Chris Kissack

Last year I drank Champalou's 1996 Vouvray Cuvee Moelleuse with some stilton - it was an ethereal match, and I'm not usually one to get over-fussed about food and wine matching. I would be only too happy to try this again with some Roquefort. BWs Chris

I don't know Rene Renou. Chateau de Fesles which slipped into my list is a Bonnezeaux producer rather than Coteaux du Layon as well. I wasn't thinking straight when I typed that one out. Chris

I think coffee is a fairly common aroma in young Bordeaux. I've found it in many different wines, up to 5 or 6 years of age, very rarely beyond that. I've always assumed it was an oak derived characteristic. Haut Bages Liberal and Cantemerle are two great value properties which I've drunk/tasted several vintages of. Carruades can be great too. I can't help wishing I'd been there. There's little I enjoy more than being able to assess wines in their youth, rather on relying on the opinions of others all the time. What a shame Costco in the UK don't stock the same wealth of young Bordeaux that they seem to do in the US. They can be a good source here, but generally odds and ends of slightly older vintages. The most recent Bordeaux I can remember picking up were Gloria 2000 and Talbot 1996. Chris

For Coteaux du Layon and Chaume the following producers are the creme de la creme: Florent Baumard - who I will be visiting next week. I tasted his 2001 Quarts de Chaume at the weekend and it was truly breathtaking. Chateau Pierre Bise - I met Claude Papin last year and again at the weekend. He crafts lovely wines, very reflective of the terroir. Philippe Delesvaux - a great reputation and I hope to visit here next week also. Other good producers include: Chateau de Fesles Chateau de la Genaiserie Forges Andrew Cady BWs Chris

Surely adverts for wine would always carry price information on a forum such as this. First you suggest hidden motives behind tasting notes, but then you go on to criticise people for not including price information. The two don't go together IMHO. I think tatsing notes generally reflect the pleasure someone has experienced in a wine, hence negative tasting notes are uncommon - unless it is something unusual with the wine which deserves comment. BWs Chris Kissack

I can sense the scrum developing already. I think there will be significant demand for a small selection of wines. I've already decided what I would like to buy based on numerous vintage reports plus knowledge of my favoured properties. I'm sure many though are waiting for Parker's scores. There has been a trickling out of lesser reds, no real top names, but the last 24-48 hours has seen the release of a number of Sauternes/Barsacs and prices comparable to those of the last two years. BWs Chris Kissack

I'm afraid that I've never been convinced by any of the matches suggested for chocolate based dishes. Banyuls is another frquent suggestion, as well as tawny Port, LBV Port, young tannic reds, etc. Like Brad, for me chocolate goes with coffee, not with wine. BWs Chris Kissack

