Made a bit of a late and lazy start to the day. Eventually drove south of Beaune looking for the Mercurey venue for a regional Grands Jours tasting. I figured if the GPS could get me to the town then surely there would be signs out to the venue, as there was no street listed in the program. Nope, no signs from the main road into town, so I drove around and around until I happened upon a sagging arrow, and eventually parked almost outside the front door of the hall.
When I mentioned to the hosts that it might have been an idea to list the road in the program they replied "but this road has no name". Hard to argue with that. I would find more of those sort of roads in many other villages in the days to come!
Stand No.1 happened to be occupied by Stéphane and Cecile Aladame, a young couple who make the gorgeous 1er cru chardonnays I import from Montagny-les-Buxy.
I tried their range of 08s, with a couple of new names appearing on the labels, which have been tarted up with different colours for each cuvee. Smart. My favourites were the Vignes Derrieres and the Cuvee Selection. I hope people finally cotton onto the 06 and 07 so I can buy the 08s. Matthew Jukes went nuts for the 08 Selection at a British trade tasting, buying some and giving them a rave review.
Cecile is a sweetheart who can speak a bit of English, whereas Stéphane had always avoided any attempts. Now he is doing classes, and proudly told me: "The cat is in the kitchen." I think he's got a way to go ;-)
Cecile gave me a couple of tips on producers to check out, and I did the rounds of others I knew or had heard positive whispers. Not available but worth tasting were the Aubert de Villaine wines, two of which were lovely. Others I tried were dry, reductive, oaky or too extracted. Another had abandoned his post -- possibly for lunch, but I'm sure no one would have been surprised if he didn't return.
No point in flogging a dead horse, so I drove back to Beaune for a couple of semi-private tastings. The first was at Maison Alex Gambal, where I ran through the 08 whites and reds that hadn't been shown on Tuesday. Then I tried a bunch of 09 samples from barrel, and they were mighty impressive. They will even have a Genevrieres 1er cru after doing a swap with someone.
Back upstairs and bumped into the delightful and gorgeous Geraldine Godot, the new winemaker at Gambal. I proceeded to make up any excuse for conversation, including a cork/screwcap debate. She looked ready to thump me, which I would have accepted as some form of affection, and then Alex made it worse byremembering some 03 Bourgogne Blanc that they had bottled under screwcap. He raced off to find a bottle and to everyone's surprise the wine -- from a hot, low-acid year -- was bright, fresh and in perfect condition.
On that evidence alone Alex was convinced he should convert, but Geraldine is a tough nut, and while she conceded the nose was impressive she wasn't so fussed on the palate. I offered to debate the matter further over dinner but she saw right through me and, suitably humbled, I left with my tail between my legs.
It's only two blocks from the Gambal winery on the peripherique to the Camille Giroud offices and winery, where a full range of 08s was open for tasting, as well as two verticals and a smattering of ancient vintages.
I had some definite favourites among the 08s, keeping an eye on price, and the verticals of Vosne Romanee (02-07) and Corton Le Rognet (03-07) panned out pretty much as expected, the Vosnes looking good (an the 02 starring for me), whereas the Cortons seemed to improve from year to year, the 07 fine and subtle and showing real finesses and class.
The older wines were: St Romain blanc 99, which had a bit of an odd goat's cheese nose but was pale and quite complex, showing some baked quiche, honey and caramel notes; 1995 Volnay 1er cru Carelles smelled a bit like a Bordeaux, with sweet leather and ample but fine tannins; 1990 Nuits St Georges 1er cru Perrieres was full bodied and rich, showing some iron filings and lots of tannins still; 1978 Volnay Champans was a little tired in the fruit department, smelling of smoke, leather and blood, but still with tannin to burn; and the 1976 Lavaux St Jacques was quite appealing, with a little framboise and leather combo going on.
The evening's activities promised to be quite grand: 40 grands crus fro 2002 and 2008 at the Chateau Clos Vougeot. It wasn't until later that I realised the wines were all supplied by negociants.
I could list all 40 but that would be a yawn, wouldn't it? They were all masked, so it was interesting seeing what I liked and didn't like among the many Chablis GCs, Batards, Chevaliers, Corton Charlemagnes, etc, and for the reds the Clos Vougeots, the Charmes, the Clos de Bezes and so on. The surprises for me were how bad the two Laroche chablis were: the 08 under screwcap was flat and lifeless and the 02 was a bit oxidised. Another wine was served corked and no one complained.
