Every year we go away just before Christmas to do a bit of shopping and of course eating and drinking are normally involved somewhere along the line; this year we went to Budapest in Hungary. It snowed a little while we were there and the temperature was low, -5 C or less a lot of the evenings and I don't think it rose above 0C for all of the 5 days.
We ate a lot of hearty meals where a lot was paired with gnocchi, dumplings, pasta or potatoes and we indulged in mainly red wines. The first was a 2007 heavy hitter at 14.5% from Szekszardi and was a blend of grapes, or a 'Cuvee' as the waiter kept correcting me and was a Bikaver. The Takler Reserve had been matured in oak for 18 months with 30% of it being first use, ie. new oak and the remainder second and third use barrels, the oak will probably have been Hungarian Oak.
On the nose it was perfumed and elegant, packed with red fruits, this continued through to the palate, but WOW was it a heavy hitting wine, everything was big, the oak flavours, the alcohol, the extraction. Very New World in style, but maybe a little heavy handed, where the belief was ' more is better ' ?
It had fresh acidity in its favour which helped lighten the whole wine, and although we started it without food, it was easier to drink with! But I will say we did not finish the bottle...... First time in a while that we have not, this speaks for itself.
We ate at a lovely Restaurant called Cyrano's near Vorosmarty Square near some Christmas market stalls.
Great food, lovely atmosphere and the wine was fine. Score 83
Wednesday, 12 December 2012
Saturday, 1 December 2012
Beaujolais - as it is the season of Nouveau
For many of a similar age to me ( 60's child), Beaujolais (BN) is tainted by all the Beaujolais Nouveau that was around in the 80's, it was pink/red, it had a fizz to it and was sickly.... a candy floss and bubblegum combo!
For those who have never heard of had BN, then you have not missed alot. It is not allowed to be released until a certain date in November, the third Thursday of the month, and many years ago, there was a rush to be the one acquiring it for the first night..... Merchants who had it put chalk board notices outside to draw customers in. It was a big Event!
Well they do still make it, though now if you were to try and find it in the UK you would have to search hard - thank heavens for the internet. But you can find it in M&S, Waitrose and Majestic - if you want to give it a go for the first time - or live Retro.
The huge amounts made in the 70's and 80s, it was 58% of the whole production has now shrunk to less than 30%, with sales of the 10 'cru's' in the north of Beaujolais ( closest to Macon in Burgundy ) have increased along with the Beaujolais Villages and plain striaght Beaujolais.
It is the latter 2 that I tasted recently, we also ventured into the Beaujolais Blanc and Rose that I have never tasted before ( Not knowingly anyway ).
Beaujolais Blanc's - we tried 2.
Domaine des Terres Dorees 2010 Jean-Paul Brun from Charnay in the south of Beaujolais from a 26ha site, made from the Chardonnay grape and it was as expected, pale lemon green, dry citric and apple on nose and palate, and a slight added whiff of melon and a touch of oak. Quite a charmer. £17.28 from Savage Selection.
Score : 85
Domaine Arnaud Aucoeur 2010 a Beaujolais Villages Vieilles Vignes Blanc from Morgon in Beaujolais, again Chardonnay was the culprit and this was perfumed, floral with a red apple edge, citric on the palate with a bitter pith finish, but the intensity of flavour was lacking, it was 'thin' but still a easy wine. Available from Yapp Brothers at £8.75.
Score : 80
Beaujolais Rose - we had only one, a Chateau de Grandmont 2010 from Blace in Beaujolais, a small site of 9ha owned by Jean Brac de la Perriere. This was a lovely pale salmon, aromas were not quite so tempting, 'sweaty feet' was my first note, hurriedly added to with 'cheese and sweeties', I also felt that this wine was tired already, on the palate there was a lack of fruit, it was a touch dusty, shame because this wine made from Gamay ( the grape that most red is made from) was a stunning colour and looked swish and silky. Can be found at Christopher Piper Wines at £7.09. Score : 75
Then we went onto the Beaujolais Red's - or Rouge if you want. The first was a straight Beaujolais, Vieilles Vignes 2011 from Charnay in the South of Beaujolais and was a Clos des Vieux Marronniers. Purple in colour and baked red fruit on the nose - this did not tempt me in, but non the less I sacrificed myself as one has to do. The wine was silky, there was fruit, cherry, berry, but thin and baked slightly bubble gummy, chalky tannins which were soft and ripe, the length was good but thin acidic red fruits..... Not the best Beaujolais I have had..... but by no means the worst....
