Confessions of a Catalan Plumber: International man of effin mystery

Photo of neighbouring French Cow. No Spanish ones available: will get to that later......

I have been back in Burgundy for a few post-vintage weeks for some essential maintenance work. Weekly strikes, August holidays, no-work Wednesdays and two hour lunch breaks means that France is only open for business for a third of the year. So it came to no surprise that it has taken 9 months to encourage electricians, roofers and a plumber to feign an interest in a bit of paid employment.

A pitiful smattering of renovation had taken place over the summer: what with the invention of 7pm cocktail hour, table building and general twenty four-hour merriment with many delightful guests. So the past few weeks have come as a slight shock.
At the deathly hour of 7.45am, French workmen have arrived with their power tools poised and ready.

The cranial pain of a 6.30am wake up is a place I reserve only for the occasional long haul flight or medical emergency. So such early habitual awakenings have been on par with Japanese water torture. The morning seismic meltdown of pre-9am takes a whole day to get over. No amount of coffee can medicate such utter grumpiness. Yet a brave face we had to put on.


We also had another Mediterranean culture to contend with. Our Spanish plumber or as I should say our "Catalan Plombier": Joan was a friend of sorts whom we met through our local "Esturine Lovejoy Antique" dealer. He had kindly warned us to keep a spare 2kg of sugar for coffee and to feed him well...very well.

Luckily Joan was an English speaker, yet to his own testament, his speech was more akin to a Spanish Cow than a true Etonian. Joan learned English on the South Coast of England working with Polish plumbers. To say his learned language was colourful is somewhat of an understatement. Replace any adverb with "effin" and finish every sentence with "bloody bastar!" His thick Catalonian accent and bullish charm warmed on us all. We thus decided to feed him every day for both efficiency and entertainment.

If I were going to have a dinner guest every lunchtime, I had to work out the wine situation. It is common to drink at lunchtime in France, close to law in fact. So I decided upon a small game: every lunchtime either Joan or myself would provide a bottle or so of wine wrapped up in our wine socks and test one another. Every night we would again swap bottles and set each other wine homework: tasting notes presented for marking the morning after. It turned out that Polish Spanish Cow Plumber Joan had even more to say about wine than the pipes he was fitting. Here is what we collectively tried............

Baturrica Gran Reserva, 2003, Taragona, Tempranillo Cabernet, Lidl, <4e :-

A bright cherry nose with a thick meaty scent, sounds weird but it was quite pleasant, like pate and cranberries. The palate was dry but very intense, very oaky yet it seemed a lot younger than it was. Black cherry and damson on the palate rather than the red fruit shown nose. A brilliant little wine from an area famed for its low quality and high yields, but it has a similar landscape topography to nearby Priorat, so is definitely a future area to keep an eye out for. Currently selling in Lidl U.K. but slightly more pricey, sorry!

Cave de Genouilly, 2009, Chardonnay "les champs de Perdrix", approx 5E :-

A light colour with some slight bubbles, quite delicate and peachy with a hint of pear on the nose. The palate was dry(ish) and again a touch of spritz and a core of lemon and tangerine. Nice and fragrant style of Chardonnay. It could easily have been a young Albarino. So if you see Cave de Genouilly selling in the U.K. give it a go, it's a step up from standard white Burgundy.

Gran Corpas, 2008, Carinea D.O., Tempranillo-Mazuelo(carignan) <5e :-

A light colour, sweet red cherry, raspberry, redcurrant and an earthy farmyard note. Dry with medium acidity and light body. It was almost like a strange exotic Pinot without the depth. Although Carinea is another name for Carignan the grape, in this bottle it refers to the area (D.O.) of Carinea, although confusingly Carignan is also in the blend, but locally called Mazuelo. Following me OK?

Domaine Borgeot, Aligote, Bouzeron, 2008, 8E :-

An intense nose of oatmeal, honey and pineapple. The palate was dry with a generous body of lemon and fresh pineapple with a touch of bitter pith or perhaps a sauvignon edge. There was also a hint of salt and if I were Andrew Jefford I may call it an "Ocean echo." But hey, I'm not so salt will have to do! Just goes to show, a great producer in a warm year, Aligote can perform with the best of them! Try it and believe it! Also try Borgeot's Santenay, worth every penny, available nationwide.

