News & Events

Information regarding vintage reports, wine events and special offers appear on these pages.

Over time we will be publishing mini reports on all our expeditions 'out in the field' - keeping you up-to-date with all the news from our favourite producers.

Autumn Tastings

We are currently putting together plans for 2 tastings this autumn. Early thoughts are that we will be holding a specific Burgundy tasting in early September and a pre-Christmas 'Collective' tasting in late November. Hopefully we will have a number of our wine maker friends in attendance at the later. More details will be posted to our e-mail recipients soon, so if you want to be included it isn't too late to register. Click here to register.

Bordeaux En-Primeur 2007

It seems that the curse of the 7 has struck again. For a good part of the last century vintages ending in a 7 have been difficult ones for the wine makers of Bordeaux.

Those who follow the Bordeaux En Primeur campaigns may already have read a lot about this vintage, what follows is our thoughts following a visit to the Chateaux in early April.

There is no doubt that 2007 was a difficult and unusual vintage. We could go into reasons and give exact figures on sunlight and rainfall – but interesting reading it does not make. The generalisation is that it was a very long season (you may remember the glorious early spring) with sun and rain at all the wrong times. The Bordeaux machine claims it was saved by an indian summer, but by then much of the damage had already been done. Suffice to say, as always, there are wine makers that claimed to do better then others and of course those that actually did do better then others.

The wines we particularly enjoyed seemed to have been cleverly engineered by the wine makers using higher percentages of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot than is usual. These wines are by no means traditional clarets in style and those searching for the good old Bordeaux character will be disappointed, but they should become fresh, dark, quite chunky, early drinking wines that we think will be of interest.

Before we mention the all-important pricing issue a quick word of warning.

A number of Chateaux made good use of their micro-oxygenisation or similar techniques in this vintage. This practice softens the tannins and makes the wines more appealing in their youth, but may actually hide the true and less attractive nature of the final product. So please bare this in mind in early tastings.

Pricing the 2007’s was always going to be difficult. The market in the UK was already looking a bit wearily at the annual Bordeaux price hikes. But now, with the Euro at about 15% more expensive than at this time last year, prices would have to have dropped dramatically to get many players back into the game – even more so if you consider the perceived lack of quality in the vintage.

Finally a word on sweet wines from the region. We may be a bit cynical, but some commentators and especially traders have been parading theses wines as the ‘silver lining’ to the 07 campaign. Some sales pitches have claimed that it is the best vintage since 2001 – that’s not a great number of years and with no real competition, so faint praise indeed. We found the wines to be sweet, very sweet but they seemed to lack the rich botrytis character of really good vintages and this is something age in the bottle cannot change. Whilst they were pleasing to taste we can’t see the point in paying Sauternes prices for wines that taste like vin doux – unless you enjoy the taste of lemon curd!

Therefore we will not be running a Bordeaux 2007 En Primeur campaign. It seems that for once we may not be alone. Many are comparing the vintage to 1997, but in that campaign merchants still purchased in order to keep allocations of various wines. The world has changed since then and maybe the UK market feels a little adjustment is needed. We already hear talk of large European supermarkets buying the wines at discount. So, we’ll try them in a couple of years and decide if we want some then – prices may even have dropped a bit. As ever though we are happy to source for our customers if there is a particular requirement they may have and will endeavour to find the best prices for them.

Salon des Vins de Loire – February 2008

Our last visit to this wine show based in Angers was a miserable affair. It was four years ago and we experienced the Loire Valley at its greyest and most moody. The wines were much the same, a lot of producers were showing early examples of the freaky 2003 vintage, but most were showing tired, dried out, hideously acidic wines from previous years.

We approached the 2008 show with fear…

…And how surprised we were. It has to have been the most positive and uplifting wine show we have visited for a long time. We’re not sure what the Loire wine makers have been up to in those four years since our last visit, but we like it. A great percentage of wines we tasted were fresh, fruity, full of character – often unusual but always exciting. There was a real vibrancy not only in the wine but also in the general atmosphere – maybe global warming is actually helping some people?

