Swine Flu - have I or haven't I? And where is summer?

There is one thing worse than being ill in the winter and that is being ill in (what we Britons laughably call) "summer". I had a very nasty bout of flu at the back end of last year. I was bed-ridden on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (and it felt like 2 weeks, rather than 2 days) and it took until well into the New Year for me to get back to feeling anything like healthy. Nevertheless, one of the "benefits" of suffering such an illness is that the immune system (assuming one is otherwise healthy) builds up the antibodies.

So when I got what I assumed was just a summer cold, a few days into our holiday in France, I thought it would go away after a few days. A persistent cough, sore throat, swollen glands and a mild temperature hardly amounted to a ruined holiday and I was able to largely enjoy it as much as any other, without feeling too bad. But the last few days have seen no improvement - in fact, I'm feeling a lot worse. The sore throat is not there, but the cough (sometimes dry, sometimes not) has got worse, I feel generally lousy and now my joints are feeling a bit weak and tender. So I have experienced most of the symptoms of Swine Flu over the last 2 weeks, though not necessarily at the same time. And - it has to be said - none of these symptoms have been anywhere near as debilitating as the ones I suffered at Christmas.

So........ do I have it, or don't I? I honestly thought the doctor was joking the other day when he said I may have it. Still, I returned to work, as scheduled, on Tuesday. But this morning I felt lousy enough to call in sick because, whatever this illness is, it really is starting to get me down. My theory is that I have avoided going down with full-blown, certifiable Pig Fever because I still have a certain amount of immunity left over from my Christmas illness. Which all serves to make me feel like a bit of a fraud - I'm ill, but I'm hardly dying (I hope)! It's just that all I want to do is curl up in a ball and sleep until it goes away.

And the exasperating thing is that nobody else in the household was affected by the illness I had at Christmas, and none of them are affected by the current one either. Which may of course be either a good thing or a bad thing. Perhaps it would be better for them to get it now, rather than a few months hence, when it is likely to be much worse. Either way, this whole Swine Flu thing has become a big pain in the backside, not to mention a little worrying in its evolution. Still......... it may help to bring the unemployment figures down and reduce the state pension bill, whilst at the same time boosting the coffers of the drug companies. I do like a nice conspiracy theory!

Of course, I might be inclined to feel a bit better if the rain would go away. Anybody know what happened to this great summer we were supposed to be having?

Our final few days in Languedoc

We’ve had a couple of cracking days on the beach at Marseillan, with a lot of hot sunny weather and some great surf, which doesn’t half warm the water up. As always, we have spent less time at the beach than we would ideally have wanted, so we have crammed in as much into the last few days as possible.

Tuesday night, we dined at the delightful Les Goutailles restaurant in Neffies, which is owned and run by Karene and Didier Pernet. Karene hails from Lyon and Didier is from Alsace, though having spent several years in Nottingham (of all places!) Karene could easily pass as English, such is her perfect accent! The food was remarkably good, the highlight for me being a fantastic magret de canard with black cherry sauce, served with a beautiful selection of vegetables, including carrot purée, curried celery, crispy beetroot and breaded potato. The lavender-infused crème brulée wasn’t half bad, too. For anyone holidaying in the area, I would thoroughly recommend this hidden gem of a restaurant. They have a website, too – see http://www.goutailles.com/

Les Goutailles restaurant in Neffies

Last night (Thursday) we dined with my friends Anne Sutra de Germa and Corinne Pastourel and their families at Domaine Monplezy. It was a lovely, balmy evening, with the touch of altitude just taking the edge off the heat we have felt for much of the week, lower down in Neffies. Anne served a selection of her beautiful wines, with the 2006 vintage of Felicité being a real stunner. I currently stock the 2005, but the 2006 is definitely one to add to my list as soon as possible – it really is a fantastic wine.

Anne Sutra de Germa and husband Christian Gil

Today, I drove Alex and his girlfriend to Carcassonne airport, for their return flight, followed by a quick visit to my old friend and inspiration, Guy Vanlancker, at Domaine La Combe Blanche in La Liviniere.




















Vines around La Liviniere, with the Black Mountain in the distance

We now have to pack and grab an evening meal, so I’ll post more on these visits in a day or two, when we will be back in sunny England (where I see the weather is decidedly iffy, at present).

A bientot!

Canoeing on the River Orb, plus lots of Bastille Day fireworks

Only a quick entry today, as it is so hot down here in Languedoc – for all that I love it here, I really am not very good at coping with heat!

Yesterday, we went canoeing on the River Orb, on a 9 kilometre strech between Poujols-sur-Orb and Tarassac. This is the third year running we have tackled this stretch and it is always a fun (albeit tiring) day. Lots of rapids to contend with, along with plenty of deep, slow water inbetween. And the scenery is, of course, stunning……….

A typical view from the River Orb

The wildlife is also varied and abundant, with kingfishers, eagles, herons, dragonflys, lizards, mountain goats all putting in appearances. This really is the most glorious place to spend a day, and at just 92 Euros for five of us, not expensive. If you fancy giving it a try, drop me an email and I’ll be happy to give you some tips.

The stunning scenery of the Haut Languedoc, north-east of Saint Chinian

Yesterday was 14 July, Bastille Day, and it seemed like every village in the region was celebrating. We had seen a firework display the night before in Marseillan, but last night from around 10pm onwards, all around our hideaway near Neffies, the horizon was lit-up by multi-coloured pyrotechnics from at least half a dozen of the surrounding villages. Very impressive – and a lot warmer than Bonfire Night!
Now we are off to the beach again……………. ;-)

More sun and a visit to Mas de Lavail

Internet access is not so readily available, now that we are out in the middle of rural Languedoc. Who’d have thought I would ever lament the absence of a nearby MacDonalds (for Internet access only, mind)! The sun finally arrived with a vengeance on Friday, for our last day in Roussillon and has stayed with us ever since, until we awoke to rain this morning. But the sun is starting to break through and it looks like we are in for another hot, sunny afternoon. So we are heading for the beach at Marseillan.

On our journey from Roussillon to Languedoc, we took the scenic route over (and around) the hills towards the Fenouilledes and my grower in Maury, Mas de Lavail. Winemaker Nicolas Batlle and his family were pleased to receive us and we tasted through his current vintages, including a big, yet elegant white, several fine reds and two brilliant Maury vins doux naturel (a red and a white). All of the wines were excellent and we came away with samples of all of them. I had almost forgotten what a brilliant winemaker Nicolas is and I certainly look forward to replenishing my list with plenty of Mas de Lavail wines.

The vineyards surrounding Mas de Lavail with Chateau de Queribus perched on the hillside in the distance

Our latest accommodation in Languedoc is a lovely wooden lodge, situated in the middle of a vineyard near Neffies. The villa in Roussillon, with its extremely high standard of comfort and facilities (not to mention those stunning views of the Pyrennées) was a hard act to follow, but we have settled in to our surroundings and are enjoying the peace and solitude out here. And the pool is like a nice cool (i.e. almost verging on warm) bath!

Although this is predominantly a family holiday, I will no doubt look to make one or two more grower visits in the few days we have left, and I will report on these in due course. Meanwhile, it is time for the beach!

Hot and sunny at last!

After a couple of days of incessant cloud and some rain (but mainly in short bursts) the sun has finally arrived in Roussillon. The Pyrennées are still shrouded, but our “little” hill and the valley below are finally bathed in sunshine, with a refreshing breeze blowing from the north-west. I think the forecast remains mixed but, for now, we are happy to be soaking-up the sun.

Here are a couple of photos which show our accommodation and the view in all its glory………..

Our rented villa with pool

The stunning view of the Pyrennées

Now I am off to Carcassonne airport, to collect number 1 son, Alex, who is flying down with his girlfriend to join us for the remainder of the holiday. Meanwhile, Diane and number 2 son Daniel get to stay and relax by the pool. Pain in the backside though he can be, we’ve all missed Alex (even Dan!) so we are looking forward to it!

A bientot – more soon.

A visit to Domaine Treloar

Last night we visited our friends Jonathan Hesford and Rachel Treloar, who are based in Trouillas, around 20 miles away from our hideaway. Before dinner, Jon treated us to a tasting of various barrel samples from the 2007 and 2008 vintages.

Jon and Rachel, perched on their barrels of La Terre Promise 2008

First was the 2008 La Terre Promise, which is a blend of Macabeo, Grenache Blanc and Carignan Blanc, which I loved. With aromas of gunflint, citrus and mineral, it is perhaps also a little dominated by the oak, at present, but that will integrate once the wine is in bottle - which will be soon, I hope, so I can get my hands on some of it! But this is no oak monster. It is somewhat creamy and quite rich, with those citrus and mineral elements also coming through and, at just 12% abv, it is beautifully balanced and showing a great deal of elegance – dare I say it, almost Burgundian in structure. Delicious wine, and I can’t wait for my customers to taste it.

We then tasted some reds, starting with a Carignan (from a plot of 60 year-old vines that Jon purchased last year) which was rich, fruity, balanced and delicious. Jon says he doesn’t yet know what he will do with it (blend it or bottle it as a single varietal) but it is remarkably good for a first effort at this much maligned (unfairly, in my opinion) grape.

