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The ‘Pursuit of Excellence Tour de France’

The ‘Pursuit of Excellence Tour de France’

To celebrate 30 vintage years, the Chevaliers of Charles Mitchell Wines’ paid a special anniversary visit to our award-winning producers in Beaujolais, Burgundy and Champagne.

The weather was fabulous as we experienced first hand, the driest spring conditions in the vineyards since 1976, however there is a danger of spring frost which could devastate the harvest, so fingers crossed over the next few weeks.

First stop was Beaujolais where our great friends and producers Chantal and Eric Coudert make fabulous Chiroubles and Fleurie from their 20 acre vineyard “Domaine de la Chapelle des Bois”

They took over the estate in 1991 and have invested heavily to produce glorious soft and fruity red wines from hand picked Gamay grapes.

We tasted the 2010 vintage in tank , followed by older vintages dating back to 1997, a real treat, served with “foie gras crème brulee”, our starter at the local one star Michelin restaurant!  These are great summer wines for the barbeque and alfresco season, just bang on with roast lamb, and serve slightly chilled.  Bring on those long summer evenings………………………..

Top wine moment :  2009 Fleurie Vielles Vignes Cuvee Cadole ….. Bin No: 64 – £249 / 12                            STOP PRESS…Gold Medal awarded to this mega wine at Paris Wine Fair……… only 30 cases left!!

Next stop Beaune. Jean-Jacques Girard and his son Vincent make rich, aromatic and concentrated wines from their stunning traditional Domaine in Savigny les Beaune.    This hidden gem Domaine exudes quality and finesse.

We are delighted to launch their 2009 Vintage “Tete de Cuvee” range this year. We are so in love with their 09, it’s impossible to resist.  Delicious fruit driven whites and sexy aristocratic reds.

CM Wines are so impressed with the quality of this family estate offering a wide range of affordable Burgundy, don’t miss out as these wines are available in small quantities and selling fast.

We enjoyed a long and indulgent lunch in the sun on the patio with the Girard family tasting the 2002 Corton Charlemagne with homemade ham terrine, to seal our new partnership.

Top wine moment: 2009 Beaune Premier Cru – Clos du Roi Bin No:  73  - £599 /12

From Savigny to Gevrey Chambertin with Domaine Pierre Bouree, our second home and oldest supplier since 1982.

Monsieur Louis who is now 85 but fit as a fiddle which he puts down to 2/3 glasses of wine per day, took us on a tour of their magnificent Charmes and Chambertin Grand Cru vineyards where some of the vines are as old as Louis!

We had a comprehensive tasting in their cellars of over 50 wines which confirmed what a great vintage 2009 is.  Bouree wines are rustic, aromatic and elegant with great finesse. These wines need to be savoured.

We were treated at dinner to some wines from the family’s private  cellar.  The highlights were the 1976 Gevrey Chambertin, 1985 Latricieres Chambertin Grand Cru, 1999 Morey St. Denis Premier Cru, which after tasting we managed to negotiate a small allocation of each wine.  See  Chris and Howard for more details…

Top wine moment : 2009 Meursault Bin No: 38 – £650 / 12

The following morning meant a drive to Epernay, Champagne where we admired the Cotes des Blancs, famous for the finest Chardonnay vineyards.

Olivier Bonville welcomed us at his cellars in Avize where they produce 150,000 bottles of Grand Cru Champagne from their 40 acre famliy estate

We enjoyed a fabulous gourmet picnic at “Les Belles Voyes”  which is a tiny Grand Cru single vineyard “Clos” producing their flagship award winning Prestige Champagne.

Back to Avize to see the immaculate cellars and taste the full range including the award winning Grand Cru vintage rose 06 and 07 vintages.

If you have not tasted these champagnes you are missing a real treat, they are top quality and great value.

Top Champagne  moment: 2006 Grand Cru Rosé Bin No:  27 – £480 / 12

The team enjoyed a comprehensive tasting and  noted the fine quality and elegance of the exquisite range.

Epernay to Manchester took 11 hours by car! A wonderful week, blessed with sunshine, fine wines and gourmet cuisine, such is life!  The trip confirmed we are working with top quality, family owned  Boutique producers who make great wines without compromise.

Please check out our Gallery for pictures and please contact us for more information on any wine or producer!   Also you are welcome to taste the all our new wines at any of our forthcoming Summer Shows

We have some special offers and picked up some rare fine wine parcels from this trip so please Contact us for further information.

 
 
 
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