A superb Beaujolais - best value red of the year?

I hope that regular readers will agree that I’m not a big hype merchant. If I big something up, it’s because I really, really like it. This is one such wine. At under £10 it is a no-brainer, and I’ve already bought some. But a caveat: those who prefer power over elegance (and I’m not [...]

Beaujolais 2010

Very impressed by these six Beaujolais wines from the 2010 vintage.

2009 in Beaujolais was highly praised as a miracle vintage. The wines were fabulous. And it looks as if 2010 might be just as good, or perhaps even better. These wines were part of a major offer by The Wine Society, and are the constituents [...]

Champagne Roederer Vintage 2005

Unsurprisingly, Roederer’s Vintage 2005 is a tasty Champagne indeed. Here’s my note on the bottle consumed this evening:

Champagne Louis Roederer Vintage 2005
12% alcohol. Very youthful, fine and taut on the nose. Crisp with focused, complex citrus fruit and some fine toasty notes on the nose. The palate is fruity and precise with nice structure adding [...]

Time for some Alsace wines

I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I have never been to Alsace. The odd thing is, I really love Alsace wines. So why haven’t I been?

Anyway, here’s a spread of different bottles, reflecting some of the different varieties grown in the region. All were pretty good, with the Riesling and Muscat the standouts.

Kuentz-Bas Pinot Blanc [...]

Georges Descombes Morgon

A fabulous natural expression of Morgon, made without sulfur dioxide and yet still so fresh even a few years on.

Georges Descombes Morgon 2007 Beaujolais
Fresh, bright and sappy with good acidity and attractive raspberry and cherry fruit. It’s supported by some grippy, peppery structure. Grainy and alive, with real minerality, as well as some elegance and [...]

Veuve Clicquot Vintage 2004 and Vintage Rose 2004

A chance to taste the new releases from Veuve Clicquot, both of which are really impressive. Caveat: these bottles had been open for a while.

The Vintage 2004 is quite deep coloured, and has lovely concentration of citrus fruit with some richer, toasty notes. Really great balance here, with quite powerful flavours. Lovely intensity. 93/100

The Vintage [...]

A delicious R&L Legras Champagne

This stuff rocks. It’s really elegant, precise and fruit-driven. Serious fizz, served before the Haut Bailly lunch at Berry Bros on Tuesday.

Champagne R&L Legras Presidence Vieilles Vignes 2002
12% alcohol. Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs. Intense, fresh, appley and fruity, this is very lively with nice citrus fruit freshness. Power and precision combine. Elegant and compelling [...]

A fascinating Languedoc white from Virgile Joly

Had a really fabulous white from Domaine Virgile Joly today, one of many interesting wines being imported into the UK by Dudley and de Fleury. It’s one of those wines that I love, but which I can understand might not be to everyone’s taste. It seems quite oxidative on the nose, but it is so [...]

Northern Rhone Series 11, Tardieu Laurent Cornas Coteaux

My second visit to Tardieu Laurent in this northern Rhone series (previously here). This is a really impressive interpretation of Cornas, an excellent appellation that sometimes gets a bad press (it’s often described as ‘rustic’, which is perjorative, I feel).

Tardieu Laurent Cornas ‘Coteaux’ 2008
13% alcohol. Vibrant fresh black cherry and blackberry fruit here with [...]

Northern Rhone series 8, Tardieu Laurent St Joseph

Continuing with the northern Rhone series, and the third in a run of St Josephs, this time from superstar negociant Tardieu-Laurent. Originally involving Dominique Laurent, this firm is now run exclusively by the Tardieu family, under the guidance of Michel Tardieu. They source wines from across the Rhone and Languedoc, usually from old vines, and [...]