There were of course still some worrying wines, but maybe we were just lucky and missed most of them.

Off the back of this trip we have picked up some great wines (white, rose, red and sweet) from really amazing wine makers and met some quirky characters along the way.

Have a look through the pages under the Loire filter to see some.

Organic Wine Fair Perpignan - January 2008

Our first wine trip of 2008 took us to what promised to be an exciting cross section of an ever-increasing wine movement. All 300 or so producers were using either organic or biodynamic principles in their wine making. Alas, our enthusiasm was short lived. We were so surprised at the number of poorly made wines we tasted - it seemed to us that a number of producers are veering down the organic pathway merely as a new way to sell their wines!

One well noted vigneron, who has been using organic principles for all of his working life commented that "...these young vignerons, who are turning to organic wine making procedures, have to learn how to make wine in the vineyards again..." adding later that "... when you change a vineyard to organic, it effectively goes 'cold turkey'. After years of drug abuse the vines don't know what to do with themselves...".

These problems are obvious to spot in the wines, a lot of what we tasted was dusty, almost like damp cardboard - the fresh fruit, the joy of the wine was missing. However those few vignerons we met who know how to handle their vines properly, with a sensitive and balanced respect of nature, who work hard in the vineyards with nature were showing wines of exceptional quality.

Our short stint showed us the good and the bad wines behind the 'organic label'. To that end we decided it prudent and good practice to show on this website those wines that we list, where the producers are following a specific and diligent criteria of a balance of nature in all that they do. Some are certified by specific organisations, some do it purely because they believe this is the way wine should be made. All fulfil our expectations of how wine should be made with a good mentality. Look out for the little green leaf symbol.

UPDATE

Regular readers of these pages will have noted that we have been a little quiet with our news updates of late. Do not fear, we have not gone any where, rather busy on a vast raft of buying trips. We are expanding our offering to almost double its current size with unique and exciting wines from more like minded vignerons from across the length and breadth of France. You should start to see these wines appearing over the next couple of weeks. The printable list will follow shortly after. News of our travels will also follow on these pages.

Bordeaux En-Primeur 2006 - Conclusion

It's over - the final wines have been released, the prices have been set and we can safely say that our decision to sit and watch has paid off. Some of the prices coming out where obviously badly judged and we will be happily spending our money on vintages that are ready to drink now and more realistically priced.

Our only purchase from the whole campaign was a few cases of the Chateau d’Yquem – which may or may not appear on these pages in future. One word of warning though, already the price of this wine on the open market is hugely varied, so if you are looking for some – shop around!

Languedoc buying trip – June 2007

…And here we found the results of more unsettled weather similar to that we had experienced in Burgundy last month. In fact our arrival was again heralded by an almighty storm (someone may be trying to tell us something), which actually signalled the end of a humid, damp period that had been bothering the region for over a fortnight. The days that followed where hot and dry – a return to more usual climatic conditions and the smell of Sulphur (Copper Sulphate is widely used to combat mildew) hung in the air as vignerons battled the inevitable white fuzz that appears on the leaves. However, this did not put a stop to our exploits, as we charged from tasting to tasting trying to fit as much as we could in to the short time we where there.

First we were treated to a tasting by a group of vignerons at the Abbay de Valmange (pictured), which has to be the most impressive tasting venue we have visited in this region. The actual church itself has been turned into the local winery with huge wooden vats lined up on either side of its 85 metre expanse, at nearly 25 metres high this really is an awe inspiring sight. The tasting here set the tone for the whole trip, with a high success rate of wines that we have now started shipping. In particular the wines of Mas d’Auzieres whose vineyard we went on to visit a few days later.

