Vinisud Part 2 - Domaine La Combe Blanche and Chateau La Dournie

No trip to Vinisud would be complete without a visit to the stand of our good friends Guy and Isabelle Vanlancker, from Domaine La Combe Blanche. Those of you who have followed the progress of Leon Stolarski Fine Wines will know that Guy's wonderful wines are the very reason for our existence in the wine business.

A treasured picture from a few years ago - Guy Vanlancker and his lovely wife Isabelle in the foreground, with TLD and our two rascally young boys

Calamiac Terroir Roussanne Viognier 2011 VdP des Cotes du Brian

This really is fresh as a daisy and completely delicious. No point taking a note, really, as for me it is simply a must-buy - and on first impressions, as good as always, if not better. Will retail at £9.75.

Cinsault l'Incompris 2011 VdP des Cotes du Brian

I don't recall noticing the bottle, but I assume this will be a new label (as distinct from the Calamiac Terroir series). Incompris translates as "misunderstood", and Cinsault has (along with the oft-maligned, but now in-vogue Carignan) traditionally been seen as a blending grape. Indeed, wines based purely (or even predominantly) on Cinsault are pretty rare, although Patricia Domergue makes one at Clos Centeilles, just a couple of kilometres up the road from La Combe Blanche in the tiny hamlet of Siran. And Guy definitely has the knack with Cinsault - his 2007 is a lovely little wine and is still drinking well (I have a couple of cases left, at £9.20 per bottle. l'Incompris 2011 is also a delicious drop - gloriously fruity and aromatic, with soft tannins and juicy acidity. It will be a bit of a steal at £7.99.

Calamiac Terroir Tempranillo 2009 and 2011 VdP des Cotes du Brian

If Cinsault-rich wines are rare in Languedoc, then with Tempranillo, we are very definitely into "hens teeth" territory. Guy planted his in the early 1990's and, although a few others have followed suit, it remains extremely uncommon in Languedoc. The 2011 was a tank sample, and has yet to be bottled, so not available for my current order. It possesses plenty of fruit, accompanied by pepper and spice, though it needs a year or two for the tannins to soften. For now, I will be taking a few cases of the 2009, which is coming nicely into its drinking window. I currently have just a few bottles of 2007 left at £9.20, whilst the 2009 will retail at £9.25.

Le Dessous de l'Enfer 2010 VdP des Cotes du Brian

This is Guy's premium Tempranillo, made only in certain years, in which the best fruit is aged for 18 months in older oak barrels. It is laden with aromas of brambly fruit and spices, with notes of cough medicine, balsam and polished wood. The palate is rich and dense, with firm tannins and a sweet/sour cherry kernel finish. Again, this is not yet available in bottle, but needs time in any case. Good stuff, though!

La Galine 2008 and 2010 Minervois La Liviniere

In effect, La Galine is Guy's "entry level" La Liviniere, but those of you with experience of previous vintages I have sold (notably 2000, 2001 and 2004) will know that it is a serious (and seriously good) wine. I didn't make much of a note on the 2010, but it has a delightful perfume and a silky mouth-feel, and is surprisingly open and luscious now. However, I will be taking the 2008, which is equally delicious and has a couple more years' maturity to it (though it will undoubtedly age nicely for a few more years yet). Will retail at £11.50.

La Chandeliere 2009 Minervois La Liviniere

Despite the undoubted quality of La Galine, this is another notch up the scale, with rich, gently baked red and black fruits, countered by a good deal of minerality and ever-so-silky tannins. A complex wine, which is good to drink already, but has serious ageing potential. Will be £14.50 - and worth every penny!

I will also be importing Calamiac Terroir Minervois 2010 (£8.85) and Calamiac Terroir Pinot Noir 2009 (£9.25), although I didn't make any tasting notes as such - so you will have to wait a couple of weeks for my full tasting notes on the LS Fine Wines website. All good things, etc..... ;-)

The new range of Domaine La Combe Blanche wines should arrive in stock within the next 2 to 3 weeks. Make sure you are on the LS Fine Wines mailing list to be amongst the first to know.

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Chateau La Dournie has been a firm favourite of mine (not to mention my more enlightened customers) for a few years now, although I actually sold out of their wines a few months ago. So I was glad to be able to visit their stand at Vinisud and taste the current vintages before placing an order. Winemaker Véronique Etienne greeted me with a playfully beady eye, no doubt a mock reprimand for having compared Elise 2006 to a very good Cote Rotie (Languedoc winemakers are very proud of their own terroir!) but both my compliment and the comparison were sincere - and of course, she knew it. :-)

The charismatic Véronique Etienne (left) and her very capable assistant, Monique Blok

Chateau La Dournie Rosé 2011 Saint-Chinian

As always, a gorgeous soft rese petal pink colour. Fresh, balanced, wonderfully fruity and elegant, with plenty of Saint-Chinian minerality and a subtle herbiness. This really is proper rosé! I have ordered a few cases of this (projected price £9.50).

Chateau La Dournie 2009 (and 2010) Saint-Chinian
I imported several vintages of this wine, before Majestic discovered it a couple of years back and offered it at a price I couldn't even get close to matching (oh to be able to have such buying power and economies of scale). It is still a cracking wine, though, and these were both delicious - the 2009 has the typical black olive, herb, red fruit and schiste/mineral profile, whilst the 2010 (not yet bottled) is softer and less mineral, but still with plenty of structure.

Etienne 2008 Saint-Chinian
The wine formerly known as Chateau Etienne La Dournie, the name has now been truncated, but the wine is still just as good. Mainly Syrah, plus some Grenache and Carignan, aged in barrel for 1 year. Elegant and highly-perfumed, with aromas and flavours of crystallised fruits and red berries. Grippy, but beautifully balanced, with strong minerality, ample acidity and a good deal of complexity. A really lovely wine, which will be in stock by mid-to-late May (projected price £12.50).

Etienne 2009 Saint-Chinian (tank sample - not yet bottled)

As with the younger Chateau La Dournie, this is currently a little primal and fruit-driven, with the terroir yet to really emerge. Plenty of complexity though, with a rich texture. Needs time.

Elise 2008 Saint-Chinian
The estate's top red wine, made from 80% Syrah and 20% Grenache, aged for 1 year in barrel. Supremely elegant on the nose, with soft red and black fruits, violets, tapenade and a lick of oak. The palate is at the same time velvety and high-toned, with gorgeous fruit flavours countered by orangey acidity, grippy but fine tannins and real mineral depth. Young, and with the structure to age for 10 years or more, but already showing its class. A completely brilliant wine (which I won't dare to compare to anything else - at least not in print!) which will retail at £14.95.

Elise 2009 Saint-Chinian
Another wine which is still to be bottled. As with the other tank samples, it majors on fruit, with a palate of pure velvet. Difficult to assess at this point, but it clearly has the makings of another serious, complex wine.

Marie 2011 IGP Pays d'Oc

An "experimental" dry white which should, by rights, have preceded the reds, although it was almost served to me as an afterthought. Experimental because this is the first vintage of this barrel-fermented 100% Roussanne. Following fermentation, it is left for a further 2 months on its lees. The result is a wine with a very fruity nose, with the (still rather subtle) oak being more evident on the palate, along with some peachy, creamy fruit and good acidity. As this was another wine which had yet to be bottled, I guessed it may have the ability to develop into something really quite interesting, so I have ordered a few cases, which will retail at around £11.95 a bottle.

Again, our new range of Chateau La Dournie wines should arrive in stock within the next 2 to 3 weeks. I can't wait!
            

