Washington Hills Merlot 2008, Columbia Valley (£6.49 The Co-op) Overripe with rather hard baked blackberry character, concentrated but overdone, should have been picked earlier and made with less force. C(-)
The Magnificent Wine Company House Wine 2007, Columbia Valley (~£7.99) Simple and fresh to begin with, again with the fruit flavours in that baked berry and tar spectrum, but it’s let down by a rather crude vanilla character, and finishes sweet & simple. C
The Magnificent Wine Company Steak House Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, Columbia Valley (£9.99 The Co-op) More of that bimbo vanilla, but there are also a touch of mint to liven up the baked dark fruit chracter. Again, intense but overripe and overextracted. C+
Andrew Will Champoux Vineyard 2006, Horse Heaven Hills (£40 Berry Bros & Rudd) Classy, exotic wine, again not trying too hard, with smoky oak wrapped around polished blackcurrant and blackberry flesh, and some mealy/nutty notes from barrel-aging. Lovely silky tannins, but still feels young and vigorous, with plenty of potential. S+
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(-)
Crossroads Syrah 2008, Hawkes Bay (£13.50 Mentzendorff) Has a fragrant, peppery roasted aroma, along with fresh blackcurrant, plum and raspberry fruit, but could use a little more body to live up to that fragrance. B
Vidal Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2008, Hawkes Bay (£10.99 Waitrose, Halifax Wine Co, Trina’s Wines, www.nzhouseofwine.co.uk) Not quite as fragrant and peppery, but there’s fresher, more lively, bouncy black fruit, and an earthy, tar-like edge to the finish. A combination of the fragrance of the Crossroads with the fruit here would work well. B+
Craggy Range Single Vineyard Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2008, Hawkes Bay (£17.99 Waitrose) Classy wine with a haunting violet aroma, herby peppery dark fruit and a rich roasted character. Confident and fleshy, with structure to match, but never too brawny. Lovely gentle, balanced finish too. S
Esk Valley Syrah 2007, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand (£12.99 Laytons, Irvine Robertson, Peckhams, Trina’s Wines, The Leamington Wine Co., www.nzhouseofwine.co.uk) Showing some leathery maturity alongside the peppery/roasted edges, but while the dark berry fruit is pleasant, it’s let down by a slightly confected vanilla character. B-
Vidal Syrah 2007, Hawkes Bay (£10.99 possibly still in some Waitrose) Gentle and juicy, more confident than the Esk, and without the vanilla, but while there’s still the earthy black fruit character of the 2008, this feels like its just losing freshness. B
Villa Maria Private Bin Syrah 2005, Hawkes Bay (£9.99 Wine Rack, Rhythm & Booze, Earls Court Wines, James Wallace Wines) Surprisingly fruity for a five-year-old, with blueberry, blackberry and black cherry flavours, and lots of pepper/spice character, but it’s let down by a slightly charmless, hard, almost fizzy edge. C+
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-
Da Vinci Chianti 2008, Tuscany, Italy (£8.99 Liberty Wines, Whole Foods, Noel Young) Juicy, earthy style, combining violet-scented bitter cherry & raspberry flavours with a herby wildness and a sappy, refreshing finish. B+
Poggiotondo Chianti Superiore 2007, Tuscany, Italy (£11.99 Liberty Wines, Whole Foods, Noel Young) More flesh and polish than the Da Vinci, a touch of VA (volatile acidity – think ever-so-slight vinegar) but it’s in balanced with the smooth, serious morello cherry and blackcurrant fruit, also a seam of minerality, with tannin & acidity to keep it in balance. S(-)
Greenstone Sangiovese 2007, Heathcote, Australia (£26.99 Liberty Wines, Imbibros, Noel Young, Wimbledon Wine Cellar) Shows the cola edge often found in Sangiovese, along with the characteristic earthy bitter cherry fruit and tangy tannins, but it’s more leathery, warmer & riper than the 2 Italians. Perhaps lacks subtlety, but it’s not too heavily extracted, and the finish is full and satisfying. S-
First Drop Wines Minchia Montepulciano 2008, Adelaide Hills, Australia (currently N/A in the UK) Riper and fleshier still, almost verging on the jammy, with the slightly baked berry edge of very ripe grapes. Plummy and upfront, but with a sappy savoury edge and tannin to freshen up the finish. B+
Poggiotondo Toscana Bianco 2009, Italy (£8.99 Liberty Wines, Noel Young, Reserve) One of those wines that creeps up on you, initially fresh and floral with a citrussy bite, but then the taut, pine-like edge of Vermentino comes through, along with an almost volcanic minerality. B+
Raimat Albariño Viña 24 2009, Costers del Segre, Spain (£8.99 Oddbins) Crisp and tangy to start with then opens up to show a richer, peachy core, with hints of ripe red apples. Good but a touch simple. B
Vesevo Beneventano Falanghina 2009, Campania, Italy (£10.99 Liberty Wines, Highbury Vintners, Noel Young, Reserve) Is this bottle as fresh as it should be? There’s quite weighty flavours of waxy walnut skin and peaches, along with touches of marzipan, but I remember previous vintages being fresher and more minerally. ???
