|
June/July 2008Previous months' recommendations:
Jan/Feb 2007 | March
2007 | June 2007 | July
2007 | August/September 2007 | October/November
2007 | December 2007 | January
2008 | February 2008 | March/April/May
2008
Champagne
Marc Chauvet Brut Tradition NV
A grower Champagne from Rilly la Montagne,
where the Chauvets have 14 hectares of vines. A fresh,
well-balanced fizz with citrussy fruit, some subtle toasty warmth and nice
acidity. It has a pleasant savoury depth and lovely poise, combining
freshness and richness. It’s quite a serious wine, without being at all
heavy. A proper, grown-up NV Champagne, blending together the attributes
of Chardonnay and the two Pinots to good effect. As an aside, this
producer does a joint venture with Quartz Reef in New Zealand’s Central
Otago region. 89/100 (£17.99 www.therealwineco.co.uk)
Verus Vineyards Furmint 2007 Slovenia
(Alternative name: Verus Stajerska Slovenia Kakovostino
Vino ZGP Šipon 2007, where Šipon is a synonym for Furmint.) Beautifully
packaged, this is a really stylish wine that reminds me a bit of Austrian
Gruner Veltliner. It has a lively, fruity, almost peppery nose with some
grapey depth to it. The palate is really lively and fresh, with an
exuberant fruity, spicy character and a hint of spritz on the bright,
acidic finish. This is a very pure, clean, minerally white that's full
flavoured but zippy, and would be a versatile food wine. I like this a
lot. 12% alcohol. 90/100 (£7.99 www.therealwineco.co.uk)
Disznóko Tokaji Dry Furmint 2006 Hungary
The ancient variety of the Tokaji region makes dry whites
like this, as well as the legendary sweet Tokaji. This has a broad, rich,
deep nose with a smoky, spicy edge to the melon and herb fruit. The palate
is quite complex with a fresh minerally character underpinning broad,
grapey, slightly spicy fruit. There’s lots of interest here: a really
food friendly style with a lot of personality. Beguiling stuff. 91/100 (£9.19
rrp, contact fionacampbell@btopenworld.com
for more information)
Frankland
Estate Olmo’s Reward 2003 Frankland River, Western Australia
This is a blend of Cabernet Franc
and Merlot, with a bit of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon in the mix, and
it’s brilliant. Lovely ripe, aromatic nose with fresh, intense black
fruits and a minerally edge. Expressive. The palate shows real poise and
elegance with ripe, dark fruits and fresh minerality. Structured and
savoury. 94/100 (£16.75 Berry Bros & Rudd)
Domaine Treloar ‘Tahi’ 2006 Côtes du
Roussillon
The top wine from this domaine, who advocate the use of sustainable
viticulture. It’s a big old wine, made with a fair dollop of new oak,
but there’s more than enough fruit to deal with it. Tight, dark,
concentrated and quite tannic, this could do with a few years to become
more approachable and is potentially very long-lived. Ripe dark fruits
dominate, with a subtly roasted coffee oak edge and a bit of plummy
bitterness on the finish. There’s a lot going for this wine, but it’s
pretty tannic and full-on at the moment, and the tannins overpower the
finish. I’d be fascinated to see how this wine will taste in a decade: I
reckon it will be pretty serious. 93/100 (£16.50 Leon Stolarski Fine
Wines)
Diane
de Belgrave 2005 Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux
The second wine of fifth growth Château Belgrave, this has a really
attractive nose showing dark fruits, minerals, olives and spice. The
palate shows generous, rich blackcurrant and raspberry fruit backed up by
spicy, mineralic structure. There’s some elegance here, and it isn’t
as square and tannic as some of the other 2005s I have been tasting of
late. Stylish stuff that’s beginning to be approachable now. Drink now
and over the next three years? 89/100 (£11.99 Majestic)
Philippe
Alliet Chinon Vieilles Vignes 2005 Loire, France
Lovely dense gravelly nose showing dark fruits with lovely aromatics.
It’s fresh and minerally. The palate has lovely depth of fruit with
pure, fresh dark fruits. I lovely the gravelly edge to this refined
Cabernet Franc. Fantastic stuff. 93/100 (rrp £13, Genesis Wines is the UK
agent)
Marmesa
Vineyards Hollister Peak Chardonnay 2005 Edna Valley, California
Unusually for California, this is an unoaked Chardonnay, aged on its
lees to add complexity. It’s rich and boldly fruited, with a warm,
buttery, broad character balanced nicely by citrussy, stony freshness.
Imagine Chablis, taken up a couple of notches in richness, ripeness and
weight, and you’ll be close. Unoaked Chardonnay runs the risk of being
boring, but this certainly isn’t. 89/100 (£9.99 Oddbins)
EOS Reserve Petite Sirah 2004 Paso Robles,
California
An inky dark purple black colour, this is a bold, intense
red wine of real character, although it won't appeal to everyone. It's
bursting with rich blackberry and raspberry fruit, together with some
bitter dark chocolate notes, as well as a bit of earthiness. I'm even
getting a hint of rubber here. All this is underlain by some firm spicy
tannins. Not at all shy, but savoury and dense enough to stop it being
just another sweet, over-ripe, over-cooked new world red. Hard to score
such a distinctive wine. It's edgy, imperfect, but interesting. 89/100 (£9.99
Co-op)
Secano Pinot Noir 2007 Leyda Valley, Chile
Made for Marks & Spencer by Vina Leyda. This is a
really vibrant Pinot Noir with lovely pure, sappy cherry and raspberry
fruit, complemented by a subtle spicy, medicinal note that remains in the
background. It's perhaps a little too green and herbal, but the fresh,
bright fruit here has a lovely purity to it. It's a delightfully fresh
wine that tastes like Pinot. Very primary, but quite joyful. 88/100 (£6.99
Marks & Spencer)
Corralillo Chardonnay Reserve 2005 San Antonio,
Chile
This biodynamic white comes from Matetic, one of Chile's
most exciting producers. It's almost overpowering, with intense flavours
of nuts, vanilla, figs, citrus fruits and spice. Super-rich and very ripe,
this wine almost has too much flavour for its own good. It really comes
into its own with richly flavoured food, where the weight of the wine
isn't quite so obvious. It would also work quite well with cheese. A big,
complex Chardonnay for current drinking, and not for the timid. 90/100 (£9.99
Marks & Spencer)
My rating
system explained. Use www.wine-searcher.com
to locate a stockist in your area and my directory
of UK wine merchants for details of those listed here. See also: the wineanorak's
shopping list - recommended wines from each of the main UK retail
outlets. These recommendations are truly independent: I don't accept
payment or other favours for inclusions, nor do I sell wine.
E-mail me with your recommendations or suggestions
at jamie@wineanorak.co.uk
|