The Hotel Piesporter Goldtröpfchen and the wines of Kurt Hain

I can't believe it is just a month since TLD and I returned from our short break in the Mosel Valley - it all seems like a distant (but lovely) memory now. Furthermore, I can't believe that it has taken me this long to share some of my impressions about the country, the region, the scenery, the people, the food and (very importantly) the wines. And although we only actually visited 2 wine growers for tastings, they both turned out to make wines of a very high standard indeed. Actually, one of these visits wasn't really a "visit" at all, since the Kurt Hain winery is situated underneath the Hotel Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, which (rather conveniently!) happened to be our base for the duration of our stay. Indeed, the hotel is owned by the Hain family - current winemaker Gernot Hain looks after the wines side of things, whilst his wife Susanne runs the hotel.

The hotel is situated in the old part of Piesport (the newer part is on the other side of the river), which sits snugly between the north bank of the Mosel and the magnificent amphitheatre of the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen vineyard. It isn't hard to find, since there is really just one road, with the hotel, a church and a few houses dotted along the riverbank. It really is a lovely, peaceful setting.
  

Old Piesport, viewed from the main town on the opposite side of the River Mosel -

- the hotel is between the bridge and the church

And the hotel itself really is rather lovely, too, offering an extremely comfortable level of accommodation. Our room was really spacious and airy and had a delightful view over the river, with patio doors and small balconies, from which to view the vineyards behind.

The Hotel Piesporter Goldtröpfchen

A room with a view - and so comfortable, too

Breakfast was served in the main restaurant area, with a variety of breads, charcuterie, cheese, conserves, cereals, boiled eggs and unlimited fruit juices, tea and coffee. One never need go hungry! 

A hearty breakfast - enough to see us through until dinner

Our total bill for 4 nights bed and breakfast came to just 280 Euros - which has to be a cracking bargain, in anybody's book. We'll certainly go back there one day (hopefully sooner rather than later) and I would recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone looking for a base from which to tour the Middle Mosel region. Full details of both the hotel and the winery can be found on the Hain website.

So....what of the wines? Well, I have to say that they turned out to be every bit as good as I expected. The Hain family has been growing wine since 1600, and today has holdings in Piesport’s top sites of Goldtropfchen and Domherr, with a total of around 5 hectares under vine, producing approximately 35,000 bottles a year. Gernot Hain began managing the estate in 1988, and no less an authority than Hugh Johnson has described him as “one of the most talented young wine producers on the Mosel.” A little Rivaner, Weißer Burgunder (Pinot Blanc) and Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) is grown here, but most of the vineyards are given over to what I personally consider to be the greatest white grape variety of them all - Riesling. And Riesling is what we concentrated on for our tasting. All of the wines are vinified in a traditional manner, using mostly very old oak foudres, plus some stainless steel tanks. These are wines of substance, well-structured, with fine fruit and mineral tones and great aging potential. Because there were so many wines on offer (getting on for 50, in all) we stuck with the traditional fruity (or "fruchtige") versions, rather than the increasingly fashionable trocken and feinherb wines, which I personally find less attractive.

Here are my notes - some of them just brief impressions jotted down in the Hain cave, others a bit more in-depth from a recent tasting session at the Nottingham Wine Circle.

Hain Weißer Burgunder 2009

This was dry, but nevertheless quite rich and full, with good structure and subtle oak-ageing. Could turn out very interesting.

Hain Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Kabinett 2009
We enjoyed 2 or 3 bottles of this during our stay and I could never tire of it. Limes and wet slate on the nose, with a touch of herbaceousness - even herbiness - including aromas of nettles and cut grass, even fresh peas. Oh, and loads of fruit, with apple, lime and mandarin orange. It is fairly rich for a Kabinett, almost like a Spätlese, with flavours of mandarin and lime and a touch of honeyed richness and oiliness, all held together with truly mouth-watering acidity and a taut, mineral streak. Delicious, long and lovely. 

Hain Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Kabinett 2007
This is softer and mellower than the 2009, with the acidity softening, yet still oh-so fruity and delicious.

Hain Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese No.12 2006
This is markedly different to the 2009's, in that it is rich and intense - almost painfully so, when first opened - with lime, lemon, stone fruit and mineral aromas, with a faint but definite whiff of trademark diesel/petrol. The palate is incredibly intense, almost super-charged, with essence of citrus, mango and crystallised fruits, allied to zingy acidity and strong minerality. There's a definite hint of botrytis, too, which adds a rich, honeyed quality. This is many years from being "ready", but shows fantastic promise for the future - and actually softens out nicely over a couple of days after opening. A stunner.

 

Hain Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese No.12 2005
This is possibly even more mineral than the 2006, yet lighter on its feet and more approachable. Slatey, lemony fruit, with floral notes and no noticeable botrytis. This is one to drink now, whilst the 2006 matures. Long and lovely.

Hain Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese No.12 Rotschiefer 2009
Intense aromas of grape and mandarin, with loads of mouth-watering acidity to complement the residual sugar. Clean, pure, focused and delicious.

Hain Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese No.13 Grauschiefer 2009
There's a touch of sulphur on the nose, at present, but not enough to mask the intense mineral, lemon and lime aromas, with hints of white pepper, cloves and flowers. The palate shows intense lime and peach flavours, dessert apples and spice. For all its lush sweetness and huge core of ripe fruit, it is incredibly focused, with laser-like acidity. Balanced, poised and very long. Fabulous stuff.

Hain Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese Felsterrassen 2009
Another intense wine. The nose has stone/slate, with an array of fruit aromas including (but not limited to) lemon zest, peach, apricot and mango, along with an interesting toffee/fudge note. And what a palate - the flavours of oranges, apricots and grapes are so rich, so intense, so concentrated, yet once again this is a wine that is so focused and zingy with its backbone of minerality and acidity. It is just this sort of contrariness that  I love in fine Riesling - how can a wine be so luscious and seemingly sweet, yet so utterly bracing, juicy and mouth-watering? Is it worth 2 Euros more than the Rotshiefer and the Grauschiefer? I think it is. A brilliant, delectable wine, with a great future.

