Hartenberg Merlot 2007, Stellenbosch (£17.50 Waitrose, D Byrne, Lea & Sandeman, Noel Young, The Vineyard, Cooden Cellars) There’s some juicy blackberry and blackcurrant flesh, but more dominant is the classic South African baked-on berries and woodsmoke, OK but lacks bounce and freshness. B- Engelbrecht Els Proprietor’s Blend 2007, Stellenbosch (£20.99-£21.99 […]
South Africa
First Drop Wines Bella Coppia Arneis 2009, Adelaide Hills, Australia (£12.99 from October 2010 New School Wines Ltd, The Secret Cellar, Cambridge Wine Merchants) 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, […]
Three Cape Chenin Blancs + Viognier, Arneis & Marsanne
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, […]
A selection of Rosés from Bordeaux, Provence, the Languedoc, Chile ...
Recorded with unjustified optimism before the England v US game… Montana Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Marlborough, New Zealand (£7.99 Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s Morrisons, Asda) Refined, quite elegant style for Marlborough, with a lean stony character to the citrus and lemongrass flavours; good tense minerally finish too. S- De Grendel Sauvignon Blanc […]
Southern Hemisphere Sauvignon Blanc
McHenry Hohnen Semillon Sauvignon 2009, Margaret River, Western Australia (£9.99-£10.99 – see below for vast list of stockists) A touch of green pepper and citrus, but it’s English summer fruit flavours that dominate – apples, pears, and rhubarb – with all being kept in check by a spine of fresh […]
Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio? Plus Chenin and WA SSB ...
Chivite Gran Feudo Garnacha Rosado 2009, Navarra, Spain (£7.99 Waitrose) Sappy young rosé packed with blackcurrant, apple & blackberry pie flavours, refreshing and juicy, with a dry, succulent finish. B(+) Palo Alto Shiraz Reserva Rosé 2009, Maule, Chile (£7.99 Asda, Booths) Gentle style, maybe lacking some freshness, pleasant red berry […]