A trip to Dauphinoise

This weekend we went to eastern border of France to the Dauphinoise, and yes, before you ask, many a potato were eaten. We were staying with some friends of friends we had met on a twinning partnership between my home village of Croston and the Loire village of Azay-le-Rideau.

My hosts had been warned of my arrival and I had been promised that "Mr French" had some blind wines to test me with, and as usual, I also had some for him. I had heard on the grapevine that he thought British palates had been ruined by Australian wines so I was gearing myself up for a challenge! Here is what we both came up with.....

Alfred Trifant Grand Cru, Blanc de blancs, Bouzy, 2004, Champagne: - Yellow plum on the nose with a surprising touch of sweetness on the palate, a generous mousse with a pithy mix of orange, grapes and marmalade. A great RM champagne from a vintage that I am not too familiar with. Knocks the socks off most supermarket offerings and famous names.

Crozes Hermitage, 2007, Pierre Chaneau :- spice, violet, black pepper, black cherry on the nose. This was followed by a relatively light palate of dry spices, cherry drops, blueberry and a touch of meat and liquorice on the finish. Attractive.

La Clape, Gerard Betrand, 2007, GSM (not L'Hospitalet):- Germoline and meat on the nose, not overly pleasant. Fair and fruity, a good honest Autumnal red but not as concentrated as the area or the producer would suggest.

Mondeuse, Savoie, Vin de Bugey, P. Charlin, 2007 :-A very light colour, sweet cherry on the nose but a slight medicinal note which was strange. The palate was light with raspberry, blueberry and violet flavours with a strange (again?!) tart eucalyptus edge. Slightly heady and weak in body. I have only tried a few Mondeuse and at their best they can have an enchanting Pinot-like feel, unfortunately this was not one of them.

Saint Joseph, 2006, Domain Courbis, Les Royes, Syrah: - The deepest and oakiest nose of the flight, supple tannins supported by an intriguing mix of black fruit and animal scents. Tar, liquorice, camphor and sweet black cherry were mixed in a velvety texture. Indeed, Mr. French said it was like "Jesus wearing velvet knickers". I shall leave no comment on that one.

Domain Thevenot le Brun et fils, 2006, Haute-Cotes-de-Nuits, White Burgundy :- This was apparently brought out for the girls so I thrust my campest hand forward and got my glass filled. Intense lemon and honey on the nose, delicate oak, coconut, quince and a balanced and restrained palate. Reminded me of a light Pernand Vergalesses.

Domain Bruno Sorg, Alsace, 2007, Pinot Noir :- It was served beyond chilled and so it tasted not dissimilar to a rich rose. Dry with a few tannins, raspberry, cranberry, cherry and a touch of toffee. I had guessed some Alpine oddity but could rest with northern Pinot. I would not rush to try it again but I have certainly on many occasions tasted thinner red Burgundy’s.

Domaine Mourguy, Irouleguy, 2006 :- Furniture polish, cigar, chocolate, gravy juice with raspberry and cherry flavours. A lovely bottle that seemed like a lunchtime, light left bank Bordeaux. This wine was in fact from Iroulguy:- a Basque wine region with rich Spanish influences that use Bordeaux varietals and oak. First time for me but I will need to re-visit to see if this was a typical example.

Domaine Saint Marguerite, Arthur Metz, 2009, Alsace, Muscat :- Slightly blush coloured and very, very, very aromatic, peach and a gewurtz-like appeal. Pink fuzzy apricot mixed with honeysuckle, lychee, wisteria. The palate was off-dry with a touch of petillance. It was long and I was suitably impressed.

Chateau Marzy, 2004, Pomerol, Grand Enclos de Riffat :- Soft bramble and oak spice on the nose with jam, spice and blackcurrant on the palate. Tasty and complete but there were no "wow" moments that lead me to be slightly under-whelmed. No complaints, I just wonder what a bit of extra Cabernet would have done to the blend??

We ate, ate, ate and ate; walks and naps were needed between each meal. Glistening rivers of cream and butter seemed to adorn each dish, which suited me just fine, when in Dauphinoise you eat the potatoes, right? Unfortunately travelling with a dairy intolerant friend was interesting indeed.

