Wine Society Recommendations - Part 2

Hello All,

Welcome to Part 2 of some recommendations from the Wine Society. You can find Part 1 here:

Three whites and only one red this time, as it turned out we'd had some faulty red bottles, but duly refunded, so top marks there.

Some time soon I'll be starting the Supermarket Sweep Six for Sixty series so keep posted for that, despite a slight fly in the ointment: The Decanter World Wine Awards Issue! If you want to know what's good in the Supermarkets, in all likelihood, it'll be described therein. It had slipped my mind that the issue would coincide with my planned start date.  I don't really want to just re-iterate what they have recommended as good, so I will try to remain as impartial as I can. One or two overlaps might occur if I really fancy something, but I'll try to avoid simply plumping for what they rate and hopefully cover different ground. But hey-ho.

Anyway, without further ado, the Wine Society whites...

Clos La Coutale, Cahors, 2009 

Cahors, the famous "Black Wine" from south-west France, the spiritual home of Malbec, renowned for its deep, dark colour and teeth-staining quality! Predominantly Malbec, although this one has some Merlot blended in. ...13.5%

The Look: Well, not quite black, but a deep plummy purple core leading to a pinky/purple rim.

The Smell: Super fruity, jammy smell.

The Taste: Great fruit, blueberry, black cherry yoghurt, violets and oak. Very tannic so needs a while to soften but delicious.  

The Score: Great stuff. 7.5/10. Recommended

VFM: At £7.95 this is very good value VFM = 0.94

Les Chailloux, Sancerre, 2009 

Probably the most well-known area of the Loire valley for growing Sauvignon Blanc. More expensive and exclusive than Touraine and arguably Pouilly-Fumé, it normally shows in the price, although I'm inclined to challenge that...13.5%

The Look: Very bright, sprightly yellow-green.

The Smell: Herby, grassy, minerally, citrus fruits and slight grapefruit zest.

The Taste: Fresh acidity, zingy citrus fruit with a mineral edge and some bitter grapefruit on the finish. A hint of tropical fruit creeps through. Good body, length and smooth texture.

The Score: Restrained and classy. 7.5/10. Recommended

VFM: At £12.50 this isn't cheap, but it is Sancerre, and it's good. VFM = 0.60

Plantagenet, Riesling, 2009 

 

From the Great Southern area of Western Australia. Owned by an Englishman, Plantagenet have a great reputation and make some premium wines. Cool fermentation in stainless steel tanks keeps this fresh. Fairly light at 11.5%

 

The Look: Bright! Pale lemony yellow. 

The Smell: Bright! Very citrussy nose.

The Taste: There's a theme here...Bright! Very bright, fresh, zingy acidity, lime and grapefruit. We had it with spicy enchiladas and it cut through perfectly.

The Score: Delicious, fresh and zingy 8/10. Highly Recommended

VFM: At £12.95 this is fairly steep, but a cut above your average £7 supermarket Riesling. Still, not bad value at VFM = 0.62.

Gavi La Battistina, 2010 

Named after the town of Gavi in Piedmont, this region is often dubbed "Italy's answer to White Burgundy" and also, embarrassingly, my mother's pet name for me! Made with the Cortese grape. 13.5%

The Look: A medium lemon yellow.

The Smell: Lovely smells of honey, peach, slight citrus zing and a floral hint too.

The Taste: Really zesty on the palate with very fresh, zingy acidity, hints of grapefruit, lime, spice and a green apple hint too.

The Score: Great, although not very Burgundian this one! 7.5/10. Recommended

VFM: At £7.95 this is cracking value VFM = 0.94

So there we have it, an end to the Wine Society wines for now, no doubt returning in the future, but as I alluded to earlier, I'll be concentrating on the Supermarket Sweep series next. That will probably take us up to the run-up to Christmas, and then it'll be balls-to-the-wall with wine treats!

As always, speak to you soon,

Cheers

WBFTF

The Wine Society - Exhibition New World Classics - Whites

Hello All!

Last week I covered the reds from this Antipodean case (see here:) so this week we're onto the whites. 

So, without further ado, here's how the whites fared...

