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Château Lassolle Sauvignon Gris

By Jean-Remi Barris | Published: April 7, 2011

ww-fr-lassolleA lot is being written about natural wines at the moment, even our famously sceptical Joe Gilmour wrote about it! Some love them, some hate them, they leave no one indifferent. It is true that some of them can be dangerously sliding towards the kingdom of funkiness but when everything goes well and foul smelling bacteria are kept at bay, the result can be out of this world.

Originally from Normandy, Stephanie Roussel had spent the last few years working behind the counter of a wine bar in Bordeaux when she decided to buy Château Lassolle in 2002. Château Lassole is a domaine of 10 ha located in the Côtes de Marmandais, just south-east of Bordeaux and planted with old vines of Abouriou, Cot, Fer, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sauvignon Gris.  In a world where the South West struggles to survive next to the big guns of Bordeaux, buying a property in the Marmandais was a bold move but it wasn’t enough of a challenge for Stephanie so she decided to convert the vineyard to biodynamics. She quickly saw a change; the vines started to look healthier and gave fruit of much better quality, sweeter, more intense and complex. Happy with the results she set out to carry on the good work in the cellar where she now takes a back seat and let nature do its job, intervening as little as possible and reducing the use of chemicals to the strict minimum. She uses barely a pinch of sulphur at bottling and that’s it.

Unfortunately I haven’t tried the reds from the Château but I’ve had the chance to taste their 100% Sauvignon Gris on three different occasions and have never been disappointed. Sauvignon Gris, a pink-skinned mutation of Sauvignon Blanc, is an old and traditional grape of Bordeaux but fell out of favour due to its low yields. However, having slipped under most winemakers’ radars for the best part of 40 years, it is enjoying a bit of a revival, notably in Bordeaux and the Loire Valley but also in Chile. Not quite as aromatically pungent as its famous cousin, it has higher sugar levels and tends to produce fuller bodied wines but with the same sort of sharpness.

I have not tried any Sauvignon Gris apart from this one but, if this example is anything to go by, I would recommend everyone to rush out and get their hands on it. It’s absolutely beautiful! The nose bursts with fresh peaches, apricot and a sort of guarrigue like character where lavender and dried herbs come together. The palate is quite rich and silky, almost reminiscent of a Meursault due to the fat and slight savouriness of the mid-palate but there’s also a fresh mineral note that brings everything alive and carries the wine through to a long and mouthwatering finish. So lovely, I could drink it all day.

I should probably warn people though, this wine being what we call a “natural wine”, it needs a bit of tender love and care. First of all it’s definitely not bright and clear, it’s slightly hazy and the colour veers towards the light orange of an apricot. Second of all, for reasons that I won’t bore you with, the wine is ever so slightly reduced on opening and needs to breathe for a while before it gives everything away. I would recommend decanting it for a good hour before drinking. I know it’s all a bit tedious and we’re not all prepared to go through such hard work every day, but those of us who will will be greatly rewarded, believe me.

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Scallops with bacon, fricasse of summer vegetables and breadcrumbs

By Paul Hannagen | Published: April 7, 2011

Scallop

Hello again. I recently tasted a new addition to our Loire section, Domaine Gerard Morin Sancerre 2010. Beautifully crisp and aromatic, with high acidity and light to medium body, a very herbaceous nose with the minerality and citrus fruit one would expect from a good Sancerre, it wasn’t long until I came up with a dish to showcase this beautiful wine.

The dish which I have chosen to match this wine with is delicate and the secret to its  success is accuracy. By this I mean being very careful with the control of cooking times and seasonings.

Ingredients (for two)
For the scallops:
6 hand dived queen scallops, coral off
Vegetable oil
Salt mixed with equal amount of Sharwoods Curry powder

For the pea puree:
250g Birdseye frozen peas
knob of butter
seasoning

For the fricassee of summer vegetables:
100g asparagus, end stems snapped off and cut diagonally
100g Birdseye frozen peas
100g broad beans popped out of pods
100g sugar snaps, tailed and wirey spine taken out
100g green beans, topped, tailed and cut into thirds
Olive oil
Tarragon or white wine vinegar
Chives, finely chopped
Tarragon,finely chopped
40 ml cream

For the bacon crisps:
4 slices of thinly cut Alsace, pancetta or other streaky bacon

For the herb breadcrumbs
100g breadcrumbs
1/4 chopped chilli
1/2 chopped clove of garlic
Chopped herbs such as chives, tarragon, parsley chervil
Olive oil

Pea shoots and chervil tips to garnish.

