Soul Tree Sauvignon Blanc 2011 India

Soul Tree Sauvignon Blanc 2011 India

This is a Sauvignon Blanc from India grown at an altitude of 1870ft on a plateau near India’s West Coast, and although it does have a lot of Sauvignon character, it seems heavy and clunky. The clean pale lemon core promised much, when you popped your nose in the glass the Pear Drop aromas together with characteristic Elderflower were quite intense, and again I was hopeful, but the wine in the mouth was heavy and angular and what started as grassy with some gooseberry and kiwi  had a medium, long citric bite at the end. The acidity was lower than I expected but the alcohol felt in balance. Overall this is wine that is good while on holiday in India, but back home one has better choices at the price ( £8.50+). This wine originates east of the city of Nasik ,  4 hour drive or a more sedate 3 hour train journey from Mumbai and the winery is modern producing over 80% of the Indian wine produced in the country, it is up in the hills that which helps to preserve some of the fruit flavours, but in this case not enough to maintain fresh acidity.  

GSM Rosemount 2003 McLaren Vale South Australia

GSM Rosemount 2003 from McLaren Vale South Australia was Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2007 and on tasting it you can see why. There is 50% Grenache, 40% Syrah and 10% Mouvedre, Rhone grapes and a blend associated with the Southern Rhone traditionally.

 

This wine has some age - 9 years, and has a deep garnet core with a narrow garnet rim with fast forming but then slow legs, when swirled.
Pop your nose near the glass and you get hit by a real fruit punch, black berry fruits, spice, chocolate and coffee and even a touch of dried fruits ( dates raisins...) and this is all wrapped up in smokey tabacco aromas.
The mouth feel is what you would expect from a high alcohol wine ( 15%), silky and smooth, but the alcohol is well integrated and does not feel out of kilter.
The acidity keeps this fruit bomb fresh, but too a certain extent it feels a little unreal, not in balance with the wine. The tannins are low and ripe, have lost some of their grip with age but still offer some structure to this wine. Flavours abound, dark fruits, licquorice, coffee, chocolate, but all are encapsulated and to a certain extent dominated by the chunky oak. The fruit flavour is starting to fade - aged - and so this wine needs drinking soon, and this could partly explain its imbalance, it needs the fruit content to knit with the oak and the acidity.

Vernaccia di San Gimignano 2006 A Passioni

Vernaccia di San Gimignano 2006  A Passioni DOCG is a wine from San Gimignano in Tuscany and sold by Majestic for about £8. It has a pale golden core and aromas of apricot with a citric edge and a slight yeasty twang. The fresh citric, apply, apricot flavours with a streak of spiciness on the mouth has a refreshing acidity and balanced by the medium body and alcohol. The length is good with a spicy start and a citric zesty finish and a pleasant bitter twist at the end.
This is a wine that has some weight and structure ( though by no means heavy )and the acidity maintains its freshness, all enveloped with warmth of the ripe fruits. This wine would be good with or without food.

Moulin a Vent 2007 Fleurilege Burgundy France

Moulin a Vent 2007 Fleurilege is a wine we bought while visiting Burgundy and Beaujolais, it came from the cave in Fleurie - great place with nice wines to try and the person who helped us had great wine knowledge though her English was better than our French - we did not understand all that was said.
This wine we understood was a Beaujolais that could be aged ( 5-10 years max) and the Gamay in it could take on a Pinot character, so we were interested to try it this weekend - having had 5 years age.
The core was ruby and there were glints of garnet at the wide rim. On the nose this wine had an uplifting perfume of fresh red fruits and sweet spices ( vanilla with a hint of ginger) and a hint of vegetal herbaceousness that was pleasant and beckoned you in. It had a nervy elegance on the nose that one would not associate with Gamay ( which normally has banana and bubbly gum aromas due to the carbonic maceration it has undergone) and tasting it reinforced this impression.
The silky texture, the zippy fresh tight red fruits were well srtuctured and kept fresh by the keen acidity, and intertwinned in the fruits were spice and a feint meatiness. The low ripe and sleek tannins had some grippiness and the medium body supported by the medium-high alcohol felt in balance and gave a good length with a spicy fresh fruit finish. This wine has definetly got some of the Pinot character that one associates with Burgundy - and one feels that this is due to the grapes being treated with the same reverence that the Pinot grapes receive, good viticulture in the vineyard, clever wine making in the winery and then careful and intuitive oak ageing.
At this point we wish we had bought more than 6 bottles - but hey ho - another trip is needed.

