joanna simon on wine and food

WINES of the WEEK, 22 January 2012

2012-01-22T09:50:00.000-08:00

Just time to slot in a few recommendations before I head off to New Zealand for the Central Pinot Noir Celebration, then to Waipara and Marlborough. Yes, it’s summer over there.

2010 Waipara West Pinot Noir, Waipara, New Zealand

For those left behind in the UK, a delicious, elegant South Island pinot noir, tasted over Christmas. Deep in colour, fragrant with roses, raspberries, cherries and sandalwood. Fresh, pure, polished fruit on the palate. Rounded and velvety with delicate, well-integrated oak and a clean cranaberry/cherry finish. 13.5% abv.

£18, Waterloo Wines, Lords Wines, Greensmiths, Martinez Wines

2010 Weinrieder Riesling Bockgarten, Weinviertel, Austria

Very pale. Mouthwatering pear and apple aromas with hints of spice and an intense mineral and citrus character. Dry, mineral, citrusy palate with an undertow of barely ripe apricot and fine, sustained acidity. Long and structured. Drink over the next eight years. 13% abv.

£12.15, Waterloo Wines

2009 Montirius Vacqueyras Garrigues, Rhône, France

One of four 2009s I tasted from this excellent biodynamic estate at what turned out to be a very good tasting of French wines from producers belonging to the biodynamic Biodyvin association. This Vacqueyras (Montirius iincludes vineyards in Gigondas) is a Grenache/Syrah blend (70:30) and, like all the reds, is oak-free, which gives wonderful precision and purity. It’s 15% abv but carries it effortlessly in perfume, pepper, sweet fruit, meat, spice and through concentration and silky tannins.

£12.95, Bery Bros & Rudd

2011 Yalumba Y Series Vermentino, South Australia

If you’re looking out for something lower in alcohol, this is ideal – 11.5% abv, light, crisp and refreshing, with a gentle floral and pear nose and delicate grapefruit and pear flavours. For once I haven't been able to get the putative stockists to confirm (it's a Sunday, I'm about to go to NZ etc), but I've been assured that the following have taken delivery or ordered in the last six weeks, so you ought to be able to get it from them without (much) delay.
The rrp is £8.99 and the retailers are Gwin Llyn Wines, Hoults Wine Merchants, Nidderdale Fine Wines, Reserve Wines, The Bottleneck.

WINES of the WEEK, 2 January 2012

2012-01-02T09:46:00.000-08:00

Three rare and distinctive champagnes that deserve to be savoured when there is plenty of time, rather than given to partying hordes over the festive season.

2001 and 2002 Philipponnat Clos des Goisses

Unusually, Clos des Goisses has released these two vintages at the same time. 2002 was a stellar vintage in Champagne and 2001 was a washout, but Clos des Goisses isn’t like other vintage champagnes. It comes from an 5.5-hectare grand cru vineyard overlooking the Marne – a steep, south-facing hillside, divided into walled plots that have an average temperature 1.5ºC warmer than the rest of Champagne. It’s the extra sun and warmth that encourage Philipponnat to make a vintage champagne from the Clos nearly every year, even after a wet summer like 2001.

Both 2001 and 2002 are 65% pinot noir and 35% chardonnay and were disgorged in June. There’s no doubt in my mind that the 2002 is the greater of the two – riper, more concentrated, yet steelier – but the 2001, which is drinking well now and will continue to do so for five years, has plenty of charm and finesse. The 2001 is lightly biscuity, creamy and smoky on the nose with honeyed fruit – a cross between slightly bruised pears and bletted medlars – and it has fine, citrusy acidity and a mineral, smoky note on the finish.

The 2002 is fresh and much more perfumed on the nose, with peach, brioche and exotic spice notes. The palate has a malty, creamy, milk-chocolate richness with touches of coffee bean, and tight, firm acidity and a mineral finish.

The rrp for the 2001 is £142.49, Bordeaux Index and Fine & Rare sell it.

The rrp for the 2002 is £180.99, but Joseph Barnes Wine Direct, in Saffron Walden, has it at £135 per bottle, with free delivery when you spend £100 or more (according to the website); Millésima has it at £880 for six.
Also available from the UK agent Les Caves de Pyrène.

Billecart-Salmon Brut Sous Bois

This new cuvée is a blend of the three grape varieties, pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier (nothing unusual there), but vinified entirely in oak barrels – a return to the past. It’s pale in colour with a nose rich in fruit and honey and with the oak giving an underlying, subtle vanilla and almond sweetness. The palate is full and dry with intense, fresh, candied citrus-peel fruit, a crème caramel flavour and smoothness, a touch of almond and admirably insistent acidity.

£50.95, We Love Champagne; £56, James Nicholson

WINES of the WEEK, 21 December 2011

2011-12-21T07:26:00.000-08:00

1988 Hugel Alsace Riesling Vendange Tardive, France

This 23-year-old, late-harvest riesling was one of the joint highest scorers, with 94/100 points, in The Wine Gang’s November report http://thewinegang.com/. It’s a fascinating, food-friendly wine, not least because it doesn’t actually taste sweet. It has honey, beeswax and apricot flavours and a rich, almost oily texture, which all indicate noble rot, but the lemon and lime intensity, the petrolly mineral notes and zesty, crystalline acidity make it taste little more than off-dry (12.5% abv).

To prove the point, at The Wine Society’s annual festive dinner in London last week, at which the wines of Hugel were matched to the cooking of Emile Jung (3 Michelin stars when he was at Au Crocodile in Strasbourg), it was served with zander and mousseline of pike with crayfish tails in a riesling sauce. (I know what you’re thinking: what a tough life I do lead. Thanks, it’s nice to be appreciated.) You could also drink it as an aperitif or with a hard cheese such as Cheddar or Parmesan. Etienne Hugel said that the reason Hugel still has stock of this (The Wine Society shipped it only recently) is that the vintage was overshadowed by the more showy 1989 and 1990 vintages. The other wine served with the zander-pike-crayfish dish was Hugel’s 2005 Riesling Jubilee – a brilliant match. It's not currently on the Society’s website, but you can order it by phone (01438 741177; code AL6301, £22 a bottle).

Another useful (and delicious) discovery was pinot gris with artichoke, a veg which can be so tricky with wine. The 2005 Hugel Pinot Gris Jubilee (£11 for 37.5cl; 14% abv) was seamless with the artichoke which accompanied pressed duck, ceps and celeriac purée. The 2009 Jubilee Pinot Noir, also served, was particularly good with the bird itself (the Society has bought this wine but isn’t listing it yet – it has plenty of time to go).

A few more festive treats.

2007 Caiarossa, IGT Toscana, Italy

If you haven’t bought your red for the goose or turkey yet, this lush, velvety Tuscan would do the trick, although you could equally well serve it with beef or venison (I had it with beef cheeks braised in red wine with shallots and chestnuts). Or put it aside for Christmasses to come. It’s cabernet franc and merlot (half the blend), with cabernet sauvignon, sangiovese, alicante, syrah and petit verdot from biodynamically cultivated vineyards in the hills behind Cecina. Apart from being fleshy and supple with soft tannins, it’s fragrant and spicy with fresh blueberry fruit and touches of herbs and chocolate (14.5% abv).

£39, Berry Bros & Rudd

2010 Atalayo do Mar Godello, Monterrei, Galicia, Spain

Godello is probably never going to make waves like albariño – there’s far less of it planted for a start – but it’s a dry white to look out for. This one, from old vines fermented with wild yeasts and aged on its lees for two months, has a light spritz and mouthwatering saline freshness, citrus peel, peach and apricot fruit, creamy texture fruit and lemon/lime finish (13% abv).

£10.99, Virgin Wines

2004 Veuve Clicquot Brut, Champagne, France

Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised at how good this vintage Veuve is, but I was. The honeyed, toasty nose leads into a palate that balances freshness with sweet, elegant fruit, rich, spicy, toasted-hazelnut flavours and fine, appley acidity. Perfect now, but with years in it (12% abv).

£45.29, selected Sainsbury’s, and Ocado; £48.88, Fortnum & Mason

2010 Blind River Pinot Noir, Marlborough, New Zealand

Dark, full and rounded with succulent, sweet cherry, plum and raspberry fruit, a satin-smooth texture and a more savoury, nutty, spicy character that, given some age, will probably become more gamey.

£14.99 if you buy any 2 bottles of New Zealand Wine (otherwise £18.74), Majestic

WINES of the WEEK, 18 December 2011

2011-12-18T05:06:00.000-08:00

As usual the Co-op, or The co-operative, as it brands itself, has some very good Christmas offers. Below are four of the reds; prices valid until January 3 inclusive.

2006 Marqués de Valido Rioja Reserva, Spain

Attractive, mature, soft-textured Rioja with sweet, spicy fruit set against savoury, smoky, meaty, notes and nutty, slightly resiny oak. 13% abv.

£5.49 (down from £10.99)

2009 Château Brassac, Bordeaux Supérieur, France

Easygoing, modern-style, Merlot-dominated Bordeaux. Ripe, smooth black fruit with a soft, dry, cedary edge; clean and supple. 13% abv.

£6.99 (down from £11.99)

2005 Château Saint-Paul, Haut-Médoc, France

Nicely dense, harmonious cru bourgeois with textbook blackcurranty fruit, savoury, spicy, cigar-box flavours and modulated tannins. Balanced and well sustained. Perfect now, but it’ll be on form for another three or four years. 13% abv.

£9.99 (down from £14.99)

2010 La Grange St Martin Côtes du Rhône Réserve, Rhône, France

Rounded, juicy, peppery red with an undertow of spiced hot-chocolate. Made largely with fruit from their own vineyards by the Perrin family of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape estate Château Beaucastel. £13% abv.

£5.99 (down from £10.99)

And now for something completely different:

2011 Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand

Superb new vintage from Kevin Judd. Tinglingly fresh, juicy elderflower, herb and lemon flavours with a mouthwatering saline, mineral character and a fine chalky texture. Great length and presence. Just one criticism: a bottle weighing 727g when the average is abut 500g. This wine is far too good for a macho, heavy bottle.

£15.99 from independents (Swig, Taurus Wines, The Secret Cellar and many more)

WINES of the WEEK, 7 December 2011

2011-12-07T02:42:00.000-08:00

Two of the wines I tasted from The Wine Society’s Small Wonders 6-bottle case of reds from around the world have already run out and been replaced by others, so if you want a case – and I highly recommend it – you’d better be quick. It costs £89, which is great value. One of the replacements, 2008 Katnook Estate Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon, I haven’t tasted, but here are brief notes on the the other five. All can be drunk now, but there’s no hurry over any of them.

2004 Château Ampélia, Côtes de Castillon, Bordeaux, France

Cedar, cocoa, spice and black fruit. Dry, soft but structured, polished and fresh on the finish. Perfect for drinking now and over the next two or three years. 13% abv.

2007 Lanzaga, Rioja, Spain

Lovely cherry perfume and fruit on the palate, with liquorice, spice, chocolate and vanilla. Supple and fleshy, but with a firm central core. Impressive modern Rioja that will provide a good five years of drinking pleasure. Made by Telmo Rodriguez. 14% abv.

(£14.95 by the bottle)

2009 Mount Koinga Pinot Noir, Central Otago, New Zealand

Fragrant red berry and bergamot nose with honeyed redcurrant fruit on the palate and refined chocolaty richness. Pure and clean-edged. A single-vineyard made for The Wine Society by Paul Pujol of Prophet’s Rock. 13.5% abv.

(£17.70 by the bottle)

2007 Meandro do Vale Meão, Douro, Portugal

The second wine of Quinta do Vale Meão, and very good it is. Deeply scented with violets and black fruit and touches of black olive and liquorice. Full and concentrated palate with dark fruit, chocolate and black pepper underscored by oak. Long, silky, supple. Drink any time over the next five years. 14.5% abv.

(£16 by the bottle)

2009 Mascarello Dolcetto D’Alba, Bricco, Piedmont, Italy

Full, succulent dolcetto packed with plum and cherry fruit and sweet-earth and undergrowth notes underpinned by fine, grainy, dry tannins. From the top of Mascarello’s Monprivato vineyard. Drink over the next three or more years. 14.5% abv.

WINES of the WEEK, 18 November 2011

2011-11-18T10:45:00.000-08:00

2010 Forrest Semillon, Marlborough, New Zealand

The first Forrest semillon for ten years. Normally, they get so little of it they blend it into the sauvignon blanc, but the 2010 semillon was exceptionally ripe and aromatic, so they kept it separate, fermenting 10% in old oak and all the rest in tank, and keeping it all on its lees for six months. The result is a full-bodied and nutty wine with ripe peach, fig and gooseberry fruit, a leesy richness to the texture, a touch of vanilla, and zingy acidity. Well worth the wait and the effort. 14% abv.

£14.99, Adnams

2011 Las Mulas Sauvignon, Central Valley, Chile

From the organic San Luis de Alico vineyard. Smoky, slightly flinty aromas and a vivid, grassy palate with hints of pineapple sweetness and mint. Lovely bite and freshness.

£8.99, Waitrose and vintagemarque.com

2009 Domaine de Mourchon Tradition, Côtes du Rhône-Villages Séguret , France

In this vintage I prefer the unoaked Tradition, Domaine de Mourchon’s original red, to the more expensive, older vine, oak-matured Grande Réserve and Family Reserve Grenache. The latter pair, made from very low yields (around 20hl/ha and 15hl/ha and vines aged 60–100 years), are impressive in a monumental way, but just a bit too ripe and alcoholic for my taste. There’s also a 2009 Châteauneuf-du-Pape but I won’t be tasting that for another month or two. Apparently the 2010 vintage is back to normal.

The 2009 Tradition, made from two-thirds grenache, a quarter syrah and a tenth carignan, all aged around 40 years and vinified and matured in concrete vats, has an alluring perfume – floral notes, blackberries and a fleeting whiff of ripe apricot. The palate, with its blackberry and black pepper flavours and hints of clove and licorice, is ripe, fleshy and smooth, but framed by soft, grainy tannins and enough acidity to give life and freshness. 14.5% abv. Drink over the next four years.

£12.99, Averys.

The Big Red Wine Company, which stocks the entire Domaine de Mourchon range, doesn’t have the 2009 Tradition yet, but does have the the 2007 (£11.25) which was very good when I tasted it a couple of years ago and should still be.

2009 Viñalba Malbec Syrah, Rio Negro, Patagonia, Argentina

An 80:20 Malbec Syrah blend, half of which was aged in French oak for 12 months. The oak gives polish and a fine, smoky, toasty edge to the dark, concentrated, beautifully fresh fruit and the spicy, more savoury flavours. 14.5% abv. Very good value.

£8.48, Asda

WINES of the WEEK, 14 November 2011

2011-11-14T10:45:00.000-08:00

Having missed a few weeks while getting Gourmet off the ground and preparing for The Wine Gang wine fairs, I'm now throwing a few mid-week wines in. Dudley & de Fleury is well worth a look if you're after some well-chosen wines from small, family-run French operations. The focus is on the south of France, but they venture into other areas and countries too. Below are some highlights from last week’s tasting (sadly, Fanny Sabre-less – don’t ask). I didn’t like everything, especially not the bretty, volatile Garsinde from La Grange de Quatre Sous, and prices are highish, but mostly the wines are all about quality and individuality. Many people will know of Domaine Jones (below) but, for those who don't, it's the tiny (3.3ha) estate established in 2009 by Katie Jones, ex sales and marketing director of the Mont Tauch wine co-op. The vineyards are in Maury and Tuchan and the wines from her debut vintages are incredibly impressive (aka delicious).

Froment-Griffon Brut Tradition NV Champagne, France

Champagne made from a high 85% pinot meunier at a tiny, family run co-operative in the premier cru village of Sermiers in the Vallée de la Marne. Lightly honeyed, peachy fruit, soft textured and well-rounded with a zippy, fresh finish. A crowd-pleaser, but well made and by no means run-of-the-mill.

£19.95

2008 Virgile Joly Rouge! Coteaux du Languedoc, France

Organic, unoaked blend of syrah (50%), grenache (40%), cinsault and carignan. Juicy, raspberryish fruit with peppery, smoky flavours, soft tannins and a clean, dry, fresh finish. Don’t serve too warm.

£12.95

2010 Domaine Jones Dry Muscat, Vin de France

Fragrant, grapy and gingery with perfumy white-peach fruit. Refreshing and dry and more substantial in the mouth than you might expect.

£13.95

2010 Domaine Jones Blanc, Vin de France

Grenache gris with a smidgen of muscat. Rich but effortlessy fresh dry white with mineral, peach and citrus flavours. Delicious.

£17.95

2009 Domaine Jones Rouge, Vin de France

Old-vine grenache with a touch of carignan. Sweet, but fresh, pure fruit with nutty, mineral and pepper notes and fine tannins.

£16.95

2009 Lucien Lardy Fleurie Les Roches

Beautifully scented, pure red fruit and rose petals. Rounded and silky but with mineral length and fine tannin. Quite pinot noir-like. Could become burgundian with age.

£17.95

2010 Gonard et Fils Viré-Clessé

Quite creamy and ripe, but with good acidity and lots of mineral, citrus and apple alongside the riper apricot. Structured and textured.

£16.95

WINES of the WEEK, 11 November 2011

2011-11-11T06:58:00.000-08:00

2009 Louis Jadot Marsannay (Blanc), Burgundy, France

Fresh, creamy nose with malty, light buttered Brazil-nut oak. Full, but quite tight and mineral on the palate with a creamy texture and zesty acidity. Fermented and aged for 14 months in French oak barrels. Eminently drinkable now, but will benefit from another year. 13% abv.

£17.99, or £15.99 when you buy 2 or more, Majestic

2010 Howard’s Folly Alvarinho, Vinho Verde, Portugal

From the subregion of Monção e Melgaço where Vinho Verde is allowed to be 100% alvarinho. This is David Baverstocks first white under the Howard’s Folly label, and very good it is. Ripe, sweet citrus and olive oil aromas. Intense, vibrant palate, with dried apricot and really zesty lemon fruit and a mouthwatering, slightly salty, sea-breeze finish. Good acidity and substance. Will take a bit of age. 13% abv.

£12.95, Hercules Wine Warehouse (herculeswines.co.uk)

2009 Domaine des Crès Ricards, Alexaume, IGP Mont Baudile, Terrasses du Larzac, Languedoc, France

I’ve recommended this new red before (if not here, then in House & Garden or Gourmet), but I tasted it for a second time recently and was impressed again. Very spicy on the nose with some crisp black pepper, perfumed berries and an attractive hint of Carignan leather. Full, smooth, clean palate; spicy, nutty, slightly chocolaty and honeyed, with deep, blackcuranty fruit. It’s a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Carignan grown in soils with large Chateauneuf-type pebbles and it’s a Jean-Claude Mas wine. 13.5% abv.

£9.99, Majestic

2007 Viña Mayu Syrah Reserva, Elqui Valley, Chile

I must have recommended this Chilean syrah in the past too but, again, I re-tasted it recently and it deserves another mention. Sweet, ripe and blackberryish on the nose with a welcome herbal freshness and the vanilla and chocolate of oak. Weighty but fresh on the palate, with a savoury combination of pepper, smoke, tar and liquorice in harmony with sweet, fresh, red fruit and evident but not overpowering oak (60% of the wine was aged in new and used French barrels for five to eight months). 14% abv.

£9.15, Asda

WINES of the WEEK, 28 October 2011

2011-10-28T00:22:00.000-07:00

Continuing from where I left off, below are some of the reds at under £10 from the annual tasting of The Bunch, a group of six independent merchants whose slogan is ‘for wines less ordinary’ – a fair claim. There’s also another Symington single quinta port – one that wasn't at the London tasting, which is why I forgot to include it last week. First, though, something else I failed to mention last week: the Spanish white wine taste-off in London between two estates – the all-Albariño wines of Pazo de Señoráns (Rías Baixas) and the wines of Can Ràfols dels Caus in Penedès. Each showed 11 vintages going back to 1996. I gave my equal highest scores to three wines: 1996 and 1999 Pazo de Señoráns Seleccion Añada – thrillingly fresh on the nose, deep and complex on the palate; and the 1999 Can Ràfols dels Caus, a wonderfully, rich, intense and steely 100% chenin blanc from a single vineyard. So I gave my highest scores to the two oldest wines and one that was only a little younger. Who says Spanish white wines don’t age?

1999 Quinta da Senhora de Ribeira

Lovely single quinta port that can be drunk any time over the next 15–20 years. Fragrant, intense and densely flavoured with black fig, cassis, violets, spices, a touch of eucalyptus and ripe, rounded tannins. When a Dow’s vintage is declared, this quinta’s wine goes into it.

£65, The Wine Society.

2009 Gonnet, Ventoux, Rhône, France

Perfumed, ripe and spicy with juicy, raspberryish fruit. A sort of baby Châteauneuf-du-Pape from the family that owns Font de Michel. 14% abv.

£7.50, Adnams

2010 Domaine des Filles de Septembre Tradition, Côtes de Thongue (IGP), Languedoc, France

Youthful, juicy, spicy, earthy Mediterranean red with a herby garrigue accent and some carignan grip and dryness. 14% abv.

