La Dame Montrose, St-Estephe 2009, Bordeaux, France

We tasted La Dame Montrose, St-Estephe 2009  - left bank Bordeaux in France at a Lay and Wheeler Wine Tasting in Birmingham, it is the second wine of Chateau Montrose and is a truly elegant wine with style by the load, its savoury aromas mixed with red and black forest fruits, then a whiff of roses and spice,  are complex and draw you in. The fruit and savouriness continues on the palate with additional spice and distinct chewy, chalky tannins, all this with a silky mouthfeel and a freshness on the long finish, it should be aged for some time yet ( 4-6 years) and then will be a stunner ! Enjoy.
Available from Lay and Wheeler - £36.18

Score : 90

Mount Horrocks Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 Clare Valley South Australia

Mount Horrocks Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 from the Polish Hill River sub-region of the Clare Valley  in Southern Australia is made by proprietor/Winemaker Stephanie Toole and she was at the tasting - vibrant lady who maintains the quality of the wines by restricting the output / yield. Her aim is for the wine to speak for itself and tell its own story about the terroir. Stephanie describes her wines as ‘essentially hand made food wines with an emphasis on structure as well as generous fruit flavours’.
All the grapes are 100% estate grown from three separate vineyard sites that have been managed using sustainable natural farming and organic practices totalling nearly 10 hectares in the Clare Valley. The grapes are hand-picked and then fermented in stainless steel fermenters, pumped over five times a day followed by gentle pressing then the wine was matured in barriques for 18 months, of which 35% was new French oak.
Ruby and a hint of garnet at the rim are the colours to describe this wine, the big aromas redolent of blackberries, olive oil and cedar box smokiness, the flavours follow accordingly with additional savoury ripe tannins of a slightly drying nature, and the wine had a silky sumptous texture. Very persistent finish with a warm end, juicy all the way through. This is a stylish elegant Cabernet Sauvignon which has a typical New World character - enrobing and luxurious.
Available from Aitken Wines at a cost of £23 .
Score : 90

The Clare Valley

The Clare Valley is less than a two-hour drive from Adelaide and is considered one of the most picturesque wine regions in South Australia. James Halliday ( Wine Companion ) described the Clare Valley as one of Australia’s most beautiful wine-producing regions where Hills fold in on themselves, streamlets meander and lines of gumtrees are forever twisting through pockets of vineyards and around old stone houses. Sounds stunning!

Situated in the northern Mt Lofty Ranges, South Australia’s Clare Valley was settled in the late 1830s, with the first vineyards planted and wines produced in the early 1840s. The same features that make the Clare Valley inherently beautiful are also the foundation of Clare’s famed vineyards. The climate features a warm to hot summer where cool afternoon breezes are the key and play a major role in slowing down the ripening process, but cooling afternoon breezes play a major role in slowing down the ripening process. altitude and position within the Valley, as well as aspect, lead to considerable variations in individual site climate. The climate is moderately Continental, with cool to cold nights and warm to hot summer days. The rainfall is winter-spring dominant, while relatively low humidity (and summer rainfall) means a low incidence of fungal disease. Hence some of Australia's finest Riesling is grown in the Clare Valley, and the region also produces many other wine styles, including Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.

Katnook Estate Founders Block Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 Coonawarra Australia

Katnook Estate Founders Block Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 from the famous Terra Rossa soil region of Coonawarra, Australia was named in honour of the original land holding of John Riddoch, the founder of Coonawarra, and the Katnook Estate Founder’s Block range is styled for everyday drinking.
This is actually a blend of 3% Merlot, 2% Shiraz and the remainder - Caberbnet Sauvignon.
The wine itself has had a little oak maturation, approximately 15% of the wine was matured in a combination of French and American Barriques, 30% of which were new and this adds a subtle layer in the resultant wine and tasted well integrated and smooth.
Shades of garnet at the rim and ruby at the core introduce this wine, as do the aromas of blackcurrant, plum, olive and a touch of mint, there is a slightly 'baked' character to it and looking at the weather profile - there was a blast of record high temperatures just prior to harvest, it could also be due to the pure fruit showing without the masking effect of oak maturation.
On the palate - blackcurrant, olive, mint and spice follow through, with additional black cherry and cedar box, it has great length, sufficient acidity to keep this wine clean and bright on the palate and the alcohol is well balancing at 13.5%, supportive, enrobing but not intrusive. Ripe soft tannins add to the wine, they are fine grained and slightly dusty - it is available for £14 from Elwood Wines, enjoy.
Score : 87
 

