Château Le Barrail Médoc 2009 (£7.11 Tesco) Firm, fruity young wine, with plenty of blackcurrant and damson favour, and a slightly briny edge, but structure of smoky oak and hard tannins just a bit OTT. B(-) Château Prieuré Les Tours Graves 2006 (£9.99 Majestic) More of that savoury/briny character, benefiting […]
Cabernet Sauvignon
Just getting to the end of a fascinating week in Napa Valley. Was at Bond winery last night for a superb farewell meal prepared by team from the now-3-starred restaurant at Meadowood Resort with accompanying wines from Schramsberg, Clos du Val, Silver Oak, Rubicon and of course Bond. After our […]
It’s Carmenère, but it’s not from Chile…
Jacob’s Creek Reserve Riesling 2010, Barossa (£9.99 Booths) Perky young wine, floral aromas plus a dusting of icing sugar, also lots of sappy citrus flavours and pithy minerality. Good now but has at least 5 years ahead of it. S- Jacob’s Creek Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2010, Adelaide Hills (£9.99 Tesco, […]
Wine Tasting Video: Jacob’s Creek’s new Reserve range
Stone Barn Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, California (£7.99 Bibendum, House of Fraser) A manufactured feel about this jammy black fruit, complete with pips, and a ripe but rather forced/baked finish. C- Delicato First Press Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Napa Valley, California (£17 Bibendum, Whole Foods) Oddly disjointed, with one side that shows […]
Californian Cabernet – the world’s greatest…?
Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Napa Valley, California (£19.99 Majestic – in most stores) Quite exotic, with sweet roasted ripe plummy berry fruit, a hint of black olive, and oak a touch toast but nicely in balance, clean, fresh style, scores by not aiming to caress rather than impress (unlike […]
Mondavi or Mondavi – who’s top dog for Napa Cab?
Been in France for most of the last fortnight, but managed to find time last week to host a tasting of Henschke wines for the enterprising West London Wine School. Afterwards I sat down with proprietor and professional hat-wearer Jimmy Smith to talk about what we’d been tasting. First three […]