It's been a while........

Well.....what a month. I've not been anywhere near as involved with this blog recently as I should have been! My life of late has been taken up by work, and not much else!
Now although I have been very very busy, I must say that in my new role, I am ever so happy.
The opening weekend was a huge success, I got through something like 200 bottles of wine! Madness. At times it was a bit crazy, and a little overwhelming, but generally, as a new team, in a place none of us were completely familiar with, we did well, and by the end of Sunday we were all fit to drop! I counted 98 hours for myself in that opening week. I didn't think it was possible to do so many!! But nevermind, I couldn't be happier with how things went!

So, as mentioned before, we had our first attempt at baking our own wedding cake! After many, many hours, and cracking our own weight in eggs, we did it! Well, Emma did it. My jobs amounted to greasing tins, and cutting out paper!! Which was probably for the best, because, as you can see above, it turned out a treat!! Success!!! I think with a bit more practice with royal icing, we'll be on to a winner.

Eating such a sweet treat did require an equally sweet tipple, and, as this is a wine blog, I suppose I better include some wine....

Ontorio Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc, 2006, Maule Valley, Chile.
Although relatively simple, this wine was an enjoyable thing. There were lot's lovely sweet honeyed aromas, alongside lemon and orange peel, grapefruit and elderflower and a small touch of oak richness. The palate was full bodied, with elements of candied nuts, caramel and more of that grapefruit and orange. The finish was pleasant enough, although lacking in a little more acidity and freshness, but you can't complain and £4.95!!



Elysium Black Muscat, 2011, Andrew Quady, Madeira County, CA
I love this wine!!!
I'd never had a Quady wine before, but had been keen to try one, particularly the Orange Muscat. Recently I found them on offer, under £10, so thought it was time to give one a shot!
The nose is gorgeously rich, full of roses and raspberries, a small amount of cream too. The palate is equally punchy. More raspberries, strawberries and blackcurrant. There is delicious sweetness too. But not too much, the sort you'd get from a young vintage Port, with a great level of acidity that, when lightly chilled really refreshes the palate. Lovely.

Moving Forward

I have officially left my job now!! Two years and six months after beginning there, and beginning my interests in wine, I have decided to move on to pastures new!!
I think it was the right time to go for something new. I've been a general manager now, and I want to try and progress more specifically within a wine oriented role; which my new job seems to be!
The venue in question is 'The Wingerworth Pub & Kitchen'. A brand new gastro-pub venture, not yet open, in a village (Wingerworth) just outside Chesterfield. My role is to be the resident 'wine guy'. I will have a good deal of control over the wine list, food and wine matches.. Pretty much perfect!
So, rather than go straight from one job into the next, I decided a little time off was in order, not much, just a week of rest and relaxation. Which so far has included having a new boiler fitted, buying new uniform, and having a practise at baking our wedding cake! More info on the success of this at a later date I suspect! With this well earned rest, I think I should be able to relax with a glass or two!

Domaine Sainte Rose 'La Nuit Blanche' Roussanne, 2011, Languedoc

First up was this wine, a refreshing little thing that we drank on Friday night. Well, I didn't drink a great deal, I was feeling a little under the weather, but having tasted it once before, I knew what was coming.
The nose is deliciously rich, full of oak, and tropical fruits; pineapple, grapefruit and peaches, as well as vanilla and cream. It's pretty floral too The palate is big and fleshy, peaches, melon and lots of rich vanilla. In truth, it's a pretty weighty wine, lacking a little acidity and not necessarily in any way refined. But sometimes that's just what you need! And I enjoyed it greatly.




Montes Alpha, Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Colchagua Valley, Chile.