The area had such a different feel to Burgundy and the scenery was just as dramatic as the fat content in the food. Flat planes, home to chicken and duck farms spiked sharply to Alpine foothills clouded with fog, Mont Blanc is often seen but the weather was not kind to us this weekend. The houses are built for harsh winters yet the people seem to have a friendlier outlook than the Burgundians, I think it is the cream. I think we have finally found where all the French are hiding!
A new region that I am anxious to get back to, if only to try more of the local vinous products.

Merci a tous

Happy Grenache Day!

Hair cut time, Ma has been doing the deed for the past few months; I swear I'm reverting to my childhood, over-zealous hormones last week and a bowl cut this week. Time for the vienetta and re-runs of the crystal maze methinks.

Being a complete country bumpkin now, vanity does not really have a place, or indeed with all of our flea market mirrors being so mottled, most of the time my reflection looks like I have smallpox, so a bad haircut probably won't even matter. Wish me luck.......

In other news today is the first ever International Grenache Day! The whole day is dedicated to the fair grape that is cultivated around the world, after a day of ripping out radiators and finishing remodelling the cellar with pop, here are the Grenache based wines that I've mostly been drinking , erm today.......

Guigal, Cotes-du-Rhone, 2006 G/S :- Soft, warm bramble, autumnal orchard fruits, bacon fat and soft toffee on the nose, it was dry with soft supple tannins. It had flavours of mushroom, liquorice and black cherry. It was surprisingly still lively with a lovely dryness, dry Indian spices, clove, black pepper and cardomon. Quite a masculine CDR or as Pop put it, not very girly.

Domaine Mounie, Les garrigues, Tautavel, GSM 2007 :- Sweaty boiled sweets on the nose, dirty socks, blackcurrant and sweet plum. The palate was high on tannin with lots of meaty flavours, tar and spice with a touch of oaky star anise and cardomon. Again dry, dry, dry. A big rare steak was required....

L'or du Pic, Pic Saint Loup, Les Vignerons de Corconrer 2008 G/S and Cinsault: - Red cherry, red bramble fruits, sweet Asian spice. Vibrant on the palate, cherry, tart raspberry, long with plenty of refreshing acidity. Quite tasty but not as deep as other Pic's that I have had.

Hospitalet, Gerard Bertrand, Le Clap, Languedoc, 2008 GSM :-12 months in oak, intense blackberry and blueberry on the nose, tightly wound and closed, very New World in style. The palate was dry and the most intense of the flight but quite closed and one-dimensional. It needs at least another three years to open up. Great wine from an up and coming area.

Grenache for everyone!
Trust you are all well

Lagavulin Islay Jazz Festival part 3- How does one grind with a dwarf?

The Saturday was the night for partying; we were going to Bruichladdich village hall for a melting pot of Jazz, featuring the dulcet tones of Subi Coleman. I had heard she was quite something so we decided to get in the mood and get stuck in to some of the local wine, or should that be wine bought a local co-op......here's how we got on........

Hardy's Varietal Range Merlot, 2009 :- Plum, raspberry, spice and liquorice on the nose with a thick sweet palate of Christmas pudding, spice, treacle and jam. Quite impressed but definitely playing within the thick jammy mould.

Tesco Finest Pouilly-Fume, 2008:- quite New World in style, lemon, lime and grapefruit, relatively concentrated. The palate was very minerally, with lime peel, and grapefruit bitters. Nice

Campo Viejo Rioja Reserva, 2006 :- Coconut, vanilla, mulled wine spices with a blackcurrant and redcurrant palate. Dark, soft and tasty.

Chablis, Co-op, 2008 :- Lemon, kiwi, lemon sorbet and a slight riesling-esque note on the nose. Smooth and dry, subtle but a bit hot on the finish. I preferred the Tesco version.

Schloss, Reinhartshausen, 2007, Hattenheimer Wisslebrunnen, Riesling, Kabinett, Rheingau, Co-op :- Pretty sweet on the palate with lots of lime but missing that identifiable "rieslinginess", not as sharp and focused as I would have expected and the acidity was certainly less than the flavour and sweetness warranted. Disappointed although it did improve the day after.

Prestige de Calvert, Co-op Bordeaux White, 2008, 75% Semillon, 25% Sauvignon :- Quite neutral on the nose, like a boring Pinot Gris. Lemon, off-dry, neutral, simple with a bit of peach flavour towards the bitter finish. Unimpressed.

