These are lovely, lovely wines. I followed them over the course of a few days, so I’m fairly confident in my recommendations, too. They are made by Jeff Coutelou, in France’s Languedoc. Jeff works naturally, using very little sulfur dioxide at all. All are young, dense and grippy, and I think that you’d be safe [...]
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I spent today in the Languedoc, doing some work. The work was actually quite enjoyable: I was tasting a selection of 90 of the estate wines from Les Grands Chais de France, with a view to selecting 12 ‘ambassadors’ – wines that Grands Chais could use to show to the press and trade what they [...] Mas Belles Eaux is the Languedoc outpost of AXAs wine empire. Christian Seely was captivated by the potential of the terroirs here, and since 2002 has invested heavily in the property, which is situated in Caux, near Pézenas. A new winery was built and has been in operation since the 2008 vintage. This is a [...] Love this wine. Affordable but with some complexity. Fun yet a bit serious. Chunky but not inelegant. Ripe yet savoury. A perfect house red for autumn/winter. Domaine Coudoulet Syrah 2011 Pays d’Oc IGP, France The long bank holiday weekend provided an ideal opportunity for a family get together. Remarkably, we managed to find a house big enough to take 15 on budget in the quaint village of Erdisland, Herefordshire. My job on these occasions is to provide the wine. There’s a strong demand for crisp, dry, unoaked white wine, and [...] Very interested to try this pair of wines made by Gerard Bertrand, and stocked by UK retailer Marks & Spencer. They’re not what you would associate with the natural wine movement (Bertrand is a conventional producer making some very smart commercial Languedoc wines), but they are both made without any added sulfur dioxide, or indeed [...] Two lovely southern French red wines from The Sampler. They’re some of the exclusive imports that they bring in. First, Domaine Rimbert Cousin Oscar 2011 Vin de France. 11.5% alcohol, from St Chinian, and made from Cinsault. This is a remarkable wine, mainly for the fact that it’s so honestly just what it is – lively, [...] Really like this wine. Lots of personality, some elegance, and a haunting perfume – and at a good price, too. It’s from a co-op working in partnership with Jean Jean, and it just works. Saint-Félix de Castelmaure Corbières 2010 Languedoc, France 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 [...] Very enjoyable family lunch today at my sister’s place in Gerrards Cross. A four siblings plus their families and my parents were gathered. Some nice wines were opened. I didn’t take proper notes this time, but here are my brief impressions. First some fizz. Ruinart Blanc de Blancs is a very fruit-driven Champagne with lovely depth [...] |
 This is the blog of wine journalist Jamie Goode, online since 2001. Feel free to nose around; your comments are welcomed.
 
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