Well, having polished off the 2003 Rémy Gauthier Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, I can say that it's quite superb and a veritable bargain, so run along chaps and don't miss out! :)
Marco.
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Well, having polished off the 2003 Rémy Gauthier Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, I can say that it's quite superb and a veritable bargain, so run along chaps and don't miss out! :)
Marco.
Crikey i'm out on this topic, i'll buy any dry red wine so long as it's not below 12% ABV..Other than that it's down the club at the weekend for a dozen pints of Larger.
LOL - oi lurves it! :lol:
Marco.
Reckon you must have a better class Sainsburys in Wrexhan than we do down here Marco, either that or I missed the offer!
The 1995 Chateau Simard cost me £19.99, still 1995 was a reasonably good year for St Emilion. And if it really was on sale for £30, then 1/3 off is still worth having.
As compensation I picked up a bottle of 2005 Chateau Colombier-Monpelou Paullac, for £15.99. Now 2005 really was a good year for Bordeaux.
http://www.cellartracker.com/labels/90153.jpg
Wasn't able to find any 2003 Rémy Gauthier Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Nuits, but I did find the 2006 for £11.99; another good year.
Anyway the 2008 Blason de Bougogne Hautes-Cotes de Nuits were there at £6.65, so I picked up a couple of bottles.
Doubt if I'll drink any by the time we meet in London at the 'MAD-fest', so will have to compare notes at a later date.
Cheers
All the Suffolk Sainsbury's don't stock anything nicer than Meths - I couldn't find those either when I tried on Monday. :confused:
Whats up with Meths! All the posh tramps down town sup it, they never complain..Some people eh never satisfied
LOL! Maybe you could do a taste trial on various vintages of meths?
Marco.
Nice one, Barry. At least you got some good stuff :)
I think the thing about Wrexham is that because it's the unofficial 'capital' of North Wales (there is quite simply nothing remotely resembling a very large town anywhere else in the whole of North Wales) we get the biggest and best varieties of the supermarkets, i.e. they're all 'Superstores', as opposed to just standard outlets, and people travel from many miles around to shop there.
The Tesco here, for example, is almost the size of a small village!!
Sainsburys isn't much smaller, nor is Asda. We don't have a Morrisons, unfortunately, but we do have a huge Marks & Spencers (and Debenhams).
Consequently, the Sainsburys, Tesco and Asda here are stocked full of all their top ranges of merchandise, and bargains galore are available when things are reduced! ;)
So, apart from the beautiful scenery, lovely fresh air, and lack of hustle and bustle compared to similarly large English towns, the quality of shopping here is superb, which makes it all-in-all a rather cool place to live :cool:
Marco.
LOL - I used to be partial to some mushy tea, and omelette ;)
In fifth year in secondary school we used to dog class and go round to the local park and pick mushies, putting them inside crisp bags to 'concoct' into something later... Often though, we'd just eat them raw - bloody hell, they tasted rank!! :bog:
Later, English or French used to take on an entirely different perspective! :eyebrows:
I haven't done any of that shit though for years.
Marco.
Hi Marco,
“So, apart from the beautiful scenery, lovely fresh air, and lack of hustle and bustle compared to similarly large English towns, the quality of shopping here is superb, which makes it all-in-all a rather cool place to live” ………Marco, you ought to be working for the North Wales tourist board!
I have some good friends in North Wales (Conway) whom I visit regularly. About eight years ago I was thinking that I might relocate there when I retired (the aim was to do that in three years time). At that time I could have easily bought a four bedroom detached property, and paid cash for it. Not so any longer; the property prices have shot up in the last five years, thanks no doubt to people who work in Manchester and are willing to make a reasonable commute. Well I am now retired (fortunate enough to do so at the age of 57), but property prices have increased to the point where I am obliged to stay here.
Anyway to return to the subject of supermarket offers - we have a very large ‘out of town’ Sainsbury’s as well as two Tesco's. The thing is I don’t believe that offers made by these places are necessarily available nationwide. There have been a couple of occasions where some wine offers has been mentioned by Alex (UK), not all of which have been available at my Tesco branch. And the same has just occurred, following your recommendations at Sainsbury’s.
