The "joys" of working for a Government department - sorry, no wine content whatsoever!

At the day job yesterday, I received a note requesting that I call a customer, who had not received the result of a search that they were expecting (the search had been completed on our computer system, so would have generated an automatic print-off at our central processing hub, somewhere else in the country). I called the customer, but the person who took my call said he was briefly out of the office, but would get him to call me back when he returned. I mentioned that I would be going home within 15 minutes and don't work on Wednesdays, so one of my colleagues might need to deal with it. To which this person (who didn't know me from Adam) commented "Ah, the joys of working for a Government department", to which I replied that, as a part-timer, I was paid accordingly. Without pausing for breath, he added "and a nice fat pension, to boot".

I guess it would have been futile to explain to this idiot that I worked part-time because I was trying to build a wine business and that - more often than not - I'm probably at home working late into the night, whilst he is sitting with his feet up (or out spending his expense account). Because, believe it or not, this man works for a bank. And we all know how tough the banking industry is having it, these days, after having brought the country (nay, the world) to the brink of financial meltdown through profligacy and greed. Of course, if I had expressed such an opinion to him as a retort, I would probably have been given a right royal rollocking for doing so. And anyway, I like to think that I wouldn't sink to the same level as this person, in making mileage out of such a generalised, blinkered viewpoint.

Nevertheless, this little episode left a pretty sour taste in the mouth, I can tell you. In the department I work for, we bend over backwards to offer a level of customer service which just might be unrivalled, certainly in any other Government department, and quite possibly anywhere else in the service industry. So much so that we have far too many people involved in management, or looking after the customer, or simply auditing what we do. I dare say that we probably even have auditors auditing the auditors. Which leaves far too few people to actually do the day-to-day "work". Under normal circumstances, I probably would have complained to our customer service department, having received such shabby treatment from one of our own customers, but I would have expected short shrift. Which depressed me even more, because it is bad enough working in a job I despise, for a salary which (contrary to poular opinion) is worth less each passing year, and for an organisation which (through its own profligacy and bad management) has engendered a level of demoralisation amongst its staff that I have never before witnessed.

Rant over. Back to wine. Who knows, one day I might be able to make a full-time living out of it!

  

A brilliant white wine from Provence

Domaine d'Estoublon Blanc 2006 Vin de Pays des Alpilles

This was a bottle that had been hanging around on our (largely redundant) dining table for a good few weeks, now. I sold out of the 2007 vintage of the same wine a few months back, but still have a couple of dozen of this one left. A local customer of mine had previously taken some of the '07, but decided to take a punt on the '06 when the '07 had run out. He tried a bottle and decided that he didn't like it nearly as much as the '07. Naturally, I was happy to take the remaining bottles off his hands and supply him with a substitute. Based on what the customer had said, I was minded to bin-end the last couple of cases, thinking it might need drinking quickly. But then again I was curious to see "what's not to like" about it. So I finally got around to opening a bottle on Saturday.

It is an amazingly deep gold colour for a wine of only 4 years of age, and if I didn't know this wine so well, I might even think it was going over the edge. But not a bit of it. The nose is clean as a whistle, fresh and hugely complex, and simply packed with aromas of ripe fruits - peach, apricot, apple - honeysuckle and exotic spices. Since my last bottle, notes of toffee and orange marmalade have appeared, suggesting richness, which is confirmed by the rich, mouth-filling palate, with complex flavours of candied fruits and flowers, stewed apple, mandarin and spice. And again, though made in a very slightly oxidative style (some of the blend spends 11 months on oak barrels, whilst the rest is aged in large ceramic egg-shaped vessels) it is clean, fresh and full of vitality. At the same time it is also deceptively soft, approachable and voluptuous, long in the mouth, finely balanced - and utterly delicious! In fact, consumed over 2 days, it has just got better and better. So much so that I was pretty devastated to find I had drunk it all. It really did leave me wanting more! Indeed, I think this wine will go on improving for a few years yet, like a good white Chateauneuf - or even a Trévallon white. I'm so glad I didn't bin-end it, and I will certainly be keeping at least half a dozen by for myself to enjoy over the next 5 years or more.

    

A tough day and a glorious red Burgundy

It's been a tough day. Rather than spending some time doing a million-and-one other things that badly need doing, I've spent far too much of my evening hunched over the engine of No.1 son's car, whilst No.2 son's car is also posing problems. Oh, the joys of motoring! And I'm the first to admit that, when it comes to cars, jobs, and life in general, our kids have it so much harder (and much more expensive) these days than we had it 25 or 30 years ago. I feel for them, and want so much to be able to help them in any way I can. Anyway, the upshot is, one car needs a new clutch, whilst the other needs a good service and a little TLC. And I needed to open a nice bottle of wine! 

Domaine Gachot-Monot Cotes de Nuits Villages 2003

To be honest, from previous experience, I had no great expectations of this particular wine. I expected it to be decent, like the previous few bottles we have enjoyed, but they have been a bit variable. Some have been quite enjoyable and correct, whilst others have shown a bit too much of that 2003 richness that tends to stifle the balance which is oh-so important in red Burgundy. Not faulty, just slightly disappointing. But this particular bottle is absolutely spot-on, and just what the doctor ordered. It is slightly savoury, maybe even a touch meaty, but behind the savouriness it also displays all the hallmark Pinot aromas and flavours, with an abundance of raspberries and wild strawberries, rotting leaves, flowers and hint of orange zest. Lots of nice descriptors, I'm sure you will agree, but - much more importantly - everything knits together beautifully in a wine that has real focus, with a citrus-like acidity which lifts it from the good to the sublime. In fact, it is unbelievably fresh and full of vitality. It is rarely an easy thing to convey the true feel of a red Burgundy in the written word, but those who know the region well will know exactly what I am getting at. Which is that - when you get the right wine, on the right night, in the right mood - there is hardly a wine style in the whole world to rival it. After a somewhat trying and hectic day, this is a lovely way to end the evening - and, for a humble village wine (and from a somewhat maligned and iffy vintage), it is a truly glorious expression of Burgundy Pinot Noir. So much so that I may never experience a better bottle of this particular wine, from this particular vintage. It may just turn out to be a classic example of the old adage - there are no great wines..... just great bottles. Then again, it may just be the first of several perfect bottles - and it really is in a great place, at the moment. So I'm glad that I still have a few bottles left, as I can see it getting better and better. A lovely, lovely wine - and it cost me considerably less than a tenner a bottle at auction! :-)

      

Two nice weekend wines - an Aussie white and a Spanish red

Here's a couple of interesting wines I've opened over the weekend, from a local "bin-end" supplier to the trade. I think I'll add some to the website over the next few days, so if you like the sound of them, keep your eyes peeled - neither will break the bank!

