Life is too short to drink bad wine

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

Pinot Noir from the cool Sonoma Coast can now compete with Burgundy in quality and taste. All the "cooked" flavours that has been the challenge with Californian Pinot have disappeared and you are left with beautifully balanced wines that have a very decent acidity. Occidental has this basic Sonoma Coast version as well as one called Cuvee Catherine. Both are extremely good Pinot Noir but also a bit pricy very due to the low quantities. This one has a very elegant nose of ripe red fruit with a great minerality. The taste is packed with "chilled fruit" and a beautifully struck balance that goes on and on. It's a very elegant wine indeed! Occidental 2012 Sonoma Coast Ca 40$ or 500NOK

I am not going to make any comments to this delicious wine. Just read the quotes below: This is an impressive and immediately appealing wine displaying lush layers of pure red fruit, velvety tannins and a long palate-coating finish. Aromas of cranberry, pomegranate and plum flow from the glass, underscored by enticing notes of mahogany, fresh-tilled earth, mint and exotic spices. A classic expression of Gap’s Crown!  Retail Price:  $70 Accolades 93 Points | Wine Advocate “A stunner smelling of rose petals, braised meats, black currants and black cherries is the 2012 Pinot Noir Gap’s Crown Vineyard. This wine, aged slightly longer than most of their Pinot Noirs, is made from relatively new Dijon clones 115 and 828. It is a full-bodied, gorgeous Pinot Noir that should drink beautifully for up to a decade when it is finally released.” - Robert Parker 2012 Patz & Hall GAP’S CROWN VINEYARD – Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir – 91 Points; Outstanding; a wine of superior char...

This is a delightful mixed red by Sean Thackrey. This red is made every year with different combinations of grapes designed to let people enjoy a wine as prepared by the chef himself. The 24th edition is a mix of Sangiovese, Pinot Noir, Viognier (white), Zinfandel and Mourvedre. The wine is a full-bodied and a very fruity red with a velvety long well balanced finish. Delightful easy drinking wine that can be easily enjoyed on its own. Pleiades XXIV California Sean Thackrey Ca 30usd or 340 NOK

This 2009 Pinot from California and Anderson valley is just pure magic right now. It's not often I drink 7 years old Pinot from that region, normally I would consume them younger, but this example is the proof thet there is absolute no reason why California Pinot should not be kept. Delicious red fruit, chocolate and minerality on the nose.  A wonderful balanced taste which is just amazing. Everything are so velvety. The cool climate and a stony soil have created a truly  wonderful, complex and sumptuous wine. Pure meditation.... Copain Pinot Noir 2009 Kiser "En Bas" Anderson valley High price

This is the only single estate in Italy that has it's own DOC! The first time I had it was last week when I found out that one of the local restaurants (Sørensen oppe) had one bottle left. So I asked the wine waiter to set aside the bottle for me. A few days later on a sunny warm late summer day I turned up with a friend and reclaimed the bottle. We sat outside, on a tiny balcony, overlooking the Stavanger harbour, watching the sun go down drinking this stunning wine. Gorgeous aromas of dark chocolate, supple red fruit and lots of cassis. Old cellar, vanilla, ripe fruit. Simply wonderful! But the palate was out of this world thanks to a complexity, balance, body and length that really shocked the both of us. At the same time it was soft and elegant as well as big strong and firm. It had lots of fire power, but at the same time silky. A truly stunning wine. Worth drinking at least once! But of course there are no more 2001 left in Stavanger ....

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 ...

Patrice Rion is one of the masters of Chambolle and he has three different premier crus as far as I know. This one called Les Cras, Les Fuees and the famous Les Charmes. All of them are equally good and elegant although my personal favourite is Les Charmes. Optimum timing for drinking them are at least 5-7 years old to smoothen the tannins that are present in the younger years. This one from 2012 has lots of red fruit dominated by wild raspberries and cherries. Delicate taste with a lovely balance and soft tannins. A lovely wine that will improve even further with a couple of more years in the bottle. Chambolle Musigny 2012 "Les Cras" Patrice Rion  Ca 50€

Coffele is well known for the lovely Soave they make but the Amarone they produce is just pure class. The grapes are; 75% Corvina, 15% Rondinella and 10% Molinara. A real block buster of a wine with 16% alcohol without being too powerful. Really deep dark red colour. Beautiful nose with plenty of dark fruit, coffee, chocolate and vanilla. Truly wonderful bouquet on the "dark" side. The taste is big, solid and powerful but also wonderful elegant with a very long aftertaste. A wonderful and impressive wine indeed. I wish all Amarone could be as classy as this one. Amarone della Valpolicella 2010 Coffele Ca 30€

This one of my absolute favourites; Patrice Rion, Chambolle and premier cru Les Charmes. Delicious heavenly smell of raspberries, cherries, chocolate and some pepper. Very firm structured taste with a gorgeous balance and wonderful red fruit. It's a big solid and smooth wine with lovely firm tannins. Drink now, but will improve if you can wait for 5 years... Chambolle Musigny 1er cru Les Charmes Patrice Rion Ca 50€

This is a special wine based on an old version of Sangiovese called Sangioveto. The producer is Badia a Coltibuono (abbey of good harvest) located near Monti in Chianti. The 2001, which we had at the beautiful old monastery building now called La Collegiata (hotel, restaurant & wine bar) near San Gimignano, was quite an experience. Medium brick red colour (looked like an old Bordeaux). Elegant bouquet of sweet dark cherries, old cellar, dried fruit and some pepper. Big, solid wine with a perfect balance. Long and very elegant. In a blind tasting our thoughts would have gone to Bordeaux immediately. A beautiful wine in lovely surroundings. Sangiovese di Toscana 2001 Badia a Coltibuono IGT- Toscana

