Birthday Treats

Hello All!

As you may (not) know, February is the month where D and I share a birthday, so we often indulge a little extra into the wine belly during Feb. Here's what we enjoyed and what we thought:

First up, for D's birthday I got her some vintage Pol Roger from her birth year. THE most expensive bottle of alcohol I have ever bought I might add! The 1990 was golden and dark, almost amber; the colour of urine after a heavy night, one might say, but thankfully much more appealing! As I've never had a vintage champagne this old, I wasn't sure what it should taste like. After 22 years in bottle, it was slightly sherry-like with a very faint oxidised note, although I wasn't sure whether it was fine, or whether it was passed its best. D liked it anyway, which was a bonus, and I was surprised to find it still freshly acidic, attractively nutty and evolved with a very nice honeyed citrus fruit, marmalade and brioche character. Still lovely, but in questionable health 8/10. North of a hundred quid from Nickolls & Perks. 

 Continuing with the Champagne theme, we had a lovely bottle of Louis Chaurey NV (£30 Marks & Spencer) courtesy of my brother and his wife. This was nice and bready/biscuity with sharp citrus combined with a honeyed note. Slightly bitter but not bad at all 7.5/10. If you were lucky enough to be in Marks & Spencer over Christmas, during the brief few hours it was available, you may have picked this up for only £10!

We had some premium Kiwi wines in the form of Cloudy Bay's Te Koko 2008, which is an oaked Sauvignon Blanc (Sauv Blanc is very rarely oaked, normally espoused with stainless steel tanks to maintain freshness of fruit). It was an oddball. There was a ghostly vignette of Marlborough Sauv Blanc in the background; faint gooseberry, passion fruit and grass, but I was overwhelmed by the sense of drinking a Gewurztraminer; flowers, Turkish Delight, pine needle. It certainly was a complex wine, I eventually noted down green pepper, smoked cheese, nettles, limey, nutty and tropical. That's a fair few adjectives. It got better after a couple of glasses but I really think this is a "marmite" wine. You may love it, you may hate it. I'm sitting on the fence until I try it again ?/10. About £25 from Nickolls and Perks. Also we had, Mount Difficulty's Pinot Gris 2010 which was frankly stunning. Nutty and creamy on the nose leading to a full and viscous mouthful of honeyed melon and apricot, finishing in a fresh and zingy passionfruit. Slightly off-dry but enough balancing acidity. Also hints of citrus and apple, this was awesome with a spicy stir fry. Yumm, 8.5/10. £16 ish from Majestic.

Some nice Chardonnays were had in the form of Sonoma Cutrer 2009 from the Sonoma Coast appellation in California. Typical Chardonnay complexity of apple, citrus, creamy, leesy, nutty and with a smoky coconut hints. Lovely 7.5/10 and about £15 from Majestic. Next was the Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2010 from Vina Leyda again with a lovely complexity; apple, pear and spice combined with a leesy/bready character 7.5/10. Also from Vina Leyda we had the superb Syrah Reserva 2009. Sub-£10 and bloody great; nice blend of red/black fruit with peppery spice, chocolate, leather, great balance with some perceptible tannin and clear acidity to freshen it. Cool climate Syrah done very well for the price. Can't ask for more 8/10. Continuing the Syrah theme we had a nicely evolved, old Saint Joseph 1999 from the famous Paul Jaboulet Aine. Brick red rim with a black/chestnut core this was fully mature with spicy red fruit and Xmas cake on the nose, followed-up by clean, bright red fruit, silky tannins and a leathery/nutty complexity. Almost Bordeaux-like weight, fruit and oak integration. Delicious, but like a knob, I forgot to decant so the second glass was full of sediment. You live and learn...8/10

Finally a pair of Joseph Drouhin wines, the Saint Romain 2006 (7.5/10) (white Burgundy; Chardonnay) and the Chorey-les-Beaune 2009 (8/10) (red Burgundy; Pinot Noir). Both were delicious with the St. Romain having a slightly evolved honeyed apricot character and surprisingly, no oak. The Chorey les Beaune was again, very good, with us having had the 2007 lately. Delicious, complex with plenty of cherry fruit and smooth.

