One Bordeaux region but different styles

This week I drank two different styles of Bordeaux red: Château Valfontaine  2010 and Les Hauts de Lestac AOC  Haut Médoc 2010. The former was bought in Waitrose at the reduced price of £5.99 and the latter was bought in a French Supermarket. Both of them are tremendous value for money in France where you can buy them for between 6 and 8 Eur a bottle. 

Château Valfontaine 2010  and Entre-Deux-Mers

This wine is from the Entre-Deux-Mers area of Bordeaux which is situated between the Garonne and Dordogne rivers. Entre-Deux-Mers is more famous for its White Wine but the area is a source of a considerable production of light red wine. Château Valfontaine is a typical but good example of this style of red Bordeaux. The soil here is more clay based than the gravel of the Haut Médoc

The wine is produced from a high  proportion of Merlot blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The Merlot  produces wines which are lighter in tannin and which mature earlier and Merlot wines tend to be fruitier when young. Château Valfontaine 2010 has an intense cherry colour. On the nose it has a strong flavour of red fruits especially cherries.

On the palate it has a the typical taste of Bordeaux with concentrated red fruits, liquorice and tobacco box flavour. It has light tannins and feels smooth and sumptuous. It is well balanced and integrated. It has a long length. This wine is not made for keeping and I would drink it young. It is probably at its best now or over the next year.

It goes down well with beef and French cheeses. It is good standard quality wine and at £5.99 it represents really good value for money. It is wine which shows the character of Bordeaux without being expensive. So three cheers for the Waitrose buyers. You will not go wrong with this wine.

The wine is also labelled with the new Appellation d'origine Protégée which is now beginning to replace

Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) on French wine bottles.

Les Hauts de Lestac Cuvée Prestige 2010 AOC and the Haut-Médoc

The Haut-Médoc is situated on the left bank of the Gironde river and is considered to be one of the top wine areas of France if not the world. It includes the communes of Margaux, Pauillac, St Estephe and St Julien. Some of the worlds most expensive and prestigious red wines are made here such as Château Latour, Château Margaux and Château Mouton Rothschild. Some of this prestige rubs off onto lesser wines.

Whilst the famous wines are made from vines grown in the best locations alongside the river the other wines of the less renowned names of the area still benefit from the sand and gravel soils of the Haut-Médoc. The quality of the standard wines, however, is little different to the reds of Entre-Deux-Mers; this is reflected in the retail price in France. Les Hauts de Lestac does not command a much greater price than Château Valfontaine.

The style of wine is quite different, however, Les Hauts de Lestac is made from a predominance of Cabernet Sauvignon blended with Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the wine is much more tannic and austere and it is more closed up. The red fruit flavours are not as strong  and the wine needs to be kept to mature for a couple of more years before it will reveal its fruit flavour. The wine is matured in oak so it has a flavour of vanilla and liquorice.

It also has the typical tobacco box aroma and flavour of Bordeaux.  It is slightly stronger in alcohol than the Valfontaine at 13% but this is not noticeable on the palate. It is the level of tannin that makes the  difference. the tannins need to soften up a little before the wine is fully approachable. The wine has long length and it goes well with magret de canard as recommended on the bottle. The tannins helped to refresh the palate.

It is very good value for money if you buy it in France. The Baron de Lestac estate is one of the largest producers in the Haut-Médoc.

Two different Styles

Two different styles of wine created by the blend of the grapes used and to a certain extent the soil and the micro-climate. The  wines of the Haut-Médoc have the potential to age much longer and the potential to become great wines. This is not always the case, however. Both of these wines are of similar quality they are good everyday drinking wines. The wines of Entre-Deux-Mers should be drunk young and most of the wine from the Haut-Médoc should be allowed to mature and allow the tannins to soften to reveal the fruit.

