Life is too short to drink bad wine

Laurence Tribut makes a special basic Chablis that is more expensive than other village wines. His style is also different as the wine is matured by careful use of oak after having gone through malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tanks. He uses only the best % liquid from the pressing of the grapes. Pale straw colour with hint of green. Lovely bouquet of sitrus, apple, yeast and sea. Well balanced creamy taste with great structure and acidity. This must be one of the best basic Chablis that exist! Chablis 2014 Laurence Tribut Ca 290 NOK or 20€

Greide å få tak i noen flasker hvite burgundere av PYCM forleden. Hans generiske burgunder fra 2016 er superdelikat og av landsby kvalitet.  PYCM har gått vekk fra battonage og lagrer heller vinen lengre på fat. Helt OK synes jeg.  Superfriskt. Elegant. Nydelig og delikat. Bare så synd det er nesten umulig å få tak i. I managed to get hold of some bottles of white  Burgundy by PYCM some time ago. His generic 2016 white Burgundy is super delicious and of village quality. PYCM has stopped doing battonage but instead he uses extended contact with the lees. Works really well in this version I would say. Super fresh.  Elegant. Beautiful and delicate.  It's a shame it so difficult to get hold of. Bourgogne Chardonnay 2016 Pierre Yves Colin Morey Ca 30£

This is a lovely white Burgundy by Bouzereau. The grapes come from plots in Meursault and Puligny Montrachet among others. Delicious smell of lime, butter, white flowers, spices and some yeast. A beautifully balanced taste with a creamy long aftertaste and medium acidity. Perfect for those nice summer days on the terrace. Slightly pricy for being at the Bourgogne level, but this is top notch stuff that could have deserved a village appellation. Bourgogne Chardonnay 2015 Michel Bouzereau Ca 340 NOK or 20€

Georg Mosbacher in Pfalz, Germany has a wide selection of Rieslings. This is one of the basic versions which gives a very nice impression of what dry Riesling is all about. Pale straw yellow colour with hints of green. Green apple, citrus and hints of tropical fruit on the nose. Attractive soft and well balanced taste. Medium + acidity of the kind sort. At only 140 kr or 7€ this is a very good quality price ratio. Try with sushi, fish, spicy food and seafood. Riesling trocken 2016 Georg Mosbacher Pfalz

There are many different producers (managers) of Sancerre. They all have their own style and expression of the Sauvignon Blanc from this region. This one has the expression of 45 years old ecological grown vines from the area around Chavignol. And I must it is one of my favourite Sancerre. Not the cheapest one, but definitely one of the best ones. Beautiful complex aromatic nose citrus, flowers, minerals and green and yellow fruit. Long, complex and well balanced taste. Lovely acidity touch of minerality. Sancerre 2016 Gerard Boulay Ca 270NOK or 20€

Arneis is a local aromatic white grape in Piemonte in Italy. The best area for this grape is in the hills of Roero northwest of Alba and Giacosa Fratelli produce an elegant and reasonable of example of this grape. The colour is medium yellow and a refreshing bouquet of tropical fruit, sweet apples, lime and yeasty notes. Bone dry white wine with lots of fruit and nicely balanced acidity. This is not a wine for storage and should be drunk young. Perfect as an aperitif or with fish, salad and cheese. Roero Arneis 2016 Giacosa Fratelli ca 150NOK or 7€

This is a basic Chablis by Samuel Billaud that drinks very well. Yellow green colour and aromas of green apple and flint. Solid, round and crispy taste with a good structure and length. Well balanced wine with quite a fresh aftertaste and some of that typical chalky minerality. Perfect allround Chablis that should fit well with most fish and seafood dishes. Chablis 2013 Samuel Billaud Ca 20€

This an unoaked Chablis by Louis Moreau. Clean fresh crispy Chablis with a mineral character. Fermentation in steel tanks at 18c over 15-18 days. Thereafter stored at 20c some months to start malolactic fermentation. The wine was finally stored for four months in steel tanks on the lees to obtain more aromas and smoothen the taste. Medium pale straw colour. Medium intense bouquet of green apple and plum. Some notes of flowers and herb. Well balanced taste, high acidity, bone dry, medium body and medium aftertaste with hints of minerals. 120.000 bottles made. Ca 15€. A well made and structured Chablis. Try with smoked salmon and cod.

This is a truly special wine from Muscadet Sevre et Maine on the west coast in Loire. This underrated area has very reasonable dry white wines based on the grape Melon de Bourgogne. In addition they use prolonged storage on the lees to create a smooth style of white wine. This one from 2010 that was bottled in 2015 has no less than 5 years on the lees! Medium to pale yellow colour. Developed nose of ripe citrus, yellow apples,  butter, tropical fruit and some  nutty flavours. Beautiful balanced taste with a medium body and medium long aftertaste. Good value for money. Perfect with oysters. Muscadet Sevre et Main Sur lie 2010 Ch Thebaud Clos des Tabardieres Ca 13€ or 189 NOK

This is a delightful Chardonnay from Margaret River in Australia. Hand picked grapes and whole bunch pressed. Malolactic fermentation and battonage, just like they do in Burgundy. The result is a wine with notes of ripe peach, grapefruit, fig and nuts. Wonderful complexity with a lovely balance and long full bodied finish. Creamy texture. A great wine that can compete with white Burgundy both in quality and price. Will keep for 5-6 years. Evoi Chardonnay Reserve 2015 Margaret River Australia 55 Australian $ or 399 NOK