With our palates sufficiently whetted we hurried ourselves to the next concert. Mrs Metcalfe in the front row, all was good. Until of course, they extended the front row to include three other rows, leaving Mrs Metcalfe in the third row. No comment.

Subi came on to rapturous applause wearing a turkey foil inspired wrap-around top. For the oven she was not, but at least it distracted us from the ever-increasingly strange Islay crowd.

An inebriated Islay woman, much larger than nature intended, wearing head to toe Turquoise, first stepped on Mrs. Metcalfe's foot only to angrily gurn at both myself and Mrs. M for the remainder of the concert. Most odd. In the dancing part of the evening, Turquoise proceeded to do the funky chicken with any male under 50, there were only four of us, lucky.

Turquoise was then propped up by a gallant Subi Coleman and a woman wearing head to toe knit-wear. By the end of the song, Turquoise was hoisted to her seat, tin foil in one hand and wool in the other. With Turquoise safely sitting, Knitted was able to have a dance on her own, that was until a well-dressed dwarf decided to join in. An odd, grind come twist dance move ensued. With the height difference, an odd situation appeared where mid-grind, knitted's knee was thrust close to dwarf's face. Holding on to the stage for stability and both grinded to the floor, Subi, as always, lent a hand to get them in to the upright position.

As pale Scot 1 pointed out… “ If this is what happens to a room full of grey ramblers when the whisky is flowing? Always keep their passports valid, you never know when a holiday to Zurich is in order!”

Memorable but a warning to all. Stay away from Turquoise.

Bon aperitif

Lagavulin Isaly Jazz festival Part 2 - Picasso was once laughed at ye ken?

The beautiful journey past Loch Fyne to the Islay ferry should have been magical, but as previously blogged, I had less than an hour's sleep. Corned-beef sandwiches on a choppy ferry did not make for a happy Jim.

However after six or seven hours we arrived safely to begin our jazz fuelled adventure. But first, the drinks of the first night.

Tesco Finest Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, 2009 :- an off-dry, big and balshy wine, flumps, tropical fruit, guava, lemon juice and more than a hint of sherbet dib-dab . Better than expected.

Isla Negra Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot, Chile, 2008 :- this wine normally puts the fear of God in me but again I was pleasantly surprised. Chilli and chocolate on the nose. A thick one-dimensional blackcurrant palate with an unpleasant vinegar edge. Quite a hot and simple finish. Everyone else seemed to quite enjoy it, no complaints but no complements either.

Tesco Finest Chablis, 2008 - Very smoky, almost like a stern Pouilly-Fume, long on the palate with minerals aplenty and white pepper. A distinct lack of fruit which I quite enjoyed. I shall not over-indulge the quality of this Burgundy though, it was just more my style than the previous wines, but in terms of quality I would say the N.Z Sauv had the edge.

We got ready in our finest and sat ready and merry. Mrs Metcalfe came down in a beautiful, skinny jeans, leather ankle boots and silver and grey merino cardigan combo. Sat next to her equally well presented children, she shot a disparaging look towards Tony, her husband. A look that could only have been constructed through years in the central Scotland education system.

Tony, was as ever, un-perturbed by the slight and sponged out the chilli stain from his sweater and was ready to leave. Tony has always had a strange relationship with educational authority, despite his tremendous achievements in academia, his end of school report read...... " ..As ever, Tony remains and enigma."

Tony's relationship strategy with his current educational authority, Mrs. Metcalfe, is one of listen, raising an eyebrow in supposed agreement, and then to do exactly as he pleases. An enigma as always. He also makes an incredible gin and tonic, sod the roses, a perfect G and T is the best flirtation a woman can ask for.


Mrs Metcalfe has a vampiric thirst for sitting on the front row, an itch that reveals itself 90 minutes before a concert is to start. Within the countdown hour and a half, Mrs. Metcalfe exhibits an exterior calm and may even construct a nonchalant angle to her sitting position. However to all that know her, we can see beneath the flat calm, we can see it in the eyes. The flick of a kettle or a shower being turned on sends Mrs Metcalfe in to a state of silent panic. Her children play with this, much to their amusement. A cruel game.

Panic over, we ended our day by seeing a Jazz quartet at the Ionad Chaluim Chille Ìle on the bay around from Bowmore. We sat in the modern hall, the under 30's separated from the senior family members by two rows.

