What a really great set of wines this weekend – and really, I just can’t choose a favourite – sorry!

The 1990 Penley Estate was big, powerful and really on form. The 2009 Jean-Marc Pillot was weighty and flavour-packed but with plenty of cut and freshness – actually a great foil to the Penley estate. Then something unexpected happened:

The 2003 Camille Giroud is a Jekyll and Hyde of a wine; a number of the bottles ended-up with a crease down their corks due to a bottling issue. These wines can be a little oxidised or generally ‘only okay’ – this one had a perfect cork and sang. Big, soft, and perfectly formed with a ripe but really inviting nose- Fine Burgundy – no need to look at the label. Of-course I expected something much more special from the 1998 Drouhin Amoureuses – but it was left just a little wanting – we both decided that we would rather drink the Camille Giroud! The Amoureuses had a big, semi-mature nose of leaves and complexity – less fruit-driven than the Giroud – very nice mature Burgundy, but no hint of floral Amoureuses. A more architechtural wine in the mouth too – a wine of corners and still some tannin – yet lots of complexity too. Despite the label, a wine that needs a little more time (perhaps) and just a little more charm – certainly at todays prices!

I have just 1 more bottle of the Giroud – I hope that this cork is also perfectly inserted!