White Burgundies are sadly enough quite expensive due to small harvests lately and higher demand. The solution could  be to drink the more reasonable generic Bourgogne blanc, but then the producer and where the grapes come from are two important factors. Normally the grapes can come from all over Burgundy. Henri Boillot is a top producer of both white and red Burgundies and produces wine with quite low yields. In addition he picks the Chardonnay for this cuvee from four top appelations: Auxey Duresses, Saint Roman, Meursault and Puligny. The result is a stunning white Burgundy which outperforms all other Bourgogne blanc we have ever tasted. Delicious pale lime gree colour. A superb smell of citrus fruit, butter, lime and spice. Super balanced and long taste with perfect fruit and acidity. Just shockingly good. Ca 30$ or 300NOK Limited availability....

Gaja is one of the top producers in Piedmonte and that shows in this classy Barolo from 2007. This Barolo comes from two great family owned vineyards located in La Morra and Serralunga. In both sites, the soil is primarily calcareous clay and marl. Fermentation and maceration take place in stainless steel tanks for 3 weeks followed by 12 months ageing in barriques and an additional 12 months in large oak casks. The resulting wine is an harmonious and intriguing expression of two great Barolo terroirs with an intense, d eep dark colour with a very distinct red/brown rim.   A very rich bouquet of red berry fruits with attractive floral notes, tar and some smoke. The wine has a beautifully and  refined structure with superb length. Lovely stuff and drinking well now. Requires food.... Barolo Dagromis 2007, Gaja Ca 40£

Let it be said at once; this 2009 red Burgundy from More-St-Denis is pure magic! It can remind you of a full bodied Chambolle in a way as it has similar bouquet and smoothness. The smell is dominated by delicate raspberries with hints of chocolate. Subtle, but ever so lovely. The taste is incredible smooth, packed with ripe delicious fruit, an enormous length and wonderful balanced aftertaste. Pure magic! I am uncertain what to eat with this wine as I am afraid many dishes would take away the fantastic experience it is just to drink it on its own. Try veal with a discrete sauce....perhaps.

This is wine number 1000 on this blog and the choice of wine number 1000 is not accidental. Chambolle Musigny by Rion is a pure meditation wine with a silky texture and balance that must be experienced in order to understand what the fuzz is all about. I have tried all the Chambolle Musigny's by Patrice Rion since the 2006 and every vintage has been of great quality. The purity, balance, smoothness and delightful taste is just amazing. The wine is so delicate that it is difficult to recommend any food with it and that's why it's for me a pure meditation wine. Serve slightly chilled in a big glass, lean back in the chair or sofa and just enjoy; sip after sip.... Stunning stuff for 39€. Wine does not get better than this, just more expensive.....

The 2004 Bordeaux is an underrated vintage both in terms quality and price. It's a cooler vintage than the very warm 2003 and it's much cheaper than the very expensive 2005.  It can also still keep for a long time as its drinking beautifully right now. Chasse Spleen is also one of the best and consistent cru Bourgeois and it outperforms many Grand cru classe both on quality and price. So basically the 2004 Chasse Spleen is a bargain when compared to the outrageous prices one must pay for Bordeaux wines from 2005 and onwards. The wine is dark red with a red rim, not much sign of ageing. Delicious nose of dark fruit, cellar, tobacco and leather. The taste is beautifully balanced with firm, but soft tannins. It's a lovely structured wine with a medium to long aftertaste. Try with meat and cheesier on it's own. Ch. Chasse Spleen 2004 Moulis, Bordeaux Ca 25€

This is 100% Syrah with perhaps a bit of Viognier in it as well. The wine is dark, dense and delicious. Packed with dark fruit and very smooth tannins. It´s drinking wonderfully right now and should go well with pepper steak, game as well as cheese. Cote Rotie is in the very northern part of the Rhone valley and provides wines that are easy to drink when young as well as older. Due to the marginal production, the steep hills and the demand, the prices are normally high. Cote Rotie 2007 Ogier Ca 35€

Looking for a special white wine? A white that is full bodied with lots of fruit and flavours? In Condrieu, which is a small area north in the Rhone valley, they produce delicious and rare white wines based on the grape called Viognier. The result is highly aromatic wines like this one from Andre Perret. Peach, melon, apricot and white flowers on the nose. Super delicious smell that can be a bit overwhelming for some people. The full bodied taste can remind one of Chardonnay but the fruit and lower acidity suggest otherwise. Even though the wine is dry it can appear to be sweet due to the fruitiness and dramatic aroma picture. The wine goes well with fish, spicy and Asian food. The production is limited and prices are high. If you buy a bottle then use a big wine glass as well to sense all the flavours!

This is a very big and robust wine from a small region in Ribeira del Duero in Spain. The combination of 90% Tempranillo and some Syrah has created a wine with lots of  structure and a big solid taste. The bouquet is just wonderful with dark fruit, chocolate and some tobacco. The aftertaste is long and fruity with a wonderful balance. A very elegant red that can withstand all type of meat, cheese and is probably perfect with BBQ. The price is around 25€ or ca 300NOK.

This is a magical Pinot Noir by Copain in California. Copain has many different Pinot's from different regions and this from Anderson valley is just pure silk. 6 years in the bottle has smoothened the wine without losing structure and acidity. On the nose it is packed with attractive and slightly sweet red fruit, but the taste is what makes this a top wine; Super smooth with silky tannins all the way. Silky long aftertaste and a wonderful balance. Just stunning! The price has increased lately due to increased demand and exchange rate effects. Expect to pay around 40-60$ pending on location.