Church Mouse Falanghina 2008, Puglia, Italy (£6.98 Asda) Quite rich and fleshy, with grapefruit and lime jelly flavours, but it lacks fragrance and poise, and ends up being pleasant but simple. C+
Orovela Cuvée Chandrebi Mtsvane/Rkatsiteli 2007, Georgia (£12.99 Georgian Wine Society) Has an intriguing, almost late-harvest character, with aromas of burnt sugar, honey and honeysuckle, fleshy, peachy fruit with hints of almonds and marmalade, and grippy acidity on the finish. Unusual, and some may say it’s too old, but this was one from this quintet that I polished off the evening after the tasting, with garlic-y roast chicken. S-
The 2009 vintage in Beaujolais is being touted as the best in living memory. Hype? Well, this sextet from Georges Duboeuf, the region’s most famous producer, didn’t disappoint. It’s a little early for most of these to be in the shops, and that’s no bad thing, as they’re all wines that will improve with a few more months (and sometimes considerably more) in bottle. The UK importer is Berkmann Wine Cellars.
Château des Vierres Beaujolais-Villages (£8.99 in various independents) Confident, crunchy stuff, with refreshing plummy raspberry fruit tinged with touches of earth and spice, gluggable chillable friendly red wine. B
Juliénas Flower Label (~£9-£10) More power & intensity here but there’s also a violet-like fragrance, and more depth of plum & strawberry flavour. Finish is quite voluptuous, but still juicy and refreshing. S-
Chiroubles Flower Label (current vintage 2008 £8.99 Waitrose) Not quite as fragrant as the Juliénas, with the fruit having more of an earthy forest-floor-feel – blackcurrants brambles, cherries and wimberries. B(+)
Fleurie Flower Label (current vintage 2008 £8.29-£10.99 Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Majestic, Wine Rack) Quite full-bodied and powerful but still packed with vibrant, earthy raspberry, blackcurrant and cherry flesh, with violet and mineral notes on the finish. S-
Brouilly Flower Label (current vintage 2008 £7.99 Sainsbury’s) More backward and less fragrant than the Fleurie, with more of an iron-tinged mineral edge, cherries and berries emerge over time, quite structured and solid but still refreshing. S-
Brouilly Château de Nervers (current vintage 2007 £8.95 The Wine Society) Even more backward, but delve deep and there’s notes of truffley undergrowth, violets, dark forest fruit, and that iron-rich minerality. Still a pup, with the potential to improve for two more years, and age for another five beyond that. S
The first four wines are pairs of the regular and non-dosage cuvées from two different Champagne producers – found myself preferring the unsweetened version on each occasion.
Champagne Laurent Perrier Ultra Brut Nature NV (£43-£51 Selfridges, Harrods, Jeroboams, Harvey Nichols, Waitrose Wine Direct) An elegant, sleek, supermodel of a wine, dry and subtle but packed with flavours of nuts, green apples and dry (as in not sweet) caramel, and with a persistent, smoky, yeasty finish. The more I drank of this (and the worse the football became), the more I enjoyed it. S(+)
Champagne Laurent Perrier Brut NV (£28-£35 widely available) Not as fine-boned as the Ultra Brut, but still elegant, with rounded backed apple and pineapple flesh, and a nutty yeasty finish. B+
Champagne Philipponnat Royale Réserve Non Dosé NV (£34.99 Harvey Nichols, Les Caves de Pyrène) Full, wine-y style of Champagne, rich but bone dry, with aromas of flowers and bread dough, touches of Grannie Smiths and crystallised pineapple, and an elegant finish. S
Champagne Philipponnat Royale Réserve Brut NV (£29.99 Selfridges, Oddbins, Les Caves de Pyrène) Fuller is body , and with quite a firm backbone, but there’s also a wealth of honeyed raisin, pineapple and baked/ bruised green apple core apple flavour, with a creamy brioche finish. S(-)
Champagne Mumm Brut NV (£23-£30 widely available) Young fresh style, not amazingly complex, but with a rich, satisfying fruit flavour verging on the tropical. B
Champagne Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut NV (£25-£35 widely available) Softer and more rounded than the Mumm, but maybe not as concentrated, gentle, slightly yeasty finish. B(-)
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+