We hopped into and out of most of the appellations in the area, visiting old friends and new leads alike. We noticed that there appears to have been another shift in quality amongst many winemakers. It seems that every five years or so that the bar is raised that little bit further by a new wave of vignerons and we were impressed by the new energy and commitment being shown by those we met. Our hope is that this becomes infectious amongst others in the region, pushing general quality higher as well.

Please contact the office for further advice on these new wines.

Burgundy buying trip – May 2007

We don’t really need an excuse to visit this wonderful region of France; and to try some of the exceptional 2005’s ‘in situe’, made this particular trip even more of a joy then usual. And whilst a lot of the top flight 05’s were teasingly not available for purchase there were many smaller domain with good quantities of quite wonderful wines for us to get excited about.

Our arrival on the Sunday evening was heralded by the most enormous thunderstorm, breaking a succession of weeks of gloriously un-seasonal weather. We found many vignerons in a fluster as the vines were up to 4 weeks advanced on where they should be in the growing season. In fact, we saw evidence of the first flowerings at some vineyards – the earliest ever seen. Our visit was dogged by some quite unsettled weather and by our departure there were some worried wine makers – too much rain at this delicate part of the vines cycle could cause the flowering to abort, the end result of which is very small and small quantities of fruit. We will have to wait and see!

Not only did we taste the 2005’s but we also got to try many recent past vintages and it was really interesting to see how some of these were developing. All the domains we visited were also happy to show us the early stages of the 2006’s. It seems that although they will never reach the dizzy heights of the previous vintage there will be some delightful, more classical styled wines available. Some of the whites, particularly in the Cotes du Beaune were struggling with really high alcohol levels and in general the malo-lactic fermentations were being a bit irregular. But cellars all over the region under the control of skilled winemakers should have some successful results.

We were quite surprised at the amount of 04’s still being offered and whilst there is a certain green pistachio, pomegranate character to most of the wines and in some cases a thin watery element there are still some bargains to be found.

Unfortunatly our ‘expertise’ was put to shame by our good friend Lolo at the restaurant Caves Madeleine in Beaune, when he gleefully caught us out in a blind tasting of Muller Catoir 1998 Pinot Noir from Pfalz, Germany and a Faustino V Rioja 1970 – I think we can be forgiven for that.

Lledoner Pelut 2004

We welcome back onto our list the Lledoner Pelut from Domaine la Colombette. This unique wine is as far as we know the only 100% example of this grape in existence. Some say it is a relative of the Grenache grape, whilst others claim its heritage is linked to the Pinot Meunier grape used in Champagne. Nobody can be sure & when we asked Francois Pugibet from the Domaine his response was a typical Gallic shrug and a secretive wink.

It has been a firm favourite of ours for a number of years, unfortunately the long, hot, dry summer of 2003 did not create the most typical of examples. But, with the 2004 it returns and in our view one of the best ever examples.

The wine definitely shows its possible Grenache background. It is quite a light weighted wine with lots of red bramble fruits and spice. It also has some Pinot-esque animal, leafy, red fruit notes. Light smoke and a well-balanced structure make this wine a perfect accompaniment to all manner of meat dishes. Soft and juicy enough in the mouth for pork, yet rich enough and full of character to go with heavier beef and game.

Bordeaux En-Primeur 2006

We have been a little quiet on this site so far regarding the 2006 Bordeaux campaign, we've decided to watch the market and try and gauge over all interest before making our thoughts known. And now having tried many wines from this vintage at all levels and having seen how the early releases have panned out, our plan is... to wait. Not very exciting I know but whilst there are some quite chirpy, early drinking examples due out in the next few weeks, we don't think that there are many that will prove better value then say 2004, 02, 01 or 1999. The difference being of course that these vintages are available to drink now. There doesn't seem to be much mileage in sitting on most wines from 2006.

Having said that, there are a few areas worth looking at - We've been quite impressed with a number of Pomerols for example. Leoville Barton was a pleasant surprise to try, classically minded but still a joy. And of course the top growth Chateaux faired well, but will their prices be more down to earth then in 2005 - as we said let's wait and see.

