Outside the law: Burgundians Anne Gros and Jean-Paul Tollot's "Table Wine" from Minervois

It’s as if these two Burgundians have run away to the South of France and created something great for the village party. The name of the wine, La 50/50, refers to the winemakers partnership rather than the blend and Anne Gros asks on her website, "Is it love at first sight? Absolutely!"

There's a sunny joyness about this wine from South and a sort of recklessness that appeals: it has all the spicy richness of the Languedoc but with the weight and core minerality you expect from her Vosne-Romanee (the Minervois vineyard is at the same altitude as Gros' vineyards in Burgundy, although this does not explain the weight: I’d say the style has more to do with the deftness of the winemakers). A blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Carignan, it is labelled as Vin de Table, or the lowest classification, where it is illegal to show the vintage on the label – although they have, trickily, in the form of "Lot no: 2009".

All this rebellion put me in the mood for a good time. And a good time was had with a slow-cooked pork ragu and excellent company.

2009 La 50/50 Vin de Table Domaine Anne Gros et Jean-Paul Tollot Vin de Table, Minervois - £15.95 from Lea & Sandeman Notting Hill

Image: Gainsbourg and Bardot, Bonnie and Clyde

Languedoc Seduction: Domaine Peyre Rose Clos des Cistes 2002

While most Languedoc wines from the difficult vintage of 2002 had the taster asking, “How bad can you be?” This wine is like being in a secluded corner at a crowded party and whispering the same thing. Winemaker Marlene Soria has achieved a grand clandestine moment with 2002 Peyre Rose Clos des Cistes.

Perhaps the most intriguing thing about this wine is not the dramatic Mediterranean garrigue character, nor the resolutely non-berry style of the dark rose and golden figs, leather and slight bay-leaf menthol. It is the fleshiness given to this powerful, idiosyncratic voice from the South of France: a region where a lot of voices have yet to find out what they exactly want to say.

Compelled to find out more, I learned Soria stopped shipping to the US soon after gaining recognition in Wine Spectator as well as dumping the three previous vintages (1999, 2000, 2001) with the local wine co-operative due to taint from faulty enamel tanks. This, for a wine that easily commands over £60 a bottle.

I questioned whether I should write about the vinous equivalent of a one-night stand, one that you and I may never see again (it is found in the UK in seriously low quantities). Yet, weeks later, its mysterious voice and dramatic energy still lingers in the memory and shows just how great the Syrah blend from the Languedoc really can be.

Late Night Sessions: Pic St Loup, Bergerie de l’Hortus, Languedoc 2008

Home: Wolf Mountain, Mediterranean

Translation: Pic-St-Loup, South of France

Sound: Pick the Wolf, Howling

Honest: yes

Satisfying: yes

Traditional: A little

Need to eat: No

Not for: Thin Merlot lovers

Ideal with: Those born too late for cheap Rhone

Or: Poor Man's Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Or: Who cares? This is good.

Nerdy Fact: Leading AOC for quality in Languedoc S France

More: here

MORE Late Night Sessions notes and music here: www.wwslatenightsessions.tumblr.com

UK Stockist Berry Bros & Rudd

Image: Rene Gruau

Valentine's Day: wine for the cynical and jaded

Saying pink champagne is romantic is as delusional as saying Paris is feminine when one look at a map shows the city is a continuous paean to military conquests. The best Rose Champagne is not hearts and fluffy toys, it usually has a strong Pinot Noir constitution that can withstand many different food assaults. So if you must buy into the most commercial of days etc etc…

Fast Movers: 3 Popular Wines in London Today

Perhaps deep down I’ve always subscribed to the Oscar Wilde school of thought that Everything Popular is Wrong. So imagine my surprise when I asked my friends in wine shops to tell me what is popular. What wines are making people crazy with excitement? Having some time on my hands this month, I also witnessed the frenzy first hand. These wines’ popularity defy the prescription that wine has to be cheap, boring and of the same-same grape variety. If these styles are popular, then I am sure Oscar Wilde would approve my longing to be wrong:

2009 Burgundy & Colette: "the lovesick, the betrayed and the jealous all smell alike."

"But what is the heart, madame? It's worth less than people think. it's quite accommodating, it accepts anything. You give it whatever you have, it's not very particular. But the body... Ha! That's something else again. It has a cultivated taste, as they say, it knows what it wants. A heart doesn't choose, and one always ends up by loving." — Colette (The Pure and the Impure)

In Burgundy in 1916, the Negociant Chauvenet sponsored the author Colette to support the Negociants against the local Growers.

2009 Beaucastel: Orchestral Manouevres in the Dark

2009 Chateau Beaucastel En Primeur Tasting

Tasting Chateau Beaucastel en primeur is like pressing pause on a moment in Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto, currently hurtling through space on the 1977 Voyager Space Probe Golden Record as a record of mighty human achievement.

