The last six weeks have seen me travel (almost) the length of the country to recruit, and then to judge, the regional heats of the No3 Gin cocktail competition. The brief was very wide simply asking bartenders to make a “twist on the gin & tonic” and it was amazing to see all the different directions they took this.

We have seen tonic ice tubes, homemade tonics, classic cocktails twisted together and we cannot wait to see the final five at the Royal Albert Hall No3 bar on 17^th June where they will recreate their winning cocktail and create a “freestyle” option too – no holds barred! The finalists are:

– Jack Coughlan from The Last Word Edinburgh, “Rule No.3”

- Suzie Wong from Epernay bar Manchester, “The Key to the Secret Gin Garden”

- Charles Montanaro from Nola London, “Key Quina Tonic”

- Ehren Khoo-Steel from Merkaba Birghton, “The Parlour”

- Matt Fairhurst from Milk Thistle Bristol, “The Curious No.3”

Our neighbours, Quaglino’s on Bury Street, have launched a pop up for the summer to bring back all the glamour of the 1920’s. The Hutch Club will be offering a brilliant line up of live jazz and best of all, this is accompanied by classic No.3 Gin cocktails and No.3 Gin and tonic popcorn. That has to be worth a visit!

The month of May also included a trip to the Scotch Whisky Research Institute to spend a day on their Sensory Course. This was absolutely fascinating, especially learning how the trained tasters sit for several hours smelling the whisky as it develops and writing down particular smells and the time it occurred to compare to the chemical signs the machine can read. It just goes to prove that no matter how advanced technology gets, nothing will beat the human senses; and we can enjoy it whilst analysing the elements too! Not only that but it gave myself and our Eastern European brand manager plenty of ideas for The Glenrothes so look out for some exciting “sensory” events to come.

July will be the big month for The King’s Ginger liqueur, with a request from the palace to Berry Bros. & Rudd as a double royal warrant holder to create a special coronation cocktail. This was created by The Cocktail Lovers (www.thecocktaillovers.com) and encompasses all things British with sparkling wine from our fair shores and local produce. You will have to wait till next month for the reveal but if you cannot attend the Coronation Festival do not worry; we will share the recipe on facebook and twitter too.

And as for Pink Pigeon, our senior spirits team are there as I write, visiting the distillery, absorbing the culture and no doubt enjoying a Pink Mojito or two whilst they are at it. I have no doubt there will be plenty of envy inducing pictures posted on their return.

Coming up…

- No.3 Gin cocktail competition final on 17^th June, keep an eye on @No3Gin’s twitter account for updates throughout the day.

- The Glenrothes will be at Harvey Nichols on 14^th June and at Selfridges on 15^th alongside The King’s Ginger, a perfect Father’s day gift and you can try before you buy!

- 15^th June is also World Gin Day and there will be a No.3 Gin giveaway in the run up so do not forget to visit www.worldginday.com for more details.

- On the evening of 1^st July No.3 Gin will be at Charlotte’s Bistro Gin School so if you are near Chiswick come along for a G&T and a chat about why No.3 Gin was voted “Best in Class” at the International Spirits Challenge

Apparently the Forth Bridge has been completely repainted and they don’t need to start again at the beginning. Work on Inside Burgundy however is never finished! We eagerly await the launch of the iPad eBook on the Côte de Nuits, to join its sibling Côte de Beaune, launched last year.

The joy of the iPad version (please note it is a book, not an app) is that you don’t have to lug around 2 kilos of hardback when you are visiting the vineyards or indeed just catching up on some Burgundy reading on the commute to work. There are also numerous added attractions – photographs from the hugely talented Michel Joly and Jon Wyand, videos in the vineyards, and some unique individual vineyard maps showing who owns which plot. The map of clos Vougeot is widely available and was in the hardback book but we have added to this Richebourg, Romanée St Vivant, Ruchottes-Chambertin, Nuits-St Georges Les St Georges and Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St Jacques.

It was a fascinating task, working out who owned which plot. The most challenging was Richebourg where figures quoted by other authors on how holdings were split between the two parts of the vineyard, Richebourg and Veroilles, didn’t seem to add up logically. So I prowled round the vineyard and was able to discern the exact detail of each plot by the differing viticultural practices of, e.g., one member of the Gros family compared to another. Anorak stuff perhaps, but deeply satisfying.

The iPad version has also enabled me to update information, with considerable enhancement of the chapter on Marsannay and the addition or expansion of many producer profiles throughout the book. Thus in Vosne-Romanée alone Domaines Confuron-Cotétidot, Forey, Gerard Mugneret, Georges Noëllat, A & B Rion, Jean Tardy and Fabrice Vigot have been added or significantly expanded. There’s always more to be to discovered, another bit of the Burgundy bridge to repaint.

The middle of May is a time normally dominated by the unrelenting force of a Bordeaux En Primeur campaign, however for one afternoon my Fine Wine colleague Martyn Rolph and I were to be wowed by the excellent wines of Domaine Faiveley alongside the food of Philip Howard at his two-star ‘The Square’ in Mayfair.

The wines were presented by Erwan Faiveley, a man who is very much the new generation at this legendary Domaine and if this is lunch is anything to go by will further elevate the already lofty status of this excellent House.

A petit aperitif of their 2011 Rully Blanc ‘Les Villeranges’ paved the way for the 2010 Meursault which showed that the village wines of this vintage can be drunk now, but equally have the capacity to age over the next two to three years at least. The largesse of the mid-palate made a perfect match for Philip’s Mousseron Risotto.

Erwan was keen to show us that the Domaine’s expertise in the Côtes de Nuits and Beaune also translates into Chablis. There could have been few better ways to do this than with his 2011 Chablis ‘Les Clos’. Essentially, the most coveted vineyard in Chablis in a vintage where the region really shone – what could be better? The potential of this wine is clearly huge, with the structure and acidity to underpin many years of development, it is hard to resist top Chablis when it is youthful at the best of times, but with the right food they can really charm. Grilled Red Mullet with Leek Hearts Monk’s Beard and Botarga made this extremely charming indeed.

Moving on to the red wines and two fantastic meat dominated courses to match. Youthful Corton wines can be quite tricky to say the least, often with a distinctly austere edge – this is not the case with Erwan’s 2008 Corton ‘Clos des Corton Faiveley’. After recounting us with the intricate story behind why the name of the Domaine is included the name of the vineyard this wine flourished with its vibrant, rich, crunchy fruit. But also with a structure and freshness which met the Glazed Iberico Pork Cheeks very kindly. The smaller element of development and underplayed oak dovetailed with the Morels and hand rolled Macaroni.

