After the surprises and excitement of discovering the wines of California ‘in the flesh’ so to speak, I find myself back in familiar territory with reviews of French Wines for Spring 2003. Its not that I am biased, it is just the wine producing area which I am most knowledgeable.

Most Romantic Wine - Puligny Montrachet 1997

Let me paint you a scene - a warm spring evening in Paris in a beautiful restaurant called Laperouse at 51 Quai Des Grands Augustins 75006 Paris. TEL 01 43 26 68 04.

The restaurant is nestled on the banks of the River Seine overlooking the floodlit ‘Pont Neuf’- arguably one the most attractive bridges in the world. Sitting across from me is an exceedingly handsome chap. To complete the scene - a bottle of Puligny Montrachet 1997 from Joseph Drouhin.

For me Puligny Montrachet has to be one of the most perfectly structured wines in the world. When it’s good there is not much that can top it. This wine combined with the setting and food at Laperouse is just excellent. Puligny Montrachet is a beautiful and elegant wine, but not for the faint hearted. The wine offers tastes of sweetly charred vanilla and hints of pear with strong notes of oak. It is not overwhelming in my opinion, but a ‘force majeur’.

Best Value Wine - Les Lezards - Rene Rostaing 1998

During a quiet dinner in a local restaurant on a Sunday evening I wasn’t anticipating this little gem - I can tell you. Since I delve regularly into the Rhone for my favourite tipple, I recognised the name of the producer - Rene Rostaing - as one of the most reputed producers of Cote Roti. But when I saw the price of this wine - I instantly jumped. The waitress then informed us that this was the staff favourite -(I duly noted this would be somewhere interesting to work if I could drink this a volonte). The wine was fabulous - it was robust and unfussy. We opened it up and it was ready - a deep ruby flowing syrah. We felt a bit irreverential, but as the first bottle went down so easily we were tempted to have a second, but with work the next day we decided not to. I can’t find where to buy it so its either off to the Rhone to buy direct or to London and dinner at Andrew Edmunds - if the staff have left you any.

Click here to learn about the producer.

Most Disappointing Wine Cuilleron- Cote Roti Bassenon

Dining out on a Friday night in the West End of London, my friend Tom and I decided to splash out. Since Cuilleron produces the best Condrieu in my opinion, I was interested in his interpretation of this fine red Rhone appellation. The waiter opened the bottle and the initial bouquet was incredibly potent. It promised much, but ultimately delivered very little. It appeared to have absorbed too much oak and tasted extremely tannic without any finesse or finish - the fruit had all but disappeared. Extremely frustrating indeed.

Most Fun Wine - Chassagne Montrachet Premier Cru - Clos de la Truffiere 2000.

A colleague and I were preparing to go to dinner and I fell victim to whimsy. I couldn’t think of a better way to start an evening. Chassagne Montrachet Premier Cru - Clos de la Truffiere 2000 was monumental but modest, as it demanded only to be slightly chilled and enjoyed. Maybe it would have developed even further if we had offered it accompaniment such as grilled langoustines or a succulent risotto but alone it was. It had a vanilla laced nose and with 13% alcohol content it had quite a kick. It displays all the characteristics of the Chassagne appellation, but what was surprising was the purity of the wine. Even well into the second (and third) glass the personality of the wine remained clear and consistent with its bouquet of minerals and flavors of peach and apricot.

Click here to learn about the producer. 

Wine Personality - Drew Harre

“If after the first mouthful, you don’t want to finish the bottle...stop writing pretty notes...”

“How did I learn what good wine was? By tasting the bad ones...”

Drew Harre is the man who first inspired my interest and piqued my oenological interest. Having worked with him for two years in Paris I learnt to appreciate and certainly consume wine, particularly French wines despite Drew being originally from New Zealand. I remember him offering me a glass of wine which was the same age as my current boyfriend and declaring the wine a far better product of that year than the chap!! Drew’s favourite dream was having to save his life by swimming out of a vat of 1959 vintage Bordeaux- quite a thirst!!

Imo