So after that lot of indulgence (Burp!) it's back down to Earth. The Supermarket Sweeps will return soon.

As always,

Speak to you soon.

Cheers

WBFTF

Supermarket Sweeps - Six for £60 - The Co-operative Part 1

Hello All,

 

 

Welcome to the start of my new series, where I'll be rummaging through the supermarket shelves in search of quality wines for a reasonable price. The remit is; 6 bottles for a grand total of £60 or less.

  

First up is the The Co-operative, starting with 3 whites. I've stated before that I've been impressed with the range at The Co-op. Walk into any decent sized store and you'll be faced with an array of wines, from your basic £3 plonk to very decent bottles upwards of £15. I relished returning to our local store to search for bargains for this series...and I think I found some:

Trio, Reserva Chardonnay/Pinot Grigio/Pinot Blanc, 2009

£7.49. I picked this because we know the Trio name (it was responsible for a brilliant red that became D's favourite wine for a spell) and it was an intriguing blend that I've not encountered before. Owned by the giant brand Concha-Y-Toro, this comes from the Cassablanca Valley in Chile. 13.5%

The Look: A pale gold with greeny hints.

The Smell: Great, complex nose. Yeasty and nutty, biscuity and some Chardonnay evident, akin to a blanc-de-blancs champagne. Creamy.  

The Taste: Initially, you get a smoky, toasty hit, the texture is smooth and full. Something like figs or dried fruit dominates the palate but with a citrus peel, bitter (in a good way) zing to it. There's definitely mineral complexity and a honeyed/peachy/tropical fruit that I couldn't put my finger on. After reading the label it said "pineapple" - which is probably about right, thinking about it in hindsight! 

The Score: I'm guessing that extended lees ageing or oak influence is used to garner the complexity. Really good wine, a surprise at this price point. Superb. 8/10. Highly Recommended

VFM: At £7.49 this is superb value VFM = 1.07

Nicolas Potel, Givry, 2008

£9.99 (down from £14.99). A little bit of class here. White Burgundy from revered producer Nicolas Potel and using Vieilles Vignes ("Old Vines"). We drank his Puligny Montrachet 2006 with our turkey last Christmas and it was immense, so I thought this might be decent. 13%

The Look: A deep straw yellow with lemon highlights.

The Smell: Vanilla, citrus and some spice. Lovely. 

The Taste: Buttery, oily-smooth textured, plenty of lemony citrus giving pleasing acidity. A vanilla thread runs through it lending complexity and leaving a delicious lemon-curd aftertaste. A heady, warm peach flavour developed later on.

The Score: Great stuff. Would probably age well too. 7.5/10. Recommended

VFM: At £9.99 offer price this is good value at VFM = 0.75, however, less so at the full price so act fast! 

Villa Maria, Private Bin Pinot Grigio, 2010

£8.99. Ah, an old familiar friend; Villa Maria. The Private Bin series can always be relied upon to give great punchy flavour for reasonable prices.  Good bang-for-the-buck, as they say. I've not had this varietal before from them, but, I was sure this wouldn't let the side down...13.5% (I think, or could be 14%).

The Look: Pale lemon with a watery-white rim.

The Smell: Great array of smells; pear-drops, "fruit salad" sweets, some sort of marzipan/cinnamon-like whiff and "Apple Sourz".

The Taste: Really fruity, good fresh acidity, pears, apples, grape juice, some spice, and something that reminded me of a Malt-Whiskey!!! .

The Score: No pretence, just good, easy-drinking wine done well. 7.5/10. Recommended

VFM: At £8.99 this is very good value VFM = 0.83.

