2018 Red Burgundy Report
“You need to taste without exception what you want to buy in 2018 – it’s an oenologist’s vintage – lots of tricks were used.” Louis-Michel Liger-Belair So it’s a vintage of the sun – lots of sun – the second hottest on record after 2003, so of… Read More
Mainly Beaujolais – new names & many magnums
Bien Boire en Beaujolais 2019 afforded me to the opportunity of finding a few (relatively) new names – here are 10 of them. Where possible I mainly tasted their 2017s. The domaines were not all from Beaujolais – truth be told, there’s some very nice Mâconnais domaines too! Plus I… Read More
Echézeaux – 2017
It’s not every day you get to taste more than 2 or 3 grand crus together, certainly not grand crus from Vosne-Romanée – okay, from Flagey-Echézeaux! This was an important tasting for me, because versus ‘the average,’ my tastings in November and December indicated that Echézeaux was one of… Read More
some weekend wines – week 13 2019
4 wines – 4 different seals! 2014 Dampt Frères, Bourgogne Tonnerre Le Clos du Chateau The cork proudly proclaims (translated) ‘Natural cork, matured 18 months, washed without peroxides or solvents’ – okay we can quibble about what constitutes a… Read More
The 1998 Burgundy Vintage – 20 years on…
I have been so looking forward to tasting these 1998s. I cut my teeth of the wines of 1993-1995 and the 1996s were the first en-primeur wines that I bought. I tasted some 1996 and 1997s in Burgundy but only started to regularly taste from cask from the 2000 vintage… Read More
Romanée-Saint-Vivant – 20 years on
I’m planning a tasting of 16 different labels of RSV from the 1999 vintage – in Bern, in Spring 2019. All the bottles were bought by me between 2001 and 2002… Clearly it won’t be a cheap tasting, but get in touch if you’re interested to join – 10… Read More
Auxey-Duresses: Village Profile
When it comes to white wine recommendations and the common old question of ‘what’s a better value alternative to Puligny or Meursault?‘ my toes curl and my teeth grind when people, with an assured air of superior knowledge, authoritatively boom – ‘Oh you should look at St.Aubin!‘ Save for a… Read More
weekend wines – weekend 28 2018
2013 Olivier Leflaive, Bourgogne Oncle Vincent Pale lemon yellow. A narrow, fine nose of clean citrus. Plenty of fine zip to the ever-widening palate, little finishing waves of nice intensity flavour. When younger this needed plenty of air to show its best, but now it’s directly open and… Read More
Côte Chalonnaise Blanc – 2016
Tasted at the BIVB Technical Centre in Beaune, 30 May 2018. All the wines were tasted blind, only matching the name to wine a couple of weeks later. An exercise that puts on show my full confidence in the 2016 vintage – the Côte Chalonnaise has fully delivered… Read More