Traditional Burgundy thinking would tell you that now is much too early to broach a 2009 Gevrey Chambertin Premier Cru, particularly one so serious as ‘Combe aux Moines’.  However the fruit is so dense and the tannins so fine that with a good decant this was on top form. Its bounding fruit-forward, energetic approach was a contrast to the measured, finely boned and elegant 2007 Echezeaux. A challenging red Burgundy vintage to say the least but one which Faiveley are famed for the numerous successes they chalked up.

Both formed an interesting point of comparison and discussion to a wine made by Erwan’s Father – 1998 Latricières-Chambertin. This displayed distinct developed characteristics on the nose, as you would expect from 14-year-old Grand Cru Burgundy. The palate was a very different story, operating at a different pace of development, just in the middle of its secondary phase and alongside a ‘significant’ portion of Epoisse made for a great finale.

All the wines were fantastic but if forced to proffer a ‘wine-of-the-afternoon’, for Martyn and me, it would have to be the 2009 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru, Combe aux Moines. So much so, we pressed our Burgundy Buyer Jasper Morris MW to secure further stocks – we’re just waiting on the slow boat from Burgundy.  More details available from your Cellar Plan Account Manager.

The annual Wine Club dinner is always a special occasion for me: I get to meet a number of you members who I otherwise speak to on the phone or by email. It’s a pleasure putting faces to names.

This year was no exception, though we’d decided early on to change our usual venue of the atmospheric, vaulted Napoleon Cellar to our glamorous Long Room in our Townhouse: from a 48 member capacity to a room that seats just 13 guests plus host. Much more intimate!

It’s always wonderful welcoming people into our luxurious Townhouse – which feels like a secret abode in the centre of bustling London – where we enjoyed an initial glass of Champagne to whet the appetite for the evening ahead. Mark Pardoe, Wine Club’s recently appointed head buyer, introduced himself, while we all supped on the deliciously dry Champagne Pierre Peters Extra Brut At this point I sadly left the evening while Mark took on the reins to host the dinner in the floor above.

The five-course menu for the night was once again impeccably selected and crafted by Stewart our head chef (making us wish we could replicate a mere morsel of the dish at home ourselves) :

2011 Viognier, Le Pied de Samson, Vin de Pays, Domaine Georges Vernay, N. Rhône paired with roast & confit quail with a salad of spring vegetables & goats milk purée

2011 Grüner Veltliner Ried Schütt Smaragd, Emmerich Knoll, Wachau paired with seared scallop with morel & wild garlic ravioli, fricassée of new season peas

2007 Côte Rôtie, Domaine Pierre Gaillard, N. Rhône paired with tasting of spring lamb with light curry flavours, carrot & purée

2009 Banyuls Cuvée Léon Parcé, Domaine de la Rectorie, Roussillon paired with millionaires shortbread with caramelised white chocolate & raspberry jam

2009 Mirum, Verdicchio di Matelica Riserva, La Monacesca, Marche paired with aged gruyere tart with rhubarb chutney & hazelnut oil followed by Berrys’ selected coffee & chocolate

Among the candlelight flickers in the decadent red-and-gold Long Room setting, it was a special evening, which I am sure Mark and guests won’t forget for a while.

On Thursday 9^th May, we welcomed 28 Cellar Plan customers to our first Cellar Plan Fine Wine and Cheese tasting, hosted by Richard Veal, a stalwart of our Corporate Hospitality team and former employee of renowned cheesemonger, La Fromagerie, and me (a self-confessed cheese nut…).  The premise of the evening was simple:  to pair selected cheeses and wines, along with introducing some new examples of both; debunk some common myths and confirm well known matches along the way.

The evening started with Richard’s favourite pairing, albeit one that was new to many – Parmesan and Champagne, in this case Vilmart’s Grand Cellier Brut NV. The filigree texture of the fizz, paired with the salty tang and Umami element of the Parmesan, in this case a 24 month aged cheese, were a perfect match  and we were off to a flying start.

Another classic pair followed in the shape of Sainte Maure, a goat’s milk cheese from Touraine in the Loire, with Cotat’s 2005 Cuvee Paul Sancerre, an unusual late harvested but still dry Sauvignon Blanc. The richness of the wine was perfectly offset but the lactic freshness of the cheese.

A brace of Chardonnays followed, with Jobard’s 2008 Meursault En La Barre paired with a 24 month aged Comté d’Estive, and 2010 Los Alamos from California’s superstar estate Au Bon Climat matched with Berkswell. The former proved more successful, with the creamy, nuttiness of both the Meursault and the Comté enhanced by each other. Chardonnay would be my preferred option for almost all hard, semi-hard and washed rind cow’s milk cheeses, dispelling the myth that you save a red for the cheese.

A 1991 Tondonia Gran Reserva Rioja Blanco rounded off the whites, matched to Mahon Tierno. I enjoyed the salty tang of the cheese with the gentle, oxidative style of white Rioja, an acquired taste for many though!

Moving onto the reds, a 2009 Chambolle Musigny from Rion was a fine match for Epoisses, proving that if you pair cheeses and wines from the same area you can rarely go wrong. 2007 Ch. Haut Bailly was very well matched with a 2 year old Mimolette, a cheese often overlooked despite its striking orange colour.

A duo of Syrah/Shiraz based wines followed, with Henscke’s 2008 Mt Edelstone in the Australian corner, paired with Cantal, and Chapoutier’s 2007 Hermitage La Sizeranne paired with a Sainte Felicien.   The former pair proved a little underwhelming, with the powerful rich fruit of the Shiraz overpowering the Cantal, a cheddar style cheese. The latter pairing made up for this though, with the Sainte Felicien in the running for cheese of the night and enhancing the Hermitage, showing that if you are going to keep a red for the cheese course, the Rhône is the place to go.

Our final selections went down a well-trodden path, with 1996 Ch. Guiraud, Sauternes up against Roquefort and a magnum of 1977 Smith Woodhouse paired to a Colston Bassett Stilton. The perfumed sweetness of the Sauternes counterbalanced the salty, blue tang of the Roquefort in a perfect match, repeated with the Port and Stilton.

A final surprise for the evening was a taste of Black Cow vodka, made in the UK from the whey by-product of a cheddar producer. One to look out for although not an easy match to any cheese!

I cannot believe that six months have already passed since I made the leap from the fine wine industry to join the small but perfectly formed spirits team of Berry Bros. & Rudd, based just opposite the institution that is the No.3 St James’s Street shop.

It is often forgotten that Berrys Bros. & Rudd’s two royal warrants state wine and spirits and although we have grown our portfolio rapidly in the last four years, spirits have been a very important aspect of the company from vintage cognacs to the game-changing Cutty Sark. However it is quite some portfolio that I have been given to work with as Product Trainer. My heart lies mainly with gin, whisky runs a close second, and I have thoroughly enjoyed running masterclasses across the UK on the wonderfully traditional No.3 Gin named after, you guessed it, the shop. As if that was not enough, I have only managed to chip the surface of the award winning range of Berrys’ Own Selection whiskies and rums though needless to say my first purchase was a Speyside from my birth year though this is packed away for a special occasion for now; I will report later!