What I did on my holidays (a.k.a too busy to blog) plus a series of wonderful Languedoc wines

Damn - it is once again 2 weeks since my last post! To those (handful) of you that are waiting for my next instalment of Vinisud posts, worry not - I have had the next one sitting unfinished in the "drafts" section for some time now and I promise to complete it within the next few days.

Meanwhile, I have been busying myself with tasting presentations (four in the last month), selling bits and bobs of wine (still need to sell more, though!) and sorting out my latest shipments - on which I will have more news soon. I have also been doing lots of cooking and bread baking, and all of that wonderful food needs wonderful wine to go with it. In this regard, I have been tasting my way though some other new - locally-sourced - wines over the last week or so, as well as tasting/enjoying some rather brilliant wines from one particular Languedoc grower whose wines had escaped my radar - until now, at least..........

The wines of Domaine de La Garance have been imported by Richards Walford for some time now, but despite the fact that I sell a handful of the wines on their list (though none from Languedoc - I prefer to import all of my own Languedoc wines) I never really noticed them. But I recently received an an offer from Richards Walford that piqued my interest. It read......

"For whatever reason, this amazing Domaine remains stubbornly undiscovered by the majority of our customers; sadly, we therefore find ourselves with a considerable amount of stock, ranged across several vintages. As we can no longer justify purchasing new vintages, we thought this was a good opportunity to offer out the stocks we currently hold in our UK bond........

For those of you who know Domaine de la Garance, this is a great last chance to snap up a range of vintages at keen prices. For those who don’t, these are some of the most wonderful wines to have ever graced our list – unique, complex, and deeply delicious. A combination of diverse soils, including Villafranchien (a stoney, gravelly soil mixed with red clay), basalt, marl, gneiss, limestone, and granite add real character to the wines.

The whites are based on Ugni Blanc (aka Trebbiano) – that normally quite unexciting grape variety often distilled in Cognac or used to make flabby Italian whites – but here, becomes something else entirely. Older vintages were blended with Grenache Gris and Clairette, more recent vintages with Chardonnay, which achieves a greater minerality on granite soils. Old demi-muids are used for vinification, not completely full, as the winemaker Pierre Quinonero seeks an oxidative, noisette style. The wines stay on their lees right up until the mise, giving a powerful impression of autolytic character each vintage. They must be tasted to be believed; they are a constantly changing, living thing, and how many wines can we say that about these days?

The reds seem very distinctly Spanish – no doubt stemming from Pierre’s Catalan roots. Based on old vine Carignan and Syrah (generally 90% and 10%) and spending a full 30 months in barrel before bottling, they are bursting with energy and age particularly well. Though not certified biodynamic, the Domaine practices biodynamic principles and the wines are about as hand-crafted and natural as they get – Pierre describes them as “l’antithèse de la technologie” - hand harvested with habitually low yields of 17hl/ha, only indigenous yeasts are used, the wines are not fined or filtered, and very little sulphur is used."

Although I don't particularly agree with Roy Richards' assertion that the reds are distinctly Spanish (I think they speak loudly of Languedoc Carignan) I tend to otherwise agree, for these are truly wonderful, quirky wines. I bought a case of each of 4 white vintages and 4 red, of which TLD and I have so far drunk 7 - and here are my tasting notes. Firstly, the whites........

Domaine de La Garance Les Claviers 2006 Vin de Pays de l'Hérault
This is a blend of - frankly rather unfashionable - Languedoc/SW France varieties. All of the grapes (from old vines of 50+ years) are fermented together and aged for 9 months in 400 litre Tronçais oak barrels with batonnage (stirring) once a week, prior to bottling, with no fining or filtration. The resulting wine is quite a deep gold in colour, yet very clear and bright. The nose is amazing - perhaps a touch of sulphur (or more likely reduction, given that not a lot of sulphur is used), but extremely mineral and flinty, with a touch of the struck match about it, but with potent citrus/zest aromas, redolent of lime oil, lemon zest and mandarin orange. Further notes of quince/crab apple, mixed herbs, spices and straw make for a wine of real complexity, both on the nose and the palate. Those herby, citrus, straw and mineral qualities come through in the mouth, along with baked apples and cloves, glorious acidity and even a touch of wood (or grape) tannin. Whatever it is, it is a wonderfully complex wine, and I am totally enamoured by it.

Domaine de La Garance Les Claviers 2007 Vin de Pays de l'Hérault
Another deep gold coloured wine, but this one is strikingly different (at least at this stage) to the 2006 - richer, oilier, denser and perhaps a touch more alcoholic. It has peach, apricot, orange and baked apple aromas and a strong whiff of honey. Quite nutty, too, with a suggestion of sweetness that does indeed come through in the mouth. And it does taste richer, more mouth-filling and perhaps a bit less elegant and zingy than the 2006, though there appears to be ample underlying acidity - it is just masked by the sheer richness and weight of what is an enormously textured wine. Nevertheless, it is again very complex and long in the mouth, with a long, spicy, warming finish, not unlike the wjite from Chateau d'Estoublon. And for that reason, it is very impressive.

Domaine de La Garance Les Claviers 2008 Vin de Pays de l'Hérault
If anything, this is an even deeper gold colour than other vintages, but still smells fresh, albeit in a hnied, nutty, deliberately oxidative style. The aromas are more in the non-fruit category, with lots of minerally, herb and atraw nuances and even a hint of wet wool, with subtle hints of peach, orange and apple lurking in the background. It is sort of a halfway house between the 2006 and 2007, with a touch more weight than the former, but higher acidity than the latter, although perhaps the fact that it falls between the two makes it perhaps a touch less exciting. Although undoubtedly a really good wine, it doesn't quite hit the dizzy heights of the 2006 or possess the sheer punch of the 2007. That said, as I am writing this note, I see that the bottle is three-quarters empty (not just me drinking it, I hasten to add) so there must be plenty to like about it!

And now the reds............

Domaine de La Garance Les Armieres 2002 Vin de Pays de l'Hérault
What strikes me is how wonderfully "Languedoc" this smells and tastes. Of course, the fact that it is mostly (very old) Carignan helps. This oft-derided grape varety is now all the rage in a region where so many old vines have long since been ripped out in favour of more fashionable grape varieties (or in some cases, other crops altogether). The colour is a deep-ish blood red, leading to a slightly bricking rim. The nose offers a complex array of red and black berry fruits, dried orange peel and polished leather. Background notes of cedar, curry spices and tea suggest that the 2 years' oak-ageing was done with a sympathetic hand, for a more harmonious bouquet is hard to imagine. And whilst the cool (and often difficult) year means that the fruit will never be voluptuous, it has real charm, with plenty of spiced red cherry, redcurrant and raspberry flavours and juicy acidity. The tannins are grippy, perhaps even a touch stalky, but there is more than enough fruit to cope. Lovely wine.

Domaine de La Garance Les Armieres 2005 Vin de Pays de l'Hérault
The colour is a deep blood red, with a narrow ruby rim. The nose is again complex, with aromas of bramble and black cherry, leather, allspice and cedar. There's a strong savoury element too, hinting at char-grilled beef and garrigue herbs. Once again, the effect of 2 years' oak-ageing is harmonious and really quite subtle. The palate offers an array of sweet, spiced red and black cherry, redcurrant and bramble flavours, combined with rich, ripe, yet beautifully grippy tannins and ample acidity, making for a balanced and very classy wine, with a long, sweet and sour finish. It isn't ready yet - I would suggest it will take at least another 5 years to approach its peak drinking window - but I'm not going to let that deter me, because it is certainly giving plenty of pleasure already!

