Chateau Bouscaut

Part One

When I was younger, so much younger than today, I used to buy the latest Beatles album knowing I wouldn’t be disappointed. That’s really a bit like the wines from the 2009 vintage in Bordeaux - they will give a lifetime of enjoyment - and having re-tasted quite a few in the last day, I am more convinced than ever that this is a vintage on a par with, and maybe even better than, the legendary 1982.

The 2010s are maybe more in the Led Zeppelin category - there have been great high points so far and some of the wines might even outperform their 2009 siblings - and it’s a really exciting vintage with flavour profiles right on the edge.

We have tasted in the region of 200 wines on Day One, with the high spots being Lafite, Margaux, Ducru Beaucaillou, Bouscaut, Leoville and Langoa Barton. There’s a massive day’s tasting ahead today with the Left Bank in the morning and the Right in the afternoon. The sun has just come up and a cloudless sky is predicted to deliver some 25ºC. I always think good weather must be worth at least 5 points to the Chateau owners, so it’s important not to get carried away.

Tasting and dinner at Chateau Bouscaut. We tasted the 2010 red and white from cask - the white has all the exotic spice and fresh fruit aromas associated with a top Grand Cru Classé and, when it’s ready to drink in about 5 years, the red will give a decade+ of pure enjoyment. Over a delicious dinner of gambas and fillet with bone marrow and mango we enjoyed the already mature 2009 white, the 2004 red, which was already a pleasure, and the outstanding 2005 red which will stand as testament to the Chateau’s prowess for at least 20 years!

Good Morning it’s 8.30am on Tuesday 5th April and we're off to the land of Cos, Pontet Canet, Talbot and Lascombes and then a quick dash to the Right Bank for a tasting with Jacques Thienpont at Le Pin.

Anthony Barton owner of Château Leoville Barton
On the first day of the 2010 En Primeur Tasting

Bordeaux 2009 available at JN

Part Two

Just finished a massive day’s tasting with around 120 wines hitting the spittoon. The day began at Ausone, continued with Cheval Blanc, Rol Valentin, Angelus and the Union of Grand Cru tastings at Couspade and La Pointe and finished on a high note with Francois Mitjavile at Tertre Roteboeuf who just goes on producing some of the most captivating wines in the whole of Bordeaux.

Pomerol is a real high spot with the wines more balanced, elegant, fresh and restrained in comparison to their Saint Emilion neighbours with their high tannin levels, higher than normal acidity and alcohol readings pushing towards 15%. Petrus was a real star with Cheval Blanc right up there and really good showings from Conseillante, Clinet, Larcis Ducasse and Pavie Macquin.

Angelus and Ausone were my personal disappointments of the day but it’s still early to be tasting these wines.An early start tomorrow as it’s off to taste with JP Moueix and then on to Pessac Leognan to taste what I hear is a really impressive bunch of wines.We will of course be posting details of all the wines we recommend when the tasting glass is packed, the easyJet is up and flying and the sunny days in Bordeaux are but a distant memory.

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From grape selection to international marketing, this unique ‘hands on’ training scheme will give one enthusiastic candidate the opportunity to explore every aspect of the captivating wine industry. Starting in August 2011, the nine month training scheme comprises placements at James Nicholson Wine Merchant’s premises in both Co. Down and Dublin, as well as visits to European vineyards.

More Information

• Training Scheme Description
• Application Form

*Deadline for return completed application forms is June 1st 2011

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Helmut Dönnhoff - Dönnhoff Schlossbockelheimer Spätlese 8.5% ABV

For anyone sensitive to the alcohol levels in their favourite beverage (and I suppose now and again it happens to even the most avid vinophile) there are some guidelines you can follow that may help avoid scrutinising every bottle on the shelf or resorting to the usually unpleasant low alcohol wines available.

A much more pleasurable tack is to drink wines that are naturally lower in alcohol. What makes a wine naturally lower in alcohol? Essentially it boils down to the simple reaction that yeast + sugar = alcohol + CO2. Yeast will naturally multiply and convert all of the sugar to alcohol. High sugar in unfermented grapes therefore leads to high alcohol in the wine unless winemakers intervene and stop the fermentation leaving some residual sugar in the wine and keeping the resulting alcohol level lower.