I am unsure if you have ever been in the company of jazz fans? Scottish folk modern jazz fans? Forget the idea of blue grass bars, chewing on tobacco with an African-American edge of cool. Not even cigar smoke, cognac swirling, or handsome men in sharp Italian suits.

We had landed ourselves in the realm of the rambler. Even Janet Street-Porter would have been a looker in this gaff. Imagine the crowd, a sea of matching red berghaus anoraks, one size fits all. Wife looking like an angry midget in a red burka and husband looking like a gangly grey-haired teenager who has outgrown last years' coat. A grey and red sea, high tone scents of murray mints and Lagavulin 16yo mixing in the air. The crowd was obviously well-read (they had the glasses for it) and an annoying intellectual air about them that crossed between busybody and a bed-by-eight mentality. In short, they would be incredible neighbours but no fun at the pub.

With one space left in the bright pine hall next to pale scot 1, a non-berghaus chap sat himself down. The only character of the room. The bumbling whisky-soaked Scot delighted in showing us his saxophone tie and re-telling stories that his family had obviously banned him from telling at Christmas. We listened as politely as we could muster.

Surrounding us were 60 or so amateur painting of the delights of Islay. One picture in particular (see above) had amused myself and lawyer friend next to me. The presumed highland cows (I had thought they were guinea pigs) were painfully standing in a circus triangle formation in such a way that one cow looked like it was levitating.

Our giggling has upset drunken saxophone tie man and he launched in to a tirade about art........

"They once laughed at Picasso you know!!???"
"Could you do any better??"
“well, not necessarily" pale scot 1 quipped
"But at least I would have put a shadow roound the cooow!"

Conversation over, concert started. He didn't speak to us again over the weekend. May start to contribute to howtoalienatethelocals.com

Slaandjivaa

Lagavulin Islay Jazz Festival Part One- Dog bowls and a cosmo

Lunch in Beaujolais, 26 degrees and a great view. Why was I leaving this behind??

Five days on the beautiful yet damp island of Isaly, just off the western coast of mainland Scotland. Whisky, jazz,rain and plenty of wine. Still time for a quick pit-stop in Edinburgh though.

With a few too many sleazyjet gins in my belly, I had sat in the middle of thirty-five incredibly well-dressed French exchange students, I had what only can be described as a received-airborn-hormonal inbalance. Feeling nervous and self-concious and checking my shoes, I rushed off the aeroplane with a sure feeling of an errupting zit, first one in six months.

My non-sixteen self was more than happy to be decanted into a waiting car and whizzed in to town for a quick wine geeks supper. Stac Polly on St Mary's street, byob on weekdays, haggis was amazing, seriously....amazing. www.stacpolly.com, and with one of the team being recently engaged we were in full swing.

1996 Pol Roger Brut - Ellington described it as "on song" and I could not have agreed more. A favourite Champagne house of mine yet the bottle variation over the years has been incredible. Whether bought in bond, U.K. merchant, in France or a French shop in the U.K. there have been un-deniable changes in dosage, oxidation, flavour profile and maturity. The previous rep for Scotland waxed lyrical about hand riddling and bottle variation but I suspect not. This wine however was on fine form, still youthful, a crisp bite and sprite on the palate with a touch of toast and a gorgeous nuttiness.

2007 Pazo Barrantes Albarino - Again Ellington's notes were "lifted aromatics, weighty wax on both nose & palate. Significant bottle variation. Liked this much better than bottle brought to previous tasting ". I had brought the afformentioned previous bottle that had tasted like cheap aftershave, this however tasted neither cheap or of aftershave, more akin to a juicy Alsace Pinot Gris of Pinot Blanc, I had guessed a fragrant 08 vintage. One to watch.

2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Gabriel Meffre - Picked up in Lyon airport, this producer was one that I had tried in France and enjoyed, this was the first outing of the CNDP. Excellent with haggis, indeed E was so impressed by the fat content and "serious offel" that she gleefully bestowed another haggis round for us all, just to have this bottle with. Spice, spice and spice, from black pepper to dry garam masala. The tannins had just softened down enough for it to work and the 80/20 syrah/grenache content made for a quite serious dry wine. Would have been better in two or three years as there were minimal secondary flavours.

