Life is too short to drink bad wine

Although I am not a fan of big houses, Bouchard keep impressing me with nice delicate Burgundy wines. Having tried some of the Beaune 1er cru wines which are all very much red berries and medium pale colour, we went on to the Gevrey Chambertin yesterday. Normally when going north from Beaune the wines gets bigger and darker (and its only the soil that is the difference, the grape is still Pinot Noir) and so this time as well. Bouchard had however managed to preserve the silky touch and taste that exists in his Beaune wines, with the wine this time expressing more dark berries than red berries and the colour being medium dark red instead of pale red. Yummy again!!! Gevrey Chambertin 2005, Bouchard 25 euro, P+

Having tried the 2004 vintage some time ago, I came across the 2001 at Monoprix for the same price (around 25€). Based upon the great experience with the 2001 made by Albert Morot, we tried this one out. I must say that the 2001 vintage from Beaune is still great and drinking very well right now. Beautiful red berry aromas, pale red colour and a taste perfectly balanced with a long medium bodied velvety finish. Fantastic stuff and peaking right now. Beaune 1er cru "Clos de la Mousse" 2001 by Bouchard   25€   P++ (right now!) http://www.bouchard-pereetfils.com/en/fiches/Beaune_Clo_Mousse.pdf Bouchard Pere et Fils, Fine Burgundy wines since 1731 

Ruinart champagne house claims to be the oldest champagne house with the activity ongoing since 1729. The basic cuvee which we tried is slightly more expensive than other well known houses, but it is still good value for money. The champagne has a high % of Chardonnay and a style based upon small bubbles and a very smooth fruity and long taste. Some other champagnes can be slightly acidic in the taste, but this is non existent with this house. The taste is so great that you just want another sip and then another..... Price around 35€ 

This Chateau is Grand Cru Classee close to its more famous neighbour Figeac. The colour is deep dark red with a red / purple rim and long beautiful legs. The wine has nice firm aromas of black fruit, spices and violet (20% Cabernet Franc). The taste is fruity with firm soft tannins thanks to the 80% Merlot, but a big solid mouthful and long aftertaste. The chateau owns 25 hectares with a mix of clay soil in the north and sandy soil in the south. Overall I believe this chateau to be underrated which is supported by the price around 20€ per bottle. Figeac would set you back between 50 and 100€ (which is stupid), but Yon Figeac is a definite P+ with a total score around 17.50!   

Its a cold Tuesday night in Paris. We needed something to warm ourselves on and we decided to go south, to the top bit of the Rhone valley where they grow delicate Syrah grapes. Cote Rotie, the most northernly appelation in Rhone on the west side of the river where the Syrah grape is planted on steep steep hills made of schist and gneiss. The area is close to the wonderful white wine of Condrieu and up to 15% of the Viognier grape can be used in the wine as well. Yves Cuilleron, a dynamic passionate wine producer, has established himself here over the last 20 years with some very good and vibrant wines. Our favourites are the Condrieu (incl the new sweet one) but he also makes great Cote Rotie.  So on this cold wintry day we tried a bottle of the young 2006 Cote Rotie "Bassenon". Deep dark purple red colour with a great smell of pepper and brambles with a beautiful fruity peppery long finish. Heat to every corner our bodies. Magical stuff. Expensive at 30€ a bottle but worth

his appelation is just to the north of Beaune situated at the foot of the Montagne de Corton. There are no less than 22 Grand Cru and 12 Premier Cru in Aloxe-Corton. The number of Grand Cru may appear to be on the high side as the wines can be quite tannic when young and thus difficult to appreciate. The best wines age well though and the tannic earthy slightly rustic character will melt away and the wines become smoother with a beautiful red berry flavour. This weekend we tried a bottle of Aloxe Corton made by Domaine Gaston & Pierre Ravaut. Maybe not one of the best producer in Aloxe Corton, but this was a reasonable priced 2003 vintage wine (24€) with smooth medium full bodied long taste and a very nice bouquet of red berries. Very good indeed and absolutely worth buying again. The wine was very similar in style and colour (medium red colour) to some of the Beaune Premier Crus recently tasted.