Now apparently, according to many sources, 2007 was a very very good year in Chile, particularly in places like Casablanca Valley and Colchagua. A slightly cooler summer that gave the grapes longer on the vines before reaching ripeness, and thus making it possible for the wines to develop great tannin structure to develop with age.
Upon opening, this wine I found it a little closed and restricted, showing some fruit and oak, but not a great deal. The palate was similar, acidity and muted fruit, Not so good.
A couple of hours later, and continuing the next day, my, how everything changed! The nose is packed with a mix of sweeter and savoury levels. Black cherry, cassis and black pepper are the real dominant features, but there is some greenness too, and a little smoky bacon! There is blueberry too, and some spicy oak, a pretty big nose, but with nice, soft edges.
The palate is equally large, but not overblown. Predominant flavours are, again, black cherry, blueberry, and black currant. There is some eucalyptus-menthol there, smoke and oak as well. And heaps of refreshing acidity. Delicious. I have one bottle left, which I will keep hold of I think, for a little while longer. I'll have to hide it mind. What makes this wine even more enjoyable is that I found it in Tesco for the princely sum of £4 per bottle!! BARGAIN!!!

So there you go. I'm keeping myself busy during my down time. Not long now before the new job officially begins!! I'm getting a mix of feelings right now, excitement and nerves, more nerves right now though. It'll all be OK though.
Now then, lets finish this baking......

Some of America's Finest

It may come as a surprise, but I'm quite an avid lover of Californian wine. I love the rich, fruit forward, exciting nature of the region. I also love the approachable nature of the geography and the desire of the winemakers to make wines for people to enjoy.

Principally, my grape variety of choice is Zinfandel, the distant relative of Puglia, Italy's Primativo. Zinfandel has a long, rich history within California. It us the variety that survived and pre dates Prohibition, and across the state, ancient vineyards still exist, in some cases, from the 1800's! They are wild, untamed, gnarly old vines, that produce very little fruit. But what they do produce is so deeply concentrated, rich, and expressive, in the right hands, it can make sublime wine!
This leads me neatly to some wines I tasted recently by Ridge Vineyards, one of the greats of California....

Ridge Vineyards, Lytton Springs, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County 2009
71% Zinfandel, 23% Petite Sirah and 6% Carignane.
This wine came across really well. A young, brooding wine, full of muscle, and power, but also a great deal of finesse refinement, and control.
There's a great freshness to the nose, of blueberries, raspberries and spice, herbs and smoke. The palate is full of those same herbaceous qualities of the nose. A real green quality; green peppers and a bit of basil freshness.
There was some heat on the palate, but not overwhelmingly so. The dominant characteristics I picked up beyond the savoury liveliness were luscious red berries and a hugely bracing acidity and a small suggestion of sweetness. All rounding off with really mouth puckering, grippy tannins and brilliant length. A great wine, with a bright future ahead!

Ridge Vineyards, Geyserville, Alexander Valley, Sonoma County 1992
I can't seem to find exact blend ratios for this vintage, but I can say that it's a mix of Zinfandel and old vine Carignane, seemingly excluding Petite Sirah in this cuvee (or at least within this vintage).
What a wine.....The nose is just gorgeous. Full of generous amounts of red cherries, red currants and a piquant smokiness that is just delightful.
The palate is full of fruit, ripe fruit, with secondary earthy qualities running like a seam through each aspect of this wine, stopping it becoming confected or stewed. There is oak, but seemingly subdued. Surprisingly the fruit seems to usurp the oak dominance, given the 21 years this wine has been around, this is a welcome surprise. The tannins are soft and fine, and fill the mouth, giving a very literal 'warm fuzzy feeling'. After all of this, as with the Lytton Springs, there is a great whip of acidity to freshen up that warmth and suggest this wine potentially has more to give!



Ridge Vineyards, York Creek Cabernet Sauvignon, Spring Mountain, Napa Valley 1982
This vineyard doesn't produce Cabernet Sauvignon any more, it now just produces one of Ridge's vineyard/ region specific Zinfandel blends, which it has done so ever since it's 'discovery' in 1971. With this severing of lineage in mind, there was a feeling that this wine was a bit special and a little different. Admittedly, it's not a Zinfandel like the last two wines, but it is another great bottle from Ridge, so definitely worth some sort of mention.
The nose was a glorious mix of sour, red and black cherry. As well as some floral elements and some rich smoke. There was some very faint minty, basil, menthol nuances too, just about. The nose also carried some light raisin elements and lovely cigar box aromas. There seemed to be both savoury green peppers and  slightly piquant red pepper on the palate, alongside more of the rich, vanilla flavours. The fruit on the palate comes across tart and really quite punchy, sour red cherry and other less precise red fruit give the mouth feel a great sense of depth and vitality. Again, as seemingly with all Ridge wine, the acidity was present, and will probably outlast us all.

