Encino Bierzo 2013, Spain (£13.99 Naked Wines) Starts off a bit stinky (something I’d say about rather a lot of Bierzo) but after a while and some judicious swirling, a juicy wild and spicy wine emerges, with soft berry and plum fruit pepped up with a hint of gingerbread. Good […]
Cabernet Franc
A fourth set of wines with an Aussie theme in celebration of the week in which Australia Day falls. Today, Cabernet. Ish… Villa Maria Private Bin Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon 2012, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand (£12.99 Majestic, Morrisons, Globe Wines, Matthew Clark, nzhouseofwine.co.uk) Reasonable leafy fragrance, but there’s a slightly baked edge […]
Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines from Australia, Chile, New Zealand & Argentina
As of course you know, Caracal is another name for the desert lynx… Neethlingshof The Caracal 2011, Stellenbosch, South Africa (£14.99 Majestic) Intense and fruity, with slightly stewed dark berry and blackcurrant flesh lifted by floral aromas and a herbal note. Some toasty/cedary oaky influence, but it’s in balance with […]
Neethlingshof The Caracal 2011, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Nearly a very good wine but… Château Lacombe Noaillac Médoc 2009, Bordeaux, France (contact Le Verre Gourmand, Supertravel Ski) Young, vigorous style, plenty of gutsy dark fruit, and quite a strong roasted character, but with that savoury note of brett found in so much Bordeaux drying out the finish. With […]
Château Lacombe Noaillac Médoc 2009, Bordeaux, France
Perlezza Prosecco Brut NV, Veneto, Italy (£9 Spar) Simple quaffer, slightly nutty, slightly creamy, maybe lacks fruit, but perfectly OK. C Harvey Nichols Prosecco Valdobbiadene Superiore NV, Veneto, Italy (£15 Harvey Nichols) A huge step up in quality, combining the apple foam and fleshy/sherbetty appeal with pumice-like minerality. S- The […]
Wine Tasting Video: Sparkling Wines from the Loire plus Prosecco
Lueria Rosso 2011, Upper Galilee, Israel (£19.99-£24.99 Kedem Europe) Don’t notice too much of the Italian grapes coming through here, but there is sweet, dusty, plum, red berry and plum fruit – all of them both cooked and fresh – along with a warm earthy note. But there’s also a […]