The Society's Exhibition New Zealand Chardonnay, 2009

This is made by the famous Kumeu River estate, just outside Auckland, who according to the Wine Spectator make the best and most long-lived Chardonnays in NZ. Lets, have a peep at this one then....12.5%

The Look: A deep lemony yellow with green hints.

The Smell: Lovely minerally smells with some citrus and tropical hints.

The Taste: Complex, minerally example of Chard. Lots of fruit, can't quite pin it down but citrussy/peachy/tropical/pineapple type flavours? Bright. Delicious. I'd agree about the long-lived also: this was still fresh after spending several days in the fridge after the initial glass - no discernible difference!

The Score: Bright acidity, good fruit and minerality. Well made and not at all harsh. Excellent 8/10. Highly Recommended

VFM: This is £12.50 normally, so not on the cheap-side but slightly cheaper than Kumeu's usual branded wines. VFM is decent at 0.64. Again, it's worth re-iterating that NZ is making complex "terroir-driven" (to use the cliché) Chardonnay to compete with the best.

The Society's Exhibition Tasmanian Chardonnay, 2008

From the cool climate of Tasmania's east coast. This is made in a Burgundian style using French oak barriques for 8 months' maturation.13.5%

The Look: A crisp, glassy, pale lemon with a watery white rim.

The Smell: Lovely nutty, almondy, vanilla-cream. Slight grapey-fruitiness to it also.

The Taste: A nice complexity, balancing acidity, honeyed texture. (D says "Syrupy"). Plenty of fruit, but restrained and not any one particular fruit evident, just hints of ripe, zesty fruit, maybe grapes or apricots. Not even a slight hint of harshness - very well made.

The Score: Very good. Burgundian creaminess, restrained fruit and a delicious glass of wine. 7.5/10. Recommended

VFM: This is £13.95 normally, so again, not cheap and not exceptional value at VFM = 0.54. Again, cool-climate Antipodean wine making is triumphing. As good as many other Burgundies we've had in this price range.

The Society's Exhibition New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, 2009

This is made by the famous Jane Hunter OBE from Hunter's Wines who've been in Marlborough for almost 30 years. This has been superseded by the 2010 since purchasing but is normally so consistent I doubt any difference could be told (by me at least!). 13.5%

The Look: A pale lemon with a hint of deeper gold.

The Smell: Hallmark Marlborough; grassy, peas, tropical fruit, zesty...in abundance.

The Taste: VERY bright and refreshing, typical Marlborough with lots of passion fruit and ripe gooseberry. Zingy and tangy acidity with a bitter, grapefruity edge on the finish.

The Score: Very nice but not the best we've had. 7.5/10. Recommended

VFM: This is £10.95 normally, and in my opinion a bargain. NZ Sauv can be, and more often is, £13 plus.  This gives a VFM of 0.68.


So, there you have the trio of Exhibition whites to finish of the case. All Recommended or higher and slightly better than the reds, which I would not have guessed prior to drinking!  Again, well done to The Wine Society on some cracking wines, but for pure value and taste/price ratio I would also recommend the Society's Own label wines.

As always,

Speak to you soon.

Cheers

WBFTF

The Wine Society - Exhibition New World Classics - Reds

Hello all,

Regular readers might recall I did a feature on the Wine Society's own wines not so long back (here:) and found them to be of superb quality and value. In addition to the basic "own label" range (although basic is the wrong descriptor) they offer some other wines that are bottled under the Society's name but known as the exhibition range. Described on the website thus; "Exhibition wines are selected to be flagship examples of their regions and styles and are frequently exclusively made for, or offered to, The Society by some of the world's top winemakers". Obviously these come at a slight premium when compared the standard own-range wines, but judging by what we tasted last time around, I thought they might be worth a look. Top winemakers' wines, re-badged and sold cheaper than their usual offerings? Sounds like a frugal opportunity...

The case that caught my eye was a 6-pack of the Society's Exhibition New World Classics, although a more accurate description would be something like "Australasian Classics" as the case is comprised entirely of wines from New Zealand and Australia! I can't for the life of me remember how much the case was (not very frugal I know, but "Do as I say, not do as I do" is what my mothers' overweight doctor would say...) but I will base it on individual bottle prices. If memory serves, they were about £11 or £12 each as a case-average, so yes, they are a bit more "upmarket".

