Tim's Wine Blog

Virgin Wines Winter Press Tasting 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 12:19:00 +0000

I'm always curious about 'wine club' wines. Laithwaites, Virgin, Naked Wines, Sunday Times Wine club, etc. They are a gateway for people to get into wine. They offer mixed cases of wines to uninformed people at a reasonable price (that sounds snobbish but I mean that in a good way - we need it). However, often the wines themselves aren't so great, despite the marketing hype behind them. Sure, they are not necessarily a rip-off, but you can usually do better once you accumulate your own knowledge and can make informed choices.

The wines themselves at this Virgin tasting are best described as 'safe'. They are definitely a step up from say, a Laithwaites-driven wine club introductory case, which from my own experience is rubbish (although to be fair they do offer good wines as well if you seek them out). There weren't many duds, and there was also a couple of pleasant surprises. The individual bottle prices I think are a bit steep, but as part of a mixed case they are reasonable. As a result I've left the prices out, but they are mostly in the £9-12 range, with the odd exception.

There seemed to be heavy emphasis on Spain, Australia, Sauvignon Blanc, and Viognier. Not a criticism - they just seem to be catering to popular taste and good value.

Tom and I compared notes, and here's what we found. We didn't both taste all the wines, but between us we had them all covered.

Thanks to Louise for being such a gracious host.

Discovery Club Festive Selection

This is an introductory 'festive' case. Tom didn't get a chance to taste these, so here are my thoughts:

Indomita Arte Reserve Casablanca Sauvignon Blanc 2011. Fresh, good acidic bite, no dodgy lingering aftertaste (which I find can happen with Chilean SB). 3/5

Transit of Venus Sauvignon Grenache Roussanne 2010. Fresh but slightly muted flavour. Good if you like your Sauvignon Blanc with a bit more subtlety. Interesting blend. 3/5

The Lost Arrow Reserve Western Australian Chardonnay 2010. Fresh and good acidity, would be a great food wine. 3/5

Pary Dumont Viognier 2010. Slightly peachy, but again a bit muted, although proper Viognier character. 3/5

Indomita Reserve Casablanca Pinot Noir 2011. I quite liked this - a surprise for me as I usually don't like new world Pinot Noir. Fresh, fruity, a bit of tannic grip. And best of all no dirt/straw character. 3.5/5

Star & Vine Lodi Shiraz 2010. California Shiraz that for me paralleled the Chilean style, which I like. However if seemed a bit one-dimensional. 2.5/5

Don Diego Escolano Reserve 2007. Back to a more traditional and reserved style with this Spanish red. Good. 3/5

Ravensthorpe Padthaway Shiraz Grenache 2008. I thought this was rather plonkish. 2/5

First Class Discovery Club Festive Selection

This is supposedly a classier version of the Discovery Club Festive Selection. The wines are a pound or two more. Both Tom and I tried these, so I'm just going to offer a Siskel & Ebert-style thumbs up / thumbs down (a thumbs up being '+' and a thumbs down being '-').

Ralio Gillo 2010. Nice characterful Italian white. I've been looking for an Italian white like this for a long time. Tim+ Tom+

Atalaya do Mar Gordello 2010. Similar to previous, but the Spanish version. Tim+ Tom+

Red Ocean Reserve Barrel Chardonnay 2011. Disappointing lack of oaky, butter character (which is apparently intentional). Not my thing. Tim- Tom-

Coteau Chatrie Vouvary Demi-Sec 2010. Honey sweetness balanced by good acidity.Tim+ Tom+

Artazuri Garnacha 2010. Another pleasant surprise. Racy, fruity, almost fizzy. Could have glugged it all evening. Not Tom's thing though. Tim+ Tom-

Desert and Dunes Reserve Shiraz 2011. Doesn't stand out. Pretty boring Aussie Shiraz. Tim- Tom-

'The Big Mo' Barossa Valley Shiraz 2009. Spicy oaky vanilla Shiraz. Tim- Tom+

Stars of Tomorrow

This is a selection of 'test' wines that Virgin would like to sell, but are awaiting the response of the consumer before permanently adding them to their catalogue. More interesting wines for sure, although I think they could do better in terms of quality/price.

Soaring Kite Viognier Riesling 2007. Promising, intriguing blend. Has bottle-age Riesling character (petrol), but finish is fairly flat. Past its best? Tim- Tom-

Castell del Remel Blanc Planell Costers del Segre 2010. I though this was competent. Fresh, tart and restrained. Tim+ Tom-

Domaine les Grands Presbyteres Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Lie 2009. I liked this - crisp and refreshing, and no dodgy yeasty aftertaste like you get with some of these Muscadets. Tim+

Nico 'The Blend' Sauvignon Blanc 2009. Some stony and sour character in this South African Sauvignon Blanc. Interesting take on this grape. Tim+

De Martino 347 Limari Chardonnay 2010. A lot of unoaked Chardonnay at this tasting. I thought that bugbear was behind us? Well made but not my thing. Tim+