So, for the first part, a grand performance by The Co-op. Proving that, for this supermarket at least, there is good value at £10 and under. This might just be the one to beat!

Next time, the Reds!

As always, speak to you soon!

Cheers

WBFTF

The Wine Society - Final Part

Hello All!

Welcome to the final part of the "Top Society Sellers" case from the Wine Society.  You can find Part 1 here; and Part 2 here; which had some great wines, both in terms of quality and value. Can the case finish on a high note?

The two reds were:

The Society's Rioja Crianza, 2007

Made by Bodegas Palacio in the heart of Rioja Alavesa. This has been aged for at least a year in big oak barrels (or Barricas) to deserve the "Crianza" term. Apologies for the horrendous photo - black labels seem to confuse a novice photographer! 13%.

The Look: A mix of strawberry-red highlights and plummy-purple lowlights. Signs of a little bottle age with some brick red and tawny brown tinges.

The Smell: Red berries, vanilla, a bit of cedar wood and leather. Smoky. Some sweet Oak; basically like a woody summer berry cheesecake!

The Taste: Plenty of fruit, lots of nice red berries. Firm, fresh acidity with some tannin evident but mainly smoothly integrated. Some spice. Lovely long finish of vibrant but sweetish fruit (like stewed strawberries).

The Score: Very good. Has the structure for another year or two at least... 7.5/10.  Recommended!

VFM: At £6.95 a bottle this is again, very good value at VFM = 1.08.

The Society's Australian Shiraz-Cabernet, 2009

Made by 4th and 5th generation English Ex-Pats the Potts family at the Bleasdale vineyards in Langhorne Creek, South Australia. A big one at 14.5%.

The Look: Dark plummy purple, violet rim with ruby highlights.

The Smell: Lots of berries, blackberry, blackcurrant and redcurrant, woody, spicy and meaty.

The Taste: Jammy, spicy/peppery fruit with some bitter blackberry. Shiraz dominant, the Cab is more for structure than blatant flavour. Very slightly hot and a nagging bitterness. Well integrated though.

The Score: Needs an hour to breathe. Not too bad at all 6.5/10.

VFM: At £6.95 a bottle this is very good value at VFM = 0.94.

And the whites were...

The Society's Pinot Grigio, Venezia Guilia, 2009

Classic Pinot Grigio from Friuli in North-East Italy. Matt Thompson the Kiwi Ex-Pat consulted on this...13%.

The Look: A medium pale gold.

The Smell: Honey, flowers, spice, apricot, peach, sweet and very ripe melon and some pear maybe? Quite a bit! Very aromatic!

The Taste: Unobtrusive. Very balanced, a long finish, slight minerality. Apple and pear but not a great deal of fruit. Pleasing acidity. Refreshing.

The Score: Good. Plain and simple, but good.  7/10.  

VFM: At £7.95 a bottle this is good value at VFM = 0.88.

The Society's French Dry White, 2009

A Vin Pays d'Oc from the Languedoc here and a Sauvignon Blanc dominated blend. Similarly to their other regional French wines, the blend changes from year to year.12%.

The Look: A deep lemony yellow.

The Smell: Light, airy, Sauvignon dominant with slight grassy/herby hints.

The Taste: Crisp and steely-dry. Some limey citrus, grapefruit and gooseberry. Restrained fruit; you're left expecting a bit more on the finish. Very drinkable but a slight bitterness on the finish.

The Score: A little underwhelming but by no means a duffer. Drinkable all day long...  6.5/10.  

VFM: At £5.75 a bottle this is a bargain and great value at VFM =1.13

So that was the Top Society Sellers from the Wine Society and I can see why! An excellent case overall. Great value for money. Every wine was good (6/10 or above), the majority recommended (7.5/10 or above) and all great value (the majority over VFM = 1.0).

If you're already a member then you probably already know (and love) the Society's own wines. If not then I thoroughly recommend joining. Three or four cases and you've more than made your £40 back in terms of value.