All in all, through this brief but diverse window into the wares of Ridge Vineyards, I have managed to taste a spectrum of wines at different stages of their lives, all be it different cuvees, a very interesting and educational experience. One that leaves me with one overarching impression of Ridge. When young, their wines display great power, restrained power. Then with age they gain complexity in the form of savoury qualities, whilst retaining bright fruit and acidity, proper Cali wines.

Catching up....

Well......
I have done absolutely nothing on here recently!! Apologies for that.
It's been a bit of a whirlwind of late. Wedding plans, work, friends and family have all eaten up my time; as has a little laziness too!
Where to begin.... I am in the process of changing jobs at the moment. After two and a half years, time at my current job is coming to a close, I thought it was time to move on. I've met some great people there, great friends who I will keep in touch with for many years to come I suspect.
What else has happened? Well, myself and my fiancée, Emma have picked the wines for our wedding!
It was a hard slog, but after an evening trying 7 wines with a couple of friends, we have made our decision!
Which are as follows:

1. Philippe Herard Carte Noir NV
Pretty lively, full of yeasty biscuity aromas. Green apple and some apple core too. This is a predominantly Chenin Blanc based wine, sourced from all over France and vinified in Burgundy. A good, enjoyable wine.

2. Mas De Vignerons, Cote De Gascone 2012.
A blend of Ugni Blanc and Colombard. The nose was full of apple and pear, with some lovely lemon freshness. This all follows through onto the palate, with some herby green notes too.

3. Percheron Rosé, Grenache Gris 2012, South Africa
Pretty good. Relatively light, but with loads of fruit. Strawberry, cherry, peach and apricot, both on the nose and palate. This wine is full of ripe fruit, but not sweet fruit, thankfully. Making it quite pleasantly refreshing.

4. Chateau Bouissel Classic, 2011 Fronton
A wine of which, through the previous vintages I have come to know quite well. A blend of Negrette, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, and a little malbec (cot) too. I really like this wine. The nose is crammed with rose petals, cherry, blackcurrant and bramble, and strawberry. There is loads of perfume too, and no oak. It's all fruit, making it deliciously rich, but not heavy; this vintage is actually slightly lighter than previous years. Yumm...

All in all, I feel pretty happy with our selection, and I think they'll go down pretty well on our BIG DAY!!
Now just need to get everything else together!

A couple of older Aussies

I spent Sunday evening with some very good friends, with some lovely wine, snacks and some great records we had all been collecting. We had some of the most delicious sourdough bread as well as some truly amazing oak-smoked, sun dried tomatoes. They were utterly incredible, full of the rich sweetness of your normal sun dried tomato, but with this whole other dimension, a smoky, nutty flavour, unlike anything I've had. Obviously they disappeared pretty quickly, but the oil they left behind was so full of their flavour, alongside a super intense garlic tang. We put to good use the rest of the sourdough.
So, the wine.
Both of these friends spent a great deal of time together living in Australia, some of the best times of their lives, so I decided to bring along something with that time of their life in mind, and here they are.

De Bortoli Chardonnay 2004, Yarra Valley, Victoria

This wine really is doing well, despite on the back of the bottle a suggestion of three years cellaring is mooted. The nose is full of smoke and nutty qualities, as well as some lovely oak and tropical fruits. Although the smoke and oak are very present, it feels in no way overblown, it seems to create a rich intensity, not unlike that of Mersault.
On the palate, more of that smoke, vanilla, oak, and toast. But more fruit than I had expected, some of it tropical but also some pear-ish qualities and stoney mineral flavours.
The finish is long, and the acidity really quite big. For not much more than £5 a bottle as a bin end, I've done alright here I think. I have one left, which I may hold on to for just a little longer.

