The 2009 vintage in Roussillon

It has been far too long since I last posted on anything significant, although there have been a few replies to my post from a few weeks back about the International Wine Challenge, including a couple from the founder himself, Robert Joseph. It all makes for an interesting discussion, and my compliments go to Robert for taking the time to present his side of the argument.

I have some notes from an interesting tasting of Amarone and sweet Sherry at the Nottingham Wine Circle last week, which I will post on later this week. Tonight is the monthly gathering of the "Tuesday Group" at Le Mistral in Nottingham, where I am sure we will (as always) taste an excellent and eclectic selection of wines, accompanied by some nice food. And tomorrow evening, I will be presenting a tasting of wines from South-West France to the Wine Circle. I hope also to post notes on these, within the next few days.

Meanwhile, my friend Jonathan Hesford at Domaine Treloar has sent me a report on the 2009 vintage, which looks extremely promising - at least for quality growers such as Treloar. Here is Jon's full report;

"2009 has been a wetter year than the last 2 in the Roussillon with heavy rainfalls and even snow in winter and frequent rains right through summer. The summer was heatwave hot and quite humid too. August had hot days and nights but in September the nights cooled off. There were a couple of rainstorms during harvest but well-organised growers (like me!) would have avoided these. However, the drought conditions of 07 and 08 mean that the water content of the soils was still low and so are yields.

There was more downy mildew than usual and those growers who could not keep it under control will have lost crop. It also kills off the leaves which can delay ripening.

There was poor weather during the Grenache flowering and my yields from that variety are particularly low, although the quality was almost perfect. The Syrah was perhaps the best I've seen. The Carignan is considerably more concentrated than last year and the Mourvedre is both higher in yield and of good flavour. I was very happy with the Macabeu and Grenache Gris for La Terre Promise but the Muscat is perhaps a little too concentrated - more tropical fruit than mineral / floral. I picked the younger Syrah at 12% to make a rose by direct pressing, the best method and stopped the fermentation at 6g residual sugar to give it a touch of sweetness. I'm sure it will be the best rose in the Roussillon!

In general I think picking dates were earlier than the last 2 years. However, phenolic ripeness didn't progress at the same rate as sugar ripeness and growers who rely only on sugar would have picked grapes with unripe flavours. I would guess this will apply to many Coops who were picking about 1 week before the independants.

Acidity has been, for me, very good this year with grapes keeping acidity during ripening so that we can have wines with good ripe tannins, good concentration and yet good acidity to balance them and allow them to age well.

I've not really tasted anybody else's wines but my conclusion from what I hear is that the quality of the wines are good but quantities are low. I think there will be plenty of variation from one producer to another and a lot will depend on when growers picked and how the dealt with an atypical vintage. Is that what they call a "winemakers vintage"? "

A minor amendment to my Blog settings - spammers need not apply

I suppose it had to happen sooner or later. Some idiot by the name of "Sue" (registered as a Blogger, but - surprise, surprise - without a public profile) posted replies to a good few of my recent Blog entries, all of which consisted of nothing more than coded links to some or other crappy website. Suffice to say I have no wish to give these parasites any room for manoeuvre, and managed to delete these "comments" within minutes of them appearing. This is one of the few downsides to what is otherwise one of the most brilliant inventions in modern history - the Internet. Therefore, I have had to resort very reluctantly to moderating all replies. It won't stop anybody posting replies to any of my posts - it simply means that I will have to approve them before they are published. I have no intention of blocking any replies, as long as the content is relevant to my posts (or my Blog in general) and contains no offensive material or spam.

Anecdotal evidence tells me that there are now a very healthy number of people following my Blog, be they customers, friends, acquaintances, other bloggers or even complete strangers. Most of them just read it, but some occasionally add comments, for which I am most grateful - it is always nice to know that people find the content worthwhile enough to post replies. So please keep the comments coming and I will try to ensure they are published as soon as possible after you post them - and I'll also try to keep posting interesting and thought-provoking content, of course!

A lovely surprise - Terre Inconnue "Les Bruyeres" Vin de Table de France (1999)

I use the brackets because the label of a "mere" Vin de Table is not, strictly speaking, allowed to display a vintage. I promise you that I wouldn't waste my time buying and drinking any old Vin de Table - a denomination normally reserved for France's most lowly (and, generally speaking, vile) wines. But my view is that any quality wine grower serious enough and determined enough (and some may say stupid enough) to eschew not just the local "Appellation d'Origine Controlée" (AOC) but even the local "Vin de Pays" denomination must be making some seriously interesting and quirky wines. And they usually tend to find a way of circumventing the rules by indicating the vintage somewhere on the label - in this case, with the none-too-subtle use of the code L : 1999 in the bottom right corner(!)

