I have just written up the wines of Eric Texier, who is doing some really interesting work in the northern Rhone. For me, his two best wines are both made…
Northern Rhone series 26, Jean-Luc Colombo Les Fees Brunes Crozes 2009
Cornas-based winegrower and negociant Jean-Luc Colombo divides opinion. To some, he’s too modern – and I have had mixed experiences with his wines, finding some a little oak influenced, and…
Northern Rhone series 25, Pierre Gaillard St Joseph 2010
2010 is an incredible vintage in the Northern Rhone, and this is a lovely, balanced wine that displays the best of cool climate Syrah. I love this sort of wine….
Northern Rhone series 24, Jeanne Gaillard Syrah
Jeanne Gaillard is the daughter of Pierre, well known grower in the Northern Rhone. At the age of 24 she landed 13 hectares of vineyards, five in Crozes Hermitage and…
Northern Rhone series 23, cracking Cornas from Guillaume Gilles
Oh yes, I like this a lot. When Cornas is good, it can be great. This is a great example, from a young vigneron called Guillaume Gilles, and I believe…
Northern Rhone series 21, Martine Vandre Champ Morel Crozes Hermitage
I’m not giving up on my northern Rhone series, which began almost a year ago, and is now in its 21st installment. It’s a region I love, filled with great…
A remarkable evening of wine, with Burgundy, the Wachau, the northern Rhone, Champagne and Sherry
Had a fabulous dinner last night at Francis and Bronwen Percival’s pad in Borough Market with a group of wine nuts, including a Burgundy-resident Californian winemaker. Some lovely bottles came…
Northern Rhone series 20, the 2010s from Pierre Gaillard
I was fortunate enough to be sent some cask samples of the 2010s from Pierre Gaillard. He makes wine in a modern style, but avoids spoofiness and over-ripeness. In a…
Syrah and Pinot Noir, and why I love them
Two wines tonight, shared with friends, which really worked. The first, a northern Rhone Syrah from the Cornas appellation, but bottled as Vin de Pays. It’s the Les Collines de…