I was presented with these two wines blind by my brother-in-law Beavington. It was a fascinating challenge: both were clearly serious expressions of Chardonnay (we share an appreciation for great…
Burgundy 2012, second part, questions of style
So today I went to the Goedhuis Burgundy en primeur tasting. It was excellent: lots of really good producers, and a lovely setting in the Philip Mould Gallery in Dover…
Hugel Gewurztraminer Vendange Tardive
I really like the wines of Alsace. It’s a region I’d like to focus on more in the future, because I think it’s seriously underrated and often forgotten. If you…
Mirabilis, a serious new Douro wine
This is a new wine from Douro property Quinta Nova, which I visited back in March 2010. It’s made from old vines (interestingly, not Touriga Nacional, the celebrity grape, which…
Burgundy 2012, first impressions
So, I went to my first tasting of the year. It was also my first taste of the 2012 vintage in Burgundy. The tasting was one of the big ones,…
Cien y Pico, a remarkable Bobal
Spain has some brilliant old vineyards. When they get into the hands of the right people, good things happen. This is a Bobal, a grape variety that has lived in…
Great value for money Chilean Chardonnay from De Martino
I’m really impressed by De Martino’s high end wines, which for Chile show an unusual (and welcome) sense of adventure. But I was also taken by this wine, an inexpensive…
Cheval des Andes vertical tasting
It was in March 2008 that I visited Cheval des Andes, a vineyard owned by LVMH in a joint venture with Pierre Lurton of Cheval Blanc, based in the Las…
The best Pinotage?
Could this be the best Pinotage of all? Previously I have liked a few. The Scali example springs to mind,do the regular and black label Kanonkops. This is up there,…