Domaine d'Aiguillon Viognier 2010. Perfectly safe, drinkable white. Tim+

Domaine Andre Brunel Vin de Pays de Vaucluse 2010. Spicy, balanced but maybe a bit over-oaked. Tim+ Tom+

The Grid Triple Barrel Shiraz Private Bin 2009. Over-oaked, poor fruit character. Tim- Tom-

Novas Winemakers Selection Casablanca Syrah 2008. Typical Chilean dark chocolate notes. Fairly full-on. I like it but Tom doesn't. Tim+ Tom-

Mas Oller Blau 2009. Good fruit and oak. Tim+ Tom+

Finca Laderas Del Espiagno 2009. Fruity but I found it boring. Tim- Tom+

Wilson Family Vineyard Comald Victorian Merlot Cabernet Shiraz 2010. Well-done Bordeaux blend (with Aussie Shiraz twist). Tim+ Tom+

Top 12 All Star Wines

Customer Favourites. It was interesting to compare our thoughts to those of Virgin's customers. The result is a mixed bag.

Les Audrelles Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2010. Didn't get past Tom. Tom-

Oroura Station Single Vineyard Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010. Sour apple, shellfish, scallop and crab character? Um...ok. Wish I had tried it now. Tom+

Pax Verbatim roackwater Fountain Viognier 2009. One dimensional. Tom-

Coltbridge Reserve High Eden Valley Chardonnay 2010. Minerally unoaked Chardonnay. Again, not my thing but well made. Tim- Tom+

Vina Leyda Gewurtztraminer Reserva 2010. I felt this had poor Gewurtz character. A let-down. Tim- Tom-

Domaine Clos de Chevigne St. Veran 2007. Syrupy, unpleasant. Tom-

Pasion de Bobal 2009. Hot-climate baked character. Good depth and tannic grip makes up for it. Tim+ Tom+

Arva Vitis Cuvee del Pago 2006. I felt it had an unpleasant rubbery nose, but had depth and a length finish. Tim- Tom+

The Comeback Kid McLaren Vale Shiraz Cabernet Merlot 2008. Tom thought it was a 'Coca-Cola' wine, but I liked it for what it was - a rich, fruity, full-on slow sipper. Tim+ Tom-

The First Chapter Shiraz Viognier 2010. Fruity and restrained. Good. Tim+ Tom+

Dauvergne Ranvier Costieres de Nimes 2010. Hands down the worst wine of the tasting. Complete plonk. Terrible. Tim- Tom-

Perez Cruz Winemaker's Selection 2009. Good, as the price should indicate. Well made, balanced and classy. Tim+ Tom+

Vinya Carles Priorat Crianza 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 11:47:00 +0000

With the holiday season upon us LIDL tends to come up with the odd special, whether it's frozen moose meat, entire geese, 3-bird roasts or windshield-wiper fluid, it's usually good value. The wine is no exception.

Priorat has a reputation for upmarket, complex wines. I've never seen one less than £12, which in itself is arguably good value for a quality wine. To see one for £5.99 is intriguing to say the least.

The wine itself is not bad at all. Not a world-beater, but pretty good. Depth, complexity, and fruit were all there. The funny thing with these LIDL wines is you're expecting them to be terrible, and they're not. Some of them actually do reflect their price tag, but this certainly doesn't. My local LIDL has sold out of this already, but if yours hasn't I suggest you snap some up.

Vinya Carles

Priorat Crianza 2007

Catalonia, Spain

LIDL

£5.99

3/5

Les Celliers de Saint-Jean Beaujolais Primeur 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 11:32:00 +0000

I've been meaning to try Beaujolais Nouveau for awhile now, but I've never made it a priority. Beaujolais isn't my favourite wine, as the concept of light, fresh, gluggy wine for me is satisfied by whites and rose wines. I'm also not a fan of young reds. However, since LIDL is my main supermarket these days and they had a big display of this wine it was time to give it a try.

Huge Ribena, raspberry nose, and no length whatsoever to speak of. Initially this was going to be resigned to the rubbish bin. However after a few sips it grew on me. Its essence of fruity freshness and drinkability was outstanding, and this is the whole point of this wine. I get it now.

By the end of the bottle we were wishing we had more, and I regretted not going for the 2 for £9 deal.

Les Celliers de Saint-Jean

Beaujolais Primeur 2011

Burgundy, France

LIDL

£4.99 (2 for £9)

3/5

Fetzer Shiraz 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 17:26:00 +0000

Ages ago I heard somewhere that this wine was good. I can't remember where, and I have been meaning to try it ever since. It's not a 'great' wine, but a potential bargain.

I find it very difficult to enjoy red wine in this hot weather (it's 25C in my house at the moment), so it's not in optimal conditions that I try this. But try it I did.

It's OK. Very strong nose of red berries, plus hot alcohol (although that might have something to so with the heat). Interesting chocolate notes too. All in all not bad for the money.