Tesco's Finest Douro DOC 2010 Portugal

Tesco's Finest Douro DOC 2010 is a wine that we bought after a Tesco wine tasting in London, I had failed to get round to tasting it there, and ordered a case from them because I quite fancied a slurp...... it was only after I ordered that I realised that it had been discounted and then got another discount from the tasting..... so ended up only paying £3.02 a bottle (instead of around £7 per bottle), I will try to stop this clouding my judgement slightly!

Anyway, to get to the wine itself, it is deep ruby and has black glints at the rim which is wide. On the nose it has a jammy black fruit character wrapped in warm spices, not unpleasant but warning that this is a young wine from a hot area I felt. When I tasted it the influence of the jamminess continues on the palate, cherry and blackcurrants in abundance and chunky oak spiciness, the fresh acidity supplys a happy lift to the wine and the alcohol does not feel over warm. The tannins are quite green and chalky, drying on the mouth. Overall I did not find the wine unenjoyable, but it felt a little disjointed, chunky oak, jammy fruit and a slightly hollow mid palate, but at this price - who am I to complain! Maybe it will improve with time - if I let it......
The wine maker is Antonia Barbosa and this is a wine that has won quite a few awards, IWSC and Decanter so go forth and 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.

Loredona Pinot Noir 2007 USA

Loredona, Monterey Pinot Noir 2007 made by the Delicato family - they have been in the business of making wine for 80+ years now in their 3rd generation of wine making and  committed to environmentally sensitive and sustainable agricultural farming practices, and this wine was amazing at the price ( we paid £7 for it, no idea where we got it from, but online no doubt). They were U.S. Winery of the Year in 2006, 2002 and 2001- International Wine & Spirit Competition, so they have pedigree and understand their pinots.
The wine had more colour than some Pinot Noirs I have tasted, but the ruby core had a slight browning to the rim, showing a little age. The fruit forward aromas of cherry and ripe plums had a good mix of sweet spices as well as a hint at licquorice and smokey tobacco, it invited you in for your first taste.
Sweet red and black fruits enrobed by tobacco and sweet spices are supported by well integrated (13.5%) alcohol and kept fresh by the swish acidity, the tannins are velvet smooth and ripe - tasty, lovely textural wine in the mouth. The length was long, sweet spices and liquorice dominate - but good to the end! The alcohol on the finish is slightly warm, but adds structure - a lovely wine even at double the money - thanks to the Dedicato family!

Valdivieso Pinot Noir 2011

Valdivieso Pinot Noir Casablanca Valley, Chile 2011

Having ploughed our way through the Pinot's of the world ( well somebody has to do it..... we sacrifice ourselves), we decided to go back to one of our every day drinking Pinots - in the affordable bracket of £9.00'ish. It has a pale ruby core with purple tints in the wide rim - hinting at its youthfulness. Then comes plenty of uplifting fruit notes on the nose, cherry, strawberry and ripe plums intermingled with vegetal spices and tea for me..... my husband thought slightly medicinal ( I thought ......that was my kind of medicine ! ). On the mouth was an abundance of ripe red fruits mixed with sweet spices and a definite vegetal note all kept fresh by the clean acidity. The tannins were low, silky and ripe and the alcohol, though tasting a little warm, was enrobing and a building block of this wine that has its own stylistic character, this is a benchmark new world Pinot Noir, smooth and silky with a touch of warmth. The finish was quite long and had a slightly herbal end intermingled with the sweet red fruits. Overall it stood up well to the previous set - at the price, we often buy this from Waitrose when there is an offer, bringing it down to under £7 - an absolute steal!

Brett Jackson the winemaker - a Kiwi - is based in Lontue though these 7 year old vines are planted in the Casablanca valley to the north of Santiago  (Chiles wine capital), what is termed as a 'cool area' with cold breezes coming in off the coast due to the Humbolt current which flows from Antartica. This keeps the fruit fresh and the acidity relatively high.

Finca Flichman Malbec 2002 Argentina

Finca Flichman Caballero de la Cepa Malbec 2002

Finca Flichman under the So Grape canapy ( Port wine makers and also the makers of Mateus Rose) is an Argentinian brand producing wines often seen in the 'on trade' ie Restaurants, though with a production of 24 million litres - it must be seen in alot of places.

This 10 year old ruby red wine has a garnet rim, which shows its age. The rich aromas of black berry fruits, kirsch, spice escape the glass in abundance. Tasting it reinforces the fruit driven Malbec, Argentinas for most grape, black fruits, smokey spices and kirsch. The acidity is more than medium and the alcohol is high - out of balance with the fruit, it more than supports it, it is a dominant factor. The tannins are structural and chalky and add substance to this full bodied  wine.
The finish is long and spicy with good structure throughout. The wood feels slightly chunky and overpowering, maybe this is due to the fading power of the fruit due to the wines age......
A lovely wine but maybe fading now - so if you have this on your rack - drink quick.