and you can buy this Gammay wine from the Oxford Wine company for £9.49. Score : 76
The next was a Beaujolais-Villages, supplied by Bibendum at a cost of £7.30. It was Monmessin from the Quince-en-Beaujolais 2010 and this wine won a IWC Great Value Trophy 2006. Beaujolais-Villages means that the wine can come from a number of locations/Villages and then blended, there are often not the Cru's ( 10 named villages that are eligible to put their name on a bottle of wine, as they have more prestige /cost if the wine comes solely cru areas). It was a perfumed wine with bags of fresh red fruits and th e wine was fresh and zingy, the taste was juicy, slightly washed out but the acidity was zippy, the alcohol in balance and the tannins chalky and slightly veiled. The length was good but there was an aftertaste of bubble gum, maybe due to the carbonic maceration. The price is good and so I scored it 78, and would be extremely happy to drink it!
The next wine was a Cru wine from the village of Brouilly, the year - 2011 and the maker - Domaine Georges Descombes. A light floral aroma, red juicy fruits and a slight candy floss aroma greet you, this follows onto the palate, where both red and black fruit intermingle and the tannins are chalky and ripe and the acidity was slightly lower than some, but still works well with the wine as a whole, length was good with sweet plum fruit with a slightly confected finish, but not unpleasant. A lovely wine with a price of £15.99 from the Caves de Pyrene. The winemaker is a well known good producer and this wine comes from a 11ha vineyard. Score : 80
We then moved on to another village wine, from appellation Chiroubles ( though the vineyard is in Fleurie) 2010 from the Domain de la Chapelle Des Bois and the makers are Chantal and Eric Coudert-Appert. Swirling aromas of flowers, red fruits and sweet liquorice intermingle with farmyard type nuances, on the mouth this has red and black fruits, spices play a role in its character with ginger, liquorice and vanilla all wrapped up together, all silky and supported by the ripe yet textural tannins, this wine has more body and alcohol than previos wines and the acidity also steps up a gear, a great wine with lots of length and character, a slightly bitter finish, but it does not spoil the overall wine. Score : 83 and is available from Stone, Vine and Sun for £11.25, not a bad price for a wine that would match with many foods, pate, chicken, meaty fish, terrine..... Enjoy!
Score : 80
And we moved on...... Chateau de Fleurie 2010 from La Chapelle de Guinchay in Fleurie, this is from the Oxford Wine Company and costs £12.35. On popping my nose in the glass, flowers, red and black fruits and a hint of anise spice all hit me, on tasting it cherries, plums and spice all fill the mouth, the tannins are textural, chalky and silky at the same time, finegrained and sort of chewy, they really added another dimension to this wine. The alcohol was enrobing and the acidity lifted the wine with its freshness, altogether a lovely wine with lots of food potential again, elegant and finegrained were my last thoughts. Oh.... and Yummy!
Score : 82.
Another village - Julienas 2009, Georges Duboeuf, this wine is from Waitrose and is a bargain £9.01, it is spicy, juicy fruity, and silky throughout, elegance was a word I wrote down and this was from the first sip, well integrated! Score : 82
And then we had another wine from a different Cru or Village - Morgon, this wine was again a bargain at £7.30 from Bibendum and comes from Cotes de Py, a 13ha site and the label is Domaine Marcel Lapierre Morgon 2011, purple tints in the ruby wine give it away as young - as do the fresh fruits, red and black, the spice adds another dimension and fill in the gaps in the fruit, lots of vanilla and sweet cherries, all mixed up and well knitted together - a real charmer! Fine grained tannins, sweet black fruit and liquorice all got this wine a score of 84.
And finally the king of the Cru's, Moulin-a-Vent, one of the Cru's that can age ( Morgon can in some cases as well), Chateau des Jacques Moulin-a-Vent La Roche 2006 and is from The Wine Society at £21. This was a true garnet colour, rim and core. Sweet spices and red mature ripe fruit all vie for attention as do the tertiary notes ( wet leaves / farmyard..... whatever you want to call it), there is an aroma of well matured and cleverly used old oak, a sweetness to the spice and rounded at the same time. On tasting it - there was no disappointment, spice and fruit, aged to perfection, the tannins soft and silky, the length was good and exhibited sweet spices and gently vegetal nuances all the way with a finish of red fruit - a lovely wine.
