St. Julien 2006 The Society exhibition Bordeaux, France

Deep ruby and a black inky core. And what does is smell of - black berry fruits, vanilla, smooth oak and a mushroom edge. This all follows through to the palate but with a depth of flavour that is gorgeous, it starts simple and then Wham! Blackberries, old smokey oak, vanilla...... Layered and complex coming in waves. Elegant, stylish but with muscular firmness - charming.
This wine is from the Wine Society, their 'own label' range called their 'Exhibition' range. It is from the south ofbSt Julien Appelation in the Medoc in Bordeaux, France. The actual Chateau is Chateau Beychevell. Score 94, but at a price - £19. Is it worth it? Yes, definitely, and will be buy more- yes!

Seigneurs D'Aiguilhe 2006 Comtes von Neipperg from the Cotes de Castillon in Bordeaux, France.

A gentle enveloping Bordeaux red! Silky, oak, firm but not overpowering and the plummy fruits with spice - charming, not too heavy but enough to work with food..... Turkey and ham pie with Kohlrabi and mushroom mixed in, this is a combination made in heaven. The wine has enough acidity to cut through the fatty (but yummy) pastry and balances with the strong meaty flavours. I must remember this next year when 'turkey time' returns!
Score 89 and a price of £7.11 on a special from Waitrose.

J Bouchon Merlot Reserva 2011 Maule Valley Chile

I joined a local wine group this week for a tasting and David - one of the members had very kindly picked 6 wines to taste blind - some were easier than others, this was the last and sixth wine tasted that evening.

This was my least favourite of the wines we tasted, it had less to recommend it. It lacked intensity, any real personality and seemed to me to be a poor example of a Chilean Merlot. Drinkable but not memorable.
The fruit on both nose and palate was red, cherry, plum and  redcurrant, and the lack of freshening acidity, high alcohol and insignificant tannins, left this wine flaccid and lush, one that you will not come back to at a later date thinking you want more. Maybe time will allow to improve - though I doubt this due to the low acidity and tannins..... it will not age well.
It is a wine made in the Maule Valley in Chile and the maker is Julio Bouchon.
Score : 70 and the cost was £5.79 from Underwoods in Warwick.

Château Sociando-Mallet tasting with Pascale Roby and Richard Bampfield MW

We went to a tasting of Château Sociando-Mallet presented by Pascale Roby and Richard Bampfield MW at BANK Restaurant in Birmingham, UK. Pascale works for Château Sociando-Mallet and had flown over to the UK to present these wines for the Midlands Wine and Spirit Association, Richard Bampfield MW co-presented ( Laura Clay introduced the evening ). We tasted Château Sociando-Mallet 2008 / 9 / 10 and 1996, and before this we had tasted La Demoiselle de Sociando-Mallet 2006 / 9 / 10.
At the base of the page is a potted history of the Château Sociando-Mallet Estate.

La Demoiselle de Sociando-Mallet  is the second label of the Sociando-Mallet Estate and we were lucky to be able to compare 2006 / 2009 and 2010, and it was in this order that we tasted them. The make up of grapes in the wine is 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon sees 65-75%, 11-12 months in new oak.
Down to the wines......
2006 - This had a deep ruby core and slow legs when you swirl the wine in the glass. Popping my nose in the glass - sharp red fruits that include cranberry and sour cherry, along with a herbal edge and a smoky cedar - this wine has had contact with new oak - and it seems to be holding its own, aromas are balanced. It has some aged, tertiary or animal aroma - which makes you want to taste it - great!!
On the mouth, keen acidity, well integrated but bolstering alcohol which means the body is quite full, tannins are quite green and gripping with a chalky sort of texture. The flavours that are immediately obvious are sharp red fruits, stalky green herbal flavours and a pithy finish which is long and mixed with red fruit all the way.
This is a well joined up wine, where everything is in the right place and makes sense, it was a cool vintage hence the stalky flavours and the sharp red fruits - a great food with alot of foods, vegetarian dishes, meat dishes.... etc It is a wine that needs food to balance and work on those tannins!
Score : 86
2009 - Ruby core again, but surprisingly a smaller rim, slow legs which are coloured appear when the glass is swirled. On the nose are darker berry fruits, blackberry, cherry and plum as well as the red fruits seen in the 2006, the green vegetal aromas are less obvious but there is more distinct spice and cedarbox aromas balancing the sweeter riper fruits. On tasting it there is a silkier texture, smoother and mouth-coating, the red berry fruits are overpowered by the sweeter riper black fruits on the palate, there once more is good acidity and the alcohol is bang on, the tannins again are chalky but less intense and drying.The length was long with a green pithy finish intermingled with sour red fruits and a little liquorice twist right at the end. This is a plumper, riper wine than the 2006 and is great to drink now, it could remain in bottle and improve for the next 5 - 8 years, but could I resist ...... I think not!
Score : 88
2010 - again a good medium deep ( you can see your fingers on the glass stem through the core of the wine ) ruby core with narrow rim. The aromas on this wine are more fresh fruit - baked and black, but spice also plays its part. On tasting it - silky mouth-coating and textural with flavours of black ( more than red) fruits, spice, cedar with a little stalky ( green) edge, the acidity is fresh and zippy keeping this wine light and elegant, and the alcohol seemed lower than previous wines but at a good body enrobing level, or maybe better integrated already? This wine really improved with food, it seemed extremely well knitted together, balanced, elegant and one to keep for 5-10 years at least.
Score : 90