My friends Andy Leslie and Bernard Caille picked some of this wine up at a recent auction for an all-in price of £12 per bottle and I think my two bottles represent £24 well spent - especially if the second bottle is anywhere near as good as this one. A little research tells me that Les Bruyeres is the "basic" wine of this cult Languedoc grower, and tends to retail for somewhat less than a tenner (for the current vintage) although it is not currently available in the UK. But I'm happy to have paid a bit of a premium for a wine that has some decent bottle age and seems to me to be at the peak of its drinking window.

It was only after tasting this wine that I did any research, yet I sensed all the hallmarks of a weird and wonderful Carignan. And, indeed, that is exactly what it turns out to be - 100% Carignan, picked fairly late, I would guess, and made in quite a rich, baked style, with what seems like extended maturation before bottling. It is now almost tawny in colour, with a very pale amber/brick, almost onion skin rim - very light in colour. And it has the hallmark plummy, high-toned, almost beetrooty aroma of aged Carignan, with all sorts of other things going on, such as decaying leaves, cranberry, wild strawberry and hints of garrigue herbs and exotic spices - and a noticeable, though very pleasant, dose of volatile acidity (think nail polish remover). All-in-all, a very complex and quirky nose, not a million miles away from Chateau Musar in structure.

The palate is fruity, in a decaying sort of way, but there is still a fresh, sweet, almost fruit pastille quality about it. Add to that a refreshingly acidic backbone, almost fully-resolved tannins, herbs and spices and a long, warming finish and you have one very lovely and very intersting wine. Not one for the purists, perhaps, but hugely interesting. I have a feeling that this is not going to evolve further and perhaps needs drinking fairly soon. And indeed, the last glass, consumed 24 hours after opening, is a bit less voluptuous than last night. But what a lovely wine, while it lasted.

Since none of the wines of Terre Inconnue seem to be available in the UK at present, it may be that I should pay them a visit, next time I am in the region......... ;-)

Chateauneuf-du-Pape - is it growing on me?

Following on from my tasting note on the lovely Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe 1994 (see Sunday 30 August below) we had an intersting tasting at the Nottingham Wine Circle this week, based on New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs and Chateauneuf-du-Pape. The less said about the Sauvignons, the better, as far as I am concerned. They ranged from pretty poor to fairly good, but that's about the long and the short of it. In fact, unless it is made by a good winemaker in the cooler climes of the Loire Valley (or by the odd quality grower in Languedoc - but I would say that!) it can be a pretty boring grape variety.

The Chateauneufs, on the other hand, ranged from reasonably good to excellent, so here are some thoughts on a few of the ones we tasted;

Domaine Chante Perdrix Selection Reflets 1986 was lovely, with a complex perfume of liqourice, rotting old fruit, forest floor and polished wood. No real fruit flavours left, just beautifully "winey", herby and spicey, in an old sort of way.

Clos de l'Oratoire des Papes 2001 was nice, if not top-notch. Relatively young, but nevertheless not as soft as some 2001's, though with a lot of character and some nice fruit and spicey warmth. Not a polished wine, but nicely rustic, and not bad for what I believe was a supermarket wine.

Clos des Papes 2000, on the other hand, was savoury, herby and meaty, but supremely elegant. It also has some of that classic baked fruit character, which can be too much in the clumsier Chateauneufs, but in the hands of a skilled and sympathetic winemaker can add depth and richness to an otherwise elegant wine. And this one - as with most vintages of Clos des Papes - was truly light on its feet. In fact, I know of no other Chateauneuf grower that produces such elegant wines. Very classy stuff, that will be even better in 10 years' time.

Mont Redon 1999 was light-ish and more like a good Cotes du Rhone than classic Chateauneuf - nice acidity, quite light and rustic, with a hint of stalkiness. Needs drinking fairly soon, though.

Domaine de Villeneuve 1998 was a bit soupy and, to be honest, a bit boring. In fact, it had what I call the "1998 disease" of bovril, meat, leather and the like - but little left in the way of fruit. So many Rhone wines - i.e. not just Chateauneuf - have, after a promising first few years (and some great reviews from those "expert" critics) lost most of their fruit and taste soupy and baked. This one may age a bit, but if there is little in the way of fruit now, then what would be the point? I say drink up.