I bumped into wine writers John Gilman and Bill Nanson and had a bit of a chat, and then it was off to an upstairs dining room for some speeches and a bit of food. My table included a German magazine publisher, a Czech TV producer, a couple of winemakers and one or two others, and later the winemakers were told to rotate tables and the viticulturist from Laroche joined us. There was an awkward moment when I shared my enthusiasm for the other winemaker's wine but had to play dumb with the Laroche guy!
The dinner wines were: 2001 Jadot Criots-Batard Montrachet (bit fat and flabby for my liking); 1990 Joseph Drouhin Grands Echezeaux (some loved this but I found it a bit leathery and simple); 1988 Bouchard Le Corton (not memorable but better than the others). I suspect it was a good opportunity to write off a bunch of disappointing old wines.
OK, for my own records, the 40 pre-dinner wines were:
2008 Drouhin Chablis Bougros: Rich and vibrant, with a hint of botrytis. So much fruit density and length. Great.
2008 Simmonet-Febvre Chablis Les Preuses: More refined and minerally. Still heaps of body but more focused.
2008 Henri de Villamont Chablis Vaudesir: A little toast, oats, grapefruit. Lots of body, power, a lick of honey.
2008 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis Valmur: Much tighter. Some honey, sesame seeds. Not lacking intensity, but not exactly open.
2008 Simonnet-Febvre Chablis Les Clos: A little mealy, iodine, minerality, finesse, less intensity.
2008 Laroche Chablis Les Blanchots (s): Soft, even developed. Smells buttery and lacks intensity. Tried a second bottle: mercaptans aromas, pretty bad.
2008 Lupe-Cholet Chablis Les Blanchots: Creamy, lacks acid, almost cloying. Growing suspicion of cork taint. Second bottle shows more intensity and focus.
2008 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis Les Blanchots: Rich, almost resiny, lots of grapefruit, quite intense mid-palate but finishes quickly.
2002 Laroche Chablis Les Blanchots: A little oxidised: fat, rich and quite awful.
2008 Louis Latour Corton Charlemagne: A little soapy, vanilla essence, boring.
2008 Roux Pere et Fils Corton Charlemagne: More intensity, honey snaps, vanilla wafers. Length. Could be great.
2008 Seguin Manuel Corton Charlemagne: Rich, intense, full bodied, with a hint of honey on the finish. Broad but not long.
2008 Corton Andre Corton Charlemagne: Paint resin -- my least favourite aroma on CC -- intense grapefruit. Lacks a bit of acid.
2008 Patriarche Pere et Fils Corton Charlemagne: Broader, rich fruit, very ripe, heading towards orange and mandarin. Presume botrytis.
2008 Albert Bichot Corton Charlemagne: Unyielding nose but an intense palate with lots of extract, but lemony, less oak. Oh, love this one.
2008 Olivier Leflaive Corton Charlemagne: Ripe, rich but good. Not too much oak. Heaps of power.
2008 Bouchard P&F Chevalier Montrachet: Power and minerality, silky, finesse, restraint. This is a class above the Cortons.
2008 Olivier Leflaive Batard-Montrachet: Quite intense on the front palate, and the flavour lingers. Bit of vanilla, green olive and grapefruit.
2008 Jean-Marc Boillot Batard-Montrachet: A little toastier on the nose, with grapefruit and honeycomb. Nice length and balance.
2008 Michel Picard Batard-Montrachet: Paint resin, sesame seeds, toasty. Meh.
2008 Louis Jadot Batard-Montrachet: Honeyed oats, creme fraiche, bit of vanilla oak. These Batards are huge!
2002 Jean-Marc Boillot Batard-Montrachet: Not tasted.
2008 Corton Andre Corton Bressandes: A little meaty, good mouthfeel. Nice intensity, some florals, silky fruit, bit of grip. Love this.
2008 Stephane Brocard Corton Bressandes: Meaty, earthy, iron filings, strawberries, pretty fine but shows a bit of wood on the finish.
