By Luke Hadlow. On a rainy day at Jascots’ HQ in Park Royal, Gordon Russell of the Esk Valley Vineyard came all the way over to London and brought with him some New Zealand sunshine…and a selection of the finest wine I have ever tasted. We all assembled in the tasting room and Gordon gave [...]
Quote of the day… Steven Spurrier: “….no wonder you are so successful in the ontrade. Every single one of your wines is so pure, so well made and so good to drink.”
The latest addition to our growing Burgundy list is this small domain, whose cellars lie below the mediaeval ramparts of Beaune itself. Domaine des Terregelesses is an historic 7 hectare estate that, starting with the 2009 vintage, has opened an exciting new chapter as the André family has resumed day-to-day running of the whole winemaking [...]
Bordeaux Latour a Pomerol 1928, 1961 Latour á Pomerol produces sumptuous, meaty, concentrated and full-bodied Pomerols. The 1928 vintage was so vibrant and powerful…. A miracle!!! Full of pure fruits, mineral character and a long finish. Petrus 1928, 1945, 1961 I have to be very honest with Petrus. There are great wines but they were [...]
So then we moved on to Burgundy Rousseau Chambertin 1962, 1971 Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze 1962, 1971 Chambertin was masculine, powerful and constructed well. It is a vigorous and firm wine, having a characteristic aroma of liquorice. Chambertin Clos de Beze was a fantastic delicate wine with slightly lighter alcohol and tannin content. Both [...]
So here we go then – these are my thoughts on the champagnes… Moet 1911 Although I’m a fan of Champagne at almost any age, I was taken by the quality of the 1911. It possessed what most people would consider a fatal flaw: no bubbles. I enjoyed notes of ginger, honey and apple as [...]
If you are invited to a connoisseur’s dinner party you will need to answer this terrible question: What is the best wine you have ever tasted? I had the fantastic opportunity to host an event last week tasting some of the best wines ever produced during the last century. We were blessed to taste superb [...]
Alastair Pyatt’s final blog from the 2011 Bordeaux En Primeur Tasting. Our fourth and final day saw us up at the crack of dawn to make the hour or so drive across the river to the right bank appellations of St Emilion and Pomerol with their clay soils, merlot dominated wines and achingly beautiful landscapes [...]
By Alastair Pyatt. My my my today was a day to knock the socks off even the most jaded wine professional – the third day in Bordeaux started rather inauspiciously with a trip out to the back and beyond of the Medoc and the rather obscure Chateau d’Arsac. For the un-initiated (which until about 8 [...]
By Alastair Pyatt. Up at 7 this morning for a hearty breakfast of croissants, pain au chocolat, fruit and enough coffee to see us through the day and soon we were heading through the city centre, past the urban sprawl and out towards the gravel outcrops and perfect symmetry of Bordeaux’s much fabled vineyard. First [...]