Mustn’t grumble – tonight’s meal will be lamb's liver and bacon with boiled potatoes, green beans and a carrot and swede mash. It will be enjoyed with a 2005 Vacqueyras Rhône.
Cheers
(Look out for that 2005 Château Colombier-Monpelou Pauillac in your Sainsbury.)
Perhaps you can find some Pauillac 2005 (Colombier-Monpelou or Puy la Rose or others) under 18£ on the web... don't know well British e-shops. :)
I am currently enjoying a new imported US beer immensely - the Gonzo Imperial Porter, by the Flying Dog Brewery (of Denver, Colorado / Frederick, Maryland). It's a strong (8.7%) peppery, slow sipping, Porter with a definite American angle to the flavour. Tesco's have it at the moment, £2.50 for 355ml - cheaper than online sources.
http://www.flyingdogales.com/images/...nzo-bottle.gif
http://www.flyingdogales.com/Beer-Specialty-Gonzo.aspx
Guys,
I recently mentioned the following Bordeaux:
Château du Plantier, 2006, Appelation Bordeaux Contrôlée. Médaille de Bronze, Paris 2007. 12% ABV.
Vignoble: Gironde.
Terroir: Agrilo-calcaire.
Cépage: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc.
Dégustation: Arômes fruités, vin ample et bien structuré aux tannins souples.
Available from your local Sommerfield, £7 bottle.
Well I have just drunk this and have to say that I was disappointed. I found the tannins were not 'supple', nor were they 'subtle'. A wine that proved not really to be to my taste and one that I cannot wholehartedly recommend.
Apologies to anyone who may have bought a bottle based on my posting and found it wanting.
Oh well, you win some and you loose some.
Regards
"Chateau du Plantier" is what we call here a "Coopérative" at Sauveterre de Guyenne. In other words, it assembles wines from the whereabouts... There are plenty of small local "Coops", at least one in each village in France, which can produce good wine, but : not every year and not any type (sometimes it's the red that's it's ok, sometimes the rosé). It's hard, you have to try and decide for every type and year. ;) But the coops wine is cheap.
Nothing to do with :
- Château Plantier Rose (Cru Bourgeois, Layssac, Saint-Estèphe)
- Château Vieux Plantier (Côtes du Bourg) , or
- Château Grand Plantier (Bordeaux de culture biologique), or
- Château Roc Plantier ( Côtes du Bourg)
When you buy wine, you should try to find the phrase "Mis en bouteille au château" ou "Mis en bouteille à la propriété" : These phrases, legally, in France, mean that the wine is not made by a coopérative. ;)
Well, it says that it is made by a SCV : Société Coopérative Vinicole...
The problem is that sometimes, the producers (of the roundabouts) owe the Coopérative : in such a case they can write "Mise en bouteille à la Propriété". It's still a wine made by any grapes around, of various qualities.
So when you have "Mise en bouteille à la proriété" you must not have "par..." (produced by...). If there's only one producer, there's no need for a company name. If there's a company name ("par ....") then it's most probably a Coopérative. ;)
Please note, that the wine made by Coops is not bad. It's simply not of constant quality.
Have been enjoying a bottle of 2005 Château Lafaye, a Côte De Blaye Merlot from Bordeaux (Mis en bouteille au Château).
http://www.sundaytimeswineclub.co.uk...ucts/39710.jpg
“…Deep ruby, with enticing berry aromas and layers of sumptuous redcurrant and blackberry.”
Drunk this with today’s Sunday roast: beef, potatoes and parsnips and winter vegetables: sprouts, cauliflower, carrots and French green beans.
Now finishing-off the bottle with supper: Manchego cheese with a freshly baked French baton.
Nice one, Barry; sounds good! :)
We enjoyed rather a 'newbie' today - a bottle of 2008 Château David Beaulieu, Appellation Bordeaux Supérieur Controlée. However, it had the jammy intensity of a more mature classic Bordeaux, with nicely defined tannins and excellent 'length'.
We quaffed it with some grilled local Welsh lamb cutlets, marinated in lemon and garlic, with a rosemary and mint herb crust, light red wine jus, and accompanied by rosti potatoes, spinach and baked fennel.
No supper here, as I'm still full from lunch! :eyebrows:
Marco.
That too sound good Marco. Where did you buy it?