Method
I know that this recipe might look a bit daunting, due in part to the number of ingredients, but honestly it is quite easy and an absolute stunner. Much of it can be prepared ahead of time and literally finished at the last minute .

First prepare the fricassee. A fricassee is a classic French white meat stew made with cream, chicken stock and without browning the meat prior to stewing. We’re putting a little Roberson twist on things . . . making it with vegetables.

To a large pan of boiling salted water add the asparagus. One minute later add the green beans. Two minutes later add the peas, sugar snaps and podded broad beans. Cook for a further two minutes. Strain through a colander and refresh in iced water.

Heat an oven to 180 degrees. Place the bacon slices on greaseproof paper on a tray. Place another piece of greaseproof paper on top followed by another tray. This stops the bacon from curling up . Bake for five minutes and then check every minute after. The crisps will go from pale to burnt in seconds. When cooked take out and reserve. They will get harder as they cool.

For the pea puree, add the peas to the pot of boiling water and blanch for two-and-a-half minutes. Transfer to a blender, add the butter and blitz for ten minutes, scraping down the sides occasionally until the puree is silky smooth . Season to taste.

For the breadcrumbs combine all the ingredients except the olive oil and herbs in a pan over a medium heat. Add enough olive oil to moisten the crumbs all the way through. Toast over a medium heat until evenly coloured all over. Season with salt and pepper and add the herbs while still warm. This is a quick versatile garnish which will keep for a week or two wrapped in a dry place.

To assemble
Add the vegetables for the fricassee to the pan and heat with a dash of olive oil and cream. Season with the herbs, salt, pepper and spike with the vinegar. Keep warm.

Heat the bacon crisps briefly in the oven and place one on the bottom of a warmed plate.

Heat a heavy based frying pan with a good glug of oil. It is important to put in more oil than you think is necessary to maintain a high temperature. When the scallops are added to the pan the temperature drops and instead of crisping up, they can boil in their own juices and become rubbery. By maintaining a high temperature and cooking the scallops quickly you get a golden brown crust and beautiful translucency in the centre

Season the scallops with the curry salt and fry in a very hot pan quickly for 1 and a half minutes on each side until caramelised and slightly translucent in the middle.

Meanwhile heat the pea puree briefly and place a 3 large dots on the bacon crisp. Put the scallops on top of the pea puree and cover with the other bacon crisp.

Top with the seasoned fricassee and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs. Garnish with pea shoots and chervil tips.

Serve with the well chilled Morin Sancerre 2010 and enjoy!

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Steak, Chips and a Good Bordeaux

By Paul Hannagen | Published: March 30, 2011

U.S. Beef Cuts

Hello fellow wine bloggers…

My name is Paul Hannagen and I am new to the Roberson family. Coming from a restaurant kitchen background into the Roberson fold  I thought I’d share some recipes of mine that will go particularly well with the fantastic wines I’ve tasted in my first few weeks.

Recently, I tasted Château Hourtin-Ducasse 2004, currently on special offer at £14.95. This is a steal in my opinion, with its beautiful flavours of cassis, balanced oak and soft spice. It’s starting to show a little bit of maturity, which results in a beautiful velvety texture. The light bulb went on: steak and chips.

So without further ado …

Ingredients (for two)
2x ribeye steaks (200g trimmed weight)
6 medium Maris Piper potatoes
garlic
rosemary
2 punnets of cherry tomatoes
1 small handful of pitted olives
1 small red onion
1 red and 1 yellow pepper
a splash of good quality Balsamic
chopped herbs such as thyme, rosemary, basil or majoram to taste
a few glugs of quality olive oil

Method
Right, being the Young Irish Lad it’s got to be Irish beef and preferably Irish Angus. Much as terroir affects the taste of a wine, the pastures that the cattle are raised on , the Golden Vale, in the south of Ireland are so luscious and nutritious that the resulting beef has amazing depth of flavour.  Ribeye offers the perfect balance between texture and flavour while being a lot cheaper than fillet. Have your butcher trim the steak of any sinew. Take out of the fridge twenty minutes before cooking to ensure the steak comes to room temperature: it will cook more quickly and evenly in the pan.

For the chips I have to tip my hat to Heston Blumenthal, who discovered this technique. It is a little extra work but once you’ve tried it , you won’t go back.

Bring a medium sized pan of water to the boil while peeling the potatoes and slicing them into wedges. Boil the wedges until just cooked then drain and put them into the fridge until cool.