Those were the best but I shall drag out Joan's homework sheets and see if he had anything else to say. All expletives have been removed, not for politeness, I just could not do his poetry justice.

Bon Aperitif

Chardonnay……..Don’t forget your old friends.

After decades of popularity, Chardonnay has now become the wine underdog: the grape that the U.K. has apparently fallen out of love with. The media-spin on fashionable grapes such as Viognier, Albarinio, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris/Grigio would leave many thinking that there is no suitable place for Chardonnay on the dinner table. Is this really true?

Critics and commentators alike often write about for the “new” wine, the holy grail of grapes, the new toy to play with. The idea of finding an unknown wine bargain is an addictive thrill. But we must not forget the classics.

Maybe it is a generation thing; obsessed with celebrity, new experiences and on the constant hunt; the expectation of “bigger and better” just round the corner. Gap years are common place for the over-educated twenty somethings; they fly about the world, only to come running home craving fish and chips and their wooly sweater. What are we searching for?

Is Chardonnay now seen as a guilty pleasure in the U.K.? Chardonnay Anonymous meetings may be being set up as we speak, who knows, because Chardonnay is still being drunk in huge quantities across the U.K. And yet to many, the word Chardonnay translates to a dull or oaky wine.


The oak story has unfortunately tainted the grape with a production method. So often the ABC (anything-but-Chardonnay) generation surmise that they dislike Chardonnay because it “tastes too oaky”. Snippish comments aside, the oak tastes of oak and the Chardonnay tastes of Chardonnay, simple.

Thankfully nowadays oak is easier to spot. In direct result of the backlash, New World Chardonnays are often littered with “un-oaked” or “un-wooded” tags on their labels. If you decide to buy a White Burgundy in the U.K. then price could often indicate a un-oaked style. Between £7-£10 the wine maker simply cannot afford to use oak in their wines, hence the key difference between Europe and elsewhere: if a producer in France wants to oak their wine, by law a quality wooden barrel has to be used, this is an expensive process.


Outside Europe it is a different story; oak chips and staves are allowed to impart an “oaky” flavour by being incorporated into the winemaking process, a literal seasoning effect. As such, brash woody flavours were often a feature of the swathe of New World Chardonnays that lined the supermarket shelves in the 90’s.


Unfortunately this is where the reputation has stayed whilst tastes have moved on.

For me, Chardonnay is a deep-rooted passion. The complexity, history, smell, look, feel and most importantly the flavour all wrapped up in one, can send me into a quiver of pleasure. Some may call me a cheap date but a bottle of good Chardonnay really gets me going.


It all started when I was a wee lad, camping in Meursault with Mum and Dad, long walks up Vergisson, hours and hours sat in the car park at various caves whilst the parental sipped quietly inside. “Not wine again!” we would shreek. What we wanted was Disney World and what we got was bloody Burgundy! Ungrateful little snits. If only I had known how my career would turn out, maybe I would have paid more attention.


On returning to the U.K. every summer, when we would see a bottle of Chardonnay in the supermarket isles, my sisters and I would do a mock parody of our wine-soaked Mother (even at a young age Mother was firmly fixed as our comedy muse). We had no idea what Chardonnay meant, other than we had spent most of that summer trying to find a good one. Imagine the lovechild of Janet Street-Porter and Kenneth Williams screeching down the supermarket shopping aisles “Chardonnay, Chardonnay, Chardonnay!!!!!” we were brats of the highest order. Mother used to laugh, with a glint in her eye, knowing that one day we would understand.


In the U.K. the following fifteen years for me were a Chardonnay desert, whilst the rest of the adult population were in a Chardonnay flood. I have little or no personal experience of the over-oaked Aussie stuff in the 90’s. By the time I started getting my wine groove on, the Chardonnay demise had already begun.


I am of a generation where most people’s first drink was not a warm pint of mild or a sharp glass of wine in a Yates’s wine lodge. Dodgy clubs in Southport, Vodka and coke and alcopops are my earliest teenage alcohol memories. So it is no surprise that many wine drinkers in their 20’s and 30’ prefer slightly sweeter and punchier wines. The fast-food 80’s kids, have grown up on a diet of processed salty, fatty and flavour injected foods; it makes sense that wine tastes change too.


