Six Centre Loire Wines

Six Centre Loire wines

There's an old saw in the wine trade about punters who declaim: I never drink Chardonnay but I love Chablis.

I've heard this story many times from retailers and educators but I have never actually heard the statement uttered by anyone.

And while it may be fun to laugh at the nonsense that people say, or are reported to have said, there is actually some truth in the idea.

Chablis is, of course, made from the Chardonnay grape, so at face value the statement is nonsense. 

However, "Chardonnay" was for a long time the varietal labelling of many an overripe, over-oaked New World wine, so there can indeed be a valid distinction between a cool-climate, steely wine with "Chablis" on the bottle versus plonk from some antipodean Creek or Gully labelled as "Chardonnay".

Today's equivalent to this may well be: I never drink Sauvignon but I love Loire whites.

New Zealand Sauvignon took the aromatic potential of the great Loire grape and turning it up to 11 discovered the 21st Century's first proper darling - for a while, at least. The combination of cool maritime climates, extended skin contact and temperature-controlled stainless steel fermentation resulted in a pungent expressive white with as much subtlety as Robin Williams after too many glasses of orange squash.

And just as Chablis remains the OG for Chardonnay, Loire whites have a timeless, classic complexity and sophistication this is neither as as in-yer-face and thrillingly modern as Marlborough c. 2004 nor as dated now either.

These six wines from Centre Loire - the middle section of one of France's great rivers -  show what this region can do in terms of colour and price.

Of the whites, right now, the entry-level wine from Coteaux du Giennois (no, me neither) is drinking best, but given a couple of years the more ambitious Pouilly-Fumé and Sancerre will round out and become more harmonious. If you must drink them young, match with some food and give them plenty of time in the decanter.

The Quincy has a warmth and heft that demands weighty foods.

The rosé is an elegant and complex Pinot Gris while the red from Menetou Salon red is an atypical Pinot; darker, leafier and less farmyardy than Burgundy. Tasted blind, I would have guessed Cab Franc.

Coteaux du Giennois, Taste the Difference 2020/2021 £11.00 (Sainsbury’s)

100% Sauvignon Blance with some aging on fine lees.

lifted aromatics, lemongrass, mint and fresh green herbs; citrus, melon and orchard fruits with flinty, slatey minerality, leesiness and good underpinnings.

Drinks nicely on first pouring.

Good.

Match with goat's cheese or seafood starters.

Pouilly-Fumé, Domaine Chatelain 2020/2021 £16.99 (Waitrose)

100% Sauvignon Blanc from vines aged 30 - 45 years; aged on fine lees.

flinty herbaceous nose with grapefruit pith; saline mineral with citrus, melon, ripe white stone fruits and green apple; zippy lime marmalade ; elegant, concentrated and very adept.

Improves with aeration and will repay some cellaring.

Very Good.

Match with white fish, seafood or pork terrine.

Sancerre, Château de Crézancy 2020/2021 £19.99 or £17.99 mix six (Majestic Wine)

100% Sauvignon Blanc aged on fine lees until April of the following year

flinty with stone fruits and honeysuckle florality; white peach, citrus, grass, pear, and yellow bell pepper with wet stone minerality, lemongrass, grapefruit and lime; complex with leesy, brazil nut savouriness and good underpinnings.

Improves with aeration and will repay some cellaring.

Very Good.

Match with goat's cheese or mackerel paté salad.

Quincy Vieilles Vignes Domaine du Tremblay 2020 £14.50 (The Wine Society)

100% Sauvignon Blanc with some aging on fine lees.

baked spiced apple and lemon meringue pie; warming, weighty and viscous with dried orchard fruits and yellow stone fruit, sweet spices, creamy brazil nut, persistent savoury leesiness and saline minerality.

Drinks nicely on first opening, but improves with aeration and will repay some cellaring.

Match with weightier dishes such as roast pork or pasta with a creamy mushroom sauce.