Heat a deep fat fryer or saucepan of oil to 150 degrees. When the potatoes are completely cold fry them for five minutes. Drain and return to the fridge to cool fully again.

Now, that’s the hard part done. This salsa couldn’t be simpler . Dice the onion and peppers very finely and mix with the vinegar and oil in a bowl. Halve the tomatoes and combine with the onions. Add the olives and season to taste with salt, pepper, olive oil, vinegar and the chopped herbs.

For the steaks heat a heavy griddle/ frying pan, brush the meat with sunflower oil and add to the pan when it starts to smoke. Cook for 2-4 minutes on each side for rare, 4-6 for medium and 8-9 for well done. When the steak is cooked place on a plate, rub gently with the garlic and rosemary and cover with a bowl . Rest in a warm place for five minutes to allow the meat to relax

To finish
Reheat the oil to 190 degrees. When the steak is two minutes from being cooked add the chilled chips to the oil. Fry until golden and beautifully crisp. Check the salsa for seasoning: the tomatoes change in taste the longer they macerate. Slice the rested steak diagonally  and place on a warm plate. Season three or four of the chips and add to the plate, spoon the salsa over the steak ensuring you add some of the liquid from the bottom of the bowl.

Enjoy!!!

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Some thoughts on Natural Wines

By Joe Gilmour | Published: March 24, 2011

On Tuesday, wine importer Caves des Pyrene, held a tasting in Central London. It was a bit of a chaotic affair, just a bar full of shifty looking French folk, a table and twenty or so wines arranged in tasting order. Like Peter Crouch, my long limbs can come in handy at times and I managed to extricate the bottles from some distance to pour myself samples and take notes. To those that don’t know, Cave des Pyrene are one of the pioneers of not just the more esoteric wine styles, but they have been leading the charge of what has been termed by some the ‘Natural Wine’ movement. Without getting into too much detail, this movement is an ill-defined, leaderless, manifesto-free attempt by winemakers, mostly French, to make wines that are less influenced by the hand of man.

What this means in practicality is different for each grower but it is usually fair to assume that these wines will be made with organic and possibly biodynamic principles in the vineyard and most importantly, low manipulation in the winery with natural yeasts and minimal sulphor being key tenets.
Now, the results of these wines can be great or they can be terrible, and there were for me, as many misses as there were hits on Tuesday. Looking over my notes as well, I noticed a weird sort of battle going on between my wine soul and my commercial brain. A typical note would read something like, “pure nose, interesting herby notes on the palate, well defined palate with a finish that has something unknit about it. A stunning interpretation of Sauvignon Blanc, no varietal character though, a bit dirty on the finish, yeasty, who buys this at forty quid?. Crazy”
These wines will never be mainstream, they are too costly to produce, too difficult to sell and often to appreciate but I think their influence will be an extremely important one in the world of wine in years to come.

It is very difficult to argue against the concept of ‘natural wines’ because it doesn’t really exist. It’s like boxing your shadow. But for me, there are problems. The whole usage of the word ‘natural’ is a very dubious one in this context. There is nothing natural about wine. Vineyards don’t exist in nature. Intervention in nature is a revealer as much as an obscurer.

Yet, what I continually find interesting about these wines is how they force you to question your vinous preconceptions. This Sauvignon Blanc was from Sancerre and tasted nothing like a Sancerre. Now the winemaker may well say in response to this that all the other Sancerre’s don’t taste like Sancerre and the fact that he is making minimal interventions reveal more rather then less about the terroir. Does typicity and terroir exist in anything other then circular logic? Sancerre is what we define it to be. It has no meaning outside this. In the same way, the only logical answer to the question ‘what is art’ is what we as society define it to be. Just as modern art divided opinion and deconstructed just what the meaning of a painting was, the natural wine movement is doing a similar thing in wine.

Well, for me at least.

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Ancient Greek, Glyndebourne and 2010 Bordeaux

By Joe Gilmour | Published: February 11, 2011

Having missed out on the Ancient Greek GCSE at my local state school and still absolutely unmoved by opera, I was a little non-plussed when a customer insisted I take a look at his programme from 1939.

It was 7:00, I had to key in the latest round of Champagne price increases and well, I was knackered and a bit fed up. So, it was only as he pulled out the wine list part that I got a bit interested. See below for the copy….

glynd2

glynd1

Well, god only knows what wisdom Pliny and Aristotle were divulging there.  ‘Where’s the Xinomavro’?  Perhaps.