Contact details:
Weingut Kurt Hain, Am Domhof 5, 54498 Piesport
Tel: 06507-2442
Email: weingut-hain@t-online.de
Web: http://www.weingut-hain.de/en

Two more brilliant wines from Domaine de La Marfée

Those of you who follow my blog on a regular basis (or, indeed, buy my wines) will know that I am a huge fan of the wines of Domaine de La Marfée. I have posted notes on all of the 2007 wines elsewhere on this blog, and also wrote quite a lengthy article about biodynamic viticulture and natural wines, which featured very heavily on the biodynamic (though thankfully not "natural") practices employed by La Marfée winemaker Thierry Hasard. So it goes without saying that when I was offered a few cases of Les Champs Murmurés 2000 and 2001 (one of Thierry's top cuvées) by a previous importer - and at a decent price - I jumped at the chance. I'd enjoyed a bottle of the 2000 a couple of years back, so I knew how good it was, but the 2001 was more of a shot in the dark - and a very successful one. These days, this cuvée is made from Syrah and Mourvedre, but these earlier vintages also included a proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon - hence the Vin de Pays denomination. Here are my notes, from a bottle of each vintage, enjoyed over last weekend (and now available to buy on my website);

Domaine de La Marfée Les Champs Murmurés 2000 Vin de Pays de l'Hérault - £23.50

Although now 10 years old, this wine still looks remarkably young, exhibiting a fairly deep purple/red colour, and showing only slight signs of age on the narrow, raspberry-coloured rim. This wine contains a proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon (which the current wines do not) which means that it had to be labelled as a mere Vin de Pays. Nevertheless, as with the current crop of wines, the nose displays that trademark Marfée nose of crystallised red and black fruits, elderflower and blackcurrant leaf. There are also some savoury, earthy notes, mixed with exotic spices, old leather and cigar box. It really does have the whiff of a truly fine wine - in fact, the more you smell it, the more complex it gets. The palate is simply packed full of concentrated, ripe bramble and blackcurrant fruit, with some savoury, herby garrigue notes and grippy but fine, spicy tannins, offset by juicy acidity. The finish is dry, but laced with spicy, tangy, almost sweet and sour orange peel and black cherry flavours - and it is very long, too. The complexity of this wine is something to behold, and although it is lovely to drink now, I feel it has the stuffing (and the fruit) to age for at least another 5 years before it reaches its peak. It really is a fabulous wine, and does nothing to alter my opinion that Domaine de La Marfée is one of the Languedoc's finest estates - albeit still a very well-kept secret.

Domaine de La Marfée Les Champs Murmurés 2001 Vin de Pays de l'Hérault - £23.50

Like the 2000, this wine shows little sign of age, with the same dense, purple red core and narrow raspberry rim. And like the 2000, it displays that trademark Marfée nose of crystallised red and black fruits, elderflower and blackcurrant leaf, but this time with a hint of red meat, eau de vie and polished wood. If anything, it is even riper and more opulent, again with those beautifully savoury, earthy notes, exotic spice, old leather and cigar box, but with a pungency and sweetness of fruit typical of the classic (i.e. hot) 2001 vintage. It has a half degree more alcohol than the 2000, but the ripeness of the fruit and the spicy yet velvety tannins make it feel very balanced, despite a slightly lower level of acidity. The finish has a sweet and sour edge, with flavours of red cherry, raspberry and warming spice. Slightly more Chateauneuf in style than the full-on Languedoc style of the 2000, but a beautiful wine nevertheless. Oh, and the acidity actually get more pronounced with time in the glass, which only serves to heighten the experience. Another lovely wine, from a very (very) fine winemaker.

     

Domaine Tempier - still worthy of its reputation?

This week at the Nottingham Wine Circle, we were treated to a tasting of wines from the celebrated Bandol estate, Domaine Tempier. Three separate verticals of the estate's single-vineyard cuvées were on offer, kindly provided (and presented) by one of the Wine Circle's long-standing members, Edwin Wood - and all for the princely sum of just £15 per person!

• La Migoua is 50% Mourvedre, 20% Grenache, 26 to 28% Cinsault and 2 to 4% Syrah. The vines are, on average, about 30 years old.
• La Tourtine is 80% Mourvedre, 10% Grenache and 10% Cinsault. Vines average around 40 years old.
• Cabassou is 95% Mourvedre, 1% Cinsault and 4% Syrah. The vines average 50 years old.

All of the wines are aged for around 20 months in large, old oak casks, and the wines are neither fined nor filtered before bottling.

The line-up - that's a lot of Tempier!

My notes are all fairly brief, since the tasting was conducted at such a lightning pace (20 wines in a little over an hour and a half!) that it was hard for me to keep up with the wines and write tasting notes at the same time. Frankly, in my humble opinion, these wines deserve more than to be subjected to what amounted to a speed tasting. We began with a rather nicely aged rosé, before moving on to the reds.

1. Tempier Rosé 2000

Orange colour. Creamy. Rich and serious. Fruity, some tannin, dense and mouth-filling. Very nice

2. La Migoua 2004

Meaty farmyard nose. Crystallised fruits later. Lovely acidity.

3. La Migoua 2003

Dense and rich. Harsh tannins follow the fruit quite quickly and linger on the palate.

4. La Migoua 2001

Tobacco and cedar nose. Shows a touch of brett, but lots of fruit too. Dense and spicy palate - rich fruitcake flavours, bramble and raspberry. Very fine tannins. Long and warming. Superb.

5. La Migoua 2000

Bretty, blackcurranty, almost Claret-like nose. Tobacco. Bramble coming through and eau de vie. The palate also shows a lot of alcohol. Unbalanced and not that pleasant to drink.

6. La Migoua 1999

Bretty, tarry, cedar and bramble. Smells hot and tastes hot. Plenty of volatile acidity, but not enough fruit to cope with it. This too is unbalanced and hot. If you have some, drink up.

7. La Tourtine 2002

Lots of fruit on the nose. Floral, cherry, bramble and brett. Light and ultimately fairly simple.

8. La Tourtine 2000

A curious nose of tar and diesel. The palate is rich and spicy, tarry and herby and still quite tannic. Needs time but could be very good in 5-10 years.

9. La Tourtine 1999

Earthy and meaty. The palate is slightly warm and alcoholic. Flavours of cherry kernel, spices and Agnostura bitters. Not sure about this one. Was 1999 a difficult year?

10. La Tourtine 1998

This has a very sexy nose – tobacco, meat, fruit and iodine - very complex. The palate is velvety and sweet with soft tannins and ample acidity. Balanced, rich, long and lovely. The complete Bandol.