So here is the problem: We have those who are fed up with the over-oaked 90’s Chardonnays and those whose taste buds have been burned by kebabs, curry and alcopops on a Friday night. Chardonnay really has a fight on its hands and I am determined to champion it, my wine fists are well and truly out.


So Chardonnay is perceived as dull and I can appreciate where that view comes from. Generally Chardonnay has got less acidity than the Sauvignon Blanc’s and Pinot Grigio’s of this world, but I am fine with that. Chardonnay is a softer grape variety, a quieter, mellower grape variety. The Radio 4 of grapes to the Sauvignon Blanc’s Radio 1.


Imagine Chardonnay as a simple beauty, a Sunday morning with a clear head. Comfortable and safe pleasures are underrated by their nature of not being shocking. Sun on the back of your neck, a favourite video box set, the smell of freshly cut grass and a good night’s sleep are not just the wants of the middle-aged.


Chardonnay lends itself to being fruity, medium bodied with a soft centre. It tends not to have the Riesling or Sauvignon-like zap of acidity yet not the perfumed floral quality of Gewürztraminer or Viognier. Chardonnay is in the middle of white wine styles yet not middle of the road in terms of flavour. For a wine to set your heart on fire it does not have to taste of guava, kiwi, Ugli fruit, or indeed scream from the glass.


We are a country of Sausages and Mash, Fish and Chips and Spaghetti Bolognaise; we thrive on comfort and classics. There are some things that will never be fashionable but will remain as institutions of British identity: milk chocolate, bacon sandwiches on sliced white bread, roses on Valentines Day, Bruce Forsyth and in my opinion Chardonnay. It may just take a little while for the U.K. to realise it

Everybody likes to discover and explore the new “up and coming” wine of the moment but I urge you to break with tradition and go for an old classic once in a while. You might be surprised with what you find. Traditional does not have to be boring, fashion should not dictate taste.


I dare you, put Facebook on hold this weekend and give an old friend a ring, much like Chardonnay, sometimes old friends are the best. So be brave, make a bacon butty, put on your comfy slippers, turn on some Saturday night T.V. and crack open a bottle of Chardonnay and let the waves of nostalgia and comfort flow through your veins.

Bon aperitif



My Top Tips for giving Chardonnay another try:-


• Try a Chablis, 100% Chardonnay and 99% un-oaked

• Macon-Villages and Vire-Clesse are more often than not un-oaked, if unsure, go for the cheaper one!

• Labels on New World Chardonnay will usually say if it is oaked…..and it will be in English!

• Try some New Zealand Chardonnay, not guaranteed to be un-oaked but usually softer than Australia

• Champagne Blanc de Blanc is 100% Chardonnay, bit of a cheat but why not!?

• If you are a fan of Pinot Grigio why not try an Italian Chardonnay, usually lighter than French.


Bourgogne Chardonnay 'Les Chenaudières' 2008/2009 Cave de Lugny, Majestic, £6.99
Buy 2 bottles save £1 = £6.49 :-

Crisp and elegant with citrus and apple fruit characters alongside a lovely streak of minerality. Refined and classy, this is a superb introduction to this famous region's wines.

Wither Hills Chardonnay 2009 Marlborough, Majestic,£8.99:-

This is a great quality wine with a real concentration of flavours. The palate is complex with a tightly knitted structure and succulent long length.



Château de Ligny Chablis, Tesco,£8.54:-

This clean and fresh white has a bouquet of apple and citrus fruits and combi
nes the appetizing minerality of Chablis with hints of richness beneath.


De Saint Gall, Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Brut Champagne, M&S, - Case of 6
Now: £116.85 Special Offer
Was: £140.40 (£19.48 per Bottle instead of £26)

An elegant and refined Champagne with a rich creamy character and a fine crisp mousse

Bon Aperitif

Montagny continued......did you know NEXT sell wine?

I have done a quick search on what Montagny is available in the U.K. and here is what I came up with. Almost amusingly, the internet tasting notes are indistinguishable from each other although I am pleased that some of the wines that I tried are infact available in the U.K. On a side note.....when did NEXT start selling wine? Have I been away THAT long?


