Léon Beyer Riesling Eguisheim 2000, Alsace
Marc Beyer is the winemaker at this established family firm. This
elegant Riesling has a quite lovely floral nose, which is very
expressive. Good concentration on the palate: quite rich, rounded and
citrussy. Tight and well balanced; finishes dry. Very good/excellent
(£9.25)
Willi Haag Estate Riesling QbA 1999, Mosel, Germany
From a small 5 ha estate run by Inge Haag and her son Markus.
Attractive perfumed floral nose with a bright lemony lift. Deliciously
rich balanced palate with nice balance and some tropical fruit/melon
character. Impressive and pure. Very good+ (£6.95)
JJ Prüm Bernkastler Badstube Riesling Kabinett 1999, Mosel,
Germany
One of the leading Mosel estates, established in 1911 and since
1969 run by Manfred Prüm. 33.5 ha of vines are planted on steeply
sloping schist soils. Pronounced rich mineralic high-acid nose is
quite striking with a strong almost meaty savoury edge. Concentrated
palate is rich, spicy and mineralic. Not particularly sweet but very
rich. Quite a serious wine. Very good/excellent (£13.45)
Domedechant Werner’schen Hochheimer Domdechaney Riesling
Spätlese 1999, Rheingau, Germany
A classy, rich style of Riesling. Very rich tropical fruit and
pear nose with a sweet honeyed edge. Massively concentrated tropical
fruit palate with melon and spice notes. Quite sweet but the good
acidity provides balance. Brilliant stuff. Very good/excellent
(£12.95)
Von Buhl Forster Ungeheuer Riesling Auslese 1996, Rheinpfalz,
Germany
One of the leading Pfalz estates, with 55 ha of vines. Very rich,
slightly cabbagey sweet honeyed fruit on the nose. Rich textured,
concentrated fruity palate: very sweet but with very high acidity.
Unusual style, and perhaps a little disjointed. Very good (£13.95)
Domaine Felines Jourdan Picpoul de Pinet 2000, Languedoc, France
Picpoul is an old-fashioned southern French grape that can produce
lovely crisp white wines. Rich, smoky, nutty nose is very fresh and
bracing. Lovely rich, savoury palate with a nutty texture and a touch
of lemony, pear-tinged fruit. Good concentration and some minerality.
Brilliant Picpoul. Very good/excellent (£5.95)
Tres Olmos Verdejo Bodegas Gaciarevalo 2001, Rueda, Spain
From a family run Bodega with 40 ha in the middle of Rueda, one of
Spain's leading white wine regions. This shows a wonderfully bright
aromatic nose with appealing lemony fruit. With a pronounced herbal
edge there's lots of fruit here and good acidity. Brilliant for the
price. Very good/excellent (£5.95)
Campania Tomas & Giesen Fiano di Avellino 2000, Campania,
Italy
Made by Fabrizio Thomas, who has a minimal-intervention approach.
It’s an unusual white wine with lots of interest. Rich, nutty fruit
on the nose, leading to a savoury, rich nutty palate. Very good
(£9.95)
Fattoria La Monacesca Verdicchio di Matelica 2000, Marche, Italy
La Monacesca, a 22 ha estate, was established in 1966 by Casimiro
Cifolia, and is now run by his son Aldo. It’s an interesting nutty
white wine. Old fashioned, striking nutty nose with some lifted
acidity. Savoury, rich mineralic palate. Very good+ (£8.95)
Domaine Sautereau Sancerre 2000, Loire, France
From an 18 ha estate fermented and aged in stainless steel vats.
Lovely grassy character to the nose. Quite austere, with high acidity.
