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(-)
The Magnificent Wine Company House Wine 2007, Columbia Valley (~£7.99) Simple and fresh to begin with, again with the fruit flavours in that baked berry and tar spectrum, but it’s let down by a rather crude vanilla character, and finishes sweet & simple. C
The Magnificent Wine Company Steak House Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, Columbia Valley (£9.99 The Co-op) More of that bimbo vanilla, but there are also a touch of mint to liven up the baked dark fruit chracter. Again, intense but overripe and overextracted. C+
Andrew Will Champoux Vineyard 2006, Horse Heaven Hills (£40 Berry Bros & Rudd) Classy, exotic wine, again not trying too hard, with smoky oak wrapped around polished blackcurrant and blackberry flesh, and some mealy/nutty notes from barrel-aging. Lovely silky tannins, but still feels young and vigorous, with plenty of potential. S+
Contea di Castiglione Barolo 2005, Piedmont, Italy (£9.99 Morrisons) Light and gentle, with a slightly cooked character to the plum, cherry and red berry fruit, hints of rose petal and rusty iron, and a fresh but chewy finish. B(-)
Marco Porello Nebbiolo d’Alba 2008, Piedmont, Italy (£11-12 imported by Winetraders – see below for full list of stockists) Vigorous modern style, still with the rose petal character, but with firmer tannins and fresher fruit, especially black cherry. Polished, hearty and satisfying, and with potential to develop over the next 3-4 years. S-
Gemma Barolo 2005, Piedmont, Italy (£13.99 Morrisons) A touch of volatility, but also classic aromas of iron, rose petal and tar, warm cherry, raspberry and strawberry fruit, and a structured but refreshing finish. B(+)
First Drop The Big Blind Nebbiolo/Barbera 2008, Adelaide Hills, Australia (currently N/A in the UK) The extra sunshine of Australia comes through in the richer, leathery characters, there is something of the fragrant, plum and raspberry fruit, along with a savoury, meaty edge, but it feels slightly stolid after the Piedmont trio. B
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Stockists of Marco Porello wines Ann et Vin Ltd, Bacchus Fine Wines, Barrica Wines, Bat and Bottle, Bath Wine Group, EH Booth , Bowes Wines, Bowland Forest, Butlers Wine Cellar, Cheshire Smokehouse, Connolly’s Wine Mer, Define Food & Wine, Denby Dale Wines Ltd, Duncan Murray Wines, Everywine, Field & Fawcett, Fine Wines Direct, Flourish and Prosper, Goedhuis & Co Ltd, Harrogate Fine Wines, H Smith, Ledbury Wine, Les Vignerons De Saint Georges, Noble Green Wines , Old School wines, Oxford Wine Company, Philippa Sedgwick, Quantock Abbey Wine , Richard Royds Fine Wines, Roberson, Roberts and Speight, Scatchards Wine Merchants, The Secret Cellar, The Vineyard, Viader Vintners, Wadebridge Wines, Whitebridge Wines, Winearray, Wines of Interest, Winos Wine Shop, York Beer & Wine Ltd
Louis Moreau Chablis 2008, Burgundy, France (£9.99 Marks & Spencer) Has the lean, keen green apple backbone you expect of Chablis, along with a pleasant nutty character, but it lacks the substance to stand up to the structure. OK, but not fine. B(-)
Louis Latour Mâcon-Lugny 2009, Burgundy, France (£8.99 Majestic – £7.99 when you buy two bottles) Has an exotic, almost Viognier-like peachiness, along with equally flesh notes of cream and hazelnuts. OK, but just a touch flabby – but blends rather nicely with the above Chablis! B-
Marquis de Pennautier Chardonnay ‘Terroirs d’Altitude’ 2008, Vin de Pays d’Oc, France (£8.99 Majestic) Quite weighty melon, peach and tropical fruit flavour, along with a clean fresh finish but is spoileded by slightly crude toasty/sawdusty oak, which doesn’t seem to fade with time. B-
Crossroads Chardonnay 2008, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand (£9.50 Mentzendorff) Rich, fleshy style, the fruit is nicely underplayed, blending to good effect with a complex mealy/yeasty edge from barrel-ageing, but just that bit too alcoholic for great success, with a slight butterscotch sweetness muddying the finish. B+
Botham Merrill Willis 25th Anniversary Chardonnay 2007, McLaren Vale/Coonawarra, Australia (£14.99 Christopher Piper – £2.50 from each bottle goes Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research) Simple, honest rather old-fashioned style, with that oily, tinned pinepapple/fruit cocktail syrup edge, hints of cream and honeysuckle edge , it’s OK, but lacks both the intensity and complexity of the Crossroads. B-
You’ll see I’ve given all these five wines bronze medal marks. However, the Crossroads with B+ stands well above the others with B(-) and B-. Translating these into a 100-point scale, that’s 86, compared with 83 and 82. Feel free to leave comments on my marking system (bit more about it on this page). It works for me, but do others find it confusing?
