Domaine Albert Mann Riesling Grand Cru Schlossberg 2009 (£23.65 Caves de Pyrene)
Bold and quite fleshy style, combines green apple with richer Victoria plum flavours, then adds in toasty hazelnut notes and earthy, clay-like minerality, rich but charming with layers of complexity. S+
Domaine Weinbach Riesling Grand Cru Schlossberg 2009 (£27.17 Justerini & Brooks)
A more tight, pithy and mineral style, does have chiselled citrus flavours, and (again) a touch of hazelnut, even brandy snap but it’s the pure mineral intensity that carries the wine, delicate, finely tuned, and thoroughly delicious. G(-)
Louis Jadot Côte de Nuits Villages ‘Le Vaucrain’ 2008, Burgundy, France (£18.75 Hailsham Cellars, Leamington Wine Company, Luvians, Nailsworth Wine & Spirits, Village Wines, Thomas Peatling, Booze Bargains, Globe Wines, Le Parc Delicatessen)
Smells as if it’s going to be lighter than many Jadot reds, with a fragrant rose petal edge to the gentle red cherry and raspberry fruit, but when you come to taste it, there’s a backbone of slightly peppery/stalky tannin and fresh acidity to prop up the lithe red fruit flavours. Good now, better in a couple of years. S-
(have to say the page on Jadot site doesn’t reveal much about this wine, here are the notes on the white from the same vineyard)
Waipara West Pinot Noir 2010, Waipara, New Zealand (£18 Waterloo Wine, Lords Wines, Martinez Wines, Greensmiths)
Quite a voluptuous style, with cherry and raspberry fruit (in both fresh and liqueur form) backed up by mocha-ish oak, with touches of cola and green apple lurking in the background. Rich but not complex. B
Champagne Canard-Duchêne Charles VII Grande Cuvée Le Victorieux NV (£35 Majestic)
An odd mix of honeyed biscuity maturity with rather tart green apple immaturity, not hugely classy, but honest and quite tasty B
Champagne Moët & Chandon Brut Imperial NV (£28.99 widely available)
Rather heavy, earthy style, does have some citrus, pear and apple flavours, but not very complex, and on the scrawny side. C(+)
Champagne Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label NV (£32.99 widely available)
A more rounded and confident style, again not majoring on complexity but offering satisfying ripe green apple and pear flavours with a touch of nougat and quite an elegant finish. S-
Les Pionniers Champagne 2004 (P&C Heidsieck) (£22.99 selected Co-operative stores)
Another with elements of young and old, this combines vibrant, crisp apple and citrus freshness with bready maturity, and finishes in nutty confident style. B+
Champagne Thiénot Brut 2004 (£38.95 Corks Out)
Starts off showing its sleek and elegant face, with floral citrus notes to the fore, then a richer, almost creamy/buttery side reveals itself, along notes of pineapple and toasted almond. Nice wine, and good for another few years. S
Anciano Aged 3 Years Crianza 2007, Valdepeñas (£5.98 Asda)
Starts off well with welcoming characters of slightly baked berry fruit, dusty vanilla and chocolate, but is let down by a slightly hard finish. B-
Viñas del Vero La Miranda de Secastilla 2008, Somontano (£10.99 Ocado, The Vineyard)
More of that dusty Spanish warmth, has generous rounded plum and berry fruit infused with aromas of citrus, herbs and (yes) terracotta roof tiles, slightly too-dry finish but overall a decent gutsy glugger. B+
Viñas del Vero Secastilla 2005, Somontano (£19.99 Ocado, Noel Young, The Vineyard, Amps Fine Wines)
Châteauneuf for Rioja fans, this has the plummy herby warmth plus vanilla and citrus notes of its little brother, but there’s more complexity and generosity here, and while the finish is soft and friendly, there’s still plenty of freshness and vitality. S
Marqués de Valido Rioja Reserva 2006 (£10.99 The Co-operative)