£8.50, Yapp

2009 Domaine Camp Galhan, Les Pérrassières, Duché d’Uzès, (IGP) Languedoc, France

Full-bodied, full-flavoured, warm, spicy, grenache-based red with succulent fruit and balancing dry tannins. 14% abv.

£9.50, Yapp

2010 Bodegas Monteabellon, Avaniel, Ribera del Duero, Spain

Richly fruity, unoaked tinto fino (aka tempranillo) with flavours of chocolate-coated, wine-soaked cherries, a minerally, peppery undertow and some useful ripe tannin in the background. 13.5% abv.

£9.75, Berry Bros

WINES of the WEEK, 22 October 2011

2011-10-21T10:50:00.000-07:00

Wines of the Week resumes its normal, erratic service today, at the end of a week when, maddeningly, I had to miss the tasting of 2009 Grands Crus Bordeaux in London, but made up for it by attending the Symington family’s tasting of single quinta vintage ports from seven of their 26 quintas. It was a tasting that demonstrated the longevity and quality of these single quintas and their very different and distinct characters.

We started with all seven 2006s: there wasn’t a weak link, but the star was the dazzling Quinta do Vesuvio which, without question, has 50+ years ahead of it, if anyone keeps it that long, and we went back to an absolutely glorious 1950 Graham’s Quinta dos Malvedos. Three bottles of the 1950 were opened for this London tasting which means the Symingtons now have only three bottles left. They would have had four, but someone dropped one a couple of weeks ago when it had been brought up from the cellar for the joint MDs (Team Sym?) to taste for the first time… Glad it wasn’t me. The other five quintas are Dow’s do Bomfim, Warre’s da Cavadinha, Graham’s do Tua, Dow’s Senhora da Ribeira and Cockburn’s dos Canais.

Berry Bros & Rudd has the 2006 Quinta do Vesuvio at £82.

Back to earth. Below are brief notes on some of the whites from The Bunch’s annual tasting last month. I had no voice and the mother of all colds, but worked my way through a respectable number of wines, including the two dozen on the Under-£10 table. Overall the latter was an impressive group – and varied, too, despite the fact that more than half were French, all 11 of the whites were European and all but two of the 13 reds were European. I’ll cover some of the reds in the next installment.

The Bunch is a group of independent wine merchants, the membership of which has changed a bit over the years, but currently the six are: Adnams, Berry Bros & Rudd, Corney & Barrow, Lea & Sandeman, Tanners and Yapp Brothers. Long may they survive and, even better, flourish.

2010 Petite Gasconne Blanc, Côtes de Gascogne (IGP), France

Vivacious, juicy, light white with zesty peach and apple fruit. Made (and wisely screwcapped) by the excellent Producteurs Plaimont co-operative group. 11.5% abv.

£6.49, Corney & Barrow

2009 .COM Branco, Estremoz, Portugal

Sappy Portuguese white with herby lime flavours, good weight in the mouth and a fresh finish. It’s made from indigenous varieties with a little viognier by Tiago Cabaçao and it really is called dot com. 13.5% abv.

£7.50, Adnams

2009 Château Grinou, La Combe de Grinou, Bergerac Sec, France

Delightful semillon/sauvignon blanc blend with aromas of elderflower and fresh minted peas. Gives similarly priced white Bordeaux a run for its money. 12% abv

£8.29, Corney & Barrow

2010 Domaine Félines Jourdan, Picpoul de Pinet, Languedoc, France

Apples, herbs, and a zesty, salty, mineral freshness. Textbook Picpoul from this consistently good estate. 13.5%.

£8.95, Berry Bros & Rudd; and even more tempting £7.75 from The Wine Society

2010 Terras d’Alter, Terra d’Alter Branco Reserva, Alentejo, Portugal

Another great value Portuguese white. Vibrant, fresh pear, apple and herb aromas and flavours and pithy acidity. Made by Australian Peter Bright. 13.5% abv.

£9.95, Lea & Sandeman

UNMISSABLE CHRISTMAS WINE FAIRS

2011-09-23T01:45:00.000-07:00

Normal service will resume for Wines of the Week shortly, but in the meantime here’s something to fix in you diaries: The Wine Gang Christmas Wine Fairs In London and Edinburgh – the tasting events of the season. We’ve got a brilliant line-up of wines and exhibitors at each, together with sit-down Masterclasses with great speakers and great wines and the inimitable Wine Walks led by the five of us – so that’s Tom, Anthony, Jane, David and me let loose in the hall at pre-ordained times with a gaggle of followers visiting stands to taste favourite wines – everything from the great classics to the fascinatingly quirky. As for the Masterclasses, they’re a bargain, which is why Bollinger was an instant sell out. Sorry about that, but it still leaves Michel Chapoutier, Yalumba icons and Bodegas O Fournier in London, Chablis (including grand cru), the gems of Chile, magnificent Malbecs and hidden Portugal in Edinburgh. Once you’ve bought a ticket for the relevant fair, you can book any or all of them. The Wine Walks are free (because we love doing them): all you need to do is sign up on the lists on the day.

You can get all the details and buy your tickets for London here and for Edinburgh here, but these are the vital statistics:

Saturday 29 October 2011, 12 noon to 6pm, Vinopolis, London SE1.

Saturday 12 November 2011, 12 noon to 6pm, The Merchants’ Hall, Edinburgh.

Earlybird tickets, £15; full-price tickets £20.

London Masterclasses, £15. Edinburgh Masterclasses, £10.

Once you have a ticket, you can come and go during the day, so, if you want to nip out to Borough Market, get lunch or whatever, you can.

There will be more than 600 wines open for tasting in London – and last year the average price per bottle across the 600-plus was not far short of £14. That’s how seriously our exhibitors take visitors to The Wine Gang events. In Edinburgh there’ll be 300 wines priced from £6 to £80. As I say, that’s how seriously exhibitors take you – and us.

You can see the complete list of exhibitors here but, to give you a taster, exhibitors at both include The Wine Society, Majestic, Waitrose and M&S, generic bodies such as Wines of New Zealand and Wines of Argentina and producers such as Blason de Bourgogne, Yalumba and Concha Y Toro. In London, we also have the likes of Lea & Sandeman, Armit, Liberty Wine and Corney & Barrow. In Edinburgh we’re welcoming Valvona & Crolla, Great Grog, Lockett Brothers and House of Menzies among others.

You don't have to be a member of The Wine Gang to come to our Wine Fairs, but it helps! Join here

WINES of the WEEK, 1 September 2011

2011-09-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

If anyone thinks that Portuguese white wines start and finish with Vinho Verde, they’ve got a treat in store. Portugal is terribly underrated as a white wine producer. These two are from The Wine Society, but they’re not the only good ones they have – nor the only good Portuguese whites out there. The Sauvignon is a new one from the south west and gives the Loire a run for its money. All we need now is some good weather.

2010 Herdade do Esporão, Verdelho, Alentejo, Portugal

Very floral and perfumy but also smoky; ripe and fairly full-bodied, with an exotic smokiness, lime-cordial intensity and satisfying, refreshing acidity. Delicious. Made down in the south from estate-grown, unoaked-verdelho by Sandra Alves, under the eye of David Baverstock. 13.5% abv.

£8.50, The Wine Society

2010 Dão Sul, Cabriz, Dão, Portugal

Sweet citrus, spice and herbs on the nose and mouthwatering, stony-mineral, smoky, herbal flavours with tangy acidity. Medium-bodied. Very restorative. A blend of malvasia fina, encruzado, cerceal branco and bical (just as you thought). 12.5% abv.

£6.95, The Wine Society

2010 Sensas Sauvignon Blanc, Côtes de Gascogne, France

Really aromatic sauvignon from the Gers – all gooseberry, grassy, herbal aromas with vivid gooseberry fruit on the palate, a nicely chalky texture and a zesty finish. It’s an Alain Grignon wine made by Xavier Roger, a native of the Loire, a region where they know a thing or two about sauvignon. 12.5% abv.

£7.49, Majestic

WINES of the WEEK 6 August 2011

2011-08-06T05:32:00.000-07:00

I didn’t get round to any recommendations last week. I’d like to say I was on holiday, but I was submerged by work. Not just writing and tasting but cooking, including a full-blown Christmas dinner – stuffed roast goose, then Christmas puddings (two of them) – which we ate on one of the hottest days of the year. Still, they do it in Australia. If you’re wondering where you get a goose in the middle of summer, I called Harrods. Ultimately it came from Telmara Farm in Essex and at 6.9kg, it was a whopper. Very good it was too.

2010 Bellingham The Bernard Series Grenache Blanc With Viognier, Paarl, South Africa

A food-friendly 60:40 blend which manages to be fresh, savoury and quite rich all at the same time. The grenache blanc was aged on its lees in oak for five months to give depth and texture, the viognier gives some tropical fruit, but not too much, and there’s a refreshing, zesty, bitter-lemon finish. It’s ready now but will gain over the next year. 14% abv. I say food-friendly because it went well with a risotto made with a rich goose stock and fresh fennel and stood its ground with smoked venison bresaola and salamis – not an ethereal match with the smoky charcuterie, but more than acceptable.

£10.99, Tesco (selected stores)

2010 Citari Lugana Terre Bianche, Veneto, Italy

A dazzlingly fresh example of Lake Garda’s local white. Lemon zest and ripe mango with a salty, herbal freshness and just enough delicate creaminess to give some texture while retaining the mouthwatering zing. Summer in a glass. 12.5% abv.

£9.95, The Vintner, www.thevintner.com

2009 Domaine des Maisons Neuves Côtes de Brouilly, Beaujolais, France

A particularly luscious reminder of how good the gamay grape can be and how good the 2009 vintage was, and is. Exuberant, ripe, fresh fruit – raspberry, blackberry, plum – with touches of vanilla and other spice. Succulent and silky, but with backbone beneath all the flesh. At 14.5% abv it won’t be everybody’s idea of how Beaujolais should be, but as an expression of the gamay grape it’s delicious.

£11.50, The Vintner

WINES of the WEEK, 23 July 2011

2011-07-23T01:01:00.000-07:00

2008 F E Trimbach Gewurztraminer, Alsace, France

Benchmark Alsace gewurz – roses, spice, lychee and Turkish delight aromas and flavours. Exotic, yes, but elegant and precise with lovely definition and acidity. Briliant with spicy food, but because it’s so fresh and fine it makes a perfect aperitif, too. 14% abv.

£11.99, Majestic

2010 Rustenberg Sauvignon Blanc, Western Cape, South Africa

Smoky, herbal and savoury with a textured mid-palate and chiselled freshness and minerality on the finish. A very good, food-friendly Sauvignon. 13.5% abv

£12.99, but £9.99 when you buy 2 or more, Majestic

2009 Notre Dame de Cousignac, Côtes du Vivarais, Rhône, France

I was going to recommend the even cheaper red Lubéron as well, but The Wine Society has run out of the 2009 – so just the Vivarais: a deep, juicy, warm and full-bodied blend of grenache (62%) and syrah (32%) with a smidgen of counoise. There’s no oak, so you get the unadulterated sweet, ripe blackberry fruit and earthy spice of vines with an average age of 50 years, growing in clay and limestone and newly converted to organic viticulture. 15% abv. Very good value.

£7.25, The Wine Society.

WINES of the WEEK, 17 July 2011

2011-07-17T08:23:00.000-07:00

Four great value wines from Berry Bros & Rudd’s summer by-the-case sale which is on until the end of August, although with no guarantee, of course, that stocks will last that long.

2008 Olivier Merlin Mâcon-La Roche Vineuse Chardonnay, Burgundy, France

Delicate, lemon wheatmeal and honeyed nose. Buttery, rounded palate wth lemony fruit, a touch of honey and nutty, wheaty flavours. Nicely developed, but still impeccably fresh. 13% abv.

£119.40 per case (£9.95 per bottle, down from £13.50), www.bbr.com

2001 Nyetimber 1er Cuvée Blanc de Blancs, Sussex, England

Coming up for a decade old and in its prime – the best English sparkling wine I’ve tasted. At the sale price, it knocks spots off most champagne at the same price. Refined and complex with biscuity, lightly buttery mature flavours, polished citrus fruit and perfectly balanced acidity. Textbook champagne-method chardonnay. 12% abv.

£299.40 per case (£24.95 per bottle, down from £32.95), bbr.com

2005 JL Chave Séléction Hermitage Farconnet, Rhône, France

Perfumy and layered, with berries, spice, sandalwood, incense and black pepper on the nose and a rich, but still young and fresh palate with spicy, red berry fruit, ripe tannins and well-integrated, soft, chocolaty oak. Long finish. Can be drunk with pleasure already, but undoubtedly has years ahead of it. 13.5% abv.

£330 per case (£27.50 per bottle, down from £37.95), bbr.com

2007 Château Marsau, Bordeaux Côtes de Francs, France

Deep ruby; inviting nose – spicy and fresh with sweet fruit and an attractive whiff of new oak. Supple palate with fleshy fruit, cedar and oak flavours. Stylish modern Bordeaux, but not for new-oak phobes. 13% abv

£119.40 per case (£9.95 per bottle, down from £15.95), bbr.com

WINES of the WEEK, 8 July 2011

2011-07-08T10:35:00.000-07:00

2010 Barone Ricasoli Albia Rosé, IGT Toscana, Italy

Medium-bodied, fresh, well-rounded Tuscan rosé made from sangiovese and merlot. Salmon-pink with wild strawberry and redcurrant fruit flavours, the merest hint of white pepper and a zesty, fresh finish. Bags of charm. 12.5% abv.

£66.03 for six bottles, vintagemarque.com

2010 Vionta Albariño, Rías Baixas, Spain

Majestic hasn’t got a lot of this, so it’s not on the website, but don’t let that put you off. It’s a really good Albariño (from the Freixenet stable). Fragrant and racy, peaches-and-cream nose with a touch of orange oil; sweet, zesty tangerine on the palate, a creamy texture and a mineral, sea-spray finish. 13% abv.

£11.99, Majestic

2009 Viñalba Malbec Reserva, Mendoza, Argentina

I know it’s a cliché, but this rich and powerful wine manages to have something about it that’s not far off elegance. There’s dense, ripe-berry fruit and a savoury, meaty quality, but there’s also convincing freshness. And it doesn’t have the hot finish that you might expect from 15% abv. Well worth buying while it’s still on offer.

£10.99, but £8.99 if you buy 2 or more bottles, Majestic

WINES of the WEEK, 3 July 2011

2011-07-03T08:18:00.000-07:00

A bit late this week, but last weekend I was in Paris tasting 6 decades of Penfold’s Grange and other Special Bin wines, starting with Penfolds Grange 1953 (stupendous) and the even rarer Grange Cabernet 1953 (outclassed by the shiraz-based Grange on this occasion, but it was the other way round when I last tasted both in 2003). Other highlights were the 1962 Bin 60A (dubbed ‘Australia’s greatest red’), 1990 Grange, 1996 Grange, ‘96 Block 42 Cabernet… to be continued in a full report in Decanter magazine. I’ll keep you posted when I know which issue. Oh, and the view was to die for – 7 floors up in the Australian ambassador’s residence looking straight out to the Eiffel Tower and over the Paris rooftops. Tony Bilson, from Sydney, cooked. Even without the wine, it was the best meal I’ve had this year (and one of the largest…). As I’ve said before, it’s a hard life.

Early Sunday morning I was heading back to London for a quick bag swap before heading to Gatwick to meet the rest of The Wine Gang for a flight to Croatia. We spent four days there doing benchmark tastings in Zagreb and visiting producers and wine regions. We tasted some really good wines and encountered some fascinating grape varieties – malvazia istriana, debit, graševina and gegić among the whites, and teran and plavac mali among the reds. If I find any are on sale, I’ll be recommending them in the coming weeks. If not, expect to start seeing more Croatian wines in the UK by the end of this year. The fruits of our tasting will be shown at the Croatian tasting in London in September. More details later.

On Friday, I was doing a food shoot all day for House & Garden Gourmet, our new food and wine magazine, coming out with the December issue of H&G. Yes, we work a long way ahead. And on Saturday… whatever happened to Saturday?

Coates & Seely Britagne Rosé Brut NV, England

Delightful, elegant English sparkling rose – the first release from a new producer, but an established vineyard, in the chalk downlands of Hampshire. It’s a pretty pale salmon, has lovely, fragrant raspberry fruit with a whisper of brioche in the background and zingy acidity, but not the tartness that sticks out like a sore thumb in some English sparkling wines. It’s a 65:35 blend of pinot noir and pinot meunier, made by the champagne method, or Méthode Britannique, as Coates and Seely refer to it. Britagne (pronounced brit-an-ye/Britannia) is the term they’ve coined for English champagne-style wines and they’re hoping other producers will adopt it. ‘They’ are Christian Seely, MD of Axa Millésimes, the wine-estate portfolio of Axa, the insurance giant, and Nicholas Coates, ex-banker, Hampshire resident and friend of Seely’s since their business school days in Fontainebleau.

£27.95, www.coatesandseely.com

WINES of the WEEK, 24 June 2011

2011-06-24T02:42:00.001-07:00

There’s 25% off all Waitrose wines until midnight next Wednesday (28 June) in stores and online. Here are a couple of delicious, summery Loires – a white and a red – and a very stylish Australian Chardonnay.

2010 Domaine de la Taille aux Loups, Les Dix Arpents Chenin Blanc, Montlouis, Loire, France

Benchmark dry Montlouis from the great Jacky Blot (the name doesn’t sound at all strange in French). Wonderful clarity and definition from start to finish. Scents of jasmine, white peaches, straw and nuts; tinglingly fresh, mineral palate with intense apricot and zesty, green-apple fruit. Promises to become beautifully honeyed – yet ever dry – with age. 13% abv.

£10.49 (down from £13.99), Waitrose

2009 Les Complices de Loire, Les Graviers, Chinon, Loire, France

Aptly named Les Graviers: there’s a fresh, gravelly note alongside the sweet capsicum and summery black fruit aromas. Velvety, supple and fresh – and unoaked to show off the purity of both fruit and terroir. 12.5% abv.

£8.24 (£10.99), Waitrose

2010 Prominent Hill, Single Vineyard Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills, South Australia

Sleek, sophisticated Chardonnay from a single plot of organically cultivated vines, fermented in a combination of stainless steel and oak and matured sur lie, with some stirring, for nine months. Nutty, wheatmeal and white flower/orange blossom aromas and an elegant, nutty, wheaty palate with a creamy texture and mineral tautness and freshness. 13.5% abv.

11.24 (£14.99), Waitrose

WINES of the WEEK, 17 June 2011

2011-06-17T00:53:00.001-07:00

2010 Esterházy Estoras Grüner Veltliner, Burgenland, Austria

The sort of wine to pour as soon as you get in from work. Before you’ve even kicked your shoes off. Delicately perfumed and flavoured with white flowers, peach and lemon zest, medium-bodied and deliciously refreshing. 12% abv. Nevermind the Esterházy pedigree, the wine is made by Josef Pusch, one of Austria’s best, with Stéphane Derenoncourt as consultant.

£10.95, FromVineyardsDirect

2009 Altos d’Oliva Garnacha, Catalunya, Spain

Juicy, spicy, smooth, full red with ripe cherry fruit and crunchy black-pepper and clove flavours. Uncomplicated, enjoyable and well worth the money. It comes from low-yielding bush vines grown high in the hills above Tarragona – not quite within spitting distance of Priorat, but not far off. Ideal barbecue, chorizo, pasta and pizza red. 13.5% abv.

£6.95, FromVineyardsDirect

2007 Umberto Fiore Barbaresco, Piedmont, Italy

Not so long ago M&S was selling the previous vintage of this Barbaresco (the 2005) at £9.99. It now clears the £10 barrier, but it’s good value for a nebbiolo of this quality. Authentic cherryish, dried-rose, savoury meat aromas, spicy cherry and almond fruit, fine, velvety, dry tannins and gentle acidity. All very convincing. Drink with something like steak or lamb chump chops. 13.5% abv.

£10.99, Marks & Spencer

2011-06-10T08:41:00.000-07:00

Wines of the Week 10 June 2011

An impressive trio from Cambridgeshire-based Private Cellar.

Champagne Legras & Haas Tradition Brut NV, France

A fresh, floral, lemony champagne with a light touch of brioche and maltiness. Elegant, accessible and reasonably priced. It’s 50% chardonnay and comes from a family-owned house based in the Côtes des Blancs grand cru of Chouilly. 12.5% abv.

£24.19, Private Cellar

2010 Springfontein Estate Unfiltered Terroir Selection Chenin Blanc, Walker Bay, South Africa

A ripe and oaky nose; a rich, waxy palate with intense, sweet and sharp pineapple and lemon fruit, toasty, chocolaty oak and bright acidity. This is a young wine that is still slightly unknit, but the balance is there, the components are very good and they’re already starting to come together, to mellow and become more complex. Drink with chicken, fish and veal, including in cream sauces. 14% abv.

£12.96, Private Cellar

2004 Bordeaux by Hubert de Boüard, France

I suppose if you’re the co-owner and the winemaker of Château Angélus and consultant to others, you can get away with the slightly pretentious ‘by’ in the name, especially when the wine is this good. It’s Merlot-based and a case of clever winemaking drawing out and boosting the best of an unexceptional, though not attractive, vintage. Ripe black fruit with currant-leaf, graphite and cedar freshness, carefully upholstered with ripe tannins and the milk chocolate and vanilla flavour of oak. 13% abv. A winner with roast, slow-roast and grilled lamb.