And then there is The Glenrothes Speyside Single Malt, where I was sent in my first week to visit the distillery, experience the magic of lake fishing in the rain and the subsequent enjoyment of a Ginger Mac – 50:50 The King’s Ginger and The Glenrothes – to warm up. The Glenrothes was the first distillery to release whisky by vintage i.e. when it is ready to drink as opposed to age statement, and has captured my taste buds with the 1988 but I look forward to this year’s new vintage releases to discover another side of this exciting product. As well as exciting packaging since the 1970 Extraordinary won “World’s Best Design” at the World Whisky Awards in March.

Slightly off the wall is Pink Pigeon, a vanilla infused single estate rum from Mauritius - a wonderful ingredient to keep in your cabinet for some tasty and creative cocktails; after all, who doesn’t love vanilla? However with its first international competition completed in March, I will leave brand manager Luigi to tell you more about this one in his own blog post. Prepare to swoon at photos of this stunning island.

And last but not least, as well as the oldest of the bunch, is The King’s Ginger liqueur. An “emphatically ginger liqueur” first designed in 1903 for King Edward VII, spreading the story of this brand, both to bar tenders and customers, has been a pleasure as they all appreciate the real history and the sense of fun too. So I am delighted to present you with the newly released Spring Daisy, the most recent in a line of seasonal recipes we release to ensure that your bottle does not gather dust on the shelf. This is Spring-fresh and easy to make, with ingredients that you are more than likely to have already or won’t mind adding to your collection!

30ml The King’s Ginger
30ml Cognac
25ml lemon juice
10ml sugar syrup
2 dashes of Fee Brother rhubarb bitters (optional)

Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake. Double strain into a pony glass and serve with a sprig of mint to garnish.

Look out for my next post when I will report back on my trip to Scotch Research Institute Sensory workshop to learn how to really appreciate The Glenrothes as well as why it smells and tastes as good as it does.

- Amanda Baxter, Berrys’ Spirits Team

On a warm evening at the end of April, 100 Wine Club members and their guests descended to the Napoleon Cellar, two floors beneath our historic London shop, for the annual Wine Club Walkaround tasting.

All the wines shown feature in the upcoming May delivery so it was a great way for members to get a sneak preview of what they can expect in their next case.

We showed 20 wines, across 4 tables, split into French and non- French tables. The heart of Wine Club lies in France so the bias is towards French wines; therefore we included wines from Chablis, Bordeaux and the Loire but the rest of the world was represented too with unusual and varied wines from Australia, South Africa, Spain and Italy.

As ever, Berrys staff were on hand to pour the wines and talk guests through the range. We were delighted that Mark Pardoe MW, who has recently taken over from Alun Griffiths MW as Berrys’ Wine Buying Director, hosted one of the tables. It’s always interesting to chat about wines with someone as knowledgeable as a Master of Wine.

I hope that those who came enjoyed the evening as much as I did.

Wine Club events are exclusive to Wine Club members and their guests. If you’d like to discover more about Wine Club please visit our website.

A large family gathering gave a very good reason to put my new Taylor’s Port Tongs to action.  We’d seen these used at Taylor’s Quinta de Vargellas a week earlier to worthy effect and Adrian Bridge had kindly given us each a pair to take home.

The principal purpose of Port Tongs is to open a bottle where the cork may be too old and in danger of disintegrating by removing the glass neck of the bottle as well as the cork itself. That aside, with an audience to hand, there’s every good reason to use them purely for some sporting showmanship.

An unknown, ullaged (a trade expression for bottles where the wine has, in time, leaked out) bottle was selected from the family cellar. From external appearance, probably a vintage from the 1950s or ‘60s.

The brand new (and, indeed, very firmly branded Taylor’s they are too) tongs were duly planted into a fire and left to heat. 

A bowl of ice-chilled water was prepared in which a cloth lay soaking. Once the Tongs were glowing hot, they were held round the neck, and lightly held touching the glass at a spot between cork and the level of the wine. Held there for a minute or two, they were then removed and the ice-cold cloth wrapped round the neck which was followed immediately by a very satisfying, high-pitched ‘’ping’’ – et voila! The neck of the bottle sheered neatly, and the wine was ready to be decanted with no glass shards apparent.

The wine had stood up well enough – the bottle was a third empty – but in spite of this it was fresh enough though soon mellowed into a supple, delicately hued glass of well-aged Vintage Port. One of the party, a brother, ventured it as 1960 Dow – a wine he recognised from the cellar some good few years ago.

2011 is a sensational vintage in the Douro valley. I remember speaking to one of our producers in December of 2011 and remember vividly their confidence in the harvest (though cautious to point out that a declaration was not to be confirmed until 2013). Reports about the vintage have continued to be enthusiastic and the possible declaration of the 2011 vintage seems to have become the wine trade’s worst kept secret. In eager anticipation a team of six of us flew into Oporto on Saturday 16 March. It was my first visit to the region and I was as excited to meet our producers and experience the famous Douro landscape for myself as I was to get an insight into the 2011 vintage.

Arriving at Oporto airport, the luscious green landscape belies the fact that in summer this is the hottest wine growing area of Europe. Not wanting to miss the England versus Wales, we watched the rugby at the house of Johnny and Helen Symington before driving to the hotel to change for dinner at The Factory House. The Factory house was originally built by the British Port wine shippers as a type of gentleman’s club to discuss their business. Today the members represented are still all British-owned Port companies and they still meet on a Wednesday for lunch, to discuss business and participate in a blind tasting. After a sumptuous dinner, we were totally surprised as the side doors of the dining room opened to  an identical twin dining room used solely for the enjoyment of vintage port. Graham’s 1952 Diamond Jubilee Colheita was served alongside 1970 Graham’s vintage port with plates of dried apricots and walnuts. The evening was not complete without a toast to the Queen and the President of Portugal as well as the stories of the Bishop of Norwich. Port is traditionally passed to the left, but when a guest has forgotten to pass the port their attention is called by the question “Do you know the Bishop of Norwich?” Those who are not acquainted with the tradition will be told that he is ‘a good chap, but never passes the Port’. Intriguingly, the current Bishop of Norwich is called Graham….

Read the rest of this entry »

That is the question…………….soon to be answered.

Vintage Port is a fascinating example of a category which has gained a fanatical following amongst a relatively small constituency of wine connoisseurs, most of them based in Great Britain and latterly the USA. Berry Bros are lucky enough to be the largest single importer of Vintage Port into the UK, and to have a treasured stock of early London (BB&R) bottlings of celebrated vintages in the Family Reserves. For all the sound and fury, Vintage Port only makes up 2% of overall production and is mostly focused on those shippers which are in British independent ownership, with the occasional honorary Dutchmen (Dirk Niepoort ) to spice up the po(r)t.