One of the labels on this blog is called Meditation wine. The wines I choose to label like that are wines that do not require food as they are so lovely just on its own. On its own when things are bad and you need to be cheered up or there is something to celebrate. Or maybe because you are worth it! This Meursault by Remi Jobard from 2010is like that. Drinking perfectly now with a super delicious smell of butter, lime, white flowers and some spice. Perfectly balanced with a long velvety finish. Pure and full bodied white. A truly lovely wine. If you want food try with fried cod or Comte cheese. Meursault 2010 En Luraule Remi Jobard Ca 40€ or 500 NOK

This is a monster of a white wine! On the nose it is packed with ripe yellow apples, hint of oak, tropical fruit and some citrus. The colour is pale gold. It is a truly full bodied white with a very long and solid aftertaste. High in alcohol (14.5%), high intensity and a nearly wax like taste. White Burgundy from the likes of Meursault or Chassagne Montrachet are nothing compared to this one. This one is massive. Not really delicate. Maybe a bit blunt in a way. I am not sure like it as much as I like white Burgundies. It's lacking a bit of finesse and is perhaps a bit too much in your face. But it's good. Heaven forbid. Ridge 2013 Monte Bello Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains, California ca 60$

Some of the older white Burgundies are cheaper than the most recent ones where the price has increased due to high demand and low supply. This 2008 Meursault by Jobard is drinking perfectly right now although the first I opened was oxidated. Lovely medium straw colour with a nose dominated by lime, butter and spices. Perfect full bodied white with a long aftertaste and still with a lot of energy. A truly lovely wine. Meursault 1er cru Poruzots 2008 Antoine Jobard Ca 40€ or 550 NOK

The 2015 vintage is just perfect for German Riesling and this example from the Mosel valley by Markus Molitor is just delightful Medium straw colour. Delicious nose of ripe apples, citrus , some spice and minerality. The taste is offdry although it says dry on the bottle. The acidity (medium +) matches the sugar level in a nice manner and there is a lot of fruit to go with it. Nice minerality in the aftertaste as well. Perhaps is just too approachable? Try with fish and sushi. Markus Molitor Riesling 2015 Mosel Ca 10€ or 160 NOK

The wine world keeps surprising me and this time it's a white wine from the warm and sunny Lanzarote that are hitting the headlines. When are you on holiday in the Canary Islands good wines can be difficult to track down as there are a lot of plunk around. El Grifo is the oldest winery on the Canary islands (1775 in fact) and this white wine based upon the pre phylloxera Malvasia grape is very good value for money. Pale and clean straw colour. Aromatic wine with plenty citrus, tropical fruit and white flowers. The wine is bone dry with an elegant acidity and a lovely minerality from the volcano ashes that the grapes have grown in. A real treat for 14€! El Grifo Malvasia Coleccion Lanzarote

I am not sure what to say anymore about the white Burgundies by Pierre Yves Colin Morey.... The smell, the taste, the balance, the sensation. Everything is so beautifully balanced and elegant that it is mind blowing. A bit of lime. A bit of butter. A bit exotic fruit. A bit of vanilla. Speechless really. His wines are pure mediation. Just buy! Puligny Montrachet "Le Trezin" 2011 Pierre Yves Colin Morey Ca 40€ or 450 NOK

Hubert Lamy and Saint Aubin is definitely one of my favourite combinations when it comes to white wines. This delightful combination gives white Burgundies to die for and if you ever coms across you just have to buy as they are becoming increasingly more difficult to get hold of. This premier cru with the funny name "Les Murgers des Dents de Chien" has it all. Beautiful aromas of lime, butter, minerals and green apples. Lovely fruity and balanced taste with perfect acidity and aftertaste. Use big glasses and drink it not too cold, more around 10-12c. Saint Aubin 1er cru 2013 Les Murgers des Dents de Chien Hubert Lamy Ca 35€

Riesling when they get a bit of age in the bottle can develop a nice petroleum smell. This 2005 by Wittmann had exactly that when we drunk it the other day. Morstein is single vineyard in Rheinhessen, Germany. Lovely citrus fruit, flowers and petroleum on the nose. Smooth, silky and fruity taste with perfect acidity. A very decent dry white wine. Wittmann Riesling 2005 Morstein, Rheinhessen

The other day I had a fantastic lunch at the local restaurant called Fish & Cow. Two of the reasons for going there were the wine list and the very knowledgable wine waiter who is one of the few in Norway with a Master of wine title. Pierre Yves Colin Morey, as you can see from other articles on this blog,  has emerged as one of my favourite wine producers in Burgundy. His white wines are so pure, magical,  remarkable and wonderful that they are made for meditation, they do not really require food as the wine itself is such an experience. The four of us started off with a premier cru Chassagne Montrachet from 2011 and a 11 acre plot called Les Chenevottes. It's a cool, flat plot which is not too humid and the wines from here are fine supple wines. Beautiful aroma of discrete lime, butter and lots minerals. Amazing purity all along. The balance was just wonderful and each sip became like a religious ritual. A stunning wine which every restaurant should be proud of ...

Pascal Clement is a wine producer that made his first own production in 2012. Before that he worked with various wine makers in Burgundy as well as New Zealand (mostly Pinot and Chardonnay). He buys grapes from mostly biodynamic growers and his style is clean, pure and with subtle use of oak. Pernand- Vergelesses is pre-dominantly known for it's red Burgundy but this version is a white one. The wine has a clear and pale lime green colour. Nice delicate smell of apple, citrus, hazelnut and minerals (or wet stone). Very refreshing taste with lots of minerality, apple, citrus and some nuts. Beautiful balance and a solid aftertaste. Pernand-Vergelesses 2013 "Les Combottes" Pascal Clement Ca 25€ or 300NOK