Waitrose, Cave de Buxy, Les Coères 2006 Montagny Premier Cru, Burgundy, France,£14.24
This is a fresh and ripe white Burgundy, made from 100% Chardonnay it shows rich citrus and peach fruit flavours with a buttery texture.


Tesco,Blason De Bourgone Montagny Vielles Vignes,£14.24
Notes of apples, spice and slight minerality.A hint of oak add to the complex spice characters of this mouth watering wine.


Morissons, Montagny, no vintage, price +£10
Ripe buttery Chardonnay with a minerally edge

Check out Jancis Robinson'e comment on Morissons Montagny 02 back in 05 at http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/wineweek051115

Majestic,Montagny 1er Cru 'Les Millières' 2006 Cave de Buxy, £9.99 Buy 2 bottles save £2 = £8.99
A delicious, fresh Chardonnay which has been fermented and matured in stainless steel tanks to preserve the pure peach, pear and acacia aromas. Soft and rich on the palate, it's a genuine bargain not to be missed.


Oddbins,Montagny 1er Alain Roy 2008,Buy 12 for £12.79 each,£15.99 each
The wine's golden greenish hue turns towards a lighter gold during aging. The bouquet presents an aroma of white flowers and sometimes even dried fruits (apricots). Generally quite vivacious and exuding intense mineralityon the palate, this wine still offers very pleasant suppleness that produces a nice finish.


BBR,Montagny 1er Cru, Maison Roche de Bellene France,Burgundy,Côte Chalonnaise Montagny,£16.90

Medium Bodied, Dry, White, Chardonnay, Ready, but will keep, 13% alc.
This 1er cru Montagny has been fermented and matured in stainless steel so as to deliver a lively, fresh wine with attractive floral notes and pure fruit.
(Jasper Morris MW, BBR Buyer)


NEXT(I know!), Montagny 1er Cru, Chateau de la Saule 2007,£17.51 each
A serious dry wine with great complexity. Grape picking is done by hand and it is aged for a short time in oak casks which helps to enhance its golden colour and hazelnut flavour. Probably the best of the white wines from the Cotes Chalonnaises.

The prices seemed to have jumped up somewhat?! To me Majestic seem to have the price about right, but remember, DO NOT fall for the 1er cru on the label, the only way to know is to try them so do let me know if you do, I would be interested to know how you got on.

Bon Aperitif

Montagny....premier cru or premier priced?

I have spent a significant part of this year in Burgundy, drinking and researching its wines, whites in particular. After countless hangovers and many covert missions to the bottle bank, I feel I have got a pretty good grip on what is produced here and what makes it so special. So when a festival in Montagny was advertised I was straight on it and ready to go. What was I expecting? A sleepy village of vinous fame with doors flung open and wine being poured? Probably. A hog roast of Boeuf Bourgignon being served from a coal fire? Definitely. Accordions? It would be rude not to.

When it came to the wine, surprisingly, I drew a slight blank. Well I knew it was white, light, bright, lemony, quite smart, erm, I used to sell it as the "Chablis of the South" so one would suppose it tastes like….. a sunny Chablis? I was giving myself my own sales patter. What on earth distinguished it from the other appellations in Burgundy? This simply would not do. Research had to commence......

Montagny is an appellation in the Cote Chalonnaise, in between the Maconnais and the Cote d'Or and has been since 1936. The producing communes allowed to be included stretch outside the village itself to Buxy, Saint-Vallerin and Jully-les-Buxy. Montagny is one of the only appellations in Burgundy to only produce white wine. The wine is based solely upon the Chardonnay grape although some Pinot Gris is grown on some of the old plots and is somewhat tolerated within the blend.

The village itself sits on the base of an amphitheatre-like geological stage with the vineyards ascending outwards on the surrounding slopes. The commune faces east and south-east with an altitude of 250-400 metres (Chablis Grand cru reach a maximum of 225 metres) and so the Montagny vineyards are often some of the last to be harvested in Burgundy. The base soil is Bajocien limestone with an uprising of Kimmeridgian limestone appearing at Buxy, the same soil that dominates the geology in Chablis. Although not proven, the mineral content of the soils is often described as imparting”minerality" to the wine, flavours of pebbles, gunflint and chalk are often noted in Chablis and indeed Montagny.

