Ten Minutes by Tractor: Australia's answer to grand cru Burgundy

Back in the 1980s when I first started drinking wine, Australia wine wasn't known for its fine wines, although there were some big stonking icons like Penfold's Grange from one of its oldest regions, the Barossa Valley. Over the years things have changed. Newer, cooler regions such as Margaret River in Western Australia, Adelaide Hills, Victoria's Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsular in Victoria and the island of Tasmania came to the fore. Then and now long-established family run companies like Henschke in the Eden Valley and Tyrrell's in the Hunter Valley produce first rate wines, some of which from vineyards more than a century old.

For many years Australia seemed to pander to multiple retailers with brands loosing their identities, swallowed up by large corporations. Many wines became anonymous blends from enormous areas (particularly viewed from a European perspective) created to meet price points.

While foreign markets lost interest in Australian wines, high end site specific wines have been emerging. As a judge at the International Wine Challenge, I've been starkly aware of how much Australian wines have been improving over the past few years, particularly whites (and notably lightly oaked Chardonnays). What I've been slower realising is just how good the finest examples have become. Earlier this year I had the fortune of tasting wines from Ten Minutes by Tractor – Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Mornington Peninsular that give the best of Burgundy a decent run for its money.

The estate dates from the early 1990s with vineyards ten minutes by tractor apart, but clearly defined by place. The concept of terroir plays a key role and tasting through the range is like contemplating subtly nuanced Burgundy crus. The cool coastal locations give the wines poise and structure with delicate aromatics, fleshed out by judiciously handled French oak. I was tasting wines from the notably cool 2011 vintage so the wines seemed particularly refined and brisk – until very recently something I'd never have expected from Australia.

Take a look at their website for more wonderfully detailed information but, better still, try to get your hands on a bottle. Hedonism Wines in London's Mayfair currently stocks the Wallis Chardonnay 2010 and Majestic has the Estate Pinot Noir 2011. The prices for these respectively are £50 and £35 – steep, but not unreasonable for world class wines.

Chablis to Beaujolais: an epic journey for wine lovers

After breakfast in the sunny garden of the Hostellerie des Clos in Chablis, we returned to the car to continue our journey. Our next destination would be Lancié in Beaujolais for a two night stay before finishing our first week in France in the southern Rhône near Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe.

We headed south of Chablis to pick up the A6 autoroute for Pouilly-en-Auxois where we took the quieter A38 towards Dijon. As we approached Dijon, it got much more hilly and we turned off the motorway onto the D108 which zig zagged steeply up and over the northerly part of the Hautes Côtes de Nuits to Marsannay where we picked up the D974. This is where wine lovers (particularly Burgundy lovers) start getting very excited. The D974 (previously called the N74) runs north to south alongside the Côte d'Or, passing through a series of world famous wine villages, names you generally only see on seriously smart bottles. There is even a restaurant named after this road in San Francisco with an appropriately Burgundian wine list.

As I'd driven along the D974 a couple of times already and it was my husband's first visit to the area, I did the honours so he could sit back and admire the views. We drove through Gevrey-Chambertin and Chambolle-Musigny, passed by the walled expanse of the Clos de Vougeot, continued through Vosne-Romanée and then the busy little town of Nuits-St-Georges and on towards Beaune past the huge mound of Corton with its forested crown.

We stopped for lunch in Beaune, easily parking on the inner ring road. My classically Burgundian oeufs en meurette and my husband's steak went down beautifully with a drop of Beaune, obviously. After coffee and sunny stroll, we were back in the car continuing south.

We took the A6 autoroute briefly to Chalon before turning west to Givry to pick up the D981, an old road that runs south to Cluny. A more scenic option is to leave Beaune on the D974 and pass through Meursault and Chagny where you can pick up the D981. The Côte Chalonnaise has always appealed to me as these wines – generally lighter and more rustic than their glitzier neighbours in the Côte d'Or – were popular with French nobility during the Middle Ages. Apparently Henri IV was partial to the wines of Givry which had been popular since the 6th century. The D981 goes through the historic towns of Rully, Givry and Buxy, passing handsome old stone buildings, stately cedar trees and the occasional château.

