Vinous Table: The Black Bull, Sedbergh, UK
Vinous Table, United Kingdom
, Jan 2020
Restaurants such as The Black Bull play a crucial role in attracting tourists and epicures to less-traveled parts of the country, and reasonable prices mean that you are not breaking the bank for either food or wine.
Cellar Favorite: 2014 Domaine Taupenot-Merme Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Burgundy
, Jan 2020
I had tasted many vintages from barrel but never the finished article until a friend from the Far East invited me to choose any bottle from the enormous wine list at Maison de Colombier in Beaune. I knew instantly which one I wanted: the 2014 Clos des Lambrays from Taupenot-Merme. And it had only taken me 20 years!
2018 Burgundy: Confounded Expectations
France: Burgundy, featured
, Jan 2020
Burgundy can be confounding at the best of times, both in a positive and negative sense. For many, that’s part of its allure. The 2018 vintage sprung many surprises, thankfully many of them positive. The bigger question is whether it is a harbinger of things to come.
Neal Martin's Review of 2019
featured, General Interest, United Kingdom
, Dec 2019
A fellow scribe confessed that earlier this year, a winemaker had offered his condolences about my untimely death. This annual review confirms that in fact I did reach the end of 2019. The last 12 months were full of highs and deepest of lows - yet there was always wine, music and a tomorrow.
Cellar Favorite: 1978 & 1990 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Rhône & Beaujolais
, Dec 2019
I must confess a penchant for mature Châteauneuf-du-Pape, though sadly I do not have many opportunities to drink it. It’s almost more difficult to track down ancient bottles of Rhône than of Burgundy.
Vinous Table: Trivet, London, United Kingdom
Vinous Table, United Kingdom
, Dec 2019
If you seek a restaurant with cuisine from the top drawer, without fuss and ostentatiousness, and an eclectic wine list not intent on gouging you for every penny, then Trivet comes recommended.
Cellar Favorite: 1939 & 1950 Cheval Blanc
France: Bordeaux, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Dec 2019
There is always a frisson of excitement in coming eyeball to eyeball with a prewar bottle of Bordeaux, especially one from a vintage dismissed and written out of history.
Cellar Journal: Bordeaux 1920-2015
France: Bordeaux, featured
, Dec 2019
As the year winds down, this article gathers Bordeaux tasting notes from old to young, derided to legendary vintages, and value-for-money wines to ridiculously expensive...with a few surprises along the way.
Cellar Favorite: 2013 Domaine J-F Mugnier Musigny Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Burgundy
, Dec 2019
When I visited the domaine in Chambolle-Musigny in November 2019, Mugnier poured me his latest vintage to see the light of day.
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Beyond Wine: Album Review of Penguin Eggs - Nic Jones
Beyond Wine
, Nov 2019
Penguin Eggs is easier to track down and currently the only one available on streaming services, although needless to say, only on vinyl does it sound magical, where you can hear the intricacies of his playing. No, it’s not the kind of music for everyone.