What I find interesting here is the historical pricing trends expressed. We all take for granted the supremecy of Red Bordeaux and White Burgundy as the King and Queen of the modern wine world but times change. Reading the classifications of various historical sources, the great wines of Germany, White Hermitage and Tokaji were all much more relatively highly valued then they are now. Time changes, tastes change, sweet wines have fallen out of vogue. I wonder with the crazy season of Bordeaux 2010 looming into horizon, if we will ever see a rediscovery or revaluing of these historic, great wines. I doubt it and quite frankly, I find that thought comforting in a world of Moet Hennessey, brands, investments and status symbols.

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Serious vintage Champagne

By Mark Andrew | Published: February 7, 2011

champers

The first tasting of the new year was a look at some old Champagne – none of the ten wines were younger than 1990 and the oldest dated back to 1976. The purpose was to look at the prestigious cuvées of the top houses rather than any old bubbly so, although there were a few names notable by their absence (Pol’s Winston, Taittinger’s Comte and Billecart’s Nicolas Francois for example) most of the big guns were in the line up.

We approached the wines in three flights – the 1990 vintage, the 80s and the 70s. Here are my thoughts on the wines:

1990 Grande Dame; Veuve Clicquot was nutty and bready on the nose, but it felt a bit loose on the palate. Considering that some commentators talk about this as being one of the finest wines in the region, I felt it was a little faded for the quality of the vintage. A pleasant enough wine but not particularly interesting or impressive. Some members of the group were a little bit more enthusiastic, but overall it was difficult for people to get too excited about it.

1990 R.D; Bollinger was a different story. The nose showed similar oxidative and autolytic notes to the Grande Dame, but the RD was wound so much tighter on the palate. Really fresh and full of life, with a great finish. Delicious stuff.

1990 Krug. Stunning nose. Like walking into a bakery or patisserie. Massively rich and full on the palate as well, but so luxurious and smooth. An immensely satisfying wine that is the essence of Krug. Most of the audience agreed, although there were a couple that felt it was a bit too much. I would happily have a glass of this every hour for the rest of my life.

1989 Belle Epoque; Perrier-Jouet was probably the least well received of all the wines on the evening although I would’ve put it ahead of the Grande Dame and the Grande Année personally. Despite being fresh in structural terms, it was showing plenty of development on the nose and palate with a distinct truffle note that didnt work for most of the group.

1985 Krug was another great example of this amazing wine. Not as full as the ‘90, there was still plenty of yeasty goodness here and a whiff of added mushroomy maturity. Warmly received by everyone in the group, with a few even preferring it to its younger sibling.

1983 Salon. Drinking old Salon is a rare occurrence, but this didn’t taste like drinking anything old in the slightest. So fresh, so bright and so crisp on the palate, although it loosened into a very very long and complex finish that showed developed characteristics while still appearing youthful. Joe felt that was a sign that it is at its peak, although there were a few of us that envisaged a long future for this wine. Beautiful stuff.

1982 Grande Année; Bollinger was, for me, the biggest dissapointment of the tasting. It had a distinctive apple note that was bordering on the cidery, not to mention a bit too much earthy funk. It was still surprising fresh in terms of acidity, but the flavour profile had lurched in to the unattractive.

1978 Dom Ruinart was delicious – soft yet fresh with creamy, bready autolytic character and an excellent finish. A bit of a surprise actually, with some of the tasters in the group favouring it as their wine of the night.

1978 Cristal. As with Salon, opportunities to enjoy old Cristal are few and far between, so we were all excited to taste the ‘78. Unfortunately it was way past its best and couldn’t hold a candle to the Dom Ruinart from the same vintage. It was attractive in a way, with a broad and creamy texture but just lacking freshness of acidity. I wrote “A bit tame really”, as it was quiet, loose and a short on the finish. Not unpleasant but certainly a disappointment.

1976 Dom Perignon was the final wine and after the Cristal I wasn’t expecting much, particularly as ‘76 was a very warm year not renowned for producing cellar-worthy wines. But what a surprise! The DomP was absolutely delicious and still in great form. A sumptuous biscuity nose was matched by richness on the palate. It was still fresh, but the acidity had softened, giving the wine a very harmonious texture that made it very easy to drink. Long and beautifully balanced. A fantastic wine and one of my favourites on the night.

But who was the winner? We took the cutomary votes from the audience and the final scores were:

Winner: 1990 Krug (6 votes)

2nd place: 1983 Salon (4 votes)

3rd place: 1985 Krug and 1976 Dom Perignon (both 3 votes).