Seem like a wine that has matured and then been ‘oaked’ – soft gentle plummy fruit spoiled by new oak rubberiness and a hard finish. 0
Faustino V Rioja Reserva 2005 (£10.99 Asda, Ocado, Costcutter, Nisaway, Musgrave, Budgens, Londis, Makro, Fenwicks, D Byrne, Czerwicks)
Slightly old-fashioned but none the worse for that, has warm, mellow vanilla, orange peel and wild strawberry notes pepped up by touches of spice and hints of citrus freshness. S-
Les Crouzes Colombard 2010, Comté Tolosan, South West France (£5.39 Co-operative)
Reasonable crunchy ripe pear with an earthy zing, but there’s also a lemon edge that shrieks just a little too loudly. C(+)
Sacha Lichine La Poule Blanche 2010, Vin de France (N/A in the UK)
Rather vague style, quite plump and peachy with a touch of herbs, but overall doesn’t need the fatness it gets from the Viognier. C-
Château d’Anglès La Clape Blanc Classique 2009, Languedoc, France (£11.99 Wine Rack)
There’s a juicy, waxy, honeyed, side, with honeysuckle, peach, apricot and tinned pear flavours plus a waft of smoky oak, but there’s also a stony mineral edge that seems at odds with the rest of the wine. Good but can’t quite decide what it wants to be. B(-)
Sogrape Duque de Viseu Dão Branco 2010, Portugal (£8.45 Barrica Wines)
Soft nutty style, has a touch of ripe citrus, but spoiled by a lack of zip and a slightly dusty cardboard edge. C
Julia Kemper Dão Branco 2010, Portugal (Alliance Wine)
Classy wine, has the smoky spent match reduction edge found in some white Burgundies, nutty apple (fresh and cooked) and citrus flavours, nicely handled oak, and a finish that combined toasty, honeyed richness with herby freshness. S(-)
Torres Nerola 2008, Catalunya, Spain (£10.99 www.vintagemarque.com, Bottlestop, Zelas, Fareham Wine Cellar)
Rich rounded apple and pear flesh with a touch of pebbly minerality and a waxy vanilla edge, OK, but finishes a touch flabby. B
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Syrah 2008, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand (£13.99 Oddbins, Wine Rack, nzhouseofwine.co.uk)
Fragrant and elegant to start with, showing touches of pepper (white & black), berry and plum, but then a slightly thoddy vanilla edge intrudes, and there’s just this feeling of incompleteness, as if it would have benefited by something a little richer and rounder to fill in a hole. B(-)
Jim Barry Lodge Hill Shiraz 2009, Clare Valley, Australia (£11.99 Premier Vintners, slurp.co.uk, The Co-operative, Majestic, Tanners)
A welcoming bear hug of a wine, with peppery damson and blackcurrant flesh pepped up with notes of mint and eucalyptus. Fleshy but still fresh, with grainy tannins and tangy acidity to add structure, and a generous spicy finish. S
Jim Barry McRae Wood Shiraz 2006, Clare Valley, Australia (£23.99 Direct Wines, slurp.co.uk, Waitrose, Majestic, Selfridges, Oxford Wine Company)
Quite different from the Lodge Hill, this is deeper, richer and more chocolatey wine, not afraid to show some Rioja-like oak-aged vanilla smoothness, and proudly displaying its herb-scented berry and plum flesh. It was good, but I wonder whether other bottles would be a tad fresher… S (and suspect a fresher bottle would have scored higher)
All Saints Estate Durif 2009, North East Victoria, Australia (£14 Cockburn & Campbell)
Really quite gentle for Durif. Yes, there’s big, juicy berry and plum intensity, with a rich earthy finish, but I wish it had a little more of the Durif grunt – this is just a little too well-behaved. B(+)
Will be posting another couple of videos featuring the 2010 vintage soon, but in the meantime, here are some slightly older wines…
Domaine Masson-Blondelet Pouilly-Fumé 2009 (£14.99 Waitrose)