£12.16, Private Cellar

WINES of the WEEK, 3 June 2011

2011-06-04T07:25:00.000-07:00

2010 Taste the Difference Languedoc White, France

Whites from the Languedoc are still terribly underrated, so it’s good to see Sainsbury’s putting one in its Taste the Difference range. This is grenache blanc-based with 20% each of marsanne, viognier and vermentino and the vines are 20–40 years old, so have some maturity. It’s oak-free but aged on its lees, which gives a mouthfilling suppleness and a creaminess to both texture and flavour. There’s a crunchy apple/pear freshness to the fruit and touches of spicy white pepper and minerals. All in all, a very satisfying, interesting dry white. 13.5% abv. Jean-Claude Mas of Domaines Mas is the man behind it.

£7.99, Sainsbury’s

2010 Bolney Estate Foxhole Vineyard Pinot Noir, West Sussex, England

The first English red wine that I can remember really wanting to drink. Pale in colour with a delicious sweet scent of raspberries and old English roses and a supple, fresh palate with a flavour of summer-pudding and fraises des bois rounded out with just a smidgen of oak. 12.85% abv. Bolney Estate is 16 hectares and was originally called Bookers Vineyard – a name is still use – and the winemaker is Sam (Samantha) Linter. Fingers crossed for the summer of 2011.

£11.99, waitrosewine.com and 16 branches; also from www.bolneywinestate.co.uk

2009 Paolo Leo Primitivo di Manduria, Puglia, Italy

A polished primitivo with purity and sleekness but at the same time an attractive, almost gravelly, grainy texture and flavour; cherry-sweet, almondy aromas and spicy, cherry-kernel flavours with a touch of vanilla. Full-bodied, ripe and layered. 14.5% abv.

£9.99, Waitrose

WINES of the WEEK, 27 May 2011

2011-05-27T03:02:00.000-07:00

A superb, rich, dry white with ageing potential from south west France and, at the other end of the spectrum, two appealingly bright and breezy whites from Viña Ventisquero’s Yali range, sales of which support conservation of the Yali wetland in Chile, the UK’s Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Operation Migration in the US and Canada and Birdwatch Ireland.

2008 Château Montus Pacherenc du Vic-Bihl Sec, France

Very ripe and exotic, tropical fruit aromas with plenty of new oak. Dense, concentrated fruit on the palate, intense, citrus flavour and acidity and very rich, seductive texture. Perfect balance, so can be drunk now, but will age beautifully, becoming more layered and complex. 14% abv. Drink with rich poultry dishes, lobster, fish such as sea bass, cheeses such as Comté and goats' cheeses.

£20.99, Roberts & Speight, 01482 870717; The Vine King, 01293 771 305

2010 Yali National Reserva Sauvignon Blanc, Casablanca Valley, Chile

Zesty and elegant, with elderflower, lemon peel and a hint of pineapple on the nose, a zingy, pineappley palate with a touch of dill and a pithy, lemon finish. 13% abv.

On offer at £6.39 (from £8.39), Morrisons

2010 Yali National Reserva Viognier, Colchagua, Chile

No oak, no malolactic fermentation, pure varietal character. Floral, orchard-fruit nose tinged with fresh mint; white peach, citrus fruit and fresh acidity on the palate. 13.5% abv.

On offer at £6.39 (from £7.99) if you buy 2 or more, Majestic

WINES of the WEEK, 20 May 2011

2011-05-20T05:20:00.001-07:00

22 May: as I have a stockist for it, I’m adding another wine today – a delicious sweet white from the south west.

2006 Vignobles Brumont Pacherenc du Vic-Bihl Vendémiaire, France

This concentrated and complex sweet white is made entirely from petit manseng grapes picked at the end of October and is thus the earliest harvested of Alain Brumont’s three sweet wines. It’s fermented in new oak and aged on its lees for over a year and the result is intense and richly fruity with dried-fruit aromas, honey and spice, vivid fresh fruit flavours of quince, apricot and lychee and piercing acidity. There’s even a hint of truffly richness. 13% abv. Drink with tarte au citron, apple tart, orange and almond cake, honey and lavender cake, crème brûlée, Roquefort-type blue cheeses, foie gras…

£14.31 for 50cl, The Sampler

I wanted to recommend dry whites from south west France – wines that were among the 77 selected by The Wine Gang in a blind tasting for the generic organisation South West France Wines and which were shown at the London International Wine Fair this week – but I haven’t yet found UK retail stockists for the ones I was going to write about. It’s largely a question of vintages. We tasted the latest releases; wine merchants tend to be on previous vintages of the more serious dry whites, which makes sense because they have the kind of concentration of fruit and acidity to age. Adnams, for example, has two cracking white Saint-Monts, Le Faite and L’Empreinte, but not the vintages I’ve just tasted, and I’ve found stockists for Alain Brumont’s two dry Pacherencs du Vic-Bihl but not the relevant vintages. I’m on the case, because these south west dry whites really deserve to be better known. In the meantime, after that lengthy preamble, here are a couple of the reds.

2009 Domaine Laurens Marcillac, France

A supple, fleshy red with sweet-berry fruit and the authentic, spicy, earthy-mineral flavour and herbal freshness of Marcillac. The grape variety is fer servadou, known locally as mansois and elsewhere in the southwest as both braucol and pinenc, and the vineyards are on steep, terraced slopes with the extraordinarily dark red soils, iron rich soils, of this part of the Aveyron. The entire appellation is only 170 ha. Marcillac is wonderfully food friendly. I wish we saw more of it (The Wine Society and Caves de Pyrène have the excellent Domaine du Cros). 12.5% abv

£9.10, Vine Trail

2008 Château de Crouseilles Madiran ‘Premium’, France

As authentic a Madiran as the Domaine Laurens is a Marcillac. Dark, young, full-bodied, with dense cherryish fruit, dark chocolate, kirsch, tapenade and licorice flavours, savoury oak and solid tannins. Drink with meaty food over the next four years. 14% abv. Caves de Crouseilles is part of the admirable Plaimont group.

£13.99, Nicolas

WINES of the WEEK, 13 May 2011

2011-05-13T10:35:00.000-07:00

It had to be Languedoc this week. These three were tasted at Stone, Vine & Sun’s aptly named Beautiful South tasting the day after I judged at the prestige Wines de Languedoc competition, both events held at Sud de France’s swish Cavendish Square premises in London.

2010 La Begude L’Exotique, Haute Vallée de l’Aude, France

I’m not sure whether I should be mentioning this, because there’s very little of it, but who could resist a Languedoc grüner veltliner? (No, not exactly a permitted grape variety anywhere in France.) It’s actually 80% grüner, blended with 20% chardonnay which was barrel-fermented in old oak. The result is delightful – aromatic and peachy with a silky texture and appetisingly fresh, green pear and citrus/lime flavours and finish. 13% abv. I’d drink it as an aperitif to make the most of it. Domaine Begude is owned by James and Catherine Kinglake – Brits.

£11.25, Stone, Vine & Sun

2007 Domaine des Trinités Languedoc, France

An unoaked blend of 70% grenache, 20% syrah and 10% carignan with a nice touch of maturity. Dry, spicy and garriguey, with dried-fruit and red-cherry flavours and soft tannins. Very soothing and relaxing. And inexpensive. 14% abv. I wasn’t wowed by the Trinités viognier, but there’s a very good, more expensive red cuvée called Les Deves (50% grenache, with syrah, carignan and some mourvèdre), which Stone, Vine has at £11.75. The estate is owned by Simon Coulshaw (English), who trained at Plumpton, and his Spanish wife.

£8.50, Stone, Vine & Sun

2008 Domaine du Méteore Saint-Chinian Clos du Bijou, France

First vintage of Méteore’s Saint-Chinian, from vineyards just over the border from Faugères, the estate’s home appellation. A smoky, mineral, peppery blend of unoaked grenache, syrah and carignan, 50:35:15, with lovely, full, red-berry fruit, fine tannins and elegant, spicy length. 14% abv. A triumph.

£9.50, Stone, Vine & Sun

WINES of the WEEK, 6 May 2011

2011-05-07T02:10:00.000-07:00

Wines of the Week 6 May 2011

A couple of highlights from Majestic’s summer tasting in London.

2010 Nathalie Lafond, Reuilly Cuvée Nathalie, Loire, France

Reuilly is always worth looking out for as a cheaper alternative to nearby Sancerre and 2010 is a textbook vintage for all these Central Loire sauvignon blanc appellations. This is a new cuvée using Lafond’s best grapes. It has a delicious spicy, minerally character and grassy, herbal, green-apple fruit with real depth, texture and tang. 12.5% abv.

£9.99, or £8.99 if you buy 2 or more bottles, Majestic.

2008 Descendientes de J Palacio, Pétalos Bierzo, Spain

This shows just how good north-west Spain’s mencía grape can be in the right hands. Deep in colour, succulent and full, but also refined and elegant, with spicy, herby, sweet-blackberry fruit, touches of dark chocolate and licorice, and supple tannins leading to a fresh, polished finish. 14% abv.

£15.99, or £12.99 if you buy 2 or more bottles, Majestic.

WINES of the WEEK, 29 April 2011

2011-04-28T01:15:00.000-07:00

2010 Tingleup Vineyard Great Southern Riesling, Western Australia

Latest vintage of this consistently good wine – surely one of Tesco’s best own-labels (it’s in the Finest range). Petrol, zesty lime and flowery notes on the nose and a mouthwateringly fresh, fruity palate with apple and peach, then spicier apple and lime on the finish and racy acidity which makes it seem drier than it is. No petrol on the palate, incidentally. A perfect aperitif, but also good with smoked fish, salads, slow-roast tomatoes, capers etc. And only 11% abv. tesco.com/wine has the 2009 at £38.40 for 6 (£6.40 a bottle), which is probably a bargain. I haven’t tasted the 2009 for a while, but this wine usually keeps well.

£9.29, Tesco

2010 Domaine Houchart Côtes de Provence Rosé, France

Everything a dry pink from Provence should be – lively and refreshing with juicy red fruit flavours, a touch of spice, a supple mid-palate and a crisp, dry finish. The only thing it’s emphatically not, which so many Provence rosés are, is expensive – in fact it’s great value. It’s a grenache-based blend, with some cinsault, mourvèdre, cabernet, syrah and other bits and pieces, and the grapes are directly pressed, except for 10% which is free-run juice from a cold-maceration of red wine grapes. 13% abv. The estate is at the foot of Mont Saint Victoire and the current owner, Geneviève Quiot (Quiot of Châteauneuf fame), is the great granddaughter of the founder Aurélien Houchart, who was, apparently, a lifelong friend of Cézanne. I love connections like that.

£6.95, The Wine Society

2007 Castello della Paneretta Chianti Classico Riserva, Italy

A dark, young, but very approachable riserva, with sweet, spicy, smoky sandalwood aromas, ripe cherry fruit, a nutty, smoky richness and softly grainy tannins. It’s 90% sangiovese and a comparatively high (for Chianti Classico) 10% of the traditional canaiolo. 14.5% abv. Ready now, but there’s no hurry to drink it. I was going to recommend it last week as a perfect match for Easter lamb or capra, but I got waylaid by other wines. Still, there’s no law against eating lamb or kid this week too, and it would go equally well with a steak, a butter bean and chorizo stew, a really good pizza, Comté, Manchego etc.

£12.99, Marks & Spencer

WINES of the WEEK, 22 April 2011

2011-04-22T08:44:00.000-07:00

2010 Garcia Viadero Albillo, Ribera del Duero, Spain

Another obscure grape variety this week, but a Spanish white, albillo, which has been in Ribera del Duero for hundreds of years but which is rarely grown now because the DO doesn’t extend to white wines. Yolanda Garcia Viadero is determined to keep the flame burning, however, and has produced this appealing, medium-bodied dry white. It has floral, fruity aromas, peach, pear and a fresh herbal note on the palate, a soft mid-palate and a clean, citrus finish. Good as an aperitif and also with white fish (eg baked, herb-crusted cod). 13% abv.

£9.69–£10.99, Harvey & Sons (Lewes), Wine Time (Carnforth), winetimes.co.uk.

2008 Mas La Chevalière Peyroli, Pays d’Oc, France

Michel Laroche of Chablis fame is behind this Languedoc white, a blend of chardonnay and viognier (85:15) from the Peyroli vineyard which lies at a relatively lofty 400m. Moderate temperatures and the viognier component give lifted apricot and peach flavours and refreshing acidity; maturation in French oak gives breadth and succulence. 13% abv.

£9.50–£10.90, Robin Greatorex Wines; slurp.co.uk. For more stockists, contact Liberty Wines.

2008 Mas La Chevalière Roqua Blanca, Pays d’Oc, France

The red from Laroche’s Languedoc estate is a 50:50 syrah:merlot blend aged in French oak for 18 months. It has bright, fresh blueberry and blackberry fruit with touches of sweet vanilla balanced by savoury black-pepper, mineral and woodsmoke flavours and supple tannins. 14% abv.

£10.90, slurp.co.uk. More stockists from Liberty Wines.

WINES of the WEEK, 15 April 2011

2011-04-16T01:47:00.000-07:00

Wines of the Week 15 April 2011

International Wine Challenge-induced delay in posting this week, but here they are:

2010 Domaine Bellegarde Cuvée Tradition Jurançon Sec, France

Latest vintage of this consistently good dry Jurançon. Fresh, sappy nose with touches of apricot and minty herbs, and a zesty palate with flavours of apple, orange and minerals. No oak, lovely purity. 13% abv.

£11.95, Yapp Bros.

2009 Hilltop Premium Red, Eger, Hungary

A juicy, peppery, velvety red with spiced-plum fruit and crunchy fresh acidity. It’s a blend of cabernet franc and cab sauvignon, with a bit of kékfrankos and merlot, and it’s from what was apparently a very good year for Hungarian reds. I can’t claim any in situ experience of the vintage, but am willing to believe it on the strength of the three Hilltop reds The Wine Society has just introduced (the other two are a straight kékfrankos and a straight cabernet franc, both £9.50). This blend is 13% abv.

£7.50, The Wine Society.

2007 Racemi Sum, Torre Guaceto, Puglia, Italy

This is a gem, made from a Puglian grape variety that was nearly extinct until Gregory Perruci decided to revive it. It’s a full-bodied southern Italian red with a sweet perfume reminiscent of primitivo and a similar sweetness of fruit, together with lots of earthy spice and nutty richness, but grippier tannins and fresher acidity. Sum is named after the truly obscure grape variety susumaniello. 14% abv.

£9.95, The Wine Society

WINES of the WEEK, 8 April 2011

2011-04-08T01:14:00.001-07:00

2007 Hatzidakis Pyrgos Assyrtiko, Santorini, Greece

An extraordinary wine – rich, dry, complex and thrillingly fresh. Only a few hundred bottles are made from Hatzidakis’s oldest assyrtiko vines grown in Santorini’s unirrigated volcanic-ash soils. It’s fermented very slowly with natural yeasts and is then aged in old oak. The result is a deep yellow wine which is honeyed, rich, creamy and spicy, yet dry, deeply mineral and fabulously clean and fresh. 14% abv. It’s one of several fascinating wines I tasted last week at Theatre of Wine in Greenwich, a shop owned by ex-actor Daniel Illsley and stuffed with exciting bottles. There’s now a branch north of the river, too – lucky Tufnell Park residents.

£29, Theatre of Wine.

2009 Vignoble Guillaume Pinot Noir, Vin de Pays de Franche-Comté, France

Xavier Guillaume’s pinot noir outshines most Bourgogne Rouge at the same price. Fragrant, supple and fresh, with crisp, summer-pudding fruit and a delicate, oh-so-burgundian, savoury, mineral undertow. Drink at the cooler end of the red wine temperature spectrum. 12.5% abv.

£11, Theatre of Wine.

2009 Domaine Philippe Gilbert Menetou-Salon Rosé, France

Lovely, aromatic, pinot noir rosé from the Loire. Fresh, crisp and elegant, but much more fruit and succulence than most pink Sancerres. Biodynamic. Not cheap, but it doesn’t deserve to be. 13.5% abv.

£14.50, Theatre of Wine.

WINES of the WEEK, 1 April 2011

2011-03-31T03:52:00.000-07:00

2007 Taste the Difference Priorat, Spain

I don’t really know how they can sell low-yielding old-vine red Priorat at such a low price, but they are and it’s worth recommending. It’s a 60:40 blend of mazuela and grenache – dark and full, but not massive, with sweet plum and cherry fruit, Priorat’s savoury, mineral signature, well-handled oak and a solid base of supple tannins. Should last a few years. It’s made for Sainsbury’s by the giant, Montsant-based Cellers Unió co-operative. 14.5% abv.

On offer at £7.49 until April 26, then back to £9.99, Sainsbury’s.

2009 Franschhoek Vineyards Semillon, Franschhoek, South Africa

Another case of I-don’t-know-how-at-this-price, especially as this white, from vines around 80 years old, is fermented and aged in barrel. It’s fresh, rounded and textured, with nutty, sweet-lemon and apricot fruit, pithy, grapefruity acidity and a touch of spice. A bargain – and not too alcoholic either: 13.5% abv. One of many very good and interesting new wines at The Wine Society.

£6.95, The Wine Society

31 March 2011

This is going up a day early because today is the last day you can buy it at the considerably discounted price. Tomorrow it goes up on Armit's website at the higher price. Yes, it’s April 1^st tomorrow. No, it’s not an April Fool.

2001 La Rioja Alta Viña Ardanza Rioja Reserva Especial, Spain

Only two previous vintages of this reserva have had Especial appended, the 1964 and the 1973, so it’s pretty clear how highly La Rioja Alta rates the 2001. Justifiably so. It’s a glorious wine. Very aromatic and high-toned, with berries, sweet herbs, spicy oak, and touches of almond, resin and milk chocolate on the nose. Very silky and smooth on the palate; full, round, ‘sweet’, almost no discernible tannin but remarkable freshness. It went beautifully with roast Gressingham duck and stood up perfectly well to an oozing, although not particularly pungent, Camembert. It has 20% garnacha (80% tempranillo) and was bottled in September 2005 after three years in used American oak. It’ll see in its 20^th birthday. 13.5% abv.

£170 per case of 12 in bond today, then £229.65 per case in bond from tomorrow, Armit.

WINES of the WEEK, 25 March 2011

2011-03-25T09:19:00.000-07:00

Three wines that won’t break the bank.

2010 Cuvée de Richard, Comté Tolosan, France

This has always been a useful, light white at a refreshingly low price, but the 2010 is a step up. Perhaps it’s the smidgen of sauvignon added to the colombard/ugni blanc blend for the first time. Anyway, it’s sprightly, zesty and grassy with a light top-note of sweeter tropical fruit. 11.5% abv.

£4.79, Majestic

2005 McWilliams Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon, Hunter Valley, Australia

A classic Hunter semillon now at a fascinating and delicious stage of maturity – straw, toast and honey flavours blending with pithy lemon and a pinch of white pepper, and with the slightly oily texture of semillon cut by knife-edge acidity. 12% abv. Great value.

£9.99, Wine Rack; £10.70, Slurp.co.uk

Château Camplazens La Garrigue, Coteaux du Languedoc La Clape, France

Aptly named, garrigue-scented, medium-bodied red, from a region which doesn’t often manage to make characterful wines at this relatively modest alcohol level (12.5%). Soothingly supple with spicy, red-cherry fruit and an undertow of aromatic herbs.

£7.99, Wine Rack

WINES of the WEEK, 18 March 2011

2011-03-20T02:02:00.000-07:00

Matošević Alba Barrique, Istria, Croatia

The only thing not to like about this wine is writing out the name with the accents on the producer’s surname – and perhaps the price, but you’re paying for quality and rarity. It’s a barrel-aged white made by Ivica Matošević from malavasija istarska, the malvasia indigenous to Istria, and it’s grown on eight hectares near Grimalda (a village said to have Istria’s most beautiful view). Medium-full, deliciously mineral, smoky and fresh, with spice, honey, citrus and green olive flavours and an olive-oil texture. 13.5% abv. Imported by D’Issa, which has a stall in Borough market for its Croatian food specialities and should have its website up and running soon.

£22.50, Cartwright Brothers in Borough Market

2007 Bodegas Abanico Manium Crianza, Bierzo, Spain

This is from low yielding, old Mencia vines, grown and hand-tended on steep, terraced slopes. It’s fragrant and juicy, medium-bodied and nicely chewy, with sweet strawberry and red-cherry fruit gently underscored by the nutty, spicy flavours of classy French oak. It’s 14.68%, but wears it lightly.

£13.20, Bancroft Wines

WINES of the WEEK, 11 March 2011

2011-03-11T08:28:00.000-08:00

2009 Teruzzi & Puthod Rondolino Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Tuscany, Italy

A sappy, leafy-fresh nose with touches of almond and spice, then an ultra-fresh, medium-weight palate with herby, lemony fruit and a hint of honey and fennel. A perfect wine to wind down with at the end of a working day. 12.5% abv.

