I heard the other day that one of the Rhone satellite aoc’s was throwing in the towel…Coteaux du Tricastin. Well quite the opposite seems to be happening in the Ventoux, the aoc is positively humming with new talent, fresh thinking and some stunning new wines. Yesterday to visit, case in point, Even Bakke at his [...]
With temperatures back in the mid-30’s its way too hot to appreciate red wine. Luckily I’ve been treated to tastings of two excellent whites in the last week. The first, Domaine Nalys’s new cuvee for this year “Cuvee Eicelenci 2008″, a blend of majority Roussanne, Clairette and Grenache, matured in 2/3 yr old barriques but [...]
Our friends and near neighbours at Crestet “La Verriere” open their doors next month (the 5th-9th September) once again to wine students fot their Extreme Wine Experience - if the quality of the speakers and the organisation is even half as good as their recent hosting of the Grenache Symposium this will be well worth [...]
This autumn Decanter magazine launches their new “Decanter Education”. One of the first masterclasses in this series is a subject dear to our heart:”Understanding Northern and Southern Rhone”, led by John Livingstone-Learmonth - surely the most experienced Rhone taster in the world. His lecture is aimed at keen wine lovers with experience of tasting and [...]
This week our tour group were treated to the most extensive tasting yet at Domaine de la Solitude, the complete range including a three vintage vertical of Barberini back to 1999, and a three vintage vertical of their exclusive haut de gamme “Reserve Secret”, 2007, 2004 and 2001. Our favourite: the black olive and herb [...]
A new site collating everything the foodie and wine enthusiast needs to know about Provence has launched under the expert guidance of Irish journalist Mary Dowey. Mary’s work may well be familiar to readers of Decanter, she is a regular free lance contributor…she also writes the wine column for Dublin based “The Gloss” and is [...]
I spent this morning touring the new winery that Vincent Avril has built at Clos des Papes and hugely impressive it is too…a wonderful meeting of tradition ( concrete cuve; old foudre) and state of the art inox equipment, gravity feed design, sexy polished concrete floors and framed old CDP wine fair posters in the [...]
G-Day at the Grenache Symposium 7 Jun 2010 by Julia Harding MW The most astonishing part of this weekend’s Grenache Symposium, held at the remote and beautiful La Verrière property in the southern Rhône, was the congregation who came to pay homage to Grenache, the grape which Jancis described five years ago as ‘ripe for re-evaluation’. On Saturday, [...]
Featured in the pictures: joint leading lights in conceiving the Symposium Walter McKinlay of Domaine Mourchon ( that’s Tim Atkins of the Times in the background), Nicole Rolet owner of venue La Verriere and wine Domaine “Chene Bleu”, apparently tireless mover and shaker to get this event up and running (Steven Spurrier standing beside [...]
As an offficial partner to the Grenache Symposium that took place this past weekend at Crestet just 15 minutes away La Madelene was delighted to play host to some stars of the wine making world as well as some major wine writers and critics. Featured in these photos are old latin chums wine maker Telmo [...]
I am hugely excited that the great CDP house Roger Sabon is now part of the La Madelene Rhone Wine Holidays network of vignerons that we will be taking our guests to visit this year. Pictured above is principle wine maker there Didier Negron explaining the Sabon wine making philosophy in their cellars..Didier is the [...]
At Domaine de la Janasse last week I believe I may have tasted the very best CDP ever to pass my lips to date. Courtesy of the great generosity of wine maker Isabelle Sabon who seems happy to open such rare beasts for our tour guests ( long may it continue), I sampled the “one [...]
To CDP early on a sunday morning…sipping full bodied red wine at 10.10am, ouch! The event: The spring “Les Printemps, 1er Salos des Vins tasting for professionals and the public at the Salle Dufays hall in the village of Chateauneuf, some 60+ vignerons showing their wines, vintages generally from 2005 to 2008, though many 2007s [...]
Hedonistic times are here again..thanks to our clients and good friends Lars and Pia Rystadius: Pastrana single vineyard Manzanilla sherry, my absolute favourite apero; very pretty, floral and delicate blancs de blancs champagne from Ruinart; Mont Thabor Cotes du Rhone blanc, barrel fermented, fat, buttery and tremendous value; Premier cru Chablis from the Droin brothers; [...]
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