I needed to get rid of the spam and there were casualties. The other boys post so many times a day that they wouldn't notice, but I don't want you to think I've deleted your worms of wisdom lightly.

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mel

Ah yes...

I didn't get back to Duncan on that Nanny Goat PN from M+S.

Well Duncan, I took it back. Somebody in customer services promised to discuss my e mail with a member of the wine team., but she didn't get back to me. I e mailed again to remind her but...nothing.

Maybe I should have kept it to se how it turned out in a couple of years though.

Hi Ed,

I kept my Nanny Goat - I am checking out maturing CO to see if it will ever properly satisfy me. If it gets worse, Marks get it back. Internet receipts last for a very long time

I'm drinking a 2004 CO pinot at the moment - Silky, Not bad, but NOT nicely evolved, nothing tending towards elegance. Modern producers are using a too heavy a dose of sulphites in NZ at the cheaper end. I need to reveal how CO pans out with bottle age. When I have sampled some over the next 12 months, I hope to convey some truth for traditional Pinot lovers, that many of the tabloid / daily rag wine writers don't bother to deal with.

At the affordable end, they side step anything to do with potential elegance and evolution from bottle age, cellaring and proper wine making. May as well be baked beans in a tin with some of them, a sort of Yes or a sort of No.

I believe I do understand where some part of that candy / confected element comes from now. But, I will have to move up the money to find something special in CO to avoid it.

At the moment - I'm damn near bloody sure that producers are chaptalising with a little sucrose, or inoculating the must for body and mid palate sweetness. Trouble is, I only really know what ripe Cote d'Or pinot tastes like.......To find this Holy Grail - if Hugh Johnson and many others are to be believed, one needs to spend more money than you, and the rest of us first thought.

I will get closer to understanding CO pinot noir - I hope.

At the mo, I realise that I appear to be as anal as Goose is about correct ( in his opinion) SB and MSB.

I like my affordable burgundian pinot tailored to the flavour that fairly ordinary french restaurents in the north country serve. So learning CO is a 1st step.

One or two Roaring Meg next

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Duncan

At the mo, I realise that I appear to be as anal as Goose is about correct ( in his opinion) SB and MSB.

Now look here, MrD, just because you understand left bank from right bank, live in Berkshire and walk the queen's corgis for 50p an hour, there's no need to be abusive.

Besides, you can't wind me up tonight, Cardiff beat Brizzle Titty 6-0 away in the Championship and I sold the last of my Cadbury shares to those nice Kraft people for enough money to keep me in Springfield Estate Special Cuvee until at least tomorrow afternoon.

Now behave !

Full marks - Well done on Cadbury's - I didn't pick any, frankly I thought shareholders would be loyal, and then it was too late.

But I did buy Next at less than a tenner a share I wear Next kit, but don't eat much of Cadbury's stuff, except fruit and nut, when out sailing or on country walks.

Bristol must have been rubbish on the field today.

Of course, in time you will be forced to eat Kraft cheese slices with a Mac grey burger and ketchup - they will have gobbled all others up. Adrian Cadbury was not that amused.

How is 2009 MSB evaluation coming along ? We don't seem to be making very much progress

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Duncan

How is 2009 MSB evaluation coming along ? We don't seem to be making very much progress

-=-

Oyster Bay and other mega branded twaddle aside I can't find any. I have settled upon Seifried Estate Nelson 2009 and Springfield Estate 2009. The rest is dross although the Co Op one is good value for £4.99.

There is not even sign of The Reach 09 at Tesco.

Dashwood and Sacred Hill are top of my list to find.

I have Co-op Explorers and South Bank MSB to test. Don't suppose they count!

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mel

Go for it Mel.........who knows ?

A cutting from the New Zealand LISTENER on 26th October last year

A season saved by a dry April at late harvest - Wet February, cool March, late pickers were Best.

Monkey ssiP was the 1st in the stores

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Duncan

So Duncan, the Drystone was a little bit of a disappointment then ?

Can you call ? Too biz to explain, need another to Understand mature CO and a comp with Secano '08 in Southern Hemis, to see if it is fruit or winemaking.

At the mo, this one from S. Hemis is streaks ahead for elegance http://ccgi.quaffersoffers.co.uk/QOforu ... ut+cabrier

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Duncan

I have M&S Wairau MSB 2009. 2007 was excellent 2008 not so.

Explorer's is always poor. Southbank is very green and herbaceous. Just my kinda wine. But the flavours evaporate after 1 glass so I rarely buy more than two bottles per vintage before giving it up as a lost cause.

Lots of fine wine stores carry Southbank though and most charge silly money.

Maybe i'm missing something...~insert abuse here~