Pommard again

Pommard is a beautiful town with 3 shops, one small hotel/cafe and 2 restaurants. What made it stand out for me is the age of many of the buildings and the totally understated nature of the Domaines giving it a charm and class that must be typical of Burgundy. It is not unusual to see dates etched into the yellow stone from the 18th century, what a story they can tell!

Walking trough the town in search of the most famous names in the region was an absolute pleasure. Ignoring the invitations for degustion in the lesser domaines I was drawn to tiny name plates next to doors perfectly designed for a coach and horses from days gone by. Nothing much has changed here so it would not surprise me to suddenly see huge wooden carts driven by horses delivering their valuable load for destalking and sorting.

I lingered outside Clos des Epeneaux in the hope of seeing the Comte Armand and getting a personal invite in to enjoy wines that compete well with the best Bordeaux can offer. Instead I had to make do with a friendly bonjour from the winemaker in charge of opening up and getting on with the business of the day. I never crossed the threshold, maybe it was English reserve, maybe it was respect and reverence for someone's home but above all it was a sense that the business of winemaking in Burgundy is a very personal family affair and I was neither a relative or guest and had no place there.

Further wandering around the Church in search of Domaine de Courcel only reinforced the understated nature of the family homes and wine making on a small but high quality level. I was politely informed in the only wine shop in the town that making contact with the Comte Armand was a waste of time. "they never answer their phone" (in French) and " their wines are amazing but very very difficult to get hold of". In other words don't bother. I don't know if this was professional jealousy as the shop was owned by Jean Marc Boillot, another on my list to seek out, or it was just respect for the Grand Cru of winemakers in Burgundy.

After a small purchase of JM Boillots Pommard, 2005 no less, and a generic Red Burgundy from Anne-Francoise Gros et Francois Parent, the joining of two great Burgundian dynasties, I went in search of Messr. Boillot. Only seconds away from Chateax Pommard, Boillot has a lovely Domaine, completely in keeping with the history and landscape. Only the silver Masserati outside gave the game away and once again I was reminded where all the wealth in winemaking lies in both Burgundy and Bordeaux.

The more I read and pass through this magnificent region the more I think I am falling in love with it and how terribly traditional and classy the whole of the classic old world of wine really is. Having had the good fortune to visit many of the most famous wine making regions of the world, from California to Otago, Stellenbosh to Mosel, I am still most at home with the elitist, traditional, slightly aloof Chateax and Domaines of old world France.

Puligny Montrachet

Whilst I sip on a very disappointing Chablis, when will I learn there are so many much better wines in this region than C? One such has to be Puligny-Montrachet, a village if you blink you have missed it. In fact driving through the vineyards I was shocked at how so many vines were on the flats. Surely that cannot be right? I will investigate and find out more. Meursault was a touch bigger and represents one of my favourite wines so it was a real pleasure to be driving around and taking in such famous names as Ampeau, Bouzereau, Coche-Dury, Fichet, Javillier, Girardin, Jobard and many many more.

Beaune really is a delight, the Hospices de Beaune is well worth a visit but the wine shops are some of the most informative and well stocked for wine parafinalia I have ever seen in my life. 6 snails cooked with traditional garlic and herbs and a beef bourgignon to die for was a simple lunch washed down with one of the above makes the trip very worth while.

The complexities of wine making in this region seem to be boundless, I love the challenges winemakers make very day, do they use chemicals on the vines or not? Guyot or cordon? Cold or warm maceration? How long for? Remove leafs or not? Added yeasts that are different or not at all? What temperature to restrict fermentation 30 degrees or 35? How long to leave in cask? What wood from which forest to use? All good stuff and all done with land handed down through generations scattered throughout the cote d'or.

A trip to talk to some neighbours is on the cards so bottoms up and cheers.

Pommard

Here I am in the heart of Burgundy and thoroughly enjoying rediscovering a region of France I last visited 26 years ago. I"m pleased to say not much has changed and I love driving around seeing the signs for Beaune, Volnay, Meursault, Chalon, Dijon and many many more. My first Beaune from a local vineyard was sadly disappointing. Watery, thin, lacking complexity and probably best I don't name names. When I was last here I remember some serious tastings over 2 days and an evening meal with Tim Marshall a real guru at the time on the region. Those were the days when Keith Floyd was doing his best to single handedly promote the region, consuming ridiculous quantities of Gevry Chambertain whilst cooking the odd meal, almost as a sideline.