 

Coonawarra

The Coonawarra region is located in the far south-east of South Australia and has a viticultural history dating back to 1890. It is 100 kilometres (60 miles) inland, and is exposed to a maritime climate, with dry and moderately cool summers but maritime location does not, prevent the occurrence of spring frosts that are occasionally quite severe.  The climate is quite unique, persistent cloud cover partially moderates the ripening period temperatures. The terra rossa soil is what  Coonawarra is most famous for, but it is not unique to the region as many parts of the Limestone Coast Zone have similar soils, it is renowned for its affinity with Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Another soil format is the groundwater or black rendzina clay lying to the west of the limestone ridge and because of its poor drainage this soil is less favourable  The main wine styles produced in Coonawarra include  Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Chardonnay and Riesling.  

DoLuca KAV SpecialReserve 2009 Bogazkere Okuzgozu

Doluca is a Turkish winery that started life under the name of 'Maison Vinicole' in 1926 and it was only in the 1940's that it moved from Galata in Istabul to Murefte on the Turkish Marmera sea coast and changed its name.
The KAV Special Reserve 2009 contains the 2 grapes - Bogazkere and Okuzgozu, which come from South East Anatolia and Eastern Anatolia respectively and both were new ones to me. The Bogazkere grape provides a robust tannic backbone for the wine while the Okuzgozu is very different providing fruit and freshness.
The wine is made in 1000 litre stainless steel tanks followed by 12 months in French oak 225 litre barrels and then aged for 2 years in bottle before release. The current winemaker is Ahmet Kutman ( qualified from the University of California in Davies in 1967) and has been joined by his daughter.

The wine was deep ruby with a wide rim, its aromas suggested leather enrobed red and black fruits with hint of medicinal violets, spice plays it part with vanilla, cinnamon and ginger all in the mix. But it is the fruit that is the main player here -  ripe and robust.
On the palate, good brisk acidity freshning the fruit, light ash / chalky red fruits licked with licquorice, leather and spice. There was a velvet tannic grip, ripe, tasty and firm, the dominant character that detracted from the wine was the warming alcohol that added heat over-rode the fruit and other flavours, this was a shame, but the wine was good with the mezes that we had, and had great fresh fruity length, I would recommend this wine, especially with Turkish food - it seems right, doesn't it?
Score : 86

Mitolo GAM Shiraz 2009 McLaren Vale Australia

Mitolo GAM Shiraz 2009 from the McLaren Vale in Southern Australia  is a wine I tasted recently, with a deep ruby with a narrow ruby rim, the nose of concentrated red and black berry fruit overlaid with cooked tomatoe, some dried fruit elements and a whiff of medical bandage. On the palate once more the same satisfyingly ripe fruits plus black juicy cherries, concentrated and spicey with a savoury twang - game and beef rolled up together. The tannins were silky ripe, fine etched and added sound structure to the velvet textured wines. This grapes are grown at sea level about 4 km from the moderating ocean (cool afternoons and cold nights) and this leads to the concentrated flavours obvious on nose and palate.An elegant wine with seductive packed in fruit, with the red and black fruits vying for attention and the spice adding yet another layer to this complex big wine.
This wine can be purchased from Slurp at a cost of £24.95.
Score : 91


Mitolo is a family owned winery established in 1999 by Frank Mitolo. His vision is to create individual, handcrafted premium wines built on passion and an uncompromising commitment to quality. Winemaker Ben Glaetzer became a partner in the business in 2001. The fusion of Frank's intimate knowledge of the land and business acumen with Ben's winemaking talent has led to the creation of one of Australia's most exciting wineries.

The G.A.M. Shiraz comes from the Lopresti vineyard, specifically the Chinese Block, which is located in the Willunga district at the southern end of McLaren Vale. The soils are heavy grey loam over sandstone intermixed with black Biscay clay, a hungry earth which naturally controls yield. The climate mirrors that of the Mediterranean, with dry warm days and cool nights resulting in a long, even growing season with little disease pressure. Yield was around 5.75 tonnes per hectare from vines with an average age of 20 years old.

