TAG ARCHIVES: Tasting

Wine tastings at Lea & Sandeman

2024 Champagne tasting

2024 Champagne Tasting Report

By on 06/05/2024

As anticipated, the 2024 L&S Champagne and Sparkling tasting generated quite a buzz, with press reports from Tam Currin for JancisRobinson.com (see Grower Champagnes, Finding Value), and Anne Krebiehl for Vinous.com (see Champagne the 2024 Spring Preview). "The grower-champagne movement has achieved something that the grand houses can only dream of.

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Le printemps des champagne comes to London

Le Printemps des Champagnes comes to London

By on 09/04/2024

In 2009 one group of like-minded 'grower-Champagne' producers ('Terre et Vins de Champagne') got together to put on a tasting which focused to a large degree on the vins clairs (the still wines) from the 2008 vintage, before they were bottled for the prise de mousse (the second fermentation in bottle which produces the bubbles).

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celebration of spring winemakers

Celebration of Spring: highlights of our tasting

By on 25/05/2023

Last week Lea & Sandeman took over the 6th floor of the flagship Foyles bookshop, to host our ‘Celebration of Spring’ tasting. Alongside a selection of standout spring wines, the event also presented the first opportunity to taste through our recently-bolstered range of ‘grower’ Champagnes, with 15 different Champagne growers on show and over 70 different cuvées being poured.

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Comte Armand – A Vertical of Pommard Clos des Epeneaux

By on 18/07/2022

A ‘flight’ not to be missed. Vintages 2017 to 1990 Recently, we were fortunate to be approached by a long-standing (and very generous) customer to taste through a flight of vintages (with the 1990 thrown in from Charles Lea's own cellar) from an estate that has featured in almost every Burgundy offer we have published since the early 90’s - Domaine Comte Armand.

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Pichon Lalande

2021 Bordeaux En Primeur | Pauillac

By on 11/05/2022

Great old, grand old Pauillac. The most revered appellation in the Médoc felt more like it had gone back in time than perhaps any other area. The wines were generally very lean and precise – Merlot, again, suffered a fair bit up here and, with the wines usually Cabernet focussed anyway, it meant that these high percentages were pushed even higher.

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Smith Haut Lafitte

2021 Bordeaux En Primeur | Pessac-Léognan

By on 08/05/2022

Pessac-Leognan is a slightly peculiar place. You start in the city – Carmes Haut Brion, it’s fair to say, is quite literally an ‘urban winery’, such is its proximity to the hustle and bustle of Bordeaux. Slowly you start to drift out, Haut-Brion & La Mission, two absolutely stunning Châteaux, appear almost out of nowhere, cutting through the tower blocks and urban sprawl.

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Spring Tasting Brulington house

2022 Spring Tasting | Highlights

By on 21/04/2022

'Our first proper tasting for ages, and I was unable to attend having contracted Covid, (the reason for the long hiatus since our well-attended Italian tasting in March 2020). This was particularly galling after I had helped organise the attendance of some of the winemakers, notably producers of three new grower Champagnes who I had unearthed on on my post-vendanges trip in October.

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