Champagne Comtesse de Bellefleur NV, France (£29.99 Laithwaites) Rich with a slight nuttiness, but it looks like that richness seems to come from high dosage rather than extended aging or a good base wine. OK, but not much class. C(-) The Society’s Champagne Brut (Alfred Gratien), France (£29.50 The Wine Society) […]
Pinot Noir
Bit of a mish-mash – but a nice mish-mash… Cantina Gadoro Beneventano Fiano 2013, Campania, Italy (£8.99 Waitrose) Reminds me of a white Bordeaux with a dollop of Viognier in there. Tinned pear, nutty, peachy exuberance and a touch of vanilla all reined in by a spine of herbal freshness. […]
Assorted Whites from Italy, Germany, Romania & France
Final post from the week in which Australia Day falls, with the accent today on Pinot Noir. Louis Latour Maranges 2012, Burgundy, France (£23.54 Spirited Wines) There’s gentle raspberry fruit in here, but overall, it’s rather fey, with not enough flesh and flavour to back up the stalky notes, and […]
Pinot Noir from Australia, California & France
If you’d asked me in advance which of these would be my favourites, I don’t think I’d have been too close… Sol de Sol Pinot Noir 2010, Malleco, Chile (£19.95 Winety) Very impressive wine, lithe and fragrant, with a fresh and lightly cooked strawberry edge, s touch of leafy eucalyptus […]
Pinot Noir from Chile, Australia, California & New Zealand
Two more wines from this producer coming soon, in there meantime, these sparklers deserve attention Champ Divin Crémant du Jura Zéro Dosage 2012, France (£15.80 Tanners) Confident, sleek young wine, has the crisp apple bite you expect with no dosage, but there’s enough yeasty pineapple and caramelised apple flavour to […]
Two Crémant du Jura from Champ Divin
Not a stunna, but OK Pinot for the price I suppose Lagrange Le Haut Pinot Noir 2011, Pays d’Oc, France (£8.29 Adnams Cellar and Kitchen) I don’t mind the slightly earthy strawberry flavours, nor the hint of toasty oak and light forest floor character, but this verges towards the jammy/baked end […]