For those that are interested, Fetzer is an organic winery (the largest in California), they power their operation with 100% green energy and they employ a number of other 'green' practices.

Fetzer

Shiraz 2009

California, USA

£5.69 (with 25% off)

Waitrose Wine Direct

2.5/5

Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Awatere Valley Riesling 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 20:54:00 +0000

Apologies to my readers (if I have any left) for the long absence . Personal circumstances have necessitated it. I've moved my family twice in the last year and we've ended up in a lovely house with no good wine shops around. Also, I don't need to tell anybody about the expense involved with buying and renovating a house, and buying good wine just couldn't be justified.

However I'm trying to get back off the wagon so to speak, and this is a good one to start with. I've always been a fan of New Zealand Riesling and when we did a recent Sainsbury's online order I saw this on offer.

I wouldn't say it's a classic but it's certainly enjoyable. It's a young wine (2010) so it doesn't have any of those secondary flavours that we Riesling geeks love. It's very fresh and has plenty of acidity, almost too much, but also some pleasant honey character. I would like to see what it would be like after a couple of years of bottle age when the acidity is tamed and some secondary flavour sets in. Maybe one for the cellar?

At £9 it may seem steep, but I got it on offer for a couple of pounds less (can't remember the price exactly). If it evolves well it's a bargain.

Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Awatere Valley Riesling 2010

Marlborough, New Zealand

Sainsbury's

£8.99

3/5

Virgin Wines tasting

noreply@blogger.com (Tom) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 19:20:00 +0000

Another press tasting to report. This time it was one put on by Virgin Wines, who have the tag line ‘Life’s too short for boring wines’. So are their wines exciting or is the wine drinker's life too short to order from Virgin?

The tasting was very friendly and informal, with plenty of time to mull over the wines on offer. There were 40 odd wines on parade and they were grouped by recent special offers, featured producers (although the latter do not seem to be on the website yet) as well as wines featured in case selections, such as ‘Discovery Club’, which is designed to introduce members to ‘off the beaten track wines’.

First thing to say is that there was a nice range of wines on offer and the producers featured made a refreshing change from standard supermarket selections. Of the marketing promotions the Can Rafols Gran Caus 2001 looks amazing value at the offer price of £9.99 (even at £19.99 full price) and the Zinio Garnacha Rioja 2009 was a very nice young wine, full of fruit (offer price £8.75). However, the 2009 Chateau des Cedres Bordeaux rouge (offer price £8.99) did little for me and just reinforced my belief that cheap Bordeaux seldom works (although at £13.99 at full price this is getting to mid-range).

Of the featured wines, I was impressed by the reds from De Martino, especially the single-vineyard offerings of La Aguada 2008 and La Cruces 2007 (both £17.99). While a little more pricy these were packed full of ripe fruit with well integrated toasty oak. I was less overwhelmed by the 2011 De Martino Sauvignon Blanc (£8.99) but there were a few note-worthy Sauvignon Blancs on offer from Levin Winery of Loire: an entry level wine at £11.99 that was very enjoyable with unusual fruit flavours, and their ‘Mr L’ which, while appealing, was a little steep at £23.99. The Levin Rosé 2009 (£11.99) was blackcurranty and very refreshing but the Madame L Gamay 2009 seemed very overpriced at £23.99.

To me though the stand out was the selection of German Rieslings. These were from Losen-Bockstanz and Ulrich Langguth, both of the Mosel. There was a good Eiswine from the latter (not cheap at £29.99) and some well priced Spätlese (Wittlicher Lay and Wittlicher Portnersberg 2009s) from the former (£9.99). A 2003 Riesling Spätlese Piesporter Goldtröpfchen (£15.99) from Ulrich Langguth had fantastic petrol notes. Also good was the Langguth dry Spätlese Enricher Ellergrub 2007 at £14.99.

A bit more hit and miss was the Discovery Club (£79.99 a case) selection. Like so many of these mixed cases available there were one or two good wines, but bulked out with some far from exciting offerings. In the Discovery Club case most were rather unexciting, but at £6.66 a bottle maybe that’s all you can expect. The El Primer Picado 2009 stood out with plum and well integrated oak and the Carnival Padthaway red Blend 2008 was decent. The First Class Discovery Club case (£99.99 a case) certainly had better wines and surprised me with a decent mid-price Bordeaux in the shape of Chateau Roc de Pellebouc. The Vina Leyda Sauvignon Gris was also very appealing and had a wonderful nose.

Overall I think there are some good wines on offer here, although there are some that disappoint. I’d certainly give the wines I mention a go, and as long as you avoid a few overpriced and average offerings, Virgin Wines are certainly worth a close look.

Message in a Bottle – Italian wine tasting

noreply@blogger.com (Tom) — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 17:49:00 +0000

Tim and I recently managed to find ourselves at this press tasting of Italian wines put on by Thompson International Marketing. We tasted through a range of some 16 producers. The emphasis was on red, and while Prosecco and some still white were also on offer, I focus most of my attention below on the red wines.