The origins of Vintage Port are somewhat cloudy, unlike the wine, which will only, with age, become crusted. The trade between Portugal and England was dependent on the extent to which we were irritated or at war with France, but the Methuen Treaty of 1703 coincided pleasingly with the habit of adding brandy to the wine and the practice of ‘second year’ bottling became more prevalent in the middle of the eighteenth century. The first specifically vintage-dated wines correspond with the emergence of the extant bottle-shape and there are extensive records of vintage bottlings dating back to 1870. The current system is a peculiar amalgam of romantic  ritual (the patriotic Declaration falls on April 23^rd; St George’s Day) and minute bureaucratic procedure ( in terms of sample approval by the IVP -  Insituto do Vinho do Porto- and then permitted bottling timing) not forgetting the necessity to have had an outstanding season in the year in question. Cynics observe that Declarations appear to have followed commercial rather than meteorological imperatives, with well-spaced campaigns (2000 then 2003 then 2007 for example) ensuring optimal returns. The reality is, of course, far more complicated, with so-called split declarations (2009) and lengthy gaps (between 1985 and 1991 for example) both illustrating that the process is far from proscriptive or rigorously cyclical.

Be that as it may, things are certainly looking good for a Declaration this April 23^rd, with the quality of the vintage in question (2011) apparently reflecting a growing season that was every bit as good as those for the last truly great vintages (1994 and 1977). Paul Symington, when asked to outline the appeal of 2001 has responded with an unmistakable cri de coeur; ‘Quality!…Quality!….Quality!’, which appears to be quite promising. The nation awaits what is now an open secret; indeed trade tastings have already been organised during the week in question and one or two of the less obviously anglophile houses (Ferreira, Offley and the once very patriotic Sandeman) have defied St George, as is their prerogative, and already made the Declaration.

There will be great excitement over the coming weeks: who will win the battle of the big names between friendly(ish) rivals Taylor and Graham? Will Dow excel itself once again as it did so memorably in 2007? What will the Symingtons do now that they have control over the famous name (and equally importantly vineyards) of Cockburn? How will the enigmatic and brilliant Dirk Niepoort perform and will Quinta do Noval, often the most eccentric when it comes to backing specific vintages, actually declare this time? All will become clear over the coming weeks. But one thing is for sure ..Vintage Port remains one of the greatest of all fortified wines, not merely by definition, and also one of the most under-valued. Despite the near Messianic loyalty of its adherents, the category is under-appreciated as an investment wine and therefore remains exceptional value. One of my favourite evenings in the BB&R Events Calendar is our Annual Port Walk, when we open 25 or so differing ports, the vast majority of which are from the vintage category. It is fascinating to trace the development of these noble wines each year; last time, the 94s were really starting to come into their own from the ‘younger’ wines and the graceful 1970s were showing the full kaleidoscopic potential of the more senior representatives. Great Vintage Port ages with far more dignity than he who purchases it, and each of the seven ages of port will entice, fascinate and beguile in equal measure. It seems almost certain that 2011 will step onto this stage with all the mewling self-belief of one of the very greatest.

Last month, on Saturday 16th March, Berrys’ Bin End Shop held another of its popular events days and master classes. The theme was Fine Beef with Beef & Cheeses.

The shop team picked up the gauntlet to find the best wine matches for great British beef and fine artisan cheeses and tasting tables and master classes were laid on to help customers discover the best matches.

Sarah Purdon made a welcome return to the shop with her mouth-watering Belted Galloway Beef.  She’d specially made some delicious meatballs which customers could try plain or with a choice of two sauces. The beef match of the day was the plain meatballs with 2009 St Joseph Rouge, Domaine Michel et Stéphane Ogier Although Finca Allende’s 2006 Rioja Tinto and meatballs with Armenian Jajig was an excellent match too. Recipe cards to takeaway were available on the day and were snapped up by customers eager to try them out for themselves.

Nick Page, our enthusiastic shop manager – who is renowned for his food and wine matching expertise – and Graham Goodall of The Cheese Stall conducted the cheese and wine master classes. After a whirlwind tour of the fascinating similarities between wine and cheese – yes, familiarities such as how terroir affects the flavour, quality and ripeness of both cheese and wine; and like grape juice, milk can be fermented into an alcoholic drink – the ‘class’ was treated to a lesson in matching wine with cheese. Nick had done a great job of selecting the wines and cheeses and all the combinations worked well, but the stand out pairings were:

Crottin de Chavignol and 2011 Sancerre Blanc, André Dezat

Mimolette and 2009 Ch. de Pressac, St Emilion

Stichelton and 1997 Smith Woodhouse Vintage Port

This Saturday, 20^th April, there’s another event in the Bin End Shop. The theme this weekend is ‘Whisky’. Two master classes will be conducted:

11.30am Battle of the Bottlers – Adrian Lancer (Rocky) will be comparing our Berrys’ Own Selection bottlings with distillery bottlings – will you be able to taste the difference amongst the line-up of superb Whiskies?

2.00pm Lost Distilleries – our very own canny Scot, Alex Ross, will show you a selection of irreplaceable Whiskies from some now closed distilleries, which will offer an opportunity to taste some rare Whiskes that will soon be lost to the world forever.

Plus, as is always the case on these special days, there’ll be some superb spirits heavily discounted which you can peruse on the day.

Leon Reilly, Berrys’ Bin-End Shop

Berry Bros. & Rudd is, as ever, committed to providing its customers with the best possible overview of the vintage by sending 25 of its sales representatives from the UK, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore over the next three weeks.

We have just returned from a week tasting where we have visited 57 properties and attended a major private négociant tasting. During the week, we tasted over 100 wines, 80% of which we actually tasted twice. Over a three-week period most of the wines will have been tasted thoroughly by our Fine Wine Account Managers, four to six times overall, which will give us an unrivalled level of expertise on the vintage.

Our duty as a Wine Merchant is to provide the best possible guidance to our customers in helping them to make the right choice. There is no doubt that the vintage has been difficult. The weather in the spring was very wet and resulted in a difficult flowering. August was, however, very hot which helped to re-balancing the vintage. However, mid-October was very wet and made the difference between the good, the bad and the ugly.

St Emilion and Pomerol were largely untouched by the bad weather, as the majority of the Merlot grapes had had time to ripen before the rain. Some of the Cabernet Franc was affected but the overall result should be quite good, and in line with the 1998 vintage. This generally also applies to the best estates in the Graves area. I am generally not a fan of big Merlot wines as I find they can be flabby and alcoholic but this vintage has given freshness to the Merlot and toned down most of the usual blockbusters, resulting in some cracking wines. 

