It's
been a while since I've done a large tasting
like this and I was very much flagging towards the end, not helped by
probably walking miles due to the shortage of spittoons, which was
really irritating as the merchant or even winemaker could be telling
you something interesting, but you have to wander off to the centre of
the room to spit, and then wait your turn again back at the table. Not
great for the exhibitors trying quickly to build a relationship with a
company that might be buying from them. A few people told me
that Judy Kendrick has passed on organisation of SITT to someone else,
and if that's the case, I think it showed. Or maybe the
government has introduced a new tax on spittoons?
First, here are a few quick impressions as headlines, with the full
tasting notes following below.
Table 2, Vintage Roots
Côtes de Gascogne Quatre Cepages, Pajot 2010 was jolly good:
fresh citrussy, but with nice body. Great at c. £7.99
Their Morgon was lovely stuff, though no bargain.
Stellar Organics, No Added Sulphur Cab Sauv 2010 from South Africa. A
good easy drinking cab with a nice bit of funk.
Novas Carmenere/Cab Sauv Emiliana 2008 (Chile) A very luxurious wine at
a nice price.
Table 17, Jackson Nugent
I rather liked the Delheim wines. Gorgeous gewurz, gorgeous noble late
harvest riesling. Grand Reserve Cabernet 2007 very impressive.
Even the Delheim Pinotage Rosé was drinkable. One of the few
expressions of pinotage that I might willingly drink.
Table 21, Winehaus
Bonkers. What possesses someone to decide to specialise in the wines of
Baden-Württemberg? Definitely deserves a look, though bear in
mind that I tasted the rieslings so you don't have to. (The riesling
Eiswein was lovely, though.)
Most of the wines were good, though not great. Some unusual stuff
(unusual in the international context, not for Württemberg),
like a 100% pinot meunier dry still white wine and a rather glorious
Lemberger rosé Eiswein.
Table 26, Hungarian Food
& Wine
All pretty solid stuff. The Tokaji and the Cserszegi Fuszeres were a
bit disappointing.
But the really good Heimann Kekfrankos Selection
2008, I thought a fascinating wine.
Table 27, Astrum
Again solid stuff. The Pfaffl St Laurent Altenberg and (an old
favourite) the Verus Sauvignon Blanc were the standouts, though the
Abbazia di Novacella Kerner and Cantina Terlano Pinot Bianco Riserva
Vorberg are both worth a taste: nice wines.
Table 31, Indigo Wine
Some interesting Spanish reds. A pleasant but distinctly over-valued
Bobal from the unfortunately named (for the British market) Bodegas
Ponce.
The organic Syrah-Garnacha from Bodegas Jimenez-Landi impressed me, as
did a biodynamic, unsulphured Cab Franc-Merlot blend from Bodegas
Escoda, a funky, animalistic hairy-bollocked wine that's not afraid to
step on the cracks between paving slabs.
Table 44, Winetraders
Got the feeling he didn't like people he didn't know coming to taste
his wines, but it was good to get an opportunity to taste through the
range of Bellbird Springs wines from Waipara in New Zealand.
The Pruner's Reward was a good traditional NZ sauvignon at a not unfair
price.
The Home Block White (essentially an edelzwicker blend) is a firm
favourite of mine and completely lived up to expectation.
It was the Block 8 Sauvignon Blanc, which I'd not come across before,
that I found particularly impressive: very white Bordeaux-like, with a
really classy feel.
The Pinot failed to rock my boat at all, though.
Table 49, Bella Wines
It was good to meet and chat with Hamish Wakes-Miller, whom I'd known
for a while through the wine forum on Tom Cannavan's wine-pages.
I'd
gone to taste the Marc Kreydenweiss (yes, he of
Alsace fame) Rhônes, which were all really good, the
Perrières Costières de Nimes standing out for me,
but I'd be happy to have any of the three in my cellar. Is there really
such a thing as Vin de Pays des Côteaux Flaviens, or has
Kreydenweiss invented it?
While
at Hamish's table, I also tasted the Domaine
La Prade Mari wines, with which he's more closely involved in the
production. The roussanne was a bit disappointing: too young, from too
young vines? But the others were all good and particularly good value.
