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+
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(-)
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(+)
Clarendelle is the ‘new’ range of generic Bordeaux from one of the finest addresses in Bordeaux. May I quote from a press release that accompanied them…. ‘According to Prince Robert of Luxembourg, great-grandson of Clarence Dillon and President of Château Haut-Brion; “Clarendelle’s style and structure represent elegance, complexity and balance. Clarendelle strives for a style representative of its roots. Our red and white wines are the fruits of an assemblage which mirrors the marriage of grape varietals found in our estate wines.” ‘
But as we all know, there is a difference in the quality of the nominally same raw ingredients. And there is a difference in the way different chefs approach those ingredients…
Clarendelle Bordeaux Blanc 2006 (£13.99 Avery’s) Quite old-fashioned and rather heavy, creamy lemon curd fruit with some beeswax and a touch of nuttiness, but ultimately lacks freshness. C-
Clarendelle Bordeaux Rosé 2007 (£10.99 Avery’s) Ripe blackcurrant and plum aromas, but this is flabby and lacking zip – they really should be on a younger vintage now. 0
Clarendelle Bordeaux Rouge 2004 (£13.99 Avery’s) Some plummy fruit, but the figgy/pruny edges speak of a wine that’s fading, slightly earthy edges to the finish, but very little charm or class. C
Clarendelle Amber Wine Monbazillac 2003 (£19.99/500 ml Avery’s) Heady, almost Tokaji-like, burnt sugar, orange marmalade, intense but simple and not exactly subtle. B(-)
All in all, not a great advert for Bordeaux. I find it hard to comprehend why such a famous producer would want to soil their reputation with a range such as this.
More from the batches of wine that arrived from Morrisons & The Wine Society – this time it’s the reds (the whites are here).
The Society’s Claret NV (Sichel), Bordeaux, France (£5.95/£5.42 The Wine Society) Leafy, sappy, young and refreshing unoaked style, uncomplicated tender and fruity, does just what it should. B-
Sichel Lussac St Emilion 2007, Bordeaux, France (£11.99/£6 Morrisons) Reasonably fleshy but a touch over-extracted and with too much toasty oak for the level of fruit. OK at £6, not at £11.99. C+
The Society’s Rioja Crianza 2006 (Bodegas Palacio), Spain (£7.50 The Wine Society) Quite delicate young wine, with typical sappy strawberry flavours tinged with vanilla, but also more exotic hints of ginger and orange peel. B+
Lagunilla Rioja Reserva 2004 (aka M ‘The Best’ Rioja), Spain (£9.11/£6 Morrisons) A richer, fuller style, still with lots of red berry fruit, plus hints of chocolate and vanilla. Honest and welcoming but just a tad short. B+
The Society’s Côtes-du-Rhône NV (Ogier), France (£6.75 The Wine Society) Young, fresh, almost chillable style, with raspberry flavours and a touch of bubble gum (feels like a touch of carbonic maceration), a little gawky at the moment, but decent peppery finish. B-
Ramparts Côtes du Rhône Villages 2007, France (£9.99/£6 Morrisons) Sweeter and fleshier, with rounder plum and blackberry flavours, some chocolate edges (maybe from a touch of oak?) and a rich earthy finish. B(+)
The remaining trio from the clarets that had been hogging the wine rack…
Château Preuillac Médoc 2004 (£14 Soho Wine Supply) Nose is a combination of ripe, even overripe fruit with a smoky edge that tends towards the fishy (think smoked mackerel). There’s quite nice ripe blackcurrant, plum and berry, but then the dry finish speaks of too much new wood, and it doesn’t improve with time either. B-
Château de Lamarque Haut-Médoc 2004 (£17.99 Corney & Barrow) A less ambitious wine than the Preuillac, but all the better for it. It’s more relaxed and more mature, and the smokiness here seems to speak of terroir rather than over-zealous winemaking. Slightly ristic, but honest and tasty. S-
Château Brown Pessac-Léognan Rouge 2006 (£25 Soho Wine Supply) Classy fruit, classy oak, plummy, cedary intensity, plus a hint of woodsmoke, manages to be both tight and svelte, yet juicy at the same time woodsmoke, beautifully balanced with a silky, almost Burgundian finish, very moreish. S(+)
Had eight Bordeaux reds hanging around waiting to be tasted – here are the first five…
Château Maynes-Graves Bordeaux Supérieur 2007 (£7.99 Corney & Barrow) Earthy redcurrant, blackcurrant, cedar, young, refreshing, touch of vanilla, not complex but good Sunday lunch, roast meat type of wine. B-
Château Martouret Bordeaux Supérieur 2006 (£9.86 Colchester Wine Company) Bit more structure, but also a riper, sweeter, gentler presence, some cedar, but then let down by a quite dry, slightly bitter finish – maybe a bit over extracted? B
Château Haut Cabut Premières Côtes de Blaye 2006 (£10.95 Lea & Sandeman) Fragrant, smoky allure, more new oak here but it’s well handled, adding gloss and sheen to the cedar and dark fruit. Earthy tannins, but enough plummy berry fruit to stand up to them. B+
Château Rigaud Puisseguin-Saint-Emilion 2006 (£11.95 Lea & Sandeman) The warm horsey smell speaks of brettanomyces, OK plush plummy fruit, but then the raisiny edge and the astringency from the brett on the finish strips away the pleasure. Some will like this; I don’t. B-
Corney & Barrow Company Reserve Claret Bordeaux (Ets J-P Moueix) 2005 (£10.99 Corney & Barrow) Still some bounce to the gentle dark fruit, but overall impression os of something that would have been better a year or two ago. Quite dry, cedary finish, just hanging in there. B-
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(+)
A rather diverse sextet of sparkling wines that I’ve just tried from various parts of France and northern Italy…
Blason de Bourgogne Crémant de Bourgogne Rosé NV (£9.99 Waitrose) Slightly bitter edge, but then opens up to show ripe raspberry and cherry. Not complex but a nice drink. B-
Réserve de Sours Sparkling Rosé NV, Bordeaux, France (£10.98 Private Cellar) Sl confected, rather sweet and simple strawberry fruit, OK, but a bit young and raw. C
Bisol Desiderio Jeio Valdobbiadene Prosecco Brut NV, Veneto, Italy (£9.15 Bibendum) Fresh, frothy, almost sherbet-like, soft peachy fruit, attractive but very simple style. B-
Bisol Crede Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore Brut 2008, Veneto, Italy (£14.57 Bibendum) Less frothy but more grip and minerally character here, one of those wines that creeps up on you, an almost volcanic minerally note. B+
Champagne Moutard Champ Persin Côte des Bar Chardonnay NV (£25.99 Woods Wines, Ashbourne Wines, Sommelier Cru) Quite toasty, a lemony edge that’s almost like Semillon (!), quite ripe and plush, not fine but honest, balanced and tasty. B+
Champagne Moutard Vignes Beugneux Côte des Bar Pinot Noir NV (£25.99 R Campbell & Sons, Hanslope Wines, Woods Wines, Kevin O’Rourke Wines) A smoky edge here, ripe, even spicy fruit with a creamy/yeasty richness, very ‘wine-y’ Champagne, rich but dry, with an almost briney tang to the finish. S-
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(+)
