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+
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+
All these are from a tasting I was supposed to be doing for James Nicholson in Northern Ireland in early May 2010 – it was postponed due to volcanic ash travel problems but is due to be rescheduled very soon…
(and it’s also a video I did in my office bunker, having been banished by the rest of the family from the lounge – hence the slightly odd lighting…)
Domaine Rives-Blanques Chardonnay Chenin Vin de Pays d’Oc 2008 Fresh and slightly yeasty, almost Mâcon-like in style, with appley notes (fresh and cooked), a touch of pear and a creamy finish. B
Domaine Gayda L’Archet Maccabeo Vin de Pays d’Oc 2006 Remarkably fresh for its age, with some peach/apricot edges reminiscent of Viognier, plus more exotic lychee and guava flavours, a yeasty note to the finish. B+
François Collard Fontaine du Roy Vin de Pays du Gard 2007 Not sure what the blend is but it’s pungent Viognier peachiness that leads the way, along with touches of pears, quince and herbs. Rich but the finish has a floral, zesty mineral edge to keep it fresh. S
Domaine Le Roc des Anges ‘Segna de Cor’ Côtes du Roussillon-Villages 2008 Lovely mix of ripeness and freshness. There’s voluptuous plummy berry flesh, but then the peppery violet and blackcurrant tang of Carignan kicks in. The result is precise and poised, with a slightly salty/briney edge to add further interest. S
Château du Vieux Parc Corbières La Sélection 2007 Another that manages to be both brainy and brawny, this shows the orange peel, plum and bacon fat of Syrah spiced up by smoky but never OTT new oak. Rich but lively, and with a lovely warm spiciness to the finish. S(-)
Domaine Gayda Chemin de Moscou Vin de Pays d’Oc 2007 Immensely classy wine, again with Syrah to the fore. There’s the same orange peel and plum of the Roc des Anges, but this packs in more damson, dark berry and herby meatiness, and feels the most coiled and brooding of these 3 reds. Classic G-
La Cuvée Mythique Blanc des Vignerons de la Mediterranée 2008, Vin de Pays d’Oc, France (£7.99 The Co-op – down to £3.99 10th Feb – 1st Mar) (Would love to give a link to the two Cuvée Mythique wines, but in classic French fashion, there’s no obvious web site…) Nice combination of aromatic complexity, fleshy fruit and minerally restraint. Peach, waxy pearskin, cream and nut kernel all bound up in a taut stony overcoat. Lots going on here but never in-yer-face, very moreish. B+
Paul Mas Estate Viognier 2009, Vin de Pays d’Oc, France (£8.99 Majestic – £5.99 if you buy two 2nd Feb-26th Apr)
(Even here, the web site is poor, and neither this nor the red seem to feature at www.paulmas.com)
Proper plump, plush Viognier, with lush peaches and cream fruit, but there’s also some freshness and tension here, plenty of fruit and flavour, but finish reined in by zesty acidity. B+
La Cuvée Mythique Rouge des Vignerons de la Mediterranée 2008, Vin de Pays d’Oc, France (£7.99 The Co-op – down to £3.99 10th Feb – 1st Mar) Classic southern French red, all meaty, herby intensity with gentle, mature plummy berry and raisin fruit encased in a refreshing white-peppery structure, rustic in the best sense of the word. B+
Paul Mas Estate Syrah/Viognier 2008, Vin de Pays d’Oc, France (£8.99 Majestic – £6.49 if you buy two 2nd Feb–26thApr)
Big, rich roasted meat aromas, then bold berry, blackcurrant and orange peel character comes through, along with a ferrous edge, young, wild wine with a promising future. S
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(-)
If you are surrounded by cake, what do you do? Open three sweet wines…
Mont Tauch Muscat de Rivesaltes NV, France (£5.99 per half Morrisons)
Plump juicy grape and barley sugar, a hint of rose petal, maybe a touch of heat from the fortification, but overall this is very friendly, sticky wine – perfect for Christmas puddings. B+
Heggies Botrytis Riesling 2006, Eden Valley, South Australia (~£11 per half)
Alluring apricot, orange and peach kernel aromas, supple, juicy wine, not overladen with botrytis, but with that almost creamy richness allied to the tangy floral edges of Riesling. S
Disznókő Tokaj 5 puttonyos 2001, Hungary (£21.36 per 500ml Waitrose)
Classic burnt sugar and deep marmalade character, showing some maturity but still with that backbone of searing, almost herby acidity that will keep it in good nick for years to come. Yes it’s sweet, but that acidity dries up the finish – save it for blue cheese and foie gras. S+
For anyone in London looking to find out what was hot and what was not in southern France in the 1990s, the place to head was down Old Brompton Road to La Vigneronne. Liz & Mike Berry’s poky little shop excelled in other French regions, and stocked some of the top names of California and Australia long before many others, but it was vast range of top wines of Provence, Langeudoc Roussillon and South West France that marked them out as different.
