James Bercovici - The Big Red Wine Company

First impression: they used not only the same label designer but the same design. It doesn't matter, of course. Actually it lends a certain elegance to the set of eight bottles I have lined up in front of me. Second observation: every wine is just 13% ABV. OK, so that's neither high nor low for Burgundy but still very welcome these days. Now the wines: in what order? The Givrys first or the Cotes de Nuits wines? I think that's probably right so, starting with Domaine Joblot , I will try them in this order: Pied au Chaume, Cellier aux Moines, Clos de la Servoisine. Then, Antoine Lienhardt 's Essards, Plantes au Bois, Vignottes and, finally, the NSG Charmois. It's going to be a long night! Domaine Joblot, Givry 2013 Pied de Chaume  The entry-level wine from Jean-Marc Joblot and his daughter, Juliette, is light and bright on the (youthful) nose. The palate is more expressive with sweet red fruits. Fairly approachable now, it will be better in another year o...

In this month's Decanter, an expert's choice of wines from Piemonte includes Fabrizio Battaglino 's 2011 Roero Sergentin : "Smooth and juicy. Hints of oaky spices and vanilla complement rich and cherry, tarry tannins and fresh herbal nuances. A serious wine that's still young." 90/100 (Ian d'Agata, Decanter) The only issue I would take is that I have enjoyed a few bottles of this already so what does that say about me? Since the review came out, I have undertaken a thorough review of my own, tasting the three vintages of Fabrizio's Roero Sergentin I have in stock. For me, this is a wine that has got better with every passing vintage: the 2011 is young but approachable and has all the hallmarks of a fine Nebbiolo. More in tune with Barolo than earlier vintages with some oak in support but the lovely Nebbiolo fruit dominant. Moderately tannic, this will be better still in another couple of years or so. The 2010 is an altogether different win...

We are just back from our summer holidays during which we worked tirelessly to find exciting new wines to bring across the channel to the discerning UK consumer. Something like that, anyway. Actually, we left with no plans to buy any more wine than was strictly necessary for the time we were away but, inevitably, things didn't quite work out that way. On day one of our trip, I received an email from a young Burgundian grower that pricked up my ears and, given that we were in the region, just half an hour away from his home in Santenay, I felt obliged to pop along to meet him. I arranged to meet with Justin Girardin, winemaker (and everything else) of Domaine Jacques Girardin . Jacques' brother is the renowned Vincent (who retired a couple of years ago although his eponymous enterprise lives on with much the same team in place as before). Jacques started the estate with just 3ha but this has risen to 17ha of vines which are organically cultivated if not actually certified ...

It's always a wonderful thing to open cases from the new vintages of any wine so when twenty of so different new wines arrive together it's rather like being a kid with a key to the candy store. Actually, this surprises me as I always rebuff any notion that the pleasure in wine has anything to do with anything other than what is inside the bottle yet I  seem to be saying that the aesthetics of the packaging, and in particular the label, brings something to the table. Yes, I was interested to see that the 2010 Broccardo is in a sloping 'Burgundy' bottle in contrast to the square-shouldered 'Bordeaux' bottle of the 2009 vintage and I noted the new look label which I admired for its more traditional look than the more modernist 2009 but what of it? I know the real enjoyment will come when, all too prematurely, literally, I crack open the first bottle for my first tasting of this magnificent vintage since I was at the winery back in April.  One of the other wond...

What a great name for a wine! The back story is a little tricky to tell but only because of archaic French wine laws which designate this a mere vin de France  The problem is that this is a blend of the two main grapes from the region where Xavier Vignon is based (I don't know if I am allowed to give any more detail than this!), one of which is allowed to declassify the wines from the prestigious AOC to the generic, regional one, the other of which isn't. Confused? OK, I will delve into the hypothetical. Let's say the region is the Rhone Valley in France and the two grapes are Syrah (the king of the north) and Grenache (the powerhouse of the south). In the north, there are appellations such as Cote Rotie and Hermitage  which produce, most would agree, the world's greatest Syrah wines but if, for any reason, a producer wishes to declassify the wine, he can release it as a mere Cotes du Rhone . In the south, this is possible in appellations such as Gigondas but not...

Did the monks have this in mind when they walled this vineyard? Presumably so; why wouldn't they want a fabulous wine like this? After all, they had a pretty good life compared with many at that time. What is fascinating is how different this cuvee is to others in the range, all from the same Pinot clones, of similar age, and all from Givry vineyards. This wine is more Chambolle than Gevrey but actually it's a Givry so a fraction of the price of either. Its intense red fruits with violet combine in a palate that's oh so smooth and delicate but not without substance. What a mass of wonderful contradictions! Hints of underbrush and more to come but, for now, there is a silkiness coating my mouth and some perky acidity dripping from the sides of my tongue that makes me want to come back for more. I have been tasting a lot of Burgundies recently at all price points and there are many over-extracted disasters or weedy wines out there, even now. Not this one though. And it...

First of all, a huge apology to anyone who bothers to check in from time to time. My long silence was caused by a family matter which has distracted me somewhat. Anyway, enough of that. What have I been up to wine-wise? Easter saw my annual trip to the Rhone and Piedmont, now firmly part of the routine. The Rhone was all about the 2012 vintage which is an extremely attractive and quite user-friendly year with wines offering attractive fruit that is a joy to let pass one's lips. More about this here . Italy provided a much needed break but it was still very busy and, at times, hard work. We arrived on the Saturday evening at our accommodation and had clearly been forgotten. After going out for a simple dinner, we managed to get into the apartment we had arranged, overlooking the valley towards Alba and hilltop villages including Barbaresco in the distance. The following day had us back in the car again to meet with the Ghio family who have spent the last decade or so planting an...