Oeno-File, the Wine & Gastronomy Column

by Frank Ward

Archive for the ‘Tasting notes’ Category

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A Fresh Look at Some Top Bordeaux Estates – Part I : POMEROL

Posted by Frank Ward on September 28, 2014

AvatarSeptember 2014. In April of this year thousands of wine writers and members of the wine trade flocked to Bordeaux to taste the 2013s – a vintage they already suspected was “disastrous”, or simply downright bad. I was not among them. At that stage the only ’13 claret I‘d tried was the Mouton Rothschild 2013, sampled at a vertical tasting in London in February. I found it very good, within the context of the vintage. I travelled to Bordeaux three months later, in late May, not specifically to look at 2013s but to visit a few great estates that had always been among my favourites. While happy to sample any 2013s that came my way while there, my main purpose was just to see [….]

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July Samplings in Kent

Posted by Frank Ward on August 31, 2014

AvatarAugust 2014. The month of July got off to an excellent start with another evening with our friends Keith and Clare Powis in their home near Whistable. To accompany a sequence of dishes – pea soup, guinea fowl, an assortment of cheeses, and dessert – we had a fascinating sequence of wines from a whole range of vintages, regions, and countries. As aperitif, a forceful, full-bodied Perrier-Jouet Belle Époque which showed great richness but was (to my taste) unduly bitter. A Margaret Thatcher of a wine, it brooked no opposition and took over full control of the palate.

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Tasting 13 mature wines from Domaine de la Romanée Conti

Posted by Frank Ward on May 24, 2014

AvatarMay 2014. In vinous terms, the commune of Vosne-Romanée has often been described as the jewel in Burgundy’s crown. In particular, the wines from Domaine de la Romanée Conti (DRC), based in that commune, are possibly the most sought-after reds in the entire world. They are also astronomically expensive. This means that scarcely anybody who is not extremely wealthy ever gets a chance to taste them. Or even to sniff the cork. And that’s just the young vintages.

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Counting Moutons

Posted by Frank Ward on April 5, 2014

AvatarApril 2014. Trinity House, overlooking the Tower of London, was the recent venue for a tasting of every vintage of Château Mouton Rothschild from 2011 to 2003, together with a mock-up of the infant 2013. Philippe Dhalluin, the man in charge at this renowned First Growth, was there to talk about the wines. In a daring – and unconventional – move, a sample was offered of Mouton’s grand vin from the 2013 vintage, a year that’s largely been written off by trade and collectors alike [….]

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Tasting the 2009 clarets with the Masters of Wine

Posted by Frank Ward on January 12, 2014

January 2014. A tasting of 94 clarets and 12 Sauternes from 2009 was held in London in November 2013 under the auspices of the Institute of Masters of Wine: an ideal opportunity to assess a great vintage at a very good point in its development. Now around two years in the bottle, the wines have had time to recover from the rigours of bottling and to knit together sufficiently well to give a good idea of their overall constitution […..]

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PRE-PHYLLOXERA PUZZLE : An 1870 Overture

Posted by Frank Ward on June 10, 2013

June 2013. It was one of the biggest challenges I’ve ever faced at a blind tasting. True, I’d been given one piece of vital information just before sampling the wine, namely the vintage: 1870. A wine that was 143 years’ old. But that wasn’t much help. I’d never sampled a wine of quite that age before and didn’t really know what to look for. In addition, no clue had been given as to the region, or even country of origin (though one could be pretty sure it was French, our host being a great fan of that ucontry’s wines). fresh tasting notes on fabled wines, 3 great vintages of musigny vieilles vignes

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Recent tastings

Posted by Frank Ward on January 31, 2013

January 2013. Nobody on earth – not the most brilliant scientist, not the richest billionaire – can instantly turn a young immature wine into a fully mature one. Only time can bring about this transformation. Sometimes the process can take an age (a good 60 years in the case of the obdurate, but ultimately great, 1926s!). The following bottles were purchased by me many years ago, within two or three years of the vintage in question, and then simply left to mature in my own 18th-century cellars or in Britain’s finest bonded warehouse, Octavian. All have been tasted within the last few months, to see if that long wait was justified… fresh tasting notes on fabled wines, 3 great vintages of musigny vieilles vignes

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Eating Out & Eating In

Posted by Frank Ward on September 18, 2012

Eating In & Eating Out. In which I describe some recent meals and vinous rarities and also have pleasure in publishing tasting notes on some 19th-century wines, written by David Matthews, the composer. One of Britain’s leading composers, David Matthews, has a house in Deal in southeast Kent (where I happen to live) and often comes down to the coast to work on his various compositions. In the course of his career he’s written seven symphonies, 12 string quartets, and all manner of other works, including a piece specially commissioned to mark the 90th birthday of the late Queen Mother. 

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The Romanée Conti Expedition – Part II

Posted by Frank Ward on July 18, 2012

Our lunch at Le Millésime the previous day had been so enjoyable that we decide to repeat the experience today. Propinquity (it’s only two kilometres away) also plays a role in the decision. Another three courses for less than 20 Euros take the edge off our hunger, while the recollection of the stunning DRC wines, still perfuming our palates, has us almost panting aloud for a delicious wine. We go for a 2007 (a delectable, easy-to-drink vintage) Chambolle Musigny*** from Domaine Georges Roumier, one of Burgundy’s finest producers. 

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The Romanée Conti Expedition – Part I

Posted by Frank Ward on June 30, 2012

As we set off for Chablis – a lovely name don’t you think? – rain hammers down on the car and will continue to fall heavily for the whole of our 600 km journey, the final destination of which Puligny-Montrachet south of Beaune – like Chablis, a famous wine village. Our spirits remain buoyant, despite the dreary weather, as we have much to look forward to: a number of visits to top wine domains and as many delicious meals as can be packed into four days. One of the high points of the trip will be a tasting at Domaine de la Romanée Conti.

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