Allegedly what Avery's used to do was to add a bottle or two of vintage (of course) port to every barrel of Burgundy to beef it up. Being a born and bred Bristolian I have drunk quite a few of their bottlings from the 1960s and 70s and can well believe it. They were soupy farmyardy and bretty.
Our first vintage in the Languedoc, 1994, we attempted to make a VDP wine that would please our burgundy-phile palates from what raw materials we had. We found a blend of approximately 60% Merlot, 25-30% Carignan and 10-15% Cinsault had the freshness (from Carignan) and elegance (from the Cinsault) to balance the strength and ripeness of the Merlot.
But we didn't have the finances (and courage) to bottle the whole cuvée and we sold off most of it in bulk. When we were loading the tanker I noticed that the delivery address was in Aloxe Corton. In 1994 there were only 2 negotiants in Aloxe Corton and both made exclusively "Grand Vin de Bourgogne".
I'd like to think that Don Hewittson would have been happy with their 1994s.
Seem to recall there being a little too much detail about the cellar at Combe Florey in AW's otherwise entertaining autobiography. Shame he didn't live long enough to fully appreciate it.
I guess lovers of good old British Burgundy would appreciate Lebanon's Château Musar. Certainly Auberon Waugh loved it and devoted a whole cellar to it.
When Ron Burgundy exploded on to the scene, his arrogance caused these wines to lose popularity, especially among the British who disliked him intensely.
It was the discovery of Resveratrol and its potentially life extending health benefits that steered wine enthusiasts to Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir supposedly has the highest content of Resveratrol.
The Chorey was always very popular when I was selling it, great value from a "lesser village" before heading for pricier slopes !
The vines from Les Beaumonts were amongst the oldest still in production, circa 70% planted around 1912 or 1918 depending on which version of history I recalled.
yep 2020 was hot. back to front harvesting reds before whites in some cases. Greg (winemaker) mastered being braver with less extraction in winemaking process in recent years to keep the lighter elegant style that should be on show for all Burgundies really.
Allegedly what Avery's used to do was to add a bottle or two of vintage (of course) port to every barrel of Burgundy to beef it up. Being a born and bred Bristolian I have drunk quite a few of their bottlings from the 1960s and 70s and can well believe it. They were soupy farmyardy and bretty.
I enjoyed them and actually rather miss them.
Our first vintage in the Languedoc, 1994, we attempted to make a VDP wine that would please our burgundy-phile palates from what raw materials we had. We found a blend of approximately 60% Merlot, 25-30% Carignan and 10-15% Cinsault had the freshness (from Carignan) and elegance (from the Cinsault) to balance the strength and ripeness of the Merlot.
But we didn't have the finances (and courage) to bottle the whole cuvée and we sold off most of it in bulk. When we were loading the tanker I noticed that the delivery address was in Aloxe Corton. In 1994 there were only 2 negotiants in Aloxe Corton and both made exclusively "Grand Vin de Bourgogne".
I'd like to think that Don Hewittson would have been happy with their 1994s.
That's a great story. It sounds like a delicious wine. I love 'southern burgundy' as a style.
Seem to recall there being a little too much detail about the cellar at Combe Florey in AW's otherwise entertaining autobiography. Shame he didn't live long enough to fully appreciate it.
I guess lovers of good old British Burgundy would appreciate Lebanon's Château Musar. Certainly Auberon Waugh loved it and devoted a whole cellar to it.
Good point, I'm a big Musar lover myself.
I do think the only way for you to have done that experiment is with at least double the cremant beforehand. Which one was it?
It was a cremant de bourhognr from Bailly La Pierre, top of the range, about £26. Superb
Will keep an eye out!
Let’s not forget, Brits add milk to tea just to soften the tannins. Probably the last people the world should be taking wine advice from.
When Ron Burgundy exploded on to the scene, his arrogance caused these wines to lose popularity, especially among the British who disliked him intensely.
It was the discovery of Resveratrol and its potentially life extending health benefits that steered wine enthusiasts to Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir supposedly has the highest content of Resveratrol.
The Chorey was always very popular when I was selling it, great value from a "lesser village" before heading for pricier slopes !
The vines from Les Beaumonts were amongst the oldest still in production, circa 70% planted around 1912 or 1918 depending on which version of history I recalled.
Normally love a Chorey but this is just too extracted , I think. Had some other 2020 Burgundies with the same problem.
yep 2020 was hot. back to front harvesting reds before whites in some cases. Greg (winemaker) mastered being braver with less extraction in winemaking process in recent years to keep the lighter elegant style that should be on show for all Burgundies really.