The Society’s New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc 2012, Marlborough (£8.95 The Wine Society)
Tangy citrus set alongside richer guava and passionfruit flesh, decent herby aromas, and a touch of stony character, but just a bit too rich for real class. B
Stoneburn Sauvignon Blanc 2012, Marlborough, New Zealand (£7.25 The Wine Society)
A touch of the citrus here, but also stewed (Bramley) apple giving sweet and sour tension – almost Mâcon-like Sauvignon! B+
Tagus Creek Chardonnay/Fernão Pires 2012, Tejo (£5.99 Tesco, Asda)
Simple, slight Alka Seltzer fizz, combining pithy lemon with a richer toffee and peach note, just slightly simple. C+
Tagus Creek Shiraz/Touriga Nacional Rosé 2011, Tejo (£5.99 Asda)
I don’t mind the rosehip syrup and berry flavours, but the boiled sweet/tinned fruit syrup character speaks of a wine that lacks freshness and bite. C(+)
Graham’s Crusted Port NV, bottled 2006 (£17.99-£20.00 Sainsbury’s, Morrison’s, Tesco)
Combines hearty, friendly berry, plum, damson and violet flavours with earthy tannins and fresh acidity. Good now, but all in place to develop further. S
Domaine de la Mordorée Lirac Cuvée de la Reine des Bois Blanc 2010, Rhône, France (£20.50 Lea & Sandeman)
Exotic, musky style, with plush apricot and peach flesh and some earthy, spicy complexity. Weighty but never OTT. S(+)
Gimenez Riili Perpetuum Premium Torrontés 2011, Famatina Valley, La Rioja, Argentina (£10.95 Cupari Wines)
I like the gingery spice, the confected lemon jelly cube character is OK, I’m not so keen on the washing up liquid note, C
Mairena Torrontés 2011, Cafayate, Salta, Argentina (£10.95 Cupari Wines)
A weightier, more floral version of the above – better, but still not fine. C+
Pierre Gaillard Côtes du Rhône Les Gendrines 2010, France (£19.90 Berry Bros & Rudd)
Not afraid to flaunt its flesh, rich, exotic and confident style, combining opulent apricot, peach and nut kernel flavours with notes of honey, honeysuckle and jasmine. Bit of a bimbo, but a very attractive bimbo. S(+)
Domaine de Monteillet Condrieu Les Grandes Chaillees 2010, Rhône, France (£33.99 Field and Fawcett, Noel Young, The Sampler, Worth Brothers)
A more cerebral take on Viognier, does have the proud peachy nuttiness and spicy floral characters, but they’re underpinned by an earthy, stony minerality. Rich but restrained, profound but never forgetting to be delicious. G
Dominic Hentall Saint Véran 2010, Burgundy, France (£15.99 Naked Wines)
Good mix of zesty citrus freshness with a softer, rounded cooked apple character, plus a slightly dough-like character reminiscent of undercooked cake mix. B
Domain Parigot Meursault ‘Les Vireuils Dessous’ 2010, Burgundy, France (£32.99 The Perfect Cellar)
Lean and lovely, with precise, poised apple and lemon flavours combining with a salty spent match note and some toasty oak, and a light floral edge as well. Delicious now, but the way it improves in the glass suggests a promising future. S+
Louis Latour Château de Blagny Meursault Blagny 1er Cru 2009, Burgundy, France (£29.99 Majestic)
It feels like there are 2 wines here. I like the taut minerally tang of the lively fresh part, but there’s also fatter, more clumsy, cheesy edge. Watched this over three days, and this stand-off never resolved itself. B+
Hahn Chardonnay 2011, Monterey, California (£12.99-£13.99 Spirited Wines, Wine Rack, Waitrose)
Friendly but simple style, spoiled by the sort of crude vanilla sweetness that went out of fashion in the mid-1990s. C
De Martino 347 Chardonnay 2010, Limarí, Chile (£9.99 Virgin Wines)
Pleasant enough, crisp and fresh, with a green tang to the slightly jelly-like citrus flavours, but it’s just too simple for real class. B-
Purato Cataratto/Pinot Grigio IGT Sicilia 2011 (£6.99-£7.99 Ocado, Rhythm & Booze)
Attractive honest juicy gluggable style, lively peachy fruit with a slightly smoky citrus bite and a touch of walnut skins, not too complex but satisfying. B+
The Society’s Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico 2011, Marches (£6.25 The Wine Society)
Combines rounded creamy/nutty flavours, with leaner citrussy acidity, and adds in a fresh soft apple character too. B+
Guerrieri Rizzardi Costeggiola Soave Classico 2011, Veneto (£14.99 Fortnum & Mason)
I like the rounded rich honesty and fresh finish, but I miss the herby Soave edge – the Chardonnay certainly contributes peachy but it tramples over the rest of the wine. B
Piccini Memoro Vino Blanco d’Italia NV (£9.49 Tesco)