The Black Chook VMR 2007 Fleurieu Peninsula, Australia

From the region south of Adelaide which includes the McLaren Vale and Langhorne Creek, this is a blend of 80% Viognier, 10% Marsanne, 10% Roussanne. The colour is a clear, pale straw/gold, whilst the nose is intensely fruity, floral and mineral. Aromas of apricot, melon and orange are complemented by some nicely integrated oak. The palate has a beautifully rich, intense, slightly oily texture and is laden with stone fruits and citrus/lime oil flavours. There’s a good deal of spice in there too, with a touch of warming alcohol, all of which is kept nicely balanced and fresh by a backbone of zesty acidity. An Aussie take on a traditional Rhone blend, it is powerful and full-bodied rather than elegant, but offers plenty of interest and is a lot of wine for the money. It would go nicely with chicken and pork dishes, especially a richly-flavoured and spiced stir fry.

Dominio de Aranleón Solo 2005 Utiel-Requena, Spain

This is a blend of Bobal, Tempranillo and Syrah, which has spent 14 months in Hungarian oak barrels. The colour is a deep, impenetrable purple colour with a tiny rim – at nearly 5 years of age, it certainly isn’t showing too much sign of age. The nose offers a heady mix of aromas including black fruits, forest floor and polished wood, with a hint of orange peel and eau de vie. It is at the same time both powerful and intriguing. The palate is quite powerful and full-bodied too, with mouth-filling flavours of stewed bramble and plum, allied to rich, chocolatey, slightly dusty tannins. That said, it is nicely balanced by ample acidity, whilst the fruit flavours are infused with some meaty, herby, savoury elements, which add plenty of interest. The result is a wine which - whilst quite modern and initially hard to pin down – shows more than a little complexity and potential. It isn’t “new world” modern (it is very definitely European) and if I were to taste it blind, I might first suggest northern Italy or southern Rhone, with its combination of sweet, sour and savoury. But my next guess would definitely be Spain. But it certainly isn’t one of those ubiquitous, souped-up, one-dimensional Parkerised wines that Spain produces far too much of, these days. Yes, it is rich and full-bodied, with a degree of warm climate alcohol, but it caresses rather than overpowers the senses and really does feel very “together”. And whilst very enjoyable to drink now, I think it has the structure to evolve nicely for another 5 to 10 years. I think I might keep a few bottles of this tucked away and watch those flavours turn all nice and secondary. It is very yummy, and is definitely one of the more interesting Spanish wines I have tasted recently. In fact, since we seem to be enjoying an all-too-rare sunny evening, I’m off to fire up the Barbie, to enjoy the rest with a piece of rump steak and some Cumberland sausage!

      

A visit to Domaine d'Archimbaud

As promised in my glowing write-up on that memorable sweet wine (see Friday's post below) here's a brief account of our (seemingly annual) visit to Domaine d'Archimbaud, on our way back home from Languedoc in late June. The estate is situated in the village of Saint-Saturnin de Lucian, one of the most northerly wine-growing villages in Languedoc. Since it is not really within easy reach of the main holiday areas, it is one of the least-known (and least-appreciated) appellations in the region. Last I heard, there were only 2 independent growers making wine in the Saint-Saturnin appellation, namely the oft-hyped Virgile Joly, plus d'Archimbaud. To this day, the Co-op still dominates production in the AOC. Virgile Joly's fame is due in no small part to the book Virgile's Vineyard, published a few years after he created his estate in 2000. I haven't tasted any of his wines, but have read mixed reviews from both critics and punters alike. I'd like to taste them sometime, so I could make up my own mind.

Domaine d'Archimbaud was created around the same time, when the Cabanes family decided to leave the Saint-Saturnin Co-operative and strike out on their own. They bottled their first estate wines from the 2001 vintage, and have been making some pretty remarkable wines ever since. Jean-Pierre Cabanes and his daughter Marie-Pierre make the wines, ably assisted in the background by wife/mother Marie-Claude. They are a lovely family and we have always felt extremely welcome when we've visited their cave in the centre of the village, even when turning-up (as we did this year) just before lunchtime, unannounced. Nothing is too much trouble for them.

So what of the wines? Whilst unmistakeably Languedoc, the flavours tend to the more “cool climate” in style. The village is situated in the sub-region or "terroir" known as Terrasses de Larzac, in the foothills of the Causse du Larzac, a limestone plateau on the southern edge of the Massif Central. Here the altitude is higher than many of the better-known appeallations (in this case, around 500ft above sea level) and the climate is different - the days are still sunny and hot, but the nights are cooler than the more coastal and low-lying Languedoc regions, allowing for a slightly longer growing season. The vineyards are shielded from the north winds and the worst excesses of the weather systems of the Massif Cenral by the Larzac plateau and the imposing Mont de St. Baudille, which rises to 847 metres above sea level (about 2,800 feet) a few kilometres to the north east.

Approaching Saint-Saturnin from the south, with Mont de St. Baudille in the background

The resulting wines show great balance and complexity, and not a little finesse. The Domaine d'Archimbaud vineyards are planted mainly to Syrah and Grenache, plus some Mourvedre and Carignan. The vines average around 25 years of age and yields are restricted to around 30 hl/ha. More plantings of Mourvedre are now coming into production. Although the red wines have top billing, the rosé is also noteworthy for the fact that it is a vin de pressurage – in other words, it is made from a direct pressing of the red grapes, unlike most rosés made from the “saignée” method, which is a by-product of the red winemaking process. And it shows - they make one of the best rosés I have tasted from Languedoc, and I suspect it has more than a little ageing potential.

We arrived just before midday at the cave in the centre of Saint-Saturnin. I knocked on the door and waited for a minute, then went around the side to see if anybody was in the store room. I was about to give up when Monsieur Cabanes appeared, slightly dishevelled and dusty. It turned out that he had just been in the vineyards, applying some sulphur treatment to the vines (spring had been cool and somewhat damp, so with the onset of warmer weather, this was necessary to prevent any chance of mildew). As he unlocked the door to the cave, Madame Cabanes also appeared. They greeted us like old friends and sat us down at the table to taste the wines. As I am already very familiar with the Traditon and Robe du Pourpre cuvées and the 2009 Rosé, I asked to taste only a couple of new wines they had emailed me about a few weeks before;

Les IV Pierre Blanc Vin de Pays du Mont Baudile (2009)

This is a pale-ish green/gold colour, with a pronounced floral, grapey aroma, courtesy of 10% Muscat  in the blend, The remainder is 80% Viognier and 10% Grenache Blanc. There's a nice whiff of garrigue herbs, too, with background notes of stone fruits, apples, clove and fennel. The grapiness manifests itself a little on the palate too, along with a nice lemon-infused acidity, making it very fresh on entry, before the richer, slightly oily Viognier and Grenache coat the palate with spiced fruits, with some herby, savoury notes coming in on the finish. Unless I am very much mistaken, there is no oak influence in this wine, leaving the fruit to make all the running. It isn't a quirky wine - rather, it is fresh and pure and beautifully made. That isn't to say that it won't become quirky with a year or two in bottle, but it already has lots of interest and makes for a lovely drink right now. I think I'll be importing this one, and it should come in at around £10.