Anyway, to the wines...Reds this week, Whites to follow next week:

The Society's Exhibition Victoria Shiraz, 2009

This is made by Mount Langi Ghiran in the Grampians who produce some serious high-end wines, notably Shiraz. They've been there since the 1870's! Langi's vineyards are high and cool which should lend some Rhone-style spice to this and also a nice bit of bottle age being an '05! Looking forward to this...but a massive 15% could be hot...

The Look: Super-dark, black plum skin coloured, almost opaque and showing some lovely age with a red/brown rim.

The Smell: Lots of blackberry, smoky, pencil-graphite. Some more "reduced" raisiny hints and some complexity/secondary aromas from the age.

The Taste: Smoothly textured. It is hot but not obtrusively so (this is a big Aussie Shiraz after all!). Lots of concentrated blackberry, violets, raisins,  and lots of oak. Nice acidity, bright red fruits appear also. A leathery complexity turns to delicious chocolate after a while.

The Score: Very good. Nice to see a bit of age showing through. 7.5/10. Recommended

VFM: This is £14.95 normally, so not on the cheap-side. VFM is mediocre at 0.50 but I would recommend this over a similar-scoring similarly-priced wine from a more recent vintage to taste the complexity.

The Society's Exhibition Martinborough Pinot Noir, 2009

This is made by Craggy Range. I must admit, I love the Syrah from Gimblett Gravels (one of the few wines to score 9/10) so I await this with baited breath. This is from the Southern tip of the North Island and  very big for a Pinot at 14.5%!

The Look: A lovely translucent ruby red with plum-purple at its core and strawberry red at the rim.

The Smell: Smoky. Initially violets and blackberry. Alcohol is apparent. Blueberry. Meaty, peppery notes. Developed a smoky cherry niff too. Deceptive - smelling blind I would have said Shiraz!

The Taste: Smooth, silky texture. Too hot initially but did fade slightly. Opulent fruit, cherry, blackcurrant, peppery. Acidity is bright but balanced, not overpowering. Old, over-ripe, soft plum. Shiraz-like! Long finish.

The Score: It's nice, but confused? I really did question whether they'd put the Syrah in the bottle and mis-labelled it! Good if you fancy a BIG Pinot with a little difference? 7/10.

VFM: This is  £12.95 normally, so again, not cheap. VFM is mediocre at 0.54.

The Society's Exhibition Central Otago Pinot Noir, 2009

This is made by the same crew at Craggy Range but from Central Otago vineyards - probably the most revered of all NZ Pinot regions? Slightly more modest, but by no means shy at 14%!

The Look: D.A.R.K. Dark! Plummy, black-purple, not quite opaque, much darker than the Martinborough one.

The Smell: Oaky, smoky, blackberry, slight violet, alcohol, very similar but without the meaty-pepperiness.

The Taste: Lovely but again not typical Pinot finesse. Spicy cherry, black cherry and raspberry. Warming, not quite as hot as the Martinborough effort.

The Score: Again, very good but confused. Where is the finesse and silkiness? It doesn't detract from its delicious flavour but this could have been immense! If only... 7.5/10. Recommended

VFM: This is  £12.95 also, giving a slightly better VFM of 0.58. 

So there we have the Reds. All very good wines, the Shiraz I could drink again anytime. The Pinots I had trouble picking between them. Both shocked me in a way by being too big and hot. Maybe that's the way NZ Pinot is going, but I remember far more finesse and silkiness. Maybe it's just Craggy...? No way, that's sacrilege! Mental note: Try more NZ Pinot.

Anyway, next week: The Whites. Two from NZ (again!) - a Chardonnay from Kumeu River no less, and a Sauv Blanc from Hunters! Plus a Tasmanian Chardonnay who's producer escapes me but will be revealed next week...

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

The Wine Society - Part 2

Hello All!

Ok, so we're continuing with the "Top Society Sellers" case from the Wine Society. You can find Part 1 here; which had some very good (both value and quality-wise) wines. Can they keep form? Let's have a butchers...

