Left Paris, an amazing city, they have more visitors than anywhere else in the world!

Burgundy is one of the most beautiful parts of France – rollings green hills and vineyards with old stone villages nestling amongst the trees.  Here they have Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and I caught up with Michel Briday in Rully and tasted his lovely aromatic wines; to Bitezout Prieur tasting his Mersault and Volnay onto Chezeaux tasting Vosnes Romanee and Nuit St. George.  Incredible mouthfilling wines that leave you stunned with  the quality of the terroir and dedication of each individual winemaker.  I caught up with Francis Denis who I met in Melbourne at a wine show earlier in the year…..all the top areas including a corton charlemagne which is the top of the tree!!!  Delicious.

After three days on the road in a new Renault Scenic to Vacqueyras to Vigneron de Caractere for a fine tasting of Cote du Rhone; Gigondas; Chateauneuf du Pape…found some good wines amongst that lot.  On to Vaison La Romaine for two nights to discover some more well priced wines, one I had met at the London Wine Fair and the other I read written up by Jancis Robinson – Martinelle in the Ventoux part of the Rhone.

If you watch the cycle race through France you would know this part of the world – the Dentelles – the mountains that  they race up and down !  The most rugged, scenic drive I have done and I found Corinna Kruse here with her vineyard Martinelle.  Corinna is German and found her heaven in Ventoux producing wines that express the terroir and purity of fruit with minimum of handling.  I was very impressed with her Venoux and indeed I would like to bring some back to Melbourne for others to taste the rewards of her philosophy.

I had met Vincent Moreau at the LWF and was impressed with his style of wine, also looking for that lovely ripeness and purity of fruit which I believe is what makes drinking wine so good !!  My mouth waters at the thought )

Great value Cote du Rhone!!

Now at Chateau de Font du Loup and tasting the next vintages that are coming.  When you taste a variety of vintages from a vineyard they should have characteristics that are always there!!  Here it is the wonderful ripe sweet fruit and the seamless line of the wine the only bit of difference is the degree of intensity depending on the warmth of the year:  they handle their fruit so well that even if it is difficult they know when to pick and how the fruit will respond.

Chateauneuf du Pape is a wonderful powerfull wine that can be aged for years but Anne-Charlotte and Laurent also make a very elegant wine with freshness that makes even the most powerfull years delicious with food.