As for what it says on the bottle, the 2009 is in brackets because - for reasons unknown to me - the Mont Baudile VdP does not permit a vintage to be shown on the label. Monsieur Cabanes pointed me towards a code embossed on the neck of the bottle itself (not a label) showing L010/033, meaning it was bottled in March 2010. I suggested to him that other growers (notably those who market their wines as Vins de Table) get around this little problem by putting some sort of "code" on the label itself - for example, "L2009" (i.e. Lot 2009). Not very subtle, of course, but it circumvents the problem in a way that leaves little to the imagination. I think Monsieur Cabanes might decide to use this method in the future!

l'Enfant Terrible 2008 Languedoc Terrasses du Larzac

This is made from 60% Mourvedre, the remainder being Grenache and Carignan. It was bottled in February 2010, so is still a little primary, but already very expressive. The colour is a bright, youthful, quite deep ruby red with a wide rim. The nose greets you with a huge waft of tar, woodsmoke and polished leather, with a veritable pot pourri of herbs and spices, almost like incense. It isn't oak-aged, but it smells creamy. It has bags of fruit, too - dark, brambly fruit, plums and black cherries.Like the nose, the palate is spicy, herby and tarry, with ripe tannins and just the right amount of acidity to give it a fruity, sweet and sour tanginess. It is quite rich, persistent and nicely warming. As this is such a young wine, I suspected it may be even better on day 2, and this was confirmed with a bottle we consumed this weekend, which really did come into its own after 24 hours in the decanter - a sure sign of a wine that will age and evolve nicely. It had developed more herby and spicy notes, with hints of flowers, earth and red meats. It really is rather lovely, and yet another wine which I plan to import at the end of the summer. Projected price is likely to be around £12-£13.

I then asked if I could taste the sweet Vendange d'Automne 2007, a bottle of which was sitting on the bureau in the corner of the cave. At that, Monsieur Cabanes said of course, but the bottle I saw had been standing upright in the light of the tasting room for too long, so he needed to go and get another one. If I had known he meant he needed to fetch it from the winery 2 or 3 kilometres down the road, I might have said "no, don't worry", but he was out the door and in the car before I knew it. Nothing was too much trouble. We chatted with Madame Cabanes whilst he was gone. She is a delightful, gentle lady who - along with the rest of her family - is clearly at ease with the world, and the life they lead in this beautiful corner of Languedoc. Monsieur Cabanes arrived back within 20 minutes, and presented me with that bottle, which you can read about in my previous post below - and boy was I glad I let him go and get it, for it has been a bit of an eye-opener, to say the least!

Jean-Pierre and Marie-Claude Cabanes, in their cave in the village of Saint-Saturnin de Lucian

Having spent a good hour or so in the company of these lovely people, it was time to resume our long journey to Calais. We left Saint-Saturnin, armed with 3 bottles each of the red and white we had tasted (even though I expected to pay for anything more than a bottle of each, even as a merchant/client, my offer of money was politely declined) with a warm glow. Not just from tasting the wines, but also from the fact that we get to do business with some of the nicest people it is possible to meet in the wine world. Having been importing wines from Domaine d'Archimbaud since 2004, I'm certainly not going to give up in a hurry. Lovely wines, lovely people.

     
The wines I have described above will be available by late summer or early autumn. You can read about the rest of the wines in the Archimbaud range, which are already available to buy, on the Leon Stolarski Fine Wines website.
    

The best sweet wine I have ever tasted from Languedoc

Domaine d'Archimbaud Vendange d'Automne Vin de Table de France (2007)

The label says "Mout de raisins partiellement fermenté - Issue de raisins passerillés". Which basically means a wine from grapes harvested very late in the season (and therefore partially raisined on the vine). There is no AOC for such wines in Languedoc, nor I guess a Vin de Pays, hence the simple Vin de Table denomination. No vintage is allowed on the label, but this is from the 2007 vintage. As far as I am aware, it is fashioned from 100% Bourboulenc, a grape also occasionally known as Malvoisie in Languedoc. If you are confused, then read the entries for both in The Oxford Companion To Wine - and you'll end up even more confused! This wine is a rich, shiny 24-carat gold colour with orange tinges. The nose is sublime, offering captivating aromas of bonfire toffee, candied orange peel, marzipan, fig, honeysuckle and rose, whilst the palate is simply bursting with flavours of autumn fruits, preserved citrus, root ginger and toffee. It caresses the tongue with intensely concentrated fruit, before unleashing a rasp of limey acidity that almost makes your hair stand on end. The finish is immense, lasting for literally minutes, whilst revealing hitherto unnoticed flavours of toffee apple, lemon sorbet, clove and cinnamon, not to mention just about every exotic fruit nuance you could care to mention.

Now I have to admit that, although this was lovely from the moment I opened the bottle, it actually sat in the fridge for a good week or two before I eventually finished it, during which time it just got better and better. But this feeling sort of crept up on me, until I finally sat down to contemplate the last glass and realised just how utterly wonderful it was. Perhaps it just needed to be in the right place at the right time, but it finally reminded me, in the most glorious way, how a great sweet wine can be one of life's most pleasurable experiences. In fact, it is at times like this that one wonders how one could ever drink anything else! I have been privileged to taste many fine examples of the world's greatest sweet wine styles - German and Austrian TBA's, Sauternes, Loire Chenins, Jurancon, Aussie Semillons, Tokaji, Canadian Ice Wine, whatever. And this one has provided as much pleasure for me as any of them. Like all of these wines, balance is everything - a high level of concentration and sweetness demands a healthy level of acidity, and this one has plenty. OK, so the label says it is nothing more than a Vin de Table, but I for one have learned never to let such a humble denomination decieve me. It is what's in the glass that matters, and this is - in my humble opinion - a very special wine indeed. In fact, it is head and shoulders the best wine of its kind I have ever tasted from the Languedoc. And the empty (50cl) bottle has already taken its place in the "empties" hall of fame, atop the welsh dresser in my dining room.

The good news, for any of my customers who read this and are intrigued enough to want to try this wine, is that I might just be able to get my hands on some more. And if I can, the projected selling price will be a bargain at £14.99 for a 50cl bottle.

     

I mentioned in an earlier post (just after I came back from holiday) that I made a last-minute visit to Domaine d'Archimbaud, before we headed north on our journey home. I have a couple of other wines from this estate that I want to tell you about (apart, of course, from the ones I already sell), so I'll post about those (and the wonderul people at Archimbaud) over the weekend.

