James Le Compte speaks the language of wine. If he isn’t talking about aromas being amplified by ageing in wooden barrels, it’s how flavour characteristics express the unique terroir of the land. And don’t get him started on individual vintages, which bring out ever-changing expressions of the location and micro-climate of the harvest.
Any minute now, I expect him to pour a 2013 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Richebourg, or a wee dram of The Macallan 50-year-old single malt. But no. He’s actually talking about chocolate. And not just any chocolate – the sort we routinely scoff at Easter while pretending it’s for the kids – but the world’s most luxurious and expensive chocolate.