random ruminations
Not too many things have grabbed my attention in the last weeks, but here’s a selection of those that did… Polarisation The 2009 vintage seems to have polarised red-wine-drinking opinion in quite an interesting way. There is no denying the stunning quality that many domaines have brought to their… Read More
The others tasted…
No slurping or spitting! This is a compendium of wines that were drunk with food, friends and family, between April 2011 and August 2011. Regional Wines (3) Villages Wines (14) Premier Cru Wines (24) Grand Cru Wines (6) REGIONAL WINES 2009 David Clark, Bourgogne Passetoutgrains… Read More
Just so many wines…
Here’s a compendium of wines tasted with producers between the 1st December 2010 and the end of March 2011. They are mainly 2009s and 2008s – I tasted lots of 2010s in this period, but far too early to make notes – there’s not much value telling you that Romanée-Conti… Read More
any excuse…
Or this could be titled, how to avoid oxidation – and fail! Although I intend to have some good drinking in my dotage, I generally drink more modest stuff at home; bourgognes, villages and premiers – perhaps only a grand cru once or twice a month. Actually half the… Read More
burgundy 2009 en-primeur (round 1 – uk)
Last year I listed a few merchant offers that the merchants themselves paid for – not much, just the equivalent of a bottle of premier cru – I haven’t done it this year, simply because the wines are selling (have sold!) so fast. One year later the same amount… Read More
more on 2009 whites + a 2008 red from muzard
Last week, as you will have gathered from the snowy images, was a little chilly in the Côtes, but it was a good time to get a better understanding of the whites – even though many will not be bottled until February-April 2011. I think I tasted almost 200… Read More
Profile: Domaine du Duc de Magenta (Chassagne-Montrachet)
I was initially compelled to visit this domaine after tasting the wonderful 1978 Chassagne Rouge at the Grands Jours de Bourgogne earlier in the year. I first met the Duchesse de Magenta, Amélie de Mac Mahon when she was chatting with photographer Jon Wyand, I commended her on… Read More
laurent ponsot’s new ‘plastic corks’…
So here we have (potentially) progress in Côte de Nuits Grand Cru seals – Olivier Leflaive has already used them for a year or two in the Côte de Beaune. I retain that hint of caveat as regards ‘progress’ because there are no 20, 30, 40+ year-old bottles to deliver… Read More
Grandes Maisons: Grands Crus – The 2008s
From the Grands Jours in Burgundy at the end of March and organised by the association of négociants (Fédération des Négociants Eleveurs de Grande Bourgogne – FNEB) was a blind tasting of predominantly 2008 grand crus in the Château du Clos de Vougeot. For some reason a handful of… Read More