   

Just another week at the Wine Circle

Last week (being the end of the month) signalled the latest instalment of our little tasting group at Le Mistral restaurant in Nottingham. Although, as usual, a great evening was enjoyed by all, the sum total in terms of quality of the wines merely added up to OK - in other words, a handful of reasonably noteworthy wines, but nothing really spectacular. Best of the bunch were a delicious Felton Road Chardonnay 2005 from New Zealand, which was a dead ringer for a top 1er Cru Meursault and a slightly "poxed" (short for prematurely oxidised) Louis Jadot Puligny-Montrachet Folatieres 1er Cru 1999, which was really good, but on an inexorably downward slope towards "sherrydom". There was also an interesting Abel Mendoza Rioja Blanco 2009, which was very nice, in a light, floral, even elegant sort of way, with excellent structure. You'd never have guessed it was 100% Grenache Blanc, of course. The question was, did it smell or taste like Rioja? Well, not in any way that those present had ever experienced it didn't. Which begs the question, why make a Grenache Blanc in Rioja which tastes like Condrieu from the northern Rhone? This old traditionalist fuddy-duddy would much prefer it to be marketed as something else (anything else, in fact) other than Rioja. For when Rioja is made in the old-fashioned, nutty, slightly oxidative style and aged for a good few years before release, it is without doubt one of the world's great white wine experiences. And, whilst this "Spanish Condrieu" is a good wine in its own right, it is certainly not Rioja, Jim - at least, not as we know it!

As is often the case these days, the wines on offer at the weekly meeting of the Nottingham Wine Circle the night after were another matter altogether. Hardly a week goes by without at least a few gems to be tasted and this week was no different - in fact, there were a whole raft of successes. Here are some cursory notes on the best of the bunch;

Domaine Rollin Pernand-Vergelesses 2008

Young, lemony, with classy oak. The oak dominates a little at present, but that is only to be expected in such a young wine. But there is a wonderful core of bright, minerally Chardonnay fruit lurking in there. Fairly light-bodied, but intense and very promising. Apparently it can be had for less than 12 quid from The Wine Society. Bargain. 

Chateau de Vaux Les Haut Bassieres Pinot Noir 2008 Moselle (the French bit) 

Reeks of Pinot - in fact, the very essence of that grape. Raspberries and cream, a touch of exotic spice and older wood. It actually smells a touch Californian, with an almost sweet fruit aroma, but then it dances on the palate in a light, elegant way, like a good Burgundy or Alsace Pinot. Quite light, but manages to be generous at the same time. I loved it - andit is another bargain from The Wine Society at £10.95.

Chateau Lynch-Moussas 1985 Pauillac

Wine Circle member Kevin Scott picked this up for a song at a recent auction, and it is a cracker. Smells like aged Claret and tastes like aged Claret, but in a way that really appeals to me (a confirmed non-Claret lover). Cedary, plummy, with hints of blackcurrant. Quite dry and evolved, but the tannins are fine and the acidity is bright. Earthy, secondary aromas and flavours abound, but it still retains a delightful core of rich fruit, with some lovely wild strawberry and forest floor, tea and crystallised fruits - in fact, very complex stuff, with none of the green and red pepper notes that I find such a turn-off in many Clarets. Classy, elegant and really lovely. If only all Claret was half as good, I'd be in danger of becoming a fan!

Vincent Lumpp Clos du Cras Long 1990 Givry 1er Cru

Amazingly deep colour for a 20 year-old Burgundy. Notes of damp earth, wild mushroom and even a hint of cheese, but lurking beneath is a massive core of rich, ripe, glorious Pinot fruit, which manifests itself on the palate in no uncertain fashion. Very identifiable Pinot flavours, but at the bramble and cherry end of the spectrum, rather than raspberry/strawberry. It is earthy, even a touch rustic, but that huge core of fruit, combined with a little bit of tannin and juicy acidity, and a touch of citrus and spice on the finish makes for a complete and very lovely wine, which had many of us in the Cote d'Or. Vincent Lumpp's wines rarely fail to impress, and this was one cracking wine.

Domaine Filliatreau Vieilles Vignes 2003 Saumur-Champigny

The nose is spectacular - tobacco, warm spices, red and black fruits, flowers, minerals. Very complex stuff. In fact, it was perfumed in an almost Burgundian or Cote Rotie way, with some nice earthy notes adding yet more complexity. The palate was creamy and soft, but so complex - oodles of strawberry, raspberry and bramble fruits, with a touch of orange, cedar, tobacco and flowers, and not a hint of capsicum. Uber complex and utterly lovely. Who would have thought it? A 100% Cabernet Franc wine from the Loire which wowed just about everyone around the table - and from 2003, at that. What structure, what fruit.... what a wine! The best red Loire wine (and the best Cabernet Franc from anywhere) I have ever tasted.

Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage Port 1992

Very dark, very rich. Earthy, slightly rotting black fruits, with enormous complexity. Heady aromas of dates, figs, molasses, dark chocolate and mocha. The palate is rich and fruity, in a jammy, mixed fruit and marmalade sort of way. A wine for the hedonist, with not even a hint of alcoholic burn. Just about as good as vintage Port gets, and I loved it.

A long day in front of the computer screen, plus a lovely red and white pair of Portugese wines

Yesterday was, as usual, golf day, and I had a pretty topsy-turvy round in the monthly medal at my local club. A shaky start saw me drop three shots in the first two holes, after which I settled down a bit with a few pars and bogies. Some laser-like iron shots and a hot putter then saw me card no less than four birdies in the space of six holes around the turn, but these were somewhat negated by another couple of double bogeys. It all added-up to a round of 77 (net 67), which saw my handicap reduced to 9.5, so I am tantalisingly close to once again reaching single figures. After that, it was home to do a bit of work, followed by a nice home-made pizza for dinner and a couple of hours in front of the TV. I love Saturdays - definitely my favourite day of the week!

After a nice lie-in this morning, it has been a pretty long Sunday sat in front of the computer. Which rather typifies the lifestyle of a civil servant masquerading as a wine merchant, in that there aren't that many "days off" from work of one sort or another. There is always something to be done, be it the day job, the wine business or the various things to be done around the house. There's not a lot of the "DIY" sort of stuff that I won't turn my hand to, be it painting and decorating, building a kitchen or a fireplace, carpentry, electrics, even a bit of plumbing. Or, to be more precise, I'd rather do it myself than pay someone else to do it. Which is a bit of an irritation to TLD, as we have a bathroom that I started around 18 months ago that still isn't quite finished. I have to admit that fitting a new bath suite and electric shower is a bit beyond what I am prepared to do, so we had a professional in to do that - in late 2008(!) Since then, I have tiled the walls and added built-in mirrors over the sink and the opposite wall. And, though I say so myself, it looks fantastic. All I need now is a window of opportunity to tile the side panel for the bath and get the floor tiles laid. And the ceiling painted. And the recessed lights fitted and wired-up. And the extractor fan wired-up. And, erm..... that's it. I must admit that proceedings took a bit of a setback several months ago, when I was replacing a floorboard and managed to drill through a central heating pipe. Pity, because I was really on a roll at the time. Anyway, that's my excuse. TLD says that if I don't get it finished soon, she is going to get somebody in to finish it for her. So I'd better get my arse into gear pretty damn quick.