It’s been some years now since the two sold the shop (it’s now Handford – still worth a visit but not quite as eclectic as La Vig) and moved to Provence. They found a vineyard and olive grove, and now produce their own oil and wine, but they also carried on offering much of the range found in the shop by mail order. However the lure of retail has enticed them to set up shop again in the town of St Martin de Crau. There are several familiar faces on the shelves from the La Vigneronne days, but there are also some of those discoveries that you can only find by being close to the action. If you’re in southern France this summer, Vin Fins de la Crau lies roughly half-way between Marseilles and Montpellier. And if you’re not, the range is still available through mail order – click here for the first newsletter from the new operation.
Don’t know why, but on one of the chilliest weekends in recent years, we’ve by-passed red wines and been sipping and supping white wines, all from southern France. It’s a vast and varied region, and as with the reds, trying to pigeon-hole them under one banner is somewhat difficult. But the best do have something in common. I’m not talking here about the many varietal Chardonnays and Sauvignons – they’re perfectly adequate Ronseal wines, (they do what they say on the labels) but they seldom set the pulse racing. No, the real excitement is in those rather wacky grapes such as Marsanne, Roussanne, Rolle (aka Vermentino), Bourboulenc and Grenache Blanc. These grapes aren’t out-and-out fruity and in-yer-face, but planted in the right place, but the right grower, they make wines that intrigue rather than assault, and can compete on complexity terms with some of France’s finest whites. And where once they wobbled and keeled over with a couple of years of vintage, today they’re happy to spend a number of years in bottle.
Friday saw us on 2005 Château Gravade Minervois, Languedoc (£7.95 Vintage Roots)
It’s a blend of Roussanne and Grenache Blanc, pepped up with 10% Muscat à Petits Grains, and then partially oak-aged. The result is a wine that manages to be rich, yet remain fresh and sappy, with the citrus flavours boosted by notes of vanilla, herbs and honey overtones. Good by itself, but also a decent cheeseboard white.
Saturday saw us climb to the 2006 Domaine d’Aupilhac Coteaux du Languedoc Montpeyroux Blanc Les Cocalières (£17.35 Berry Bros & Rudd)
Sylvain Fadat has been at the forefront of the Languedoc red revolution for several years, but he’s no slouch on the white front either. Les Cocalières is equal shares of Marsanne, Rolle, Roussanne and Grenache Blanc, fermented and aged in old barrels of varying sizes. It’s still a pup, but its already awash with character – white pepper, honey, quince, dried apricots and more, with freshness and minerality coming through on the finish. Good now, better in a couple of years – move quickly if you’d like to try it as supplies are limited.
If Les Cocalières was the wine for tomorrow, then the 2005 Domaine des Anges Côtes du Ventoux l’Archange (£9.95 The Big Red Wine Company) was absolutely perfect for today.
Château de Beaucastel’s fabulous Châteauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes is the benchmark for oak-aged Roussanne, but here’s an excellent alternative for a fraction of the price, rich in smoky pearskin and peach flavours, with oatmeal and honey on the finish, and some of that classic spent-match character (is it minerality, is it barrel related?) that you find in top white Burgundies. Three great wines, one great weekend.