The two whites were:

The Society's Muscadet Sur Lie, 2009

Oddly for France, Muscadet is the name of the grape (as well as the region in this case). Muscadet comes from the Loire Valley and is also known as Melon de Bourgogne. Usually a refreshing, very dry white. The "Sur Lie"  means "drawn off the lees without racking" which is essentially drawing the wine off the sediment deposits without syphoning or filtering. 12%.

The Look: Medium, lemony yellow with gold highlights.

The Smell: Very muted, doesn't give much away. Slight grapey-ness and quite minerally.

The Taste: Very fresh acidity, very lively burst of grapefruit. A certain minerality and some spice. Honeyed on the finish with a sort of  lemon/lime hint ("Quite like Sprite" - D), although remaining dry and taut. Surprisingly good. Very good!

The Score: Again, great for the price.  7.5/10.  Recommended!

VFM: At £6.50 a bottle this is great value at VFM = 1.15.

The Society's Chilean Chardonnay, Limari, 2009

From the Limari Valley - touted as one of best new World sites  for Chardonnay. Sea breeze induced cool-climate and limestone soils with little rainfall, plenty of sun and virtually no frost, breeds some superb wines. Aged on its lees (see above) and about 10% is oak-matured. This is made by the mighty Concha-Y-Toro. 14%.

The Look: A light but deeply coloured medium gold with hints of green. 
The Smell: Fig? Perfumed and floral but with some smokiness.

The Taste: Great! Mouth-pleasing acidity. Lovely complex quality (fig, sweetness, spice, cinnamon) great fruit strength. Alcohol is apparent but not overpowering; just a nice warmth.

The Score: Everything you'd want and more from a wine of this price!   7.5/10.  Recommended!

VFM: At £5.95 a bottle this is superb value at VFM = 1.26.

And the Reds...

The Society's Chianti Rufina, 2008

From Tuscany in Italy ("The Bordeaux of Italy") this Rufina comes from North of the more common Chianti Classico sub-region. Rufinas are normally "elegant and complex". 12.5%.

The Look: A fairly dark, plummy-red/purple. Brick-red on the rim and not quite opaque.

The Smell: Smells like spicy cherries, cinnamon, oaky. Almost hot initially (on a BIG sniff) but did fade away - clean, not faulty.

The Taste: In all honesty - I was dreading this. We've had some acidic-horror-Chiantis at this price before...but...WHAT a surprise - it was bearable, I might even say "mild", and delicious. Still plenty of lively acidity but integrated with lots of cherry fruit and a savoury/herby edge. A long, warming finish. Superb with meatball spaghetti. Slightly "chewy" tannins and lots of them. Slight Bordeaux resemblance with the oaky cherry. Very nice. Opened-up nicley after an hour.

The Score: Very good. Open an hour before drinking or maybe more. 7.5/10 Recommended.

VFM: At £6.95 a bottle this is great value at VFM = 1.08. Bargain.

The Society's Corbieres, 2008

This Corbieres is Carnigan dominant but has some Grenache and Syrah thrown in the mix. From the Languedoc region of France (Corbieres is its own AOC within Languedoc-Rousillon) made by producer Pierre Bories. Corbieres are normally very spicy, dark-fruited wines.14%.

The Look: Dark, opaque purple with a violet rim.

The Smell: Smells plummy, slightly smoky and some definite blackberry and raspberry.

The Taste: Some blackberry fruit and some graphite-like minerality, some spice but mainly just heat! Too hot and too harsh. The alcohol is too apparent - tongue feels like I've had a whisky!

The Score: If you're going to do 14% alcohol then it needs to be less apparent and be balanced by other things. Not horrendous but not great - bit of a let-down. 6/10

VFM: At £6.50 a bottle this is great value at VFM = 1.15.

So part 2 pretty much followed on from the first; very good wines for the price. As simple as that. For everyday drinking, you can't really go wrong. Unless there are some horrors in the last four wines (which I doubt) - this could possibly be the best value for money mixed case we've seen. 

I guess we'll find out next week!

As always...

Speak to you soon.

Cheers

WBFTF

The Wine Society - Part 1

Hello All...

We've finally gotten around to drinking the case we bought from the Wine Society. If you don't already know them then, in a nutshell, they are an old (established 1874) "not for profit" organisation. £40 buys you a lifetime membership. Most of the profit (after wages, advertising, blah blah) is supposed to go back in to the organisation to secure the best deals for its members. I promptly joined to see what they were like. It was pretty cool. I got a hand-written membership card, certificate and a nice catalogue to browse. Plus £10 off the first order. Not too shabby.