The 2010 vintage

2010 was a very good year for Bordeaux reds; almost as good as 2009. I have tasted some very good examples of both vintages. It is well worth buying half a dozen bottles of medium priced  Haut-Médoc

 and storing them in a cool dark place for a few years.

http://www.decanter.com/bordeaux-2010/en-primeur-coverage/529002/bordeaux-2010-report-fatigue-readjustment-and-a-missed-opportunity

Valentina - Sevenoaks

I really like to go to this restaurant. They serve good basic Italian food which is unpretentious. Although it is part of a small family run chain it is certainly a step up the gastronomic ladder. The restaurant is also a delicatessen which you pass through on your way to eat. They have a wide selection of Italian wines including some of the top names. I always buy a bottle after dining. Valentina is worth visiting just for their wine.


The Saturday before last my wife and I joined some friends for lunch. On the wine list they have house selected wines from Vigneti Iucci which is a family run winery in the Lazio or Latium region of Italy just south of Rome. The Lazio region is famous for its dry white Frascati which is not normally a favourite of mine.

Vigneti Iucci is situated in la Creta which is not far from the famous monastery of Monte Cassino; the scene of a bloody battle during the second world war.

We chose Vigneti Iucci Sant'Elia red. This wine is made from a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah grapes. It is a well rounded wine with a taste of cherries and red fruits and some spice from the Syrah. There was also a slight taste of tobacco.

It went perfectly with the speciality dish of the restaurant, Capella Romana, which is meatballs in tomato sauce covered by a serving of tagliatelle and Italian ham baked in the oven. The Capella Romana was full of flavour and the wine was a perfect accompaniment. It was an excellent combination.

The wine was so good that we ordered another bottle and it was a good job I was not driving. This is not top quality wine but it is perfect for drinking with such a hearty dish. It certainly helped the conversation flow which is what drinking a good bottle of wine with friends is all about.

There are plenty of wine fairs in Italy to go and sample some wine and this interview gives you a feeling for what they are all about. The wine we drank is in the background.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTncEqFSRio

The staff at Valentina are informal and friendly and are intent on giving you good service. My wife and her friend ordered a dish which was not to their liking. The manager replaced this dish with another without question or complaint. This is how it should be. It should be normal that a manager looks after his customers. This is quite often not the case in British restaurants.

We could not leave without buying some wine and bread from the delicatessen. I went away with a bottle of Mannara Syrah and Sangiovese 2011 red from Sicily and a bottle of Vigneti Iucci white.

We drank the Mannara at home on the Sunday with some roast duck. This is another good quality wine for everyday drinking. The wine held up well with the oiliness of the duck. It had a taste of  fresh red fruits with some spice from the Syrah. It went down well with French cheeses afterwards. The wine is drinking well now but I am sure you can keep it and it will develop more over the next couple of years.

We have not tasted the white wine yet but more of that later. I promised the manager a tasting note.

Valentina is well recommended if you want to pass a convivial afternoon dining with friends and then finding a great Italian wine to take home afterwards.




 

Liquid Nitrogen in a drink, whatever next!

Today we have just got news that a young lady drank a cocktail which contained liquid nitrogen. It is beyond belief that anyone could prepare such a drink and then sell it to someone for consumption. Liquid nitrogen is an extremely dangerous substance. Nitrogen is not poisonous but in liquid form it can do enormous damage to your skin if not handled properly. In this case the young lady's stomach was frost bitten to the extent that her stomach had to be removed to save her life.

Whatever was the bar thinking about?

If this is a new trend just to get kicks then it is extremely dangerous.  You have to be highly trained to use this substance. This is not the sort of training you get on a one day Bar and Health and Safety course. You need to know what you are doing. Before selling drinks like this you really need to use your Brain cells. If you run a bar you should soberly look at the facts. Please do not exploit young people's desire for kicks.

When someone is in your cocktail bar, wine bar or pub you are to a certain extent responsible for their safety. It is easy for someone who is drunk or just happily joining in the fun to make an error and in this case it was almost a fatal one.

Boiling Point

Liquid Nitrogen boils at -196 degrees celcius and this is exceptionally cold. Even dry ice, which is frozen carbon di-oxide, sublimates from a solid to a gas at - 78 degrees celcius: and it is very dangerous as well. I was once served a dessert at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai, which was fuming from dry ice. I made sure that all the ice had disappeared before I went anywhere near it. It looks good but is frost bite worth it?

