Saint Roch les Vignes Côtes de Provence Rosé 2009, France (£6.99 Majestic) Honest and tasty, quite deeply coloured rosé with rich, slightly jammy plummy berry flesh, quite full but just a touch simple. B-
Château Coussin Sainte Victoire Côtes de Provence Rosé 2009, France (£13.99 Oddbins) More subtle and crisper, finer-boned, with touches of citrus to the light raspberry flavours, and a fragrant minerally finish. S-
Château Méaume Bordeaux Rosé 2008, France (£6.99 Majestic) Bit of an oddball, with quite weighty, intense juicy plum and strawberry flesh set against an earthy, green leafiness. Will work for some, but not for everyone. B(+)
Yali Wetland Merlot Rosé 2009, Colchagua Valley (£6.49 Majestic – £4.79 until Aug 31st 2010) Shows the plumper, plummier edge of Merlot, off-dry and slightly bland. C
Mas Belles Eaux Rosé 2009, Vin de Pays d’Oc, France (£8.99 Ocado) Lovely fresh rosé, with quite intense but sappy flavours of apples, citrus, plums and raspberries, with a clean minerally finish. S-
Santiago Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé 2008, Valle Central, Chile (£8.90 QP Wines) There’s an OK note of sappy berry, but not much else – could be fresher too. 0
Zalze Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz Rosé 2009, Coastal Origin, South Africa (£6.49 Waitrose) Honest and juicy, with fleshy red berry but finishes just a bit bland – feels as if it was picked too ripe and had to be acidified that bit too much. C+
Recorded with unjustified optimism before the England v US game…
Montana Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Marlborough, New Zealand (£7.99 Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s Morrisons, Asda) Refined, quite elegant style for Marlborough, with a lean stony character to the citrus and lemongrass flavours; good tense minerally finish too. S-
De Grendel Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Coastal Region, South Africa (£9.99 – down to £5.99 21/6/10-4/7/10 Oddbins) Feels less forward on the nose than the Montana, with herb and citrus aromas, but is let down by slightly intrusive green pepper and woodsmoke edges (similar verdict after it’s been open for a few hours). B
Castillo de Molina Sauvignon Blanc Reserva 2009, Elqui Valley, Chile (£7.99 Majestic, Sainsbury’s) Clean and fresh, with a slightly nettle-like herbiness, but is just too lemon-jelly-like for real class. B-
Palo Alto Sauvignon Blanc Reserva 2009, Maule Valley, Chile (£7.99 Asda, Booths, Sainsbury’s, Somerfield) Is there some Sauvignonasse here? Certainly there’s a nutty, almost old-fashioned white Bordeaux-like edge that makes me think so, but it’s none the worse for that. Simple, and needs drinking soon but has a nice honest grassy citrus profile. B(-)
Casas del Bosque Sauvignon Blanc Reserva 2009, Casblanca, Chile (£8-£9 Awin Barratt Siegel) Neither brash nor wimpy, this starts of in gentle fashion but then grows on you. Fragrant and herby, with ripe lemon and mineral notes, it has a confident persistent finish that keeps you coming back for more. S-
Cono Sur Pinot Noir 2009, Central Valley (£6.99 Oddbins, Majestic, Asda, Booths, Budgens, Londis, Morrisons, Sainsburys, Somerfield, Tesco, Waitrose) Refreshing, young, almost chillable Pinot, with plush plum, raspberry and cherry flavours and a soft, earthy finish. B(-)
Cono Sur Pinot Noir Reserva 2008, Casablanca (£7.99 The Co-op, Tesco) Lighter but finer than the basic Pinot, also more aromatic, with raspberry, blackcurrant and cherry flesh and an earthy, iron-like minerality. S-
Casas del Bosque Pinot Noir Gran Reserva 2008, Casablanca (£12-13 Awin Barratt Siegel, www.everywine.co.uk) Rich & intense, starts off with prominent smoky chocolate wafer oak, and then the fruit emerges – fresh and slightly cooked red berries and plums – and there’s a touch of spice on the finish. Very tasty and promising. S(-)
Cono Sur 20 Barrels Pinot Noir 2008, Casablanca (£20.99 Oddbins, Tesco, Waitrose) Gentler and finer than the Casas del Bosque, confident in its lithe juiciness, and with more subtle oak, rich but always fresh, with gentle plum, ripe tomoato and black cherry flesh and a yummy finish. S(+)