Score : 89
For those who have never heard of had BN, then you have not missed alot. It is not allowed to be released until a certain date in November, the third Thursday of the month, and many years ago, there was a rush to be the one acquiring it for the first night..... Merchants who had it put chalk board notices outside to draw customers in. It was a big Event!
Well they do still make it, though now if you were to try and find it in the UK you would have to search hard - thank heavens for the internet. But you can find it in M&S, Waitrose and Majestic - if you want to give it a go for the first time - or live Retro.
The huge amounts made in the 70's and 80s, it was 58% of the whole production has now shrunk to less than 30%, with sales of the 10 'cru's' in the north of Beaujolais ( closest to Macon in Burgundy ) have increased along with the Beaujolais Villages and plain striaght Beaujolais.
It is the latter 2 that I tasted recently, we also ventured into the Beaujolais Blanc and Rose that I have never tasted before ( Not knowingly anyway ).
Beaujolais Blanc's - we tried 2.
Domaine des Terres Dorees 2010 Jean-Paul Brun from Charnay in the south of Beaujolais from a 26ha site, made from the Chardonnay grape and it was as expected, pale lemon green, dry citric and apple on nose and palate, and a slight added whiff of melon and a touch of oak. Quite a charmer. £17.28 from Savage Selection. Score : 85
Domaine Arnaud Aucoeur 2010 a Beaujolais Villages Vieilles Vignes Blanc from Morgon in Beaujolais, again Chardonnay was the culprit and this was perfumed, floral with a red apple edge, citric on the palate with a bitter pith finish, but the intensity of flavour was lacking, it was 'thin' but still a easy wine. Available from Yapp Brothers at £8.75.
Score : 80
Beaujolais Rose - we had only one, a Chateau de Grandmont 2010 from Blace in Beaujolais, a small site of 9ha owned by Jean Brac de la Perriere. This was a lovely pale salmon, aromas were not quite so tempting, 'sweaty feet' was my first note, hurriedly added to with 'cheese and sweeties', I also felt that this wine was tired already, on the palate there was a lack of fruit, it was a touch dusty, shame because this wine made from Gamay ( the grape that most red is made from) was a stunning colour and looked swish and silky. Can be found at Christopher Piper Wines at £7.09. Score : 75
Then we went onto the Beaujolais Red's - or Rouge if you want. The first was a straight Beaujolais, Vieilles Vignes 2011 from Charnay in the South of Beaujolais and was a Clos des Vieux Marronniers. Purple in colour and baked red fruit on the nose - this did not tempt me in, but non the less I sacrificed myself as one has to do. The wine was silky, there was fruit, cherry, berry, but thin and baked slightly bubble gummy, chalky tannins which were soft and ripe, the length was good but thin acidic red fruits..... Not the best Beaujolais I have had..... but by no means the worst....
and you can buy this Gammay wine from the Oxford Wine company for £9.49. Score : 76
The next was a Beaujolais-Villages, supplied by Bibendum at a cost of £7.30. It was Monmessin from the Quince-en-Beaujolais 2010 and this wine won a IWC Great Value Trophy 2006. Beaujolais-Villages means that the wine can come from a number of locations/Villages and then blended, there are often not the Cru's ( 10 named villages that are eligible to put their name on a bottle of wine, as they have more prestige /cost if the wine comes solely cru areas). It was a perfumed wine with bags of fresh red fruits and th e wine was fresh and zingy, the taste was juicy, slightly washed out but the acidity was zippy, the alcohol in balance and the tannins chalky and slightly veiled. The length was good but there was an aftertaste of bubble gum, maybe due to the carbonic maceration. The price is good and so I scored it 78, and would be extremely happy to drink it!