£8.99, Waitrose

2008 Sportoletti Assisi Rosso, Umbria, Italy

A juicy, ripe and fleshy blend of Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet, oak-aged for extra richness and spice. Not complex, but deliciously, even dangerously, drinkable. Very good value at under a tenner. 14.5% abv.

£9.95, Lea & Sandeman; £11.35, Bancroft Wines

2008 Pitchfork Cabernet Merlot, Margaret River, Western Australia

Deep colour with ripe cassis and fresh mint on the nose – very Margaret River. Clean, well-defined palate with the focus on bright fruit, balanced oak and supple tannins. 14% abv.

£10.80, Bancroft Wines

WINES of the WEEK, 4 March 2011

2011-03-04T11:24:00.000-08:00

2009 Avalon Archangel Pinot Noir, Central Otago, New Zealand

I know we had a New Zealand pinot noir last week, but this one from further south is quite different. The Terraces from Marlborough is broader and fleshier. This has wonderful purity, clarity, elegance and fragrance – all cranberries, cherries, nutmeg and a hint of coffee with a satin-smooth texture. Very grown-up pinot noir, and the 2008 was just as good, which bodes well. Vagabond, a shop lined with enomatics for sampling the 100 wines, opened last autumn in Fulham, west London, just near Fulham Broadway, and is well worth a detour. 14% abv.

£23.95, Vagabond; vagabondwines.co.uk

2009 Laura Ascheri Vermentino, Liguria, Italy

A medium-bodied, dry white that is both zippily refreshing and mouthfillingly satisfying. It has quince, pears and custard on the nose, fresh herb and citrus flavours, a hint of honey and a mineral finish. Particularly good with fish and dishes with lots of fresh, leafy green herbs (basil, coriander, flat-leaf parsley), lemon, garlic and a touch of chilli. 13% abv.

£22.85, Vagabond, vagabondwines.co.uk

2010 Mas des Mas Pinot Blanc Zucco Vineyard, Languedoc, France

A successful first pinot blanc from the indefatigable Jean-Claude Mas. Zucco is a two-acre vineyard more or less in the the foothills of the Montagne Noire and the wine is just as it should be – delicately floral with pear and citrus flavours, a pinch of spice, a rounded, soft texture and crisp finish. A good aperitif; also goes well with goat’s cheese salad and simple risotto. 13.5% abv.

£7.99, on offer until May (then back to £9.99), Majestic

2009 Paul Mas Estate Single Vineyard Collection Malbec, Gardemiel Vineyard, Languedoc

Deep purple with malbec’s trademark Cahors flavours of blackberry, damson and licorice, and some ripe, chunkyish tannins and acidity softened and fleshed out with oak. 13.5% abv. Well worth buying at the offer price.

£6.49, if you buy two or more (£8.99, singly), Majestic.

WINES of the WEEK, 25 February 2011

2011-03-01T13:53:00.000-08:00

Better late than never. Don't ask. OK, let's just say that enjoying myself in the Napa Valley and failing to sync the ipad correctly combined to get in the way.

2007 Montana ‘T’ Terraces Pinot Noir, Marlborough, New Zealand

Montana’s top pinot noir, and very sumptuous it is – deep flavour, long finish. It comes from the Wairau Valley part of Marlborough and has an expansive, sweet, pinot noir perfume, lush, cherry and plum fruit flecked with vanilla, savoury richness and a lovely, silken texture. It’s ready now, but isn’t going to fall off its perch anytime soon. 14% abv.

£14.81, Gondola Wine; £15.59, Ocado

Waitrose Solera Jerezana Fino del Puerto Sherry, Jerez, Spain

Delicious, fresh and equally complex fino from the house of Lustau. On the one hand Marmitey, savoury, smoky and nutty; on the other tinglingly lemony and fresh. It could hardly be better – and certainly not at this price. 16.5% abv

£8.19, Waitrose

WINES of the WEEK, 18 February 2011

2011-02-18T09:28:00.000-08:00

Three wines from Jeroboams tasting in London last month. It was a very good line-up, although a couple of reds were showing a touch more brett than I like.

2008 Stratagème Argile, Coteaux du Languedoc, France

A dry white made from traditional Languedoc varieties (mainly grenache blanc and bourboulenc) by Thierry Rodriguez. Rich, dry and fresh on the nose, with succulent citrus fruit, steely mineral flavours and good acidity on the palate. 12.5% abv. There’s a good red Saint-Chinian too, Stratagème Schistes, but I particularly like this white and the Saint-Chinian below.

£11.95, or £10.76 by the case, Jeroboams

2008 Col d’Arribat Saint-Chinian Roquebrun

A warm, spicy, garrigue-scented nose and a mouthful of fresh, sweet, sun-warmed berries and earthy spice, all lightly upholstered with ripe tannins. 13.5% abv.

£9.75, or £8.78 by the case, Jeroboams

2007 Il Casalone Poggio Colombi, Toscana Maremma, Italy

A convincing Italian take on Bordeaux grape varieties – 90% cabernet sauvignon and 10% petit verdot – from coastal Tuscany. Sweet herbs and chocolate-coated cherries on the nose; a ripe, full palate with spicy sweetness, savoury richness and a gentle chewiness. A very fair price for an estate-produced Tuscan red of this quality. 14% abv.

£10.95, or £9.86 by the case, Jeroboams.

WINES of the WEEK, 11 February 2011

2011-02-11T09:01:00.000-08:00

2010 Seven Springs Sauvignon Blanc, Overberg, South Africa

A first, small vintage – only 4400 bottles – from vines planted in 2007 by Tim Pearson, whose day job is MD of his Warwickshire (UK) cleaning company. The vineyard – 12 hectares but not all planted yet – is at the foot of Shaws Mountain, 20km from Hermanus in Walker Bay, and the debut 2010 sauvignon is zesty and vivacious, with greengage and apricot fruit, a lightly textured mid-palate and a dry, bright finish with just a hint of minerality. Not complex, but a really enjoyable, reviving glass of wine and, with age, the vines should produce tighter, more concentrated, perhaps more mineral-tasting wines. 13.5% abv. A chardonnay, syrah and pinot noir are all in the pipeline.

£9.95–£10.14, barwines.co.uk, proteaswines.co.uk, underwoodwines.co.uk; 7springs.co.za

2006 Château Civrac, Côtes de Bourg, Bordeaux

It wasn’t intentional but there’s a bit of an ex-pat theme this week: Civrac belongs to Cornishman Mark Hellyar. The 2006 is nicely meaty and supple – richer and more succulent than the 2007 – and has perfumy, sweet fruit, subtly toasty oak and a convincing, earthy-mineral undertow. It’s half merlot and 25% each malbec and cabernet sauvignon. Olivier Dauga is the consultant. All in all, a very good, modern but authentic Bordeaux. 13% abv.

£15, civrac.com, and other stockists as listed on the website

2008 Taste the Difference Douro, Portugal

There’s nothing new about this. It’s here as a reminder that it’s a useful, good-value red – a stalwart of Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference range. Smoky and meaty with warm, ripe black fruit on the the nose; pepper, blackberries and woodsmoke on the palate; medium-full with softly grainy tannins and a satisyingly dry finish. 13.5% abv.

£7.99, Sainsbury’s

WINES of the WEEK, 4 February 2011

2011-02-04T06:13:00.000-08:00

2009 Moncaro Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico, Marche, Italy

Nutty-straw nose and a fresh, well-rounded palate with crisp, herbal flavours and broader, nuttier notes; medium-bodied and dry, but not bone-dry, with an appetisingly crisp finish. A really useful, good value white that works with or without food. 12.8% abv.

£4.99, Waitrose

2008 Heinrich Hartl Rotgipfler, Thermenregion, Austria

You read that right: rotgipfler. It’s a white grape variety – begat by roter veltliner and traminer, but don’t worry about it. The wine is mouth-filling, slightly oily in texture (nicely so) and off-dry, with a honeyed, citrus and sweet-earth perfume and slightly spicy, candied citrus and peach flavours. Drink it on its own or with something a bit spicy. 13% abv.

£15.99, WaitroseWineDirect

2008 Heinrich Hartl St-Laurent Classic, Thermenregion, Austria

Herr Hartl’s st-laurent (yes, red grape variety) is a delicious Austrian alternative to red burgundy and New Zealand pinot noir. It has a fragrance and flavour of fresh, sweet cherries and rose petals with a hint of spice wrapped in a satin-smooth texture. Pure and elegant. 12.5% abv.

£15.99, WaitroseWineDirect

WINES of the WEEK, 21 January 2011

2011-01-21T07:52:00.001-08:00

2009 Rijks Private Cellar Touch of Oak Chenin Blanc, Coastal, South Africa

Crème fraiche, delicate smoky bacon and a sappy freshness on the nose; fresh, medium-full palate with citrus fruit, some white pepper and spice, a rounded, creamy texture, and a crisp, slightly salty, mineral finish. All in all, an excellent, food-friendly chenin. 13.5% abv.

£15.99, Virgin Wines

2009 Finca Laderas Espiago, Calatayud, Spain

An unfiltered, old-vine garnacha blend made by Master of Wine Norrel Robertson in the hills of Calatayud in Aragon. Full bodied, dense and grainy, with delicious sweet redcurrant fruit and dark, savoury licorice notes. 14% abv. Perfect cold-weather wine.

£10.99, Virgin Wines

2009 Tabalí Late Harvest Muscat, Limari, Chile

A very useful, good value pudding wine. Intensely sweet, honeyed, floral and grapefruity, with touches of spice and cocoa, a smooth, round texture and balancing acidity to give it a bright, clean finish. 12.5% abv.

£6.49 a half-bottle, Virgin Wines

WINES of the WEEK, 14 January 2011

2011-01-14T07:28:00.000-08:00

M&S has some good things in its sale, on until 30 January in-store and also on-line.

2009 Quadro Sei Gavi, Piedmont, Italy

M&S has dropped the price of this Piedmont white by £2 because the 2010 vintage is waiting in the wings, but this is still appetisingly lively, with sappy, fresh pear flavours and soft, lime juice acidity. Much better than any pinot grigio I can think of at a fiver. 12% abv.

£4.99, Marks & Spencer

2009 Cartagena Tres Viñedos Sauvignon Blanc, San Antonio Valley, Chile

One of Chile’s exciting cool-climate coastal sauvignons, reduced by £3 in the sale. Intense and structured, with smoky mineral and briny notes breaking through the zesty, concentrated elderflower and fresh green-bean/asparagus fruit. In an ideal world, I’d rather it wasn’t 14% abv, but the wine carries it effortlessly enough.

£6.99, Marks & Spencer

2008 Minervois, France

An oak-aged Syrah, Grenache and Carignan blend made for M&S by Gerard Bertrand. Well-rounded and modern, but with authentic flavours of the south – spice and garrigue, ripe berry fruit and warm earth. 13.5% abv. Down £2 in the sale.

£4.99, Marks & Spencer

WINES of the WEEK, 7 January 2011

2011-01-07T04:44:00.000-08:00

Majestic has picked up a parcel of wines from Constellation at some pretty nifty prices. Mind you, they’re not necessarily bargains, even at rockbottom prices. The 2008 Robert Mondavi Woodbridge Sauvignon is only £3.99, but the bottle I tried was as dead as a dodo. And the 2008 Woodbridge Merlot (£3.99) wasn’t a whole lot better – muddy, jammy fruit with charred, vanilla oak flavours. I wonder, if these had been screwcapped, they’d have been better? Certainly the oldest wine of this Californian trio, the screwcapped 2007 Robert Mondavi Woodbridge Shiraz (13.5% abv) was the freshest and best, with a convincing spicy berry and pepper shiraz character. Good value at £3.99. Better still were the three wines below at £4.99. But just before you dash to your local Majestic, check that the wines have arrived: they’re due in over the next week.

2008 Houghton Sauvignon Blanc Semillon, Western Australia

Same vintage as the Mondavi Woodbridge Sauvignon, but screwcapped and infinitely fresher, with the toasted character of maturing semillon combined with tropical fruit and refreshing, sharp, lemon-zest acidity. 12.5% abv. Some of the stock is 2007, which I haven’t tasted. £4.99, Majestic.

2008 Houghton Cabernet Shiraz Merlot, Western Australia

A deep coloured, big, chunky, but fresh red blend. Ripe, inky blackcurrant fruit with spice, creamy toffee and chocolaty oak flavours. 14% abv. Again, some of the stock is 2007, which I haven’t tasted. £4.99, Majestic.

2007 Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel, Calfornia

This has stood up well to its three-and-a-bit years under a synthetic cork, but I wouldn’t keep it beyond 2011. Medium-full and butter-smooth, with bright, blueberry fruit, typical zin spice flavours and spicy oak. 13.5% abv. £4.99, Majestic.

WINES of the WEEK, 31 December 2010

2010-12-31T04:11:00.001-08:00

2009 Nicosia Fondo Filara, Etna Bianco, Sicily

Even allowing for my unashamed Sicilian bias, this is a delightful and very good white. Aromas of lime, peach and apple, then a flavour that is closer to pears with a dash of spice; medium-weight with a silky-soft texture and a fresh, bright finish. 13% abv.

£10.95, The Wine Society

2005 Château Ricaud, Bordeaux Supérieur

Nicely evolved, modern Bordeaux, perfect for drinking now. Sweet, fleshy fruit rounded out with soft oak against a background of spicy cedar and supple tannins; polished, dry finish. Good value, unlike so much Bordeaux. 13% abv.

The Wine Society.

Noval 40 Year Old Tawny Port

One of this Christmas’s most enjoyed and admired wines chez nous. Sumptuous, complex, rich yet fresh 40 year old, with flavours of spicy fudge, dried figs, coffee and candied peel. Like liquid panforte, but better. Fabulous on its own, but concentrated and complex enough to stand up to cheese, including stilton (or a particularly good Colston Bassett anyway) and dark chocolate. 20% abv.

£81.99–£85, simplywinesdirect.com; onlinespirits.co.uk; Berry Bros & Rudd.

WINES of the WEEK, 23 December 2010

2010-12-23T08:49:00.000-08:00

Some extra wines this week for those who are still dashing about stocking up for the festivities – and perhaps even more for those who haven’t even started.

2008 Jean Bourguignon Meursault

Good Meursault at an attractive price – all the more so when you buy two or more bottles. The fresh, tangy candied-citrus fruit is already hinting at the honey to come and the oak gives a nutty, delicately buttery richness in the background. 12.5% abv. Ready now – in fact delicious this Christmas or next.

£17.99 or £14.99 if you buy two or more bottles, Majestic

2009 Costero Sauvignon Blanc, Leyda, Chile

Bracingly fresh and mineral Chilean Sauvignon (better than a cold shower on Boxing Day morning?). It has an almost sea-salty edge to the grassy, lemony fruit and there’s just a hint of spice adding extra interest. The Leyda Valley seems to be able to do no wrong with Sauvignon at the moment. 13.5% abv.

£6.99, down from £8.74 until the end of January, Majestic.

2010 Stonebridge Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough

It’s not hard to find New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc at a fiver in the UK at present, but this one is better than many, though not to my taste as exciting as the Leyda (above). Crunchily fresh, herbal and nettly with ripe gooseberry fruit and a whisper of something textured and mineral. 13.5% abv.

£4.99, down from £9.99, until January 4, 2011, The Co-operative

Charles de Cazanove Champagne Brut NV

This doesn’t get points for elegance or subtlety, but it does get marks for character and ageing – and it’s at a knockdown price. Generously flavoured and proportioned with honeyed, biscuity and toasty flavours complemented by freshness. It’s 60% pinot noir and 15% each of pinot meunier and chardonnay. 12% abv.

£14.99, down from £29.99 until January 4, 2011, The Co-operative.

2009 Gérard Charvet La Réserve d’Amélie Moulin-à-Vent

I can’t keep away from these 2009 Beaujolais – not that I’m trying to. This is vivid, ripe and mouthfilling, with cherry, spice, black-fruit and mineral flavours, and it has the tannin, acidity and depth of fruit to develop over five years, if you can resist drinking it now. 13% abv.

£12.49, or £9.99 when you buy two or more, Majestic

WINES of the WEEK, 16 December 2010

2010-12-17T02:39:00.000-08:00

My nearest supermarket is Morrisons. Second closest is the Co-operative. Yes, I’ve thought about moving, but it’s easier just to shop elsewhere. To be fair, both do have some good wines, the Co-operative notably more than Morrisons, but distribution is patchy. If you’re doing some eleventh-hour stocking up at either this coming week, I hope you’ll be able to find these.

2008 Nicolas Potel Montagny 1er Cru

This wine needs to breathe to soften its sharp, tangy-lemon acidity, so decant it into a jug or pour small amounts into large glasses and give a good swirl. Once you’ve done that, you’ve got classic chardonnay from Burgundy – nutty, waxy and appley in flavour with just a touch of oak in the background. Subtle and satisfying. 13% abv.

£9.99 (until 4 January 2011, then back to £14.99), The Co-operative

2009 L’Oustalet Réserve Côtes du Rhône

Succulent, supple red Rhône, full of southern warmth and bonhomie, yet full of appetising freshness too. Ripe berries, spicy black-pepper flavours, a rich velvety texture – and great value at the offer price. 13.5% abv.

£5.99 (until 4 January 2011, then back to £10.99), The Co-operative

2010 Vasse Felix Sauvignon Blanc Semillon, Margaret River, Australia

Fresh and aromatic, lightly oaked sauvignon-semillon blend – Western Australia’s answer to white Graves. Zesty fresh herb, melon and grapefruit flavours rounded out with soft, coffeeish oak; dry, medium-bodied, nicely incisive but not aggressive. 12.5% abv.

£10.99, Morrisons

2008 Vasse Felix Cabernet Merlot, Margaret River, Australia

An enticingly aromatic, richly fruity, dry red from Western Australia. Smoky, minty and leafy on the nose, with intense cassis fruit, dark chocolate and a roast-chestnut richness, sweetness and smokiness from ageing in oak. A perfect balance of freshness and roundness for drinking now. 14.5% abv.

£10.99, Morrisons

WINES of the WEEK, 9 December 2010

2010-12-09T09:29:00.000-08:00

A Christmassy trio from Flint Wines, following a tasting of their wines in London last month at which I was mightily impressed, as I was last year by one of their Spanish whites, Viña Somoza Sobre Lias (Classico), a godello from Valdeorras (recommended here on 18 Sept 09).

Doyard Cuvée Vendémiaire Champagne NV

It’s always a treat to find a new grower’s champagne to recommend – new to me anyway. This is a Blanc de Blancs from five grands crus, together with the premier cru Vertus where Doyard is based, and it’s a blend of 2001, 2002 and 2004, half barrel-fermented. The oak gives a touch of straw and honey to the aromatic, fresh apple and pear flavours and a sleekness and roundness to the texture. Fine and long. 12.5% abv.

£27.95, Flint Wines

2007 Domaine André Kientzler Pinot Blanc, Alsace

More expensive than most Alsace Pinot Blanc, but well worth it – this is a very sophisticated example. Fragrant, fresh and floral, with taut, nicely concentrated apple and apricot fruit and a touch of cream. Silky textured and perfectly balanced. 12.5% abv.

£11.50, Flint Wines

2007 Cristom Vineyards Mount Jefferson Pinot Noir, Willamette, Oregon

It’s a bit contrary to choose this when Flint is known for its burgundies and showed a fistful of good ones, but this is so delicious and seductive – fleshier and a little less savoury than red burgundy. Very aromatic and sweet-scented, but fresh and pure at the same time, with succulent red berry fruit, supple oak and a hint of fragrant herbs. Not too alcoholic either: 13.5% abv.

£24.99, Flint Wines

WINES of the WEEK 3 December 2010

2010-12-03T02:49:00.000-08:00

2008 Weingut Eichinger Riesling Strasse Heiligenstein, Kamptal

Terrific Austrian riesling. Heady, floral, mineral nose and a palate that combines honeyed, textured richness with piercing lemon fruit and steely acidity. Long, dry finish. 13% abv. Drink now to 2018, with fish and shellfish, things in creamy sauces and lightly spiced dishes.

£263.88 for 12, armit

2004 Chateau Lalande Borie, Saint-Julien

Another 2004 red Bordeaux this week, but a Left Bank wine which, like a lot of middle-range wines from this (largely hype-free) vintage, has evolved early and prettily. That’s not to say it’s about to start its descent: it’s in its prime and will remain there for a few years. Sweet, cigar-box spice with some savoury richness; velvet texture with a gentle nip of acidity for freshness; soft, round and plump, rather than concentrated, and everything in balance. A good Christmas wine (or Christmas present wine), though perhaps better with a rib of beef or leg of lamb than an assault course of powerful, sweet and sharp sauces and stuffings. 13% abv.

£129.41 for 6, armit

2004 Quinta do Noval LBV port

An LBV port, but not the usual commercial style. This one, although delicious now, will mature in the same way as a vintage port, throwing a sediment as it goes. It’s also a single quinta LBV: all the grapes come from the estate and are trodden in lagars, whereas previously some grapes were bought in; hence the change of name to Quinta do Noval LBV, rather than just Noval. Back to the port: kirsch, plums, ripe figs and a hint of eucalyptus on the nose; deep, rich and succulent flavours of spicy, chocolate-coated fruitcake; fine-grained tannins. 19.5% abv. Apart from with the obvious Stilton and Stitchelton, it goes brilliantly with dark chocolate. Try the red-fruit flavoured one which Rococo created specially for it.