11. Cabassou 2005

Smells like new world Shiraz - mint and herbs, rich upfront fruit and lots of oak. The palate is super rich, with sweet fruit. Very soft, very drinkable and very modern – but not typical Bandol.

12. Cabassou 2004

This has a sweet, extracted, Chateauneuf-like nose - alcohol, sweet fruit and VA. The palate is rather lovely, in a Chateauneuf sort of way, but is undoubtedly big and rich, rather than elegant. Nice crystallised fruits and balsamic flavours, with ample acidity. I like this.

13. Cabassou 2001

Another Chateauneuf nose. Beef gravy, bramble and blackcurrant - like a Vieux Télegraph in style. The palate is again quite rich, but also quite hot and alcoholic – and very extracted. Needs 10 years or more to peak. It could be good, but that alcohol is very intrusive.

14. Cabassou 2000

Brett and iodine. tobacco and spice on the nose. The palate is lighter and slightly less alcoholic and consequently more elegant. Quite Claret-like in structure with plenty of tannin and acidity, tar and even a hint of greenness. This is ultimately quite austere and tough and I am not sure it will age well.

15. Cabassou 1998

This is more like it. High-toned, with aromas of herby garrigue, polished leather and savouriness. The palate is rich, but with a lot of complexity. Fruit, iodine, cloves, tar, spices, orange peel. Still warm, but complex and almost elegant in a big sort of way. It has years left in it.

16. Cabassou 1997

Sweet nose of fruit pastilles and new leather. The palate is soft and rich and elegant but still with some unresolved tannins. This needs a few years to show its best.

17. Cabassou 1995

Unfortunately, this was corked.

18. Cabassou 1994

Chateuneuf again – meaty, leathery, crystallised fruits and garrigue herbs. The palate has some sweet fruit but also some very stalky tannins. Not a great wine - drink up.

19. Cabassou 1992

A nose of iodine, emulsion paint, leather and pencil shavings. The palate has some lovely fresh black and red fruits, but the acidity is on the low side - and the alcohol is very definitely on the high side. Ultimately, it is an OK wine, but too hot for its own good.

We finished with a delicious old wine, which I believe was made from 100% Cinsault, from the La Louffe vineyard, the grapes from which are now incorporated into the Cabassou blend;

20. Cuvee Special La Louffe 1987

Smells old and fully evolved but with lots of interest. Sweet fruit and leather, raspberry vinegar and pickled beetroot - a lot nicer than it sounds! Flavours of soft, sweet fruit, with hints of herbs and VA. Finishes dry and savoury. A lovely old dame of a wine.

This was a tasting that many of us were very much looking forward to, and it was indeed very educational, with a fairly clear distinction between the three different cuvées. Unfortunately, though, there appears to be a clear distinction in quality and style, between the wines from around 2001 onwards and the preceding vintages - no doubt due to the change of winemaker/winemaking at around the same time (you can read more about the history of the estate here). And clearly the pre-2001 wines seem better and more balanced. Which begs the question, has Tempier lost its way? I guess it is too early to tell, but the later wines do not bode well for the future, in my opinion.

    

A real pick-me-up - another fabulous Mosel Riesling

Kurt Hain Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett 2009 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer

I opened this a couple of nights ago, but thankfully (and quite amazingly) there was still a generous glassful left in the bottle, nicely chilled, when I arrived home from the weekly tasting at the Nottingham Wine Circle. Which is just as well, because this wine was just what the doctor ordered, following what I can only describe as a speed tasting of Domaine Tempier Bandols. No less than 20 wines were tasted in just over an hour and a half - and not all of them as good as one might hope, I might add. I will publish my notes on those wines in the next day or two. Meanwhile...........

This gorgeous Riesling has pungent aromas of apricot, lime and apple, with definite notes of cinnamon and clove. The effect is a bit like piercing the pastry on an apple pie, fresh from the oven. It also displays some nice floral and herbaceous notes - how is it possible to encounter so many wonderful aromas in a single wine?! The flavours are equally as intense, concentrated and really quite rich, with palate-coating flavours of lime oil, nectarine and dessert apples, the sweetness of which is offset by spine-tingling acidity, slatey minerality and a refreshing spritz (courtesy of some residual CO2) and again a distinct, though gentle spiciness. The intensity of the fruit is more akin to a Spätlese (i.e. late picked) than a mere Kabinett, but I guess that is the beauty of the 2009 vintage in the Mosel - the Kabinetts are more like Spätlesen, and the Spätlesen are more like Auslesen. In other words, you get more bang for your buck in this vintage. Not that I'm about to complain, because every 2009 Mosel Riesling I have tasted - from the basic QbA Estate wines right up to the single vineyard QmP Auslesen - has been stunning. And this is one of the best of them - it is utterly, utterly gorgeous, and a true bargain at just 6.50 Euros from the cellar door. I'm glad I have a few more (not to mention several other wines from this estate's 2009 offerings). If I ever decide to import from Germany (and I may well do so, sooner or later) the wines of Kurt Hain will almost certainly figure in my plans.

Incidentally, a friend who has far more experience of German Riesling than I do suggests that the 2009's aren't ready to drink yet and should be left for at least a few months (if not years) before drinking. I sort of know what he means, because the wines are in their very first flush of youth and need a little while to settle down and begin their long evolution. But to my mind, they are so delicious right now, they are extremely hard to resist. That said, I will do my very best to keep some for at least a few years (especially the Spätlesen and Auslesen) because great Riesling ages beautifully - and 2009 was undoubtedly a great year in the Mosel.

     

An evening with Beth Nielsen Chapman

I first discovered the music of Beth Nielsen Chapman in 1997, after the release of her third album "Sand And Water". The title track, plus one or two other songs from the album, were getting lots of air play on Radio 2, mostly via Terry Wogan and Bob Harris. Beth had lost her husband Ernest to cancer in 1994, which rendered the content of the album (much of which had actually been written prior to that time) even more poignant than it might otherwise have been. I was totally blown away by it, in every way imaginable. Musically, lyrically and melodically, it was packed full of achingly beautiful songs - some sad, some happy, but each one very uplifting in its own way. 

