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(+)
Part 2 of my look at a selection of wines from Naked Wines – Part 1 is here.
(any topic you’d like to see me covering in forthcoming videos? Do leave a comment below)
Monowai Pinot Noir 2006, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand (£10.99 www.nakedwines.com) The berry fruit’s a little stewed, but overall this is plush, velvety and relaxed wine with a hint of coffee – Pinot for Shiraz lovers. B+
Manley Pinotage 2006, Tulbagh, South Africa (£11.99 www.nakedwines.com) Has some of the berry flesh of Pinot Noir, along with a sandy, savoury edge, warming and quite full but not overripe, but let down by a slightly muddy finish. B-
Vicien Syrah Reserve 2006, Catamarca, Argentina (£10.99 www.nakedwines.com) The jammy dodger fruit is OK, but this is let down by rather crude smoky bacon/toasty oak, which dominates and dries out the finish. C+
Moerbei Sable 2008, Stellenbosch, South Africa (£9.99 www.nakedwines.com) There’s toasty oak here too, but it’s in balance with the pippy plum and blackberry flavours, young and a touch alcoholic, but good. B
Blackwood Ridge Shiraz 2008, Central Victoria, Australia (£9.99 www.nakedwines.com) Bold and fleshy wine with buxom bramble and blackcurrant flavours, touches of licorice and oatmeal, and a warm finish: just a bit too hot & jammy for real class. B(+)
Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch Shiraz 2007, Strathbogie Ranges, Australia (£15.99 www.nakedwines.com) Big but quite subtle, showing plush blackcurrant, blackberry and plummy fruit, some licorice and leather and also minerally complexity, good now but built to last. S(-)
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-
Blason de Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune 2007, Burgundy, France (£9.99 Sainsburys) There’s some light cherry and raspberry fruit here, but it’s swamped by a weird dusty/stale chocolate edge. Hope this is a bad bottle… 0
Louis Latour Givry 2007, Burgundy, France (~£12.99 Ann et Vin, T Wright, Forth Wines, Hailsham Cellars, Willoughby’s Wine Warehouse, Peake Wine Associates, Satchells of Burnham Market, Weavers of Nottingham, Whole Foods Kensington, Windermere Wine Stores) Light red fruit aromas, cherries and strawberries, pretty wine, a touch simple, not as concentrated and earthy as typical Givry, and tails off a little on the finish. B
Villa Maria Reserve Pinot Noir 2007, Marlborough, New Zealand (£16.99, Tesco, www.nzhouseofwine.co.uk) The richest and fullest of the four wines, this is deep in colour and packed with lush warm berry and plum flavours. Very alluring, with touches of smoky vanilla, if there’s a problem, it’s that it’s lacks intrigue. But tasty wine. S(-)
De Bortoli Pinot Noir 2007, Yarra Valley, Australia (£15.99 Oddbins, Planet of the Grapes) This is the one that slinks up to you in its svelte feline way, fragrant and seductive with touches of violet and coffee (almost like Corton), lithe strawberry and plum fruit, and some nervy notes from acidity and tannin. Improves on each sniff, nicely polished complex style. S(+)
