Some tasting experiences stick with you over the years; I can recall particularly memorable wines as if I tasted them yesterday. One such experience concerned 1990 Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia from Felsina Berardenga which I tasted back in 1997. I was stunned by just how silky, complex and intense this wine was.
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So much of the wine world is unchanging; the very best regions are producing the very best wines from the very best sites. Every so often, however, something different and exciting comes along. This is certainly the case with Nyetimber’s 2003 Blanc de Blancs which we are offering in magnum. When Vicki, our buyer...
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I have been tasting on the panel for a wine journal, The World of Fine Wine, ever since it launched. I am pleased that this quarterly publication is regarded as being at the very pinnacle of wine journalism and it boasts an incredibly diverse range of contributors. A good friend of mine, Neil Beckett, is the editor and, when the...
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If I could offer you just one tip for your future drinking , then to buy 2010 Barolo would be it. I have just returned from a few days tasting at Vinitaly, a large scale Italian wine fair held each year in Verona. Tasting 300 wines in a matter of days might sound like hard work but frankly, it was like a breath...
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So many of my clients have a soft spot for Hermitage La Chapelle. Some are still fortunate enough to have the fabled vintages of 1961,1978,1989 and 1990 in their cellars. However, past successes for La Chapelle were sporadic; and more sporadic than the natural run of vintages would lead you to believe.
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A recent tasting threw the new vintage of a favourite from last year into the limelight, namely 2004 Vina Ardanza, Rioja Reserva – the latest release from La Rioja Alta. This is comfortably one of the great Rioja estates, melding traditionalism...
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