On the Left Bank, the weather suppressed the last two weeks of ideal ripening condition ideally needed for optimum ripeness in the Cabernets, which resulted in a patchier outcome. All in all, the châteaux that have produced very good wines are those which have worked tirelessly in the vineyard to make sure that the fruits remained as healthy as possible, and to let the wine make itself in the winery; in other words, those that did not apply over-extraction and make-up in the winery. We left, however, in high spirits in the knowledge that a good 40 to 50 wines are very good to excellent, and 20 to 30 are very good. At the correct price these will represent excellent bargains for the cellar; most of the wines in my cellar are from vintages such as 2002, 2004 and 2008 as these will provide me with excellent, good value and long term drinking for years to come. In the knowledge that there will be little chance of securing such great wines at affordable prices in the coming years, there is no reason why 2012 should not be a great source of drinking wines for years to come.

There are lots of rumours that the châteaux will release early, following a letter from Olivier Bernard (Domaine de Chevalier and president of the Union des Grands Crus) to the major players in Bordeaux highlighting the debacle from last year en primeur campaign where as many as 48 châteaux released in one day. There are actually less than 40 days to release 500+ wines before Vinexpo 2013 on June 16th, so a bit of organisation will be required to make sure that all goes well and everybody has a chance to buy their favourite wines in a stress-free manner. A lot of négociants are still showing round buyers from around the world this week, and therefore we do not expect to see any major releases quite yet – but things are likely to start moving quickly from the 22nd onwards.

We will, of course, keep you updated with the latest news from Bordeaux, and will be ready to offer the best advice to our customers as soon as the wines begin to release.

Having successfully completed and taken the WSET Diploma exams several years ago, I’d thought my formal wine studying days were over.  A more relaxed, but still professional, approach to wine beckoned- and with no more blind tasting exams!  But after a few years I realised that I missed the intellectual rigour of such study and so embarked on the Master of Wine study programme.  This is the toughest wine industry qualification, culminating in a marathon of 3 tasting exams (just over 2 hrs each) and 4 written papers (each 3hrs) packed over 4 consecutive days.  Now, just over a year into the programme I recently attended a week-long seminar in the Napa Valley, preceded by a few days visiting several wineries.  Apart from the curious (and not unpleasant) sensation of studying in warm sunny climes having left London under snow, it was a fascinating, hectic 10 days. 

I was joined by a group of fellow European students for the winery visits, which included three that Berrys deals with: Ridge, Ramey and Frog’s Leap. We were lucky enough to be taken round the stunning 2000m altitude Monte Bello estate and winery at Ridge by Paul Draper himself and his winemaker, who between them were happy to shed light on a number of things for us.  This included why the site is so good- a geologists dream apparently – formed in such a way that their winery withstood a minor earthquake a few years previously; and the attention to detail in their winemaking, right down to the unpleasant task of checking the corks they buy for TCA (something Mr Draper is happy to leave to others in his team!) – thousands have been sent back to suppliers. 

David Ramey has only just acquired vineyards, so buys in grapes from growers he’s known for years, keeping a very close eye on what and how they do things. Even so, tasting with him was fascinating, as much for his views on the wine industry in general as well as the wines themselves.  Frog’s Leap was our last visit just before the seminar began. This organic/sustainable winery is again beautifully situated and showed how it is possible to produce quality, affordable wines in California that aren’t monstrously alcoholic (or sweet) and without resorting to masses of chemicals.

The seminar itself was a pretty packed programme of workshops around the various papers that candidates take – viticulture, viniculture, wine business and ethical/social issues – lectures and mock papers.  But the sessions which always cause MW students the most anxiety are the blind tastings.  Each day commenced at 8am with a mock 12-wine tasting paper, followed by a sometimes humbling group feedback session.  These not only test your grape recognition abilities but also your winemaking knowledge and the wines’ origin.  This is not always easy with the cross-fertilisation between countries of techniques and styles.  An interesting part of doing the MW is meeting and learning from people working in different parts of the wine trade- winemakers, exporters, sommeliers, buyers, importers, journalists etc. – from all over the world.  In summary, a great learning experience during the long haul that is the MW.

Yesterday evening we had the pleasure of tasting at Ch. Léoville-Las Cases and thoroughly enjoyed the flight of wines in the Domaines Delon stable. Chapelle de Ch. Potensac was fine and fruity upfront and promises to be great value drinking wine, whereas Ch. Potensac was refreshingly fresh. Le Petit Lion and the Grand Vin (excellent concentration and beautiful quality of fruit, something for the long-term) have both been notable successes this year. In fact, many of our team rate Ch. Léoville-Las Cases as one of their favourite wines of the vintage.

This morning we spent our last day of Bordeaux 2012 En Primeur week with a 9am start at Ch. la Mission Haut-Brion, tasting both the Grand Vin and La Mission itself, among many others wines such as Quintus and their Blancs. As an overview of the 9 wines we have tasted, the stable is very impressive. Haut-Brion is particularly generous with fruit in 2012 and Quintus, which is now in its second vintage, is quite impressive too. It has a fantastic and seductive nose, and the winemakers have clearly begun to understand the different terroir of this site to produce such a highly thought of 2012. 

We visited Carmes de Haut Brion (a certainty for the personal list of Simon Staples) next before arriving at our penultimate property, the recently very impressive Domaine de Chevalier in Graves. The 2012 red Grand Vin is really seductive, beautiful Claret and without question one of the wines of the week. The length is incredible and perfectly poised.  The white, as usual, was a classic expression of White Bordeaux. We would also categorise Ch. Haut-Bailly in the highly thought of bracket. Veronique Sanders has been able to produce something special this year, remaining true to the property’s exceptional terroir. The wine has the classic smooth and silkiness, but also shows an abundance of fruit and a steely focus. 

2012 was scarcely written about prior to this week and early speculation suggested that the wines would be a challenge to taste. Pleasingly, the producers who have taken great care in their grape selections, prudently tended their vines, picked at the right time, worked with their excellent terroir and attempted to create balanced and fruit driven wines have succeeded. In general, Merlot is especially important to these 2012 wines. In some cases it hasn’t been possible to pick Cabernet Sauvignon at optimum ripeness – resulting jn some acidity and not quite enough fruit on the mid-palate and finish. Many claim that it is a Right Bank vintage, but we have certainly found many instances of good Left Bank/Cabernet Sauvignon dominated wines. It is for this reason that we find general statements about vintages, Left/Right Bank and even communes to be miss-leading and unhelpful.

Good winemakers can produce good wine in difficult circumstances and in a vintage such as 2012 and indeed in 2011 prior, this is especially evident. Our Chairman, Simon Berry, has been discussing this principle during the week and his view that in the future customers could start purchasing wines from particular producers in each vintage, rather than wine from many producers in vintages perceived to be the most impressive, could become the norm. If the prices are competitive and the timing of releases are well thought out, which fortunately all of the vignerons appear to be considering appropriately, then 2012 Bordeaux has certainly produced some suitable wines to be purchased en primeur. To find the right wines for your taste and preference, the role of the Wine Merchant and their teams of individuals who have taken the opportunity to taste all of the wines and discussed the vintage and intentions for each wine in person with winemakers, will be vitally important. 

