A proper gathering...Macellaio's with friends...

This was a very fun lunch. Mr S co-ordinated us and foursome was completed by Zucca Sam, Mr Mann and myself. Having not seen Sam since the closing (not a dry eye in the house) of Zucca it was a long overdue Lunch. We also had Mr Mann's engagement to celebrate. The venue was to be Macellaio in Exmouth market. Not a place I knew. They specialise in sharing plates with a focus on Tuna (aged 7 days) and Beef (aged 7 weeks). It's a fun place.

Everyone brought a bottle or two and away we went. The starting point was Dom Ruinart Rose 1996 which has a bright colour but certainly more tizer than Salon pink, on the nose it was fruited and balanced no real signs of age barring a certain sense of roundness. The palate was generous and a little lush, the parts having fallen nicely into place. We then moved onto Meursault 2008 from Coche-Dury, a refined nose, focussed and very true to 2008 if almost more like Grand Cru Chablis than Meursault in its drive and elegance, very impressive indeed. There was that dash of reduction but no more than that. Long and elegant and certainly a wine to treat like a great red, plenty of air and plenty of time to appreciate it.

My bottle was next - Ausone 1975. A very kind 40th gift last year from a friend and customer who appears in these pages rather a lot. Sam and I are both 1975er's so it seemed a good moment. We decided to pop the cork, it broke but not badly, and pour straight into the four glasses as you never quite know how these older wines will be. We could in fact have been decanted as it got better in glass rather than fading. There was a ferrous smoothness to the palate, the texture of tannins remained but not dryness. The fruit character was darker than you might expect with a definite Cab Franc character at times. Velvety and whilst fully mature not on the way down.

L'Eglise-Clinet 1985 was the second Bordeaux and reminded me, in quality rather than style terms, of a brilliant bottle of the same estates 1989 some years ago. This was a wine that got better and better with air. Soft and voluptuous but in no way lacking definition. Darker fruits initially that got redder and more expressive with time, a wine at it's early peak. Such a treat, exciting!

Now to a more expected region, given this crowd, Barolo. Two vintages of the same wine - Barolo Sarmassa from Brezza. Brezza are a good producer based in central Barolo with good holdings and well worth a visit. On one trip we dropped in for lunch and had some fun as you can see here. The two vintages were a real treat as well - 1990 then the 1989. I felt they performed as you might expect though this was exaggerated by the 1990 having been double decanted with some time and the 1989 just decanted at the restaurant and served. The 1990 had more opulence and more "mass" the 1989 had more drive, vigour and energy, more definition. Less bruised fruit more saline. I like both but you would always pick the 1989 if being fussy. They both have time ahead but as with all the wines here they are mature.

Mr S wasn't that pleased with the other wine he bought but Sam, Tom and I were all happy enough to drink it - Barolo Villero 1978 from Giacosa (white Label) is a wine he knows well. The nose was a little bruised and aged but the palate had a sweetness to add to the slightly grainy texture. An expressive mature Barolo may be not but a good, interesting, glass of aged Nebbiolo, oh yes!

A predictable ending...

From there things became predictably Negroni based before a beer on departure...happy days. Macellaio's I will be visiting again. Chaps...thanks for the bottles and the laughs.

Burgundy Pairs - 2009 and 2010...Coche, Rousseau, Clos de tart...that sort of thing...

2009 & 2010 Burgundy Pairs – Zucca 29/10/15
I'm not quite sure how I missed this blog but I've only just realised that I didn't actually get my notes written up. This is a tasting that I will want to look back at so I think "better late that never" justifies this very tardy posting. Mr East was the kind organiser, for which many thanks, the dinner was a trade affair with one notable exception who arguably drinks better than the rest of the trade put together. The brief was simple; bring two bottles of the same wine, one from 2009 and one from 2010.

For a better write up (with the wines fresh in his mind) have a look at the post by my friend Joss on his blog. The location was Zucca and for me it followed a rather liquid lunch, also a Zucca (I did get back to my desk in between), so my notes are not quite as "robust" as they might be. Plenty has been written about the growing seasons and the perceived styles of wines from 2009 and 2010 so it was interesting to get to taste things side by side.