The Chant de l'Olivier is most definitely worth crossing the road for.
Absolutely cracking stuff at a pleasingly keen price (£10.99).
Vintage
Roots
www.vintageroots.co.uk
Vintage
Roots, based in Hook, Hampshire, are
specialists in organic and biodynamic wines. On this sample
of their portfolio, I would say the wines are carefully chosen for a
pretty high level of quality across the board, at very fair price
levels.
NV Fleury Champagne
Carte Rouge Brut, Côte des Bars (Aube),
Champagne
Leafy black fruit on the nose. Quite punchy. Good depth and nice
toastiness. 87/100
2010 Domaine de
Pajot, Les Quatre Cépages, Vin de Pays
des Côtes de Gascogne
Very attractive nose - quite full and balanced with a hint of lime. On
the palate there are fresh citrus notes, but with a nice body. 90/100
2009 Rock Ferry Cawtes
CaveSauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New
Zealand
Powerful green pea and asparagus nose.
A good classic New Zealand
sauvignon blanc with hints of tropical fruit. 88/100
2009 Wild
Thing Sauvignon Blanc, La
Mancha, Spain
Apparently
buying this supports the Born Free Foundation.
Very fresh nose with pear and apple fruit. Very pleasant, balanced
sauvignon blanc (surprisingly so for me, as I wouldn't associate a
region like Spain's La Mancha with a fresh style of sauvignon blanc).
Fairly simple, but none the worse for that. 86/100
2008
La Raia Gavi Pisé,
Piedmont, Italy
Biodymanic
& lees aged. An unusual, but not off-putting nose,
with hints of petrol and hops. Pleasant enough, but, for me, there's
not really much to it. 83/100
2008
Romain Bouchard, Domaine de la Grand Chaume, Chablis Le
Grand Bois
A rich, buttery, toasty nose, very much oak forward. Very weighty. Some
delicious beurre noisette notes. 87/100
2008
Milton Vineyard Chardonnay Opou
Vineyard, Gisborne, New Zealand
A light, bright nose. This has a good buttery feel to it in the mouth,
along wih some spirity flavours. Good 'ordinary' chardonnay. 86/100
2009
Domaine Chasselay Morgon Les Charmes
Gorgeous raspberry fruit on the nose. Delicious, open palate. Very
winning. Lovely wine. 91/100
2010
Stellar Organics Cabernet Sauvignon, Western Cape, South Africa
Fairtrade
and no added sulphur (both feature prominently on the label)
A gorgeous nose. Fruity initially with sweet black fruit. A good easy
drinking cabernet sauvignon. Very pleasant mouthfeel. Good length.
91/100
2009
Cabirol Montsant garnatxa/tempranillo, Montsant, Tarragona, Spain
On the
nose, there is some slightly dusty raw oak in front of a
somewhat perfumed black and red fruit character. Smooth, forward fruit
on the palate, rounded off with spicy tannins. 88/100
2008
Emiliana Novas, Carmenère
Cabernet
Sauvignon, Colchagua
Valley, Chile
A bit muted on the nose, with some dark, brooding mulberry fruit. Very
velvety textured in the mouth. Lots of luxurious, not over-sweet black
fruit. Very long. It has a good structure, with the tannins starting to
knit into it. Much, much posher feeling than its £8.99 price
tag: feels more expensive! 91/100
2008
Domaine Jean Bousquet Malbec Grand
Reserve, Tupungato, Argentina
The nose
has smoky, deep, black fruit. Silky, sweet black fruit on the
palate too. Very fine, but maybe a bit lacking in interest/character?
