Fellow Wine Lovers,
We’re now in August, on our own, in our shop. The whole area is wrapped in a cloak of torpor, tranquillity and peace, almost a permanent state of siesta, whilst the wind is warm and the rosé is cold. If we’re honest, we’ve worked harder…
The Commonwealth Games has been our saviour though, giving us some structure to our days and, as ever, some glimpses into sports we wouldn’t normally come across and competitors we wouldn’t normally see. For example, Jim Horton made his international debut at the Games yesterday, representing the Falkland Islands in the Cycling Time Trial going up against the likes of Geraint Thomas and Rohan Dennis. What makes his story more fun is the fact that, by all accounts, the Falklands only have 35 km of tarmacked roads that he was able to train on until winter hit; he had never competed in a cycle race before yesterday and he is a mere 46 years old – chapeau! The even better news is he didn’t come last – 46 out of 54 starters and he goes again on Sunday in the Road Race. On hearing this, another more famous island dweller, Mark ‘Manx Missile’ Cavendish, swiftly withdrew from the Tour of Poland yesterday to focus on Sunday’s race…
Wayne has been somewhat discombobulated of late, as have I, as we edge ever closer to having Liz Truss as our PM. We could have a rant and a rave about this but frankly don’t’ feel so inclined – it’s such nice weather, none of you are here to listen to us and frankly we blustered on about Trump and Johnson which got us precisely nowhere so won’t be fooled again!
In the world of wine, Wayne has been working wonders this week and has managed to find us a Burgundy deal. Nowadays, the phrase ‘Burgundy deal’ is not one we often hear – more usually the conversation revolves around allocations, out of stocks and price rises so I don’t know how he did it, I’ve been advised not to ask but nonetheless, he pulled it off.
Genetie Saint Véran La Rencontre 2019, Burgundy, France
Saint-Véran is an appellation where the best sites are situated on the foothills of two ‘rochers’ that are dominant features of the southern Mâconnais country side – La Roche de Solutré and La Roche de Vergisson. Here the granitic sub soil has its word to say and lends an elegant flinty edge to some quite tender Chardonnay. This is a classic of the genre with lovely fresh citrus notes of lemon peel, floral notes with interesting exotic undertones and a touch of weight from the lees ageing…. we reckon some pan-fried scallops would be a most appropriate accompaniment!
£20.49 per bottle or upgrade to the Wayne Deal – 3 for £50 (limited time offer)
To help you make your mind up we will have this white on tasting over the weekend, alongside which we will open a bottle of Domaine Fournillon Pinot Noir 2018 – £15.99
The vines for this wine are grown on the hill of Epineuil, near Chablis, opposite Tonnerre, with soils of the same Kimmeridgean and limestone mixture as its more famous neighbour. The fruit aromas are cherry, strawberry and liquorice focused and are followed by a lovely fruit-driven fresh palate with fine tannins and a nice freshness of finish. We think you get a lot of wine for your buck here, in fact when I first tasted this wine my notes were: ‘soft, nice fruit, a no-brainer’.
Anyway, we’d best be off now, the Rhythmic Gymnastics final starts in a minute and the Athletics is on too, so we need as many screens as we can but just before we go, a word to the wise. Saucer & Cup are taking a break from Monday 8th August for a couple of weeks we’re told and Whisk are off for 3 weeks as of tomorrow, back after the Bank Holiday, so if you need quality refreshment, I’m afraid we’re your best bet!!
Over and out.