Life is too short to drink bad wine

The Beaune appellation is a bit underrated by many compared to the more well known "red" villages like Vosne Romanee, Gevrey Chambertin etc. So what does that mean for us consumers? This is in fact good news as the quality is still high and the price more affordable. I came across this Domaine while in London. Domaine Lois Dufouleur. A totally new domain to me. Lovely silky textured wine. Smooth delicate fruit. Great balance. So I asked the sommelier if he could tell me about the "manager" of this wine. To which he responded; I can, but you might as well talk to the young man next to you- that's his son! So here I was in London drinking this gorgeous Beaune premier cru and next to me was the son of the producer nipping a to great Barbaresco. A place he had not visited but which I had. And he was in London as he wanted a change from Beaune, a place I just love. Isn't life just fun sometimes? Beaune 1er cru Le clos des Perrieres 2015 Lois Dufoule...

German Riesling comes in many different styles pending on area and sugar level. Trocken (dry) is the dry version often with lots of  fruit and a crisp acidity. Mosbacher, producer in Pfalz in Germany, has many different styles based on the geographical location of the vines. This one is from Wachenheimer with a special sandy soil. At first a very petroleum like smell, maybe from the skins of the grapes in a warm vintage? but the day after that had gone and it was more towards ripe apples, flowers and tropical fruit. The taste is beautifully balanced with lots of fruit and perfect acidity. Slightly high in sugar (just below 9g/l). Lovely wine that can be used as an aperitif or with white meat, fish and certain spicy foods. Georg Mosbacher Riesling 2015 Bundsandstein, Wachenheimer Ca 240 NOK or 14€

Chasse-Spleen is one of my favourite Bordeaux wines from Medoc. Thanks to being a cru Bourgeois the price is more affordable than the Grand cru classes. This does not mean that the quality is any less than many GCC. The price is still high but this is one of for your cellar. The mix is 50% Cabernet and 42% Merlot with the rest being Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Dark red colour with purple rim. A bit closed on the nose with red and dark fruit. Firm and solid taste with high tannins. Needs time to open. Drinking window ca 10 years from now. Chasse Spleen 2015 Moulis Ca 30-40€ or 550NOK

Conterno is well known family name in Piemonte. Franco Conterno, however, is a "manager" that is new to me but having tried this Barbera several times lately I know I need to try more of his wines. There are many Barbera on the market but this must surely be one of the best in the ordinary price range. Complex smell of red fruit, dark cherries, spices and hint of chocolate. The taste is very smooth and fruity with a beautiful balance. The acidity is perhaps on the low side for being Barbera. The grapes have been destemmded and spent some time in 225l oak before bottling. The wine will go with many different dishes. Barbera d'Alba Superiore 2015 Franco Conterno Ca 14€ or 200 NOK

The second wines of top Bordeaux wines are often the way to go due to the high prices for the classified wines. This one was established in 1985 and is actually from 30 years old vines on gravel soil owned by the Ch Lagrange. 2015 is an excellent vintage in Bordeaux and the nose is packed with elegant red and dark fruit, oak flavours and spice. Full bodied wine with smooth tannin structure and velvety aftertaste. Very good overall quality. Les Fiefs de Lagrange 2015 St.Julien Bordeaux Ca 400NOK or 25€

Bordeaux 2015 vintage is on the market and what is surprising with this vintage is the smooth and silky tannins. Especially if you go for a Merlot dominated version. Clos la Gaffeliere is one of the more reasonable grand cru from St.Emilion and it is widely available in shops and wine merchants. It's supersmooth and packed with dark fruit and plum and with a great balanced taste. Full bodied wine at this stage. Can be kept for 10-15 years without a problem. Lovely wine. Clos la Gaffeliere 2015 St.Emilion Ca 22-28€  La Gaffeliere is about 5€ more expensive and 680 NOKin Norway.

As we all know from recent football events- it's all about the manager. And this is especially true in Burgundy where you can have many different managers making wine from the same terroir and yet the wines are all slightly different. This is a contradiction in itself cause if the terroir theory was correct they should all make the same wines, but they do not. So it's all down to grape selection, fermentation process and temperature, pressing, free run juice, use oak and which type of oak etc etc Ghislaine took over from her father in 1990 and has established herself as a top producer (manager) in Burgundy. Her wines are not the cheapest but it is certainly among the very best. The generic Bourgogne rouge from 2015 is made mostly from grapes from a plot called Bons Batons near the town of Gilly les Citeaux. In the favourable year of 2015 it is a very decent wine close to village standard. Beautiful red fruit, flowers, earth, cherries and pepper on the nose. A very n...

