La Croix Chaptal Clairette Blanche 2008
I'm a sucker for a good story, and this wine was made on an estate that housed an abbey in 804. I like that kind of pointless detail, the idea that monks were busy making wine from the same soil that I'm enjoying wine from now.I don't see much Clairet...
Loving this cava – Reina Maria Cristina 2008 blanc de noir
I usually stick to champagne but I did have this fabulous cava on Christmas Day. Codorniu is probably better known for it’s everyday cavas but the Reina Maria Cristina 2008 blanc de noirs cuvee is a contender for best sparkling wine (non-champagn...
Chickpea stew
After an afternoon of drinking, a slightly rushed (20-25 minute) chickpea stew. The miso paste is optional, but gives an additional umami hit. An alternative would be 1/4 of a cup of stock.De Bortoli Reserve Syrah 2008. A showy wine - which I thought w...
Hayshed Hill Block 8 Cabernet franc 2008
Margaret River, Western Australia. Cabernet franc. 13.5%. Screwcap. Approx $A30.A delicious wine, though the scent is awkward to begin - there's more varnish, weed and eucalyptus than you would hope for, but this is all evanescent, giving way to a more...
Pittnauer Fuchsenfeld 2008
Fuchsenfeld, Burgunland, Austria. Pinot noir. 13.5%. Screwcap.I spent the afternoon watching the Rugby World Cup final. The French put in a marvelous second half effort and for the last ten minutes I was willing them to win. They certainly seemed to be...
New wings
Recently tried: A 2008 Delatite Rielsing - some toasty development on the nose with the lime zest showing some petroleum. Quite fleshy in the mouth, some mid palate sweetness (probably apparent more than real) before a concluding twist of bitterness 88...
Older and larger
A dinner with old friends and the inescapable though impolite observation would be that some, myself included have grown in girth. What once was harder and tighter has become soft and loose. . . Curiously the wines consumed on the night were also old f...
Dry River Pinot noir 2008
Martinborough, New Zealand. Pinot noir. 12.5% (tastes bigger). Cork. Source: Cellar.A mostly dry week, preoccupied with work and family and to a much lesser extent, books and chess. . . As I drink less I greedily want an epiphany with each glass. I sup...
Dry River Chardonnay 2008
Martinborough, New Zealand. Chardonnay. 13%. Cork.
Wonderful. Understated nose - mustard fruit, citrus which verges on lime, sap and flint. Excellent line and intensity, it explodes with vitality and yet it remains tight, focused and driven. Chalk and...
Pfalz 2010 – Von Buhl
Von Buhl has always had a special place in my heart. They are located in Deidesheim which is tied with Iphofen as my favorite German wine village and they have improved so much since my first visit in 2006 it is quite remarkable. They are transferring ...
Nocturnal impressions
A night of blind tasting and a collection of vaguer than normal tasting notes.
Washed carpet, wet wool and flint; while in the mouth something citric, tight and lean; greenbeans and not for the first time a Chablis I've called a Sancerre. 2007 Simonne...
