First Drop Wines Bella Coppia Arneis 2009, Adelaide Hills, Australia (currently N/A in the UK) Clean, fresh and zesty, combining fleshy pear fruit with crisp citrussy acidity and a slightly briny/savoury finish. B+
Zalze Bush Vine Chenin Blanc 2009, Western Cape, South Africa (£6.49 Waitrose) Starts off slightly jelly-like, but then improves to show voluptuous, peach, pear, and tropical fruit flavours with a creamy, nutty edge and a juicy tender finish. B(-)
Tesco Finest* Ken Forrester Chenin Blanc 2008, Stellenbosch, South Africa (£7.11 Tesco) Not as ripe & tropical as the Zalze, with sappy flavours of apple, pear, nectarine, guava and plum, set against richer yeasty/mealy notes. Very tasty. S-
Clay Station Viognier 2009, Lodi, California (£8.95 The Wine Society) Has some of the classic peach kernel and cream flavours, along with a a slightly confected sherbet/dolly mixture character. Quite voluptuous but lacks freshness. B-
McHenry Hohnen Semillon Sauvignon 2009, Margaret River, Western Australia (£9.99-£10.99 – see below for vast list of stockists) A touch of green pepper and citrus, but it’s English summer fruit flavours that dominate – apples, pears, and rhubarb – with all being kept in check by a spine of fresh acidity. B+
Fairview Chenin Blanc 2009, Darling, South Africa (£8.49 www.sawinesonline.co.uk, Liberty Wines) Starts of a little jelly-like, but then musky pear skin and tangy apple crumble flavours come through, rounded and full bodied with the Chenin acidity to keep it sitting upright. B(+)
The Gum Pinot Grigio 2009, Adelaide Hills, Australia (£10.79 Marks & Spencer) Succulent, refreshing and food friendly wine, with rather more personality and depth of flavour than run-of-the-mill Pinot Grigio. Clean and tangy, with apple, pear and peach flesh, and an almost volcanic, minerally edge to the finish. B+
Tim Adams Pinot Gris 2009, Clare Valley, Australia (£11.50 www.australianwinecentre.co.uk) A richer fleshier style of wine, this has aromas of honey and blossom, and plush peach, lychee and mango flavours, tinged with ginger. Off-dry and slightly nutty, with an almost creamy edge, but with citus tang to provide balance. S(-)
OK, now for all those McHenry Hohnen Semillon Sauvignon stockists… Ann et Vin, Newark; Bablake Wines, Coventry; Cartwright Brothers Vintners, London; The City Beverage Company, Hoxton; Continental Wines, Biggleswade; C & O Wines, Timperley; Eagles Wine, Battersea; Flourish and Prosper, Howden; Francis Fine Wines Ltd, Leicester; General Wine & Liquor Co, Liphook; Quaff Fine Wine, Hove; Hennings Wine Merchants, Pulborough; Medina Wines, Yarmouth; The Wine Society; Handford; N D John Wine Merchants, Swansea; Willoughby’s Wine Warehouse, Cheshire; Cheviot Wines, Glasgow; Mounts Bay Wine Co, Penzance; Duncan Murray Wines, Leicester; Nethergate Wines, Cavendish; Partridges, Chelsea; Penistone Court Cellars; Planet of the Grapes, London; The Smiling Grape Company, St Neots; The Southwell Vintner, Southwell; St. Austell Brewery Co; Tanners, Wine Rack; Vineyard Wines, Bury; The Vineyard, Dorking; H T White & Co, Eastbourne; Whole Foods Market, Kensington; Wimbledon Wine Cellar; Windermere Wine Stores; The Wine Cellar, Douglas; La Zouch, Ashby de la Zouch.
Domaine FL Savennières ‘Chamboureau’ 2007 (£24.99 Whole Foods Market London, Cooden Cellars, Liberty Wines) Appley intensity, earthy metallic minerality, not for everyone, but fine-boned, rich, pure, complex and fresh, tense and lively. Uncoils over several hours to show hidden richness, several years still ahead of it. S(+)
Château de Chamboureau Savennières Cuvée d’Avant 2005 (£14.50 Yapp Brothers) A more relaxed, developed wine, with the green apple turning brown, and also some touches of quince. Rich but dry, good but lacks the purity of the FL. S- (owner Pierre Soulez sold the Chamboureau vineyards to Domaine FL in 2006)
Domaine Laureau Savennières ‘Cuvée des Genets’ 1999 (£16.79 Oddbins – although the web site says it’s £23.99)
Showing honeyed, nutty maturity, and a hint of cooked apples, you think it’s going to be sweet, but it’s bone dry. Maybe not the most complex of Savennières, but nicely balanced and feeling richer than its 12.5% alcohol. S(-)
Domaine des Liards Montlouis Sec 2008 (£9.95 Yapp Brothers) Nutty, green apple, also some more mature bruised apple flavours, plus a slightly metallic edge too, rich yet dry, with typical prominent Chenin acidity, but just a touch short. B
Domaine Vigneau-Chevreau Vouvray Sec Silex 2008 (£12.96 Colchester Wine Company) Slightly nutty/stony aromas, lots of fruit, apple and citrus, with some exotic passionfruit edges behind, but all kept in check by rapier-like acidity and earthy minerality. It’s best is still to come. S
Domaine FL Anjou Blanc ‘Le Chenin’ 2007 (£13.99 DeFine Food & Wine, Liberty Wines) Oily richness, peach and pear but still classic apple edge of Chenin – apple charlotte, with a touch of just-undercooked sponge. Rich but still has a steely backbone. S(-)
Château de Pierre-Bise Coteaux du Layon Beaulieu Sélection des Grains Nobles L’Anclaie 2007 (£16.50/per 500 ml Lea & Sandeman) Exotic apricot, peach kernel and pineapple, cooked apple, very voluptuous and unctuous, then mouth-tingling acidity to keep it all fresh, rich and yummy. S(+)
Domaine FL Coteaux du Layon ‘Les 4 Villages’ 2007 (£21.99 Noel Young, Rannoch Scott Wines, Liberty Wines) A touch of smoky oak here? Certainly there on the nose, but overall this is fresh and vibrant in style, rich yet delicate, with the wealth of pineapple and peach flavour kept in check with appley freshness and lithe mineral finish. Lovely wine. G-
Really enjoyed this quartet of very different whites
Felsner Moosburgerin Grüner Veltliner 2008, Kremstal, Austria (£9.49 Waitrose) Clean, tangy peppery style, nice mix of lime and grapefruit tang with an earthier weightier core, also some pebbly/minerally character, fresh vibrant finish. S(-)
Duca di Castelmonte Gibele Zibibbo Secco 2008, Sicily, Italy (£11.49 Hallgarten Druitt, www.wineman.co.uk, www.everywine.co.uk, Winos) Fleshy grape and orange flavours tinged with rose petal and jasmine, quite full bodied, with an almost oily walnut edge. Perhaps too big for an aperitif, but good with fuller fish dishes. S-
The Society’s Exhibition Chenin Blanc 2008, Piekenierskloof, South Africa (£9.50 The Wine Society) Cooked apple and honey, quite powerful, rich but bracing, thanks to zesty acidity, very tasty now, but will become even more honeyed with another couple of years in bottle. S(-)
La Tunella La Linda Colli Orientali di Friuli 2008, Italy (N/A in UK) Richness and peachy flesh backed up by some creamy/bready lees character and a clay-like minerality, touch of pomegranate, and an edge of spice, one of those wines that creeps up on you. S-