Château Sociando-Mallet  is the primary / main wine produced at the Chateau, it has a grape make-up of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, with the grapes coming from the better vineyards. The yields are relatively high - at about 80hl/ha but this is due in the main from the density of planting ( up to 9000 vines/ha), the yield per vine is low, 1 bottle per vine on average.
We tasted 5 vintages, 2007 / 8 / 9 / 10 and 1996, and agin in this order, and so to the wines :-
2007 - A medium to deep ruby core with black tints especially in the core. When sniffed the predominance of black( blackberry, cherry and plum) over-ride the red with additional aromas of coffee, chocolate and nuts is a complex array and leads you on into taste! Silky black fruits which were rich and ripe, sour red fruit, nuts and liquorice all elegant and well intertwined with the coffee and chocolate found on the nose, the acidity was fresh and elegant, the alcohol was in balance and kept the body of the wine silky and weighty. The tannins were chalky but fine grained and had a savoury edge.
Overall this wine was plump and soft - great to drink now, it had been a difficult vintage where the work done in the vineyard and at the sorting table made the difference!
Score : 86
2008 - the medium deep ruby core with black tints at its deepest had a narrow ruby rim, and on swirling the legs were slow and pale ruby coloured.  Aromas on this wine was red and perfumed, elegant and finely balanced, a touch linear maybe?
On the palate the black fruit was more obvious and the oak flavours were not so well integrated, this is a wine that is not yet knitted together entirely, the acidity was great and counteracting the slightly higher alcohol, still well balanced and  warm. The tannins were dry and chalky, with some way to go in their development/integration.
This wine was well structured, elegant and fine grained in its makeup, it is further back in its development than the previous wine, but has much to give, a great futute, it needs to be kept for at least 5-10 years.
Score : 88
2009 - Again a medium deep ruby core with those black Cabernet Sauvignon tints, and a narrow rim. Aromas of black more than red berry fruits exude from the glass with smokey cedar and herbal notes which intertwine with hazelnuts. Once again the fruit character that the aromas promised, followed by a whip of leather and cedar which were concentrated and ripe. Acidity keeps the mix fresh while the alcohol is slightly warming ( not out of the balance scale - but noticeable ), the tannins were silky and ripe. Overall - a beautiful, silky rich Bordeaux wine with some improvement still to come - ripe and juicy with lots to offer. Great to drink now with food - Enjoy!
Score : 89
2010 - the core on this wine is deep ruby with a rim that was narrow, those black tints once more obvious. On the nose perfumed, elegant black fruits intermingled with cedar and smokey cigar box. Black fruits - elegant and fresh dominate the palate, ripe, juicy  and pure. The acidity keeps the wine clean and bright and where it should be, enrobing but not overpowering. The tannins were ripe, fine grained and savoury and the finish was long with fresh fruit driving it and a cedar box end! A wine to keep - with lots of potential, nice now but I feel has a long way to go and will offer much at its peak - 10 years+. Has the potential to be a star!
Score : 91
1996 - This is a wine to enjoy - right from the start - peering into the glass, ruby with garnet at the rim, not as deep as the others, but still with lots of colour. On the nose a complex mix of black fruits, dried fruits ( prunes, dates, sultanas) and nuts are all vying for their place, it is rich and still has a fresh edge, we could not wait to taste.
Rich flavours hit the palate, and wow is it mouth-coating.....not in a heavy weight way, more that it sneaks up and then it is there wanting to be noticed. Great acidity, the alcohol integrated and offers gentle support for this complex and delicious wine with its silky, ripe and tasty tannins Dates, nuts, black cherry are all intertwined, cedar and chocolate/coffee play with each other and the long, long finish is left to both fruit and cedar - dry but fresh at the very end!
This is a delightful rich, complex wine with tertiary flavours that are mixed with the fresh fruits that still exist in the wine, the silky texture and fine tannins along with  its freshness and acidity can be kept for a short time, and enjoyed!
Score : 95
This vintage recently had some cases for sale at auction at Sothebys (24/10/2012), 1 case sold for £423, while the lots of 2 cases  sold for £881 ( sold in Bond ).



