Contea di Castiglione Barolo 2005, Piedmont, Italy (£9.99 Morrisons) Light and gentle, with a slightly cooked character to the plum, cherry and red berry fruit, hints of rose petal and rusty iron, and a fresh but chewy finish. B(-)
Marco Porello Nebbiolo d’Alba 2008, Piedmont, Italy (£11-12 imported by Winetraders – see below for full list of stockists) Vigorous modern style, still with the rose petal character, but with firmer tannins and fresher fruit, especially black cherry. Polished, hearty and satisfying, and with potential to develop over the next 3-4 years. S-
Gemma Barolo 2005, Piedmont, Italy (£13.99 Morrisons) A touch of volatility, but also classic aromas of iron, rose petal and tar, warm cherry, raspberry and strawberry fruit, and a structured but refreshing finish. B(+)
First Drop The Big Blind Nebbiolo/Barbera 2008, Adelaide Hills, Australia (currently N/A in the UK) The extra sunshine of Australia comes through in the richer, leathery characters, there is something of the fragrant, plum and raspberry fruit, along with a savoury, meaty edge, but it feels slightly stolid after the Piedmont trio. B
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Stockists of Marco Porello wines Ann et Vin Ltd, Bacchus Fine Wines, Barrica Wines, Bat and Bottle, Bath Wine Group, EH Booth , Bowes Wines, Bowland Forest, Butlers Wine Cellar, Cheshire Smokehouse, Connolly’s Wine Mer, Define Food & Wine, Denby Dale Wines Ltd, Duncan Murray Wines, Everywine, Field & Fawcett, Fine Wines Direct, Flourish and Prosper, Goedhuis & Co Ltd, Harrogate Fine Wines, H Smith, Ledbury Wine, Les Vignerons De Saint Georges, Noble Green Wines , Old School wines, Oxford Wine Company, Philippa Sedgwick, Quantock Abbey Wine , Richard Royds Fine Wines, Roberson, Roberts and Speight, Scatchards Wine Merchants, The Secret Cellar, The Vineyard, Viader Vintners, Wadebridge Wines, Whitebridge Wines, Winearray, Wines of Interest, Winos Wine Shop, York Beer & Wine Ltd
Louis Moreau Chablis 2008, Burgundy, France (£9.99 Marks & Spencer) Has the lean, keen green apple backbone you expect of Chablis, along with a pleasant nutty character, but it lacks the substance to stand up to the structure. OK, but not fine. B(-)
Louis Latour Mâcon-Lugny 2009, Burgundy, France (£8.99 Majestic – £7.99 when you buy two bottles) Has an exotic, almost Viognier-like peachiness, along with equally flesh notes of cream and hazelnuts. OK, but just a touch flabby – but blends rather nicely with the above Chablis! B-
Marquis de Pennautier Chardonnay ‘Terroirs d’Altitude’ 2008, Vin de Pays d’Oc, France (£8.99 Majestic) Quite weighty melon, peach and tropical fruit flavour, along with a clean fresh finish but is spoileded by slightly crude toasty/sawdusty oak, which doesn’t seem to fade with time. B-
Crossroads Chardonnay 2008, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand (£9.50 Mentzendorff) Rich, fleshy style, the fruit is nicely underplayed, blending to good effect with a complex mealy/yeasty edge from barrel-ageing, but just that bit too alcoholic for great success, with a slight butterscotch sweetness muddying the finish. B+
Botham Merrill Willis 25th Anniversary Chardonnay 2007, McLaren Vale/Coonawarra, Australia (£14.99 Christopher Piper – £2.50 from each bottle goes Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research) Simple, honest rather old-fashioned style, with that oily, tinned pinepapple/fruit cocktail syrup edge, hints of cream and honeysuckle edge , it’s OK, but lacks both the intensity and complexity of the Crossroads. B-
You’ll see I’ve given all these five wines bronze medal marks. However, the Crossroads with B+ stands well above the others with B(-) and B-. Translating these into a 100-point scale, that’s 86, compared with 83 and 82. Feel free to leave comments on my marking system (bit more about it on this page). It works for me, but do others find it confusing?