The most striking fact about Montagny is the number of vineyards that have been given premier cru status. The total area is 298 hectares with 199 of them being Premier cru status; approximately two-thirds are given the second top classification in Burgundy, an unbelievable percentage. The total across the whole of Burgundy for premier cru wines is just 15%; surely Montagny is the hidden gem of Burgundy if this figure is anything to go by?

This premier status seemed to me to be at odds with the lack of celebrity enjoyed by the commune. I wanted to see what the wine enthusiasts had to say so I logged on to Snooth.com and cellartracker.com. Both sites were littered with comments that " the quality does not justify the cost.” Many suggested they were sucked in by the premier cru status, but the quality was nothing over a standard white wine. There did however seem to be a swath of people who had no complaints and enjoyed the wine, but there were very few blistering reviews. The comment that sums up the general feeling came from Serge Birbrair on cellartracker.com, when describing the 2007 Louis Latour Montagny 1er Cru La Grande Roche:

"Quintessential "Sell to the masses, drink with the classes" kind of wine."

The wines mostly sell in the £10-£20 mark so a certain expectation of quality is natural. From reading the series of mostly bland but pleasant notes on both sites, I can fully understand why consumers are feeling cheated. Again this was simply not good enough; I had to find out for myself. If I drink in the village from small producers am I more likely to give a full feeling of the terroir?

I set off and drifted north to the near-mountainous hill range in the Cote Chalonnaise where afternoon mists had descended upon the sleepy hamlet. The festival had certainly not got going and there were just a few hundred people milling about. I picked up my glass and tasting tickets and started my way around, notebook in hand. My expectations were mixed but I was desperate to get to the bottom of this appellation, so best foot forward I moved in for the first taste. The people could not have been lovelier, no snippish sales people and no clueless farmer-types, a quiet passion emitted from the winemakers but nothing was pushed, information only given when asked specifically.


So here is what was on offer, prices are naturally in Euros. Pay particular attention to the vintages as I think they made a massive difference. Also if there was no specific vineyard named then the wine would have been blended from different parcels.

Domaine de Montorge 1er cru, 2009, 9E:- Bitter and green apple but a lovely weight and texture. It almost had a Roussane-like feel to it, pith, chalk and minerals, and lots of it.

Cave de Bissy, 1er cru Les Coudrettes, 2007, 7E45:- Fragrant, light with a characteristic pith and lemon note. A very fresh wine and matched my expectations.

Cave de Bissy, 1er cru Les Pidances, 20% oak aged, 2008, 8E70:- A deeper, almost smoky nose, the palate was much more creamy than "Les Coudrettes". The overall flavour was similar with but more peach and lemon flavours.

The winemaker explained that the cru of Les Coudrettes, although abutting Les Pidances, had more Calcium content, potentially adding to the more intense flavour. This in union with the much cooler 07 vintage created two quite different wines but a common mineral theme running through them both.

Domaine Berthenet, Tete de Cuvee, 2009, 8E:- A concentrated nose of green apple and gooseberry with an explosive palate of more green fruit. It was very young with still a hint of fizz. This wine was made from the 09 "free-run" juices, showing a fruitier flavour than wine made from the fully-pressed grapes. In short, the top wine from the vineyard.

Domaine Berthenet, 1er cru Les Saint Morilles, 2008, 9E50:- Greengage and lemon pith on the palate, much more acidity, a finer texture and feel to the wine.

Monsieur Berthenet said that across the board the 09 vintage "has more fruit" and the 08 vintage had " increased minerality." Not being able to be drawn on his preference, he preferred the typical French position of sitting on le fence and thus describing them as "different, but both excellent in their own ways."

So how about the 2010 vintage? According to Monsieur Berthenet the vintage “will be a fine one, although the weather conditions have brought about a 20% decrease in yield, good for the consumer and bad for us."

Domaine Michel-Andreotti, Les Guignottes, 2008, 7E50:- Again an apple scent and subtle sweet spice and the ever-increasing lemon pith. This wine had been 20% oaked in old barrels adding the delicious creamy texture to the wine.