The Château Sociando-Mallet  Estate ( http://www.sociandomallet.com/site.php?langue=en )

The propoerty of Château Sociando-Mallet  sits on the left bank of Bordeaux, in the Haut-Medoc which is north of the Medoc and sits on the river bank of the Gironde enjoying breezes off the river, in the commune of St Seurin de Cadourne and not far from Lesparre-Médoc, just a few minutes drive north of St Estèphe and 10 km north of Pauillac.

The property dates from the early 17th century, the estate was the residence of a Basque nobleman named Sossiondo which has been translated since as Sociando - the first part of the name  The later part of the name comes from when the Estate was inherited by a naval captain by the name of Achille Mallet , and thus the property was renamed Sociando-Mallet.

It was purchased by Jean Gautreau in 1969 for francs 250 000 after working for  Jean Miailhe for a few years before heading out on his own venture, and was in the area looking for a vineyard for a wealthy Belgian client. It was a dilapidated property and the purchase was  the heart ruling the head. The vineyard had been reduced to just a 5 hectares of vines, and several buildings were derelict and there was no cellar, but it was the terroir stood it apart, it had the same band of gravel that runs beneath the vineyards of Cos d'Estournel, Pichon-Lalande, Léoville-Las-Cases and numerous other leading properties of the left bank. These gravel croupe slopes away from the buildings at the top of the estate.
He vinified his first vintage with help from an old employee of the estate - and the rest is history!
Over the years more land was purchased financed by his négociant business (which he sold in 2003) eventually exceeding 110 hectares, of which about 90 hectares are planted with vines, though this has been reduced by about 10ha over the last decade keeping the best and replanting has taken place to reposition the Cabernet Sauvignon at the top of the slope (where it has a better chance of ripening - it was at the base of the slope to protect it from the frost).
Today he is joined be his daughter Sylvie and Vincent Faure, Sylvie's husband who is technical director of Sociando-Mallet. Vincent studied oenology at the lycée at Latour Blanche and then took up a post at the Pauillac first growth in 1992 where he remained there for six years. It was1998 that he left to take up the position of technical director at Sociando-Mallet.
The varieties planted are 48% Cabernet Sauvignon and 47% Merlot, the remaining 5%Cabernet Franc. The planting is denser than in many other Bordeaux vineyards (although many are catching up), with 8333 vines per hectare, the vines pruned to leave just 6-8 bunches per vines. This means yields per hectare are higher than are found elsewhere, but Vincent Faure is keen to point out that this reflects a normal yield per vine and a high number of vines per hectare, rather than the over-cropping of each vine. A typical figures may be 80 hl/ha, proof that there is more to ensuring quality than mere numbers

