De Bortoli Noble One 2008 Riverina Australia

De Bortoli Noble One 2008 from Riverina in New South Wales, Australia, a real 'sweetie', produced in a difficult year, it is complex with the Botrytic notes (see below) controlling the aroma palate. On the nose, honeyed marmalade with pithy lemon thrown into the mix, above all it smells rich and fresh.
On the palate, honeyed and sweet, nearly luscious, with citric notes across the board, a smatter of ginger and marmalade, a really long finish after that fresh zesty start. This is a wine to be savoured, it is complex and inticing, and at 10% abv - one feels that it is not such a sin to indulge. This would be great with some puddings - but adorable with cheese!
The vintage was a difficult one that started well with warm wet weather, but then dry warm conditions took over not to return to the wet conditions that the Botrytis likes until March with the harvest started in April and finished in June - the brave were strong and left the grapes to mature on the vine.


Botrytis Cinerea is a fungus that can infect grapes in the correct conditions, good rot is called Noble rot - the desired one ( the bad one - grey rot results in wiping out the harvest), there are areas in the world that this can happen naturally and one of these is the area around Sauternes and Barsac in Bordeaux left bank.The Aszu wines of Tokaji wines are also produced having been affected by Botrytis Cinerea. It needs a temperate climate and ideally early morning mists ( off cool water) and sun later in the day so the grapes are kept dry in those autumn afternoons. Not all grapes will be affected, and some may take longer to mature which is why several pickings - called 'tries'- are needed to get all the grapes at thier ideal condition.
The fungus affects the skins and feeds off sugars in the grape itself, but also uses about 50% of its water contained in the grape, so overall the grapes sugar concentration increases! Additionally acids are also consumed ( 5/6ths of the Tartaric acid in the grape is consumed). By products that are produced include glycerine ( the chemical which makes the wine feel viscous), acetic acidand a selection of enzymes. Phenolics of from the skins are also consumed so reducing the tannic structure.
Due to the reduction in water content of the grape the juice produced from Noble Rot infected grapes is low - often in the range of 15 hl/ha.
This wine is available from many retailers including Majestic at £20 or Ocado at £16.99 for a half bottle.
Score : 92

De Bortoli - how they started.
De Bortoli Wines is a third generation family wine company established by Vittorio and Giuseppina De Bortoli in 1928. The couple emigrated to Australia from Northern Italy, from mountain villages at the foothills of the Italian Alps, near the historic town of Asolo.

Their son, Deen De Bortoli, (b 1936 – d 2003) expanded and consolidated the business created by his parents. Deen's children continue De Bortoli's winemaking including icon dessert wine Noble One and the Yarra Valley wines.

This wine has been much feted with awards galore.

 

 

 

 

Mitolo Serpico Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 McLaren Vale Australia

Mitolo Serpico Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 from McLaren Vale in South Australia contains 10% Syrah in the blend, with the rest being Cabernet Sauvignon, and was made in the 'Amarone method' from grapes picked at around 12.5% potential alcohol and then semi-dried slowly until 70% of their original weight, finishing at around 15% potential alcohol. They are  then fermented on their skins for 2 weeks.  It is made by  winemaker Ben Glaetzer and Frank Mitolo ( who is Italian hence the Amarone method). The grapes come from a grower in Woolunga and are from a single block  at the southern end of the McLaren Vale which were picked early and so avoided the excessive heat  in 2008.
It was matured for 9 months in 100% new barriques, 90% French and this produces a rich, concentrated complex wine with alot to offer.
It has a deep, deep ruby core and abundant concentrated aromas of black berries, mint, leather,  olive oil and sweet spices - very tempting. On tasting, it is vibrant on the palate, sweet black fruits overlaid with sweet spices, cedar box smokiness and minty olive oil, all this is intertwined with intense dried fruit flavours which are redolent of Christmas and all things spicey . The texture is rich and silky, the structural tannins which enrobe the wine, are ripe, savoury and powerful and add another dimension to its structure. The succulent fruit is concentrated and fresh with a vibrancy that suggests it is only just beginning its journey.
I am sure at this point you can tell - I liked this wine, it was one to sit by a warm fire on a rainy Sunday - or eat with a lovely meal - and you can buy it from Slurp at a price of £29.95 or from Paul Adams Wines at £25, good value for this quality - Enjoy!