I love this region, a wine drinkers Mecca and everything that epitomises the history of wine and it's pedigree in our lives. Older than many countries Burgundy wine deserves its place in history and deserves to be great. Tomorrow a walk around Pommard is on the cards so I will share my findings with great pleasure and anticipation.

Steve

Wine and Pregnancy

My mother drank (and smoked) while she was carrying me. In today's world with all the toxins, carcinogens and generally bad things that we are exposed to why is it so bad to enjoy a glass of wine or two when pregnant?

I am sure for every 'expert' that says it is bad for the mother and baby, there will be another that has the opposing view. I feel sorry for all those women who look longingly at a glass in a restaurant when others are having fun and enjoying a drop or two.

I wish I could recommend the ideal wine for expecting mothers but the best I can do is say that I am sure a little bit of something you fancy won't do anyone any harm!

I had a superb Cotes du Rhone this evening. Gabriel Meffre - Terres de Galets 2008, individually numbered bottles and a gift from a friend. Superb drop, very smooth, drinkable and went very well with the lamb. Look out for it at Sainsbury's, very reasonable price and you won't be disappointed.

Wine Fair, Merchants and Ducasse

It’s been a while since my last entry but that does not mean I have been abstaineous. I should be writing about the London Wine Fair but to be honest I don’t think I can add much that has not already been written elsewhere. It was fun and I made lots of contacts with people in the industry and learned a lot at the master classes.

The countries that seem to be making a real push at the moment seem to be coming out of South America. Uruguay and Brazil in particular seem to be really moving on in leaps and bounds and catching up Argentina and Chile rapidly. Their wines are pretty good, excellent value and great talking points at dinner parties all around the world.

I was impressed with the wine knowledge at a local wine merchant recently. Handford wines on the Old Brompton Road near South Ken tube is the place to go (http://www.handford.net/). With an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of wines, grape varieties, soil, climate, terroir etc the manager there is outstanding. He recommended a great Pinot Noir from the Santa Maria Valley and a white burgundy that was to die for. Much of his stock seems to be small parcels from up and coming producers and probably turns over very quickly. Take a look it’s a real treasure.

For my birthday my significant other treated me to a meal at Alan Ducasse at the Dorchester last week. A very disappointing tasting menu and service was almost redeemed by an indifferent Puligny Montrachet and an excellent Ch Frank Phelan 2003 from St. Estephe. This was a shame as I was expecting a wine list to compare with some of the great restaurants in London but maybe the captive audience of the Dorchester stimulates complacency and unjustified prices that other top quality restaurants would not dream of charging. I was tempted to contact AA Gill and send him in to give it the once over.

If anyone can suggest some countries that I should be looking at please let me know and I will report my findings at a later date. Bye for now.

Spain, the final frontier, to boldly go....

Okay I am excited about the Star Trek movie but that is irrelevant.....

Spanish wines are so easy. I’ve just enjoyed a couple of days taking in the best that Spain has to offer and it did not disappoint. Great wine, full of flavour, fruit and it is so easy to drink. Admittedly most of the time it was washing down some superb Tapas but somehow the two go together like they are inseparable. Okay I have to admit to having a soft spot for Rioja, it is my drink of choice when I just fancy a glass of wine, satisfying on so many levels. The beauty of drinking it in Spain is not only the food but the constant sunshine and the incredibly cheap prices compared with anywhere outside of the country. The Euro’s relative strength to the Pound and Dollar may have hurt but when you think about the quality and satisfaction received from Spanish red wine, it’s very tempting to move there permanently.

I can strongly recommend the 2005’s, 2004’s and indeed most of this decade if you want a solid, reliable fruity wine with bags of flavour. Tempranillo, Gamacha (Grenache) and Carinena (Carignan) compete and meld to form this excellent wine. Personally I like Marques de Riscal, Vina Ardanza and Marques de Caceres, all readily available outside of Spain.

I’m off to the London International Wine Fair next week for two days of overdosing on every wine imaginable, wish me luck.