2002 Louis Latour Corton Grancey: Soapy, mousy, lot of tanin. Will get more leathery. Pretty bad.
2002 Prosper Maufoux Corton: Blood, oven-roasted tomatoes, lot of tannins. Needs heaps more time.
2002 Louis Jadot Corton Pougets: Meaty, earthy, tannin overload. Leave another 10+ years.
2008 Bouchard Aine & Fils Charmes Chambertin: Fresh and pretty. Blood and juicy strawberries, bit of grip but heaps of bright red fruit, even though the colour is quite pale.
2008 Jean-Claude Boisset Clos de la Roche: Luscious red fruits, strawberries, red cherries, bit of tannin. Needs a fair bit of time.
2008 Louis Max Clos de Vougeot: Really heady florals. Love it. Pretty, intense red fruit and spice and a bit of underlying earthiness. Grip is OK.
2008 Seguin Manuel Clos de Vougeot: Really dark crimson. Very plush and sweet in the mouth. Heaps of power. So dense. Lot of acid too. Holy crap. Tannins are there but not too dry.
2008 Albert Bichot Echezeaux: Big boy. Plush, refined and long in the mouth. Linear. Lots of power. Fair bit of tannin at the finish. For the long haul.
2008 Bouchard Aine & Fils Echezeaux: Pretty nose, florals on the palate, red fruit, sappy, very fine, bit of grip, lasting tannin.
2008 Henri de Villamont Grands Echezeaux: Pretty, very fresh nose. Framboise, a little cream, smoky, hint of spice. Lovely already.
2002 Joseph Drouhin Grands Echezeaux: A little meaty, not complex, quite fine, masculine style. Not my type of wine.
2002 Bouree et Fils Charmes Chambertin: Quite pale, browning on the rim. More gamey, raw meat, iron filings, getting tired.
2002 Prosper Maufoux Charmes Chambertin: Rich, crammed with red cherries and strawberries, fine tannins and a little acid on the finish. Nice.
2002 Jean-Claude Boisset Mazis Chambertin: Very fine. Some high-toned fruit, little bit of iron filings, tough of game. Nice oak. Excellent.
2002 Michel Picard Mazis Chambertin: Meaty, animale on the nose. Quite fresh, with nice fruit on the palate. Very fine tannins.
2002 Bouchard P&F Chambertin Clos de Beze: Soft, round, roast tomato, good persistence, fine tannins, oak a little murky. Becoming meaty, more animale.
Make of all that what you will!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Day 13: Easy does it, Tiger
No, this isn't a story about Tiger Woods, although you do know that I watched him win his first US Masters at Augusta National in 1997 and got him to autograph the program, don't you?
I can name drop with the best of them, but the Tiger in question was a stuffed toy in a window in a store on the Rue d'Alsace, just a couple of doors up from where I've been staying in Beaune. My friend Helena has a fetish for collecting a stuffed toy from each place she visits (I'm not sure how long she has to be there for the place to qualify ... perhaps it's one souvenir per trip) and she spied this particularly dashing Tiger and gave me instructions for its capture. Luckily for David, it easily exceeded her limit of 40 euros. The miserable cat was a whopping 53 euros!
Strange that this stands out as the event of the day, but that's what happens when you leave blogging till days after the fact. Well, I did eventually haul my sore head and tired body down to the Palais de Congrès in Beaune for a triple-header of tasting.
I had high hopes of finding a decent producer from the Macon region, but anything decent was well overpriced, in my opinion. I mean, I have a great producer from Montagny, with 1er cru chardonnays selling for less than $50, and people resist, even though they are listed in many three-star restaurants in France. It's like the current fascination with Chablis -- which is cool, I love the stuff -- while people reject the whites from the Cote de Beaune. OK, guys, you know it's all chardonnay, right? Is it the absence of oak that makes Chablis so appealing, or the price, or do people think it is another grape variety altogether? And is white Burgundy confusing? Do people think it is decoloured pinot noir? Or are they worried about premature oxidation (seems strange, given that most wine is drunk almost immediately). Are they took oaky or too expensive?
Anyway, there was nothing to move me from 131 Macon winemakers ... right, I didn't try them all, but I used the scientific method of sampling every bottle that stood out on the trial bench, whether by label appearance or the "je ne sais quoi" of the domaine name. Then I worked my way around the hall to those that had appealed from the run-through, and to those I already knew and had earmarked for investigation.