Domaine de La Garance Les Armieres 2006 Vin de Pays de l'Hérault
This one has quite a lot of sediment, even though the bottle has been stood up for a few days. But I don't let a little sediment worry me, for it is what the wine tastes and smells like that is important - and bloody hell this one is good! The nose offers-up myriad aromas of red and black fruits, woodsmoke, pepper, exotic spices, leather and garrigue herbs. There is also a strong hint of grilled meat and - at the other end of the spectrum - even some delicate floral notes. Boy, this is complex stuff, and so totally captivating I could sniff it all night. Of course, there is always a worry that the palate might not live up to the promise of the nose, but there are no such worries here. A huge hit of bramble and redcurrant fruit washes over the palate, accompanied by the most wonderful citrus-tinged acidity and all kinds of other flavours and textures, which coat the mouth and linger for an age. This really is a wine which fills the senses and keeps you coming back for more. Of course it is still relatively young, and there is plenty of grip, but the sheer pleasure offered by the intense, concentrated, yet gloriously succulent sweet-and-sour fruit is such that you almost don't notice the tannin. Every mouthful leaves you salivating and simply craving for more. I'll tell you what.... my mood before I opened this wasn't exactly at its most jovial (push-starting my eldest son's car at 4.55 in the morning was the last thing I need after a hectic previous night - but that is another story - and the weather was/is everything that is bad about early Spring in the UK) but this wine lifted me no end. It is utterly delicious, and yet another example of why I think that Carignan - in the right winemaker's hands - is the finest jewel in the Languedoc's crown. A stunning wine.

Domaine de La Garance Les Armieres 2007 Vin de Pays de l'Hérault
This is almost on a par with the amazing 2006 - if not its absolute equal. Once again, mostly Carignan, with a little Syrah, deep blood red in colour, almost opaque, with a tiny rim. As with the 2006, the nose is a riot of red and black fruits, smoke, white pepper, exotic spices, leather and herbs, with hints of sandalwood and forest floor. The palate has all of those things going for it, and more - concentrated but not overly rich, a complex array of red and black fruits, with healthy tannins and a core of juicy, citrus and cranberry-tinged acidity. The finish is satisfyingly dry and tangy, with lingering flavours of forest fruits, cedar and peppery spice. It isn't ready yet - I would hazard that it is 5+ years away from its peak - but it is nevertheless rather delicious already. Another absolutely world-class Carignan.

That's 7 down and 1 to go - and so far, not an average wine in sight. In fact, I feel like I have "discovered" a real gem of a grower - despite the fact that they have been virtually under my nose all the time! In a way, it is a shame I never came across Domaine de La Garance before, but better late than never. Furthermore, the timing could be perfect, and Richards Walfords' loss may well be my gain, for I intend to pay this grower a visit when I am next in Languedoc in June. Watch this space.........
    

An evening with Gretchen Peters

Those who follow this blog on a regular basis will know that I occasionally indulge myself with "reviews" of some of my favourite gigs. I use inverted commas because music reviews aren't exactly my forté - as one of my great heroes Jeff Tweedy once sang, I'm just a fan.

Opportunities to see great live music in Nottingham and its environs used to be few and far between, but over the last few years, venues have begun to spring up all over the place. The Capital FM Arena and Royal Concert Hall provide for the bigger, more established acts, whilst Rock City and The Rescue Rooms play host to an amazing variety of less well-known (though often much better and more deserving) artists. Even smaller venues such as The Maze provide a stage for many obscure folk, rock and indie bands, both international and local (my son's band have played there on numerous occasions, although I have yet to see them). But a new one on me is The Glee Club, which occupies part of the old British Waterways building down by the Canal. The Glee Club is (judging by its website) centred more on comedy than music, but that may change, once more artists of the calibre of Gretchen Peters discover what a great venue it is.

Gretchen Peters is one of those artists whose music is (mercifully) difficult to pigeonhole - which is both a boon and a burden, because those who can't be pigeonholed are often the most talented and diverse, but find real commercial success difficult (if not downright impossible) to come by. She first appeared on my radar a good few years ago, with relatively minor "hits" such as "On A Bus To St Cloud" and "When You Are Old", but for some reason I never sought to discover more about her music. But with the advent of Spotify, I quickly realised what I had been missing and went out and bought 3 of her CD's - "Circus Girl - The Best Of Gretchen Peters" to cover the earlier stuff, "One To The Heart, One To The Head" (an album of duets with Tom Russell) and her latest release "Hello Cruel World".

Last night's gig began with Gretchen and her band - comprising her husband Barry Walsh, a master of the piano, glockenspiel and accordian and the very talented Christine Bougie on guitar, lap steel and percussion - performing "Hello Cruel World" in its entirety. It is a very personal album, filled with brilliantly-crafted songs, some quite dark and introspective, but curiously uplifting and forward-looking. And all sung with a voice like liquid velvet. The title track is just one of many outstanding compositions, and here's a taster.......

The second part of the show consisted of songs from Peters' earlier albums, the highlights for me being "Guadaloupe" from the aforementiond collaboration with Tom Russell, "On A Bus To St Cloud" and an audience-assisted rendition of the Rolling Stones' classic "Wild Horses" to finish. I got the impression that at least 80% of the audience were older than TLD and I, which only serves to prove the fact that real wisdom only comes with age. I probably sound like an old fart, but if only the youth of today - many of whom are brought up on a musical diet of throwaway pop - could see what they were missing, artists like Gretchen Peters would perhaps receive the recognition they deserve. Meanwhile, it must remain our little secret. 

What I like about these small venues is that the artist often comes to the merchandise stand to meet and greet those who are keen enough to stay behind for a few minutes, and I was lucky enough to get a couple of my CD covers signed and to have a photo taken with Gretchen. Geeky, I know, especially for a 51-year-old, but it only served to enhance both my opinion of an exceptional singer-songwriter and my memory of an already memorable evening. If I learned two things last night, they were these - firstly, flash photography in a dimly-lit room does nothing to enhance my already weathered features - and secondly, Gretchen Peters is wonderful!

       TLD took this photo - one of 2, but although the other had all of my face in 

the frame, I deemed it simply too horrific for public viewing!

Sad, I know - but like I said, I'm just a fan!

Other music artists on this blog;

Wilco

Neil Young

Ron Sexsmith

Mary-Chapin Carpenter

Beth Nielsen-Chapman

Some rather nice reds from the last week

Despite the fact that winter is nearly over (OK, so we may have a little more snow on the way, but the nice weather will soon be back!) I'm still in the mood for hearty red wines. And this quartet have served very nicely, thank you.........

Les Vins de Vienne Sotanum MMIII Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes
Although the vineyards fall outside of the designated area for the appellation, this is to all intents and purposes a Cote Rotie - and, given the vintage, a rather good one. The nose is really quite intense, though not in a soupy way, and despite the fact that it has been given the "full treatment" (long extraction, some classy oak, heavy bottle, deep punt) it doesn't overwhelm. Darker aromas of black cherry, bramble and olive tapenade are offset by notes of raspberry, citrus and a hint of violet. A core of rich, almost sweet fruit on the palate might seem a touch too much, were it not for that raspberry and a delicious streak of citrus acidity, which may or may not have been adjusted in the winemaking process - though if it has, it has been very skilfully done. And although the tannins are quite prominent, they are remarkably supple, and I get the feeling that everything will integrate nicely with a few more years in bottle. Which is a feeling that gets stronger after 2 or 3 of days, for although the wine is beginning to oxidise a little, it is actually more impressive and enjoyable than when first opened (for our monthly get-together at Le Mistral in Nottingham). I wouldn't quite say it is elegant - yet - but it may become so eventually, which would be no mean feat for a 2003, and if Parker likes it (I don't actually know) then it would be purely coincidental. Whatever, I like it a lot and will look forward to trying my last bottle in another 5 years or so. I also have a couple of 2001's left, too! I can't remember exactly what I paid for this at auction, but probably around the £15-£17 mark, which is pretty good value.