First Drop Wines Bella Coppia Arneis 2009, Adelaide Hills, Australia (currently N/A in the UK) Clean, fresh and zesty, combining fleshy pear fruit with crisp citrussy acidity and a slightly briny/savoury finish. B+
Zalze Bush Vine Chenin Blanc 2009, Western Cape, South Africa (£6.49 Waitrose) Starts off slightly jelly-like, but then improves to show voluptuous, peach, pear, and tropical fruit flavours with a creamy, nutty edge and a juicy tender finish. B(-)
Tesco Finest* Ken Forrester Chenin Blanc 2008, Stellenbosch, South Africa (£7.11 Tesco) Not as ripe & tropical as the Zalze, with sappy flavours of apple, pear, nectarine, guava and plum, set against richer yeasty/mealy notes. Very tasty. S-
Clay Station Viognier 2009, Lodi, California (£8.95 The Wine Society) Has some of the classic peach kernel and cream flavours, along with a a slightly confected sherbet/dolly mixture character. Quite voluptuous but lacks freshness. B-
Da Vinci Chianti 2008, Tuscany, Italy (£8.99 Liberty Wines, Whole Foods, Noel Young) Juicy, earthy style, combining violet-scented bitter cherry & raspberry flavours with a herby wildness and a sappy, refreshing finish. B+
Poggiotondo Chianti Superiore 2007, Tuscany, Italy (£11.99 Liberty Wines, Whole Foods, Noel Young) More flesh and polish than the Da Vinci, a touch of VA (volatile acidity – think ever-so-slight vinegar) but it’s in balanced with the smooth, serious morello cherry and blackcurrant fruit, also a seam of minerality, with tannin & acidity to keep it in balance. S(-)
Greenstone Sangiovese 2007, Heathcote, Australia (£26.99 Liberty Wines, Imbibros, Noel Young, Wimbledon Wine Cellar) Shows the cola edge often found in Sangiovese, along with the characteristic earthy bitter cherry fruit and tangy tannins, but it’s more leathery, warmer & riper than the 2 Italians. Perhaps lacks subtlety, but it’s not too heavily extracted, and the finish is full and satisfying. S-
First Drop Wines Minchia Montepulciano 2008, Adelaide Hills, Australia (currently N/A in the UK) Riper and fleshier still, almost verging on the jammy, with the slightly baked berry edge of very ripe grapes. Plummy and upfront, but with a sappy savoury edge and tannin to freshen up the finish. B+
McHenry Hohnen Cabernet/Merlot 2008, Margaret River (£9.99 Majestic) Surprisingly forward, rounded wine, showing just the right amount of leafy mint and eucalyptus character alongside juicy plummy fruit, hints of leather and tobacco and smooth ripe tannins. B+
Averys Pioneer Barossa Shiraz 2007 – made by Yalumba (£8.99 Averys) A lovely bear-hug of a wine, ripe and confident, but never jammy, with meaty leathery plum, liquorice and chocolate flavour tinged with cloves. S-
Mount Langi Ghiran Langi Shiraz 2005, Grampians (£29.99 Harper Wells, Harrods) Rich, exotic style with exuberant blueberry and blackcurrant flesh, notes of pepper, clove and oriental spices, and an earthy ferrous note to the finish. My only reservation is I’d like to have seen it picked slightly earlier – it’s 15% alcohol, and there’s just a touch of jamminess as the wine open up. S
Botham Merrill Willis 25th Anniversary Shiraz 2005, McLaren Vale (£14.99 Christopher Piper – £2.50 from each bottle goes Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research) Less fragrant and more stolid than the Langi, has a warm chocolate and orange liqueur edge to its dark fruitcake flavours, but it’s let down by a volatile, port-like character. B(-)