Pinots of the World

I went to a Pinot Noir tasting recently, it was 8 Pinots of the world compared, really interesting especially when you look at the quality and the prices ( Connollys Wine Merchants ). Different styles due to varying climates, soils, viticulture as well as the way the wine is made, matured and aged.....


Calusari Pinot Noir 2011 from Romania £6.95

A modern wine from an old world country, Phillip Cox bought land after the fall of the regime and then set about ensuring the deeds to the land were bonafide before planting vines 12 years ago, under the Calusari heading for the Cramele Recas winery in Western Romania. The winery itself uses Stainless steel, and cold soak before fermentation to help extract as much flavour and colour from the grapes ( also may help the longevity of the wine as well as improve the structure ). It produces a classic style of Pinot with no oak ageing used, this is a clean fresh Pinot at a great price.

The pale ruby core with some purple tints indicated that this was a young wine, the fresh red fruits on the nose have a slightly baked - ripe quality and some florality. On tasting it the red fruits are the dominant factor in the wine, the texture has a silkiness to it and the acidity keeps it fresh. The alcohol at 13.5% seems well integrated and
helps bolster the body of this wine, but at the end of the longish sweet finish one is left feeling that the wine lacks what it takes to make a lasting impression, at the price though - a bargain, great for a party....... and drinking at home in the summer! I would try it slightly chilled with a cold chicken salad or fish - great little wine.



Indomita Duette Pinot Noir 2010 Chilean  £10.00
This Pinot Noir follows many others grown in the Casablanca Valley north of Santiago, but this one won an award at the Decanter WWA. The lovely pale ruby wine with wide rim, has a cherry,  strawberry and earthy aromas with a touch of spicey smokey oak, complimented by herbal, vegetal notes. On tasting it the high, 14% alcohol is well integrated and adds broadness to the body and enables the texture to have a silkiness that a lesser wine may not have. The acidity keeps the  sweet red fruits ( cherry and strawberry) fresh and the tannins are soft and ripe. The finish is a little short but  pleasant. The wine has good structure from the added 12 months maturity in used French oak barrels and vibrancy which combines the ripe fruits with the elegantly used oak. A good wine at the price ( but so are many of the Chilean Casablanca Valley Pinots and some at a better price ). Enjoy!




Esk Valley Pinot Noir 2010 Marlborough New Zealand £14.49

This is a Pinot Noir from the Wairau and Awatere Valleys in Marlborough ( The Hawkes bay - Esk Valley Estate winery.) and has good quality fruit in it, this adds to its structure and finish. The fresh ripe fruity aromas are like concentrated raspberries with a touch of smokey spice, the nose is intensely perfumed. On the mouth one is rewarded with balanced fruits which include cherries and soft red fruits complimented by spices and a certain vegetal quality. The well structured fruit driven wine has soft, ripe tannins and a silky texture, both of these supported by the 14% alcohol. This is a well made wine with supple oak ageing, hand picked  followed by a cold soak before fermentation. The wine has won a Gold Medal in the IWSC, for me the end palate failed to build on the imposing sweet fruit start.


Palisser Martinborough New Zealand Pinot Noir 2009 £15.59
This wine is from Martinborough (south end of North Island) - across the bay from Marlborough, this bay has its own microclimate and produces a riper fruit, fuller bodied wines result.

This wine although only 1 year older than its Marlborough cousins, has a slight garnet tint at the rim of the ruby core and also has a greater depth of colour. The uplifting red and black fruit aromas (especially black cherries) have a  rounded quality and a restrained floral edge, they promise of what is to come. On tasting it the fruits give much and are kept fresh by the quite high acidity, the body in balanced and the tannins are structural but soft and tasty! The gentle subtle spices are due to the 12 months in used french barriques and adds greatly to the overall character of the wine.There is a streak of minerality that runs through the wine which adds pedigree to it as does the vegetal quality obvious on the palate, the only aspect of the wine that I feel is not in balance is the alcohol, it stands at 14.5% but does not feel well integrated, it has an over warm finish which with the fresh acidity seems out of kilter.  This is not indicative of this wine as we have tasted this before with no issues..... so maybe this was a hot year? The winemaker Allan Johnson does aim for a "ripe, full and rich" Pinot Noir and maybe this is where the higher alcohol than expected comes from.

