Feb 25 – Andrew Jefford “Drinking with with Valkyries”
This show won’t be long enough!
My guest is world renowned wine writer Andrew Jefford with his new book “Drinking with the Valkyries – Writings on Wine.”
Andrew Jefford is widely regarded as one of the world’s most thoughtful and eloquent wine writers. His ideas on wine have been captured in a new book, Drinking with the Valkyries, published by the Academie du Vin Library. The book consists of a series of essays which originally appeared in Decanter magazine, Waitrose Food Illustrated and The World of Fine Wine. Henry Jeffries, of the Critic, wrote, “Jefford is that rare thing in the wine world, a genuine intellectual…There are more ideas in each of these short essays than in most books,” while Tamlyn Currin of Jancisrobinson.com wrote, “A tumble of short stories, it reveals the kaleidoscope landscape of a staggeringly beautiful complex mind, reflecting a staggering beautiful complex world.”
Andrew Jefford is, in the words of winemaker Randall Grahm, ‘the most thoughtful person we have writing about wine’. Discover why in this selection from Jefford’s work, celebrating the limitless beauty of wine difference. This book anatomizes the pleasure that awaits every drinker while simultaneously furnishing a philosophy of wine – one founded on astonishment, and drawing on personal discovery rather than hierarchy and mastery. There is no other wine writing like this.
Poet, philosopher, author, radio presenter and journalist, Andrew lives in France; but buried deep in one wine country what does he miss most about the rest? The answer: ‘Drinking young port. It’s the wine drinker’s equivalent of zorbing, wing-walking, base-jumping … you won’t fully understand it unless you have tasted it young, in its “Ride of the Valkyries” stage, when it comes hurtling out of the glass and puts the screamers on you…’
Andrew Jefford is the ideal companion for anyone wine-curious. In this collection of his essays, opinions and articles he shares his fascinating observations from half a century of discovery. For Andrew, wine should be listened to and admired, wherever it comes from; old-school pretentions turned on their head; style-points disdained; stellar prices dismissed; questions asked…
Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2018 L’Esprit de Chevalier Grand Vin De Graves
Checking in as 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot brought up mostly in used barrels, the 2018 Domaine De Chevalier L’Esprit De Chevalier has a rich, dense, medium to full-bodied style with slightly reserved darker currant and cherry fruits, notes of cedary herbs and earth, firm tannin’s, and a good finish. While most second wines are up-front and geared for early drinking, this is going to benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age. ABV14%
95 points James Suckling
This is an extremely polished and refined young wine with gorgeous blackberry, blackcurrant, licorice, dark-chocolate and bark character. It’s full-bodied with ever so fine tannins and a long, long finish. Fantastic second wine of Domaine de Chevalier. 
92 points Vinous
The 2018 L’Esprit de Chevalier is a gorgeous second wine from Domaine de Chevalier. Soft, pliant and so expressive, the 2018 is simply impeccable. The purity of the flavors is striking. Cedar, sweet pipe tobacco, mint and dried herbs add striking perfume to a core of supple red berry fruit. In a word: fabulous. (AG)
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