The region looked as though it has enjoyed plenty of commercial success in the past, even if its wines are now overshadowed by neighbouring regions. Following this attractive, gently undulating old route was quite an unexpected treat and judging by the numbers of cyclists we passed coming in the other direction, it's a popular one, too. The road led to the monastic centre of Cluny, congested with coach parties when we drove through. We then picked up the main road, the N79 to Mâcon, passing vineyards and the craggy limestone Roche de Solutré, the landscape becoming much more dramatic. Finally, after a few minutes on the A6 we turned off towards Lancié near Fleurie, for two nights at maison d'hôtes Les Pasquiers, looking forward to dinner and a decent drop of Beaujolais.

An overnight stay in Chablis

Last summer, as we travelled through France towards the Mediterranean, our wine themed route gave us the chance to visit Chablis. I've always loved Chablis wines, but so far never had the chance to experience this cooler part of Burgundy. Having left Le Touquet after breakfast, we travelled southeast, stopping for a quick lunch in Reims and passing through the historic city of Troyes. Sadly we only had time to drive through the medieval city centre, but I'm keen to return for a more thorough visit. Troyes has been an important trading centre since Roman times and was the ancient capital of Champagne and would be ideal for breaking a long French journey.

We reached Chablis late in the afternoon, passing the dramatic sweep of Grand Cru vineyards, entering the town from the north. After swiftly checking into the Hostellerie des Clos we headed out into warm sunshine. Chablis is a charming little town with many interesting corners and some splendid buildings reflecting centuries of prosperity. The Serein river runs through town providing a refreshing lush quality welcome in high summer and the combination of the water and old stones is particularly attractive.

As it was a Monday in mid August our options were limited, but after spending a couple of hours admiring the town we returned to the hotel to get down to enjoying the local produce (in a restaurant that was actually open). The Hostellerie takes great pride in the local wines and our French Canadian sommelier, thrilled to be working in the town, expertly helped us navigate the comprehensive list. He suggested a bottle of Mont de Milieu 2009 by Pinson which deftly saw us through dinner. It was particularly good with the starter of salmon tartare with ginger and raw quail's egg, and then later on with local cheeses, some sticky, ripe Couloummiers especially.

For food and wine lovers Chablis is a great place to visit – for an overnight stay or a short break. Needless to say we took a lot of pictures.

Pousse d'Or Caillerets Clos des 60 Ouvrées 1996 and mallard

Now, this wasn't any old duck and burgundy combination as you might have guessed from the heading, this was complex, gamey mallard and a rather cherished mature Volnay. For a number of years I've been the proud owner of a bottle of Domaine de la Pousse d'Or Caillerets Clos des 60 Ouvrées 1996. We've recently moved house, so this autumn seemed a good time to open it to toast our new home. We had an old friend of mine from the wine trade round for supper, so the timing and company seemed ideal.

I've had several red burgundies from this tight, briskly acidic vintage and some of them (especially village wines) are reaching the end of their lives. However, I expected this wine from such a notable site and skilled winemaker to still be very much on song. To my relief (it always feels like Russian Roulette with mature wines), it was in full voice.

There is something quite moving about this wine. It was made by Gérard Potel, one of Burgundy's greatest recent figures, who ran the domaine until his premature death in 1997. You can read more about Domaine de la Pousse d'Or and Gérard Potel here on Clive Coates's website. It reveals that critical changes were taking place at the domaine and how stress may have contributed to Potel's early demise. So, the bottle of Volnay that had lurked in my cellar for so many years has particular poignance as it was from Potel's final vintage.

