The Wine & Whisky Thread

Some slurps consumed of late:

2010 Château Haut-Bernones, Haut-Médoc
http://www.laithwaites.co.uk/images/...age&colour=Red

The Haut-Médoc is the southern part of the Médoc, home to the communes of Saint Julien, Margaux and Pauillac among others. You'll find some of the world's most famous châteaux, but lesser known properties, like the 18th century Château Haut Bernones, are well worth seeking out. Situated on excellent gravelly soils (just like its Cru Classé neighbour, Château Beychevelle), the estate has been owned and run by the Ruton family since 1948. Winemaking is overseen by Eric Boissenot, whose expertise is also called upon by such stellar names as Château Latour, Margaux and Léoville Las Cases.An elegant claret with good ageing potential, Château Haut Bernones is ideal with a roast and superb with venison stew.

60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc.

13% ABV. About £13 a bottle from Laithwaites.


Consumed the last of my 2009 Château de Boissac, Bordeaux
http://www.laithwaites.co.uk/images/...age&colour=Red

Double Gold Medal winner: Concours Mondial, Bruxelles, 2010 and Concours de Bordeaux, 2010

This sumptuous claret - beautifully smooth and brimful of ripe, dark berry fruit (think black cherries, blackcurrants and a lovely hint of tobacco) - proves why top Bordeaux is still the wine of choice for fine dining and how the First Growths command such high prices. No-one expects Lafite or Marguax for under a tenner but neither does one expect a double Gold medal-winning claret from an historic family estate on best ever vinatge form. And Chateau de Boissac is everything you definitely would expect of a super smart estate ... sweeping drive, magnificent lake and six generations of winemaking tradition.

13.5% ABV Was £10 a bottle, again from Laithwaites.


Now enjoying a bottle of the 2010 Château Le Coin, Bordeaux
http://www.laithwaites.co.uk/images/...age&colour=Red

This is the third vintage we've worked with Ludovic Roussillon at Château le Coin, helping him to make modern, fruit rich clarets exclusively for our customers. The soils on his immaculately tended estate in the Entre Deux Mers are pure limestone and very rocky, so the vines are kept well drained and grapes are very concentrated.Ludovic is very open to new ideas, and our own Bordeaux specialist Jean-Marc Sauboua helped him get the most from his grapes in the "once in a lifetime" 2010 vintage (Neal Martin). Both are justly proud of the wine's Gold medal winning success. Made mostly from Merlot with just a touch of both Cabernets, Château Le Coin makes a perfect partner for your Sunday roast and is delicious, too, with venison sausages.

Multi award winner:
Gold, Concours Agricole De Bordeaux, 2011 France

Gold, Concours General Agricole de Paris, 2011 France

Silver, Les Vinalies Internationales Paris, 2012 France

Silver, Los Angeles International Wine competition, 2012 USA.


14.5% ABV and only £10 a bottle from Laithwaites.

The 2010 seems to be living up to the superb standard of the 2009 vintage.
Have you opened yours yet Marco?

After a 10 day brewery tour of Brussels and Bruge when I was 25 I came to the conclusion that De Dolle Oerbier was the best I'd ever tasted.

25 years later I have not changed that opinion

Just looked up that ale Justin, that's strong :eek:

My favoutite continental ale is Jenlain ambre, :cool:

Alan

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Firebottle

Just looked up that ale Justin, that's strong :eek:

My favoutite continental ale is Jenlain ambre, :cool:

Alan

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At 9% yeah. You have no clues that it is when you drink it. It just tastes fantastic. Then, by the end of your third bottle, you're feeling pretty wasted. I used to be a very enthusiastic all grain home brewer. Trust me - this stuff is unreal good. The brewery is amazing too - copious amounts of copper everywhere.

I've noticed it is now extremely hard to buy here at a reasonable price. Beers of Europe did it but have no stock.

The Special Reserve version is 12%.

Westvleteren XII is the best beer I've ever tasted. Unobtainium though, unfortunately.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westvleteren_Brewery

Best place in the UK to buy hard to get foreign beers: http://www.beersofeurope.co.uk/beers

Marco.

Cheers Marco - I've ordered from them before and they are excellent (I've a few bottles left from a mixed case I bought at Christmas - including a 75cl bottle of Chimay Cent Cinq and a Rodenbach Grand Crû) , but the Westvletern beers are ONLY avalable to personal callers at the Abbey (booked in advance) - there are NO other outlets for their beers that are brewed in miniscule quantities.

