Wine » Other countries

Grilled bone marrow

Monday at Hawksmoor: first-class meat, exceptional wines and terrific company

Yesterday I had the great pleasure to dine at Hawksmoor, London’s best meat restaurant, in the company of some engaging and entertaining chaps. Many thanks to Guy Dennis for organising it; it was lovely to see you and Paul Day again and distinctly jolly to make the acquaintance of Nigel Platts-Martin, a restauranteur with a deep love for and knowledge about wine


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A Riesling and Pinot Noir-themed tasting

Last night I was very happy to host a fellow wine blogger (Torsten from Winerambler) and my old chum ‘The Kid’ Peter for a Riesling and Pinot Noir-themed tasting. We drank copiously and terribly well. The wines were served blind which heightened our critical faculties


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Five bottles of Burgundy and a horror

Last night I organised a little blind tasting for some friends. I thought nothing could charm them more than some red Burgundy. I served them in a flight of two then a flight of three, with the order of the wines in each flight randomised. Some of the wines were notably better than others


Pinot Noir 2008, Delta

A white and a red Pinot

I popped these on Saturday for the neighbours to enjoy and I have finally got around to typing my notes up. The Boxler was terribly good.

Pinot Gris Grand Cru Brand 2007, Domaine Albert Boxler
This has a rich, powerful nose of opulent white fruit which hints of being quite roasted. It certainly shows a lot of creamy minerality which makes this quite a complex and pleasing nose


My first taste of this producer

We did have a bottle of Semillon Late Harvest from Sandalyn Wilderness Estate but it was corked. Those composite corks are a bad sign, so easy to ruin your wine if you bottle it with them. So we had to pop this to finish the night.

Tokaji Aszu 6 Puttonyos 2000, Disznoko
Quite a clean nose, not much oxidation


A cheeky little number which has proper class

This was a gift from a very generous friend (if you are in town, lunch again? I’m feeling a lot better), I was extremely pleased to notice its alcohol level was a de Montille-esque 12.5%. node, an older boy, told me to drink it sir. It is serious Pinot.

Pinot Noir Waitaki Valley, North Otago 2006, John Forrest Collection
Its quite dark for an NZ Pinot


The horror, the horror

OK, I admit that very few Sauvignon Blancs do it for me, but this is horrible beyond my powers of description. I’ll give being rude a go, though.

Sauvignon Blanc “Selection 94″ 2006, Dog Point Vineyard
The nose is completely confected and contrived, clearly made from over-ripe fruit that has been cold-fermented. It is not all that clean, either


By arse we are drinking well over this period of time

This is another good bottle in a string of good bottles since the Pinot Noir By Farr; you have no idea how such events cheer me up. If I am honest, I am pretty unwell at the moment. I am about to change medication and this might be difficult for a while


Hell’s bells, what is the world coming to?

Chilean wine on Elitist Review? Honestly, elitism is my goal (rather than snobbery) so I’ll take the best from anywhere, especially when this was a mere fifteen sheets.

EQ Pinot Noir 2006, Matetic Vineyards
It is quite dark. It has a slightly cabbagey, sour fruit nose which is typical of slightly under-baked Pinot. However, there is also a lot of quite nice berry fruit


Graillot rides out

Hell’s bells, a Moroccan wine on Elitist Review. Mind you, it is made by the gifted winemaker, and all round good fellow, Alain Graillot. Can he really make bad wine? We shall see…

Tandem Syrah 2005, Alain Graillot
It is rather dark. A nose of rich dark fruit that is really quite attractive. Nice ripeness to it, but there is also a hint of greenness

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