Jon with a barrel sample of Carignan 2008

Then we moved onto Mourvedre 2007 and 2008. The nose of each was heady, with classic black fruit and tobacco and leather aromas. The flavour profiles were also remarkably similar, characterised by rich fruit, ample acidity and velvety tannins, not unlike young Bandol, but less fierce and easier to drink. The only difference between the two vintages is that the 2008 is still dominated by the fruit, whereas the 2007 (with the benfit of that extra year in oak) is definitely more “winey”. But both are beautifully poised, elegant and balanced. Jon says that he struggled with the authorities to obtain AOC status for the 2006 Motus (95% Mourvedre and 5% Syrah) as they think Roussillon Mourvedre should be soupy and alcoholic. But what do they know about great winemaking?! Jon is not interested in alcohol – he picks at optimum ph levels, not on sugar content. And the proof of the wine is in the drinking.

To finish, we tasted ’07 and ’08 Syrah, which again were remarkably similar – and also delicious. Jon is experimenting with some different barrels with 25% being slightly less toasted (and hence more resiny/oaky) than his usual barrels. Personally, I preferred the Syrah from the toastier oak – it is more elegant and less international in style. But Jon is a master at blending and I am sure the finished results will be just as good, if not better than the 2006’s. All-in-all, 2007 and 2008 are shaping-up to be two cracking vintages at Domaine Treloar, and I can’t wait to unleash them onto my customers!

Jon and Diane tasting Syrah

We then repaired to the Hesford/Treloar family living quarters above the winery, where Rachel had prepared a cracking meal, consisting of a mixed dressed salad with lardons and pitta, delicious roast pork loin with Dauphinoise potatoes and lemon-glazed carrots, and a wonderful date sponge with toffee/caramel sauce, finishing off with a selection of cheese. Oh, and we certainly didn’t go short of good wine!

Although I tend to see Jonathan 2 or 3 times a year, it is always nice to visit him and Rachel and the family at the nerve centre of the operation. They are lovely, hard-working people, who deserve all the success that is surely coming their way. And Diane and I are glad to be along for the ride. Jon is a star winemaker of the future – and, as far as I am concerned, the future is now.

Changeable weather in Roussillon

One good thing about MacDonalds is that they provide free wireless Internet access, so I was pleased to find one situated just across the road from the local supermarket (no, I haven’t eaten there!) which enables me to make Blog posts without too much hassle.

The weather in Roussillon is changeable at the moment, to say the least. Mornings tend to start fairly clear and sunny but, by afternoon, there are angry storm clouds looming over the mountains – hardly the best conditions for a half-decent tan. And hardly the best conditions for viticulture, either – Jonathan Hesford tells me that downy mildew is a big problem at the moment, so spraying is necessary to keep it under control. Trouble is, every time it rains, he has to go out and do it all over again, which must be very frustrating (not to mention time-consuming). And all we are bothered about is our suntan! At least it is still nice and warm, though, even though we are situated at 500 metres above sea level.

Today, we are off for a quick trip into Spain. Meanwhile, here are a few photos, mostly of the stunning views from our villa of the Canigou (altitude 2,784 metres – 9,131 feet) and surrounding mountains………

Diane, enjoying a nice glass of red, on our arrival at Arboussols, Roussillon

A waxing moon, rising over the Canigou massif

Time for some practice with the macro lens setting

The hilltop village of Arboussols bathed in sunshine, whilst angry clouds gather over the Canigou

My favourite time of year – holiday time!

We certainly don’t do things the easy way in the Stolarski family. Every year, for the past 15 or so years, we have taken our annual holiday in the south of France – and every year, we choose the option of driving, rather than flying. Why? Well, I sometimes wonder myself. A 6 am Friday ferry from Dover means leaving Nottingham at around 1 am, which basically means a night without sleep, for me, at least. So when we hit the French roads, with 220 miles already under our belts and another 700-plus miles to go, it can be a bit of a drag - not to mention very tiring! Of course, an overnight stop is essential. Completing the journey all in one go is possible (indeed, I have done it before) but the urge to get us all there in one piece outweighs everything else. And the offer by my friend David Bennett of the use of his house in the beautiful, sleepy village of Saint Gengoux Le Nacional in the Cotes Chalonnaise region of southern Burgundy was not to sniffed at. And what a lovely place - tardis-like, with four bedrooms, two shower rooms and spacious kitchen, dining and living space. It was almost a shame we only had one night there. Here's a photo………..

Our onward journey from Saint Gengoux to our destination in Roussillon was always going to be a little fraught, since this is one of the busiest Saturdays of the year on the French roads, with what seems like half the population heading for the Mediterranean. I’ll spare you the detail, but suffice to say that the autoroute south of Lyon often resembled a huge car park. After several hours of stop-start (more of the former than the latter), we eventually got past Orange, where the autoroute splits into two – one heading to Marseille and the Cote d’Azur, the other heading to towards Languedoc, Roussillon and Spain. Finally, we made some serious progress, eating up the miles, hampered only briefly by the mother of all rainstorms. After a quick stop for a comfort break near Narbonne, we were off on the last leg of the journey. And then, disaster! Accelerating hard up the hill back onto the motorway there was a loud “pop” from the engine. Our 2 litre turbo diesel Mondeo suddenly had all the power of a sewing machine. Luckily, there was another aire (service station just up the road, so we chugged along for a mile or two and pulled in. Fearing the worst (think ruined holiday and a huge repair bill) I looked under the bonnet and found that a large rubber pipe leading from the engine to the turbo had blown free from its seating. Joy of joys – a simple job to fix! 5 minutes later, we were back on the road, with full power restored. An hour later, we arrived at our hideaway, perched 500 metres up above the Roussillon plain in the village of Arboussols, with magnificent views of the Canigou massif and the eastern Pyrenées towards Andorra. I’ll post some more, later, including some more pics.

A great old wine from Spain

It has been a bad week for wine tasting, which is unfortunate, given that I have been to two tastings, with about 35 wines on offer. Not because the wines were bad - just that the heatwave we are currently enduring has made it almost impossible for the wines to show at their best. Whites that started their journey nicely chilled ended up at room temperature and reds that were slightly chilled ended up warm. Apart from a few decent whites and a couple of light Burgundies, every thing else struggled to perform. Frankly, we would have been better off drinking a few ice cold beers!

However, one red wine that really did stand out was a Marques de Grinon "Gran Vino Tinto de Crianza" Cabernet Sauvignon 1982. This really was delicious and still very much alive, which is remarkable for a wine of this age and this denomination. It reeks of heady, ripe red and black fruits, undergrowth, cigar box, mint and nicely-integrated smoky oak. The palate is stunning - rich, but not overpowering, with truly sweet fruit balanced by wonderful acidity and silky soft tannins. This may even have been a bit of a bruiser when it was young, but 27 years of age has seen it mature into a lovely, elegant wine, which put me in mind of a really good Domaine de Trévallon, with its rich, multi-dimensional fruit profile. I was surprised, though, to find that it was pure Cabernet, as I would have guessed it had some Syrah. It just goes to show that Cabernet can make great wine, even for a Bordeaux-phobe like me! Its a shame that Bordeaux rarely, if ever, makes wines with such generosity and elegance (by which I mean that it is more often one or the other, rather than both). A cracking wine, with complexity by the bucket-load, which sort of bridges the gap between old-style Spanish wine and the bigger, more soupy modern style. One of my wines of the year so far!

Some great new Southern Rhone wines just arrived - La Ferme du Mont and Domaine Saint Etienne

I am very excited about some great new wines that have just arrived in stock, from two excellent (but very different) growers.

Michel Coullomb at Domaine Saint Etienne is a grower whose wines have featured on our list for 2 or 3 years now and the quality of the wines he produces is consistently high. He has some excellent terroir, with vineyards situated in rolling hills in the extreme south-west of the Cotes du Rhone appellation. The soil is loaded with the same type of stones ("galets roulés") found in the soil of Chateauneuf-du-Papes, about 15 miles up river. Moreover, I have rarely seen better-kept vines and healthier grapes. Monsieur Coullomb is a tall, gentle, hard-working man, who is passionately devoted to his vines and the art of fashioning honest-to-goodness wines that speak strongly of their Southern Rhone origins. And there is certainly no let-up in quality with these new wines, with 2 lovely 2008 reds and an absolutely delicious 2008 white (which went down very well at Nottingham Wine Circle the other evening).

Although the majority of the growers on our current list are there because I found them, a few are there because they found me. Stéphane Vedeau is based at La Ferme du Mont in Courthézon in the Southern Rhone, around which he farms in various appellations, from Cotes du Rhone through to Chateauneuf-du-Papes. He also has family winemaking connections in the Northern Rhone, as well as Provence, Languedoc and even Spain. So it seems perfectly natural that all of these family members should combine to offer a central point - or "point de collection" - from which their preferred market (i.e. small merchants like us) can choose from a large selection of wines from several different wine regions.

It is a slightly different take on the concept of the cooperative. Whilst old-style village cooperatives are built around the concept of buying grapes from many small farmers and producing wines at a central point, La Ferme du Mont's concept involves taking wines from various estates in different regions and marketing them all from a central point. Wine merchants like me generally have two ways of buying stock; (a) Buy wines from UK agents - whose often high margins make it difficult for merchants to make a decent margin themselves or (b) Buy direct from the grower - which is what I prefer to do. It ensures that I can offer quality wines at fair prices, whilst also ensuring that I'm not selling the same old stuff as every other merchant in the country.