The release of Sand And Water was all part of a long healing process for Beth, and subsequent albums have continued the trend. Not that things have always been plain sailing for her since then - her own battle with breast cancer in 2000, plus the removal of a (thankfully non-malignant) brain tumour in 2009 means that she has been dealt more than her fair share of setbacks in life. But those setbacks seems only to spur her on to keep producing music of the very highest order. Beth isn't prolific - at least in terms of her own album releases, of which there have been eight, plus a "greatest hits" compilation since 1990 - but there is not one song on any of them that isn't a worthy one. She also writes songs for other artisists (perhaps the best-known being "This Kiss" by Faith Hill and "Strong Enough To Bend" by Tanya Tucker).

But it is as an artist and live performer in her own right that Beth Nielsen Chapman excels. She has a very loyal (and growing) following in the UK and tours regularly these days. I first saw her perform live at an intimate little venue in Nottingham that holds barely more than 200 people. It was a truly magical evening that I will remember for a very long time - and I got to meet her afterwards! That was in 2004, and I have been lucky enough to see her perform a further three times, the most recent of which was last Friday at the Warwick Arts Centre. This time, she was accompanied by her trusty old friend Maartin Allcock (formerly of Fairport Convention and Jethro Tull) on bass, plus two delightful young Irish ladies whom Beth had discovered via one of her songwriting workshops; Eilidh Patterson (pronounced "I-Lee"), on guitars and harmony vocals and Ruth Trimble on piano, keyboards, bass and harmony vocals. And I'll tell you what - those two ladies between them have more talent than all of the so-called "talent" discovered in umpteen series of X Factor. They were brilliant, and I wouldn't be surprised to see both of them go on to have very successful solo careers as singer-songwriters. In fact, Beth gave them their own mini set in the middle of the performance and I was so impressed, I bought both of their CD's after the show - and I got to meet them, too (as well as Beth, once again)!

Yours truly, with the lovely and very talented Eilidh Patterson after the show

......and with the equally lovely and talented Ruth Trimble

.....and with the amazing Beth Nielsen Chapman

I'm not a music reviewer, so I won't go into detail about the show itself, other than to say that Beth was on top form and performed many of her best-known songs, plus a good number of songs from her latest album, "Back To Love", in a set that lasted two hours. All-in-all, it was a great night. If you want to know more about Beth Nielsen Chapman, check out her website. You can also hear some of the songs from the latest album on the music page. In an ideal world, she would be a very (very) big star. But in the real world, Beth Nielsen Chapman remains a well-kept secret amonst her loyal legion of fans.

   

Celebrating 25 years of marriage with good friends, good wine and good food

TLD and I celebrated 25 years of marriage whilst on holiday in the Mosel Valley last week. A couple of days after we got back, we gathered with a few close friends at Amarone Restaurant in Nottingham, for an evening of wines primarily from the 1980's, including three from 1985 itself. And a lovely evening it turne out to be. With us were Bernard Caille, David and Lucy Bennett, Andy Leslie and Jo Fitzhenry, and our long-time friends Anton and Diane Lambert. Anton was Best Man at our wedding, whilst Diane was one of TLD's bridesmaids, so it was a real thrill to meet up with them again. Although we still meet up occasionally, it doesn't happen nearly enough.

Anyway, Amarone once again treated us to some nice food (and indeed offered free corkage, which is always welcome). But the food was almost incidental, as the company and the wines were what it was all about.

Clockwise, from the front; Anton, Leon, Diane, TLD, Jo, Andy, Bernard, David and Lucy

Diane Lambert with TLD - two beauties who have stood the test of time!

So what of the wines? Well, since the evening was all about enjoying ourselves, I resisted the urge to make any tasting notes, so any comments are purely from memory (except for a couple, which I took home at the end) - as is the line-up, which included;

The Wine Society Champagne NV
I was part of a team that won a "Call My Bluff" tasting competition held by The Wine Society at the Albert Hall in Nottingham a couple of years ago, and we each received a bottle of this as our prize. A bit of bottle age has seen it mature into a very nice wine, which got the evening off to a nice start.

Hurst Fehres-Willems Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Auslese 1985 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Believe it or not, I picked this up only last week at the Brauneberg Wine Festival. Aromas of wet slate, lime oil and marmalade. Although the palate may have lost its youthful gusto, there is still some fruit left, with nice marmalade flavours and bags of acidity. Not a great Riesling, but a nice one. And, of course, from "our" year. And a complete steal at 9 Euros!

Chateau de La Roche aux Moines 1986 Savennieres Clos de La Coulée de Serrant Madame Joly
One of the great vintages from this famous Loire estate, and still full of steely minerality, with lemon and herb-infused primary and tertiary flavours and a very long finish. Indeed, it is a very fine wine, but absolutely bone dry, so the preceding (off-dry) Riesling probably did it no favours on the night. A wine for contemplation.

Agricola Querciabella Batar 1996 IGT Toscana
This is a wine that always impresses. An Italian take on Burgundy, with lots of secondary, oaky, toffee aromas and flavours and plenty of complexity. Lovely wine.

Torres Gran Coronas 1985 Penedes
Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo, which is undoubtedly entering its dotage, but still with plenty to offer in the way of secondary red and black fruit flavours, cedar and tea. Holding up well (like TLD and I) after 25 years!

Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva 1985 Rioja
In terms of sheer quality and vinous enjoyment, this was probably the wine of the night. Still full of forest fruits and hints of spice and wood, it was fresh as a daisy, yet complex and oh-so elegant. It deserves a proper tasting note, but I don't have one. I just know that, at 25 years old, it was absolutely bang on form and a joy to drink.

Chateau Musar 1990 Lebanon
Not a good bottle at all - cheesy and cabbagey, and clearly somewhat oxidised. I'd like to think that it was bottle variation (for which Musar is notorious) rather than vintage. Pity, because I love Musar.

Chateau Musar 1991 Lebanon
This was much more like it. In my opinion (though David seems to disagree) this was on good form. In fact, I took the remnants of the bottle home and enjoyed it several days later! Stewed fruits, beetroot and tobacco aromas, with a vey healthy waft of volatile acidity. Loaded with secondary fruit and citrus flavours, hints of wild herbs and a subtle savouriness. And lots of VA. Trademark Musar, with years of life left in it. Lovely!

Domaine de Trévallon 1988 Les Coteaux d'Aix en Provence Les Baux
Unfortunately, I have little in the way of detailed recollection of this bottle, except to say that it was on good, if not great form. One of my favourite vintages from one of my very favourite growers. perhaps Andy Leslie (who brought this bottle) can elaborate.

