Part two of my report on the Ile d’Amour larks is about the red wines. Edward has a bit of a thing for Claret, which my long-term reader will know I view as over-priced, over-hyped and just so god-damned dreary. But I liked the two he popped (hmmmm… liked? Perhaps ‘endured with a smile’). The [...]
Last weekend we had the good fortune to visit the Tully family in Jersey. Whilst Edward Tully and I ran the Oxford University blind tasting team we tasted quite a lot of wine together; indeed, in one academic year over three thousand different ones. Student life was not always a trial. Our last trip to [...]
Given my title for this post I want to make it abundantly clear that my violent illness had nothing to do with lovely Richard and his brilliant cooking. Sometimes my insanity expresses itself in physical terms and I was inordinately unhappy that the trek across London messed with my mind so much that more spew [...]
In his excellent new book Inside Burgundy the top (and rather florid) geezer Jasper Morris MW describes Gevrey-Chambertin wines as being those Burgundies which most fit the ‘international’ idiom of dark and oaky red wines. I can see that with very many of that village’s wines, but the ones that really tweak my fancy have [...]
Extravagant Mosel Riesling, fervid Chablis with some red Burgundy to follow up sounds like an experience every lover of good times would revel in. However, as I rarely travel on the London Underground at rush hour and that the resultant proximity to more and smellier people than even Berlusconi invites to his bunga bunga sex [...]
Beyond Sancerre, I don’t have much time for pure Sauvignon Blanc. Beyond Crochet’s sometimes refreshing, sometimes downright bonkers offerings and Jean-Laurent Vacheron’s ambrosial, intellect-engaging, drool-provoking wines I really don’t have that much time for Sancerre either. But then, there is Cotat. He wants you to age his wine, which is not a commonly held view [...]
The wines popped last night were clearly in a stage that provided much pleasure as we drank them. That being said I feel there would be no risk putting them, even the relatively humble Saint-Joseph, in the cellar for a reasonable period of time. I don’t drink sweet white Bordeaux that often but, , it [...]
I love Chablis. As I have often said, it is the most thrilling expression of raw Chardonnay. With its nervy tension of acid, fruit and minerality Chablis can approach Riesling in the fulgurating white wine idiom, although I will admit its aromas usually have a greater resemblance to Maconnais whites or very refined Meursault. Although, [...]
Sometimes you feel inordinately privileged to taste a wine – this happened with two bottles last night. Prum’s Spatlese may not have been from his top vineyard but its class was evident from the very first sniff. I quite like German Riesling from less ripe vintages, if you can manage a bit of pain with [...]
My chum James had been looking after his young son for the past few days without the aid of his enchanting wife Katie. He managed so admirably a bit of diverting entertainment was certainly deserved. To provide this Peter, Daniel and I trekked out to Clapham for a little blind-tasting session and some rather nice [...]
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