J M Alquier Reserve Les Bastides 2004 Faugères
I've enjoyed a few older vintages of this wine before (notably 1995 and 1997) but don't recall drinking one this "young". I wasn't sure what to think at first - very savoury, meaty and tobacco-scented, with the fruit lurking in the background - but it opened out rather spectacularly with air, with waves of spiced bramble and raspberry, subtle notes of redcurrant and kirsch, spiced fruitcake and garrigue herbs. And all of those components come together beautifully in the mouth, making for a wine of considerable complexity - full of restrained power, yet possessed of real balance and elegance. And I keep going back to that nose, which continues to develop and change over the space of a couple of hours, with notes of tobacco and forest floor, incense and herbs, not to mention layer upon layer of complex fruit aromas and flavours. It really is a breathtakingly beautiful and complete wine, which can only get better and better...... and better. J M Alquier isn't exactly an "under the radar" grower as far as Languedoc aficionados are concerned, but even the best Languedoc wines are generally under-appreciated and relatively unknown to the wider wine-buying public. Which is why you can still buy world-class wines like this for under £20. And since I bought mine for about £10 per bottle (again, at auction), I think I got myself a pretty decent bargain - and I'm glad I still have another 3 bottles tucked away for the future. Benchmark Faugères - in fact, one of the Languedoc greats.


Quinta do Poco do Lobo 1991 Bairrada (£12.95)

I do love old wines - especially when they are cheap! Of course, there's no point in ageing wine for too long, if it doesn't have the stuffing, but this one is right on the money at 21 years of age. I've blogged about this wine before, so I won't bore you with too much detail..... Suffice to say that it is a tobacco, spice, herb and fruit-scented bundle of loveliness, with a fabulous core tangy red fruits, ground pepper, spicy/grippy tannins and mouth-watering acidity. The first half went beautifully with spaghetti in a sauce comprising lashings of olive oil, sweet white wine, creme fraiche, sweet garlic, chilli, red capsicum and oregano that I threw together last night (along with copious amounts of home-made wholemeal sourdough bread). The remainder should pair equally well with pork chop and chips tonight..........

Les Vignes de l'Arque IGP Duché d'Uzs Rouge 2009 (£9.95)

This one isn't exactly expensive either, but hardly anybody buys it, so I thought I'd open a bottle to see how it is coming along. Well two bottles, actually, as the first one was corked to buggery - these things happen, unfortunately. Thankfully, the second bottle was in perfect condition (one does get paranoid about these things, especially when one is selling the damn stuff!). A 50/50 blend of Syrah and Grenache, with the benefit of a few months' ageing in oak barrels, it simply reeks of super-ripe grapes, black cherries, black olives, garrigue herbs, toasted brioche and a touch of eau de vie, whilst the palate is an absolute riot of deep, dark, sweet and sour red and black fruits, with great concentration and just enough acidity to keep it all nicely together. A mini-Chateauneuf, which is beginning to open out nicely, though I suspect it is a few years short of its peak.

Next up, Vinisud Part 2, with details of a couple of fine Provence growers..........
     

A very special and totally memorable wine tasting

So once again, my plans to publish the next instalment of my Vinisud adventure have been scuppered. But when one experiences the kind of vinous heaven that the lucky few who attended tonight's meeting of the Nottingham Wine Circle were treated to, then what does one do?

Mike Lane is one of the "originals" - a founding member of the Wine Circle, who has probably tasted more great wines than I have had hot dinners. Indeed, he probably still has a good many of them in his cellar, judging by the line-up he threw together tonight, to help celebrate his latest birthday (he didn't say, so I didn't ask!). I say "threw together" because he called me around midday to check I would be there and to ask me to email the group to confirm the tasting was going ahead, although he had no idea what the wines would be. By all accounts (due mainly to a rather trying day for Mike) he still hadn't decided by 5pm - and considering we start at 7pm, that didn't leave much time(!) Well, I can only dream that I might one day be able to put together a line-up of wines like this, whether carefully considered or otherwise. What follows isn't just any old bunch of tasting notes - it is my (at times hazy) recollection of probably the best 2 hours of wine tasting I have ever experienced.........

Heidsieck & Co Monopole Silver Top 2002 Champagne

Lovely - smells like a fine white Burgundy with bubbles. Tastes like it, too - rich, biscuity, minerally, fruity and considerably complex. Showing a little bit of evolution, but still with many years to go. A lovely Champagne.

Yiaskouris Xinisteri 2010 Lemesos, Cyprus

A pleasantly fruity, herby nose, with a touch of honey. Dry and minerally on the palate, yet with a touch of oily richness and some nice fruit. Not particularly complex, but an intersting wine, with a long, peppery, slightly warming finish.

Chateau de La Roche aux Moines Clos de La Coulée de Sérrant 1992 Savennieres Coulée de Sérrant

A lovely straw-gold colour. Classic Chenin Blanc nose, with minerality by the bucket-load, wet wool, lanolin, stewed quince, cinnamon and cloves. The palate is a complex and contrary combination of richness and austerity, quite steely and dry, but with a great breadth of (fruit and non-fruit) flavours, spice, minerality and bracing acidity - and very long, too. Another wine with many years (or even decades) of life ahead of it. A real stunner.

Henri Coulardin 1992 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons

Heaven forfend! A Chablis that gives me real pleasure! The colour is dark gold, but nice and clear. The nose offers a combination of mandarin, sweet apple, peach and a hint of toffee, with oodles of complex mineral/stone aromas. If anything, the palate is even more compelling and complex, with some genuine richness, more of those apple and mandarin flavours, a subtle spiciness and loads of other non-fruit things going on. Massive length, too. A fabulous wine.

Philippe Bouzereau Les Casse-Tetes 1989 Meursault

Struck matches/flint and soft citrus aromas. Although not complex, this is a really nice wine - it just lacks the finesse of the Chablis and therefore suffers a little by comparison. But who am I to complain?

Ridge Chardonnay 1991 Santa Cruz Mountains, California

This reeks of perfectly aged Californian Chardonnay, with a touch of that Meursault-like struck match, classy (and beautifully integrated) oak, with lots of peach, apricot, marmalade and spice aromas. Marmalade on the palate, too. Rich, gently oaky, spicy, with a touch of alcoholic warmth and a bitter orange peel finish. Complex, long and really lovely.

Chateau du Galoupet Rosé 2006 Cotes de Provence

Lovely onion skin colour. Lots of structure, quite rich and warm/spicy, but with plenty of secondary fruit flavours and decent acidity. Bitter oranges again, with a hint of raspberry. Refreshing and rather nice.

Domaines Ott Château Romassan Rosé Cuvée Marcel Ott 2007 Bandol

This has more in the way of fresh fruit - redcurrant, lemon and lime, with a touch of vanilla and lashings of garrigue herbs. Delicate and charming, rather than in your face, but with a touch of richness and loads of complex red fruit, spice and herb flavours, and very long too. This is serious rosé.

