4/13/2024 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Very lovely, enjoyed in an excellent restaurant in the Aube region of France. Classical white Burgundy, with perhaps some hints of grander things, just a hint of cordite on the nose, pleasingly. Very enjoyable. Though a bit too young. I shook the bottle, and wish I'd done so more vigorously.

4/15/2024 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Lovely. As the back label says, is 40pc syrah with the rest Grenache. Lovely nose, dark fruit and very syrah. A lovely fun wine. All this in the context of it being a not expensive Cotes du Rhone, but it's a wonderful one of those. Very food friendly. I would enjoy this young, it's very enjoyable! My 93 point score reflects it exceeding what you'd expect at this price. Interesting that the label suggests drinking at 12-14c - cool for a CdR. I think this speaks to the winemaker's desire for nuance and something that's not a thump in the face. It's floral amid the dark fruit. 14pc.

4/11/2024 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Hmm. I have a few bottles of this, partly inspired by JLL's warm words. On opening I found this... A bit dull and a bit spiky at once (don't try to reconcile my language). Half of it was placed in a screwcapped half bottle, and the next day (tonight) it is more polished, inviting - so Mrs D was right, it's not too old, and is perhaps in an awkward phase and needs a little more time. I'll find out in due course....

4/11/2024 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Good muscadet. On the one hand it's remarkably fresh for a 10-year-old white wine. On the other, I'm not sure it's particularly gone anywhere or improved, or ever will. Great acididy slices through grilled sardines. And nice oystershell notes - it would match oysters very well. But not sure I'll age this so much in future. That said, I think I have a bottle or two more and may keep one to see what happens.

4/6/2024 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Very fresh, very light. Gamay from 480 metres and 12.5pc says the label. So easy to drink. Definitely Burgundian rather than Rhonish, if one were to look at Beaujolais through those lenses. It's actually a bit too light with caillettes and, subsequently, sausages. A red wine for poached chicken or aperitif perhaps. But lovely nose, hints of strawberries and (not in a bad way) rhubarb. Rather joyous. I think my enjoyment is very slightly, and unfairly, influenced my a slight mismatch of expectation - I was expecting something slightly more forceful that I'd conclude was a bit too young and more mineral. This is quite glou glou.

4/5/2024 - GuidoD wrote:

Interesting wine. Bought in France, very inexpensive, about 10 euros I think, or perhaps I got it for less. Fresh, and 13pc with good acidity. Cold from fridge is almost a little riesling like says Mrs. With warmth and air it opens. On day two pretty much unchanged. Hints of apricot - I might almost guess a hint of viognier but understand there is none at all in the blend - nearly all old vine clairette. Will be interesting to see how this ages. JLL suggests it will keep for years.

4/2/2024 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Very nice wine enjoyed with Micky. Fears of imperfect storage unwarranted. It was lovely, really nice place, very Beyer (dry) and good with food. Complex, classical Alsace riesling. Food wine.

4/2/2024 - GuidoD wrote:

Another very good bottle. Though I notice a sucrocity that other bottles have had, too. I gather from an expert that this may be a bit of over-ripeness or even botrytis in this vintage. Knowing that, it makes sense more now. It's better with air when other notes come through. Enjoyable, though. Probably not much upside from here. DIAM corks work though!

4/2/2024 - GuidoD wrote:

A JLL WOW wine, and four stars. He says enjoyable young and will easily keep for a decade. I'd agree with all that. But 15% alcohol is... a lot. It carries it was well as one could hope, but it's noticeable all the same. And after half a bottle, you feel the effects. Just wish this was a bit less alcholic.

4/2/2024 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Super - I loved this. Really savoury, has the lightness of a red Burgundy, but the aromas and taste are to my mind slightly closer to a lighter, gentler Northern Rhone (I'm reminded slightly of an aged Barge... though it's not as good as one of those of course!). But super wine. A great justification for ageing Beaujo. And interesting that this is the non-tardive cuvee. My next bottle will be opened in a couple of years, I think, while my Tardives slumber still.

4/2/2024 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Enjoyable wine. Very dark, mourvedre-led. Mrs liked it a lot. Some spice, worked with grilled aubergines, though would have been better with grilled steak. If you have bottles of this, it's drinking fine now, but no hurry. I wish I'd kept this another couple of years.

10/24/2020 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

This is lovely.. Yet more youthful than one two years ago. Perhaps I should have left more in storage. Thanks to you as I bought this on your recommendation when getting into wine. A smart buy.

11/3/2020 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Very dark N Rhone, like a darker Crozes in a way. Enjoyed this with food, though a bit simple.

3/21/2021 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Very nice Gigondas, really enjoyable. A very nice wine that's still pretty young. Have i become one of those people who thinks S Rhones from cooler (so-called worse) vintages are actually better? Great with sausage and lentils, and then cheese.

3/29/2021 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Good cheap rose, so doing what it should. Enjoyable! However, better to pay a bit more for the Corsican rose that TWS does - which is in a different league.