Hence the day spent in front of the computer, going through the numerous processes involved in adding around 8 new wines to the website, wine list, bookkeeping system and so on. I love tasting new wines, but I hate typing out tasting notes. It takes me long enough to write the notes in the first place (although of course the tasting bit is a pleasurable experience) but if anyone can suggest a better way than writing the notes with pen and paper and then typing them out, I'd be happy to hear it.

Anyway, I've broken the back of the day's work, so I am typing this post in the middle of frying a delicious duck breast for our Sunday evening dinner, whilst TLD prepares the veg. Wine-wise, we finished off those lovely bottles of La Combe Blanche La Galine 2001 and 2007 last night, and started on another bottle of von Hessen Riesling 2005. Tonight, I have opened a bottle of Lucien Boillot et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 2001, which I picked up for about 12 quid in a Berry Bros sale a few years back. To be honest, it is a bit uninspiring and lacking in fruit. Of course, it may be going through a closed phase, but frankly I'm not prepared to give it the benefit of the doubt. I'll let you know if it blossoms into something more interesting, but I don't expect it will.

Meanwhile, here are tasting notes on a couple of those new wines I've been dealing with today - a lovely pair of wines from Estremadura, on the west coast of Portugal;

DJF Vinhos Grand'Arte Alvarinho 2008 Estremadura

Estremadura is the most westerly wine region in Europe, where the cool Atlantic breezes encourage a long growing season, resulting in very balanced wines. This is a bright, fairly deep yellow/gold, with green tinges. A complex nose of citrus fruits and peach, with herbaceous nettle and lemongrass notes. The palate begins with peach and orange, before a surge of zingy lemon and tart apple flavours coat the tongue. It is quite herby, too, with hints of rosemary and oregano and a steely, mineral depth. There is excellent concentration, with the fruit carrying all the way through to a tangy, even spicy finish, which lingers for an impressive length of time in the mouth. This is no simple quaffer - it is a complex, multi-layered wine, worthy of contemplation - and food. Given the prices commanded by most Alvarinho wines from Portugal, this really is a bit of a bargain at £10.75.

DJF Vinhos Grand'Arte Touriga Nacional 2008 Estremadura

This is a deep purple/blue colour with a very narrow rim. The nose offers a huge waft of bramble and blackcurrant fruit, combined with notes of leather and meat. Ageing in oak has also contributed some interesting vanilla and mint humbug nuances. I also detect just a hint of volatile acidity, which serves to give the aromas even more of a lift. After a while, the oak aromas integrate beautifully, to reveal a serious, structured wine, worthy of contemplation. The palate is full of dark cherry, bramble and chocolate flavours, with plenty of tannic grip. There is great concentration, but the tannins and the excellent underlying acidity keep it nicely tight and delineated. Although it has a modern, clean, even new worl quality, you get the feeling that it will evolve into something really complex and interesting. Indeed, it has plenty of interest already. Therefore, whilst you can drink it with pleasure already, you can also keep a few bottles by to enjoy over the next 5 or even 10 years. A lot of bang for your buck. £11.95.

    

Tomorrow, I'll post on some cracking wines tasted at a couple of wine evenings in Nottingham last week.

        

Two lovely mature(ish) wines enjoyed over the last couple of nights - and some thoughts on the plight of a struggling Languedoc winemaker

Here a some thoughts on a couple of wines I have enjoyed over the last couple of evenings - both quite mature and both rather lovely. And there is a real story behind the second one, so please bear with me and you'll hopefully get an impression of how difficult life is for so many vignerons in the south of France - even some of the best.

Domaine La Colombette Lledoner Pelut Demi-muid 2004 Vin de Pays des Coteaux du Libron

I opened this last night, and what a lovely surprise - I expected it to be good, but not this good! Lledoner Pelut is said to be a "hairy-leafed" close relative of the Grenache variety - some say it is probably one and the same grape, but I doubt it, for this wine is more elegant and refined than just about any Grenache I have tasted. The colour is medium-deep carmine red at the core, leading to a wide, light ruby red rim, with subtle shades of amber – in other words, it is beginning to show some signs of maturity. The nose was a touch bretty/funky on first pouring, but there is a lovely core of ripe red and black fruits lurking in the background. And it doesn’t take long before most of the funkiness dissipates to reveal heady scents of damsons and wild strawberries, complemented by subtle notes of forest floor and very carefully judged oak. There is also a suggestion of cherry and orange peel. Add to that a mix of garrigue herbs and exotic spices, and what you get is a very alluring wine with more than a degree of complexity. And the palate certainly lives up to the promise of the nose – the fruit is a delightful combination of sweet and sour, with elegant flavours of raspberry and redcurrant, countered by a touch of spiced bramble richness. Fine tannins and a mouth-watering backbone of juicy acidity complete the package. Lledoner Pelut may well be a variation of Grenache – and it has certain similarities when young - but at almost 6 years of age, this wine has begun to take on more than a hint of Burgundian Pinot Noir character. It has turned into a wine of great elegance and finesse, and I suspect that it has the potential to develop even further over the next 5 years. Indeed, the last glass, consumed tonight, after the bottle had been open for 24 hours, was still lovely and fresh. This is a wine that has, for some reason, been very slow in selling and I was about to put my last 16 bottles or so into an up-coming bin-end sale. But I’ve now decided to keep a half dozen back for myself, to enjoy over the next few years – and leave the remaining bottles for eagle-eyed customers to fight over, at the regular price of £13.95. Which, on this showing, is an absolute bargain!

Domaine La Combe Blanche La Galine 2001 Minervois La Liviniere

I opened this wine tonight - and got just as much of a pleasant surprise as with the Lledoner Pelut. I'll tell you why, after I've told you how good it was. It is quite a mature colour, blood red at the core, with a wide, semi-transluscent ruby/amber rim. The nose has bramble, wild strawberry and orange peel, married to classy cigar box/polished wood aromas, not to mention garrigue herbs, cinnamon, cloves and eau de vie - imagine, if you will, a box of mixed fruits, herbs and exotic spices, left to infuse inside an old wardrobe(!) The palate is equally complex - rich and brambly, but imbued with a softness and lightness of touch borne of 9 years of maturity. It has all manner of crystallised fruit flavours, tea, orange, lovely acidity, fine tannins and a long, warm finish. Not that all those aged aromas and flavours mean that this is over the hill. Far from it - 2001 was one of the greatest Languedoc vintages in recent memory, and a wine as good as this certainly has the structure to go on for a number of years yet. It is just lovely, and reminds me yet again why Guy Vanlancker and his wines were so instrumental in me starting a wine business in the first place.

