The 2009s from DRC

Off to Corney & Barrow this morning to taste the 2009s from the legendary Domaine de la Romanee Conti, which we all know as DRC.

Of course, it is virtually impossible to taste such celebrated wines completely objectively. But we try. It’s one of the superstar domaines that really lives up to the hype. Many tasters [...]

Lunch at La Trompette

A quick note on Wednesday’s lunch at La Trompette in Chiswick, with Robin Davis and Tom Carson. It’s under the same ownership as the excellent Glasshouse in Kew, a joint venture between Nigel Platts-Martin and Bruce Poole, and is similarly excellent.

This is all that a high-end restaurant should be. Excellent food, at very fair prices, [...]

Video: the vineyards of Burgundy

A short film of celebrity vineyard spotting in Burgundy, much of it focused on the Grand Crus of Vosne Romanee:

Fun on the wedding day

We had a great time yesterday at my sister’s place, where a sizeable contingent of family gathered to celebrate the royal wedding. I was initially not intending to watch the spectacle, but it turned out to be quite gripping – a day of real emotion.

We celebrated with Champagne – beginning with a magnum of Drappier [...]

A lovely white Burgundy from Sauzet

Sometimes the hierarchy of Burgundy vineyards can be a bit of a problem. It magnifies the label effect: when critics see the name Grand Cru on a label, it usually adds points to the score. It’s hard for them to break the hierarchy and give better scores to wines from more lowly vineyards. Here’s a [...]

DRC 2008

Domaine de la Romanee-Conti is one of the world’s greatest wine domains. It’s thrilling wines are scarily expensive – but even if you can afford them, the real issue is getting hold of them.

Fortunately, each year Corney & Barrow – who have exclusivity of these wines in the UK – put on a tasting for [...]

A couple of new year reds: Lynch Bages and Robert Arnoux

Happy new year, dear readers! I feel quite bemused by the fact that it is now 2011.

Two reds from last night, as well as a lot of Champagnes that will be written up separately. One underwhelming Burgundy, and a really nice Bordeaux.

Domaine Robert Arnoux Nuits Saint Georges 1999 Burgundy
Pale colour. Light, cherryish and quite fresh. [...]

Video: tasting three Pinot Noirs from the 2008 vintage

A short video of me tasting two Burgundies (shouldn’t really call them Pinot Noirs, should I?) and an Aussie Pinot (Mornington Peninsula) in my incredibly untidy study.

Rousseau tasting: what a treat!

Just back from a tasting of Rousseau Burgundys at Roberson, one of London’s most interesting merchants. They run a really interesting series of tastings for consumers: events like these give people who haven’t got a gazillion pound wine budget a chance to drink a range of wines like these.

The tasting covered a range of vintages, [...]

David Clark: innovation in Burgundy

David Clark’s previous life was as part of the Williams Formula One racing team, but he changed pace by moving to Burgundy in 2003, where he now has a small winery in Morey-St-Denis and a couple of hectares of vineyards spread over a number of communes.  There’s a nice profile of him over at Bill [...]