France

Arse, arse, arse, arse. Getting this label off proved possible, only for it to disintegrate on touch. That more-or-less topped-off an end-to-end bad news …

After putting this into the 2nd Optimor case, I then tasted it at the POTG annual tasting and got nervous, because it was very …

Picked up by Sven from Planet of the Grapes, to celebrate his wedding with the rest of the office, and a very pleasant find. …

From a renowned year, but reports of La Chapelle being off-form between ’96 and 2002 had lowered my expectations far enough that I didn’t …

The second – and best – of what was ultimately an 0-3 poor showing of wines I’d taken to Janet & Steve’s in France. …

This, by comparison with the Billecart-Salmon, was leaner and drier – and a touch cruder, in my mind. Some did prefer this though, showing …

We picked up a couple of bottles from POTG (continuing our Optimor work-through of their Champagne range!) to toast Sven’s imminent wedding. This was …

So, austere, uncooperative, takes years to become accessible… and that was just the label… Bordeaux… surely not! Anyway, I saw this in Boston and …

So to continue my dinner theme of 1995 (after repeating the Schmitges experience), we came to a pair of Bordeaux. Served with roast rack …

First bottle of this was subtly corked, which was extra-annoying because I could see the quality smothered by the TCA. But the POTG lads …