Each parcel of fruit for G.A.M. was fermented on the skins for ten days at cool and warm temperatures. The lower temperature helped make the finished wine more approachable and the higher temperature gave more structure. The wine underwent partial barrel fermentation followed by natural malolactic fermentation before racking. It was aged aged in fine grained oak predominantly hogsheads (70% new being a blend of 80% French and 20% French coopered American oak, plus 30% being one and two year old French/American oak) for 18 months.

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. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John Duval Entity Shiraz 2009 Barossa Valley Australia

John Duval Entity Shiraz 2009

A deep ruby core has exciting and complex aromas of black and red berry fruits, spice, tobacco and a hint of game. The aromas lead to similar flavours on the palate with spice and mint intermingled with the vibrant elegant fruit, the fine etched tannins have a savoury grip and act as structural support for the body of the wine, underpinned by fresh acidity underwrites this wines longevity. The alcohol at 14.5% seems well tucked in and enriches the wine which is not overawed by its strength. This wine has elegance and freshness, careful making has made this wine what it is - enjoy it for some time to come. You can buy this from Slurp at £24.90 or the 2008 from Divine Wine at £21.95 - do!

Score : 90

Other reviews.

96pts “Crimson-purple; the perfumed bouquet proclaims the class of the wine, it’s array of blackberry, plum and spice fruit duly delivered on the medium-bodied palate; silky tannins and quality oak complete the picture.”
James Halliday, 2012 The Wine Companion
93pts “Bright purple. Black raspberry, cherry and violet on the nose, complicated by bitter chocolate, minerals and cracked pepper. Juicy and precise, with strong spicy lift to its red berry compote flavors. Not an overly rich style of shiraz, but offers a silky texture and serious depth of flavor. Finishes long, with fine-grained tannins and lingering red fruit and pepper notes.”
Josh Raynolds , Steven Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar – New York July 2011

 

One of the world's great winemakers, John Duval of Grange left Penfolds to start out on his own with the 2003 vintage, sourcing fruit from some long-time friends in the Barossa. His red wines - a Shiraz and a Shiraz/Grenache/Mourvedre blend - are sourced from old Barossa vines aged between 50 and  100 years old and showcase the best of the Barossa region. Sourced from old vineyards in the Krondorf, Marananga, Tanunda, Light Pass and Eden Valley regions of the Barossa.

The 2009 vintage was very successful with some excellent wines made. After the extreme temperature of the second half of the 2008 vintage average, rainfall over winter and follow up rains of 100mm in November and December replenished water reserves. This was followed by a period of hot weather in late January, lasting through to early February. Conditions from then on were favourable with no extreme heat and little rain until late April. Vintage started two weeks later than 2007 and 2008 with yields generally down. Shiraz yields were particularly down, the lowest since 2003. 

 

Traditional, low intervention winemaking techniques were employed with Entity. Fermentation was with submerged cap in both traditional old open and small stainless steel fermenters. The wine underwent 100% barrel maturation for 18 months, with 39% in new fine grain French oak and the balance in two, three and four year old French oak hogsheads (300 litres).

 

The Barossa Valley has a great winemaking and grape growing heritage dating back to 1842 with a German influence who first settled here from Silesia and is home to some of the oldest vines in the world. In some families, there have been six generations of grape growers and winemakers. German culinary traditions and Lutheranism are still important aspects of the local culture; Barossa Valley even has its own German dialect, "Barossa Deutsch." Johann Gramp is said to have planted one of the first vineyards in the area, near Jacob's Creek. The Aldenhoven brothers and Joseph Gilbert are also thought to be some of the first growers in the Barossa Valley. Around the same time, Dr. Christopher Penfold moved to the valley, bringing with him some vine cuttings from France. He planted them near his new house and became a grower as well as a physician. Several other vineyards were established in those early years, including Joseph Seppelt's Seppeltsfield and Auguste Fiedler's vineyard, now part of the Château Tanunda estate.

The Barossa Valley is about 35 miles northeast of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. The North Para River runs through the middle of the region. The climate is ideal for full bodied red wines, fortified wines and robust white wines and is said to be Mediterranean, but some of the higher areas can bedescribed as Continental. Barossa Valley is about 35 miles northeast of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. The North Para River runs through the middle of the region.