Chateau Fonroque is one of fifty-five Grand Cru Classé properties of St Emilion, as dictated by the St Emilion classification of 1996. Chateau Fonroque came to the Moueix family in 1930, when it was purchased by Jean Moueix. His son, Jean-Pierre Moueix, joined Établissements de Jean-Pierre Moueix that year and took control of mainly the lesser known right bank wines. The business expanded to become a major force in the sale of Bordeaux wine, and Chateau Fonroque - among numerous other properties - was handed down from generation to generation. By 2001 it had come into the hands of Alain Moueix, a dynamic winemaker who has, it seems, quickly stamped his mark on the wine of Chateau Fonroque. This is hardly surprising as his family includes, without doubt, some of the most significant winemakers to emerge from the right bank. In particular his father's cousin, Christian Moueix, who now heads up the family firm, is the man behind both Chateau Petrus in Pomerol and Dominus in California's Napa Valley. Alain Moueix, who also runs Chateau Mazeyres in Pomerol, has set about producing a wine which reflects both the quality of the terroir and the history of the property. The methods which he has employed in order to achieve this, however, are not entirely straightforward. Moueix is a man that respects terroir and his vineyard, and as such believes that a balanced vineyard produces the best wine. He sees the vineyard as an ecosystem, and keeping a healthy, finely tuned ecosystem avoids, according to Moueix, many of the pests and diseases that might otherwise plague the vines. This involves having not only an intimate knowledge of the terroir and soils, but also of the individual needs of the vines and, of course, knowledge of what role the planets and 'electromagnetic currents' may play. All this sounds a little like biodynamics, as practised by Loire Valley stalwart Nicolas Joly and many others, and Moueix admits to having taken some of the concepts of biodynamic viticulture and trying them out at Chateau Fonroque. The vineyards at Chateau Fonroque are predominantly limestone, and the vines are approximately two thirds Merlot and one third Cabernet Franc. The grand vin is Chateau Fonroque, of which there are 6500 cases produced per annum. The wine is aged in oak, 25% new each vintage, for up to 18 months. It is fined but not filtered before bottling. There is no second wine produced. The following notes are actually from a few months ago, but I have just written them up and thought that they might be of interest to someone. The following wines were tasted in November 2003. Chateau Fonroque (St Emilion) 1996: Some very mature aromas on the nose, with plenty of character. The palate is big, a touch oily, but lacks a little finesse of interest if the truth be told. The components are beautifully integrated, however, and the acidity is delightfully fresh. Ready for drinking now. Good. Chateau Fonroque (St Emilion) 1998: Very restrained dark fruit on the nose. There is an earthy, slightly rustic character to the aromas. It is still in a backward phase, with a firm presence of tannin that demand more time in the cellar. Moderate amount of fruit, with more rustic, earthy notes, but some appealing flesh developing through the midpalate. Leave another three to four years at least. Good, potentially very good. Chateau Fonroque (St Emilion) 2000: A sweet, exuberant, black fruit nose. Plenty of texture and rich fruit on the palate. There is very good structure underpinning it all. Another example of what is clearly an excellent vintage. Balanced. A delightful, characterful finish. This needs time though. Leave for six to eight years. Very good, excellent potential. Chateau Fonroque (St Emilion) 2001: A gorgeous nose here, of brilliantly fresh fruit and exotic coffees. Similar appeal on the palate, which has a baby-fat texture but with a balance of tannins and acidity. This is adorable, and a represents a step up in quality compared with older vintages. Drink now or cellar for up to eight years. Excellent. BWs Chris

They are stocked by Berry Bros & Rudd. Sorry I can't provide a link directly to the product page but I am at work and stuck behind a firewall which obviously regards the products on sale at BBR to be unsuitable viewing. The price is in the region of 12 pounds plus VAT if I remember correctly. BWs Chris

Craig Last year a decent proportion of my drinking was Italian, as I purposefully bought up a lot of wines from the classic DOCs and DOCGs of the north in an attempt to refamiliarise myself with these regions. It also makes a good theme for the year for my website. I struggled to find easily available Vino Nobile other than the widely distributed Poliziano. One I did pick up was the 1999 from a producer with whom I was entirely unfamiliar called Boscarelli. A bargain price of about £14/£15 I think, which was the standard price (it's still available in the UK at this price today). A fabulous wine, superb quality, but excellent value for money as well. Of all the Italian wines I tasted last year this one has stuck in my mind more than most I think. Your post has reminded me that I meant to pick up some more! Obviously, from your posting, I will have to keep a look out for subsequent vintages also! BWs Chris

Andre In what way do you think temperature change contributed to this bottle being off? What you described sounds like a corked wine. The development from muted upon opening to the development of the off aromas over the next few minutes to half an hour is typical as the aromas become more prominent after exposure to air/oxygen. The aromas you describe - mould, stagnant water - sound just like TCA. And I often find a bitter note in the finish in corked wines. BWs Chris

Andre Blo*dy shame. Sounds like a classically corked bottle of course. The only solution is to open something else. I don't think we'll see screw-capped Burgundy of this calibre for a loooooong time. I don't usually worry about mouldy cork - provided yoiu are referring to the top of the cork, visible once the capsule is removed. That's often present and bears no relationship to a wine being corked in my experience. BWs Chris Kissack