We started with a Gosset Celebris 2002 from magnum. I have always liked Gosset as a house finding the style to be a good middle ground between the finesse and focus of the Blanc de Blancs houses and the more generous, biscuity style of the Pinot noir orientated producers. This though is 2002 and in magnum, it has a long way to go, briney and almost Chablis like this is moreish and all the better for it. Even in bottle it'll repay another 3-5 years.

We were then into the meat and drink of the evening, whites then reds. First wine was:

Meursault Poruzots 1er Cru, Maison Deux Montille - the 2009 I noted this as generous, slightly degraded with a lush open texture, enjoyable if not massively complex. The 2010 was, as you might expect, steelier, more saline, minerality to the fore. Good texture. "Tonight" I might drink the 2009 half the time but I'd want to own the 2010.

A rare combination.

Meursault Genevrieres 1er Cru from Boisson-Vadot - was up next. I am lucky enough to be getting more and more exposure to the wines from this producer, almost always in company with many of the friends at this table which tells it's own tale. The reputation is of being an aspiring "School of Coche" style. The 2009 is a wine with nuttiness, a waxy generous texture whilst being big and pretty bold. It is also kept in a framework that makes it complete enough. The 2010 was pretty spot on it has to be said, driven but not so tight as to miss the point of being Meursault...really enjoyable, a quality wine. It was definitely a harder wine to write a note on which I often take as a positive.

Meursault Genevrieres 1er Cru, Coche-Dury - To follow Boisson-Vadot with the very "same" wines from Coche is quite a treat. There was a contrast though which was thought provoking and pattern-breaking. The 2009 in this pairing was better than the 2010. Now there was some questionning of the quality of the 2010 bottle but on the grounds that it was not corked and not oxized I feel that (for now, though god only knows if/when I'll ever have it again) I shouldn't just say "not valid". The 2009 was great, open but with good focus, reduced and with that lovely (if you like it as I do) whiff of gunpowder and struck match. There is a school of thought that with Coche being an early picker he over performs the perception of vintages that are often described as "warm" or even "hot". He certainly seems to have nailed 2005, not that this is news to anyone. The 2010 was too limey, too steely, then a little dry and ultimately had a slight dry toffee note...I just concluded "odd, odd, odd". So rather than worry about the 2010 I think it is worth noting the 2009 is exceptional and that to dismiss 2009 as a possibly sub par white wine vintage vintage is dangerous, generalisations alwasy are, especially in Burgundy.

That concluded the whites, there were a few pairs I had been tempted to take and will continue to look at whites from 2009 and 2010. My thoughts on 2009 and 2010 whites from this and other tastings are that the styles of the wines made in these years are more different than the pure quality assessment. In 10 years time would a tasting see 2010 hailed as better? Yes I think so BUT 2010 will always come with more expectation and sadly, human nature to blame here, more disappointments. For the next 2-5 years I would just serve 2009 whites cooler and undecanted, whereas 2010's I would decant and let breathe. If you don't put too much though into it there is a lot of fun to be had with 2009.

Start of the reds

The reds:

Volnay Champans 1er Cru, Lafon - I do not have that much experience with Lafon, an iconic producer, and was enthused to taste. I think I came out of this pair with more questions than answers. The main problems is that I love the Pinot-ness of Volnay. I would argue that actually if you look for the essence of Pinot then Volnay is the place to go, not to say it is my favourite village in Burgundy for reds but it one that far too many people overlook (to digress a little it is like people buying Barolo and ignoring Barbaresco). The 2009 was a wine I would never has called as Pinot let alone Burgundy. Minty, rich, savoury, with high acidity, this was more Brunello-like than anything. I would love to try this as an older wine. I have a feeling, more a gut feel, that it may get to "mature" status quickly but then actually mellow nicely. The 2010 had the same weight but more focus, still a shade crude for me and certainly a wine with a frame that would suit Gevrey rather than Volnay.

Volnay Champans 1er Cru from d’Angerville - Bias aside this is more the Volnay I know. The 2009 smacked of a wine made to be deliberately toned down. You might expect the warmer 2009 vintage to produce a bigger wine but with this as a pair the 2010 had the slightly darker fruit and the 2009 was redder, glossier, may be more feminine. The 2010 is, for me, comfortably the greater wine here. Refined and long with lovely focus and minerality, this is persistent and impresive.