Well done to the Wine Society!

Next week we return to Laithwaites for a "Mystery Case". Basically a reduced-price lucky dip of bin ends. Always interesting to find out what's in the case, although they can be a  bit of a gamble in terms of value/quality, but, I have a fondness for them!

As always...

Speak to you soon!

Cheers!

WBFTF

Birthday Celebrations 2

Hello all!

So, Sunday was my birthday. That meant wine! Plus we've been doubly-celebrating both D's, and mine in the last few weeks. Anyway to cut a long story short; I was spoiled. Treated to filtered coffee and pastries for breakfast and then had Steak Diane cooked for me in the evening (although I was responsible for the roasted sweet potatoes!). As an aperitif we had a great bargain champagne; Charles de Ravon Brut NV. I can't remember where I had this one (possibly Tesco), or how much it was , but I'm sure it was only about £12! It was a pale watery lemon colour, light citrussy nose but had great apples and pears, lively bubbles and a bit of toasty/biscuity complexity. A great marriage of fruit, acidity, bubbles and a touch of sweetness. Absolute bargain, 7.5/10 and Recommended. 

We had a bit of a Shiraz/Syrah week as I've been stock-piling a few lately. We also had a nice Pinot Gris from NZ (embarrassingly I always used to think this was pronounced "Peen-oh Grease" rather than the correct "Peen-oh Gree").

Tinpot Hut, Pinot Gris, Marlborough, 2009

Another name for Pinot Grigio but more often than not called Pinot Gris in NZ (similar to the way they only call it Syrah not Shiraz). This one's from Slurp. 13%

The Look: Medium lemony yellow.

The Smell: Apples. The typical  varietal aroma (for me anyway) of  "fruit salad sweets".

The Taste: Lovely freshness. Apples. Some tangy passion fruit with a minerally edge to it too. Very balanced and refreshing.

The Score: Good. Very good. There's nothing not to like. 7.5/10. Recommended.

VFM: At £9.95 the value-quotient is pretty good at VFM = 0.75. It's not the cheapest Pinot Gris/Grigio but if you've yet to try the NZ style then give it a go.

Vidal, Gimblett Gravels Syrah, 2008

From the spiritual home of NZ Syrah (Hawkes Bay) and the revered Gimblett Gravels area. It's no secret that fantastic wines are made here and this is a real value offering at just over £10. Vidal is one of the oldest producers in the area. Another from Slurp and again, 13%...let's see if it's any good...

The Look: Deep, dark purple with a slight violet rim.

The Smell: Smells of dark berries; blackcurrant and blackberry with hints of violets and pepper.

The Taste: The taste is very similar, blackberry, violets and some peppery spice but BY GOD; the acidity is sharp!!! It made me wince and I could almost feel it eating the enamel off my teeth! A good one for Chianti fans...

The Score: Good. Tasty, but too acidic for my palate. I think it needs a year or two to dim the acidity a bit - which is entirely possible as this should keep for a few years yet. 7/10. 

VFM: At £10.50 the VFM is reasonably good at = 0.66.

 

Waterford Estate, Kevin Arnold Shiraz, Stellenbosch, 2007

A "luxury" Shiraz here from South Africa's Stellenbosch region. This was recently listed in Decanter's top 50 Syrahs for under £25.  This one has 10% Mourvedre in the blend. Another from Slurp . Big at 14.5%

The Look: A very silky sheen to it. Opaque purple with only the slightest rim of violet. Big and clingy on the glass it exudes quality, to the eye at least...

The Smell: A peppery warmth of black fruit with some nuttiness, woody and smoky. Hint of cherry-drops.

The Taste: The lightness was surprising; a "barely there" ethereal quality in the mouth. Spicy, warm, black and red fruit combine and fade to a dark chocolate finish. Still very young. Sharp, bright acidity (a little too much for me) suggests that this needs another few years in bottle.