I have only tasted some of the wines from La Ferme du Mont itself, plus a couple of the Northern Rhone reds. And they are almost all of a very high quality. So much so that I am very much looking forward to tasting some of the Provence and Languedoc wines in a week or two, when I visit La Ferme du Mont. For now, though, I cannot recommend the four wines I have selected from La Ferme du Mont highly enough - they are simply brilliant!

Full tasting notes of all the new wines are now loaded onto my website (use the links above to navigate to the individual grower pages).

Neil Young Rocks!

Neil Young is one of those artists that has appeared on my radar from time to time, over the last 3 or more decades. Whilst I could never claim to have been an avid follower, his rich back catalogue of albums and stand-out songs have often provided much enjoyment. And he is definitely an artist worth revisiting (or rediscovering). With a career spanning well over 40 years, from Buffalo Springfield, through Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Crazy Horse, The Stills Young Band and goodness-knows-how-many reinventions of his solo persona, there is plenty to go at. From laid-back country/folk all the way through to heavy rock that could teach the young upstarts a thing or two (they don't call him the "Godfather of Grunge" for nothing) he has done it all.

So a chance to see Young perform in my home town was not to be missed - and boy, was I glad I didn't miss it. I'm certainly no music reviewer (I'm too much of a music lover to be too anal about such things) so I won't even try to do so. Suffice to say that this was right up there with some of the best gigs I have ever seen. Hardly a "greatest hits" set - he's never really done "hits" - but a liberal dose of some of his most classic songs, interspersed with a few that I was unfamiliar with. He began with an incredibly heavy (and incredibly loud) Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black), followed by Mansion On The Hill. Later on came other rollicking rock classics such as Cinnamon Girl, Down By The River, and Rockin' In The Free World (which, with four or five "false" endings, must have been an attempt on the world record for the longest ending to a song!). Whilst no fretboard virtuoso, Young's guitar playing is gutsy and heart-felt, and totally unique. Brilliantly simple is a phrase that springs to mind.

It wasn't all heavy and grungy, though. Interspersed were some more of his laid back and thoughtful songs, such as Mother Earth (with Young playing harmonica and some sort of pump organ, to great effect), Heart Of Gold and Old Man. An encore of The Beatles' A Day In The Life was an unusual, but mightily impressive way to finish. For those that are interested, you can see the full set list on the Sugar Mountain website.

I would have liked to post an image or two, but I didn't take my camera with me - just my mobile phone, the camera of which proved not to be up to the job. Instead, here's a video I found on YouTube of Rockin' In The Free World, from the concert in Aberdeen, the following night. It gives a fair idea of what the Nottingham gig was like.........



Neil Young also happens to be the Friday headline act on the Pyramid Stage at this Year's Glastonbury Festival. That means tomorrow! I have a feeling his set will be very similar to the one he played in Nottingham. With a little luck, the BBC should give it some airtime on their (usually) extensive coverage. If I were you, I would try and catch the coverage - because Neil Young rocks!



Footnote;
Whilst writing this entry, my son came in and told me that Michael Jackson had died. A little shocking, yes (it always is when someone so famous dies relatively young) but surprising....? Not really. I was never a fan, though I admit to having bought "Off The Wall" when it was released (some excellent Rod Temperton songs and typically lush Quincy Jones production) and did recognise the fact that he was very talented. Indeed, as a youngster, his voice was almost (but not quite) a match for Stevie Wonder. But what a sad life he had thrust upon him. From a young age, it seemed he was groomed for stardom and pushed relentlessly by those around him.


I never quite saw the big attraction, but the millions who paid good money for his records and concert tickets must have seen something I didn't. To me, he came across as a deeply flawed and eccentric human being - someone who I could never identify with in a million years. He had it all - yet ultimately, he had nothing. I hardly have the proverbial two pennies to rub together, but I do have a lovely wife, two teenage boys that make me very proud (well, at least most of the time!) a close-knit family, good friends, a boring day job and a dream that one day I will have a thriving wine business. In other words, I have my feet planted firmly on the ground. And I wouldn't swap my existence for the one that Michael Jackson led for all the tea in China. Nevertheless, a very sad demise. R.I.P, Michael Jackson.
     

Two old favourites (and classics of their kind) - Musar and Thalabert

Much as I love them, even I don't want to drink Languedoc and Roussillon wines all of the time. So, for the last evening or two, it was time to revisit a couple of wines that really fired my imagination and got me totally (and irrevocably) hooked on good wine.........

Chateau Musar 2001 (Bekaa Valley, Lebanon) is light in colour, with a semi-transluscent blood red core leading to a wide tawny rim - as always, very evolved for a relatively young wine. The nose is very typical, on opening - screaming volatile acidity, oodles of forest fruits and myriad secondary aromas of spices, herbs, polished wood and rotting leaves. The palate is juicy and rich, yet wonderfully light on its feet. Genuinely sweet fruit flavours combine with that glorious volatile acidity, silky tannins and all of those woody, leafy, spicy flavours, in a wine that (for me) has it all. Everything about it is evolved, to the extent that a stranger to such a wine would think it fully mature and in desperate need of drinking. But it is just a baby, with years (perhaps even decades) ahead of it. Indeed, as I write this note, it is now almost 48 hours since opening, and the last few drops are even better than the first - a sure sign of a wine built to last. I guess the purists and the Claret police would argue that this wine is full of faults. But that is why I (and most other people who "get" Musar) love it so much. It is an almost unique wine style - and any so-called wine expert who couldn't nail it in a blind tasting is no expert! A classic wine - and a classic vintage. This 2001 vintage is the current release, and is widely available at around £16. The prices of recent vintages have crept up over recent years, but Musar is a truly world class wine, and still one of the great bargains. It is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Carignan, by the way.

Paul Jaboulet Ainé Domaine de Thalabert 1997 Crozes Hermitage, on the other hand, is pure Northern Rhone Syrah. 1997 is by no means a classic vintage, and this was the last bottle from a case that I picked up for a song at auction, a couple of years ago - certainly way under a tenner a bottle. Results have been a little mixed, with one being totally oxidised and a couple being "marginal" for enjoyable drinking, though the rest have provided much pleasure. And this one (isn't it often the case?) is a cracker. Fully mature, in both appearance and on the nose, this is again a trademark example of its kind. The nose is all about secondary aromas - decaying red and black fruits, forest floor, hints of exotic spices, leather, lilies of the valley, black olives and a strong whiff of meat. The palate is meaty, too, but still with enough in the way of fruit to make this a real pleasure to drink - and a perfect partner for last night's rump steak. A lovely wine.

Now I'm off to see Neil Young at the Nottingham Arena. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow...........

Who needs F1? A Moto GP thriller - Rossi v Lorenzo

I have been a fan of motorcycle racing since the early 1970's, and have many happy memories of travelling to race meetings at various circuits around the country (Mallory Park, Brands Hatch, Oulton Park, Silverstone etc) not to mention a memorable holiday one year, based around the Dutch TT at Assen and the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa Francorchamps. This was the heyday of many of my heroes such as (the late, great) Barry Sheene, Kenny Roberts, Giacomo Agostini, Phil Read and many more. I saw many great races - too many to mention - during what was, for me, the golden age of Grand Prix motorcycle racing.

But few (if any) of them could surpass the amazing Moto GP de Catalunya yesterday, during which the lead changed many times, including at least 3 times on the last lap, with Valentino Rossi beating his Yamaha team mate Jorge Lorenzo with the most audacious (not to mention brave) overtaking manouvre on the very last corner

Valentino Rossi trails team-mate Jorge Lorenzo - but not for long........

(Image courtesy of www.yamaha-racing.com)

What can I say about Valentino Rossi? Despite the fact that so many truly great riders were at the height of their powers in the 1970's and 1980's, Rossi is quite probably the greatest of them all. Let's face it - he isn't called the "GOAT" for nothing! If you want proof (and if you want to see why Moto GP makes Formula 1 look like a high-speed funeral procession) then I urge you to watch yesterday's race and see for yourself. It really was the most heart-stopping and exciting race I have ever seen - Rossi, at the height of his powers, seeing-off the young pretender Lorenzo (who may himself, one day, be counted amongst the greats).

You can see the race for the next 6 days or so on BBC iPlayer. Don't miss it!

Cult wines from Roussillon - Emperor's New Clothes?

There is an interesting thread currently running on the wine-pages forum about some of the more lauded wine growers in the Roussillon and how the wines (clearly) split the jury. The person who created the thread visited three growers; Domaine Treloar, Domaine Matassa and Domaine Olivier Pithon. The overall impression was that the wines from all three growers were good. I know the wines from Treloar are good, because I sell them and make a point of recommending them to every new customer who comes along looking for some guidance. Although not the cheapest on my list, they undoubtedly represent good value for money. And the top cuvées (Motus and Tahi, for example) are indeed world-class, and certainly very age-worthy (give 'em 5-10 years and I think you will be richly rewarded).

But many of the "cult" wines from the region certainly do not represent good value. You only have to look at the prices quoted for the Olivier Pithon wines and (especially) the Matassa wines. Their prices start at the price of Treloar's most expensive wine! I haven't tasted the Pithon wines, so I am not qualified to comment on whether or not they are of particularly good quality, or whether they represent value for money.

