It’s white, from burgundy and 100% chardonnay. All good? Not quite… It’s £6.75 a bottle, however with the Tesco ‘buy 6, get 25% off’ deal it comes down to £5.06 a bottle. It even tasted pretty good. So what’s not to like? I woke up at 4am with a pounding headache – my wife 3…
Tag: France
Pouilly Fuisse, Marc Dudet, Waitrose
Again not cheap and not everyday wine. Pouilly Fuisse is one of my favourites along with pretty much all white burgundies. At this price I have expectations and naturally hope the wine will be markedly better than the £8 wines I go for. It often isn’t and I have had so many disappointingly ‘meh’ Chablis…
Hen Pecked Picpoul de Pinet
Waitrose sell this under their own label but it’s available widely and has been for years. The name isn’t a bad attempted pun, but refers to the way that chickens in the vineyards like to eat any fallen grapes. We feed our chickens any over-ripe grapes, strawberries etc, so I can believe this. Picpoul is…
Louis Jadot Macon Villages
Tasting Notes: Big burgundy producer, the kind of bottle to take to a party/prospective in-law as it’s recognisably good wine. And probably expensive. This can cost up to 50% more in the wrong shop… I liked it, very much, but I’m afraid I can now do slightly better for the money, from M&S, from Argentina…….
Les Dauphins Cotes du Rhone Reserve
Tasting Notes: When I was at university our local off licence sold a terrible, cheap red called ‘Cellier du Dauphins’, which we bought occasionally and laughed at the idea that the princes of France might put their name to it. This wine bears a passing resemblance to Clos l’Oratoire Chateauneuf du Pape. It contains…
Famille Castel Grande Reserve Chardonnay
Tasting Notes: This was a bit of a steal. I’ve seen this elsewhere for £16 and was worried that there was a reason why it wasn’t selling and was being offered so cheaply. However it was good chardonnay, and offered a good alternative to white burgundies which I often find overpriced, particularly Macon Blancs &…
La Grand Nuit Chardonnay
Tasting Notes: A few years ago this was more than twice the price – but it’s not that good; however at £6.50 it’s good chardonnay and won a bronze at the IWSC. I thought it was fresh, not oaky, ‘green’ and a little herby. Region of Origin Languedoc-Roussillon Wine Colour White Price £6.50 Where do…
Ormarine Picpoul de Pinet
Tasting Notes: A flinty alternative to Muscadet or Gruner-Veltliner, or Pouilly Fume, Picpoul used to be cheap, and unusual to find outside France until a couple of years ago when it cropped up more frequently, particularly on gastro-pub wine lists. Prices rose as it became more popular until it neared £20 a bottle in places….
A Time for Wine 