Wine Advocate August 2008

2007 Jean-Francois Merieau Touraine

Sauvignon les Arpents des Vaudons

The 2007 Touraine Sauvignon Les Arpents des Vaudons smells of mint, dill, lime, and caraway. With a notably rich texture on the palate for its genre, yet refreshing citricity, and prominently chalky, saline mineral notes, this comes off rather like a Touraine Margarita. Long and luscious, this represents a triumph in the context of its vintage.

Jean-Francois Merieau is clearly a major Touraine talent, and the fact that his numerous wines bear some of the most striking and delightful new labels I have encountered in a long time should help draw wine lovers’ attention. Predictably, the two standouts from my recent tasting were Merieau’s bottlings of Sauvignon and Malbec (a.k.a. Cot).

Spectator Review -Sangiovese

Ceravolo Sangiovese 2004

“If I were an Italian winemaker I would be petrified by the arrival of the Ceravolo Sangiovese from the Adelaide Plains. You will be astonished by the fabulous, bursting flavours of fruit, of cherries, plums, blackcurrants. It’s also beautifully balanced. Unbelievably good value.” SIMON HOGGART, THE SPECTATOR

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Robert Parker Praise for Domaine du Gros Nore - Bandol

Domaine du Gros' Nore - 2004 - Bandol red

Alain Pascal, at Domaine du Gros'Nore, has received high praise (91 points) from the Wine Advocate for his 2004 red Bandol.

"Alain Pascal’s 2004 is a blend of 80% Mouvedre, 12% Grenache, 5% Cinsault and 2% Carignan and aged for 18 months in oak barrels. A very ripe, lush, prune-scented nose with creme de cassis, kirsch and fig. Has a hedonistic attraction to it. Rich with a lot of glycerine, very powerful and rather ostentatious but with good acidity cutting through thick layers of sweet black fruits. Persistent, luscious finish. Great length and a great, vivacious Bandol. "

His wine can be found here at the Tasting Room.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, the world's leading wine 'bible' can be found here

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White is the new Armagnac Daily Mail -29th February 2008

Château de Millet Blanche £24.50,

Extremely robust, Millet tastes and smells like a Black Forest gâteau – the real thing, that is, not those frozen blocks you were fed as a child. Luxuriant notes of plum and black cherry make it ideal with caviar, charcuterie and foie gras – pretty much the staple diet of the whole of the Gascony region. Verdict Sour cherry notes. Serve frappé, in place of vodka, with dishes of smoked fish or caviar.

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Chateau de Millet Armagnac -Telegraph

France: Spirited journeys - Telegraph Dec 22nd 2007

Chateau de Millet Armagnac

Having experienced this wonderful hospitality it is gratifying to see that others recognise this generous and welcoming family - however being woken at 6.00am to move ones vehicle to enable the bottling to take place, especially after a long night experimenting with vintage Armagnac, is not be recommended!

'Out the other side of Eauze, the Dèche family at Château de Millet is particularly welcoming and, in the shape of 65-year-old dad, Francis, particularly able to speak of anything to do with wines and spirits over the past 200 years. Don't let the battered hat mislead you!'

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Winner of the French Wines Awards for Excellence 2005

French Wines Award UK Independent Retailer of the Year Award 2005.

The most valuable accolade is to win recognition of excellence from your peers - so we were very excited when, at last Autumn's French Wines Awards for Excellence 2005 held at the Banqueting House in Whitehall, Tasting Room was awarded UK Independent Retailer of the Year.