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From:
Mark
Category: Wine
Date: 09/01/2007
Time: 17:56:30
Wino's World Wine Enjoyment Awards - world beaters at around a tenner
Well, everyone else seems to have annual wine awards so I am too. Lets face it, having tasted a
tank-full of various wines, many crap, some good, a few sublime I think that you could do worse than take heed of
my wino's wisdom. This year I have tasted less wine than ever but after knocking the dust off my palate I feel that I am only a little shy of my usual judgement. A judgement that has held me in good stead as a Wine Judge for various organisations including the International Wine Challenge and Wine International.
My ' awards' are not so much about listing reams of winners - so many that nothing stands out from amongst the throng. I am not going to give my wines a trophy, gold, silver or bronze medals or am I going to give them numerical scores. What I am is simply sharing with you, rewarding you the drinker,
is the knowledge that these are the wines that have for me - at a particular moment in time during 2006 - made me stop and go....WOW...this wine is REALLY good...and for less than a tenner!
Most enjoyed c.£10 Red Wine
Well this was a resounding victory for South America and it perfect climate(s).
Things have been too easy, I feel, for Chile lately.
But now new areas are being
planted and experimentation
with some more marginal terroirs
are rewarding increased complexity
from the vines. We are now seeing
yet another step-change in what Chile can offer. Not just world flavours and budget prices but world class complexity and aging potential. Argentina, one of the largest wine producers in the
world has been playing some serious catch-up in the international stakes.
Now, with more and better overseas investment and know-how, has lead to an increased realisation of the potential of the
country's huge and varied terrain. The two wines I have highlighted both come from South America, both are classically
influenced and could stand shoulder to shoulder with wines twice, if not three times the price
- from anywhere in the world - including their inspirational homeland, Bordeaux.
| Winner Clos de los Siete 2005, Uco Valley, Argentina £8.99 - 10.99 - Majestic, Waitrose (www.majestic.co.uk), Oddbins (www.oddbins.com) With the hugely influential Michel Rolland (the second most influential person in the wine world, after Robert Parker), wine consultant to the stars (well many of the stellar estates, domaine and chateau around the world and across Bordeaux) has led the charge in Argentina by drawing together 7 vineyards in an area of serious potential (Uco Valley). The 2003 was fab, the 2004 was excellent if a bit over-extracted but may come around. The 2005 has once again hits its stride with a perfect balance of fruit, oak, tannin, acid and alcohol. This is not fading flower. A big 15% alcohol is matched by a masses of concentrated, inky, chocolaty dark fruit, flowers and wood - blackcurrant, blueberry, blackberry, plum, violet and cedar-cigar box perfume and a earthy, meaty savoury density to the wine. The oak is expertly judged, as you would expect from Michel Rolland and that adds to the fruit tannins by way of both a vanilla polish and structural sinew. Its acidity ensures that everything, including the tannic structure, the concentrated fruit profile and alcohol is lifted and defined. This wine is superb but the sheer size of its structure and what is hanging off it demonstrates that this could be up for some long cellaring of maybe a decade or more. |
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Runner-up Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, Chile £7.99-9.99 - Tesco (www.tesco.com) Aurelio Montes has done as much, if not more than anyone, to establish the upward trajectory of Chilean wines in the past decade or more. With a few dips along the way Montes' wines are very much on form and provide some of the most consistent, if not exciting, wines coming from Chile. The top wines Alpha M and Montes Folly (upwards of £35 a bottle) are bordering on cult / icon territory. The wines further 'down' the range including the benchmark Alpha wines (Merlot, Cabernet, Shiraz and Chardonnay) are excellent and all worth a go. At the foot of the range the entry level sauvignon blancs and especially the one from the Leyda Valley are also deserving of a commendation. The one I have singled out for 'runner-up' to the Siete is the Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon. Although this wine is less 'block-buster' it is, at this stage of development, a more complete, integrated or 'knit' wine. Ready for drinking now it is perfect. Raspberry and cassis, well integrated chocolate and oak vanillins, a faint whiff of cedar-wood, a dark mineral core, a near perfect structure and balance. It is also blessed with a very decent length that takes a while to subside. For a complete package for drinking now, look no further. |
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Most enjoyed sub £10 oaked White
Because the issue of oaking in white wine is, for the general
consumer so polemical, I have decided to break the white category into two. For those who don't mind oaky whites and those who, for whatever reason cannot stand the whiff of oak vanillins. When done properly (and not a pile of wood shavings in a giant tea-bag that passes itself off as oak aging....or the use of liquid oak-vanilla essences) wine fermented or aged in new or a combination of new / old oak
can really sing. Especially so
if it also has had the benefit of an intelligent winemaker
- then the effects can be astonishing. By adding extra layers of complexity, flavour and
nuance wood can enhance, frame, or encapsulate the fine flavours of the fruit already present. Of course there are degrees in everything - from lightly aged in old oak through to fermented in high-toast new
American oak barrique - can provide a spectrum of oak
influences. The following three wines demonstrate different uses of oak.