The next wine was a Cru wine from the village of Brouilly, the year - 2011 and the maker - Domaine Georges Descombes. A light floral aroma, red juicy fruits and a slight candy floss aroma greet you, this follows onto the palate, where both red and black fruit intermingle and the tannins are chalky and ripe and the acidity was slightly lower than some, but still works well with the wine as a whole, length was good with sweet plum fruit with a slightly confected finish, but not unpleasant. A lovely wine with a price of £15.99 from the Caves de Pyrene. The winemaker is a well known good producer and this wine comes from a 11ha vineyard. Score : 80
We then moved on to another village wine, from appellation Chiroubles ( though the vineyard is in Fleurie) 2010 from the Domain de la Chapelle Des Bois and the makers are Chantal and Eric Coudert-Appert. Swirling aromas of flowers, red fruits and sweet liquorice intermingle with farmyard type nuances, on the mouth this has red and black fruits, spices play a role in its character with ginger, liquorice and vanilla all wrapped up together, all silky and supported by the ripe yet textural tannins, this wine has more body and alcohol than previos wines and the acidity also steps up a gear, a great wine with lots of length and character, a slightly bitter finish, but it does not spoil the overall wine. Score : 83 and is available from Stone, Vine and Sun for £11.25, not a bad price for a wine that would match with many foods, pate, chicken, meaty fish, terrine..... Enjoy!Score : 80
And we moved on...... Chateau de Fleurie 2010 from La Chapelle de Guinchay in Fleurie, this is from the Oxford Wine Company and costs £12.35. On popping my nose in the glass, flowers, red and black fruits and a hint of anise spice all hit me, on tasting it cherries, plums and spice all fill the mouth, the tannins are textural, chalky and silky at the same time, finegrained and sort of chewy, they really added another dimension to this wine. The alcohol was enrobing and the acidity lifted the wine with its freshness, altogether a lovely wine with lots of food potential again, elegant and finegrained were my last thoughts. Oh.... and Yummy!
Score : 82.
Another village - Julienas 2009, Georges Duboeuf, this wine is from Waitrose and is a bargain £9.01, it is spicy, juicy fruity, and silky throughout, elegance was a word I wrote down and this was from the first sip, well integrated! Score : 82 And then we had another wine from a different Cru or Village - Morgon, this wine was again a bargain at £7.30 from Bibendum and comes from Cotes de Py, a 13ha site and the label is Domaine Marcel Lapierre Morgon 2011, purple tints in the ruby wine give it away as young - as do the fresh fruits, red and black, the spice adds another dimension and fill in the gaps in the fruit, lots of vanilla and sweet cherries, all mixed up and well knitted together - a real charmer! Fine grained tannins, sweet black fruit and liquorice all got this wine a score of 84.
And finally the king of the Cru's, Moulin-a-Vent, one of the Cru's that can age ( Morgon can in some cases as well), Chateau des Jacques Moulin-a-Vent La Roche 2006 and is from The Wine Society at £21. This was a true garnet colour, rim and core. Sweet spices and red mature ripe fruit all vie for attention as do the tertiary notes ( wet leaves / farmyard..... whatever you want to call it), there is an aroma of well matured and cleverly used old oak, a sweetness to the spice and rounded at the same time. On tasting it - there was no disappointment, spice and fruit, aged to perfection, the tannins soft and silky, the length was good and exhibited sweet spices and gently vegetal nuances all the way with a finish of red fruit - a lovely wine.
Score : 89
Saturday, 24 November 2012
Blind tasting No 5 Result
Having tasted the wine last night, I later unveiled it to find that the wine was a Zinfandel from California, it was a Ravenswoods, Lodi Old Vine Zin 2009. I tasted it again during the evening and as the wine opened up so did the intensity of the woody flavours, in fact after 3 hours the wine left bitter wood tannins as an after-taste....... It did not stop me from drinking it, but I think the advice must be to drink it quicker.....?
The Moneyspider 2004 d'Arenberg Roussanne
At lunch we were having a roasted casperti squash with a stuffing of quinoa, chilli, ginger, garlic and spring onion and then it had a tahini and orange mix on the side, and we wanted to try this Roussanne wine from down under and this was our opportunity. It was quite old for a white wine but this still had lots of tropical fruit, a mouth coating texture and a whiff of petrol...... which was a surprise, it had a hint of tropical Oz Riesling! It had quite a punch of alcohol but it was matched by the juicy fruit. The texture was nearly oily, reminds me of Roussanne from the south of France. And I think it's colour gave its age away along with the petrol aroma. The length is great and there is a bitterness on the finish reminiscent of Seville Orange.
Score : 86
Score : 86
Friday, 23 November 2012
Blind Tasting Friday no. 5
Once more Peter has done his husbandly duties ........ and no ...... not what your mind slips to, but his duties are to descend to temptation and pick a wine he wants that I will then do a blind tasting. This of course means there are 2 big pointers already in place. 1) it is a wine that Peter will lik, but then not such a pointer as i can't recall at this point a wine that he does not like..... 2) it is something we have in our cellar.