Domaine de Trévallon 1990 Les Coteaux d'Aix en Provence Les Baux
I brought this one, which I had been saving for just such a special occasion, and I have to say that it didn't quite live up to my expectations. There certainly wasn't anything particularly wrong with it - it just didn't have that "wow" factor. Again, perhaps Andy (who is as big a fan of this estate as I am) can add something.

Kuentz-Bas Tokay Pinot Gris Vendange Tardive Cuvée Caroline 1990 Alsace
I also took home the remnants of this half-bottle, so actually have a tasting note(!) Not an awful lot on the nose, with perhaps just a touch of orange and honey. The palate is much mor expressive, and nicely rich, with seville orange, caramelised peel and again a touch of honey, with some really good underlying acidity. It coats the tongue with velvety flavours of toffee apple, stewed plums and apricot. It isn't hugely complex, but the balance is superb and the length impressive.

Quinta de Vargellas 1988 Port
Not a "declared" vintage, but a "single quinta" Port from a nonetheless good year. It does exactly what it says on the bottle, and is actually a very good wine, if you are a Port lover - which none of us necessarily are (I think we all agree that Port is just too spiritous, per-se). Having said that, I think that this could be really good in another 20 years, when the fruit has rotted-down and the alcohol will be more subtle and integrated. For the moment, it is all very primary and young(!)

There were a couple of other wines that I didn't note the full details of - a 1999 red Burgundy (David - please fill in the gaps) and a rather intense sticky from the Loire (Bernard - ditto, please).

All-in all, a lovely evening, enjoyed with some lovely people. Let's do it all again in another 25 years! ;-))
      

A rather disappointing Languedoc wine

Having drunk nothing but fine Mosel Riesling over the last few days (how could we not, when it is so abundant and so relatively cheap where we've been?) I thought it was time to open a bottle of red to enjoy with yesterday evening's spaghetti bolognaise. I have half a case each of the 2004 and 2005 vintages of this wine, and this one had been winking at me from the under-stairs cupboard for some time, so I thought it would make a nice (though not cheap, at around £15) weekday treat. Having enjoyed a bottle or two of each wine over the last couple of years, I expected this to be rather good.

Domaine de Montcalmes 2004 Coteaux du Languedoc

60% Syrah, 20% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, aged in one and two year-old barrels for 24 months. The first thing that hits you on the nose is the oak - vanillin and wood, with a noticeable element of beef stock, but not a lot in the way of fruit. Which is surprising, since my previous experience of this wine had left me with a strong impression of red, black and crystallised fruits and an almost northern Rhone - or even Burgundian - elegance. The palate is also dominated by oak. Not toasty and rich, but somewhat austere and even raw, as if the oak has been under-seasoned and under-toasted and is beginning to eat the fruit (rather than the other way around). The style of this wine clearly aims to be relatively light-bodied, rather than hugely extracted and rich, but it currently seems to lack the elegance and depth of fruit that it once showed. It felt raw and harsh to begin with (even to the point where I thought it might be a faulty/corked bottle) but I thought some air would help to open it out a bit. Half an hour later, though, and the fruit is still not really there - subtle hints of raspberry and redcurrant, perhaps, but with a bitterness that suggests that 24 months in relatively new barrels has stripped some of the vitality and fruit from it. Perhaps it is going through a "closed" phase. I hope so, as I have several more to get through. We shall see.

Tonight we are dining out in Nottingham with a few close friends and some (hopefully) fine wines from the 80's and early 90's, by way of celebrating our Silver Wedding. I'll report back soonwith my thoughts on the wines.

After that, I have loads to report on our trip to Germany. Not an awful lot in the way of thoughts on individual wines (it was a holiday, rather than a tasting trip, after all) but lots of photos and plenty of commentary.

     

A few days in the Mosel Valley

Ten kilometres from our destination, the landscape all around consisted mainly of gently rolling hills and fields – all very pretty, but not what I expected. With less than five to go, we were driving along winding roads through densely forested hilly terrain. We’d seen the odd stream here and there along the route, but hadn’t caught a single sight of anything resembling a navigable river. I was beginning to think that we had taken a wrong turn somewhere, but the sat nav usually knows where it is going. Then all of a sudden, with less than two kilometres to go, we emerged from the woods, and there it was.

For some reason, I had expected the final stage of our journey to take us at least a few kilometres along the banks of the Mosel into the town of Piesport. But it had actually taken us straight in, via the top of the Piesporter Goldtropfchen itself. I have seen many photos of this famous crescent-shaped hillside amphitheatre before, taken from both the top and the bottom, but none of them (least of all one of mine) can really do justice to the magical view that greets you when you emerge from the trees and really see it all for the first time. Straight ahead, the view stretches for several kilometres, with vines clinging to every available square metre of the steep hillside. And a full 200 metres (almost 650 feet) below lies the beautiful village of Piesport, which sits snugly between the Goldtropfchen itself and the banks of the majestic, meandering Mosel.

The stunning view from the top of Piesporter Goldtropfchen

I remember driving towards Chamonix for the first time, a few years ago, and catching a disappointingly fleeting glimpse of the summit of Mont Blanc, through the thick cloud cover. Waking up the following morning and opening the curtains to a cloudless sky and an uninterrupted view of the mountain in all its glory was a sight that will stay in my mind’s eye for as long as I live. And it may seem overly romantic to say so – especially to non-wine geeks – but my first sight of the beautiful Mosel Valley, coming as it did from the very top of one of its most famous vineyards, had exactly the same effect. As a lover of wine, coming to one of the most beautiful wine regions on the planet (which also just happens to make some of the finest white wines on the planet) is like a pilgrimage for me. It really is a very special - and very beautiful - place.

Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary - TLD and I will have been married for 25 years. And I can't think of many better places in which to celebrate such a milestone. Obviously, we have lots of stuff to see and do, so the last thing I should be doing is sitting here typing into a laptop. But I'll tell you lots more about our trip over the next few days. Hopefully, I'll also add some more photos soon - something that either my laptop or Blogger seems reluctant to do at the moment. :-(

    

Domaine of The Bee - un bon vin

On Wednesday evening in London, I presented a tasting of a selection of my southern French wines made by "outsiders" - Brits, Poles, Swiss, plus a handful from other regions of France. Afterwards, the organiser gave me a glass of red wine made by a friend of his, Justin Howard-Sneyd MW, and asked me what I thought of it. I must admit that I gave it rather short shrift on the night, as it came across as a bit of a fruit bomb with a heavy coating of oak - the sort of wine that tends to impress the critics at trade tastings, but leaves me wanting something a bit more subtle and elegant. That said, it came at the end of a very long, tiring day, so I thought I'd take a glassful home with me, so I could contemplate further and give it a fair hearing. After all, at £20 a bottle, I was hoping it might have hidden depths.