Pommard Clos des Epeneaux 1er Cru by Comte Armand - This 2009 played well to the vintage character, it was opulent and slightly "slutty", a little glossy with oak showing but not too much. The 2010 was more saturated with fruit, moreish and mouthwatering, worthy of good ageing. Whilst I haven't written masses here I was very impressed with this pair.

Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru, Rousseau - We had a few issues in voting on the next two pairs - a good "1st world problem". I was slightly out on my own in preferring the 2009, slightly as a means of being contrary but I think I just preferred it. The 2009 so enjoyable to drink right now, ripe but correctly so, a lovely salinity to this and just a delicious meld of red and black fruit. The 2010 had an element of star anise and some spice, this was a shade darker of fruit. A stunning pair and one that proves that quality producers do their stuff every year.

Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St Jacques 1er Cru by Fourrier - I'd love to try more Fourrier. The 2009 was a little like Burgundy on steroids which I think is how a few people perceive the vintage and if there is balance this is not an issue. There is density to this and a certain boldness too. The 2010 is lovely real Grand Cru stuff, the structure of dark fruit with the freshness of red fruit...pretty smart!

Clos de Tart Grand Cru - This wasn't long after Clos de Tart day that I wrote up. I agree with Joss' comments that these might have shown better earlier in the flights. The development over the course of Sylvain Pitiot's time at Clos de Tart has been towards purity and elegance over power. This bottle of 2009 I didn't think was showing quite as well as some but was still decent. The 2010 I think is a very very fine bottle with freshness and more red ruit than you might expect as well a little spice. A wine I really look forward to following over the next few decades.

My conclusions on the reds are not that different from the whites. Burgundy as ever is all about the producer and their interpretation of the vintage. If you bought 2009's and 2010's from producers you like, you did the right thing.

I haven't mentioned the food, this was Zucca, so it was good. The chat was, as ever, as much fun as you make it. These dinners always act to remind me, in case I forget, what a fun trade it is that we all work in...well done all...there was chat of a 2009/2010 Bordeaux follow up...

Not just any 40th Birthday - one hell of a dinner...

It has taken me a long time to write this one up - I am not completely sure why, but when you see the line up may be I was a little intimated by the unique array of wines. It was a simply brilliant dinner to celebrate Jordi's 40th Birthday. The wines were, with I think one exception, supplied by the man himself.

La Trompette in Chiswick was the venue and a brilliant job they did too. The food, listed below with a few pics at the bottom of the post, was superb, never showing too much ego just complementing the wines.

Cep Arancini

Seared Isle of Orkney scallops with parsley root, delice pumpkin and hazelnut

Roast Guinea Fowl with turnip and come di rapa

Roast Fallow prickett with jerusalem artichoke, bone marrow, elderberries and damson

Charolis and whipped goat's curd

Chocolate tart, salted caramel ice cream, white chocolate crumble, espresso vinaigrette

So onto the wines then, each pair or trio was shown blind briefly before a reveal:

Bollinger Grand Annee 1982 en Magnum was our starting point with a lovely mellow, toasty notes, some nuttiness but not bready. There was good focus to this mature Champagne.

When I caught a glance of the white pair which was not served blind I was instantly excited. Having been smitten by so many Coche wines down the years I has always wasted to drink the Corton-Charlemagne. The 2005's from Coche are rightly lauded as exceptional, early picking the key, so Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru 2005, Coche-Dury had a bit of a reputation to live up to. It did so effortlessly. My notes are just a list of adjectives; persistent, dense, acidity, freshness, luscious, endless, refined, wow! To be flippant it was just delicious. You could savour it over days or throw it back, as with all great wines it begged to be drunk. To then have it with Montrachet Grand Cru 1986 from Ramonet was some treat. Even more of a treat was the fact that this did not turn into a battle or competition, the verve of one complemented the maturity of the other. The Ramonet had some of this producers classic signatures; Lanolin, ginger, spice, a little more ginger then nutmeg. It was heady and rich but not heavy.

So from Burgundy it was a trip west to Bordeaux for the next pair. There is some exceptional "value" to be had in mature white Bordeaux. The Laville Haut Brion Blanc 1966 had a note of green fruit, lovely verve and freshness, there was, amazingly, a district sauvignon note to this. An unctuous depth. Splendid wine. By contrast the Haut brion Blanc 1985 was deeply frustrating as you could glimpse a great wine but it was in some way unclean. In agreement with others it didn't seem corked to me (and didn't get worse with air) but was not what it clearly was underneath.

