Undurraga TH Pinot Noir 2008, Leyda (£10.99 Eagles Wines, Dorje’s Wine Club) A good combination of decadent strawberries (both fresh and tinned) with a fresh, quite grippy structure of acidity and tannin. It’s ripe but never OTT, and there’s an earthy, vegetal note to the finish. S-
Undurraga TH Pinot Noir 2008, West Casablanca (£11.24 M&S Wines Direct) (different – cheaper – price on the web site from that I was given when I did the video…)
Not as vibrant as the Leyda wine, but a touch more seductive, with gentle fleshy forest fruits, notes of coffee and truffles, and an alluring, ever-so-slightly meaty finish. S(-)
Cono Sur 20 Barrels Pinot Noir 2007, Casablanca (£21.99 Oddbins) Intriguing stuff, that starts of resembling a cross between Pinotage and Pomerol – the warm berries and hint of varnish of the former, the plush plummy polish of the latter, overlaid with classy oak. Then with time, the black cherry edge of proper Pinot comes through with aplomb. Still feels like its best is yet to come – the wine was still getting better when the last dregs were drunk on Day 3. S(+)
Casa Marin Lo Abarca Pinot Noir 2006, San Antonio (£21-25 Reserve, Byrne’s) Aaargh! Corked. Grrr…
Just tasted my way through a selection of Chilean Pinots for a piece I’m doing for Square Meal. Here’s the verdict on the first four…
Emiliana Reserva Pinot Noir 2008, Casablanca (£7.99 Amps, Noel Young) A wine that scores by not trying too hard to impress. Instead it concentrates on sporting joyful red fruit – red cherries, strawberries, raspberries – plus a touch of smoky oak, and then finishes with a fresh, sappy edge that cleans your mouth and leaves you wanting more. Not complex but vibrant and tasty. B(+)
Anakena Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2009, Rapel Valley (£7.99 Noel Young) Paler than the Emiliana, but more interesting? Not really. It’s quite delicate, but there’s not enough charm to sustain this lighter style. OK cherries and red berries, but lacks the IT factor. C+
Anakena ONA Pinot Noir 2008, Casablanca (£9.99 Oddbins) Starts of in rich fruity fashion, but then turns simple, and while the red berry fruit is quite attractive, overall it’s a little too correct, with a slightly hard finish. B-
Tabalí Reserva Especial Pinot Noir 2008, Limarí (£9.99-10.99 Reserve, Byrnes, Amps, Noel Young) A step up here. The brawniest of these four, with deep dark fruit flavours, notes of coffee, kirsch and cherries (red and black) and a voluptuous finish with some smoky oak and silky tannins. Good now; better in a few months time. 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
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.
(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
Is the best-known white wine grape in the world improved with a dollop of Viognier? Not necessarily, although the results can be interesting…
Miguel Torres Cordillera Chardonnay 2008, Curico, Chile (£9.99 Grapevine, Nicholas Corke Fine Wines, Roberts & Speight) (15% Viognier in the blend) Gentle citrus, just-ripe peach and pear, it’s the crisp Chardonnay that is to the fore, with the Viognier just adding some plumpness. Good seafood wine with a slightly nutty finish. B
Houghton “The Bandit” Chardonnay/Viognier 2008, Western Australia (£8.99 – available in the UK from Feb 2010) Fuller, fatter and nuttier than the Torres, with the fleshy apricot edge of Viognier more prominent. But despite the rich peachy flavour, and the hints of butter and toasty oak, it’s still not TOO big, and your mouth is left entertained rather than overwhelmed. B+
Montes Alpha Chardonnay 2007, Casablanca, Chile (£10.99 Tesco, Waitrose) Quite big, fat and oily style, lots of tropical fruit cocktail flesh, big and buxom, tasty and does have a backbone of acidity but lacks subtlety. B
Leeuwin Estate Prelude Vineyards Chardonnay 2007, Margaret River, Western Australia (~£19 Domaine Direct, Beaconsfield Wine Cellars, Bentley’s Wine Merchants, Five Reasons Wine, Four Walls, Harrods, Highbury Vintners, John Gordons, Philglas & Swiggot, Richard Kihl, Theatre of Wine, Uncorked, Wimbledon Wine Cellar, Winedirect)
Classy wine, with an almost Mâcon style apple crumble and cream edge, and a gentle nutty edge to the tangy guava and citrus fruit. Holding it all togather is a thread of minerality and acidity, which keeps everything fresh, and should also prerserve it for another 3-4 years in the bottle should you witsh to keep it. S(-).