£17.99, or £14.39 in a mixed dozen, Oddbins; also Ocado and independents.

WINES of the WEEK 26 November 2010

2010-11-26T02:14:00.000-08:00

2010 Cono Sur Organically Grown Sauvignon Blanc, San Antonio Valley, Chile

I didn’t think I felt remotely like drinking Sauvignon Blanc in this weather, but the almost Alpine freshness of this cool-climate, coastal wine went down a treat as an aperitif in the frozen Simon household. Light, zesty and floral, with classic gooseberry-and-lemon Sauvignon flavours, a softer peach note and a streak of minerality. 13.5% abv. It’s currently on offer at £6.99 (£2 off) and at £6.74 if you buy 6 bottles, which makes it a bit of a bargain.

£6.99, Oddbins

2007 Villa Cafaggio Chianti Classico

Ripe, spicy and savoury aromas; fleshy, sweet, dried-fruit flavours with a savoury underpinning and soft, structure-giving tannins. An accessible Chianti at a very fair price for the quality. Drink any time over the next four years. 13.5% abv.

£11.49, selected Tesco, or £65.46 for 6 bottles (£10.91 each), www.tesco.com/wine

2004 Grange Neuve de Figeac, Saint-Emilion

The second wine of Château Figeac from a vintage that was overshadowed by those that went before and after but which has produced many an attractive well-balanced wine for drinking sooner rather than later. This one is certainly perfect now – mellow and supple with sweet, spicy cedar and mulberry flavours, a hint of gentle mocha and a clean, dry finish. 13% abv.

£108 for 6 bottles, www.tesco.com/wine

WINES of the WEEK 19 November 2010

2010-11-18T06:37:00.000-08:00

2008 Louis Latour Grande Ardèche Chardonnay, Coteaux de l’Ardèche

The latest vintage of an old favourite – medium-bodied, well-balanced chardonnay made by burgundy negociant Louis Latour in the Ardèche (south west Rhône). Buttered-popcorn with a hint of fennel on the nose; a fresh, lightly buttery, nutty palate with crisp peach and lemon-peel fruit and a hint of aniseed. 13.5% abv.

£8.99, Majestic.

2008 Boas Vinhas Dão, Portugal

Dark and full but not hefty, with succulent berry and damson fruit shot through with vanilla and chocolate, meaty and mineral notes. Add a touch of currant-leaf freshness and a rounded, velvety feel and you’ve got a great example of the value to be had from Portuguese reds. It’s a blend of touriga nacional, alfrocheiro and tinta roriz (aka tempranillo). 13% abv.

£7.99, The Real Wine Company.

The two wines below aren’t on the UK market, but do what you can to get hold of them. Available from wine shops in Languedoc at €12.50–€15: visit www.wine-searcher.com or email chateaudegaure@wanadoo.fr.

The address is Domaine de Gaure, 11250 Rouffiac d’Aude, and it’s off the D118 between Carcassonne and Limoux.

2008 Château de Gaure Oppidum, Limoux blanc

A barrel-fermented chardonnay with 15% chenin blanc and 5% mauzac. Aromas of toast, honey, lemon and straw, and almost a hint of sherry, yet completely fresh; full, round and honeyed on the palate with vibrant orange, lemon and apricot fruit and a mineral core. Complex, fresh and finely balanced. 13.5% abv.

Château de Gaure Pour Mon Père, vin de table rouge

A 2008 blend of 65% carignan and grenache (average age 60 years) with 35% syrah and mourvèdre (average age 25 years) from the Latour de France zone of the Côtes du Roussillon-Villages appellation. Deep in colour but not thunderous and opaque; fresh, spicy, sweet and mineral on the nose, with rich blackberry fruit, crisp black pepper and nutty notes on the palate. Concentrated, but not extracted; long, polished and complex. 13.5% abv

WINES of the WEEK 12 November 2010

2010-11-12T10:44:00.000-08:00

2009 Cornarea Arneis, Piedmont

I haven’t had a better Arneis than this and certainly not one as aromatic. It has a perfume of white peach, fresh pear and lemon oil and a mouthwatering intensity of flavour; elegant, medium-bodied frame with alpine-fresh acidity to finish. 12.5% abv. Delicious on its own but would also go well with shellfish and other fish. The 15-hectare Cornarea estate overlooks the town of Canale and was planted in the 1970s by the Bovone family who still own it. As well as the Arneis, there’s an equally elegant Nebbiolo.

£15.95, Berry Bros & Rudd.

2007 Benjamin Leroux Bourgogne Blanc

This looks expensive for Bourgogne Blanc but it’s not for the quality. Expressive, rich-textured and supple with a central core of firm acidity and flavours of walnuts, lemon and apple. 12.5% abv and sealed with a screwcap. This is Benjamin Leroux’s first vintage under his own name: the normal day job is manager-winemaker at Domaine Comte Armand.

£16.95, Berry Bros & Rudd.

2009 Villa Taurini Barbera Piemonte

Good value Piedmont Barbera with nicely chewy, juicy cherry fruit fleshed out with oak and spice and with a touch of acitity to keep it fresh. Modern style but true-to-type and well-balanced. 13.5% abv.

£6.99, Tesco

WINES of the WEEK 5 November 2010

2010-11-05T05:09:00.000-07:00

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.

Wines of the Week 29 October 2010

2010-10-29T06:30:00.001-07:00

Quelle surprise! All three wines are being shown at the Wine Gang Christmas Fair on 6 November at Vinopolis in London, TicketSoup: http://bit.ly/bP3aIh . And they’re all red and Rhônish – must be something to do with the darker evenings once the clocks go back tomorrow.

2008 Dolines de l’Hortus, Coteaux du Languedoc

Full and ripe, but beautifully elegant syrah/grenache blend made at the excellent Domaine l’Hortus 25km north of Montpelier. Aromatic blueberry fruit, stony syrah flavours, supple texture and a fine, dry finish. 13% abv. (Worth noting that Berry Bros & Rudd sells the excellent Bergerie de l’Hortus, a blend which includes mourvèdre, from the same stable).

£9.49, Laithwaites

2007 Domaine des Saumades, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

A very fragrant, stylish 100% grenache Châteauneuf from an excellent vintage. Herb-garden scents, cherry and dark chocolate flavours and a backbone of fine-grained tannins with a balance of delicate acidity. Delicious now or anytime over the next seven years. 14.5% abv.

£20.40, Berry Bros & Rudd.

Being shown on the Sopexa stand at The Wine Gang Christmas Wine Fair.

2007 Mayu Syrah Reserva, Elqui, Chile

Smoky and gamey with sweet, fresh raspberry fruit, lots of Rhône-like crushed black peppercorn flavours and well-balanced rich, chocolaty oak. Great value. 14% abv.

£8.97, Asda; £11.24, or £8.99 if you buy 2 or more from November 2nd, Majestic

Being shown on the Wines of Chile stand at The Wine Gang Christmas Wine Fair.

WINES OF THE WEEK 22 October 2010

2010-10-21T11:46:00.000-07:00

Wines of the Week 22 October 2010

Three wines from Waitrose, none of which, as it happens, is being shown at the Wine Gang Christmas Fair on 6 November at Vinopolis in London, but Waitrose has got a cracking line up for the Fair. Here's where you get tickets: TicketSoup . End of this week's shameless plug.

2007 Vincent de Vignaud Pouilly-Vinzelles

Unoaked white burgundy of impressive purity. Nutty, creamy, lightly buttery and honeyed flavours around a core of freshness and – courtesy of six months lees ageing and stirring – a fine, silky texture. The vines (chardonnay) average 25 years and are on clay and limestone. 13% abv.

£13.99, Waitrose

2008 Château de Bouissel Fronton Classic

Good on Waitrose for introducing a Fronton, one of the many fascinating wines from southwest France that are hard to find in the UK. This is a red (there’s no white Fronton, but there is rosé ) made from 50% of the local négrette, the minimum required by the appellation, and 25% each of syrah and malbec. It’s the négrette that gives the deep, inky colour, together with red berry and tobacco aromas and a chewy, medium-full palate with cherry fruit, hints of spice, leather and charcoal and some lightly grainy tannin. It’s unoaked, unfiltered and unfined, so you’re getting an authentic taste of Fronton terroir. 13% abv. I once had dinner with a group of Fronton producers in a local fish restaurant. Their choice. No idea why. Red Fronton doesn’t go with fish, but it does go well with red meat.

£8.99, Waitrose (about 60% of branches) and waitrosewine.com

2008 La Bastide Blanche Bandol, Provence

Another imaginative red from Waitrose. It’s very young for Bandol and deserves to be put away for anything from two to eight years, but it’s certainly drinkable now if you don’t mind a bit of chunky tannin and some acidity alongside the smoky, rich cassis fruit, spicy nutmeg and black tapenade flavours. Aged in oak barrels (small and large), but there’s too much else going on for the oak to intrude. 14% abv. Good with powerful meat and game.

£12.99, Waitrose and waitrosewine.com

WINES OF THE WEEK 15 October 2010

2010-10-14T11:20:00.000-07:00

Three wines from Sainsbury’s autumn tasting, all of which are being shown at the Wine Gang Christmas Wine Fair on 6 November at Vinopolis in London. Yes, another shameless plug for our brilliant event.

2004 Taste the Difference Vintage Champagne

Classy chardonnay-based vintage champagne at a non-vintage price. Seductive brioche, honeycomb and almond macaroon flavours layered with taut lemon fruit, a lightly creamy, chalky texture and fine acidity. Made for Sainsbury’s by long-time supplier Duval-Leroy.

£23.99, Sainsbury’s

2009 Taste the Difference Crozes-Hermitage

Textbook young Crozes – smoky, stony, peppery aromas and a meaty, savoury palate with crushed black-peppercorn flavours contrasting with sweet red-berry fruit and gently chewy tannins. You can drink it now (red meat, game, Manchego…) but it’ll be good for five years if you take care of it. A word of warning: there’s another Crozes-Hermitage in Sainsbury’s at the same price, but it’s 2007, it’s not Taste the Difference and it’s not made by M Chapoutier – and it’s not as good.

£8.49, Sainsbury’s

2009 Taste the Difference Barossa Shiraz

A wine that does what it sets out to do – ie deliver lots of ripe, briary, blackberry fruit and autumnal spice flavours wrapped around with vanilla-scented, toasty oak. Full and comforting – just like the sort of casserole it goes well with. Made by Toby Barlow at St Hallett.

£7.99, Sainsbury’s

THE WINE GANG CHRISTMAS FAIR, 6 November 2010

2010-10-12T03:08:00.000-07:00

Nearly time for the The Wine Gang’s second annual Christmas Wine Fair – and certainly time to scoop up a ticket from TicketSoup

Vital statistics:
It takes place at Vinopolis in London SE1, right by Borough Market, on Saturday 6 November. There are 2 sessions: 12–3pm or 4-7pm. Just choose your time. Tickets are £20
There’ll be more than 600 wines open for tasting, from the tiniest of independent retailers to the giants of the high street, and many of them have been rated Gold, Silver and Bronze by The Wine Gang. Just wander round, glass in hand, stopping where you like.
Free Wine Walks: the five of us – Olly Smith, Anthony Rose, Tom Cannavan, Tim Atkin MW and me – will take you to taste some of our favourite wines.
Masterclasses from some of the great winemakers of the world at the giveaway price of £10 per ticket. Book them at the same time as you buy your ticket for the fair itself. The four, two in the morning, two in the afternoon, are:
1) Understanding Pinot Noir & Sauvignon with Dr Damian Martin of Ara, NZ;
2) The Sélections Parcellaires of Maison M Chapoutier with Michel Chapoutier, of the Rhône;
3) Languedoc, the Rubik’s Cube of Wine with Jean Claude Mas of Domaines Paul Mas. Languedoc;
4) Champions of Chenin Blanc with Ken Forrester of South Africa.

See you there.

TicketSoup:

WINES of the WEEK 8 OCTOBER 2010

2010-10-08T10:48:00.000-07:00

Not many new wines at the autumn M & S tasting, but some good stuff all the same.

Okhre Natur Cava Brut, Penedès
Bone-dry cava made from the indigenous varieties xarel-lo, macabeo and parellada grown at 700 meters. That trio of grape varieties can so easily be a recipe for terminal dullness, but this is crisp and vivid with rich and lasting apple and pear flavours. 12% abv. Great value.
£9.99, Marks & Spencer.

2009 Craggy Range Te Muna Pinot Noir, Martinborough
Beautifully aromatic – roses and jasmine with a hint of bergamot and spice; fresh, pure raspberry and cherry fruit, with oak in the background giving polished smoothness and extra depth; clean, positively bright finish. 14.5% abv.
£13.49, Marks & Spencer.

2009 Popolino Rosso, Sicilia
You can’t complain at anything that tastes half-decent at this price. Easygoing, cheap pizza red, though it doesn’t actually need food. Fresh and soft with earthy cherry fruit and a food-friendly dryness. If you’re counting, it’s made from 70% nero d’avola and 30% sangiovese and is 13% abv.
£4.99, Marks & Spencer

WINES of the WEEK 1 OCTOBER 2010

2010-10-01T03:42:00.000-07:00

2009 Paul Mas Vermentino, Pays d’Oc
Another good wine from Jean-Claude Mas’ Languedoc vineyard empire. It doesn’t give a lot away on the nose – that’s vermentino for you – but there’s plenty to it: fresh lemon-peel flavours with a touch of green olive and herbs, a smooth, lanoline texture and a lively, dry finish. 13% abv and food friendly.
£7.99, or £5.99 if you buy 2 or more, Majestic

2008 Château La Dournie, Saint-Chinian
An excellent follow-up to the 2007 which I recommended back in July of last year. The 2008 has the same mouthwatering stony, smoky smell and taste, with scents of the garrigue and spicy, sweet berry fruit – all beautifully modulated and balanced. It’s a syrah-dominated blend with carignan and grenache grown on schist. 13% abv. La Dournie has been handed down from mother to daughter for six generations, with Véronique Etienne currently at the helm.
£7.99, or £6.99 if you buy 2 or more, Majestic.

2008 Domaine Les Yeuses, Les Epices Syrah, Pays d’Oc
Expressive, pure Syrah in Crozes-Hermitage style. Smoky and briny aromas with flavours of crushed black peppercorns and fresh raspberries, supple tannins and a dry refreshing finish. 13.5% abv. The vineyards are on limestone hills close to the Mediterranean in the Thau lagoon area and the estate is one to watch. It’s been in the Darde family for several generations and the two brothers now in charge are doing good things.
£8.99, or £6.99 if you buy 2 or more, Majestic

WINES of the WEEK 24 SEPTEMBER 2010

2010-09-24T03:30:00.000-07:00

Some gems for celebrating International Grenache Day, which is today.

2007 Domaine Saint-Gayan, Côtes du Rhône-Rasteau
Big, ripe, peppery, grenache-dominated southern Rhône red, with a fistful of stony, spicy, nutty flavours set against succulent, sweet raspberry and cherry fruit and ripe tannins. 80% grenache, 12% syrah and the rest mourvèdre and cinsault. 15% abv. If you’ve got good storage, you’ll be able to enjoy it over seven or eight years.
£10.50, Yapp Brothers

2008 Domaine of the Bee, Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes
A powerful, rich red with intense black-fruit aromas, edged with sweet garrigue herbs and smoky oak. The palate is rich-textured with fresh black-pepper, dark chocolate and coffee-bean flavours, together with a mineral note and the sort of underlying acidity that give the wine essential freshness but which will also keep it going for years to come. The 2008 is the second vintage of this roughly 50:50 blend of grenache and carignan (grenache over 50 years old and carignan over 80) from the Maury area of Roussillon. 14.9% abv. It’s produced by Justin Howard-Sneyd MW, better known as the global wine director of Laithwaites (next step interplanetary director, presumably), but it’s nothing to do with the day job and he’s selling it himself.
£20, £18 if you buy 6, £16.67 if you buy 12, www.domaineofthebee.com

2003 Domaine Font de Michelle Cuvée Etienne Gonnet, Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc
The quality and character of this mature white châteauneuf may owe more to its old-vine roussanne than its 50% grenache blanc, but nevermind: it’s a terrific wine. Rich, honeyed and perfumy with quince, citrus and herbal flavours and a long, dry finish. 13.5% abv. It’s no on the Wine Society’s website, but it’s in the October–January list (ref code C-RH240710 which will be with you shortly, if it isn’t already.
£21, The Wine Society

If you want a white châteauneuf to lay down, I recommend 2009 Domaine de Nalys Les Dix Salmées, which has a youthful herby nose, fresh peach and quince on the palate and lots of depth and freshness. It’s just over half grenache and just over a quarter bourboulenc with clairette and a smidgeon of roussanne. 13.5% abv. It’s perfectly drinkable now, but will develop much more within a couple of years. Laithwaites showed it at their tasting in London this week, but it’s not on the website yet. It’ll be £17.99 any time now.
And a reminder that Noel Young Wines still has the lovely grenache blanc-based 2009 Domaine Lafage Cuvée Centenaire, Côtes du Roussillon (£10.49) which was a Wine of the Week here on 30 July.

WINES of the WEEK 17 September 2010

2010-09-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

2009 L’Empreinte de Saint-Mont
I love the purity and clarity of these manseng-based dry whites from southwest France. This one – three quarters gros manseng, 10% petit manseng and 15% petit courbu – has a smoky, mineral nose with piercing passionfruit and citrus flavours which fill out on the mid-palate. It finishes on a sustained note of tangy acidity and minerality. Like most Saint-Mont wines, it comes from Les Producteurs Plaimont. 13% abv.
£12.99, Adnams

2009 Château Grange Cochard Morgon Vieilles Vignes
I can’t resist another 2009 cru Beaujolais – not that I’ve recommended any since the beginning of June. This has an exotic, floral, red-fruits perfume and a palate that combines supple, sweet fruit with savoury, mineral flavours, ripe tannins and a long finish. 13% abv. Drink any time over the next eight or nine years. It’s made by a couple who gave up St Albans for Beaujolais. Not a difficult choice, I imagine.
£13.95, Berry Bros & Rudd

2007 Rippon Central Otago Pinot Noir
More burgundian than many a burgundy, but then Nick Mills (owner-winemaker) has worked in Burgundy and the vines are all more than 15 years old and on their own roots. It has a wonderful fragrance – roses, cherries, strawberries, a touch of vanilla – and exceptional definition to the fruit on the palate against a background of subtle oak and a fine, silky texture. Elegant and expressive from start to finish. 13% abv. Watch out for the new single-vineyard 2008s early next year.
£25.50, Lea & Sandeman

WINES of the WEEK 10 September 2010

2010-09-10T07:31:00.000-07:00

Three wines from an almost dud-free selection of 48 put out for tasting in London yesterday by the six members of the Bunch – Adnams, Berry Bros & Rudd, Corney & Barrow, Lea & Sandeman, Tanners & Yapp Brothers.