Rose 2006

NOW AVAILABLE - our selection of wines from a vintage that produced some of the most elegant, involving and balanced roses and whites we've ever tasted from the South of France.

South of France buying trip - November 2006

Our visits to the South of France are without a doubt a highlight of our annual buying calendar. It’s hard not to fall in love with this part of the world, with vineyards as far as the eye can see, good food, friendly locals, old friends and wine makers passionate about their work.

We always take some of the team from the St John restaurants. There is no better way of inspiring those ‘on the front line’ then by introducing them to the characters and places behind the wines.

Our voyage started in Perpignan with a tasting at Domaine Boudau. You may have recently seen the good press one of their wines received in The Sunday Times. This year will see the 4th vintage we have brought from this domaine and it seems that the wines just get better and better each year. Our only concern is that with all the publicity that they have quite rightly achieved, it may get harder and harder to get hold of the quantities we want.

We then journeyed up into the hills of Roussillon, visiting Clos des Fees and Olivier Pithon. The autumnal views up here were breath taking, only matched by the quality of the wines. The passion and hard work that goes on at these two domaine is quite amazing particularly when you can see the harsh environment in which they work.

We spent a lot of time zigzagging across the Languedoc. Visiting small producers in the Corbieres, the Minervois, St Chinian and Pic St Loup. The general opinion of 2006 in these parts was that it is a vintage where the whites seemed to be looking particularly good. The relatively temperate weather in August helped the white grapes retain a certain freshness and crispness that should produce some very exciting characterful wines.

Our travels than took us past Montpellier where we found a lovely Picpoul de Pinet, that should be available early next year. This white wine, locally served with oysters and seafood is a great alternative to Muscadet and is brimming with character.

 

 

Moving ever eastwards we soon met up with some of our friends in Provence. The wines here were particularly good, the raw ingredients of the 2006 roses particularly grabbed our attention – these should be amazing wines when they are released in the spring!

 

One of the slightly more surreal moments was a visit to a wine maker who is using 6-foot high concrete eggs to age his wines in. These structures are made from very pure (spring water and unsullied aggregates) concrete with no metallic sub frame to interfere with the ionic magnetism of the wines. A truly educational moment!!!

We finished our expedition with some really ‘big’ wines from Domaine les Luquettes in Bandol where the patchwork blanket of vineyards nestles quietly between the rocky hills of Provence. This family run business is quietly and conscientiously producing some fabulous, organic, toothsome reds and plush soft roses. The perfect and only way of ending a tour of the wine regions of this area was, of course, by enjoying a truly magnificent bouillabaisse in Marseille.

Chateau Gruaud Larose tasting – October 19th 2006

What a joy to be invited to a back catalogue of vintages from this iconic Chateau. Not only were we treated to a host of fabulous examples from 1964 up to present day, but also a good selection of the Sarget de Gruaud – their 2nd wine.

The list of vintages of the top wine was as follows 2005, 2004, 2000, 1997, 1996, 1989, 1982, 1975 & 1964. With examples from 05,04,02,97 & 95 of the Sarget.

 

In a tasting like this I always find that my eye is drawn to the ‘famous’ vintages, naturally I want to savour those great wines or indeed check up on past investments. The pleasing thing with this tasting, organised by our good chums at Les Caves de Pyrene was that they had chosen examples from less praised vintages for their interest factor as well & they did not disappoint on this basis.

One may not pull out the 2004 as a prime example of this Chateau, but I was surprised by the fresh, juiciness of this wine. Although still somewhat chunky & perhaps a little lighter than some may appreciate; this was a very appealing bottle of wine with almost a bit of innocence about it. When you consider it sells for just below £30 a bottle you can see what good value it is.

The 2005 & 2000 were, as expected still a long way off peak drinking, but even then I couldn’t help thinking that there was something a little subdued about them.