| Winner Joseph Drouhin Rully 1er Cru 2005 £9.99 - Waitrose (www.waitrose.com) Rully is in the southern part of the Côte d'Or, a few miles south of Santenay. The Chalonnaise is home to some great value Burgundies. Whilst they will never scale the heights of its more famous cousins further north nearer Beaune nonetheless they provide some of the Burgundy Magic at a fraction of the price. Drouhin does not own its own vineyards in this part of Burgundy but buys in grapes and juice from contracted grape growers / vineyards and makes the wines further north in its superb cellars in Beaune, thereby receiving the same t.l.c. as its greater wines. This wine is partly fermented in new oak, the rest in older oak barrels. After about 8 months the wine is bottled. What stopped me in my tracks with this wine was its almost Chablis-esque cool-fruited acidity and steely concentration but allied to some riper (but still refined, elegant) fruit, lovely spice and white floral aromas and expert - and I mean expert - use of oak that marries with the wine PERFECTLY. I have rarely had a sub £10 Burgundy that is so racey, poised but at the same time eminently drinkable. Never has £10 been so exquisite. |
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| Runner-up Rustenberg Chardonnay 2005 Stellenbosch, South Africa £9.99 - Waitrose (www.waitrose.com), Lea and Sandeman (www.londonfinewine.co.uk) South Africa seems to be home to a burgeoning number of top-notch Chardonnays that are made in a true Burgundian style at a price that few other regions can touch - including most of Chile, Australia and New Zealand. This wine pushes the Neil Ellis Chardonnay (also Stellenbosch, South Africa - £8.99 Tesco) out of the picture. A cracking blend of Burgundian refinement, oak integration and acidity and South African ripeness. Tight, mineral, refined, integrated oak, nutty, creamy, butter, melon ,peach, lime. Great length. Will age beautifully for 5 or so years. Bargain. May I also point out that Waitrose also stocks the excellent John X Merriman (£9.99) and the cult Peter Barlow (£23) from the same producer (Red). |
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| Runner-up Muga Blanco 2004 £7.49 - The Bristol Wine Company (www.thebristolwinecompany.co.uk) I know I probably get it in the neck from other winos on this but I think that white Rioja is trying to make a comeback in quality terms and this is bang on the money. Not thin, acidic and over-oaked or even oxidised like the Rioja's we know and (do not) love. But this is rich, waxy, multi-layered, fresh, fruity, concentrated, more international in style but still retaining a distinct Rioja heritage. Muga is one of the most deeply traditional wineries in Rioja - nearly everything is made of wood (including the vats and tubs). I am a big fan of their top-end reds, especially their RESERVA Selección Especial. |
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Most impressive sub £10 Un-oaked White
Whilst I am a fan of the big, aromatic styles of some of the world's best New World sauvignons, the OTT candy-floss of the new-wave Viogniers and the lime-crush intensity of some Clare Valley Rieslings the first two entries in this category rely much less on go-faster, on yer sleeve aromatics and all three wines are the epitomy of elegance with power.
| Vergelegen Sauvignon Blanc 2005,
Stellenbosch, South Africa £7.99-£8.99 - Sainsburys
(www.sainsburys.co.uk), Oddbins
(www.oddbins.com) This is in a class of its own. Its not Kiwi, its not Chile, its not Sancerre. It has muted elements of all of these but adds to it a white Bordeux-esque quality. This is possibly sue to the addition of 10% waxy, lemony, smoky semillon. Two other things have been done to this wine to give it more polish, more vinosity and more complexity. A small amount of the wine has been fermented in oak - just a smidgen - and the wine or more correctly the yeast, during fermentation, has been 'shocked'. This makes the yeast produce more glycerol. It is a risky business as it can lead to a stuck fermentation. But can create a luxurious mouthfeel to the wine. The wine is a morass of goose-gog, cut grass, bell pepper, fig, passionfruit, elderflower, lemon and mineral gun-smoke. Elegant, intense, classy. Simply the best and most individual sauvignon I have had all year. |
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| Runner-up Verdicchio Casal Dei Cavalieri 2005, Marche, Italy £7.99 - Waitrose (www.waitrose.com) Steely, green, herbal, spicey concentrated, dry, limey, almond or hazel nuttiness with slight memories of tropical fruit from a warm vintage. Difficult to give a comparison but it would replace a decent bottle of Chablis, a Gruner Veltiner or possibly a Greco di Tufo in most situations. Very adult, elegant, polished and possibly too reserved for some. But has real interest if you take the time to delve down through the layers of delicate flavour. |
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| Runner-up Fiano di Avellino 2004/05 Feudi di San Gregorio, Campania, Italy £9.99 - Waitrose (www.waitrose.com) Fiano is one of Italy's oldest grape varieties. Roman soldiers often remarked that the fruit was so rich that it was difficult to keep the bees away. Thus, the grape became known as apiano meaning "loved by bees," from the Latin apis or "bee." Over the centuries, the name was transformed from apiano to affiano and finally fiano. This wine style has parallels with the Viognier, Albarino styles with its opulent peach-pear, honeysuckle and even jasmine aromatics. Yet to counter-point this almost candy-like exuberance has a very grown up concentration, mineral and stone-fruited structure. Feudi di San Gregorio, a go-ahead an innovative operation in the dry south of the country, has been responsible for the improvement and re-introduction to the international market of several classic but indigenous Italian grape varieties. Another I would heartily recommend is their Greco di Tufo - both wines are capable of very long aging. |