So here I was with a glass of wine that had been poured a full 48 hours ago (albeit sealed under a layer of clingfilm) with no great expectations.

Domaine of The Bee 2008 Vin de Pays des Cotes Catalanes

A blend of old Grenache and Carignan, dry farmed in the hills of Roussillon near Maury and aged for 14 months in new, one and two year-old oak barrels. The colour is dark purple with a tiny rim. There's still a fair amount of new oak on the nose, but it is quite well integrated and doesn't overpower the fruit - bramble and blackcurrant, with hints of garrigue herbs, mint and orange peel, with a touch of eau de vie.Two evenings ago, when I first tasted it, the palate was very oaky and savoury/meaty, very much to the detriment of the fruit. But now, on day 3 - and from the very same glass - the fruit has come to the fore. The wine seems much more together, with those oaky/savoury notes having faded into the background, to be replaced by some lovely sweet and sour flavours. Although rich and warming, and certainly well-extracted, it is also nicely balanced, with juicy lemon acidity and grippy but fine tannins.

To be honest, I wasn't keen to begin with, but after a couple of days of air it has begun to show some class and even a little bit of elegance. If I had a bottle or two (which I don't) I'd probably stick them away for a few years. Five should soften it up nicely, and it will surely go for ten or more, during which time I can see it losing a little weight, but gaining some complexity. Admittedly, there is a slightly modern feel to it, but it doesn't feel spoofy or formulated. Yes, it starts off as a bit of an oak monster, but there is plenty of wine lurking in there too, which just needs a chance to blossom. Stylistically, it feels like Roussillon meets California, and I bet the Americans like it. Actually, I do too, and I'd love to taste it again in a few years' time. My only beef is with the name. Why Domaine of The Bee? Seems a bit pretentious to me. OK, so the wine is made by Brits, but it is a French wine, so why not be true to its origins and call it simply Domaine d'Abeille? Yes, I know, I'm being picky, but I'm a bit of a traditionalist. And yes, I know Johnny Foreigner comes over here and cocks a snook by giving his restaurant a name that is invariably anything but English. But we don't need to get our own back by giving English-sounding names to little corners of Roussillon. As the saying goes, "When in Rome....... (or Roussillon)". ;-)  Nice wine, though.

See the Domaine of The Bee website for more details.

A glorious Saar Riesling

After a long day on the road yesterday (presenting a tasting in London, plus a few deliveries to customers around London) and back to the day job today, it was nice to relax just a little this evening. Not for long, though, since there is always something that needs doing. Thankfully, although I am still coughing and spluttering, I feel I might just be turning the corner back towards being healthy again. Which is just as well, as TLD and I are off to Germany for a few days at the weekend - a few days of rest and relaxation (and perhaps even a vineyard visit or two) to celebrate our silver wedding anniversary. By coincidence, I've just added this beauty to my list, so what better way to get myself into the right groove....

Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Scharzhofberger Riesling Spätlese 2002 Mosel Saar Ruwer

Bright gold/yellow colour, with an enchanting nose of lime zest, apricot, nettle and wet slate, with a hint of fresh root ginger and only the merest suggestion of petrol. I even detect an enticing note of fresh emulsion paint - in fact, a quite remarkable combination of fruit and secondary aromas. And if the nose hints at something beautiful, the palate does not disappoint. Great swathes of lime and lemon fruit caress the palate, with a core of intense, tingling acidity and slatey minerality that is simply mouth-watering. Yet there is also an underlying richness, courtesy of beautifully ripe fruit, with suggestions of apricot, clementine, sweet apples and subtle spice notes. Although late-harvested (Spätlese means literally that) I would hesitate to use the term 'residual sugar' in describing this wine, because that always suggests to me that something sticks out. And in this wine, nothing at all sticks out - it is a wine of stunning purity and focus, with that laser-like acidity combining beautifully with ripe, only fleetingly sweet fruit. It balances effortlessly on the knife-edge. And whilst it already has complexity by the bucket-load, I feel it is only just beginning to get into its stride. So you can drink it now, with pleasure, but you could also tuck some away for another few years and discover the joys of truly great old Riesling. It doesn't get much better than this. And at just £12.75, for a mature Spätlese from the finest vineyard in the Saar, I almost feel like I'm selling it far too cheaply.

      

Suffering again...... and a lovely pick-me-up red wine

It is not often that I have time off work due to illness. I thought I'd be OK for a while at least, following a couple of days off the other week, due to some sort of virus and throat infection. But I didn't bargain on the cold I picked up over the weekend turning into something really horrible and debilitating. I felt rougher than a really rough thing yesterday morning, but managed to struggle out of bed and off to work. Which turned out to be a big mistake. I don't think I've ever felt so ill at work before and each minute felt like ten. This morning, I wasn't much better, so decided (against my natural instinct) to call in sick. At least I could suffer in the comfort of my own home, though trying to sleep inbetween bouts of coughing, wheezing, spluttering, gurgling and sweating was nigh-on impossible. By this evening, I at least felt well enough to eat something. And in a house full of wine, how could I not open a bottle, if only for a (currently) healthy TLD to enjoy a glass with dinner? So I opened this little beauty, which is so fragrant and flavoursome that it lifts the heart and cuts through my deleted olfactory senses, no problem at all.

Chateau de Bouissel, La Negrette de Bouissel 2009 Fronton

The colour is a deep, but vivid purple, with the tiniest dark ruby rim. It lloks imposing, but appearances can be deceptive. The nose is spectacularly fragrant and expressive and - even with my cold - manages to display an array of different aromas, ranging from bramble, blackcurrant and cherry, through orange zest, apples and tea, to lilies and violets. There are also some attractive hints of new leather, polished wood and cigar box - but not in an oaky way. I think it is just the way this particular grape variety likes to express itself. The palate too offers a glorious array of ripe red and black fruits, with liquorice, black cherry and dark/bitter chocolate notes and a lick of allspice. And what structure! Firm, grippy, but extremely ripe tannins mingle effortlessly with the sweet, spicy, almost creamy fruit, and there is a lovely backbone of juicy acidity, giving it real lift and vitality. It really is very moreish indeed. If you are a lover of Loire Cabernet Franc, or even Cabernet-rich Bordeaux, then you will love this - although you may be disappointed at the complete lack of greenness in such a ripe, generous wine(!) Similarly, if you are a lover of wines with a bit of southern warmth - and flavour to spare - you will also love it. I'd even venture that there is something Italian about it, with that juicy, ripe, sweet-and-sour fruit. Whatever, it really is a lovely wine, which was a delight to drink on its own, but also went well with pork chp and pasta with a tomato, herb, onion and garlic sauce. If this were from some or other well-known or fancy appellation, it would be good value at £15 or more. I've just added it to my list at £10.99.