1995 Campillo Gran Reserva Rioja - UNBELIEVABLE. Nobody guessed the correct century, everyone was in Coonawarra Cab on the nose and yet I poffered an Italian Supertuscan for the palate whilst the remaining team correctly offered Spain as a thought. Stunningly youthful lushly opulent nose, dry red (chianti-like) fruit on the palate but a touch of dried cranberry to finish. Well done.

A brief trip to a slow but cute bar, 2 drinks in three hours, thirsty was the word. The Cosmo being served in a pilfered Victorian glass dog bowl with a stump for a stem did not help matters. Ellington seemed to think it was a nut bowl, but I beleive that was far too kind.

It was time for a "dive" bar where the beer was warm and the licence was 24 hours. Got in at 5ish, up a 6ish. Nice.

September "Foire Aux Vins"

An evening out at a wine tasting. France's annual national September wine sale had begun. Just the thing for a dull Tuesday evening. I got dolled up, well, I showered and put on a frilly scarf and headed to the local supermarche ATAC, for the show. We arrived as the clouds loomed, Lord of The Rings style, above the empty car park whilst flocks of birds started attacking a nearby crane. Odd but true. We quickly ambed on in.

A red(ish) carpet had been layed and we were invited to sample the buffet, a emmental cheese puffs to start. There should have had a choking warning on the side, and with nowhere to spit, I took one for the team and swallowed it back. Why do the French get it so wrong sometimes? I always thought "les nibbles" were their thing? Well I hoped the wine would improve things.

ATAC- Salon des vins (similar to Co-op)


Saint-Veran, vielle vignes 2008, Vignerons des Grands Vignes 5E95

A lovely start to the evening, not balshy on the nose but relatively restrained. Lemon, quince and a dollop of butter croissant, the palate was more floral than toffee-central and the wine retained a lovely freshness typifying the vintage. A decent finish but nothing to write home about. Good value St Veran for everyday drinking.

Pouilly-Vinzelles 2007, Poulet Pere et Fils, 5E95

Incredibly subtle on the nose, Ma didn't even get a thing, much to her annoyance. I however, got plenty of soft spring floral notes and soft peach and lemon. The palate was fresh and had only a small hint of oak. It was refined and delicate, but this was not enough for Ma who was obviously looking for a bit of Aussie oak chip that night. Even better the day after, not a bockbuster but at this price you shouldn't expect it to be.

Beaune 1er cru "Les Sizies", 2002, Pinot Noir, A. Guillemard-Ponthier, 9E99

Sort of Pinot-like on the nose, no deep ferral quality and no bounding raspberry or strawberry fruit. Not wowed so far. The palate was overly woody for the fruit, it may have been an age thing but at only 8 years old and for a premier cru vineyard in a lush vintage I would have expected better. The French like 'em young so I doubt this will be flying off the shelves. Shame.

Coteaux du Ginnois, Sauvignon Blanc, 2008, Domaine de Villegeai, 4E99

From an appelation just on the outskirts of Sancerre and Pouilly Fume this wine style usually straddles between taut minerality and lush green fruit. On the nose the Sauvignon hallmark of green apple, lemon and a hint of fresh pea jumped straight out. The palate was long and fresh, not New Zealand flashy with tropical fruit but like a fruit salad of granny smith apples, grapes and a hint of kiwi. Fresh and long. With the 09 white Loire vintage not getting great reviews, time to stock up.

Cotes du Rhone, Domaine Mazurd, 2004, 4E90

Not fruity, not lush and just average. Very surprised that this was on tasting, it certainly did not convince me. And another point, a good food match was not an emmental cheese puff. As previously stated sometimes I wonder about the French........

Riesling, Alsace, Stephane Berg, 2008, 3E60

I was duped. The massive print of BERG on the front label alerted me to one of my favourite grand cru vineyards in Alsace and so we snapped some up without question. It was only when we got home that I realised it was the producer. Sneaky. The wine did however perform, not to Grand cru heights but good all the same. Varietal and spritzy, fresh and limey, not complex but incredible value. Still on the hunt for better quality and more interest.

Gewurtztraminer, Michel Frantz, 2007, 4E45

Big, blousy and flowery. Everything you'd expect. I am not usually a massive fan of standard gewutz. but this did it's job, not overly cloying and just edged on fresh. But I still couldn't get the bath salt flavour out of my mouth. If Gewutz. is your thing then it was a good example but for me, pass the Riesling.......