La Différence Viognier-Muscat 2009, IGP Pays d’Oc, France (£5.99 Tesco) Pure, fresh and honest wine, with the rich oily/peachy edge of Viognier combining with grapey freshness of Muscat to pleasing effect. B(+)
Creyssels Languedoc-Picpoul de Pinet 2009, France (£7.75 Stone Vine & Sun) Richer than many Picpouls, with pear and peach fruit to the fore and briny notes in the background. Weighty but still manages to be sappy and refreshing. B+
Producteurs Plaimont Saint Mont Le Faite Blanc 2008, South West France (£14.99 Adnams) Terrific barrel-matured blend of Petit & Gros Manseng, Courbu and Arrufiac, packed with decadent rhubarb, quince and ripe apple flesh infused with aromatic notes of herbs and fennel, and with a wonderful balance between the richness, ever-so-light sweetness & tangy acidity. S+
Domaine Hegarty Chamans Les Chamans Blanc Minervois 2007, Languedoc, France (£12.50 Adnams) I love the Hegarty reds, but this is just a little too stolid for its own good, with burnt sugar and butterscotchy malo notes were I’m looking for more fragrance and fruit. Feels old before its time – random oxidation perhaps? ????
Domaine Belles Pierres Les Clauzes de Jo Coteaux du Languedoc Blanc 2007, France (£10.95 Stone Vine & Sun) A barrel-fermented blend of Roussanne, Viognier and Grenache Blanc, starts off oaky, but then starts to display its musky pear, peach and topical fruit flavour backed up by hints of fennel, herbs and honeysuckle and a tense, minerally finish. S(-)
Crossroads Syrah 2008, Hawkes Bay (£13.50 Mentzendorff) Has a fragrant, peppery roasted aroma, along with fresh blackcurrant, plum and raspberry fruit, but could use a little more body to live up to that fragrance. B
Vidal Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2008, Hawkes Bay (£10.99 Waitrose, Halifax Wine Co, Trina’s Wines, www.nzhouseofwine.co.uk) Not quite as fragrant and peppery, but there’s fresher, more lively, bouncy black fruit, and an earthy, tar-like edge to the finish. A combination of the fragrance of the Crossroads with the fruit here would work well. B+
Craggy Range Single Vineyard Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2008, Hawkes Bay (£17.99 Waitrose) Classy wine with a haunting violet aroma, herby peppery dark fruit and a rich roasted character. Confident and fleshy, with structure to match, but never too brawny. Lovely gentle, balanced finish too. S
Esk Valley Syrah 2007, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand (£12.99 Laytons, Irvine Robertson, Peckhams, Trina’s Wines, The Leamington Wine Co., www.nzhouseofwine.co.uk) Showing some leathery maturity alongside the peppery/roasted edges, but while the dark berry fruit is pleasant, it’s let down by a slightly confected vanilla character. B-
Vidal Syrah 2007, Hawkes Bay (£10.99 possibly still in some Waitrose) Gentle and juicy, more confident than the Esk, and without the vanilla, but while there’s still the earthy black fruit character of the 2008, this feels like its just losing freshness. B
Villa Maria Private Bin Syrah 2005, Hawkes Bay (£9.99 Wine Rack, Rhythm & Booze, Earls Court Wines, James Wallace Wines) Surprisingly fruity for a five-year-old, with blueberry, blackberry and black cherry flavours, and lots of pepper/spice character, but it’s let down by a slightly charmless, hard, almost fizzy edge. C+
First Drop Wines Bella Coppia Arneis 2009, Adelaide Hills, Australia (currently N/A in the UK) Clean, fresh and zesty, combining fleshy pear fruit with crisp citrussy acidity and a slightly briny/savoury finish. B+
Zalze Bush Vine Chenin Blanc 2009, Western Cape, South Africa (£6.49 Waitrose) Starts off slightly jelly-like, but then improves to show voluptuous, peach, pear, and tropical fruit flavours with a creamy, nutty edge and a juicy tender finish. B(-)
Tesco Finest* Ken Forrester Chenin Blanc 2008, Stellenbosch, South Africa (£7.11 Tesco) Not as ripe & tropical as the Zalze, with sappy flavours of apple, pear, nectarine, guava and plum, set against richer yeasty/mealy notes. Very tasty. S-
Clay Station Viognier 2009, Lodi, California (£8.95 The Wine Society) Has some of the classic peach kernel and cream flavours, along with a a slightly confected sherbet/dolly mixture character. Quite voluptuous but lacks freshness. B-
Saint Roch les Vignes Côtes de Provence Rosé 2009, France (£6.99 Majestic) Honest and tasty, quite deeply coloured rosé with rich, slightly jammy plummy berry flesh, quite full but just a touch simple. B-
Château Coussin Sainte Victoire Côtes de Provence Rosé 2009, France (£13.99 Oddbins) More subtle and crisper, finer-boned, with touches of citrus to the light raspberry flavours, and a fragrant minerally finish. S-
Château Méaume Bordeaux Rosé 2008, France (£6.99 Majestic) Bit of an oddball, with quite weighty, intense juicy plum and strawberry flesh set against an earthy, green leafiness. Will work for some, but not for everyone. B(+)
Yali Wetland Merlot Rosé 2009, Colchagua Valley (£6.49 Majestic – £4.79 until Aug 31st 2010) Shows the plumper, plummier edge of Merlot, off-dry and slightly bland. C
Mas Belles Eaux Rosé 2009, Vin de Pays d’Oc, France (£8.99 Ocado) Lovely fresh rosé, with quite intense but sappy flavours of apples, citrus, plums and raspberries, with a clean minerally finish. S-
Santiago Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé 2008, Valle Central, Chile (£8.90 QP Wines) There’s an OK note of sappy berry, but not much else – could be fresher too. 0
Zalze Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz Rosé 2009, Coastal Origin, South Africa (£6.49 Waitrose) Honest and juicy, with fleshy red berry but finishes just a bit bland – feels as if it was picked too ripe and had to be acidified that bit too much. C+
Newsflash! OK, not a newsflash in the strict sense of the word. On this occasion, it’s the name given to the newsletter from Laurenz Maria Moser V, a man whose family founded the famous Lenz Moser wine company in Austria, and who now, with his Laurenz V range, seems to have taken it upon himself to spread the Gruner gospel around the world.
