The way in which wine is sold today by many merchants hinges on marketing it as something new, exciting or unmissable. Lofty point scores, numerous quotations from key critics are used to establish ‘must-have!!!’ status. We have nothing against something exciting at Atlas, nor point scores or critics which are, after all, a very usef...
Read more
Simon has maintained for a long time now that Curly Flat, situated in the Macedon Ranges, Victoria, ranks as one of the very finest estates for Australian Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Not only do these wines offer tremendous purity and definition, they are age-worthy too – a facet that is not true of that many exponents of these variet...
Read more
While undoubtedly tasting the headlining wines of an estate can be the most exciting, it is the more humble wines which can sometimes be the most rewarding. Such tastings can prove just how capable a winemaker is whilst working on various sites and with differing varieties. A case in point is certainly the wines of the Elio Grasso estate in Piem...
Read more
If I am ever asked to highlight a world-class Australian white that warrants a long snooze in a cool cellar, I tend to turn immediately to Jeff Grosset’s Polish Hill Riesling from the Clare Valley, having enjoyed a good number of mature bottles over the years. However, a former colleague suggested that my choice should not be quite so auto...
Read more
‘Flaccianello has routinely been among the most exciting wines in Tuscany’ so writes Antonio Galloni on vinous.com. As I have previously commented, to produce ‘routinely’ exciting wines takes a serious amount of hard work and application in the vineyard. As if evening up the balance, Tuscany has witnessed an excepti...
Read more
Sometimes you have a chance to taste a range of wines of which you might normally be a touch dismissive, either on account of previous tasting experience or simply reputation. And sometimes, your preconceived ideas are challenged or in this case, blown away. After Hannah visited Château des Jacques earlier this summer, and returned serious...
Read more