On my recent travels to the Loire, I have been lucky enough to bump into Lionel Gosseaume, who is making some superb wines. This Touraine Sauvignon really delivers for the…
A big night out at the chief’s!
Feeling a little tired after a wonderful evening at the chief’s last night. The chief is Harpers editor Richard Siddle, who convened a gathering of chums to eat and drink…
Four impressive Loire Sauvignons
Yesterday I tasted through 33 different Loire Sauvignons with a view to selecting 14 to present at Vinexpo next week. These had all won gold or above in competitions, so…
Clos de la Coulee de Serrant 2009, a controversial wine
This is a controversial wine. It’s from biodynamic high-priest Nicolas Joly, who in Clos de la Coulee de Serrant possesses what is universally acknowledged as a special terroir. It’s just…
Video: visiting Sancerre by helicopter
Here’s a short film shot from my recent visit to the famous Loire village of Sancerre, by chopper. It proved quite an eventful journey: on the way, the door I…
Judging in the Concours Mondial Sauvignon Blanc
I’m just back from a few days in the Loire, where I was part of a large international jury judging the Concours Mondial du Sauvignon competition. We stayed in Blois, and…
Dinner at La Trouvaille in Blos, with interesting Loire wines
On Friday night, I had dinner at La Trouvaillle in Blois. By its decor, this doesn’t seem a terribly high-end restaurant, but the food is really good and the wine list adventurous….
In the Loire
This is going to be one of those slightly frustrating, short-on-words, big on pictures posts. It’s just that I am in the Loire, in Blois, not far from Touraine, and…
A tasty Malbec from the Loire
I was interested by this wine. Really modern packaging, and use of the variety name Malbec rather than the normal Touraine name for this grape, Cot. It’s riper than the…