With its big pineapple chunk and cling peach fruit and smoky oak, this is almost like early 1990s Aussie Sem/Chard. Does have some freshness but overall too big, too rich, too oily. B-
Laurenz V Charming Grüner Veltliner 2011, Kamptal, Austria (£20.25 Bibendum)
Rich but dry and structured style, balancing peach and pineapple plumpness with a citrus bite and an underpinning of stony minerality, lovely wine. S
Prinz von Hessen Riesling Steckenpferd 2011, Rheingau, Germany (N/A in the UK)
Sweet and sour style with tense orange and cranberry flavours and a juicy sweetness – remember Fruit Salad chews? Soil and mineral notes lurk in the background, while zesty acidity holds it all together. S(+)
Woolundry Road Riesling 2011, Margaret River, Australia (£9.99 Virgin Wines)
Precise, restrained style, lots of toasty lemon and lime flavours, clean, rich and ripe, but maybe just a touch simple. S-
Harvey Nichols Riesling 2011 (Killikanoon), Clare Valley, Australia (£16 Harvey Nichols)
Taut, aristocratic style, with an upright, even steely backbone of crisp acidity and river pebble mineral notes, and vibrant lemon, lime and Grannie Smiths apple flavours. Tight and lean to start with, but uncurls beautifully with time, and should age brilliantly. S+
Stonehaven Sauvignon Blanc 2012, Western Cape, South Africa (£7.99 The Co-op)
One of those wines that grows on you. Young and sappy with decent pithy fruit, but it’s the stony mineral character that makes the strongest impression. B
Fox Gordon Family Sauvignon Blanc 2011, Adelaide Hills, Australia (£11.99 Waitrose)
Smells OK, with lemon and gooseberry (fresh and pie) in evidence. Tastes OK too, but it’s just a little too jelly-like for real class. B-
Errázuriz Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2011, Casablanca, Chile (£10.99 Majestic)
Once you get past the nutty sulphur character, this is quite a full, rich style, with vanilla-scented custard apple, very ripe pear and strawberry flesh tempered by herby citrus restraint. I don’t mind the richness but I’d like a little more subtlety & poise. B(+)
Doña Dominga Single Vineyard ‘La Laguna’ Sauvignon Blanc/Viognier 2011, Colchagua, Chile (£7.11 Waitrose)
Bit of a stand-off between the bright herby bright edge of Sauvignon and the plump peach and apricot of Viognier. Ultimately not sure whether it wants to be and finishes in flat, jelly-like fashion. C(-)
Rod Easthope Sauvignon Blanc 2012, Hawke’s Bay (£11.99 Naked Wines)
Gentle style, a touch off-dry with reasonable citrus, rhubarb and crisp apple notes, but marred by excessive green pepper character. C+
Tinpot Hut Sauvignon Blanc 2012, Marlborough (£12.99 Liberty Wines)
Quite a rich, full style, a touch sweaty (in a nice way!) with good tension between minerally citrus fruit and a fleshier tropical edge, again some green pepper, but here, it’s not centre stage. Good but not great. B
Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc 2012, Marlborough (£16.99 contact Liberty Wines for stockists – couldn’t fit all the 40+ companies in here!)
Subtle, sleek style, starts off quietly then uncurls to show its herb-tinged citrus, gooseberry and asparagus flavours and taut mineral nature, lovely balance of richness & freshness. S(+)
Lay of the Land Destination Sauvignon Blanc 2011, Marlborough (£12.99 Naked Wines)
Mandarin oranges and fruit salad chews! The soft, relaxed, rounded flavours are tempered by some zesty freshness, but it’s just a bit simple and jelly-like for real class. B(-)
Marquês de Borba Alentejo Branco 2011, Portugal (£8.70 Tanners)
Quite full in flavour but with enough citrus acidity to rein it in, this combines taut lemon and nectarine flavours with a fleshier, nuttier peach and apricot kernel side to good effect. Just let down by a slightly jelly-like finish. B(+)
Castillo de la Luna Rueda Verdejo 2011, Spain (£8.49 Virgin Wines)
Sappy style, opens up to show weighty peach and ripe citrus fruit, perfectly decent, but a little flat on the finish. B(-)
HdR Grenache Vermentino Pays des Côtes de Thau 2011, Languedoc, France (£8.99 Virgin Wines)
There’s the fresh citrus and pine edge of Vermentino, but it’s slightly submerged by the plump peachy character of Grenache, rounded and fleshy but could be crisper. B-
La Multa Catalana Old Vine Garnacha Blanco 2011. Terra Alta, Spain (£9.99 Virgin Wines)
More of that plump peachy Grenache fruit, but here there’s also a tender floral note (honeysuckle) and a touch of honey to add complexity, rounded and confident, and carries its 14% alcohol well. S-