Cabernet by Stealth: Chinon, by Alliet

The 2006 Chinon Vieilles Vignes from Phillipe Alliet may start out as a typical 100% Cabernet Franc from Chinon: pale ruby, fresh and light dominated by raspberry characters, but this Cabernet Franc can not be simply described as Cabernet Sauvignon without the heavy cape.

Arthouse Loire 2009

Skillfully made but distinctly low budget, 2009 Loire is an excellent remedy to the high madness of 2009 Bordeaux primeurs. Forget Bordeaux. Everything under £10 in Loire in 2009 is good value. More than good, excellent value.

Bordeaux En Primeur 2009 vs The Volcano

Ejafjallajokull may have told Europe to kiss it's ash during the week, but volcano or no volcano, the 2009 En Primeur show must go on.

Savennières: what's cool in wine right now

Sit up straight. Now pay attention. I’m not going to say this twice.Savennières commands. The Chenin Blanc from the region in the Loire, doesn’t care about being popular or relaxing in front of the television at the end of the day. Turn the television off, says this wine, this is going to be a serious conversation about ideas.

Ten wines to buy 2009 Bordeaux En Primeur

a beautiful dream...

Following on from my post En Primeur - five questions to ask before buying I'd like to share with you the list of 10 clarets I'd buy from Bordeaux 2009 En Primeur.*

Notice there are no first growths or fashionable names (Mouton, Lafite, Margaux, Cheval Blanc, Ausone etc). En Primeur on this level is more about obtaining the limited allocation rather than buying for long-term drinking. They have their own allocations and prices determined by their own market, which exists in another stratosphere.

This is a fantasy shop, but it's a realistic fantasy shop. There are a few cases in my list for around £200 - £240.

Without knowing the prices yet, nor the demand (will China be a huge presence in En Primeur buying this year, after all? The debate continues...) here is my fantasy shopping list of 2009 Bordeaux based on quality/value and good long-term drinking pleasure based on reports from last week at the En Primeur tasting.

So, let's go shopping!

Price Guide - expensive to value £££££ - £

1. Leoville Poyferre, St-Julien £££

2. Pontet Canet, Pauillac ££ - £££

3. Domaine de Chevalier, Graves £ - £££

4. Grand Puy Lacoste, Pauillac £££

5. Clos du Marquis, St-Julien £££ - ££££

6. Smith Havt Lafite, Graves ££

7. Haut Bailly, Graves ££

8. Calon Segur, St Estephe £££ - ££££

9. La Fleur Gazin, Pomerol £ - ££

10. Chateau Poujeaux, Moulis £

Image: Sofia Sanchez

* based on instant twitter updates from tasters attending the En Primeur tastings in Bordeaux

Link: En Primeur - five questions to ask before you buy

Link: Bordeaux 2009 En Primeur - the dispatches, Dr Vino wine blog

En Primeur - five questions to ask before you buy

What is En Primeur?

En Primeur is the art of buying wine when it is still in cask before it is bottled. There is usually a two year wait before it is finally delivered, which happens shortly after the wine is bottled and shipped. After vintage, wine merchants and writers visit the Estates, Domaines or Chateau to assess the quality for their customers. This is when the campaign begins.

In the United States, buying wine En Primeur is known as Wine Futures, which is slightly more demystifying; it clearly links the buying of unbottled wine in cask to the concept of buying futures on the stockmarket. It's the same level of reward. And risk.

For those who don’t know much about Bordeaux, En Primeur can be on the trickier end of wine buying. For those who do, it can be a way to buy wine at a relatively low price which returns decades of enjoyment.

However, unlike other forms of investment, it’s a speculation you can eventually enjoy drinking. And if you do it right, you’ll always have quality wine on hand at a fraction of the future shelf price.

Right now, wine merchants are coming back with their report on the 2009 vintage in Bordeaux. Each year there will is a lot of hype between the facts; so, what do you look for when buying wine two years before it is bottled, often without having the chance to taste it?

Despite the very top Chateau bought on allocation (which means, only people who have a track record of buying Chateau such as Mouton-Rothschild etc are considered), there are still plenty of excellent buys to be found in Bordeaux. The question is how to pick wines right for you.

Five Questions to Ask

1. Are you buying from a reputable, solvent wine merchant who has a track history of delivering En Primeur?
2. Does this wine have the ability to age for at least 10 years (especially, Bordeaux)?
3. Is the base price reasonable enough to allow future growth in price?
4. Is this a good property but undervalued with respect to quality?
5. Is this one of the good to great vintages?

I remember one man at the Burgundy En Primeur in January wincing over an unbottled red, "At this stage," he said, "It's like children when they are young, you never really know how they will really turn out. And I've made some mistakes!" But he was still there again at the yearly tastings.

Apart from asking these 5 questions, I suggest starting with a Chateau you know and like, develop a relationship with your wine merchant over a period time and, most importantly, listen to your instincts!

Link: Ten wines to buy 2009 Bordeaux En Primeur