Other interesting observations are :-

• The soils are ploughed rather than grassed over.
• There is no deleafing, despite this being common practice throughout much of Bordeaux, the aim being to increase exposure of fruit to the sun and to help the ventilation of the leaf canopy around the fruit, thus reducing the likelihood of rot.
• In addition there is no green harvesting here, despite this being another common practice to encourage ripening of the fruit towards the end of the growing season, and to increase concentration in the eventual wine.
• And there is no fungicidal spraying at Sociando-Mallet, despite some of these other policies - especially refusal to deleaf - perhaps increasing the likelihood of mildew or rot in the vineyard
• The harvest is manual, and goes over twin sorting tables, each one having a vibrating section and then conveyor belt on which the fruit is hand-sorted. ( Though this was not in operation for the 1996 vintage - see tasting notes )
• The fruit is then mechanically destemmed and pressed before going into the fermentation vessels.
• Natural yeasts are used to increase the character profile of the resulting wines.
• When Jean Gautreau started out in 1969 the fermentations were carried out in the concrete vats that came with the estate, although much larger stainless steel vats were added when the facilities were extended first in 1998 and again more recently in 2008.
• There is temperature control, but  temperatures are allowed to climb as high as 33°C to encourage the extraction of tannins.
• The wine is macerated for several weeks before going into oak.
• There are two blendings, one after fermentation when the varieties are blended together, then another after the aging in oak in order to create the final assemblage.
• During the élevage, the wines are racked every six months.
• None of the free-run wines are filtered, although the press wines, if they are used, are lightly filtered.
• The oak regimen at Sociando-Mallet is different to some properties, the grand vin Château Sociando-Mallet (typically 20000 cases per annum) going into 95% new oak, the remaining 5% being left in stainless steel vat - where the portions left in cuve are intended to bring a sense of freshness to the wine. La Demoiselle de Sociando-Mallet, sees 65-75% new oak, with 25-35% left in vat again to keep the wine fresh.  Jean Gautreau has a strong preference for new oak,  and after one use, the barrels are sold off.
• Other wines in the portfolio include a special cuvée named for Jean Gautreau seeing its  first vintage in 1995 has 100% aging in new oak  with malolactic fermentation occuring in oak, and in 2010,  100% Cabernet Sauvignon was used, making this a rare example of a pure Cabernet Sauvignon wine from Bordeaux.  In addition there is also L'Autre de Sociando, a special cuvée made for the L'Esprit de Bordeaux range put together by négociant Yvon Mau.

Voyager Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Margaret River Australia

Voyager Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 from the gravelly slopes of their Stevens Valley vineyard in Margaret River, Western Australia. This Bordeaux blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 5% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot has spent 24 months in oak,  50% new, 50% in 1yr old barrels.

 

This deep ruby wine with a mere hint of garnet has fresh elegant aromas of blackberry cassis, sweet spices, cedar which all follow through to the palate, here there are additional savoury notes all kept fresh by the edgy acidity which also helps to balance the alcohol ( 14%) which feels well integrated. The tannins are fine and silky with a good structure and a savouriness and agin well integrated. Great length with cassis all the way through. This is a well made beautifully matured wine with lots of character and interest and tasted balanced and left me wanting more after each mouthful - the sign of a good wine in my book.
This is a wine that will improve in bottle for 3-5 years and would be lovely with a hearty meal! It is available from Justerini & Brooks at a cost of £29.17 .
Score : 90



Margaret River

Located approximately three hours' drive south of Perth, the region was ‘discovered’ in the early 1970s after various pieces of research from Professor Harold Olmo and Dr John Gladstones identified it as a potentially great grape growing region. The Margaret River area includes the rolling hills of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge, extending 90 kilometres north-south between Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin, and is bounded to the west by the Indian Ocean. Highly regarded as a producer of powerful yet elegant Cabernet Sauvignon, the region has also forged a great reputation for its white wines notably Chardonnay and Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blends. However, it is capable of producing all the classic varietal wines.

Margaret River wine region first saw European settlement as late as the 1830’s and has evolved from pioneer ‘outstation’, forestry, dairy, alternative life stylers who enjoyed the unique coast and its surfing, to an area dedicated to the pursuit of great vines and fine wine.

The climate is strongly maritime-influenced, as might be expected in a region surrounded by the ocean on three sides. With a mean annual temperature range of only 7.6°C (45.68°F), it has less than 25% of its annual rain falling between October and April. The low diurnal and seasonal temperature range means an unusually even accumulation of warmth. While spring frosts are very rare and highly localised, the lack of winter dormancy for the vines can cause problems that are unique to this region.