I disagree. I think they hold some interesting, although pricy, tastings in London. But if you are elsewhere in the country the WS tastings are not worth investigating. I can think of at least three in my area in the last two or three years, two showed off the 'buyer's favourites' - a mere eight or ten basic wines - whereas the other showed the Exhibition range. I attended none as I didn't feel I would learn anything at all from the tatsing, was quite certain that I didn't want to buy any of the wines, and didn't want to pay the admission fee which I felt exceeded the quality of the wines on offer. There are a few benefits of WS membership, which include wide ranging en primeur offers (although there are problems with the en primeur system applied to the WS) and a good list for regional France, Rhone and other areas of Europe. The occasional offer from other regions such as Alsace and Germany can also be useful. The members reserve storage facility is also good, but it is flaws. The problems with the WS include: 1. The en primeur offers are often over subscribed in top vintages. Having requested about ten cases from the Bdx 2000 vintage I was allocated two six-packs. And as the WS are usually last to release their offer if you rely solely on them you are stumped if this happens. 2. I don't think the Bordeaux or Burgundy lists are very good unless you are in the market for mature clarets at an appropriately high price or a very limited selection of Burgundy growers. Strange that what are two of the world's greatest wine regions should be so neglected. 3. Members reserves are fine, but where are the bonded facilities? I store my wine at Vinotheque, where at least I can avoid paying duty and VAT. 4. The supposedly co-operative society behaves more and more like a retailer as every year passes. The en primeur offers are a classic example of this, full of warm and glowing phrases even when the wines aren't up to scratch. I thought a co-operative society had it's members interests at heart, not profit? The Rhone 2002 offer was a brilliant example of ecomony with the truth - a horrible vintage - especially for the south - which the society passed onto it's members using mealy mouthed descriptions. 5. Although I have no personal experience of the committee, I hear and read from others that it is a very closed system, where the committee control who joins as new members, not the ordinary members. This is because when an ordinary members doesn't vote, the committee members can use that vote to elect their favoured candidate (whoever that might be) onto the committee. There are also some reports and suggestions, although I have no knowledge of this, that the committee members enjoy many fine vinous benefits. The society is reputed to have wondeful but small stocks of old vintages which never see the list. Regards Chris Kissack

Jim I confess to not having tried the 2001 Monastrell from Daniel Castano, although I have tasted just about everything else he has produced over the last couple of years as he frequently sends me samples. The 2001 sounds very similar in style to the 2002 which I have tasted, very vibrant and fruit. I was a little surprised when I tasted it, it's not really what I expect from Monastrell/Mourvedre, although it was varietally correct in terms of flavour. The Hecula and Coleccion cuvees are much more my style. You are right to say it is for current drinking - I said the same of the 2002 when I tasted it, at a much younger stage than the 2001 is now. BWs Chris Kissack

I happily confess to having not one bottle of rose in the cellar, although I do occasionally drink one. The wines that appeal to me the most are from Bandol, with Domaine Tempier making one of the most serious roses around. This isn't really summer quaffing stuff, it has the grip and structure of a good white wine. Chateau Pibarnon also make a good rose. Outside of Bandol my knowledge is limited. I know I've come across more poor bottles than good ones where rose is concerned. BWs Chris Kissack

Mark I hear what you say about RM as opposed to the big NM producers. I personally find excellent quality at both levels - Krug, Pol Roger and Jacquesson, for instance, are all Negociant-Manipulants and all are at the pinnacle of Champage production. But equally there are, I accept, wonderful wines produced by Recoltant-Manipulants - I have found pleasure in bottles of Pierre Gimmonet (particularly the Gastronome and Oenophile cuvees), also Andre Jacquart (not to be confused with the co-operative Jacquart, although they produce a good range of widely available and very affordable wines), and more. BWs Chris Kissack

