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 […]
Merlot
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 […]
A range from Henschke with West London Wine School
Crossroads Merlot 2008, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand (£11.50 Mentzendorff) Ripe, but with some leafy freshness to its bright blackcurrant & berry flavours and tinges of chocolatey oak, OK, but just a bit simple & fruity. B- Crossroads Talisman 2008, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand (£19 Mentzendorff) More of that chocolate wafer […]
Argentine Malbec, New Zealand Merlot, Australian Cabernet & more
Hartenberg Merlot 2007, Stellenbosch (£17.50 Waitrose, D Byrne, Lea & Sandeman, Noel Young, The Vineyard, Cooden Cellars) There’s some juicy blackberry and blackcurrant flesh, but more dominant is the classic South African baked-on berries and woodsmoke, OK but lacks bounce and freshness. B- Engelbrecht Els Proprietor’s Blend 2007, Stellenbosch (£20.99-£21.99 […]
South African reds, including a trio from Ernie Els
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(-) Powers Merlot 2006, Columbia Valley (£10.99 – £11.49 Handford Wines, Wines of the World, Bottle Apostle, Hennings Wines, Rodney Densem, […]
Washington State reds with a nod to Bordeaux
Four wines, all made under the guidance of consultant winemaker Olivier Dauga. Based on this quartet, the Dauga style seems to be less flashy, less oaky, less ripe, less malo-in-barrel-y than that of Michel Rolland. This is neither a good thing nor a bad thing, merely a matter of personal […]