Clos du Mont Olivet 1999 was also full of secondary aromas and flavours, but had much more in the way of fruit. An enjoyable wine, though my note is too sketchy to do it justice - I was finding it hard to retain my concentration and lucidity by the end!

Anyway, an enjoyable tasting - at least as far as the red wines were concerned - and perhaps confirmation that I am beginning to appreciate Chateauneuf-du-Pape a little more. Though it will never quite match the true elegance and excitement of the top wines of the Northern Rhone.

The International Wine Challenge - what is the point of it(?) and other rants!

It was during the late 1980's when I first set out on my journey of discovery of the great big world of wine. That was around the time that Diane and I began enjoying the odd bottle or two of Bulgarian Cabernet, Romanian Pinot, various Aussie blends and the like with our meals. Well, everybody has to start somewhere - and some of those wines were, I seem to recall, very enjoyable. But it wasn't until I began to discover such delights as Chateau Musar 1979 and Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz 1987 that I began to suspect that there may be so much more out there to discover.

I can't remember who pointed me in the direction of Chateau Musar, but I am eternally grateful, because various vintages have given me so much pleasure over the years. And I still have a few 1991's, 1996's (much underrated, but gaining weight all the time) and 2001's tucked away. Not that Musar is cheap anymore (my first bottle cost around a fiver) but, at around £15 a bottle for the current vintage, it is still a relative bargain. As for Penfolds Bin 28, I can remember exactly where I first heard about it - from the results of the much-publicised International Wine Challenge (IWC), where it won a gold medal and was named "red wine of the year". And a beautiful wine it was too - so much so that it really fired my imagination and got me really interested in Aussie wines. Oh, how times have changed...... Is it my palate that has changed/evolved, or are Australian wines so different, these days? If truth be told, perhaps the answer is a little bit of both. However, I digress...........

Perhaps it was always the case that wines entered into the IWC were mainly from the supermarkets and high street chains such as Oddbins, Thresher/Wine Rack/Bottoms-Up and Majestic. But then again, 20 years ago, the supermarkets and the afore-mentioned high street chains genuinely were pushing the boundaries and unleashing countless interesting (and often brilliant) wines onto the market, thereby introducing a whole new audience to the delights of good wine.

But fast-forward 20 years, and the scene is much more depressing. Oddbins is a mere shadow of its former self (although some brave soul is attempting to revive its fortunes - with very mixed results, it would seem), whilst Thresher is reduced to selling predominantly "brand" wines at vastly over-inflated "normal" prices, but thinks it is clever to offer "buy 2 bottles and get a 3rd bottle free" - or (a variation on the same tired theme) "40% off", by way of cheap viral marketing. Perhaps they should stick to selling fags and Special Brew. Majestic is still trying (a bit) although its ever-increasing size means that more and more mass market wines are finding their way onto its shelves, at the expense of the more interesting wines from smaller, independent growers. I guess it won't be long before they are as "interesting" as the various arms of the giant Laithwaites empire. As for the supermarkets, they have mostly become deserts for thirsty wine drinkers on the lookout for interesting and unusual wines. In fact, the less said about them the better.

Which (finally!) brings me back to the International Wine Challenge. I had a look through some of the results yesterday and they made for depressing reading. Or, at least, the French ones did. Obviously, the first sections I headed for (using the "Find me an award winning wine" search facility, on the right hand side of the page) were red and white Languedoc and Roussillon and Vins de Pays. And virtually all I found were pages and pages of generic wines churned out mostly by village co-operatives, negociants and multi-national concerns - exactly the sort of boring stuff to be found on supermarket shelves. The odd "bronze", here and there - perhaps even a few "silver", but mostly just "commended". There even seemed to be several pages-worth of "awards" for the giant Skalli/Fortant de France outfit - they make a few decent(ish) and technically correct wines, but nothing to get excited about. I then headed to the Burgundy section and found much the same - mostly generic bottlings and wines from a few negociant firms and bottom-end growers (i.e. mostly supermarket wines again).

A quick look at the California section revealed yet more branded wines, along with, it has to be said, a few top-end and icon wines as well. What really caught my eye, though were the various Australian sections - countless pages of awarded wines, ranging from the usual generic stuff, through to some of the top icon wines, and all points inbeween. Which only serves to illustrate just how aggressive the Australian growers (or more likely their regional and national marketing boards) are in promoting their wines. It doesn't necessarily mean that Australian wines are better - although judging by the results of this competition, you'd think Australia was by far and away the greatest wine producing country in the world! Of course, you have to admire the Aussies for their marketing efforts. After all, they haven't become the number one exporter of wines to the UK market by sitting on their backsides and waiting for it to happen - which is what the French (or, at least, their regional maketing bodies) seem to do.

