Christmas heralds a time for tradition and what could be more traditional than a bottle or several of delicious claret? Two great rivers of France, the Garonne and the Dordogne join together in Bordeaux to become the Gironde. There are great differences between the wines from the Right Bank (Dordogne) and the Left Bank (Garonne). The terroir and soil are different. The balance of grapes planted is different.
The Left Bank of the Gironde focuses on Cabernet Sauvignon and provides us with the iconic appellations of Pauillac, St Julien and Margaux and others, while the Right Bank is home to Merlot and Cabernet Franc in the communes of Pomerol, St Émilion Blaye, Bourg and Castillon.
Douglas Harrison, local wine importer and provider of wines to his daughter’s deli in Pitshanger Lane, will be presenting red, white and rosé wines from the Right Bank of the Dordogne river, some with a connection to Charlemagne the Great, and some from a pre-phylloxera vineyard in the Côtes de Castillon, along with several from a Grand Cru Classé St Émilion estate.
This should be a cracking evening.
Ch. Monconseil Gazin, Côtes de Blaye
White
1 Blanc Classic – 100% Sauvignon Blanc unoaked
2 Blanc Prestige – 80% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Semillon
Red
3 Rouge – 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. 10% Malbec, 12 months in oak
4 Rouge Grande Reserve – 55% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Malbec, 5% Cabernet Franc, 18 months in oak
5 Clos Louie, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux 2012– probably the oldest vineyard in Bordeaux, all pre-phylloxera vines planted in the 1850s. Just 4,000 bottles per year, trodden by foot, unfiltered and biodynamic since 2001. A wonderful mix of Merlot, Noir de Pressac (aka Malbec), Carmenere, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Ch de Pressac, Saint Emilion GCC
6 La Rosee du Ch de Pressac 2017 – Bled straight from the GCC juice when reaching the desired colour, then aged in 500L Acacia barrels
7 La Tour de Pressac 2015 – Second wine of the estate.
8 Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2008 – Blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Noir de Pressac (aka Malbec)
An event not to be missed.
Join us for our December tasting to savour the wines of this classic region of France. We also hope that Belinda from Harrison’s Deli will be providing some festive cheese and charcuterie.We are not sure yet whether we will be able to provide snacks with the tasting. If we do, the fee will be £30pp; if not, it will be £25. We will confirm as soon as we can.
Monday 09 December
Start 8pm
Upstairs at The Forester, 2 Leighton Road, W13 9EP
£25/£30 per person (to be confirmed) payable on the door.
Please bring your own glasses.!
Details on attending CWC tastings can be found on our About CWC wine tastings page.