The region produces a great variety of wine, with the main styles being Chardonnay, Riesling, Semillon, Grenache, Mourvedre, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. One important fact is that the Barossa Valley is Phyllowera free due to strict quarantine rules and working with local residents and visitors, South Australia even has an official board dedicated to these tasks, the Phylloxera and Grape Industry Board of South Australia, which works with growers and winemakers to prevent infestations and promote use of phylloxera- and nematode-resistant rootstocks. The first vines planted were of course Phylloxera free.

Barossa Valley Shiraz: Shiraz is recognized universally as the Barossa Valleys signature wine. The wines are lush, velvety and mouth-filling. The flavours range from black cherries to blackberries and the tannins are generally ripe and soft. Many of the wines have

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Logan Shiraz 2009, Orange, Australia

Logan Shiraz 2009 from Orange in New South Wales, Australia.  Orange - originally known as the Central Highlands, is centred on the slopes of Mount Canobolas where an experimental viticultural station was established at nearby Molong in the 1940s, with vines first planted commercially in 1980.
The region's elevation lying at about 6-800m strongly influences 'the climate' and the area has variable soils. Overall, mild to warm midsummer mean temperatures, seldom rising above 32°C, but offset by cool / cold nights during the growing season to keep fresh acidity in the grapes. Rainfall is predominately in winter and spring with  the three driest months are February, March and April hence irrigation is highly desirable. The strong winds reduce the risk of frost but they also hinder fruit set. Another problem that this area has ( like quite a few in the cooler Australian growing regions)  are flocks of feeding birds – netting is used by some growers as a necessity.
The vines here are 15 years old and planted in rich, deep volcanic soils on the north-facing slopes of Mount Canobolas. After crushing, the grapes were seeded with FX10 yeast.Fermentation was in a combination of small open fermenters which were plunged twice per day and large rotary fermenters, spun twice per day. The wine underwent malolactic fermentation in tank before being racked to oak barrels. Maturation was for 15 months in French and Hungarian oak hogshead (300L) and puncheon (500L) barrels (a mixture of new, one, two and three year old).
Logan Shiraz 2009 is a wine to try - it is deep, deep ruby with black tints, and the legs are slow fat and coloured! On the nose luscious, vibrant ripe plums, black cherry and a hint of pepper with mint. Tasting it did not disappoint, the black fruits ( cherry, currant, berry ) are supported wonderfully by the fresh acidity and well defined, ripe, silky tannins. There is a spicey, minty edge to this wine that adds extra complexity and the alcohol feels in balance ( 14%) and well integrated. The length is long and has  spice and ripe fruit end! A deep chocolatey wine that has fresh warmth and feels well balanced, I look forward to trying this over the next 5 or so years.

 

Larry Cherubino Ad Hoc Riesling 2009 Great Western, Australia

Larry Cherubino Ad Hoc Wallflower Riesling 2009 Great Western in the West of Australia, south of Margaret River, a cool climate area.. Larry Cherubino was named by James Halliday 2011 Wine Companion as Winery of the Year, he is careful about how he grows his grapes, canopy management, little intervention and watering selectively as well as picking at night to preserve the quality of the grapes, and he produces a range of wines from delicate whites to heavy hitting reds!Larry Cherubino
After picking the grapes are de stemmed and only the free run juice is used for this wine, natural yeasts are used and a long cool fermentation is allowed - this leads to a good flavour palate.

Great Southern is aptly named, as it is pounded by the Southern Ocean and is renowned for its dramatic cliffs, white sandy beaches and bays and is steeped in the history of early European settlement.  The region is vast and diverse, extending 150 kilometres north to south and 100 kilometres east to west. It ranges from the coastal, maritime subregions of Albany and Denmark to the inland, continental subregions of Mount Barker, Porongurup and Frankland River. In these circumstances it is indeed surprising that there is such a degree of coherence in the wine styles produced

Continental influence takes over as you move inland and temperature variability increase significantly, in general terms the climate of the more northern areas is slightly warmer on the higher sites. Though rainfall is greater and relative humidity increases in the south around Denmark, heat summation and sunshine hours do not change greatly, so careful site selection allows the production of virtually every wine style.

