Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port 1991
Updated: 2013-01-31 12:20:14
Home Wine of the Week Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port 1991 Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port 1991 Despite my obsession with Bordeaux and the Loire there are some other little parts of the wine world of which I will never be able to let go . Interestingly there are also some , such as the wines of Jerez , that in recent months I have been grasping more strongly than ever . The pragmatist in me rationalises that this is simply because the Douro and Jerez both give us wines that are entirely unique , or if not truly unique then at least these are styles which will never be replicated in Bordeaux and the Loire . The romantic in me , however , believes that this is because I have held a much longer obsession with the wines of the Douro than with these other regions . Two
In February this year I met up with Tania Carême to taste through the latest releases from this domaine. I was of course expecting to see Vincent as well, but having recently broken a bone in his foot - I can't remember how, although I'm sure Tania must have explained at the time - he was laid up somewhere while Tania did all the work. And she was doing a sterling job too, manning their stand at the 2012 Salon des Vins de Loire single-handed, despite the onslaught of enthusiastic tasters that now flock to taste the wines of this increasingly popular domaine.
It is only a year or so since I last visited Château Phélan-Ségur, nevertheless I wasn't about to turn down another invitation to visit during my most recent trip to Bordeaux. This estate might only be classified as a 'mere' cru bourgeois, but ever since my first concerted tasting of the wines, many years ago now, I have held the belief that the wines made here are of classed growth quality. And so a chance to visit, to taste and retaste, is always welcome, especially as these wines remain good value, within the sphere of Bordeaux at least. And when the tasting is accompanied by a delicious harvesters' lunch, breaking up a long day of château visits, the invitation is doubly welcome.
, Home Vintages and Regions Loire Loire Update : Catherine Pierre Breton Catherine Pierre Breton Update , May 2012 Catherine Pierre Breton This update relates to wines tasted in May 2012. For more on this estate , including all my relevant tasting notes , see my Catherine Pierre Breton . profile Catherine and Pierre Breton it is mainly Pierre who tends to the wines in the cellars , but Catherine does her share as well , with the production of a handful of wines under the Dilettante which translates as the dabbler label have long had a devoted following . This appreciation of their wines predates the birth of the natural' wine movement . This seems somehow ironic , as their adherence to organic and more recently biodynamic philosophies , accompanied by the restricted use of sulphur in the
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Home Wine of the Week La Ferme de la Sansonnière La Lune 2009 La Ferme de la Sansonnière La Lune 2009 Key to the understanding of wine is an awareness that wine changes , and develops . Reporting on embryonic wines , whether they be the sometimes angular and awkward barrel samples of the Bordeaux primeurs tastings , or the latest Burgundy vintage to hit the shelves , is of course essential . But we must also acknowledge that these early snapshots are potentially flawed , and certainly transient . Some wines and this is a particular problem with Bordeaux are simply not finished . And even if the wines are more complete , as is arguably the case with the Burgundy 2011 vintage , tastings of which take place this week in London , there is no doubt that the wine still has a long road to travel 
My profile updated following a visit in October; amended text and new images.
A tasting of 22 wines of the 2008 vintage from the Loire, featuring the wines of Guy Bossard, Jo Pithon, Richard Leroy, Marc Angeli, Bernard Fouquet, Domaine Huet, Emile Heredia, François Cotat and more.
: Home Vintages and Regions 10, 15 20 Years On Ten Years On : 2002 Page 1 of 4 previous 1 2 3 4 next Ten Years On : The 2002 Vintage Ten Years On : 200 2 Notes from a 2002 tasting at 10 : years Other relevant : tastings 2002 Bordeaux Only a week or so has passed since I published my fifteen-years-on tasting of the 1997 vintage when I recounted the tale of my adventurous some might say foolhardy expedition though the vineyards of the Rhône Valley and Burgundy in a car that turned out , ultimately , to be not quite up to the job . The 37 bottles from the 2002 vintage featured in this tasting report did their best to cast me into a similarly reflective mood , but it was not to be . As soon as a label bearing the vintage 1997 was flashed before my eyes , memories of my wine tour through France
A look back at the details of the 2008 vintage for the Loire, with a region-by-region assessment; there was disaster in the vineyards of Muscadet, and success in Vouvray and Montlouis.
: Home Vintages and Regions Bordeaux Bordeaux 2010 Margaux Bordeaux 2010 : Margaux Vintage Review Bordeaux 2010 En primeur 10 reports expand From Barrel Grand Cru Classé , 2012 From Bottle Cru Bourgeois , 2012 At Two Years Introduction Pessac-Léognan St Estèphe Pauillac St Julien Margaux Moulis Listrac Haut-Médoc St Emilion Pomerol Sauternes Barsac Pity poor Margaux Always the bridesmaid , never the bride . First , putting to one side for a moment the propensity of Château Margaux and Château Palmer to succeed even when the vintage has thrown every type of merde at the vines , the wines of other châteaux frequently disappoint compared to what their peers in Pauillac and St Julien have managed to achieve . In fact , this is a rule which seems to hold true in a number of good vintages as
A collection of bottles from St Julien, perhaps my favourite of all the left-bank communes, is always a fine sight to behold. There are no first growths perennially puffing their chests out, and only two super-seconds which insist on remaining aloof; as a consequence, when you invite the châteaux of this commune to your party you know you will always have a good turnout. Sure, Léoville-Las-Cases and Ducru-Beaucaillou will feign some feeble excuse; they have nothing to wear, they have homework to do, or......