Any frustration evaporated rather rapidly and here are the three reasons. Vosnee Romanee Cros Parantoux 1990 from E.Rouget was superb, ripeness, richness, sturdy. The ripeness had good depth and some grit. With time some leather and spice, this was very much the opulent texture of the lavish 1990's. Then a little more age, Vosnee Romanee Les Brulées  1977 from H.Jayer, sweet, rounded and charming, so elegant so seductive, complex and absolutely "a point". Such a treat. The final Musketeer, Vosnee Romanee Les Brulées 1970, R.Engel with oranges, dried herbs, tea, some sweetness, bricky acidity and a slightly citric edge, almost a note of cherry, good now and probably not worth holding longer. What a trio!

BUT…then another trifecta was shown. The Moueix flight! Petrus 1960 was tropically high toned, as always with Petrus, stunning, iron like, extravagant, complete, so textured, so dense with some good acidity, succulent…just so "Petrus". Trotanoy 1955 was a delight, such a good vintage, iron-like richness, blood and meat, a lovely maturity with good acidity, almost a mocha note, magical finish, so moreish. Very different to the Petrus but complimentary. Latour a Pomerol 1949 (more - rather a lot more - of which coming on another blog soon) had more sinew, grip, a savoury edge, lovely grittiness, a shade of bovril, slightly dry toffee finish. By this stage it was already a dinner of a lifetime but wait there is more!

The next two wines, both Burgundy, couldn't have been much more different. First there was Chambertin Grand Cru - Domaine Marion - 1959 from Lionel.J.Bruck en Magnum which had an extravagant nose and lusciously dark core, having this blind I think we were almost all in the Rhone and possibly this wine may have had some help before bottling from that area! It just had a "pepped" up feel to it with a funky grip. The next wine - Romanee Conti Grand Cru 1958 - just simply could not have been more different. Pure elegance, tea and sweet degraded fruits, good energy, gentle and effortless, sweetness again and rosewater delicacy, long and persistent. Special.

Jordi is well know for his love of older wines and whilst we had been "mucking about" with some mature bottles I think he felt it was time to ramp things up and how lucky we were to try these next two but also for them both to show as you could only hope they might. 

Margaux 1900 (Deuxième Vin) had a note of candle wax and bananas, this passed and then there was lush texture of aged purple fruit, lovely, iron showed through amazingly it literally seemed to get younger and younger!! Then going back 30 years further Lafite 1870. This was all iron grit and a little metal then a very clear left bank character came through as the wine gained sweetness and showed more and more of that textbook Cabernet character albeit melded with the maturity…pretty staggering really. We then had the chance to revisit the glasses in front of us and try and take the enormity of what we had been drinking. The good thing was that in all other respects the dinner was just a lot of fun with good stories and views, some nice anecdotes - a good celebration. 

To round things off we had a Madeira from Henriques & Henriques the 1898 Boal Solera this had a very distinct; menthol and pine resin nose then the classical Maderia acidity.

All that really remains is to thank Jordi for the bottles opened, so many of which there is no chance I will ever have again! A special evening.

A few remnants

All set!!

Seared Isle of Orkney scallops with parsley root, delice pumpkin and hazelnut

Roast Guinea Fowl with turnip and come di rapa

Roast Fallow prickett with jerusalem artichoke, bone marrow, elderberries and damson

Magnificent luncheon at Medlar

So the Friday after the spectacular Rousseau at Riverside there was another wine feast planned. This time at the Medlar Restaurant in the King's Road. The group of five included two chaps - Betrand, the chief organiser, and Jordi - who have great cellars and love opening older bottles - both being expert in this area. The menu had been specifically put together and is below:

Crab Raviolo with samphire, brown shrimps, fondue of leeks and bisque sauce

Cornish Turbot with Truffle Veloute, Pak Choi, Enoki, and Potato Galette 

Salad of Confit Quail legs, Iberico Ham, Sairass Ricotta, Baby Green Peaches and Pea Flowers

  

Anjou Pigeon with Mint and Coriander Pesto, King Oyster Mushroom, Chargrilled Broccoli and Endive

Rare Grilled Ox Heart with Veal Sweetbread, White Asparagus, Pomme Anna and Confit Onions

48 month Gouda and 36 month Comte 

English Strawberries with Prosecco Jelly, Mint and Lime Granita, Strawberry Sorbet and Meringues

So to the wines, which were splendidly served at good temperatures by the Sommelier Clement. We started with:

Dom Perignon Oentheque 1996, having had the "normal" 1996 Dom Perignon the week before this was interesting. I tend to prefer the normal bottling but this Oenetheque is good, more richness but not in a clumsy way, good toast, a lovely start.