Riesling:  Riesling vies with Cabernet Sauvignon as the most important wine from the region. The wines age superbly, seldom reaching the peak of their development in less than ten years. As well as being crisp and lean in youth, the wines still have intense flavour, typically in the citrus spectrum with an underlay of herbs.
This Riesling was a lovely medium pale straw, the aroma had lime skin, peaches and a little kerosene ( and at 3 years old - I was surprised....) along with a definate mineral edge, this came through again on the palate and the clean fresh zesty fruit had a pithy finish with great length, the alcohol was merely supportive of the delicate and carefully crafted wine, this is a wine that could age well in bottle - and is only part of the way through its journey - Enjoy! It can be found at Wine Direct at a cost of £14 per bottle if buying a case.
Score : 86

 

Château Roque le Mayne 2009 Côtes de Castillon

Château Roque le Mayne 2009 Côtes de Castillon is a wine that comes from the right bank in Bordeaux, and is to the South East of Pomerol.
The wine is a concentrated deep ruby with a narrow rim. the concentrated fruit aromas are rounded and enshrouded with spice. On the palate - dry chalky tannins with a definite grip introduce black cherry, plum with spice and leather, cedar box plays a part in its flavour palate, the length is good with sweet dark fruits all wrapped up with spice and cedar box. Overall the predominant aroma and flavour is from oak, the new oak dominates the wine and the fruit plays second fiddle - maybe this will integrate in time, but at the moment - not the best Côtes de Castillon  we have tasted but at £11.99 from Avery's not a bad price.
Score : 86

Jean-Bourguigon Mersault 2009 Burgundy

Jean-Bourguigon Mersault 2009 Burgundy is a wine from Majestic Wine  and is £18.99. It has low level aromas of white stone fruits and hazelnuts, it tempts you to investigate further.
The silky texture with clear acidity and minerality layered with white stone fruits and green apples and once more the appearance of nuts. It is complex and sleek with elegance, it has a long length with solid fruit to the end!
Mersault is in the Cote de Beaune in Burgundy and is a narrow slope in most parts for all of its 20km length and gives great sun exposure. The soils consist of mainly marl and marly limestone and it is here that some of the best white ( Chardonnay) and Red (Pinot Noir) Burgundies come from.

La Goutte D'Or Crepy 2009 Savoie

La Goutte D'Or Crepy 2009 is a white wine made using the Chasselas grape.
Crepy is a named cru of the  Vin de Savoie appellation, covering three communes immediately north-east of Geneva in the Savoie region of eastern  France. Crepy wines are white and are made predominantly from the Chasselas grape . 1948 until 2009 Crepy had its own appelation, but then its growers collectively agreed that their wines were best marketed under the Vin de Savoie title. Their main argument was that Crepy lacked a geographical context, as it was not named after a village or area.
This is a pale lemon in colour with floral aromas along with pear drop and pastry mixed in, on tasting it it had freshning acidity, low alcohol and minerality streaks on top of green apple and citrus.
A light wine that could support food happily due to its clean dry freshness.
It is worth comparing to the Alsace Chasselas that was further down the blog Pierre Frick 2009. You will see that it was much more stone fruits but still floral with a touch of melon - this of course is due to the warmer region.

Domaine Paul Blanck Pinot Noir 2009 in Alsace France

Domaine Paul Blanck Pinot Noir 2009 is a wine from Alsace in Eastern France, where white grapes account for 90% of the grapes grown, and this as alot of you will know is a Black grape - Pinot Noir. It is a thin skinned variety that is difficult to grow anywhere, here it is dry and warm so should have less of the problems associated with the marginal area Burgundy where it is the typical black grape grown that is the only one that can be used to make red Burgundy.  Domaine Paul Blanck is situated in Kientzheim, a beautiful, mediaeval village in Alsace and the family have owned vineyards here for generations. This wine is supplied by Waitrose at a price of £14.24.
This wine is medium intense ruby with black tints, this is denser than I expected, the rim is wide - a hint that this may be a young wine. Subtle aromas of ripe baked fruit along with a slight vegetal edge evolve, but I would not recognise this as Pinot Noir by the nose, but this was a hot year...... maybe the fruit was very ripe and has so got a baked character.
In the mouth it lacks structure and character, it feels thin, the baked character of the wine repeats itself on the palate and very little else, low ripe tannins with a slight chalkiness and the length though average, has a bitter finish, the fruit is restrained and a touch nervy whereas the acidity is tight and underwrites this wines longevity..
For me this is a wine best served very slightly chilled with a meal.

