn’t taste until the Monday, there were a couple of real stars which would vie with the best from Sauternes etc, albeit from the local Loin de l’Oeil grape which is a little different from Sémillon!

Another good day out!

By the way, Gaillac itself is a really good tourist destination with the Abbaye St Michel a stunning building (housing the tourist office and Maison des Vins) and just a short ride away are villages such as Cordes sur Ciel.

25th Fête de Vins, Puy l’Eveque (Cahors)

2009-08-06T07:50:00.000-07:00

Puy l’Eveque is one of the stunning villages in the Lot Valley, the region which used to be known as Quercy (check out agneau de Quercy, the local lamb, best cooked simply with just a little salt and pepper to appreciate its superb flavour). Each year the village hosts one of the strangest wine fairs I have ever attended (this was my second consecutive visit). Strange because of the way it is arranged: one table for local white, rosé and sweet wines (fair enough) and two for the reds, around 80 wines altogether.

The problem is that no estate may enter more than one wine so everyone is putting forward the wine they think will impress the most. Usually this is the blockbuster cuvée of old-vine Malbec with, perhaps, some Merlot to soften the blow (they tend to be very young wines so very tannic, especially once you hit double figures) or some Tannat (usually around 10%) which adds a fragrant cassis character. Bear in mind this is taking place at the start of August, the hottest time of the year, so it is no surprise that the lighter style, younger-vine, un-oaked wines such as Lamartine’s 2007 bottling (10% Merlot) tend to be the friendliest (this was a fruity, easy-drinking wine for a modest price).

That said, I wasn’t going to be put off the big guns and tried around 20-30 of them (rounding off with the sweeties to get my palate back). My very favourite was Haut-Monplaisir’s 100% Malbec (all their reds are mono-varietals) 2006 “Prestige” (actually, their very top wine is called “Pur Plaisir” but the Prestige is a step up from the standard cuvée). This is cropped at 40hl/ha and gently fermented at 27 ͦ and raised in 1/3 new barrels (and 1/3 second year, 1/3 third year) for around 20 months. Some oak is apparent but the overall impression is of a rich, sweet black-fruited wine which will come into its own in a couple of years. The vineyard is now “in conversion” to organic status (which, of course, means it has been making organic wines for years).

I also enjoyed the already organic 2006 “Malbec XL” from Haut-Monplaisir’s neighbour, Château Lacapelle-Cabanac which was very Malbec in character, very black and nicely oaked. Rouffiac’s “L’Exception” was aged 24 months in oak which was very apparent on the nose, accompanised by sweet, ripe fruit which followed through to the tannic palate (best from 2012, I thought).

The Tannat blends available to taste were lead by Coustarelle’s 2006 “Grande Cuvée Prestige” which had an interesting (ie. different) oak character to most which suggested time in the bottle could not be replaced with breathing the wine but it will undoubtedly be good. Eugenie always seem to make decent wines and their 2007 “Reservée de l’Aïeul”was no exception with the Tannat quite apparent on the well-balanced palate which was not too tannic. Very typical of the forward 2007 vintage.

Some I didn’t like, mainly those with too much Merlot included but it's bad form to single them out so I won't. Some others decent but overpriced which can be a problem in Cahors (last year we visited one prestigious estate whose wines were 19€ for the standard wine, 48€ for the next and 95€ for the top wine - it wasn't a first growth Bordeaux so I couldn't see how they could justify the last one).

Overall, a good couple of hours spent tasting a mixed bag of generally good wines with few exceptional ones. A couple of tips: if you go with kids, take a few sweets along with you (there is an opportunity to buy at 3€ per 100 grams which is rather excessive for Haribo!) and take a bottle of ice cold water for yourself as your palate will need refreshing every few wines!

A Xavier vin

2009-07-20T06:37:00.000-07:00

Dinner last night with a couple of neighbours who had been impressed to find us written up in Oz Clarke's guide. It seemed only fair to give them a taste of his recommendations. First, though, a sample sent by Miguel Angel Muro of his 2004 Reserva, the inaugural vintage of this wine. Very smooth: as always, Miguel Angel's wines are about texture first. The fruit is soft, slightly overwhelmed by the sweet oak just now but earlier incarnations (the 2001 Seleccionada Vendemmia, for example) suggest this will be a very good Rioja in a couple of years.

