Mar 2011
Austrian Wine Marketing
31 March 2011 Filed in: News & Views
The-scandal-that-dare-not-speak-its-name has mercifully faded from memory and wine drinkers are finally beginning to assess Austrian wine on its manifold merits. Not before time. Much of the credit for this can be laid at the door of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board, of whom I wrote recently: “Their methods can hardly be faulted and are sound rather than suave, based on solid facts and figures and not vacuous waffle or vague assertions of quality.” Read More...
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Needle... Haystack... La Ruchotte
My first attempt to find La Ferme de la Ruchotte, buried deep in the Burgundian countryside, almost ended in failure a few years ago. It lies between the villages of Bligny-sur-Ouche and Bessey-en-Chaume, about 15 kilometres north west of Beaune. It was well worth the search for it is one of France’s gastronomic jewels. Read More...
Wine Sale at Dunnes
Running until 12th April is the Spring Wine Festival at Dunnes Stores and included in it is a whole raft of wines at €5 per bottle, with another tranche at €6. Never, however, would the advice to ‘trade up’ be more apt than here, for by spending just another euro some tasty new world wines come onto the radar. Read More...
Pichon '29
The Wall Street crash was just around the corner when the grapes for this wine were being harvested almost 82 years ago, so it seems fitting that it should be consumed with the world still staggering from the effects of the latest economic crisis. It was superb, so fine in fact, that it could have buoyed up the most troubled of spirits and banished, for a few moments at least, all fiscal woes. Read More...
Mouton Magnums
25 March 2011 Filed in: News & Views Miscellaneous
“I hope the Mouton Collection is enjoyed by the new owner, who I believe is from Asia.” So said singer Chris de Burgh earlier today when I contacted him about the sale this week of an extremely rare collection, from de Burgh’s cellar, of magnums of Château Mouton-Rothschild spanning every vintage from 1945 to 2005. The price paid was £155,250 (€178,538, $251,660). Read More...
Mount Pleasant Mystery Solved
Thanks to a swift response from the winery in Australia, delivered through Tesco, so thanks to them also, I am now able to clear up the confusion surrounding the labelling of the Hunter Valley Semillon that remains one of my favourite Australian wines, no matter what they call it. For the record it is now labelled as: McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon 2005. The text of the message reads: Read More...
Sale! Sale! Sale!
23 March 2011 Filed in: News & Views Cellar Notes
Spring has definitely sprung and, to celebrate, Ireland’s wine retailers are falling over themselves to attract custom by means of an enticing array of offers. First out of the traps is Mitchell & Son, Ireland’s oldest wine merchant, where everything is reduced by 20% until the end of this month. Read More...
Double Identity?
I had a great response to my recommendation of the Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon 2005 last week, so much so that a number of people contacted me to say that their local Tesco store was sold out of the wine. All I could say by way of consolation was, “So was mine!” But that’s not all.
Read More...Margaux Quartet
21 March 2011 Filed in: Blake's Best Cellar Notes
Thanks to the outstanding generosity of a friend myself and a small group of fellow wine nuts enjoyed a stunning quartet of vintages from Château Margaux last Saturday evening: 1990, ’89, ’86 & ’83. All four were in excellent condition and, while each taster had his or her own favourite, there was no question of trying to agree on a ‘winner’. That would be to miss the point altogether. Read More...
A Busy Bordeaux Lady
Charming, articulate and very capable are just three descriptors that sit easily on the shoulders of Sylvie Cazes-Regimbeau, recently appointed as managing director of all the Louis Roederer properties in Bordeaux. This, in addition to her other role as president of the Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux, will make her a busy lady indeed. Read More...
Allez Chambolle-Musigny
Yesterday being the feast of Saint Patrick I dug deep into the cellar and came up with a gem that a friend had given me some five years ago. It was a Chambolle-Musigny, Les Cras 2002, Domaine Michèle & Patrice Rion (13%). Read More...
The Last Drop
17 March 2011 Filed in: News & Views
I have just received a press release about a rarer-than-rare blended Scotch whisky of which only 1,347 bottles have been produced. It is called The Last Drop. In all probability this is a very fine whisky, which leaves me wondering why the people behind the marketing blurb felt the need to swamp the message about the spirit itself in a load of old hokum. Read More...
Gambal Expands
The latest news from Burgundy’s Côte d’Or is that Alex Gambal, originally from the Washington DC area, but with his own domaine and negociant business in Beaune since 1997, has completed the purchase of some prized parcels of vineyard in the grand cru Bâtard-Montrachet, along with Puligny-Montrachet ‘Les Enseignères’ and Chassagne-Montrachet ‘L’Ormeau’. Read More...
Best Value Ever
Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Very probably the best value wine offer I have ever come across lasts for only a few more days at Tesco. Read More...
Facelift at Fieuzal
10 March 2011 Filed in: News & Views
As you crest the small rise on the D651 coming south out of the village of Léognan the usually tranquil view is broken by a massive crane that towers over the vineyards.
Read More...Bordeaux 2009 Revisited
03 March 2011 Filed in: Tastings
It is a chilly morning here in Bordeaux as I prepare for the annual Millesima tasting, where the last vintage but one is always presented, shortly before it is bottled. Thus it is the already legendary 2009 that is under the microscope this year.
Read More...Mister Riedel
01 March 2011 Filed in: Profiles Food & Wine
When it comes to polish, probably the only thing shinier than an elegant Riedel wine glass is Mr Riedel himself. Scion of the family dynasty, Maximilian J Riedel, visited Dublin before Christmas to present a pair of master classes for the trade and general public. Read More...