Chivite Gran Feudo Garnacha Rosado 2009, Navarra, Spain (£7.99 Waitrose) Sappy young rosé packed with blackcurrant, apple & blackberry pie flavours, refreshing and juicy, with a dry, succulent finish. B(+)
Palo Alto Shiraz Reserva Rosé2009, Maule, Chile (£7.99 Asda, Booths) Gentle style, maybe lacking some freshness, pleasant red berry fruit, a touch off-dry. C+
Delheim Pinotage Rosé 2009/10, Stellenbosch, South Africa (£7.95 Museum Wines, Mill Hill Wines, Palmers Wine Store, Rackhams, Michael Jobling Wines, George Hill, Naked Grape)
The 2009 is fresh and fruity with an almost Sauvignon-like grassy edge, apples & blackberries – like summer pudding in a glass – with a touch of Pinotage banana. B(+)
The 2010 smells fuller and fleshier than the 2009, with plumper plum and berry flesh – if the ’09 is picnic pink, this is the one for barbecues. B+
A dozen wines from Naked Wines arrived on the doorstep – here’s what I thought of the first six…
Château Lagrave Cissan Listrac-Médoc 2005, Bordeaux, France (£12.99 www.nakedwines.com) Gentle, tender claret, with touches of gravel, tobacco and cedar to its blackcurranty fruit, and a refreshing finish. S-
Ocaso Malbec 2007, Mendoza, Argentina (£8.49 www.nakedwines.com- doesn’t seem to be on the site at the time of posting) Just what you want from Malbec, juicy but never descending into jamminess, with lush, almost oily blackcurrant and blackberry flesh, a touch of vanilla and a fragrant, violet-tinged finish. S-
Parrot Valley Cabernet Franc 2008, Coastal Region, South Africa (£9.99 www.nakedwines.com) There’s a touch of the South African smokiness but it’s in balance with the fragrant, leafy blackcurrant and cherry flavours, while the finish shows a dainty, almost chalky freshness. S(-)
J H Pacas Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, Coastal Region, South Africa (£12.99 www.nakedwines.com) Nicely mellow and mature, but still with some freshness to with the ripe (but not overripe_ black fruit flavour, and some tannin too. Tasty, but just a little simple. B+
Belfield’s Blend (Merlot/Cabernet) 2006, Elgin, South Africa (£11.99 www.nakedwines.com) Toasty oak is the first thing you notice, but then a wild, almost meaty, mealy edge comes through, along with plummy blackberry and blackcurrant, while the finish shows a herby, feral edge – nice wine. S
Kimbao Cabernet Sauvignon Carmenère 2008, Central Valley, Chile (£8.99 www.nakedwines.com) An honest, juicy wine, with leafy, minty blackcurrant pastille fruit tinged with the exotic herb and coffee bean of Carmenère. Just a tad simple B(+)
Snoqualmie Naked Merlot 2007, Columbia Valley, Washington State, USA (~£11.50 Stratfords Wines) Starts with a pleasant leafy edge, a touch of tobacco and reasonable plummy fruit, but then goes rather dilute, with clunky oak coming through. C
Nostros Merlot Gran Reserva 2006, Casablanca, Chile (£6.39 www.qpwines.com) Typical Chilean reduced blackcurrant pastilles and mint, with tangy blueberry flavours, but let down by reduction and rather raw, angular oak. C+
Botalcura La Porfia Carmenère Gran Reserva 2005, Rapel, Chile (£10.99 www.qpwines.com) More of what you expect from a wine labelled Gran Reserva, has the polished plushness of good ageing, alongside notes of plummy berries, vanilla, five-spice and herbs. S(-)
Montes Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Curicó, Chile (£6.50 www.qpwines.com) Clean and fresh, slight lime and lemon jelly, zippy and zesty, with a touch of river pebble, a simple but honest style. C+
Montes Limited Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2008, Leyda, Chile (£9.40 www.qpwines.com) A mixture of lushness, warmer and rounder, a touch of green pepper, plum and ripe citrus, maybe has lost a little freshness, but still pretty tasty. B
Snoqualmie Chardonnay 2008, Columbia Valley, Washington State, USA (~£11.50 Stratford’s Wine Agencies) Heavy vanilla fudge, crystallised pineapple, oily, tinned fruit cocktail syrup, rather heavy and clumsy style, not very appealing. 0
Viña Mar Chardonnay Reserva 2008, Casablanca, Chile (£9.99 www.qpwines.com) A much fresher, fruitier wine with ripe apple, peach and plum, touches of cashew nut and a creamy oatmeal finish. B(+)
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