Talking of Welsh lamb, are you able to get the Welsh salt-marsh lamb? Not cheap but well worth the extra.
Haven't eaten fennel for a long time; I would imagine that the slight aniseed taste would go very well with lamb. How long do you bake it for?
Regards
Hi Barry,
I think it was Sainsbury's - in fact, I'm pretty certain it was. It was only £6 or so, but it certainly punched well above its weight, as it were.
I'm not aware of having tried Welsh salt-marsh lamb; however I could've eaten it inadvertently, as we get most of our lamb from a local farmer. He gives us the best he's got :)
I'll check with the 'chef de maison' as to how long the fennel is baked for; it's baked in a little cream with some nutmeg added - delicious! We're also rather partial to chicory, done 'au gratin'.
Marco.
Another skin full of Château Coors Larger this afternoon..Was a nice vintage..
:eyebrows:
I thought you'd be into real ales, being a Yorkshireman! ;)
Marco
Lager for the larger man? There are some good ones out there including Freedom brewed near me.
Come to think of it Coors is brewed near here too.
Steve:
I've seen that Freedom Pils Larger, it's in a bottle, never seen it on tap..I used to sup LCL (5% ABV) at our boozer till they took it out, i used to get hammered on that, they put in this Coors (4.9% ABV), not quite as good but still does the damage..Up Sheffield i'll sup Tuborg (5% ABV)..Leave all the Carling & Fosters shit not even worth drinking. i like a meaningful session :eyebrows:
I find lager too gassy, and also lacking in flavour compared to good real ale. Fortunately, where I live, there is no shortage of locally produced real ales, all served in rather nice country pubs.
However, on a hot summer's day nothing else hits the spot than an ice-cold pint (or pints!) of Pils/lager :)
My favourites include Peroni (Nastro Azzurro), Moretti, Jupiler, and almost anything German :cool:
Marco.
:cool:Pint of Belgian Hoegaarden wheat beer for me please if you're in the chair Marco!
Hoegaarden is rather sweet. German wheat beer is better and purer. Try Franziskaner or even the one brewed by Grolsch.
Thanks for the tips Steve. Prost!
10 pints of Touborg Larger tonight. Yum Yum...Of to my pit early doors..Being dentist early this morning no time for brekfast or dinner, not a good idea with the Amber nektar
A bottle of this:
http://www.laithwaites.co.uk/images/products/60165.jpg
2003 'Château La Bernarde', Côtes de Blaye. A 100% Merlot Bordeaux.
Cuvée Blavia:
Le Domaine étend son vignoble sur un terrain agrilo-calcinaire complanté de cépages nobles Bordelais. Blavia est une cuvée spéciale 100% Merlot. Issu d’une sélection rigoureuse, le vin est élevé pendant 12 mois en fûts de chêne merrain. Blavia (ancient nom latin de la ville de Blaye) fait réfrénce au camp Romaine construit en 25 avant J-C à l’emplacement de l’actuelle citadelle.
La vin signé Mähler-Besse, est dense, puissant et complex, laissant percevoir le fruits mûr.
Enjoyed this evening with chicken Kiev, with a garlic, cheese and bacon wrap in breadcrumbs, with mushrooms, braised celery hearts, tender-stem broccoli and sugarsnap peas.
Chicken Kiev, Barry? How very 70s! I wholly approve :)
As we have our main meal during the day, and eat very little at night, today for Sunday lunch we had...
...some Gravadlax with dill sauce, accompanied with a cucumber salad, to start, followed by pan-fried rib-eye of Welsh Black beef in a rich red wine, herb and caper sauce, served with griddled red peppers, champignons farcis, mange-tout and sautéed potatoes, washed down with a bottle of:
Château Dubois Gramont 2007, Appellation Bordeaux Contrôlée - £6.99 from Sainsburys, and quite incredible value.
This wine showcases the quality available from les petits châteaux of Bordeaux, often only a few miles from the famous domaines of the region, and of course, as a result, a mere fraction of the price!
Think deep, rich, intensity of flavour with blackberries and damsons to the fore overlaying cherry and a hint of fig. The Merlot contributes the ripe, soft summer fruit character, while the Cabernet Sauvignon brings with it classic structure and body.