So a great tasting and one of the most consistent for some time in terms of the quality of wines. It was very interesting to see how well many of these had aged and in a couple of cases they offer real value when you compare them to the top white Burgundies. It also confirmed to me that I am very much a ‘Krugiste’ – but then, who isn’t?

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2010 – The Annual

By Mark Andrew | Published: February 1, 2011

This time last year I was joyously reporting a record breaking year for Roberson Wine in 2009, so I wont begin by telling you that 2010 was three times as successful.

(But it was!)

Anyway, enough bragging. What really matters is that 2010 was very rewarding from a wine perspective and, as ever, we had a lot of fun along the way.

Highlights of the year:

For me there were three highlights.

The biggest one has to be winning the Decanter Magazine London Merchant of the Year Award. Having won a number of gongs over the past few years, this was the one that had eluded us and is perhaps the most prestigious of all. Me and Joe got suited and booted for the award ceremony with no idea as to what our chances were, so it was a real thrill to have our name read out.

The second highlight was our visit to Julien Sunier in Beaujolais. We spent a fantastic day at his farm high up in the hills, drinking and eating all afternoon and everything (including the venison) was from his estate. An inspirational guy making sensational wines and living the dream.

The third was a visit to Domaine Peyre Rose in the Languedoc, where it was an honour to finally meet Marlène Soria and taste a full vertical of her wines. They are, in my opinion, the very best wines of Southern France and she is an amazing woman. The fact that we got the car stuck in deep mud and had to be pulled out by her husband and his tractor just made the visit more memorable!

Most embarrassing moment:

The aforementioned ‘stuck in the mud’ incident lasted for about an hour and was pretty embarrassing, but there was a faux-pas on my part that left me feeling terrible.

At the annual Domaine de la Romanée-Conti release tasting (this one for the 2007s) in February, I was one of the reverential throng tasting the wines and writing my notes in hushed admiration. After I had finished and was on my way out, I spotted Julia Harding MW who was due to attend one our tastings that very same evening. Buoyed by my DRC experience I bounded over to say hello and dived straight into her train of thought while she tasted her tiny sample of Romanée-Conti – completely breaking her concentration and ruing her tasting note. This is not the sort of tasting where you can go back and ask for another sample, so I felt absolutely terrible about it. Luckily she had forgiven me by the time she arrived to our Sassicaia event that evening! Slow. Down. Mark.

Best wine under £10:

The long awaited arrival of our house wines ‘Orbiel & Frères’ was a big success and the red and white blends at £5.95 are, in my opinion, as good value as any wines available in the UK. 2008 ‘La Dame’ from Mas des Dames was even better than the ’07 and a bargain at £9.95, as is the 2008 ‘Les Calades’ from Chateauneuf producer Clos St Jean (watch out for the ’09 as it is even better) – £6.95 when bought as a case!

I think the winner though has to be 2009 Touraine Sauvignon Blanc from Chateau de la Bonneliere at £8.95. Not just because it is a great value bottle of wine, but because it was so warmly embraced by customers in the shop and sommeliers alike, showing how broad is its appeal.

Best wine under £20:

This is a competitive category at Roberson and there are a host of wines that deserve the accolade. 1999 Decenio Rioja Reserva at £12.95 was a steal and lasted about 10seconds on the shelf before it was sold out. 2005 Chateau Peyre-Lebade looked like Lafite for £15.95 and although it didn’t quite taste as good as its big brother, there was a lot of wine for the money. A close second place has to go to 2008 Sancerre ‘Ovide’ from Gerard Morin, which is a stunning bottle of wine for £18.95 with bags of complexity. My winner though has to be 2009 Morgon by Julien Sunier at £15.95. This natural wine from a vigneron with massive talent forced me to re-evaluate my opinion on what Beaujolais is all about. So clean and pure that it tastes like it wont get you drunk! It will though, take it from me.

Best wine under £60:

I spend far too much money on this category, but sometimes wines come in that are just too hard to resist. The 1993 Chateau La Conseillante at £49.95 was fantastic (the ’98 was one of the stars of our Pomerol tasting in November) and 1998 Peyre Rose Syrah Leone at £59.95 was memorable stuff. At the lower end of the scale, 2008 Leon Barral Blanc at £21.95 was amazingly complex although not for everyone as it is about as murky and wild as white wine gets. I think my favourite though, judging by how many bottles I bought, was 1999 Riesling from Austrian master Emmerich Knoll at £36.95. A razor sharp wine of amazing purity, drunk at its peak.