Mountain Blue, Cabernet Shiraz 2002, Rosemount Estate, Mudgee

This wine was heavier and darker than dark matter! But only as far as its appearance goes. The nose is packed with bramble fruit, and spices; cinnamon, liquorice and pepper, alongside a really pleasant earthy quality and raisin aroma. Showing it's age.
The palate has a great deal of freshness, with some herby levels, laced around some hefty blackcurrant and blueberry. That spicey nose continues onto the palate with some capsicum and pepper. All of which is underlined by really toasty warming oak, which, impressively hasn't overwhelmed the fruit, which is very much still in attendance.
Not all is positive sadly, there is some soupy quality emerging as the wine develops in the glass, and some stewed fruit. Not much, but you do become aware of it, which suggests now is the right time.
Overall a pretty enjoyable wine, entwined in a very enjoyable evening!

Penfolds St Henri, 2006

A Shiraz dominant (92%) blend with a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon, from vineyards across Clare Valley, Eden Valley and Barossa, one of Penfolds' premium cuvees.
What a HUGE wine!!! It's a massive, brooding, dark, inky, light absorbing thing. The nose is dense, full of blackberries, and black cherries. There is rich vanilla oak in there too, with some wood smoke and liquorice. The nose isn't all about heavy, dark matter, there are some delicate herbs too, and black olives, adding a real savoury edge.
The palate is lusciously smooth, opening with sweet blackcurrant, alongside some savoury herbs which balance nicely to avoid falling into the 'Aussie Fruit Bomb' category.
There is some gloriously warming, smoky oak, with some really grippy tannins and tons of acidity. The finish is super long and actually quite mouth puckering, which I quite enjoyed. This wine should stick around for a while, at 7 years old, it feels fresh and so much lighter and more elegant than I had expected. Good stuff.

Wines of late

I've been useless in the last month, a combination of music festivals and work and general tardiness have meant that I have been nowhere near this blog, but at least I have still been sipping nice wine.

Recently I spent a week at Latitude festival down in Southwold, Suffolk. It was a bit of a bus-man's holiday really, I was a bar manager for a good cause that goes by the name of 'Workers Beer Company'.

They're predominantly a trade union organisation that supports similar causes as well as other social enterprises and charities through volunteer fundraising. The bars are staffed by volunteers who work a number of hours each day over the weekend and donate their hypothetical wages to their chosen good cause. In return they get to go and experience the rest of the festival free of charge! A pretty good deal with some fundraising thrown in.

It was a fun weekend, seeing friends I haven't seen since the previous year's festivals. I also got to see some good music during my down time, notable acts include The Tallest Man on Earth, Kraftwerk, I am Kloot and a great set from Bloc Party. The whole week was great fun, just very tiring!

Right. Wine. I've had a few nice things recently, chance purchases, bottles I've had my eye on for a while and finally got round to buying, and a couple of things I'd intended to drink from my cellar that were possibly in their latter stages of life.

It's been a bit of a New World fest of late, so that's what I'm going to write about.

Evolution 15th Edition, Sokol Blosser, Dundee Hills Oregon.

First up is this interesting and quirky white. Technically a non vintage, but instead an addition, the second from latest in actual fact. It has quite a list of grapes inside that funky bottle, listed in their entirety, they are: Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Semillon, Pinot Blanc, Sylvaner, Muscat Canelli and Muller Thurgau.

Quite a list.

This sort of diverse blend creates quite a complex wine, with very contrasting and in some ways contradictory flavour profiles.

On the nose there is lots happening, ripe citrus, limes and grapefruit, as well as white fruits, peach, apricot and some pears too. There is a floral perfume too, with some spice underneath it.

This all follows through onto the palate, more spice and floral scent, with the citrus and pear showing most evidently. There is some sweetness to, only a little, following with some good acidity.

 It seems the Gewurztraminer has the most effect on the palate, whether or not it's the most dominant grape, it certainly feels it with its floral almost chalky texture on the palate. Overall a pretty interesting blend and a good, approachable wine.

Thornbury Riesling 2008, Waipara, New Zealand.

I've really been into Riesling of late, particularly the steely but ripe stuff from both Eden and Clare Valley. My experience with kiwi Riesling is pretty minimal, but if they're all like this one then i would rest pretty happy. Waipara is on the South Island, below Marlborough, and subsequently a marginally cooler area.