The plus points were a great range, free delivery on 12-bottle orders over £75 and a smooth online ordering process. However, those "best deals for members" were not immediately apparent. Prices on brands were  not that any different to any other large online retailers for wines common to all. Some wines were more expensive so they are undoubtedly limited by the RRP and profit margins. Oh and they are heavily old World biased, although they do carry a significant new World range to be fair; 134 wines from the South of France alone versus 73 from Chile as a whole, 50 from New Zealand and 61 from Australia. Argentina, the US and South Africa are considered "rest of the World" rather than having their own search links on the left-hand-side.

Anyway, after the dismay of the promised "best prices" not being delivered, and no sign of making back the £40 outlay via discounted wines anytime soon, (minus one point) I did manage to find pockets of value in the form of the Society's own wines. Don't let the term "own wines" put you off - these are made by serious players (Concha Y Toro, Craggy Range, Villa Maria, Hunter's to name but a few) and are VERY well priced.

I opted for the "Top Society Sellers" - basically a mixed case of the Society's own wines. £79 for 12, which after the £10 discount worked out at a magic £5.75 a bottle! A word of warning here though: BE CAREFUL - they use the same name for different cases of wine!!!  The one I thought I had ordered was indeed called "The Society's Top Sellers" but that had sold out. The website still displayed a case called "The Society's Top Sellers" but had different contents. I bought purely on the name of the case and didn't check the alphanumeric case code. The catalogue is not always the same as the website. If in doubt check the case code and double check the contents. Lesson number 1 harshly learned. Minus another point.

Oh and the free delivery date can be up to two weeks away as the Society's Own Driver brings them round in a van. Minus another point. These wines had better be bloody good...

Anyway, it turned up and we're getting stuck in, so without further ado, this weeks wines were...

The Society's Claret, NV

A non-vintage blend from Bordeaux, meant to be "drunk young" but might improve for a year or so. The actual blend changes every year , so I'm not sure there's any consistency to it, but I believe it is Cabernet dominant with some Merlot. From the Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux. 13%.

The Look: A silky, reflective sheen to it, a sort of garnet red, purple rim and some brick-red to it..

The Smell: Smells slightly smoky, cedary, with cherry and blackcurrant. Oddly I would associate the smokiness and woodiness with oak but this has not been oaked.

The Taste: Some decent spicy blackcurrant fruitiness, smooth integrated tannins and a decent acidity. After an hour or two it did open up with more fruit and spice which would suggest that keeping, or opening a few hours before drinking might be beneficial. A very slight bitterness on the finish was apparent.

The Score: Good for the price. Bordeaux at this price is frankly, normally crap. This was surprisingly good.  7/10. 

VFM: At £5.95 a bottle this is great value at VFM = 1.18.

 

The Society's Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon, 2009

Made by the giant Concha Y Toro (makers of the truly amazing Trio, and supermarket stalwart Casillero del Diablo among many others) in the Maipo Valley. Aged in large oak barriques for 8 months. 14%

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

The Smell: Mint, blackcurrant leaf and dark chocolate.

The Taste: A big mouthful. Smooth but slightly furry tannins, plenty of them too. Black cherry, lots of blackcurrant and dark chocolate. A long chocolaty and coffee-like aftertaste. Good bright acidity - remained light and not too heavy. Very well made and will keep.

The Score: Lovely fruit and spice. Great for the price  7.5/10. Recommended

VFM: At £5.95 a bottle this is exceptional  value at VFM = 1.26.

 

The Society's New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, 2010

Made by the giant Villa Maria (who's wines we have enjoyed on every occasion - search the Blog for "Villa Maria"). This is from Marlborough made in the classic style. 13.5%

The Look: A pale watery white with a slight lemony hint.

The Smell: Unsurprisingly a big hit of gooseberry, slight cut-grass, pod-peas and passion fruit. All the tell-tale signs of Marlborough.

