The name is a dream for the sales and marketing people, and it is a good wine for gifting if you want to hand out an insult at the same time. Apparently winemaker Thierry Boudinaud exclaimed “My god, it’s a fat bastard!” upon tasting it, and so a brand was born. The wine itself is not as big as the name suggests: it certainly is full bodied but it is not huge. The ripe Californian fruit provides plenty of peach and melon flavours, and there are butterscotch and subtle spices in the background, but the finish is clean. Serving temperature is important: don’t over-chill it, but if you let it get to room temperature it can become blousy or, dare I say it, a bit flabby.