From this I decided there was nothing that would woo the unadventurous drinkers out there in the big brown land. I moved on to scour the 64 producers from Aloxe-Corton, Chore-les-Beaune, Ladoix-Serrigny, Pernand-Vergelesses and Savigny-les-Beaune (are you starting to get the idea of what a momentous task this event presents?) and checked out the two stands of interest in the Beaune lineup of 25, Domaine des Croix and Camille Giroud.
It was a good opportunity to catch up with the charming David Croix, winemaker at both domaines, and have a look at some of their 08s. He never obfuscates, but then again that's the first time I've used that word in a sentence, so I can't be too sure ;-) No, there is no deceit about the man: if you call reduction and it's there, he'll concede it. If you tell him his 05 and 06 Corton Charlemagne were fat and heavy, he will tell you why (the vineyard ripens so quickly it caught him off guard the first two years, and, just like that, the 07 and 08 are light, fresh and mesmerising!)
Right, enough of this. I hadn't eaten anything all day and was feeling light-headed. I beat a hasty retreat and prepared for one of the dullest nights of my life, the Saveurs du Monde, an event when the organisers try to showcase just how adaptable Burgundy is by offering the wines of several producers with some odd dishes from some of the best local chefs.
The food, although served in tiny portions to people who had to queue for ages to get it, was nice enough, and the wines satisfactory, but the event started late and then groaned into gear with a couple of boring speeches, the worst by a woman from the sponsor company, who went into excrutiating detail about how and why her decanters and glasses were so wonderful. I hate that company now and will never buy their products. I hope she's happy ;-)
I couldn't stand this for long ... I left after an hour or so and went back to my friends' place for a proper dinner. Sigh. It's tough getting beyond the superficial sometimes!
I can name drop with the best of them, but the Tiger in question was a stuffed toy in a window in a store on the Rue d'Alsace, just a couple of doors up from where I've been staying in Beaune. My friend Helena has a fetish for collecting a stuffed toy from each place she visits (I'm not sure how long she has to be there for the place to qualify ... perhaps it's one souvenir per trip) and she spied this particularly dashing Tiger and gave me instructions for its capture. Luckily for David, it easily exceeded her limit of 40 euros. The miserable cat was a whopping 53 euros!
Strange that this stands out as the event of the day, but that's what happens when you leave blogging till days after the fact. Well, I did eventually haul my sore head and tired body down to the Palais de Congrès in Beaune for a triple-header of tasting.
I had high hopes of finding a decent producer from the Macon region, but anything decent was well overpriced, in my opinion. I mean, I have a great producer from Montagny, with 1er cru chardonnays selling for less than $50, and people resist, even though they are listed in many three-star restaurants in France. It's like the current fascination with Chablis -- which is cool, I love the stuff -- while people reject the whites from the Cote de Beaune. OK, guys, you know it's all chardonnay, right? Is it the absence of oak that makes Chablis so appealing, or the price, or do people think it is another grape variety altogether? And is white Burgundy confusing? Do people think it is decoloured pinot noir? Or are they worried about premature oxidation (seems strange, given that most wine is drunk almost immediately). Are they took oaky or too expensive?
Anyway, there was nothing to move me from 131 Macon winemakers ... right, I didn't try them all, but I used the scientific method of sampling every bottle that stood out on the trial bench, whether by label appearance or the "je ne sais quoi" of the domaine name. Then I worked my way around the hall to those that had appealed from the run-through, and to those I already knew and had earmarked for investigation.
From this I decided there was nothing that would woo the unadventurous drinkers out there in the big brown land. I moved on to scour the 64 producers from Aloxe-Corton, Chore-les-Beaune, Ladoix-Serrigny, Pernand-Vergelesses and Savigny-les-Beaune (are you starting to get the idea of what a momentous task this event presents?) and checked out the two stands of interest in the Beaune lineup of 25, Domaine des Croix and Camille Giroud.
It was a good opportunity to catch up with the charming David Croix, winemaker at both domaines, and have a look at some of their 08s. He never obfuscates, but then again that's the first time I've used that word in a sentence, so I can't be too sure ;-) No, there is no deceit about the man: if you call reduction and it's there, he'll concede it. If you tell him his 05 and 06 Corton Charlemagne were fat and heavy, he will tell you why (the vineyard ripens so quickly it caught him off guard the first two years, and, just like that, the 07 and 08 are light, fresh and mesmerising!)