88/100
Jackson
Nugent Vintners www.jnv.co.uk
2010 Delheim Sauvignon Blanc,
Simonsberg-Stellenbosch, South Africa
A lovely, rounded sauvignon blanc nose. Good, crisp yet rounded
character. Nice peary-peas on the finish. 89/100
2009 Delheim Chardonnay Sur Lie,
Simonsberg-Stellenbosch, South Africa
A perfumed, intense, leesy nose. Not a wine that's going to sneak up on
you from behind. In the mouth, there are big, open flavours. Some
nutty, caramelly, praline notes appear towards and on the finish, with
butterscotch flavours lingering in the mouth. 88/100
2010 Delheim Gewürztraminer,
Simonsberg-Stellenbosch, South Africa
A powerful, essence-of-gewurztraminer nose. On the palate, it's a good,
weighty gewurz. There's some sweetness, but it's not overdone. All in
all, a lovely, classic, ripe gewurz. 91/100
2010 Delheim Pinotage Rosé,
Simonsberg-Stellenbosch, South Africa
Apparently there's a touch of muscat in the blend too. The pinotage is
picked unripe.
It's
a light raspberry pink colour. Sweetish, pinky gamay sort of nose. This
is actually quite pleasant. Maybe because there's so little pinotage
character in there? 88/100
2007 Delheim Shiraz Vera Cruz Estate,
Simonsberg-Stellenbosch, South Africa
A powerful, perfumed nose that's a touch on the funky side. A bit raw
and young on the palate at the moment, but nice stuff. 91/100
2007 Delheim Grand Reserve,
Simonsberg-Stellenbosch, South Africa
Some
smoky oak, which some powerful black fruit is trying to beat into
submission. Lovely, balanced, gently aromatic palate. Very inviting
stuff. 91/100
2010 Delheim Edelspatz Noble Late
Harvest Botrytis Riesling,
Simonsberg-Stellenbosch, South Africa
Honeyed lime marmalade nose. Much less sweet/cloying
than the nose
would suggest. This is hedonistic with excellent balance. 94/100
Winehaus
www.germanwinestore.co.uk
Winehaus is
a bit bonkers. What
possesses someone to decide to specialise in the wines of
Baden-Württemberg? Franken I could understand, but
Baden-Württemberg? The wines from that region are completely
different to the more commonly found German wine-producing regions
further north, the Rheingau, Rheinhessen, Ahr, Mosel etc. Red
wines are much more commonly found here, with many pinot
varieties/variations planted, and Blaufränkisch (here called
Lemberger), though as it is still Germany, there has
to be riesling. On the basis of tasting this sample of the
wines, riesling is categorically not a strength of
Baden-Würrtemberg. I don't know much about Winehaus,
but with a portfolio like this it has to be a labour of love, and
deserves support.
2007
Dyade52 Riesling trocken Connoisseur's Choice - Germany,
Baden
There's chalky minerality onthe nose, with some subtle, crisp riesling
fruit. Quite tropical fruit on the palate. Nicely balanced. 88/100
2008 Weingut Stutz Riesling trocken
Edition - Germany, Württemberg
There are limey notes on the nose with a slatey minerality. There's a
nice balance on the palate. A bit light on riesling character maybe.
Nice though. 86/100
2009 Weingärtner
Cleebronn-Güglingen Pinot Meunier blanc de noir QbA trocken
"St Michael" - Germany, Württemberg
A slight onion skin pink. Talcy-minerally nose with blackberry leaf
notes. Interesting palate. It feels half-way to being a red wine.
Decent, pleasant drinking. 85/100
2008
Dyade52 Riesling
- Germany, Württemberg
Oddly stunted
nose. Quite a biscuity feel on the palate. Odd. 83/100
2009 Dürrenzimmern-Stockheim
Lemberger Weißherbst - Germany,
Württemberg
A mid salmon pink colour. Quite creamy red fruits on the nose. A good,
easy, rounded, off-dry rosé that seems to me to be in a
fairly
commercial style. 84/100
2007 Dyade52 Samtrot Premium
- Germany, Württemberg
Very perfumed red fruits on the nose. An attractive, very soft and easy
palate - quite juicy - with raspberry fruit characters. 87/100
2007 Dyade52 Pinot Noir Winemaker's
Edition - Germany, Württemberg
Forward, juicy redcurrant fruit on the nose. Really rather sweet fruit
on the palate - only balanced on the finish by some bright acidity. A
bit odd. 84/100
2007 Weingut Kistenmacher-Hengerer
Lemberger Edition S Trocken - Germany,
Württemberg
Aged in French (Allier) oak barriques. The nose has fresh blackberry
fruit and some toastiness from the oak, together with a bit of green
pepper. Quite forward sweet fruit on the palate. 85/100
2007 Dürrenzimmern-Stockheim
Spätburgunder Divinus QbA trocken - Germany,
Württemberg
Quite a pure, sweetish red fruits nose. Much more primary fruit on the
palate, with good precision. 86/100
2007 Weingut Stutz
Spätburgunder trocken N - Germany,
Württemberg
Biodynamic grapes, aged in local oak from a cooperage in the same town
as the winery, Heilbronn. It's quite toasty on the nose. Decent balance
on the palate. There are lots of spicy oak tannins on the finish, but
overall the oak's handled well. 86/100
2007 Dyade52 Lemberger
Connoisseur’s Choice - Germany,
Württemberg
Smoky, dusty oak on the nose, which almost seems a bit
carmenère like.