Best wine from the fine wine tastings:

As ever there were so many to choose from, but those of you that know my Burgundaphilic tendencies may be surprised to learn that a claret almost scooped the title – 1982 Chateau Pichon-Lalande. It was a sensational wine, but just not quite as sensational as 1976 Clos de Bèze from Armand Rousseau. Not the greatest of Burgundy vintages, but this example was absolutely singing at 34 years of age.

Worst wine from the fine wine tastings:

It has to be 1999 Domaine de la Grange des Peres, from the Grange des Peres vertical that proved to be very very disappointing. Im a big fan of the wine, but during the course of two verticals in a week (the other at wine bar 28-50) I tasted almost everything ever produced by the estate and it proved to be a bit of a let down. Was it one of those wines that id built up too high in my mind? Did I let a couple of excellent bottles in the past cloud my judgement? Maybe both are true, but at our tasting it was the volatile 1999 that was the worst of a below-par bunch (the ’98 red & white excepted).

Best wine of 2010:

There are two young wines that spring to mind and they happen to be a red and a white. The bronze medal goes to 2007 Musigny by JF Mugnier, tasted at the Grands Jours de Bourgogne in March. Spectacular texture and length, it was achingly delicious. The silver medal goes to 2009 Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet from Domaine Louis Carillon tasted at the domaine in November. We have visited a few times and normally it is Jacques that leads us through the wines stopping very deliberately at the final 1er Cru. This time his brother Francois was in charge of the pipette and we didn’t even notice him dipping in to the small tank that contains less than 50 cases-worth of the BBM Grand Cru. As soon as it filled the glass I could smell the amazingly rich and floral bouquet, but on the palate it was an absolute show stopper. I could literally still taste it 30mins later when we arrived at our next appointment. Amazing stuff.

But…..wine of the year has to be 1978 Latricieres-Chambertin from Domaine Trapet, drunk by me, Joe and Ben after the Raveneau tasting. One of the best I’ve ever had and the sort of wine I wish every burgo-sceptic could taste.

Wine we could’ve sold 10 times over:

During the summer we had a bit of a Rosé shortage and had to turn people away after selling out of Mas des Dames and La Berle Rosé. There was the 1985 Chateau Taillefer at £34.95 of which we had only two cases. It was absolutely delicious and we are still getting asked for it.

I think the winner has to be 2008/09 Chocolate Block from Boekenhootskloof. Now we get a good allocation of this, but it is one of the most searched for wines on the internet and we always sell out of it a matter of days after the next lot has arrived.

Wine that nobody wanted to buy:

This dubious award has to go to two wines that are currently in our bin end sale and, although they are excellent, nobody wants them. They both predate me at Roberson (that is, they were bought before the summer of ’07) and will probably be here long after I’ve left.

The first is a fine Burgundy from a fine producer in a fine vintage – 2005 Pommard 1er Cru ‘Clos Micault’ from Joseph Voillot. We bought 3 cases of this wine in 2006 and of those 36 bottles we used two at a tasting and have sold one! There are 33 bottles left if you fancy it.

The other wines we just cant sell are the sweet wines (Vendange Tardive and Seleccion de Grains Noble) from Alsacian legend Marcel Deiss. Why they don’t sell is a mystery to us but, again, they are in our bon end sale if you are looking for a bargain.

Best label:

At Roberson we spend a lot of time judging books by their covers. The way we see it, there are great wines everywhere, so ideally we want to find ones that taste great and look great.

In the label Olympics, it is California’s Sine Qua Non that always takes the gold medal and this year was no different – their 2007 Labels Syrah was what we received from our paltry allocation this year and with its black wax seal, is one of the coolest bottles of wine you’ll find.

Worst label:

No doubt about the winner in this category. We went to visit a Rhône producer that specialises in Condrieu and, to be fair, most of their labels were fine. Nothing special, but nothing to worry about.

Until they pulled out their sparkling rosé.

The fact that it is called ‘Chavarosé’ is bad enough (unless chavs are your target market) but the whole package was utterly perplexing. What were they thinking?

Most interesting visitor to the shop:

Although he’s a regular attendee at the shop for our fine wine events, Neal Martin hosted a enthralling tasting of the wines of Pomerol in November. He is writing the definitive book on the subject at the moment, so his insights and anecdotes about the region and chateaux were fascinating.

Sebastiano Rosa from Sassicaia could be the coolest man in the world of wine and it was a pleasure and honour to have him here for a vertical tasting in February.