It's possible to get reasonable Bordeaux wines still even in top vintages. If you go to less known areas like Fronsac like this one good value for money can be found. 100% Merlot from 30 year old vines and maturation in french oak for a year. Dark red colour. Medium nose of dark fruit, vanilla and some oak. Quite a firm taste with apparent oak but still smooth enough to enjoy now and especially with some red meat or cheese. Ch. Castagnac 2015 Fronsac Ca 230 NOK or 14€

Red Burgundy premier crus are very much on the expensive side after years of price increases due to high quality and limited quantities. Going a bit away from the centre of Burgundy to lesser known areas like Mercurey can therefore be an option in order to buy smart and drink well. This premier cru by Domaine Michel Juillot has all the trademarks of a decent village wine from Burgundy. Delicious red fruit and a lovely fruity balanced taste. Drinking well all ready now but will improve with 2-3 years of storage. Mercurey 1er cru Clos Tonnerre Michel Juillot ca 20€ or 300NOK

2015 årgangen fortsetter å imponere. Denne gang Burgund og landsbyen Savigny-les-Beaune som ligger vegg i vegg med Beaune. Bare adskilt av A6 fra Paris.  Manager for denne landsbyvinen er Pavelot som er en av de beste på slike viner.  Flott medium mørk farge. Behagelig mørk frukt med litt preg av stall. Nydelig balanse med god syre og flott struktur.  Deilig vin og billig til å være landsby vin.  The 2015 vintage continue to impress. This wine from  Burgundy and the town of Savigny les Beaune, just north of Beaune and just separated by the A& from Paris. The manger this time is Pavelot who is one of the best in producing wines from this town. Great medium dark red colour. Delicate dark fruit with some notes of stable. Beautiful balance with medium + acidity with a great structure. Lovely wine and good quality price ratio. Savigny les Beaune 2015 Domaine Pavelot Ca 20€ or 300 NOK

2015 årgang og fra nordlige delen av Burgund. 15 mnd på gamle eikefat. Håndplukkede druer.  Lys rød farge. Deilig duft av røde bær, skogbunn og vaniljekrydder. Flott balansert smak. Fløyelsmyke tanniner.  Tåler 3-5 års lagring Yet another bottle from the 2015 vintage and this time from the north in Burgundy. Matured 15 month on old oak casks. Hand picked grapes. Light red colour. Lovely smell of red fruit, forrest and vanilla. Great balanced taste and delicate tannins. Good value for money. Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuit 2015 Manuel Olivier Ca 20€ or 270 NOK  

There is plenty of the 2015 vintage out now. A vintage that has received great reviews both in Bordeaux and Burgundy. In great vintages like this it is the opportune moment to buy some of the lower graded wines such as a generic Burgundy or second labels from Bordeaux. This Bourgogne Pinot Noir by Patrice Rion was beautiful balanced with som firm but soft tannins. Great nose of red fruit with hints of chocolate and pepper tones. A very good Bourgogne rouge indeed. But it does not come cheap but is still half the price of a village wine. Bourgogne PN 2015 Patrice Rion 270 NOK or 20€

This is a delightful wine from one of the villages in Beaujolais. Thillardon is also one of the many new producers in this region that produce great wines in small quantities and most of all based upon biodynamic principles. Whole cluster fermentation and carbonique maceration which is the traditional method in Beaujolais. 7 months storage with 50% in old oak barrels and the other half in cement tanks. Very fruity and fresh red that can be served slightly chilled. Lots of red fruit and flowers on the nose with some peppery notes. Deliciously fresh with a firm aftertaste. Serve with light meat, salad or cheese. Perfect for lunch. Chenas 2015 Vibrations Domaine Thillardon Ca 15€

There are many different Barbera on the market. These are normally easy drinking wines. The cheapest ones are quite basic while the more expensive ones are normally more complex. The two main areas are Barbera d'Alba and Barbera d'Asti. Normally the difference between the two are tricky to discover but I have been positively surprised by the wines from the Asti region lately. This single plot Barbera from Agliano Terma caught my eye at a tasting at Vietti. It must be one of the best Barberas I have ever tried. The oldest part of the La  Arena   vineyard was planted in 1932 in a loam-clay type of soil, with a southern exposure. The total surface is about 6 hectares. Fermentation lasts around couple of weeks in open-top stainless steel, with mechanical punching downs, délestage and many open-air pumping overs. After this, the wine macerates for another week, then it is racked and it is moved to oak for malolactic. The wine is aged in b arriques, big oak vats and steel t...

This is just a wonderful complex and drinkable Barbara d'Alba by Bruno Giacosa. Not the most reasonable one but certainly an example of how good a Barbara can be. Dark red purple colour. Wonderful and complex nose of dark fruit, chocolate, plum. Big juicy long and perfectly balanced taste with soft tannins and great finish. Just love it! Barbera d'Alba 2015 Bruno Giacosa Ca 20€ or 290NOK

Camille Giroud is a new name to me on the Burgundy scene. In an effort to find good value Burgundy from the glorious 2015 vintage I bought some of these from the local wineshop. An expressive bouquet of ripe red cherry fruit, spice and raw cocoa introduces a rich, supple palate with a nice chassis of tannin, acidity and gentle grip on the back end.  A blend of fruit from the Côte Chalonnaise, Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits, this wine really is a microcosm of the vintage, and makes a lovely Bourgogne. Drinking Window 2018 - 2030 Ca 20€ or 300NOK

The 2015 is a very good vintage and the prices have gone up once again. The prices for a village wine both for red and white have gone through the roof and now starts at 35-40€. In order to survive you have to buy smart. Choosing the generic Bourgogne in top vintages is one solution like this Pinot Noir by Michel Bouzereau. Similar wines from different producers exists as well. Here the starting price is around 15€. Medium dark red colour with lovely dark and red fruit on the nose. Beautifully balanced taste with smooth tannins and a nicely integrated acidity. Drink now but best in 2-3 years from now. Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2015 Michel Bouzereau ca 15€ or 300 NOK