Gigondas

Further proof that Rhones of this type are just not my thing. This is around 23 quid (M&S) and in all honesty, tastes much the same as the jammy, slightly sweet, spicy new world shiraz/granache wines the seem to be everywhere these days but do at least cost half the price. Feel like I'm missing out on a big pillar of France but can't really bring myself to make many more (expensive) forays into this area.

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Guardian article - 'The trouble with pinot grigio'

Looks like Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio are in fact the same grape - incredible that it can taste so wildly different in Italy and Alsace.

Wine: The trouble with pinot grigio | Life and style | The Guardian

Saumur

This is the last of the Yapp bros batch. I had forgotten just how good this is. An excellent example of how pure and satisfying Chenin Blanc can be. Restrained fruit, minerality, poise. I remember it being around 6 quid at one stage but it's now 8 ish. Still worth it.

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Pinot Gris, Bollenberg Château d'Orschwihr, 2009

...having said that, this was a genuinely interesting wine:

Via the power of suggestion, I had imagined Bollenberg to be an obscure Alsatian grape that had been blended with Pinot Gris - it turns out to be the name of the specific vineyard - and set about attributing the unexpected flavour to this. It has a very deep yellow colour. The palate began with plenty of voluptuous aromatic lychee-type fruit before evolving into an odd - but very pleasant - almost Riesling-like oily dry finish. It would appear I got it from Oddbins and look to have paid around £14 quid but I'd go back for more (if they hadn't gone bust).

I shared it with M & D whose penchant for Gewürztraminer was helpful in their approach (Beccy wouldn't countenance anything as full bodied as this).

Brouilly - Domanie Regis Champier

Yet another disappointment from Oddbins. We can surely now say that they just don't 'get' Cru Beaujolais. Overpriced and thin, verging on sharp.

Just two days after drinking this I see Oddbins has filed for bankruptcy. It's been a long steady fall from grace which you can't say hasn't been self inflicted.

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