The problem is that France - as a whole - sees itself as the greatest wine-producing country in the world. Which, in my opinion (and, I would venture, that of a decent majority of the world's wine lovers) it is. But that is beside the point. The pre-eminence and reputation of the top wines from France's greatest regions means that they will always sell. But what of the thousands upon thousands of small, independent growers throughout the country who are producing brilliant wines, but struggle to find a market for them? Other than small merchants such as myself, together with the more adventurous agents/importers, there appear to be few routes into the main markets such as the UK, Europe, the Americas and the Far East.

It is easy for people like me to blame the French marketing boards for this (and I frequently do!) but there is another equally plausible explanation; that the sheer diversity of France's wine regions, styles and number of quality-minded growers - which is undoubtedly its greatest asset - also happens to be its greatest problem. Vive La France - Vive la Difference, as it were.

So what is the solution? I only wish I knew. Perhaps, in our world of homogenous products and homogenous food and wines, there is no big solution. But (and I know I've said this many times before, but I'm going to say it again) if a marketing body with the apparent clout of Les Maisons de la Régions Languedoc-Roussillon cannot even provide funding assistance for the publication of the first major book on the region's wines written in at least 6 or 7 years (by my friend Peter Gorley), then what hope is there?

I must say, this blog entry began as a bit of a rant about the futility of the International Wine Challenge and all it stands for. And don't get me started on the fact that it would cost me in the region of 100 quid (plus several sample bottles) simply to enter one single wine into this competition. If I wanted to enter (say) 20 of my wines, I would immediately be 2 Grand (plus goodness-knows-how-many cases of wine) worse off. And for what? I've seen more than enough anecdotal evidence to suggest that "serious" wine drinkers (the ones I want to drink my wines) are not the slightest bit interested in whether a wine has some or other award ticket draped around its neck. Call it snobbery, but I avoid such wines like the plague. Problem is, 95% of the UK's wine drinkers see an IWC medal on a bottle and immediately assume that it is better than all of the other bottles on the shelf.

So, to round off what has become a bit of a lengthy post(!) and to answer my own question; What is the IWC all about? Well its about marketing, of course. And on that score, the supermarkets (and the Australians) win hands down.

A lovely Chateauneuf-du-Pape - Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe 1994

I am not exactly known amongst my wine geek friends for my love of Chateauneuf, but I do drink the odd one now and then, for personal pleasure - if its a good 'un, of course! I love Clos des Papes and Les Cailloux (we tasted a stunning 1983 at Nottingham Wine Circle on Wednesday), whilst Vieux Télégraphe has always been one of my favourites. So, inspired by that wonderful '83 Les Cailloux, I decided last night was the night for a C9P fix, with a bottle of Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe 1994.

And what a lovely drop it proved to be. A bit of stinky brett on opening, but a quick double-decant and it soon blew off to reveal just the right blend of fruit and savoury, with a touch of acidity and some typically rustic (but softening) tannin. The thing I don't like about many Chateauneufs is that they often have just too much savouriness for my nose and palate, but this one - as so often with Vieux Télégraphe - has plenty of that crystallised fruit quality that I love. Raspberry and blackcurrant fruit pastilles are what come to mind, with just enough blood and beef and earthiness to balance the fruit with the savoury. If I'm being hyper-critical, there is perhaps just a touch too much alcoholic heat (rather than warmth) on the finish, but it is a lovely wine nonetheless, and went brilliantly with rib steak.

A nice wine, which makes me look forward even more to taking delivery of my allocation of 5 cases of André Brunel's Domaine Les Cailloux 2007, in a month or two. I will be sorely tempted to keep a case aside for my own enjoyment, so that means 4 cases left for my customers! ;-) It will be a bargain, too, at around £25 per bottle. If you'd like some, let me know, as I don't expect it to hang around for too long.

A lifetime's ambition achieved - a single figure golf handicap!

I posted a few weeks back about the summer of sport and mentioned the fact that I had just won the weekly competition at my local golf club. That win left me tantalisingly close to achieving a single-figure handicap for the first time in my life. Well, I finally went and did it yesterday! And it was all the more satisfying to do it whilst not playing at the top of my game.