Some recent slurps:

2009 Château Fontcaille Bellview, Bordeaux Supérieur

http://www.laithwaites.co.uk/images/...age&colour=Red

Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grape. 13.5% ABV ~ £9.50 from Laithwaites


2009 Château de Boissac, Bordeaux

http://www.laithwaites.co.uk/images/...age&colour=Red

Double Gold Medal winner: Bruxelles 2010 and Concours de Bordeaux 2010.

Clearly this wine has benefited from lying down. 13.5% ABV ~ £8 from Laithwaites


And drunk recently in an excellent restaurant in Atlantis (actually Santorini, though some might understand the connection) a:

2003 κτήμα εύχαρις (Ktema Eucharis)

http://i780.photobucket.com/albums/y...psc59e1a15.jpg

Can’t tell you too much about this wine, save it was expensive, used inter alia Petit Verdot grape and was 15.5% ABV. It was excellent.

[NB Eucharis is “thanksgiving” in Greek.]

Some slurps recently enjoyed:

2009 Château Fontcaille Bellevue, Bordeaux Supérieur

http://www.laithwaites.co.uk/images/...age&colour=Red

Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grape. 13.5%ABV £9.49 a bottle.



2010 Château Du Touginas, Bordeaux

http://static.wine-searcher.net/imag...e-10569031.jpg

Winner of the Médaille d’Or, Concours de Bordeaux Vins D’Aquitaine 2011.

Merlot (80%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (20%). 14% ABV. Laithwaites £9.99.



2010 Château Cap D’Or, Saint-Georges Saint-Emilion

http://www.laithwaites.co.uk/images/...age&colour=Red

Gold medal winner Concours Regional des Vins d’Aquitaine 2011
Can be drunk now but will gain complexity over the next few years. Drink by 2019.

Merlot (80%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (20%). 14.5% ABV. Laithwaites £14.99 a bottle

Ripe dark plum and cherry aromas with chocolate notes. Decant and leave to breathe for 1 hour before drinking

2010 is turning out to be just as good a vintage as 2009.

Absolutely superb – I’m thinking of buying a case.



2009 Château De Lisse, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

http://www.sundaytimeswineclub.co.uk...age&colour=Red

Merlot (80%), Cabernet Sauvignon (10%) and Cabernet Franc (10%). 14.5% ABV. Laithwaites £14.39 a bottle.

With aromas of damson, liquorice, green pepper and clove. Yet another from the outstanding 2009 vintage - said by some to be the greatest vintage Bordeaux has ever produced.

I recently took the plunge and stuck some money into the Arran brewery share offer, now whilst I like to drink their product anyway I'd like to encourage all here to do the same, sales pitch over, unfortunately it's Italian ground coffee at the moment as I drive for a living and have an early start.

Some damn good recommendations on here BTW.

2010 Château Haute-Bernones, Haut-Médoc

http://www.laithwaites.co.uk/images/...age&colour=Red

60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. 13% ABV £12.99 a bottle.


Shares similar terroir to Saint-Julien Beychevelle and Margaux.


Best to open and let breath a hour before consumption.

I had a good session on this last night, forgot what it was but i know it was 6.5% ABV

http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/...N1968/Beer.jpg

Must have been good if you forgot what it was!

6.5% is pretty strong. The low 5's are strong enough for me!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Barbarian

I had a good session on this last night, forgot what it was but i know it was 6.5% ABV

http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/...N1968/Beer.jpg

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Wonderful - now ALL proper pint pots should have handles!! :yesbruv:

Marco.

Aye real mans 70's pint pots

:eyebrows:

Barry: just remembered :D

https://untappd.com/b/elland-brewery-1872-porter/27988

The barrel pint pots are back I fashion apparently...

There's a few real beer pubs in Preston that have got them back in and I got a few for my drinks dresser in the dining room ;)

Can't beat a pint out of a real pot :D

More so if it's a nice pint of Old Golden Hen or Robinson's 'Trooper'

Yes, I prefer the dimpled and handled pint pot. They went out of fashion as landlords couldn't stack them and they occupied more space in dishwashers.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Barry

Yes, I prefer the dimpled and handled pint pot.