The two whites we started with were any thing but aperitifs being terrific to follow through the next hour or so - Meursault Perrieres 2004, Coche Dury and Meursault Narvaux 2004, D'Auvenay. The D'Auvenay had one of the most expressively explosive noses I can remember. A whiff of bold reduction then a little toffee, then a very marked and persistent note of popcorn, both popped and unpopped. That sounds like a silly note but it is so precisely what the aroma was. A bold and masculine white. The Coche was wonderfully subtle, young, more taut than the D'Auvenay (almost impossible not to be) it developed really well. It was an unfair fight when they were opened, the D'Auvenay taking control, but an hour on it was almost the reverse - a terrific pair.

Next we were having wines from possibly the other two big names in Cote d'Or whites. They were Chevalier Montrachet 1996 from Leflaive and Meursault Perrieres 1989 from Lafon. Sadly, as happens, they didn't live unto their predecessors. The Lafon was corked, it seemed fully mature but wasn't mildly corked so we moved on immediately. The Chevalier, which I have had a couple of times before, is a good wine. This bottle was a decent one if unexciting. It has a saline and salty almonds aroma, there was fruit but slightly bruised. Good length but just slightly missing a bit of "zip".   

The next flight was a splendid trio:

Echezeaux 2007, DRC

Lovely elegant colour, some orange rind, spices, a dash of graphite, with time it actually got more dense. I love the purity of the gently made 2007's. Very pinot.

Bonnes Mares 1976, Clair Dau

I had not heard of Clair Dau before but I was quickly told it is what is now Bruno Clair. This was mature. Animal, good, a little soy, some green but good green. Balanced and complete, possibly missing the excitement of sweetness. There is that mature mushroom water aroma, good and interesting.

Chambertin Clos de Beze 1971, Clair Dau

This was initially served blind, it was a really exciting bottle, dwarfing the previous wine exactly because it did have the sweetness that older wines need to counter balance the complexity of age. Brown sweetness, leather and undergrowth - absolutely stunning.  

From Burgundy we were off to Bordeaux:
La Tour du Pin Figeac 1961 had an orangey hint, mulled, bruised fruit, a little milky in texture, some tin. It was a little "murky" and impure, not bad for it but not perfect.
Cheval Blanc 1952 This was served blind and had come from parcel that also included 1948 which I have had before. Black fruit and saline, great intensity, there was a spice dimension as well, extremely good wine!
So with so many of the great names of wine already having appeared we still had a few to come. 

Petrus 1966 and La Mission Haut-Brion 1966 were next on the "agenda". I had not had either before. The Bordeaux 1966's that I've had have been pretty special though. The Petrus was superb, so Petrus-like in character, extrovert and high-toned, succulent. There is something unique about Petrus, especially about it's texture and showiness. The La Mission was initially a little dusty and a shade metallic by comparison, but it got better, sweater and cleaner over time, there was a little smokiness.

Two last bottles awaited us and both the enjoyment I got from them and the styles could not have been more different. Masuizumi 2008 Sake was, I am afraid, just not for me. It was served blind and I had no idea what it was. It was a little like hazelnut and white chocolate but with no sweetness at all, odd, I clearly need educating. Quinta do Noval Nacional 1967 was simply brilliant. I have had "Nacional" twice before, once it was also the 1967 and once the 1983. Both times I have been incredibly impressed. This tastes so young but not in a one dimensional fashion, it has developed but just at a snails pace. Dates and sweet spiced fruit, power but so graceful, I would put Nacional up there as a wine that any wine-lover has to experience.

It has been a very special lunch, lots of brilliant conversation and so many good bottles, very well pulled together from both a food and wine standpoint. Bravo and thank you!

Some pics for the Foodies!