The July issue of Newsflash has just appeared, and I’d normally have linked to it on the Laurenz V web page, but for some reason it only goes up to June at the moment.
Anyway, the bit in it that caught my eye was about plantings of Gruner Veltliner. Austria still dominates, with 17,151 hectares. However… ‘Laurenz Maria drank Gruner grown in Pennsylvania lately (pas mal ;-), the biggest other countries are Hungary (2 ha), Czech Republic (1 ha), Slovenia (1 ha), Australia (50 ha), New Zealand (yes, 20 ha), and a bit in Argentina (2 ha), China and some in the USA (Napa Valley) – THE IDEA SEEMS TO SPREAD!’
I’m a big fan of Gruner from Austria, and it’ll be interesting to see whether other countries can capture the minerally purity of the top Austrian wines. I think Lark Hill in Canberra produced the first Aussie version in 2009. Look out too in the near future for New Zealand Gruner, courtesy of winemaking supremo Matt Thomson.
Da Vinci Chianti 2008, Tuscany, Italy (£8.99 Liberty Wines, Whole Foods, Noel Young) Juicy, earthy style, combining violet-scented bitter cherry & raspberry flavours with a herby wildness and a sappy, refreshing finish. B+
Poggiotondo Chianti Superiore 2007, Tuscany, Italy (£11.99 Liberty Wines, Whole Foods, Noel Young) More flesh and polish than the Da Vinci, a touch of VA (volatile acidity – think ever-so-slight vinegar) but it’s in balanced with the smooth, serious morello cherry and blackcurrant fruit, also a seam of minerality, with tannin & acidity to keep it in balance. S(-)
Greenstone Sangiovese 2007, Heathcote, Australia (£26.99 Liberty Wines, Imbibros, Noel Young, Wimbledon Wine Cellar) Shows the cola edge often found in Sangiovese, along with the characteristic earthy bitter cherry fruit and tangy tannins, but it’s more leathery, warmer & riper than the 2 Italians. Perhaps lacks subtlety, but it’s not too heavily extracted, and the finish is full and satisfying. S-
First Drop Wines Minchia Montepulciano 2008, Adelaide Hills, Australia (currently N/A in the UK) Riper and fleshier still, almost verging on the jammy, with the slightly baked berry edge of very ripe grapes. Plummy and upfront, but with a sappy savoury edge and tannin to freshen up the finish. B+
Poggiotondo Toscana Bianco 2009, Italy (£8.99 Liberty Wines, Noel Young, Reserve) One of those wines that creeps up on you, initially fresh and floral with a citrussy bite, but then the taut, pine-like edge of Vermentino comes through, along with an almost volcanic minerality. B+
Raimat Albariño Viña 24 2009, Costers del Segre, Spain (£8.99 Oddbins) Crisp and tangy to start with then opens up to show a richer, peachy core, with hints of ripe red apples. Good but a touch simple. B
Vesevo Beneventano Falanghina 2009, Campania, Italy (£10.99 Liberty Wines, Highbury Vintners, Noel Young, Reserve) Is this bottle as fresh as it should be? There’s quite weighty flavours of waxy walnut skin and peaches, along with touches of marzipan, but I remember previous vintages being fresher and more minerally. ???
Church Mouse Falanghina 2008, Puglia, Italy (£6.98 Asda) Quite rich and fleshy, with grapefruit and lime jelly flavours, but it lacks fragrance and poise, and ends up being pleasant but simple. C+
Orovela Cuvée Chandrebi Mtsvane/Rkatsiteli 2007, Georgia (£12.99 Georgian Wine Society) Has an intriguing, almost late-harvest character, with aromas of burnt sugar, honey and honeysuckle, fleshy, peachy fruit with hints of almonds and marmalade, and grippy acidity on the finish. Unusual, and some may say it’s too old, but this was one from this quintet that I polished off the evening after the tasting, with garlic-y roast chicken. S-
