That reminds me of the time I cheekily snuck a 1981 Antiguas Reservas into a blind tasting of classed growth Bordeaux (IIRC there was Pichon Longueville, Branaire Ducru, Ducru Beaucaillou, Talbot, Brane Cantenac, Camensac, Cantemerle, Beychevelle and a few others I can’t now recall, all from the 78, 79, and 81 vintages) and it came top for a surprising number of those tasting. A remarkable wine, sadly not repeated in any of the later vintages I’ve been able to sample.
3 Likes
This 2018 has an inviting aroma and strong fruity full body, very enjoyable and only let down by a slightly aggressive aftertaste, however these bottles are drink or keep so will leave the remaining 5 in the cellar for a few years…
2 Likes
Final delivery of the year included these two Domaine Ernest Burn wines - the muscat is quite stunning and appears to have the best vines from the Goldert vineyard with Zind Humbrecht playing second fiddle.
7 Likes
Just enjoying this Madeira 10 yo Boal with fig and walnut bread and a creamy blue cheese. A match made in heaven.
11 Likes
What a combination - v jealous!
1 Like
It would have perhaps been best kept until the visit of Manchester United
6 Likes
Enjoy Rod, that’s a fantastic lineup. The tannins in the Baron should have softened nicely by now 
, and is that a 2010 Durfort? Wonderful vintage. That should be great from the Cremant (assuming you start with fizz) through to the end of the port, enjoy very much!
5 Likes
An 88 Baron? Suits you sir. Looks amazing.
3 Likes
15 Likes
Another fantastic selection of wines. Great local sparkles, Montrose from one of my favourite vintages, and a spectacular Californian sticky to finish.
If you get a chance to try a taste of the non-alcoholic fizz I’d be interested to hear what you think, a very dear friend seems to have developed an alcohol intolerance and we’re on the lookout for booze free drinks she might like.
And another lovely selection. Again a wonderful English fizz, another ‘05 (love that vintage), the Spätburgunder looks really interesting and nice WS bottles.
In case you’re interested this was my take on the ‘05 HB when I had it a few years ago. The couple of bottles I’ve had since have been sufficiently similar I didn’t write up again.
Thanks Eoin - yours is a much more elegant description of the HB than mine which is ‘really nice’. 
I haven’t tried this particular German PN from 2015 yet but looking forward to it. I am
increasingly drinking German PN’s as they tend to be much better value than Burgundy and they still have that lovely cool climate freshness which is often missing from Burgundy these days. I don’t know if you get the weekend FT but there’s a very good summary by Jancis Robinson of her view of the wine world in 2023. One of the things she is talking about is global heating and she quotes one Burgundian winemaker who is not sure that Burgundy will be producing PN’s in 20 years time 
3 Likes
Last minute TWS delivery, but I could not wait for them to settle down as we had game pie last night. First impressions were that it’s a bit thin, albeit with a hint of lovely cedar on the nose and casks in the mouth. Still enough left to try later today.
7 Likes
I started collecting occasional NZ Pinots (mainly Martinborough rather than Otago) for much the same reason. The stratospheric pricing that saw the 2015 Bourgogne Rouge(!) from Roumier enter the market at £90 a bottle in bond (now BBR have it at £2,000 for 6 IB on their exchange), that is the Bourgogne Rouge, not a premier or grand cru!! (I suspect it’s probably de-classified Bonnes Mares or a top Chambolle vineyard from young vines, but even so.)
And then the increasing temperature making the wines lack that Burgundian trick of subtle delicacy disguising intense power meaning that even if I could afford them now they’re less to my taste, minor villages often give me more pleasure than the legends now.
2 Likes
Thanks!
This for two meals/days.
(Actually three because I am going to open the Madeira right now! Mmm.)
Christmas eve for the Riesling and the Durfort 2010.
The rest for four of us on Christmas day.
And then we will probably end up at the pub in Nice after our walk around the Château and along the Promenade des Anglais. Christmas here is the 24th really. Everything open again on Monday. (Tuesday (Boxing Day) is not even a public holiday)
Santé et joyeuses fêtes!
6 Likes
I have a bias for dry German Riesling, not too heavy, around 11.5 or 12 percent of alc and not more than 5 gram of sugar. My absolute favorite producer is the Keller estate in Flörsheim-Dalsheim. Quite a while ago I had the luck to get a place on their clients list. Keller Riesling used to be the Queen‘s preferred German wine, for good reason. Demand is much higher than the quantity available, so bottles are allocated. Year by year some cases go down into my cellar. As far as reds are concerned, I do not like Bordeaux and Cabernet Sauvignon at all. Instead I prefer Pinot Noir from Burgundy for their beautiful nose and seductive character. Unfortunately the prices for Burgundy have gone crazy. But many years ago I travelled the region and knocked on the doors of some lesser known estates with relatively reasonable prices. Connection with those producers are still existing. I prefer red Pinots from the southern part of Burgundy which are less known than those growing on the famous Cote de Nuits. Recommendable appellations are Givry and Rully as well as Mercurey. Chardonnay is not so much to my liking, as they are too often heavy and pumped up with Glycerol, which makes them taste full bodied and rich of sugar. But of course there are exceptions. A bottle of Meursault on Christmas is a must in the family. It goes exceptionally well with a sole meuniere. But our family tradition asks for a simple dinner on the holy night of the 24 December. This year I picked a Riesling from Rhineland Palatinate to go with Kartoffelsalat und Würstchen (potato salad with hot dogs).
6 Likes