Alsace Grand Cru, Ollwiller, Riesling, Chateau Ollwiller, 2007, 6E90

Now this was more like it. Immediately varietal on the nose, cream, lime and soft lemon meringue pie. Warm peach on the palate and slightly sweeter than I was expecting. Long length and delicate yet full of flavour with wax, honey and floral notes throughout. Yum yum yum.

Coteaux du Languedoc, Pic Saint Loup Reserve, 2007, Les Coteaux du Pic, 3E80

Must be the bargain of the flight? Oaky, juicy and brambletastic. Plenty of softened tannin to support the full dark fruit. Medium length. Relatively one dimensional, but what a dimension, powerful and crisp. A good Autumn glugger for a Southern Rhone lover.

Cotes du Roussillon, Chateau Mosse "Le tradition", 2005, 5E50

Soft plum, damson and raspberry overlayed with layers of vanilla, toast and air cured ham. Soft and ripe, almost like an aged Australian Syrah with an Argentinian Malbec chocolate thwack. Long and great value to boot.Pa's favourite.

So.........not bad, as expected the Languedoc is winning on the red front and unuaslly, the Loire Sauvignon would be my top tip......

Next time, best of Intermarche (similar to Tesco)

Bon aperitif

Macon Villages

I had a little trip recently to the Maconnais in order to discover what Chardonnay was produced in the northerly Macon Villages. In the U.K, Macon Villages is synonomous with the dependable Cave de Lugny (yellow label sound familiar?) So with that in mind I visited three other cave cooperatives at Vire, Ige and Aze. Some were as expected, nice, fine and light but others ranged from big oaky and juicy to over-priced and disappointing.

The Maconnais produce more wine than the Cote d'Or and Cote Chalonnais put together and yet there are no premier cru vineyards. In fact vineyard names are rarely seen at all with cuvee names or "climat" names being added instead.

Better land is split up into village areas or crus much like in the Beaujolais. There are forty three of these Macon Villages stretching from Chalonnais to the Beaujolais. Lower land prices mean that you don't have to inherit land to make wine, new families and even top Cote d'Or names, such as Domaine Leflaive, have invested in land here, Patrick Matthews even puts it that:-

" This region, with its grand , almost mountainous scenery and its rough-and-ready vinous democracy, could be Burgundy's New World."

I loved the feel of these cooperatives, most had a winemaker or three in having a lunchtime tipple and there was a real sense of community. Here's how I got on..........

Cave de Vire


Macon Villages 2009 (bag-in-box 3 litre) 2E80 equivalent bottle price

Green on the nose with a touch of lime skin. The palate felt very flat and a harsh finish. Amazing price for the juice but not something to serve at a nice supper.

Vire Clesse 2009, 4E per bottle

Green apple on the nose and a touch of floral. The body was much fuller than the previous, green apple skin and a hint of citrus but not overly fruity. Not unappealing but not wholly appealing either, nothing special.

Macon Blanc fleurs blanche 2009, 4E50

More fruity than floral and a hint of honey, quite subtle. Again more body than both previous wines with a green pepper spice that became a bit hot and hard towards the end.

Macon Villages 2009, 5E05

Lifted aromas of lillies and white peach and a full luscious palate with an edge of spice.

Macon Peronne 2009, 5E55

Rich manuka honey, light spring flowers with a nutty butterscotch edge, green apple again on the palate all wrapped up in lipsmaking lemony acidity.

Macon Villages les vercheres 2008, 5E70 (top five wines)

Pineapple chunks, big, juicy and hard-hitting with verve and minerality leading to a mouthwatering lemony finish. Love it.

Vire Clesse grand reserve 2009, 6E20

Spritzy lime and very unappealing on the nose, an almost bathroom medicine cabinet feel to it, yuck. Very, very weighty on the palate yet the flavours seemed raw and over-cooked at the same time. Our server concluded that there was not a bottle fault so it must just be an unforgiving wine.


Macon-Aze Cave Cooperative


Macon Aze 2008, 4E85

Neutral on the nose but rescued by a zingy palate of green pepper and tangerine flavours, not a bad effort.