The Score: Definitely drunk too young, but this could be "class in a glass" in a few years.  7.5/10. Highly Recommended. if you can wait. I'd like to revisit the 2007 in a few years, but do I really want to spend another £20? Hmmm....

VFM: At £19.55 the VFM is obviously going to be fairly poor at = 0.38., but this was a treat. You can probably match the taste quality for £12 to £15, but not perhaps the overall feel and experience? This is one to nurture and return to I think...

D.V. Catena, Syrah, Mendoza, 2007

From the Catena Zapata stable. This one is named after  Domingo Vicente Catena who married Angelica Zapata in 1934 creating the Catena-Zapata tradition. Or so the bottle says anyway...This is from Majestic . 13.5%

The Look: A dark, inky black-purple with a slight rim of violet. Opaque.

The Smell: Smoky black fruit, pepper, sawn-wood and dark chocolate.

The Taste: Again, a combo of blackberry, violets, pepper and some chocolate. Bright acidity, apparent tannin and still a bit in-your-face. Could do with a year or two...Very long finish.

The Score: Delicious, but again, perhaps drunk a little too young  7.5/10. Recommended.

VFM: At £11.99 the VFM is reasonable at 0.63 but there is a buy-2-for-£9.99-each deal on at the moment.

So, that ends our celebrations for the time being. We're both another year older. Maybe not entirely wiser.

 

Back to normal frugality next week as I start reviewing the "Society's Top Sellers" case from the Wine Society. It's a mixed-12 of their "own label" stuff but made by some very serious players; Villa Maria and Concha Y Toro to name but two!

So, as always;

Speak to you soon,

Cheers

WBFTF

Naked Wines - £40 off Voucher (post-xmas value wines)

Hello All!

If you're anything like me, then you have a large black hole in your wallet after Christmas. However, you also love wine and don't really want to give it up. You also don't want to drink crap for the next few months while your balance recovers. The solution is to drink Frugally; keep an eye out for offers, sales and bargains etc. Most places are holding off on the VAT rise until the end of January so now could be a good time to stock up and save.

One such offer I was keen to try was the £40 off a case at Naked Wines. You need to spend £79.99 or more on a case to get the £40 off but even then, with delivery, a case of 12 works out at only £45. Bargain. Oh, and if you're anything like me and bought some Christmas presents on Amazon, then you will have received the same offer, telling you to go to http://www.nakedwines.com/amaz4007 enter the code AMAZ4007 and password VINEYARD to claim your discount. I am also going to be looking at great value offerings from Slurp very soon too. They have an enormous range and some great names.

Anyway, I opted for the "Wine Advisor's Top Picks" mixed case which was £94.99. Even with delivery (£4.99 next-day), after discount this worked out at £60 for 12 bottles. £5-a-bottle: Not too bad at all.

I must admit, I was very apprehensive of Naked Wines. They support the small growers (nothing wrong with that!) that can't get noticed or do not have enough funds to market their wines properly. The burning question in the back of my head was; "Why are they small?". Is it because the wines are crap and don't sell? Anyway, things weren't helped by the fact that Naked seem to put their own labels on most of the wines, with quotes supposedly straight from the Winemaker's mouth, conspicuously all saying the exact same thing; "I hope you enjoy drinking this as much as I enjoyed making it". Yeah, right. Oh and they're badly glued on, like someone in Goods Outwards got bored of Prit-Sticking them on, one Friday afternoon.  Most were nearly falling off. If the winemakers can't afford to put labels on then..... "Oh dear, here we go..." were my thoughts as I tried my best to keep an open mind and let the wines speak for themselves...

...and I was pleasantly surprised! There were some real gems, most were at least drinkable to good and there were no real turds. The best are below:

Rimbaldi, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, 2009 

The Look: A deep, opaque purple with a violet rim.

