to be discarded.

I have seen Michel taste 100 glasses of wine in 10 minutes and grade them faultlessly; we rechecked his grading over a couple of hours after he had left and could not find fault with a single one. Incidentally, Michel smokes small cigars - with no effect on one of the finest palates in existence!

Michel has received some criticism over the past few years for making wines that taste like Pomerol all over the world. This is complete rubbish, not to mention an impossible feat. The similarity between all his wines is that they are rich, ripe and very well made, but of course each reflects its local climate and soil.

The French have produced many of the world's greatest artists, and Michel fits the bill perfectly in the world of wine.