I've been snapping up Champagnes of the 1996 vintage, which seems to have been a fabulous vintage for the region. This is the conclusion of at least one reliable source that I use, but when I purchase cases and half-cases I always like to open a bottle and draw my own conclusions. So far I've found the 1996s to be superb. Along with the 1996 Perrier Jouet I also opened two or three other bottles, but it is for the 1996 that I really post this. Perrier Jouet was established in 1811 by Pierre Nicolas-Marie Perrier, adding his wife's maiden name, Jouet, to name the house. It was the next generation, however, in the form of Charles Perrier, that did most to build up the reputation of the family business. Thanks to Charles Perrier, Perrier Jouet Champagne soon found its way onto the tables at several European courts. This success financed the construction of a fine chateau on the Avenue de Champagne. Control of Perrier Jouet passed first to nephew Henri Gallace, and then to Louis Budin, a family member by marriage. It was the Budin family that oversaw one of the great additions to the range of Champagnes produced by Perrier Jouet - La Belle Epoque (known as Fleur de Champagne in the USA). In 1959 the Mumm group took control, and subsequently the house was purchased by Seagram. The current owners are the Allied Domecq Group. Champagne Belle Epoque was the brainchild of Pierre Ernst, an associate of the Budin family. His inspiration was the discovery of a beautifully decorated bottle, dating from 1902, found gathering dust in a cupboard in Perrier Jouet. The bottle bore enamelled artwork by the art nouveau glassmaker Emile Galle. The first vintage of Belle Epoque was the 1964, released in 1969, and sold exclusively through a small number of select outlets. It was joined by the La Belle Epoque Rosé in the 1976 vintage, and later by the La Belle Epoque Blanc de Blancs. Nowadays the wines are much more widely distributed, and certainly have a place in my cellar. The straight Belle Epoque is a blend of 50% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot Noir and 5% Pinot Meunier. The strength of this prestige cuvée is finesse and elegance rather than power or fruit, so for this reason inexperienced critics have been known to discount Belle Epoque, having been underwhelmed on first tasting. Some have even accused Perrier Jouet of putting more effort in to the design of the bottle than the wine that goes into it. These critics have laid bare their lack of understanding of a wine that possesses impeccable balance, something far more valuable than powerful fruit. The Belle Epoque Rosé is made by the addition of red wine rather than the saignée method, with a final blend otherwise very similar to the straight Belle Epoque, with the Chardonnay sourced from Cramant in each case. This is also the source for the Belle Epoque Blanc de Blancs. There was also a Réserve La Belle Epoque released in the 1995 vintage, bottled in 2000 jeroboams, with a whopping price tag - although the price did include a room for two with dinner at the Maison Belle Epoque! The remainder of the Perrier Jouet range includes the non vintage Grand Brut, 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Pinor Meunier and 20% Chardonnay, and the vintage Grand Brut, a similar blend with just 10% more Chardonnay and 10% less Pinot Meunier than the non vintage cuvée. Both can be excellent. In addition there is Blason de France, a non vintage cuvée launched in 1965. This is a blend of almost one third of each of the three main Champagne grapes, although there is also a Blason de France Rosé which has a little more Pinot Noir and less Chardonnay. The following wines were tasted in March 2004. Perrier Jouet Grand Brut Champagne NV: From a half bottle, purchased Summer 2003. Mid gold colour, and a very fine, sparse bead. Lots of interest on the nose, which has the creamy white fruits of youth, but is also showing complex notes of marzipan, lemon meringue and toffee. Full, creamy, with a rich mousse on the palate, although showing firm youthful acidity. Coffee notes in the background. Needs perhaps a year for the acidity to settle, and then should drink very well for a year or two. Obviously standard formats will age differently. Very good. Perrier Jouet Grand Brut Champagne 1992: A good depth of colour, a yellow-golden wine. Just a gentle bead in the glass. The nose seems quite youthful, with some fresh fruits tinged with a tropical nature, with only emerging hints of maturity, evidenced by fleeting moments of coffee and brioche. Fresh, grippy and youthful on the palate, with great acidity which made this a wonderful food wine. Still dominated by fruit, but with the beginnings of maturity similar to the nose. In the past I've found a number of 1992 Champagnes to have troublesome acidity, but this wine has matured and lost some of the awkwardness of youth evident when I last tasted it two years ago, and the acidity has settled and is now helping it to age gracefully. Would benefit from another three years in the cellar. Very good. Perrier Jouet Grand Brut Champagne 1996: A good depth of colour here, demonstrating a moderately rich, lemon-gold hue. The nose doesn't give too much away, but it certainly displays elegance, with its pure, creamy, smoky white fruits and nuts. The palate is simply fabulous - it has texture, balance, a fine mousse and piles of leafy white fruit flavour, with a nutty edge, fanning out on the finish to show autolytic complexity. Finesse, richness and character combined, and a fabulous length as well. This is splendid - showing real class now, but destined for greatness. Excellent, potentially outstanding. Perrier Jouet Belle Epoque Brut Champagne 1990: Golden yellow wine tinged with amber. Wonderful nose, packed with maturing aromas. A subtle note of oxidation adds interest to the oily white fruits, layered with nuances of coffee, toffee, honey, cashew nuts and butterscotch. Sublimely elegant on the palate. Light and fresh, with bright acidity supporting the gentle, creamy texture and correct, slightly sharp mousse. Full flavoured on the finish. This is a wine still on the way up, and has shown some development since last tasted. Excellent. I also have a few bottles of the Belle Epoque 1996 in the cellar, but just don't have the metal to open one of these yet! BWs Chris Kissack