But I have tasted some of the Matassa wines and, in my opinion, they not only represent truly awful value for money, but they are also (again, in my opinion) pretty awful wines. And that opinion was echoed by most (or all) of those present at the tasting I attended- and there are some pretty serious palates in that tasting group, I can tell you! In fact, I would take their opinion(s) over most wine journalists I know of. Of course, the great and the good of the wine media (or, at least, the ones who can be bothered with tasting Roussillon wines - or perhaps have some sort of vested interest) will tell it differently. They tend to use terms such as "quirky", "interesting", "made in an oxidative style", "age-worthy" and "world-class". In fact, they tell you that these wines must be aged, in order to get the best out of them. Perhaps they know something I don't - that these ugly ducklings will eventually turn into beautiful swans. All I can say is that the wines I tasted were reductive, over-oaked, over-sulphured, over-acidic and under-fruited.

I would jump at the chance to taste these very same wines again in (say) 5 years and see how they develop. Even though the "experts" say they will age and evolve to (near) perfection, I cannot see it happening. But I would love to be proved wrong - especially as many people who hold the journalists' words in high esteem have presumably bought them for that very purpose.

One of my most important mantras in choosing wines from Languedoc and Roussillon (or any other wines, for that matter) is that if they smell and taste nice when they are young, they will smell and taste even nicer when they reach their optimum age. But it also works the other way round - if they smell and taste faulty when they are young, then they ain't going to age.

Jonathan Hesford - owner and winemaker of Domaine Treloar

I will be visiting my friend Jonathan Hesford (owner and winemaker of Domaine Treloar) in a few weeks' time and we may well decide to visit some of the other "cult" growers in Roussillon, to taste some of their wines and see whether the fuss is merited. I will go with an open mind, but will make my judgements using Jon's wines (and others in my Roussillon portfolio) as a benchmark. Watch this space.........

Blowing my own trumpet - a cracking Languedoc Syrah

Diane and I tend to drink quite a few of "our" wines at home. We don't have a whole lot of disposable income (well bugger all actually!) so a large percentage of the wines we drink Chez Stolarski are either well-chosen bargains from auctions and bin-end sales, or wines from our own stocks. After all, what is the point of being a wine merchant if you can't enjoy a few perks of the trade every now and then? All in the name of evaluation, of course - a merchant needs to know how the wines are drinking, at various stages though their development!

So tonight I thought I would crack a bottle of Neffies Cuvée Baltazar 2004 Coteaux du Languedoc and see how it is doing. After all, I haven't tasted it since it first arrived in October 2008. And neither, frankly, have many other people - for some reason, it doesn't seem to be figuring in many of our customers' order selections up to now.

Anyway, I popped it and poured a reasonable measure into a nice big Riedel Syrah glass - and the rest went into the ship's decanter to get plenty of air and open-out. Though approaching 5 years old, it still has the look of a young(ish) wine, with a deep, blood red core, though with quite a wide ruby/cherry rim. It isn't the clearest wine you'll ever see, but that is only to be expected with this level of extraction. But it certainly isn't overdone - yes, it is big and concentrated, but there is an unmistakeable streak of elegance running right through its middle. Huge wafts of black tapenade, violets and schiste/minerals (classic Languedoc Syrah characteristics) mingle with bramble, dark cherry, plum and all sorts of dark fruit aromas. There is no oak-ageing with this wine - and it is all the better for it. Pure, intense fruit flavours are this wine's strong point, along with those tapenade/olive notes and some fine, if slightly dusty tannins (just give it time) and a truly mouth-watering layer of almost citrus-like acidity. It is one of those wines that bears many similarities with Northern Rhone Syrah, but bolstered by the extra southern warmth and sun. This wine is so drinkable now, but I get the feeling this will get better still over the next 3 to 5 years.

This is what I call a result. I really wasn't expecting the wine to have developed so beautifully in the space of just 8 months (since I last tasted it) but it has. And if you haven't tried it yet, I suggest you do so pretty damn quick - before I drink it all!

So I am happy to give it a shameless plug (it's my Blog, after all)! An absolute steal at £11.25 at Leon Stolarski Fine Wines.

Leon Stolarski

Something other than wine - a wonderful afternoon's tennis. Go Federer!

Life isn't just about wine - honestly! And so I have just enjoyed a somewhat leisurely Friday afternoon and early evening watching two thrilling men's semi-finals in the French Open Tennis. And fuelled by nothing stronger than a few cups of tea, I might add. ;-)) Firstly, a cracking match between Sweden's Robin Soderling and Fernando Gonzalez of Chile ended in Soderling winning a close 5-set match, 6-4 in the final set. Then, Roger Federer simply wore-down Juan Martin del Potro in another fantastic 5-setter, again winning 6-4 in the final set.

To be honest, Roger Federer may not be quite the player he once was, but he is (in my humble opinion) the greatest tennis player of all time - or, as multiple Moto GP world champion Valentino Rossi is known in his sport, the "GOAT". Federer's extra stamina and his sheer will to win was simply marvellous to see. In some ways, it was reminiscent of the Borg v McEnroe 1980 Wimbledon final, where Borg got absolutely pasted to begin with before slowly but surely clawing his way into the match. The difference was that Borg eventually mastered McEnroe's game, whereas Federer simply hung-in and waited for del Potro to tire. Ali v Foreman, in the "Rumble In The Jungle" is a similar analogy.

What is really great to see is that the men's game is as healthy now as it has ever been, at least in terms of competition at the top. Nadal got beat fair and square and so did Murray, in losing to Gonzalez. Del Potro beat some excellent players on the way, and Soderling beat some even better ones. That is a good half dozen players that will make for some really exciting tennis Grand Slam tournaments over the next few years, and I honesstly can't see any one of them dominating in the way that Federer and (latterly) Nadal have done in recent years - which can only be good for the sport.

For now, though, I'd love to see The Fed win that elusive French Open to complete his set and to cement his position as the undisputed "GOAT" in tennis. At least then he can either quit whilst he is ahead, or try and add another couple of Slams before retiring. And I think he will win it...... but not without having to perhaps play another epic match against Soderling. In the end, though, I think his experience will get him through.

Wimbledon should be even better. What odds on a Murray victory, I wonder?

Now. back to the wine....................

Leon Stolarski
http://www.lsfinewines.co.uk/

A long lunch (and lots of lovely Languedoc and Roussillon wines) at The Ledbury in London

I could type for England about what a great time I had in London last Thursday, at an event organised by my new friend Don Reid of the wine-pages forum, being the latest instalment of what has become known on wine-pages as WIMPS lunches. I'm still a little unsure as to the origin of the term (or even if it is some sort of acronym) but I think it was coined by another friend and fellow wine-pages "forumite" Keith Prothero, as a description of anybody incapable of imbibing copious amounts of wine of a lunchtime. Anyway, as he knows I am a devotee of Languedoc and Roussillon wines, Don pulled out all the stops to organise this lunch on a date that was suitable for me. Luckily (though for a totally different reason - of which I will post more tomorrow) I was due in London that day. So many thanks to "The Don" for extending the invitation and for making me feel so welcome.

The Michelin-starred Ledbury restaurant in Notting Hill was the venue and it was a cracking experience all round. A bargain £50 a head secured a brilliant 4-course meal, coffee, gratuities, corkage (we all took our own wines) and the almost undivided attention of sommelier Manu Barnay, whose unenviable task it was to serve around 35 different bottles of wine to 24 people seated at 3 large tables. Everything went smoothly (despite there being around 80 large wine glasses on each table, by the end! A wonderful time was had by all, and the standard of the food was very high. I also had the pleasure of dining with some lovely people, including owner Nigel Platts-Martin. For a man who owns 5 of London's best restaurants (4 of which are Michelin-starred) he came across as a thoroughly nice guy and very down to earth. He was also very complimentary about my wine contributions. Perhaps I ought to try and persuade him to list some of them in his restaurants! ;-)

I'll post a few pictures in due course, plus some notes about the food. Meanwhile, here are my notes on the wines that were served on our table.

Réserve Les Bastides d’Alquier 1997 Faugeres
I still have around 12 of these left (from my original 18) and the ones I have drunk have ranged from sublime to corked (at least 2 out of 6), which is why I brought a Maison Jaune 1993 as a back-up. Thankfully, the 1997 I brought was in pretty good shape. A touch high-toned and less Syrah-dominated than some I have drunk, but still very good. Elegant, soft, secondary fruit flavours, decent concentration, resolved tannins and lovely acidity. Got better with time in the glass. A good, if not great bottle.

As a postscript, I opened another bottle of this wine the day after – and it was a real step up in quality, displaying that almost northern Rhone-like Syrah quality that I find in the best examples of this wine. A fabulously herb and mineral-laden nose, with hints of lilies, smoky bacon, chocolate, spice, southern warmth and an attractive (i.e. very subtle) hint of brett. In other words, everything that this wine is capable of. I only wish we’d had this bottle yesterday. Incidentally, I have absolutely no “connection” with this wine – Richards Walford are the agents, I believe. And if it were not for the marked bottle variation (at least in this vintage) I would be sorely tempted to add current vintage(s) to my list. I have never had a Faugeres that comes close to it, and it is (IMHO) potentially one of the great Languedoc wines/growers. It just needs to be consistent.

Domaine La Combe Blanche La Chandeliere 2001 Minervois La Liviniere
I also brought this wine - and it was really singing. Full of rich bramble and plum fruit, dark chocolate, garrigue herbs and spice, and the oak is starting to integrate nicely. Long, too. I have to say, it punched well above its weight and is drinking beautifully, yet still with a great deal of development left in it over the next 5 years or more. A wine and a grower that I am very proud of.