Amazingly, after 17 years, the wine was full of vigour, with a rounded silky texture, creamy and fleshy – not what I expected from this angular (even gaunt) vintage. Aromatically there was a lot going on – violets,  morello cherries, plums, exotic spice, even savoury soy notes, all supported by a refreshing chalky mineral backbone. Expressive, pure, defined and entirely harmonious. Ravishingly beautiful.

Allowing the wine to fully articulate itself, the mallard worked brilliantly. The gamey meat was complex enough in its own right, simply served with potatoes roasted in duck fat and one of my favourite vegetables for fine reds, red cabbage. An autumn treat we won't be forgetting in a hurry.

Turkey, pea and ham risotto

It's almost New Year, but you might still be wondering what to do with all the leftover turkey. Each year I make turkey and ham pies to freeze, but last night we used some of our leftovers in a risotto. I finely diced an onion and sweated it until translucent in some duck fat, then added the rice, stirring it for a while. Shredded turkey and ham came next with frozen peas and some fresh fennel (which had been used in a salad earlier in the week), gradually stirring in turkey stock. Once the rice had cooked and the consistency was creamy, I served the risotto with more fresh herbs and a slick of olive oil. It was delicious with our bottle of fresh, fragrant Guardiolo Falanghina from The Wine Society, although it would also be good with a fuller bodied, even oak-aged white – Burgundy would be a especially good. Happy New Year!

J M Brocard Bourgogne Jurassique and Portlandien

At the end of our annual summer holiday in France we go to a local supermarket to fill the car with goodies. Winewise, we might have already bought some directly from producers for laying down, but we also buy a couple of mixed cases of wines for between 3.50 and 5 Euros a bottle for everyday drinking. If you look away from classic areas to regions like southwest France, the Loire and Languedoc-Roussillon, there are plenty of bargains. Picpoul de Pinet is a particular favourite.

However, this year, in a large Carrefour in Perpignan, my head was turned by these wines from Chablis producer, Jean-Marc Brocard. They were just under 6 Euros a bottle and I grabbed the few that were left on the shelf. I can remember tasting this geologically inspired range of Bourgogne Chardonnay at the London Wine Trade Fair when they were first launched a few years ago. The range comprises 'Jurassique', 'Portlandien' and 'Kimmeridgien' named after the geological periods and soil types of Chablis. This concept really appealed to the wine geek in me – but maybe it's a bit of a challenge commercially as they aren't widely available in the UK. (However, I've just checked with Brocard's UK importer, Julian Baker, who told me that Booths are stocking Jurassique 2011 which is good to know if you live in the north of England.)

Both our wines were from the 2010 vintage and the Jurassique had a focused aromatic, citrus character, whereas the Portlandien was broader and more tropical, but still cleansing and mineral. Beautiful, elegant wines with their own distinctive personalities (and so much better than a mundane, confected tasting Mâcon-Villages we bought for the same price). Well worth looking out for if you're the other side of the Channel (or can access a branch of Booths).

Beaujolais: a neglected French classic

It's not so long ago that every year in late November we were awash with Beaujolais Nouveau, whether it was the local offie, restaurant or wine bar. If you worked in wine retail Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé campaign involved grumpy, bleary-eyed early mornings. One year at Oddbins in Camden, once the cases were off the lorry and a bottle uncorked, we each devoured two Big Breakfasts from McDonald's across the road – surprisingly good with the fruity young wine. (Talking of food, charcuterie is the obvious choice for Beaujolais which is why I've included this lovely picture of saucisson instead of anything from McDonald's; a sausage McMuffin just isn't the same.)

Anyway, I digress. Despite its popularity back in the 1970s and '80s and the fact that, along with wines like Muscadet, Beaujolais helped introduce many Brits to French wine, it has lost its appeal here. Younger drinkers may not be that aware of it and older consumers perhaps view it as a bit retro (and sadly not in a cool way). I've heard people admit to disliking Beaujolais (and the Gamay grape generally) because of the sweet bubblegum flavours – often the result of whole bunch fermentation/carbonic maceration and heavy-handed use of sugar by winemakers. This is a shame. There is so much more to Beaujolais, especially from individually named villages or 'crus' in the northern part of the region (granite based in contrast to the clay in the south). Here you find more concentrated, age-worthy wines with distinct personalities, ranging from light, fragrant and youthful to dense and brooding that become earthy, gamey and burgundian with age. Low-yielding old bush vines (maybe 70 years old) generally produce the best results.

