Burgundy 10 years on
A decade after his last visit to the region, fine wine manager Shaun Kiernan shadows our buyer Toby Morrhall as he tastes and selects wines for our en primeur offer of 2016 Burgundies
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Continuing The Burgundy Quest
Visiting suppliers old and new, Shaun and Toby find few unaffected by the devastating spring frosts, but the pattern is a mixed one and at the growers they visit, there is no problem with quality!
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Photo Gallery
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Burgundy 2017
The tiny shop and reception area at Domaine Berthaud in Fixin – quite different from the grand châteaux of Bordeaux! We don’t yet buy the wines from here, but they are definitely one we shall be keeping an eye on.
Experience trips to other countries with our buying team
Burgundy 2017
Burgundy: tasting the 2016s
The output of some Burgundian cellars is tiny at the best of times, so Toby had his work cut out securing parcels for our en primeur offer. I joined him for a week of this quest.
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Beaujolais 2017
Growing Beaujolais
It’s not often that we examine the economics of wine regions, but it’s crunch time in Beaujolais with many growers going out of business. Buyer Toby Morrhall reports on changes taking place to transform the landscape and fortunes of this region and gets under the skin of Beaujolais’ top crus.
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Provence 2017
Pursuing pinks: two days in Provence
Forget fedoras and linens, if you're on a buying trip to Provence in January, you'd better pack your woollies!
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South America 2016
Stories from South America
Buyer Toby Morrhall shares his experiences from visits to Chile and Argentina, finding the best Chilean carmenère, spending a weekend on the coast with Cristóbal Undurraga, the art of the asado, and the romantic tale behind a new chenin blanc from Roberto de la Mota
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Burgundy 2017
The delightful Nathalie Tollot of Domaine Tollot-Beaut, delicious pretty Chorey made here but sadly severely hit by frost in 2016.
Burgundy 2017
‘Jérôme Galeyrand's Les Retraits Côte de Nuits Villages was an excellent introduction to the 2016 vintage and a great way to start my trip!’ Shaun Kiernan, Fine Wine Manager.
Burgundy 2017
The laughing Alain Coche (right) with our buyer Toby Morrhall at Domaine Coche-Bizouard in Meursault. Despite the early hour, he didn’t seem to be spitting out the wine – ‘breakfast of winemakers’!
Burgundy 2017
Just one of the impressive gateways we passed on our travels through Burgundy assessing the 2016 vintage.
Burgundy 2017
The line up of lovely whites at Domaine Vincent and Sophie Morey and a table for Shaun Kiernan to put his glass on (most visits involved a tricky balancing act of glass holding and note writing which went horribly wrong at one cellar!)
Burgundy 2017
An Englishman in Chambertin – winemaker Mark Fincham at Domaine Tawse is laid back and funny but also a great communicator with many a tale to tell. His Mazoyères-Chambertin was a knock-out too.
Burgundy 2017
Lessons in pruning – Marathon-running Jean-Philippe Fichet in Meursault drew us a picture on his smart red tanks to illustrate his pruning technique. He chops off the vine’s superficial roots to encourage the main one to dig deeper into the soil and get more nutrients and minerals.
Burgundy 2017
Ghislaine Barthod with her aptly named dog, Musigny before just before Shaun Kiernan dropped his tasting glass. ‘I was more concerned about the dog's paws than the Chambolle-Musigny Beaux Bruns being poured!’