The nose of this wine has some of the same qualities its Australian counterparts possess, a fair bit of petrol and citrus on the nose. After a little while some of that smokey petrol blows off and leaves a ripe, honeyed, limey nose. It smells utterly delicious. 
The palate has some great honeyed melon flavours, a little sweetness alongside a great citrus acidity and brilliant length. I couldn't say how much longer this wine will stick around for, but I only have one left, and I know I won't be able to resist leaving it! Yum.

A few wines from recent times.

Of late I have been extremely lazy in both my blog writing and my note taking, a trend I will try now to rectify.
For a few weeks I have been really struggling to make it to the various tastings that happen around Nottingham, because of work, apathy, and tastings being cancelled, and I suppose the warm weather we are finally experiencing. Gin and tonic seems to be the order of the day at the moment; some delicious gin at that. The 'Mothers' ruin' in question is Leopold's Gin, a small batch American craft gin, made using Valencia oranges and pomelos (small grapefruit) as two of it's constituent botanicals; giving it a real citrus kick and refreshing rather than super dry finish. Delicious.
But I digress, this is a wine blog after all.
What follows are just some notes from wines tasted recently, getting me back up to speed, sort of.

Chateau Des Jacques, La Roche, Moulin A Vent 2006. Beaujolais, Louis Jadot
I'm really enjoying different cuvees of Beaujolais at the moment, Moulin a Vent in particular, with it's meatier, age worthy qualities, along with Chenas and some lovely, fragrant Fleurie too.
This one displays some real perfume, violets and rose petals, alongside some tart red cherry and black cherry as well. This translates onto the palate and is accompanied by some warming cinnamon and some savory green pepper. There is some underlying sweetness that the green pepper bounces off, a level of confection that is none too overpowering. A nice wine.

Givry 1er Cru, Clos Du Cras Long, 2002, Vincent Lump
There is a delicious sour cherry and oak nose to this wine, although slightly restrained and maybe slightly closed off? Even so, a gorgeous aroma, with a little bit of meat and earth too. On the palate, plenty of tart red fruit, cranberry, redcurrant, cherry and bags of lip smacking acidity! There is some tannin there, not loads, but a bit. Pare that with the acidity and a good quantity of fruit and this wine should stick around for a few years yet.

Nuit Saint Georges 1964, Patriarche
Not sure that Givry will stick around for quite as long as this fossil has. What a wine! Considering my father pre-dates this wine by just one year, I'm simply staggered at how well this wine has kept, and then performed during this tasting.
The nose is full of smoke, earthy forest floor qualities and some dark, slightly raisin fruit which really tingle the nostrils, but maybe that comes from the merest hint of alcoholic heat?!
The palate is brilliantly complex, with some really bright fruit, sour blackcurrant, cherry, oak and spice. Followed by just a nuance of tannin. This is close to being the oldest wine I have ever had, and a real treat and privilege to taste. Good stuff!

McWilliam's Elizabeth, Semillon, 2005 Hunter Valley
This is oak-tastic!! It smells like it has been left open next to a wood burning stove! There's so much smoke and sulphur on the nose, it's almost too much. But underneath all of that there is some lovely citrus fruit, and minerality. On the palate there is loads of lemon, and some pineapple too, and obviously oak, followed by massive acidity and more citrus. I re-tasted this bottle two days later and it was even better, showing more aged qualities, which suggests this has a good few years left in it!

The beginning of a wine cellar. Finally!

For the 18 months or so that I've been into wine, my modest collection has lived in the corner of my dining room, doubling up as a climbing frame for the cats, just getting in the way and not offering a realistic or dependable way to store or age wine. But, no longer; recently I embarked on tidying up our dark cluttered basement, the first attempt since we moved in two years ago. Needless to say it was quite a job, with many hours spent in the darkness like some sort of hermit.
Eventually, everything was in its place, either boxed up or in the bin! Leaving a lot more available space than I had expected, meaning in not much time at all, Emma (my fiancee) would get her dining room back.

After finding an ad in the back of Decanter magazine, for a site called winecase.net, which is a pretty decent site I may add, I bought and took delivery or a 90 bottle rack; leaving many more vacant slots than I had expected!
So now then: Tidy cellar, done. Put in wine racks, DONE.
Next step, buy lots of lovely wine!! And more racks! And more wine!!

