Live tasting notes from Fortnum and Mason's wine bar. I have internet access down here so here goes on the wines we are drinking.

Pinot Gris Vieille Vigne 2005, Domaine Bruno Sorg
A lovely, ripe, spicy nose of white fruit and minerality. It smells very ripe and very concentrated. This is a ripe and stylish wine, full of character unlike the bland Italian version of this grape variety. The palate is very dry, but has good ripeness to give it width and structure. It is quite long, and reasonably complex. Not the flashiest Pinot Gris in the world, but this is a very good drink for random drinking purposes and greatly enjoyable.

Bandol 2003, Chateau de Pibarnon
The nose is very ripe, with plenty of alcohol but by no means as over-ripe as the Tempier the other day. This has lovely Bandol grilled meat and leather characters, type but ripe! The palate is incredibly tannic, but so ripe and full it is almost voluptuous. It has good acidity too, and is really complex. This is the best wine I've had in the proverbial period of time: Complex, long and stylish. Quiet delicious too and up for enjoying. That being said I'll keep the two bottles I purchased for at least a decade.

This claims 14.5% on the label, liars! I think it suffers a bit from having heat damaged grapes in it, it is a bit bitter.

Bandol Cuvée Speciale la Miguoa 2003, Domaine Tempier
A huge, booze-tastic nose that smells of some kind of fruit liqueur. This is crazily alcoholic. The fruit is nice on the nose, though and it has some nice hints of grilled meat. The palate is dominated by high alcohol levels, but it also has a lot of fruit, and a surprisingly good level of acidity. It is a bit bitter, the tannins are harsh. I thought it was a bit of a risk getting 2003 Bandol, and I was not mistaken. It'll come around given an incredible amount of time in the cellar, but at the moment this is just a bit chewy.

The blog software is now upgraded and seems to be running fine. Hopefully, dear reader, you will not have any more problems accessing the site.

Chilean wine on Elitist Review? Honestly, elitism is my goal (rather than snobbery) so I'll take the best from anywhere, especially when this was a mere fifteen sheets.

EQ Pinot Noir 2006, Matetic Vineyards
It is quite dark. It has a slightly cabbagey, sour fruit nose which is typical of slightly under-baked Pinot. However, there is also a lot of quite nice berry fruit. The palate is a touch hot, and slightly tannic in an over extracted sort of way. But hey, there is fruit there, it is quite lively, we talked about it for... oh... minutes before deciding once again we prefer Tandem. That being said, it is not bad by any stretch of the imagination and I'll happily drink it.

You know, there were no wines of the month last month because I was in hospital. I took an overdose last Wednesday. I didn't do myself any long term damage, and I feel a fool for being so impulsive, but at least now my insomnia is being taken seriously.

I am upgrading to the latest version of my blog software, which requires me to move to an ASP.NET v2.0 capable server. There may be some downtime whilst this happens. Don't worry, you won't miss anything.

'Oh fancy!'-grade Beaujolais. I know some people who have raved about this wine, I hope it is nice.

Moulin-a-Vent "Chateau des Jacques" 2005, Louis Jadot
I'm surprised by how dark it is. It has quite a lot of cherry fruit on the nose, and is surprisingly oaky too. It seems quite big. The palate has some fruit, but is oddly heavy and dull. There is not enough acidity and there is really not enough tannin to make this anything over than an overblown tart of a wine. Yesterday's Tandem was better.

Hell's bells, a Moroccan wine on Elitist Review. Mind you, it is made by the gifted winemaker, and all round good fellow, Alain Graillot. Can he really make bad wine? We shall see...

Tandem Syrah 2005, Alain Graillot
It is rather dark. A nose of rich dark fruit that is really quite attractive. Nice ripeness to it, but there is also a hint of greenness. Lawks, this has been pressed until the pips squeak, it is very extracted. However, there is a lot of fruit, and the tannins are ripe enough. OK, there is not much here in the way of complexity, but for an eight note bottle of wine this has a degree of style. I am actually enjoying drinking it. Not for ageing or anything, but to drink as a random bottle of wine you cannot go far wrong.