I only note the producers that seemed to stand out but the standard was very high overall. From Lombardy there were good wines from Cascina La Pertica and Guido Berlucchi and co. These producers were working with indigenous Italian varieties as well as with Bordeaux-style blends with the Caccia al Piano Bulgheri Superiore DOC 2006 standing out. Also good was a 2008 Merlot and Cabernet Franc blend from Villa Sandi of Veneto.

Tuscany was extremely well represented (perhaps at the expense of other regions). A Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2009 from Casanova Di Neri (€30) was just wonderful, beautifully integrated and with clean fruit. Of the two Brunello di Montalcino’s from this producer the 2005 (Tenuta Nuova 2005 - €60) was excellent but too young to appreciate and the 2004 (Cerretalto 2004 €90) was if anything too overcooked for me. The Rosso was far more drinkable. Castellare Di Castellina had two good wines, the Sangiovese, Cab Sauvignon and Merlot blend Rocca di Frassinello IGT 2007 and the 100% Sangiovese I Sodi di San Niccolo IGT 2006. These were tannic wines though so a bit difficult to approach. An unusual blend of Merlot, Syrah and Sangiovese (Liberta Toscana IGT 2009) by Fattoria I Collazzi was delicious and a great price at €4. The same producers ‘Super Tuscan’ (Collazzi Toscana IGT 2007) was intense and interesting.

It was interesting to find out more about the DOC of Bolgheri which seems to have been set up to allow producers to experiment with Cabernet Sauvignon or blends centred on non-Italian varietals and still stay in the DOC system. There were some nice wines from this area by Podere Sapaio. The Sapaio 2007 was especially interesting, with loads of fiery cedar and fruit. Bit pricey at €30 but this is Super Tuscan territory. I was very impressed with the San Fabiano Calcinaia producer, and also by Bruni, who had a great value blend in their Marteto Morellino Di Scansano DOCG 2009 at €6. Their Perlaia Vermentino Maremma Toscana IGT 2009 (€12) was also good.

So, to sum up, there were some fantastic wines on show here, with some good value options as well as high end DOCGs and Super Tuscans. The only issue really is just how available these wines will be in the UK. Many of them were smaller producers and the tasting did seem to be targeting the restaurant trade in particular. If anyone comes across any of these producers elsewhere then do let me know! In any case I would certainly suggest keeping an eye out for the ones I mention above.

M&S Spring Press Tasting 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 19:27:00 +0000

Here I was again at the bi-annual M&S tasting. I approached it a bit differently this time - I didn't have to go to work afterwards and I could take my time. Also, I decided to concentrate on the reds a bit more as last time I spent most of my time on the whites and ended up rushing through the reds due to time constraints.

I was particularly interested in the Old World reds and the new offerings from California. I also paid a bit more attention to their Wine Direct table, with wines only available through their website.

I sort of breezed through the whites, and have to say I wasn't all that impressed. Sure, most of them were under £10 and could be considered bottom of the range, but I couldn't get excited about any of them. The Italian range was just dull - everything tasted like pears, no matter what grape variety it was. The sparkling wines I mostly skipped - I already know M&S Champagnes are very good. I did try a couple of Cavas though, and quite liked the Single Estate Vintage Chardonnay Cava 2009 (£9.99), with it's bright, crisp and refreshing character. I also tried the Ridgeview Marksman Brut Blanc de Blancs 2008 (£22), and didn't really like it -it was soft and rounded (not what I like in a Blanc de Blancs) and had obvious oak influence and coarse bubbles.

I also tried a couple of pink sparklers - the Bluff Hill Sparkling Rosé NV from Montana, NZ (£9.99) was simple but tasty, and the Vintage Cava Pinot Noir Rosado 2008 (£12.99) was a darker pink with good red-fruit flavour.

The new California range was interesting. First a couple of bargains from Hahn Family Wines. The Freedom Ridge Monterey Chardonnay 2009 was full of creamy vanilla notes, and the Shiraz (2009) was really a Syrah with surprising intensity. Both wines go for £7.99. You don't often see good wines from California at this price - well done M&S. I didn't appreciate the Schug Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2009 (£14.99) so much - it is of the barnyard style that I really don't like. However what might have been my favourite of the day was the Domaine Georg Rafael Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 (£30) which was a lovely balance of fruit and tannin. Gorgeous wine.

I was really impressed by the Italian range, especially the Chianti. They were literally all impressive, ranging from the Chianti DOCG 2009 (£6.99) to the Castello della Paneretta Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva 2007 (£12.99), which was really top drawer. All the ones in between were equally as good. Also a bit of a surprise was the Nebbiolo d'Alba 2007 (£7.99), which although not a world-beater was better that it should be at that price.