3/31/2021 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Tavel style rose bought at the St Peray wine fair. Very nice wine. Like a good Tavel.

7/16/2021 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Lovely. In a good place. No hurry. Velvety, and richer than I'd have expected. Delicious with lamb chops. Dark fruits, and fruit still there, hints of liquorice. Suspect will keep for years though be a different wine. But very enjoyable now!

9/16/2021 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Perhaps a bit simple, though three days after opening (stored in fridge) it took off, improved. Maybe the others need more time. Hmm. Too-simple sauternes isn't something one encounters often. Perhaps the relative lack of richness might make it good with foie gras, as has some cut.

10/1/2021 - GuidoD wrote:

OK, but not that giving or seductive. Is it a little closed I wonder. Air improves this a little. Marce on Twitter suggests it may evolve with spiciness. I'll see!

10/20/2021 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Enjoyable southern Rhone. With hindsight I wonder if it might have been better a year earlier - with a bit more punch. But very nice, and I love Grignan - and it speaks of the place. Good wine.

10/24/2021 - GuidoD wrote:

Enjoyed after collecting chestnuts from the Ardeche woods. In a nice place, enjoyable southern Rhone. Not a great deal more than that, and perhaps I should have drunk a little younger - no real upside in ageing this. But a nice autumnal dinner wine.

8/17/2021 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Nice wine, but 14pc alcohol and correspondingly rich. Also has a dark fruit profile, somewhat Rhoneish therefore. Enjoyed in a Logis de France in Belleville (a place in France where wine lists have great wines at good prices given the local wines are such good value!). Nice, but not with the finesse and freshness that some Beaujo can have.

11/16/2021 - GuidoD wrote:

Really lovely Northern Rhone white in a perfect place. Soulful, enjoyable, lovely winter white. Super!

12/3/2021 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Very St Jo blanc, rich and interesting. Very mature, but enjoyable. STGT traits in my opinion. TWS said by 2018, and perhaps they were right, but I still enjoyed this.

12/10/2021 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

So lovely, so soulful, really great wine. Beautiful CNDP with lots of interest and no excess, and in a really great place. Lots of complaints about 2007 given the super-heat of the vintage amid Parkerisation. Well this is very nice wine. Bravo!

11/7/2021 - GuidoD wrote:

Rather surly, closed, bit fierce. JLL says maybe lots of tannin and heat in 2009. Bit of a hot syrah. I see someone else here says classic CdR, and I really don't think it's that - given syrah flavour profile. Hoping other bottles will be better. Hmm.

12/17/2021 - GuidoD wrote:

Seemed closed, light and thin. A closed phase or too old. Marce says definitely not too old, so I'm hoping it's just closed. At the moment, not that much fun.

12/22/2021 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Nice wine. Well made and good value. Perhaps a bit light, and I arguably drank a summer wine in winter. So perhaps not terribly memorable. But decent enough.

12/27/2021 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Very lovely riesling, in line with Andrew Stevenson's email. Mrs felt it was a bit too old, but I didn't think so - and that probably reflects her preference for younger wine and aversion to any oxidative notes at all (though it's not oxidised!). I enjoyed this a lot.

12/28/2021 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Lovely wine! Jamie H was right when he said he thought this would age brilliantly. Really balanced, beautiful, enjoyable. And its Bordeaux linkage is apparent, with some Corbieres wildness. What great wine! Terrific. The winemaker suggests I shouldn't keep it all that much longer, and I see no need to. But it's lovely wine. Refined, and with soul.

1/7/2022 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Very nice wine, though I wonder if it needs a little more time to really start singing. Or just plenty of air. Classic N Rhone white, and not too oxidative like some! Question of when to drink the others.

1/21/2022 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Youthful and I felt rather closed. Hmm. Not giving as much as I'd like, but what it does give smells lovely. More time needed - even though that seems hard to believe? I have another, so I'll find out.

5/21/2022 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Lovely wine, though didn't really match the food (fish). Needs something richer to stand up to it... but a lovely wine all the same, so much interest and complexity.

5/21/2022 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Rhone paulee. Very nice wine, but what shines in such exalted company. Shouldn't let that deter me, though. Very nice wine, a little young I think, and I should open one on its own to properly savour and consider it. This is fine St Jo, may turn out to be truly wonderful.

5/26/2022 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Lovely wine - floral nose, hints of liquorice and a lovely, soulful sense of the south. Perhaps drunk slightly too young, but very nice wine. Wish I had another!

7/2/2022 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Lovely wine that's aged brilliantly. A great reminder of how Alsace riesling can age (when some haven't so well). Terrific value, too. Lovely!

10/9/2022 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Soulful wine! At the end of it's live, and another bottle felt too old. But this was really lovely, enjoyed in the shack in France. Caressing, lovely with comforting food at this time of year.

2/6/2023 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Seemed relatively young, a bit closed. Maybe drunk a little too cool. Dunno. But enjoyable all the same. I felt it had potential to age though a more recent bottle suggested drinking sooner.

