Samos Co-op Vin Doux 2007 (£4.99 per half Cooden Cellars, Theatre of Wine, Adnams) Light lemon/orange scented, grapey delight, with the classic edge of barley sugar, rich but gentle, with a sprightly finish, and just the right amount of spirity bite. B+
Samos Co-op Anthemis 2003 (£11.50 The Wine Society – Waitrose also has halves in presentation boxes @ £9.99) Some of the mahogany-edged raisinny character of tawny port, nutty and figgy, also some treacle toffee, but still with a lively citrus edge to the finish. S(-)
Hatzidakis Vinsanto 2000, Santorini (£16.75 Cooden Cellars) Smells fresher than the Anthemis, but the flavour is just a bit too sweet and rich, nice nutty raisin edge, but jusy a bit glloopy, would benefit from a touch of fortification in this style. B
Moraitis Sillogi White 2007, Paros (£9.95 Laytons) Similar citrus crispness, but richer, lacks the zip and minerally zest, just turning a touch bitter – should have been drunk up by now. C
Hatzidakis Nykteri Reserve 2007, Santorini (£13.99-19.80 Cooden Cellars, Theatre of Wine) Peach, melon, pineapple chunk, some smoky/resinny oak, very rich and mouthfilling, but lacks the balance of the basic version. Comes across as slightly bloated. B
Moraitis Sillogi Red 2005, Paros (£10.95 Laytons) Earthy cherry, cooked fruit, ripe but with quite a big structure, slightly bitter cherry, some red berries, but finish is just a little coarse. 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(+)