The Spanish range, like the Italian one was well represented by its flagship wine - in this case Rioja. First a mention for the Mencia Bierzo Escondite Perfecto 2009 (£9.99) which had good grip and dusty, floury fruit. I had never tried the Mencia grape before this. Another oddity was the Rioja Bodegas Age 2009 (£6.99) which was unoaked, but good enough to get a check mark beside it. The next two, Rioja Perez Burton 2007 (£9.99) and Contino Rioja 2005 (£22) were both excellent, especially the latter.

Onto the French wines, I was particularly enamoured by the Cotes du Rhone Villages St. Maurice 2009 (£6.99). Good stony fruit (what I mean by this is a gravel-like character on the palate which I like - not stone fruit like peaches) and tannin. A bargain and good to see terrific wines like this at these prices. A couple of Burgundies next - the Gevrey-Chambertin 2007 (£29) was predictably delicious, but to be honest the Saint Aubin Les Argillers Rouge 2007 (£17.00) is the better deal - just as good but only slightly less intense. Both wines giving fantastic cherry fruit and silky texture.

Lastly, the Wine Direct wines. All the whites were warm. I think that's supposed to be good for tasting, as the flavours aren't muted by cold. However either the wines weren't very nice or I don't like warm white wine (the truth would be a bit of both). The only white that I found interesting was the Hunky Dory 'The Tangle' 2010 (£6.99). It is a blend of Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and Rielsing from Marlborough, New Zealand. This is the type of wine that excites me, especially for that price.

Making up for the Wine Direct whites were the reds, especially a couple of Spanish wines. The Baigorri Crianza 2005 (£11.49) had superior fruit and structure, especially for a 6 year old wine, and the Mange del Brujo Calatayud 2008 (£11.49) was equally concentrated, with grippy tannin and a dark-fruit finish. From Italy there was an interesting blend of Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Monferratto Cantamerli Rosso 2008 (£10.49), which is full of cherry and leather character. From Argentina the Nieto Bonarda 2009 (£11.49) is worth a mention, although it tastes rather young and lacks complexity now.

So all in all some really, really great value wines are on offer here, and Marks and Spencer deserves some applause for their efforts, especially at the low end. I know I griped about the whites, but I didn't try all of them, and the reds more than made up for it.

Castelvero Barbera d'Asti 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 08:40:00 +0000

This innocuous looking bottle is quite frankly the best wine bargain that I've experienced at Sainsbury's for ages.

Lovely cherry fruit, a bit of that Italian leather character, some grippy tannin, it's all here. For £4.65.

Buy some. Buy loads. You won't get a better deal anywhere. Ever.

Castelvero

Barbera d'Asti 2007

Piedmont, Italy

Sainsbury's

£4.65 (£6.99)

3/5

Spy Valley Gewurztraminer 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 19:34:00 +0000

Being a huge fan of Spy Valley's Riesling, I thought I would try out their Gewurztraminer. I can't say Gewurz is my favourite wine - I find it can be hit and miss. Despite the cliché about it matching well with Asian food, in reality I've found it's not that easy to match because it's so characterful.

For example, this particular wine clashed with my food tonight (Ken Hom's chicken with black bean sauce). Something in the food gave the wine a bitter finish - perhaps it was the black beans themselves. Sipping it now on its own, I'm appreciating it much more.

It's quite heavy on the roses, especially on the palate. However it also has a good, crisp acidity and just the right amount of body - the balance is spot on, and the roses linger on the palate for ages.

A bit pricey at £12.49 from Majestic, but we all know that's not the real price. £9.99 when you buy 2 bottles.

Spy Valley

Gewurztraminer 2009

Marlborough, New Zealand

Majestic

£12.49 (£9.99 when you buy 2)

3.5/5

Fleur du Cap Merlot 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 20:20:00 +0000

Bought this on a whim. I've had Fleur du Cap wine before and thought it was good so this seemed a safe choice.

I do like it. It's rich, fruity, and well-structured. The bottle has been open for a while now, and it shows no signs of slowing down. It's matured in small oak casks, which surely imparts some of the structure. It also has a pronounced green pepper/sour/zinginess to it which is uniquely South African. Not quite the South Africa rubbery character, but something else. Some might find this a bit full on, but I like it. I would definitely buy this again.

I think the offer may be finished today which is unfortunate or else I would have run out and bought loads of this. It's a bargain. Oddly, the bottle I had was 2008 (which I bought yesterday), and on the Waitrose website they are currently advertising the 2010. Did they skip a vintage?

Fleur du Cap

Merlot 2008

W.O. Coastal Region, South Africa

Waitrose

£5.99 (£7.49)

3.5/5

Antonin Rodet Givry 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 19:28:00 +0000

While at my local Majestic recently I sampled a bunch of wines they had opened for tasting. The one that stood out the most was this red Burgundy from the Givry appellation in Burgundy's Cotes Chalonnaise. I was enticed by its pronounced sour cherry flavours and decided to buy a couple of bottles.

Drinking it now, it's a bit more complex than just sour cherries. The cherries have moved into the background, and it's displaying some mushroomy character. It's also very tangy and has an elegant grip from the tannins. I like it - it's a Burgundy and doesn't at all resemble some of this new world dreck that passes for Pinot Noir these days.