Domaine Michel-Andreotti, 1er cru, 2009, 9E:- Apricot juice and honeysuckle on the nose. Almost like a soft Viognier. The palate however was still tight and had a sharp minerality, albeit more concentrated than anything previously tasted.

Chateau De La Saule, 2008 7E50:- Simple and light, much like a young Chablis. This wine was un-oaked and from young vines.

Chateau De La Saule, 2008 8E50:- Apricot and lemon on the nose, not the austere type of Montagny but not the generous type either, dare I say it, a typical Montagny with subtle oak?

Domaine Laurent Cognard, Les Bassets, 2008, 10E:- A powerful nose, yet instead of the typical lemon scent there was a more generous and inviting tangerine and grape smell with a hint of flowers. Far more complex than anything before. The palate was powerful but again with a more tropical edge than pure mineral.

Domaine Laurent Cognard, Le Vieux Chateau, 2009, 14E:- Cardomon, lemon, quince and a nice creamy oak edge, vanilla and all spice. The palate was incredibly limey and much more concentrated than the other producers. There was a price tag to match but the quality level was in a different league. Le Vieux Chateau is one of the top climats in the area and so justifiably this should and was the best of the day.

Cave de Buxy, 2007, 6E60:- An intense and smoky nose, I was surprised as this was the lowest price wine so far, not as austere as the others yet with the same citrus infused palate.

So that was what I tasted, I was pleased as there were no bad wines, I enjoyed tasting them, highlights notably being the Cave de Bissy, Buxy and Domaine Laurent Cognard. There was also a definite theme running through the appelation; light, fragrant, fresh and an abundance of cirtus flavour.

Disappoiningly my conclusion is that the Premier Cru system in Montagny had no tangible effect on the quality of the wine, the wines were certainly different but in terms of quality there was no detectable difference. The biggest variation was vintage, followed by producer.

2007:- a lean and light vintage with typical minerality, lots of acid and a light body feel but plenty of overall flavour

2008:- a soft and fruity vintage with more fragrance than 07, weightier in body but less acidity than 2007.

2009:- the heaviest of all the wines, richer fruit flavours than the previous vintages. Still young in some samples but do not cellar for too long as the acidity was markedly lower, so drink within two years.

2010:- Saved apparently by the late sun in September and no conclusions can be given until wines are on the market.

There is still much to learn about this appellation and where the style is going? With the fairly hefty prices being asked in the U.K. It feels to me like there should be more to Montagny than "minerality", surely Chablis has got the calling card for that? Alsace Riesling and Loire Sauvignon Blanc have got the fresh and zingy thing down to a fine art, and oaky Chardonnay is arguably done with more aplomb further North or South?

I understand that the wine and restaurant market are looking for Cote d'Or quality at lower prices and in theory, Montagny 1er cru seems a perfect fit, like its neighbour Rully, but if the quality does not match up, the consumers will soon turn their backs.

There is an undoubtable broad appeal to Montagny 1er cru, yet with over-performing areas such as Chablis and Macon-Villages consistently delivering hit after hit of flavour at more often than not, much lower prices, Montagny are treading a dangerous path. With the recession not clearing as quickly as we had hoped, what can simple wines that costs £15 do to entice the customer? Print the Premier cru label in bold? I joke, but I do fear they will price themselves out of the market unless things change.

Please do not feel I have given up, the bee has set up a permanent hive in my bonnet. I shall watch and drink with patience with an eye-brow raised in anticipation.

I have faith Montagny, I really do, the soil, producers, marketing are all there, I am just waiting for the wine, just show me the goods and I'll be a happy boy.

Any thoughts?

Bon aperitif

Too close for comfort and a good glass of Riesling

Our calm evenings of "dinner presque parfait" have been interrupted by a rather destructive couple of days; we have finally knocked down the wall between the kitchen and living room. Instead of two vile rooms with nowhere to sit, we now have created one large piece of vileness that we can fester in to our hearts content. Mother's, ahem, "newly developed" OCD will unfortunately have to take a backseat for a few weeks whilst the plumber and electrician do their thing. Somehow I think she will cope.

Do not get me wrong, I am not a hermit, and will champion the merits of open-plan living, but a situation where I can peel carrots for supper and watch and hear Father have a pee is surely a step too far. Is this really what Mr. IKEA had in mind?

