The Winery GR 1 of Langhorne Creek of Australie du Sud

When I have some time to myself in the southern Rhône, my favourite place to relax is the peaceful village of Gigondas. I had even more reason to visit this June, as the growers’ syndicate was celebrating the 50th anniversary of the appellation. Over a meal at Domaine du Clos des Tourelles, we had the opportunity to taste wines spanning five decades, including a remarkable 1971 that was still very much alive and kicking. Gigondas has long been recognised as an exceptional site for winemaking, bu ...

The ‘Generations of Jayer’ collection included 42 lots of some of the finest Burgundies ever bottled. A 12-bottle case of Grand Cru Henri Jayer for Georges Jayer, Echézeaux 1999 from Côte de Nuits led the charge, selling for £100,000 at the London auction. The second priciest lot was the Henri Jayer for Georges Jayer, Echézeaux 2001, which received a winning bid of £85,000. Henri Jayer was dubbed the ‘godfather of Burgundy’ after pioneering a range of key innovations in the region. He believed t ...

By 1965, the vineyards of Condrieu had largely been abandoned – phylloxera and two world wars had decimated the place and its people. There were just 8ha of vines remaining on these granite slopes. If it weren’t for the hard work of a few steadfast vignerons, the appellation might have disappeared entirely, reclaimed by the forest. Thankfully, Condrieu survived and has since flourished – but great appellations have been lost before. We know this because some have recently been rediscovered. In f ...