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?
La Différence Viognier-Muscat 2009, IGP Pays d’Oc, France (£5.99 Tesco) Pure, fresh and honest wine, with the rich oily/peachy edge of Viognier combining with grapey freshness of Muscat to pleasing effect. B(+)
Creyssels Languedoc-Picpoul de Pinet 2009, France (£7.75 Stone Vine & Sun) Richer than many Picpouls, with pear and peach fruit to the fore and briny notes in the background. Weighty but still manages to be sappy and refreshing. B+
Producteurs Plaimont Saint Mont Le Faite Blanc 2008, South West France (£14.99 Adnams) Terrific barrel-matured blend of Petit & Gros Manseng, Courbu and Arrufiac, packed with decadent rhubarb, quince and ripe apple flesh infused with aromatic notes of herbs and fennel, and with a wonderful balance between the richness, ever-so-light sweetness & tangy acidity. S+
Domaine Hegarty Chamans Les Chamans Blanc Minervois 2007, Languedoc, France (£12.50 Adnams) I love the Hegarty reds, but this is just a little too stolid for its own good, with burnt sugar and butterscotchy malo notes were I’m looking for more fragrance and fruit. Feels old before its time – random oxidation perhaps? ????
Domaine Belles Pierres Les Clauzes de Jo Coteaux du Languedoc Blanc 2007, France (£10.95 Stone Vine & Sun) A barrel-fermented blend of Roussanne, Viognier and Grenache Blanc, starts off oaky, but then starts to display its musky pear, peach and topical fruit flavour backed up by hints of fennel, herbs and honeysuckle and a tense, minerally finish. S(-)
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+
The 2009 vintage in Beaujolais is being touted as the best in living memory. Hype? Well, this sextet from Georges Duboeuf, the region’s most famous producer, didn’t disappoint. It’s a little early for most of these to be in the shops, and that’s no bad thing, as they’re all wines that will improve with a few more months (and sometimes considerably more) in bottle. The UK importer is Berkmann Wine Cellars.
Château des Vierres Beaujolais-Villages (£8.99 in various independents) Confident, crunchy stuff, with refreshing plummy raspberry fruit tinged with touches of earth and spice, gluggable chillable friendly red wine. B
Juliénas Flower Label (~£9-£10) More power & intensity here but there’s also a violet-like fragrance, and more depth of plum & strawberry flavour. Finish is quite voluptuous, but still juicy and refreshing. S-
Chiroubles Flower Label (current vintage 2008 £8.99 Waitrose) Not quite as fragrant as the Juliénas, with the fruit having more of an earthy forest-floor-feel – blackcurrants brambles, cherries and wimberries. B(+)
Fleurie Flower Label (current vintage 2008 £8.29-£10.99 Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Majestic, Wine Rack) Quite full-bodied and powerful but still packed with vibrant, earthy raspberry, blackcurrant and cherry flesh, with violet and mineral notes on the finish. S-
Brouilly Flower Label (current vintage 2008 £7.99 Sainsbury’s) More backward and less fragrant than the Fleurie, with more of an iron-tinged mineral edge, cherries and berries emerge over time, quite structured and solid but still refreshing. S-
Brouilly Château de Nervers (current vintage 2007 £8.95 The Wine Society) Even more backward, but delve deep and there’s notes of truffley undergrowth, violets, dark forest fruit, and that iron-rich minerality. Still a pup, with the potential to improve for two more years, and age for another five beyond that. S
Was interviewed at the London International Wine Fair by Nathan Nolan of soon-to-launch drinkprice.com. The wine in this first video is Le Champ d’Orphée Braucol 2008, Tarn PGI, which won a trophy at the recent Top 100 IGP competition – see the full list of winners here. Delicious as the wine is, I don’t think it’s in the UK at the moment, but there’s a little more about it here and here.
Then in the next one, a brief history of my route from electronics design engineer to where I am now…
The first four wines are pairs of the regular and non-dosage cuvées from two different Champagne producers – found myself preferring the unsweetened version on each occasion.