Macon Aze cuvee J Richard 2007, 5E35 (top five wines)

Caramel, floral, sweaty boiled sweets, peardrops and freshly ground asian spice. A lovely warmth to the palate but with a citrus midpalate leading to a long finish, seriously impressive. An elegant powerful vintage that is coming in to it's own. Who said that Macon Villages can't age!?

Macon Peronne 2007, 5E30


>. More minerality and torque than the previous but slightly shorter on the finish.

Bourgogne Blanc eleve en futs de chene (oaked) 2007, 5E45 (top five wines)

Aged in oak for 9 to 10 months this wine was full butter crust pastry, pistachio nuts with a toasty marmalade flavoured palate and a strange lime(semillon tasting) finish.


Ige Cave Cooperative


Aligote 2009, 4E95

Rhubarb and custard! Green on the palate but lots of flavour and concentration, liking the 09 Aligote's very much indeed.

Macon Ige blanc Chateau London 2009, 5E25

High octane fruit, gooseberry, green apple and a bit of spritz. The wine was powerful, rich and had a soft mouthfeel. Pretty tasty but not the best example of the day.

Macon Ige sous la roche 2008, 5E30 (top five wines)

Very floral, almost lily-esque(if that word even exists?!) and very succulent. Lemon, clemantine and orange blossom litter the palate swathed in refreshing acidity. Impressed.

Macon Ige thuzot 2008, 5E50

A bit of oxidation, almonds and a hard edge. Think bottle fault but server does not agree........

Macon Ige vielle vignes 2008, 5E50 (top five wines)

Made from 40 year old vines the wine had an intruiging nose of deep pineapple, quince paste and a odd copper mineral scent. Less acidity than the rest but a lovely deep flavour.

Macon Villages 2008, 4E85

Interesting spice on the nose but round and complete, cinnamon and toast, no-oak apparently. Very light on the palate, simple but not a pretender to a richer style. More Chablisesque in style than typical Macon Villages.

Tasty, tasty, tasty and all within a 20 minute drive of each other, more than achievable on a day.
Time to drink some Chardonnay methinks.
bon aperitif.

Killing time drinking wine......amongst other things

Busy, busy, busy few weeks. 10 folk decended upon Chateau Gore so Gore-fest had to deliver. Sushi, fire pits, oak tables, 3 chickens......God bless you Franc, pig walks, glass painted lamps, bendy irish box games, thanks yell, and 6 different cocktails were all made. Thanks to you all for making it a great summer, apologies for the wasps and camping facilities but at least the wine was flowing. Here was a few notes of what we tried.........

D’Orschwiller Kinitzheim Pinot Gris, Alsace 2007 6E50

Yeast, malt loaf, peach and lemon on the nose that lead to a palate of fresh apricot, manderine and honey flavours with a hint of lemon grass. This was supported by surprisingly low acidity.This almost suited the wine but I suspect it may become slightly cloying if it were the only bottle available for an evening. The finish was long and you were left with the flavour of apricot compote. Delish.

Joseph Hanskeller, Gewurtztraminer, Alsace 2009 6E70

A pale wine with scents of apricot, baked apple and rhubarb and custard. A bit broad and with a boiled sweet scent, not appealing. The palate was off dry with acidity more akin with water than wine. Bitter flower petals. In a word, tired.

Joseph Hanskeller, Riesling, Alsace 2009 4E50

A crystal clear wine with a few green hints, lime, flint, spritzy and an edge of paper glue and petrol. Mouthwatering acidity, lemon, lime, citrus pith with a silky texture. The finish was so long I could taste it after another trip to the cellar. Bring it on. One of the best examples of Riesling I’ve found for sale in Burgundy. I just hope all 09’s are like this

Joseph Hanskeller, Sylvaner, Alsace 2009 4E

Pale gold with unfortunately no scent. The palate was waxy with plenty of acidity and bucket loads of green fruit, apples, gooseberries and lemon. Medium length and reminded me of a petit Chablis or a good Aligote. Nice and fair.

Cleebourg Pinot Gris, Alsace 2008 5E50

Round and peachy, made me think of pink fizz and apricots. Viscous on the palate, I was thinking Viognier crossed with a Chardonnay. A fluffy wine that was just off dry but very tasty and refreshing.