A few weeks ago I expanded my long-standing profile of Château Teyssier, a wine which I have long been familiar with, and incorporated it into a five-page profile of Jonathan Maltus and all his wines, not just Teyssier but also Le Dôme, Vieux Château Mazerat and the rest of the Maltus 'gang'. Jonathan is not only active in Bordeaux, however, but has also been busy in the past few years making wine in Australia and, most recently, California. It is the latter of these two projects, World's End, that I experienced this weekend just gone. The wine in question is Crossfire, a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
: Home Vintages and Regions Bordeaux Bordeaux 2010 Pessac-Léognan Page 1 of 2 previous 1 2 next Bordeaux 2010 : Pessac-Léognan Vintage Review Bordeaux 2010 En primeur 10 reports expand From Barrel Grand Cru Classé , 2012 From Bottle Cru Bourgeois , 2012 At Two Years Introduction Pessac-Léognan St Estèphe Pauillac St Julien Margaux Moulis Listrac Haut-Médoc St Emilion Pomerol Sauternes Barsac When the world talks of Bordeaux it talks of red wines . But there are also some very fine white wines made here , and of course some iconic sweet wines as well . Last year , when tasting the 2009 vintage I chose to overlook the white wines at the annual Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux tasting in order to focus on the red wines . That was not a decision I took lightly , as the red wines already
The problem with reviewing Pauillac during the primeurs is that there are just too many first growths (and one or two cinquième cru châteaux with similar pretensions) to deal with. Alright, so in the grand scheme of things it's not that bad a problem to be confronted with, so please don't spend too long worrying about my predicament. I know you will be, but rest assured, I am learning to live with it. Such vinous superstars, when present......
: Home Vintages and Regions Bordeaux Bordeaux 2010 Two Years : Introduction Page 1 of 3 previous 1 2 3 next Bordeaux 2010 at Two Years Vintage Review Bordeaux 2010 En primeur 10 reports expand From Barrel Grand Cru Classé , 2012 From Bottle Cru Bourgeois , 2012 At Two Years Introduction Pessac-Léognan St Estèphe Pauillac St Julien Margaux Moulis Listrac Haut-Médoc St Emilion Pomerol Sauternes Barsac As I write this introduction to my report on Bordeaux 2010 at Two Years I am looking out of my office window along a vista of the East Lothian countryside . Well , if a hedge , a field and a row of trees , visible between the houses opposite , counts as a vista that is . Outside as far as I can see the world has turned monochrome , white snow coating the fields and hedgerows a blizzard of
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Shanken News Daily Reports: Texas Wines Are Showing Rapid Growth It’s not the first place that comes to mind when one refers to “wine country,” but Texas is the fifth-ranked state by wine production—after California, Washington, New York and Oregon—and retailers say the trend toward local food and wine is helping to galvanize consumer interest. [...]
, , Another Wine Blog Because Another Wine , Food , Beer and Travel Blog would have been way too ing long Skip to content Home Best of AWB Reviews Food Cooking Recipes Contact Us Contact AWB Contact Amy Contact Joe Media PR Inquiries Links About About This Site About Amy About Joe RSS Feed Twitter StumbleUpon FaceBook âIn wine there is wisdom , in beer there is strength , in water there is bacteria.â David Auerbach AWB Home » Win Tickets to San Francisco Zinfandel Festival , Jan 31 Feb 2 January 11, 2013 Win Tickets to San Francisco Zinfandel Festival , Jan 31 Feb 2 By Amy Corron Power 6 Comments Tweet Share U PDATE : Friday , January 25 is the last day to enter to win tickets to the San Francisco Zinfandel Wine Festival . Make sure you enter to win a pair of tickets to wine tastings
: : Another Wine Blog Because Another Wine , Food , Beer and Travel Blog would have been way too ing long Skip to content Home Best of AWB Reviews Food Cooking Recipes Contact Us Contact AWB Contact Amy Contact Joe Media PR Inquiries Links About About This Site About Amy About Joe RSS Feed Twitter StumbleUpon FaceBook My only regret in life is that I did not drink more Champagne . John Maynard Keynes AWB Home » Austrian Wines : Don’t Let the Names Fool You January 7, 2013 Austrian Wines : Don’t Let the Names Fool You By Amy Corron Power 5 Comments Tweet Share I love Austrian wines . Partly because I once coaxed a smile out of a retired” Austrian winemaker during an otherwise boring trade tasting . He told me he had handed the reigns of the company over to his son and was just enjoying his
Have You Ever Had a Pinot Grigio Rosé (Ramato)? I know its winter and I should be focusing my palate toward high intensity red wines that go so well this time of year, but something grabbed my attention recently – a Pinot Grigio Rosé, or more appropriately Pinot Grigio Ramato. My curiosity was peeked as [...]