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
Cognac 2017
Getting to know Cognac
Emma Briffett learns about the dedication put into creating our Society and Exhibition Cognacs, even witnessing one of them being blended, and changes from a relative Cognac novice to an avid enthusiast.
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Portugal 2017
A tale of two trade fairs
Joanna Locke MW on two terrific trade fairs in Porto and Lisbon, tips for tourists and updates on Vinho Verde, Bairrada and Dão.
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Burgundy 2016
Assessing Burgundy
Freddy Bulmer joins buyer for Burgundy Toby Morrhall for the last leg of his trip to assess wines from the 2015 vintage. He shares his thoughts on tasting you Burgundy and why it holds more mystery for him than Bordeaux and introduces us to some of the growers he met.
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England 2016
Blending Three Choirs
English wines are increasingly valued by members and we are lucky enough to have exclusive blends from long-time producers, Three Choirs. So what better place to start learning about blending wines than on our own shores with some master blenders?
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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!’