So why was this wine such a pleasant surprise? Because it is a sample bottle! Guy rarely does things the simple way, and this is a classic example of his somewhat eccentric way of doing things. La Galine is one of the wines Guy makes only in the better vintages. When I first started my business (in late 2003) the vintages available to me were the 1999 and 2000. I took the slightly more forward 2000 first, then eventually moved onto the later-maturing 1999. Next up was the 2003 vintage, which Guy only released for sale about a year ago. When I met up with him on my recent holiday, he gave me samples of most of his current releases, which included the 2007 La Galine..... and the 2001.

Which begs the question, where has this wine been for the last 9 years? Great winemaker that he is, Guy is (much like me) pretty useless as a businessman/salesman. And the sad fact is that he makes more wine than he can comfortably sell, especially in the better vintages, when he has (historically, at least) made more of his top cuvées. And as we all know, top cuvées cost more to make, take longer to reach the bottling stage and are more expensive/difficult to sell. And unsold wine means less cashflow. As a result, Guy has not bought any new barrels since 2001 - he simply can't afford them. All of the wines he makes now are aged either in vats or in barrels of around 10 vintages or more. And, last time I was there, his cramped winery in the village of La Liviniere was still crammed full of barrels, in some places from floor to ceiling.

With the spectacular 2001 vintage, Guy probably made more of his premium cuvées than ever. The brilliant La Chandeliere 2001 has long since sold out, and I also recently sold the last of my stocks of the (almost as good) Clos du Causse 2001. And I suspect that this La Galine 2001 has been sitting in vat or barrel(s) in some inaccessible corner of his cellar for all that time, waiting for the other 2001's to sell out. I am almost certain that it hasn't been in bottle for that long, because it is sealed under a different cork - Guy's corks used to be embossed with "La Combe Blanche", whereas they now just say "Mis en bouteille a la propriete" (after all, when every cent counts, extra frills mean unneccessary expenditure). And the label is of the more "modern" design that Guy introduced a few years back. Furthermore, winemakers must pay taxes on wines they hold in bottle, so it makes financial sense only to bottle a wine when it is actually released for sale. So what we have here is a brilliant, semi-mature wine, which is only now available not because of a deliberate marketing strategy, but because of stark financial reality. It is great for merchant and punter alike, to be able to obtain such mature wines at very reasonable prices, but it is bad for the winemaker - and only serves to highlight the perennial struggle that so many vignerons in Languedoc face, merely to keep their heads above the water.

To be honest, I don't know whether to feel happy or sad. I got into the wine business because I wanted to work alongside and with wonderful people like Guy Vanlancker. And it would give me almost as much pleasure to see Guy get that fancy house and winery up in the hills that he dreams of, as it would for me to see my own labours in the wine business finally bear fruit. The fact is, that is not likely to happen without some much-needed investment.

Tasting barrel samples in Guy Vanlancker's cellar in August 2003 - many of those barrels were fairly new at the time, but no new ones have been added since then.

Incidentally, I also opened my bottle of La Galine 2007 the other night, although I did so quite late in the evening, so wasn't really in the right frame of mind to give it the attention it deserved. Revisiting it now (a good 3 or 4 days after opening) I have to say it really is good. Whilst it lacks the sheer complexity of the brilliant 2001 (and, of course, has very little oak influence) it has a delicious core of both fresh and crystallised fruits, garrigue and spice, with some very faint cedary/sous bois notes. The palate is fresh and full of vitality and, despite the lack of any oak component, it has the structure in its own right to age nicely over the next 5 or more years. After all, great winemakers will make great wine, whatever the constraints placed upon them.

       

Look out for the 2001 when it arrives in stock at the end of the summer. At a guess, I would say the price will be no more than about £12.

   

The perfect summer white - a cracking Rheingau Riesling

I've always had a soft spot for German Riesling. In fact, it is far and away the most popular style of white wine in my house. Although many of these wines (which vary in style from dry and steely, through to fairly luscious and off-dry, or even semi-sweet) are absolutely perfect for summer drinking, they actually hit the spot for me, all year round. And when you get the taste for them, you never lose it. So when I got the chance the other day to snap-up a really good example, at an attractive price, I jumped at it - plenty for me, but plenty for my customers, too!

Prinz von Hessen Johannisberger Klaus Riesling Kabinett 2005 Rheingau

Clear, bright, limpid green/gold colour. The nose offers plenty in the way of fruit, with lime zest to the fore and notes of apricot, peach and dessert apples. There are also plenty of mineral/slate nuances and even a hint of wet wool, along with hints of toffee and white pepper. Every now and then you get a faint whiff of petrol - such an attractive attribute in fine Riesling. In normal vintages, a Kabinett might reach an alcohol level of 9% abv, but in the wonderful 2005 vintage, the grapes were so beautifully ripe that many of them were able to reach higher levels (in this case 11%) without sacrificing any of those delicate aromas and flavours. The palate has wonderful fruit/mineral/acid balance, with succulent stone fruit flavours married to racy, mouth-tingling lime and apple. There is still a healthy dose of residual sugar, but this is countered by thrilling lime acidity and even a hint of spritz, which carries right through to a long, luscious, mouth-watering finish. This wine will, in all probability, age nicely for a good 10 years or more, but it really is so good to drink right now, it is an absolute joy!

A bargain at £8.95, via the Leon Stolarski Fine Wines online shop.
         

Summertime - therefore, it must also be Beaujolais time!

Beaujolais is a wine style that seems to have virtually disappeared from many wine enthusiasts' radars, in recent years. And it had certainly not appeared on mine for a while - I can't remember having tasted (never mind drunk) more than a handful of examples in the last 2 or 3 years. Which is a shame, because I like the style, when it is done well. Indeed, I used to sell a few very decent Cru Beaujolais (Régnié, Fleurie, Morgon, Chénas, Moulin-a-Vent) on my website. Trouble is, despite the fact that it was good, hardly anybody bought the stuff. I'm not sure what the reasons were (the prices were eminently reasonable) but I do know that the annual Beaujolais Nouveau campaign did nothing to help the image of the region as a source of quality wine, especially in the eyes of the people gullible enough to buy the stuff. How could they possibly be encouraged to give "proper" Beaujolais a try, based on their experience of the dreaded Nouveau - i.e. generally thin, tart, bubble gum and pear drop-infused wines that no self-respecting wine lover would rinse their glass with? Of course, there are a few half-decent Nouveaus to be had, but even good growers can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

But wait! Is Beaujolais finally experiencing a bit of a long-overdue rennaissance? There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that it is - mainly from what I see on wine message boards, with plenty of people posting notes and observations on wines they have bought or tasted recently. And the vibes seem very positive, with some drinkers perhaps experiencing real Beaujolais for the first time, whilst others revisit the style and suddenly remember that they enjoyed the stuff all along. Of course, a great vintage helps to focus the attention and, by popular consensus, 2009 was one of the finest Beaujolais vintages in living memory. A long, dry and very warm (but not excessively hot) summer ensured perfect growing conditions - so perfect, in fact, that the Gamay grapes had no trouble in reaching optimum ripeness levels, even to the extent that the harvest began around a week earlier than normal. Beaujolais is rarely found lacking in the acidity stakes (except when clumsily chaptalised, which can result in wines which taste baked and sickly). But such perfect growing conditions rendered chaptalisation (basically, the addition of sugar to the grape must, designed to add balance and boost alcohol levels) totally unnecessary in 2009. So there you have it. Ripe, sweet fruit, inherantly soft/low tannins and naturally high acidity - the perfect recipe for juicy, fruity wines that are dangerously easy to drink.