A good, well-made, attractive wine, if slightly saippy and green. Nice
character for food. Really does put me in mind of carmenère.
89/100
2007 Jupiter Weinkeller Edition Jupiter Lemberger
QbA trocken - Germany, Württemberg
Not overflowing with character on the nose. But there's nice balance on
the palate, which has a touch of a Chilean feel to it in the purity of
fruit and cleanness of expression. Really rather nice. 92/100
2008 Dürrenzimmern-Stockheim
Riesling Divinus Eiswein - Germany,
Württemberg
Very pure, light, fresh riesling nose with a hint of sweetness.
Delicious palate. Fabulous acidity. 92/100
2008 Dürrenzimmern-Stockheim
Lemberger Divinus Weissherbst Eiswein - Germany,
Württemberg
On the nose there is honeyed black cherry jam. It has a lovely, precise
purity on the palate with remarkable freshness. 92/100
2008 Chateau Megyer Furmint Dry
Selection
- Hungary, Hegyalja, Tokaji
There are crisp, minerally pears on the nose. Very attractive tropical
fruit on the palate. Nice balance. 88/100
2009 Garamvári Szőlőbirtok
Irsai Oliver
- Hungary, Dél-Balaton, Balatonlelle
Pleasant, aromatic nose. Remarkably muscatty palate. Quite delicate,
but with a firmness on the finish. 86/100
2008 Domaine Szeremley Riesling
Selection
- Hungary, Badacsony
There are slightly honeyed green apples on the nose. Good, clean
palate. Perfectly fine, but it's not going to threaten Germany, Alsace,
Austria, New Zealand etc. 87/100
2009 Bodvin Dry Furmint
Áldomás - Hungary, Hegyalja, Tokaji
Slightly grassy, delicate peach/pear fruit on the nose. Decent stuff,
but it doesn't thrill me. 84/100
2009 Pannonhalmi
Apátsági
Pincészet Tramini - Hungary,
Pannonhalma-Sokoroalja
A delicate, spicy gewurz nose. Good, fresh palate. Works well. 88/100
2009 St. Andrea Boldogságos
-
Hungary, Eger
A blend of 42% welschriesling, 39% sauvignon blanc, 19% pinot gris.
Biodynamic apparently.
Very grassy, herbaceous nose with some asparagus notes. A rich, complex
palate. A very interesting wine. A touch spirity on the finish maybe,
but not unduly so, or at all harsh. 90/100
2007 Orosz Gabor Kiraly
Hárslevelu
Kings Hill - Hungary, Hegyalja, Tokaji
A heavily aromatic nose. Is there some oak on this? Feels like it.
Initially, it's got a very luxurious mouthfeel, but quickly it feels
more all fur coat and no knickers. It seems a bit over-extracted and
over-concentrated to me, unfortunately. 82/100
2008 Egri Korona Borház,
Harmonia Red
Cuvée - Hungary, Eger
A blend of kekfrankos, cabernet sauvignon and merlot. The nose has
light red fruits and some minerality. Good, lush, unchallenging easy
drinking. Nice. 87/100
2007 Egri Korona Borház,
Egri
Bikavér - Hungary, Eger
Fairly rich berry fruit on the nose. A pleasant palate with lots of
nice character and a good firm structure. Good, typical Bull's Blood.