Another debut followed, this time it is Xavier Vignon's red vin de table which was called "Debut" until Virgin Wines trademarked the name (so I am told). This could not fail to impress the neighbours. There is so much going on in the wine it is actually very difficult to know where to start (so I won't!). Xavier has just come under the radar of Robert Parker although it is unlikely he will get this wine reviewed as I don't think he sells it in the States.

News from the Auberge du Vin - by Linda Field

2009-07-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

Vintage 2009 - 70 days to go!
The vines outside the Auberge have berries already - now we are waiting for the veraison, the stage where the skin of the berries starts to change colour from green to red. As anyone who has been on a wine course knows, all grapes have a clear juice and its the colour of the skin and how long the juice is in contact with it in the winery, that will determine if the final wine will be white, rosé or red.

The date of the harvest is always tricky to predict - the amount of sun and rain we have in the next 70 days will impact, but assuming we continue with this 37C heat through summer, the harvest should be from the 10th September to the end of September.

Tour de France 2009-1 day to go!
All those sports mad people out there will already know Le Tour starts on Saturday, but did you know the penultimate stage will be right past us, to the top of Mont Ventoux? Watch out for us on Saturday July 25th as we wave on Brit Mark Cavendish up the gruelling 2000 metre ascent on what is likely to be an extremely hot day.

Autumn at Auberge du Vin
October and November are beautiful times of the year to visit the Auberge and enjoy the autumnal colours as the vines and the cherry trees in the region turn red, amber and gold. The wineries are less hectic and more welcoming once the wine is made, and the weather can be very sunny and bright.

Enjoy the summer weather and remember to drink lots of water alongside that refreshing glass of Cotes du Rhone rosé!

Cheers!

Linda

Linda Field
WSET Certified Educator
Helping you understand and enjoy wines more!
www.aubergeduvin.com
Tel: 0033 (0)4 90 61 62 84
Portable/Mobile: 0033 (0)6 04 07 82 58

All the way from Volterra

2009-06-05T03:32:00.000-07:00

Last night I saw meatballs cooking and mentally flipped a coin to decide between Spanish and Italian. Italy won the toss and had only one player on my close-to-hand rack (about five dozen assorted bottles all for current drinking or tasting - some samples are included - and all at room temperature): Tenuta Monte Rosola's 2004 IGT Super-Tuscan, 100% Sangiovese "Crescendo".

The estate was founded only a decade ago by Gottfried Schmitt and his wife Carmen Vieytes. Just a few miles from Volterra and well outside the various Chianti zones, Monte Rosola was planted with just a couple of hectares of vines and many more olives (their olive oil is probably the best I have ever tasted). The majority of the vines are Sangiovese but there is a smattering of Cabernet, Syrah and Merlot here for their "Corpo Notte" wine which, as the name suggests, is a wine for the night time.

"Crecendo" is, by way of contrast, a wine for the early evening as the sun sets. As the evening builds into the night, so the wine develops its bitter sweet cherry character, intermingled with coffee and tar and, eventually, a hint of plain chocolate. It slips down too easily with its velvety tannins carressing the throat, leaving lingering fruit. Very sumptuous. Evenings such as this should never end.

When Chateauneuf gets tired

2009-05-21T05:22:00.000-07:00

Clos des Brusquieres' owner Claude Courthil sold everything off to negociants until the 1996 vintage, the first to be estate bottled. We began buying the wines with the 1998 vintage, followed by the 2001.

Claude is something of a loner, spending most of his time quietly in the fields or at the winery, gradually improving the quality of his small production. Most of his eight and a half hectares is to the north of the village on stony soil. An indication of Claude's reserve, we learnt after we had already purchased a parcel of his 1998 wines that Claude's uncle - and mentor - is the legendary Henri Bonneau, one of the most revered winemakers in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Whilst Claude would not suggest that his wines are in the same league as those of Oncle Henri, they are good examples of the traditional style of wines from the region which is fast becoming history in the pursuit of Parker points and other trophies.

