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November 2019

What is Phenolic ripeness? And is climate change effecting grapes ripening?

2020-09-02T15:02:29+01:00

There are certain words that pop up in my day to day work and I always assume that I know what they mean. Sometimes these words are rather specific to the wine world. One such expression is 'phenolic ripeness'. A phenol is an aromatic organic compound with the molecular formula C6H5OH. According to the [...]

What is Phenolic ripeness? And is climate change effecting grapes ripening?2020-09-02T15:02:29+01:00

August 2019

Treasury Wine Estates buys Chateau Cambon la Pelouse in Bordeaux

2020-09-02T15:15:28+01:00

Penfolds buys a Chateau! Treasury Wine Estates(TWE) announced yesterday that they have just bought Chateau Cambon la Pelouse in the Medoc region of Bordeaux.This is the first acquisition in France for one of the largest premium wine producers in Australia, New Zealand and America. TWE used to be the wine division of Foster's beer. [...]

Treasury Wine Estates buys Chateau Cambon la Pelouse in Bordeaux2020-09-02T15:15:28+01:00

What does Grand Cru mean in Champagne?

2020-09-02T15:10:40+01:00

We have already explored what the term 'Grand Cru' means in Bordeaux and Burgundy. But what does 'Grand Cru' mean in Champagne?The term 'Grand Cru' is totally different in Champagne, as it refers to the village rather than the specific vineyard (like Burgundy) or the specific estate name (like Bordeaux).There are currently 17 villages in Champagne that are [...]

What does Grand Cru mean in Champagne?2020-09-02T15:10:40+01:00

What does Grand Cru mean in Burgundy?

2020-09-02T15:11:47+01:00

The term ‘Grand Cru’ used in Burgundy refers to the top 33 recognised vineyards. These 33 vineyards cover 550 hectares of vines, which is approximately 2% of the total Burgundy area.(29000 hectares). Grand Cru can refer to red wine (356 hectares) or white wine (194 hectares). The original Grand Cru vineyards were mapped out [...]

What does Grand Cru mean in Burgundy?2020-09-02T15:11:47+01:00

July 2019

What does Grand Cru mean in Bordeaux?

2020-09-02T15:05:26+01:00

The words 'Grand Cru' have various meanings in the Bordeaux area. Essentially there are three different interpretaions: 1. Grand Cru Classe de Graves means that the Chateau was classified in 1953 and then revised in 1959. There are no changes to the classification since then.The Chateaux were classified for red and white wines. There were originally 16 [...]

What does Grand Cru mean in Bordeaux?2020-09-02T15:05:26+01:00

February 2019

2009 Bordeaux, 10 years On….Was Robert Parker right to give 19 Chateaux 100 points?

2020-09-02T15:06:09+01:00

Last week I spent two fascinating days in London tasting and reviewing the top Bordeaux wines from the 2009 vintage. This was the '10 years on' tasting at Farr Vintners in their excellent tasting room in Battersea. With a similar format to the 2015 Bordeaux tastings we tasted the wines in flights of 11 or 12, [...]

2009 Bordeaux, 10 years On….Was Robert Parker right to give 19 Chateaux 100 points?2020-09-02T15:06:09+01:00
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