Life is too short to drink bad wine

This is yet another wonderful dry white from Burgundy by Girardin. 100% Chardonnay perfectly balanced between fruit and oak. Nice buttery, citrus notes on the nose. Lovely dry taste packed with a fruity big silky aftertaste. Perfect with fried cod.... Puligny Montrachet "Les Enseigneres" 2008 by V Girardin, 30-40€ Isn't white Burgundy just lovely?

An unusual wine from an rare district made in an abnormal way. Not bad.... The grape is Nebbiolo (from Piemonte and among others used in Barolo) which is dried for 3 months before fermentation (like Amarone). The wine can remind one of Amarone as it is packed with dark fruit and smells and taste like blackcurrant tart. Great solid stuff. Sforzato 2006, Lombardia 20-30€ Like a Barolo Amarone blend...

This a dark fruity wine from the southern part of Rhone. Great smell of brambles, smoke and juniper berries. The taste is big and long, packed with dark fruit. It is easy to drink but can be kept and goes well with most red meat. Ch de Segries 2008, Lirac, Low price 149 non or ca 8€. A very approachable wine..  

This is a very nice Syrah from the Russian River in California. Dark deep red colour. Beautiful dark berries on the nose, a quite attractive Syrah smell. The taste is full-bodied with soft tannins and perhaps a bit on the dry side. The producer is a big fan of Telemark skiing and thus a very memorable label. Pinhead Red Zyrah, NOK 258 or 22usd in the US. "Cool climate" Syrah from California...

This is just a stunning Zinfandel from Ridge in California. It is just packed with silky brambles and ripe black cherries and raspberries. A bit of liquerice as well and some tobacco. Just gorgeous smell. On the palate the silk continues with lots of black fruit and and full bodied long aftertaste so fantastically balanced that you just have to smile. A truly great wine and one of the best Zinfandels I have ever tasted. Ridge Lytton Springs 2009, California  Medium price NOK295 or 35usd. A truly great wine.

This Champagne house was created in 1798 coinciding with the rise of Napoleon. It is said that the emperor used to stuck up on this Chamapagne on his way to a series of stunning victories. This is a lovely Champagne, a mix of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with great finesse and a good mouthful. Apples, citrus and a nice mineral undertone. Jacquesson 734, Champagne, NOK 350 or ca 30€ Good rich Champagne. Seafood or on it's own.

With the first wine being oxidiced the host went on to plan B which was better welcome by the panel. Dark red colour. Modest nose of dark berries, blackcurrant and hint of ink. Big mouthful with a nice balance. Lots of fruit and dark berries. Firm with soft tannins. A wine with punch, but definitely not Bordeaux... Ch Citran 2004, Haut Medoc Price 20€ Score 16.20 but a very nice low priced Bordeaux.

Extremely dark red colour with red rim (no brown signals at all). Sweet smell of dark cherries, liquerice and brambles (no hint of pepper). Big solid taste with good fruit and a slightly small hint of bitterness and dry cherrystones. A truly big wine. Panel dithering where to end up, but is surprised by this being a Shiraz and nearly 20 years old... Wynns Michael Shiraz 1993, Coonawarra Score 17.50 and 25£ (back then)  more punchy 5 years ago but still very good

Deep dark elegant red colour (similar to the wine 2) Lovely complex smell of dark berries, wet forrest, chocolate, leather. Well balanced, quite refreshing, long and big mouthful with lots of fruit. Powerful and complex wine with a very long aftertaste. A truly great wine, similar to wine #2. Panel again surprised by the Bordeaux track and the nearly 20 years of age... Ch Angelus 1993, St Emilion Score 18.70 40£ back then now round 100-200£. Great stuff! Wonder how the 1996 is ..?

A little gamble from the host to put this after the Angelus (but lets see the panel reaction). Dark red colour with purple rim. Wet forrest smell, chocolate and mint, a bit sweet, complex and some leather on the nose. Long velvety but a little "sweet" taste. Nice "cool" fruit (not cooked) with very soft tannins. Dark cherries. Very "sweet" wine! from a warm area like Australia or California according to the panel. Elizabeth Spencer Cabernet Sauvignon 2002,  Oakville Napa Valley,  Ca 40 dollars.  Score 18.90 ( better >Angelus!) This wine was only produced in 2002 and only 184 cases were made.... Elizabeth Spencer Wines

This white wine from the beautiful region of Savoie in France is made from the unusual grape called Jacquere. Apparantly this grape derives from Condrieu in Rhone. The funny thing is that the wine can you remind you of a Condrieu light as the smell is lovely perfumed with pear, apricot and apples. The taste is lively and fruity with a touch of minerality. Very fresh and also quite light making it perfect as just an aperitif. The wine is unoaked. Savoie Chignin 2010 "La Gerbelle", 130 NOK (low price) or ca 6€. Very reasonable and lively white wine.

Les Fuees is another Chambolle- Musigny Premier cru made by Patrice Rion. Made from relatively young vines 20-25 years. Lovely red fruit on the nose and a wonderful silky smooth and elegant taste. Hints of cherries on the nose and more body and texture than the village Chambolle although not as big as the "Charmes". An elegant wine. Chambolle-Musigny "Les Fuees" 2007, P Rion Another great example of Chambolle can provide...

Pleiades is an  experimental nonvintage blend. Pleiades (Sean Thackrey Pleiades California Red Table Wine) was first released in 1992. Made from a host of different grape varieties (potentially both white and red, such as Syrah, Viognier, Barbera, Carignan, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Grenache and Mourvedre). The grapes potentially come from different regions and different vintages. The recipe changes every year, depending on the decisions of Thackrey and the fruit sourced. Thackrey has said, "It's like a chef's special. You trust the chef so you're prepared to order the dish of the day". So what he basically does is that he mixes the grapes differently from year to year just to make a wine that is really good and will please people. The Pleiades XIX is the 19th version and is absolutely delicious. Lots of red fruit jam on the nose with a big long silky taste as finish. It's nearly 15% alcohol which can be challenging, but everything is in wonderful balance. P

Bought this wine at Monoprix in France. Quite a suprise really as I have never before tried a wine from Savoie. Lots of different grapes so not going to into details about that, but the wine reminds me of Condrieu; nice sweet yellow fruit smell and a very fruity and seductive taste with nice acidity. Great stuff for less than 10€! Vin de Savoie, Chignin-Bergeron 2009 by Bouvet Impressive stuff for less than 10€....

This is a lovely Cabernet Sauvignon from the mountains close to False Bay in South Africa. Great fresh red fruit on the nose with hints of chocolate (bit Bordeaux like) and a good mouthful packed with fruit and soft tannins. Not bad at all! Journey's End Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, Stellenbosch, South Africa, 175 NOK or around 10€, lovely stuff...

Produttori del Barbaresco is one of the best co-ops in Europe. They always provide good wines at good value for money. So also this Barbaresco from the single plot called Ovello. 2004 a great year in Piedmonte adds quality as well. We enjoyed this bottle with fillet of reindeer and the combination was just stunning. Perfect integration of the the tender meat with a slightly rustic but soft tannic wine was just perfect. Barbaresco 2004 "Ovello", Produttori del Barbaresco Only close to 12000 bottles. Just grab whatever you can get. 340 NOK or 30€.