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.  

Château Sciando-Mallet 2004

Château Sciando-Mallet 2004 is a château not included in the 1855 Classification of the Medoc, and chose not to take part in the Cru Bourgeois in 1932 and the history of the property has been varied, but it is property that produces quality wines at a price that offers value. The property sits  in the commune of St.-Seurin de Cadourne, just to the north of St Estèphe, and the vineyard is densely planted  with high yields up to 80 hl/ha The varieties planted are 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, the remaining 5% are part Cabernet Franc and part Petit Verdot. Manual harvest, gentle crush and cold maceration for up to 3 weeks after a warm (33c) fermantation. Oak maturation is used, and up to 100%  oak for the top wines but 20% for the second wine and finally the wine is bottled without fining or filtration.

The wine has an elegance which only comes with good breeding and careful treatment, the aromas of black berry fruits, chocolate, cedar box and spice and the influence is continued through to the palate, here the tannins are soft, silky but supportive, the acidity offers an elegance and nerve to the wine while the alcohol supports the whole structure, the length - long and sweet black fruits and spice that adds multi level complexity. A fine wine with real pedigree - elegant, complex and generous fruit and accessible - great class!
Score : 94

Espirit de Pusseguin 2010

Espirit de Pusseguin 2010 from Waitrose is a Merlot based blend ( Merlot/Cab Franc) from the small commune of Puisseguin within the greater St Emilion Region. It has purple glints to its mainly ruby core hinting at its youthfulness. On the nose - spice, red frits and a candy whiff, but on the palate which has silky smooth texture, the freshening acidity with textural tannins - ripe but a chalkiness, the fruit is mainly black berry fruits enrobed with spice and smokey cedar box, though lacks real concentration, shame because all the main building blocks are in place - but at the price of £10.44 from Waitrose - good value!
Score : 89

Château Pey de la Tour 2008

Château Pey de la Tour 2008 from Berry Brothers and Rudd of London, is from the Entre-Deux-Mers in the Bordeaux region, the region between the two rivers and is made by Dourthe on this 140ha site.
It is a red wine made from a blend of 86% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, and as such is deep in colour, low intensity aromas of red and black fruits intermingle with spice, the tannin level is unexpectedly low, there is a lacking in concentration on both nose and palate but the length is long and fruit driven. The lack of concentration would lead me to believe that there is high yielding or poor vine maintenance and this may follow through to the winemaking. This wine due to the reduced tannin structure and flavour concentration should be drunk soon - and at the price of £11.75 seems good value.
Score : 88

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

Château Caronne Ste Gemme 2007 ( Cru Bourgeois Superior) Bordeaux is from the vineyard of Caronne Ste-Gemme is made up of 45 hectares in the central Médoc in the left bank of Bordeaux planted on a mound of gravel with a base of iron-rich sandstone. Plantings consist of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot and the average vine age is 25 years planted at a density of 10000 vines/ha. François Nony   has introduced green harvesting in the vineyard to reduce the yield and increase the quality of the resultant grapes, after fermentation the resultant wine is matured in oak ( 20% new) for 12 months, racked, and fined with egg whites before bottling.



On the nose, green pepper, black fruits and sweet spices mix contentedly with wood shavings, these follow through to the palate, with tannins ripe, but chewy, savoury and chalky, the alcohol is warming but well integrated, and the body feels settled with the fruit, this is a well structured wine, fruit jostles for space with the spice and leather, the length, long and sweet spicy fruits - a wine that tells you where it came from and that it has been made with care - thankyou!
£12.99 from when on offer Majestic, a good value wine which still has time to improve in bottle - but it is lovely now!

Cru Bourgeois  - what does this term mean.

In the 1855 classification of the Medoc, many properties ( Chateau) that were not included. In 1932 a selection of 444 properties were put forward for classification, and this was split into 3 seperate classifications Cru Bourgeois , Cru Bourgeois Superior and Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel.

In 2003 there was a shake-up of the whole Cru Bourgeois system with the numbers contained in the ranks reduced to 247, this was legally challenged and so annulled by some of those that had been relegated/demoted. The list was to be Exceptionnel (9 properties), Supérieurs (87 properties) and straight Bourgeois (151 properties).