I think my favourite of all though was Gérard Standley from Roussillon estate Le Soula. First of all the wines are superb, but it was so interesting to talk with him at length about his approach to viticulture and the treatments and preparations he uses in the vineyard – especially his ‘liquid bread’ that has caused quite a stir in the local winemaking community. A seriously intelligent and thoughtful guy.

Last year’s predictions:

1) Sales of Mas des Dames to continue upward.

CORRECT: Still one of the most popular producers with our shop customers, it was another great year for Lidewij at Mas des Dames as she continued to be praised for all sides of the press. In 2011 we will up our allocation of her superb rosé and take a parcel of her new wine ‘Ami des Dames’, a bistro-style glugger that is an absolute bargain.

2) Beaujolais to gain increasing credibility.

CORRECT: And im very proud of this prediction! Bojo has exploded this year thanks to a great 2009 vintage and a real change in attitude by the press. You heard it here first!

3) 2009 Bordeaux to be BIG.

CORRECT: Ok, ok, so this wasn’t exactly a ground breaking prediction. But BDX’09 was the biggest campaign since ’05 and the Asian market really weighed in to the equation this year. How long will the Chinese love affair with wine last?

4) People to spend more.

CORRECT: Another record year for Roberson is proof that the doom and gloom is definitely lifting from the high street, at least in the independent wine sector anyway.

5) England to win the world cup!

INCORRECT: But if Lampard’s goal had been allowed then……alright, im clutching at straws there. A woeful showing from the England team.

Predictions for 2011:

1) Natural wines to take off. The movement has been gathering pace in France for years and Japan has gone mental over low intervention ‘natural’ wines. There is a lot of dodgy rubbish being made in this category, but also some superb wines of staggering purity. Personally, im very much on the Vins Nature bandwagon and im sure that the UK consumer will embrace them this year – the success of natural wine bars like Terroirs, Brawn and Bar Battu is an early sign of this.

2) 2010 in Bordeaux to be hailed as another ‘vintage of the century’. Its getting embarrassing, but the early signs are that the Bordelais rate 2010 even higher than ’09 (and ’08, ’05, ’03 etc etc). Not long now before the whole circus begins again…..

3) Malbec to get even more popular. I know that Malbec is already well and truly established as a big player on the UK wine scene, but it is still the fastest growing category in the USA and an offer that we sent out in January led to us selling all 40 cases in under 2 hours. It wouldn’t surprise me if Malbecs from other countries begin popping up and if the Cahors appellation don’t use this opportunity to establish themselves then they are crazy.

4) People to get bored with twitter. Im not saying that the whole thing is going to collapse, but surely the global obsession with tweeting has got to start running out of steam.

5) Manchester United to hobble to another title. But there is no way that we can remain unbeaten all season. Is there?

Our plans for 2011:

We are all hoping for another great year at Roberson and have lots going on, including our (already over subscribed) free wine course and a renovation of the shop to establish a large fine wine department. It will feature enomatic machines with free samples and the biggest selection of fine and rare wine by the bottle in the UK. We will reducing our prices on fine wine to match the trade/wholesale tarif, so you should all be able to drink better in 2011.

Cheers!

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Musings on Cru Beaujolais…

By Mark Andrew | Published: January 30, 2011

When Philip the Bold banished the “disloyal Gamay” from the vineyards of Burgundy in the 14th century for “very great and horrible harshness”, he was probably unaware that to the south of the Côte d’Or was an ideal home for this renegade grape variety. Gamay proved to be a perfect match with the granite soils of Beaujolais and, through the wide range of individual terroirs in each of the ten Beaujolais crus, it has found an eloquence that would’ve surprised the medieval Duke.

Following the success of Beaujolais’ 2009 vintage there has been renewed interest in a region that has suffered in the last twenty years from the stigma of Beaujolais Nouveau. It has been a long way down from the heady days of 1986 (6.4 million bottles of Nouveau sold) and now the winemakers of Beaujolais are looking to recast themselves as purveyors of terroir driven wines that are intended to be consumed many years, rather than days, after bottling.  Jean-Jacques Baronnat is one of the region’s foremost négocients, selling wines from all ten of Beaujolais crus (not to mention Nouveau). He says that “Unlike most regions, Beaujolais is a single-varietal wine: the only way to make a difference is with terroir. This common characteristic is the fruit of our wines, but this is complemented by features unique to each cru”.