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| Most enjoyable Rosé Pebblebed Rosé 2005 £7.50-£8.50 - direct from Cellar Door (or delivery) (01392 875908 www.pebblebed.co.uk) I admit I am not a huge Rosé fan. Too much confected, sweetish, over-ripe, slack wines around - especially from the new world. There are a few exceptions. England this time came out on top for me with Geoff Bowen's Pebblebed Rosé 2005. This lovely little wine has developed better than I could have hoped for over the last 8 months. Its paler Provencal colour (a dead-ringer I would say - both in looks and taste) has grown in aromatics with bottle age and now positively sings red summer fruit from the glass. Whilst the mid-palate still has a little way to go (and further age may bolster this) the finish is fine and memorable. Having all the freshness of a white wine with some of the succulence of red. A perfect wine for England's 'in between' seasons. For me this wine is simply most memorable Rosé I have had all year. I look forward to the next vintage with anticipation. The white is developing some interesting nutty nuances as well and is worth a punt. |
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| Most
enjoyable Non-Vintage
Champagne Okay - all these are over a tenner - but what do you expect with good fizz? For this reason I have doubled the ceiling to £20. Champagne Geoffroy Cuvée Empreinte £18.75 - www.vino.co.uk (Devon) Many of us now are up picking up on the fact that small 'grower' Champagne is coming into vogue. Whilst the big houses can provide wonderful flavours and quality at equally wonderful prices consumers are now demanding sub-regional character, expression of terroir and variety. M&S are upping their selection of grower fizz as a result - others will surely follow. So why pay more for a fairly middle-of-the-road fizz from one of the big houses when you can, for less, get more interesting flavours from a smaller producer? This is certainly the case with this winner. Fizz is my favourite poison and this really does it for me. All vinification is done in oak barrels this Pinot Noir dominated wine emparts a toasty richness along with flavour strongly redolent of strawberry and redcurrant fruits. Rich, earthy, toasty yet zesty, floral, polished, refined, elegant - with both power and finesse. The example I drank had developed nicely (as all good fizz does) with a little bottle age. For less than £19 I don't think there is a better Champagne out there. |
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| Most impressive Non-Champagne Fizz Roederer Estate Quartet £14-17.50 Waitrose, Majestic In my books this is still the best New World non-champagne. Made from 4 different vineyards along the Anderson Valley in California by the famous and quality-centric Roederer. This is a lean, taught, reserved incarnation in its youth but given some further bottle age blossoms into an incredibly refined, classy drink worthy of nearly twice its price-tag. I recommend you search this out, buy it now and stick it away for the 2007 festivities. |
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| Cava Juve y Camps Milesimé 2001 rd 2006. Not available in this country (UK) Not that this is much use to the British consumer but whilst I am a great fan of fizz in am not a huge fan of the thin, rubbery, flabby flavours of traditional Cava. However more Chardonnay is being blended into some of these wines and the interest for me has sky-rocketed. This example is really worth seeking out if you are in Spain. It is a 100% Chardonnay Cava. Rich, golden, fine mousse. It is creamy, almost satin-like in its textures with a lovely Chardonnay nuttiness and lemon twist. It has had 3 and half years bottle age so it has developed very, very well in bottle. I could drink gallons of this stuff. Can we have more Cava just like this please?! Can someone import it for me?! |
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Most improved Country
South Africa - The change in attitude is
marked; as is the increased acreage under virus free root-stock. Their vineyards are putting on some age and this can only be a good thing. Forget
Pinotage (except for stars like
Kanonkop) but look for the estates making waves in
Stellenbosch, Elgin,
Franschhoeck......like Bouchard
Finlayson, Neil ellis, Hamilton
russell, Jordan, Kanonkop, Klein Constantia,
L'Avenir, Meerlust,
Mulderbosch, Rust en Vrede,
Rustenberg, Saxenburg,
Simonsig, Springfield Estate,
Steenberg, Thelema, Veenwouden,
Vergelegen, Warick...to name but a few.
Runner-up
Italy - with thousands of indigenous grape varieties and an equal or greater diversity of flavours than France interest in this country is on the cusp of a big-time revival...and we are not just talking Pinot Grigio here. I could not hope to do this country justice in this piece (so
I won't). But take it from me...search out wines from the
Veneto, Piedmont, Trentino-Alto
Adige, Fruili, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Campania and Sicily and you will know what I am talking about - Nebbiolo (Barolo,
Barbaresco), Sangiovese (Chianti,
Brunello, Vino Nobile di
Montepulciano), Corvina (Valpolicella),
Barbera, Dolcetto, Nero
d'Avola, Verdicchio, Fiano, Greco....look out for these these grapes and regions (plus the usual international classics such as Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon etc) and a new world will be open for you. Its worth more than a glance...or even a sip for that matter.
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