Crab Raviolo - a Medlar signature

Cornish Turbot

Quail legs, Iberico Ham

Anjou Pigeon

Ox Heart with Veal Sweetbread

Rousseau at the Riverside...

This was a cracking luncheon well orchestrated by Irish Pete. The drill was to eat at The White Oak in Cookham and then have a gaunt on the river post lunch. Five of us gathered on a muggy day with each bringing a bottle and Irish proving the focal point - never a bad thing when that focus is Rousseau. The food we were served was delicious, simple, elegant and just the foil to the wines, well worth a trip.

We kicked off with two vintages of Dom Perignon the 1996 and 1990. The 1996 served first was absolutely delicious, I have often said that prefer the bottle ageing of Champagne to the yeastier and, in my view, clumsier ageing you get on the lees. These were both original release bottlings. The 1996 was just at a lovely stage, youth giving way to the first signs of maturity, there was still plenty of drive and focus. The initial elements are strawberry fresh but then citrus before a little biscuit takes over, in short this is spot on now. I would imagine magnums are worth holding for 2-3 years but bottles, on this showing, are bang on. The 1990 is mature in my opinion, not over mature mind you. More open, more flesh, apples but good apples then a little butterscotch. There is more roundness and consequently less drive to the wine. Both were delicious and cracking start, serving them in big burgundy glasses also helped. As I write this I'd love to have a bottle of the 1996 chilling in the fridge!

From there we were Burgundy-bound, whites first. Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru 2007 from Domaine  Leflaive and Meursault 2005 from Coche-Duty were the two whites in question. Sadly, there is always a little suspense before opening Leflaive these days and also a thought for Anne-Claude. This was a bright and delicious bottle, a lovely youthful colour (or lack of colour). Great balance, elegant for a Batard, a little whiff of reassuring reduction, it really opened up well in glass to reveal white and yellow fruits, more the classic zip of 2007 that the "broad shoulders" of Batard, lovely, the lunch deserved a good bottle and so it was. Coche-Dury is probably the only producer who make a village wine that would fit at such a lunch. The "supplier" of this has been busily hoovering up the 2005's from Coche. This village wine showed so well and reminded me of another occasion when Irish and I had enjoyed the wine, from 1993 that time, courtesy of Mr G. This 2005 had aniseed and fennel as well as an exuberance, cracking stuff.

Now it was time for the "main course" in all senses of the phrase. Mr H sensibly suggested the next two wines were served in a staggered format to avoid too quick a comparison, very shrewd as there can always be a tendency for instant comparison. In itself this is ok but it is so often to the detriment of one of the wines. This was not the aim here. First out the blocks was Chambertin Grand Cru 1993 from Rousseau. I have been very lucky to have 1990, 1991 and a few other vintages of this genuinely iconic wine. This was gorgeous, poised, it encapsulated the Rousseau signature, for me, of depth and intensity without weight, it was fresh and defined, redder of fruit than I expected. Youthful but not immature. In short stunning. It was then joined by it's sibling Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru 1993 from Rousseau. The wisdom of the staggered start was clear to see. In some ways there was more density, more intensity, more fruit, less savoury. This struck me as a little brighter and redder, a little younger tasting. Reflecting back on it later there was a suggestion that the Beze was a 100% bottle and may be the Chambertin a mere 99% or at least that the Beze was a more youthful example. When I did ulimately decided which I "preferred" for me it was the extra savoury dimension added to the Chambertin but both of these wines are extreme examples of what Burgundy can be...

Clearly that pair were going to be a near impossible act to follow. So we had two wines of different style, one still in Burgundy - Clos Vougeot Grand Cru 1990 from Mongeard-Mugneret and my offering, surprise surprise, Monfortino 2002 from Giacomo Conterno. The Clos Vougeot was re-assuringly different from the Rousseau's. Quite chunky, not over the top, not 1990 soupy which can happen it has a good sweetness to go with that Clos Vougeot grunt, it stood up for itself very well. The Monfortino, watch out for the usual bias, was lovely, very young, we actually put it back in the bottle to cool it as it had got a little warm on the muggy day. It is a wine just getting into second gear, there is a good green freshness as well as dark lifted fruit and that savoury saline signature.