Champagne Laurent Perrier Ultra Brut Nature NV (£43-£51 Selfridges, Harrods, Jeroboams, Harvey Nichols, Waitrose Wine Direct) An elegant, sleek, supermodel of a wine, dry and subtle but packed with flavours of nuts, green apples and dry (as in not sweet) caramel, and with a persistent, smoky, yeasty finish. The more I drank of this (and the worse the football became), the more I enjoyed it. S(+)
Champagne Laurent Perrier Brut NV (£28-£35 widely available) Not as fine-boned as the Ultra Brut, but still elegant, with rounded backed apple and pineapple flesh, and a nutty yeasty finish. B+
Champagne Philipponnat Royale Réserve Non Dosé NV (£34.99 Harvey Nichols, Les Caves de Pyrène) Full, wine-y style of Champagne, rich but bone dry, with aromas of flowers and bread dough, touches of Grannie Smiths and crystallised pineapple, and an elegant finish. S
Champagne Philipponnat Royale Réserve Brut NV (£29.99 Selfridges, Oddbins, Les Caves de Pyrène) Fuller is body , and with quite a firm backbone, but there’s also a wealth of honeyed raisin, pineapple and baked/ bruised green apple core apple flavour, with a creamy brioche finish. S(-)
Champagne Mumm Brut NV (£23-£30 widely available) Young fresh style, not amazingly complex, but with a rich, satisfying fruit flavour verging on the tropical. B
Champagne Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut NV (£25-£35 widely available) Softer and more rounded than the Mumm, but maybe not as concentrated, gentle, slightly yeasty finish. B(-)
Just had this press release through giving details of the elevation of the red wines of Rasteau to full AOC level. Previously the mainly Grenache-based reds had to settle for being one of the named villages in the Côtes du Rhône Villages appellation. Top Rasteau producers include André Romero/Domaine la Soumade, Domaine Bressy-Messon, Domaine Gourt de Mautens and Domaine des Coteaux des Travers.
André Romero/Domaine la Soumade, Domaine Bressy-Messon, Domaine Gourt de Mautens and Domaine des Coteaux des Travers
Advertising maven John Hegarty – sorry – SIR John Hegarty needs no introduction for those in his field of influence. And the good news is that his field of influence is spreading ever wider- he’s due to do a presentation to the Institute of Masters of Wine about how wine should lose its mystery but retain its magic – and that’s what I’m aiming to do with my site. But Sir John – he’ll probably hate the monicker – also makes some rather nice wines at the southern French estate he bought in 2002. Unfortunately, one of his wines had me reaching for my guitar and wearing a Pocohontas wig…
Domaine de la Graveirette MusT 2007, Vin de Pays de la Principauté d’Orange, France (£9 Bowes Wine) Quite developed, almost port-like edges – is this suffering from oxidation? Some rustic, plummy tar edges, but lacks freshness – would make comments such as ‘Is this wine as you’d want it to be showing?’ at a tasting. ????
Hegarty Chamans Minervois les Chamans 2007, Languedoc, France (not in the UK at present) Showing the wild herby and crunchy/peppery violet edge of Carignan, concentrated but also perfumed, with vigorous blackcurrant & blackberry notes, touch of brett but in balance. B+
Hegarty Chamans Minervois Cuvée No.2 2008, Languedoc (£12.75 Adnams) Softer than the Chamans but more ethereal, with cooked strawberry and a plummy warmth tinged with rose petal and an earthy minerality, some liqueur flavour but no alcohol burn. S
Hegarty Chamans Minervois Cuvée No.1 2005, Languedoc (£15.50 Adnams) Has the classic Carignan footprint of spice, violet and peppery blackcurrant, tinged with the minerally note of the Minervois terroir, juicy & young, with a nice cooked wild strawberry edge, but lacks the tang and complexity No.2. S(-)
Hegarty Chamans Minervois Black Knight 2005, Languedoc, France (not in the UK at present) A more fleshy version of the above, with Grenache filling in the gaps missing in the previous wine. There’s the warm herbiness, notes of herby violet, orange peel, and plump plummy berry all with the firm, tannin, dry but promising structure and dusty/iron-rich terroir edges. Lovely wine. S+
Four wines, all made under the guidance of consultant winemaker Olivier Dauga. Based on this quartet, the Dauga style seems to be less flashy, less oaky, less ripe, less malo-in-barrel-y than that of Michel Rolland. This is neither a good thing nor a bad thing, merely a matter of personal taste, but it was a style that I rather liked. Most opened sample bottles end up with friends & neighbours, but three of these have stayed much closer to home – which explains why I’m supping the Caronne St Gemme as I write this.