2008 Domaine Vincent Dampt, Chablis 1er Cru Les Lys
Stellar premier cru Chablis from Vincent, son of Daniel and grandson of Jean Defaix, which is a good start in Chablis life if ever there was one. Vincent has also worked with Olivier Leflaive in Puligny-Montrachet and done a stint in Marlborough, New Zealand. The nose is quintessence of Chablis with nutty, sour-cream richness set against stony minerality and tingling freshness. The palate is creamy and textured, with ripe fruit – hints of apricot and apple – and intense, penetrating, lime-like acidity. Great length and presence. 13% abv. Drink from now until 2018.
£18.59, Corney & Barrow

2009 & Co, Hawkes Bay
Having gone on about wine names last week I shall say nothing about this one except that I haven’t got it wrong: it is called ‘& Co’ (without the quote marks). As that’s all it says on the front label, I suspect it’ll be displayed more often with its back label on view. The bottle also has a crown-cap. The wine is the first release of an intriguing and delicious New Zealand sauvignon blanc from organic vines planted on calcareous gravels in Hawkes Bay in 2003 and 2004. It’s very aromatic with a varietal grassy note but with exotic notes of spice, passionfruit, smoke, honey and honeysuckle too. The palate is full and ripe, but structured, with a Graves-like smokiness and fresh finish. 13.7% abv. A propros of nothing, I reckon the winemaker Gabrielle Simmers has the wine world’s longest legs.
£12.95, Lea & Sandeman

2008 Castello di Argiano, Sesti Grangiovese, Toscana
The Sesti family of Castello di Argiano – not to be confused with Villa Argiano - make this from sangiovese that hasn’t made it into the Brunello or the Rosso di Montalcino. It’s supple and succulent, with fruit that is both sweet and savoury, a spicy tobacco character and an attractive, dry finish. It’s not hugely concentrated or complex, but delightfully honest, thoroughly Tuscan and thoroughly sangiovese. 13.9% abv. Viticulture and winemaking follow the phases of the moon, but not Steiner-inspired calendars and biodynamic practices, which Giugi (Guiseppe) Sesti, a world authority on ancient astronomy, thinks are misconceived.
£12.90, Tanners

WINES of the WEEK 3 September 2010

2010-09-03T03:17:00.000-07:00

2009 Wirra Wirra Mrs Wigley Grenache Rosé, McLaren Vale
I’m not entirely convinced by the idea of naming wines after pets, mother-in-laws, girl friends etc, but perhaps that’s sour grapes because I’m never going to have a wine named after me. Anyway, Mrs Wigley the cat: R.I.P. Mrs Wigley the pink grenache: very much alive and perfectly proportioned. Medium-deep pink and packed with juicy cassis and strawberry fruit, currant-leaf freshness and a touch of nutmeg. Good weight, without being big, and nicely dry. Goes well with lightly spiced, pan-fried prawns, parma ham and chorizo, and fruity, saffron-flavoured couscous – and no doubt other things. 13% abv.
£9.99, Stevens Garnier

2008 Ad Hoc Straw Man Sauvignon Blanc, Pemberton
Medium-bodied, beautifully elegant Sauvignon from ace Western Australia winemaker Larry Cherubino. Unmistakeable Sauvignon aromas of grass, lemon and elderflower, carried through on to the palate with an additional tang of lime-zest and gentle chalkiness. Lovely balance and still zippy and fresh. 12.5% abv.
£13.99, or £12.59 in a mixed case, The Vineyard (Dorking, Surrey)

2008 Passa Pequena, Douro
A junior red from Quinta do Passadouro at less than a third the price of the fabulous 2007 Reserva (£30). This obviously doesn’t have the concentration, complexity and staying power of the vigorously youthful Reserva, but it does have the mouthwatering Douro combination of perfume and sweet raspberry fruit with savoury, mineral flavours. Add in the softly chewy tannins and it’s ready for drinking now. 13.5% abv.
£8.49, Laithwaites

WINES of the WEEK 27 August 2010

2010-08-27T10:09:00.000-07:00

Millione, Vino Frizzante Rosé
Don’t buy this if you think wine should always be a drunk with rapt attention and accompanied by serious note-taking. Do buy it if you want to help raise £1 million to build 20 community-run primary schools in Sierra Leone. For every bottle sold, £1 goes to the project. And do buy Millione if there are times – sunny bank holidays, perhaps – when you just want something vaguely vinous and easy to drink – something fresh, pink, light-weight, lightly sparkling and on the sweet side of medium-dry. Millione is 11.5% abv and doesn’t need food, but you could drink it with something spicy.
£7.99, Laithwaites; and, soon, if not already, Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose.

2007 d’Arenberg The Olive Grove Chardonnay, McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills
A rich, oaky style, with cashew nuts on the nose and a smoky, dark chocolate oakiness to the palate, but with the richness perfectly off-set by the freshness, intensity and persistence of the fruit. 14% abv. Great value at the current offer price.
£6.99 on offer (down from £8.99), Sainsbury’s.

2009 Undurraga TH Pinot Noir, Leyda Valley
Polished pinot noir from Leyda, Chile’s answer to New Zealand’s Central Otago region. Sweet, fresh cherry and raspberry aromas, lovely purity of fruit, subtle oak and a bright, persistent finish. 13.5% abv. TH stands for terroir hunter, by the way, not the winemaker, who is Rafael Urrejola.
£11.95,The Wine Society.

WINES of the WEEK 20 August 2010

2010-08-20T00:18:00.000-07:00

2009 Gladstone Vineyard Pinot Gris, Gladstone, Wairarapa
I was hoping to recommend Gladstone's splendid, mineral 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, but Great Western Wine is not moving on to the 2009 until the end of the year. This Pinot Gris, one of New Zealand’s best, is a more exuberant wine – spicy and floral with succulent, peachy fruit, a gentle nutty flavour and citrus freshness. 14.5% abv.
£13.95, Great Western Wine

2009 Mas des Mas Corbières
Just in time to catch this new wine from Paul Mas before the promotion finishes at the end of the month. Very much a modern style of Corbières -– deep in colour, rich, ripe fruit, mocha oak flavour and round, friendly tannins – but true to its terroir in the heady aromas of the garrigue. A blend of syrah, grenache and carignan from low-yielding vines. 14.5% abv.
£7.99, reverting to £9.99 at the end of August, Majestic.

2006 Torres Celeste Crianza, Ribera del Duero
A supple, velvety Ribera del Duero from Torres, Spain’s most famous wine-producing family. Spicy, coffeeish oak and black fruit on the nose; blackberries, graphite mineral notes, smoky oak and soft, but structure-giving tannins on the palate. It went a treat with roast lamb and potatoes cooked with smoked paprika. 13.5% abv.
£11.49, Noel Young

WINES of the WEEK 13 August 2010

2010-08-13T11:05:00.000-07:00

2009 Domaine Cheveau Mâcon Solutré-Pouilly, Sur Le Mont
Mâcon with real polish and elegance: fresh, creamy, waxy and slightly nutty on the nose; nutty complexity with a light touch of spice and fresh apple on the palate; long, perfectly balanced, fresh and delicious now. 13.5% abv
£13.95, Caviste

2005 P J Druet Bourgueil, Les Cents Boiselées
Beautifully matured, complex, medium-bodied Bourgueil: spicy fruitcake, cedar, leather and mineral aromas and a velvety, dry palate with mellow fruitiness, spicy-cedar and mineral notes. Ready now, but will last another five years. 12.5% abv.
£14.99, Handford Wines

2008 Ermita del Conde Tinto, Castilla y Leon
This is a tempranillo, with 5% merlot, from vines – a lot of them 100 years old – growing high up (900m up) in the province of Burgos just outside Ribera del Duero. It’s full-bodied and ripe with a vanilla and chocolate richness, but retains a wonderful red berry and sweet-cedar freshness. Concentrated, polished, elegant. 14% abv.
£20, Hanging Ditch

WINES of the WEEK 6 August 2010

2010-08-07T01:56:00.000-07:00

Three really good sparkling wines this week
Chozas Carrascal Cava Brut Nature Reserva
Elegant, sophisticated cava with flavours of lemon, marzipan and honey and mouthwatering freshness. It’s a chardonnay/macabeo blend and has no dosage (ie no sugar added at the end): the depth and ‘sweetness’ come from the maturation – a small percentage in French oak and then into bottle for the second fermentation and 15 months on the lees. 12% abv. A much better bet than most cheap champagne.
£12.50, or £20 for two, Hanging Ditch

2005 Tesco Finest Alsace Crémant d’Alsace Riesling
Textbook riesling flavour, freshness and definition – ripe Granny Smith apples, lime and a hint of petrolly minerals, with fine, soft bubbles produced in the same way as for champagne. Dry, but not remotely austere; a crowd-pleaser in fact. Good as an aperitif, but also a winner with lightly spicy dishes. 11.5% abv.
£8.99, Tesco

Freixenet Elyssia Gran Cuvée Brut Cava
Chardonnay-based, matured for 15 months and a big step up in quality from Freixenet’s mass-market, black-bottled Cordon Negro. Pale and refined with fine bubbles, zesty lemon and peach fruit and a delicate nutty-straw note. 11.5% abv.
£14.99, Waitrose

WINES of the WEEK 30 July 2010

2010-07-30T01:01:00.000-07:00

2009 Domaine Lafage Cuvée Centenaire, Côtes du Roussillon
Not for nothing called Cuvée Centenaire: the vines that produce this rich, yet steely, dry white are at least a century old. They're mostly Grenache Blanc with about a fifth Roussanne, and home for the last 100 years has been dry, stony hillsides overlooking the Mediterranean. The 2009 has ripe, juicy, greengage, herb and citrus flavours with a touch of honey, a hint of oak and a long mineral finish. 13.5% abv.
£10.49, Noel Young; £58.50 for 6 bottles, Bibendum.

2009 Fiano Fremendo, Sannio
From Sannio in Campania, northeast of Naples, a medium-full, dry white with spicy herb, pear and lemon flavours and balancing acidity. Food-friendly, but also a good stand-alone wine. 13.5% abv.
£8.74, or £6.99 when you buy 2 or more bottles, Majestic.

2008 Corte Giara Valpolicella Ripasso
Deep coloured, full, rounded, velvety Valpolicella, made supple by the traditional Ripasso method of fermentation. Seductive fruitcake, cherry and plum perfume; sweet dried-fruit, bitter chocolate, coffee, cherry and prune flavours on the palate.
£10.99, Hedley Wright; Noel Young.

WINES of the WEEK 23 July 2010

2010-07-24T02:57:00.000-07:00

2009 Domaine de Sours, Bordeaux Rosé
I don’t know where you are but it’s definitely rosé weather where I am, although we all know that pink wine is no longer seasonal. Or not as seasonal as it was. Anyway back to Domaine de Sours, the cheaper version of Château de Sours, in a particularly successful vintage. This is Merlot rosé at its most pleasurable: packed with really juicy strawberry and blackcurrant flavours and just a suggestion of tannin to give it a bit of backbone; medium-bodied, fresh and dry – in fact, drier than some prevous vintages have tasted. 13% abv.
£6.59, Sainsbury’s

2008 Graham Beck Pheasant’s Run Sauvignon Blanc, Coastal Region
Yes, it’s also sauvignon blanc weather, although this one from the Cape is pretty serious stuff and deserves a bit of respect (go polish those flip-flops) and will be just as good in deep mid-winter. It has fresh asparagus and sweet minted-peas on the nose, a crisp, but textured palate (thanks to 6 months on lees) and salty, mineral and sweet green-fruit flavours. It’s balanced, elegant and long and wears its 14% abv lightly. I only wish it was more more widely available.
£12.49, sawinesonline.co.uk,

2008 Katnook Estate Founder’s Block Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra
Founder’s Block is, as Domaine de Sours is to Château de Sours, the more affordable, more approachable version of Katnook Estate Cabernet. It’s ripe and nicely fleshy with a fresh minty, herbal Coonawarra signature, blueberry fruit, a touch of chocolate and a bit of soft, spicy oak in the background. More versatile with food than bigger, denser, more tannic Cabernets: as happy with herby roast chicken as it is with lamb, duck, beef and veggie dishes. 13.5% abv.
£9.99, Waitrose

WINES of the WEEK 16 July 2010

2010-07-16T02:11:00.000-07:00

2008 Château d’Orschwihr Riesling Bollenberg, Alsace
Delicious, dry Alsace riesling with dazzling, honeyed apple and apricot fruit and steely, fresh acidity. Goes very well with spicy Asian food and all sorts of fish, but also makes a perfect aperitif. 12.5% abv.
£13.99, or £11.19 by the case, Oddbins

2008 Marquis de Pennautier Oc Chardonnay Terroirs d’Altitude
Polished, elegant, burgundy-style chardonnay, with lemon-butter fruit, delicate nutty oak, a touch of spice, lovely, crisp acidity and good length. 13.5% abv.
£8.99, Majestic

2009 Anakena Pinot Noir, Rapel Valley
Persuasive, aromatic pinot noir at a bargain price. It’s medium-bodied with strawberryish fruit, an attractive spicy note, a butter-smooth texture and a fresh, clean finish. Not complex, but great value. 13% abv. Serve cool in hot weather.
£7.38, The Sampler

WiNES of the WEEK 9 July 2010

2010-07-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

2009 Ca’ dei Frati Rosa dei Frati, Riviera del Garda Bresciano
Medium-dry rosé, but don’t let that put you off. This is a delicious, hot weather wine – vibrant, balanced and stylish. It’s from the western shores of Lake Garda and is humming with spicy strawberry and cherry fruit and soft, fresh acidity. For the record, it’s made from 60% groppello (sounds like a villain in a Verdi opera, but is a local red variety) with 15% each of marzemino and sangiovese and 10% barbera. 12.5% abv.
£15, Hanging Ditch.

2008 Castel d’Encus Thalarn, Costers del Segre
We gave this wonderful Spanish syrah the trophy for Best New Discovery in the 2010 New Wave Spain Awards. It has vivid varietal flavours – freshly ground black pepper, smoke and summer-pudding red berries – a lush, silky texture and long, fresh finish. 14.5% abv. H2Vin is a new company set up by Christian Honorez (ex Genesis Wines). Well worth investigating.
£27.25, h2vin.co.uk

There are lots of good southern hemisphere sauvignons around at the moment. Here are two from Chile that come in just below £8 and have screwcaps to preserve their youthful vim (and save the hassle of corkscrews in the garden or on the picnic).
2009 Castillo de Molina Sauvignon Blanc, Elqui Valley
Bristlingly fresh gooseberry and elderflower on the nose; zesty, elderflower and spicy pea-pod flavours on the palate. Medium-bodied and well-balanced. Perfect summer wine. 13% abv.
£7.99, Sainsbury’s

2009 Palo Alto Sauvignon Blanc, Maule Valley
Fresh and zingy with ripe gooseberry fruit, herbal, nettle and lemongrass flavours and a touch of sweetness on the finish. Medium-bodied; 13% abv.
£7.81, Asda

WiNES of the WEEK, 2 July 2010

2010-07-02T05:08:00.000-07:00

2009 Fief Guérin Vieilles Vignes, Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu Sur Lie 2009
A white that’ll hit the spot when you want something dry, sappy, yeasty and mouthwateringly fresh as an antidote to the commercial fruit-bomb wine style. There are hints of apple, pear and lime zest and the ageing sur lie (on its lees) has enriched the texture and given a delicate nuttiness, but this wine is much more about refreshment, nuance and understatement. A winner with plain shellfish, including oysters when there's an 'r' in the month. 12.1% abv.
£6.49, but on offer at £5.19 from 7 July to 3 August, Waitrose.

2009 1907 Single Vineyard Malbec, Mendoza
This is a case where it would be better if I put the vintage after the wine name, but it would be even more confusing if I did it for just this one. So, to clarify, the wine is called 1907, which is the date the vineyard, named Chiaramonte, was originally planted. It’s dark, powerful and fairly oaky at present (after four months in new French barrels), but there’s plenty of really good Malbec flavour – crushed black peppercorns, dense black-fruit and acid freshness. A great wine to have with a rare steak or magret de canard. It’s also organic and Fairtrade. 13.8% abv.
On offer at £45 for 6, tescowine.com (down from £60 for 6).

I tasted a baker’s dozen of The Wine Society’s own-label wines at £5.75–£7.95 recently and was impressed by the quality and value. I particularly liked the following; they’re all labelled The Society’s:
2009 Touraine Sauvignon – crisp, ripe and grapefruity, (12.5% abv), £7.50;
2009 Pinot Grigio Venezia-Giulia – leafy lemon and apricot flavours and much more flavour than most Pinot Grigio at this price (13% abv), £7.95;
2007 Corbières – aromatic, herby and spicy with sweet raspberry fruit (13.5% abv), £6.95;
2006 Rioja Crianza – mellow and cedary with soft vanilla and spice (13% abv), £7.50;
2009 Argentine Malbec – full, fleshy, vibrant and spicy with a crisp finish (14% abv), £5.95.

WINES of the WEEK, 25 June 2010

2010-06-25T02:18:00.000-07:00

2009 Cartagena Sauvignon Blanc Tres Vinedos, San Antonio Valley
Refined, elegant Sauvignon with a smoky, flinty character that could have come straight out of Pouilly Fumé, but comes instead from Chile’s ocean-cooled San Antonio region. Smoke, flint and fragrant elderflowery fruit with sappy green notes, a nicely textured mid-palate and crisp, briny finish. Medium-bodied and wonderfully refreshing despite a label proclaiming 14% abv.
£9.99, Marks & Spencer

2009 Groote Post Chenin Blanc, Coastal
A delightful and genuinely interesting Cape dry white which would cost a good deal more if it said sauvignon on the label, instead of chenin. It has a lovely smokiness and zesty freshness, flavours of grapefruit and grass with hints of honey, straw and spice and a softness to the texture (despite the crisp finish) which comes from leaving the wine on its lees for a couple of months. It’s made from bush vines planted in 1982 and is from a vintage which was cooler than average – and all the better for that. 13.5% abv.
£7.49, Bon Coeur Fine Wines

2006 Clos des Roses, Côtes du Roussillon-Villages
A Rhône-style blend of syrah, grenache, carignan and mourvèdre which is not particularly complex, but balanced, well-rounded and full of charm. It has the sweetness and freshness of red berries, the spicy character you’d expect from these grape varieties, a richer, chocolaty, roast-chestnut flavour and supple tannins. Produced by Domaine de l’Agly and Hervé Sabardeil. 13.5% abv.
£8.99, Laithwaites

Wines of the WEEK 18 June 2010

2010-06-18T10:16:00.000-07:00

Four for the price of three this week, because one isn’t available in the UK, but it it’s a lovely wine and you can buy it online direct from the winery.

2009 Château Miraval Pink Floyd Rôsé, Côtes de Provence
Benchmark Provence rosé – pale pink with a perfumy, powdery nose, silky textured strawberry and cassis fruit, a touch of spice and a long, refined finish. It’s made largely from old cinsault vines, which give the perfume and the silkiness, with 20% grenache to add a bit of extra red fruit and spice. And in case you hadn’t guessed or are too young to know, it’s made on the Miraval estate where, in 1977, Pink Floyd recorded The Wall. 13.5% abv. Serve with sunshine.
£11.39, Oxford Wine Co, Fortnum & Mason, Hennings.

2007 Duas Quintas, Douro
The Douro makes some superb red wines, but not many reasonably priced ones. This is one of the latter. It has a deep, ripe, smoky, mineral and cassis nose and full fruit, sweet oak, velvety tannins on the palate, and a crucial mineral freshness on the finish. It’s for drinking now and over the next three or four years. 14% abv.
£8.99–£9.75, Stainton Wines, Philglas & Swiggot, Four Walls Wine Co

2006 Tenuta La Novella Chianti Classico
This is from a 12-hectare organic vineyard on a large olive oil and wine estate in San Polo in Chianti (north east of the Classico area) that has been painstakingly restored and restructured since 1996 by entrepreneur Joannis Schneider. Stéphane Derenecourt and team are consultants. The wine is very impressive: deep, and bright in colour; beautifully aromatic, with spice, tobacco, sandalwood and smoke; concentrated black-fruit and spice flavours on the palate – a feeling of richness, but with real elegance, supple tannins and a refreshing note of acidity. It’s expensive – it’s not the riserva, after all – but it is a textbook and very polished Chianti Classico. 13.5% abv.
€24, tenutalanovella.com

2009 La Croisade Réserve Merlot, Vin de Pays d’Oc
No, inexpensive merlot doesn’t set my pulse racing either, but this is much better than most at the price. It smells juicy, plummy and even slightly jammy, then on the palate it’s soft, fresh, plummy and smooth, but with a malbec-like spiciness and a hint of fresh celery that gives it interest. 13.5% abv.
£5.99, or £5.49 if you buy two or more, Majestic

WiNES of the WEEK 11 June 2010

2010-06-11T05:11:00.000-07:00

2008 Patricius Dry Furmint, Tokaji
Excellent at its usual price of £9.99, so terrific value at 25% off until June 16. A knockout spicy nose – ‘almost chilli with apricot’, according to my notes – and a vivid, tangy palate with apricot, peach and pear and a touch of white pepper. Lovely acidity, lovely balance. You may find 2007 on the shelf: judging by the 2008, I’d have no hesitation in trying it. 13% abv.
£7.49 until June 16, Waitrose

2008 Hatzidakis Santorini Assyrtiko
Another mouthwatering summer wine on offer at 25% off – so £7.49 until June 16. Full-bodied but fresh and sappy, with honeyed lemon-peel and spice flavours and a long, lemony, mineral finish. It comes from windswept old vines grown in the volcanic soils of Santorini, and assyrtiko is the main grape variety with a little aidani and athiri thrown in. Assyrtiko, Aidani and Athiri – they could be characters in an opera. 13.5% abv
£7.49 until June 16, Waitrose

2009 Longue-Dog Grenache Shiraz, Vin de Pays d’Oc
Sorry, if these puns make you groan, but you've got to admit it's easier to pronounce than Hatzidakis Assyrtiko. More to the point, it's a really good buy – a great barbecue wine with a fun label. It’s rounded and supple and packed with juicy cherry fruit and peppery spice. There’s a touch of sweetness on the finish, which perhaps doesn’t add anything (er, except sweetness) but it doesn’t really get in the way either. Drink this year. 14% abv.
£4.99, Sainsbury’s

WINES of the WEEK 4 June 2010

2010-06-04T01:32:00.000-07:00

2009 Blind River Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough
Latest vintage from this young but impressive property and team in the Awatere Valley subregion of Marlborough. Intensely fresh and aromatic, with grass, lime and passionfruit and a subtle mineral note; well-balanced, very stylish. 13% abv. There’s only a limited parcel of stock, so you’ll need to get cracking if you want some, but there’s not the same hurry to drink it: it’ll still be delicious next summer.
£12.99, or £10.39 by the case, Oddbins

The 2009 vintage will go down in history as one of the greats for Beaujolais. Here are my first two recommendations, sourced by Jasper Morris who lives in Burgundy and was quick off the mark because he was already tracking down new growers and domaines in what he believes is a region in renaissance.

