http://www.thewinedoctor.com Winedoctor: The Loire, Bordeaux and beyond. In-depth articles and profiles by Chris Kissack. This is the RSS feed for the original Winedoctor site, linking to my detailed profiles and in-depth tasting reports. I occasionally link to new Winedr blog articles as well. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/bordeaux/coutet.shtml The history of Château Coutet dates back to the 13th century, hundreds of years before anyone even dreamt of planting vines on the then-marshy, now-prosperous Médoc. Some parts of the château (pictured below) date from that period, as is obvious from even the briefest examination of the property; these parts have thick walls of stone, towers and defensive castellations. Out among the northern plots of the vineyard sits a dovecot which towers above the vines (pictured further down the page), also obviously ancient, dating from the same era. There has, however, been extensive augmentation and modification to the château over the ensuing centuries, including a 14th-century chapel, two 16th-century towers and a remodelling in the 18th century. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/regionalguides/tuscany7otherwines.shtml Having spent paragraph after paragraph and page after page exploring the Tuscan wine universe, covering everything from Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino through to Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and the wines of the Tuscan Coast, most of which feature Sangiovese in one form or another, we might be forgiven for thinking that - apart from a few Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot vines planted around Bolgheri - there is absolutely nothing to Tuscany beyond Sangiovese. On the one hand this is not entirely untrue; there is no denying the fact that this variety is totally dominant here; within the whole of Italy it accounts for more than 10% of all vineyards, and many of these vines lie within Tuscany's borders, where the variety goes not just by its own name but also a number of pseudonyms including Brunello, Prugnolo Gentile and Morellino. Tuscany and Sangiovese are close to synonymous. The variety may never have made a big splash as an international player in Californian, South American, Australian or South African vineyards in the way that Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Syrah have done, but this does not reflect any lack of ability to dominate absolutely on its home turf. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/tastingsformal/raymondlafon2011.shtml It was an uncharacteristically bright and sunny afternoon when I drew my car to a halt on the gravel at the side of Château Raymond-Lafon. I say uncharacteristic because this was late October, and if there is one thing I didn't expect to enjoy on this trip to Bordeaux it was clear blue skies and warm sunshine. But that was the story of the 2011 vintage in Bordeaux (and indeed all of France); erratic, topsy-turvy weather, an unusually cool summer flanked by an unseasonably warm spring and autumn. Such atypical weather might not have been ideal for the vines, but right I was grateful for it; I would never miss out on a walk in the vineyard to inspect the vines, whatever the weather, but given the choice I will choose sunshine over showers any day. You would too, particularly if you have ever had the experience of stepping out from your car onto the soil of the vineyard only to feel those nearly-new shoes sinking three inches into the soft, yielding clay. The combination of 'squelch-and-sink' is not a happy one. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/weekend/gerardboulaysancerrecomtesse2008.shtml Nobody who read my blog post last Friday concerning The New Sancerre will be surprised to see the latest selection for my Wine of the Week is from what might be the Loire Valley's most famous appellation. I'm increasingly aware, as is the case with Muscadet (which, come to think of it, is the other contender for the Loire's most famous appellation - even if it is part fame, part infamy), that although many of the wines are not that remarkable, there is a hard-core of domaines turning out wines that really pique my interest. And in the case of Sancerre this is despite a disdain I have developed in recent years for the varietal characteristics displayed by the vast majority of wines made from Sauvignon Blanc. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/blog/index.php/2012/01/the-new-sancerre/ It is somewhat strange that although it was Sancerre that first drew me to the Loire, these days the wines of this most famous of all Loire vineyards hardly ever pass my lips. I can’t recall which domaines I was drinking in those very early days, more than twenty years ago, although I am certain that the wines of the Vacheron family had a place in my cellar; I visited their domaine for the first time in 1992, and carried the bottles back to the UK with me. With the passing of time I came to realise that I found more variety, joy and individuality in the wines of Anjou, Saumur and Touraine, and Sancerre passed into memory. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/bordeaux/myrat.shtml It is easy to overlook the fact that Sauternes as well as the Médoc was sufficiently prestigious to be classified in 1855; when we talk of first growths, the premiers grands crus classés, our minds readily turn to Latour and Margaux, and not so much Guiraud or Rieussec. But the Sauternes estates were most certainly classified, although they have not all faired so well over the last century as their Médoc counterparts. This is particularly true when we look to the deuxièmes crus, some of which are infrequently sighted and even more rarely tasted. One such estate is undoubtedly Château de Myrat, a 30-hectare estate which fell on hard times in the latter years of the 20th century, so much so that for a period of time viticulture and winemaking ground to a halt here, leading to an fifteen-year hiatus during which the vines were ripped up. