We have decided to pause The Premier Cru podcast. This episode is just a quick announcement and an opportunity to say a huge thank you for tuning each week and supporting the show. We hope you enjoyed every minute of the content!

We will be keeping up The Premier Cru Instagram account (@the_premier_cru), starting up a new wine of the week series, featuring a wine that we love or want to try weekly. Follow us on Instagram if you want recommendations on what wines to drink next.

Of course, we will be the first to let you know, if/when we get the opportunity to get the podcast back up and running. Thank you again for all your support in the meantime!

We welcome Sarah Heller, Master of Wine, to The Premier Cru!

On a recent trip to Montalcino, we got the opportunity to try Rosso di Montalcino from over 60 producers. To place the wines into context, Sarah treated a small group of us to a masterclass introducing the category and the different styles of wines produced.

What stood out, is how useful the wines are. They are approachable young and adaptable to be paired with lots of different types of food, making them the perfect "swiss army knife" for sommeliers.

We wanted to share the insights of the masterclass with you and the focus for this episode is an introduction to Rosso di Montalcino as a category. We sandwich that conversation between an introduction to Sangiovese as a grape variety and insights into what it takes to become a Master of Wine.

Let us know in the comments if you have any questions or requests for upcoming guests/topics of discussion.

If you have not already, then please also follow us on Spotify/Apple and on Instagram (⁠@The_Premier_Cru⁠) as it makes a massive difference to the channel!

We welcome Gabriele Gorelli, Master of Wine, to The Premier Cru!

I recently had the opportunity to visit Montalcino and go on a tour of the region. It was exceptional fun and a highlight was attending a seminar, delivered by Gabriele and the Consorzio del Brunello di Montalcino, introducing a new research project they have conducted.

The output is a new map of the region, which is as detailed as you find in other fine wine regions, such as Burgundy or Barolo. For wine geeks, its the perfect resource to understand and investigate the profiles of producers and individual wines in more depth.

In addition, they have created a new method to evaluate the characteristics of each vintage. They have moved away from a quantitative 5-star rating, to a qualitative evaluation using 3 words that summarise the vintage. Traditional wine media has given higher scores for vintages that are more powerful and intense. This new method has the potential to be far more nuanced and to enable consumers to select the vintage that best matches their palate.

Both developments are going to greatly enhance our understanding of Brunello, making this episode a must listen for anyone passionate about the region and Sangiovese!

On this episode we briefly introduce you to Brunello as a region and then discuss all of Gabriele's research. Let us know in the comments if you have any questions.

If you have not already, then please also follow us on Spotify/Apple and on Instagram (⁠@The_Premier_Cru⁠) as it makes a massive difference to the channel!

We welcome Lucas Reynaud-Paligot, Head of Wine at Hélène Darroze at the Connaught Hotel, to The Premier Cru!

In 2021, Hélène Darroze at the Connaught was awarded a third Michelin Star, placing the restaurant at the top of the culinary table. It goes without saying that the food and service is therefore impeccable, but Lucas has made sure that the wine list is no supporting act! There is simply no iconic fine wine that has not been opened at the restaurant, which offers customers 5 different wine flights to pair with the tasting menu.

Given Lucas has tasted almost any fine wine you could dream of, we spent much of the episode getting his recommendations from the most important fine wine regions around the world. Whether you are interested in Barolo or Burgundy, this episode has a recommendation for you, as we also introduce you to the restaurant.

Let us know whether you enjoyed the episode in the comments and your favourite fine wine!

If you have not already, then please also follow us on Spotify/Apple and on Instagram (⁠@The_Premier_Cru⁠) as it makes a massive difference to the channel!

We welcome Sunny Hodge to The Premier Cru! Sunny is the Founder of two wine bars, Diogenes The Dog and Aspen & Meursault, and the author of a newly published book, called a "Cynic's Guide to Wine".

Sunny's academic background is in engineering and that made him continually question his wine education once he started his career in hospitality. Finding wine textbooks and answers from people in the trade insufficient, Sunny started researching the scientific principles that answered his questions. The book is the output of his research and uses science to challenge many assumptions and ideas that have been handed down generations in the wine trade.

