Rhône

Perhaps this is coming around, to more like what I tasted en primeur. The first couple of bottles were a bit over-rich and flabby, …

So, the real opening was with this – chosen to compliment a main course of game (rabbit, pheasant, venison and squirrel) and beef-shin stew. …

A great start to Christmas Eve dining that changed continually with aeration and warming, to reveal a rich, complex, but balanced white. This certainly …

Red wine of the night at our annual get-together with Jack, Rob etc. Only overshadowed by Marc Colin’s 2006 Chassagne-Montrachet Vide Bourse. This shows …

The first bottle of this left me a bit ‘meh’, but the second, served on its own, showed real interest & quality. Phew! I’ll …

Dad and I dropped in here after Ventoux (it’s very close) and tasted the range at the cave co-operative, which is a class operation. …

Also picked up in Gigondas itself, a day before (or maybe the afternoon after) riding up Mont Ventoux. Dad was less of a fan …

Given to me as a ‘freebie’ (having bought two cases of their Réserve Sixtine at €40 / bottle…) from Mme Diffonty at the Domaine, …

An unexpected Châteauneuf, this one – relatively light bodied, red-fruited and fresh / high acidity – compared with some of the concentrated blockbusters that …

For my first ’98 Châteauneuf, this was rather disappointing (albeit better a day later, with some oxidation). Mid-depth garnet core, with a medium-width brick …