So at first glance ,once poured - it is a red wine with a great depth of ruby colour and those slow fat legs draw you in ( great in a wine but not so good if he said the same about me.....) . When you have a quick sniff you are bowled over by lush black fruits, cherries, plums, blackberry..... Coconut and vanilla enrobe the fruit and there is a gentle waft of rich coffee and warm chocolate, I am now looking forward to the first taste, so I have a slurp....... The reward is rich black fruits, ripe and juicy, a hint of red fruits and the acidity stops all that sweet fruit from being too much. The alcohol as expected from those slow fat legs, is quite warming but not so high that it is detrimental to the wine, more that it is part of its make up. Again chocolate wraps itself around the fruit. Coconut and vanilla imply American oak used in the making of this wine.
Overall my thoughts - this is a wine from a warm region, American oak is used, black fruits with a rich ripe feel and the tannins evident but ripe. Full bodied and full in flavour - juicy and lush, not a wine that you can drink a lot of, but I will try, a martyr to the cause, all in the interest of science.
Watch this space.
Nightie night.
So at first glance ,once poured - it is a red wine with a great depth of ruby colour and those slow fat legs draw you in ( great in a wine but not so good if he said the same about me.....) . When you have a quick sniff you are bowled over by lush black fruits, cherries, plums, blackberry..... Coconut and vanilla enrobe the fruit and there is a gentle waft of rich coffee and warm chocolate, I am now looking forward to the first taste, so I have a slurp....... The reward is rich black fruits, ripe and juicy, a hint of red fruits and the acidity stops all that sweet fruit from being too much. The alcohol as expected from those slow fat legs, is quite warming but not so high that it is detrimental to the wine, more that it is part of its make up. Again chocolate wraps itself around the fruit. Coconut and vanilla imply American oak used in the making of this wine.
Overall my thoughts - this is a wine from a warm region, American oak is used, black fruits with a rich ripe feel and the tannins evident but ripe. Full bodied and full in flavour - juicy and lush, not a wine that you can drink a lot of, but I will try, a martyr to the cause, all in the interest of science.
Watch this space.
Nightie night.
Pinot Noir - Cono Sur biggest Pinot producer?
The last harvests from both New Zealand and Burgundy have been greatly reduced, New Zealands by 18% due to bad weather and Burgundy has seen its smallest harvest since the 1950's due to frost, hail, mildew and poor flowering.
Cono Sur launched its Pinot Noir project to champion its flagship variety in the late 90's and this year sees 292ha of Pinot Noir under vine, compared with its biggest rival, New Zealand's Brancott Estate, with 58ha, it sold 34,306 9-litre cases o the UK off-trade ( shops etc...) in 2012, while its closest rival, Brancott Estate, sold 33,463 9-litre cases. In total it exported 51 000 9-litre cases to the UK which is its top export market and is followed by US, Canada, Japan and Finland.
Cono Sur's winemaking manager Matías Ríos has been at Cono Sur since 2000 and says the wine produced has been very consistant with little variation, good weather/climate plays a part in this. He described the Chilean style of Pinot Noir as "fresh and elegant, with ripe, complex tannins and delicate notes of black cherries".
He uses the Burgundian method of vinification to produce eight different versions of Pinot Noir in its portfolio including its entry-level Bicicleta range, Reservas, Organics, sparkling, an ultra-premium label called 20 Barrels and icon wine Ocio.
Cono Sur Reservas Pinot Noir from the Casablanca Valley in Chile is my mainstay wine - a good value drinking wine which seems to always give me a hug. This is on special offer in Waitrose at the moment for £7.99.
Cono Sur launched its Pinot Noir project to champion its flagship variety in the late 90's and this year sees 292ha of Pinot Noir under vine, compared with its biggest rival, New Zealand's Brancott Estate, with 58ha, it sold 34,306 9-litre cases o the UK off-trade ( shops etc...) in 2012, while its closest rival, Brancott Estate, sold 33,463 9-litre cases. In total it exported 51 000 9-litre cases to the UK which is its top export market and is followed by US, Canada, Japan and Finland.
Cono Sur's winemaking manager Matías Ríos has been at Cono Sur since 2000 and says the wine produced has been very consistant with little variation, good weather/climate plays a part in this. He described the Chilean style of Pinot Noir as "fresh and elegant, with ripe, complex tannins and delicate notes of black cherries".
He uses the Burgundian method of vinification to produce eight different versions of Pinot Noir in its portfolio including its entry-level Bicicleta range, Reservas, Organics, sparkling, an ultra-premium label called 20 Barrels and icon wine Ocio.
