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25
fine wines from Waitrose
Waitrose is a leading UK supermarket with a decent
range, and then at selected stores, a good assortment of additional
fine wines. The full range is available at the flagship Kingston
and Canary Wharf stores, and I think that at least some of these wines
are also dispersed among the smarter branches elsewhere (I guess I
should check...). Here's my notes on 25 of them.
Joseph Drouhin Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches 2002
Burgundy
Drouhin own 14 ha of this 22 ha vineyard, and this wine shows
bright, quite forward fruit and sweet berry notes The palate is supple
and elegant with softness to the fruit. Quite pure, this is an
interesting, elegant Pinot Noir. Very good/excellent 92/100 (£30
Waitrose)
04/05
Domaine de la Pousse d’Or Clos des 60 Ouvrées
2000 Burgundy
From east-facing slopes close to the boundary with Meursault, 30%
new oak. Quite a dark colour. Tight, spicy, smoky red fruit nose. The
palate is slightly meaty with well structured, savoury red fruits.
Quite a severe style but with some elegance too. Very good/excellent
92/100 (£30 Waitrose) 04/05
Domaine de la Pousse d’Or Pommard 1er Cru Les
Jarollières 2001 Burgundy
Really open meaty nose of perfumed red fruits. Spicy, dense and
full on the palate, this is quite structured and bold. A full,
expressive style. Very good/excellent 92/100 (£30 Waitrose) 04/05
Henschke Lenswood Giles Pinot Noir 2002 Adelaide
Hills, Australia
Very sweet ripe red and blackcurrant fruit nose. The palate is
supple and sweetly fruited with a subtle herby edge. A new world
style. There’s a slightly sweet and sour finish to it. Very good+
88/100 (£25 Waitrose) 04/05
Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2003 Marlborough, New Zealand
Open spicy, meaty nose with red fruits and a subtle undergrowthy
edge. The palate is quite concentrated and dense with a chewy, spicy
edge to the ripe red fruits. A nice wine that is quite savoury and
restrained. Very good/excellent 90/100 (£15.99 Waitrose) 04/05
Domini Plus 2001 Douro, Portugal
A collaboration between Christiano Van Zeller and JM da Fonseca,
this is quite a success. Dark coloured, it has an inviting nose of
sweet, ripe dark fruits with a liqueur-like quality to the fruit
together with some tarriness. The palate is quite dense, savoury and
spicy, and shows good concentration of ripe fruit. Roasted, slightly
baked finish. Very good/excellent 90/100 (Waitrose £12.99) 04/05
Carmen Gold Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 1999 Maipo
Valley, Chile
From 44 year old vines, this is an ambitious red wine from Chile.
Dark coloured, it has a very intense sweet blackcurrant jam nose. The
palate is soft, smooth, concentrated and sweet, with an incredible
richness of fruit. It’s a lovely wine, providing you like this
style, which is extreme. Very good/excellent 91/100 (£22 Waitrose)
04/05
Viñedo Chadwick 1999 Aconcagua Valley, Chile
94% Cabernet and 6% Carmenère from a vineyard in Puente Alto that
used to be a polo field. A very dark colour, this has a sweet,
liqueur-like jammy blackcurrant nose. The palate is bold and rich
displaying concentrated fruit with a savoury, spicy twist to it. A
very bold style. Very good/excellent 91/100 (£30 Waitrose) 04/05
Errazuriz La Cumbre Shiraz 2002 Aconcagua Valley,
Chile
From 9 year old vines, aged in a mix of new French and American
oak. A vivid dark purple colour. The red and black fruit nose leads to
a palate of concentrated ripe fruit with a savoury, spicy edge. Very
impressive in a modern fruit-forward style. Very good/excellent 92/100
(£14.99 Waitrose) 04/05
Montes Alpha ‘M’ 2001 Santa Cruz, Colchagua
Valley, Chile
80% Cabernet, 5% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc,
harvested at around 4 tons/hectare. 18 months in new French oak. Pure
sweet blackcurrant fruit nose with a liqueur-like edge. The sweetly
fruited, supple palate shows great concentration and a nice spicy
finish. A very forward wine. Very good/excellent 91/100 (£35 Waitrose)
04/05
Clos de Los Siete 2003 Mendoza, Argentina
Grapes come from 350 hectares at 1100 m altitude. A blend of
Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Very deep colour. Sweet
forward black fruits nose of lovely vivid fruit. It’s soft, supple
and gloriously fruited on the palate. Very intense and quite
brilliant. Very good/excellent 93/100 (£9.99 Waitrose) 04/05
Catena Alta Malbec 2001 Mendoza, Argentina
Dark with quite a spicy nose. Good concentration of dark, savoury
spicy fruit here. Very good+ 89/100 (£25 Waitrose) 04/05
Oxford Landing Viognier 2004 South Australia
Deep perfumed nose is ripe, smooth, peachy and floral. The palate
is rich textured, fruity and soft with lovely balance. A brilliant
effort. Very good/excellent 91/100 (£5.49 Waitrose) 04/05
Albert Mann Tokay Pinot Gris Grand Cru Hengst 2002
Alsace, France
30 g/litre residual sugar. Very ripe, sweet open nose with lovely
typicity. The palate is rich textured with concentrated, soft, sweet
fruit showing melon and pear notes. Lovely. Very good/excellent 94/100
(£16.50 Waitrose) 04/05
Albert Mann Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Furstentum
Vieilles Vignes 2002 Alsace, France
32 g/l residual sugar. Perfumed but savoury lychee nose. Intense,
concentrated palate is rich textured with lots of sweetness. Perfectly
balanced. Very good/excellent 93/100 (£17.50 Waitrose) 04/05
Albert Mann Tokay Pinot Gris Selection de Grains
Nobiles Altenbourg ‘Le Tri’ 2001 Alsace, France
Intense, sweet spicy nose of complex peach and apricot.