   

Right - I'm whacked, so off to bed.

   

Two lovely white wines for a lazy Friday evening - Alsace and Burgundy

After suffering with some sort of throat infection last week, it now seems like open season for whatever virus is going around to attack me - and I now have the beginnings of a common or garden cold. I'm sneezing, have a tickly nose and a bit of a thick head. So I'm using that as an excuse to get through some sample bottles whilst I still have the wherewithal, since my olfactory senses are probably going to be somewhat impeded for the next few days. So, following on from last night's white Burgundy, here are my notes on a couple more delicious white wines - one of which I've just added to my list, and another which will be appearing very shortly.

F E Trimbach Riesling Réserve 2005 Alsace

The colour is bright gold/green, and it has delicious aromas of lime oil, orange zest, wet stone, crushed nettles and mixed herbs. Not to mention, of course, a healthy dose of classic aged Riesling petrol - a gloriously inviting nose! The palate is medium-bodied, tightly-structured and bone-dry, with flavours of peaches and fresh limes. It is beautifully pure and focused, with fabulously mouth-watering acidity, which carries the fruit all the way to a long, citrussy, mineral-laden and herb-tinged finish. At 5 years of age, this wine is absolutely singing right now, but it may get even better over the next 5 or more years. Indeed, it should last for at least 10 years before it begins to fade. Although it would be a shame not to pair it with some spicy Asian food (or even a simple roasted chicken with a lemon or two stuffed in the cavity) I have thoroughly enjoyed a glass or two on its own, whilst writing this tasting note. Since my wife isn't feeling too hungry this evening, I am about to pair it with the remains of last night's spicy/coconutty lamb curry, which will be nice. It is a cracking wine - and, for a semi-mature wine from a top grower, in a great Alsace vintage, a bit of a bargain too. It is now on my list at £13.95, but if you want some, you'd better hurry, as I have less than 3 cases to sell.

Chateau Génot-Boulanger Les Bacs 2008 Mercurey

A pale, limpid gold/straw colour. The nose is a riot of citrus fruits, grated zest and tree fruits, with a strong impression of slate/stone. It is so packed with fruit and mineral nuances, it almost makes the nose prickle. The palate is racy and, like the nose, crammed full of lemon and lime flavours, juicy apples and spice. The flavours are ripe and full, but once again, there is a taut, steely streak of minerality and a core of mouth-watering acidity which keeps you coming back for more. To be honest, if I were tasting this wine blind, its structure and sheer elegance might fool me into thinking I was drinking a wine from the Cote d'Or, rather than the Chalonnaise - it really is that good. This will retail for around £13.50 - again, a bit of a bargain.

   

Sickness, Internet problems, the mighty Wilco in the Toon, and a lovely white Burgundy

Once again, it's been a while since I blogged. Actually, it has been a funny old week (or more). I went to meet up with my friends Messrs. Bennett, Leslie and Bamford last Tuesday night, to discuss a boys' trip to Burgundy we are planning for next March (or is it April?) and, of course, enjoy a few nice Burgs with some good food in the process. Unfortunately, for some reason, I wasn't feeling my chipper old self, which became more apparent over the next few days, when I seemed to be suffering from some sort of throat infection and general malaise. In fact, to quote an old work-mate's once (in)famous "nature of illness" on his sick form, I "felt rough". By the weekend, I was beginning to perk-up a little, and was about to get blogging again - and then my Internet connection went down for the best part of Sunday. Very frustrating, and it meant that I had a lot of catching-up to do over the next couple of days.

Which brings me to Wednesday (last night) which saw me driving up to Newcastle with my son Alex and his friend, to watch a gig by the greatest rock band that most people have never heard of. Wilco comprises Jeff Tweedy (guitars, lead vocals and 99% of the songwriting), John Stirratt (bass), Glenn Kotche (the finest drummer I have ever seen, bar none) Nels Cline (guitar player extraordinaire), Pat Sansone (guitars and keyboards) and Mikael Jorgensen (keyboards). I've watched this band develop and grow over the past ten or so years, into what I genuinely believe is one of the finest, tightest bands in the world, with a back catalogue that would be the envy of many more famous bands. And with the incomparable Jeff Tweedy at the helm, they can do little wrong, in my eyes. A bit of me is happy for Wilco to remain a jealously-guarded secret, whilst the other bit of me wishes that they would receive the world-wide acclaim they surely deserve, as heaped on many a lesser band. I won't bore you with the details of the gig (this is a wine blog - and I'm no music reviewer) but suffice to say that the band were on superb form and produced a rip-roaring set. And I managed to snaffle Jeff Tweedy's set list from one of the roadies afterwards - a nice little souvenir! If you want an idea of how good Wilco are live, here's a taster from Youtube.........

Afterwards, we got chatting to a couple of fellow fans from Gateshead and went for a couple of pints in a charming little pub just across from the station. We had a good old chin wag about Wilco, music and life in general. The hazy photo below was taken on my mobile phone at gone 11 in the evening. I'd never been to Newcastle before (never been further north than Durham, in fact) but I was stuck by what a lovely place it is - lots of beautiful old stone buildings, clean, safe streets, nice pubs and charming people. So thanks to my new friends Jamie and Andrew - and of course to Wilco - for making my first trip to the "Toon" a memorable one. 