Coume del Mas Les Schistes 2007 Collioure
Very, very young, but lovely and drinkable already. This is what appeals to me about these regions – so many wines are drinkable in their youth – and I don’t mean (just) “drinkable”, I mean attractive and approachable. Rich bramble and blackcurrant fruit, but with a lightness of touch reminiscent of strawberries – yet stamped with the trademark Collioure salty savouriness. This needs a couple of years to really integrate, but all the components are there.

Mas de Daumas Gassac 1993 Vin de Pays de l’Hérault
I couldn’t get over the notion that this was very slightly corked. Or was it just that the fruit had faded of its own accord? There was definitely some enjoyment, but there was also some sort of dirty wood (or TCA?) note and something was definitely missing.

Mas de Daumas Gassac 1998 Vin de Pays de l’Hérault
This is much more like it. Tight as a tight thing in tight trousers, tannic, but showing some class. Still quite light (amazing for the vintage) but elegant and long and lovely. It just needs time. The first Daumas Gassac to ever truly impress me.

Mas de Daumas Gassac 1995 Vin de Pays de l’Hérault
This is similar in structure to the 1993 (but cleaner) and still slightly austere and backward (as so many vintages are, in my opinion). But there is a really good wine lurking in there somewhere. Tobacco, vanilla and blackcurrant are predominant and it is still quite tannic. Will the fruit outlast the tannins. Perhaps, but personally I would drink it now.

Mas de Daumas Gassac 1990 Vin de Pays de l’Hérault
This is the real deal – the first Daumas Gassac to ever really blow me away. Really complex, with loads of secondary fruit aromas and flavours, earthy, tobacco and spice-scented. A rich, warming palate, but balanced and truly elegant, with lovely acidity and fully resolved tannins. A complete (and completely) lovely wine. So Daumas Gassac can live up to the hype! But perhaps only in great vintages…...

Domaine Treloar Motus 2006 Cotes du Roussillon
Another wine brought by me, and I thought it showed very well, if not quite as well as it did at a tasting 2 or 3 weeks ago. Was it a root day? Still lovely, with great acidity, supple tannins and immense depth of Mourvedre fruit – savoury, sweet, rich, leathery, yet always in balance and so clean. This is a baby and has 5-10 years left to develop.

Domaine Pietri-Geraud Cuvée Méditerranée 2003 Banyuls
I love this – well, I would, wouldn’t I? After all, it is another of my wines! Strawberries and cream, chocolate, toffee, orange zest, blackberry jam, prunes and a gentle whiff of eau de vie. Wonderfully complex and yummy. This (and the Rivesaltes which followed) were served distinctly chilled and too cold for my liking. They both showed much better when they warmed up.

Rivesaltes 1949 (sorry, didn’t get the grower)
Mid-amber/brown, reaking of dried oranges, marmalade, burnt toffee, roses and sweaty cheese – quite a combination, and very nice. For me, Rivesaltes is best when it is really old and madeirised, like this, although the fact that it tends towards the spirity makes it an entirely different animal. Shame there were no cigars on offer to accompany this!

Leon Stolarski
http://www.lsfinewines.co.uk/

More tasting notes - another evening of good food and wines at Le Mistral, Nottingham

Sometimes it seems like my personal calendar is full of wine tasting events and this is a particularly busy period for me. It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it! Last night was the latest instalment of the "Tuesday Group", a motly bunch (usually between 10 and 15 of us) that gather on the last Tuesday in each month at Le Mistral restaurant/bistro for a relaxed evening of good food and good wine. The food is simple but always good, the service friendly, the atmosphere relaxed - and they also do us a cracking deal on corkage! ;-) So if those are the criteria you are looking for and you haven't yet visited, you have my personal recommendation. Here is a picture - our little room is on the first floor with the "bay" window.........

Le Mistral, 2-3- Eldon Chambers, Wheeler Gate, Nottingham NG1 2NS

So to the wines. The theme rarely strays from "bring an interesting bottle", and last night was no different, so the 10 that came along brought no less than 17 wines between us - we never go thirsty!

Verus Vineyards Riesling 2007 Ormoz, Slovenia. Floral nose, a hint of talc, grapey with a nice touch of spritz. A nice wine to get the evening started.

Stags Leap Sauvignon Blanc 2006 Napa Valley. Very clean, racy, zippy, elegant. Some loved it, but I thought a touch...... well, boring, actually. A nice wine, but France (and indeed New Zealand) does it better.

Terre Blanche Alghero Torbato 2007. Very floral and perfumed on the nose, but the palate doesn't really deliver - it is a bit flabby, with relatively low acidity and even a touch of caramel. Pleasant, but ultimately a let-down.

Grand Régnard Chablis 1998. Smelt and tasted a little like a Chenin Blanc, but once I knew its real identity, I realised why I thought it was unremarkable. It takes a damn fine Chablis to impress me - and this wasn't one of them. The most "impressive" thing about it was the bottle - far too wide to fit in any sensible drinker's wine rack!

Weingut Brundlemayer Gruner Veltliner 2007 Kamptal, Austria. A floral nose, with pronounced notes of white pepper, spice, toffee and mineral - it could only be Gruner. Spritzy on the palate, very refreshing, grapey, spicy and slatey. Lovely stuff.

Miolo Vineyards Chardonnay 2008 Brazil. I've only tried a handful of wines from Brazil, but this was an excellent example. Another wine with distinct aromas of flowers, and quite elegant, but also smoky and minerally. Not your typical Chardonnay (and we guessed at a good few varieties beforehand) but all the better for it. A real surprise and a really nice wine.

Domaine Saint Rose "La Canicule" Chardonnay 2003 Vin de Pays d'Oc. I brought this one - a remnant from a grower I used to list, before they started selling to Majestic (whose buying power and pricing policy I cannot hope to compete with). 100% Chardonnay, partly barrel-aged. A rich gold colour, with notes of honey, rich fruit and even a hint of pineapple. Rich and powerful on the palate, balanced by good acidity. Seems "hotter" than it did in its youth (a result of the heatwave vintage and 14.0% abv) but still a well-made Chardonnay and a pleasant drink, if slightly past its peak.

Dario Princic Sauvignon 2002 Venezia Giulia. This is from the same grower as the weird and whacky "blush" Pinot Grigio I reported on recently and - for me - is a far better, more complex wine. Aromas of orange or even lime marmalade, toffee, smoke and minerals - reminiscent of a rich Pinot Grigio or even some sort of Austrian TBA - but again the palate is almost bone dry, though with odles of richness and concentration, offering flavours of lime zest, rotting apples, a certain yeasty/leesy quality and even a chalkiness (in an attractive way). Oh, and never in a million years does it either smell or taste like Sauvignon Blanc. But who cares? It is brillant, outstanding stuff!

Hugel Gewurztraminer Jubilee 2001 Alsace. Rich and spicy, laden with aromas and flavours of turkish delight, roses and toffee, but not in any way cloying, which is often what puts me off this variety. This is a lovely example - elegant, restrained and beautifully balanced with lemon and lime flavours and really decent acidity. One of the nicest Gewurztraminers I've had in a while.

Time for some food - though some still can resist the note-taking!

After the mains (many of us opted for the very good rib-eye steak) we moved onto the reds.......

Domaine Bruno Clair Marsannay "Les Longeroies" 1996. Much as I enjoy white wines, it is always nice to get onto the reds, and this was a lovely one to start with. Spicy, a touch rustic even, but lovely and tart, with aromas and flavours of wild strawberries and forest floor. Light and elegant and perfectly mature and lovely. Real Burgundy.

Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2004 Margaret River, Australia. Mint and eucalyptus, bramble, toothpaste - and more eucalyptus. How many tins of eucalyptus extract did they bung in this one? Actually, not as awful as it sounds, but the majority of Australian wines really don't do it for me anymore. Decent, but unremarkable.

La Giola 1997 Vino di Tavola di Toscana. A Supertuscan wine which was rich, elegant, refined and delicious. So much so that I seem to have had no time to write a proper tasting note, which is a shame, because it was delicious. I do remember thinking it might be some sort of Provencal Grenache/Syrah/Cabernet blend, but the extra acidity should have given it away -once you knew it was Sangiovese, everything fell into place. Lovely stuff - anyone else got a proper note?

I then sent round a pair of wines, to be tasted side by side......

Paul Jaboulet Ainé Domaine de Thalabert 1983 Crozes-Hermitage and Chateau Cos d'Estournel 1983 Saint Estephe 2eme Cru Classé. The only connection, of course, was the vintage, but I rather fiendishly decanted the Cos d'Estournel into another "Rhone-shaped" bottle, just to throw them off the scent (we taste all wines "blind"). It is amazing what people's preconceptions can do to their minds (and palates - and that includes me). I rarely, if ever, take a Bordeaux wine to a tasting, since I'm really not a fan, so nobody really suspected what the second wine was, although the first was pretty obvious (though most were way off with the vintage). Anyway, the tasting notes; The Thalabert was a lightish red colour, with notes of smoke and earth, with telltale hints of bacon fat and lilies and even a touch of Band Aid sticking plaster. Quote light on the palate, but recognisably northern Rhone, and losing some of its sweet fruit and richness. An enjoyable wine, but my remaining 2 or 3 bottles will be consumed fairly quickly. As for the Cos, it was a bit of a revelation (though it is a second growth, so I suppose it should be good). A rich, deep-ish uniform blood red colour, with only a touch of browning at the rim. Quite a masculine wine, with a pronounced cigar box aroma and notes of clove, black fruits, capsicum and earth. The palate has a firmer structure than the Thalabert and more fruit, too - again, quite masculine and still slightly tannic, with flavours of blackcurrant, cherry kernel and grilled peppers. You wouldn't call it elegant, but it was a lovely wine - and still perhaps with a little more development left in it. I don't often give Claret a big thumbs-up, but this was a rare exception. And I have 2 more bottles left!