My driving was pretty iffy all day, and my iron play was a bit up and down, although I did fire a few short irons close to the pin. The only parts of my game that really worked consistently well were my chipping and my putting, which (on a breezy day, with lightning-fast greens) was most satisfying - I call it "being in the zone", when concentration comes easy and you are oblivious to what is going on around you. And knowing that I needed to have a good finish to be in with a chance, it was also very satisfying to par the last three holes (though I did miss a tricky six-footer for birdie on 17). It all added up to a hard-fought round of 75 (nett 65), which also won me the first division (for golfers with a handicap of 10 or less). Frustratingly, one less shot would have won me the trophy as well, but I can't be too greedy, can I? After all, any hacker will tell you that - unless you are a very gifted golfer - a single figure handicap is the Holy Grail.

So I am one very happy bunny at the moment - and I certainly feel there is a good deal of room for improvement. Category 1 (a handicap of 3 or under) is probably out of the question - I don't play nearly as often as required and, at 48 years of age, I am probably getting a bit too old. But I see no reason why I can't knock another 3 or 4 shots off my handicap, before age finally catches up with me and it starts going the other way again. Of course, enjoyment is the main thing, so it would not be the end of the world if this were to be as good as it gets. And, for now, I am enjoying my golf a lot!

Happy times, indeed. Oh, and thanks to all of those who have enquired after my health, in recent weeks. I am glad to report that I am finally pretty much back to full health. I even feel like pressing forward with the wine business again, rather than just keeping it ticking-over (which I have to do, of course, come rain or shine). So watch out for lots of new wines coming up in the next few months.

Tasting notes - three truly outstanding Jurançons

I've been a bit remiss recently, having not posted on the Blog for well over a week. For one thing, I have been trying to take life a bit easier, in an effort to finally rid myself of the horrible virus that has afflicted me for the best part of 6 weeks now - and I finally feel as if I am getting there.

I have also been busying myself with the enjoyable but laborious task of tasting my way through goodness-knows-how-many sample bottles, brought back from my recent trip to France. The enjoyment side of things goes without saying, of course (how could it not be) but the laborious bit also comes into play, because I have to try and be objective and analytical in writing extensive tasting notes and assessing these wines for possible inclusion in the Leon Stolarski Fine Wines list. Some of them (for whatever reason) get an immediate thumbs-down, some need thinking about a bit more and re-assessing next day, whilst others are ear-marked for definite inclusion. And it isn't an easy task. To a certain extent, I have to put aside my personal prejudices and my affinity with the growers and be realistic in assessing which wines I can recommend without hesitation - i.e. which offer a good quality/price ratio and - for the more expensive wines - whether they are truly worth the extra outlay. In other words, can I sell them with complete confidence, whatever the price?

And there are some really good wines amongst this current crop of samples, a good few of which I will be adding to the list over the next few months. But the latest vintages from my Jurançon grower Domaine de Montesquiou, which will be added to the list in the next month or so, stand out as possibly the most consistently brilliant wines I have ever tasted from one single grower's new batch of releases. And given that these three wines will be priced from around £9 to no more than £15, I am truly awe-struck by their quality!

Apologies for the quality of the photo, which - due to the fact that my camera batteries have been "borrowed" by one of my boys - was taken on my mobile phone (which has no flash) in my kitchen after dark. Nevertheless, aren't those labels (especially the two on the right) gorgeous?! More importantly, the contents of the bottles are truly outstanding - all three of them..........

Firstly, Domaine de Montesquiou La Rosée de Montesquiou 2008 Jurançon Sec has everything that the 2006 and 2007 had, but is even better. A riot of lemon, lime, apple and pineapple aromas and flavours, shot through with steely/slatey minerality. Some interesting herb and spice notes, too. Classic, mouth-watering Jurançon acidity carries all the way through to a long finish. This is complex, classy and truly delicious. A blend of 50% Gros Manseng, 10% Petit Manseng and 40% Courbu, it will retail at £9.50.

Secondly, Domaine de Montesquiou Cuvade Préciouse 2007 Jurançon Sec is somewhat different from the 2006, in that any oak influence is more restrained and integrated and makes for more of a creamy, honeyed quality than the tosty oak vanillin of the 2006. And I have to say that - much as I love the 2006 - this 2007 is all the more pure and representative of its appellation. None of that wonderfully intense, lemon and mineral Jurançon terrroir is hidden from view this time. In fact, it is almost like a bone dry version of the sweet Grappe d'Or (see below). It is hard to categorise, since great Jurancon offers one of the most distinctive and individual white wine styles, but if you are partial to a 1er Cru Burgundy or an Alsace Grand Cru Riesling, then you will almost certainly love this. And at a projected retail price of around £11.75, it will be one very special bargain.

