I have a lot to write up, some of it even related to Jerez, but wanted to share some thoughts from tasting these five quite magnificent Chateau Neuf du Pape with David Martinez at el Mostrador de Vila Viniteca last night.
They were all at the very top level, but for me two stood out – the very first, Domaine de Marcoux Vielles Vignes 2009, which had a concentrated jammy fruit and liqueur that shouted out Chateauneuf; and the second, the amazing Chateau Rayas 2008, which had aromatics and a kind of ethereal strength that could only be, well, Chateau Rayas, which famously has cool terroir soil in a hot place. Talk about wines with personality.
I am not saying that this level of expression is possible in Jerez, but surely we ought to be at least trying?
undertheflor.com 
we’re working on it (trying to get CNP levels of expression from alberiza). Having being a pioneer limey in the Languedoc 23 years ago, we sold up last year and moved to Sanlucar where we are going to investigate small scale table wine production. We’re meeting other local producers, and think that we’ll be ready for a first foray this year. But it takes 5-10 years to start understanding a terroir, so you’ll have to be patient.
One caveat – we’re fed up of red wine making, so our focus will be on whites and rose. We did so well with rose in France that we often traded with Laurent at Pegau. She insisted on bottle for bottle which was strange as her wine was about 10 times more expensive than ours….
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I knew we would find a link! Great to hear from you and how have I not heard of you?
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