Score : 94

McLaren Vale is one of South Australia's oldest and most picturesque regions, nestled between the Mount Lofty Ranges and the white, sandy beaches of the Gulf of St Vincent. It has rolling vineyards, a rugged coastline and a charming collective of villages including Willunga, Clarendon, Kangarilla, Sellicks, Port Willunga, McLaren Flat and the township of McLaren Vale.

 

There is substantial climatic variation throughout McLaren Vale, due to varying exposure to the cooling influence of the nearby ocean. There are also significant changes in altitude as the region merges with the Adelaide Hills to the East and the Fleurieu Peninsula to the South. Summer rainfall is low, and supplementary irrigation is considered essential. Site selection and the marriage of site to variety are all-important; Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay all do very well in the appropriate location and with the wide variety of soils - red-brown sandy loams, grey-brown loamy sands with yellow clay subsoils interspersed with lime, distinctly sandy soils and patches of red or black friable loams are all to be found and again the grape to soil mix is all important.

Georg Breuer Estate 2008 Rheingau:Rudesheim Riesling Trauben

We bought this Georg Breuer Riesling 2008 Rheingau : Rudesheim  when we toured the area in 2010, we had stayed in Rudesheim for a night and the next morning we made our way to their tasting room in the town. In the courtyard at the side/back of the shop they have a sample of the stone and soil make up in the vineyards, these were taken when drilling was done in the region for a planned train route through the region. The 4 drilling cores are cleverly displayed also in their tasting room in the vaulted cellar have a vine removed including alot of the roots, both are shown here.
This wine had grapes that came from the Rheingau area in Germany and this wine is part of their 'Village' series and the Artist Michael Wolf designed the labels.
On opening the wine the other day, savoury aromas including stoney minerality hovers alongside gooseberry and a little green apple. The savoury minerality continues onto the palate with a cheesy tinge ( pleasant), the slate stoniness has a rounded quality and the expressive apple gooseberry flavours are complimented by the searing acidity, the body was fuller than expected and the alcohol felt well integrated (12%). The finish was long - ending with pithy citric spikes and then minerality was the tapering end. This was a well made wine from great terroir, the minerality was memorable, the acidity will ensure its longevity as this wine has still got some way to go - I look forward to trying it again in a few years!
90-92

Pommard Vieilles Vignes 2008 Nicolas Potel

Pommard Vieilles Vignes 2008 by Nicolas Potel is from the village of Pommard in the Cote de Beaune in Burgundy France,it is a red wine made from Pinot Noir grapes and is ruby coloured and when you swirl the glass it has thick legs and aromas of black and red fruits ( especially cherries), tobaco / cigar box nuances and spice and coffee. On the mouth once more, spice, tobacco but the fruits are the main players with ripe cherries taking the lead though savouriness definetly plays its part too. The acidity frames the fruit and underpins the structure of the wine, underwriting its longevity, the alcohol is well tucked in once more playing a structural role. Good length showing fruit and spice with some tertiary character sneaking in.
This is a well made wine, with the fruit carefully treated all the way through.
The wine can be purchased from Majestic for a shade under £20.

Grand Cru Brand Pinot Gris Cave de Turkheim Alsace France 2008

Grand Cru Brand Pinot Gris 2008 is a wine made by Cave de Turkheim using the Pinot Gris grape which as expected is situated in Turkheim, a lovely village with some great restaurants and friendly people. We visited the Turkheim in October 2009 when they were just finishing the harvest and the smell of fermentation filled the air in many of the villages of the region.
Michel Lihrmann has been their senior winemaker for over 25 years and produces some high quality wines which are exported all over the world and have a good reputation. Grand Cru defines the vineyard (by local regualtion and is strictly defined and registered by law allied to production methods of the highest standards ) as having a very special “terroir” and the resulting wine should reflect the finest attributes of the grape variety Brand is such a vineyard.
The wine is pale gold and with quite intense aromas of cooked pears, caramel and honey with  overriding floral notes - it invites you to sip!
There is some sweetness to the wine, residual fruit sugar which implies honey but overall it is off dry, good acidic backbone balancing the alcohol which is well integrated ( 13.5%) and flavours of pear, cooked apple, tropical fruits with some sweet spice mixed in. The length is good, with a dry, clean finish.  Overall my thoughts on this wine are that it is a well made rich, crisp wine with a silky texture that works with many dishes from Thai, chicken and fruit puddings - Enjoy!
Supplied by Slurp at a price of £16.60, not bad value for such a beautiful wine.

