Champagne
2000 Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Nicolas François
Billecart, Champagne
Pale gold, fine
bubbles, beautifully developed aromas and flavours of honey, biscuit and toast,
candied orange and grapefruit and a hint of exotic spice. Supple texture supported
all the way by a core of fine, lively acidity. Mature and delicious.
£78–£79.95,
Berry Bros & Rudd, Jeroboams, Roberson
Reds
2011 Paparuda Pinot Noir, Timisoara, Romania
Pinot noir
bargain of the year. Aromatic, fresh, juicy, cherry and strawberry fruit;
clean, soft and more or less tannin-free; Beaujolais-esque. A good wine for boxing day and a good
party red. 13.5%. There’s a Paparuda
pinot grigio, too, which is not in the same league, but it’s good value, has
some character and makes a useful party wine or aperitif.
£6.50, Tanners
(Wine Rack and Adnams are currently out of stock online, but you might be lucky
and find the odd bottle in a shop).
Brilliant Beaujolais:
Berry Bros
& Rudd has a terrific range of 2011s. I’ve highlighted just a handful below,
The L C Desvignes Morgon Côte de Py really deserves to be kept another two
years for the densely packed exotic black fruit, savoury mineral notes and firm
tannins to unfold. The first three are all delicious now but could be kept at
least three years – even the Chatoux if you wanted to.
2011 Alain Chatoux Beaujolais Vieilles Vignes,
12.5%. £10.95
2011 Château Grange Cochard Morgon Vieilles
Vignes, 13%. £13.95
2011 Domaine Julien Sunier Fleurie, 12.5%. £19.50
2011 Domaine Louis Claude Desvignes Morgon Côte
de Py, 13%. £17.25
In contrast to
the youngsters above:
2009 Château Thivin Côte de Brouilly, Les Griottes
de Bulhie
Griottes by
name, griottes (cherries) by flavour and burgundian in style. Rich, ripe,
velvety Beaujolais that has develeoped a red burgundy sweetness and savoury
flavour as it has matured – and it still has three or four years in it. 12.5%.
£16, The Wine
Society
2009 Churchill’s Estates Douro, Portugal
Stylish,
oak-matured red from port producer Churchill’s. A nose of violets and black
fruits and a full, rounded, very silky palate with vanilla-framed fruit
underpinned by classic Douro mineral notes. Could be one for Christmas goose. 14%.
£10.95 Tanners
2010 Tanners Douro Red, Portugal
A smart move by
Tanners – an own-label Douro red made for it by Duorum, a joint venture between
João-Portugal Ramos and José Maria Soares Franco. Medium-bodied with a fresh,
smoky aroma, flavours of blueberry, liquorice and cocoa and soft tannins.
£7.90, Tanners
2008 Miguel Torres Cordillera Carignan Reserva Privada,
Maule, Chile
Fruit from
carignan vines up to 80 years old blended with a little merlot and syrah.
Concentrated, ripe and peppery with ripe black fruit, a rich texture, and
velvety tannins lifted by fresh acidity on the finish. 14%.
£12.95, Amps
Fine Wines
2007 Torres Mas La Plana, Penedès, Spain
Very young, but
an excellent Mas La Plana and a benchmark cabernet sauvignon. A rigorous but
fine-boned structure and polished oak underscoring deep cassis fruit, liquorice,
spice and sweet cigar-box flavours. Great ageing potential. 14%.
£30, Majestic
(fine wine range)
2010 La Báscula Turret Fields Monastrell &
Syrah, Jumilla, Spain
Warm, full and
fleshy, oak-aged red with blueberry fruit, vanilla, peppery spice and very soft
tannins. What makes this stand out from the big-bold-ripe crowd is its definition
and freshness. La Bascula is a Spanish collaboration between Bruce Jack from
South Africa and Ed Adams, a British Master of Wine. 14.5%.
£9.95, The Old
Bridge Wine Shop
There’s a
white, too, which is just as good, again combining flesh with freshness: 2011 La Bascula Catalan Eagle Garnacha
Blanca Viognier from Catalunya (13%), £9.99, Noel Young
Wines.
Sweet
2009 Las Moras Viognier, San Juan, Argentina
Very fresh,
lightly honeyed sweet wine with succulent apricot and peach fruit and zesty
orange acidity. Good with sweet (but not too sharp) apple desserts, fruit salad
and fruit-and-meringue combinations. 11.5%.
£9.99 for 50cl,
Virgin Wines