Super-sweet intense palate with amazing fatness, richness and length.
Great balance despite the sweetness: a remarkable wine. 135 g/l
residual sugar, 7.3 g/l total acidity, 12.3 % alcohol. Excellent
95/100 (£35 Waitrose) 04/05
William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Côte
Bougerots 2000 Burgundy, France
Fermented and matured in oak barrels, 5% new. Bright, fresh fruity
nose with notes of herbs and straw in the background. The palate is
minerally and bright with good fruit and length. Veru good/excellent
92/100 (£24.99 Waitrose) 04/05
William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Côte
Bougerots 2002 Burgundy, France
A small lieux-dit of 2.11 ha in the 6 ha Grand Cru of Bougros, on
a 40° slope. Natural yeasts, full malolactic fermentation, 80% barrel
matured but no new oak. Lovely complex tight, herby, mineral nose. The
palate is bold and tight, full of rich herbal fruit and quite complex.
A brilliant effort. Very good/excellent 94/100 (£24.99 Waitrose)
04/05
Henschke Coralinga Sauvignon Blanc 2003 Adelaide
Hills, Australia
From the Coulter vineyard at 550 m, total acidity 7.2 g/l, pH
3.12. This has a lovely fresh minerally, grassy nose that’s very
bright and forward. The palate is lively and concentrated showing
lovely fresh lemony fruit. Fresh and pure. Very good/excellent 92/100
(£12.99 Waitrose) 04/05
Cloudy Bay Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc 2002 Marlborough,
New Zealand
Yield 9.5 tons/hectare, Scott-Henry trellising, fermented in
French oak, total acidity 6.2 g/l, pH 3.12. Incredible bold, herby
grassy nose. The palate is rich and rounded with a lovely herbal edge
to the sweet fruit. Very broad and plush. Very good/excellent 92/100 (£17.99
Waitrose) 04/05
Yering Station Reserve Shiraz Viognier 2003 Yarra
Valley, Australia
Very dark colour. Vivid bright sweet liqueur-like nose. The palate
shows swee, intense, concentrated dark fruits of mind-blowing
intensity. Very fruity, vivid and bold. Very good/excellent 92/100 (£25
Waitrose) 10/05
Clonakilla Hilltops Shiraz 2004 New South Wales,
Australia
Very dark colour. Vivid, intense pure dark fruit is the dominant
feature here, with nice weight and lovely purity of fruit. Bold, full,
rich and expressive with perhaps just a hint of reduction. Very
good/excellent 91/100 (£13.49 Waitrose) 10/05
Craggy Range Le Sol Syrah 2002 Hawkes Bay, New
Zealand
Dark coloured, this has a sweet, intense nose that’s well
defined. The palate is ripe with supersmooth, concentrated supple dark
fruits showing a spicy edge. Elegant and delicious. Very
good/excellent 92/100 (£29.99 Waitrose) 10/05
Hidalgo Oloroso Viejo Sherry
Fantastic complex evolved nose which is sweet and savoury, nutty
and complex, like a really good Madeira. The nutty, tangy palate is
fantastically complex with a very long, rich finish. Brilliant. Very
good/excellent 94/100 (£45 Waitrose) 10/05
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