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$20 is a really good price. I have a friend who is a European representative of it. For that price I would tuck into it in a big way. Have you ever had their white? I believe it is a Sauvignon Blanc that spends years in oak and is one not to bend over backwards to get.

Here in the UK I think that people are just getting a little bored of Merlot. Producers, especially from Chile, are selling their wines purely on grape type rather than terroir, producer, etc etc. I think that this leads to a lot of mediocre wine that could have had a little more attention lavished upon it rather than producing a very soft and characterless wine that follows a set formula to be punter friendly (rather than show any imagination). To me it is getting like Pinot Grigio (although not as bad). Here in the UK people like drinking Pinot Grigio but if you asked them who the producer was and any details about the wine they would have no clue at all - the variety is far more important to them. As a result the only decent Pinot Grigio that I have ever had is not Italian and is a (Tokay) Pinot Gris.

Got a picture but don't know how to post it. No mention of any flavours. Think that I have to agree with you that perhaps it should mention something. However as it is labelled XO (Extra Old) then it rather suggests that it is a "superior" product, which it isn't.

Fortunately never broken a bottle but I tipped over a whole bottle of 1985 Ausone but fortunately saved 1/2 of it. However... When i was working in a cellar in Bordeaux, me and another chap, built a 4 high stack of barrels. we only usually did 3 high but were running out of space. looked really nice but in the morning things weren't quite how they were when we left them. fortunately it was a small barrel cellar and the bottom row probably only had 10 barrles on it. Unfortunately the collapsed stack of barrels took out the next door row as well. All in all I think we lost about 1200-1500 litres worth of red. Ooops!

I will confess to not having had it but the word that I hear is that whilst it is good it is really not worth the exceedingly high price. I am also led to believe that some do not like the balance of the botanicals

Interesting but agree with Paul (but take it further) that none of the wines are of the same age. The closest is I suppose flight 2 but even then there is 18 months difference. Also with flight 2 there is a big mistake. While Australians might make chardonnays, Dom Leflaive do not make a chardonnay they make a Puligny Montrachet.

80º Proof = 40% Alc/Vol Stroh 80 is 160º Proof or 80% Alc. Sorry to be such a pedant

Pernod Ricard sell one called SOHO. I am about to do a deal with someone for it. I am based in the UK and if you want a decent quantity send me a PM

Not answering your question but I do find some Grand Cru Chablis awful. When I buy a Grand Cru I really don't want it having any oak near it at all but some insist on oaking it. As my Chablis producer says, if you want to make an oaky wine in Chablis, you should have saved yourself the bother and bought some land in Beaune/Macon

Could be right - the person who I was drinking it with did mentione India but I am fairly sure the label said Kenya. It was in a dumpy black bottle. With Pyrat - what could give this orange flavour? I know that there is heavy discounting on this and is being offered out at about $100 per 12/75 (ex taxes) so I am wondering whether a change is in the offing and stocks are being dumped. Has Pyrat XO always tasted like this? Edit: I have just talked to my guy about the Old Monk and it was a Kenyan bottling (and yes they do do it in India).

Just picked up a bottle and must say that it is right up my street. Beautifully smooth with subdued power. I also tasted a 3yo rum called Old Monk which comes from Kenya. Really not bad but to me it lacked a bit of power but if I was in Kenya I would definitely drink it. Much better than the average multi national brands. Pyrat XO - God almighty what has happened to this? Not sure if they have played around with this but it tastes like an Orange Rum Liqueur with a hint of iodine. As a drink it is interesting and not bad, but as a rum it is shocking. Very smooth to drink but

so you go with Pedro Ximenez with dessert as well? I have had a bottle open for a year in the fridge and although it has lost a tiny bit of fruit over that time it is still fantastic. I think that the 75cl bottle cost under £10 and is made by Valdespino. Also very good on ice cream.

wkl, yes they were correct. 2547 = 2001 2544 = 1999 This is done on the Buddhist calender as the wines came from Thailand. The red was a bit rough but would have been nice a little chilled and the white was tasted with a spicy Thai soup so can't tell too much about it apart from very smooth, a little dirty and a little lacking in acidity but nice with the food.

Had some strange ones the other day White - vintage 2547 - 100% Malaga Red - vintage 2544 - 100% Pok Dum Anyone else had weird and wonderful wines?