Vincent Lumpp 1985 Givry 1er Cru Clos du Cras Long

A glorious combination of red and black fruit compote, beetroot, pickled red cabbage, cheese, fenugreek and caraway seed. It may not sound like a great combination, but it is. There is still a good deal of sweet, opulent red/black fruit, with a touch of orange peel and myriad secondary aromas and flavours and mouth-watering acidity. Even at 27 years of age, this has plenty of life and fruit in it. Long, spicy and utterly lovely.
(Sorry, no photo of this, as the label had all-but disintegrated).

G. Prieur 1987 Beaune 1er Cru Clos du Roy

A strange nose of iron filings to begin with, followed quickly by some enticing redcurrant and raspberry aromas, earth, rotting leaves and polished old wood. Plenty of secondary fruit flavours, too, quite woody and even a touch tannic and austere, but with a great deal of charm. A real wine lover's old Burgundy.

Paul Jaboulet Ainé La Chapelle 1987 Hermitage

Dark and brooding, but with an abundance of meaty, floral and red and black fruit aromas and a touch of balsam. Powerful and quite unyielding on the palate. Medium-rich, spicy, still quite tannic, but with a huge core of sweet/sour/tangy red and black fruit and massive acidity. This is a brooding wine, but it possesses all the ingredients necessary for the long haul. I imagine it will be an absolute cracker in another 10 years or so.

Chateau de Beaucastel 2000 Chateauneuf du Pape

For a moment, this seems strangely reticent, before a wave of crystallised fruits, meat/gravy and even something slightly vegetal (in a positive way) hits you. And the palate is even better - rich, deep and dark, very savoury, but with oodles of bramble and raspberry fruit flavours and a decent (if not high) level of acidity, with hardly a hint of heat. It is bordering on elegant - which is unusual for Chateauneuf - and really very complex and lovely. One of the best Beaucastels I have tasted.

Château Haut-Brion 1981 1er Grand Cru Classé Graves Pessac-Leognan

As far as I can recall, this is my first ever taste of a "First Growth" Claret. The nose really hits the spot - a lovely combination of rotting red fruits, polished wood, red capsicum and mint/menthol. But for me, the palate doesn't quite deliver on the promise. Whilst the nose suggests opulence, the feel is quite austere, still with some decent fruit, but also some quite stalky, slightly green tannins. There is some complexity and some nice earthy/cedary flavours, whilst the length is impressive. It clearly has plenty of breeding and is actually very enjoyable, but ultimately lacks a "wow" factor.

René Renou Domaine de Terrebrune 1952 Bonnezeaux

The colour of Irn Bru! Hints of herbs, stone, wet wool and orange marmalade. I could sniff this all night long. The palate is still very definitely moelleux, with intense flavours of seville orange marmalade and all manner of mineral and animal flavours and great length. Some were less impressed with this than me, but I thought it was really lovely - and still very much alive at 60 years of age.

Winzergenossenschaft Wachtenburg-Luginsland Wachenheimer Gerümpel Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese 1976 Rheinpfalz

Wow! Wow! Wow! The nose on this wine is just something else - a volatile, heady mix of marmalade. key lime, dried apricot and all sorts of things. Wave after wave of complex flavours and textures coat the palate. It starts very sweet and intense, with flavours of preserved citrus, apricot, toffee aple and fig, with more than a hint of clove and root ginger, but the acidity just keeps on building and carries all of those intense flavours through to a long, long finish. Forget Eiswein - a great TBA from a great vintage is for me the pinnacle of Riesling intensity and complexity and complete loveliness. I've been lucky enough to enjoy quite a few TBA's from the fabled 1976 vintage, and this is up there with the best of them. A great wine.

Commandaria Xinisteri 2007 Sweet Liqueur Wine

In its own way, this ain't half bad either. Mike says that this is the oldest style of sweet wine and is a bit like a cross between sweet Oloroso Sherry and Tokaji. Although not fortified, it actually has a Sherry-like tangy/salty quality to it, with intense orange peel/marmalade, spiced Christmas cake and cocoa flavours. Spicy too, again with a hint of root ginger, and a surprising level of acidity. Whilst it doesn't quite match the wow level of the Riesling, it is a very lovely wine indeed, with a length that goes on forever. I love it.

Taylors 1960 Vintage Port

Talking of Christmas cake, this has it in spades on the nose, along with clotted cream fudge, dark chocolate, forest floor, tobacco and incense. Granted, there is a good deal of spiritous warmth to the palate, but the tannins are pretty much resolved, whilst the fruit is subtle yet complex and laced with all manner of toffee/fudge/caramel/chocolate/coffee flavours. The finish is earthy, spicy and warmly alcoholic, but crucially the fruit lingers too - as do all those other flavours. I've never been a huge fan of Vintage Port, but this really is a wine for contemplation and enjoyment - and in its own way, every bit as impressive as the wines that went before it. Glorious stuff, and a fitting end to an absolutely wonderful tasting.

And the cost to those of us lucky enough to taste these wines? Absolutely nothing - Mike said it was his treat and he was happy in the knowledge that he had shared some great wines in the company of like-minded friends.

Mike, I think I speak for all of those present in saying thank you for sharing with us - it was a real privilege.

   

"Merchant Speak"? Nonsense! Besides, it all turns out alright in the end......

As with most things in life, there are certain rules to be observed when you are a wine merchant. Then again (as with most things in life) rules are there to be broken. And I have to admit that there are occasions - although very rare - when I break the golden rule and buy a few cases of a wine that I haven't actually tasted. You know how it is when you are buying something (or things) and find yourself needing to "top-up" your order for some or other reason. So you take a punt on an unknown, because the seemingly attractive price means you have little to lose. And so it was with this wine.

Domaine La Combe Blanche La Vigne de l'Homme 2006 Minervois

I can't remember the exact reason, but I have a feeling that this was a wine that I felt might sit nicely at an "entry level" price point, £1.50 or so cheaper than La Combe Blanche's "standard" Calamiac Terroir Minervois (although the brilliant "premium" cuvées of La Galine and La Chandeliere aren't exactly expensive, at £11 and £14 respectively). When I actually tasted it, I described it thus.....

"Sweet and sour red and black fruit flavours, spice and liquorice, with firm tannins and a nice lick of acidity. This is a robust, earthy wine, with plenty of tannic structure, which softens-out nicely after an hour in the decanter, but needs food to show its best ."

Looking back, it was certainly all of those things, but I couldn't help feeling I was sugaring the pill a little. To say it needed food was another way of saying that it was...... a bit rustic. Fast forward a year or so, and I thought it was about time to see how this wine was developing (or, perish the thought, not developing)......

Well, as the saying goes, you could have blown me down with a feather. The nose is a heady mix of black cherry and bramble fruits, spices, garrigue herbs, cedar and kirsch, whilst on the palate, those tannins (which I admit now were a bit fierce at the time) have softened considerably, to reveal a wine of not inconsiderable charm. The black fruits, spice and liquorice are still present and correct, but the feel has become smoother and far more balanced. Delicious black forest gateau and fruitcake flavours and a touch of mandarin orange tanginess come to the fore - rich, but not overly so, with plenty of acidity to balance the core of sweet fruit. I'm not about to suggest this is now a beautiful swan of a wine, but it is no ugly duckling anymore either. In fact, if you poured this wine into a Rhone bottle and served it blind, many an experienced taster would probably be guessing at a rather good Cotes du Rhone Villages. It is rich, fruity, spicy and full of southern warmth - and really rather delicious.

