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Blandy’s Madeira – 2024 Bottlings
Portugal, featured
, Sep 2024
Each year, Blandy’s releases new bottlings of Madeira, from dry Sercial to sweet Malmsey. This short piece takes a look at the 2024 editions.
Cellar Favorite: 2008 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti Grand Cru
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Burgundy
, Sep 2024
I know, I know, I know. With all the discussion about the unaffordability of Burgundy, why this 2008 Romanée-Conti Grand Cru? Simply because this bottle was not scurried away in some dusty cellar. It was not used to make a profit. It was not brandished about to show off someone’s wealth. It had one reason and one reason only–to be drunk for what it is, something as banal and wondrous as wine.
Cellar Favorite: 1985 Lisini Prefillossero
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, Italy
, Aug 2024
Vines planted in their own roots is a subject that has intrigued me for a while, not least after my now infamous article on Liber Pater. The topic arose again recently with Eric Guido’s excellent piece on Tiberio’s Fonte Canale. Addressing ungrafted vines, one must not conflate recent plantings on vines’ own roots and the plots of surviving vines that predate the phylloxera louse in the late 19th century. This story is about the latter.
Vinous Table: Lumière, Cheltenham, UK
Vinous Table, United Kingdom
, Aug 2024
Lumière is a pertinent reminder that this country has fostered a raft of brilliant chefs in recent years, many out in provincial towns. I wish we had our own Lumière where I live in Guildford! This is haut cuisine at a high level without the pretension one occasionally finds.
Cellar Favorite: 1961 & 2012 Mouton-Rothschild
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Bordeaux
, Aug 2024
Last year, I attended the unveiling of the new artist label at Mouton-Rothschild. This was the first time it was held at the First Growth in Pauillac. Once the artist, Chiharu Shiota, had received her round of applause for her 2021 ‘balloon’ label, guests gathered for dinner featuring two vintages.
Chablis 2022-2023: Here Comes the Sun King
France: Burgundy, featured
, Aug 2024
Chablis was bearing the brunt of a challenging growing season when I visited in 2024, but at least the previous two vintages refilled cellars. What are the differences between 2022 and 2023, and what should you look to buy?
Cellar Favorite: 2001 Rustenberg Peter Barlow
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, South Africa
, Aug 2024
The 2001 Peter Barlow from Rustenberg was poured blind at a comparative tasting of South African Cabernets against Bordeaux during this year’s visit. The Peter Barlow acquitted itself admirably, even here, pitted against an impressive 2001 Léoville Las-Cases. The Peter Barlow is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the estate’s oldest vines, named after the man who bought the property back in 1941. This vintage was made by his son, Simon Barlow, while his grandson, Murray, has been the winemaker since 2012.
Cellar Favorite: 1928-1998 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Bordeaux
, Aug 2024
When visiting this Pauillac Second Growth earlier this year, Nicolas Glumineau poured several vintages blind. The theme turned out to be years ending in eight, though when he invited me to choose another, I headed for one of the more disparaged of the 20th century, not without sound reason…
Vinous Table: Cloth, London, UK
Vinous Table, United Kingdom
, Aug 2024
Cloth is doing nearly everything right. Clearly, it has hit the ground running. Despite its central location, it has a cozy ambiance, and Butterworth, gadding about the restaurant, is a lively and pleasing presence. Its wine list will be a strong draw for oenophiles, while the food is not a secondary consideration. There’s no pretension, and everything is refreshingly straightforward in the best way.
Cellar Favorite: 1949 and 1959 Pape Clément
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Bordeaux
, Aug 2024
Like many Bordeaux estates, Pape Clément suffered during the 1930s and the war. Under owner Paul Montagne, it was not until the 1950s that renovation was completed and the wines could reach their potential. Might that explain why the 1959 Pape Clément outshone the 1949 when served at a Bordeaux-themed dinner in Hong Kong last September? Both bottles came from the same cellar.