We finished off with 3 dessert wines.........

El Aziz Fina Late-harvested Chardonnay N/V (from Sardinia, I think). Again, I neglected to write a proper note on this, but it was a fair ringer for a decent Austrian dessert wine. Lovely acidity and balance.

Taylors 10 Year Old Tawny Port. I thought it was a reasonable sort of Rivesaltes and quite liked it (but more than a few sips would be too many). A bit hot and lacking in real fruit. Some thought it horrible, but I just thought it was average.

Weingutt Schmitt (Something)steiner Orbal Trockenbeerenauslese 1953 Rheinhessen. I think it was Riesling. This was quite literally brown as a brown thing - almost black, in fact, and totally opaque. It also looked dead as a dead thing, but was actually very drinkable, almost like a Madeira or ancient Rivesaltes. It smelt of old, polished wood, orange peel, toffee, coffee, marmalade and chocolate. Frankly, it was totally weird, totally whacky and totally shot - but still complex and almost hedonistic. Dead wines rock! (Well actually, they don't usually - but this was an exception).

And this is what the room looks like at the end of it all.........

From the left; David Bennett, Bernard Caille, Andy Leslie....... and me! I really don't know what that expression is saying (I really don't!) but I had obviously enjoyed myself immensely!

Tomorrow, I will mostly be dining at The Ledbury in London, in some rather lofty company. Watch this space....................

Leon Stolarski http://www.lsfinewines.co.uk/

A cracking Chateauneuf-du-Papes, worthy of its own tasting note - Clos des Papes 1999

I make no bones about the fact that I am extremely choosy about (and often dismissive about the majority of) Chateauneuf-du-Papes. Too many are hot, alcoholic, clumsy and downright jammy/baked. So here is a tasting note on a really brilliant example....

1999 was the theme at Nottingham Wine Circle last night and one of the Chateauneuf freaks brought Clos des Papes 1999. I have to say it was an utterly gorgeous wine - possibly in the top 5 Chateauneufs I have tasted, ever. Full of luscious, fresh and pastille-y blackcurrant fruit, rich, yet elegant, floral, earthy, slightly spicy, warm (but not at all hot) and, most importantly, balanced. It was served double blind (i.e. in a Bordeaux-type bottle) and I was almost in the northern Rhone. In fact, the person that brought this wine kindly allowed me to take the remains of the bottle home and I am just enjoying it now - and it is still alive and very enjoyable.

That earthiness has developed into a full-blown leafy, forest floor and forest fruit sort of complexity. It really is a very special and very lovely wine - almost (sorry to use the age-old term) "Burgundian" in its elegance. No hotness, no shittiness, no baked fruit, no overt sweetness. Yes, there is sweet fruit, but it is all in balance, with some lovely acidity. Definitely my kind of Chateauneuf! In fact, courtesy of Nottingham Wine Circle, I have tasted a great many vintages of this wine (in all honesty, possibly more than your average Clos des Papes fan) and most - though not all - have been a joy. Along with Vieux Telegraph, this has become my favourite Chateauneuf grower - and one I would be happy to drink anytime. Yum!

Leon Stolarski
www.lsfinewines.co.uk

Some good company and some fine Italian wines and food at Amarone in Nottingham

Last night Diane and I met with our friends Andy Leslie, David Bennett, Bernard Caille and Peter Bamford, for a most enjoyable evening of good food and fine wines at Amarone, a new(ish) Italian restaurant in Nottingham. The main theme for the evening was predominantly Tuscan wines, although we started off with an extremely quirky wine from north-east Italy......

Dario Princic Pinot Grigio Venezia Giulia 2006 (in magnum)
Due to a very long maceration on the skins, the colour is blush - almost rosé, as you can see from the picture. A closer look reveals transluscent tawny and amber nuances - certainly a "complex" colour and beautiful to look at! A quick swirl shows some impressive tears and suggests a sweet wine, as does the nose, which offers a heady mix of peach, apricot, mandarin, ginger nuts and rose water - like a supercharged Alsace Pinot Gris with bells on. The palate comes as a bit of a shock. What you get is a very rich, yet bone dry wine, with lots of extraction, lots of complexity, some warming but not hot alcohol and a dry, almost dusty - even tannic - finish. I brought a little home with me and, drinking it tonight, a not unattractive cheesy quality has appeared, but the fruit is still evident. The others loved it, though I have to say I'm really not sure I like it that much myself. But it is certainly interesting, bordering on weird. Vive la difference!

Querciabella Batar 1996 Bianco di Toscana IGT
Deep yellow/gold colour. What a nose! Gunpowder, struck match, flint, garlic mushrooms and a hint of lime oil and mandarin. This is like a really (really) good 1er or Grand Cru Burgundy, with a warm climate slant. Rich, glycerous and gorgeous - no discernable "fruit", just full-on, rich, minerally Meursault/Montrachet flavours. Into its stride at 13 years old, but possibly with even more development left in it. Wonderful, complex and very long.

Frescobaldi Castelgiacondo Lamaione Merlot 1995 Toscana IGT
Showing some sign of age, but still quite a deep ruby/blood colour. Volatile acidity and Kiwi boot polish dominate the nose, with just a hint of cherry fruit, cigar ash and green pepper in the background. And it is pretty much bereft of fruit on the palate, too. Dry, austere and past it.

Inama Bradisismo Cabernet del Veneto 1999
Deep, bloody, slightly bricking at the edge. Meaty, savoury, warm, almost alcoholic nose and crying out "like me!" And indeed we did like it. To say this is almost 10 years old, it is super fresh and seemingly young, though not overly tannic. Very fruity, very complex and very alluring, with sweet fruits, a touch of red pepper and spice, slightly warming alcohol and lovely acidity. Long, too. A real cracker of a sexy wine, with easily 10 years left in the tank.

Barone Ricasoli Casalferro 1997 IGT Toscana
I brought this one and was most pleased with how it showed. Black cherry, tobacco, green pepper, herbs, talc and some nice Northern Rhone-like lily aromas. This was really elegant and complex. Full of fruit, but with some lovely spice, herb and tobacco flavours. Lovely, elegant, balanced and very Italian. Following the Inama 1999, this was like a nice big cigar after a jam roly poly - both lovely wines, but very different.

Fontalloro 1993 Vino di Tavola di Toscana
Another of my wines, though for some reason, I didn't manage to write a note on it. I just remember that it was good, but not great, and probably needs drinking soon.

Castellare di Castellina I Sodi di S Niccolo 1986 Toscana IGT
The first in a flight of 3 vintages of this wine, which is (I believe) predominantly Sangiovese, so the quintessential "SuperTuscan". Heady aromas and flavours of red cherry, herbs, spices and redcurrants, along with all sorts of secondary notes, including tobacco and undergrowth - a complete wine, and very "winey". Not big, not brash, but light, elegant and perfectly mature. Lovely wine.

Castellare di Castellina I Sodi di S Niccolo 1990 Toscana IGT
Much headier than the 1986, with more in the way of balsamic and VA aromas, but also some leafy undergrowth and floral and mushroomy notes. Fantabulous acidity, full of cherry and rich, curranty flavours and a touch of old oak. Another lovely wine, though markedly different to the 1986 - or perhaps with more time left to develop(?)

Castellare di Castellina I Sodi di S Niccolo 1998 Toscana IGT
Seems a touch volatile and hot and unbalanced at the moment - almost a touch clumsy, in comaparison to the 1986 and 1990. Or perhaps it just needs much more time. It does open out a little with some air, though, showing hints of elegance perhaps to come. I'm not sure it will ever hit the heights of the other two wines, but you never know. One to keep for 5-10 years, I think.

Castellare di Castellina S Niccolo 1998 Vin Santo del Chianti Classico
I'm not sure how this is made (perhaps somebody will come along and fill-in the gaps for me) but it is a rather lovely dessert wine. Sort of "Rivesaltes meets Tokaji", so right up my street. Rich and glycerous, laden with caramel, toffee, eau de vie and orangey marmalade aromas and flavours. More than ample acidity makes for a rich, yet refreshing dessert wine, and a lovely way to finish the night.

Bernard opens another bottle, whilst David attempts to throw one of his new "unbreakable" glasses at Peter. (The photos were taken on my mobile phone, which unfortunately does not have flash).

Andy looks on admiringly at David's tasting technique, whilst Diane contemplates the weird and whacky Dario Princic Pinot Grigio

Incidentally, the food was really good - a nice assortment of fresh breads, olives and an olive oil and balsamic dip as an appetiser, followed by various starters and mains, all with really fresh, flavoursome ingredients - buffalo mozzarella, juicy, herby tomatoes and salads, and some fabulous pizza. And I have to say the service was brilliant, with friendly (and very pretty!) waitresses offering just the right mix of attentiveness and space for a bunch of winos like us. I would recommend it to anyone in the Nottingham area wanting to try something a little different and off the beaten track.