We fly back to the UK this afternoon and plan to spend some time reflecting on the wines we have tasted while the teams who look after our private clients from the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan also head to the South West over the next couple of weeks. Once all of the opinions are collected, we will release our scores (please remember that we are scoring wines in the context of this vintage, and these scores shouldn’t be compared with those from other vintages) , vintage report, individual tasting notes and details of which wines we intend to recommend in our ‘Best Buy’ categories.

< Tasting Trip Day 4

Ch. Montrose started our tasting today and the Grand Vin showed good weight and acidity. The blend for 2012 is 37% Merlot, 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc. It accounts for 52% of the estates production. Picking took place as late as 13th October for the Cabernet Sauvignon as they sought to find as much ripeness as possible in the grapes.

Following a short stop at Ch. Calon-Ségur (who decided to green harvest in July and have managed to develop a super fruit profile, with subtle tannin and relatively intense acidity), later in the morning we enjoyed visits to Cos d’Estournel (delicious wines with a generosity of fruit and subtly balanced tannin – the kind of fruit profile missing in the less attractive wines of this vintage). 

Ch. Pontet-Canet is a large estate that can trace its origins back to 1725. The team at Pontet have excelled again in 2012, creating another wine which defies its classification as  5ème Cru Classé. Cepagé is the same as last year – 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot and they picked late on 4 October to offer the grapes a greater chance of reaching suitable ripeness, but they harvested quickly adding an extra sorting table. Melanie Tesseron thinks that the taste of the wine is enhanced with freshness and minerality by their biodynamic processes that allow them to be closer to their vines. Since 2005 the property was in conversion phase, they were fully converted in 2010. Their goal is balance in the vineyard and balance in the wine – something they appear to have achieved. 

In the afternoon we enjoyed tastings at Ch. Haut-Bages Libéral (70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot, soft, silky and generous – it was so tasty we would be tempted to drink it now. A very nice glass of wine), and Ch. Pichon-Baron which is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot.  We also tried Ch. Pibran and Tourelles de Longueville, both wines that seem to have got the generosity of fruit right in 2012.

Ch. Lafite Rothschild is notoriously hard to taste En Primeur and Charles Chevalier often mentions when we taste at this renowned property that he would prefer to show his wines later in the year when they become more approachable and reveal their true identity. This year, it was particularly focused, classy and has lots to offer. Ch. Mouton Rothschild (90% Cabernet Sauvignon) was fresh, decadent, intense and the possessor of a lingering finish that you would expect from a First Growth property. It has beautiful finesse. To conclude day three in Bordeaux we tasted at Ch. Latour, home to one of the most impressive tasting facilities I have come across (even if the spittoon is hard to navigate). Despite this property taking the bold and unique decision to not release their wines En Primeur this year, we took the opportunity to taste ahead of their future release, which director Frederic Engerer plans to do when they are approaching suitable drinking windows. We will leave our overall judgement on the First Growths until we taste at Ch. Haut-Brion tomorrow, but indications are that the wines are very well made this year – choosing a favourite may come down to personal choice rather than anything to do with quality.

Thursday has been a really intriguing and enjoyable day. By tasting such highly sought after wines, we are able to really start to understand the vintage and the quality of the wines it has produced. Tonight we taste at Ch. Léoville-Las Cases, one of the largest and oldest classified Growths in the Médoc and another 2ème Cru Classé in name who regularly produce 1er Cru Classé quality wines. Look out for our comments about the wines intomorrow’s blog.

Remember to return to the blog this afternoon for the review of our fifth and final day in Bordeaux and to follow us on twitter @BerryBrosRudd for live news about our tasting experiences and insights from our team and the producers themselves.

< Tasting Trip Day 3                       Tasting Trip Day 5 >

The dark and gloomy weather which welcomed us on Wednesday morning certainly didn’t dampen our mood, especially as we heard that the forecast for the day was much improved.

Pauillac was our destination as we boarded the minibus and, as usual, Ch. Pichon-Lalande was our first appointment. An estate that has improved impressively during recent years, the wines of 2012 certainly caught our attention. Low yields are found here again – 30hl/ha, with a target for the estate being 45hl/ha, and the requirement for rigorous selection via their optical sorting system (which measures acidity in the juice as well as colourful appearance of the grape) was very important.

Ch. Batailley boasts a long and proud history, with their vineyard planted in classic Pauillac proportions.  It is typically a favourite of ours and often one of the best value wines from the commune. We also took the opportunity to taste several other wines from the Borie-Manoux stable including Domaine de l’Eglise and Ch. la Croix du Casse.

5ème Cru Classé estate Ch. Grand-Puy-Lacoste was our last visit of the morning and they have again outperformed their classification with a super 2012. François-Xavier Borie was keen to point out that their dedicated team of pickers ensured that only the best grapes made it to the cellars. The wine has lovely fresh and vibrant red fruits with good length and a lingering finish. Ch. Haut-Batailley was neatly rounded with good length too.

Tasting continued at  Ch. Lynch Bages just before lunch, where Jean-Charles Cazes explained that the harvest reception system has been changed once again, with two extra reception lines created to destem/sort and then sort again. The result is a very clean crop. We were very impressed with their 2012 wines, including Ch. Villa Bel-Air, Ormes de Pez and Echo de Lynch Bages, which showed an abundance of fruit and poise that has been lacking in some wines of similar levels that we have tasted. The Grand Vin is a real powerhouse and shows a density of fruit and complexity which we have grown accustomed to taste.

The afternoon began at Ch. Beychevelle in St Julien, a property which boasts one of the most impressive châteaux in the whole of the Médoc. It is a joyful mouthful, with soft and ripe tannins and the yield was 42hl/ha. Our next stop was conveniently across the road at Ch. Branaire-Ducru, often a producer of pure, elegant and classic Claret. Patrick Maroteaux explained that the blend was fairly typical, with more or less the same proportions of Merlot (24%), Cabernet Sauvignon (68%) Petit Verdot (5%) and Cabernet Franc (3%). He believes that the style is the same as the last few years, with pure definition of fruit, freshness and elegance . The management and balance of tannin is quite exemplary.

The 2ème Cru Classé property of Ch. Gruaud Larose tends to produce one of St Julien`s most full-bodied and long-lived wines and this year they have really impressed. The Sarget de Gruaud Larose is nice and soft, juicy and with a splendid perfume. The Grand Vin contains 6.5% Petit Verdot, the whole crop for 2012. The freshness is delightful, with ripe yet delicate tannins all harmoniously integrated, before a tremendously long finish.

