This is not going to be a tasting note, it is going to be a rant. Partly because I feel so personally offended by this wine, but largely because I have been obliged to drink half a bottle of the booze-tastic horror.

Macon Villages Cuvée Tradition E. J. Thévenet Domaine de la Bongran, Jean Thévenet
By arse, what am I doing drinking this lighter-fluid? It is 14% at the very least, in the name of all that is evil! Now, I am all for wines of heroism, but I like them to have some form of balance. The only balance this has is a large amount of alcohol to balance out the large amount of alcohol. Honestly! Where is the elegance? Where is the refinement? It is just a big glass of booze. I know Australians who'd be floored by this monster. I like my wines to have harmony, to speak of something more interesting than a mere glass of tart-fuel. This cannot speak because its speech is too slurred. I see no pleasure in drinking what is effectively a large glass of raw booze. There may be some acidity there, but it hardly competes with the whacked-out, crazy, booze-tastic monster that is this alcohol-fuelled frenzy of a wine. I am whammed even slagging it off. But, far, far worse than that, I am bored by having to drink it. No thanks.

The worst thing is, I've bought bottles of this before and hated them just as much. I am such a fool buying another bottle of bloody awful, completely atypical Macon. Cuvée 'Tradition'? Tradition my arse.

I welcome comments on this entry as I know everyone in the entire world has consumed this wine. This must be why the world is in such a state; everyone is pissed.

2000 was a great vintage for Chablis, ripe and round but with plenty of good acidity. Fèvre were purchased a few years before and made an incredible turn around from producing over-oaked acid-juice to lovely wines of balance and style. I was quite looking forward to popping this bottle.

Chablis Premier Cru Montée de Tonnerre 2000, William Fèvre
The nose of this shows a pleasing degree of development, it has some honeyed fat along with nuttiness and lemon fruit. The nose is very mineral. With the good lemon fruit one can almost smell the acidity, but it shows a degree of fat on the nose. The palate is linear and direct; good lemony fruit with a steely mineral/acid finish. There is some breadth, which becomes more apparent as the wine breathes. The palate does show a bit of maturity, this is drinking extremely well now. It leans toward fun, but when it comes down to it it is a wine themed on 'rigour'. One has to work for one's pleasure, but there is a lot of pleasure to be had. I don't mind thinking about something to enjoy it, and neither should you.

Based on this, I am sorely tempted to lay into my remaining 2000 Chablis with a grin on my face (and a bottle of Gaviscon on the table).

I've had a tube pulled out of my stomach today, that had been there for 24 hours. I need something manly and heroic to charge me with strength once again.

Collioure Clos du Moulin 2001, Domaine Mas Blanc
A rare wine from the South-West of France, the region that makes the whacked-out and crazy Banyuls sweet wines. This is the dry red wine from the region; in this case made from 90% Mourvedre and 10% Counoise. It is a herbal, meaty, richly fruity wine. It smells very much like the herb and fruit punches that will be appearing in Blighty when autumn comes around again. Yet it is not heavy or cloying. It is certainly powerful, but not over-powering in terms of alcohol, fruit or structure. The fragrance is very pleasing. It is nicely-tannic and really quite long. I think this will age for a another decade. This is a fine, and highly-affordable, wine.

Riesling Scharzhofberger Kabinett 1999 from Egon Muller

This is a serious wine. The nose is packed with ripe citrus fruit and a severe minerality that makes it burst with life. The palate is frighteningly acidic, but the wine is ripe and fruity enough for this to be a balanced and invigorating drink. The finish is pleasingly bright and mineral, and it is really long. I suspect this is riper than a normal Kabinett, given the year, sweetness and the weight of the wine, but the acidity and minerality keep it lively, fresh and bright. One on of the last sunny days of the year I could ask for little more. Well done Yoda (aka Egon Muller).

I was so disappointed by the Leeuwin Estate Shiraz I decided to open something I knew would be good.

Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru 2002, Domaine des Lambrays
I have a bit of a thing for Grand Cru Morey St. Denis wines, especially those of the perfumed and elegant style. Clos des Lambrays is more like Clos St Denis than Clos de Tart, Clos de la Roche or Bonnes Mares in that it is a wine of beautiful fragrance and style. The 2002 had a lovely Pinot-perfumed nose; a very strong, ripe Pinot character especially when compared to the 2001 which was intensely terroir-driven. There was a balanced amount of new oak that could be detected on the nose. The palate was quite big and fruity, but very well balanced by good acidity and a nice minerality on the finish. This was a very pleasing glass of stylish Pinot Noir. I prefer the 2001 as it is more refined and complex, probably with a better ageing profile as well, but I am pleased to have seven more bottles of this to drink over the next fifteen years or so. A top glass of Pinot Noir, and a very good glass of Burgundy.

A bottle of wine from a producer that has rarely compelled me. I like their Riesling and their Cabernet. They are most famous for their chardonnay, which I find has the same problems as this.

Leeuwin Estate Art Series Shiraz 2001
Quite a ripe, alcoholic, chocolaty nose. The palate is fiercely acidic, along with being quite heavy and ponderous. This is one of those wines that 'strives for balance', but ends up being out of balance and lacking any real niceness. The harsh acidity hides the essential ripeness of the wine and ends up making it taste rather thin. Poor show, Mr Leeuwin.

Moving house and being in hospital have kept me away from the internet for a while, but I return with a review of a wine with grand pretensions.

Laurent Perrier la Grande Siecle La Cuvée
I remember having an excellent bottle of this about five years ago; I recall the smoothness of the mousse and the mature softness of it. I picked up another bottle at a bargain price in France (half what it costs in the UK) and tried it again. This is a true multi-vintage wine, made from three good vintages in recent-ish years. I am told the current release is based on 1996, 1993 and 1990 but this could well be wrong. The wine had a mature nose and palate, with a rounded and polished mousse. It was quite silky. Sadly, it appeared to lack much in the way of complexity, and was very short. It had the oddly 'face-lifted' character of Bollinger RD: mature yet fresh and fizzy. I don't like this character. I was not terribly impressed.

I have another bottle that I shall try ageing for a few years, but as far as non-vintage prestige cuvées go I think Gratien Cuvée Paradis is much better. And Krug, obviously.