This is a wine that can compete favourably with some St-Émilion and Médoc, as it has a similar level of finesse.
Rush now while stocks last! :cheers:
Marco.
Sunday afternoon 10 Pints of Coors Light darn the boozer, Beef Stew on coming home before an few hours kip
No hairs & graces with me
:lolsign:
Now i'm wide awake.. :scratch:
Beef stew? Yum yum! :)
Marco.
Aye slow cooked in slow cooker for 4 hours, the beef fell apart yum yum
Sounds awsome! Glad to hear that it was home-made and none of yer supermarket ready meal pish! :cool:
Marco.
Is Chicken Kiev a '70s meal? Hadn't though about it. Maybe I should have done the job properly and followed it with a butterscotch Bird's instant whip (! :lol:). Also keen on Beef Stroganoff - is that '70s?
Talking of the '70s, maybe I should ressurect my pork with apricot recipe. It used cheap belly pork; useful when you are an impeccunious postgraduate student.
Andre's use of a slow cooker again reminds me again of my postgraduate days living in a garrot. Great thing about slow cookers is that you can use cheap cuts of meat and end up with a delicious 'melt in the mouth' meal. The only disadvantage is the extra washing up! Perhaps after 10 pints of Coors you don't worry! Anyway it sounded delicious. Did you have dumplings with it Andre?
Marco - looks like another vist to Sainsburys for me then.Quote:
Château Dubois Gramont 2007, Appellation Bordeaux Contrôlée - £6.99 from Sainsburys, and quite incredible value.
Salut
PS Tonight it's a (home made) chicken korma with Basmati rice and a bottle of Nastro Azzurro lager.
What a coincidence - we had chicken kiev tonight!
Wanted to follow it up with a chocolate fondue, but I was too drunk after downing a Watney's Party Seven! :lol:
You'd have dribbled it down your cravat, along with the prawn cocktail, anyway... :eyebrows:
Marco.
Some more Claret recommendations
Tonight it has been a Côte de Castellon (a domaine immediately to the east of Sainte-Emilion):
Château Castegens ‘La Croix’. (2006)
“This wine has a deep, intense crimson colour with red fruit overtones. It is well balanced, generous, and a very round on the palate with silky tannins and a long after taste”. (Translated, lest I appear disagreeably pretentious.) 13% ABV. Laithwaites, around £7 a bottle.
Just bought:
Chateau ‘Les Arqueys’, Bordeaux AOC (2006) Château bottled.
http://www.laithwaites.co.uk/images/products/37955s.jpg
Cabernet based blend. A good year for short term drinking; best consumed by end of 2010. “A charming cherry-fresh claret with expressive aromas of blueberry, candied red fruits and floral notes. Oak maturation adds cedar and toasty richness to the palete”.
Laithwaites, ~ £7 a bottle.
Château Marzin, Première Côtes de Blaye AOC (2007) Château bottled.
A blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, from a terroir situated at the same longitude as Margeaux.
“A deep intense ruby colour. The nose develops aromas of ripe red and black fruits with notes of spices and a floral character. Full bodied on the palate with ripe sot tannins, it has a lingering finish”.
Recommended decantation: 1 hour before serving
Laithwaites, ~ £8.50 a bottle.
Château Labadie Cru Bourgeois, Appellation Medoc Contrôlée (2005) Château bottled.
http://edge-images.snooth.com/wine/8...3909_full.jpeg
Apparently a standout vintage for Bordeaux, this vintage has “yielded reds with a great balance, intense fruit and firm tannins”.
Only just beginning to ‘open out’, so will benefit from keeping where it will gain in complexity, but drink by end 2012.
13.5% ABV. Laitwaites ~ £11.25 a bottle.
I've just ordered a couple of mixed cases of top-notch German and Belgian beers for Christmas from my favourite on-line supplier:
http://www.beersofeurope.co.uk/acatalog/index.html
I'd thoroughly recommend this company for quick, efficient, service and high quality products.
These weißbier are particularly fab:
http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/9...bierkrista.jpg
http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/7...ssbierhell.jpg
http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/790...seoriginal.jpg
As is this Kölsch (beer exclusively from Cologne):
http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/396/kuppers.jpg
:cool:
Marco.