Noble Rot Magazine

16/11/2024

It was a huge buzz discussing ‘Who’s Afraid…?’ with William Kelley on Thursday at Athenaeum in the heart of Burgundy. So many of the stories and themes of the book come back to sainted region, and the inspirational characters behind its magical wines. None more so than Jean-Marc Roulot (pictured) who generously laid on high quality refreshments for the audience. Chin chin.

14/11/2024

Excited to be signing books and talking all things ‘Who’s Afraid of Romanée-Conti?’ with my friend at in Beaune at 7pm tonight. There are still a few spots left so please come down and say hello (register at [email protected]) We have something very nice to drink too.

06/11/2024

I loved visiting Gilles Peterson in his studio last week to play a few of my favourite records and discuss my previous career as an A&R man, and current one as a writer, restaurateur and wine importer, The show is available to steam now on Worldwide FM, link in bio via Linktree.

05/11/2024

LAST CHANCE TO WIN THE CHANCE TO DRINK DOMAINE DE LA ROMANEE-CONTI! Thinking back to April 2022’s ‘once in a lifetime’ vertical of 25 vintages Romanée-Conti, one of the wines that most stands out – whose aromatics I visually picture in my mind – was the glorious 2007. A so called ‘off’ vintage and the only wine served in magnum (which, as everyone knows, always tastes better), its super-fine perfume of faded rose petals, rotting strawberries and undergrowth seemed to levitate above the glass. It’s an awe-inspiring memory from a day that provided many insights about both the world’s most fabled wine, and where the legions of great artisanal wines I have tasted from Switzerland, Corsica, Chianti, Jura, Barolo, Muscadet, Bordeaux, Priorat and England over the past couple of decades fit in relation. I’ve loved writing about this in ‘Who’s Afraid of Romanée-Conti? A Shortcut to drinking great wines’, full of my recommendations of exceptional, lesser known wines to drink now, and the stories of the places and people behind them. Published this Thursday 7th November by , if you pre-order a copy before then and send in your receipt (details in bio), you’ll enter into a draw to win dinner at Noble Rot with co-founder Mark Andrew and I, when we’ll open many goodies from the book including a bottle of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru ‘Duvault-Blochet’. Keep drinking! Dan x

21/10/2024

I FINALLY made it as a pin-up! (Darts not included). And I’m absolutely THRILLED to be talking about ‘Who’s Afraid of Romanée-Conti?’ with my pal William Kelley at Athenaeum bookshop in Beaune, Burgundy, on 14th November from 7pm to 8.30pm. Please come and say hello. To register for the event please email [email protected]

18/10/2024

Rayas, Rayas, Rayas! What a pleasure to drink multiple vintages back to back of one of France’s most singular reds. It wouldn’t surprise me if (totally unsubstantiated) rumours that spices and citrus peel are added to ferments to produce such visceral sensuality are true. Pictured are the underrated 2003 - the youngest vintage of the tasting which is a great wine to drink now - the delicate, ethereal 1971, and an extraordinary, label-less 1978, whose effortless harmony, power and finesse saw it tower over all others again. One of the 20th century’s greatest of any denomination, no doubt!
Cheers

15/10/2024

Two action packed days in Barolo making pasta and marvelling in top Nebbiolo with Noble Rot chefs. Huge thanks for your generosity and insights. Grazie mille for last night’s selection, including sensational bottles of 2015 Burlotto ‘Monvigliero’ and 2014 Cappellano Pie Franco, the perfect harmony of delicacy and weight from own-rooted vines

11/10/2024

2001 Roumier Bonnes Mares tap-danced out of its bottle, evolving, expanding, mutating and generally not staying still for a second. Some oxidative aromas thankfully quickly dispersed, leaving a floral, savoury, gorgeously animalistic scent. An hour later, it slapped itself around the face, sucked its stomach in and threw back its shoulders, assuming a textbook, albeit marginally less exciting, posture. Thank the lord we didn’t decant (as by law you should never do with red Burgundy) and miss that mesmerising first hour. Drunk in ecstasy with a rarely spotted 2024 grouse.

10/10/2024

ANNOUNCING NOBLE ROT ISSUE 36 - ‘DIRECTOR’S CUP’ / Published 25th October 2024. From the very first sip, dinner with this issue’s guest, Ridley Scott, was another trademark Noble Rot interview that ran to more than several glasses and unearthed some little-known insights. Responsible for some of the greatest movies of all time including Alien and Gladiator (which we pay tribute to with THIS ISSUE’S SPECIAL DUAL COVERS by ), Scott is also a wine lover who owns vineyards in Provence, and has a maverick perspective on everything from cooking the perfect scrambled eggs to how AI is changing the world. On the run up to the release of Gladiator II, with many projects backed up, Noble Rot discovers what drives the 86 year old’s relentless work ethic in ‘Director’s Cup’. And while we’re on the subject of AI, sommeliers may like to hear that they’ve got little to fear from it stealing their jobs – at least if Hannah Crosbie’s conversation with ChatGPT after asking it to mimic an somm is anything to go by (‘I Drink, Therefore I Am’). Also in this issue: * Marina O’Loughlin reveals her identity after years as an anonymous restaurant critic * We welcome back Delia Smith, who writes about her ‘Greatest Meal’ * Our roving wine critic Keira Knightley gives her verdict on another eclectic selection of wines * We profile Kwame Onwuachi of NYC’s Tatiana and Merlin Labron-Johnson of Somerset’s Osip * Kermit Lynch tells us about an eye-opening encounter in a Paris wine shop * We visit the late, legendary Italian gastronome Luigi Veronelli’s mythical Bergamo cellar, as well as Chartreuse and some great Languedoc growers. Lastly, Alice Feiring speaks to The Four Horsemen’s James Murphy and Justin Chearno about a decade of their adored Brooklyn restaurant. Tragically, since the interview, the much-loved Justin has passed away and will be hugely missed by everybody who knew him.