3/6/2024 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Lovely wine for what it is. Very gentle, subtle, light. Probably not one to keep much longer, but v nice. Enjoyed with Mark from McK, who loved it. Perhaps struggled a little with food at Ariana 2, but that's not the wine's fault. Very nice!

4/9/2023 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Opened at Kathy's. Famille say too old, but I'm not so sure. However, fruit gone, pretty mineral. 14.5pc means it's syrah that's not like a Cote Rotie... but it's still reasonably enjoyable. Probaby should have drunk a few years earlier, though.

6/9/2023 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Lovely wine - soulful. Really enjoyed this. It's well past recommended drink date and I'd drink sooner rather than later. BUT... it's really enjoyable, relaxing, gentle wine. And Chateauneuf like that is lovely. Terrific!

6/9/2023 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Lovely mature Cornas. Who wrote the daft drinking window for this wine - pah :-) Not grand, not super Cornas, but very enjoyable. To me, slightly reminiscent of previous-generation Jaboulet. Drink up, but drinking well Lovely and - in a word - savoury. Good wine!

6/11/2023 - GuidoD wrote:

My guest papa Cornas was not positive at all, 2003 heat and all that. And he has a point. But... it's not entirely unenjoyable, especially the screwcapped half I kept in the fridge for a night or two. Some depth, etc.

8/18/2023 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

Very nice wine, though not as good as I'd hoped. Too young? Very much blackcurrant on the nose, but a bit short. A knowledgeable person later suggested to me that it was a vintage with bad weather, less ripeness than would be idea. Very possibly. Anyway, if I had more I'd wait a little longer and see what happens.

9/3/2023 - GuidoD wrote:

Hmm. What to make of this. I was hoping for more. It's just a bit dull, and on the one hand I want to believe it will age and get better... on the other, maybe it's just not all that good. Not sure...

9/17/2023 - GuidoD wrote:

Super value (bought locally), and nicely enjoyable. Very well made wine. Classic young southern Rhone that's not overblown. Really good, enjoyable, great typicity.

3/18/2024 - GuidoD wrote:

Nice wine, a food wine - very Tavel. Good richness, enjoyable despite relatively low acidity vs some rose (and yet still works with food). Ideal for spicy or Mediterranean cuisine, and not too old at all.

3/18/2024 - GuidoD Likes this wine:

With hindsight I see this is part sangiovese. Makes sense! Nice wine, some spice and (in a good way) garrigue notes, mellow and aged with good acidity, cherry fruits. Absolutely needs food. Would be good with porcetta. Quite Italian-like in a way. Probably needs drinking fairly soon, though one of my bottles will be kept in storage to see what happens!

3/18/2024 - GuidoD wrote:

My score reflects this being an outstanding Macon Villages (though it's not a Puligny, of course, so not a higher score). Great wine, under DIAM from Wine Soc. Seems fresh to me, not in a hurry - despite my worries, having read concerns about 2016s ageing fast. It is definitely better with air. Indeed, I poured half the bottle into a screwcap half-bottle and drank that two days later - and it was a bit better. Though for better results, I'd decant an hour in advance. On first opening it's a bit... uninviting. A very nice wine, which hints at grander things on top of being drinkable Macon.

3/18/2024 - GuidoD wrote:

We really enjoyed L'Oratoire St Martin's white Reserve des Seigneurs, a white Cairanne, from the 2016 vintage last night. It's a 4* STGT wine according to JLL.

And it was quite delicious with some chickpea, tuna and olive salad with a little acquafaba mayonnaise using the chickpea juices and a little tarragon vinegar and mustard; some pate en croute; then a main course of paupiettes de veau served with the waxiest of potatoes and savoy cabbage cooked in the same pan after browning the paupiettes, and with some white wine and a bayleaf, and just a very little garlic added. And somewhat decadently, even though that word is dissonant with the dish, a thick slice of maoche. Then some Jura cheese.

The wine was at once fresh but with a nuttiness. It has a large proportion of clairette which I find tends to bring a distinctive texture and tang to things.

The whole thing was a lovely meal, sitting by the stove as things cooked, the wine adapting brilliantly to each course. The challenge of the tuna and mayonnaise overcome, the pate complemented, and just perfect with the paupiettes and maoche. With the firm cheese, a lovely match and no need for sweet wine at all. Wonderful together.

As I reflected over the cheese and the last soupcon of wine, it occurred to me that there is such a simple rule available for enjoying aged white Rhones from the South and the North (with the possible exception of Condrieu, though even here I think it may hold): serve the aged white with the main course.

This will help prioritise matching food which is so important for these gastronomic wines, and really help them sit in their rightful place. They're not aperitifs, they're not good precursors to red wines (white Burgundy is so much better at that, though if you want a white Rhone to do it then choose a lighter young one that's not viognier). They also work badly with many generic white wine food matches, such as delicate fish. But these aged Rhone whites are wonderful in doing what they do so well. I can think of no other type of wine that would have worked so well last night. The whole thing delicious, and each element delicious as part of the whole, and the wine the common thread throughout.