When I decided to spend a bit more time at the family pile, I had imagined crumpets on the front lawn and rooms that even a lurcher could break stride in. What I did not imagine was a semi-commune-like living arrangement where my only non-parental friend would be the yet unidentified upstairs rodent/bat/serial killer that has the knack of dropping grit on my face in the middle of the night. I suppose beggars can't be choosers eh? I am as yet, still unsure whether to put poison out or a note to bring a bottle. Updates to follow.

An argument of Biblical proportions ensued last night between Mother and me over washing up. Yet with the new modern living arrangement there were no doors to slam and no furniture to keep us apart! We had to both sit, fuming with rage, cuddled on the sofa like a double-twisted helix. On another side note, Mr and Mrs Smith, the film staring Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, no, just no.

Arguments, Brad Pitt and peeing aside, the wines of the past few days have been a treat to say the least and the only thing that has keep me going........

Fitou, Prieur de Pancrace, 2007, OV Carrignan, Syrah and Grenache :- Smoked ham, cardomon, leather and furniture polish on the nose. The palate had sweet black fruit, a medium body and lowish tannins that just about supported the flavours, the flavoured opened up in the glass to show a hint of coffee and chocolate, but only a hint mind. Not bad at all and an interesting introduction to the area in the South of France.

Cotes-du-Rhone, Cuilleron-Villard-Gaillard-Villa, 2009, 60% Viognier, 20% Grenache blanc, 20% Marsanne :- It jumped straight out on the nose but the aromatics blew off quite quickly. Soapy in an attractive way, was it Magnolia soaps our Gran’s used to have? Whatever it was, just imagine Granny soap. The palate was full of grapefruit, pith and camembert rind. Overall it was strong and bitter with a full scent, not a bad wine but I would say more interesting than tasty.

Petit Chablis, Union des viticulteurs de Chablis, 2008 :- On the nose it showed hay, soft orchard fruit, not overly aromatic but there was a distinct sense of spring. It was dry and fresh with juicy Sicilian lemons and tangerines gushing on the palate. I was strange to me as it smelled like a Loire Sauvignon but tasted like a Chablis, I therefore guessed it was a St Bris( a Sauvignon Blanc grown in the Chablis district) so it was no surprise when it turned out to be atypical Chablis. Petit Chablis is most definitely upping its game!

Cahors, Terre de Gaulle, 2005, mis par Chais Beaucairois:- Pa could smell it upon pouring, heady cassis, violet, earth and a touch of alcohol. Lighter than expected on the palate, blackcurrant was the main flavour at first, supported by softened tannins. The wine opened up to racy fruity flavours of blueberry, raspberry. A decent crunchy spicy finish left you wanting more. I picked this wine up on my only trip to Cahors earlier in the year, well, I say trip, I did a strange road trip in a white van with an antique dealer and we stopped at the Cahors service station, worth a visit, I picked this up from the wine shop in the garage. Well done the French!

Alsace, Riesling, 2009, Arthur Metz (see previous blog fro Muscat review and Decanter Regional Medal Winner for his Gewürztraminer) :- I have never had a wine that had the scent and tasted of lemon curd and warm lemon meringue pie. I simply cannot go any further, head to toe. Delicious. I am becoming a big fan of his.

Until next time

Quince jelly and Songs of Sapa

A lazy Sunday today, southerly winds are blowing and even though it is pleasantly close to 25 degrees outside it is far too blustery to attempt an excursion. Today is about coffee, or it was, and then it was about radiators, and then about some piece of paper which had a phone number on it. Then it was lunchtime, but then one couldn't possibly ring a “Frenchie” at the holy hour(s), so then it really was all about lunchtime.

I needed something to calm a frantic mother. Garlic, ginger and chilli and a slap was what she required; time to bring out the Songs of Sapa cookbook. A beautiful collection of Vietnamese dishes with a prolonged commentary that even a travel book would be proud of. I rustled up a violently hot fish soup with mussels and some sort of French white fish, as for some reason I was all out of Vietnamese crab, pah!? This was accompanied by some peanut and soy rice cakes. Mother's boil switched to simmer and so I sent her down to the cellar for some wines. Here is what she came up with........