Red. This, however, doesn't preclude me from giving 'white' as an answer in the future. BWs Chris Kissack

I personally capitalise varietals whether in reference to a specific wine or if discussing the variety itself. Having said that, however, I do think the scheme put forward by Craig is correct. Nevertheless I prefer to capitalise all for clarity. Chris Kissack

Many families get around the problem of inheritance tax by forming a company to cover the vineyard and winery business. Family members act as director, head of vineyard management, head of production and distribution, and so on. When a family member dies there is a need to shuffle around responsibility, but no need to go through the expensive job of sorting out inheritance. This would also avoid the effect of inheritance law in France, which awards equal portions of the family'e estate to all offspring, which leads to ever-increasing parcellation of property such as in Burgundy, where even individual vineyards have numerous owners. Clos Vougeot has about 80 owners, some owning just a few rows of vines. BWs Chris Kissack

Brad The most recent vintage I have tasted is the 2001, both of which were very good wines for what is, I think, not one of the northern Rhones greatest vintages. I haven't tasted anything from the 2000 vintage. They are, as you describe, impressive young as well as more mature. BWs Chris Kissack

Thierry Allemand did not come from a family with a history of winemaking, and was not fortunate enough to be the recipient of a family estate of vines as is the case with many other great French domaines. Allemand grew up in Cornas, surrounding by ancient vines, because his father, a factory worker, had settled there. Fascinated by the vineyards that were all around him, he developed a passion for the local wine that may have exceeded that of many of the vignerons! He started off as a cellar-rat at Domaine Robert Michel, and worked there for over a decade, gaining a valuable understanding of the wine. Concurrently, in his spare time, he was cleaning up an abandoned vineyard which he had purchased in 1981. Allemand's first vintage was in 1982, with a miniscule production of about 64 cases! The quantities have increased since then, which is fortunate as so has worldwide demand for these wines. A typical annual production is now ten times this amount. Although Allemand began by producing a single cuvée, in 1990 and in most vintages since he has produced two cuvées. Firstly there is Les Chaillots, sourced from the limestone slopes of Chaillot to the northwest of Cornas and from La Côte, a granitic slope just to the west. The vines here are generally less than 30 years of age. The cuvée Reynard is sourced from the slopes of the same name to the west of the village, where some of the best sites are to be found. This is a very well established site, including some old vines of 80 years of age purchased from brothers Louis and Noel Verset. Yields at both sites are low, typically between 20 and 30 hl/ha. After fermentation both wines are stored in cask and inox (more wood for Reynard) for about a year before racking by gravity, a light fining if required, and bottling. The wines are not filtered. A more recent addition to his portfolio is a plot of old vines in Reynard, purchased from Noel Verset. He also has a plot of vines in St Joseph, which goes to the local co-operative. This is a shame, I feel - St Joseph is the sort of appellation that needs a star winemaker to give the locals the impetus they need to improve the quality of their wines. The following wines were tasted in March 2004. Thierry Allemand Cornas Reynard 1994: Quite a dense colour, although a tawny-tinged maturing red. A lovely, expressive nose, with dense floral fruit. Good structure on the palate, tannic and somewhat backward. Creosote and coffee influenced fruit on a sweet, lifted palate. Very pure and a classic example. Very good, potentially excellent. Thierry Allemand Cornas Reynard 1995: This is obviously more dense and youthful. It has an open, expressive nose, with some great fruit. Dense, tannic and structured on the palate, with good fruit and acidity. Nevertheless it's a little less finely balanced and fulsome than the preceding wine, although it's still a lovely wine. Very good, excellent potential. Thierry Allemand Cornas Reynard 1996: This is dark, glossy, youthful, with just some paleness at the rim. A great nose, both dense and rich with fruit, and et perfume and elegant at the same time. The palate is full, structured, tannic yet balanced with good fruit and acidity. This is set up nicely for future development. Keep for fie years at least. Very good, excellent potential. Thierry Allemand Cornas Les Chaillots 1996: Another dark, glossy and youthful wine. An interesting nose, with a bit of sewage at first, although this slightly unpleasant aroma blows off to leave a more acceptable although stinky nose of farmyards. Not really horsey/mousey so I'm not convinced this is Brett. The palate is massive - big, full and tannic. Full and rounded texture but not at all soft or forthcoming - fairly brutal in fact. Needs five years at least. Good, excellent potential. Thierry Allemand Cornas Les Chaillots 1997: This has a dense, earthy nose suggesting a little maturity. The palate is rich and creamy, but very savoury. Mature, earthy fruit flavours with a sweet edge. Not too much tannin but plenty of acidity. Lots of potential here, but should drink a little sooner than some of the other vintages. Very good, potential for improvement. Chris Kissack

