Wine blog
My tasting notes of fine wines I have enjoyed.
Domaine de la Machotte 2025 - AOC Gigondas
High expectations for our bottle of Gigondas 2025 from the popular Domaine de la Machotte. The domaine’s vines are highish on the hills within the AOC area so benefitting from slightly better drainage and maybe slightly more light, although this medium volume cuvée is not blessed with the grapes seen as the best of the domaine. It’s a Grenache, Syrah, Mouvèdre assemblage.
The bottle is embossed with the crest of the Domaine de la Machotte. It was a long cork, which was hardly wet as 2025 is still very young for a wine from the Côtes du Rhone Villages area (CDRV).
Château Fourcas-Borie, 2016
Listrac-Médoc
Cru Bourgeois
Médaille d'Or Pais 2018
A Listrac-Médoc claret of good reputation, the terrain straddles the Listrac and Moulis border. We enjoyed this bottle with the main course of a long lunch in Terry’s garden in Preston Park, Brighton. Maybe the day was a little warm for a big claret but this one stood up to the ambient temperature. The wine poured as a dark tawny red colour, Not the most full bouquet before drinking, but the initial taste impression was of a fine claret, so the wine did not disappoint on its reputation
Vacqueyras AOC
Réserve Bessons Dupré 2024
Médaille d’or, concours des vins Orange 2025
A really satisfying Côtes du Rhône wine. Vacqueyras village has its own Appelation Controlée and is situated adjacent to the Gigondas uplands but Domaine Bessons Dupré vineyards are located on the stony garrigue plateau, which suits them fine. The wines from both these Côtes du Rhône villages have come in to greater prominence in recent years. This Vacqueyras vintage gained the gold medal at last year’s festival in Orange and is now on sale widely in Provence.
Bottle of the 2005 vintage from a château favoured for his cellar by my Father in recognition of the name Barton, the same as our neighbours’ in Trumpington, Cambridge.
Clos René 2005, our Christmas claret with roast lamb. Apparently the traditional meat for a celebration feast meal in the Médoc region of Bordeaux; the local lamb in those days was presumably from the sheep grazing the salt marshes of the banks of the Gironde, if not elsewhere in Gascony.
Read more: Christmas claret: Clos René 2005, Pomerol appellation contrôlé