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They're probably made in China now and they add about half a kilo to the weight in your hand. I just find them clumsy, but then I'm a lager drinker and that looks better in a straight glass, which is what I'm used to.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by walpurgis

They're probably made in China now and they add about half a kilo to the weight in your hand. I just find them clumsy, but then I'm a lager drinker and that looks better in a straight glass, which is what I'm used to.

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It's the only kind of weight lifting I do. Anyway it's British - you don't see many pint pots in Europe, apart from the German steins used by lager drinkers there!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Barry

Anyway it's British - you don't see many pint pots in Europe, apart from the German steins used by lager drinkers there!

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That's mainly because the attitude towards drinking beer there is different. Europeans favour the use of smaller glasses, replenished more frequently, in order to keep beer cool, rather than having a pint of beer sitting around for longer getting warm ;)

However, if you drink pints of beer quickly enough, I guess that isn't a problem! I like it abroad when specific beers have their own matching glasses. This is especially prevalent in Belgium, where you get 'beer lists' in pubs and restaurants, rather like one gets wine lists here. Class! :)

My bugbear in the UK is pints of lager being filled right up to the rim of the glass, allowing no room for a head... That almost never happens in Europe, where an inch or so is allowed at the top of the glass for a nice frothy head, which is how lager or beer should be served... I want to have a nice 'beer moustache' after I take my first sip!!

:exactly:

Marco.

My favourite Ale by a country mile is Marstons Owd Rodger. It's bloody brilliant, careful though it's 7.4%
Drinking one now actually

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Marco

That's mainly because the attitude towards drinking beer there is different. Europeans favour the use of smaller glasses, replenished more frequently, in order to keep beer cool, rather than having a pint of beer sitting around for longer getting warm ;)

However, if you drink pints of beer quickly enough, I guess that isn't a problem! I like it abroad when specific beers have their own matching glasses. This is especially prevalent in Belgium, where you get 'beer lists' in pubs and restaurants, rather like one gets wine lists here. Class! :)

My bugbear in the UK is pints of lager being filled right up to the rim of the glass, allowing no room for a head... That almost never happens in Europe, where an inch or so is allowed at the top of the glass for a nice frothy head, which is how lager or beer should be served... I want to have a nice 'beer moustache' after I take my first sip!!

:exactly:

Marco.

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Ale, as distinct from lager should be drunk at room temperature. A distinction lost on Americans with their taunts at our "warm, flat beer".

Agreed, re. Belgium beers and matching glasses.

Regarding head, that depends on the brew and how quickly the glass is filled. Personally, the size of the head doesn't bother me - it's all about the taste: some brews have very little head. (As a smutty aside: what do you think the reaction would be if one were to approach the bartender and ask if they "could give me some more head"?)

A head is OK if you're in the north and the glass is designed to take it. Give one to a southerner in a southerner's glass and watch out ...............grrrrr!

I’ve been banging on for sometime now about what an excellent year 2009 was for Bordeaux, to the extent I have been buying up as much of the 2009 as I can lay my hands on. Well now I’m pleased to say that 2010 – 2012 were also good vintages. In particular:

2012 Château Bernot, Bordeaux

http://www.laithwaites.co.uk/images/...age&colour=Red

This Gold medal winner (Concours de Bordeau 2013) comes from a 400 year old chateau south of St Emilion.

70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. 12.5% ABV

Good depth of flavour with an acceptably long finish. Lovely fruit, spice and mineral notes to the nose. At only £10 a bottle I can thoroughly recommend this charming Bordeaux. Can be drunk now, but ought to take on further complexity over the next couple of years.


Enjoyed with a Chicken Parmigiana: chicken fillets topped with roasted aubergine, tomato and basil sauce, a light Parmigiano sauce and breadcrumbs. Served with boiled potatoes, broccoli, French beans and red cabbage.

2010 Château du Touginas, Bordeaux

http://www.laithwaiteswine.hk/labels/1628210.jpg

80% Merlot 20% Cabernet Sauvignon 14% ABV

Gold medal winner: Concours de Bordeaux, Vins D’Aquitaine 2011

Yet another superb 2010 vintage.

Description:
This treasure comes from Entre Deux Mers, the oldest winemaking region of Bordeaux situated between the Dordogne and Garonne rivers. Château Touginas is a small estate owned by the Guilhon family, third generation winemakers of the region.