One problem - for me - with this style of wine is that bottling is very late. Some estates (Clos du Mont Olivet is a good example that springs to mind) traditionally bottled as and when orders came in so some wines could remain in the big old foudres for years. I once visited Les Reflets, the bottling and distribution plant for the Sabons, to be given the opportunity of tasting some wines which were between 15 and 20 years old. Normally that would be a wonderful experience; it was not. The wines had grown tired in the barrel rather in the way that a Tawny Port ages (but in that case the nuances it develops are welcome).

The very last bottle of Clos des Brusquieres 2001 in my cellar was uncorked last night and, sadly, was a perfect example of a wine that had remained in barrel for too long for my taste. When first bottled it was fine but after only three or four years, the extended barrel aging showed through with very muted secondary fruit character. There was still some fruit but the wine was just unexciting and uninteresting to me. Oh well, lesson learnt I hope.

Vintages - a lesson in words

2009-05-18T20:54:00.000-07:00

Tonight, a bottle of Domaine Peysson's 2007 Vinsobres (they have a 20€ bottle called "La Grande Chloe" which is very good but the regular bottling is far better value at 7.2€ from the cellar door). The fruit is young but approachable with a very attractive perfume, contributed by the oak which smells and tastes quite new. A lot for the money!

I was talking with Xavier Vignon a couple of weeks ago (he of "Debut" fame). As oenologist to several hundred estates in the region, he knows the area better than anyone (even Mr Parker!) so it's always worth paying attention when he talks. I had said that I thought there are some superb values in Vinsobres which, although it had recently been elevated to Cru status, prices have not caught up yet. Xavier agreed but then went on to tell me how truly awful many of the 2008s are going to be. Apparently this area of the valley was worst hit by the rains in the run up to the harvest.

This just goes to show that whilst I have always (rightly, I believe) considered the name of the producer to be the most important words on any wine label, vintage is next, far ahead of appellation.

Wine Anorak's Jamie Goode praises Domaine de Mourchon's 2007 Tradition

2009-05-15T09:08:00.000-07:00

Walter McKinlay gets 10/10 for good publicity. One wonders if he has enough bottles left to sell after all the samples tasted (and clearly enjoyed) by the press. Already this year I have encountered dozens of reviews of his wines all heaping praise on the wines made at his southern Rhone estate. Today it is Jamie Goode's turn to enthuse about the 2007 CDR Villages Seguret from Domaine de Mourchon

"A beautiful expression of the southern Rhone, this is a deep clooured wine with lovely sweet dark cherry, blackberry and plum fruit aromatics as well as hints of meat and spice. The palate shows lovely sweet vivid fruit but with added meat and pepper complexity adding a deliciously savoury counter to the ripe fruit. It's dense and well structured but lush and smooth at the same time. Really successful,: modern but interesting with plenty of non-fruit complexity." 91/100

Ariving soon!

Domaine de Mourchon in the Wine Spectator

2009-05-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

James Molsworth of the Wine Spectator has been heaping praise on Walter McKinlay's 2006 and 2007 wines from his spectacularly situated estate - Domaine de Mourchon - in Seguret. I have tasted all these wines recently (at the Domaine at Christmas and Easter and on Wednesday at the LIWF - as well as the 2006 a couple of times in between) so it is interesting to know what others think after I have made up my own mind.

Top of the pile is the 2007 Family Reserve "G" (the pure Grenache cuvee) which scored 91 points with the words "Very enticing with blueberry, fig and boysonberry fruit laced with spice, fruitcake and melted liquorice notes. The long perfume- and graphite-filled finish is nicely rounded and plenry deep." 200 cases made. There are differences of opinion as to whether this wine should be enjoyed in its fruit-filled youth or held on to see how it develops. I think it has all the necessary ingredients and will certainly hold back a couple of bottles for the longer term but I have already been enjoying the 2006 so will probably do the same with this vintage.

