Quinta Nova Pomares Moscatel Galego Branco 2016, Douro, Portugal (see Wine Searcher for stockists) Combines tangy grapefruit and grape characters with a slightly candied rose petal note to good effect. Soft generous flavours, but enough of a pithy edge to hold them in balance. B+
Grapes
Château d’Esclans Déesse Astrée Côtes de Provence Blanc 2015, France (see Wine Searcher for price & stockists) Lovely rich but fresh style, showing the typical pine/herb citrus edge of Vermentino/Rolle alongside bolder ripe pear and passionfruit flavours, with a touch of slightly dough-like cake mix in there too. Very tasty […]
Château d’Esclans Déesse Astrée Côtes de Provence Blanc 2015, France
Sendiäna Grand Vin 2014, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon (N/A in the UK) There’s an exotic spicy note alongside the rich, rounded, plummy berry character, but there’s also a smoky/charred vanilla edge plus a touch of raw tannin – overtoasting of not the very best oak maybe? Good in parts… B-
Sendiäna Grand Vin 2014, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon
Blind Spot Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2016, Yarra Valley, Australia (£10.95 The Wine Society) Pale and gentle, with a herbal-scented rose hip character alongside the fresh and lightly cooked strawberry flavours, fresh but persistent, could happily take a light chill on a summer day. S- Santa Rita ‘National Gallery’ Pinot […]
Two affordable Pinot Noirs from Chile & Australia
Errázuriz Max Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, Aconcagua Valley, Chile (£14.75 Waitrose, Vino Wines, Hailsham Cellars, Partridges, Village Wines) Rounded and full but with a herbal freshness, this packs in plump, plummy berry and cassis flavours with a hint of eartniness and a touch of smoky oak, yet manages somehow to […]
Cabernet Sauvignon from Australia & Chile
Blind Spot Chardonnay 2016, Yarra Valley, Australia (£9.50 The Wine Society) Restrained, refined style, slowly uncurls to reveal delicate pear, nectarine and melon fruit, a nutty cashew edge and a precise stony citrus finish. Lovely texture too, excellent value. S- Louis Latour Mâcon-Lugny Les Genièvres 2015, Burgundy, France (£13.99 FL […]