2009 Alain Chatoux, Beaujolais Vieilles Vignes
Sappy-fresh and fabulously fragrant, with juicy, sweet, strawberry and plum fruit, a supple, satiny texture over a fine-boned frame, and a fresh, stony finish. It comes from 50-100 year old vines growing on steep, granitic slopes at about 700m. Jasper Morris reckons the wine will stay much as it is for 10 years. 12.5% abv.
£9.95, or £8.95 by the case, Berry Bros & Rudd

2009 Jean-Paul Dubost, Moulin-à-Vent En Brenay
A heady, rich but fresh perfume, with lush, vibrant, black-fruit and blueberry flavours and a backbone of fine tannins and acidity – all in balance and beautifully sustained to a long finish. Irresistible now, but it will certainly keep a decade more and become more burgundian as it does so. 12.5% abv.
£15.95, or £14.35 by the case, Berry Bros & Rudd

WINES of the WEEK 28 May 2010

2010-05-28T02:55:00.000-07:00

2006 Cloudy Bay Riesling, Marlborough
Majestic says it expects to have sold out of this by this weekend, but it’s still on the website, so it may be worth making a few ‘phone calls if you’re interested. Should you be interested? Well, it’s the first time a Cloudy Bay dry (or almost dry) Riesling has been sold in the UK, so if you’re a CB groupie it’s probably a must. As far as quality is concerned, there isn’t a doubt: tinglingly fresh and aromatic, with aromas of lime, spice, flowers and minerals wrapped in the honey of age. The palate is medium-weight, intense and zesty, with spicy citrus flavours and touches of wax and honeyed sweetness before a long, crisp finish. 12.5% abv. As for the price, it’s Cloudy Bay: you have to pay for the name.
£108 for 6 bottles, Majestic

2009 Badenhorst Secateurs White, Swartland
A full-bodied, rich, creamy-textured, old-vine chenin blanc with bags of flavour and vibrant balancing acidty – a mouthful of peach and citrus fruit, straw and honey, pepper and herbs. It was made by the irrepressible Adi Badenhorst (ex Rustenberg) in a fashionably old-fashioned way – whole bunches in old concrete fermenters and finished off in huge, old oak foudres. 14% abv and it carries it well. A lot of wine for your money.
£8.50, Stone Vine & Sun; swig.co.uk

2006 Chofflet-Valdenaire, Givry 1er Cru Clos Jus
Serious but delightful red Givry, with a sweet, floral, red-berry perfume that is almost new world in style and a savoury, earthy side that could only be red burgundy; silky texture, lovely purity of flavour and polished tannins and acidity. 13% abv. You can drink it now and it will be at its peak for at least another three years. Classy burgundy for under £20.
£19.50, Stone, Vine & Sun

WINES of the WEEK 21 May 2010

2010-05-21T11:34:00.000-07:00

2009 Domaine du Cros, Lo Sang del Païs, Marcillac
This could be one of my desert-island wines – the sort of uncomplicated but delicious red that you could drink everyday, with or without food. It goes very well with lamb – and the local aligot. It’s medium-bodied, soft and fresh, with enticing fresh blackcurrant fruit and a distinctive flavour that manages to be both savoury and sweet, combining earthy spice, minerals, graphite and smoky coffee. If you haven’t come across Marcillac before, it’s a tiny appellation in the Aveyron department in southwest France with the darkest red soil I’ve ever seen. The vineyards go up to 600m on steep, often terraced, hillsides. Lo Sang del Païs (the blood of the countryside) is made from vines about 25 years old, the domaine’s younger vines – the rest are closer to 100 years. The grape variety is mansois (sometimes minus the final ‘s’), which is better known as fer or fer servadou and is also known as braucol (in Gaillac) and pinenc (in Saint-Mont). Philippe Teulier and his son Julien cultivate about 30ha, making them them Marcillac’s largest growers. 12.5% abv
£7.75, The Wine Society; Les Caves de Pyrène.

2009 Quinta do Vallado Moscatel Galego Branco, Douro
This extraordinary, young, dry white is made from muscat à petits grains (or moscatel gallego branco), the classiest muscat, in the port-producing Douro region. It’s aromatic, full-bodied and bone-dry with bracing, youthful acidity. The aromas go from fresh grapes to ginger and lime to a powerful, minty, herbal note and it has a lingering, salty-mineral finish. Uncompromising, but very exciting. I love it. Drink with fish, seafood and salads. 14% abv.
£10, Bibendum.

2008 Land’s End Sauvignon Blanc, Elim
Medium-bodied, brisk and zesty, with ripe, spicy, green-fruit flavours, a savoury, briny flavour and a nicely textured mid-palate – the latter thanks to a tiny proportion of the wine being barrique-fermented and to 11% semillon filling out the sauvignon. These Elim vineyards, which belong to Hidden Valley in Stellenbosch, are just 17km from the ocean. 13.2% abv
£9.99, or £7.99 by the case, Oddbins.

WINES of the WEEK, 14 May 2010

2010-05-13T02:53:00.000-07:00

2006 Oorain Victoria
This weird and wonderful sweet red wine from Eric Fabre’s Château d’Anglès estate in La Clape, Languedoc (see Wines of the Week, March 26) is aromatisé à l’érable naturel – delicately sweetened with maple syrup. But it’s not fortified (unlike vin doux naturel), so the alcohol is only 13%. It’s syrah with a little grenache, tastes of dried figs, rich fruitcake and spice and is rounded and velvety. It’s medium-sweet, rather than intensely sweet, and is delicious with dark chocolate (66-72% cocoa solids). The idea came from Fabre’s cousin, chocolatier Olivier Oorain.
£19.99, Essentially Wine

2004 Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs, Grand Cru
A great follow-up to the 2002 (Wines of the Week , December 18 2009). Honeyed macaroons, cream and sweet oranges on the nose; pure, chiselled fruit on the palate with biscuity, nutty, brioche richness and a backbone of fine acidity. Five years’ ageing on its lees and six months in bottle before release. Another star from this small and perfectly formed co-operative. 12% abv.
£30.99, Waitrose

2008 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico, Sartarelli
Light, fresh perfume – hints of lemon, peach and almond; a softly textured but briskly fresh palate with a sappy, citrus-peel flavour and a crisp finish. An ideal medium-bodied summer aperitif or something to accompany simply cooked shellfish. 12.5% abv.
£8.99 (£7.19 by the case), Oddbins

WINES of the WEEK 7 May 2010

2010-05-06T12:24:00.000-07:00

2009 Le Petit Salvard Cheverny
This is a brilliant cheaper alternative to Pouilly-Fumé and one of the few wines in which you find sauvignon blanc and chardonnay together. Not that there’s much chardonnay in this – just a smidgeon to give a little bit of rounder, peachy fruit to the pungent, smoky aroma and tangy lime-juice flavours. 12% abv.
£7.99, Waitrose

2007 Joseph Drouhin Saint-Amour
When good, the Beaujolais Cru are great food wines. You could drink this with all sorts of fish, meat, poultry or veg, although nothing too heavy. It has an enticing wild strawberry fragrance and flavour, a touch of spice and a mouthwatering juicy softness. 13% abv.
£8.99, Waitrose

2008 Ettore Germano Langhe Nebbiolo
There was some discussion at the Oddbins tasting about whether this was expensive. All I can say is that it’s delicious and I could drink it anytime. It’s all rose petals and cherries on the nose and fresh, perfumed and lightly chewy in the mouth. It’s not a broodingly complex nebbiolo – just wonderfully expressive of both grape variety and Piedmont. 13.5% abv.
£15.99 (£12.79 by the case), Oddbins

WINES of the WEEK 30 April 2010

2010-05-03T02:42:00.000-07:00

Better late than never, I hope. No, don't ask.
2008 Taste the Difference Alsace Gewurztraminer
2008 Alsace Gewuztraminer, Cave de Turckheim
I’ve been tasting lots of Alsace wines for a food matching column I’m doing on www.alsacewines.co.uk and these two shone in their price price range. Both are from the Cave de Turckheim and have textbook gewurz aromas of roses, lychees and Turkish delight and both are clean and crisp right through to the finish. The first is more aromatic and slightly lighter and sweeter; the second is a little richer and fuller with white peach and apricot flavours. Both are 13% abv and have screwcaps.
£7.64 for the Taste the Difference, Sainsbury’s
£8.25 for the second, waitrosewine.com; £8.65, Waitrose

2006 Le Grand Noir GSM, Vin de Pays d’Oc
Very perfumy with those mouthwatering stony-mineral characters you get from Minervois (quite a lot of the fruit comes from Minervois vineyards via a group of six co-ops). Ripe but fresh-tasting with raspberryish fruit and peppery spice; medium-full, supple, nicely dry and well-balanced. 13% abv. Not particularly cheap, but a thoroughly good, versatile wine with a delightful label. The men behind Le Grand Noir are Robert Joseph (wine writer and general wine-man-at-large), winemaker Hugh Ryman (ex Jaubertie etc) and Kevin Shaw (Stranger & Stranger).
£8.95, Robersons

2008 Château de Pennautier, Cabardès
An oak-free blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, grenache, syrah, cabernet franc and malbec from south-facing, but cool, hillside vineyards in Cabardès, the only AOC in Languedoc where you’re allowed to make these Bordeaux-meets-the-Rhône blends. The winemaker used to be at Château Mouton-Rothschild, no less. Deep purple, with warm, spicy, earthy aromas, sweet, ripe black-fruit, graphite and tapenade flavours and firm, grainy tannins. Opens up in the glass, so worth decanting into a jug an hour or so before you want to drink it. Good with herby, garlicky meat, duck or beans. 13% abv.
£6.99, or £5.99 for two or more, Majestic

WINES of the WEEK 23 April 2010

2010-04-23T12:05:00.000-07:00

2009 MIP* Made in Provence, Côtes de Provence
Slightly dotty name, but a delightful, perfumed rosé from Domaine de Sainte Lucie in Puyloubier on the lower slopes of Mont Sainte Victoire. It’s the palest of pale with cherry and raspberry flavours, a hint of ginger and apricot and a fresh, smooth, dry finish. 12% abv
£10.95, or £9.50 as part of a mixed case, Lea & Sandeman

2009 Seifried Nelson Sauvignon Blanc
Ripe grapefruit, pea-shoot and gooseberry aromas and flavours – classic and well-defined, but not over-assertive. There’s a faint suggestion of salt and minerals, a bit of chalkiness to the texture and a clean, crisp finish with just a touch of well-balanced sweetness. Well-priced sauvignon from New Zealand's Nelson region. 13% abv.
£7.99, Marks & Spencer

2007 Vincent Morey Bourgogne Rouge
It’s hard for simple bourgogne rouge to compete with the onslaught of pinot noirs from New Zealand, but this one, from Vincent Morey in Santenay, shouts burgundy and pinot noir, and does so at a fairly modest price. It has a lovely red berry and rose petal fragrance, crunchy, just-ripe, red-berry fruit in the mouth, a gentle, silky texture and a clean, refreshing finish
13% abv. £14.99, ballantynes-direct.co.uk

WINES of the WEEK 16 April 2010

2010-04-15T11:42:00.000-07:00

Jacquart Brut Tradition Rosé/Jacquart Brut Mosaïque Rosé Champagne
Two labels – Tradition is replacing Mosaïque – for a fresh, rounded, fruity and thoroughly enjoyable pink champagne. Sure, you can find more complex pink champagnes, but you can also find an awful lot of less good more expensive ones. This has a scent of roses and strawberries, a creamy palate with hints of cherries and apricots, as well as red fruits, and a fresh finish. 12.5% abv.
£30, or £22.50 each for 2 or more, Majestic (from April 27 the prices change to £28, or £23 for 2).

2005 CVNE Rioja Reserva
I meant to recommend this before, but the deal which brings the price down below £10 lasts another 10 days, so there's still time. It’s benchmark stuff: quite intense and structured, but elegant, with long-lasting smoky, spicy oak flavours and a sweetness and freshness to the fruit. You can drink it now, but there’s no hurry: it’ll be good for another eight years. 13.5% abv.
Majestic, £12.99, or £9.74 when you buy any 2 Spanish wines

2007 El Camino Rioja
A youthful Rioja with juicy cherry and berry fruit, spicy, toasty flavours and a touch of caramel and chocolate – the latter flavours and the smoothness of texture courtesy of an eight-month stint in one-year-old American oak barrels. There’s nothing sophisticated about it but it’s certainly good value at the current price (reduced from £7.99). 13.5% abv.
£4.99, Oddbins

WINES of the WEEK, 9 April 2010

2010-04-09T11:39:00.000-07:00

2008 Duc de Vendôme, Saint-Mont
A medium-bodied, tangy, dry white made from distinctive local grape varieties in southwest France – perfect for the sunny, spring day we’ve got in London. Citrus, orchard fruit and a briny note on the nose; apricot, peach and a hint of creaminess on the palate, and a fresh, herbal, citrus finish. The grape varieties are gros manseng, petit courbu and arrufiac. 13% abv.
£5.24, Waitrose; £4.97, waitrosewine.com. These prices are valid until 11 May. Usual price is £6.99

2009 Vergelegen Sauvignon Blanc Reserve, Stellenbosch
Intensely fragrant with orange zest, lemon and sweet green-bean aromas and a refined, complex palate with fresh-fruit sweetness and spicy, green-edged, mineral flavours. Long, fresh and interesting. It comes from a single vineyard – Schaapenberg – four miles from the ocean. Drink over the next three years. 13.5% abv
£13.95, Jeroboams

2008 Pathway Pinot Noir, Ara, Marlborough
A fresh, supple, medium-bodied pinot, with sweet cherry fruit, a touch of cinnamon, an attractive sweet-earth character and the lightest of oak and tannin. Well-balanced and versatile with food, although you could also drink it on its own. And at last a recommendation from Morrisons. 13% abv.
£9.99, Morrisons

WINES of the WEEK 2 April 2010

2010-04-02T02:15:00.000-07:00

2009 Reichsrat von Buhl Kellermeister Selection Riesling, Pfalz
Lemon, spice, peaches and minerals, and a delightful suggestion of strawberries. Fresh and zippy, but with lots of middle and a lingering, dry, tangy finish. If only more people in Britain knew about these versatile, food-friendly, dry German wines, or were more willing to try them. 11.5% abv.
£10.49, Laithwaites

2008 Boschendal 1685 Chardonnay, Coastal Region
There’s nothing subtle about this Cape wine but, if you like a rich style of chardonnay where you can see the oak at work, this is one to try. It’s ripe but zesty, with lemon and pineapple fruit, and salted caramel, butterscotch, cashewnut and toasty flavours. Its smooth texture and touch of sweetness is balanced by a whistle-clean finish – a bit like home-made lemon curd. 14% abv.
£7.99, Booths; £8.09, Waitrose

2007 Nicolas Jaboulet-Perrin Frères, Saint-Joseph
Having been in two minds about recommending this at £30, the price quoted at The Wine Society tasting, I finally decided it was too delicious to pass over, only to discover that the tasting sheet was wrong: the price is £17. It’s still not cheap for Saint-Joseph, but it’s surely worth it. It has an enticing smell of freshly ground black pepper and crushed raspberries, a palate sustained by pure, sweet fruit, stony, savoury flavours, supple tannins and a succulent texture. It should stay the course until 2018. 13% abv
£17, The Wine Society

WINES of the WEEK 26 March 2010

2010-03-26T11:02:00.000-07:00

2008 Château d’Anglès Classique Blanc, La Clape
A white that shows: a) just how good the white wines of Languedoc can be (and this is the cheaper of the two Anglès whites); and b) why blends can be so much more than the sum of their parts. It’s based on bourboulenc, with some grenache blanc, roussanne and marsanne, and is lightly aromatic with floral and citrus notes; the palate is ripe and honeyed with creamy, peachy fruit, but with the richness off-set by lovely citrus zing. Château d’Anglès, in its present form, is the creation of Eric Fabre who bought the estate in 2001 after 25 years in Bordeaux, eight of them as technical director of Château Lafite. If you don’t know Essentially Wine, now is the time. There are two shops, Chipstead in Surrey (blue plaque moment: I was brought up there) and Richmond, which is a rather larger and better known town in Surrey.
£10.49, Essentially Wine

2008 Fabre Montmayou Phebus Cabernet Sauvignon, Lujan de Cuyo Mendoza
Full-bodied but sleek Argentine cabernet sauvignon – and all the better for being unoaked to show off its perfume and purity of fruit. Aromas and flavours of violets, raspberries and cassis around a core of ripe yet fresh fruit and a satin-smooth texture. The vineyard altitude – 1050 metres – doubtless goes a long way to explain the finesse and the effortless way the wine carries its 14.5% abv. That, plus wines of a decent middling age (average 15 years) and the expertise of Bordeaux-born owner Hervé Joyaux Favre. 13.5% abv
£7.99, Waitrose

2008 Clos des Cordeliers Cuvée Tradition, Saumur-Champigny
I hadn’t come across the Ratron cousins' Clos des Cordeliers until I tasted this at Richards Walford’s January tasting. What a find – invitingly fresh, red and green-pepper fragrance with rounded raspberry fruit and the supplest of tannins. Medium-bodied, beautifully balanced essence of cabernet franc. 13.5% abv £9.99, Adnams Cellar & Kitchen

WINES of the WEEK 19 March 2010

2010-03-18T11:37:00.000-07:00

2009 Domaine La Bastide Roussanne, Vin de Pays d’Hauterive
A lovely lime and floral perfume, bristlingly fresh lime and sweet-apple flavours and a rounded, smooth texture. Hauterive is in the Aude department, covering part of the Corbières area. 13% abv.
£7.99 (or £6.99 if you buy two or more bottles), Majestic

2008 Tasmanian Pinot Noir
Intensely fragrant, juicy and fresh, with black fruit as well as red berry flavours. Medium-bodied with fine acidity and just a touch of tannin. Not a complex pinot noir, but pure and aromatic and at a giveaway price. Made for M&S by Andrew Pirie’s Tamar Ridge Estates. 13% abv.
£7.99, Marks & Spencer

2007 Hacienda El Espino 1707 Syrah, Almansa
Expressive, raspberry-scented old-vine syrah from vineyards at 750m in Almansa, southern Spain. Full and round with succulent fruit, touches of spice and well-balanced oak (3 months in American and French barrels). Polished, persuasive syrah. 13.5% abv.
£8.49, The Real Wine Company

WINES of the WEEK, 12 March 2010

2010-03-12T09:07:00.001-08:00

2008 Pewsey Vale Riesling, Eden Valley
Vivid, racy Australian riesling – tangy lime, apple and peach with a hint of spice; dry, but a little less steely and mineral than you find in Clare. 12.5% abv
£9.99, Oddbins

2009 Tesco Finest Darling Sauvignon
Stylish Cape sauvignon with the sweetness and freshness of sugarsnap peas, a finely textured mid-palate and faintly salty, mineral finish. 13.5% abv
£6.99, Tesco

2008 Tesco Finest Malbec, Mendoza
Medium-full with dark, spicy, slightly smoky plum flavours, subtle oak, fine tannins and a dry, clean finish. A very well balanced, well-judged wine, made by Catena. 13.5% abv
£6.98, Tesco

WiNES of the WEEK 5 March 2010

2010-03-05T06:42:00.000-08:00

All under £8 this week.

2009 The Foundry Grenache Blanc, Coastal Region
The white wines coming out of South Africa just keep getting more and more exciting. Chris Williams makes a terrific Viognier, but this is the first time I’ve tasted his Grenache Blanc. It’s fairly full-bodied and has a smidgen of Viognier, which gives a perfumed apricot edge to the apple, pepper and mineral flavours, but it’s a less showy wine than the Viognier, as you’d expect. There’s a little bit of oak to round it out and round it off and the finish is clean and dry. 13.5% abv
£7.95, The Wine Society

2008 Cruz de Piedra Garnacha, Calatayud
Ebullient, young Spanish red made from 60-100 year old garnacha growing high up in the Calatayud mountains southeast of Rioja. Juicy, sweet-tomato and red-berry fruit spiced up with lots of earthy white-pepper flavours; medium-full, dry and fresh. 13.5% abv.
£5.25, The Wine Society; £5.99, Adnams Cellar & Kitchen

2007 Château La Bouscade Old Vine Carignan, Minervois
This is 14.5% abv, it’s been aged in oak barrels for 16 months and it’s carignan. Sounds like a recipe for the sort of heavyweight you can stand a knife up in. It’s certainly full-bodied, but it’s perfectly balanced and if there were any rustic, grating carignan tannins they’ve have been planed to smoothness by the oak. It has a lovely raspberry fragrance and fruitness, alongside stony, mineral, spicy flavours.
£7.99, Majestic; £6.99 when you buy two or more.

