Paul Jaboulet, Les Jumelles, 1997 Cote-Rotie

Christmas is a time to enjoy oneself. We all indulge in guilty pleasures and some of us over-indulge. My extravagances this year were a few choice bottles of wine, some from my cellar that I have waiting to try, and others acquired from merchants or auctions, just because it's Christmas! Of course there were bubbles, the Pol Roger Brut Reserve NV was tasty. There were a couple of lovely burgundy whites, a Chablis 1er Cru and a Pouilly-Fuisse. Also, a good, but mildly disappointing (I think I built it up too much), Bodegas Muga Reserva, 2006 Seleccion Especial.

The Christmas wine I want to extol now however, is one I picked up at auction. A couple of months ago I placed a speculative bid on a pair of 1997 Cote-Roties (Les Jumelles) by Paul Jaboulet. Considering the following: An okay vintage, a good producer, a great region and a good level of bottle age (reliably well cellared), I expected my measly, but not ridiculous, punt to be out-bid easily. I placed my wager a good month before the close of play, thinking that it would be a nice treat in time for Christmas, but I thought I may have to up the stake at some point. As it happened, I forgot about it completely, and was surprised when 24h before the end of the auction I received a notification that I still held the winning bid. I think only one other person was bidding, and my maximum initial bid hadn't been reached yet either. By the time the auction had finished there were no more bids and I won the lot at a very reasonable price, including shipping.

Getting down to it then, The wines were delivered sharpish and in great condition (the seller will be getting a great review!). They rested in my cellar for a few weeks, before I prepared one in advance of drinking it alongside a post-Christmas roast dinner. I decanted it, there was a vast amount of sediments, and although this was not unexpected, I lost about 100ml at the end of the bottle. I had a quick sip straight away, and the wine seemed a little musty and oxidised. Nutty and farmyard-like aromas were at the fore on the nose, but the palate seemed fine, if a little resisting. The wine didn't seem off/corked but I was a little worried that it may be way past it's best, in terms of age! I left it alone while the roast dinner was sorted. This meant I came back to it about 2 hours later, and what a difference time can make...

So, now in the glass, the wine had a lovely light ruby colour with a level of garnet to it that belied it's age. It was actually quite translucent and seemed thin. It swirled with ease, all suggesting medium to light body. After time to air and breathe, the nose had become wonderfully full, rich and round. Multiple layers revealed themselves each time I went back and stuck my nose in! I'll describe everything as I wrote it down, this should best convey the journey of discovery described by my scribbled notes. The age was obvious at first, the woody aromas from the oak seemed old but rich and the nuttiness of before melded alongside tobacco. There was a whisper of smoke and a little spice too. Next came surprisingly sweet red fruit, almost floral, strawberry and raspberry combined with red cherry. After a while the fruit seemed to become a little like charred cassis, reminiscent of classic Bordeaux. I think this may have been because there was also something a little green about it, along with a hint of mint. The last thing I picked-up on was a savoury, almost salty, edge that made me think of pork, even bacon.

It took me quite a while to get on to actually tasting this wine. I sometimes find smelling a wine brings greater joy than drinking it. Now I haven't tasted an aged Cote-Rotie like this before. I think I've maybe only ever had one previously and it wouldn't have been old nor expensive. I didn't really know what to expect, but my first thought was, "that is nothing like an Ozzy Shiraz!". At first, it was sweet with refreshing, medium acidity. The tannins present were soft, smooth and mellow, not at all gripping. Another sign of age I guess. The lighter red fruits I got on the nose came though on the mid palate, alongside a light spice/pepper. This wine was seriously easy to drink. I rolled it around a fair amount before swallowing. The finish was not the longest I've experiencd, but was plenty long enough. Again the wine was so refreshing and made me want to drink more. There was, perhaps, only one issue, which was a slight hint of what I think was VA (the taste of vinegar). It didn't detract from the experience and was probably just another sign of old age.

