Today is my 45th birthday. Good grief !

Tomorrow night we are off out to my fav Thai restaurant the Golden Well in Brocastle but tonight is just close family. I was treated to Monkfish bought this morning in Swansea market and cooked to absolute perfection and covered in the lightest of herb and butter sauces. The wine, well, I had two cases as presents. Pascal Jolivet Sancerre 08 and the all brand spanking new Cloudy Bay.

Sancerre to me goes through 3 stages. In it's youth it's all green and nutty. Think unripe acorns. Why an acorn. An unripe acorn has no smell and who on earth has bitten into one to find out what it tastes like. Not me.

Hugh Fernley Whittingstall maybe but not me....Oh no.

But an unripe acorn is a nut wot is green so is green and nutty and therefore a good Sancerre should make me think of an unripe acorn. If it doesn't it's not a good Sancerre.

Stage 2 is austere nothingness as the wine loses it's lovely green nuttyness and becomes bland yet kinda rich but by stage three the wine will have turned golden and become flinty and slightly appley.

De Ladoucette's Pouilly Fume 2005 is a superb example of a stage three Loire sb. But this Jolivet is young and green and nutty and lovely.

The Cloudy Bay 09 is an icon. New Zealand's most famous wine. But it's all wrong. Lemon grass, grapefruit and oak or if not oak then about 3 weeks skin contact. Chardonnay lovers will love it.

But there is no cat's pee/blackcurrant leaf.

How very dare it !

However, it is a class act. It's just not for me. We've got through 3.5 bottles and the night is still young but I would swap a whole case of this for just one glass of JE 2007 or perhaps a bottle of the 08.

Anyway....back to the Jolivet Acorn Supreme

Happy Birthday Goose

45 Today and it's a Friday night

Pascal makes a superb range:

I do not know this grower and producer, but I am already impressed with his attitude and consideration of the various climats (expression of terrior and the wild yeasts present ) that he has identified within his domaine. I say climats because he is attempting to build up to, and identify a cru level in quality

In pursuit of these different characteristics he has made quite a number of cuvees from the various plots, so that connoisseurs may be able to enjoy and identify their attributes.

I like that sort of attention to detail, but as always, I'm sorry that prices are likely to be set accordingly. Passionate about his wines, there is no doubt.


http://www.pascal-jolivet.com/_eng/index_en.htm

Enjoy your Pascal Jolivet Sancerre and save a glass of the '08 for me

I enjoy Hugh FW, he realy lashes out, and condems factory farming methods, a great guy and entertaining :D

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Duncan

Happy Yesterday and so young (you and the wine).

Hope today's not too bad as a result. Stroud looks washed and fresh.

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mel

Belated happy birthday gg


I've got a bottle of 08 JE - wanna swap then ?

Ta for the birthday wishes.

Am now off for a long stroll on the beach before coming back to watch the Baa Baa's v NZ on the telly.

Tidy.

I must apologise Mr G. for not replying.

Your email ended up in the damn dross bin. I have trained this new AVG version AV, and hopefully no further embarrassment with new folks.

I must go thu the bin more often

"For some ridiculous reason AVG whopped a perfectly reasonable email into the Junk bin" Spam software is dumb

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Duncan

I'm sure Goose is happy. A great footy w/e. His Blueboys beat Tom Finney's lot, Wolves beat Nat Lofthouse's lot and my idiots held to a draw at home against a bottom-three side. Magic.

So, are you any older yet GK?

Yep, 40 yesterday, Ive had a super weekend.

Wine highlight? Falcoaria Reserva '04, sneaked back from Portugal earlier in the year. Oak, fruit and acidity in perfect harmony, wish I had liberated more.



I didnt get around to opening my Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas '69, Ive promised to share it with a friend one night over the xmas holiday.

I will be on the wagon this week, need to recover

Strange, same Pearl Harbour day as my brother (he's now 67). Point of interest, are you "slow & sure".

Yes and no.