In 2010 in response to the 2003 annulment a new certification adopting the term Label Cru Bourgeois, was created "not as a classification, but as a mark of quality" open to all Medoc wines, based on production and quality standards, and assessed by an independent body. It was to include 180 estates from the defunct 2003 ranking, along with 95 new entrants.

The revision demanded that estates adhere to a new set of production rules and independent quality testing in order to remain in the classification, and the terms Cru Bourgeois Supérieur or Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel would no longer be used. Of the 290 producers who applied for Cru Bourgeois status for their 2008 wine, 243 were successful. In September 2011, the 2009 classification was announced. Of 304 applicants, 246 were successful

Berry's Pomerol Château Feytit-Clinet 2009

Berry's Pomerol Chateau Feytit-Clinet 2009  from Berry Brothers and Rudd, an established wine merchant in London, with pedigree and history. This Pomerol is their own label made by the Château Feytit-Clinet  and is a blend of 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. It is a deep ruby with purple hints at the rim, the spicy red and black fruits jump from the glass together with chocolate and leather swirled with vanilla. On the palate the red and black cherry fruit along with smokey spices are complimented by the pithy edge, the acidity keeps the fruit bang on, and the tannins are ripe but textural - a great wine with lovely fruity end, and has many years left in its bottle!
Score : 87

Château de Sours Rosé 2011 Bordeaux

Château de Sours Rosé 2011 is a blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot and comes from the Chateau de Sours on a limestone plateau near Libourne and Pomerol. It is a pale salmon colour, has aromas of pithy grapefruit and strawberries and all is kept fresh by the zesty acidity.

The finish is of grapefruit pith and quite linear, an easy drinking wine - at £9.99 or on offer at £6.99 from Majestic, not a steal, but if it is on a deal - maybe worth buying.
Score : 81

Cavas de Weinert Gran Vino 2004 Argentina

Founded in 1975, Bodega y Cavas de Weinert is located in Lujan de Cuyo in Argentina. Bernardo C. Weinert, founder and owner was born in a small German colony in southern Brazil and made his money in the international transport business based in South America. 

Cavas de Weinert Gran Vino 2004 is a wine that is a blend of Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon ( a twist on a Bordeaux blend, where Malbec if present is always the minority component) and is only released by Weinert when it is ready for drinking, and this 2004 is the current release.
This wine has aromas and flavours of dark cherry, blackberry/cassis, dried fruits, spice, tobacco and some vegetal tertiary notes, mint also plays its part. This wine is obvious as of New World origin, the tannins are ripe and savoury, silky and sleek in texture with sweet fruits hanging on every grain.
This wine is supplied by The Wine Society at a cost of £11.90, a lovely wine at the money!
Score : 89

St. Emilion Taste the Difference from Sainsbury Supermarkets 2009

This Bordeaux St Emilion wine is made for Sainsbury's at the Palais Rohan and is one of the Taste the Difference range, it won a silver medal at the IWSC 2011 ( International Wine Challenge ), a competition which is judged blind by many wine professionals. It costs £9.49 but can sometimes be found on special offer - so watch out for it.
It is a medium ruby and on swirling it the wine forms slow legs - and it just tempts you in with its lovely aromas of smokey vanilla supported by red and black berry fruits and cherry, there is a hint of florality, but it merely hovers on the edge.
On the palate, the fruits are juicy, fresh and clean, the sweet spices from the oak are well integrated but add extra complexity to the silky smooth, ripe tannins, the acidity is bang on and the alcohol really well balanced, there but well stitched in, a great wine at this price, smooth, elegant and juicy fresh!
The finish has a lovely savoury twist to it and the length is OK. After the first few mouthfuls - and believe me there were alot taken of this, a chalky texture became apparent, not unpleasant - just noted! A great wine at the price - well worth a try, and if it is on special offer - a steal!