Domaine du Tariquet Sauvignon Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne 2008, South West France (~£5-6) Clean, fresh, herbaceous wine, touches of tomato and gooseberry, starts of refreshing but the finish is slightly lifeless. B-
Casillero del Diablo Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Central Valley, Chile (£6.99 Sainsbury’s, Asda – both are promoting it at £5 over the coming weeks; also Majestic) Taut, lively, zesty style has a slightly catty edge, but there’s also a stony/flinty/minerally side, plus lovely citrus and fennel flavours. Rich but dry and refreshing, very classy and great value, especially on promotion at £5. S-
Villa Maria Wairau River Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Marlborough, New Zealand (£11.99, Asda, Majestic, www.nzhouseofwine.co.uk) Heaps of flavour, like gooseberry pie in a glass, also plenty of citrus, quite rich, fat and rounded, maybe a touch of sweetness, not subtle but packed with honest flesh and fruit. B+
PS Have been assured that this is bone-dry
Château Ducla Experience XIV Bordeaux Blanc, 2006, France (£12.99 Averys) Sweet toasty oak, hints of gunflint, then a rich, almost Burgundian palate with waxy edges, a touch of butter, and smoky tinned pear flavour. Rich and mouthfilling, this is classy wine. S
I’ve got aching upper arm muscles today. Was it a strenuous boxing work out on Wii Fit? A marathon Swingball session in the garden with kids? Or was it having to manhandle two wine bottles that were so heavy that they made your wrists wobble even when they were empty? They were straight out of the silicon implant school of wine packaging, the mine’s-bigger-than-your mentality. How heavy were they precisely? See below…
So that’s a regular bottle, the wonderfully floaty Contino Rioja 1995 which danced gracefully over the course of an evening, and reminded me of nothing more than one of those slightly suspicious Burgundies you could once find, where whatever Pinot Noir there was in the blend (and sometimes there was next to nothing) had been padded out with a generous draft of the warm south. Warming, welcoming, aromatic yet hearty, a wow with some pork fillet baked in the ovening in a mushroomy shroud. Weight of bottle empty, 560g.
But as for our two monoliths…
Yes, the first came in at 1012g, while the other was a whopping 1196g – and that’s without there being any wine in them. I mean, je te demande, who are they trying to impress? Do they seriously think our heads will be swayed just because the bottle wants to be Arnie? Now normally the wine inside these monoliths is trying to show off just as much – wine you could walk a mouse over, as a friend of mine puts it. Overripe, overoaked, overalcoholic etc. But these two, while certainly not from the mousy librarian camp, were actually not OTT.
The left hand one is Santa Helena Don 2005 from Chile’s Colchagua Valley. Don is one of those names which, like Gran doesn’t translate too well into the English language (it stands for De Origen Noble). Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon pepped up with Merlot and Carmenère, it’s just so Chilean, with that slightly minty blackcurrant pastille intense and grainy tannins. I like it’s honest flavours, but I’m not convinced that there’s much complexity here. And at ~£35, I think I deserve some.
The right hand one, winner of the ’shit that’s heavy’ award, is the Monte da Cal Vinha de Saturno 2004 from the Alentejo. It’s from the dynamic Dão Sul operation, which has wineries dotted around several Portuguese regions (and Brazil), and is a blend of Trincadeira, Aragonez and Alicante Bouschet (some versions also have Baga and/or Touriga Nacional in there somewhere). But whatever its make up, this is good wine. It starts off on the strong and silent side, but then opens up to reveal a strong iron-like minerality, heady aromas of tobacco and olives, and intense but relaxed flavours of berries, blackcurrants and cherries, tinged with chocolate and vanilla. Excellent and very promising, shame about the show-off bottle.
