Grand Mayne Côtes de Duras Merlot/Cabernet 2012, South West France (£6.95 www.domaine-du-grand-mayne.com) Perky young wine, with slightly jammy red berry and fresher blackcurrants flavours, a hint of leafy tobacco, and a hint of toffee. B- Domaine du Grand Mayne Côtes de Duras Cuvée Prestige 2011, South West France (£9.50 www.domaine-du-grand-mayne.com) […]
Merlot
If only all Bordeaux Rouge was this good… Château Tour de Sarrail Bordeaux Rouge 2009, France (Vinorium £14.50) Maturing gracefully, smooth and alluring, I like the warm, almost dusty, plummy black cherry and blackberry flavours and while there’s just a hint of slightly baked fruit, there’s still enough freshness to […]
Bordeaux Rouge x 2
Let’s see if we can understand why the Chileans mistook Carmenère for Merlot for so long… Montes Alpha Merlot 2012, Colchagua Valley, Chile (£12.99 Philglas & Swiggot, D.Byrne) Typical Chilean imprint of blackcurrant pastilles, also note sof rosehip and mulberry, but while the fruit is generally quite juicy, there’s also […]
Merlot and Carmenère – can you tell the difference?
Groszer Wein Blaufränkisch 2012, Südburgenland, Austria (£15.90 per litre Newcomer Wines) Lots of juicy ripe plummy berry and blackcurrant here, with earthy, meaty notes adding a savoury wildness, and herbs coming through in the finish. Tasty and slightly naughty. S(-) Groszer Wein Blaufränkisch ‘Vom Riegl’ 2012, Südburgenland, Austria (£22.90 per […]
Three Blaufränkisch-based reds from Groszer Wein in Südburgenland, Austria
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
Bit of a backlog in the video department at the moment, let’s see if we can rectify that with this collection of three sub-£10 reds from southern France Coin des Coquins Mourvèdre/Cabernet Sauvignon 2013, Pays d’Oc, France (£7.99-£8.99 Old School Wines, The Salisbury Wine Store) Reasonable fruit and freshness, but […]