Domaine Pierre Frick Chasselas 2009, Alsace France

Domaine Pierre Frick Chasselas 2009 a wine from Alsace in France and unlike many French wines it shows the grape variety - this is quite typical in this region of east France. The wine wass supplied by Caves de Pyrene at a cost of £10.50. This Cave supplies alot of Natural wines and called Vin Naturel which are often organic. Alsace is a dry region of France due to its location and protection from the Vosges mountains, it also often has long warm autumns, these two factors mean that cultivating without the use of many chemicals is not as difficult as in some marginal regions of France where ther is higher rainfall and less late season sun! Biodynamic production is also very popular here, and this is grown under these conditions, in addition no sulphur is used.
Generally alot of the terminology used in Alsace is Germanic, and when examining the history of the region you can see at various points Alsace has been under German rule, and even now the wines are considered to be German with a French twist, or put another way - sweet with a dry finish! 90% of the grapes are white grapes and produce 90% white wine of which about 70% is still white, and the remaining 20% is sparking Cremant.
Chasselas ( pronounced Chass -la) is a grape that is believed to be Swiss in origin but now also grown in France ( Alsace and Loire) as well as Portugal, New Zealand, Germany and Hungary.
The wine is medium gold in colour and when swirled no legs are apparent. Wow is it aromatic - volatile grape and apricot aromas as well as florality, touch of galia melon and slightly cidery appley - and it draws you in.
This is a fresh wine with keen acidity and great fruit expression including green and ripe red apples and apricots followed by a yeasty finish, It is vivacious and fresh - a lovely wine to have as an aperitif! The highly reputable Caves de Pyrene are the suppliers of this wine at £10.50.

Le Chateau Barrail 2009 Medoc, Bordeaux France

Le Chateau Barrail 2009 Medoc, Bordeaux France is from the 'Tescos Finest'  wine range we bought it online after tasting it at one of their wine fairs - and it is a nice easy drinking Bordeaux Red Wine - so what may be termed by many as a Claret, and the price is good too, it sells at about £8 per bottle but after discounts we got it for £4.20, it was a good buy at £8 - so it was a stunning buy!
It has had favourable reviews from many wine writers, see notes at the end of this review.
The producer is Olivier Compagnet - the vineyard has been in this families ownership for 3 generations.
2009 was a year that produced early maturing wines , soft and approachable.
This wine showed its youth in its ruby colour, and the fresh black and red fruit aromas, but also toast and cedar box so showing that the winemaker, Antoine Médeville, has used oak contact. On the palate red and black fruit dominates, interlaced with spice and coffee. The acidity is freshening, framing the fruit but not out of balance and the alcohol at 13%, well integrated and added weight to the texture which was silky. The tannins were ripe, soft and approachable but still drying and would allow time for the wine to age and improve. The finish was quite long with waves of cedar box and fruit, layered cleverly.
This is a wine that is easy drinking and pairs well with many meat and vegetarian dishes, and at the price a steal!

If you want a tried and trusted inexpensive supermarket claret, look for the negociant house of Yvon Mau at the bottom of the label. Made from 20-year old vines, this lively, juicy, herby, cabernet sauvignon-dominant claret punches well above its weight.

Jane MacQuitty’s - The Times Magazine 20/11/2010

Amazingly good value, this shows light, plummy cherry fruit with a bit of gravelly grip on the finish. Nice clean fruit with a savoury edge makes this excellent with food.

Jamie Goode - Sunday Express 12/12/2010

…lively, juicy, herby, cabernet sauvignon-dominant…

Jane MacQuitty - The Times 15/01/2011

La Bourgeoise Sancerre 2009 from the Loire, France

La Bourgeoise Sancerre 2009 from the Loire, France

The Bourgeois family have been making wine in Sancerre for ten generations  and is now run by Jean-Marie Bourgeois – having  grown from 2 to 65 hectares in the last 50 years, the domaine provides about half of the firm's needs, the rest purchased from local growers.