Antonin Rodet

Givry 2008

Givry AOC, Burgundy, France

Majestic

£11.99 (when you buy 2 bottles)

3/5

The Perfect Cellar

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 19:12:00 +0000

I received some samples from a new online wine merchant called The Perfect Cellar. The idea behind this venture is carefully selected wines from lesser known French regions, making them available to the public in limited quantities.

Their website includes mixed case offers, wine gift packs, wine guides and features on the Chateaux that supply them. One particular selling point is that the wines are frequently featured in Michelin starred restaurants. In particular, there are six properties featured: Domaine Seguela (Roussillon), Domaine Bernard Baudley (Chinon), Brisson Jonchere (Champagne), Mas Amiel (Roussillon, Maury), Henri Bourgeois (Loire) and Chateau Parsac (Bordeaux, right-bank).

The Chateau Parsac is actually made by Chateau Pitray of Cotes de Castillon, which I rate as a great value Bordeaux region.

Another selling point - price. To quote the website: 'You no longer need to spend £££ to enjoy the Luxurious French Wines'. I'm not totally convinced everything The Perfect Cellar sells is a bargain. For example, they offer a gift pack of 2 bottles of 2006 Chateau Parsac for £39.99, knocked down from the 'regular' price of £69.88. This is quite frankly misleading. The wines themselves are worth no more than £8 or £9 a bottle - since Pitray's Grand Vin 2005 was only £8.99 a couple of years ago at Majestic. So after the wine, you're basically paying £20 for a box and a bunch of useless wine accessories (perhaps with the exception of the waiter's friend corkscrew). To be fair, you can buy 6 bottles of the Parsac for £60, which sounds reasonable, but not a bargain.

However, the regions represented here are in fact good value ones. Castillon and Roussillon are ones that I'm familiar with, rarely experiencing a bad bottle and never paying over the odds. Loire and Champagne less so, but the samples I tried were pretty good.

So, onto the wines.

Henri Bourgeois, Petit Bourgeois Sauvignon Blanc 2008. VdP Loire Valley. £53.94 / 6 bottles: Expressive, competent wine. Not overbearing a la NZ, but lots of SB character nonetheless. Good acidity. Well made. 3/5

Brisson Jonchere '3 Cépages' Champagne NV. £18.99 / bottle: '3 Cépages' translates to 3 varieties, so I'm assuming that this contains all three Champagne grapes. I could be wrong however, as there is no blending information on the label, The Perfect Cellar's website, or Brisson Jonchere's website. No matter though - I think it resembled a more Chardonnay dominated blend, with crisp, appley character. Bright and refreshing, this is my kind of Champagne. 3.5/5

Mas Amiel Maury 2008. AOC Maury. £95.40 / 6 bottles: This is a port-like fortified wine from the South of France. I should have decanted this, as it was quite closed. Still it showed quality but I will withhold a rating.

All in all The Perfect Cellar offers higher quality, cheaper alternatives to the consumer. Vintage Maury instead of Vintage Port, VdP Loire Sauvignon Blanc instead of Sancerre, and Cotes de Castillon instead of Pomerol. I applaud their choice of regions as they offer similar quality to much more well known, more expensive appellations. Most serious wine lovers are aware of these 'lesser' regions, but it's good to see a merchant concentrating on them. Just stay away from the gift packs!

Mayu Selected Vineyards Syrah 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 21:12:00 +0000

I was pleased to see this on offer from Waitrose. I am a big fan of Chilean Syrah, and quite frankly we don't see enough of it in the shops.

Mayu's Reserva bottling is frequently bandied about as a 5 star wine, and it's dirt cheap as well (I think it's around £12 if you can find it). It looks like I didn't give it a particularly great review (3/5) but I remember it being good at least. Some of the more recent Syrah I've had from Chile has made more of an impression though.

Either way this was worth trying and I did like it. Chilean Syrah has it's own character. Yes it has the pepper and spice and all that, but it also has a sharp, almost sour (in a good, savoury way) character to it that I always recognize, and it immediately makes my mouth water. It can be a bit rich - it's good for slow sipping. It has some chocolate notes as well which makes chocolate the first food match to come to mind when trying to pair a particularly rich example.

As far as this example goes, I think it's a good wine at a good price and would recommend stocking up before Feb. 15th when the offer ends.

Mayu

Selected Vineyards Syrah 2008

Elqui Valley, Chile

Waitrose

£6.99 (£9.49)

3/5

Campo Al Moro Chianti Classico 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 21:57:00 +0000

Chianti Classico for less than £7? Worth a try. It's OK, but kind of falls short of what I'd expect from a Classico. Slightly plummy and baked I felt, and lacking the bright, juicy acidity that you'd get with the similarly priced Piccini offerings. Not bad for the price but if you think you're getting something fancy, think again.

