Tweet Miguel Torres Santa Digna Sauvignon Blanc 2012, Curicó, Chile (£7.99 Bablake Wines, Big Wines, Celtic Wines, Cotswold Vintners, Lewis and Cooper, Partridges, Portland Wines) Crisp, restrained but confident style, with grassy lemon, grapefruit and rhubarb flavours set against pithy river pebble minerality. S- The Society’s New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc 2012, Marlborough (£8.95 The Wine [...]
Tweet Champagne Jacquart Brut Mosaïque NV (£25 Majestic, Great Western Wine) An attractive mix of richness and crispness, with tangy apple (fresh and cooked) flavours combining with toasty maturity. S- Champagne Canard-Duchêne Authentic Green NV (£30-£35 Oddbins) Feels rather heavy-footed, with sulphury overtones dampening the flavours. Not a success. C(-) Champagne Piper-Heidsieck Brut NV (£30.99 [...]
Tweet Terra Nostra Nielluccio Corse Rouge 2011, Corsica, France (£7.25 The Wine Society) The bruised cherry edge and slightly tart, appley acidity seem more Italian than French, good fresh earthy style, but needs some fat and tomato to fight against. B+ Poggio del Sasso Sangiovese di Toscana 2011, Italy (£6.95 The Wine Society) It comes [...]
Tweet Adega de Monção Vinho Verde 2011 (£5.95 The Wine Society) Young and briny, with an Alka Seltzer/sherbetty spritz, and tangy pear and ripe red apple flesh. B+ Quinta da Romaneira Douro White 2011 (£16.99 Corks Out, Wine Utopia, Winearray, The Fine Wine Company, Exel Wines, The Wine Reserve, Liberty Wines) Like a Sauvignon with [...]
Tweet Tons de Duorum Red 2011 (£8.20 The Real Wine Company, Duncan Murray, Totnes Wines, Halifax Wines, Tanners, Wine Cellar) Joyously fruity youngster, with plush berry, damson and plum flavours, notes of earthy spice and a chewy backbone. S- Quinta da Romaneira Liceiras 2009 (£12.99 Vagabond Wines, The Hampstead Butcher & Providore, Quaff Fine Wine Merchant, [...]
Tweet (There’s currently information only about the Natureo White on the Torres website) Torres Natureo Rosé Syrah/Cabernet Sauvignon 2011, Spain (£5.99 Asda, Waitrose) It may not be incredibly wine-y, but it’s a pleasant enough drink, off-dry and juicy with flavours of rosehip syrup and tinned strawberries. C(+) Torres Natureo Tinto Syrah 2011, Spain (£5.99 Asda) [...]
Tweet World Malbec Day? Malbec World Day? Whichever way round it is, this is the third year on which April 17th has seen celebrations for all things Malbec-y – more info here. Here’s me setting into eight examples, all from Argentina, unless specified. Château de Chambert Cahors Malbec 2008, South West France (£16.99 Bennetts Fine [...]
Tweet Domaine La Croix Gratiot Picpoul de Pinet 2011, Languedoc, France (£8.99 Whole Foods Market, Vagabond Wines, Askewine, Taylor’s Fine Wine, Red & White, Scarlet Wines, Shaftesbury Wines, Bray Valley Wine, The Butlers Wine Cellar, Corks of Cotham, Peter Osborne Fine Wines, Connolly’s Wine, Kenilworth Wines, Nickolls & Perks, Worth Brothers Wines, Reserve Wines, The [...]
Tweet Mas Belles Eaux Mourvèdre Vin de Pays d’Oc 2009, France (£14.99 Bennetts Fine Wines, Robin Greatorex Wines, Noel Young Wines, Vin Neuf, Lockett Bros, Aitken Wines, Slurp.co.uk) Decent plummy suppleness, with savoury hints of herbs and spice, but there’s also a dried/cooked fruit and raisinny character and an absence of the wildness I’m looking [...]
Tweet Volpetto Sangiovese di Toscana 2011 (£5.99 Ocado) Reasonable plum and cherry flavours, but it’s a bit volatile and overall just too rustic. C(-) Volpetto Chianti 2011, Tuscany (£7.99 Hercules Wines, Cambridge Wine Merchants, Sandhams Wine Merchant, Last Drop Wines, Addison Wines, SH Jones, Temple Wines) Still some of the rusty/rustic notes, plus the volatility, [...]
Tweet Gimenez Riili Perpetuum Premium Torrontés 2011, Famatina Valley, La Rioja, Argentina (£10.95 Cupari Wines) I like the gingery spice, the confected lemon jelly cube character is OK, I’m not so keen on the washing up liquid note, C Mairena Torrontés 2011, Cafayate, Salta, Argentina (£10.95 Cupari Wines) A weightier, more floral version of the [...]
Tweet So why’s there a Madeira in among all these reds? The answer is chocolate… Changyu Cabernet Blend 2011, Ningxia, China (£9.90 currently not in the UK) Has the gentle leathery character and slightly figgy dark fruit of mature but not especially great Bordeaux, plus a slightly smoky note. OK, but ultimately a bit thin [...]