The Smell: Smells lovely, smoky, spicy and red fruit such as strawberry, raspberry and cherry.

The Taste: Beautiful, fresh, bright acidity. Refreshing for a red, lots of fruit including strawberry and under-ripe plum. Not harsh in the slightest. Some hints of cinnamon or clove or something reminiscent of mulled-wine. Similar in style and weight to a good Rioja, but cheaper! 

The Score: Superb for the money. Best Italian Red so far in the Blog's history. 8/10. Highly Recommended.

VFM: At the case price of £5-a-bottle this is cracking value at VFM = 1.6. 

Classic South, Sauvignon Blanc, Nelson, 2010

The Look: A medium lemony yellow with some pale green tinges.

The Smell: Classic NZ Sauv Blanc; citrus, tropical fruit, grass, peas in the pod, gooseberry.

The Taste: Wow! Lots of fruit! Bursting with pink grapefruit, lemon/lime and tropical fruits. Zesty acidity. Balance. A real mouthful of fruit. 

The Score: Great. You can't get better for £5. Fact. 8/10. Highly Recommended.

VFM: Again, at the case price of £5-a-bottle this is amazing value, VFM = 1.6. 

 Brewery Hill, Shiraz, S.E. Australia, 2009

The Look: A super-dark, inky, opaque purple with a violet rim.

The Smell: Black fruit, plums, spice, peppery and some caramel sweetness.

The Taste: Superb. Smooth, dense mouthfeel. Plenty of fruit, blackberry and cherry with peppery spice. More "Syrah" in style than "fruit-bomb" Aussie Shiraz. More complex. Hints of  menthol and well-integrated tannins.

The Score: Stunning. I don't know whether I'm in a particularly generous mood today, but this could be one of the best Aussie Shirazes we've had. So much more than fruit and alcohol.  8.5/10. Highly Recommended.

VFM: At £5, this is probably as good as you're going to get, VFM = 1.7.

Vivolo di Sasso, Pinot Grigio, Veneto, 2009

The Look: Pale, watery lemon with definite greenish hues.

The Smell: Very intriguing, a varied blend of whiffs including Almonds, Marzipan, honeycomb, fruitcake and banana? Yep, banana!

The Taste: All the smells translate to tastes as well; A superb sweetness/acidity balance. Banana, fruitcake, honey along with an indistinguishable, smooth, sweetly acidic fruit, apricot? Maybe peach or mellon also? D said; "Creamy banana cheesecake!". Seriously complex with a spicy/minerally finish too. A big surprise as we weren't expecting much from this!

The Score: Very good. Knocks spots off the Gallons of crappy Pinot Grigio on the supermarket shelves for £5.  7.5/10. Recommended.

VFM: At £5, this is great value, VFM = 1.5.

 

It was great to be surprised when you're not expecting much. It happens all-too-often the other way around, when you're expecting great things from a wine and it disappoints. Anyway, the rest of the case wasn't too bad either;

 

Getting 7 out of 10 were the Calicata Malbec 2010 from Mendoza, very fruity and drinkable, just not that complex - a good introduction to Malbec maybe, and the Domaine la Serre Picpoul de Pinet 2009 that I whipped out in the Wine-Off. Great with fish.

Getting 6.5 out of 10 were a brace of wines; Foley's Corner Reserve Merlot 2008, Aussie Merlot, big, smoky plums, alcohol a little hot but not too bad. It did turn to "Port" by the following day! Cristia Grenache Syrah 2009, very smooth French blend with lots of raspberry and cherry. Very refreshing, light red and easy to knock-back! Mistral Chardonnay 2009 from Chile's Central Valley. Restrained and minerally, some tropical fruit but in all a bit too bitter on the finish. Better with food. Villebois Sauvignon Blanc 2009 from the Loire.  Very drinkable and fruity for a French Sauv Blanc. Grassy and minerally dry finish. Decent and drinkable. 