So when my friend and fellow wine importer Peter Bamford asked if I would be interested in a couple of sample bottles from the 2009 Beaujolais vintage, I accepted them with relish. And, as it happened, I tasted them with relish, too.

Régnié 2009 Cave des Vignerons de Bel Air

Quite a deep colour, especially for what is normally the lightest Beaujolais Cru, being a semi-transluscent medium ruby/purple. The nose is an absolute riot of strawberry, raspberry, red cherry, apple and citrus fruits, with a hint of blackcurrant leaf. It smells ripe and forward, with an aromatic structure not too far removed from a fruity young Cotes du Rhone. The palate is even better, displaying a soft, seductive, strawberries and cream quality. It is voluptuous, even voluminous, with a depth of real fruit rarely found in the lighter Beaujolais Crus like Régnié, whilst offering all the mouth-watering acidity and freshness one could wish for. It isn't particularly complex, but who needs complexity in a wine so vibrant and fresh? It really is utterly lovely, in a drink-me-now sort of way.

Domaine De La Caleche Fleurie 2009 Cave des Vignerons de Bel Air

Again, quite a deep colour, with a narrow rim. This smells more serious than the Régnié, with some darker fruit notes (bramble and blackcurrant) mingled with the red fruits, and even a hint of orange peel. There are also some savoury, spicy nuances, even a touch of meatiness, whilst subtle notes of polished wood and vanillin suggest a little bit of ageing in older oak barrels. Half an hour after opening, there begin to emerge some very attractive notes of spring flowers and violets, together with white fruits such as apple and peach, suggesting hidden depths and a degree of complexity. The palate is more serious, too, with those savoury notes providing a counter to a core of rich dark cherry and raspberry fruit. There is even a touch of grip, courtesy of some fine, ripe tannins, not to mention of course a lovely backbone of juicy, orange-tinged acidity. Whilst it may not have the immediate "lovability" of the Régnié, this wine grew on me very quickly. Indeed, it is very hard to fault, and really gets into its stride after an hour or so in the decanter. Which tells me that, though delicious already, it will evolve beautifully in bottle over the next 2 or 3 years.

As you can probably tell, I was completely bowled-over by the quality of these 2 wines. And I am indeed left wondering why I have neglected Beaujolais for so long, even if only for my own drinking pleasure. I guess the answer is that, although they have often been good, they have rarely been this good. Will I be stocking them? You bet. Projected website prices will be around £8.75 for the Régnié and £11.25 for the Fleurie.

          

A few wines tasted recently

Over the last three weeks I seem to have gone from intensive holiday blogging to taking a complete holiday from blogging! To be honest, although I have been busy doing lots of other things, I've also been a bit lazy. When the sun is shining and the weather is hot (and we've at least had a decent amount of that, so far this summer) it can sometimes be a bit of an effort to make yourself do something that you know you really should do, but don't actually have to do. I've spent far too much time enjoying Le Tour de France, The Open Golf Championship and various other sporting extravaganzas - lazy, I know, but we all need to chill out occasionally. We have also been tasting through quite a few sample wines (of which more, in a future post) and enjoying the delights of our new gas barbecue - possibly the bargain of the year at £100, from wilkinsononline. It's brilliant - here's a photo of my new pride and joy......

Nevertheless, the longer I go without blogging, the more I feel I'm letting the side down - after all, I have millions (well, tens, at least!) of followers, hanging onto my every word! So I'd better get the ball rolling again. I'll start with a few thoughts on some nice wines tasted over the last couple of weeks at Nottingham Wine Circle....

Michel Lynch Reserve 2006 Graves

Glory be - a white Bordeaux that really hits the spot! Actually, I seem to have a better success rate with the whites from this region than the reds, 90% of which leave me wondering how on earth they gained the reputation they have (and I'm talking classed growths, as well as the lesser wines). Anyway, this had lovely aromas of licourice and fennel, cloves and woodsmoke, with lemony, minerally fruit and classy oak - a really complete nose.The palate was just as good - spicy, herby, rich and warming, with a core of citrus fruit, subtle oak and a backbone of minerally acidity. Lovely stuff, which makes me think I should explore white Bordeaux a little more.

Domaine du Closel "La Jalousie" 2000 Savennieres

Wet stone/slate, wool and herbs - a classic Chenin Blanc nose. Gently oxidative on the palate, with not a lot in the way of fruit flavours, but lots of complex mineral and secondary notes - stoney, cheesy, even sweaty. If you've never tasted lean, austere, steely Savennieres before, it probably sounds awful, but it isn't - it is wine for contemplation (and food). Austere, but classy.

Schug Chardonnay 2005 Carneros, California

Oaky, in a typically Californian style, but not big. Classy Chardonnay fruit and evident (but not clumsy) oak and deep, mineral flavours, like a weighty Meursault. Not exactly subtle, or even particularly complex, but an impressive, enjoyable wine.

Domaine Bachelot Vieille Vignes 1996 Gevrey-Chambertin

Boy, this was a stunner - rich and fruity, with a seductive lick of oak vanillin. The palate was amazingly bright, fruity, full of vitality and with a huge backbone of intense, mouth-watering acidity and intense fruit flavours, laced with cloves and flowers. Amazingly elegant and right at the peak of its drinking window (though it will hold for a good few years, I guess). A brilliant and beguiling wine, which probably wouldn't convert lovers of new world Pinot, but is a Burgundy lover's delight. Village Burg doesn't get much better!

Noel Verset 1996 Cornas

Oh my goodness, what a lovely wine! Aromas of lilies, bacon, herbs and spring flowers, with a waft of slate/schist minerality. The palate is savoury, but oh-so fruity, in a slightly rustic, tangy sort of way. Which is just how a great Cornas should be - at ease with its imperfections and effortlessly seductive. It has stunning acidity, with lovely, complex flavours of apple, bramble, cassis and spices, with just the right level of tannin to keep it all together. A gorgeous wine and a great match (and indeed the equal) of the Bachelot Gevrey.

