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
Friday, April 23, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
WINES of the WEEK 16 April 2010
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
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
Friday, April 9, 2010
WINES of the WEEK, 9 April 2010
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
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
Friday, April 2, 2010
WINES of the WEEK 2 April 2010
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
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
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