Cooler climates with less sunshine and thereby less sugar in the grapes will naturally produce slightly lower alcohol wines. Think California vs. Bordeaux. Bordeaux wines are usually around 12-13% (all very sociable) whereas Californians can easily be over 14%. As an added bonus, Bordeaux wines are very food friendly and will show off your roast beef to perfection.

Sparkling wines and champagne also tend to be lower in alcohol. Because these wines go through a secondary fermentation to produce the bubbles, the wines start with very high acidity and low sugar in order to keep the finished wine fresh and not flabby.

Germany is a marvellous source of wines that have residual sugar and hence lower alcohol. Many of these fabulous wines have alcohol as low as 8 or 9% which is very guilt free drinking indeed. To my mind though, the lower alcohol is merely an extra benefit. The wines are absolutely delicious – particularly the Spätleses such as Dönnhoff Schlossbockelheimer Spätlese at only 8.5% ABV and the Forster Jesuitengarten Spätlese at only 8% (tricky pronunciation is no reason not to try them!). Wines with this much depth, complexity and energy are rare - and shamefully under-appreciated. Riesling is also incredibly food friendly. These gorgeously flavoursome wines go brilliantly with rich seafood such as salmon, or roast chicken, pork with apples, Thai food or of course as an aperitif.

Reds with low alcohol are thinner on the ground. As mentioned, Bordeaux is a good place to start and the Loire affords a few interesting options. For example Château du Hureau Red is a fairly modest 12.5% ABV and a lovely, light, fruity Cabernet Franc – perfect with a lunchtime platter of cold meats. Of course if all else fails you could put the cork back in the bottle and finish it tomorrow…

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The JN Taste Team is delighted to present a range of truly modern Loire Classics from La Grille in Chinon, wines that reflect the potential for quality and value that the region is capable of.  The range of La Grille - The Classic Loire wines offers quality, variety and consistency at affordable prices.  Using the latest techniques in the winery and minimum intervention methods in the vineyards – ‘lutte raisonnée’ – to produce ripe, healthy grapes and to catch each wine’s natural fruit, freshness and balance.

College-trained winemaker Gwénaël Guihard used carefully picked Loire speciality grolleau and cabernet grapes from the gently rolling hills of the western Loire to make the deliciously fruity, off-dry rosé. Using cool fermentation to bring out all the grapes' appetizing red-fruit flavours, this delightful rosé is great served chilled as an apéritif or with local charcuterie and makes an appetizing match for fish dishes.

Using cool fermentations to bring out all the grapes' appetizing fruit flavours and fresh aromas, La Grille's appealing Chenin Blanc was matured on its lees to give added complexity. It is great served chilled as an apéritif and delicious with grilled trout and salmon.

Showing all the racy finesse that makes this one of the region's greatest grape varieties, La Grille's delightful Sauvignon Blanc was fermented at cool temperatures and matured with its lees to gain extra complexity. With enticing gooseberry and lime aromas and a crisp mineral finish; this wine is delicious on its own or with seafood, poultry or fine Oriental cuisine. View our entire range of La Grille Wines.

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New season wine discoveries / John Wilson The Irish Times Saturday 2nd April

"Domaine de Sainte Rose Les Derniers Cépages 2009,14%, Charles and Ruth Simpson, who are based in the Languedoc, aim to produce clean-cut modern wines using New World methods, and succeed admirably. All of the wines are vin de pays (now called IGP, or Indication Géographique Protégée, just to confuse us further), from the Côtes de Thongue. The wines are all good, some of them excellent.

Charles and Ruth Simpson, Domaine Sainte Rose

The Le Pinnacle Syrah 2008 is beautifully restrained yet structured, but in need of a little more time. For drinking now, I would plump for the Les Derniers Cépages, a very unusual blend of Petit Verdot and Mourvèdre that works perfectly. Concentrated dark cherry and liquorice fruits, impeccably balanced and long in the mouth, this appealing wine is very keenly priced. Stockists: JN Wine jnwine.com. A generous case discount is available when bought in case quantities."

Read full article in The Irish Times

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