David Round MW

I just came here to answer Mike’s question.

Yes, there’s is a lot of grand cru swill out there. Just really mediocre stuff that wouldn’t hold a candle to a good grower’s village wine.

Yes, I was responding to your assumption that if someone can't discern quality in a 10 or 17 year-old grand cru, then they just haven't given it enough air or time in bottle. If you corrected in a subthread, then I'm glad.

30 years of trade buying in the region for four merchants leads me to the latter explanations. And if a 2009, of all vintages, isn’t showing any hints of its grand cru quality by now, it never will.

So do I, hence using the two words in the same sentence. Mike doesn’t detect any quality cues in a 17 year old wine, but somehow without tasting it, you reckon they are there. Either Mike can’t discern quality or, Occam’s Razor, it’s just a mediocre wine or a faulty bottle (or both).

It was Tryon Foothills in North Carolina. I think California has hit saturation, AVAs don't solve any of their current problems and if anything, producers are stepping back from more specific (e.g. Atlas Peak) to less specific (e.g. Napa Valley).

If wines don't show any quality or charm in their first decade, I don't think I'm going to like how they end up. Yes, there are loads of really top wines that you taste very young and think "this will be amazing in x years" but I think "it's too young to see the quality" is an over-deployed excuse.

Yes, I don't think there is much appetite for new appellations, denominations and designations any more. In the US, there was only one new AVA in the whole of last year.

There’s a clear majority for progressive parties here, which is a great cause for optimism. But we need proportional representation to make sure this is reflected in the government we elect.

Modern feminism increasingly seems to be not very modern.

No, exactly. About as well as James Watt and common decency. Or punk and equity.

Yes, as soon as I saw that, I just got on with my day.

Reform would be a national catastrophe of Trump / MAGA proportions. Maybe focus on not suggesting they might not be worse. That would help.

Phew. Expect a self-indulgent thread in about three to four weeks.

It may take a while. I’m a slow reader in the best of languages.

My advice would be: if you now have to compromise by working for another absolute arse in order to pay your bills, don’t wait three and a half years before starting to look around again. (Yeah, don’t ask)

It took me much longer than it should have to learn that working for corporate psychopaths never ends well and I feel so sorry for all of the employees and equity punks who are losing so much today with the sale of corporate craft brewing giant Brewdog.

I know, right? But Dariusz's line of enquiry has piqued my interest and I could do with brushing up on my French again, as it's been a few years since I have used it in the wine world!

I have now bought a copy on eBay and look forward to being better informed on the subject. In a couple of weeks' time...

Well, 1970 was the final vintage that bulk shipping was allowed for the likes of Bordeaux and Port, so it was phasing out before then. But château-bottling was pretty much unknown until Mouton started in the 1920s, so there wasn't much point bottling in Bordeaux for export until that took off.

Looks interesting.

I imagine that a large proportion was shipped in bulk to the UK, Netherlands and Ireland and bottled locally.

But on a tiny scale and "toutes sortes de bouteilles « de diverses figures et proportions. Il y en a à long col, modèle de champagne, il y en a à cul plat et enfoncé, modèle d'Angleterre, à très petit col et d'une grosseur presque égale de haut en bas façon de bouteilles de liqueurs étrangères »"

Some of it is just local custom (brown glass for Rheingau, green for Mosel) to set a region apart from its rivals. And most wine was shipped in bulk and bottled in market until around 1970, so shape and colour were sometimes subject to availability.

If you find out more, let us know! I always thought that Bordeaux had that shape because it threw more of a sediment, so it would catch it when pouring or decanting, whereas Burgundy didn't need that so could go for a more elegant shape. Port like Bdx but darker glass for protection for long ageing.

Imagine my eye roll at the fact I had to post the back label. But yes, it’s a lovely front label and sales are obviously not a problem for Xavier, given that I bought the last few bottles of the only 3 wines imported here.

Charmingly homemade back label for info.

Xavier Goodridge Henty Pinot Noir 2021

This is absolutely exquisite. Xavier Goodridge’s Henty Pinot Noir 2021. Pale appearance, really precise, pure strawberry fruit, piercing acidity and fabulous intensity. Sadly, I think I may have bought the last bottle in the UK.

I appear to have lowered the tone.

Walton Bridges by Turner

The Blue Rigi, Sunrise by Turner

Snow Storm by Turner

The Rising Squall by Turner

The Turner Constable exhibition at Tate Britain is a real treat, including paintings from private collections that haven’t been on display for 170 years. It makes clear Turner’s pivotal importance as a precursor for Impressionism and modern art.