2002 Chablis, Domaine Barat Maybe it is just me but I think that I prefer my Chablis in summer 9ie when it is nice and hot). The fruit on the nose and palate were both relatively muted and not showing as well as a few months ago. The next day, what small amount was left was showing a lot better. The mierality was beginning to show through. 1991 Royal Tokay Wine Co, 2eme Cru Classe, Birsalmas I thought that this would be perfect with the fois gras like duck pate. The acidity was fantastic as was the sweet fruit but I thought that it was a little lacking in viscosity, which is one of the things I love about Tokay. Womnderful flavours of prunes and apricots. 1989 Ch. Durfort Vivens with roast partridge. For a 2nd growth this was shocking (but what more do you expect from Bordeaux???) My guests were slightly more complimentary but I thought that the fruit was bland and beginning to age very badly. Very soft tannins and a lack of acidity didn't make this one of my most memorable bottles. 2001 Val de Berrus. After the disappointment of a lack of fruit from Bordeaux, I thought that this Terra Alta (Spain) would do the trick. As one of my guests pointed out, it wasn't particularly Spanish (maybe that's why RP gave it 91). Masses of rich, sweet ripe fruit, but the balance wasn't there. Perhaps the Bordeaux wasn't that bad afterall as it seems that the Spaniard, while out gunning it in the fruit department, was not as sophisticated. 1991 RTWC Birsalmas. Back to this with the cheese/chocolate pudding. I must try and teach my wife another recipe for pudding!!! When I opened up the case and got a bottle out, the mahogany colour led me to believe that I was in for a treat. The wine if anything had become even more fluid through the course of the meal. Lovely fruit on the nose and palate but lacking the weight an power I so like. Is it only me, or do others find that the wine they serve is ALWAYS disappointing?

Ed, are you intimating that all rum aged in Scotland is going to be light in colour or just this one. I am not sure where I posted on eG but Hallmark of St. James is no longer a working company having been wound up and investigated both in the UK and USA for, shall we call them, irregularities.

Yes - most "Cuban" rums are not made in Cuba so as to be able to export to America. I bought a Cuban to try - Havana Club Anejo Reserva. God it was awful!

I have got a designer who can do a nice job in his spare time. He has branded multi national corporations products. The market is Far East and the rum at the moment that I am looking at comes from St. Lucia and Cuba. There will hopefully be other islands if the whole project does take off. It is looking good but I don't like to presume that this is in the bag. It is a question of buying what rum is out there at the time. At the moment my guy is interested in a 4yo St. Lucian and 6yo Cuban. The 20yo Demerara are not for him! Label size max about 13cm high, 9cm wide Pictures - hmmm. I suppose that the classical ones are like Bristol Spirits which are plain or ones like El Dorado with a boat. For ease I think it would be best not to have different labels for different islands.

I possibly am going to start bottling some rum for a client of mine and thought that it might be fun to see if anyone wanted to help with this one. It would mean desiging a label and I have at the moment a blank canvas apart from it has to be a "classical on", whatever that means.

Yquem was quite interesting. The family member who thought that he was in control returne from holiday to find that it had been sold in his absence. I think that there was some sort of court case to resolve it.

Always thought that Ardbeg and subtle didn't really go together

I think that the local ingredients will be different. Knowing how unscrupulous these guys are (or rather good business people) if they can save a cent here or there they will do it. What might be illegal to use in one country might be perfectly legal in another. Also if you can use local products rather than having to ship them in then they will be used; if it means changing the recipe in order to accomodate local products then I am sure it will be done.

Marco, yes the mind boggles

Luis, I like it. Makes perfect sense as well. From my personal experience which is limited mainly to vintage port, I reckon it should be drunk with in 3 days. If you decant it for an evening it usually is nicer the next day for lunch/dinner. To be honest there usually isn't anything left in the decanter past that! On the odd occasion that there is something in the decanter that has been left for a couple of weeks it tends to be past it.

Plymouth Gin 57% was the last gin and tonic my wife ever drunk and that was about 7 years ago. Made her a nice strong one and then we jumped on our bikes and peddled as quickly as possible to the cinema. When she hopped off the bike she went temporarily blind (for about 2 minutes) and has never touched gin since.