89/100
2008 St. Andrea, Akutya
fáját
- Hungary, Eger
According to which source or translation tool you use, akutya
fáját seems to be the equivalent of "Oh My Gosh!"
or "Anything Goes". It's a blend of kekfrankos, merlot, cabernet
sauvignon and cabernet franc. It was described to me as a sort of
declassified bikaver.
It has an interesting nose with some fairly sweet red fruit and some
fun spice. It's light and fresh on the palate with a good, interesting
depth of flavour and layers of red and black fruit. 89/100
2008 St. Andrea,
Áldás Egri
Bikavér - Hungary, Eger
On the nose, there's a touch of weediness behind some sweeet red fruit.
There's a lot of sweet, bright red fruit on the palate. Easy and
simple, but it delivers. 86/100
2008 Heimann Kékfrankos
Selection
- Hungary, Szekszárd
A rather strange, but not unattractive nose: there's dark fruit, apple
pie spice, tarte tatin, and even a hint of caramel. A complex, rounded
palate with great depth and interesting. Whether it's because of the
rather weird nose, or in spite of it, this is really rather
fascinating. 92/100
2009 Bodvin Tokaji Cuvée
Late Harvest
- Hungary, Hegyalja, Tokaji
Furmint 60%, Yellow Muscat 20%, Harslevelu 20%
A very fragrant, floral nose with honeyed apricots. Good, elegant
palate, with some interesting pear notes. 88/100
2001 Chateau Imperial Tokaji
Aszú 5
Puttonyos - Hungary, Hegyalja, Tokaji
An odd nose - sort of strange, spirity pencil shavings. Is there
something wrong with this? The man from Hungarian Food & Wine
says not. Ok then. Well, despite the dodgy nose, on the palate, it's a
decent, fairly old-fashioned Tokay. But it lacks the elegance of the
best examples. 83/100
Astrum
Wine Cellars
www.astrumwinecellars.com
2009 Enologica Wamba Verdejo, DO Rueda
Very pleasant white fruit with a certain richness on the nose. Clean
and almost refreshing on the palate. Very good finish. It really fills
out on the finish too. 88/100
2009 Russolo Ribolla Gialla,
IGT Venezia
Giulia
Bright minerality and a lovely florality combine on the nose. This is
in a fairly light style: it's very clean and fresh with just a nice
floral lift on the palate and good acidity. 88/100
2010 Verus Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc,
Ljutomer-Ormož, Podravje, Slovenia
There's nice clean minerality to the fore of good
sauvignon blanc
fruit. Very good palate. Easy, but with a pleasing complexity behind.
91/100
2009 Abbazia di Novacella
(Stiftskellerei
Neustift) Kerner, Alto Adige
Good nose: some florality and fragrance, with a hint of white peach.
Nice and full on the palate with good acidity. Needs food. 89/100
2007 Cantina Terlano Pinot Bianco
Riserva
Vorberg, Alto Adige
Creamy, sweet melon fruit on the nose. Open, rounded palate. Very good
fruit character with an attractive streak of austerity. 89/100
2007 Weingut R & A Pfaffl St.
Laurent
Altenberg, Niederösterreich, Austria
Good, subtly perfumed red fruit on the nose. More
pinot noir like than
the Württemberg pinot noirs tasted on the same day. Very good
palate - it has a lovely balance and elegance; almost sexy indeed.
90/100
2006 Produttori del Barbaresco,
Barbaresco
Paint thinners and sappy green leaves on the nose. This is not without
attraction, and Barbaresco lovers would probably love it, but I am not
one of them, so treat these comments with caution. The high acidity
makes it tends towards weediness in the mouth. Finely structured
tannins.
Not scored as I don't get on with Barbaresco, and it would be unfair of
me to mark it down.
Indigo
Wine
2006 Celler Escoda-Sanahuja Conca de
Barberà Coll del Sabater, Conca de
Barberà,
Tarragona, Spain
A biodynamic blend of cabernet franc and merlot made with no added
sulphur.