Reuilly Rosé Les Chatillons, Denis Jamain 2020 £15.95 (BBR)

100% Pinot Gris with three hours of skin contact and five months of fine lees aging.

delicate red berry fruits, florality and savoury leesiness; fresh, citrussy, saline and supple with ripe white stone fruits, orchard fruits, melon and a touch of warming sweet spices.

Improves with aeration.

Very Good

A versatile food rosé; match with weightier picnic foods such as cold cuts, quiche

Menetou Salon red, Domaine Chavet La Cote 2020 £16.99 (Virgin Wines)

100% Pinot Noir grown on Kimmeridgian soil of fossilised oysters; aged in vats and large oak foudres.

dark translucent purple; red and black berry fruits, raspberry leaf, and spicy-savoury miso; fresh and minty-herbaceous with juicy red and black cherry fruit, soft berries and spice; concentrated and supple with very fine tannins. Very deft and accomplished.

Very Good.

***

Joanna Simon's review of the Coteaux du Giennois: WINE OF THE WEEK: Taste the Difference Coteaux du Giennois Sauvignon Blanc 2020, France (joannasimon.com)

Chris Kissak's review of Quincy Vieilles Vignes Domaine du Tremblay: Domaine du Tremblay Quincy Cuvée Vieilles Vignes 2020 • Winedoctor (thewinedoctor.com)

The CWB Right-Bank-Bordeaux-Red-Off

Four Right-Bank reds from Bordeaux

Red Bordeaux is one of the world's great wines; it exists at price points from everyday to some of the most expensive bottles on the planet. And all points in between.

Most red Bordeaux is a blend with either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot dominating; in simple terms, Left Bank Cabs have more grippy tannin and Right Bank Merlots gain their texture from acidity

With flavours of plum, cedarwood and bramble fruit in their youth, Bordeaux wines have the ability to age, becoming more mellow and hedonistic. They are very much food wines, matching best with red meats, roast chicken or meaty fish.

Here are four red wines all from the Right Bank of Bordeaux where Merlot dominates.

Château Monconseil-Gazin 2018, Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux (£9.75, The Wine Society)

Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec blend from Blaye, just across the river from the Médoc.

forest fruits, plums, cherries and raspberries with sous bois earthiness and spice; fruit-forward and approachable; fresh, supple and easy-drinking with ripe, gentle-yet-firm tannins.

Good.

An easy-drinker, match with pizza, herby sausages, burgers or roast chicken.

Lidl Saint Emilion Grand Cru (£11.99, Lidl)

2016 vintage:

Bramble fruit, spice, savouriness and length; good underpinnings, with firm, fine tannins.

Improves with extended aeration and will age.

Good; may need some aging.

Match with roast beef now and darker game in a couple of years. 

2017 vintage:

lighter, fresher and more opened-up, with ripe fruit, spice and gentle tannins. Very well made with decent structure; elegant and focused.

Thoroughly enjoyable - drinking nicely now.

Match with midweight dishes, such as pork rillettes, salami or roast chicken.

89 points from Richard Bampfield.

Chateau Barbe Blanche St Lussac- Emilion, 2016 (Daniel Lambert)

Part-owned by the Lurton family and based in a satellite region of St-Emilion.

Merlot blend with some Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon; lifted plums, black fruits fruit, cassis and complex, spicy oak; substantial, supple and inky with generous fruit, minty herbs, mushroomy-woodsy undergrowth and toasty oak. Firm yet fine and well-integrated tannins.

Very Good.

Improves with aeration and will age further.

Match with robust red-meat dishes, such as venison steaks

Chateau La Petite Roque Cotes de Blaye 2018 (Daniel Lambert)

The second wine of Monconseil-Gazin, above.

Cherries, coffee grounds, raspberry leaves and spice; fresh and juicy with dark plums and blackberries, some spice.

Easy-drinking and thoroughly enjoyable.

Match with pizza, salami or herby sausages.

