Newsletter No. 19: 22nd September 2005
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A couple of people reading our new website have
commented on the rather significant time delay since
our last newsletter; looking back it was July when
the last one “hit the streets”, which
does seem like something of a lull.
There is a reason for this, however. We know that
many of our clients, especially those in the Far
East, remove themselves from the torridness of a Hong
Kong/Tokyo etc. summer by journeying to the balmier
climate of Europe, often passing the school holidays
being gently buffeted by the Mediterranean breezes of
France/Spain/Italy. Any newsletter published during
this period would be old news on their return, so I
tend to hold off communications over the meaty bit of
the summer season and get some top priority, high
level fishing done instead!
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In this issue….
» The new Bowes
Wine website
» Dates for
forthcoming tastings
» News on the
2005 vintage
» Rosé for
the Indian Summer?
» Wine of
the Week
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Fishing on the River Tay in Scotland.
One of the last fishing trips of the season…
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The new Bowes Wine
website
Thank you to all those who have sent us encouraging
communiqués about our new website. Though we
say it ourselves, we are pretty happy with the end
result. However, we know that it doesn't stop
there… Our aim is to update the site on a
regular basis, add new offers, new features and
ensure that there is always something interesting to
look at when you log on. If there is anything else
that you would like to see on the new site, do let us
know.
Progress report on the Client Zone. We are now
ironing out the last few technical glitches with this
part of the site and hope to have it up and running
next week. Victoria will be emailing each existing
client as soon as it is available for use. Not long
now…
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Dates for
forthcoming tastings
London -
We enjoy more and more the planning and execution of
our London wine tastings. Lots of people turn up,
lots of wines are open and not much spitting is done.
Whilst these events give us the chance to show off
our interesting Bowes Wine selections and launch our
new season's list of drinking wines, they are also
conducted in something of a party atmosphere and are
a good opportunity for us to catch up with friends
and to meet wine-interested strangers for the first
time.
Our venue has changed for our pre-Christmas tasting
this year. We've stuck with the livery companies, but
gone for the Stationers' Hall this time around. Its
location just off Ludgate Hill couldn't be more
accessible and (as at the Vintners') the space and
sense of occasion are substantial.
The date for this London tasting is Monday 28th
November. As before, proceedings will kick off at
18h30. An official invitation will follow in due
course, but do get this in your diaries now if you
would like to attend.
Far East visit and tastings
- Victoria and I will be visiting the Far East in
November, starting in Hong Kong and taking in Bangkok
and Singapore too.
We are planning to host another wine tasting at the
Crown Wine Cellars in Shouson Hill, such a success
was the last one. Again, it will feature some really
interesting wines, followed by a light meal. This
event is planned for Thursday 10th November.
Official invitation to follow shortly.
We are also hoping to arrange an informal wine
tasting in Singapore whilst there. These plans are
somewhat embryonic at present, but it will be Bowes
Wine's first event of this sort in this market and we
hope to see as many Bowes Wine clients and their
friends as
possible.
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News on the 2005
vintage
The 2005 harvest is in full swing in Bordeaux and
early reports are very positive. Picking in Pomerol
is almost complete (the harvest is one week ahead of
'04) and they are already talking about a very fine
vintage. In the Médoc, châteaux are
waiting for the Cabernet Sauvignon to ripen fully.
Again, at this stage everyone seems very
chipper.
So…oh dear! It looks as though we're in for
yet another year worthy of attention in Bordeaux. It
would seem that this is quickly becoming the norm in
this region, a phenomenon related to both climatic
change and developments in wine making
technology.
Burgundy, too, is enjoying the healthiest of fruit at
harvest. The only gripe there is that some of the
minor appellations have experienced devastating loss
to hailstorms: Santenay, by all accounts, has seen
almost total destruction and Chassagne has suffered
too.
Question: why do years ending in one number appear to
do better than those suffixed by another?! Years
ending in the number 4, picked at random, would most
often disappoint. 5 is another matter. 5's a wine
grower's friend, more often than not. Perhaps this is
what makes Chaos Theory so interesting to those whose
national health spectacles are held together by bits
of sticking plaster.
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Summer is still here, in our garden at least.
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Rosé for the Indian
Summer?
Wah! We have slightly overestimated the new-found
popularity of pink hooch. Smugness at the fact we had
found the best value, most delicious and gluggable
rosé for our clients to quaff over the summer
months has turned to slight chagrin mixed with mild
concern that if we don't get it sold this stuff will
lose all its delightful fresh-as-a-daisy,
come-hitherness over the winter months.
This estate is listed by Jancis Robinson as one of
the "…best-known overperformers in the
Languedoc…" and elsewhere: "Like Gauby, and a
couple of départements to the east, Jean
Orliac has 20 years of great whites and reds behind
him". (This would, perhaps, have had a little more
impact had Jancis have mentioned their pink wine
too!).
To clear our stockholdings before Autumn arrives, we
are offering this brilliant wine at a much reduced
price:
(12x75cl) 2004 Rosé de Saignée,
Bergerie de l'Hortus, Pic St Loup
£84 inc. VAT (normal price £96 per
case inc. VAT)
Delivery is free for 3 cases or more (can be mixed
with other cases from our Summer Drinking
Range)
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Wine of
the Week
This was given to us blind by a friend the other
night. When I started nosing it, I knew that we were
dealing with something that was pretty exceptional.
Just how exceptional (and the heights of generosity
this friend is content to attain) were re-evaluated
when all was revealed. Anyway, here's the note:
"Distinct whiff of smoke. The fruit is fully mature,
plump and of licorous red and black plums and black
cherries in alcohol. There is real sweetness here.
There is a meatiness too: leather and dried meat
(biltong or jerky?!). A hint of violets and burnt
earth.
This is fluid and amazingly cool on entry. The fruit
flavours include raspberries and red cherries. There
is a dusting of crystalline tannins and a
constriction of tangy minerals. Acidity is impressive
and medium and fresh. Length is very, very good. The
finish is full and lingering. Velvet texture; fully
structured; totally mature. Juicy and with solid
grip. This is fine wine indeed!”
The wine? 1989 Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Château Rayas, and what a Châteauneuf in
full flow; a wine to make one sigh and think on the
shame of it that wines like this don't come along
very often…
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