A wild, funky nose with black fruits. Very animalistic and meaty. This
is a wine that isn't afraid to step on the gaps between the paving
stones. Meaty, fleshy palate. Definitely on the wild side. Very
attractive. 91/100
2009 Jiménez Landi Méntrida
Sotorrondero - Spain, Castilla-La Mancha,
Méntrida
60% syrah; 40% garnacha. Organic.
A really interesting complex nose with some attractive vegetal notes
and bright fruit. Superficially a bit simple on the palate. But there
are some great depths and complexity here. (90 points)
2009 4 Kilos 12 Volts - Spain, Balearic
Islands
There are youthful, vibrant dark fruits on the nose. Quite a luscious,
silky mouthfeel. Fairly sweet fruit. But it's nicely put together. 88/100
2009 Emilio Valerio Navarra Laderas de Montejurra
- Spain, Navarra
There's nice perfume on the nose with an interesting chalky minerality.
Pleasant palate. This has good balance and a nice meaty, spicy weight. 88/100
2009 La Casilla Bodegas Viñedas Ponce
Manchuela - Spain, Castilla-La Mancha, Manchuela
Biodynamic, 100% foot-trodden bobal.
Juicy, sweet red fruit with nice character on the nose. The palate is
very similar to the nose. Soft and easy, though with some firm tannins
on the finish. 88/100
2007 Bodegas Bentomiz Málaga Ariyanas
Dulce - Spain, Andalucía,
Málaga
Made with semi-dried moscatel grapes from the Malagan hills. It has a
sweet, perfumed muscat nose. There's good balance on the palate.
Perfectly pleasant, but it doesn't over-excite me. 85/100
Winetraders
(UK)
2009
Bellbird Spring Sauvignon Blanc Block Eight - New Zealand,
South Island, Canterbury, Waipara
A very, very poised elegant nose, feeling almost white Bordeaux-like.
Very good palate.This is very definitely a sauvignon blanc for people
who don't like sauvignon blanc. It has a very classy feel. 93/100
2008
Bellbird Spring Home Block White - New Zealand, South Island,
Canterbury, Waipara
A very pleasant, gently spiced nose with hints of sauvignon blanc and
pinot gris fruit. Fairly rich palate, but nicely balanced. An
interesting wine from the blend. 92/100
2009
Bellbird Spring Sauvignon Blanc The Pruner's Reward - New
Zealand, South Island, Canterbury, Waipara
Bright, clean, slightly leesy-feeling classic sauvignon blanc nose with
gooseberry, peas and asparagus. Lovely palate, with a tiny hint of
sweetness that tames the aggression of Kiwi sauvignon. Good stuff. 89/100
2009
Bellbird Spring Pinot Noir Block Eight - New Zealand, South
Island, Canterbury, Waipara
The nose has nice, precise red fruits with a hint of beetroot sweetness
and earthiness. Not bad on the palate. Needs time: it feels a bit
disjointed at the moment. 86/100
Rhône
to Rioja
www.rhone2rioja.co.uk
N.V. Equipo Navazos, ManzanillaI Think
A glorious, nutty, salty aromatic nose. Lovely fresh, pure palate.
Great complexity. 91/100
N.V. Equipo Navazos, La Bota de Fino "que va para
Amontillado" Nº 24
A deep golden colour. Rich almonds and extract of apricots. At first
you think it's a bit simple and wonder what the fuss is all about.
Then, all of a sudden, it really explodes in the mouth. Big, zingy,
controlled excitement. Fabulous. But at around £40 for a half
bottle, there is undoubtedly better value amontillado out there. 91/100
N.V. Equipo Navazos, La Bota de Manzanilla
"Navazos" Nº 22
Green olives and anchovies on the nose. Very maritime flavours, almost
tending towards a hint of fishiness. Lovely, intriguing manzanilla. 89/100
Bella Wines www.bellawines.co.uk
2008 Marc Kreydenweiss
Costières-de-Nîmes Perrieres - France,
Rhône, Southern Rhône,
Costières-de-Nîmes
Meaty, bloody, red fruits on the nose. Lovely, elegant palate. Light
and poised. Really good fruit with a very pleasant and surprising
acidity. Terrific. 93/100
2007 Marc Kreydenweiss
Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône,
Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
A very attractive, gently perfumed nose with thyme and black fruits.