Dr Hermann "H" Riesling 2009 QBA

This is the first Mosel Riesling from the 2009 vintage I have tasted and - for a humble QBA (in theory, the most basic level in the German wine hierarchy) it was brilliant, and easily a match for many a Kabinett and Auslese I have tasted. It is aromatic, slatey, orangey and even winey (in a primary, grapey sort of way). The palate is packed full of bright, minerally, lemon and apricot-tinged fruit, with fantastic acidity. It alsmost seems a shame to drink this at such a young age, because it will certainly improve and evolve with a few years in bottle, but it is just so lovely now. Young Riesling at its best.

Clemancey Freres 1984 Fixin-Les-Hervelots

26 years of age and still going strong - well, sorf of! It had a pungent, almost gassy (if you get my drift) sort of stink, when first poured, along with forest floor, old wood and decaying fruit. in other words, when the gassy notes "blew off"(!) it was a classic old Burgundy, and really quite alluring. Peppery, spicy, almost Syrah-like fruit, yet very light and even austere, with minerality and acidity to spare. Elegant, in a grand old dame sort of way.

Clos des Papes 1996 Chateauneuf du Pape

My note was rather brief, but you'll get the picture. Bretty and funky, but full of fruit. Fresh - even light - but hugely elegant, in the typically "Burgundian" Clos des Papes style, with lovely acidity (a rare treat in Chateauneuf), good balance and good length. Lovely to drink now, but will certainly keep a while. Does Clos des Papes ever make a bad wine? If they do, I've yet to taste one. Shame their prices are now heading for the 50 quid-a-bottle mark.

Over the next few posts, I'll tell you all about a couple more visits I made whilst on holiday in France, plus a trip to London, where I was on the judging panel of the Beziers White Wine Competition(!)

   

A brilliant holiday, the wonderful French landscape and returning home

Well, that's it for another year then. Our traditional 2-week holiday in the south of France has come and gone, seemingly in the blink of an eye, and it is back to the grind. But what a wonderful holiday it was - perhaps the best ever. And, by all accounts, we did a good job of dodging the weather. I'd had reports that the spring had been very iffy, just about everywhere over the south of France. Summer must have arrived on the Cote d'Azur just about the same time as we did. And when we moved to Languedoc, the weather was still relatively cool and dull - but it got better almost as soon as we arrived, and was fantastic for the rest of the week.

Having previously holidayed in southern France at many different times of the year, from mid-May to late August and all points inbetween, I can now say with some certainty that late June will be our preferred time from hereon. Slightly too late for the spring flowers and some of the seasonal fruits, but the weather is generally more reliable. And, oh, the scenery! At most times of the year, the scenery in northern France cannot hold a candle to the middle and south. But this year, it looked a pretty picture from top to bottom. In fact, the traditionally long and sometimes tedious journey back to Calais was an absolute joy. Having departed Laurens at around 10 am, we headed to Pézenas to pick up a few bits and some provisions from the supermarket and fill-up with diesel. We then headed for a quick visit to Domaine d'Archimbaud in Saint-Saturnin (of which more in an upcoming post). Having originally hoped to hit Clermont Ferrand (200 miles up the A75 autoroute) by midday, we didn't actually leave Saint-Saturnin until 12.30, so we were already 3 hours behind schedule. Never mind - I had a cunning plan to avoid the nightmare of circumnavigating (or at least circumventing) Paris, despite the fact that TomTom always seems to send us that way. My plan was to set the destination as Rouen. You still get pretty close to Paris, but veer-off north-west at Versailles. The "normal" route takes you around (or very often, in our case, though) Paris, then on through the pretty boring Picardy and Pas de Calais countryside. The Rouen route is slightly further, but much quicker and much prettier.

As I say, France was wearing its prettiest clothes the day we returned. From the spectacular autoroute climb up the Pas d'Escalette and onto the Causse de Larzac, over the stunning Millau Viaduct, then uphill and down dale over the Massif Central to Clermont Ferrand, the weather and the scenery were stunning. If ever a motorway journey can be described as beautiful, the A75 is it. For around 180 miles, you climb as high as 1120 metres, and rarely get below 800 metres, through France's most remote and least-populated regions. One of these days, we will actually stop there to really explore this beautiful region, rather than drive straight across it.

The A75 autoroute climbs through the Tunnel de Pas d'Escalette - almost a kilometre long

Driving over the magnificent Viaduc de Millau -

- one of a select few man-made structures which actually enhance the landscape
(no, it isn't completely an illusion - it really does slope a little from one end to the other)

From Clermont Ferrand, you can see the volcanoes of the Auvergne in the distance. Then the roads flatten-out a little, and it is rolling countryside and vast open fields for the next 2 or 3 hundred miles. We hit Rouen just as the sun was beginning to set over the River Seine, which was a pretty sight. An hour or so later, as the last rays of daylight disappeared, we stopped at a service station for a comfort break - which is when I took this photo..........

A spectacular full moon rising over central Normandy, at the end of a long, hot, sunny day

Then it was a straight drive towards Calais, with the autoroutes by now virtually deserted (although the traffic had been relatively light and extremely fluid for the whole journey). We made our scheduled 00.50 ferry with almost an hour to spare - 730 miles in under 14 hours, including a supermarket visit, a wine tasting, a picnic lunch and a good few comfort breaks along the way. The most stress-free journey I can ever remember. The only downside was that we didn't feel as if we could stop for an evening meal, so we decided to eat on the ferry. Big mistake. The P&O ferry cafeteria menu offered either "traditional" fish and chips, half a chicken and chips or curry and rice, each costing around a tenner. I surveyed the line-up long enough for the man serving to ask "....still browsing, Sir?" No, I thought - I'm just trying to decide which is the least worst option. I opted for chicken, which turned out to be so dry it fell into a thousand pieces when I tried to cut it. The chips were hard to start with, and were like dried twigs by the time I'd managed to eat half of it. Goodness knows how many times this food had been reheated, but I can honestly say it was right up there with the most miserable eating experiences of my life. Diane's "traditional" fish and chips were equally bad. So, you learn something everyday - I never knew that the word "traditional" was a synonym for "dehydrated".  Frankly, P&O ought to be right royally ashamed for offering such pitifully bad "food". It was the worst 20 quid we've ever spent. A decent(ish) Cappuccino in the bar helped to ease the discomfort, before we disembarked and made the last (and always by far the worst) part of the journey.

As we docked in Dover, I sent a message to my son, Alex. "The Olds are back in Blighty. Party-off, dude. I want to see my house spotless." Back came his reply.... "Party's never off, dude. You won't believe how spotless the house is." Needless to say, we took his advice and didn't believe it - justifiably so, as it happens.

The 3 and-a-half hour drive back to Nottingham was - as always - tedious as tedious can be. For 2 weeks and 2,500 miles driving in France, we had not encountered one single traffic jam or motorway roadworks. Within the first 100 miles travelling back in England, there were 3 long stretches of roadworks (one of almost 20 miles) with 50mph restrictions and speed cameras on all of them. Welcome to England. :-(

At least the house was still standing when we got home at 4.45 am - not at all "spotless", but not completely wrecked either. Thanks heavens for small mercies!