Getting a 6/10 was the Australian Semillon/Chardonnay/Viognier blend D'Aquino Cuvee Zina Reserve 2009. Tasted of pear but had a very harsh acidic finish and the alcohol was overtly apparent (even at only 12.5%).

The bummer of the pack was Mistral Carmenere 2009 getting 5.5/10. Bright acidity with plum and redcurrant. Ok, but not great. Bitterness on the finish let it down. This seems loved by Naked 's customers. I don't know, maybe it was a Root Day?

So that's it. If you're after some bargains then I'd suggest the recommended 4 above, and be sure to use the £40 voucher. I'll be taking a look at some bargains from Slurp very soon, all between £6 and £9 a bottle to aid the post-xmas light wallet.


If you're interested in investing in wine then you can read about our experience of entering the market here:


As always...


Speak to you soon.


Cheers


WBFTF

Laithwaites Experts' Choice - final part

Welcome to the final part of the Laithwaites Experts' Choice review. If you're not familiar with the Blog then please see my other posts over to the right and down a bit in the Blog Archive, and read my welcome notice here: 

Ok, so we are down to the final four bottles from this case, all white. Again, these were again served up blind, without me seeing the bottles. First up...

Prospector's, Viognier, Clare Valley, 2009

From winemaker Neil Pike, the grapes for this are grown on the eastern side of the cool-climate Clare Valley of South Australia. 13.5%

The Look: Fairly pale-mid-yellow.

The Smell: Slightly muted, maybe it was served a bit too cold. Maybe apple and citrus hints.

The Taste: Nice acidity, almost giving a bubbly feeling on the tongue. Smooth. Apples, citrus and maybe apricots.

The Score: This is good. Easy drinking and a long refreshing finish. 7/10 Recommended

VFM: at the case price of £8.92 a bottle it gets a good VFM = 0.78, At its regular price of £8.99 it is more or less identical value.

 

Il Papavero, Pinot Grigio, Sicily, 2009

By winemaker Scipione Giuliani. My experience with this label is a generic sweet red plonk that somehow manages to be Laithwaite's most re-ordered red wine! Let's see if this is better... 13%

The Look: A pale watery lemon yellow.

The Smell: Unmistakeable "fruit salad sweets" smell of Pinot Grigio. Tropical, pineapple.

The Taste: Suprisingly good. Tropical fruit but with that slight bitterness of grapefruit on the mid-palate. Pineapple to finish. Lovely. Good refreshing acidity.

The Score: Good, fruity, easy-drinking, refreshing acidity...well done 7/10 Recommended

VFM: at the case price of £8.92 a bottle it gets a good VFM = 0.78, but at its regular price of £6.99 it still gets a very good VFM =  1.0. one to get on its own or in a cheaper mixed case.

 

Angove, Gewurztraminer, South Australia, 2009

Normally associated with the Alsace region of france, these folks (descendents of a Cornish doctor who emigrated to Oz in the 1880's and grew grapes as a hobby!) gave it a bash. 12.5 %

The Look: A lovely golden yellow with slightly green tinges.

The Smell: Big whiffs of Lychees, ginger, and lots of flowers and herbs. There's a lot going on in the glass!

The Taste: Not quite as powerful as the smell suggests, but lovely tastes of ginger, grapefruit, herbs, flowers and minerals. Complex falvours, just a bit restrained.

The Score: This was actually my first Gewurz! And I liked it! Will be on the lookout for more. Good stuff here, very enjoyable... 7.5/10 Highly Recommended for the experience!

VFM: at the case price of £8.92 a bottle it gets an pretty good VFM = 0.84, BUT, this is avaialble for £7.49 in single bottle quantities so cheaper, and better value to go for one of those, giving excellent VFM =  1.0. So one to try on it's own or in your own mixed case.

 

Domaine Mercadier, Chardonnay, Vin de Pays d'Oc, 2008

A Chardonnay from the warm southern Languedoc-Roussillon  region. 12.5%

The Look: A plae lemonny yellow.