Attractive, correct palate, but with a touch of dried fruit character.
Good structure. 90/100
2007 Marc Kreydenweiss Vin de Pays des Coteaux
Flaviens Ansata - France, Rhône, Southern
Rhône, Vin de Pays des Coteaux Flaviens
Initially, a real bruiser with some farmyard notes, but really balances
out with time, with some violet perfume. Silky tannins and black fruit.
92/100
2010 Domaine La Prade Mari Viognier -
France, Languedoc Roussillon, Vin de Pays d'Oc
Nice, poised nose. Better than the same producer's 2010 Roussanne -
more rounded and grown up.. A rounded, clean palate. Works well. 88/100
2010 Domaine La Prade Mari Roussanne -
France, Languedoc Roussillon
Very young vines, planted five years ago - this vintage was their first
crop.
It has a rich, varietally correct nose. Very, very young feeling in all
respects. Rather sternly priced, and the score reflects that a little. 83/100
2010 Domaine La Prade Mari Minervois Rubis des
Garrigues - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc,
Minervois
An equal blend of grenache, syrah, mourvèdre, and carignan.
A deep pink/pale red colour. It has fairly rich, sweet red fruit on the
nose. It's fairly slight on the palate. Pleasant enough, with a nice
touch of dry fruit on the finish. 86/100
2007 Domaine La Prade Mari Minervois Chant de
l'Olivier - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc,
Minervois
A 50:50 blend of syrah and grenache.
Is it the power of suggestion, or do I get black olives on the nose?
Definitely some garrigue. A lovely silky mouthfeel. Jolly good. 92/100
2008 Domaine La Prade Mari Minervois Secret de
Fontenille - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc,
Minervois
A blend of syrah, grenache and carignan.
A lovely characterful nose, with aromas of black fruit, tobacco,
minerality and the garrigue. A nice, spicy blend with exceptional
length. Very good purity on the finish. 89/100
2007 Domaine La Prade Mari Minervois Gourmandise
des Bois - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Minervois
80% syrah, 20% grenache.
There's a mix of tobacco, black fruits and some garrique spices on the
nose. Much silkier and easier on the palate than you might expect from
the nose. Nice, fine tannins. 88/100
2009 Domaine La Prade Mari Carignan Vieilles Vignes
- France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Vin de Pays de
l'Hérault
There's a slight hint of cherry fruit on a nicely integrated nose.
Light, fresh, clean. Very good value. 88/100
2008 Domaine La Prade Mari Minervois Conte des
Garrigues - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc,
Minervois
An equal blend of syrah and grenache, aged in new oak - more new oak
than the Chant de l'Olivier. On the nose, there is slightly bloody
black fruit. There's notably more oak on the palate than the Chant de
l'Olivier, giving it a pretty big structure. 87/100
2008 Moulin Gimié Vin de Pays d'Oc
- France, Languedoc Roussillon, Vin de Pays d'Oc
Bright, clean fruit with quite a jammy edge. Big, open-feeling fruit on
the palate. There's an oddly savoury, almost fishy note on the finish. 85/100
2008 Moulin Gimié Vin de Pays d'Oc les
Fossiles - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Vin de Pays d'Oc
A blend of merlot, syrah and mourvèdre.
Very pleasant, perfumed sweet black and red fruits on the nose. A very
pleasant palate. Uncomplicated, rather summery fruit. Good drinking
with a nice character. 89/100
A couple of wines tasted from other exhibitors (identified in
parentheses)
2009
Alsace Pinot Gris, Philippe
Gocker, Mittlewihr (Winegrowers Direct)
A light, fresh, bright nose. Straightforward Alsace pinot gris. Good at
the price (c. £11). 86/100
2008
Gewurztraminer Kitt, Domaine
Rémy Gresser, Alsace (Top Selection)
A nice, classy, perfumed gewurztraminer nose - feeling very controlled.
This is a good, classy Alsace gewurz with nice weight and
balance. There's also a nice freshness, especially on the
finish. Rather seriously priced at nearly £20 though.
89/100