Tweet 239 at 15.5°C, Stéphane Robert's Tunnel was half the outside temperature, with zero cost cooling system, everyone's a winner. He dug out a 2019 St Péray Pur Blanc, light on its feet, stylish Burgundian #domainedutunnel #stperay

Tweet 240 a Grenache-garrigue delve into the cellar, both holding pure fruit, the Coudoulet 07 tasty on its own, always a good sign at such an age, the biodynamic Montirius 2010 still to develop and strut, both giving an STGT snapshot #grenache #southernrhone #garrigue

Tweet 241 I love Gigondas in the supposed 'small' vintages..think 2021, 2014, 2008, 2002, 1997, 1991..this duo of 08s were supreme, had filled out, St Cosme Hominis Fides a vivid road runner, the Raspail-Ay silk toned, Pinot emergence, cedary #gigondas #southernrhone

Tweet 242 pretty cool to encounter these two bottes 100 years apart at Vieux Télégraphe, and great the telegraph tower is still faithfully depicted, as is the domaine name. That's what I call continuity..Hippolyte..Joseph..Henri..Daniel & Fréd..Edouard Brunier #vieuxtelegraphe

Tweet 243 a blissful spring day at Côte-Rôtie set alight by a vertical of 25 vintages of Domaine Rostaing Côte Blonde, one of the Grands Vins du Rhône, truly noble terroir, highlights the grandeur of 1978 & 2010, mega charm 1991, lucid 1995, replete 1988... #coterotie #rostaing

Tweet 244 fab value, quality on Côtes du Rhóne whites 2022 and 23, 4 from Wine Society, all £11-15, a great category. Réméjeanne more aperitif, the Guigal super full finish, so Medit dishes for that. Freshness, garrigue invitations on display #côtesdurhôneblanc #southernrhone

Tweet 245 what happens when your press breaks down while on the last vat of the Cornas 2023 vintage. A Syrah splattered Mickaël Bourg, literally from head to toe, magnificent! He lives in Noël Verset's house, Noël would approve of his grass roots endeavours #cornas #northernrhone

Tweet 246 a very fun Legendary Hermitage lunch, all les grands: Marcel & Bernadette Guigal, Gérard Chave, Marc Sorrel, Michel & Mathilde Chapoutier, rare encounter with a jereboam P Jaboulet 2009 Dom La Chapelle blanc [forbidden to taste there since M. Frey bought it] #hermitage

Tweet 247 warming up for Christmas with the exceptional 2005 Les Grandes Places, Clusel Roch; the cover photo of The Wines of the Northern Rhône is the LGP vineyard, taken in 2005, neat symmetry. Brilliantly pure, velvet of length, tannins now fine, class in the glass #coterotie

Tweet 248 I have a good range of 1995s, and at 30 years they are all right there, the latest the Crozes Thalabert from PJA before things went south: the cool droiteur of the year, tasting like an Alpine wine, long, decisive, a hint of late gras oiliness #crozes #thalabert

Tweet 249 the joy of an underground cellar, 90% humidity, & patience: step forward the magnificent 2004 St Joseph Gonon Les Oliviers blanc, the seminal year that convinced Rhône growers they could make top whites. Brilliant balance, length, complexity, finesse #stjoseph #gonon

Tweet 250 a sad farewell to Pierre-Marie Clape, 1950-2025, son of the legendary Auguste, father of the talented Olivier, who embodied the best virtues of a Cornas vigneron, in Olivier's words "always thinking of everyone else before himself". Here with Bernard Faurie (r) #clape

Tweet 251 45 years of Willi's Wine Bar, an amazing run, brought the Rhône to the capital, and woke uo the négociant-led dreary wine bar scene, domaines to the fore, like Clape, crystalline 2016 in mag, Jamet, exuberant 2011 in mag. The beau monde present. Chapeau! #Willis #rhone

Tweet 252 after 4 days tasting over two hundred Northern Rhône 2024 reds and whites, it's a real pleasure to exit the tasting room and take in this great view of my beloved River Rhône at Hermitage, after the morning rains. Cornas 24, yum yum, Condrieu 24 hmmm #northernrhone

Do you remember when you joined X? I do! #MyXAnniversary

Tweet 252 I have always loved Jura's Savagnin. This 2012 Jacques Puffeney in its 62cl Clavelin bottle was a fab marriage with a dish of raviole, cream sauce with trompette & chanterelles, morille wild mushrooms, on the button acidity, refined length, hidden corners #jura #arbois

Tweet 253 the Gonon brothers kindly kept this old bottle of Raymond Trollat Saint-Joseph to taste, I thought it was 1994, it is 1996, scented delicately, but fragile, small red fruits, a little Volatile, found the air not an ideal companion. We drank to our friend Raymondo #gonon

Tweet 254 3 days of Millésime Bio organic tastings, 1 of the stars this all Grenache Côtes from Réméjeanne, 30 yr vines, sandy soils, super classic Gren on sand velvet, refinement. Not cheap, €24, but darned good, high interest wine #CôtesduRhône

Tweet 255 2026 celebrates 90 years of Châteauneuf-du-Pape as an appellation. So: a collection of mature wines, ending on 1980, 1976, 1959. Top 2: 1980 Pierre Usseglio spiced, crisp, full of drive, 76 Clos de la Cerise whispered beauty, Burgundian, #chateauneuf

Tweet 256 very sad news that Bernard Gripa left us at the weekend, 80 years. He was tenacious and passionate about his métier, made tight, slow to reveal, well filled St Jo reds and stylish white St Jo and St Péray. Hard working, humble, dedicated, passed a good baton to Fabrice