Next the 2006 Grande Reserve also gained 91 points: "Very dark showing fig and currant paste notes but very racey with graphite, freshly drawn espresso, bittersweet cocoa and black tea notes helping to extend the long, alluring finish. Nice underlying grip." 3,000 cases made. This is classic Southern Rhone Grenache/Syrah aged in understated new oak (not all of it, probably around 40%), just beginning to come round to the drinking stage.

The 2007 Family Reserve "S" must feel like the poor relation with a mere 90 points! "Dark and broad with crushed plum, hoisin sauce and black liquorice snap and fruitcake notes backed by a fleshy, toasty finish. Racey and long, with lingering violet notes." 200 cases made. This is the essence of Southern Rhone Syrah with lots of peppery black fruit with more than a little crunchiness. Very good but I wonder if I prefer the blend?

South West France at the London International Wine Fair - Part II: the health benefits

2009-05-14T14:45:00.000-07:00

Dr Roger Corder of the William Harvey Research Institute followed Anthony Rose's guide to the wines with a fascinating lecture on his research into the health benefits of certain wines from south-west France - the so-called French Paradox - as discussed in his book "The Red Wine Diet".

The French Paradox concerns the lower number of coronary deaths in south-west France despite the fatty diet (think duck: foie gras, duck breast etc). The relationship with wine consumption came to the fore in 1991 when Professors Serge Reynaud and R Curtis Ellison suggested the link on 60 Minutes, sparking a surge in red wine consumption which continues today. Dr Corder showed a graph illustrating the very low number of deaths in high consumption countries such as Italy and, especially, France compared with the very low consumption countries with Scotland and Finland topping the list (of course, this doesn't make those places unhealthy to live in, just the typical diet and, perhaps, other lifestyles of the people in those countries).

He had found that between 0.25-0.5 litres of red wine (at 11-12% ABV) each and every day reduced the risk of coronary illness (but asserted that consumption in excess of 600ml per day increased the risk of other illnesses). Furthermore, the Lyon Diet Heart Study had found that up to 0.5 litres per day reduced by 50% the risk of a further vascular event (eg. heart attack or stroke) in patients who had already had one such event.

Dr Corder expanded on the science behind all of this - I am no chemist and would probably get most of it wrong (indeed, I had understood it was all to do with resveratrol but Dr Corder said we would need to consume 1000 litres of wine per day before the benefits of this ingredient were appreciated) so I would encourage anyone interested to read Dr Corder's book (as I will now!)

That said, my understanding is that our bodies need high levels of active polythenols to keep the levels of the amino acid Endothelin-1 appropriately low (we need this but high levels are dangerous). Wine polythenols include flavanoids and non-flavanoids (this group includes resveratrol); it is the pro-cyanidins which are the active component. Pro-cyanidins are found mainly in the seeds and, importantly, are extracted only when the ABV exceeds 6% so grape juice won't do.

The question then arises: does red wine increase longevity? Heart disease is more common in the beer drinking regions of norther France; correspondingly it is less common in the wine drinking south where people tend to live longer. Interestingly in 1933, the average life expectancy of a wine drinker was 65 compared with only 59 for water drinkers. At the same time, 87% of centenegerians were wine drinkers.

South-West France has the highest percentage of men over the age of 75 in all of France with the Gers having twice the number over the age of 90 of any other region in France. I find that a stunning and compelling statistic.

These are the wines of Madiran and of Saint Mont and Cotes du Brulhois in particular although a tasting at the end of the session of a Saint Mont, Cahors and Fronton showed them increasing in total phenolics and procyanidins with the Fronton having just about the highest level of procyanidins of any wine Dr Corder had tested - a staggering 2.5 grams/litre).

Essentially, it seems that any wine with procyanidins in excess of 1 gram/litre are extremely beneficial. Around 10% of red wines come into this category including 86% of all wines from Madiran and other wines such as Cahors are extremely good in this respect too. Don't expect to find this in the wines of Australia, for example, which hover around 0.25 g/l.

However, alcohol volumes are relevant too as the higher the ABV, the lower the procyanidins - 375ml of wine at 11-12% is good but more than 250ml of wine at 15% is definitely bad, it seems.