Monsieur Baronnat is not the only one with a passion for the individuality of each cru. There is a groundswell of artisanal growers and conscientious négocients that are committed to making wines to demonstrate the unique qualities of each cru and specific vineyards within them. Producers like Marcel Lapierre, Jean-Marc Burgaud and Jean Foillard have helped to establish the reputation of Morgon’s Côte du Py and with many other climats having their own distinct identities, moves are afoot to create a new appellation that recognises the finest sites in the region. Whether the idea of a ‘Beaujolais 1er Cru’ ever materialises will remain to be seen, but it is another sign that things are changing for the better in Beaujolais, as is the Marcel Lapierre-led ‘natural’ wine revolution has blossomed in recent years. Winemakers like Lapierre, Foillard, Metras, Sunier and Lapalu have pushed the boundaries of what Gamay is capable of while offering a philosophical alternative to classical high quality producers like Château Thivin and Château des Jacques.

With the terroir and the winemaking expertise in place, the final part of the jigsaw was a great vintage and this duly arrived for Beaujolais in 2009. To many it is the finest in living memory, although some are blessed with longer memories than others! Claude Geoffroy of Château Thivin called 2009 “a beautiful vintage for the whole region and up there with 1929, ‘49 and ’80 as one of the greatest”, while Eric Janin called it “The best vintage since 1991 and a year with massive potential”.

There can be no doubt that the sheer exuberance of the wines in ’09 made the wine world sit up and take notice of what is going on in Beaujolais. A spokesperson from the regional body Inter-Beaujolais said “The region is blessed with many new, young and upcoming artisan producers as well as large-scale négociant operations who are both important to the balance of the region. Following the great momentum that has built from the 2009 vintage – exciting times certainly lie ahead for this dynamic and diverse region.”

Were Philip the Bold still around, he might be tempted to ask for his Gamay back…

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Burgundy 2009

By Mark Andrew | Published: January 6, 2011

Noise and hype about Burgundy vintages never, thank God, reaches the crescendo heard over in Bordeaux and while this was true again in 2009, that doesn’t mean there is a lack of excitement for the latest releases from Burgundy’s Côte d’Or. Quite the contrary, in fact, as there is a buzz surrounding the vintage that we haven’t seen since 2005. Having visited the region numerous times throughout the growing season and subsequent maturation of the wines, it was a pleasure during my last visit (in November) to see serious quality in both reds and whites. Quality that im sure will shine through in the raft of En Primeur tastings about to begin in earnest.

The growing season began well, with a cold winter turning in to a cool but dry spring. May brought with it some hail damage in the Cote de Nuits (Morey and southern Gevrey in particular) but as things warmed up towards the end of the month, flowering began in relatively good conditions. This fine weather continued in to June, which was warm throughout and on occasion pretty hot. Despite the average temperature remaing quite high through July, the weather was much more variable. Storms in the middle and at the end of the month caused many vignerons to begin worrying about swollen and diluted fruit, although these fears were quickly dispelled by the fabulously warm weather throughout August. As September began the north wind arrived to cool things down and remove any danger of rot or oidium, giving winemakers the luxury of deciding for themselves when to harvest without undue pressure from Mother Nature. On the whole, the conditions in 2009 were excellent and although uneven ripeness was an issue for some producers, the ones that had conscientiously managed their vineyards didn’t have too many problems.

There is no doubt that the wines of both colours are of excellent quality in 2009. The reds are full and lush, marrying structure and fresh acidity with a velvety richness that makes them very seductive right now, but with plenty of potential for ageing. The whites may lack the bite and nervosity of 2008, but still bring plenty of vitality to match their additional fruit and weight. Many commentators are likening the 2009 vintage to 1999, no mean feat in either colour and further indication that the wines will age superbly.

With relatively modest price rises and excellent quality at all levels (including some great generic wines), 2009 is most definately a vintage that provides lots of value and will give drinking pleasure for years to come. It is a vintage that shows richness without being super-ripe, and has structure and freshness without being tart or mean. Balance is the watch word and, in both colours, Burgundy 2009 has plenty of it.

For more information on the Burgundy ‘09 wines we are offering En Primeur, check out the brochure here and register to taste the wines at our event on Wednesday 12th January here.

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V.A.T. Increase On Hold

By Ben Greene | Published: January 5, 2011

Welcome back everybody and a Happy New Year to all our customers. As you are no doubt aware, the rate of V.A.T. has now gone up to 20%. However, our prices will remain unchanged until the end of the month, so there’s a good reason to do some January stocking up. Look out for the bin-end sale launching shortly for some real bargains…

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