June/July 2006Previous months' recommendations:
April/May 2005 | June
2005 | July 2005 | August
2005 | September 2005 | October
2005 | November 2005 | December
2005/January 2006 | February 2006
| March 2006 | April
2006 | May 2006
Gobelsburger
Riesling 2005 Kamptal, Austria
We begin this month with a really impressive Riesling from Schloss
Gobelsburg. It has a lovely crisp lemony nose which is nicely poised.
The palate is generous and nicely fruited with expressive lemony fruit and
good acid. Delicious. Very good+ 89/100 (£7.69 Waitrose)
Viñas del Vero Gewurztraminer 2005 Somontano, Spain
Spain isn’t well known for its white wines – it’s the reds that
tend to get all the attention. But here’s a really nice one that’s a
bit off the beaten track. It has a floral, grapey nose with a touch of
lime. The palate is rich and quite fat with pretty, grapey fruit and nice
balancing lemony crispness. With great balance, this is an ideal wine for
modern fusion cuisine. Very good+ 89/100 (£7 Tanners, Stanton Wine Co,
Cambridge Wine Merchants)
Txomín Etxaníz Getaria 2005 Getariako Txakolina,
Spain
Another Spanish white, this time from Basque country in the north
west. This has a very bright limey nose with a green herbal hint. The
palate is vivid and bright with a fresh, lively character. Precise and
interesting. Very good/excellent 90/100 (£10.50 D Byrne, Martinez, Hedley
Wright)
Domaine Zind Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Herrenweg 2000
Alsace, France
Deep yellow colour. Exciting nose is open and perfumed with grape and
lychee aromas. The palate is viscous, peachy and melony. Quite delicious:
really nice balance here (with 42 g/litre residual sugar)—a fantastic
wine. Very good/excellent 93/100 (£16.99 Tesco)
Cortes de Cima Syrah 2003 Alentejo, Portugal
Very deep coloured. Lovely
forward, spicy pure dark fruits on the nose, with a liqueur-like richness.
The palate shows deliciously ripe sweet fruits in a new world style—but
it’s in balance, with the fruit driving without overpowering. A
delicious wine. Very good/excellent (£9.99 Waitrose)
Katnook
Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 Coonawarra, Australia
Initially there’s a big minty blast on the nose; this is followed by
minerally, chalky, tarry berry and blackcurrant fruit. The palate shows
nice fresh blackcurrant fruit with good acidity and tannins, together with
a bit of freshness. It’s ripe and full but fresh and minerally at the
same time. A delicious, thought-provoking red wine, and one that is
potentially long lived, also. Very good/excellent 91/100 (£12.99 Waitrose,
£14.99 Oddbins)
Jamet
Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes 2004 Northern Rhône, France
What a fantastic wine! It’s honest, bright, fresh and drinkable,
with lots of personality. Bright fresh raspberry fruit dominates with a
hint of earthiness, lots of savoury pepperiness, just a faint green note
and good acidity. Brilliantly drinkable, in a light style. Very good+
88/100 (£6.49 Majestic)
Domaine Louis Latour Beaune 1er Cru Vignes Tranches
2000 Burgundy
Quite a pale colour. Very
sweet, smooth nose of soft ripe red fruits with a hint of earthy, spicy
complexity. The palate is smooth, elegant and soft with no rough edges and
just a bit of spicy earthy structure. It’s not the most complex Burgundy
ever, but there’s a nice texture here and some elegance. Quite a
charming wine. Very good/excellent 91/100 (£14.60–16.09 Duncan Murray,
Magnum Fine Wines, SH Jones, Bottle and Basket, Fine-wine-online.co.uk)
Isole
dei Nuraghi Barrua 2002 Sardinia
Really enticing open, elegant perfumed nose with sweet plummy fruit,
savoury, earthy spiciness and smooth sweet vanilla oak combining well.
Lots going on here. The palate is also quite complex with lots of
contrasts: there’s dark, savoury, tannic structure but also some smooth
ripe fruit. The overall impression is one of savouriness with a strong
earthy, minerally character. Confidently poised and nicely concentrated:
notably Italian, and quite modern without being ‘new worldy’. Very
good/excellent 94/100
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
|