But maybe it's time for a reappraisal. Beaujolais is enjoying a run of good vintages and there are a number of great value, delicious wines available in the UK. The recent Beaujolais trade tasting in London offered great examples from 2011 and 2010 as well as interesting older wines (especially beautifully mellow Moulin à Vent Grand Clos de Rochegrès 2000 and 1999 from Jadot). What's more, with Bastille Day coming up at the weekend, I can't think of anything more suitable. Here are few favourites:

Beaujolais-Villages, Combe aux Jacques, Louis Jadot 2011
Juicy, aromatic, fresh and tasty. Lovely summer drinking, especially served cool.
(£9.99 Waitrose, Tesco, Budgens, Spar, Booths) 

Chiroubles, Domaine de la Chapelle des Bois 2011
Pretty name, pretty wine: juicy, fresh and fragrant. A charming example of lighter style Beaujolais, yet with plenty of personality.
(£11.25 Stone, Vine and Sun) 

Brouilly, Henry Fessy 2011
Lively fragrant fruit with satisfying depth and stern dry finish. A great choice for charcuterie.
(£9.99 Waitrose)

Chénas, Les Carrières, Paul-Henri Thillardon 2011
Complex and concentrated, appetising and juicy with an interesting savoury finish.
(£14.25 Christopher Piper Wines)

Moulin à Vent, Cave du Château de Chénas 2010 (enjoyed recently at home)
Tasty, succulent and quite sturdy – fabulous with our sausages, mash and caramelised onions.
(£10.99 Waitrose)

Moulin à Vent, Clos de Rochegrès, Château des Jacques 2011
Lots going on here: juicy, perfumed, deliciously satisfying and complex. Seriously good (and the price reflects this). Another great Beaujolais from Jadot.
(£23 The Wine Society)

Morgon, Côte du Py, Jean Foillard 2010
Lots happening here as well: fresh and pretty, yet slightly rustic and farmyardy and with an elegant mineral finish. Beautifully crafted, completely enjoyable wine from one of the region's leading producers and best sites.
(£22 Les Caves de Pyrène, The Sampler)

Visiting Beaujolais
If you're travelling to France this summer, it's worth noting that the Beaujolais region takes some beating for its relaxing bucolic charm. Densely vined rolling hills are punctuated by pretty villages and, if you're a city-dwelling Francophile, it'll tick a lot of boxes. There is also a clearly sign-posted Route des Vins and many producers welcome visitors. A helpful Guide de l'oenotourism is published by the generic promotional body Inter Beaujolais.

Saucisson image copyright bbc.co.uk and many thanks to Inter Beaujolais for supplying the other three images.

La Table d'Olivier Leflaive

Burgundy is a thrilling destination for wine lovers. Unlike Bordeaux's Médoc, there are no glitzy châteaux vying for your attention. The region is dominated by a limestone ridge running in an approximately northeast–southwest direction, with vineyards cascading down its southeastern side – the Côte d'Or (golden slope) which is punctuated by quaint farm buildings, and occasional old walls enclosing notable vineyards (clos). The region carries its status and remarkable heritage lightly and, for me, this has always been part of its charm. Furthermore, the word Burgundy evokes the concept of good living, making the region even more tantalising.

Unlike other wine producing nations, the French have been slow to open their doors and actively welcome wine lovers. This has been a big mistake and may be a reason why it has failed to attract new consumers. Consider, for example, outgoing Californians and Australians who expertly court customers with cellar and vineyard tours and on-site restaurants. It's all part of marketing which, to date, French wine producers have overlooked (apart from Champenois, of course, who excel at it). Needs must and things are gradually changing in France.