To quote Hannibal Smith: "I love it when a plan comes together". My speculative punt on this old wine had indeed provided a lovely Christmas treat. This was a really complex old-timer, which is starting to show it's age and may not have long left. However, it was such a well made wine that all the usual descriptors have to be applied. It was well structured and balanced, with acidity, tannin, fruit and age all beautifully integrated together. I may very well be naive to give this wine high praise, after all I haven't tried many wines of 'real quality', but I don't really care. I'm very glad I have another one in the cellar, I don't think it will take me long to find an excuse to drink it!

#WineSwap

Last week saw the culmination of many tweets, a bit of haggling and some organisation. Last Tuesday evening I drove to a hotel about 20 minutes from my house, had a couple of drinks with a new friend, and exchanged 4 of my own bottles of wine with 4 of his. We performed a 'Wine Swap'!

To explain a bit, I'll go back in time a few months. I joined Twitter at a similar time to starting this blog. I started to follow many individuals who are involved in the wine industry, to try and keep up-to-date on current wine affairs. These were people I'd heard about, or read articles by, or knew in person already. Big names to start with, Jancis Robinson, Jamie Goode and Hugh Johnson for example. Now, Twitter does a useful thing, of telling you who else follows, or starts to follow, these people. It also advises you as to who you could follow based on your current Twitter activities. Through these kind suggestions, I came across the phenomenon of the #WineSwap (Hashtag WineSwap). This 'trend' was started by two chaps from Birmingham, Matt and James.

The #WineSwap was an idea they came up with, simply from doing it themselves, realising that it may take-off on a wider scale. Matt and James, and their other friends, were already talking about each others wines, discussing their collections. They decided that should one person buy a case of many bottles, it would be good to swap some of those for bottles from a mate's collection. When you only have a small collection, having many of the same wine takes up space and narrows your choice. Swapping some of those 'excess' wines for others, broadens your collection in an easy and trustworthy way. It allows you to try different styles of wine from different regions, producers or vintages. Twitter is simply the conduit tool for the idea. It makes it easy to spread the word using the trend '#WineSwap', acting as a search tool.

As well as this, the lads thought they would try something slightly different, which they call 'The Quest'. This idea is simply to exchange a bottle of wine worth £5, for a Chateau Latour 1982. Obviously, this won't be done in one go. The idea is to make incremental #WineSwaps, that steadily get them closer to the goal. I think they explain it slightly better on their website here. Matt and James blog about the Quest, so go and have a read, it's very interesting so far.

So, having gotten in touch with both Matt and James on Twitter, I told them I had some bottles I was willing to swap. In Matt's case, I'd read about his trip to Rioja, and was pleased when he wanted to swap some Bodegas Muga (Rioja Alta). James wanted to swap some excess Cru Bourgeois Bordeaux. The precise swaps were actually: a bottle each of Chateau La Tour de Bessan 2009 and Chateau Chasse-Spleen 2005, from my cellar, for Muga's Seleccion Especial 2009 and 2006 (respectively) from Matt. James wanted to swap 2 bottles of my Chateau Potensac 2008 for 2 bottles of his Chateau Poujeaux 2008. In all cases, these seem like very fair trades, in terms of both quality and worth.

Having arranged all this via Twitter, James met me at the hotel he was staying at while away for work. Conveniently for me, it was much closer than Birmingham, and James was to be there anyway. We met in the evening and had a couple of drinks, we chatted about a lot of wine-related things, especially the #WineSwap concept, and ultimately left with new wines.

The outcome to all this then, is that I feel I have not only expanded my cellar, but additionally made new acquaintances, and learned more about the world of wine. If I ever have bottles of wine I feel I don't need (a rare occurrence) or someone offers me a bottle (or two) of something I want, I shall most definitely consider a #WineSwap, it's a great idea! I certainly intend to keep in touch with Matt and James, and may try to wheedle my way in to tasting their '82 Latour!

Read more about the #WineSwap blog and keep up-to-date with the Quest at www.hashtagwineswap.co.uk. Or if you're interested in a WineSwap, look for the trend on Twitter.