Campo Al Moro

Chianti Classico 2009

DOCG Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy

Sainsbury's

£6.65 (£9.99)

2.5/5

Terres de Galets Cotes du Rhone 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 19:09:00 +0000

It's been far too long since I've posted here - about a month and a half. My apologies. I bought a case of wine from Majestic for Christmas, as did my brother-in-law, whose family was spending the holidays with us. All in all none of the wine impressed. I was so disappointed in their ordinariness that I couldn't even bother to post about them.

We're also trying to save money. We've just bought a new house that needs renovating, so every pound saved is valuable. My wine consumption has plummeted, and most of the wines we do drink are favourites that I've blogged about before.

However, it's time to get back in the saddle. I picked up this Cotes du Rhone from Sainsbury's because it was cheap, and had a sticker from the International Wine Challenge on it. The sticker was gold coloured but it didn't say "Gold" on it. I was pretty sure it was meaningless but I bought the wine anyway because I think the 2009 Rhone vintage was supposed to be pretty good.

The wine isn't bad really - you could do much worse for the price. It had obvious spicy Rhone character and quite an impressive nose. Palate-wise it decent..it could use a bit more body and length but it did the trick on the night. Nothing wrong with it really (except if you paid £9.99 for it).

FYI the winemaker seems to be Gabriel Meffre in Gigondas.

Terres de Galets

Cotes du Rhone 2009

Cotes du Rhone AOC, France

Sainsbury's

£4.99 (£9.99)

3/5

Koopmanskloof Percheron Sauvignon Blanc 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 16:17:00 +0000

A South African Sauvignon Blanc today, and a Fairtrade one at that.

I didn't particularly like it. Its main flavour signatures seemed to be pear and wood smoke, neither of which I really like in my wine. The two flavours dominated and then tapered off to a rough finish.

Fairtrade or not, you can do better than this for South African Sauvignon Blanc, especially at this price.

Koopmanskloof

'Percheron' Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Stellenbosch, South Africa

Virgin Wines

£9.99

2/5

Rijk's 'Touch of Oak' Chenin Blanc 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 20:07:00 +0000

This is the South African Chenin Blanc that I've been looking for. After incessant moaning about its shortcomings, I've finally found one worth raving about.

It's lively, zesty and has good depth of fruit, unlike the others I've tried that are just zesty if you're lucky. All sorts of winemaking jumping through hoops was done here - with great results. Combinations of oak and stainless steel fermentation (90% new oak, 60% with natural yeast), French and Hungarian oak, etc. The end result is a combination of citrusy zest and waxy body, with good fruit too. Impressive.

Rijk's Private Cellar

'Touch of Oak' Chenin Blanc 2009

Coastal Region, South Africa

Virgin Wines

£15.99

4/5

Gerhard & Sieglinde Klein Riesling Trocken 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 15:49:00 +0000

An oddity today, at least for my household: a trocken (dry) German Riesling from Naked Wines.

I've been wanting to try a dry German Riesling for ages, as it isn't so common in the UK. Apparently it is the Riesling of choice in Germany, and most exports are of the sweeter variety. I'm familiar with dry Riesling from Alsace and Australia, but I've never had a German one.

We were having gammon for Sunday lunch, so the Klein Riesling seemed an appropriate match. And it was indeed a good match, as noted by myself when shovelling a forkfull of hot pork fat into my mouth followed by a swig of the wine. The dryness kind of threw me at first, as the nose had the typical, well, German character and you could almost smell the sweetness, only to have a sip and discover mouth puckering acidity and almost sourness instead. With the food it all comes together though, and I just wish it was more widely available here in the UK.

Weingut Gerhard & Sieglinde Klein

Riesling Trocken 2009

Pflaz, Germany

Naked Wines

£9.99

3/5

Stratus White 2005

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 19:50:00 +0000

Another Canadian wine here (I brought this and the Peller sparkling to a tasting yesterday, and I know these aren't readily available in the UK but I like to keep a record of Canadian wines for myself).

This is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chadonnay, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Semillon and Viognier. Sounds a bit ambitious doesn't it?

When I opened the bottle, I noticed the colour was alarmingly yellow, and it had strong aromas of oxidation about it. I was afraid it was over the hill. However, once I tasted it I realized my fears were unfounded.

This is a stunningly complex wine. As it unravelled in the glass, it changed. Each time I took a sniff, it had a different aroma signature. First it was aromatic (perhaps due to the Alsatian varieties), next it was citrusy (Viognier), and finally it settled on a nutty, caramel, and vanilla theme (bottle aged Chardonnay). I was struggling to come up with a food match, but eventually I settled on an orange marmalade duck liver paté, which really brought out the citrus notes.

Our only sticking point at the tasting was we thought it was maybe slightly (only slightly) past its best. Although it was mega-complex and had wonderful characters of bottle age, we were wondering if it could have been a bit fresher. This could just be personal preference though, for example the oxidized nose could put some people off (although it did seem to disappear with time).

