This is a lovely, complex, detailed and – in some senses – difficult wine from Benedicte and Stephane Tissot in the Jura. It’s aged for 30 months in barrel under…
Jean-Paul Brun Terres Dorées Côte de Brouilly 2013
Gamay. A variety that I’m growing to love. I remember Kermit Lynch memorably describing Beaujolais as ‘the one night stand of wines.’ His point: not every wine has to be…
Burgundy and Rhone, Cathiard and J-L Grippat
Met for pre-dinner drinks with Raj Parr and his cousin Prerna at 28-50 yesterday. Two bottles between three before dinner wasn’t a smart idea, but they were super wines. The…
Champagne Deutz Cuvee William Deutz 2002
This is remarkable stuff. The prestige cuvee from Deutz, from the brilliant 2002 vintage. Deutz is based in Aÿ, which is Pinot country, and the blend reflects this. It is 60%…
Lunch with two great South African wines, and a good northern Rhône
Had a lovely long lunch yesterday. It was at Bread Street Kitchen, part of the Gordon Ramsay empire, located next to St Paul’s Cathedral. The dining room is huge. Really…
Southern Rhône, I have neglected you – Brusset Les Hauts de Montmirail 2012
Southern Rhône, I have neglected you. We used to be good friends. When I first got into wine you used to give me a lot of pleasure. Vieux Telegraphe and…
Vidal Fleury Crozes Hermitage 2012
Regulars here will probably know that the northern Rhône is one of my favourite regions, and that I am crazy about cool-climate Syrah. It would be fair to say that…
Les Griffons de Pichon Baron 2012, a serious effort
This is a super wine. It’s a new launch from Bordeaux superstar Pichon Baron. Christian Seely describes it thus: ‘It is a second wine, made from grapes from the intermediate…
A day in Paris
Although I’m often travelling through it, and have stayed a few times on business, I realized that I hadn’t been a tourist in Paris since I was 15. And some…