Very sorry to learn this afternoon of the sudden death of Julian Brind MW. Julian joined Waitrose in 1971 becoming their chief wine-buyer and then, on his retirement, a consultant to the company. Julian was widely liked and respected. Among many other posts he was ombudsman to the Circle of Wine Writers to be called upon in case there were any disputes. Fortunately there weren't any but had there been, I'm sure Julian would have handled any situation fairly and with dignity.
Details here and an article on Julian by Tom Stevenson from 2002.