And finally, Domaine de Montesquiou Grappe d'Or 2007 Jurançon. What can I say about this wine that I haven't said about previous vintages? The 2005 and 2006 were good, but this 2007 vintage is every bit as good as - perhaps even better than - the outstanding 2004. Pure gold in colour, this is made from 100% Petit Manseng, harvested in late November and early December, when the grapes are dehydrated and the flavours concentrated. And I think I even detect a hint of Botrytis in this one, which adds yet more complexity. There are rich, heady aromas including creme brulée, toffee apple, lime marmalade, root ginger and allspice. And the combination on the palate of the dense, sweet fruit and the almost shocking acidity makes for a wine of incredible contrast - almost ethereal and other-worldly. And although the concept of drinking the whole bottle on its own is almost irresistable, it is also a perfect match for foie gras and patés, all manner of cheeses and, of course, lemon or apple-based desserts. A Sussex Pond Pudding springs to mind. All I can say is wow - what a wine! And at around £14.95 a bottle, undoubtedly one of (if not the) world's great sweet wine bargains.

Several of my customers and wine-loving friends tell me that Domaine de Montesquiou is the best discovery I have ever made and the finest grower on my list. And, on this showing, who am I to argue? I hope to take delivery of these wines within the next 4 to 6 weeks and I expect them to be very popular amongst those in the know. If you would like to reserve some, please drop me an email at sales@lsfinewines.co.uk and I will make sure you get some as soon as they arrive in stock.

Just another week at Nottingham Wine Circle(!)

What can I say? This was just a normal "bottle blind" tasting at the weekly meeting of the Nottingham Wine Circle. Rarely does a week go by without one or two cracking wines cropping up. After all, this group has been meeting for around 25 years (and many of the older members have been collecting wines on a serious basis for a good deal longer). But this week was, to put it mildly, a bit of a "vintage week". There were almost too many lovely wines to mention, but here are my thoughts on a few of the the most note-worthy ones;

Louis Chapuis Corton "Languettes" Grand Cru 1984
A very mature garnet colour, browning at the rim. OK, so this was probably a few years past its best, but it was certainly still clinging on very nicely. Notes of undergrowth, tobacco, mushroom and fading red fruits. All the flavours were secondary, but there was still some sweet fruit in there, along with a certain savouriness and absolutely bags of mouth-watering, sherberty acidity. A grand old dame of a Burgundy.

Santa Rita Medalla Real Cabernet Sauvignon 1985, Maipo Valley
Yes, you read it right, this is a 24 year-old Chilean Cabernet. Tasted blind, we were all over the place with this one, with suggestions of Bordeaux, Australia and California. Indeed, it had some of the best attributes of all of those, with classic, aged Cabernet aromas and flavours - black fruits, tobacco and cedar, and hints of orange, sweet red pepper and toffee. Perhaps lacking the "austerity" of classic Bordeaux, but all the better for it, in my book. Medium-bodied, supremely balanced, elegant, with soft tannins, a good deal of still-luscious fruit and wonderful acidity - and right up there with some of the finest Cabernets and Clarets I have tasted. And just 12.0% abv. I remember when I first started to get really serious about wine (around 20 years ago) when just about every so-called wine writer or journalist was decrying "old style" wines from countries like Chile and Spain (see my note on the fantastic 1981 CVNE Rioja from a few days ago) and saying that they needed to start making more "modern" wines. Some of those writers and journalists are still around now - though I wonder why. Well shame on them, because the world is now awash with those "modern" wines, most of which I would not cross the road to taste - and would certainly never buy. This grand old Chilean wine may be "old style", but it certainly ticked all of the boxes as far as I was concerned. A lovely, lovely wine, which shows what the New World could (and did) do. If only it were still so.

Pascal Michon Moulin A Vent 1999 "Vin Non Filtre"
"Crikey", I thought, "this is bloody good Burgundy!" In recent months, I have been lucky enough to find out first-hand what is often said about really good, aged Cru Beaujolais (i.e. Gamay) - that it truly can take on some very Burgundian (i.e. Pinot Noir) characteristics. For all the world, this smelt and tasted like a really good Burg! Cherry notes (both red and black) with hints of darker fruits, cedar, forest floor, some savoury notes and all manner of other things going on. Succulent fruit on the palate, too, with fantastic acidity and a touch of tannin. Hugely complex stuff, and one of the most beguiling Beaujolais I have ever tasted. Wonderful stuff.