Now this is the point at which someone might justifiably say, ‘So why aren’t the marks higher?’ And I find myself temporarily stumped with this question. These were wines that weren’t Page 3 stunnas but which passed the empty bottle test. Should I mark good wines down because they’re not my personal taste – think early Meryl Streep? Should I overscore things that no-one else but me finds attractive – I’m probably alone in thinking ‘Moving’ by The Raincoats is a fabulous album? Aach maan, as the current World Cup hosts would say. I’ll shut up now, here’s the video…
Château Roques Mauriac Bordeaux Supérieur 2005 (£10.99 www.virginwines.com) Modern but not too flashy, this has quite fragrant leafy tobacco and slightly toasty oak notes on top of dark, tar-tinged berry and blackcurrant fruit, also hints of violet, cedar and brine. Nicely balanced, tasty wine, still with plenty of life. B(+)
Château Cantinot 1ères Côtes de Blaye 2005 (No UK stockists at present) A softer, sweeter style, with less obvious oak, more mature and gentle but still has richness and juicy plummy flesh plus an exotic almost sandalwood-like character. B+
Château Roques Mauriac Damnation Bordeaux 2006 (£16.49 www.virginwines.com)
Thought the chocolate wafer oak was swamping this, but it calmed down to show its fragrant core, and its heady blackcurrant, redcurrant, red berry and tar flavours, along with notes of hoisin, clove and sandalwood. Think the 2005 would have been even better. S-
Château Caronne Ste Gemme Haut-Médoc 2005 (£13.99 Majestic) Used to be known for its solid, slightly rustic style, but this, while still firm and showing earthy terroir edges, has a soft plummy character to its classic cassis and cedar flavours, and a polished finish. Nice wine, still good for another five years at least. S(-)
Château de la Terrière Beaujolais Villages Vieilles Vignes 2008 (£8.99 Majestic) Light, simple aromas with a touch of bubblegum, OK raspberry flavour, but finishes rather thin & scrawny. C
Domaine des Nugues Beaujolais Villages 2007 (£8.99 Majestic) More depth of flavour, some plump plumminess but has lost the crunchy freshness of youth. C(+)
Chanson Père et Fils Fleurie 2007 (£9.99 Majestic) Showing its maturity, with a cooked edge to the plummy red berry fruit, plus a touch of tomato, doesn’t have the structure for further ageing, but a decent drink now. B-
Villa Ponciago Fleurie La Réserve 2009 (£14-£15.99 Huntsworth Wine Company, Handford, Lewis & Cooper) Lively sappy young wine, with crunchy, earthy cherry and raspberry flavours, exotic but lively and never overripe, and with a framework of tannin and acidity that will keep it in fine fettle for another couple of years at least. S
Villa Ponciago Fleurie Les Hauts du Py 2009 (£18-£19.99 Handford, Charles Steevenson) Dumber but richer and more fragrant than the previous wine, opens up to show lush, juicy violet-scented raspberry and black cherry flesh, warm spice and hints of chocolate, earth and toasty oak, quite full-bodied, but with brain as well as brawn. S+
Château de Pizay Morgon 2009 (£8.99 Majestic) Young, vibrant and boisterous, with crunchy dark berry and plum fruit, tangy acidity and chewy but ripe tannins, good and with it’s best still to come. S-
Jean Foillard Morgon Côte du Py 2007 (£22.99 Les Caves de Pyrene, Cooden Cellars, Whole Foods Market) Wild, feral wine, has some brett but it merely adds character to the flavours grilled meat, warm, slightly cooked strawberry/cherry fruit and touches of kirsch and damp petals. Drinking well now, but has the power and structure for another 3-4 years at least. S(+)