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/tastingsprofile/margaux.shtml Of all the first growths Margaux is certainly a strong contender for being the most splendidly presented, its imposing 19th-century château which peers over the chai, barrel cellars and other buildings easily visible from the D2, the road that snakes up the Médoc past the front doors of many of the classed growths. It stands proud, surrounded by several broad sweeps of vines, the only visual challenge being from Château Palmer which is visible in the distance, its witches-hat turrets stretching skywards in marked contrast to the more reserved style of the château at Margaux. It is a regal château indeed, and certainly fitting in view of the quality of the wines that have been made here over the last couple of decades. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/bordeaux/mouton.shtml The uninitiated, turning up to taste the latest vintage at one of the left bank's first growth estates, might expect something a little special, a little different to all the classed growths one or more rungs down the 1855 ladder. Indeed, for any acolyte of the wines of Bordeaux, such visits are special; a chance to see the vines and cellars for yourself, and perhaps even to meet the winemaking team. And the wines should - especially when one considers the prices now asked for these bottles - also deliver just that little bit more. But to expect other extravagances is perhaps to court disappointment. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/tastingsformal/bordeaux20074sauternes.shtml The story of 2007 in Bordeaux is one of sorry disappointment enhanced by overly exuberant pricing. At least, that is the case for the red wines. When it comes to the sweet white wines of Bordeaux, however, this is a very exciting vintage (this can also be said of the dry white wines by the way, although these were not put under the microscope during this tasting). In the case of Sauternes and Barsac, this has been apparent from the outset. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/weekend/huetvouvraylemontsec2002.shtml The past week or two has seen plenty of buzz about Burgundy 2010; early January is when Burgundy descends on London in an orgy of tasting sufficiently intense and prolonged to tire even the most hardened of wine critics. In one week there were close to 30 tastings dedicated solely to Burgundy, in most cases hosted by the many merchants which would now very much like to sell you these wines. Burgundy as a region remains of intense interest to many, so perhaps I shouldn't me surprised that Twitter, Facebook, various blogs and a number of print columns all sprang to life with news of how the wines were tasting. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/otherresources/feiring.shtml ot entirely by chance there has been a strong presence of books with an organic, biodynamic or 'natural' feel to them on my reading list of late, some recently published and some rather long in the tooth. In the former camp, and a strong addition to the 'natural wine' lexicon is this tome, Naked Wine, Alice Feiring's second book after The Battle for Wine and Love: How I saved the World from Parkerization. 'Tome' is perhaps not quite the right word though, as it suggests something dense, academic, perhaps even a little dry, whereas this book is anything but. Written in a style which is captivating, personal, digestible and candid, leafing through a few pages of Naked Wine is a little like leafing through somebody's private journal at times, one that describes a very individual journey of adventure, mishap and discovery. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/author/review2011readers4.shtml I'm delighted that this year as last year, Winedoctor readers have been sending their favourite wine in context moments of 2011, and the fourth and final batch of submissions are published here. The first of these two final submissions tell us of the joy of touring and tasting in France's south-western appellations. The second would only be diminished by some sound-bite introduction; I can only suggest you read it..... http://www.thewinedoctor.com/tastingsformal/bordeaux20074stemilionpomerol.shtml Moving on from the left bank communes we now come to the two principal right bank appellations of St Emilion and Pomerol. In a number of vintages - classic examples being 2008, 2001 and 1998 in my opinion, although there are other vintages where this is true - the right bank communes can outshine those on the left. In other years, of which the leading example is surely 1996, the left bank communes reign supreme. In 2007, for the red wine communes at least, few such distinctions are really valid (except to say that they all outperformed Margaux). On the right bank, however, it does seem that these wines are very slightly favoured, although I don't think the effect is strong enough for us to label 2007 as a right-bank vintage akin to some of those listed above. There are no great success stories here in this vintage. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/tastingsformal/bordeaux20074stjulienmargaux.shtml Moving south from St Estèphe and Pauillac we come to St Julien, where quality was not significantly different to these aforementioned communes. The story of 2007 continues here with no surprises. This is not quite true of the commune of Margaux though, although sadly I have to report that the quality here does not swing back towards something more desirable than that which we have found so far. Instead the opposite is true, as in this commune we find one of the most disappointing Bordeaux experiences available on the market today. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/weekend/mortierstnicolasdebourgueilgraviers2009.shtml Breaking out of my comfort zone is a priority for me in 2012; this doesn't mean I want to start drinking biodynamic Zambian Sagrantino, or Latvian Furmint aged in underground amphorae made from ceremonially pulverised moon rocks, more that I feel a need to look beyond the domaines I know to some that are less familiar, and hopefully bring some news of these domaines and their wines to Winedoctor. And it is not Zambia or Latvia that I will be focusing on, but the Loire; a wine region you might think I know well. But you know the old saying - "the more you learn, the less you know" - and I'm conscious that this can be applied to wine. For every one of the Loire's many domaines that I know well and think I understand, there are ten more making wines which I have never tasted. It is these domaines I would like to know a little better, even if I can only scratch the surface of this undiscovered country. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/bordeaux/bastorlamontagne.shtml There are few Barsac and Sauternes estates lying outside the two tiers (three if you include Yquem's exalted position at the summit) of the 1855 classification which receive much attention, if indeed any. Indeed, there are quite a number of the second growth châteaux that are rarely sighted. One of the few unclassified estates that does crop up rather frequently, however, is Château Bastor-Lamontagne, an estate with which I have been familiar ever since my first taste of the fresh, blood-orange tones of the 1986 vintage. Since then I have on occasion noticed this fresh, flavoursome, citrus fruit trait in a number of other vintages, not least the 2003 and 2004. Often a lighter and less unctuous wine than its more highly-ranked peers, Bastor-Lamontagne has a character that will appeal to many looking for a brighter style of Sauternes. Classified or not, this is a property with which we should at least be familiar. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/author/review2011readers3.shtml I'm delighted that this year as last year, Winedoctor readers have been sending their favourite wine in context moments of 2011, and the third batch of submissions are published here. There are just wine in context stories presented, but they are both very special I think; each one serves to illustrate just what an important role wine can play in our lives. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/tastingsformal/bordeaux20074stestephepauillac.shtml I started this tasting of the 2007 Bordeaux with low expectations, and by the time I had tasted the first eight wines from Pessac-Léognan, all fresh, crisp and rather light, my outlook had certainly not changed. I wasn't expecting much relief as I moved onto the wines of the Médoc communes. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/tastingsformal/bordeaux20074pessacleognan.shtml The 2007 vintage in Bordeaux was one that favoured the white wines over the red. Of course, there are few white wines produced in the region, at the classed growth level at least, and it is only to Graves and of course its sweeter counterparts Sauternes and Barsac that we can turn to find these wines. Unfortunately the annual Institute of Masters of Wine Bordeaux tasting has always focused on the red wines, not the white, and so the very successful dry white wines of Pessac-Léognan - wines that you could argue were the most successful dry wines of the vintage - were not on show today. Happily, there is a sweetener though. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/weekend/warresvintageport1977.shtml Vintage Port might make only an infrequent appearance on the pages of Winedoctor, nevertheless never a year passes without one or two bottles being broached. And it's that time of year again; I can't let the darkest days of winter pass without a glass of Port to see me through. And so, after a sorry afternoon of collecting together fractured shards of clay tile, torn from the roof of my garage during a recent storm, and broken asunder on the ground below (I thought my house had escaped any damage during the storms of early January, but was mistaken - although I have to confess a week had passed before I realised my stupid mistake), it was time to wade into this increasingly elderly bottle, the 1977 from Warre's. Port has been perhaps one of the most durable of my vices; as I have written on these pages before, it was a regular tipple during my student days, when bottles from the 1970 and 1977 vintages in particular were ten-a-penny. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/blog/index.php/2012/01/china-coughs-bordeaux-trembles/ There’s been a massive amount of chatter on wine blogs and in the Twittersphere this week about wine pricing, with particular relevance to Bordeaux. Although this is a subject that seems to be permanently bubbling away just beneath the surface, it has been brought into full view again by the publication of the latest Fine Wine 100 Index figures for December 2011, showing a large and persistent decline across recent months. As the vast majority of wines in the index are Bordeaux (95% are red Bordeaux), the implication for the Bordeaux market is clear. “Is the bubble bursting?“, some have asked. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/author/review2011readers2.shtml I'm delighted that this year as last year, Winedoctor readers have been sending their favourite wine in context moments of 2011, and the second batch are published here, with several 'holiday' moments, from tours through Western Australia lubricated by Art Series Chardonnay to bottles 'smuggled' in through customs, and of course a common theme in wine in context - good food and wine, with friends and family. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/bordeaux/phelansegur.shtml St Estèphe is a curious commune; although devoid of first growth estates it is certainly blessed by two exemplary deuxième crus, Montrose and Cos d'Estournel, and a long-term favourite for many, the troisième cru Calon-Ségur, the communes Palmer-equivalent, perhaps. Beyond that the classed growth estates are rather thin on the ground; there is just Lafon-Rochet, which has never quite acquired the fame of its Tesseron-owned sibling Pontet-Canet, and the still under-performing Cos Labory. Happily, though, beyond these lower rungs of the 1855 classification there are a number of estates - those that we would once have blithely referred to as cru bourgeois before that classification imploded - which offer not only value, but also on occasion classed growth quality. Château Phélan-Ségur is one such estate. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/tastingsformal/phelansegur2011.shtml The rain was beating down heavily as I ran back to my hire car. I was en route to Phélan-Ségur, but could not resist the urge to pull over in order to take a few photographs of the imposing château I had just passed on the outskirts of Pez, one of several little hamlets that encircle St Estèphe, like miniature moons around a planet. It seemed to me that the moment I had stepped out of my car the intensity of the rainfall had been turned up a notch, but now back inside my car it was obvious that what had once been little more than a grey drizzle was now bashing the windscreen with some ferocity. I checked my mirror and pulled away, the windscreen wipers doing little to improve visibility, and I now inched my way towards my destination. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/weekend/quillamuscadetsevremainesurlie2010.shtml I'm only human, you know. I like to think I am reasonably controlled in the manner in which I approach my bottles that are due for opening. It is almost by a process of negotiation that some make their way to my dining table. After all, a lot of them have been lying in the cellar for a long time; it can be quite a shock for them to be summarily dragged into the limelight and suddenly expected to perform. Nevertheless, the festive season has weakened my courteous resolve, and more than a few bottles have been awoken from their slumber and put to the test over the past week or two. Some, such as the four different vintages of Bollinger's La Grand Année that were lined up on New Year's Eve, will be written up as is appropriate. Other's, such as the 1985 Port from Delaforce, were not particularly remarkable and do not demand that much fuss be made of them, whereas others, such as the 1988 Vieux Télégraphe, were sublime but have already been my wine of the week, albeit quite a few years ago now. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/blog/index.php/2011/12/new-year-resolutions/ I’ve never been one for resolutions; but then I’m fortunate in that I don’t have any health-damaging addictions I need to give up. Nevertheless, when it comes to Winedoctor, I’m always thinking ahead and making plans, and this time of year seems as good a time to make some changes, and to lay down some objectives for the coming twelve months. The past year has been one of continued evolution for this site, with a newly integrated blog to replace my old blogger platform, and stack load of new content. I did start to tot up how many new profiles, profile updates, tasting reports, vintage reports and wine guide updates I had made, but I only made it to mid-February before my eyes started to glaze over, so you will just have to take it from me there were plenty. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/author/review2011readers1.shtml I'm delighted that this year as last year, Winedoctor readers have been sending their favourite wine in context moments of 2011, and the first batch is reproduced here. If you aren't sure what Wine in Context is all about, think of it as your favourite wine-related moment of 2011, but where instead of focusing on an intrinsically great wine, we look at the synthesis of life and wine. So it's not about those magnums of 2000 Le Pin and 2001 Yquem you knocked back with last Saturday's burger and fries, it's more about that bottle of Touraine Sauvignon which just sang with your little pyramid of Valencay goat's cheese, as you lay stretched out on a blanket on the sandy banks of the Vienne, or perhaps the time you spent with good friends, old or new, over some special bottles. Maybe you made your own wine for the first time? Or maybe the wine was there to lubricate some great celebration? Whatever it is, it's about context, not just the wine. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/tastingsformal/tenyearson20012.shtml Continuing on from my account of the wines from France and Italy in part one, we now come to Germany and Italy. Both were blessed in 2001; this was an excellent vintage for the Mosel (and other German wine regions) as it was in Spain, specifically in Rioja. I am aware there is a lot more to Spain than Rioja, of course, but other than occasional forays into the wines of Navarra and Murcia, and the odd glass of Vega Sicilia and Tio Pepe En Rama here or there, it is not a wine country I have any great familiarity with. Tackling it from scratch would be a Herculean task, and so my best wishes go to Neal Martin who is taking on this assignment for the Wine Advocate following the departure of Jay Miller at the end of 2011. