2012 Burgundy - a vintage of charm and depth

But mostly a vintage of virtually nothing in terms of available stock.

This is always an awkward one. It's only a few years since Burgundy was a hard sell and in an effort to drum up business and interest merchants began to offer barrel samples - often far from fresh and pretty impenetrable - to an eager base of clients. These January tastings offer an insight into the mysterious world of the cellar, but through a cobwebby window of ancient glass; like good lingerie they often obscure more than they reveal.

So here we are. We've made every effort to ensure that our samples are drawn in January not December and though we don't yet know exactly what we are getting we'll have at least a dozen Domaines represented. So, though I don't want to put you off this tasting, nor do I want to raise your expectations in a year of both huge demand and worrying shortage. Come and practise your barrel tasting skills under our guidance. Bon degustation! /CW 08/01/2014