Coudoulet de Beaucastel Cotes du Rhone 1995
This was sent round the table as a pair, with Domaine de Pegau Chateuneuf-du-Pape 1995 - and the Coudoulet won, hands-down. For me, a classic, aged Cotes du Rhone of this pedigree can often take on the nuances of a good Burgundy, with the high-toned red fruits, light-bodied texture, notes of undergrowth (again!) and mouth-watering acidity that can lift them above some of the more savoury, alcoholic, low acid wines of the more celebrated appellations of the southern Rhone. Don't get me wrong, the Pegau wasn't a bad wine (far from it) but - tasted alongside the Coudoulet - it just tasted dull in comparison. I myself am not a fan of Chateau de Beaucastel (and I have tasted many vintages of said wine) but its little brother Coudoulet is right up my strasse - a cracking wine, year-in, year-out.


Chateau Leoville Poyferré 1988 St Julien (2eme Cru Classé)
This was good - very good, in fact, with typical Claret structure and a great deal of finesse. Perfumed (polished wood, red and black berry fruits, capsicum, black cherry), elegant, perhaps even soft, with fully resolved tannins and nice acidity. I can see why the Claret-heads love this sort of wine (and I agree with their sentiments about it showing even better with food) but - in all honesty (and shoot me down in flames for saying so) - I slightly preferred the Santa Rita Cabernet. Horses for courses, I guess. This was still a lovely wine, though.

Clos du Clocher Pomerol 1994 also deserves a mention, since it was another Claret I enjoyed, though this wasn't exactly a stellar vintage. Savoury, with slightly more of the green pepper notes I find in a lot of Bordeaux (despite, I assume, being predominantly Merlot) and a touch of mint, also with hints of toffee, mushroom, wood polish and tobacco. Complex stuff, definitely of the old school and I imagine it would make a great match for (say) a leg of lamb.

Lindemans St George Vineyard Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 1989
I correctly guessed Australia, Coonawarra and Cabernet Sauvignon. Not such a great feat, I don't think, since this is undoubtedly one of Australia's greatest terroir/grape combinations and one that a Europhile (in wine terms) such as me can really identify with and enjoy. It couldn't really be anything other than Australian, with that distinctive combination of blackcurrant and mint (and perhaps just the merest hint of eucalyptus), but there is such elegance and finesse here, it almost seems light in comparison to many of its warmer-climate cousins. And that is certainly no bad thing, in my book. There is sweet Cabernet fruit, and even (if you concentrate hard enough) a hint of peppery greenness, but it also possesses an almost citrus-like acidity that is most refreshing and elevates it to another level. An Aussie wine for Claret lovers - and me. Delicious!

How lucky am I to taste so many wonderful wines on such a regular basis?!

A couple of great wines tasted last Friday

Various members of the Nottingham Wine Circle, plus a few guests, gathered last Friday at Pretty Orchid restaurant in Nottingham, to share a good few bottles of wine and some excellent food, prepared by owner and Wine Circle member CY Choong. Most of the wines were white, since a menu which included goat’s cheese and onion tart, battered calamari with spicy salad and monkfish demanded whites not reds. And we enjoyed, amongst other things, a cracking Austrian Gruner Veltliner 1997, some nice Meursault and Chassagne Montrachet 1er Crus and my very own delicious Domaine de Montesquiou Cuvade Preciouse 2006 Jurancon.

I must admit that, although I always take a notepad and pen with me to every tasting I attend, I grow tired of taking endless notes on the wines, since it often detracts from the actual enjoyment of those wines. After all, who needs notes on anything up to 2,000 wines a year, especially the bad and indifferent ones? And what would I do with them?

Then again, it is nice to have that notepad to hand when a great wine pops up, especially since the notes on such wines tend to almost write themselves. And, despite the overall majority of the wines being white, the 2 best wines of the night were red. And what wines!

Firstly, CVNE Vina Real 1981 Rioja Gran Reserva. What a fabulously mature and beautiful wine, with a nose combining cloves, sweet red pepper, fenugreek and oodles of sweet red fruits. Other notes I detected were candied orange zest, Bovril and gingerbread. All-in-all, a very complex wine indeed. And neither the nose nor the palate showed any sign of alcohol – just wine. All of the elements from the nose combined on the palate in a soft, velvety wine, with more than ample acidity – combining elements of lemon, orange and raspberry vinegar - and just a hint of almost sweet, tea-like tannin. Think of the best that Burgundy and Bordeaux has to offer, and add a touch of Spanish warmth and you have one glorious wine, almost without fault. Well I couldn’t find one, anyway!