Has lost a little freshness, but still has some tangy taut lemon, lemongrass and herb flavour, a touch of flint and a rounded sappy finish. B(+)
Tesco Finest Pouilly-Fumé (Fournier) 2008 (£12.79 Tesco)
Has a quite pungent flavour of tinned asparagus and lychees (complete with fruit cocktail syrup), a bit of spice, and an almost plummy, honeyed finish. Ageing not too disgracefully, although it would have been better a year or two earlier. B(-)
Tesco Finest Sancerre (Fournier) 2009 (£12.79 Tesco)
Has that sulphury/flinty note of two rocks being banged together, plus crisp lemon, grass and nettle flavours. Maybe a touch simple but tasty. B+
Pierre Cherrier et fils Sancerre 2009 (£12.75 Stone Vine & Sun)
This is more taut & steely, with green apple and citrus flavours livened up by touches of herb and river pebble. Has softened a little with bottle age, but still precise and poised. S(-)
Lucien Crochet Sancerre 2009 (£13.17 Justerini & Brooks)
Still a pup, young and grippy, with sleek citrus fruit set against taut mineral and herb characters. Opens up with time in the glass, but always remains chiselled and refined. S
Ribeiro Santo Dão 2009 (£10.60 Bottle Apostle)
Juicy young wine, fresh but firm, full flavoured but never too big, with plummy berry and tomato flavours, smoky bacon oak and an earthy, savoury finish – gets more serious with time. S(-)
Sogrape Callabriga Dão 2008 (£12.95 Berry Brothers & Rudd)
Sprightly young wine, with spicy white pepper freshness, but also some mellow spicy edges, has juicy dark fruit with a plummy core, a hint of brown sugar and pork-fat-friendly tannins. S-
Quinta da Falorca T-Nac Dão 2007 (£13.99 Armit)
Another one with a steamy, savoury meaty style (a bit like young Bandol), rounded fresh earthy berry fruit and a stalky, spicy intensity, poised but with lots of power, punch and panache. S(-)
Sogrape Callabriga Dão Reserva 2005 (£18.00 Stevens Garnier)
Hmmm. Seems like there’s reasonable fruit here, but there’s also the minty/medicinal edge of brettanomyces, drying out the fruit, and spoiling the party. C+
Filipa Pato Beiras Lokal Calcario 2005 (£26.60 Bottle Apostle)
Maturing beautifully, has laughter lines rather than wrinkles, relaxed fragrant red berry flesh enlivened by touches of leather, pepper, iron, tar and liquorice, gentle, confident, and still plenty of life ahead of it. S+
Quinta da Falorca Dão Reserva 2004 (£19.99 Armit)
Reasonable plummy fruit, but this is marred by a slightly dry, old-fashioned dusty/woody character, which overrides the fruit and results in a wine without any vibrancy. B-
Codorníu Reina Maria Cristina Cava Blanc de Noirs 2008 (£14.99 Majestic)
Made mostly from Pinot Noir, this manages to pack in bumptious fruit flavours – apple, citrus, raspberry – but retain the Cava freshness and earthiness. Rich (although not too rich) rather than elegant, but a darned good drink. S-
** La Rosita Traditional Method Brut Sparkling Wine (Grenache-based), Calatayud (£14.50 Bottle Apostle, Theatre of Wine)
Gentle strawberry cordial, quite full in flavour with a toffee-like character, although it’s only a touch on the sweet side, overall an unusual but tasty crowd-pleaser. B(+)
** La Pamelita Traditional Method Dry Sparkling Wine (Shiraz-based), Calatayud (£16.50 Bottle Apostle, Theatre of Wine, Noel Young)
Not sure how old the base wine is here, but homage to Australian Sparkling ‘Burgundy’ manages to have both some of the leathery complexity of maturity with some freshness and tannin that makes you think it needs a year or so to really show at its peak. Add in the liquorice, damson and blackberry flesh, the yeasty notes and the long dry finish and you have a very interesting wine. S(-)
** The website still lists these two wines as being made from Monastrell, as does that of their excellent UK importers Indigo Wines…