Three Choirs England Pinot Noir 2009 £21
Ruby core with darker tints, this wines subtle aromas are of sweet red fruits over-ridden by medicinal elastoplaster and a streak on minerality, not altogether pleasant. On tasting it the red fruits are echoed, the acidity is quite high and the alcohol low resulting in a light bodied wine with a slightly acidic feel. The tannins are soft and silky and the length is short with an acidic,licquorice finish..... again this wine leaves one feeling that at these prices you would want so much more, yes it does have some structure and mineratliy showing it has pedigree..... but.....




Gsellmann and Hans Austria Pinot Noir 2009 £17.99
This is an Austrian wine, and one made naturally south of Vienna in Burgenland near the Hungarian border by the family of Gsellmann and Hans. The 20 year old vines are on south facing slopes and  picked early after a warm autumn to retain the acidity, then is subject to cold soak before fermentation then maturation in used french oak barriques.
The wine is pale ruby with a wide rim, indicating lack of age, restrained aromas of red and black fruits with a slight medicinal slant rule this wine. On the mouth the fruit element is echeod and balanced by the nervy acidity, but has a slightly baked quality, in addition there are  medium supple tannins with flavours of cigar box spices all supported by good strutural minerality, which is layered with fruits. This is not a punchy wine, but one that has sweet fruity spices and a good finish.


Volnay Domaine Michel Lafarge 2003 £29.99
2003 was a very very hot year in mainland Europe and Volnay in Burgundy was no exception, temperatures of 49+ were recorded and people in Paris collapsed and died with the heat - and the wines to a certain extent bear witness to this. Pick time was critical, getting the grapes to be physiologically ripe, retain acidity and have good balance was difficult and many wines resultingly had quality issues and generally they were earlier drinking wines - not for the keeping! Many winemakers had to acidify this year - Frédéric Lafarge says he did not - that the wine will always find the right level. Biodynamic production is at the core of their principles, maybe this made the difference.
A garnet core indicates the age of this wine, repressed aromas of licquorice, spices, red fruits and a sweet smokiness are followed by silky texture on the mouth, cigar box spiciness and low level dulling black and red fruits. Tannins which are ripe and silky underpinned good acidity and well integrated alcohol shows how this wine must have been before the fruit life dulled, still a lovely wine - but was it even lovelier? It is well structured, has minerality that hints at its heritage and well integrated oak spice flavours due to typically aging for 15 to 20 months in used oak barrels, but there is still the issue of what might have been!






Volnay Domaine Michel Lafarge 2004
As the 2003 did not have the life we thought it should have done - a bottle of the 2004 was opened to compare with it. The garnet ruby core  gave way to cigar box aromas and sweet red more obvious fruits, on the mouth the silky texture, silky berry fruits were supported by the acidity which underwrites its longevity, this wine still has spring in its step! Medium body was enrobed by the balanced and well integrated alcohol, the ripe natural tannins add to the whole wine - joining up the dots. There were sensible firm, structural tannins from the supple fruit extraction and the sweet oak well integrated, minerality played it part in this wines character and points to the quality of the terroir. This wine is at an enjoyable stage of its maturity - drink in the next few years.


Morey St Denis 1er cru La Riotte Domaine Perrot-Minot 2003 £57.25
This winemaker Christoff Perrot-Minot makes Red Burgundy in a modern style, riper grapes, higher degree of extraction, all in all what has been termed as a New World style! The vinyard, La Riotte in the Cote de Nuits, Morey St Denis appellation a 1.3+ acre site,  is top quality, it is Premier Cru, near the top of its tree, and is next to Clos la Roche. Natural viticulture is practiced wherever possible and some of the vines are over 100 years old, hence the quality of the wines produced. Careful selection in the vineyard, destemming, cold soak for 1 week and natural yeasts, then gentle pumping over rather than pigeage followed by settling for 48 hours after fermentation has finished, further 12-15 months maturation in oak barrels (40% new oak for Premier Cru's).
The wine is immediately seen to be different to all the other Pinot Noirs that have been sampled here, it is much darker, has a deeper ruby core with black tints, and a garnet edge to the rim. Aromas of dark fruits ( cherry, blackberry and Kirsch ) and spice, vanilla, minerality all layered to form this complex carcophany of aromas which are both elegant and abundant. On tasting it, one finds that all that was expected from the first sniff, is paid in abundance on the mouth, the succulent dark fruits are supported  by the medium well integrated alcohol and kept fresh and underpinned by the acidity which has, and will continue to ensure this wines longevity. The texture is silky and rich, the tannins are ripe being polished by age, the black fruit and licquorice, sweet spices continue right through the long layered finish - this is a wonderfully structured, complex wine - Buy, Buy, Buy.