Thursday, 22 November 2012
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.
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.
Quinta El Refugio 2011 Toro Spain
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 fifth wine tasted on the evening. It had the look of a young wine with purple core and narrow purple rim, it had jammy aromas, baked black fruit with only a hint of spice having received 5 months in American Oak barriques. The jamminess continued onto the palate but was accompanied with a sharp blackcurrant which played well dry stalky tannins and fresh acidity. The wine is made from Tinto de Toro grapes - that is Tempranillo to you and me, and has warmth from the alcohol content, 14.5%. Felipe Nalda Jnr, son of Riojanas' master winemaker Felipe Snr is the maker here and the grapes are sourced from selected high altitude vineyards more than 2,000 ft above sea
level. Situated in the north-west interior of Spain, and the conditions can be harsh - making the grapes more intense in flavour at times.This is a wine that can keep for 2-4 years and the fruit may mellow to produce a more elgant wine, it has a muscular personality at the moment, this will stand it in good stead.
Score : 82 and d at Underwoods Wine in Warwick, (£5.79 to David - special price again - and a good price for such a wine).
Wednesday, 21 November 2012
Chateau Rossenovo Bulgarian Cabernet Sauvignon
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 fourth wine tasted on the evening, and this is a wine that was definetly better tasted blind, it was a wine that would have been judged differently if you knew what it was ( well I am sure I would have judged it before I had tasted it).This wine had a lovely garnet rim and indicated some age - 4-5 years plus, when we popped our noses in the glass - there were alot of satisfied 'ummms', cedar, spice and a good whallop of black / red fruits hit you, slight mustiness to start but alot of wines have this when tasted straight after opening and disappear after a few swirls.
On the mouth, silky texture, black fruit and cedar box were my initial write-downs, good acidity, keeps that big fruit fresh, the alcohol was bang on, warm but not out of kilter, tannins - well they were dry, stalky but savoury at the same time. I felt this wine was from a cool climate, had lots of elegance and some class!
The length was good but not great - I had judged this wine as a good quality Bordeaux ( sort of Cru Bourgeois quality from the left bank - Cab Sauv dominant) it was a varietal it was not going to come from Bordeaux - the land of blends......
On unveling the wine, David sheepishly admitted that this was a wine from Bulgaria, South Black Sea Coast, and the cheapest wine of the night - and as we foulater at the end of the tastas alot of peoples favourites...... Brilliant!! I love a bargain!
Chateau Rossenovo can be found at Underwoods wine in Warwick at the bargain price of £4.98.
Score : 89
La Fetard Grenache Vella Frontera Cotes Catalanes 2007
Joined a local wine club this week for a tasting - had a great time, one of the guys, David, had put together a selection of wines to blind taste - and they were all different varietals, this was the third wine we tasted.
This wine had a wide rim and was quite deep ruby coloured, and on the nose was blackfruit, blackberry, black ripe cherries and a slight aroma of decaying meat and one that points at the wine having a little age this was confirmed by the cedar box aromas and sweet spices. On the palate, sweet black fruits- ripe and plump, lots of oak flavour, the acidity was low and the alcohol was quite high - slightly out of kilter with this wine for me, it was dry with a slight stalkiness and was quite an elegant fine chiselled wine, I guessed from southern France and a Syrah - and it turned out to be Grenache from the french/spanish border, and I went back and re-examined the colouring - I am still surprised that the colour was ruby and reatively deep for a grenache...... but hey ho - that is the fun with wine!
The wine costs £8.28 from Underwoods ( though David got a deal..... at £6.90), and I scored it 87.
This wine had a wide rim and was quite deep ruby coloured, and on the nose was blackfruit, blackberry, black ripe cherries and a slight aroma of decaying meat and one that points at the wine having a little age this was confirmed by the cedar box aromas and sweet spices. On the palate, sweet black fruits- ripe and plump, lots of oak flavour, the acidity was low and the alcohol was quite high - slightly out of kilter with this wine for me, it was dry with a slight stalkiness and was quite an elegant fine chiselled wine, I guessed from southern France and a Syrah - and it turned out to be Grenache from the french/spanish border, and I went back and re-examined the colouring - I am still surprised that the colour was ruby and reatively deep for a grenache...... but hey ho - that is the fun with wine!The wine costs £8.28 from Underwoods ( though David got a deal..... at £6.90), and I scored it 87.
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