In the village of Puligny-Montrachet, holy grail for Chardonnay lovers, La Maison Olivier Leflaive demonstrates how the tide is turning in France regarding wine tourism. The Leflaive family, owners of celebrated Domaine Leflaive have been making wine since the 17th century; Anne-Claude has been running the Domaine since 1994 when cousin Olivier left to concentrate on his own business producing wines from the Côte de Beaune and Côte Chalonnaise which now includes a hotel and restaurant. 

During my recent visit to the region as a guest of the BIVB, after a scenic and appetising stroll around the vineyards of Puligny-Montrachet, we went to the town square for lunch at La Table Oliver Leflaive. The restaurant offers visitors the chance to taste a selection of the 82 wines produced by the company. The 25 Euro set lunch can be accompanied by one of three wine tasting options: Formule Initiation (15 Euros) comprises five wines, Formule Découverte (25 Euros) has 10 wines, as does the Formule Prestige (35 Euros) which includes more Premier Cru wines and a Grand Cru. More Grand Cru wines are available, but supplements are charged. This struck me as an affordable way of tasting a broad range of wines and experiencing the subtle differences between them. However, wines are also available by the bottle at reasonable prices. 

Our meal started with light cheesy gougères (choux pastry puffs) and a glass of Bourgogne Sétilles 2009 (a 50/50 blend of Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet): fresh, creamy and easy to drink, with a slight savoury quality. This was followed by a mini-flight of village wines from 2008: Chassagne-Montrachet, Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet with persillé de thon au Chardonnay et saumon fumé served with a fromage blanc sauce. The Chassagne was mineral and lively, whereas the Puligny was fragrant and delicate; the Meursault was more overt with a creamy, buttery nose, good minerality and fresh acidity on the palate. I'd like to taste the Puligny in a few years' time as it was a little dumb, but, nevertheless, focused and complex. The flavoursome Meursault worked well with the tuna, although not as well with the salmon which was better complimented by the other wines. All the wines were delicious with the slightly tangy, creamy sauce.

We moved on to main course poulet farci à la tapenade et sa sauce coco flan de légumes and Premier Cru wines from 2007. This dish worked brilliantly with such fine examples of Chardonnay – the coconut sauce highlighting and gently complimenting the vanilla oak aromas (Chassagne-Montrachet Abbey de Morgeot, Meursault Charmes and Puligny-Montrachet Champ-Gain). An inspired choice. Again, the Meursault was a little more advanced than the other wines, although I loved the restraint and balance of the Puligny which had delicate peacock's tail finish.

Cheeses followed perfectly complimented by a magnificently mineral, complex and savoury Corton-Charlemagne 2006 and a couple of impressive reds Pommard 2007 (supple and pure) and Volnay 1er Cru Mitans 2007 (supple lush red fruit, mineral and savoury – another excellent choice for the cheese). 

We finished our lunch with chocolate mousse and coffee before returning to Beaune for our next appointment. Next time I'd be tempted to go for an evening meal and enjoy a relaxing stay overnight to prolong the pilgrimage.

La Table d'Olivier Leflaive and La Maison Olivier Leflaive

Place du Monument

21190 Puligny-Montrachet

France

Tel +33 (0)3 80 21 37 65

www.olivier-leflaive.com

A mouthwatering stroll around Beaune

At the end of June I had the good fortune of visiting Burgundy – the first time for nearly 20 years – and was reminded how this region is a mecca for foodies, as well as wine lovers. (We were there as guests of the BIVB, the official body promoting Burgundy wines.) This time I travelled by train which made me realise what a good destination it is for a luxurious weekend away. We stayed in Beaune and late one afternoon I took some time out for a stroll, not only admiring its atmospheric beauty, but enjoying some mouthwatering window shopping (or, as it appropriately translates into French, lèche vitrines – 'window licking').