After the gig - Andrew, Jamie, Alex, Paddy

Tonight, it has been a relaxing night in front of the telly, with our favourite home-made lamb curry, rice and naan, accompanied by a rather delicious young white Burgundy;

Domaine Jean & Gilles Lafouge Auxey-Duresses "Les Hautes" 2007

This was a sample bottle I picked up for a song from a local supplier. I suspected it would be good, because I heard that a fellow local merchant friend had taken a bottle to the Wine Circle last night and it apparently went down rather well. Not surprising, as it turns out, because this is a cracking wine. The back label (praise be - a rarity for Burgundy!) for once describes the wine perfectly; "With a rich, heady nose of hazelnut and lime blossom and an intense, mineral-streaked, lemon-edged palate, this wine delivers on all fronts." Spot on, I'd say. It bears certain similarities to the wines of its near neighbour Meursault, with minerally, lime oil-tinged fruit and an underlying richness. There's a touch of oak, but it is very subtley done and one is struck by its elegance and tight, focused structure, not to mention its fabulous depth (and length) of flavour. For a relatively humble village-level Burgundy, it punches well above its weight. It probably has a few years of development left in it, but it is so lovely to drink now, I'd say why wait? I think I'll snap a few cases up - some for the website and a few for myself. And it certainly won't be expensive. ;-)

   

Weekend wines - a young Amarone and an aged Californian Pinot

Once again, it has been a week since I blogged, as I've been a bit too busy doing various things. I have more posts to add over the next few days but, meanwhile, here are my notes on a couple of really lovely wines we have enjoyed this weekend.

Giuseppe Campagnola Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2005

This is a wine which I found at a local bin-end supplier a year or so back. I bought (and sold) a couple of cases, but kept half a dozen by for myself. This is the second one we have opened this year and it really is a lovely drop, considering I paid considerably less than a tenner a bottle. The Amarone style is (in general) peculiar to the Valpolicella region of Italy, and is made from grapes which are harvested fully ripe, then air-dried on straw mats for several months after the harvest, before being fermented in the normal way. The resulting wines tend to be rich and quite alcoholic - and often very powerful. But a good one will also be fruity and retain a healthy level of acidity. And this one really does fit the bill. It is a model of restrained power, with fresh red cherry and black fruit flavours, soft tannins and delicious balancing acidity. In fact, it is almost elegant, with a lightness of touch which belies its 15% abv. It isn't particularly complex (yet - though it will gain plenty of that over the next 5 to 10 years) but it is so lovely to drink now. Indeed, it went brilliantly with a dish of lambs liver, sausage, garlic and onions, braised in a good half-bottle of red wine, accompanied by garlic and mustard mash. A lovely combination!

Lynmar Quail Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir 1994 Russian River Valley

I picked up a case of this for a relative song at auction a while back and shared a few bottles with friends. A couple of bottles drank previously have been good, but this was sensational. The cork was worryingly saturated (and yet quite brittle) but the fill was high. The colour is a lovely pale ruby, with amber glints, and the nose is simply sublime. The first thing you smell is old, polished leather shoes, but it quickly opens out to reveal a dazzling array of aromas including wild strawberries, clotted cream, freshly-squeezed oranges and balsamic vinegar. There are also some savoury/beefy notes, forest floor and a touch of oak vanillin (which seems like French, rather than Californian oak).The palate is a riot of sweet Pinot fruit and again a certain savouriness, which is very welcome and adds to the complexity. And over the next hour it just gets more and more alluring, with those glorious red fruit flavours augmented by soft citrus, meat stock, cinnamon and clove, with meltingly soft grape tannins and excellent acidity. It caresses the tongue and keeps you coming back for more. This is Russian River Valley Pinot at its most expressive and sublime, and a great bottle of wine for an early Autumn Saturday evening. I had a feeling that it would go beautifully with a lemon-infused roast chicken, but that was on the menu for Sunday, so it had to match our traditional Saturday home-made pizza - and did so, admirably.

   

Incidentally, I was out on the patio yeaterday morning and just happened to see these beauties soaring overhead...........

Buzzards are by no means uncommon in this part of the world, but more often than not I tend to spot them soaring over the local airfield or the golf course. And in my experience, they tend to hang around in pairs, so it was a treat to see three of them together. Magnificent creatures, and great to see them thriving here in the frozen north.

   

A lovely weekend wine from Provence

Chateau Pradeaux 2004 Bandol

I thought it was time to try another bottle of this wine, which I added to the list in late 2009. As I said on my website, at the time, if you are looking for a modern, oaky fruit bomb, then you are not going to find it in Chateau Pradeaux. For this is traditional Bandol - a wine for the purist. The grapes (95% Mourvedre and 5% Grenache) are not de-stemmed and the wine is aged for at least 4 years in large oak foudres before bottling. The colour is a deepish blood red, semi-transluscent, with a quite narrow ruby rim. And the nose is uttely complex and beguiling. The initial impression is of mixed spices, sandalwood, leather and forest floor, whilst a few deep breaths reveal further notes of garrigue herbs, freshly-baked bread and forest fruits steeped in eau de vie. The palate is already surprisingly elegant, structured and fleet of foot - medium-bodied, with black berry and cherry fruit flavours, married to soft spices and herbs and all sorts of secondary/tertiary flavours. There's a touch of savouriness, but it isn't too "meaty". And whilst young Bandol (especially Pradeaux) can be quite tannic - sometimes fiercely so - 18 months or so in bottle (Pradeaux famously age their reds for up to 4 years in old oak foudres) has certainly polished any rough edges on the tannins in this one. The result is a wine that, whilst certainly some years from its apogee, is a model of balance between fruit, tannins and acidity. In fact, a common theme has just occurred to me - or rather, a common letter. For if you are a lover of tradional Bordeaux, Burgundy, or Barolo, then this Bandol should certainly appeal to you - it really is a lovely wine. The retail price is £19.95 - and for a wine of such breeding and ageing ability, it is worth every penny.

As a comparison to what I think of this wine, here's a tasting note by The Wine Gang, from April 2010 - with some remarkable similarities, I'm sure you will agree.......

"The nose is rustic and traditional, the aromas of sweet, damp earth, vegetation and meatiness rather than anything overtly fruity. There's a refined sandalwood note too. On the palate this comes together beautifully: it has a core of svelte black fruit wrapped in those smoky, meaty and vanillin flavours, the tannins surprisingly refined and the balance excellent. Powerful stuff with serious cellaring potential (10 years plus). 93/100"

           

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

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

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

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

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

  

A brilliant white wine from Provence

Domaine d'Estoublon Blanc 2006 Vin de Pays des Alpilles

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

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

    

A tough day and a glorious red Burgundy

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

Domaine Gachot-Monot Cotes de Nuits Villages 2003

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