06/10/2024

Loved taking part in this year’s London Oyster Festival as part of the road bock that was Talbot Road! Congrats to .nottinghill for pulling the day off with such aplomb, and great to see so many friends 🍷❤️💯🙏🏻

26/09/2024

‘WHO’S AFRAID OF ROMANÉE-CONTI?’ COMPETITION / if you fancy having dinner with fellow Noble Rot co-founder Mark Andrew and I - during which we’ll drink Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru ‘Duvault-Blochet’, among other goodness from the book, enter our competition now. Available to enter for everyone* in the UK who pre-orders a copy before publication on 7th November 2024, two winners and a guest each will join us in our Soho private dining room. Chin chin x (see terms and conditions and how to enter in bio👆🏻)

25/09/2024

Getting reacquainted with the affinity of great Indian food and oxidative/biologically aged Jura wines. Ganevat’s murky ‘Vignes de Mon Peres’ 2008 was attractive if a little rustic for such a heralded cuvée. A lovely wine no doubt, but with unrealistically raised expectations. Francois Roussett Martin Chateau Chalon ‘Sous Roche’ 1997 was pristine and more refined, opening up beautifully with cumin and other spice aromas alongside Gymkhana’s killer tandoor 💯

19/09/2024

WHO’S AFRAID OF ROMANÉE-CONTI?’ BOOK TOUR AND WINE TASTING (SWIPE RIGHT FOR DATES).
I am thrilled to be on the road in November talking about and tasting wines from my forthcoming book ‘Who’s Afraid of Romanée-Conti? A Shortcut to Drinking Great Wines’. Beginning on the evening of 4th November at Waterstones in Piccadilly, London, where I’ll be in conversation with the wonderful Diana Henry, and travelling on to Topping Bookshops in Bath, Edinburgh and St Andrews, we’ll be pouring Noble Rot’s viral sensation of a house white Chin Chin, Suertes del Marqués’ smoky Tenerife ‘Trenzado’ and Simon Bize’s sensual Savigny-les-Beaune. Please come say hello and hear some of the stories about the people and places behind the book (tickets are now on sale, details in biog above☝🏻). On 14th November I’ll be in conversation with critic-turned-vigneron William Kelley (who wrote the foreword for ‘Who’s Afraid of Romanée-Conti?’) at my favourite combined book/ wine shop Atheneaum in Beaune, Burgundy, the spiritual home of many vignerons featured in the pages (NB the Atheneaum date is only a talk, not a tasting, but free to attend. Register for tickets at [email protected]).
‘WHO’S AFRAID OF ROMANÉE-CONTI?’ is published on 7th November in the UK/ 12th November in USA/ Australia. Chin chin x

13/09/2024

Lunch of unadulterated joy to celebrate 30 years of St John. Was unable to take a photo of the ginger loaf and butterscotch sauce due to tsunami of ecstasy. One of the best puddings I’ve ever eaten.

08/09/2024

If you’ve got any interest in great Italian wine check out ._agr._philine_isabelle. That this is her debut release of Barolo ‘Preda’ beggars belief. It’s one of those rare reds that is so floral, rich, sweet, fresh, savoury, earthy - well, just genuinely complex, generous and captivating - that you can’t quite believe it. Nice label too

05/09/2024

04/09/2024

The return of ‘If not now, when?’ And how! Super young and stylish bottle of 1978 Château Rayas - pure, long and layered with decades still ahead of it. 1934 Château Cheval Blanc - no words could do this justice. High toned, hugely complex perfume with a prick of VA, gorgeous texture, and an energy that few wines have at 10 - let alone 90 - years of age. 🤯

01/09/2024

What Melbourne based wine importer-turned-vigneron Robert Walters is doing at Place of Changing Winds in Macedon Ranges is remarkable. As the Australian agent for some of France’s leading vignerons – such as Domaine Hubert Lamy’s Olivier Lamy, whose high-density plantings he has witnessed evolve over the past twenty years – he is pioneering similar methods to try and fast-track the sense of place in his wines. Sure, Australian single-vineyard wines are nothing new – Henschke’s ‘Hill of Grace’ has been produced since the 1860s. But with much viticulture geared towards a ‘winemaking first’ philosophy, where characteristics that stray too far from the norm are eliminated, character is often lost. Walters learnt first-hand, by working with some of Burgundy and Champagne’s great growers, that changes in vineyard practice can lead to extraordinary wines, even if they’re more labour intensive and expensive. Case in point this 2022 ‘Beyond the Forest’, a young, delicious Oz Pinot with a delicate rose petal perfume reminiscent of a great Volnay that will be fascinating to track over coming years.