Marchand and Burch Chablis 2010
Authentic and yet underwhelming. It's lean and tight; though perhaps some might call it thin and joyless. Flint in a glass of water, cut with half a lemon. . . From a restaurant list ($A61, 160% retail), I think this is the weakest wine (I've tried) fr...
Friday Wine Sips: Five Sippable Whites from 2011
Pleasant doings on this unusually timely, not to say early, edition of Friday Wine Sips; no clunkers, no plonk, just refreshment and ease and relaxation, though these wines aren’t meant just for sipping out on the porch or patio, sweet as that activity would be; they’re also meant to be thoughtfully and sympathetically (but not...
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A brace of cheapie Asda reds
With the current anti-alcohol tax regime, is it still possible to sell a bottle of wine at £5? Asda thinks so. They pointed me at a handful of recent Extra Special selections in their range in the £5-6 price bracket. Looking for something to go with fresh Yorkshire Spring lamb chops, I pulled out these two...
Domaine A & P De Villaine Côte Chalonnaise Les Clous 2007
Tastes of a stone and stings like a bee. . .Another bottle where the wine has seeped past the cork and stuck the foil to the glass. Thankfully the contents remain pure and seemingly unperturbed. It's made of stone; there's a lovely mineral like sensati...
Bio-Dynamic in Burgundy, Part II: Domaine Emmanuel Giboulet
Sometimes we can learn a lot about wine from small producers who keep ambition, not to mention grandiose schemes, in check and focus on doing an excellent job on a small but impeccable scale. Such a producer is Domaine Emmanuel Giboulot, from whose 10 hectares of vines — a bit more than 25 acres —...
Domaine Christian Moreau Les Clos 2009
Restrained, understated and elegant.Chablis, France. Chardonnay. 13%. Diam. Approx $A80.A wonderful wine that deserves a more attentive palate. . . Flint and white pepper, but also a curious note of orange zest to go along with the river st...
Friday Wine Sips: Eight Rosés
I love rosés. There, I said it and I’m not sorry. Once the temperature goes above 70, I’m ready to be charmed and delighted by these pale, dry, stony evocations of sun and wind and dusty herb gardens and hot stones and bowls of dried or fresh and spiced fruit. Today we look at a...
Jean Foillard Morgon 2010
A beautiful wine. Fragrant, delicate and true. Tasted blind my Brother in law thought it was a new Rhone red. I can see how he might reach this conclusion - there is a lovely cherry and confection nose and fine drying tannins. With the benefit of...
Catherine et Claude Maréchal Auxey-Duresses 2009
It's becoming clear that one path to (relative) sobriety is the acquisition of a demanding pet. The owner of the white fluffy pom pom tail wants to be walked three and four times a day. . . For the first time in years a run of days where I have f...
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Vinsobres Domaine Chaume-Arnaud 2009
Rhone wines can be easily overlooked, and yet many rival the finest Bordeaux, as anyone who has tried Hermitage La Chapelle will tell you. This Vinsobres comes from the Southern Rhone, is inky in colour and robust, spicy, tannic and plummy in taste. It’s a George Galloway of a wine. Feisty, intelligent, slightly unbalanced and...
Domaine de Bellivière Vieilles Vignes Eparses 2009
The wine is crafted by Eric Nicolas from 50-80 year old vines. A quarter of the liquid is matured in new oak and it is presented in a tall slender riesling bottle, with a plain white and orange label. Coteaux du Loir, Loire, France. Chenin blanc. 13.5%...
Domaine de Suremain Monthelie 1er Cru ‘Sur La Velle’ 2008
Each morning I'm woken by the shrill tweet of the neighbourhood birds. 28 (ring neck) parrots, red tailed black cockatoo and something much smaller which I'm yet to identify. The plastic bird whistle ($3) is almost totally ineffectual, but still aesthe...
