Tasted in the Clos de Vougeot, during the Grands Jours de Bourgogne, 22 March 2016. This is always a tasting to look forward to, the only problem is the queue to get into the Chateau du Clos de Vougeot, due to the big Vosne tasting at the same time –… Read More

Volnay is about wines of beautiful perfume, but this relatively small appellation is also about people – Rossignols, Bouleys, Mures and Boillots – plus their various hybrids: “All the Rossignols are cousins, even Rossignol-Trapet in Gevrey is a nephew, and the grandfather of Henri Boillot was the brother of my… Read More

Tasted in Beaune with Bruno Pepin and Boris Champy, 02 December 2015. Maison Louis Latour 18 Rue des Tonneliers 21200 Beaune Tel: +33 3 80 24 81 00 www.louislatour.com The 2015 vintage… “The whole estate was picked in 7 days. Very easy, not so… Read More

Tasted in Meursault with winemaker Emmanuel Escutenaire and Stéphane Follin-Arbelet, 22 October 2015. Domaine de Château du Meursault Rue du Moulin Foulot 21190 Meursault Tel: +33 3 80 26 22 75 www.chateau-meursault.com Of-course everybody knows the Château de Meursault as home of the Meursault… Read More

Tasted in Puligny-Montrachet with winemaker Brian Sieve, 19 October 2015. Domaine Hubert de Montille Rue du Cromin 21190 Meursault Tel: +33 3 80 21 32 79 http://www.demontille.com/ Brian Sieve on 2014: “2014, if not hit by hail, had the potential for quality and… Read More

Versus a generation ago – let us say 30 years – the market dynamics of traders who buy and sell wine have been far from static. The traditional Beaune-based merchants, or the ‘Maisons’ remain the focus of commentators but they have much more competition today, and at all levels… Read More

Tasted in Pontanevaux with Philippe Bardet and Jean Pierre Rodet, 31st March 2015. Maison Jean Loron 1846 RN 6 71570 Pontanevaux Tel: +33 3 85 36 81 20 www.loron.fr www.chateau-bellevue.fr Philippe Bardet was always a useful contact when he ran the Louis Max… Read More

Tasted in London at the F+R offices, 14 October, 2014. My thanks to Joss Fowler for extending the invitation – I guess he knew it was my birthday! If you email him, I’m sure he will be happy to sell you all of these! Summarising… Read More

The ‘Château’ of Bouchard Père et Fils has large walled, fenced-off gardens. You can get tantalising views as you walk their perimeter on the ring-road of Beaune. In the summer I thought to myself – I’ll ask if I can get a tour. In the end, they just opened the… Read More