Stratus

White 2005 VQA

Niagra, Ontario, Canada

$45 CDN

4/5

Peller Estates Ice Cuvée Rosé NV

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 19:28:00 +0000

An interesting sparkling wine from Niagra, Canada here. It's a traditional method sparkling wine made from 55% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir and 10% Cabernet Franc. After vinification and 12 to 14 months on lees, the wine is disgorged and a dosage of 115 ml of Cabernet Franc and Vidal icewine is added.

I didn't know what to expect really, but I was impressed. I was also impressed by the white version a couple of years ago. The rosé has strong red-fruit character, quite strawberry-ish. A touch of sweetness, but not enough to qualify as a demi-sec type wine. Overall highly enjoyable.

Canadian wine isn't easy to get in the UK, and little wonder why when you look at the cost. This goes for $35 Canadian, which is about £22 using today's exchange rates. Is it as good as sparkling wines from England, Spain, Tasmania, etc? Perhaps, but Canada can't really compete on price.

Peller Estates

Ice Cuvée Rosé NV VQA

Niagra, Ontario, Canada

$35 CDN

3.5/5

Espiago Alonso 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 19:15:00 +0000

This is a Grenache based red from the Calatayud DO in Zaragoza, Spain. It's not an overly complex wine. It's soft and fruity, with decent if not light underlying tannins. It has more depth than the average Grenache glugger, but I'm getting the impression it's a bit one-dimensional.

It would make a fine glugger, one that I would gladly serve, but at the same time a bit pricey for that purpose.

Espiago Alonso

Espiago 2009

Calatayud DO, Zaragoza, Spain

Virgin Wines

£10.99

3/5

More Naked and Virgin Wines

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 19:06:00 +0000

I didn't get to spend as much time evaluating these wines as I would have liked. Miriam had some guests over on Friday night, and being short of 'party wine' we had to raid the wine rack, and among all I had on hand were these samples from Virgin and Naked Wines.

So I will be brief. The Grasshopper Rock Pinot (£17.49) was a typical NZ Pinot, rich and fruity. Pricey at £17.49 though, and I don't like this style of Pinot enough to warrant a purchase, and that's just pure preference on my part.

La Livineire Minervois 2008 (£11.99) from Benjamin Darnault was interesting. I served it too cold - my wine rack is in the kitchen of our currently rented house, and it's freezing. Anyone living in the UK knows what I mean with the weather the way it is now. Anyway, it was muted at first because of the low temperature, but after a while it opened up with notes of violets. It definitely had some depth and character, and is one that I'd like to try again.

From Virgin Wines, Cuvée Les Trois Merles Cabernet Franc (£7.99) was the one that got the least attention from me, because it was 1:30 AM and I was dying to go to bed. I have no idea where in France the wine was made, thanks to there being no information on the bottle or the Virgin Wines website. I will say though that it had a bit of structure to it, and didn't seem like the light, fruity summery reds like you get from the Loire Valley.

Heidsieck £ Co. Monopole Blue Top Brut NV

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 18:49:00 +0000

I saw this at Sainsbury's for £11.99 and decided to give it a try. I knew it was the introductory house blend, and I also have some vintage 'Gold Top' from the same producer. I'm not mad about the Gold Top, purchased last Christmas from Majestic. It's OK but didn't leave much of an impression. Maybe it needs more time, maybe I don't like Pinot-based blends so much, who knows. Either way I thought for £11.99 this was worth a try.

I actually quite liked it. It is a Pinot-based blend and is rich and honeyed, almost sweet, and has characteristics of bottle aged wine in the blend. I was pleasantly surprised. I served the 2 bottles I bought to guests at my son's birthday party (the parents, not the kids), and everyone seemed to really like it. The only reason I'm not running out and buying a case of 12 is because I haven't decided what to buy for my Christmas wines and don't want to blow the budget.

Heidsieck & Co. Monopole

Blue Top NV

Epernay, Champagne AOC, France

Sainsbury's

£11.99 (£27.99)

3.5/5

Brewery Hill Reserve Shiraz 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 23:44:00 +0000

I had a late night tonight with my brother-in-law, drinking wine and eating chicken wings (hey, I'm Canadian so they're an obsession) in my kitchen. I probably should have saved a nice bottle like this for a quieter occasion, but Kieron was nice enough to babysit for us last night so I wasn't about to get stingy with the wine.

This is a noticeable upgrade from the Brewery Hill entry-level bottling I had earlier in the week. It has a more complex nose, denser fruit on the palate and a concentrated, gravelly, long finish. I probably could have put it under the microscope a bit more but from the first whiff I could tell it was quality.

An interesting tidbit from the Naked Wines website: the winemaker of Brewery Hill, Jock Harvey, has been shortlisted for the 2010 Winemaker of the Year. I have no idea who awards this prize, or when the winner is announced, but he says if he wins, he will use the prize money to produce a Shiraz/Sangiovese blend just for Naked Wines. Now that would be interesting to try.

Brewery Hill

Reserve Shiraz 2008

South Australia

Naked Wines

£11.99

3.5/5