The Smell: Quite floral. Apricots and honey. Nutty-sweet like almonds maybe?

The Taste: Definite honey. Nectarines, peach, slight minerality and some floral hits. Smooth. Almost like a good white Burgundy. Very slightly "too noticable" on the alcohol front, slight burn. spicy finish.

The Score: This is good. A much better alternative to expensive white Burgundy for those, like ourselves, who are budget conscious. 7/10 Recommended

VFM: Again, this is another one cheaper on its own: at the case price of £8.92 a bottle it gets a VFM = 0.78, but you can get this on its own for £6.99 it still gets an excellent VFM =  1.0. 

 

So, a strong finish for the laithwaites case. All four scoring 7 or more and recommended. Good going. That brings the average score of the case  to 7.79/10 and therefore the overall VFM to 0.87. Not bad at all. I'd advise you all to look into Laithwaites, they're a great bunch with great customer service. This case wasn't too shabby at all so I think we'll be returning here in the not too distant future to seek out even more quality and value.

 

 

Semi-blind tasting continues...

So as I've said in  previous posts, 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:

Mid to pale yellow. Quite muted nose, maybe apple and citrus. Nice acidity, almost bubbly feeling. Apply, citrus, apricot? Smooth like Viognier but can't taste any mellon or peach. 13.5%. Young, 08 or 09. Pinot Grigio?

The guess: Pinot Grigio (wild guess), Er, Italy I guess... 2009, 13.5%

The reveal: Australian Viognier, 2009, 13.5%! Oh well, way-off here! I should have listened to myself with the smoothness comment! Silly boy again!. NOTE TO SELF: Remember the smoothness! And Pinot Grigio does not tend to tast like Viognier!

 

Wine #2:

Palewatery mid yellow. Quite sticky, 13.5% or high residual sugar? Smells like "Fruit salad sweets" and I've smelled this before in wine! Pinot Grigio! Dry, grapefruit, slight bitterness on mid-palate. Pineapple and tropical fruit. Lovely. 2008.

The guess: Italian Pinot Grigio, 2008,  13.5%.

The reveal: Italian Pinot Grigio, 2009, 13%. Oooooh, so close!  NOTE TO SELF: Not too bad!

 

Wine #3:

Lovely golden yellow. Is that a green tinge? High alcohol? 13.5% Lovely smell of lychees, gingery, herbs and floral notes. Same on the taste, but with a slight bitterness. Minerally. Not as tasty as the smell suggests. Still very good!

The guess: I might be cheating a bit here, but I remembered the case had a Gewurz, and although I've not had one before, I know it's associated with the smell of lychees! Gewurztraminer. Er, anywhere? 2008. 13.5%

The reveal: Australian Gewurztraminer, 2009, 12.5%. Ok so I was off on the alcohol, didn't know where it came from or what year, but I got the grape. NOTE TO SELF: You cheated. 

 

Wine #4:

Medium yellow with pale lemon hue. Chablis? Smells a bit like Chablis. Apricot, honey, slightly floral, maybe almonds or something nutty-sweet? Taste is honey, melon, nectarine, delicate, floral, subtle minerals, peach. Smooth like Viognier. Spicy finish. White Burgundy maybe? No, no apples or citrus. Chardonnay blend? Old world, I think, but where?

The guess: Ok, wild guess: French Chardonnay blend, 2007, 13%.

The reveal: French pure Chardonnay but from the Languedoc, 2008, 12.5%! Ah damnit, recognised the chardonnay but the warmer region led to more honey/spice and threw me off track. NOTE TO SELF: Almost there, you knew it wasn't chablis and it was Chardonnay but dismissed the other characteristics as a blended grape.

So, there we have it. Next time around, the final part of the Tesco case and then on to some new wines. Woop woop.

Speak to you soon!

Cheers.

WBFTF