Fattoria Le Pupille Elisabetta Geppetti Saffredi IGT 2007

Fattoria Le Pupille Elisabetta Geppetti Saffredi IGT 2007

This wine is a Merlot blend, and is deep ruby with a very dark core and narrow ruby rim, it has aromas of balsamic, spice, red fruits and cinnamon overtones, the rich red and black fruits come through on the palate as well as the spices, the tannins are very soft and ripe, with underlying textural structure, full bodied and with fresh acidity that is uplifting. An elegant, well balanced wine that manages the full-on fruit enrobed with spice by the careful acidity balance. The cedar box, smokey spiciness is due in part to malolactic fermentation in french oak as well as barrique ageing. Prices are around £75

Ornellaia Bolgheri Superior 2007

Ornellaia Bolgheri Superior 2007 

Produced by Tenuta dell Ornellaia, this is a Bordeaux grape blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot which was harested between August ( Merlot) and October for the Cabernet Sauvignon. Fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks for 1 week followed by maceration on the skins for 10-15 days.
The wine is a deep ruby with black tints, a small narrow rim, aromas of dark red fruits, spice and cedar fill the glass. Dark cherry is the pervading aroma and is again present on the palate matched with spicy vanilla, balsamic and a savoury edge, the tannins are fine, silky and ripe, they add structure and enjoyment to the balanced and silky wine, the acidity keeping the well ripened fruits fresh even after 5 years.
Oak ageing is a factor in its history (70% new oak and 30% used once) and Malolactic fermentation takes place within barrel. Aged in barrel for 18months, blended after the first 12, then aged in bottle for 12 months+. This wine has the complexity and structure to allow it to age for quite a few years.

Expect to pay£130+

Capezzana Conte Bonacossi Ghiaie Della Furba 2006 IGT

Capezzana Conte Bonacossi GhiaieDella Furba 2006 IGT

The wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Merlot (30%) and Syrah (10%) with alcoholic fermentation taking place in steel tanks, and malolactic fermentation in french oak it is then matured for 16 months in barriques and laid down for a further 12 months in bottles.

A deep ruby colour with a hint of black had intense savoury aromas of spicy tobacco, black cherry and some red fruits with overtones of smokiness. On tasting it the fine gripping but ripe tannins add structure to this medium bodied wine, the black cherry and red fruit flavours along with the smokey spices are enrobed by the savouriness and the finish which is long consists of fresh red fruits, the wine feels a touch spirity - and given time may integrate well, a complex elegant wine especially at the price of about £32 - buy, buy, buy.

Chateau Cantenac Brown 1978

Chateau Cantenac Brown 1978 is in Margaux,  Bordeaux, and is  a 3rd growth  from the 1855 classification in the Medoc. The vineyard itself comprises of 35+ year old vines that are of a 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. The vineyards are carefully managed with sustainability in mind, pruning, removal of buds, leaves and secondary shoots,thinning out so yields are perfectly controlled. Alot of the grapes are picked by hand then screened at the winery to maintain only high quality fruit is used in the wine. Stainless steel vinification tanks and they remain here for 10-15 days followed by malolactic fermentation in barrels , this is where the harsh malic acid is converted to lactic acid so smoothing off the taste of the wine. Following ageing for 12-15 months in 50% new oak ( so allowing for careful air contact ), with 3 monthly racking, it is fined and stabilised traditionally by the use of egg whites and then bottled, all this is overseen by the chief winemaker Jose Sanfins.


We opened 2 bottles of this wine as the tasting group was large enough - and that in itself was interesting as they had come from 2 diffeent cellars, and one had not weathered the course so well, it was 'dry and dusty', no fruit remained and it had died an elegant death, whereas the remaining one was elegant with more spice than fruits but well structured if soft and approachable, it had a long length and a cedar finish. A charming wine but needs to be drunk soon ( the other - sadly that date had well and truly passed ).

Chateau La Pointe 1996 in Pomerol, Bordeaux

Chateau La Pointe 1996 in Pomerol, Bordeaux is pale with garnet streaks, on the nose it beacons you in with red and black fruits, sweet spice and cigar box aromas, it is complex and multifaceted. On the palate it is all that you would expect, black fruit dominates followed by sweet spices, smokey tobacco and a little in the way of dried fruit, the length is long with a sweet black fruit finish. Good acidity, alcohol enrobing and good ripe, savoury, tasty tannins make this superbly structured wine a delight, it has a predominance of merlot ( Merlot, 75% in fact, with 10% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon )and this gives it a rich fleshiness which coats the mouth leaving you wanting more! Coming it at £40'ish - this elegant wine seems a steal.