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
Australia Day + 1, so a few hangers-on from the haggis adventure, plus a moody but not all that magnificent Italian…
Jacobs Creek Grenache Shiraz 2008, South Eastern Australia (£5.99 Tesco, Asda, Ocado) Quite light, almost refreshing, sweet raspberry aroma and flavour, slightly jammy, but then the more earthy gravitas of Shiraz comes through. Good, easy commercial style, almost chillable. B
Peter Lehmann Layers Red 2008, Barossa, Australia (£10.50 SWIG) Liquorice and earth, slightly jammy dodger-like sweetness, big, quite fleshy, concentrated and juicy, and the blackberry and plum fruit isn’t overripe, but seems not to be quite sure what it wants to achieve. B
Wyndham Estate George Wyndham Founder’s Reserve Shiraz 2005, South Australia (£9.99 Majestic) Big, pungent, peppery, inky, has a pleasing black fruit and herb intensity, but there’s a slightly ‘processed’ feel to it, along with some vanilla that detracts from that nice fruit. But a decent glug all the same. B(+)
Castello Banfi Rosso di Montalcino 2007, Tuscany, Italy (£15.07 Bibendum – sale price from Feb 2nd £7.82) Vague brown sugar, black cherry and Cola, touches of vanilla and bayleaf, but ultimately quite simple with not much in the way of aroma, and a finish that’s just that bit too dry and charmless – too controlled. B-
For a few hours each year, Burns Night in Scotland and Australia Day in, er, Australia coincide. So why not celebrate both at once, with some Aussie wine and a nice haggis…?
Cantina Tramin Lagrein 2008, Alto Adige, Italy (£11.49 Hallgarten Druitt, www.wineman.co.uk, www.everywine.co.uk) Refreshing, genuinely light-to-medium-bodied red, almost Dolcetto-like, with crunchy, earthy black fruit (especially cherry) and fresh, sausage-friendly finish. B+
The Society’s Exhibition Chianti Classico 2007, Tuscany, Italy (£11.95 The Wine Society) Modern and fresh, but has this lovely velvety Morello cherry, cherry kernels and blackcurrant, quite full but fragrant, almost violet-like edge, smooth, but with structure of slightly grainy tannins and fresh acidity. S(+)
Château Fabre Gasparets Corbières-Boutenac 2005, Languedoc, France (£9.50 The Real Wine Company) The strawberry-rich flesh of Grenache, the plummy floral edge of Syrah and the wild meatiness of Mourvèdre all bound together by the held together by the peppery/stalky/spicy character of ripe (but not raisinny) Carignan. S-
Ferngrove Shiraz 2007, Frankland River, Western Australia (~£9.50 Seckford Agencies) Quite full-bodied but it’s the fresh berry and blackcurrant fruit that shines through. Add in tinges of violets, liquorice and vanilla and you have a very tasty wine for drinking any time over the next three years. S(-)
Leaping Lizard Cabernet Merlot 2007, Western Australia (£7.99-£8.50 Seckford Agencies) Vibrant, crunchy blackcurrant nose, then slightly pippy blackberry flavours, with a tar-like streak, easy fleshy wine, quite powerful and ripe but finishes dry. B
Ferngrove ‘Symbols’ Cabernet Merlot 2008, Frankland River, Australia (£8.99-£9.50 Seckford Agencies) Fresher and tangier than the Leaping Lizard, with fine cassis, black cherry and leafy Cabernet edges joined by an oily richness, intense, but never aggressive. S-
Yalumba The Scribbler Cabernet/Shiraz 2007, Barossa, Australia (£9.99 Oddbins, Noel Young) Jovial forward style, ripe and rounded, with the sweet edge of plump Shiraz and the vanilla sheen of (American?) oak coming through. Good meaty finish, tasty and honest, but not hugely complex. B+
Casillero del Diablo Reserva Privada Cabernet/Syrah 2007, Maipo Valley, Chile (£8.99 Asda) Classic Chilean dusty blackcurrant pastille, intense but quite angular – needs sexing up. B(-)
Brown Brothers Patricia Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, Victoria, Australia (£22.99 Christopher Piper, www.everywine.co.uk) Corked! Bugger.
