With Clare in the Medoc

Up early, mad rush to Blaye to catch the ferry - just - over the Gironde to the Medoc; 20 mins to Lamarque, in the dark. But it's warmed up a bit. Signs passing; Cussac Lannessan, Beychevelle (they say is for sale... again), Anthony Barton's Leoville and Lascasses, Gloria, Latour, Lynch Bages and its Village Bages, shut alas, so a coffee croissant on the harbour in Pauillac.

To the Merlaut family's Gruaud Larose. I remember the '72! Cordier. Had just started the Sunday Times Wine Club. Selling mostly unknown country wines, when ... the fine wine market collapsed. Suddenly we were buying this and other great clarets literally by the truckload, sticking on a fiver a case and selling the lot in hours. Amazing episode. Happy customers.

It's a Big estate. 42,000 cases 80 hectares. The '09 amazing already. Melted tannins. The 'Well behaved vintage' they are calling it. No stuck ferments or malo problems.

On to Talbot

Second wines. Memories of The Dinner last June. The magnums of '69!

Always very popular with our customers. Warm reception from Jean-Pierre Marly. We are the first buyers visiting.

Robert Parker's visiting in March to taste the 09's. And 07's. He wants re-assess. He should. There are some delightful 07's now.

To Pichon Longueville

'08 lovely

'07 also lovely smaller wine but all in the right proportions. Not at all mean.

'06 nicer than I remembered.

'05 wow. This'll take a long time. The big wines are the best but tire you when drunk young. You can only drink them on real 'occasions'. Otherwise you waste them.

'04 really lovely sweet little thing

'03 a tough mother. Burns you.

Pontet Canet

All so very natural ... they have four horses now. Alfred Tesseron is a hero. My favourite Medoc now.

Lynch Bages

Jean-Michel away, pity. He's long been the brightest star round here.

Les Ormes de Pez 08 – Serious.

Echo de Lynch Bages 08 – clever name; Echo, it is just that; identical to the Grand Vin, just fainter.

Lynch Bages 08 – amazing nose of distillery and floral things. Sturdy construction.

Buy a few cases of Blanc de Lynch Bages.


Back to base. Evening at La Clarière with JMS, Mark, two happy chaps from IT, and a couple of winemakers from Calatyud. JMS promised a quiet evening, just a little fish. He lied. Again.

Morning flew home no thanks to France's dreadful Air Traffic Controllers.

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