Life is too short to drink bad wine

Napoleon once said that in victory you deserve champagne, in defeat you need it! With stock prices falling like a rock, our dear football club in red going down the same trend, it was time for champagne. Pol Roger is one of oldest Champagne houses (from Epernay) and also one of those with a consistent high quality. We tried the Pol Roger Brut reserve, made of 33% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay and 33% Pinot Meunier. Lovely golden colour with delicate small bubbles. Elegant ! Great smell of red apples and toasted bread with a long fruity taste with good minerality. So balanced , so easy to drink. Great and subtle stuff! Crisis! What Crisis? (Supertramp 1975) Pol Roger Champagne Brut Reserve, 30 to 40€, one of the best champagne houses around,  just remember the name!    Welcome - Champagne Pol Roger

Classical nebbiolo made by one of the best co-op's in the world. This is in fact a second label of Barbaresco! If the vintage is good smaller quantities of this wine is produced. Medium red colour with hint of brick red rim (so typical nebbiolo). Lovely cherries, flowers, leather and liquerice on the nose. Quite a mouthful with rich silky acidity and firm solid aftertaste. This is text book nebbiolo! Perfect for winetastings to show the real nebbiolo character. Langhe Nebbiolo 2008, Piemonte, perfect example of the "foggy" grape, 10 to 20€   PRODUTTORI del BARBARESCO

A classic Pessac Leognan in the top 5 list. Great aromas of cherries, tobacco and leather with solid firm soft tannins. A stylish mix of Cabernet Sauvignon (65%) and Merlot (25%) from this gravelly sandy terroir. An elegant wine that could do with another few years in the bottle as well to smoothen the tannins even more. Nothing wrong with the wine right now however, its rock and roll all the way through despite it is almost 12 years since harvest. If u want to buy be prepared to pay between 40 and 100€. Best bet is probably the 2007, coming out soon. Haut-Bailly 1998, Pessac Leognan, rock'n roll for U2, Score 18,60 Château Haut-Bailly - Crû Classé de Graves

This 5eme cru from Paulliac shows consistent quality. With more than 70% Cabernet Sauvignon with only 20% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc it is a wine that require cellar time before drinking.  The 1993 a classic Paulliac with cedar, toast and black berries. Great red colour with just a hint of red brown rim. Lovely velvety tannins and a seductive long finish. A wine worth waiting for! The price only 20 € in 97! recent vintages varies between 40 to 100€ which at the top end is too pricy. Of recent vintages the 2004 at around 40€ is probably the best value for money. Grand Puy Lacoste 1993, (20€) as good as it gets, Score 18,50

Havng tried and kept the 2005 of this Beaune Premier cru blend by Bouchard, I was very optimistic when pouring the 2006 in the glass. Medium red colour and a nose of red berries and toast proved that we were on the right track. However when comparing the taste to the seductive and fleshy 2005 , the 2006 was limpid and acidic and not impressive at all. Having tried other 2006 reds from the same area, this was a real disappointment as I was longing back to the 2005 immediately. Beaune du Chateau 2006 by Bouchard , 22€, a blend that should perhaps be mixed with the 2005? Beaune du Château - Bouchard Père et Fils, grands vins de bourgogne depuis 1731

In search for cheaper versions of Burgundy reds two different Marsannay were bought. "Les Favierees" and "Clos du Roy" both created by Charles Audoin. Both beautiful light red colour with purple rim and a nice pinot noir nose with raspberries, touch of flowers and some oak. So far so good. In the mouth quite silky and elegant, but unfortunately it all stops there due to an acidity that makes you wonder why you are drinking this. Trying to match the the acidity with different food did not help either, it broke through time after time. With a bottle costing around 20 to 40€ it would be much better to spend some few more kroners or € and buy something from around Beaune instead of this appelation just south of Dijon. Marsannay "Les Favierees" and "Clos du Roy" 2007 by Audoin. "Cheap" Burgundy which don't impress me much