Mid week 27 29 July

Antoine Singer

Antoine Singer

Location
London
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Chateauneuf Tardieu Laurent VV 2009... Found this one in the cellar and it was very pleasurable was rich honeyed and not too alcoholic. Not our favoite white wine (much prefer Burg and Riesling) and a very well done wine in a warm vintage.
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A very decent Beaujolais hitting his drinking window... good balance, a bit oaky, a good big meal (with tannins but pleasant) wine that tells you why so many Burg owners buy vines in Beaujolais... though, of course, this is not Burgundy (except for silly bureaucrats...). Can further age
 
Can I cheat and add some wines enjoyed last week whilst away - apologies for the long list!

We stayed with some friends at their house in the Cotswolds and then ensconced ourselves in a nice hotel, the Double Red Duke.
It has a pretty good wine list though with perhaps a higher mark up than I'd like. Service was excellent and I had some nice chats with the bar manager / somm.
Food was good with Richard Turner from Hawksmoor involved, though a single rib eye steak on the first night was overdone, a shared prime rib the next night was superb.

A couple of wines not listed below I took to our friends included 2017 Guy Breton Morgon P'tit Max and Red 2016 Ktima Foundi Xinomavro Naoussea which were both enjoyed and consistent with previous notes. The Beaujolais in particular was perfect slightly chilled on a hot afternoon with some proper BBQ

  • 2020 Weingut Keller Riesling von der Fels - Germany, Rheinhessen (7/16/2021)
    Wanted to give this an early test drive and enjoyed on a scorching hot day out in Cotswolds

    Obviously very young at this stage, barely off the plane / truck from Germany. It already speaks to lovely things though with a nose and palate of ripe pear, custard apple, a youthful really zingy green acidity (if acidity can have colour) and a long long finish

    This has the components to be really great and is a good QPR - even despite the Brexit induced import hassle (92 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker

  • 2016 Mark Haisma Gevrey-Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin (7/18/2021)
    Enjoyed off the list whilst staying at the Double Red Duke hotel.

    Served in a large pinot noir bowl (Nude stem zero) that really did its job here - a wonderful expressive nose - red fruit, strawberry, raspberry, a hint of sloe

    Palate is quite rich, delivers the fruit from the nose, some stems in the mix too. Nice and sappy with a rich structure and velvety tannins

    Lovely stuff (92 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker


  • NV Taittinger Prelude - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (7/18/2021)
    BTG with my wife at the Double Red Duke hotel

    Not had this cuvee before.

    Quite a strong mousse, flavours of juicy green apple, pink grapefruit, lemon zest, but not too sharp
    Balanced finish with acidity rounded out by the body (90 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker

  • 2018 Castello della Sala (Antinori) Umbria Cervaro della Sala - Italy, Umbria (7/19/2021)
    Glass via Coravin at the Double Red Duke hotel

    First time trying this Umbrian chardonnay and rather enjoyed it

    Nose of vanilla, coconut, pineapple, green lemon, lemon grass - all quite exotic but still fresh

    Palate delivers on the nose but there is a lovely lightness to this too - very balanced. (92 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker

  • NV Jacquesson & Fils Champagne Cuvée No. 743 - France, Champagne (7/19/2021)
    Bottle enjoyed with my wife at the Double Red Duke hotel

    This is interesting
    Nose of hazelnuts, baked bread, some ripe apple and apricot.
    Relatively light mousse and quite advanced on the palate, almost some fino esque olive brie in the background, but felt correct and overall quite delicious.

    My wife liked it which is key! (92 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker


And yes - every wine should get 92 points!
 
A few more BR this week…

  • 2010 Domaine David Clark Bourgogne Au Pelson - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne (27/07/2021)
    A touch of sous bois starting to develop alongside the vibrant deep strawberry fruit. Light and nuanced, there’s lots here for the level. This has really opened up compared to a bottle in 2014 and is absolutely singing now. *** (89 pts.)
  • 2019 Jean-Marie Fourrier Bourgogne - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne (26/07/2021)
    Deeper, darker and denser than the 2017. Gloss, sweet fruited and very smooth. A bit more oomph here cf yesterday’s 2017. Really very good BR that has rounded nicely over the last few months. *** (89 pts.)
  • 2017 Jean-Marie Fourrier Bourgogne - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne (24/07/2021)
    Mid ruby. Lovely strawberry fruit, midweight, a nicely silky sweetness developing. Finishes brightly and well. Excellent BR. *** (88 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
 
Il Farneto Giandòn 2020 is a red blend of Marzemino, Malbo Gentile and Lambrusco Grasparossa; 12% abv; c.16€

This is a fun little "natural" red. It smells of cherries and tastes of summer berries and sunshine. Crisp and fresh and fun. A bit more serious than just a glouglou and with proper tannins and acidity. But it doesn't lose the fun bit at all. Buy again? Yeah.
 
Volnay 'Clos de la Cave' 2013, JM Bouley, very young and strict but expressive and expansive too with the most aristocratically forceful yet dignified beetroot and violet aroma, a glorious if counterintuitive partner to spaghetti alla Gricia, Carbonara without the eggs and all the very much better for it IMO, though guanciale rather than pancetta it must be. These weirdly rich no-acid pastas actually make wine compulsory, which is rather satisfactory. The essential sensation of cool acidity rinsing the voluptuous cured cheek fat from the mouth represents gastronomy at its most tangible.
 
The cider, or being Russell Faulkner?

I've not tried either, I have to say, but the cider is scheduled for the end of the afternoon. My ten-year old daughter insisted on the choice because she liked the label. Having just dragged her slowly around Girona fish market, I owed her some leeway. This is a great place to eat in, but not so much if you're ten and have a list of only four or five savoury food items that you regard as preferable to misery or death.
 
Thom Blach said:
Volnay 'Clos de la Cave' 2013, JM Bouley, very young and strict but expressive and expansive too with the most aristocratically forceful yet dignified beetroot and violet aroma, a glorious if counterintuitive partner to spaghetti alla Gricia, Carbonara without the eggs and all the very much better for it IMO, though guanciale rather than pancetta it must be. These weirdly rich no-acid pastas actually make wine compulsory, which is rather satisfactory. The essential sensation of cool acidity rinsing the voluptuous cured cheek fat from the mouth represents gastronomy at its most tangible.
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Thanks, Thom - I'm glad to hear this is still drinking well.

An '02 Musar rouge (half) last night was a horrid mess of jam and vinegar. My second in a row like this from a recent Waitrose, having had no duff bottles in several cases of '01s and '03s. Preceded by a glass of Louis Michell Montee de Tonnerre '14, which was pale and searing, and absolutely perfect for oysters. Unfortunately I had none, and made do with some incredibly stale Tesco cashews.
 
Some others I’ve had have been, Nick: Reicine and Tenuata di Carleone come to mind. I think it’s likely to be the winemaking rather than the weather, but I haven’t followed I e O closely enough to be sure.
 
We're having our kitchen re-done , which seemed a good excuse to take myself for a solo lunch at the Chesil Rectory, accompanied by a bottle of 2006 Chateau Branaire Ducru. The nose was rather shy, but pleasant enough. In the mouth it lacked concentration and acidity; the finish was long-ish and a bit grippy. All in all, it was nice enough but a tad underwhelming. I'm sure I've had better bottles in the past, but it could be that as I was dining solo, I just paid it more attention than normal and so paid more notice to its deficiencies.
 
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