With liquid nitrogen the dangers are of several magnitudes higher.

Food programmes

Lots of food programmes on television show chefs using liquid nitrogen in the kitchen. Presumably the likes of a Michelin starred chef knows what he or she is doing. Your average barman in Lancaster probably does not. Perhaps the food programmes should give stronger health warnings. In general, I am not in favour of a nanny state but in this case I am. Serving liquid nitrogen with a cocktail should be banned.

Who is responsible for your safety?

Ultimately you are responsible for your own safety.  You cannot guarantee that a bar owner or your friends will look after you. It may be trendy to drink alcopops and slammers but think of your liver. These days you cannot drink and drive; so if you are the driver please look after your friends.

 If you are determined to drink lots then stick to beer and eat something before you go out.

If you are drinking lots of wine snack on food whilst you are drinking. The Spanish, Italians and French do this; it helps to fill you up so you do not want to drink so much and it helps to slow down the absorption of alcohol. Alcopops are dangerous not because they are particularly strong in alcohol but because they are sweet and easy to drink.

If you must participate in drinking games, it is best to stick to beer as you will probably throw up before you can poison yourself with alcohol. Drinking slammers, as part of a drinking game, is stupid and dangerous. It may be fun to participate in drinking games when you are young but think of your future.

I am not in favour of the "I told you so" attitude; the young lady who lost her stomach probably just wanted to enter into the fun of things. She should remain blameless. However, there is a lesson to be learnt from this. Even alcohol on its own can be dangerous but combined with liquid nitrogen it could be fatal; so please do touch cocktails like this.

Cool drinks

It may not be cool to drink a chilled glass of Chablis rather than a fuming cocktail but it shows that you have got some class.

Websites

Try these:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_ice

http://chemistry.about.com/od/moleculescompounds/a/liquidnitrogen.htm

Brasserie Blanc - Berkhamsted

Once again,I had an excellent meal at the Blanc Brasserie with my good friend and colleague Patrick.

The Food and Wine

We choose terrine of smoked hock for starters. Patrick chose Plaice for the main course and I chose Shirred Eggs with smoked Salmon, a dish I had never tried before but was eager to try. As usual the food could not be faulted as it was full of flavour. But what wine do you choose to go with all that?




Brasserie Blanc has an extensive wine list. On this occasion we did not want to push the boat out so I selected Domaine Begude Sauvignon Blanc 2011. The wine was perfect; it tasted fresh and zesty with a hint of nuts, citrus fruist and grapefruit. It is produced in the Limoux region of southern France at an altitude of over 1,000 feet on north east facing slopes. The wine therefore reflects the character of a cool climate.

Domaine Begude grows its wines on clay and limestone based soils.  This type of soil suits the Sauvignon Grape very well. The wine is classified as Pays d'Oc IGP which is a new classification under the Appellation rules. It has a protected geographical indicated name. Domaine Begude grows its vines using organic methods.

The wine went perfectly with the fish and smoked hock and just about held its on with the eggs and smoked salmon. I always find it difficult to select a wine to go with  eggs. The mineral and smokey aspect of the wine, however, did match the salmon and I felt that I had just about got away with the choice.

The Limoux region is probably more famous for its sparkling wine, Blanquette de Limoux, which is an excellent alternative to Champagne, but it has a character of its own.

Domaine Begude is difficult to obtain in Britain but if you do come across it I thorough recommend it . Majestic Wines were stocking Domaine Begude Rosé.

The Cheese board

Contrary to English tradition we ate cheese before dessert; my wife is French and she would "kill" me if I did anything else. I was particularly impressed by the Deauville creamy cheese from Normandie and the Bleue de Gex which was much milder and less pungent than most blue cheeses that I have tasted. We were  recommended a sweet wine to go with the cheese-  French Muscat of course. 

Dessert

Lemon sponge pudding washed down with the Muscat and this was delicious.  After coffee and Armagnac it was almost time to wander off, well pleased.



Atmosphere and Service

Joanna the manager has created a very friendly atmosphere. The Brasserie reminds me so much of France but of course the customers are British so Raymond Blanc has got things working just right. The attention to detail is very good and Natalie, our waitress, was able to describe all the cheeses. The wine, food and service was top notch.