Henri Bourgeois produces a range of Sancerre and other appellations, principally Pouilly-Fumé and not to be forgotten the family's venture in New Zealand producing Clos Henri. La Bourgeoise, made from fifty year old vines grown on flinty soils on the southwest facing slopes of St Satur sells at about £22 and is vinified in stainless steel with some oak maturation. Less intense  aromas when compared to its New Zealand contemporary ( Clos Henri), but the grassy minerality exhibiting its terroir, It has a perfumed floral edge and  the lemon / green apple aromas are indicative of both area and grape variety.

Tasting it shows fresh acidity which keeps this wine fresh, the fruit ranges from lemon to greengager with a leafy grass and a flinty edge, the medium body and alcohol has a silky texture and is creamy on the mouth. A citric finish with a kick at the end has good length. This is a well knitted wine – enjoy!

The Outlier from Jordan in South Africa 2009

The Outlier from Jordan in South Africa 2009

This is a wine that delivered, with true Sauvignon Blanc flavours and aromas and fresh acidity. Some french oak had been used – but only slightly fills out the clean fresh flavours. There was minerality obvious on both nose and palate, and gooseberry and kiwi continue from one to the other with  the oak adding structure and a smoky creaminess. The acidity for me seems slightly out of kilter – jumping and spiky, but not so much that the wine was spoilt. The alcohol was well integrated and provided some bulk to the body and the structure of this wine felt good and balanced.

The vines that provide the grapes for this wine vary in age from 9 to 27 and are grown on granite and loamy soils. After harvesting, the grapes were destemmed before approximately 6 hours skin contact to improve the flavor and texture of the resulting wine. Gentle pressing in a pneumatic “tank” press, then cold settled for 2 days before being racked and inoculated with selected yeasts. All the vineyard blocks were kept separate and fermentation took place between 12-16°C.

This wine has won lots of awards (received 4 Stars in the 2010 Platter’s South African Wine Guide, scored 89 points in the Wine Enthusiast Editor’s Choice Award and received Top Stellenbosch District Terroir Award at the 2010 SA Terroir Wine Awards), and the oak content ensures that this is most definitly a food wine and can also  be enjoyed as an aperitif! The selling cost for this is around £11.50 – enjoy!

Le Terraces Brancott Estate Pinot Noir 2009

Le Terraces 'T' Brancott Estate Marlborough, New Zealand Pinot Noir 2009 has a pale ruby core and a very minor hint of garnet on the rim. Aromas of plum, strawberry spice and brewed tea are elegant and have an air of minerality, on top of which is a toasty spice. Plum, cherry and other red fruits continue on the palate joined with white pepper and savoury tasty ripe tannins, the prescence of oak is undeniable, but it supports the flavours and keen acidity which keeps the fruit clean and fresh. The length is good, savoury, fruity and layered with minerality, balanced all the way through to the finish. This wine is a level above the standard Brancott Estate Pinot and is in the letter series which is their premier varietal range ( this being 'T' ). It has a fine elegance that shows in the layered complexity, fresh fruit enrobed with the tasty tanins.

 

 

After harvest the grapes were destemmed then underwent a 5 day cold soak before fermentation in open topped fermenters, plunging to increase the extraction gently. Fermentation took place at 32C max and then a post fermentation maceration once more to help the tannin formation and integration. The finished wine was matured in French Oak barrels for about 10 months ( 42% in new oak and the rest in 1 or 2 year old).  A wine that has been thought about and well made with care - and you can tell both on the nose and when you taste it.

Chateau Taillan Lagrave 2009

Chateau Taillan Lagrave 2009 Cotes de Bordeaux
A 'petite chateau' negociant wine from Maison Sichel,  a blend of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and the remainder is Malbec and is a simple claret with no oak contact. Pale ruby with wide pale rim and purple tints indicate a young wine, aromas of simple red and black fruits ( plums, blackcurrants ) which are echoed on the palate, juicy and fruity, some tannins are present but unitegrated and raw, the wine has high acidity and is thin bodied. The lack of spices and vanilla reinforces the belief that no oak has been used, It is simple, clean and easy, but at £7-8 per bottle what can you expect from a Bordeaux . 2009 is a good year for red wines in Bordeaux as were 2005 and 2010 and this wine is fresh, light and good value.