I remember that on numerous occasions winemaker Guy Vanlancker has opined that some or other wine of his is "not ready yet" and (apart from the occasional 15% abv Pinot Noir that I feel might never become balanced) I think he may have a point. Having said that, he did bottle this one under those awful solid plastic "corks" that are usualy used for wines that require early consumption, so perhaps even he didn't see this particular wine as a keeper. To be honest, after almost 9 years of experience with Guy's wines (long-standing customers, or those that follow this blog, will know that he is one of the main reasons I started a wine business in the first place) I am only just beginning to get my head around them. For there is hardly a wine in his considerable portfolio that I have tasted over the years that hasn't just got better and better..... and better. And this is a classic (if rather humble) example.

If you have some of this wine (which is doubtful, because I have frankly sold bugger all) then try a bottle, and I think you will be pleasantly surprised. If you haven't, the I suggest you get some now, because it will put a rather inexpensive smile on your face! £6.99.

      

Vinisud Part 1 - Domaine Gayda

Our first port of call at Vinisud was the Sud de France tasting area, which was designed to showcase 500 or so of the best wines of the region. There were some really excellent wines here (and so many that it paid to be selective) but what struck me was how they were presented. Apart from a few "icon" wines which were lined-up in mini wine fridges, the majority of bottles were housed in plastic wine "coolers"..... with nothing to actually keep them cool under the bright lighting. The result was that they were all pretty tepid - hardly ideal, even for the reds, but the whites had absolutely no chance of showing their best. Thankfully, we tasted them in the morning, whilst most were at least relatively fresh, but I can imagine many would have suffered rather badly by the end of the day. Given that Sud de France had produced a comprehensive 500-page "booklet" (presumably at great expense, but available free to every visitor to the stand) with a page devoted to each wine, it seemed a very poor way to showcase the region's best wines.

After that, we made our way to the Domaine Gayda stand. TLD and I had a most enjoyable visit to the Gayda estate in June last year, and I have been waiting for the opportunity to add some of their wines to the Leon Stolarski Fine Wines list ever since. So Vinisud offered the ideal opportunity meet up again with winemaker Vincent Chansault (pictured left) and co-owner Tim Ford - and, of course, to taste the latest vintages. We were treated to an extensive and very informative tasting of the whole range and I can honestly say there was not one single "average" wine - in fact, I have rarely, if ever, tasted a range of wines from a single producer of such a consistently high standard. So much so that it was difficult to decide which ones to leave out, when placing my order. Once my decision was made, though, I got back in touch immediately, and through a combination of great work from Gayda and my transport company, my wonderful new Domaine Gayda wines arrived in stock last week - and I'm very excited! Here are my tasting notes, some of which are based on the notes I took at Vinisud, others from sitting down with a bottle at home. The wines with links are the ones we now have in stock, and I can honestly say they collectively provide the best quality-price ratio on our list.

T'Air d'Oc Sauvignon Blanc 2011
The grapes are grown on limestone soils in the Minervois. A riot of elderflower, pea pod and zesty aromas and flavours, this is a classy Sauvignon for the money. Intensely fruity and generous, with excellent acidity and structure, this puts many a £10-plus New Zealand Sauvignon to shame, though it is one of the entry-level wines. In most circumstances, I would list it without hesitation, but instead I went for the following couple of wines.....

Flying Solo White 2011

85% Grenache Blanc and 15% Viognier. Fresh, intensely floral, yet very fruity - apple blossom and lemon aromas give way to peach, orange and all manner of tropical fruit nuances, leading to an intense grapiness on the palate. This really is packed with flavour, combining a touch of richness with gorgeous acidity and a subtle herbiness. A beautifully made wine of real elegance - and brilliant value for money. £7.75

Sauvignon Blanc 2010

From grapes grown locally in Brugairolles et Malviès, fermented in stainless steel and aged for several months on its lees before bottling. A very structured wine, bordering on serious, with lime/lemon and mineral aromas and subtle hints of pea pod and elderflower. Vibrant and full of tangy fruits, like a halfway house between Sancerre and New Zealand (though perhaps closer to the former, rather than the latter). This is a beautifully crafted wine. £8.75

Viognier 2011

The grapes for this wine are sourced from no less than 4 different areas - limestone in Limoux and La Liviniere, slate in Roussillon and basalt in Pézenas. 10% of the blend is fermented and aged for 6 months on its lees in new oak barrels, the remainder in stainless steel.The nose begins a touch muted, but opens out after a while, whilst the palate is a riot of soft citrus and peach, with a nice hint of bitterness on the finish. Another delicious wine. £8.75

Chardonnay 2011

The grapes are grown on limestone in Minervois and sandstone in nearby Malpere. 25% is fermented and aged for 6 months on its lees in new oak barrels, the remainder in stainless steel. A nose of cut lemon and clove, with subtle herby/herbaceous notes. Although the palate shows plenty of stoney minerality, it is relatively rich and full of soft citrus and tree fruits, with a very long, spicy finish. A good ringer for a more than decent Maconnais Chardonnay. £8.75

Figure Libre Freestyle White 2009

A blend of 43% Grenache Blanc, 20% Maccabeu, 20% Marsanne, 14% Chenin Blanc, 3% Roussanne. The majority of the grapes are sourced from different vineyards around St. Martin de Fenouillet in Roussillon's Agly Valley, apart from the Chenin, which is grown on the Gayda estate in Brugairolles. Each variety is fermented and aged in 1 and 2 year-old barrels for 9 months, before being blended and aged for a further 3 months in vat. This is a complex wine, with really quite subtle oak, which allows the fruit to shine. Aromas and flavours of lemon, apple, honeysuckle and spice, quite full-bodied and rich, with a touch of savoury/saline. Classy wine. £11.95

Figure Libre Maccabeu 2010
Aged for 10 months in a selection of new and used iak barrels, this is 100% Maccabeu (a.k.a Vieura) from the Fenouilledes in the Agly Valley of Roussillon. Citrus/grapefruit zest aromas and flavours, with some attractive apple pie and raisin notes, and a strong mineral streak. This is a good wine, but when push came to shove, I preferred the extra richness and complexity of the Freestyle.

T'Air d'Oc Syrah 2011
A beautiful deep purple colour, with crystallised red and black fruit aromas which burst out if the glass. A core of rich bramble and cherry fruit, complemented by soft, ripe tannins and lovely acidity. A really vibrant wine. As with it's T'Air d'Oc Sauvignon counterpart, this would normally be a shoe-in for my list, but the following 3 wines had all the bases covered....

Flying Solo Red 2011

70% Grenache and 30% Syrah. Delightfully fragrant aromas of red and black summer fruits, freshly-baked bread, herbs and spices. The palate is full of summer fruit and orange flavours, with juicy acidity and soft, ripe tannins. Medium weight and very easy to drink, rather like a good Beaujolais, but with deeper fruit flavours. A really delicious, fruity wine - and a great all-rounder. £7.75

Syrah 2010
From vineyards based on limestone soil in La Liviniere and sandstone on the Gayda estate. 10% is aged in 1, 2 and 3 year-old barrels, the remainder in stainless steel. Stating the obvious, I know, but this simply reeks of Syrah - perfumed, floral, peppery and full of red and black fruits. The palate is medium-rich, with a combination of bramble, cherry and cassis fruit, mouth-watering acidity and strong minerality. With shades of cool-climate Languedoc or even northern Rhone Syrah, this is a substantial wine for the money, which is already delicious, but has the capacity to age and evolve for a good 3 or 4 years. An absolute bargain at £8.95.

