Our annual Christmas tasting is always in November, and this year’s was an excellent start to the festive season. Just six wines to taste, but all top quality, with an average price of over £60/bottle.
Our opening fizz was from Manon Boutillez Guer, who some of us had met during our Champagne wine tours this year. In 2001, when we first visited the estate, run by her dad Marc, she was just seven years old, and in the subsequent 24 years she has become an accomplished winemaker, as her Blanc de Blancs ‘Nuances 70’ showed. This would be a wonderful wine to toast the start of Christmas Day. Or any other day!
Some of us had visited Domaine Corsin during our tours of Southern Burgundy a few years ago, and it was great to celebrate their first vintage under the newly designated Premier Cru of ‘Aux Chailloux’ in the AOC Macon Pouilly-Fuissé. An ideal wine to take one through Christmas dinner. We compared it with another Chardonnay, that could not have been more different. From Donnafugata in Sicily (who we have also visited several times) this was made from botrytised grapes – highly unusual in the windy DOC of Contessa Entellina, offering both sweet and savoury notes on the palate. A bit marmitey, but it went rather well with the mackerel pate starter served by the Britannia, and would be really interesting with a washed rind cheese such as Chaorce or even Epoisses!
Our first red was from the only estate we have never visited – Tolpuddle, in Tasmania. Their flagship Pinot Noir (served in magnum) was a multi medal winner at this year’s wine awards, and was fabulous. As was a very old favourite – the Unacepa from Valduero in DO Ribera del Duero. Another place we have visited many times, and this bottle (made from the equivalent of a single Tempranillo vine’s grapes) offered a great contrast – powerful and rich and very pleasing. The Britannia served over 70 perfectly cooked steaks (over two nights) which showed off both wines gastronomic perfection.
We finished with another Donnafugata wine, their Ben Ryé, made from Muscat grapes from the island of Pantelleria. A historic wine, that showed beautifully and would be a lovely accompaniment to Christmas pud, mince pies, or an antidote to the same.
For details of the wines please go to the Wines we have tasted page.