In conclusion then, it seems that a couple of glasses or so of any of the tannic brutes of South-West France will do us some good. When I asked Dr Corder more about this he said that any tannic red would be beneficial but that some varieties (he named Cabernet Franc as an example) would become less good with bottle aging as procyanidin levels decreased over time. He had not found this negative effect of aging in the Tannats, Malbecs and Negrettes of the South-West so we can continue to enjoy old-style and modern wines from this wonderful part of France, all being well until we have reached our centuries!

South West France at the London International Wine Fair - Part I: the tasting

2009-05-14T12:24:00.000-07:00

This week is, of course, the most gruelling in the UK wine trade's calendar. The LIWF takes place over three days at Excel in east London. Each year I try to attend a special regional tasting or a seminar - this year it was a bit of both.

The session began with a tasting of nine very different wines from all over the South West of France which, when lumped together, is the fourth largest viticultural region in France (after Bordeaux, the Rhone and the Languedoc) with 18 distinct appellations, we were told by Anthony Rose who lead the tasting.

First was a white from Gaillac (Domaine Rotier), a blend of 50% Loin de l'Oeil and 50% Sauvignon Blanc. These were cropped low for concentration and partially oak fermented to reveal a wine with medium body and tangy, peachy, juicy fruit with a slightly herby finish. A revelation for me as my previous experiences have been of rather dilute wines from this region (except for Rotier's sweet wine).

Next, from Domaine des Cassagnoles, a 100% Gros Manseng wine which had all the characteristics I would normally associate with a New Zealand Sauvignon: musky aromas, zesty with grapefruit nuances. Not exactly my sort of thing (I do like the sweet wines from Petit Manseng though) but I can understand its popularity and this is clearly a good example.

The one pink wine came from Gaillac's Ch. Candastre to demonstrate the Duras grape which presented a fresh berry nose with bubblegum and raspberry/cranberry fruit on the palate in a refreshing, dry style.

The reds started with a 100% Fer Servadou wine known in the 180 ha appellation of Marcillac as Monsoir apparently. I didn't enjoy the stalky, herbacious nose but there was some good, fairly intense raspberry fruit which was pleasant although I found the wine slightly lacking in the mid-palate and on the finish of the "Lo Sang del Pais" from Domaine du Cros.

Negrette is one of the reasons I attended the session as it is the main grape in the wines of Fronton, just north of Toulouse. I started importing wines from Château Montauriol last year when I became facinated by the contrast between their mid range "Mons Aureolus" cropped at 40hl/ha and their top of the range "Caprice d'Adrien" cropped at only 28hl/ha. The first has much in common with a good Beaujolais as I discovered most of this appellation's wines do; the second wine could double up as a first growth Bordeaux!

Ch. Marguerite's wine which included some Syrah and Malbec was in the first camp: not too tannic, slightly rustic, bright and fresh with just a touch of oak. Very much a glugging wine - Anthony Rose suggested we needed some Toulouse sausages to really appreciate it.

Heading north to Cahors, another region whose wines I have begun to appreciate more since I started visiting the captivating Lot valley a couple of years ago and have imported the wines of Château Lamartine which surely must offer some of the appellation's best values. I also visited Ch. du Cedre and bought some of their superb 2005 "Le Cedre" so I was pleased to taste this again today. Whereas Malbec can be rustic, even astringent unless handled well in both vineyard and winery, there was none of this here. The wine has a deep colour and quite an oaky nose with lots of pure black fruit character. The superb ripeness all but masks the fact that this wine really needs another five years or more for the tannins to soften and will easily last through the next decade.

The final trio of wines all had Tannat in common. The first from Saint Mont, next to Madiran, a VDQS which has improved radically over the last several years but still has some way to go. The excellent cooperative produces some of the best wines (actually, I've never come across wines from this region made anywhere else!) and the "Monastere de St Mont" is a good example with a core of dark fruit and chocolate, savoury tannins and some astringency and vibrancy. Not at all bad. The Madiran from Ch. d'Arricau-Bordes was more to my liking with big, sweet black fruits (damson, mulberry) and a massive, chewy structure which desperately needs 3-5 years more to soften despite the fact it is almost certainly micro-oxygenated to help achieve this. Finally from the Basque country, the wine from Domaine Arretxea in the Irouleguy appellation had a herbacious Cabernet France character amid the intense red plum/black cherry fruit. Quite rustic and tannic, I think I'll stick with Madiran (and Cahors and, occasionally Fronton) based on this tasting.

