Life is too short to drink bad wine

This is the second wine of Domaine Chevalier in Pessac Leognan. 2010 is a very good year and the second wines of the big properties are often more value for money in such good vintages. The wine has around 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and then mostly Merlot as the rest. The colour is very deep red, nearly black. The smell is predominantly dark fruit and spices. Long balanced aftertaste with soft tannins. l'Esprit de Chevalier 2010 Pessac Leognan Ca 20€ or close to 300NOK

This white wine is from the warm and sunny Santorini in Greece. The grape is called Assyrtiko and is a local variant. My first thought was how on earth can this wine be any good coming from such a hot climate like Greece? But miracles does happen and the Assyrtiko vines grown in the volcanic soils on Santorini are more than 70 years old. The grape has a tremendous acidity which is reflected in the wine itself. The nose is dominated by citrus fruit with a surprising minerality. The palate has the same minerality as well as a fantastic acidity with some wet stone elements. A perfect dry white that seems to be a mix of Riesling and Sauvignon blanc. A very decent white wine that should go well with most types of fish. Assyrtiko 2014 Gaia ca 190 NOK or 12 €

Having never tried a white Burgundy from Lafon this 2011 was a bit of a shock. An absolute stunning and well balanced Meursault, so beautifully constructed and with an enormous concentration and length. This must be one of the best village Meursault I have ever tried. It's like drinking gold! Elegant nose of peach and ripe yellow apples with discrete lime and butter in addition. An extremely balanced, refines and polished taste. Pricy indeed, but sometimes it is worthwhile to spend the extra money to taste such a beautiful balanced wine. Faboulous on it's own but probably even better in February with fried arctic cod. Meursault 2011 Domaine des Comtes lafon High Price.

This vintage BdB from 2008 is already quite drinkable but can also be stored further. 100% Chardonnay with 72 months on the lees has led to a complex sparkling with lovely aromas of apple, citrus, biscuits and some minerality. Quite a creamy and full bodied taste with hints of apple and citrus fruit. Long well balanced aftertaste. A delicious BdB! Fits perfect with Manchego cheese. Simart-Moreau 2008  Champagne Blanc de blancs Ca 30€

This is a basic Sancerre by Henri Bourgeois who is one of the best and reliable producers in that region. It's a very fresh, green and zesty dry white with lots of  apples, lime and green herbs. It has been only slightly oaked (5 months) and the taste is dominated by fresh crispy flavours, citrus and minerality. Perfect with most types of seafood and cheese. Sancere Grand Reserve 2014 Henri Bourgeois Ca 15€ or 190 NOK

This is just a fantastic white Burgundy by a great producer called Arnaud Ente. Domaine Arnaud Ente is one of the hottest wine properties in Meursault today and arguably Burgundy's brightest rising star. Stylistically Arnaud's wines lie somewhere between the rich, generous, hedonistic style of Lafon and the precise, mineral, citrus character of Coche-Dury. During the 1990s Arnaud's wines attracted a lot of attention for their opulent style, due to his preference to pick late for maximum ripeness. Since 2000 the wines have displayed a more complex, naturally acidic style with enhanced minerality, which reflects the move to a programme of earlier picking. His wines are now amongst the very finest in the village. This 2007 has a direct style with lots of minerality and acidity and a fantastic nose of butter, lime and "Burgundy spice". Meursault 2007 Clos des Ambres Anraud Ente High price

Colin-Morey has emerged as one of my favourite white Burgundy producers. As I managed to find a shop near Antibes that was selling his wines, I ended up buying most of the stock he had of Colin_morey white. The wine is medium bodied with a perfect acidity and a nose filled with butter and lime. A bit like a Saint Aubin in a way. Deliciously fruity and with lovely balance. Auxey-Duresses 2012 La Ruchotte Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Ca 35€

Vernay is one of the main producers of Condrieu in Rhone. The Viognier grape used in Condrieu gives remarkable aromatic wines that many can find a bit too much. The style really depends on the producers and this one is elegant, big but also very oppulent in style. It is however a perfect match with Thai and Asian food and this 2011 was drunk with pork in caramel sauce which turned out to be a perfect combination. Here are some tasting notes from the BBR web site: These 80-year-old vines perch dangerously near the top of the commune of Vernon and sit right at the top of the Condrieu hierarchy. The wine flirts with perfection; it is antithetical to the deeply coloured and overly viscous Condrieus that one sometimes finds. This is the ‘real deal’; it is a wine of great, almost saline, depth and adamantine clarity. The fruits of the labours of the eponymous Pape de Condrieu , now in the able hands of his daughter Christine and son-in-law Paul, continue to raise the bar fo...