At lunch a couple of weeks ago ACC served up a Chateau Cantegril 1988 sauternes. For once it doesn't matter if the photo is blurry, as you can't read the label anyway - fortunately I kept the cork! I hadn't come across this producer before but it was a very good mature sauternes and I believe came from an impeccable source. We had some with our starter (pate) and some with our pudding, and well-chilled it was perfect on a hot summer's day. Rather more fun than running the London Marathon I suspect.
I acquired this Bourgogne Rouge 2004 from Rouget from ACC's private cellar as part of a swap. No regrets. Rouget is based in Flagey-Echezeaux in the Cote de Nuits and this wine was was smooth, mature red burgundy. If I'd tasted it blind, I would definitely have said it was village level if not premier cru. It was drinking well now and was impressive for an '04. It reminded us of a Morey-St-Denis as it had chocolate and plums on the palate, but it also had the charming, sensuous nature of a Chambolle-Musigny. G said (and I quote): "you can fuck off I'm drinking the bottle!" which is high praise indeed. It seems to be practically impossible to get hold of in the UK unless you're in the know, which I'm not, but I'm glad I know someone who is - and who is happy to trade it for linieaquavit!
I suspect it may not be possible to read the writing on the label of this wine from the photo - it's difficult enough with the bottle sitting right in front of me! I think this is a 1971er Westhofener Kirchspiel Muller-Thurgau Auslese* made by Günter Käufer. And they wonder why German wines don't sell very well... This is about as unfashionable as it's possible to get and G picked up three cases at auction last year for a song (£6 a bottle). Based on the inverse law of wine labels, the worse the label the better the wine so one would have high expectations and indeed it is very interesting. It's a dark amber colour, off-sweet in style and quite grapey. We had it with a lemon tart and some berries - it wouldn't go well with a sweeter pudding. What's amazing is that it's 40 years old and still going strong.
*The label continues: Erzeugerabfullung Bezirkswinzergenossenschaft Westhofen - my GCSE German is sadly not up to the task but I gather that Westhofen is a place near Worms and is in the Rhinehessen.
And finally, as we were drinking Marc Royales the other night (made with the vieux marc from Felettig and some cremant de bougogne from Dufouleur) I came up with a joke which I was rather pleased with: "a marc a day helps you work, rest and play". There's a lot to be said for it!
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