Ch. Léoville- and Langoa-Barton (both certainties for our buying list this year), Ch. Léoville-Poyferré (promising fruit, good acidity) and then Ch. Ducru-Beaucaillou (91% Cabernet Sauvignon, showing Grand Cru finesse, being silky and tremendously well-made) finalised our day.

2012, as with recent Bordeaux vintages like 2011, looks set to be a vintage for relatively early drinking in many cases, but one will need to be carefully selective in choosing the wines. Wines will need to be bought based on the merits of each individual property, rather than the commune or the overall impression of the vintage. It is also worth emphasising once again that we are appraising wines in the context of this vintage, where some have been on really very good form, and some less so.

Remember to return to the blog tomorrow morning for the review of our fourth day in Bordeaux and to follow us on twitter @BerryBrosRudd for live news about our tasting experiences and insights from our team and the producers themselves.

< Tasting Trip Day 2                       Tasting Trip Day 4 >

Day two began with a tasting at a négociant found on the outskirts of Bordeaux. Trying wines in this environment is quite unlike any other you can imagine. Clever use of lighting, walls which are decorated in contemporary art and tables set amongst a seemingly endless row of racking in the state-of-the-art cellars (it’s really a warehouse, but naming it such really would do it a disservice) all add to the dramatic atmosphere. It is quite unlike tasting at a château, or anywhere else for that matter. Our Chairman, Simon Berry, advises us that it was during a visit to these cellars three or four years ago that the decisions were taken regarding the design and layout of our new storage facility in Basingstoke.

The main benefit of spending the morning at a négociant was to taste a vast number of wines alongside one another. Max Lalondrelle, our Fine Wine Buying Director, made selections from the book (the menu is quite frankly the longest wine list most of us have ever seen) and we set about comparing, contrasting and analysing wines from across each commune. We started in the Haut-Médoc and moved on to St Emilion (to re-taste many of the wines we enjoyed yesterday) before tasting wines from Pomerol, St Julien, Margaux and St Estèphe. A selection of the wines which we thought were particularly engaging include Ch. la Dominique, Ch. Pedesclaux, Ch. Smith Haut Lafitte and Ch. Capbern Gasqueton. 

After leaving, we set off straight to Margaux for another afternoon of château-hopping. We began at Ch. Angludet (Ben Sichel suggested that the weather caused some problems for the Cabernet Sauvignon but they have managed to harness the fruit to create a really honest, fresh and natural wine – the perfect ingredients for a vintage like this), which produces a wine that our Chairman, Simon Berry, recognises as one of the most typical of all Berrys’ wines. We then moved on to Ch. d’Issan (home to the legendary moat which surrounds the château) and then 2ème Cru Classé Ch. Brane-Cantenac. Following extensive investment and vastly improved vineyard management, this property has shed its underperforming reputation, and their 2012 was one of our favourite wines of the day, showing good weight of fruit, intensity and precision on the long finish.

The wines of Margaux are often said to possess a haunting bouquet and quintessential elegance, two qualities we found in abundance at Ch. Margaux, whose château is one of the most imposing and famous buildings in Bordeaux. Thibault Pontallier told us that Pavillon Rouge is produced from just 30% of the crop this year and Paul Pontallier (Managing Director) confirmed how important selection has been for the 2012s, hence the reduced quantities. 63% of the blend is Cabernet Sauvignon (the property’s best terroir is planted with this variety) and this proportion has been increasing in recent years. The wine is very smooth, harmoniously integrating fruit with acidity and tannin. The Grand Vin is a product of 34% of the crop, and all of the best Cabernet Sauvignon plots. It has a super, intriguingly perfumed nose and is so elegant, almost silky on the palate. Simon Staples remarked that it was the most extraordinary wine we have tasted so far.

We arrived at Ch. Rauzan-Ségla late in the afternoon. Considered along with Ch. Mouton Rothschild to be among the leading 2emé Cru Classé properties in the 19th century, the 2012 Ségla is another product of strict selection in the vineyard. The Cabernet Sauvignon proportion in the blend is reduced this year and it shows, with generous Merlot fruit dancing on the palate. 

Ch. Palmer was our final visit of the day. It was known as a ‘Super Second’ long before many others and often produces as good a wine as can be found in Bordeaux. The yield was just 28hl/ha in 2012, a small crop indeed. Thomas Deroux explains that they had to work hard in the vineyard and sacrifice yields to keep to their traditional six buds per vine. He thinks that Merlot had a classic vintage, whereas Cabernet Sauvignon was more of a challenge, though surprisingly it took just three sessions to arrive at the blending decision. Alter Ego de Palmer offers great power in 2012, with black cherry and menthol fruit coming to the fore. It is the weight of fruit and phenomenal length that impressed us though. The Grand Vin has a gloriously perfumed nose with sumptuous dark fruits and a brooding purple appearance. It is unlike any other wines of the vintage that we have tasted so far; with power and finesse, it is simply exceptional.

We have tasted something in the region of 50-60 wines today and a recurring theme seems to be that strict selections in the vineyard and on the sorting table have been vitally important. Some on the Left Bank struggled to get optimum ripeness in their Cabernet Sauvignon, causing high acidity in the wines. Those who have succeeded were able to balance this acidity with the fruit and oak to create appealing, round and well-structured wines. Merlot looks to be increasingly important and the temptation to over-extract has been ignored in the most promising wines. We would expect that the 2012s will spend less time in barrel this year to preserve the lovely fruit.

The importance of the wine merchant’s role in vintages such as 2012 shouldn’t be underestimated. 25 members of our team will be visiting Bordeaux during the course of the next three weeks, so please do consider our Private Account Managers’ individual advice alongside the views and scores from our buying group this week. We will also endeavour to share as many notes and scores as possible from various sources on bbr.com when they become available.

Remember to return to the blog tomorrow morning for the review of our third day in Bordeaux and to follow us on twitter @BerryBrosRudd for live news about our tasting experiences and insights from our team and the producers themselves.

< Tasting Trip Day 1                       Tasting Trip Day 3 >

We awoke to a wet, dark and gloomy Monday morning on the Left Bank in Margaux and the poor weather continued throughout our journey to the Right Bank and St Emilion. 

There is something special about tasting wine at the site where it is created and having the chance to take in a vineyard’s terroir, topography and location. Not only does it enhance the experience, it also focuses the mind, and it is certainly much easier to appraise a wine in such an environment.

As in previous years, we took the opportunity to taste one or two wines from the new vintage on Sunday evening, to whet palates and remind ourselves that we were tasting samples from barrel. Alexander Van Beek, General Manager at Ch. du Tertre and Ch. Giscours, told us that, whilst 2012 isn’t an exceptional vintage, it has certainly produced good wines – the aid of technology, education and greater attention in the vineyard, as well as more focused selections on the sorting table, really means that disastrous vintages should be issues consigned to the past.

