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Domaine Grand Veneur - Châteauneuf-du-Pape - Rudding Park Tasting Dinner

Monsieur Christophe Jaume of Domaine Grand Veneur travelled especially to host this wonderful occasion. He talked most eloquently and passionate about his wines. His audience were captivated, not only by his enthusiasm but also by his intensive and arduous work, necessary to produce these wonderful wines. It takes dedication of generations to bring out the best of this unique “terroir” - man working closely with nature.

Domaine Grand Veneur is situated right next to the famous Domaine de Beaucastel. The characteristic terroir of Châteauneuf-du-Pape comes from this layer of quartzite stones, remnants of Alpine glaciers that have been carried down by the Rhône River. The rocks are famous for retaining the heat from the plentiful sun, some 2800 hours a year, releasing it at night, ripening the grapes faster.

The powerful mistral wind carries away the moisture, intensifying the dry climate. In the north and north-east the famous galets roulés, round rocks or pebbles covering the clay soil. The stones can also serve as a protective layer to help retain moisture in the soil during the dry summer months. It is the combination of climate and “terroir” which gives the wines from Châteauneuf du Pape their distinct character and appeal.


Wines on the evening included:

2008 Cotes du Rhone Blanc “Viognier” - Domaine Grand Veneur
Exclusively made from Viognier. An ideal aperitif, with a fresh and clean palate and melon aromas.

2008 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc - Domaine Grand Veneur
20 % White Grenache, 30% Roussanne, 50% Clairette. A fantastic white Châteauneuf-du-Pape which matched the Seabass perfectly!

2008 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc “La Fontaine” - Domaine Grand Veneur
More akin to a Burgundy style wine, producing a wine exclusively made from the Roussanne grape take great care and dedication. The wine shows great aging potential.

2007 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge - Domaine Grand Veneur
A typical Grenache dominated blend. Showing all the typical forest fruit aromas and silky tannins, this wine proved to be a great accompaniment for the loin of venison.

2006 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge “Les Origines” Domaine Grand Veneur – en Magnum
A very small yield production. Matured for 18 months in new oak casks. There is no better way to appreciate a wine than in Magnum format! Having now aged in bottle for nearly 4 years, the Châteauneuf-du-Pape red "Les Origines" is maturing and showing great signs of development. It showed wonderful black fruits, jams and spiced aromas. A wine which certainly evolved in the glass during the dinner!

Marc de Châteauneuf-du-Pape - Domaine Grand Veneur
To finish a grape brandy was served, which is made from the distillation of the destemmed and dried marcs. The distillate obtained is stored in oak casks and aged in the cellar for about 5 years.

These prize winning wines are available from Earle Wines either by mail order or online at www.earlewines.com

2009 Bordeaux vintage is set to be the best of the 21st century

The young wines will not be tasted until next year, but growers are already convinced that 2009 clarets will better the near-perfect 2005 vintage.

"Nature has been extremely generous, it is sumptuous," said Denis Dubourdieu, director of the Bordeaux Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences and a renowned winemaker.

Growers said the mix of fine days but cool, dry nights in the final days before grape picking began last month had been the finest since 1949.

The cool nights stopped the grapes from over-ripening and added sophistication. July and August were ideally hot and sunny. Then just when drought threatened to stop the grapes from ripening and developing crucial tannins to help age the wines, the rain came.

As a result, he said, the grapes have all the sugar content, colour and fruitiness found in the greatest of vintages.

Please look at our recent en primeur article for more information

http://earlewines.blogspot.com/2009/09/earle-wines-investments.html

Pierre Gimonnet Champagne

It was after 1955 that the wines of Pierre Gimonnet et Fils began to demonstrate the character that we see in them today. At this time Michel, Pierre's son, set about creating a range of Champagnes which would typify the exclusively Chardonnay Gimonnet style. Recognising the quality of the vineyards at hand, Michel raised the standard of the wines to match, and this has been continued through the next generation who continue to run the domaine today; Olivier and Didier Gimonnet, Michel's sons.

They have continued to pursue their ethos of focusing on specific vineyard sites and expressions of terroir. Their meticulous data collecting and attention to detail ensure individual Champagne of the highest quality.

Champagne Pierre Gimonnet Premier Cru 'Cuis' NV @ £22.50 ex VAT








http://men.style.com/theupgrader/living/champagne/Pierre-Gimonnet-and-Fils

CHÂTEAU COLOMBIER MONPELOU 2000

PAUILLAC
Cru Bourgeois Supérieur

In the official wine classification of 1855 Château Colombier-Monpelou, by some quirk of fate, was left out. That particular sin of omission did not deter the present owner, Bernard Jugla, from acquiring the property thirty years ago, since when he has brought his considerable knowledge and skill to constantly improving the quality of this wonderful wine.