Zind by Domaine Zind-Humbrecht 2008 in Alsace, France

Domaine Zind-Humbrecht 2008 makes Zind which is a blend of 2/3rds Chardonnay and then a mix of Auxerrois and  Pinot Blanc with the grapes coming from the Windsbuhl which is a terraced limestone and clay site, it is partially fermented and aged in a large new oak cask (82hl).

Clean apple aromas are restrained and had a slight smokey mushroom edge. On the mouth there was an initial spritz which disappeared quickly, the dry concentrated elegant but high acidity frames the fruit which is zesty apple and citric pithyness, the body is medium but enlivened by the zippy acidity. The overall texture is quite rich and solid - not a light fresh wine - this has structure and definition and has an international prescence. The oak plays its part in the formation of this wines character.
Supplied by Waitose at a price of £16.14.

Cono Sur Vision Viognier 2008

Cono Sur Vision Viognier 2008 from the Colchagua Valley comes from a block of vines which in 1997 had been grafted onto 50 year old Chenin Blanc  - hence its freshness. Adolfo Hurtado is the winemaker - a name that is heavily linked with improvements in the Pinot Noir coming from Chile these days.

This wine is a delight, it is pale golden straw, a hint at the high alcohol associated with Viognier is seen in the fast legs that form after swirling the glass.
Aromas of tropical fruits mingle with apricot and an overiding waft of citrus and solid minerality.
On the mouth once more - tropical fruits, a hint of oak ( spice and richness), kiwi and melon and citrus - followed by a long citric finish with a cleansing bitter edge with structural minerals playing their part. The wine is fresh ( for a viognier) and has good body along with quite high but integrated alcohol , 13.9%, typical of the grape again. At the price - about £6-7, an absolute bargain - a wine to be enjoyed with or without food!

Another plus point with Cono Sur is that they have been working towards being carbon neutral for many years, and that can only be good for the environment - so I say drink more :-)

Chateau Angludet Margaux 2008 and 2004

Chateau Angludet Margaux 2008 and 2004
Margaux - an area that all wine lovers will have heard of, many will have tasted wines from this area in Bordeaux and some may have visited, the Sichel family bought this property in 1961( devastated by the 1956 frost and only 5ha under vine when purchased and Cru Bourgeois Exceptional, moving to Cru Exceptional Superior in 2003) and after much renovation now makes wine under the watchful eye of Benjamin Sichel ( son of Peter Sichel). The 32ha estate of gravelly soil with vines ( 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot ) 25 years old are machine picked and then vinified in old cement vats for 20-30 days, and after malolactic fermentation are barrel aged for 12-14 months 25% are new oak, then fined traditionally with egg whites and gently filtered before bottling.
Ch Angludet 2008

A deep garnet ruby red with narrow rim has thick coloured legs. Aromas of farmyard and, spice, smoke is enrobed with black fruits and is perfumed, layered complexity and fine tuned. In the mouth one is immediately aware of the silky texture, black fruits, vanilla, spices, and the ripe grippy tannins, great body, well balanced acidity and the alcohol though not high is structural enriching the experience, a truly pleasurable wine that still has some maturing time that will improve it further. The price is £24.

Ch Angludet 2004

Deep garnet with coloured legs and narrow garnet rim. Promises much on the nose, vanilla is still present but seems more integrated and the fruit is sweeter and softer and mainly black fruits. On the palate one is entranced, the sweet fruits blended well with the spices and elegant and structured well. The tannins are softer than the 2008 and silky but still with some grip. The length is long and a delight to the end, finishing with gentle spices and black fruits which have mellowed with age and a hint of liquorice, great finesse and balanced throughout. An elegant wine with structure under a soft exterior. This wine though a delight will with some more ageing reach its peak - worth the wait! Priced at £36.