Tasting Notes:
The vines are planted in the classic clay and limestone soils of the region and, at 30 years old, produce fruit of excellent concentration. Along with the rest of Bordeaux, the estate enjoyed excellent vintage conditions in 2010, and has produced one of its best wines ever. A perfect choice for dinner parties or special occasions and particularly delicious will roast lamb or beef.


£12 a bottle from Laithwaites.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sovereign

My favourite Ale by a country mile is Marstons Owd Rodger. It's bloody brilliant, careful though it's 7.4%
Drinking one now actually

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Good taste there James, rather like that one myself. I like an ale with flavour, and plenty of it.
A new one to me is Dragons Blood from Holdens brewery, as it happens we were staying very close to the brewery in the UK.

Had to have a little re-stockage for our French 'cellar':

http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/t...t/P1040212.jpg

Just drinking a Holdens Golden Glow at the moment,
:cool: Alan

Ummm! Old Speckled Hen and Spitfire.

Those are a couple of my favourite bottled beers, along with Marston’s Pedigree, Fuller’s London Pride and Sharpe’s Doombar.

Cheers :cool:

Has to be ESB from Fullers for me Barry, one of my top favourites.

:cool: Alan

The old Barbarian has been guzzling his Homebrew mucky Beer for the last gawd knows how many hours..

:eyebrows:

http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/...968/Beer-1.jpg

Nice... Does it come out the other end the same way? :eyebrows:

Marco.

The same colour exactly minus the head ofc

:D

2010 Château d’Arche, Haut Médoc

http://www.laithwaites.co.uk/images/...age&colour=Red

Cabernet Sauvignon 45%, Merlot 40% and Cabernet Franc 15%. 13.5% ABV

This wine is signed by Mäher-Besse, whose name and expertise has been associated with Bordeaux fine wines since 1892. This cru Bourgeois is located at the gateway to the Médoc region.

Made with predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, Châteaux d’Arche is full of character, offering superb length and surprising complexity.


Bordeaux's 2010 vintage took everyone by surprise. No one expected it to equal, let alone better, the superb 2009, yet it did just that. At the top level, the wines reveal beautiful ripeness and elegant structure, with layers of complexity unfolding as they evolve. Here you can enjoy all that without paying the premium for a classed growth. A little property of just nine hectares in the Haut-Médoc, Château d'Arche has been run by the Mähler-Besse family since 1994. Just recently Arche's neighbour, Château Lagune, who makes some of the finest wines of the Haut-Médoc, took ownership and have raised standards yet higher. This fine, barrel aged claret is delicious now but will mature gracefully for years to come.

Aroma: Tightly furled red fruit aromas with hints of liquorice and tobacoo.

Taste: Complex and layered with red and black fruits, minerals and toasty oak.



Can be drunk now but worth laying down to mature. Drink by 2020. Normally £19 a bottle, but Laithwaite’s have it on offer at £17.09.

Superb – I’m going to get myself a case.

2009 Château Margerots, Bordeaux Supérieur

http://img.tesco.com/wine/UIAssets/p...ot_150x300.jpg

Cabernet Franc grape, 12% ABV

With its deep ruby-red colour and crimson tints, Château Margerots offers an expressive bouquet of black fruits and grilled almonds, along with a hint of morello cherry and a note of leather. It is an elegant wine that has both the charm and the class of a great Bordeaux. Rounded and full, it will go well with strong cheeses and red meat dishes.

Medaille d’Argent, Concours de Bordeaux 2011


Available from Tesco £7.50 a bottle, however if bought as a case of 12 it works out at £5 a bottle.

2009 was an exceptional year for Bordeaux, so this offering from Tesco is worth checking out.

What are your views on this thread, Barry:

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showt...online-sellers

:)

Marco.

You can't beat Fuller's ESB ale.
Had a pint on Sunday...

2013 Château Le Coin, Bordeaux

http://www.sundaytimeswineclub.co.uk...age&colour=Red


For anyone who loves a decent claret this is one NOT to miss. Château Le Coin has won gold medals for the fifth vintage in a row. This year, Château Le Coin won Gold at the Concours General de Bordeaux - on its ‘home patch’ so to speak.