The 97 was of course a good ‘work horse’ example. I would be more than happy to chew my way through this wine with some good solid food, also not bad value for a wine with a hint of age, at about £40 a bottle.

The big hitters were of course the 82 & the 64. I would almost say I enjoyed the 64 more, even though 82 is of course the vintage to reckon with. Purely for the reason that it has aged so well, showing some real life and vitality with a lovely meaty, toffee finish to it. The 82 was complex yet mellow, delicate yet commanding, a thoroughly exciting wine, but just lacking the magic of the 64 bottle.

Value wine of the tasting was the 1997 Sarget de Gruaud at £17.20 on this site. It had all the correct meaty, leather as one would hope but there was still lots of fruity vitality left on the palate, almost making the £40 a bottle for the Gruaud 97 looking a little unnecessary.

October 2006 – Bordeaux 2004 tasting

We recently attended a tasting of the 2004 Bordeaux vintage in London.

This annual event is greatly anticipated by the UK wine trade as it is usually the first time that the vintage next to be released will have been tasted in this country. It’s kind of like the half time analysis in football. The wine trade can re-evaluate its original thoughts on the vintage and in particular on the purchases and sales they made.

The 2004 vintage was pitched at the time of release as a good, classical, cool vintage. Wine makers needed to use all the skills & tricks of their craft to produce traditional, elegant wines with good ageing potential – it was a vintage that favoured the experienced.

We were pleasantly surprised at what we tasted. There were of course high points and low points but overall we were quite impressed by the quality and in fact by the accessibility of some of these wines. The wines of Pauillac and Saint Julien were on the whole the pick of the bunch, with the wines from Margaux looking somewhat thin in comparison.

Wines that particularly caught our eye at this moment were the reds from (in no particular order) :

Domaine de Chevalier

Beychevelle

Gruaud Larose

Langoa Barton

Leoville Barton

Batailley

Lynch Bages

Pichon Longueville Baron

Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Pontet Canet

Cos Labory

As we said the big surprise was the ease with which some of these wines were drinking now. Undoubtedly they will return to their slumbers in due course and the long-term prospects look good, but the thing to remember is that they will be hitting maturity at about the same time as a lot of the more expensive 2005’s and therefore have / and will be somewhat ignored by the industry. A good example of the price difference is on the Pichon Longueville Baron. The 2004 price is about £350 per case where as the 2005 is about £750. So if like most of us you found yourself priced out of the 05 vintage, the 2004’s are still well worth a look.

We have included a small selection on our pages. The wines are due to arrive in the UK next spring/summer (2007).

See what Jancis Robinson wrote about the 2004 vintage in the FT by clicking here.

Congratulations

We are proud to announce that Domaine Chataigneraie-Laborier have achieved a silver award in the Decanter Magazine World Wine Awards for their Pouilly Fuisse 'Belemnites' 2004. The keen eyed amongst you will see that the magazine have this wine down as costing £15.

On this site you will find it for £10.70!!!

"Fresh, honey and oak nose, elegantly balanced, fresh, mid-full wine, long, refined and stylish. Very Good." Decanter Magazine

Harvest 2006

For all but the sweetest of wines the harvest has pretty much finished in Europe. We will be reporting over time on how 2006 has shapped up for our producers. As they say...

Watch this space.

 

Bordeaux En-Primeur 2005

The annual release of wines from Bordeaux was a drawn out and grubby affair this year and as predicted was more of  a 'bun-fight' then ususal. There were some very strong comments from some very influencial corners of the industry regarding the quality of the vintage and some painfully high prices to match. Whilst we didn't agree entirely with the unreserved praise by some of these commentators there were indeed some amazing, highly sought after wines.

We will be continuing to offer some of our purchases on the Offers & En Primeur pages of this site for a limited period. But, please remember that quantities are strictly limited - once they are gone at this price, they are gone..