Gerard Betrand Syrah “Biobonne”, Rousillon 2006 5E

Soft, voluptuous, cocoa powder. We had a discussion about the next note, Pa said gravy granuals, I said Pigeon bone marrow but no matter. More chocolate, Italian roast coffee, butter and a hint of sewage pipe. The palate was full of spice, blackcurrant,tobacco, liquorice and very firey yet the tannins were soft and rounded. The finish wasn’t bad but by the time I got through all the flavours my palate was knackered out. A rustic wine that really was rustic. I could imagine this wine almost produced itself. If you like them rough and ready grab a bottle of this and have it with a sausage casserole or maybe pigeon, Autumn would suit the feel of it better than summer.

Bon aperitif

Nanny Goats and Chardonnay

One of my summer adventures included inviting three great pals over to Chateau Gore. Two were parents of pale scot 1 (see previous blogs) and one was a diminuative thespian type with the wit to cut even the strongest of epoisses.

We decieded to go on a few walks during our time here but as usual the Scottishness ruled throughout. Not being great with the heat ( I believe there was even hand swelling at one point) it may not have been the most sensible thing to decide upon a walk up the Vergisson crag.

In the heart of Pouilly Fuisse in Southern Burgundy there lies two crags that rise out of an ampitheatre of vines, Vergisson and Soultre. The most prestigous of all Southern Burgundy wines comes from these steep slopes.

More intruige and complexity arises from this area than elsewhere in the Maconnais, in some part due to old low-yield vines but mostly due to the terroir. The heat and sunshine are trapped within the limestone escarpments and thus the wines are rich and full of texture and flavour.

We reached the bottom of the hill and with a slightly panicked look upon a few faces we started the steep short climb to the top. About half way along wee witty and I turned to our left to see a small electric fence enclosure covered in bracken start to shift. The whole undergrowth started to vibrate and with flashbacks of veloceraptors in Jurassic Park we swiftly relocated ourselves a good few metres away.

A bleat or so later revealed a flock of mountain nanny goats at the top of Vergisson to keep us company. The randomness was palpable..........nice view though. The Scots managed to keep themselves from swelling, that was the job for the evening. We commenced a wine tasting from local producer Domaine Chene from just down the road in Milly Lamartine, heres how it went.

Aligote 2009

A wonderfully appealing nose showing marked signs of grass, lemon and lime peel and apple blossom. It had the most fruity that I have ever encountered with an Aligote and yet was pushing a chabliesque minerality and bright acidity. I suspect this warm 09 vintage is showing the workhorse grape of Burgundy at its best with plenty of fruit overlaying what can often be a thin wine. 09 for Aligote was most definitely lean rather than mean.

Macon-Villages 2008

Lemon spritzy on the nose but overall it was quite dull, on the palate nothing bounded out and the only note we got was lemon barley water, weak lemon barley water. We tried to make excuses but to be honest we found it acceptable but boring. Very glad we have finished our stash as earlier in the year it was much more vibrant and lush.

Macon-Milly Lamartine 2009

Peachy and floral on the nose and immediately in a different league to the Macon Villages. Spring meadows and cream we other notes we got but there was a lot of subtlty and the flavours were quite hard to identify and we a bit swamped by the velvety honey texture. In short, relatively complex, juicy and fresh but the floral quality was its hallmark.

Macon- La Roche Vineuse 2009

Biscuit and green plum, grass and resin. There were a few odd flavours and scents such as germoline and bonjela which were odd and in the most part welcome. The acidity was a problem, too low to pep up the odd flavours and such, the flavours became unpleasant. We were eyeing up the lemon wedges to give them a squeeze in to the glass. The concentration and mouthfeel were generous but the acidity again let the wine down and therefore felt a lot older than it was. The jury is still out on this one and I shall give it a couple of months to settle down and try again.

Saint Veran 2008

Bottle fault, re-oxidising in the bottle, plastic cork, shame. Tried 3, all the same.

Saint Veran “prestige” 2009

This new version is an oaked St Veran whereas the previous vintage was not. Spice, lemon, biscuit, cow parsley and warm meadow flowers on the nose. The palate was very rich if a little warm with alcohol. Direct and honest with bucket loads of honey, shortbread and peach flavours.The finish was long and it was our favourite of the flight. A classic and over-performing St Veran for the price, not Pouilly-Fuisse in style as it did not have much restrained power, but a brilliant wine all the same.

bon aperitif