Grenache 2011

From limestone in La Liviniere and schiste in Maury, the grapes are cold-soaked for a week, before a cool (20c) fermentation. The grapes are pressed before the fermentation has finished, giving a rounded wine with no hard edges. An abundance of raspberry, soft citrus and tar on the nose and in the mouth, with excellent acidity and velvety tannins. A far from simple wine, this could evolve further, but is already delicious to drink. £8.75

Figure Libre Freestyle Red 2010

60% Syrah, 22% Grenache, 9% Mourvedre, 6% Carignan and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from a variety of vineyards in Roussillon, Minervois/La Liviniere and Gayda's own estate vines. Fermented in stainless steel, then aged for 9 months in a variety of oak barrels. This has a reassuringly bright, semi-transluscent purple core, leading to a wide raspberry rim. This wine offers a gloriously complex array of aromas and flavours - black cherry, bramble, raspberry and mandarin fruit, with additional notes of tar, incense, polished wood and forest floor. With time (even a day or two later), those aromas and flavours meld together beautifully, combining all manner of red, black and citrus fruits, garrigue herbs, an increasingly intense combination of spice/incense/wood and the merest hint of eau de vie. And yet, with so much going on, it remains beautifully subtle and harmonious - a nigh-on perfect marriage of concentrated, elegant fruit,  ripe tannins, ample acidity and great persistence. I'm often banging on about how so many Languedoc wines are so utterly drinkable in their youth, yet possess all of the qualities necessary for long ageing, and this is a wonderful example - you can drink it now, or age it for another 5 to 10 years. Either way, it is a generous, hugely complex and very lovely wine, at an almost laughable price of £11.95.

Figure Libre Cabernet Franc 2010

From Gayda's own Cabernet Franc vines surrounding the property, planted in 2004 and in the 3rd year of conversion to official Organic certification. Aged for 15 months in 1 year-old oak barrels, with regular batonnage and racking/bottling according to the phases of the moon. A classic Cabernet Franc nose of dark fruits, pepper, cedar/pencil, just a hint of red capsicum and a touch of toasty oak. A delicious core of ripe red and black fruits (cherry, cassis, bramble) with rich, ripe, chocolatey tannins. Savoury, spicy, complex and long, with an excellent capacity for ageing. I have never been a great fan of Cabernet Franc (too often green, tannic, charmless monsters) but I actually love this! A real cracker. £14.95

Chemin de Moscou 2009

The "tech-spec" for this wine fully illustrates the care and attention to detail which goes into making it. 82% Syrah, 14% Grenache and 4% Cinsault, sourced from no less than 6 different areas of Languedoc and Roussillon. Aged for a total of 21 months in French oak: The Syrah in new oak for 9 months, the Grenache and Cinsault in 2 and 3 year-old oak for 9 months, followed by blending of the best barrels of each variety and a further 12 months maturation of the final blend in the same barrels. The nose is a touch reductive to begin with, but lurking beneath is a wine of real class. After a while, it reveals complex notes of flowers, incense, bread, beef, raspberry and bramble. The palate is young, tight and gently tannic, but already showing layers of complexity, with immense (but definitely not soupy) concentration and length of flavour. This is a magnificent wine, which is already quite approachable, but has a full 10 years of evolution ahead of it. Another Languedoc classic. £19.99

      
 

Vinisud - The Prologue (and how to get lost in Montpellier)

So..... Where was I, before I was so rudely interrupted by the need to taste those wonderful Burgundies I told you about the other night? Oh yes - we were on our way south, heading for a 3-day jaunt in Montpellier, for the bi-annual Vinisud.

As usually happens with us, it wasn't an entirely uneventful journey - a 10pm ferry was followed by a good few hours driving through the night before my body (and my tired eyes) could go no further. We stopped in a lay-by near Chartres, to grab a couple of hours of fitful sleep, before waking to a beatiful, cold, clear morning with a view across open fields of the Cathedral in the distance.

Chartres Cathedral by dawn's early light

A quick dash to the autoroute and a stop for a wash and brush-up at the nearest service station was followed by the rather uninteresting drive towards Clermont Ferrand, before the much prettier ascent of the Massif Central (preceded by a quick stop for a cup of coffee and steak frites at my favourite service station just south of Clermont). This ompressive stretch of motorway winds its way uphill and down dale for a good 150 miles, rarely falling below 800 metres above sea level and often climbing as high as 1100 metres. The weather can be changeable at the best of times - even in summer - but in winter, the combination of cold temperatures and precipitation often equals snow. Which is just what we got, and at times there were blizzard conditions, making for some rather difficult driving.

From blizzard conditions crossing the Massif Central on the A75..................

By the time we approached Millau (we have "done" the viaduct several times, so a quick detour through the town lost us 15 minutes on the journey but saved us 7 Euros) the weather was beginning to pick up. An hour later and we were descending the the hills and tunnels of the Espinouse under cloudless skies and the temperature gradually rose to an almost balmy 14c(!)

........to glorious sunshine over the hills of the Haut Languedoc

We were headed for Montpellier, where we would be staying for 3 nights in an apartment provided courtesy of our hosts Jon Hesford and Rachel Treloar. Just as we were approaching the intersection for the autoroute into central Montpellier, Rachel called on the mobile and I instinctively answered it (most unlike me, as I am well aware that is avery naughty thing to do whilst driving!). We were still talking as I drove straight past my exit without a word from TLD (wives tend to be terrible navigators at the best of times.....). The result was a further 20 kilometres in the wrong direction, before a long trek across country. Why go the direct route, when you can drive in a big triangle and make yourself very late for a rendezvous?!

By the time we reached Montpellier it was getting dark and we seemed to be driving around in circles for ages before I stopped the car on a narrow thoroughfare (making it rather difficult for the hooting locals to get by). After a drive of 1,000 miles, being completely lost in the middle of a big city, with a maze of narrow streets (many of which are not navigable by car) is an immensely frustrating experience and I wasn't a happy bunny. So I phoned Jon to tell him that I wasn't moving until someone came to find us and escort us to the nearest car park to the apartment. I don't very often have a hissy fit, but this was a big one. ;-) Eventually, Jon, Rachel and our good friend Stewart Travers from Cambridge Wines eventually tracked us down and led us to a car park, helped us carry our luggage to the apartment and left us to unpack. Our apartment was located about 10 minutes' walk from their apartment, so it took further phone calls to Jon in order for us to navigate our way through the maze (mercifully this time on foot) to where they were. By this time, it was too late for Rachel to be bothered with preparing a meal, so we all descended on an Italian restaurant for some rather good food and a few glasses of local wine, before returning to our respective apartments for a well-earned night's sleep in comfy beds - though not before Diane and I got thoroughly lost again, this time traipsing around the (by now deserted) streets of the old city for almost half an hour before finding our apartment! Laugh? We nearly did...... It certainly wasn't the last time we got lost (if I lived in Montpellier for a year, I probably still wouldn't know my way around) but - as is usually the case with these things - we already look back with much amusement on that night. And Jon's mirth at my inabilty to navigate my way out of a paper bag (which he didn't attempt to conceal at the time) came back to haunt him a few days later - but that's another story.........

The following morning, it was off to Vinisud and a hectic day of tasting. I'll tell you all about Day 1 (or at least part of it) in my next post, which will - for reasons that will soon become clear - follow in double quick time..........
    

A Burgundy revelation (vaguely Vinisud-related)

So there I was, just beginning to type out my notes about our (fairly eventful) drive to the South of France, for the bi-annual Vinisud event in Montpellier, plus some notes on the first batch of wines we tasted at the event, when I suddenly thought "Gosh - I really should finish writing my tasting notes on those Burgundies we tasted the other evening, before they are completely shot".

