Amphorae and other different, more or less exotic, maturation vessels are seemingly invading Burgundy. One can now find elevage in traditional terracotta amphorae, ceramic vessels, glass vats, stainless steel vats, and then of course the numerous variations on oak and its toasting. This is …
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Visit to Domaine Leflaive – Tasting the 2021s Before Bottling
The 2021 vintage in many ways comes from an annus horribilis, especially if you are located in Côte de Beaune and make white wine. The April frost struck hard and also somewhat randomly, leaving some vineyards denuded of fruit, according to Domaine Leflaive winemaker Pierre Vincent. The estate …
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Beaujolais Highlights: 2021 and 2022
When I attend big tastings, it's to gather inspiration - a key thing, really. Having the opportunity to blend in and taste randomly and relatively anonymously gives you the opportunity to pick and choose without being worried about offending the participating vignerons. At the "Bien Boire en …
Flavour of the Year 2023: The Winner is Bastian Wolber
I find it gratifying to promote new, talented people and estates; this is one of the primary functions of the Winehog. To explain this initiative a bit more, while I find the work of young vignerons like Charles Lachaux truly admirable, these well-known producers already have the complete …
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The talented Mr Wolber!
I tasted the wines of Bastian Wolber for the first time in October 2022, and I already sensed back then that I was in the presence of a very promising vigneron. I'm always cautious when proclaiming new or potentially new stars, as this has an inflationary tendency; not everyone can be a star. …