Three wines from from Oddbins’ recent tasting, one of which is being shown – yes! – tomorrow at The Wine Gang Christmas Wine Fair at Vinopolis (TicketSoup: http://bit.ly/bP3aIh).
2009 Angosto White, Valencia, Spain
Fresh, aromatic, unoaked white made from an idiosyncratic quartet of grape varieties – verdejo, moscatel (petits grains), chardonnay and sauvignon blanc in equal quantities. Sounds like a kitchen-sink creation, and may be, but it’s ended up being more than the sum of its parts. Spicy, fresh grape aromas with sweet tangerine fruit and appetising acidity on a dry finish. 12.5% abv. A good aperitif.
£8.49, or £6.79 in a mixed dozen, Oddbins.
2009 Monte La Sarda Garnacha Viñas Viejas, Bajo Aragón, Spain
Juicy, young, unoaked garnacha made from low-cropping old vines grown at high altitude. Raspberry perfume and lush raspberry fruit on the palate, crunchy black pepper, a pinch of mixed spice and a dry, clean finish. Medium-full but not hefty, ripe but not jammy, 14.5% abv. Really good, honest wine – grapes, terroir and nothing else.
£7.49, or £5.99 in a mixed dozen, Oddbins
2007 Kuru Kuru Central Otago Pinot Noir, New Zealand
I was going to recommend the 2008 Whirlpool Reach Pinot Noir from Tasmania, because it’s always cheering to find a good pinot at under a tenner (mixed dozen price, £8.79, or £10.99 a single bottle, Oddbins), but Oddbins is showing this very smart New Zealand number at The Wine Gang Christmas Fair tomorrow, so how could I resist? It’s from Tarras Vineyards and a single vineyard on north-facing slopes in Bendigo; it’s all wild ferment and aged for 10 months in French oak barrels (a third new); and it’s a wine of mouthwatering clarity and precision with supple, toasty oak fleshing out sweet, strawberryish fruit and delicate spice; long and elegant. 14% abv. There’s a good 2009 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc too (£10.99, or £8.79 in a mixed case).
£18.99, or £15.19 in a mixed case, Oddbins.
