For the last couple of days I have been in the Centre Loire, visiting Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé and the Coteaux du Giennois. These three neighbouring appellations are home to some compelling…
Domaine des Ormes Saumur 2014: an amazing value Loire red
Occasionally I taste a wine with no idea of where it’s sourced from or how much it costs. This is one of those wines, and when I found out it…
Domaine des Roches Neuves Clos Romans Saumur 2012
I love this wine so much. I had it with Doug Wregg at Terroirs. It’s Chenin Blanc at its best. Thierry Germain Domaine des Roches Neuves Clos Romans Saumur 2012 Loire,…
A Chenin Blanc seminar at Texsom
Patrick Cappiello and Pascaline Lepeltier presented this Chenin tasting at Texsom. ‘I deeply believe that Chenin is the best white grape in the world,’ says Pascaline, a very highly regarded…
A lovely Loire Chenin: Richard Leroy Les Rouliers 2012
I’ve had this wine a couple of times now (both times at Noble Rot, but Sager & Wilde are also listing it). It’s a stunning wine that has the most…
Pascal Jolivet Sancerre Sauvage 2012
Sauvignon Blanc is a serious grape. Trust me. It gets a bad rap from some wine writers, but it can achieve amazing results. Look at the fab Tscheppe butterfly wine…
Cotat Chavignol La Grande Côte Sancerre 1989 Loire, France
In advance of the Sauvignon Blanc symposium, Mike Weersing of Pyramid Valley opened this oldie for us when we visited. Sauvignon can age! Not always, but Cotat makes Sancerre in…
Two lovely wines at St Swithins Wine Shippers: Breton Chinon and Nicholas Perrin Crozes
Had a couple of lovely bottles on Thursday night at St Swithins Wine Shippers. It’s a wine bar and retail shop in the City of London, and it has a…
Dinner at Noble Rot with Coche, Clos Rougeard, Quintarelli, Roulot, Bachelet and Mugnier
Just before Christmas I had one of the most enjoyable dinners of the year. Dan Keeling and Mark Andrew of Noble Rot invited Neal Martin and I for dinner at…