Au Bon Climat 'La Bauge Au Dessus' Pinot Noir, 2007. Santa Maria Valley CA.

Au Bon Climat is one of my favourite producers, specialising in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. I came across them when I first read Sideways and subsequently watched Oz and James' big wine adventure. 
I guess La Bauge is from their mid range, with the lower end being some pretty decent pinot and chardonnay and their higher end being some really really good pinot noir.
The nose of this wine is beautiful, full of herbs, dried herbs - a little more concentrated than fresh ones, black cherry, warming oak (although restrained), some earth and some lovely spicy warmth.
The palate is extremely smooth, with really balanced acidity, nothing too tangy, some fruit but not too much, more of that earthy slightly savoury character, and really mild tannin. Overall a really satisfying, delicate wine.

A selection from a recent Le Mistral tasting

For years and years, the restaurant I manage has had a monthly wine club descend into its private room, each member, bringing a bottle or two from their personal cellar, covers it with a sock/tin foil or paper to hide its identity, and relinquishes it to the group.

Each is tasted blind and guesses of its country of origin, grape variety, producer and vintage are all thrown around the table until we arrive at it's true identity.

Until last year I was only a spectator at these events, serving up the food and hospitality, now, happily, I am no longer on the outside looking in.

It's always hard to know what to take along, and how my bottle will stand up to what everyone else brings. I have only been amassing my modest collection for a year or so, whereas most of the group have been collecting for decades, so it can be tricky to find something of interest and worth. It doesn't need to be expensive or incredibly old, but as long as it provokes some conversation, a wine will generally be well received.

The Foundry, Grenache Blanc 2010. Stellenbosch, SA.

The Foundry is a project in its infancy but comes from a pretty decent producer from Stellenbosch and its surrounding areas- Meerlust. They seem to specialise in a few Rhone white varietals including Roussanne and Viognier too.

This wine is very aromatic, pungently smokey to begin with, but this blows off reasonably quickly. What follows is oak, a custardy, vanilla nose, with bundles of tropical fruit; maybe it was a bit too cold but the nose just didn't quite fill the glass. The palate however was very pleasant, lots of cakey smoothness. Great dryness and refreshing citrus acidity fills your mouth, with a very slightly honeyed finish and wooded notes. 




Domaine De La Borie Blanche. Terriors D'Altitude, AOC Minervois La Liviniere 2008.

70% syrah, 10% grenache and 20% mourvedre. Typical of the region, but what made this slightly different was that 20% of the syrah had been fermented through carbonic maceration, which was evident, certainly in the nose of this wine. It was weighty, and powerful with a degree of alcohol, but underneath was some lighter fruit and herbal notes, and possibly some menthol too. The dominant fruit on both the nose and palate were blueberries and black currant, but some cherry and strawberry sweetness came through every so often. 
Also on the palate was a great deal of tannin and stewed fruits, and prune. This wine was a bit soupy, and heavy, possibly needs some time to lighten up and for all the aspects to come together.

Joseph Swan Vineyards, pinot noir, Russian River Valley CA 2006.

Swan Vineyards are a great small winery based in the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County, producing great things, at reasonable prices too. 
This wine had a really perfumed nose of light, sour cherry, earth, oak and some other mild fruit fragrances, with some mouth wateringly tangy cranberry right at the end. This follows through onto the palate, great redcurrant acidity and red fruit characteristics. Some of these characteristics say this could be a chunky, modern Burgundy, but the giveaway is just the mildest hint of alcoholic heat, which makes this absolutely delicious!

A couple of whites

Whilst in London I managed to try a couple of wines, at two locations, and of the six or seven I tried, the following two were real standouts.

Alban Vineyards Roussanne '09. Calistoga, California (Hedonism Wines)
Alban pride themselves on being one of the first (if not the first) Rhone varietal specialists in California, shunning the well trodden Cabernet Sauvignon route. Their wines are always really well made and subsequently carry decent price tags!
This wine has a deliciously rich, cakey nose, full of spice and ginger. With loads of tropical fruits too, grapefruit, pineapple, and some floral qualities. There is oak, but it feels relatively restrained, adding a slightly warming caramel note, which follows through onto the palate. More of the same tropical fruit, and then a great flash of acidity stops the oak from becoming too much. A really nice wine.