The Taste: Bursts with ripe gooseberry and an intense passion fruit acidity. Very zingy and fresh. Slight herby hints of green pepper and peas. Not at all reserved,  but loud and in-your-face. As it should be? After a while the bitter green pepper became a bit too apparent, but still very enjoyable.

The Score: Very good Sauv Blanc. Great for the price  but there's better. 7.5/10. Recommended

VFM: At £8.95 a bottle this is good  value at VFM = 0.84.

 

The Society's White Burgundy, Macon-Villages 2009

From the Maconnais in the South of Burgundy. Chosen annually from selected villages to maintain the quality. 13.%

The Look: A medium gold with lemony highlights.

The Smell: Lovely smell of melon, honey, some spice.

The Taste: First noticeable is the smooth texture. Fruit is restrained giving way to some complexity; creamy,  vanilla, woody, spicy (I would swear that his has been oaked but the label says no!?). Fruit is definitely secondary but there is a lovely soft melon/peach character that finishes with a lively acidity. Some citrus hints and a mineral, grapefruit-like tone.

The Score: Tasting blind I would have said this was a Burgundy of some repute. Very good 7.5/10. Recommended

VFM: At £7.50 a bottle the VFM is cock-on at 1.0.

 

So the first four appear to be a success. The value for money is right on the button and quality-wise I am impressed. So is D - "There hasn't been a bad bottle yet" - and I'm inclined to agree. Next week will be part two followed by the final part after that.

As always...

Speak to you soon.

Cheers

WBFTF

Some In-betweeners and Upcoming Celebrations

Hello all!

So we're between cases right now, while we wait for some wines from The Wine Society. I chose some of their own-label type stuff in a mixed case entitled the "Society's Top Sellers" - anyway, I'll elaborate on all that and what it was like shopping with them when we get stuck into the wines.

I think we're going to have a pause from the formulaic "mixed-12" reviews for a short while, and indulge ourselves a little. D and I both share February as our Birthday month so I thought we might have a couple of special bottles. Nothing too extravagant mind, it's not like we're going to be tucking into the Mouton or any of our other investments, or anything like that. No, nothing flash, but possibly something that may not be considered entirely frugal. So yes, if you can bear with us, for the next week or two, there might be a little change of focus, price-wise, but overall, my working class sensibilities will have the ultimate say on how much we spend!

Everything we drink over the next two weeks will be written up. I've bought D a few of the Concha Y Toro Trio Cab Sauv 2008 that she loved (maybe I'll make her write a tasting note for it!). I've been collecting the odd "nice bottle" with every order we've placed so far, so have a reasonable stock built up from Majestic, Oddbins, Laithwaites, Slurp and Virgin.

We started the ball rolling this week with the superb "Ladies Shiraz" as the staff at Oddbins called it. We bought two of these before Christmas and they were supposed to go into the cellar (i.e. wardrobe) for a few years. But....as you can guess, we couldn't resist. The other one is staying there though... Honestly.

Plunkett Fowles, Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch Shiraz, 2008

A kind-of "Artisan" producer, blending cool wines in the awesomely named "Shire of Strathbogie" in Australia's State of Victoria. This is sold at Oddbins. Big at 14.5%

The Look: Super-dark, inky black-purple. 100% opaque and dense almost to the rim.

The Smell: I could pick out blackberry, plum, white pepper and bitter dark chocolate.

The Taste: Big and bold. So much fruit! Initial tastes were blackberry, smoky plum, violet and dark chocolate. Warmth but not "hot". Not an incredibly long finish but decent length. Fruit intensifies with time leading to intense black berries and a chocolate/coffee/mocha finish. Superb. Great balance.

The Score: Intense. Fruit first. Complexity second. Perfect amount of both. Could have been longer but very good indeed. 8.5/10. Highly Recommended.

VFM: Ok so VFM really isn't the main concern during this period of "treats" but what the hell...Normal price is £16.99 giving a VFM = 0.5 but when purchased with 5 other bottles (of anything) the 20% discount applies meaning £13.59 and a more palatable VFM = 0.63. Well worth it!

So after our Birthdays pass we'll return to more frugal ways and a nice mixed case from The Wine Society... Although we may need a dry week to sober up, in-between! I'll let you know how we get on!

As always...

Speak to you soon!

Cheers

WBFTF