Chateau Cambon la Pelouse, 2006, Haut-Medoc.

Now I know it's not #winewednesday, but I felt like a small reward was required having done a bit of long-awaited DIY. I decided to sample a wine that has been sat in the rack for a few months. I picked up a bottle of the 2006 Cambon la Pelouse in Morrisons, on a bit of a sale. I think it was about £12, down from about £16. This is a pretty good price for a 'Cru Bourgeois Superieur'. This is actually a somewhat defunct classification now, as the Cru Bourgeois system has had several revamps over the last 10 years. As of 2010, the 'superieur' and 'exceptionnel' titles have been lost, although a single-tier Cru Bourgeois still remains.

I bought this wine for two reasons. Firstly, it was a good value, mature claret that should be well in it's drinking window, so should be delicious. Secondly, I know that Sainsbury's are currently selling the same wine from the 2009 vintage. I was hoping to try a mature version of this wine, since the 2009 (although an early maturing vintage) would probably be a little young. Sainsbury's have the 2009 at just under £20, which is starting to become less bargainous, unless the wine is exceedingly good. If I liked the 2006 enough, it might be worth buying one or two of the 2009 for the cellar.

So, how is She? (That's right, i've anthropomorphised my wine!)

In the glass, the 2006 Cambon la Pelouse is an intense, deep, maroon red. Only a mild hint of purple, with a lighter, slightly brown edge. Good signs of a wine with a bit of bottle age. Up to the light, the wine is very clear, and shows a little more browny shades. On the nose, overwhelmingly classic. I'm not sure what the blend is with this wine, but i'd say it's a cracking example of a left-bank claret. Up front is a bunch of oaky, smokey aromas, some cedar wood and pencil lead. This is combined with ripe and juicy cassis. The blackcurrent is typical, but there is a little dark cherry too. In the layer underneath, i got something floral, maybe violets, a little bit of truffle and something really savoury, a little like chilli! Not spicy, this was like green peppers, but much less sweet. I tried hard, but i couldn't find any liquorice, which actually appeals to me.

On the palate, this is an exampe of a well-made, balanced wine. It doesn't sing as loudly as some wines i've experienced, but the sweet, dark fruits, especially blackcurrents are there, and the mouthfeel is smooth. In the finish, there are some tannins. Although fairly smooth and soft, they are a touch grainy and impart a chewy-ness. This isn't unpleasent really, and the finish lingers for a long time. It's a lovely, smooth finish with little, if any, pepper/spice.

This is a lovely wine, quite ready for drinking, although it still displays fruit, acidity and tannins that mean it should have a fair amount of life left. If the fruit hangs on, then there is a good amount of acidity and tannin to keep it's complexity.

I'm pleased with this wine and like it very much. It isn't a blockbuster, but is delightful, and it suited my 'I fancy a treat' whim. At £12 this was a great value Bordeaux. Considering the 2009 is a little more expensive, i'm not so sure it would be worth the investment without a sample first. However, i'm pleased enough with the 2006, that if Sainsbury's decide to put the 2009 on sale, it may very well be worth a blind punt! Let's wait and see...

Chateau Le Boscq, 2006 - It's the taking part that counts!

Nothing much written recently. Sorry, but I've had a busy work period, leading up to a holiday. This has meant not much time for extra-curricular activities. As such, writing about wine has been put on the back-burner. This evening though, I've been thinking that i should get back into it, and what to write about next.

There's a lot of potentially wonderful wine-related topics to choose from. I'm preparing for my WSET qualification and my head is swimming with possibilities. Right now though, I'm not in such an analytical mood. I would like to tell the world about the 2006 Chateau Le Boscq I'm drinking, but I'm struggling to put my finger on the aromas and the flavours. I know its good, but my eloquence isn't flowing!