McHenry Hohnen Semillon Sauvignon 2009, Margaret River, Western Australia (£9.99-£10.99 – see below for vast list of stockists) A touch of green pepper and citrus, but it’s English summer fruit flavours that dominate – apples, pears, and rhubarb – with all being kept in check by a spine of fresh acidity. B+
Fairview Chenin Blanc 2009, Darling, South Africa (£8.49 www.sawinesonline.co.uk, Liberty Wines) Starts of a little jelly-like, but then musky pear skin and tangy apple crumble flavours come through, rounded and full bodied with the Chenin acidity to keep it sitting upright. B(+)
The Gum Pinot Grigio 2009, Adelaide Hills, Australia (£10.79 Marks & Spencer) Succulent, refreshing and food friendly wine, with rather more personality and depth of flavour than run-of-the-mill Pinot Grigio. Clean and tangy, with apple, pear and peach flesh, and an almost volcanic, minerally edge to the finish. B+
Tim Adams Pinot Gris 2009, Clare Valley, Australia (£11.50 www.australianwinecentre.co.uk) A richer fleshier style of wine, this has aromas of honey and blossom, and plush peach, lychee and mango flavours, tinged with ginger. Off-dry and slightly nutty, with an almost creamy edge, but with citus tang to provide balance. S(-)
OK, now for all those McHenry Hohnen Semillon Sauvignon stockists… Ann et Vin, Newark; Bablake Wines, Coventry; Cartwright Brothers Vintners, London; The City Beverage Company, Hoxton; Continental Wines, Biggleswade; C & O Wines, Timperley; Eagles Wine, Battersea; Flourish and Prosper, Howden; Francis Fine Wines Ltd, Leicester; General Wine & Liquor Co, Liphook; Quaff Fine Wine, Hove; Hennings Wine Merchants, Pulborough; Medina Wines, Yarmouth; The Wine Society; Handford; N D John Wine Merchants, Swansea; Willoughby’s Wine Warehouse, Cheshire; Cheviot Wines, Glasgow; Mounts Bay Wine Co, Penzance; Duncan Murray Wines, Leicester; Nethergate Wines, Cavendish; Partridges, Chelsea; Penistone Court Cellars; Planet of the Grapes, London; The Smiling Grape Company, St Neots; The Southwell Vintner, Southwell; St. Austell Brewery Co; Tanners, Wine Rack; Vineyard Wines, Bury; The Vineyard, Dorking; H T White & Co, Eastbourne; Whole Foods Market, Kensington; Wimbledon Wine Cellar; Windermere Wine Stores; The Wine Cellar, Douglas; La Zouch, Ashby de la Zouch.
Part 2 of my look at a selection of wines from Naked Wines – Part 1 is here.
(any topic you’d like to see me covering in forthcoming videos? Do leave a comment below)
Monowai Pinot Noir 2006, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand (£10.99 www.nakedwines.com) The berry fruit’s a little stewed, but overall this is plush, velvety and relaxed wine with a hint of coffee – Pinot for Shiraz lovers. B+
Manley Pinotage 2006, Tulbagh, South Africa (£11.99 www.nakedwines.com) Has some of the berry flesh of Pinot Noir, along with a sandy, savoury edge, warming and quite full but not overripe, but let down by a slightly muddy finish. B-
Vicien Syrah Reserve 2006, Catamarca, Argentina (£10.99 www.nakedwines.com) The jammy dodger fruit is OK, but this is let down by rather crude smoky bacon/toasty oak, which dominates and dries out the finish. C+
Moerbei Sable 2008, Stellenbosch, South Africa (£9.99 www.nakedwines.com) There’s toasty oak here too, but it’s in balance with the pippy plum and blackberry flavours, young and a touch alcoholic, but good. B
Blackwood Ridge Shiraz 2008, Central Victoria, Australia (£9.99 www.nakedwines.com) Bold and fleshy wine with buxom bramble and blackcurrant flavours, touches of licorice and oatmeal, and a warm finish: just a bit too hot & jammy for real class. B(+)
Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch Shiraz 2007, Strathbogie Ranges, Australia (£15.99 www.nakedwines.com) Big but quite subtle, showing plush blackcurrant, blackberry and plummy fruit, some licorice and leather and also minerally complexity, good now but built to last. S(-)
CVNE Rioja Crianza 2006, Spain (£7.99 Majestic, Booths, www.everywine.co.uk, Wimbledon Wine Cellar) Bouncy pippy berry and bramble – raspberries, loganberries – with a spicy edge, a touch of vanilla rather than a huge dollop, fresh, sappy, tangy finish. Nice wine, tastes of modern Rioja, but also a good refreshing summer red. B+
François Lurton Barco Negro Douro Tinto 2007, Portugal (~£10) Heady, rich warm dark fruit, blackcurrants and blackberry, with earthy overtones, yet despite its brawn, remains fresh, and has a gentle floral/spicy edge. S-
Xerolithia White, Peza 2008, Crete, Greece (£7.99 Oddbins) Nice mix of richness and crispness, rounded and fleshy, with some pineapple flavours, but also a slightly pithy, piney edge and an almost volcanic note on the finish. B(+)
Alois Lageder ‘Vogelmaier’ Moscato Giallo 2006, Alto Adige, Italy (£7.60 in the Bibendum sale – normally £12.93) Grapey and spicy, but has lost its youthful zip and is starting to show an oily/bitter edge. OK, but would have been far, far better two years ago. In this state, C
Peter Lehmann Layers White 2009, Adelaide, Australia (£10.50 Enotria, SWIG) Young, slight rose petal aroma, quite rich lychee, rhubarb and peach flavours, but can’t make up its mind whether it want to be young and crisp or fleshy and mellow. B(-)
Château Brown Pessac Léognan Blanc 2008, Bordeaux, France (~£30 Soho Wine Supply) Young, and still quite oaky, but the smoky character is in balance with the zesty but refined flavours of tinned pears, peaches, guava and passionfruit, and there’s an almost briny tang to the finish. Fresh and very classy, needs 3+ years, but should be worth the wait. S(+)
Bisol ‘Cartizze’ Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore 2008, Veneto, Italy (£22.99 Bibendum) Starts off lush and peachy, but then the minerally restraint kicks, adding a drier, more serious, clay-like edge and keeping you coming back for more. S-
Cono Sur Brut NV, Bío-Bío, Chile (£9.99 Morrisons, Oddbins, Tesco.com) Toasty sweet’n’sour Riesling character comes through strongly on the nose, also in the mouth. It tends to take over what without it would have been a quite elegant wine. Shame. C+
Codorníu Reina Maria Cristina Cava Brut Reserva 2007, Catalonia, Spain (£18.99 Majestic) Relaxed, confident style, showing some maturity, but still with a core of earthy citrus fruit, and a touch of herbs, a touch of sweetness, but nicely balanced. S-
Petaluma Croser 2006, Piccadilly Valley, South Australia (£16.06 Bibendum – £11.08 in the sale from Feb 2nd-15th) Showing some creamy, even cheesy lees edges, along with some of the strained chocolatey richness of a touch of oxidation. But these are all in balance with the rest of the wine, and the bready/biscuity citrus and pineapple get their chance to shine. Rich but dry, classy style. S
Champagne Moutard Cuvée des 6 Cépages 2004, France (£37.50 – Sommelier Wine Co, Markinch Wine Gallery, Winos, Den Boer Wines, Kevin O’Rourke Wines, Divine Wines, Vineyards, Cherchez le Vin, Ashbourne Wines, K D Brands Ltd, John Gordons Ltd, Beverley Bollons, The Larder, The Naked Grape, Bacchus)
(the 6 Cépages are Arbane, Petit Meslier, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Pinot Meunier)
Not much on the nose, or in the mouth. Has a creamy, herby edge, but not a great deal of flavour coming through at the moment. Nor with further time – am I missing the point here? B