Gusbourne Estates, 'Guinevere'. Oaked Chardonnay 2010, Appledore, Kent. (Wine Pantry)
The few hours spent in London really took it out of me, somehow my phone had drained its battery leaving me no way of arranging meetups once in Brighton. So, returning to St Pancras for my connection, stressed, tired and cut off from the rest of the world, I came across 'The Wine Pantry'. A little bar and shop specializing in nothing but English wine. Once sat down with my phone being revived, I regrouped with a glass of this wine.
A massive nose, full of fresh basil and menthol aromas, piles of citrus and oak too. There are elements of cream and even some coconut? Trademark tropical fruit too, more than I expected for a Chardonnay from somewhere as Northern as England.
The palate has loads of acidity, making it hugely refreshing. It needed this acidity though, as those oaky, creamy notes from the nose roll over onto the palate and need cutting through. More menthol and some butterscotch comes through alongside some pineapple flavours. This wine was such a surprise, add in the time, place and level of relief I had gained, it was spot on!

A whistle stop London visit.

A couple of weeks ago I made the long journey South from Nottingham to Brighton, to see a load of friends,  who I haven't seen nearly enough of in recent months, to spend a long weekend catching up and having some relaxing time away from work. En-route I decided I would stop in London for a few hours and take in the sights, and visit a certain wine shop in Mayfair - Hedonism Wines.
It's the most ostentatious place I have ever seen. It holds a massive range of the finest wines, in most cases, at eye watering prices. There's a Mouton room, a Penfolds cave, a whole wall devoted to Y'quem with vintages dating back to the 1940's.
It is an utterly ridiculously excessive place to be. And I loved it!! Not because I aspire to be able to afford and purchase a '99 La Tache for £10,000, or a Cognac from the 1850's, but because of the sheer madness of it. The whole place is so madly overblown and high end, it's an experience just being there.
 

I sometimes wonder whether these places are really in existence to function as 'go to' places for that nice bottle of a Friday night, or are they more like showrooms. Places where people can go and browse the pristine objects on display, and fall over at their price tags. I think they act more as a tourist attraction, which isn't a bad thing. Somewhere where a 'normal' person, who has an interest in this area, can be surrounded by the unobtainable artefacts and imerse themselves in the higher echelons of wine, and the finer things in life. 

I don't think these establishments will ever cater to the masses but they do hold relevance, and are a great example of providing a really great customer experience.

The first tentative steps into blogging...

Here it is, my first blog.
You'll find that most of my input on here will be in the form of tasting notes and thoughts from various events/ tastings/ things I've opened at home. My content, certainly for the time being, will be in absolutely no chronological order, as I'm playing catch up with page after page of notes.


I'm pretty new to wine really. I began working in a restaurant two years ago with a decent wine list, having never touched wine before, and not really able to even use a cork screw!
Following a short period of wine indulgence and a few positive experiences trying some really special wines, I was hooked.
Everyone I have spoken to who is also really into wine seems to have their trigger, or way into this past time. For me it's California, after watching Oz Clarke and James May's big American Wine Adventure, I knew this was the area that would get me hooked. I liked the approachability of Cali wines (certainly that of the ones I could afford) and the attitude of its winemakers. Throwing off the shackles of tradition and creating 'forbidden blends', flouting the laws of prohibition (in fact increasing wine production during this time) and taking a very modern approach to wine making.

Around the same time as this epiphany, my grandfather had bought a load of wine, that shared his family name, 'Bogle'. Coincidence or not, Bogle Winery is based out of Clarksburg in California! Near Sacramento and the well known wine region of Lodi, a notable home for the mighty Zinfandel.
Ever since I first tried his Sacramento Delta Chenin Blanc, I knew California was somewhere I wanted to get  better acquainted with at some point, visit!

My first consignment of Bogle wines. Viognier, Chenin Blanc, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel and Chardonnay.
And Olive (one of two cats I have) in the background