A mixed dozen from the Rhone at Canterbury

2009-05-01T09:55:00.000-07:00

Every year I am invited to show a selection of Rhone wines to the Canterbury Wine Tasting Society which meets at Christchurch College (it has probably changed its name in the years since I have been going along). Having just returned from the Rhone, it seemed a good opportunity to put some 2007s in front of this discerning crowd along with a selection of older wines.

Just a couple of white wines: to start with, Domaine des Anges' 2007 "L'Archange" Blanc from the recently renamed Ventoux appellation. This is Irish winemaker Ciaran Rooney's flagship pure Roussanne cuvee although, unless they have changed the rules, I should probably pretend it has some Marsanne mixed in (monovarietals are - or, at least, were - not permitted in the Ventoux). This is a wine still in the making although it is rather nice to drink now. I had my penultimate bottle of the inaugural vintage, 2004, quite recently: that has grown wonderfully fat with age and I can only dream of the direction this 2007, a better wine from a better vintage, is headed. Wonderfully aromatic with hints of citrus fruits - quite limey - and superb balance. The general consensus was that whilst the Beaucastel old-vine Roussanne may be a little better, at £11.25 this represents much better value.

Robert Charavin's white wine is one of the few made in Rasteau. His Domaine des Côteaux des Travers', Rasteau Cotes du Rhone Villages "Marine" 2007 is, as always, a blend of equal parts Roussanne, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc and Viognier and the first and last named varieties are, for me, the ones that really sing out. The Roussanne has aged in oak and has a lovely richness to it as well as the lime character noted in the DDA white above. The Viognier is well married to it, bringing apricot fruit to the party. The other varities do, of course, add to the flavour and textural profile but it would manage well without them it seems - perhaps. I think this is a glorious wine to drink on its own, well chilled of course, on a hot summer's afternoon whilst waiting for the barbecue to heat up. Not at all expensive for what it is at £11.50.

The first red was Domaine Grand Veneur's Cotes du Rhone Villages 2007 "Champauvins", one of the estate wines (they also have a decent range of negociant offerings; the estate wines are worth the extra pennies) which is Grenache-dominated from a vineyard adjacent to Beaucastel. The fruit is still a little fiery but the texture is magnificent for a wine from such lowly origins. The CDRs from some of the CDP producers really are the hidden values of the region. This will turn out more like a mini-Chateauneuf than anything from Cairanne, Rasteau or Seguret. £9.75 (£38/6 in bond).

The 2007s continued with Domaine des Côteaux des Travers'' CDRV Cairanne, maybe no Chateauneuf in the making but the perfume from this wine is truly intoxicating. The fruit is so packed in but there is structure too. Like the 2003s, these wines have so much fruit the tannins and other structural elements are almost hidden; unlike 2003, when they do emerge more obviously they will be in good balance. The relatively high alcohol level of this and other wines is not excessive when the wine is as harmonious as this. Another superb sub-£10 wine (£38/6 in bond).

Moving up a notch and over to Gigondas. Domaine Brusset's "Le Grand Montmirail" can be enjoyed already but will undoubtedly develop well over several years. The fruit has a maturity about it: already quite rich with black raspberries and cherries as well as some more savoury elements. The second year oak adds only a little to the flavour profile but fleshes the wine out well, perhaps contributing to its drinkability. £13.95 (£62/6 in bond)

The last of the en primeur wines tasted was from Domaine des Florets. Their prestige wine Gigondas "Saveur des Dentelles" is a steal even at £16.50 (£75/6 in bond). As with the Brusset wine, the oak helps to round out the wine but in this case the fruit has very great potential but is still a little youthful. Almost a rarity in this vintage where so many wines can be enjoyed immediately. That seems to be a plus point for this wine!

More notes from Canterbury to follow.