It's at this point that i realise that maybe sometimes, that's all you need. I don't feel like analysing my wine this evening. I've been to a lot of tastings recently, and 'written-up' a lot of wines in my journal. Tonight, i'm just going to enjoy this wine for what it is. At a basic level, wine is a drink that should smell and taste good. It doesn't have to be broken down in to it's elements or scored.

For those who want to know if the Le Boscq '06 is any good, well, it is! It's a lovely, mature claret that smells and tastes good! It's nothing mind-blowing, but it's ready for drinking, and if you have some, or see some on a shop shelf, get it and drink it!

I'm about to get some cheese and biscuits to eat with my wine. I've quite anjoyed the realisation and rememberance that, ultimately, we're supposed to enjoy the products we buy and consume. So that's exactly what I'm going to do! I hope you enjoy whatever you're eating or drinking this evening. I know this yummy wine may not last long!

d'Arenberg 'The Dead Arm' Shiraz 2007

I've heard a few things about d'Arenberg wines over the last couple of years. I've been told their quirky names, but also that they're pretty reliable. I've been wanting to try one of their wines, in particular, for a while. 'The Dead Arm' Shiraz. I'd heard that it was a solid, fairly typical example of a big Aussie Shiraz. Big Shiraz should be packed full of ripe fruit. This gives them great aromaticity and concentration of flavour, but can lead to over-extraction and a tannic, chewy mouth-feel. The more balanced, smoother examples can be sumptuous though. As an example, the 2005 Bishop by r was one of the first Barossa Valley wines I'd tried, and that really did not disappoint! Incidentally, I've also tried d'Arenberg's fortified Shiraz, 2005, and that was crazy yummy!

The Dead Arm Shiraz from d'Arenberg is made from McLaren Vale vines infected with a fungus called Eutypa lata. This disease kills-off one 'arm' of the vine, turning it to deadwood. The other half of the vine continues to produce a small but ripe crop of berries. The grapes are small but full of flavour. The grapes are hand harvested and processed with great care. After fermentation, the wine is aged in new oak (french and American) for 22 months. I don't know much about Australian vintages so I cannot comment on 2007 being good or bad. However, one of the main attractions of new-world climates, is that they're more consistent than in Europe. This means that vintages, unless they're really bad, are perhaps less important.

I have to say i was not disappointed at all by the Dead Arm. This is a really lovely wine. I didn't decant it, which may have been a mistake. However, on the first evening of drinking it, i left it in the glass for 20 minutes before tasting, so it had a reasonable amount of air. The second evening showed what happens to good wine if you give it time. All the aromas and flavours grew and intensified.

In the glass the wine was really deep in colour. A dark red/purple with only a slight lightening as it thinned at the edges. There was a tiny hint of age at the rim, with a slight 'bricking' of colour. The wine was dense and viscous when swirling, and the tears were heavy and alcoholic. The nose of this wine jumped out at me. I swear I could smell it at arm's length while swirling the glass on the table! The nose was big and bold, and classically Shiraz. Concentration came first, with bits of light, sweet red fruits, raspberries and then cherries. The largest proportion of the aromatics came in the form of lightly smokey, spiced black pepper, liquorice and vanilla. The sweetness seemed to be centered around, what I thought was, quite herbaceous green peppers. Overall the nose is so full, ripe and juicy that it makes your mouth water. The palate follows on from the nose, with ripe, slightly jammy, sweet fruit. The body is on the fuller side, as expected, and soft tannins are present through the middle. This means a very smooth, rounded mouth-feel. Although slightly chewy towards the end, it is not at all bitter. The finish is really long. The fruitiness remains with only a hint of spice.

Although this is a great wine, it is expensive. I think it's about worth it if you're looking for this style of wine and need reliability. It's obviously well made with all elements in balance. The high alcohol (14.5%) is melded beautifully with the fruit and tannins, and just the right acidity remains for such warm-climate grapes. The 2007 is showing the first signs of age, but the firmness of tannins, acidity and fruit should see this wine living for many years yet. I found this Dead Arm in Tesco's, of all places, at about £25. Online would probably be your best bet for picking this up a little cheaper.