Monthly Archives: November 2016


Kaiken Terroir Series Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec/Petit Verdot 2014, Mendoza, Argentina (£9.99 Wholefoods, Fenwicks, Cornelius Beer & Wine) Rich, juicy and ripe, with dark plummy baked berry flavours and notes of, vanilla and marzipan. There’s also a smoky note, maybe from the Petit Verdot, that stays just about the right side of […]

Two Cabernet Sauvignon-based blends from Argentina


Sauvion Crémant de Loire NV, France (£13.99 Oxford Wine Company, Flagship Wines) Balances a bracing green apple tang against honeyed richness to good effect, crisp zesty finish. B(+) Terroir La Baume Saint Paul Crémant de Limoux Brut* NV, Languedoc, France (N/A in the UK) Quite a plush, rich style, with […]

Four sparkling French wines – but no Champagne…


Château Haut-Mouleyre Bordeaux Sauvignon 2015, France (~£10 H T White) It’s mostly Sauvignon Gris here, which could explain why alongside the more conventional gooseberry, lime and grapefruit flavours there’s more exotic characters such as juniper and aromatic bark, and a weighty but still lively finish. S- Miguel Torres Las Mulas […]

Two Sauvignons (and not just Blanc) from Bordeaux & Chile



Barbadillo Solear Manzanilla, Spain (£6 per half/£9.50 per full bottle widely available) Punchy and pungent, lightly salty with a proving bread dough character and a persistent finish – make you crave nibbles… S- Barbadillo Manzanilla Pasada En Rama ‘Pastora’, Spain (£13 Taurus Wines, The Solent Cellar, Roberts & Speight, Baythorne […]

In celebration of International Sherry Week…


Smacked bottom time, Simon. Late last year, Kevin Judd sent me five vintages of his Wild Sauvignon Blanc from the Greywacke winery which he established in 2009. He produces a regular Sauvignon and a few other varieties too, but this is his attempt to show that there’s more to Marlborough […]

Going Wild and Wacky with Greywacke


Casa de Paços Superior 2015, VR Minho, Portugal (N/A in the UK) Bracing young wine, with a crisp lemony edge to the fresh apple and nut flavours, a salty briny bite and a backbone of steely minerality. B+ Quinta de Paços Morgado do Perdigão Alvarinho & Loureiro 2015, VR Minho, […]

A trio of Portuguese whites from Quinta de Paços