The Château shares the Pauillac landscape with some impressive neighbours – Lafite-Rothschild & Mouton-Rothschild; who have recently aquired the 25 hectare estate, Grand Puy Ducasse and Pedesclaux - and if that is not recommendation enough, then the fact that Monsieur Jugla is President of the Paulliac producers should be. He is greatly respected by his peers and his wine-making skills ensure full-bodied, opulent wines with a rich and intense colour, ideal for laying down and keeping as they are best drunk at full maturity.

The 2000 vintage is hailed as a “grande année” for the wine producers of Bordeaux and is drinking well now.

Cru Bourgeois de Paulliac Château Colombier Monpelou 2000 @ £17.95 per btl (£20.64 inc VAT)

www.earlewines.com/wine/chateau-colombier-monpelou

Robert Parker Wine Spectator 2006, USA

Decanter Magazine 26th March 2001, United Kingdom

Earle Wines Investments

SPREAD YOUR INVESTMENT RISK
en primeur 2009

It must be said that most of Earle Wines’ customers buy wine from us to drink, if not immediately, then at least eventually. However we do keep our eye on Bordeaux en primeur (wine bought before it has been estate bottled, of which will be aged at least 2 years in oak barrels beofre being released). The 2009 Bordeaux vintage is certainly well-worth buying en primeur for the pleasure it will bring when it starts maturing but there is another reason why you might consider laying some down for the future.

Quite simply, the return for money invested in wine can and very often does out-perform the top ten performing FTSE shares. Profits from wines are free of both capital gains tax and income tax and, unlike stocks and shares, you can choose whether to sell at a future date for profit, or to keep some or all of your investment and enjoy the considerable pleasure of drinking it. Your pleasure can be stretched even further if you add the smugness factor - knowing you are drinking a wine that is worth a lot more than you paid for it!

There are risks in investing in wine just as there are investing in anything else because, for example the élevage in barrel and bottling can go wrong. However modern wine-making techniques do make these eventualities less likely nowadays and there is the added interest in the vintage being the latest harvest ever both on the Right and Left bank.

Earle Wines have been working closely with François Janoueix, one of the top wine producers & negociants in the Libournais, and we have put together a group of wines which qualities are comparable to their first growth neighbours and therefore represent good value for money. We have of course, a unique list of Cru Classé and Cru Bourgeois.

Please do not hesitate to telephone or e-mail us if you would like to discuss buying wine en primeur or Bordeaux wines in greater depth.

Domaine de Raissac

Gustave Viennet is a wine-maker of Domaine de Raissac. His Chardonnay Le Parc, wine of the country Languedoc-Roussillon has been placed among the initial brands of the Terra Wine Collection.

Domaine de Raissac has very old wine-making traditions. Six generations of the family work in the Domaine since 1828, growing vines and making wine.

Three types of soil can be found in the vineyards of Raissac. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carignan grow well on the hill tops with loamy lime soil. Chardonnay and Viognier prefer alluvial soil covered with siliceous tertiary sediments. Gravel terraces are optimal for Grenache and Syrah.

Amongst this fabulous array of terroir, situated on top of the ruins of a Roman villa, lies Château de Raissac

The Viognier - 'Les Cres' is featured on the Enjoying Vigonier website www.enjoyingviognier.com and can be found at http://viognier.co.uk/wines/wine110.html

Jean Viennet from an old family of wine growers and artists has carried foward two passions : wine and painting. In 1975 Jean ended his first period of painting to concentrate solely on the Domaine. He invested in new vinification methods with the use of temperature controlled fermentation vats and hygrometry in the cellars. He also set up the 'Club des Grands Vins de Châteaux du Languedoc'. Later Gustave and Marie Vinnet took a lead role in the Domaine operations and Jean took up painting again, much to Elyette Peyre 's assiduous advice.

In 1996 he exhibited at the Galerie Mercure in Béziers, 1998 Galerie Elyette Peyre, Rue Visconti in Paris, 2001 the Exhibition of draws in Geneva, and later exhibitions in Paris and Bruxelles.

In 2003 & 2004 he completed 'Domaine des Arts' in the Languedoc and in 2005 'Birth of Mermaids', Château de Raissac. Much of his work can be seen on the Domaine website and found in the Béziers art gallaries and of course around the Château.