Tesco Delicious Dozen Part 1...and semi blind tasting

Welcome to the second review. If you're not familiar with the Blog then please read my welcome notice here: 

Ok, so these were again served up blind, without me seeing the bottles. First the two reds:

Nullarbor Plain, Margaret River, Shiraz, 2008

From theMargaret river area of South Western Australia. The grapes from this wine come from 2 of the top sub-regions of Margaret River - Wilyabrup and Wallcliffe. A big one at 14.5% alcohol.

The Look: A deep red/purple, lightening at the rim.

The Smell: Nice blackberry and bluberry hints. Spice.

The Taste: Funnily enough, like a very ripe Shiraz! Plenty of plums, berries and spicy hints. Lovely. Not much tannin, one to be drunk young I think. Washes over your tongue with loads of fruit.

The Score: Good, ripe Aussie Shiraz. Well done.. 7.5/10 Recommended

VFM: at the case price of £5 a bottle it gets an excellent VFM = 1.5, but if the true bottle price of £10 is to be beleived, then it gets a reasonable VFM =  0.75. Snap it up while it's still a Fiver!

 

Long Country, Merlot, Chile, 2008

From the Central Valley area of Chile. Part of the Carolina Wine Brands group. 12.5% alcohol.

The Look: A mid red, very seethrough, looks fairly light. Almost white at the rim.

The Smell: Nice plummy hints. Hints of Bordeaux.

The Taste: Red berries through and through. Plummy, very slightly sour aftertaste. Light and easy, plenty of fruit.

The Score: Reasonable Merlot here. Quite run-of-the-mill but very drinkable. 6.5/10

VFM: at the case price of £5 a bottle it gets a  very good VFM = 1.3, BUT it's currently on offer for £4 giving an excellent VFM =  1.63. 

 

And now the two whites...

Long Country, Sauvignon Blanc, Chile, 2009

From the same winery as the Merlot above. 12.5% alcohol.

The Look: A pale, crisp, whitish yellow.

The Smell: Lime, citrus and grass. Familiar Sauv Blanc.

The Taste: Not much tropical fruit here, just pure steely lime acidity and minerally. Delicate. Refreshing but leaves a less pleasing finish of sourness.

The Score: We've had better examples and I was expecting more fruit from a Chilean Sauv Blanc. Mediocre but some enjoyment. 5.5/10

VFM: Good value for money at VFM=1.1, but I would recommend you looking for something else.

 

Les Champs Bordelais, Sauvignon Blanc, Bordeaux, 2007

Medal winning stuff here, from Bordeaux.

The Look: Slightly lighter than mid-yellow.

The Smell: A whiff of citrus, tropical hints and grass. Even smells "dry".

The Taste: Dry. Seriously dry. Steel. Lime. Tropical. Very zingy and refreshing but restrained fruit, only subtle hints of flavour above the zesty acidity.

The Score: Good.  7/10

VFM: at the case price of £5 a bottle it gets an excellent VFM = 1.4, but if the true bottle price of £10 is to be beleived, then it gets a reasonable VFM =  0.7. Snap it up while it's still a Fiver!

Okey doke, so there's part 1 of the tesco case done. Next time around part 2 of the Laithwaites case.

 

 

Semi-blind tasting continues...

So as I said in my previous post, I'm trying to develop my blind tasting skills. D serves them up at random, with bottles hidden from view and I have to guess at the 

• Grape type
• Country or Region
• Year
• Alcohol level

So, here are my notes, transcribed directly from my note book:

Wine #1:

Dark red/purple, lightening at the rim. Smells a bit like Cab Sauv, but no, more blueberry and blackberry. Tastes like Shiraz! Plenty of plums and ripe black/blueberries, very good. 13.5 to 14% alcohol. Not much tannin, drink young. Shiraz? Merlot caught me out last time though? 2007/2008

The guess: Need two for this. 1. Chilean Merlot 2007, 14%. 2. Very ripe Aussie shiraz 2007 14%.

The reveal: Australian Shiraz 2008! 14%. Ok so one year out and got the alcohol. Got misled by that last bloody Merlot we had. NOTE TO SELF: The glass was screaming SHIRAZ! You even wrote it down you knob!

 

Wine #2:

Mid red, failry light. Seethrough not opaque, white at the rim. Plummy hints. Smells like Bordeaux but not Cab Sauv. Right bank. Merlot? Very slight sour red berry aftertaste. Not as refined as Bordeaux. Slight tannin. Young, 2008. 13.5% alcohol. Chilean Merlot! Gotcha!

The guess: Chilean Merlot 2008, 13.5%

The reveal: Chilean Merlot, 2008, 12.5%!!! One percent out. 3 out of 4 ain't bad! NOTE TO SELF: Pat on the back.

 

Wine #3:

Pale whitish yellow. Sauv Blanc again??? YES on the smell. Limey, citrus, grass. Taste is not so much fruity, limey-steely acidity. Minerally. Young. 2008. 13%. Delicate, maybe France, but maybe Chile or NZ. Sour aftertaste. Not much class.

The guess: fruit was restrained so, French Sauv Blanc, 2008, 13%.

The reveal: Bloody Chilean Sauv Blanc! 2009 and 12.5%. NOTE TO SELF: Sauv Blanc from France is better than this!

 

Wine #4:

Slightly paler than mid-yellow. Could be anything. Smells a bit like Sauv Blanc! It can't be Sauv Blanc again?! Citrus, grass and tropical hints. Yes, must be Sauv Blanc! Tastes of lime, citrus, minerals. Very very dry. Seriously dry. Zingy. Refreshing. Not a fruit-bomb though, so France? Loire or Bordeaux? 12.5%. 2008

The guess: French Sauv Blanc, Bordeaux. 2008, 12.5%.

The reveal: French Sauv Blanc, 2007 and 12%. NOTE TO SELF: Nearly there, remember these smells and tastes. Smaller pat on the back!

So not too shabby, but still got a lot to learn. Looking forward to the next wines.

Speak to you soon!

Cheers.

WBFTF