Right, enough of this. I hadn't eaten anything all day and was feeling light-headed. I beat a hasty retreat and prepared for one of the dullest nights of my life, the Saveurs du Monde, an event when the organisers try to showcase just how adaptable Burgundy is by offering the wines of several producers with some odd dishes from some of the best local chefs.
The food, although served in tiny portions to people who had to queue for ages to get it, was nice enough, and the wines satisfactory, but the event started late and then groaned into gear with a couple of boring speeches, the worst by a woman from the sponsor company, who went into excrutiating detail about how and why her decanters and glasses were so wonderful. I hate that company now and will never buy their products. I hope she's happy ;-)
I couldn't stand this for long ... I left after an hour or so and went back to my friends' place for a proper dinner. Sigh. It's tough getting beyond the superficial sometimes!
Day 12: Packing down in the Grand scrum
I've got a lot of posts to catch up on ... some great stories to tell. Will try to catch up a few days at a time. Day two of the Grands Jours is a bit of a nightmare. It's the busiest day, the most producers and the most important regions spread over four venues. It's insane, really.
Two years ago I started at Nuits St Georges and was pulling splinters within an hour. The palate was soon shot and the rest of the day was tough work. This time I figured I'd start in Marsannay-la-Cote for the "Jewels of Cote de Nuits" session, the venue for 69 producers from Gevrey, Marsannay and Fixin.
It was a good chance to look at the 2008s of Dupont-Tisserandot and Humbert Freres against some of the other producers I had been thinking of, and also to look at several vintages of Camille Girouds, including 06 and 07 Chambertin and Latricieres. There was also a table containing a bottle from each producer, which gave the opportunity to try one wine and decide whether it was worth exploring more and enduring the inevitable awkwardness of a wary importer meeting an eager producer.
Overall it was pretty hard work, the recent bottling of most wines reflected in their dry finish and protruding structure. I'm not sure I learnt a lot, except a couple of producers to avoid.
From there it was off to the Gilly les Citeaux for the Chambolle Musigny/Morey St Denis tasting, and what a relief it was. So much sweet fruit, soft tannins and finesse from some of the 46 exhibitors here. I made a beeline for the Mugnier table as I'd tasted twice previously at this domaine and like to badger them regularly. Freddie is affable and his assistant Audrey is gorgeous -- although now a married mum of one, I'm a sucker for her dark Audrey Tautou eyes and hair and, strangely, her English accent! She spent a couple of years in Kent, it seems.
Mugnier was smart enough not to bottle before the show, so the 08 Chambolle Musigny, NSG Clos de la Marechale and Musigny all looked fine, fruity and friendly. He's too cagey on where to place the vintage, let alone the 09s that the Americans have been going gaga about, but he admitted he wasn't about to rain on their parade if they wanted to start another buying frenzy. Mugnier has no need to pour wines at such a show but to support his community and try to attract more punters for his peers.
Other highlights were Camille Giroud (they showed each wine in the relevant appellation venue), Lucie & Auguste Lignier (great to compare 07s, 08s and 09s for various cuvees) and Faiveley, whose new softer approach has made the world of improvement to their wines.
A few more quick swirls and spits and it was off to the Chateau du Clos Vougeot for 60 Vosne Romanee exhibitors. This was apparently a scrum for most of the day and hence why I wanted to save it for late in the piece when the crowds had dispersed. The tactics worked perfectly -- it wasn't so much of a drama to get a pour and then to get to a barrel spittoon.
The acids showed quite prominently here, but I enjoyed tastings at Anne Gros, Meo-Camuzet, Comte Liger Belair and Alex Gambal. Was tempted by Lamarche but the wines looks a bit dry and stern, while Jean-Marc Millot has great holdings but I am still concerned about hygiene and reduction in some of the wines.
Actually I've learned a fair bit about the olfactory signs of reduction and the role different vineyard soils can play in creating this character: clay is a big contributor.
I skipped the NSG venue altogether and just as well. By the time I had circuited three venues I had major palate fatigue and it was getting harder and harder to avoid tannin overload. I don't know how some people taste and rate hundreds of wines in a day. As I was to find out, liking or disliking something in the middle of a tasting didn't necessarily mean anything when it came to sitting down with a bottle at the end of the day.
Hmmm, as if the first two days weren't busy enough, my evening entertainment involved having dinner with my wonderful friends David and Helena, who are soon to be Mr & Mrs Jenkins.