Thanks also to Andy Leslie for organising - and for bringing all those fabulous Castellare di Castellina wines!

Leon Stolarski
http://www.lsfinewines.co.uk/

What do MP's drink when they have their snouts in the trough?

Well, I have no idea, but as far as I am aware, no Member of Parliament has ever purchased any of my wines, either out of their own pockets, or at the tax-payers' expense. Which just goes to show what a bunch of tasteless numpties we have running the country. I think questions ought to be asked in the Commons - though, to be honest, I don't think my marketing budget would stretch that far.

Joking aside, I am faced with the very real prospect (for the first time in my adult life) of either abstaining or spoiling my ballot paper at a general election. Unfortunately, we have yet to introduce "none of the above" as a voting option. If we did, the "None Of The Above Party" would have a good chance of being elected by a landslide. The state of UK politics is now in such a sorry state that it is a bit like drugs in cycling - the only way to redeem its reputation is to pursue a policy of rooting-out the cheats until only the "clean" ones are left. I fear it will be a long and bloody battle, with many casualties. Who on earth do these people think they are, that they can treat democracy with such contempt?

Leon Stolarski
http://www.lsfinewines.co.uk/

April tasting notes - some cracking reds (and a delicious rosé!)

Following on from yesterday's notes on white wines, here are some notes on just a few (honestly!) of the reds tasted in April..........

Chateau Saint Cosme Rosé 2007 Gigondas
OK, so not strictly a red, but this rosé was noteworthy - a lovely , rich, fruity, but serious wine, with some real complexity and none of the sweet-shop notes so often found in rosés. Although made from Grenache, it actually put me in mind of a very decent white Rhone wine.

Domaine Joblot Clos Grand Marole 2006 Givry 1er Cru
A gorgeous cherry and raspberry nose with a touch of sous bois and tar. Lovely, light, forest fruit flavours, a touch earthy, lovely acidity. A bitter/sweet/sour finish. Cracking stuff, if a touch on the light side.

Pata Negra Reserva 2003 Valdepenas
An enjoyable wine, with cherry fruit and good acidity. Light-ish, but balanced and quite refreshing, given the hot vintage. Not special, but currently on offer at Sainsburys at £3.99 and a bit of a bargain at that price.

Domaine Marcel Richaud 1999 Cairanne
A wine I bought a good few years ago on one of my visits to the domaine, this is still inky-dark, with aromas of blackberry and plum and an interesting note of iodine. Rich, fruity, herby and spicy, with a touch of chocolatey tannin and ample acidity. No rush to drink this - although I now have just one bottle left!

Castello di Ama 1986 Chianti Classico
A quick Google tells me this is 80% Sangiovese, 8% Canaiolo, with the remaining 12% Malvasia Nera and Merlot. Just a hint of brett, with complex aromas of meat, olives and lilies - all secondary aromas, elegant and rustic at the same time. It was so good, it was almost Trévallon-like! Rich fruit flavours and beautiful balance. Nicely aged, but still very much alive. A stunning wine.

Chateau Saint-Pierre 1996 Saint-Julien
Blimey - a Claret that actually appealed to me! I thought it was lovely and soft, full of interest and at the peak of its powers. It split the jury, with some others thinking it was just a rubbish, boring wine. I say "vive la difference"!

Domaine Ogier La Rosine 2004 Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes
I've yet to taste a wine from this grower that was anything less than brilliant. Mind you, none of them (this one included) are cheap. This might as well be a Cote-Rotie, it is so good. What a nose - lilies, red meat, smoky bacon, gravy, even a touch of lemon zest. The palate has intense, almost ethereal acidity, with such wonderfully intense, minerally, pure Syrah fruit. A fabulous wine. I just wish that I could afford to buy these wines myself!

Domaine de Montcalmes 2004 Coteaux du Languedoc
OK, so this didn't quite reach the heights of the Ogier above, but it is pretty lovely nonetheless, and shows what Languedoc is capable of. Mostly Syrah, but with some Grenache too. A lovely nose of lilies, bacon fat and heady Syrah fruit, with carefully judged, coffee-infused oak. Rich, yet beautifully poised and elegant, with lovely acidity. A top Languedoc Syrah - and at about 15 quid, I can (and did) afford this one! I have half a dozen left and think it will age beautifully for 5 to 10 years.

Chateau des Jacques 1985 Moulin-a-Vent
Wow! So this is what they really mean by old Beaujolais taking on Pinot Noir characteristics. Almost to a man/woman, we were somewhere in the Cote d'Or with this one. My second guess would have been Rhone, which tells you something about the style of this wine. A touch muddy (to look at, not to taste) with a lovely, decayed Pinot/old Rhone nose. Full of earthy, light, tertiary aromas and flavours, it really did taste like quite a special old Burgundy. A delight to drink, and a real revelation - and not about to fall off its perch, either!

Jean Marc Morey 1990 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
How good should a 19-year-old basic Bourgogne be? Not this good, you would have thought. Deliciously light and delicately perfumed, still full of raspberry and cherry fruit and hints of leafy undergrowth. I've had several bottles of this now - the worst was still very good, if just a little tired, whilst most (including this one) have been very much alive and simply wonderful. I paid the princely sum of £72 (including commission) from a recent J Straker Chadwick auction. I think £6 a bottle for a mature Burgundy of this quality makes it my bargain of the year. Unfortunately, I have just 2 or 3 bottles left. :-(

Delas Freres Marquise de La Tourette 1991 Hermitage
This simply screams mature northern Rhone Syrah. Red and black berry, violet and smoky bacon aromas and flavours, with amazing poise and elegance. Lovely wine.

Domaine Mont Redon 1998 Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Lovely, rich Grenache and Syrah(?) nose. Rich palate, but beautifully soft and earthy. Balanced and elegant and really lovely - a real surprise, for what has turned out to be an extremely variable vintage in southern Rhone.

Coudoulet de Beaucastel 2003 Cotes du Rhone
This is a cracker. A touch bretty, perhaps, but with some real complexity. Black fruits, Bovril, mushroom, earth on the nose. All manner of slightly baked red and black fruit flavours and an interesting note of roast pork! I really loved it - a revelation.

Domaine du Vieux Télégraph 1983 Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Somewhat bretty and barnyardy, but with a lovely core of fruit - amazing for such an old Chateauneuf. Raspberries and strawberries and undergrowth. Lovely mature fruit, and so light on its feet, with ample acidity and an almost Burgundinan elegance. A gorgeous wine, from my favourite Chateauneuf grower.

Leon Stolarski
http://www.lsfinewines.co.uk/

My favourite vineyard photo

I'm painfully aware of the need for a few photos and images to add further interest and to punctuate some of the longer entries on the blog. This is something I will seek to rectify as I get into the groove and actually think to take my camera with me when I go out! Meanwhile, here is just about my favourite vineyard scene of them all - one of the smallest of a series of vineyards created by Eloi Durrbach at Domaine de Trévallon, outside the small town of Saint-Etienne-du-Grès, 25 km south of Avignon and 7 km west of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.

Trévallon is situated on the northern slopes of the Alpilles, a massif composed of limestone rock with sharp, jagged crests reminiscent of what the Provençal poet, Frédéric Mistral, described as a "Greek landscape". The vineyards are dotted about the hillside, surrounded by holm oaks, olive and almond trees and scrub - to the avid wine enthusiast, a quite magical landscape. And yes, the "soil" that you see is actually chunks of limestone, literally blasted out of the hillside. A harsh, yet ideal, environment for growing Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon (for the red), plus Marsanne, Roussanne and a little Chardonnay (for the white) in this sun-baked corner of Provence. The wines are wonderful, by the way - not cheap, and they need time in bottle to show their true greatness, but no serious wine lover should be without a selection of Trévallon vintages in their cellar.

Leon Stolarski
http://www.lsfinewines.co.uk/

April tasting notes Part 2 - some notable white wines

Here are some notes on just a few of the more note-worthy white wines tasted in April at the weekly meetings of the Nottingham Wine Circle and a (more leisurely) monthly get-together at Le Mistral restaurant in central Nottingham. Note that all of these wines were tasted blind and (as always, on these occasions) were served in quick succession, so my notes are necessarily brief - and occasionally disjointed(!)

Vincent Girardin “En Truffiere” Vieille Vignes 2003 Puligny-Montrachet
My word, this is good! Sweet, spicy, vanilla oak and mineral notes. Rich on the palate, but beautifully balanced. Not at all bad for a 2003!

Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Blanco 1987 Rioja Reserva
Have I ever tasted a bad wine from this grower? If so, I don’t remember it. Rich yet light, aged yet still full of life, beautifully-judged oak and cracking acidity. A match for any aged white Burgundy or Hermitage. Cracking wine.

Nigl Gruner Veltliner Privat 2002
Rich, almost like an Alsace Pinot Gris. Caramel, spices, flowers and butter. Lovely rich, long palate. Cracking stuff.

Albert Grivot Clos de Perrieres 2004 Meursault
Essence of rich Chardonnay. Peaches and nectar, lovely acidity, spicy and subtly oaked. Long. Fabulous Burgundy.