I'm referring to a tasting I presented to the Nottingham Wine Circle on Wednesday, featuring the wines of a couple of growers from less exalted parts of greater Burgundy, namely Domaine Guillot-Broux in the Maconnais and Les Champs de l'Abbaye in the Cote Chalonnaise. Both of these growers (more by coincidence than design, in this case) produce wines from biodynamically farmed vineyards. I have written enough about biodynamic winegrowers in the past for any followers of this blog to know exactly what I am talking about, but if you are unfamiliar with biodynamics, then Google is your friend(!) Suffice to say that, as I have also stated ad-nauseum in the past - and I quote (myself) - "whatever one thinks about biodynamicism - extreme organics or just plain wacky - it is a philosophy which does tend to go hand-in-hand with a healthy respect for the land and a fastidious approach to winemaking."

I visited these growers during a couple of (relatively) relaxing days and nights we spent in Burgundy, based at our friend David Bennett's house in the medieval village of Saint Gengoux-le-National, as a post-Vinisud "wind-down". I'll tell you more about Domaine Guillot-Broux in a later post, but for now I will concentrate on Les Champs de l'Abbaye. This is a domaine created by a gentleman by the name of Alain Hasard, who just happens to be the brother of Thierry Hasard, a man who in my opinion makes some of the Languedoc's finest wines (also biodynamic) and who I have written about so enthusiastically on various occasions. I figured that if Thierry makes such brillliant and individual wines, then perhaps his brother may do the same. I had also read an extremely enthusiastic (and extremely detailed) review of Alain's wines in Bertrand Celce's excellent Wine Terroirs blog dating back to 2009. As far as I could see, this guy was a "must visit", whilst in the region............ 

We arrived at Les Champs de l'Abbaye in the village of Aluze (without an appointment) at around 1.30 pm - still at least half an hour before the end of lunchtime in French terms, but I was hoping perhaps to arrange a tasting after 2 pm. I made a telephone call to Alain Hasard.... "Puis j'avoir une rendevous, s'il vous plais?" The answer came back "Aujourd'hui?...... err, oui..... dix-huit heures?" Oh dear - 6 pm. Not ideal, but better than nothing - we might be on holiday, but the French had work to attend to, so 6 pm it was. Off we went for a coffee in Beaune and a drive up to the Cotes de Nuits. We returned at 6 pm prompt (well, 6.10, actually, but it was close enough) and met with Monsieur Hasard at his cellar door for a tasting. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but an hour later, following a very enjoyable tasting of all his wines (or at least the ones that were currently available) we left, armed with a bottle of delicious Crémant de Bourgogne Brut Nature 2010 (with zero dosage and zero sulphur) for our pre-dinner aperitif and a selection of his other wines to taste back in the UK.

Fast forward a couple of weeks and I presented these wines to the NottinghamWine Circle. It is fair to say that (alongside the wines of Domaine Guillot-Broux, who as I said, I will deal with in a later post) they showed reasonably well, but didn't particularly shine, especially given the relatively high cellar door prices (and hence, the prices I would need to sell them at, if I chose to do so). Don't get me wrong, they came across as good wines, but they aren't cheap, when you consider that it is still possible to find many a decent Cote d'Or village wine for less money. When presenting a tasting, it is difficult to find either the time or the presence of mind to actually write cohesive notes on the wines you are presenting, so (as usual) I took what was left in the bottles home, fully intending to write some proper notes. And (again, as usual) I ended up too tired/hungry/whatever to bother myself with such a chore, at the end of a long day. Therefore, it wasn't until 24 hours later that I managed to re-taste the whites, and a full 3 days (i.e. last night) before I managed to get to the reds. Frankly, I thought they would be well past it, for in my experience, red Burgundy generally does not show well in the "next day" stakes - it seems to oxidise sufficiently to eradicate any degree of freshness.

But these wines were different, because every single one was was fresh and full of life - and showing considerably better than when they were first opened, a full 3 days before. Which is all the more amazing, given that Monsieur Hasard uses only the bare minimum of SO2 at the bottling stage - i.e. just enough to make them sufficiently stable to be transported and stored/aged under what most of us would consider normal conditions. The prices shown in Euros are cellar door (visitor) prices, whilst the prices in brackets are what I would need to sell them for, if I chose to do so.........

Les Champs de l’Abbaye “Les Cailloux” Rully Blanc 2009 - €15.00 (N/A - sold out)

Initially a strong whiff of banoffee oak, but this integrates with time, revealing some rather nice lemon/lime and mineral aromas and flavours. Tightly wound, flinty and nervy, this at first seems almost Chablis-esque in structure, though with more fruit (even grapiness) and none of the sicky notes I often find in Chablis. By day 2, it had opened-out beautifully into something rather different, now putting me more in mind of a Coulée de Serrant we enjoyed a few nights previously, with a steely minerality, still tightly wound, but with great complexity and immense length.

Les Champs de l’Abbaye “Les Gardes” Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise 2009 - €12.00 (£16.75)

A delightfully bright, clean, fresh Pinot nose. The palate too is uber-fresh, clean and bursting with life, with red cherry and raspberry flavours and a hint of soft spice. Fruit, acidity and tannins all in perfect balance. Really elegant and full of promise.

Les Champs de l’Abbaye “La Brigadière” Mercurey 2010 - €17.00 (£21.75)

This is also beautifully fresh and clean, heady with aromas of violets and roses, summer pudding, cream and spice. Delightfully fresh in the mouth - light and airy, with a core of ripe, elegant raspberry and cherry fruit and a wonderful citrus/mineral tang. This is elegant, long and very lovely.

Les Champs de l’Abbaye “Les Marcoeurs” Mercurey 2010 - €22.00 (£23.99)

Another lovely nose - this one being more strawberries and cream, with a hint of something darker. A touch of brioche, exotic spices and polished mahogany. The palate is a real joy - full of complexity and elegance, with a combination of redcurrant, cherry and raspberry fruit flavours, very fine tannins and g;orious acidity. A glorious wine, with fabulous balance and real breeding.

Les Champs de l’Abbaye “Les Sous Roches” Monthelie 2010 - €22.00 (£23.99)

A riot of red and black fruits, with a hint of savoury/meat, again with polished wood and exotic spices. Amazingly fresh and full of vigour - a wine I could sniff all night. A wonderfully fresh, vibrant palate, packed with light, delicate red fruit flavours, zesty acidity and barely perceptible tannins and great length. A wine of tremendous complexity.

So why did these wines show so well last night, when 3 days earlier they had come across as, well..... a touch ordinary? Perhaps they suffered from being so young and recently bottled and just needed time to open out. Perhaps it was my mood - not that it had changed drastically, and I wasn't exactly feeling ebulliant! Or maybe (being biodynamic) they just needed the juxtaposition of the moon, stars, planets, earth and sea to be just right before coming out to play(!) Whatever the case, their transformation from a few evenings previous was amazing - these were pure, fresh and utterly life-affirming wines, which really put a smile on my face.

But could I sell them? Well, to be honest, I have enough trouble trying to sell wines from my own specialist region of Languedoc-Roussillon in the 15 to 25 quid price bracket - brilliant though many of them are - so I'd have the Devil's own job in trying to shift "Villages" level Côte Chalonnaise wines from a virtually unknown grower with little track record. But who knows - perhaps with the inexorable rise in prices for the wines of the nearby Côte d'Or, Burgundy diehards may eventually begin to look further south. And maybe then these wines will begin to look like good value. For now, though, I'm not sure they are......