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From:
Mark
Category: Wine
Date: 25/11/2006
Time: 14:54:24
Majestic Wine Warehouse seems to go from strength to strength. Always hitting the right notes in terms of interest, quality and variety. This season is no different and alongside Waitrose are the two shining stars of the 'mass' wine retail market. Although not a place to go for one bottle of wine (minimum of case case purchase neccessary) if you are stocking up for the festive season then you could lose yourself in here for quite a while.
Due to the sheer size of the recommendations (and I use a pretty strict criteria!) I have decide to split Majestic's recommendations into two parts - White and Sparkling and Red and Fortified - to be published separately. Please find the White and the Sparkling below:
WHITE
Vergelegen Chardonnay 2005, Stellenbosch £9.49 - Buy 2 save £3.00 = £7.99
I love Vergelegen. There wines are, in general, of superlative quality - I would not hesitate to recommend their Sauvignon Blanc or their reds (see below). The same goes for this
Chardonnay (although the
Sauvignon just edges it for me
as it is so individual).
However this is all buttered toast, charred nuts, fat....almost oily and steams in at around 14% abv. Make sure you drink this well chilled to bring out the classical elements in this wine. Its been fermented in French oak.
Paulett's Riesling 2005, Polish Hill River, Clare Valley £9.99 - Buy 2 save £3.00 = £8.49
Another absolute classic dry riesling from arguably the best area in Australia for growing the stuff. Polish Hill is also home to the best of the best Grosset. Polish Hill is a sub-region of the Clare Valley. Reserved, mineral, lime and lemon with a fantastic length. Will age beautifully do probably develop some classic green-bean and kerosene flavours.
Knappstein Hand Picked Riesling 2005, Clare Valley £6.99 - Buy 2 save £2.50 = £5.74
If you cannot quite stretch to a tenner for the wine above (it really is worth it) then go for this very accomplished riesling from Knappstein. A little more obvious and evolved, nevertheless is is a cracker of a wine at this price.
More upfront of the kerosene, some lime and acacia blossom, cutting acidity and decent length. Most refreshing. Like a cold shower on a hot day! Will perk up those taste-buds!
Viña Cono Sur Vision Gewurztraminer 2005 Casablanca Valley, Chile £7.98
Keeping with the Alsatian theme (no not the dog but the area in Northern France that excels in dry riesling, a style that has been taken up an re-interpreted by those guys down under in the Clare Valley). This wine is made from the other flagship grape of Alsace (but made in Chile...how confusing!)
. 'Gewurz' means 'spicy' and this certainly is....and goes great with spicy food. Quince, spice, lime, roses, lychees and almonds. Full-bodied, long and well-balanced. Classy and rich.
Montes Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2005, Chile £6.24 - Buy any 2 Chilean wines save 20% = £4.99
Outside the world of French and Kiwi Sauvignon Chile takes the Bronze. However this wine is anything but a runner-up. Somewhere mid-way between a cool, grassy, herbal, mineral Sancerre and a gooseberry, passsionfruit-laden Kiwi sauvignon. A solid performer in its own right I think and very inviting at the price. This Montes wine is a true representative of the top quality Chile can offer and has undergone careful vineyard selection processes to ensure long lasting excellence. A fresh, dry, unoaked Sauvignon Blanc with aromas of peach, passion fruit and pineapple, medium to light body and a zesty finish.
Montes Limited Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2006, Leyda Valley £7.99 - Buy any 2 Chilean wines save 20% = £6.39
If you like the Montes above then try a slight step up in quality. This is from the hotly-tipped new region of the Leyda Valley in Chile. Takes the herbaceous, bell pepper notes of the sister wine and adds more weight, more tropical notes and more citrus zing to make a Chilean Classic.
Muscat Sec, Gerard Bertrand, 2005, Languedoc-Rousillon £5.00
One of the very few grape varieties to actually smell and taste of grapes! Usually this grape is seen as a sweet wine (such as Muscat de Beames de Venise) but here it is bone dry but with the strange impression of muscat, grapey sweetness! The nose informs you that this is a dessert wine with grapey, exotic fruit and some orange blossoms, on the palate it is dry, rich, buttery, grapey, with great acidity and a long, moreish finish. For those who love full flavoured wines but are a bit tired of Chardonnay.
Chablis 2004, Boudin £9.99
You may think that at £9.99 this would be a basic Chablis...and in a way you would be right. But I am convinced that Boudin's wines always taste a level above where they are pegged. This has all the quality, finesee (albeit attached to a fuller, richer, almost Côte d'Or quality) of a 1er Cru Chablis. Lovely stuff.
Grand Ardèche Chardonnay 2004, Louis Latour, Vin de Pays des Côteaux de l'Ardèche £7.79 - Buy 2 save £1.00 = £6.99
Louis Latour is one of the greatest (and largest) negociants in Burgundy. From the top (and I mean mega-bucks) to the bottom the wines are of exemplary quality. Outside the stronghold of the Côte d'Or Latour weaves magic in several other up-coming areas where the conditions are perfect (in this case warmer), land (and overheads) are cheaper but still lavishes expert viticulture and winemaking on the wines produced. This is a perfect example of what can be produced. Creamy, melon, butter, hazelnuts, full body and long finish.
Marc Ducournau Blanc 2005, Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne £4.49
If you need a single, inexpensive, white wine that is back-up for all the hordes this festive season then I would heartily recommend this wine. If you like sauvignon blanc (or this kind of highly aromatic style) then you will love this. Made from a collection of grapes including colombard this wine is wonderfully aromatic, grass and grapefruit flavours abound in a ripe but racey body.
Greco di Tufo 2005, Vesevo £9.99 Buy 2 save £2.00 = £8.99
The Greco grape was one of the earliest grapes brought over by the Ancient Greeks. The grape itself is over classic quality and has real star potential. Few varieties manage to combine a taught, bone dry minerality and structure with a pure peachy, apricot quality and a fantastic length. Unoaked but rich and racey at the same time. If you like Viognier-style or Albarino-style wines then you may go a bundle on this.
Sancerre Blanc 2005, Domaine Vacheron £12.99
This is probably from the best
producer in Sancerre. They do
a reserve wine which is out of
this world but this comes
very, very close and gives you
an insight into what makes
Sancerre - when it is great -
better than any other
sauvignon in the world. This
fab, aromatic, goose-gog
infuses example is both rich,
acidic and gun-flint smoky.
SPARKLING
Montana Lindauer Brut NV £8.00
Once again, ditch the expensive 'cheap' Champagne for 'volume' guests and opt for a back-on-form Lindauer Brut. Pass by the more expensive 'Select' and plug for the standard 'house'. Honey, toasty nose with lemon 'pips'. Nice, weighty palate with good length.
Piper Heidsieck Brut NV £27.75 - Buy 3 save 33.3% = £18.50
If you want to drink some of
the best NV Champagne then make a bee-line for the earthy, creamy, nutty, toasty Pinot-dominated wine from Piper H. Classy stuff and now truly back on form.
Quartet Roederer Estate Brut Non Vintage Anderson Valley, California, USA £17.49
My favourite non-Champagne sparkling wine. Period. Buy several, put half away for a year (or even two) it will really repay some landed bottle-age.
Cloudy Bay Pelorus NV £14.99 Buy 2 save 20% = £11.99
A cracking fizz from the cult winery Cloudy Bay. If you like a rich, full-bodied, fruit-driven, toasty style but still high quality, elegant and with real class (Cloudy Bay is owned by Veuve Cliquot) then for the money you simply cannot go wrong!
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