Grape: Merlot-based blend
Style: Full-bodied, rich red
Drink By: Dec 2017
Serve at: 18°C
Alcohol: 13.5% ABV

"Consistently excellent - this Gold medal claret from a family estate is silky with creamy ripe fruit"

At £8.99 a bottle “it tastes like a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, but at half the price!” Buying a case of 12 will, at £107.88, save you £12.


Since 2009, I have praised Château Le Coin several times on the Forum, so not surprisingly I have bought another case.

Barry, if you can get yourself along to Aldi (and/or Lidl), but preferably Aldi, they both have some superb wines (clarets and interesting Italian varieties) in for Christmas, at just stupidly low prices for what they are! :)

When you go into the store ask for/find their Christmas catalogue ‘Christmas with all the Trimmings’, and go to page 34.

Highlights (for me) are the 2011 Château Chantemerle Médoc Cru Bourgeois, and 2012 Château Grand-Pey-Lescours 2012 St. Émilion Grand Cru, both for a measly £9.99 each :eek: :eek:

See here:

https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/product-ra...lion-grand-cr/

There is also a rather spectacular Paul Chevalier Hermitage 2010, for £19.99 (the kind of thing you’d pay perhaps £30-35 for in a ‘posh vintners’). See here: https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/product-ra...rmitage-20100/

I’d also recommend the Brunello di Montalcino, if you’ve not had one of those before (think high-end Barolo, but better): https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/product-ra...ntalcino-2009/

Ideal to have with your Christmas goose! So get yer arse along there, pronto, while stocks last!! :hotrod:

Marco.

I also fancy getting one of these chaps:

https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/product-ra...aing-armagnac/

It should be a rather civilised way of rounding off Christmas lunch!

:eyebrows: :eyebrows:

Marco.

Barry, when you go to Aldi, the ‘special wines’, as discussed above are NOT in with all the other wines. They’re in the ‘Christmas aisle’, along with all the other festive goodies. Just in case you go there like before and can’t find what you’re looking for :)

Marco.

i like brandies but my ticker doesnt. the french used to have a dish made with a bird and that stuff. think they drowned it in the stuff....hell of a way to go

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Barry

2013 Château Le Coin, Bordeaux

http://www.sundaytimeswineclub.co.uk...age&colour=Red


For anyone who loves a decent claret this is one NOT to miss. Château Le Coin has won gold medals for the fifth vintage in a row. This year, Château Le Coin won Gold at the Concours General de Bordeaux - on its ‘home patch’ so to speak.

Grape: Merlot-based blend
Style: Full-bodied, rich red
Drink By: Dec 2017
Serve at: 18°C
Alcohol: 13.5% ABV

"Consistently excellent - this Gold medal claret from a family estate is silky with creamy ripe fruit"

At £8.99 a bottle “it tastes like a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, but at half the price!” Buying a case of 12 will, at £107.88, save you £12.


Since 2009, I have praised Château Le Coin several times on the Forum, so not surprisingly I have bought another case.

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I think Aldi are selling this but it may be a bit more expensive than the price you quoted?:scratch:

Under orders from Daughter to take some Prosecco to xmas lunch...apparently its Italian sparkling vino(looked it up):doh:. Will try Aldi first then move outwards.....anyone like the stuff?

Hi Grant,

Aldi is indeed your best bet. Trust me, Prosecco doesn’t get much better than this (as it's DOCG):

https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/product-ra...spumante-docg/

We bought a few bottles today (had it before), so looking forward to enjoying it again! :cheers:

Marco.

Ok Cheers Marco. I'll get down tomorrow and grab some then

Nice one - I think your daughter will love it. They have two types, though (a cheaper one with a yellow label, not in the same league), so make sure you get the one with the silver label (marked DOCG on the neck), called ‘Valdobbiadene’, Superiore.

Read about about it here, which will explain the quality: http://www.prosecco.it/en/

Marco.

This was the only one they had it does have the control on it

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...3d0f30fe1b.jpg

Only Red wine ill sup is Shiraz..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by struth

This was the only one they had it does have the control on it

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...3d0f30fe1b.jpg

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That should do fine, matey. I see you’ve landed a Lescours, too! ;)

Marco.

yep. . grand cru...luvvly jubbly. better than the made with the leftovers type:cool:

and some benchmark old no8 bourbon

This one probably doesn't sell as well as hoped:

http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/...201_152919.jpg