Wine of the Day

This was served at lunch at Chateau Talbot last Friday 7 December 2018. The colour is bright light gold. Ripe and rich. Vanilla spiced fruit that also shows dried citrus peel, cloves and cinnamon. Full-bodied. Best enjoyed with food. Outstanding with the scallop dish (pictured). “My grandfather (Georges Cordier, son …

Chablis and Macon are two of the best-value white Burgundy. One reason for their wonderful value and price ratio is that the vast majority are produced without any oak contact (a new French oak barrique forwhite wine costs around US$600). Macon and Chablis also provide the beginner and true wine …

Bright light straw. The nose and palate are one and the same, a weave of apple/pear/melon/citrus/vanilla. Elegant, fresh, subtle, and tensioned. Expertly balanced. Medium-plus-ish bodied. I am a big fanof Bob Cartwright, who was headwinemaker at Leeuwin Estate from 1978 until he retired in September 2005, an impressive portfolio of …

On The Grapevine Chardonnay 2017 Bright light straw with a green tinge. Whiff of vanilla (most probably from oak chips), pineapple, and passionfruit. Medium-bodied. Round, creamy-ish fruit with a bite of lemon zest on the end. Well-made, balanced white with unmistakeable Chardonnay profile. From family-owned and family-managed McWilliams of Australia. …

Franciacorta – south of Milan and Venice and north of Bologna – produces Italy’s finest sparkling wine. Bellavista Alma Gran Cuvée is one of the best. Pale green light straw. Minerally, honey, herbs, almost a garrigue quality. A touch waxy. The fruit is ripe, round, and very elegant. Medium-plus bodied. Bellavista …

Bright light straw. Flint, slate, hint of kerosene, lemon/lime zesty, zipping fruit of intensity, persistence and length. About full-bodied. Rheingau-like but with firm, crisp dryness on the finish. Frankland Estate – in the remote southernmost bottom of Western Australia – was founded in 1988 by Barrie Smith and Judi Cullam. …

Brothers Cameron and AllisterAshmead have dedicated theirtop red to their mother Lorraine“who has done everything to make our lives easy”. The blend is 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Shiraz and 12% Merlot. The Bordeaux varieties have done a very good job of shaping and contouring the exuberanceof the Shiraz, giving it much …

This Provencal estate is owned by the same proprietors of Chateau Talbot, namely Jean-Paul Bignon and Nancy Bignon-Cordier. It is named for one of their daughters, whose nick-name is Lily. Light pink, the blend is of Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, and Rolle (also known as Tempranillo). Peach and delicate red fruit …

This is the white wine of Chateau Lagrange, the Third Growth of St-Julien. In 2017, because of the spring frost, 90% of production was lost. As such, the 6 hectare vineyard only produced a thousandbottles. Chateau Lagrange decidednot to sell any Arums de Lagrangeand kept the entire 2017 production to …

Very light in colour. The nose is a gentle wave of limes. And the palate very elegant. Medium-bodied, fresh, and delicious as an aperitif and with dim sum, tempura, and around the swimming pool. This is an Entre-deux-Mers comprising 85% Sauvignon Blanc and 15% Semillon. Initio is a brand started …