CVNE Vina Real 1981 Rioja Gran Reserva

This was immediately followed by Tourelles de Longueville 1998 Paulliac, which showed amazingly well in the wake of such a brilliant wine as the CVNE. Spicy and cedary, with red cherry and raspberry and only a hint of blackcurrant (a plus, in my book). And there was no hint of the green notes one often finds in Bordeaux wines, but perhaps a bit of sweet red pepper (the juicy, pointy kind) along with notes of orange, Bovril (again) and tea. A lovely wine, which didn’t quite reach the heights of the Rioja – though who knows how it may evolve, in another 10 years time – but a very good try, and another lovely wine.

A good summer of sport - and a single figure golf handicap is now within my grasp!

I am always a little sad when July is over, since it sees the end of the intense flurry of activity that is (for me, at least) the great summer of sport. Roland Garros, Wimbledon, The Open and Le Tour have all come and gone, not to mention a host of exciting motorsport events (mainly the two-wheeled variety). Even in a year without a major international football tournament, there is plenty to go at - for a few short weeks

Roland Garros and Wimbledon were classic tournaments, with lots of really exciting matches and plenty to get excited about if you were British (or, more specifically, Scottish) and with Federer back to his best. Frankly, the less said about the women's game, the better - as ever, there is plenty of screaming and grunting and lots of average tennis, followed by the inevitable win by one or other of the Williams sisters. They are a league apart from the rest, which serves only to make things extremely boring. It isn't the Williams sisters' fault, of course - they can only beat what is out in front of them.

The Open could have been a classic, if only Tom Watson could have completed the fairytale with a par on the 72nd hole. A club too much and/or an unlucky bounce with his approach to the green put paid to that, and his chance had gone. The feeling of utter deflation during Watson's play-off with Stuart Cink was almost too much to bear. And that was just for me and the millions that were praying for a Watson win. Goodness knows how the great man himself felt! And so it was that yet another journeyman American with God on his side won The Open. That said, it really is time that one of our lot lived up to the hype and started winning major championships. Until they do (and there are a good few with the ability, though seemingly not the belief in themselves) we have to accept that even your average journeyman American deserves it more. I just wish they would leave God out of the equation, occasionally!

The 2009 Tour de France was not a classic in the true sense of the word - once Alberto Contador had asserted his authority on the first serious mountain stage, the result was never really in doubt. But it it is still, in my opinion, the greatest annual sporting event. And it was great to see Lance Armstrong return and prove the doubters wrong. Irrespective of whether he can win another Tour (and I certainly wouldn't rule him out in 2010, once he has another year's competititive race fitness under his belt) his presence certainly rejuvinated the Tour and drew the best out of the other contenders. And with Mark Cavendish proving himself to be one of the greatest sprinters of all time and the emergence of Bradley Wiggins as a truly world-class stage race rider and climber, it all looks good for the British riders in years to come. I can't wait for the 2010 Tour - it should be a cracker.

............................................................

Talking of golf, I think the enforced lay-off due to my holiday (not to mention my recovery - almost - from this horrendous virus I have been suffering from) has done my own game the world of good. After a pretty average performance in the previous week's competition at my local club, I returned on Saturday with no great expectations. My usual double-bogey on the 1st hole was followed by a bogey on the 3rd. 3 over par after 3 holes is hardly disastrous for a 12 handicapper, but hardly a dream start, either. However, 3 birdies in the next 9 holes saw me standing on the 13th tee at level par - i.e. with all 12 shots of my handicap still to play with. And by then, it had even stopped raining!

That's when I started to wobble a bit. I am not a great front-runner, and the mere notion of having effectively played scratch golf for 12 holes started to take its toll on my nerves. However, I still managed to reach the par-3 16th tee at only 2 over par - and then the wheels started to come off. A duffed tee shot and another iffy approach shot, followed by an average chip and two putts meant a double-bogey 5. Another birdie on the 17th settled the nerves, but a pushed tee shot on 18 saw me out of bounds and playing 3 off the tee - and finishing up in the trees, with no option but to chip out sideways. It all added up to a triple-bogey 7 and a final total of 75 (nett 63, with my handicap taken off). I thought I'd blown it. Fortunately, though, the next best score turned out to be nett 66.

So I am now the proud winner of the Eric Perry Cup (my third prize of the season so far, having won my division on two other occasions) and the proud owner of a handicap of 10.1. Single figures has never been so close to being a reality for me. And without the slightest help from God, I might add!

Tiger Woods, watch out!

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