So the focus of this episode is wine science as we investigate what TRULY impacts the flavour of your favourite wines. We also taste a wine on the episode, applying Sunny's frameworks and principles! This episode is for you if you love science or simply have a slightly cynical perspective on some of the b*llsh*t you hear from sommeliers (and myself!).

If you have not already, then please follow us on Spotify/Apple and on Instagram (⁠@The_Premier_Cru⁠) as it makes a massive difference to the channel!

Welcome to the final part of our mini series "Champagne: Meet the Growers", in which we introduce you to some amazing Grower Champagne Domaines. In this episode, we welcome Raphaël Piconnet to The Premier Cru, who is the head winemaker and vigneron at Domaine de Bichery located in the Côte des Bar.

We wanted to end the series by showing you a rising star in the region. Since releasing their first vintage in 2015, Domaine de Bichery has been gaining an incredible reputation and are one of a number of young Domaines in the Côte des Bar going from strength to strength and establishing the sub-region as one of the most exciting in Champagne.

On top of their sparkling cuvees, they also produce two brilliant Couteaux Champenois so in this episode we discuss:

• The history of the Domaine
• The impact of global warming on Champagne
• The rise of Couteaux Champenois

We also taste two of the Domaine's wines on the podcast: La Source and their Couteaux Champenois Blanc.

If you have not already, then please follow us on Spotify/Apple and on Instagram (⁠@The_Premier_Cru⁠) as it makes a massive difference to the channel!

Welcome to part three of our mini series "Champagne: Meet the Growers", in which we introduce you to some amazing Grower Champagne Domaines. In this episode we move from the the Côte des Blancs and the Vallée de la Marne to the Côte des Bar, which is one of the most exciting sub-regions within Champagne.

Historically it has been viewed as secondary to sub-regions further north. However, the silver lining is that land prices are therefore a lot cheaper making it an attractive destination for some of Champagne's rising stars.

The inspiration to many of the new growers in the sub-region is none other than Bertrand Gautherot of Domaine Vouette & Sorbée, who I have the pleasure of welcoming to The Premier Cru. Bertrand practices biodynamic viticulture with a capital "B" and low intervention winemaking and won critical acclaim for his wines long before people paid close attention to the Côte des Bar.On the episode we discuss:

• The history of the Domaine
• The terroir of the Côte des Bar
• Biodynamic viticulture

We also taste two of the Domaine's wines on the podcast: Fidele and Extrait

If you have not already, then please follow us on Spotify/Apple and on Instagram (⁠@The_Premier_Cru⁠) as it makes a massive difference to the channel!

Welcome to part two of our mini series "Champagne: Meet the Growers", in which we introduce you to some amazing Grower Champagne Domaines. In this episode we move from the the Côte des Blancs to the Vallée de la Marne, which is the home of the best Pinot Meunier in Champagne.

We welcome Geoffrey Delouvin, who is the 11th generation winemaker and vigneron at of Domaine Delouvin Nowack, to The Premier Cru! Since taking over the Domaine, Geoffrey has introduced a new range of wines called, Famille Delouvin.

The full range is exceptional, but perhaps the most exciting wines are those produced from Pinot Meunier which is particularly well suited to the Domaine's terroirs in the Vallée de la Marne. For a couple of his cuvees he uses a 100% Pinot Meunier perpetual reserve dating back to 1992. It is unique and adds real complexity to the wine, showing off what Pinot Meunier can achieve when handled by an expert. It was a no-brainer to interview Geoffrey when we decided to devote an episode to the variety and the sub-region.

On the episode we discuss:

• The history of the Domaine
• The rise of Pinot Meunier and why it is finally gaining the respect it deserves
• The terroir of the Vallée de la Marne and why it is so well suited to Pinot Meunier

We also taste three Famille Delouvin wines on the podcast: Sauvage, Semper Fidelis and Les Chaillets

If you have not already, then please follow us on Spotify/Apple and on Instagram (⁠@The_Premier_Cru⁠) as it makes a massive difference to the channel!