Domaine Benedetti 2006 Cotes du Rhone
100% Grenache Blanc. Lovely nose – apple, pear and an interesting note of icing sugar, with floral, almost Viognier-like. Rich, long, lovely balance. Delicious and unusual.

Cave du Roi Dagobert Tokay Pinot Gris 2001
This is lovely and rich, almost buttery, with a suggestion of late harvest about it. But it had lovely acidity, too, and most around the table were guessing Riesling – but the richness made me stick with my choice of Pinot Gris. And a lovely one it was, too.

Domaine Guillot-Broux 2000 Macon-Chardonnay
So called because it actually comes from the village called Chardonnay. A really fabulous nose of gunflint, smoke, flowers and all sorts of tertiary aromas. No overt fruit aromas or flavours – just gorgeous, rich, balanced wine. And natural, too – made with no sulphur. I loved it!

Les Vins de Vienne Reméage Vin de Table N/V
Bubblegum, and jasmine on the nose – otherwise, a touch closed. The palate is nice, though – rich and spicy, yet dry and lemony. An interesting wine – not great, but really very good for the price (£8-ish from Adnams).

Domaine Pascal et Annick Quenard Chignin Bergeron “Sous Les Armandieres” Vin de Savoie 2007(?)
I’m not absolutely sure of the vintage, but this was a cracking wine. Bergeron is the Savoie name for Roussanne (more usually found in the Rhone) and this is 100% Bergeron. Apple pie, custard and ginger on the nose (honestly!) A touch of richness and fruit, but essentially light, floral, mineral and very elegant. And very lovely!

Averys “Fine White Burgundy” Bourgogne Blanc 2006
I wouldn’t normally bother writing much about a wine from the Laithwaites stable, but this one is from their (recently acquired) respectable arm, Averys of Bristol. Produced by top grower and negociant Nicolas Potel, it has a gorgeous, rich, flowery Chardonnay nose, with a kiss of oak, flint and gunsmoke. You could almost be in Meursault – and you nearly are, because this is produced from vineyards bordering that more exalted appellation. And this wouldn’t disgrace a 1er Cru label. Rich, elegant and long and lovely.

Part 3 follows tomorrow – some brilliant reds (and even a rosé)!

Leon Stolarski
http://www.lsfinewines.co.uk/

Some of the best wines tasted in April, Part 1 - a selection of Rhones, plus Gaillac, Cotes du Roussillon, Givry and Sancerre

As a wine merchant, I am sent a good number of samples throughout the year, mostly from wine growers looking for merchant outlets in the UK. But I rarely accept the offer of samples from growers unless I have a genuine interest in tasting them with a view to possibly adding them to my list. The only samples I ever accepted grudgingly were from a fairly large grower in Corbieres, who was fairly insistent that I should taste his wines. As this coincided with a tasting event put on in London by ASDW, I promised to take the wines along, so that my colleagues and I in the Association could give them an honest appraisal. I had a gut feeling that the wines would be nothing special, and my original reticence was confirmed when we endured some of the worst wines imaginable. Suffice to say that I was somewhat less than "honest", when the grower contacted me later, to see what I/we had thought. How on earth do you tell a grower that their wines are awful? In the end, I simply told him that the wines were OK, but that they weren't really what we were looking for and - mercifully - never heard from him again!

Nevertheless, most of the samples I am sent hold plenty of interest and a proportion of them do eventually find their way onto my list. Here are notes on some of the samples I have tasted in April, starting with a selection of northern and southern Rhones from Stéphane Vedau and Jeannine Boutin at La Ferme du Mont;

Jeannine Boutin "Les Hauts Granites" 2006 Crozes Hermitage
Vivid purple colour, aromas of raspberry and blackcurrant, herbs and spices and even a hint of exotic white fruits, more reminiscent of Grenache than Syrah, heightened by the evident use of carbonic maceration (as opposed to a more traditional fermentation). A bit more Syrah-like on the palate - ripe, juicy bramble and raspberry, pepper and spice, with some black cherry and beefy/gamey notes adding complexity. Lovely acidity and ultra-ripe tannins make for a silky wine, with a warm, peppery finish. Nevertheless, it really doesn't scream Crozes Hermitage and is really quite international in style. I like it a lot, but it is probably not representative enough of its appellation for me.

J. Boutin "Parcelle de Jean" 2006 Saint-Joseph
Another deeply-coloured wine, but this one is much more Syrah-like. A dense, spicy, deeply fruity nose and palate - blackcurrant and bramble, eau de vie, spices, black cherry and even a touch of toffee apple and dark chocolate. Quite extracted, but elegant as well as hedonistic. Rich and savoury, sweet and sour, with ripe tannins and more than adequate acidity, again with a long, warming finish. A Northern Rhone wine with a Southern Rhone warmth, this is again not hugely typical of the Saint-Joseph appellation, but is nevertheless absolutely delicious. Should retail for around £14.95.

La Ferme du Mont "Premier Cote" 2007 Cotes du Rhone
This has a lovely bright blood red colour, and a simply gorgeous nose. Briary and wild strawberry, redcurrant and cherry aromas abound, with notes of incense, undergrowth and polished wood. The palate is crammed full of redcurrant and cranberry flavours, countered by savoury/meaty notes and dark, bitter chocolate. Gentle tannins, lovely acidity and a warming finish. 2007 was a truly great year in the Rhone and I can hardly imagine there being many better examples of humble Cotes du Rhone than this one. Absolutely brilliant wine, which drinks brilliantly already, but will also age nicely for a few years. And at a projected selling price of £8.95, I'll be adding this one to my list!

La Ferme du Mont "Le Ponnant" 2008 Cotes du Rhone
A lovely pale straw colour, with orange tinges. The nose displays fresh white stone fruits, citrus, herbs and spice, with some lovely floral nuances. The palate is crisp and zesty, with a riot of apple, peach and mandarin flavours. Unlike many a white Cotes du Rhone I have tasted, this has no harsh edges and none of the sometimes overt aniseed flavours that I find can overpower a wine. Indeed, this remains zesty, fresh and full of vitality, not to mention a good deal of elegance and complexity. This may age for a good year or two (perhaps more) but why wait, when it is so delicious now. Another cracking wine, which should sell for around £9.95.

And a few other wines of interest..............

Domaine Treloar "One Block Red" 2007 Cotes du Roussillon
A typical young Grenache nose of blackcurrant pastille, black cherry, liqourice and eau de vie. Unlike the 2006 "One Block Grenache", this is a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, which has been aged in oak for 12 months, and though the oak has no overt influence on the flavours, there are some interesting notes of spice, leather and even a whiff of orange peel. Rich and savoury/spicy, almost meaty on the palate, but with bags of dark and red fruit flavours. Perhaps a touch tannic at the moment, but these are finely-grained and classy, and there is lovely acidity. This will be even better after a few more months in bottle, and should also age nicely for 5 years or more. This is the first of the 2007 reds I have tasted from Domaine Treloar, and will be in stock by mid-April, priced at £9.95. It also bodes well for the quality of the other red cuvées, which will be released later in the year.

Chateau Maresque "Elevé en Futs de Chene" 2006 Gaillac
I had already tasted a decent, if unremarkable, white 2007 and the standard bottling of the red 2006 from this grower. The standard red is full of rich black fruit flavours, but is currently rendered virtually undrinkable by huge, impenetrable tannins. I have every reason to believe that there is a really good wine lurking in there somewhere, but it really needs keeping for a good few years for those tannins to soften. I was therefore rather reluctant to open the oak-aged version, for fear that it may be similarly closed for business - but what a lovely surprise! 70% Syrah, 15% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in oak barrels (30% of which are new) for 11 months, it is still a virtually opaque purple/blue colour, and somewhat closed on the nose, with just hints of black fruits, chocolate and eau de vie. The palate, though, is much more open for business, with those big fruit flavours more able to express themselves. Rich and savoury, with ample acidity and chocolatey tannins, making for a mouth-watering bitter-sweet style. The tannins are still a little dominant, and on its own, this is still quite a challenging wine. But the oak-ageing has helped it to soften and fill-out nicely, and it really does come into its own with food (we enjoyed it with roast beef). Still on the young side, but beautifully poised and very promising. A keeper - and a really good one, at that. I'm not sure I have seen a price list from this grower, but I imagine I would need to sell it at around the £10 mark - which is good value for a wine with a really good future.

Domaine Raimbault-Pineau 2008 - Sancerre
100% Sauvignon Blanc. A nose of pea pod, freshly-cut grass and honey, with notes of asparagus and citrus lurking in the background. It has a lovely, rounded palate of citrus (lemon, lime, even a hint of clementine) melon and even a touch of honey, with tongue-tingling, minerally acidity and fabulous length. Beautifully dry and zingy, this is classic Sancerre - and mouth-watering stuff. Available now from my online shop at £12.25.

Vincent Lumpp La Grande Berge 2007 Givry 1er Cru
100% Chardonnay. Light-ish gold/straw colour, with a nose of citrus fruit, honey, mineral, spice and tropical fruit, with some well-judged toasty, slightly coconutty oak. Very racy and packed with flavours of lemon and lime, apple and allspice, with a lovely mineral streak. Pure, elegant and refreshing - and very long, too. An excellent introduction to white 1er Cru Burgundy and available now from my online shop at £14.95.

Next, I'll post notes on some of the highlights from April's white wine offerings at Nottingham Wine Circle and other tasting events.

Leon Stolarski
http://www.lsfinewines.co.uk/