WiNES of the WEEK 26 February 2010

2010-02-26T00:42:00.001-08:00

2009 TyDy Sauvignon, Vin de Pays du Val de Loire
Great value, zingy, aromatic Loire Sauvignon – a combination of new and old worlds. Greengage and mango on the nose; ripe goosberries, nettles and a faint suggestion of chalk and minerals on the palate. 12.5% abv. Shown alongside Vacheron’s 2009 Sancerre at the SITT tasting in London this week, the Vacheron (at two-and-a half times the price) was exciting, but this didn’t look remotely shabby.
£6.95, Stevens Garnier Wine Merchants, 01865 263303

2008 Domaine Verpoix, Clos de la Chapelle des Bois, Fleurie
Just what you hope Fleurie will be: fragrant with cherries and roses, juicy, sweet strawberry fruit on the palate, a little bit of substance and texture, but not too much, the lightest of tannins and an effortlessly fresh finish. 13% abv. If you want something a little bit more structured, try the 2007 Regis Champier Brouilly (£11.99) or the Laurent Gaulthier Morgon Grands Cras (£12.99).
£12.99, Oddbins

2009 Tahbilk Viognier, Nagambie Lakes, Victoria
This is fresh, ripe and lemony on the nose with just a suggestion of flowers and exotic fruit, but it isn’t strikingly viognier (which is perhaps why I like it). The palate is full, with a lightly creamy, leesy texture, ripe citrussy fruit and a really fresh, zesty finish. 14% abv.
£9.95, Jeroboams

WINES of the WEEK 19 February 2010

2010-02-18T11:18:00.000-08:00

Having bought Lay & Wheeler last year (until then, family-owned and run), Majestic showed some of the L&W wines at a press tasting for the first time last week. There were a couple of rather stinky (bretty) wines, but overall it was a good line-up. I was particularly struck by these three reds.

2006 Domaine Pierre Usseglio Côtes du Rhône
Excellent Côtes du Rhône from a top Châteauneuf producer. Fragrant, nutty, raspberry nose; succulent fruit on the palate with savoury, stony, peppery flavours; full and dry with polished tannins. 13% abv. This is a great way to get a flavour of the domaine’s Châteauneuf-du-Pape at a fraction of the price, the 2006 of which would set you back upwards of £26 a single bottle.
£10, Lay & Wheeler.

2007 Gianni Voerzio Dolcetto, Piedmont
If only more dolcetto was like this – appetisingly fresh and fruity with a touch of licorice on the nose, and mouthfilling, juicy, sweet cherry fruit and softly chewy tannins. Just what the textbooks promise, but so few dolcetto deliver. 13% abv.
£14.25, Lay & Wheeler.

2004 Château Paloumey, Haut-Médoc
This is lovely, fragrant, fresh, cedar-scented Médoc with gently sweet fruit and supple, well-integrated oak. Well-balanced and perfect for drinking now and over the next three years. Martine Cazeneuve is the very hands-on (and charming) owner here. 13% abv.
£11.75, Lay & Wheeler.

WINES of the WEEK 12 February 2010

2010-02-12T11:08:00.000-08:00

2008 The Society’s Exhibition Tasmanian Chardonnay
I meant to recommend this in the autumn, but it slipped off the radar and it’s now £1 more expensive. But who cares? It’s well worth the higher price and, as my tasting note ended with the comment ‘probably even better in 2010 and 2011’, now is the time. It’s rich and creamy in taste and texture, but off-set by intense lemon-peel acidity, together with a lovely nutty flavour and real depth and complexity. It’s made by the Freycinet winery and beats many a Côte d’Or burgundy for the money. 13.5% abv.
£12.95, The Wine Society

2008 Seresin Leah Pinot Noir, Marlborough
Very pure, very impressive and still young. This is fragrant with roses and summer berries and has a palate of sweet red fruits, savoury mineral flavours, polished oak, a fine acid structure, length and intensity. The hand on the label signifies hand-grown, hand-picked and hand-made (which includes wild yeast fermentation and 11 months maturation in French oak barrels). Drink over the next four years. Gives red burgundy a run for its money. 14% abv.
£18.99, Armit (sold by the 6-bottle case).

2007 Agricola Punica, Montessu, IGT Isola dei Nuraghi
Deep-coloured, full-bodied Sardinian red with a lush aroma of ripe raspberries and a generous, fleshy palate with spicy, liquoricy, black-fruit flavours, hints of fresh herbs and the grip of gently chewy tannins and acidity. It’s 60% carignano with 10% each of syrah, the two cabernets and merlot and it was aged in French barriques. Agricola Punica is a new agency for Armit; both sides must be feeling pretty chuffed. 14.5% abv.
£15.90, Armit (sold by the 6-bottle case).

WINES of the WEEK 5 February 2010

2010-02-05T04:20:00.000-08:00

2007 Saint-Romain
Nutty, creamy, wheatmeal flavours with subtle, yet bright, fruit, a leafy freshness and creamy texture. Beautifully balanced, persuasive white burgundy. In fact, it’s always worth looking at any Saint-Romain because it can be such good value. I haven’t put the producer in the wine name above, because Saint-Romain and the vintage is all you see until you peer closely at the label, but it was made for M&S by Fabrice Lesne at Les Senteurs, with input from Nicolas Potel. 13% abv.
£10.99, Marks & Spencer

2007 Pedro Basta, Alentejano
Dark, dense, full-bodied, with ripe, spicy, red-berry and blackcurrant fruit and touches of licorice, chocolate and vanilla; fine chewy tannins. A red with southern Portuguese flavours, but Douro polish, from an estate – Quinta do Centro – belonging to UK wine writer Richard Mayson. You can drink it now, but it should be good for another four years. 13.5% abv.
£12.50, The Wine Society. For other stockists, go to the ‘Quinta do Centro and Sonho Lusitano’ page of www.richardmayson.com

2006 Castello di Rubbia Terrano, Venezia Giulia
A youthful purple colour with a fresh, minerally smell of wet-earth, damsons and licorice; fairly full-bodied with juicy damson and licorice flavours and acidity but almost no tannin. The terrano grape may or may not be refosco (depends who you read) but, either way, the wine is from Carso in Gorizia, close to the Slovenian border, and it coped manfully with bacon-wrapped roast pheasant and slow-cooked red cabbage with apple and juniper. Many a red would have been floored by the sweetness and sharpness of the cabbage. It would also go well with charcuterie, hams, sausages etc. 13% abv. Colasanti is a small, relatively new Italian specialist with some interesting wines.
£16.80, Colasanti

WINES of the WEEK 29 January 2010

2010-01-29T07:11:00.000-08:00

Two Cahors to convert the reluctant. Anyone who is a fan already (or becomes one) should consider laying down some of Château de Chambert’s excellent 2007 Grand Vin, even though owner Philippe Lejeune and consultant Stephane Derenoncourt say that the 2008 wines are better and the 2009s better again. The 2007 will easily keep another ten years.

2007 Château de Chambert Cahors Malbec
Ink-dark, dense and ripe, with a plum and blackberry perfume, light smoky oak, thick but ripe, velvety tannins and a mineral-fresh finish. Try it with confit de canard (a doddle to make, by the way) or a steak. Or cellar it for another five or more years. 13% abv.
£14.50-£14.99 Halifax Wine Co, Noble Rot Wine Warehouses, Cornelius Beer & Wine, Liberty Wine.

2007 Clos La Coutale Cahors
Various vintages of this have been my house-wine when I’ve been staying in the region over the years. It’s a softer, lighter, more approachable style than many, but light is a relative term in Cahors – and this is still unmistakeably Cahors. Spicy blackberry fruit, a soft, savoury graphite note and rounded tannins. 13% abv.
£7.25, The Wine Society; £8.45, or £7.60 by the case, Berry Bros & Rudd.

Domaine Aubert Vouvray Mousseux Brut
Snappy, fresh, yeasty and appley on the nose, with flavours of apricot and apple, a hint of honey and lemony acidity; appetising dry, not penitentially dry. I’d much rather drink this Loire fizz than most of the semi-sweet, banana-flavoured Prosecco that are on the shelves.
£11.95, Yapp Brothers

WINES of the WEEK 22 January 2010

2010-01-22T04:28:00.000-08:00

2009 Greywacke Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
Debut vintage under Kevin Judd’s own label after he’d made 25 vintages of Cloudy Bay. It’s as good as you would hope – aromatic and intense, full, tangy and sustained, with gooseberry, herb and mineral flavours, a hint of spice and a fine, chalky texture. The grapes come from several vineyards in the southern Marlborough valleys, including those with soils full of greywacke river stones, and the fermentation includes a small proportion in French barriques with wild yeasts.
£11.85-£12.99, Rannoch Scott Wines, slurp.co.uk, Noel Young Wines, Nebuchadnezzar Wines, The Halifax Wine Co, The VineYard.

2007 Robert Mondavi Winery Fumé Blanc, Napa Valley
I can’t remember when I last tasted a Mondavi Fumé Blanc (barrel-aged sauvignon blanc), but from memory this is a more polished wine than the last I tasted. It’s both smoky and fresh on the nose and full-bodied but lively and zesty on the palate, with flavours of lemon verbena, grass and melon edged with smoky oak. The alcohol, at 14.5% abv, is high, but actually it’s balanced.
£9.99 when you buy two (until February 1), Majestic, which is a good buy. (The full price, £14.99, is a bit steep.)

2007 Robert Mondavi Winery Pinot Noir, Carneros
Full-bodied, ripe and succulent with sweet raspberry fruit, coffee and toasty oak flavours and a smooth, clean finish. Not subtle, but crowd-pleasing, fleshy, pure pinot noir. 14.5% abv.
£9.99 when you buy two (until February 1), Majestic, which is a good buy. (Full price, £14.99.)

WINES OF THE WEEK, 15 JANUARY 2010

2010-01-14T11:48:00.000-08:00

2007 Tabalí Encantado Chardonnay Reserva, Limarí Valley
Stylish chardonnay from one of Chile’s new(ish) cool climate regions – citrus fruit, creamy texture, an underpinning of nutty oak and long, fresh, faintly salty, mineral finish. 14% abv.
£8.99, Waitrose

2008 Storks’ Tower Sauvignon Blanc/Verdejo, Castilla Y Leon
Impressive, modern, commercial white wine from Spain combining the international sauvignon blanc with the native verdejo grape. It has a ripe, nutty, lime-cordial nose, flavours of lime, herbs and smoky, orange marmalade and it’s fleshy and round, but with springy acidity and a soft, off-dry finish.
£34.86 for 6 (£5.81 per bottle), www.tesco.com/wine

2006 Allegrini Palazzo della Torre, IGT Rosso Veronese
This is a sort of mini Amarone della Valpolicella made by the talented Franco Allegrini using a combination of Ripasso and Amarone techniques. The result is plump, polished and velvety, nutty and chocolaty, with lovely fresh cherry and kirsch fruit. It’s not bone-dry and all the better for it. It would go well with all sorts of meaty dishes and hard cheeses. 14% abv.
£14.95-£15.49, Bennetts Fine Wines; Noel Young Wines; Quaff

WINES OF THE WEEK, 8 JANUARY 2010

2010-01-08T08:45:00.000-08:00

Isn’t this weather great? I don’t even to have to put white and fizz in the fridge. I just leave them in the hall.

2006 Gapsted Victorian Alps Riesling, King Valley, Australia
Mouthwatering, textbook, lime-peel flavours and the beginnings of some minerally, petrolly bottle-age, together with a touch of riper peach-cum-apple on the finish. Medium-dry with refreshing acidity. Great as an aperitif or with food. Try it with some lightly spiced prawns, smoked meat or fish or some (rather unseasonal) grilled Mediterranean veg – red peppers, aubergine, tomatoes – with pesto. It comes from Victoria’s cool-climate high country and is 12.5% abv. Find Wine started last year and sells small parcels of wines which are organized by style, rather than region or grapevine. Theirs was a very popular table at The Wine Gang Christmas Fair. Well worth a look.
£8.99, findwine.co.uk

2001 Taltarni Pyrenees Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Victoria
Mature, but very much alive Australian cabernet, with a minty fresh note (no, not unripe), black-fruit sweetness, a little bit of dark chocolate and oaky, smoky, licoricey maturity. A powerful, well-structured wine with a long finish. 14% abv.
£9.99, findwine.co.uk

2005 Hans Lang Barrique Pinot Noir, Rheingau
Germany’s answer to red burgundy and better than many a burgundy at the price. It’s medium-bodied with supple, red-berry fruit, a fair bit of vanilla-oak and a crisp finish. 13.5% abv. If a third of Germany’s vineyards are planted with red wine grapes, why don’t we see more German red wines here? Thirsty domestic market.
£11.99, Virgin Wines

WINES of the WEEK, 1 January 2010

2010-01-01T02:11:00.000-08:00

2007 Eidos de Padrinan Albariño, Adega Eidos, Rías Baixas
Perfumed, peachy, earthy nose; dry, pure, intense palate with a long, steely, perfumy finish. Serious, sophisticated albariño. 13% abv.
£13.95, Lea & Sandeman

2008 Zuani Vigne Bianco Collio
Aromatic with smoky ripe pear and apple notes and mouthwatering green, herbal, smoky-mineral flavours; intense and lingering. A blend of tocai friulano, pinot grigio, sauvignon and chardonnay – more than the sum of its parts. 13% abv.
£16.95, Lea & Sandeman

2007 Bricco Maiolica Barbera d’Alba
Fragrant, fresh damsons on nose and palate, with hints of dark chocolate and vanilla, gentle tannins and a dry, crunchy freshness to the finish. Versatile, food-friendly red. 13.5% abv.
£12.95, Lea & Sandeman

2007 Domaine Gilles Robin, Crozes Hermitage Cuvée Papillon
Perfumy, roast meat and cracked white pepper nose. Dry, savoury and elegant with stony, spicy length. Very good Crozes.
£14.75, Lea & Sandeman

WINES OF THE WEEK, 24 December 2009

2009-12-24T06:29:00.000-08:00

2008 Marks & Spencer Petit Chablis
Fresh, delicate, nutty-straw nose; clean, lemony fruit and a touch of crème fraîche on the palate; crisp finish. Great value. Made for M&S by the co-operative La Chablisienne. Michael Schuster, who runs one of the best UK wine schools, at Bordeaux Index in London, shows this Petit Chablis alongside a Premier Cru Chablis on his fine wine course. The idea is to demonstrate differences in quality and complexity, which the comparison does, but it also always shows just how good the £7 wine is – and it’s only 11.5% abv.
£6.99, Marks & Spencer

2007 Asda Extra Special Chablis, Domaine de la Levée
Sappy, lemony and nutty with a nicely textured, creamy texture and a steely, fresh finish. One of the best supermarket own label Chablis, made for Asda by Jean-Marc Brocard. 12% abv.
£8.98, Asda

2005 Pavillon de Poyferré, Saint-Julien
The second wine of Château Leoville-Poyferré. Spicy, almost meaty black-fruit aromas with appetising mineral, graphite flavours; full and dry with softening tannins and a fresh, ripe finish. Just about ready for drinking and will be good for another 7 years. Perhaps not the perfect match for the Christmas bird, but perfect with roast beef or lamb and a very good present. 13% abv.
£19.99, Majestic

2007 Côtes du Rhône Belleruche, M Chapoutier
Ripe, fleshy, generous Côtes du Rhône from a great vintage. Packed with sweet raspberry fruit, spice and earthy sun-baked stone flavours; solid, dry finish. A good wine for the festive fowl and all the trimmings, although it’s 14.5% abv, so be prepared to nod off. A great buy at the 2-bottle price.
£7.49 or £5.99 if you buy 2 or more, Majestic

WINES OF THE WEEK, 18 December 2009

2009-12-18T02:59:00.000-08:00

Some more champagnes this week – and some still wines later. Berry Bros’ full range of grower’s champagnes is worth exploring further.

J-L Vergnon, Grand Cru, £24.95, Berry Bros & Rudd
Fine, floral, honeyed nose with a nicely dry, mineral, chalky-textured palate. Relatively low dosage (about 6gm/l). I hadn’t come across this blanc de blancs grower in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger until Berry Bros’ October tasting. In fact it was one of ten interesting growers’ champagnes that BBR showed.

Benoît Lahaye Cuvée Prestige Blanc de Noirs, £27.95, Berry Bros & Rudd
Powerful and toasty with rich pinot noir fruit balanced by steely acidity and a long dry finish. Vine Trail does Lahaye’s grand cru 80:20 blend of pinot noir and chardonnay, which is also very good.

2002 Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs, Grand Cru, £29.99, Waitrose
Honeyed, citrussy fruit, biscuity, creamy, intense and refined. This comes from the small, admirably reliable, quality-oriented Le Mesnil co-operative in the grand cru chardonnay village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. The non vintage is also well worth buying.

2002 Oudinot, £23.99, Marks & Spencer
Good value vintage blanc de blancs. Lots of perfume, a buttery richness to the palate, good depth and freshness. Mainly from grand cru vineyards.

Veuve Clicquot yellow label, £25-£30, widely available
In a blind-tasting , mainly of own-labels, this stood out of the crowd. Attractive floral nose, peachy, appley fruit, toasty, biscuity flavours and a supple texture.

Sainsbury’s Blanc de Noirs, £15.98
Not in the same league as all the above, and certainly not complex, but rounded, well-made, crowd-pleasingly fresh, fruity, biscuity and soft. And cheap.

WINES OF THE WEEK, 11 December 2009

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A festive selection of champagnes this week. Brief notes only, as there are more than the usual three wines, but they’re all champagnes to which I’ve given a score of at least 90 (out of 100) in the last couple of months and they're all under £30. There’ll be more next week.

Marc Chauvet Brut Tradition, £18.99, The Real Wine Company
Biscuity, yeasty, fruity and rounded. Great value grower’s champagne made from equal quantities of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier.

2003 Marguet Rosé, Grand Cru, £23, The Wine Society
Vintage pink champagne from grand cru vineyards around Ambonnay and Bouzy. Lovely, ripe strawberry fruit, a creamy, chalky texture and a fresh, pure finish. A steal.

Delamotte Blanc de Blancs, £29.99, Corney & Barrow
Polished, biscuity and creamy with a hint of honey. Supremely elegant, all-chardonnay champagne from the sister-house of Salon.

J Dumangin Fils Grande Réserve, £24.50, Yapp Brothers
Richly fruity, toasty and wheaty. Made from a high proportion of pinot meunier.

Pierre Gimonnet et Fils, Cuis 1er Cru, £29.99 (or £23.99 when you buy 12); £168 per 6, Armit
Floral perfume, with touches of lemon, malt and chocolate on the palate, a creamy texture and fresh acidity. Stylish blanc de blancs from the excellent Gimonnet family of growers.

Philipponnat Non Dosé Royale Réserve, £28.50, Les Caves de Pyrène
Toasty, honeyed and mineral with with candied citrus-peel fruit. Drier than bone-dry (non dosé means completely unsweetened), but properly ripe. Made from a high proportion of pinot noir and vinified in wood.

WINES OF THE WEEK, 4 December 2009

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2007 Sequillo (white), Swartland
Dry and full-bodied, with opulent, spicy apricot flavours, steely minerality and good acidity. It’s not shy on oak, but it’s got the concentration and complexity to take it. I showed this on my ‘wine walks’ at The Wine Gang Christmas Fair last month and it went down a storm every time. It’s chenin blanc-based, with some marsanne, roussanne and viognier, but is more Rhône than Loire in inspiration despite the chenin. Made by Eben Sadie. 14% abv. If you’re not a member of The Wine Society, there’s still time to put it on your Christmas list.
£15.50, The Wine Society

2007 Gulfi Rossojbleo Nero d’Avola
Yes, looks like a spelling mistake, but it isn’t. It’s from Sicily and and it’s made from nero d’avola grapes (which are not called black for nothing). Which give it a comforting smell of baked cherries, chocolate and roasting chesnuts. It’s ripe, smooth and spicy with appetising – and slightly unexpected – freshness. 13% abv.
£8.99, Virgin Wines

2005 Perez Burton Rioja
Modern red Rioja made entirely from tempranillo and aged in French oak by the indefatigable Telmo Rodriguez. It’s medium-full, supple and attractively oaky with flavours of honeyed spice, red berries and darker, more savoury notes. 13.5% abv.
£8.99, Marks & Spencer

WINES of the WEEK, 27 November 2009

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2007 Cedro do Noval, Duriense
Vivid, deep purple; aromatic with cherry, berry, almond and vanilla flavours. Lovely breadth, freshness and minerality on the palate and a silky texture. Cedro is the understudy to the red wine under the Quinta do Noval name and it’s a Vinho Regional Duriense, rather than a Douro DOC, because there’s 30% syrah in the blend. The rest is classic Douro - touriga franca and touriga nacional (30% each) and tinta roriz (10%). It’s delicious now, but it’ll probably be better in two years and will last several more. 13.5% abv.
£13.99, Tanners

2007 Viña Mayu Syrah Reserva, Elqui
I’ve just been to the Elqui Valley, Chile’s northernmost wine region, for the first time. Extraordinary – near-desert, or ‘pre-desert’, as they call it. The wines all come from one pioneering Italian-owned and run operation (where we were served solar-cooked bread and about half-a-lamb each). There are two lines, Mayu and Falernia. This 2007 Mayu Reserva is richly fruity, dense, spicy, peppery and smoky. Essence of Syrah. 14% abv. Watch out for the arrival in the UK of the non-reserva 2008 Mayu Syrah which is particularly good.
£10.99, or £8.79 when you buy any 2 Chilean bottles, Majestic.
Asda may still have some of the 2006 left; if so, worth buying.

2008 Moncaro Verdicchio dei Castelli Jesi Classico
This is such good value – and it’s as happy with food as it is on its own. A medium-bodied, fresh Italian white with more flavour and weight than the average pinot grigio (not difficult, that), but not so much that it wants to take centre stage all the time. Rounded, nutty, herbal flavours and a crisp, lemony finish. 12.8% abv.
£4.99, Waitrose