It had been an absolutely splendid meal, lots of good conversation and a keenness to make sure that those who did not attend knew what they had missed. It sounds like we might set this as an annual event - I do hope so!

As we fragmented three of us, Irish, Mr H and myself headed back to the riverside for a ride up the river. As we were in Henley, not sure how I missed mentioning that before, and the rowing was starting the following week we got a good view of the course and a few crews out on the river practising. Of course you can't do that with an empty glass so we took Ruchottes Chambertin Grand Cru 2002 from that splendid Rousseau chap. It was so wonderfully primary for an "02", several of which I have found (admittedly at other "lesser" addresses) to be a little prematurely gamey. This was not a waste to drink now, so bright and dark red fruited. It was a brilliant end to a really cracking day…just what summer fridays are for! Thank you all from your bottles and for organising.

Stay Left!

A week in Bordeaux tasting the 2014's - picture blog...

Just back from Bordeaux:

7 days tasting the 2014 Bordeaux with colleagues at C&B

372 samples - 315 tasted and 57 consumed.

Wines tasted between one and four times

I'll do a summary of my thoughts on the vintage and the wines at some stage

Picture blog of the trip in 57 photos...

The only way to prepare properly... 

Helen and France's least comfortable van!

Quintus...

Tasting the Haut Brion stable...very proper

Mr Marus clearly can't read the words "grass, keep, off, the, please" 

Alison, Guy and Mr Marus tasting at Pichon Lalande... 

Saturday morning...lovely tasting

Mr Fraser gets prepared to re-taste the Moueix 2013's before the 2014's.  

Always love this property, 2014 no exception...

Exceptional...

Well said and it does help.

Adam and Guy interview Edouard and Christian...

Can't say where but this is rare in Bordeaux..."glass or knife sir?"

Exactly...

Peter Sisseck gets animated at and about Rocheyron with Percy, Adam and Paul...

Caption competition?

Decent if no more....

Jo-Jo guards Lamarque...

Team in the cellar at Lamarque with Pierre-Giles...

Ready, steady, go...really useful Negoce tasting pre lunch on a Sunday....

Sweeties...great to taste along side each other, I'm not good enough with words to describe these.

Well it's sunday and the cabbage was awesome too...

Lovely set...de Fargues really is a bargain, 2004 not easy but this superb...

Such lovely weather for a Monday morning at Branaire... 

The Branaire wines with Patrick Maroteaux's son... 

Mr Fraser enjoys a furry chair at Latour...

When they will be released? Who knows? But lovely they certainly are...

The recent releases...Latour 2003 a wonderful "freak", unconvinced about Forts 2008...

Amazing set up at Mauvesin Barton...it was suggested it'd be awesome for paint-balling...

Wet and grey from Tertre Roteboeuf...

Adam and Guy interview Francois Mitjavile...never dull!  

Tertre Roteboeuf cellars - I never think the wine is particularly Burgundian but the set up IS...

More Interviews - Edouard Labruyere at Rouget, very interesting perspective...

How Rouget's label has changed, 2014 very good and liable to be a great, savvy buy! 

What a line-up with a friend, customer, wine-lover...THANK YOU!

Red scarves at Palmer...it got quite feisty on pricing... 

This red fiat was a complete pain...we needed a referee... 

The Marketing was in full flow at Margaux...Pavillon Blanc was wonderful... 

An icon even now - hustle, bustle and good game chips....

Where did that extra chin come from...

Impressive, Cabernet showcase...

Brooding and serious, for the patient...rewards will follow

A wonderful, relaxed and happy evening...

Vineyards at Les Carmes Haut-Brion - very much still "in town"...

The works at Carmes Haut-Brion, amazing set up for the 2015 crop... 

On great form...

We were at Smith Haut Lafite for the Pessac & Graves UGC... understatement never included...

Monster or masterpiece? A bit of both actually...

"Softplay area" at a very well organised St.Julien UGC at Leoville Poyferre...

Lord Marus of Bordeaux awaits the tasting at Cos d'Estournel... 

His request is answered...impressive and the white is cracking...

Not your average start to a Thursday...

So pure fruited, open, elegant...

Mr Fraser inspects the "arrangements" at La Conseillante...

Conseillante 2014, floral, elegant, precise, good!

The last tasting...filling any gaps and settling any differences, oh and tasting all the Sauternes...

Job done!