Pinot Gris 2008, D'orschwiller Kintzheim, Alsace :- A succulent and light nose of peach and ripe tangerine, off-dry on the palate with a lemon and melon flavoured palate. The flavours would normally seem exuberant but with the amount of chilli that I had decanted in to the soup, the sugar and vivacious flavours were used almost as a chutney dampener rather than a wine accompaniment. Delicious and a gold medal winner at the 2009 Paris wine awards.


Rasteau, Ortas, 2008, Cave de Rasteau,CDRV :- A deep and earthy nose, honest, mushroom, blackcurrant and spice. Generous to a point but not overpowering. A pleasing wine.

The afternoon has thankfully calmed down; Mother has even had the patience to make some quince jelly. How wonderfully nobbish. On another nobbo sidenote, if anybody does have 45 mins to spare, like me, check out Desert Island Discs Radio 4 and listen to Kathy Burke's entry:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00tcz9/Desert_Island_Discs_Kathy_Burke.

A good way to spend an afternoon when the wind is too windy, the parents are too parental and the wine is most certainly flowing.

Only 3 hours before supper.

Bon aperitif

When GrindR fails do I sleep with Peter Rabbit or a Magnum?

Autumn is here and as seen in the previous blog, butter, cream, salt and cheese have continued to be my staple food groups. It seems correct in some way, we brought the pumpkins in, the leaves are turning golden and for some, there is an unmistakeable scent of wood burning in the air........ We however, are still waiting for our plumber to fit our new central heating system. Our faith in the French "artisan" has now stretched to being the provider of heat. A shivering fear is literally coursing through my veins as I write.

I recently made a warming closhe for the salad leaves to stave off the frost and the cellar is at a constant, balmy 14 degrees. With GrindR not having much workable reception I fear I may either be sleeping with Peter Rabbit or clutching a magnum for warmth.

Saying that, the sunsets are phenomenal and the calves seem in high spirits. There are a small collection of ASBO calves who have been getting up to all kinds of mischief in the dead of night, loitering at the field edge, you know the type, funny haircuts, you can see it in their eyes whilst they munch, waiting until you turn your back and then surreptitiously giving you the hoof. ASBO veal, not sure it will catch on.

On vinous news I have been drinking some interesting things this past week with another trip up to the northern Macon villages and also some interesting wines tried whilst back in the U.K. Here is what I thought...........

Wither Hills, 2009, Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, N.Z, Waitrose, £5.99 on offer :- An understated N.Z. Sauv a delicious orange scent rather than the usual (boring) lime and lemon pith and a noted lack of the dreaded and all- too-frequent cat's pee smell. The palate was fresh and delicate (I know!!) tangerine, blood orange, lime leaf, the only draw-back was a slightly disjointed hot finish. I am slowly changing my mind on N.Z. Sauv and at such a terrific price, the wine is now in the everyday drinking bracket rather than competing in the premium market which makes the pound for pleasure ratio much more appealing.

Vina Herminia, 2004, Crianza Roija, Waitrose, £6.99 :- Rum and raisin ice cream on the nose with touches of vanilla and black cherry flapjack. A hot a bold palate that has softened out in to chocolate, coffee, clove and black cherry with a touch of raspberry. Again a fantastic price from Waitrose and a perfect Lamb Tagine partner. Check this great book out, the many tagine recipes’ wins every time http://www.amazon.co.uk/Medina-Kitchen-Cooking-North-Africa/dp/1845332652

Macon Blanc, Cave d'Aze, (no vintage but told it was 2008) .........get this....less than 4E for A LITRE! I had never bothered to try this when previously visiting the cave but what a mistake. A gross litre bottle with a screw cap (I know!) that can't even be jazzed up and called a mini magnum. This is definite litre bottle country......but the tasting note is as follows: - A straw colour with a nose of heady overripe pears, red apple and a distinct lack of citrus fruit. The palate was dry but warming and a creamy texture. Quince, red apples and pears were the main flavours with a high note of sugared almonds. It was all tasty and an easy-peasy wine. The litre lasted very well over three days in the fridge.

Being a bit of an idiot I would not bring this out at a dinner party but if their backs were turned then this would be in their glass!

Better that buckie, that’s for sure

Laters peeps