David has just bought into a wine business in the UK and was over to scout for good value producers from just out of the mainstream. I might have been better off tagging along with him! Anyway, we had an acceptable meal and three decent bottles of wine while we solved the problems of the world. Not such a good idea was a 1964 Armagnac as a nightcap. At 40 or 45% alcohol, it was tough work for me, a non-spirits drinker. David seemed to be getting his second wind and at 6.30am I could only hold my throbbing head as I pictured the two of them having to get up for the three-hour-plus drive to Champagne for their next appointment!
Two years ago I started at Nuits St Georges and was pulling splinters within an hour. The palate was soon shot and the rest of the day was tough work. This time I figured I'd start in Marsannay-la-Cote for the "Jewels of Cote de Nuits" session, the venue for 69 producers from Gevrey, Marsannay and Fixin.
It was a good chance to look at the 2008s of Dupont-Tisserandot and Humbert Freres against some of the other producers I had been thinking of, and also to look at several vintages of Camille Girouds, including 06 and 07 Chambertin and Latricieres. There was also a table containing a bottle from each producer, which gave the opportunity to try one wine and decide whether it was worth exploring more and enduring the inevitable awkwardness of a wary importer meeting an eager producer.
Overall it was pretty hard work, the recent bottling of most wines reflected in their dry finish and protruding structure. I'm not sure I learnt a lot, except a couple of producers to avoid.
From there it was off to the Gilly les Citeaux for the Chambolle Musigny/Morey St Denis tasting, and what a relief it was. So much sweet fruit, soft tannins and finesse from some of the 46 exhibitors here. I made a beeline for the Mugnier table as I'd tasted twice previously at this domaine and like to badger them regularly. Freddie is affable and his assistant Audrey is gorgeous -- although now a married mum of one, I'm a sucker for her dark Audrey Tautou eyes and hair and, strangely, her English accent! She spent a couple of years in Kent, it seems.
Mugnier was smart enough not to bottle before the show, so the 08 Chambolle Musigny, NSG Clos de la Marechale and Musigny all looked fine, fruity and friendly. He's too cagey on where to place the vintage, let alone the 09s that the Americans have been going gaga about, but he admitted he wasn't about to rain on their parade if they wanted to start another buying frenzy. Mugnier has no need to pour wines at such a show but to support his community and try to attract more punters for his peers.
Other highlights were Camille Giroud (they showed each wine in the relevant appellation venue), Lucie & Auguste Lignier (great to compare 07s, 08s and 09s for various cuvees) and Faiveley, whose new softer approach has made the world of improvement to their wines.
A few more quick swirls and spits and it was off to the Chateau du Clos Vougeot for 60 Vosne Romanee exhibitors. This was apparently a scrum for most of the day and hence why I wanted to save it for late in the piece when the crowds had dispersed. The tactics worked perfectly -- it wasn't so much of a drama to get a pour and then to get to a barrel spittoon.
The acids showed quite prominently here, but I enjoyed tastings at Anne Gros, Meo-Camuzet, Comte Liger Belair and Alex Gambal. Was tempted by Lamarche but the wines looks a bit dry and stern, while Jean-Marc Millot has great holdings but I am still concerned about hygiene and reduction in some of the wines.
Actually I've learned a fair bit about the olfactory signs of reduction and the role different vineyard soils can play in creating this character: clay is a big contributor.
I skipped the NSG venue altogether and just as well. By the time I had circuited three venues I had major palate fatigue and it was getting harder and harder to avoid tannin overload. I don't know how some people taste and rate hundreds of wines in a day. As I was to find out, liking or disliking something in the middle of a tasting didn't necessarily mean anything when it came to sitting down with a bottle at the end of the day.
Hmmm, as if the first two days weren't busy enough, my evening entertainment involved having dinner with my wonderful friends David and Helena, who are soon to be Mr & Mrs Jenkins.
David has just bought into a wine business in the UK and was over to scout for good value producers from just out of the mainstream. I might have been better off tagging along with him! Anyway, we had an acceptable meal and three decent bottles of wine while we solved the problems of the world. Not such a good idea was a 1964 Armagnac as a nightcap. At 40 or 45% alcohol, it was tough work for me, a non-spirits drinker. David seemed to be getting his second wind and at 6.30am I could only hold my throbbing head as I pictured the two of them having to get up for the three-hour-plus drive to Champagne for their next appointment!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)