I've wanted to try this wine for years, the Ramonets claim it is the best red wine of the Cote de Beaune. I've just never seen it for sale by the bottle anywhere until I went to a sushi restaurant in Helsinki: it had to be purchased.

Chassagne-Montrachet Rouge Premier Cru Clos Saint Jean 2004, Domaine Ramonet
The nose has a great purity of fruit and real elegance, this smells beautiful. There is fresh strawberry fruit there, and a real complex minerality which is similar to the minerality one would expect to find in in white Chassange. For a 2004 this smells reasonably, if not incredibly ripe. The palate is extremely refined and silky. Acidity is definitely an intregral part of this wine, but it is not overwhleming. It is quite light bodied, but there is no shortage of concentration. The tannin levels are surprisingly low, but this is not a problem. It is extremely complex with lovely flavours that really excite and thrill. Very long, too. This is an extremely good bottle of wine that emphasises elegance, purity and refinement. I don't think it is the best wine of the Cote de Beaune, but it is ranking. Whilst this will age well, it provides one hell of a lot of pleasure now. If I had another bottle I'd drink it now with someone who likes Volnay; it is very Cote de Beaune-y and I think it'd fool them. I loved it, and I would love to try it in a slightly riper vintage. If anyone knows where I can get 2005 by the bottle do spill the beans so I can snap a couple up.

Since I last had this in November, I've come to the opinion that this is my favourite affordable Cabernet based wine. It has rigour and structure yet it is actually nice to drink. I admit some may find it a bit heroic, but we all need a bit of wildness in our lives from time to time.

Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, Moss Wood
This wine is black. A lovely, expressive nose of perfectly ripe blackcurrants; I wish Ribena smelled as good as this. There is some cedar wood and I think the expensive oak treatment this gets shows its pedigree on the nose. I'd be amiss if I didn't say, "Hell's bells this is quite alcoholic!" The nose is bold and authoritatively announces it will give you a good time when you taste it. So I'll taste it. Lovely fruit is there framed in a fine tannic structure. It has reasonable acidity too; this is not one of those soupy horrors. Mmmm... yeah, lovely structure. There is a reasonable degree of complexity about the interplay of fruit, tannin and wood which makes this worth a premium price. Good finish too, although I wonder if the wood stands out a bit on the finish. OK, maybe it does, but this is one svelte sexy charmer of a Cabernet which packs a high-calibre handgun inside its silk smoking jacket.

These two wines have sat in my cellar for two years after purchase. I thought I would compare them on some significant event but then, isn't every night with one's friends a significant event?

Z.D. 2001, Green Point
There is some good fruit on the nose, but also something damp and fungal; hints of Chenin Blanc? It smells aged rather than matured. The palate has some dirty fruit as well, and an aggressive acidic character. This has lost the fresh fruit and charm of its youth and now seems rather old and tired.

Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru, R & L Legras
A lovely, developed, buttery, honeyed nose. This smells like Chablis with extra lemon zest. Mousse is a bit rough, but there is some lovely fruit and minerality there. This seems at a perfect stage of development. It is a bit fizzy, I cannot deny, but for a fifteen quid botte of fizz this has deemed itself worthy of a couple of years in the cellar.

I've reported on this before, it is a real treat to have it again.

Chablis Premier Cru Fourchaume 'Vignoble de Vaulorent' 2004, Domaine William Fevre
A lovely honeyed, nutty nose, this is really complex and quite beautiful. Lots of minerality, lots of fruit here. The nose is as clean as a whistle. This is really lovely. The palate has great acidity, but really lovely fruit and a great mineral complexity. It is very long. And stylish. This really is the cat's arse. Excellent stuff, only the 2005 is better.

I purchased this bottle attempted to test my normal buying rule that decent wine starts at roughly ten pounds a bottle. This cost an Ayrton and it is very good for that price.