Why is it a favourite restaurant?

Patrick loves to come because of the access and the no nonsense welcome. He won't mind me saying that he has multiple sclerosis. Sometimes he can walk and sometimes he has to use a chair. Yesterday he could walk and he got home easily after a half bottle of wine. If you want to find out more visit his site www.aid4disabled.com.

Château Laroque Thomas Bordeaux Supérieur Red 2010

Our friends brought a bottle of this wine from France. It was simple delicious. It had soft tannins with a blackberry and blackcurrant flavour and the taste remained on the palate for a long time. The wine is from the right bank of the Garonne river and I suspect that it has a substantial quantity of Merlot in the blend. It went down really well with free range chicken followed by mature cheeses. This wine won a silver medal at a wine competition in Lyon. I can understand why, as it is a high quality product. You can find it in French supermarkets for around 6 euros a bottle. I would gladly pay 8 or 9 pounds for this wine in a British supermarket.

If only I could find excellent wines like this for about 5 pounds in Britain. I would be a very happy man. No wonder it won a prize.  2010 was a good year for Bordeaux red.

The next time that you are in France, I recommend that you buy a couple of bottles; one to drink now and the other to keep in a cool dark place for a few more years. I am sure that this wine will improve with age.

2012 a good and bad year

2012 has been a good year for South Australian wines the weather conditions have been perfect for the production of high quality grapes and high quality wine. After successive bad years the Australian wine industry deserves some luck. The good year in Australia has been counter balanced by poor growing conditions in Northern France especially in the Champagne region.

In Champagne the growers have been beset with all sorts of difficulties with late frosts in April and heavy rain for most of late spring and early summer. The poor weather conditions have caused coulure when the vine flowers fail to to set and pollinate properly. Vines are self pollinating plants which need dry and breezy conditions for the pollen to spread properly amongst the vines. The flowers in Champagne did not all pollinate at the same time so the vines fruited at different times which adds to difficulties to tending the fruit and harvesting it. The poor weather conditions also caused millerandage where the fruit fails to develop properly. The cold wet weather did not help the fruiting bodies of the vines.
 To add to all this the vines were afflicted by both powdery mildew and (Oidium) and downy mildew (Peronospera). The treatments applied by the growers were washed off the grapes by the incessant downpours.

The good weather conditions in Australia and poor ones in Champagne cannot just be blamed on luck.
There is no doubt in my mind that man made climate change is altering the weather. This has been predicted by climate scientists who not only use climate models to predict the changes to the climate but who have also researched the climate of the past to make predictions. The greater extremes of weather events and the greater variability of the weather is caused by global warming which has increased the average temperature of the atmosphere and the amount of water vapour in the air. There is more energy in the atmosphere to disrupt normal weather patterns. As we pump more and more carbon  di-oxide  into the atmosphere the likelihood of  us experiencing extreme weather will increase. Some years vine growers will benefit but overall I expect that climate change will create more and more serious problems not just for viticulture but for all forms of agriculture. We are damaging the atmosphere and we shall also damage the quality of our most preferred beverage. How stupid is that?

1996 Mountadam Cabernet Sauvignon

My Australian friends gave me a bottle of Mountadam Cabernet Sauvignon from the Eden valley in South Australia. I saved it for a special occasion and opened it last weekend before some friends arrived. Unfortunately the cork was faulty and it broke in the neck of the bottle. Even though I tried hard, I was unable to extract the cork without leaving substantial pieces in the bottle. I had to open a bottle of red Bordeaux to go with our lunch. I couldn't serve wine with pieces of cork floating in it.

My friend and I did taste the wine it was still excellent after all those years in the bottle with concentrated flavours of blackberries and black fruits. The wine was still going strong and was not on the downward slope.

I sealed the bottle with a rubber cord and vacuum pump. My wife and I will finish off the bottle after I have filtered it. I think a tea strainer might do the trick.

Maybe there is a case for using screw caps but will a wine age as well? Pulling a cork, a natural one, still holds romance for me, especially for wines as good as this one.