We tried many wines at Moueix, but La Fleur-Pétrus and Ch. Hosanna certainly caught our attention. Christian Moueix explained that 2012 was a difficult vintage with challenging climatic conditions, resulting in disease and uneven berries. This ultimately led to a reduction in yields, to almost half the usual harvest. A new addition to the itinerary was to taste at Ch. Pétrus this year; Simon Staples found the 2012 to be racy, harmonious and beautiful. The appearance in the glass was simply stunning as well – so appealing.

Ch. Larcis Ducasse, long regarded as a property possessing exceptional terroir, has created a lovely, serious and well-structured 2012 from its clay and chalk soils found on the famous Côte Pavie. We also tasted many wines from the Thienpont stable, including Ch. Berliquet, Ch. Pavie Macquin (very generous, abundant fruit) and Ch. Beauséjour – all of which suggest that the Merlot in St Emilion could be a success this year.

Ch. Figeac is a favourite of our former Wine Buying Director, Alun Griffiths MW, and we’re sure he will enjoy their 2012. Containing an equal 40% of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon alongside 20% Cabernet Franc, it is precise, deep, tightly knit and pretty with red berry and blackcurrant fruits combining superbly with impressive tannins.

Our final stop of the morning took us to Ch. Angélus, recently promoted to Premier Grand Cru Classé A status in the 2012 St Emilion re-classification. It is found less than a kilometre from the famous St Emilion steeple. The wine is complex this year, tightly woven and showing effective grip, but it has a thorough backdrop of fruit to please as well. Hubert de Bouard supported the words of Alexander Van Beek with regards to improvements in winemaking, as well as suggesting that, unlike today, 25 years ago such a vintage would have created very average wines indeed.

The afternoon started at Ch. Ausone, one of the most stunning châteaux in Bordeaux, whose vineyards flourish on a steep, south-east facing slope. The wines showed well including Ch. de Fonbel and Ch. Moulin St-Georges. Ch. Cheval Blanc followed, as is customary on these tasting trips, and the Grand Vin displayed a classically crunchy palate of fruit. We really enjoyed tasting the Grand Vin this year.

The two most famous Pomerol estates, Vieux Château Certan (VCC) and Ch. la Conseillante, were our mid-afternoon appointments. VCC is regularly praised by leading wine critics and journalists and Alexandre Thienpont’s wine is on good form as usual.  Ch. la Conseillante can trace its history back to 1735 and is always bottled unfiltered. Yields were high this year, so they were able to be very selective, yet still produce more of the Grand Vin than in 2011. Jean-Michel Laporte tells us that it is 89% Merlot this year. It is seamlessly balanced and wonderfully generous, and was a personal favourite of mine from this first day. 

Tasting at Le Pin brought our first day to an excellent conclusion; it is the second year in succession that we have tasted at their unassertive new winery. ‘Rare’, ‘expensive’, ‘mysterious’, ‘super-concentrated’ and ‘sublimely elegant’ are all words often associated with Le Pin and Jacques Thienpont has produced another charming wine in 2012. Clean, fresh and full of fruit, it lingers on the palate long after tasting. It is a real triumph.

As we round off our first day, it is difficult to draw too many conclusions about the vintage – especially as we have only tasted in Pomerol and St Emilion – but Merlot appears to have been particularly successful on the Right Bank.

Remember to return to the blog tomorrow morning for the review of our second day in Bordeaux and to follow us @BerryBrosRudd on Twitter for live news about our tasting experiences and insights from our team and the producers themselves.

Tasting Trip Day 2 >

We were expecting the start of Bordeaux En Primeur tasting week to pass with a little less commotion than we have enjoyed in recent years as we chose an earlier flight than normal to depart from London Gatwick. Surprisingly, the flight still seemed to contain almost everyone else we know from the UK wine trade, which was very welcome and presented the usual opportunity to share thoughts about the new vintage in what is, happily, a rather jovial environment.

Our colleagues from Hong Kong (Simon Staples and Adam Bilbey) and Singapore (Nicolas Pegna) will meet us in Bordeaux later this afternoon, but  Jake Dean (Fine Wine Sales Director), Max Lalondrelle (Fine Wine Buying Director)and I are joined in the advanced group this year by a new addition to our usual Bordeaux Buying team, Chairman Simon Berry. Although a regular and almost annual visitor to Bordeaux since the age of 12 when he took part in a school exchange trip, this is Simon’s first visit to taste the new vintage en primeur since circa 1984. Simon recalls how in those days, all of the wines were gathered together in the company’s office in the city for tasting, so it will be fascinating to see how things have changed as we make our way to many individual châteaux during the course of the week.

As we settle down to the first evening at our base in Margaux, discussions have inevitably started turning to the quality and style we expect to find in the wines this week. As was the case in 2011, very little has been written in advance of this Bordeaux vintage. Fortunately, our Fine Wine Buying Director, Max Lalondrelle, took the opportunity to taste several wines and speak to one or two châteaux during a brief visit to Bordeaux in the middle of March. He commented that 2012 is an extremely variable vintage and is not one that he could make any obvious comparisons with from previous years. It also looks to be another ‘Wine Merchant’s vintage’ where price will be a key issue and customers will need all of the advice, expertise and information they can find to select the best buys. In total, 25 members of our UK, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japanese teams will be tasting wines in Bordeaux this year at 57 different châteaux, so we will be able to provide a comprehensive and broad view of the quality and potential of the 2012s when we have all returned and collated our thoughts.

Our schedule hasn’t changed much in recent years, but we are excited about two or three additions to the itinerary this year, Ch. Petrus, Ch. la Tour Martillac and Ch. Belgrave. We start on the Right Bank tomorrow (Monday) and our diary is as busy as usual, with visits to Ch. Figeac and Ch. Angélus in the morning, before Ch. Ausone and Ch. Cheval Blanc among others in the afternoon.

Remember to return to the blog tomorrow morning for the review of our first day in Bordeaux and @berrybrosrudd on Twitter for live news about our tasting experiences and insights from our team and the producers themselves.

March is probably the month I most look forward to each year.  After the hustle and bustle of December in my main job in our Bin End Shop in Basingstoke, and the necessary eight or so weeks rest afterwards, it traditionally heralds the start of the Whisky Festival Season. 

As well as working at out Bin End Shop in Basingstoke, for the last four years I have also travelled around the country pouring and promoting Berrys’ Own Spirits on many Saturdays throughout the year.

The majority of these are festivals run by a company called The Whisky Lounge, who also happen to be the sister company to the UK wholesale distributors of the Berrys’ Own Spirits  range the Great Whisky Company.  The Whisky Lounge events are intended to be a relaxed and accessible way to enjoy whisky, with very reasonable entry prices (which unlike some festivals give you unlimited access to all the whiskies on the various exhibitors’ tables), a glass to taste with and then take home, some tokens to try special “under the counter” drams and even access to some free masterclasses.

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