James Bercovici - The Big Red Wine Company

Domaine de Fondreche , just outside Mazan, has long been regarded as the Ventoux' star producer. Immaculate vineyards with near perfect exposures and winemaking that is unapologetically honest, without recourse to the preferences of some international critics, all adds up to a range wines that consistently over-delivers. A couple of years ago, on my previous visit, I thought cellar door prices seemed a little high but Sebastien Vincenti has obviously thought about these as well as the range generally as there are slightly fewer wines on offer which, in my view, means quality is higher than ever. Inevitably, the tasting started with the Fondreche Blanc from 2014 (the 50,000 bottles produced in this vintage are almost all sold now) which is a blend of Roussanne, Grenache, Clairette and Vermentino in equal parts although it is the Roussanne which dominates the nose and the Vermentino that brings the freshness to the wine. Aged in a mixture of foudres and barriques, the win...

Gambero Rosso's annual publication of Italian wines is regarded as the authoritative guide to the country's wines covering all regions. For over 25 years, a selection of the best cellars are reviewed and their wines rated and, more important, commented on. Ratings are, famously, one to three glasses with the coveted Tre Bicchieri  keenly fought over. Piedmont regularly comes out top in the Tre Bicchieri  round-up with Tuscany close behind. From our list of suppliers, many are too small to be on the radar of the Gambero Rosso team although Fabrizio Battaglino has been a regular for the last few years. It is very surprising that Nada Giuseppe hasn't made it in yet but Cantina Rizzi 's entry is well-deserved as is that of Giovanni Manzone . I would not be surprised if others find their way in soon. In Tuscany, we currently only work with two estates, one from just outside Volterra, a terribly unfashionable area for wine-growing although Alberto Antonini clearly think...

In a year when I have posted very little, I am now doing my impersonation of a fleet of buses - here is post number two! It boils down to excitement over a new estate for the list: Cantina Rizzi in Treiso is one of the top estates in Barbaresco, one which, if googled, might actually reveal some professional critiques. Much of this is down to the sheer size of the estate which, at around 90 acres, must surely be one of the largest in Barbaresco but quality obviously plays a major part too. I read about them when a friend handed me a copy of Kerin O'Keefe's Barolo and Barbaresco: The King and Queen of Italian Wines (well worth reading if you like Nebbiolo) which includes chapters on each of the communes in both denominations and profiles a small number of recommended estates from each. In Treiso, it was pleasing to see Nada Giuseppe included (especially given its relatively small size) but I was intrigued by the write up of Rizzi so I had to go along to take a closer look. ...

Forgive the pun in the title but the Grasso brothers have had a couple of top ratings this year which I want to share, not least because I have just ordered some for the UK market (inevitably). Last time I visited them, I was impressed, as always, by the Barbarescos but there was a new one, a 2008 Riserva, which really hit the spot. So it was no surprise to learn it had been awarded the Decanter Regional Trophy for Red Piedmont wines over £15 in the DWWA 2015: 'A wonderful example of its type with a broad, spicy nose of ripe red fruit, spice, wild strawberry jam, cassis and liquorice. Fine in body with a plush but elegant palate bursting with juicy, ripe fruit and a long, velvety, warm finish.' An impressive wine! I have tried it three times now and have found it more pleasurable each time as the tannins soften and the fruit develops - slowly - its secondary characters. One to hide at the back of the cellar. For more immediate enjoyment, the brothers' 2014 Dolcetto ...

For a few years now, around mid-September I open a bottle of 1999 Beaucastel to celebrate a family birthday. On one occasion, a friend at one of these ritualistic openings who was inexperienced when it come to Beaucastel and brettanomyces (the yeast often found in Beaucastel and Musar amongst others which, for many, contributes much to the enjoyment of these wines). It's an interesting way to observe the evolution of a wine although there have been disappointments along the way with some bottles opened at just the wrong time: that tricky adolescent stage between youthful energy and middle, or even old, age. So, I was a little apprehensive when I drew the cork last night: would it be a joy to drink or an expensive reminder that I should probably invest in a Coravin? Well, it was the former, a glorious wine and one of the very best bottles of Beau I have experienced, even from a vintage which was only ever regarded as a four star year. It is impossible to convey this wine in word...

Decanter panel tastings have become much more reliable since the days when they invited just about anyone (including me) to be a panellist. Now, just three 'experts' taste and review the wines: in this case, John Livingstone-Learmonth (probably the UK's leading authority on the wines of the Rhone), Marcel Orford-Williams (the Wine Society's Rhone buyer, amongst other things) and Ben Llewelyn (who may not have a double-barrelled surname but he has lived in France - presumably he has a little more specialist knowledge to qualify as an expert). Panel tastings (even where the panel consists of only one person) can only be a guide at best although the number of people who continue to swear by the wines of estate X, claiming they are not influenced by critic Y, never ceases to amaze me. Of course, a world of wine without critics would be a difficult one to navigate. It is the job of the critic (whether wine writer or merchant) to weed out the rubbish and recommend only the ...

Clive Coates MW is not generally known for his enthusiasm for wines of the Cote Chalonnaise. However, in an article published in the September issue of Decanter, he writes 'The area has much going for it. Most importantly, the wines are very good value for money'. I would go a step further in proclaiming that, in the wines of Domaine Joblot , at least, the wines are extremely classy and should not be seen as lesser Burgundies. Yes, the money side of things is important for most of us so the question, where else in Burgundy can you buy this quality at these prices is pertinent but of the Joblot brothers and, perhaps, a handful of others there are wines available with fruit and structures that put too many Cote d'Or wines to shame. Last year, Andrew Jefford reviewed Joblot's 'Cellier aux Moines' in the FT but admitted he could have chosen almost any wine from the estate. Now, Coates says of the (too young to drink at present) 2013 Servoisine : 'Ripe, sub...