Good minerality. A good food wine? Very good (£9.45)
Domaine du Closel Savennières ‘Clos du Papillon’ 2000,
Loire, France
Mme. de Jesset manages 12 ha planted with Chenin Blanc, and this
wine is fermented and matured in oak barrels. The grapes for this
cuvée were grown on schist and limestone soils. Very rich, savoury
nutty nose is quite striking, with great depth and complexity and a
waxy, herby, butterscotch edge. Good concentration on the extremely
nutty, rich, old fashioned palate. Very herbal and savoury. Remarkable,
unusual wine. Very good/excellent (£12.25)
Alana Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2001, Martinborough, New Zealand
A fruity, forward wine with a nose displaying sweet notes of
boiled sweets, gooseberry and blackcurrant. The rich fruity palate is
very approachable, with sweet berry flavours. Very good+ (£7.95)
Jean-Claude Martin Chablis 2000, Burgundy, France
Jean-Claude has been running this 12 ha estate since 1981, and
takes a traditional approach in the cellar while practising culture
raisonée in the vineyard. The result is a super, traditional-styled
Chablis, although not one that will be to everyone’s taste. It has a
classic lemony nutty nose with a savoury smoky edge. There’s good
concentration on the savoury, mineral, high-acid palate . A rich, old
fashioned, satisfying style. Very good/excellent (£8.95)
Pierre Gaillard Saint Joseph Blanc 2000, Northern Rhône, France
This northern Rhône white is not for everyone, but it’s a
brilliant example of its style. Very rich, fruity floral nose with a
sweet, luscious edge and some honey notes. The palate is
soft-textured, rich and nutty; clean and fruity with some tropical
notes. A forward, low acid style. Very good/excellent (£9.95)
Domaine Thibert & Fils Mâcon Fuissé 2000, Burgundy, France
From a small family-owned domaine with 8 ha in Pouilly Fuissé, 1
ha in Pouilly Vinzelles and 4 ha in Mâcon Fuissé. Restrained nutty
nose with a nice concentration of soft, herbal, nutty fruit on the
palate. Nicely savoury with good balance. Great typicity. Very good+
(£8.95)
Felton Road Chardonnay 2000, Central Otago, New Zealand
Winemaker Blair Walter has experience in Burgundy and Otago, and
aims to produce wines of elegance and complexity. This wine is deep
yellow in colour with very rich, complex herby fruit on the nose, a
slight tinned pea character and some smokiness. The palate is very
rich and complex with lots of herbal fruit and a caramel-like edge.
Unusual and quite ambitious. Very good+ (£10.95)
Osborns Harwood Chardonnay 1999, Mornington Peninsula, Australia
Frank and Pamela Osborn planted their first vineyard in 1988, and
now have 6 ha of vines on a north-facing slope. This impressive
Chardonnay has a very rich, nutty melony nose with lots of ripe fruit
and oak combining well. Lovely approachable full-flavoured palate in
an archetypal aussie style but with great class, too. Very
good/excellent (£11.45)
Domaine Long Depaquit Chablis Grand Cru La Moutonne 1999,
Burgundy, France
This domaine has 62 ha of vines, including holdings in four
premier and five grand crus. This wine is made from the 2.35 ha ‘monopole’
(i.e. they own the lot) grand cru vineyard La Moutonne. It has a
tight, restrained nutty nose with a concentrated mineralic, nutty
palate. Quite old fashioned and savoury with a butterscotch edge, I
suspect this needs some time. Very good+ (£27.95)
Domaine Louis Carillon Puligny Montrachet Les Champs Canet 1998,
Burgundy, France
From a 12 ha domaine managed by Jacques and Philippe Carillon.
Rich nutty nose and palate with a good concentration of savoury fruit.
Quite tight, with a smoky edge. Needs time. Very good+ (£29.95)
Domaine Denis Boussey Mersault ‘Pré de Manche’ 1999,
Burgundy, France
Classically styled nutty fruit, but it doesn’t stand out. Very
good (£16.95)
Domaine Jacques Prieur Mersault Les Perrières 1999, Burgundy,
France
Impressive heavy bottle. Rich, complex nutty nose with a toasty
edge. Palate is concentrated with lots of acid structure and a
minerally edge to the dense citrussy fruit. Currently quite acidic but
with real potential. Very good/excellent (£46.95)
Domaine Joseph Matrot Mersault 1998, Burgundy, France
Established in 1909 by Joseph Matrot and now run by his grandson
Thierry. Lifted, savoury herbal edge to the nose. Chunky lemon fruit
on the palate with some herbal character. Very savoury at the moment
but with potential. Very good+ (£24.45)