Great tastings but where are the tasters?

Yesterday, in a suite on the top floor of Claridge’s, Bernard Magrez was over from Bordeaux with his team of winemakers to show verticals of his Chx Pape-Clément, La Tour Carnet, Les Grands Chênes and Fombrauge back to 1998.

 

I arrived to find more hosts than guests with only a small contingent from Farr Vintners representing the latter, and they were already 25 vintages of Jean Rijckaert white burgundies and a Ransome’s Dock lunch with Bill Baker of Reid Wines down. I do hope for Magrez’s sake that there had been more visitors during the day, although...