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/tastingsformal/tenyearson20011.shtml The purpose of any tasting such as this is, to my mind, pleasure. It is a chance to open a lot of bottles and even if the tasting is devoid of any truly great wines, the process of exploration and examination in itself should at least provide some relief. These tastings do - for me at least - also tend to engender a little personal reflection, a look back to where I was ten, fifteen or twenty years ago, what I was doing and - sometimes - what I was drinking. In some ways I haven't changed much - I see that in 2001 I wrote up tastings of 1981 Bordeaux, featuring Latour and Lafite, as well as a 1986 Bordeaux tasting which was capped by a very fine bottle of Lafaurie-Peyraguey. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/author/review20114.shtml Last year I finished off my review of 2010 with a look down the wines I had tasted at home, picking out month-by-month those that had really impressed. Although there were some great bottles, from the likes of Clos Rougeard, Krug, François Cotat, Climens, Champalou, López de Heredia and so on, ultimately I wasn't really satisfied with what I wrote. The reason was that the list was beginning to look a little like the "Best Wines of the Year" lists you find regurgitated on every other website and web forum you care to look at. On reflection it didn't sit very well with my review of the year, which looks at wine within its context - fine dinners, fun tastings, great moments - rather than divorcing it from its surroundings. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/author/review20113.shtml Looking back to my Visit of the Year post for a moment, you could argue that the five vintages of Raymond-Lafon I mentioned in my runners-up list were always going to taste delicious at the château, mere yards from the vines where the fruit was grown, especially when seated opposite was the man who made the wine. Likewise, vertical tastings of Brane-Cantenac or Phélan-Ségur, the wines lined up at the château, or tours and tastings of other estates such as Talbot or Lafon-Rochet, are always likely to yield good experiences. The people are there to make sure the wines are sound, to show you around, to make you feel comfortable. It's a good way to get to grips with the estate and the commune and region, but you have to be sure you remain objective; wines are more likely to show well in these cirsumstances. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/author/review20112.shtml If you want to know wine, you have to spend some time not just drinking, but touring, visiting and tasting. Sadly, some of my trips involve nothing more than a mad dash from one château to the next. The Bordeaux primeurs are the classic example; I squeeze a lot of tasting into several hectic days, generating a lot of useful notes on perhaps several hundred new wines (or should I say barrel samples), informing me as to their qualities, and hopefully informing others as well, but ultimately these experiences do little to enhance my own understanding of the region as a whole. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/author/review20111.shtml At the recent Union des Grands Crus tasting in London of the 2009 Bordeaux vintage, featuring a smorgasbord of Bordeaux from all the major communes, a colleague leaned over to me and commented, quietly, on how much he had been enjoying reading Winedoctor recently. Of course, he had always enjoyed reading it, he quickly reassured me, but it just seemed to be giving a lot more in recent months, he insisted. "Your writing style has changed", he asserted. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/weekend/leovillepoyferre86.shtml The 1986 vintage for Bordeaux isn't one I will be revisiting much in the future, and in fact this is true of this vintage regardless of the region of origin. I have so few bottles left I could count them on the fingers of one hand; a couple of mature wines from Trimbach and Hugel, one a vendange tardive and the other a sélection de grains nobles (the reason Alsace ended up so handsomely represented was pure serendipity) and another bottle of Sociando-Mallet already featured on Winedoctor here (including a brief but I hope informative review of the vintage). I suppose, with 25 years behind them, I could have brought them all together for a mini-horizontal, but four wines is pushing the definition of 'horizontal' somewhat.! http://www.thewinedoctor.com/author/quiz2011answers.shtml Congratulations to all those who had a go at my 2011 label quiz, everybody who had a go got something right, so well done! Below are the answers, in full picture format, so if you haven't had a go at the quiz yet don't look down! http://www.thewinedoctor.com/tastingstrade/hungarycozziboffazoltandemeter2011.shtml One of the most exciting discoveries I have made during 2011 is without a doubt the wines of Hungary, largely experienced through the wines of Winedoctor sponsor Cozzi & Boffa. My early experiences with Hungarian wine were probably not unique. Having grown up in a family with no interest in wine, I do recall the occasional bottle of the unusually named Bull's Blood appearing from time to time, no doubt to give us all a break from the Blue Nun and the Black Tower, those atrocious sugar-sweet German brands which graced many a British dining table during the 1970s and 1980s. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/tastingsformal/fifteenyearson19962.shtml Here in part two of my report on the 1996 vintage, tasted at fifteen years of age, I focus on the red wines, having covered the sparkling and white wines (as it happens, exclusively from the Loire and Champagne) in part one. The red wines take us somewhat further afield, as although I take up the story where I left off, so to speak, with a single (admittedly rather disappointing) wine from the Loire, here we move onto other regions of France, including most obviously Bordeaux but also some beyond my usual stomping grounds, including Burgundy, the Rhône Valley, the Languedoc, as well as Italy, Portugal, Lebanon and Australia. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/tastingsformal/fifteenyearson19961.shtml There are few years that totally pass us by; nearly every one will hold some events of significance for us as individuals whether it be a new job, a new house or perhaps even a new relationship. For those of us that are old enough, the birth of a child - or a grandchild - will really make the year special. And 1996 was no different, having had its fair share of 'new arrivals'. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/weekend/pepiereclisson09.shtml If you have a long memory, you may recall that in previous years I have taken to totting up the regions represented in my weekly Wine of the Week feature just to be sure that the Loire Valley had more than its fair share of the limelight (it is a rare moment of positive discrimination for this wine region, so often overlooked - not by me though - in favour of Burgundy, Bordeaux, Alsace or similar). I know the cynical among you all will look at this recent run of wines from the Loire Valley - I featured the 1990 Quarts de Chaume from Château Bellerive last week, and Pépies Bulles also from Domaine de la Pépière the week before that - and suspect that I am merely trying to 'enhance' my end-of-year figures. You are, of course, completely correct. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/bordeaux/calonsegur.shtml It was late afternoon as we trudged up the path towards the complex of buildings at Château Calon-Ségur. We were in the dying days of winter and were looking forward to spring, although our environment gave little clue to that effect; the ambient temperature was low, and all around us the vineyards were heavily waterlogged following a recent deluge. This downpour had created an extensive network of miniature lagoons all across the vineyard, each one lapping at the feet of several or indeed many vines, the shores that surrounded these diminutive seas a dark, glistening mud-brown. And the vines themselves gave no clue as to the impending season, row after row showing hardly a sign of life. On reflection, given the dreary weather Bordeaux had been experiencing, perhaps their stoical inactivity was in fact rather wise. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/regionalguides/tuscany6downonthecoast.shtml Tuscany is peppered with vineyards, including a huge expanse around the Chianti Classico zone representing the other Chianti regions - Chianti Rufina, Chianti Colli Senesi and so on - which, for reasons of simplicity (the maps, not me I hope!) I have chosen to omit. But there are other less well known vineyards too, and in this part of my guide, and the next, I will take a look at some of these wine regions. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/bordeaux/pez.shtml The little village of Pez, near St Estèphe, is home to a number of cru bourgeois properties, most little-known when compared with the superstars of the same commune, the likes of Montrose, Cos d'Estournel and Calon-Ségur. Perhaps the most widely appreciated is Ormes de Pez, a château which, through the quality of its wines and perhaps also its membership of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux, seems to have a broad and appreciative following. Just next-door, however, is Château de Pez, an estate which, since the takeover by the Rouzaud family of Champagne Louis Roederer in the mid-1990s, is increasingly worthy of our attention. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/author/quiz2011.shtml It's time for my 2011 Label Quiz. Last year I published this quite late - it was almost New Year's Eve - but this year I'm a little more organised. That's unusual - how did I manage that?! No matter, as hopefully it gives you all time to get your label-identifying thinking caps on. Try your hand at label-spotting with my 2011 Winedoctor Label Quiz. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/weekend/bellerive90.shtml After last week's Bonnezeaux-fest, featuring most prominently a tasting of Château de Fesles back to the 1924 vintage in the company of the Boivin family, who once owned the property, and the inevitable update of my Château de Fesles profile (I did also think about putting a Bonnezeaux as my wine of the week - but decided that might be overkill) I feel inclined to look this week to the other cru of the Coteaux du Layon, Quarts de Chaume. The Fesles tasting began with the 1990 vintage (the youngest wine on the night!) and as it happens I have an ever-dwindling supply of bottles of the 1990 Quarts de Chaume from Château de Bellerive, one of the few châteaux sited on the slopes of the Quarts de Chaume vineyard itself. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/otherresources/theise.shtml It's been too long since I last read anything in print about wine - the internet seems to have taken over for a while - but I am very glad I dipped my toe in the water again with Terry Theise's Reading between the Vines. Terry Theise might not be a name immediately familiar name to all, this being the first book of his to appear on Winedoctor, so on one level we might regard him as a first time author. On the other hand, I am sure more than a handful of readers will already be very familiar with Theise's work.