Bourgogne Rouge 2002, Ghislaine Barthod
Nice cherry fruit on the nose, it seems reasonably ripe. Beyond the fruit there is not that much else there, though; it is quite simple. The palate has reasonable body with pretty fruit and reasonable acidity. It is a lively little number, that is for sure. Tannins seem ripe enough, it is not hard or tough. OK, this is a very simple glass of Burgundy, but the fruit is nice and it has a degree of charm. Not to be sniffed at for ten quid.

Here are five wines that have caught my eye over the past month.

Champagne Avize Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs 1996, Jacquesson: A 1996 Champagne that is still available, and it is a good one too. This is a tightly wound ball of intensity to drink now, and will age really well. £42.50 from Stone, Vine and Sun.

Morey-Saint-Denis "Clos Solon" 2001, Domaine Fourrier: A refined and elegant Burgundy to drink with a lot of pleasure. £19.00 from The Wine Society.

Quarts de Chaume 2004, Chateau Pierre-Bise: This is a touch less insanely sweet than most Pierre-Bise vintages; this gives it good balance and actually makes it possible to drink and enjoy. It is a damned-good, intense Quarts. £17.50 from Stone, Vine and Sun.

Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, Tim Adams: Bargain wine for an Ayrton, it displays a degree of balance and refinement that most Australian Cabernets' lack. £9.95 from The Wine Society.

Savennières "Clos de Coulaine" 2005, Chateau Pierre-Bise: Top vintage for this good Loire producer, They do make some great Chenin. £9.95 from Stone, Vine and Sun.

The drugs that have improved my mood and made me perky enough to enjoy wine again have also made me violently sick. I am afraid these tasting notes comes from sips taken in between waves of nausea rolling over me.

Riesling Scharzhofberger Pergentsknopp 2005, Van Volxem
This has a very ripe nose. So ripe, indeed that is smells slightly of varnish, and this is not attractive. The palate seems confused about how dry it wants to be, and there are more hints of varnish and acetone on the palate. It is quite long, I'll give you that, but just not very nice.

Riesling Grand Cru Brand 2001, Domaine Albert Boxler
A very rich, earthy nose to this. The fruit from sun-ripened grapes also shines through. This has a very pleasing nose. The palate is quite dry, but full of fruit and bursting with life. It seems, slightly surprisingly, up for drinking now. Great acidity and a lovely mineral tang grace the finish. This is not perhaps one of (the great) Jean Boxler's most spell-binding wines, but it provides exceedingly high quality drinking.

Pommard Premier Cru les Rugiens 2003, Domaine de Courcel
A rich, powerful nose of ripe fruit and earth brushed with a seasoning of oak. This has a big and serious nose: very complex, very stylish. The initial impression on the palate is of a big wine. Despite the size of the nose and palate this is really silky, svelt and sexy. It has great refinement for an obvious monster of a wine. The tannic structure is superb, and is perfectly balanced by the epic quantities of fruit present. Excellent Pommard and a truly great 2003.

Hermitage 1997, J-L Chave
A soft nose of grilled meat and mature fruit, spicy, rich and warm. It certainly smells very complex and quite typical. The palate seems reasonably soft, with very good fruit and a nice long finish. I didn't get to try as much of this as I would have liked, as I was feeling so sick, but it seemed excellent.

I used to love von Kesselstatt wines when I was at university, but I have learnt to my cost that they just do not age. I felt reasonably safe buying a two year old wine from a vintage as great as 2005, though.

Riesling Spatlese Josephshofer 2005, Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt
The nose is quite peachy and limey, with a reasonable degree of slatey minerality. There is really quite a lot of botrytis there, too. There is a warmth and richness to the fruit that suggests this is going to be a really rather ripe wine. Indeed it is, I've had Auslesen drier and less botrytic than this. Bonkers vintage, man. The acidity is quite good, but it lacks a bit of minerality on the palate; it doesn't quite have enough zip. That being said, this is not a bad bottle for an Ayrton, it is not going to set the world on fire but I am happy enough to drink it.