Ferngrove “Symbols” Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon 2009, Frankland River, Western Australia (£8.99-£9.50 Seckford Agencies) Crisp, grassy, herby, with the Semillon adds punchy pungent weight to the citrussy treble notes of Sauvignon. Nice seafood style. B+
Leaping Lizard Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Western Australia (£7.99-£8.50 Seckford Agencies)
Not as immediate and forward as the above, richer but not better with some honey and nut amid the citrus and tropical fruit, lacks the Ferngrove’s élan. B-
Château de Sours Bordeaux Blanc 2008, France (£10.17 Private Cellar) Clasic white Bordeaux tang of tinned pear juice, quite mellow with ripe apple and fennel flavours, gentle, some warm spice, and power beyond the fragrance – has another couple of years ahead of it. S-
Mount Pleasant Lovedale Semillon 2005, Hunter Valley, Australia (£25 www.everywine.co.uk) Firm, high cheek-boned youngster, rich yet bracing with tangy greengage, lemon and lime flavours, with toast & honey just coming through, and a hint of custard too. Opens up over 24 hours to show a fuller, fleshier style, but still some way from its peak. Lovely wine. S+
Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon 2002, Hunter Valley, Australia (£20-23 Noel Young, SWIG, Majestic) The extra maturity gives this more richness and creamy weight, although it’s still a pup, with SO2 (sulphur dioxide) evident on the nose. Get beyond it and you find a wealth of citrus, green apple and honey plus a hint of buttered toast, just 10% alcohol, but comes across as being higher (looks much younger than a bottle I tried in Oct 2009 – production is all now with screwcap). S(+)
(an experiment with a different video camera that didn’t work as well as I’d have liked – normal service wil be resumed etc)
Casillero del Diablo Pinot Grigio 2009, Limarí, Chile (£7.49 Majestic – £5.99 until end of Jan 2010) Young, fresh and appealing, tangy but not much beyond youthful citrussy crispness, CFDN, although it does have a bit of weight. C+
Simonnet Febvre St Bris Sauvignon 2007, Burgundy, France (£8.49-£8.99 Majestic, Waitrose) The creamy, nutty edge of Burgundy combines with the grassy citrus pungency of Sauvignon Blanc to give an unusual but attractive, fish-friendly white. B+
Tahbilk Marsanne 2007, Central Victoria, Australia (£8.75 Sainsbury’s, The Wine Society, Philglas & Swiggot) Tangy young wine combining pithy greengage, fig and citrus flavours with a richer honey and honeysuckle edge. Lovely clean fresh finish, lots of potential for future devlopment. S-
Circumstance Viognier 2008, Stellenbosch, South Africa (£9.99 Boutinot) Quite pronounced toasty oak, some peachy Viognier pungency behind, but also a rather odd smoky/charred edge, as if there’d been a bush fire nearby. A curate’s egg of a wine. ???
Bodegas Naia ‘Naiades’ 2006, Rueda, Spain (£19.99 Boutinot) Smoky, soft, nutty, white Bordeaux meets white Burgundy, guava, pinepapple, tinned pear, fresh but with a creamy undertone, very subtle, beautifully balanced, very classy wine. G-
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Something on the other two Naia wines I mention in the video. K-Naia 2008 (£8.99 Noel Young, Woodwinters, Reserve, Corks of Cotham) is wonderfully zingy, zippy wine, brimming with confident rhubarb and guava flavours reined in by and citrus acidity. Silver. Naia 2008 (£10.99 Woodwinters, Bacchanalia) is partially oak-aged and spends longer on the lees. For me, it doesn’t work as well – the wine is weightier, but while it has some of the same pungent flavours, it’s lost its vibrancy. Bronze(+)
Domaine du Tariquet Les Premières Grives Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne 2008, South West France (£9.40 slurp.co.uk) Off-dry, fresh and zippy white, packed with fruit – peach, pear, apple – with a herby edge and a clean fresh finish. Lovely summer day wine, good with fruit salad. B+
Domaine du Tariquet Les Dernières Grives Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne 2008, South West France (~£13 MW2 Wines, Wine Service, Caviste) A dead ringer for a good Jurançon that this manages to combine opulent weight with spine-tingling acidity, then adds in hints of honey, apple, orange and fennel. Lovely wine, delicious now, but will keep. S
Concha y Toro Reserva Privada Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2006, Maule Valley, Chile (£5.99 per half Oddbins, Majestic, Booths, Harrods) The Sauvignon gives this gooseberry and citrus flavours, but while the lime marmalade-y edge is pleasant, it lacks pithy bite. B-
Torres Floralis Moscatel Oro NV, Spain (£7.99 per 50 cl Waitrose, Grapevine, Eagles Wines, Romulus Wine, Partridges) Redolent of barley sugar, like many sweet Muscats, with a nice grapey tang as well, but once again, lack the tang of acidity. B
Campbells Rutherglen Muscat, Australia (£9.50 per half Oddbins, Waitrose, Berry Bros & Rudd) This is better, ripe and rich, with treacle toffee flavours to the fore, and citrus and rose petal in the background. Spirit add comforting warmth rather than oppressive heat. Grown up wine, like liquid rum & raisin ice cream. S
