James Lawther MW
Decanter Magazine, Bordeaux Expert and DWWA 2019 Regional Chair for Languedoc-Roussillon
James Lawther MW is a contributing editor to Decanter as well as an independent wine writer, lecturer and tour guide based in Bordeaux. He retailed wine at Steven Spurrier's Les Caves de la Madeleine in Paris in the 1980s, and his early career also involved stints as a cellar hand in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Roussillon and Western Australia. In 1993, Lawther became a Master of Wine. He is author of The Heart of Bordeaux and The Finest Wines of Bordeaux, and has contributed to books including Dorling Kindersley’s Wines of the World, Oz Clarke’s Bordeaux and Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book.
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Wendouree: Taking it Slowly
Should you visit Wendouree in South Australia's Clare Valley, don't be surprised if owner Tony Brady first offers you coffee rather than wine. It's not just that the wines are so rare, it's also a reflection of the outlook and convictions held at this historic estate. Time means little, and the philosophy is a million miles from clinical tastings and hard sell.
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Fronsac: the return
Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac are clawing back their former glory, with many wines that now compete with top-class St-Emilion. JAMES LAWTHER MW looks at the 2000 vintage
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The beauty of Clare
Riesling has enjoyed a second renaissance in the Clare Valley since the mid-1990s. Its much-loved intense, limey character is all down to the terroir, says JAMES LAWTHER MW
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St-Emilion wines that are affordable- Star Buys
Affordable and St-Emilion are not often put together. Yet it is possible to find good-value, high-quality wines if you know where to look, writes JAMES LAWTHER MW
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Château Ausone Pillar of society
Over the last 10 years Château Ausone has undergone major renovations and improvements. JAMES LAWTHER MW tastes the last decade's wines
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Best of the Lot Valley
Downstream from Cahors the River Lot meanders west towards the Garonne and eventually to the Atlantic. Tiny villages and imposing medieval châteaux line the river, while on the outside curve of each U-turn wooded slopes descend steeply to the water's edge. The Lot Valley is also home to the vineyards of Cahors, situated mainly on the undulating alluvial debris of the river's inner loops and to a lesser extent on the limestone plateau above the valley.
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1982- A year to remember
Growing conditions were good, yields were high and the results promised to be truly extraordinary. James Lawther MW rolls back the years and recounts initial reactions to the 1982 vintage.
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Beautiful South: St-Chinian
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Saint-Julien: Model of perection
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Lalande-de-Pomerol is One to Watch
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A year to remember - 1982
Growing conditions were good, yields were high and the results promised to be truly extraordinary. James Lawther MW rolls back the years and recounts initial reactions to the 1982 vintage.
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New blood in Bandol wine
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Shifting gear: St-Emilion
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The secrets of Victoria
Forget the big-name wines of the Barossa or Hunter Valley – JAMES LAWTHER MW believes that Australia's best Shiraz comes from the smaller estates in Victoria
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Chalonnaise Getting Better
The 1990s have been good to the Côte Chalonnaise, with more and more producers going all out to shake off accusations of rusticity. JAMES LAWTHER MW reports on what the increasingly characterful Côte has to offer consumers right now.
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Margaret River Making Waves
No longer the backwater it once was, JAMES LAWTHER MW hopes Margaret River won't lose sight of its quality roots
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Gold Coast: Côtes de Castillon
Right Bank popularity has pushed prices up in neighbouring appellations, so investors have turned their beady eyes to Côtes de Castillon. JAMES LAWTHER MW reports
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Art or science: Bordeaux winemaking
Experimentation in winemaking is not only commonplace in Bordeaux, it is also increasingly accepted. JAMES LAWTHER MW reports
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Fruit power of Bordeaux wine
Without a doubt, the style of wines from Bordeaux is evolving. JAMES LAWTHER MW asks if winemakers are pandering to American tastes
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A new culture: Margaux wine
After years of complacency, JAMES LAWTHER finds that an interjection of youth and enthusiasm has given Margaux the shot in the arm it needed.
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Hawke's Bay eye view
Pinot Noir may have found a home in Martinborough and South Island, but what about Bordeaux varietals? JAMES LAWTHER MW explains that Hawke's Bay is the next great site for Merlot-based blends, and names those on the premium track.
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A vin called horse: Cheval Blanc
Cheval Blanc's position as a premier grand cru classé is assured thanks in no small part to Cabernet Franc and unique terroir, finds JAMES LAWTHER MW
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Château Montrose estate profile
Château Montrose is back to its big-boned best. JAMES LAWTHER MW examines the credentials of the famed Saint-Estèphe second growth
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Modern manners: Navarra
The growers of Navarra are moving rapidly into the territory
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Raising the standard: traditional Château Calon-Ségur
Traditional, aristocratic, reserved, Château Calon-Ségur long languished in the shadows, but now its fortunes are changing. James Lawther MW examines the upwardly mobile third growth One of the oldest properties in the Médoc and the most northerly of the crus classés, Château Calon-Ségur is anything but a 'fashionable' estate. With its twin-towered aristocratic château, French gardens and conservatively discreet ownership, 'traditional' is more the word that comes to mind. The wines, too, classic, long-lived and displaying all the vagaries of vintage, have generally been dubbed with the same time-honoured epithet. This, though, could all be set to change for, behind the scenes, the wines and the estate are being given the sort of judicious face-lift that will set them up for the modern era.
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Minervois: a taste of the South
JAMES LAWTHER MW visits the vineyards of Minervois in France's Deep South.
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Cote-Rotie Vignerons prefer Blondes
Or do they? JAMES LAWTHER MW meets the winemakers continuing the Guigal-led revival of Côte-Rôtie and discusses the relative merits of the appellation's various vineyard sites.
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Secrets of La Rive Droite
The public ignores them, but the wines of Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac are the best value in Bordeaux. Snap them up now, says JAMES LAWTHER MW.
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Châteauneuf Variety is the Spice
Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines are renowned for their quality and breadth of styles, but as