Jim 2002 certainly is a superb vintage for the Loire, and Domaine Huet made full use of the excellent weather to turn out some lovely wines. I visited the domaine last year and tasted an extensive range of their wines. Strangely, though, it didn't include the one you tasted - perhaps they had sold all their stock of the Le Mont Demi-Sec already! I won't reproduce all my tasting notes (available in my Domaine Huet profile), but here are the other 2002s tasted: Domaine Huet Vouvray Haut Lieu Sec 2002: This is a clean, mineral wine on the nose. Currently very tight on the palate, but with racy acidity. This will develop more character and weight with time. Good, potentially very good. Domaine Huet Vouvray Haut Lieu Demi-Sec 2002: Very expressive on the nose. On the palate this is fuller and richer than those from Le Mont. Nevertheless it has poise and balance also. Another stunner from the 2002 vintage. Very good, potential for improvement. Domaine Huet Vouvray Le Mont Sec 2002: Predominantly mineral aromas on the nose, like crumbled, chalky rocks - a terroir note perhaps - with a touch of classic wet wool to round it out. A faint tingle of dissolved carbon dioxide on entry. Otherwise it's round, mouthfilling, but very bright and minerally on the palate. Quite rich, but cut through by a firm citrus acidity. Clearly shows the quality of the 2002 vintage. Good, potentially very good. Domaine Huet Vouvray Le Mont Moelleux 2002: Aromas of melons over stones on the nose. A lovely palate – it has poise and elegance rather than power. It is full, expressive, and has a wealth of fruit. The complexity will come with time. Balanced acidity. This is a lovely wine for drinking over the next decade whilst waiting for other wines from what is obviously a great vintage to mature. Very good, potential for improvement. Domaine Huet Vouvray Clos de Bourg Moelleux Première Trie 2002: Giving little on the nose but fruit and mineral nuances and an obvious purity. A fabulous weight and texture on the palate. Much more flavours than the nose would suggest, and exquisitely balanced. This is brilliant. What a vintage! One for the cellar. Excellent, potentially outstanding. BWs Chris Kissack

IMHO, biodynamics can be separated into: Sensible practices: reduction of pesticide and herbicide use, essentially organic farming. Strange practices that might work: use of plant infusions and various teas applied to the vines as treatments against disease. When I visited Nicolas Joly (profile and brief account of biodynamics here: Nicolas Joly profile) he had just returned from a trip into the mountains to collect plants in order to make vine treatments. Burying cow dung in horns in the field. These practices sound mad but who is to say they don't work? I challenge anyone to produce evidence on this forum that such practices are ineffective! Practices that really do sound wacky: burning rabbit skins to ward off pests. Regarding the fermentation as the birth of new life - hence the barrel has the shape of an egg. Regarding sulphur as 'a form of light'. Hmmmm. Regardless, there is one fact that cannot be ignored. The results (Nicolas Joly, Chapoutier, Zind Humbrecht, Domaine Leroy, and many, many more) cannot be ignored. BWs Chris Kissack

This sounds like excellent advice for any family party. I always have a decent red to follow the Champagne that I tend to pour at my children's birthday parties. Do you mind if I ask which vintage of Muntada you drank? BWs Chris Kissack