***** 

Further reviews:

Chateau Barbe Blanche St Lussac- Emilion, 2016

Some new-wood aging and a goodly proportion of Cabernet Franc have produced an elegant, balanced wine. Blackcurrant fruits and firm tannins are now well integrated to give a wine that is both fruity and attractively structured. Drink now.

ROGER VOSS RATING 89 

90-91 / 100 by James Suckling.

A warm, richly layered, full-bodied red. Aromas of cassis, smoke and oak with a smooth finish.

90/100 Natalie Maclean

Chateau La Petite Roque Cotes de Blaye 2018

Decanter Bronze medal

Versatile, Varied and Multi-Coloured - Bordeaux

Five Bordeaux Wines

Bordeaux was pretty much the first wine area I realised I liked. I'd had wine previously, of course, but I'd never really got to know and understand a region; it was just "wine".

A long weekend break in Bruges via northern France found us stopping off on the return home to buy a bootful of wines from a local supermarket, all chosen pretty much at random.

It set a pattern that I have repeated for decades ever since: go to France and buy lots of lovely inexpensive wines based on what looks best from the local the area of wherever we happen to be.

The northern Pas-de-Calais region is not a wine-producing area, so the supermarket shelves there were mostly full of plentiful wines from the larger, better-known regions regions.

I had previously regarded Bordeaux as being all about exorbitantly-priced reds. What I found once I started opening up the various bottles we brought back was something completely different; inexpensive wines that were vibrant and fresh with plenty of stuffing. Sophisticated, yet accessible and easy to enjoy.

And Bordeaux is not just red wines, either; these days, there's rosé and fizz as well as whites, both dry and sweet. Far from monolithic, Bordeaux is pretty much all things to all occasions; there are very few situations it cannot cater for.

If the region's wines share a common trait, it is that they go well with food and have an ability to age, meaning that they often improve with a bit of air.

If you are used to ripe, fruit-forward New World wines that drink easily on first opening, you will find the fruit on  Bordeaux often emerges more noticeably after an hour or two in the decanter.

Here are five mid-range Bordeaux wines that showcase the variety and versatility of the region.

Comtesse de Saint-Pey Brut NV, Crémant de Bordeaux (£14, L’ami Jac)

Bordeaux fizz has the complexity of traditional method sparklers with the ripe fruit of a warmer, more southerly region; a price tag somewhere below Champagne just makes it better value.

Sémillon / Cabernet Franc blend.

orchard fruits, fresh citrus, florality and white pepper; ripe pear, white peach and honeysuckle with some biscuity leesiness; fine mousse and a savoury persistence.

Good.

Serve as an aperitif or match with sushi, seafood or other light starters.

Château Haut Rian, 2019 Bordeaux Rosé (£13, Harvey Nichols)

Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon blend.

red fruits, cranberry and wild strawberry with fresh mint, grapefruit zest, white pepper and minerality. Pure and adept with good savoury underpinnings.

Good.

Match with picnic foods, salmon or shellfish.

L'Emigré Blanc 2020, Graves (£14.99, Virgin Wines)

From the Graves sub-region south east of Bordeaux, named for its gravelly soils; the wine is organic and sees a little of oak.

aromatic with white pepper and tropical fruits; intensely mineral and leesy with grapefruit, elderflower, lime kaffir and racy acidity; weighty, concentrated and long.

Very Good.

Demands food; match with salmon carpaccio or baked goat's cheese tarts.

Château Monconseil-Gazin 2018, Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux (£9.75, The Wine Society)

Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec blend from Blaye, just across the river from the Médoc.

forest fruits, plums, cherries and raspberries with sous bois earthiness and spice; fruit-forward and approachable; fresh, supple and easy-drinking with ripe, gentle-yet-firm tannins.

Good.

An easy-drinker, match with pizza, herby sausages, burgers or roast chicken.

SO Sauternes, Bastor-Lamontagne (£9.99, 37.5cl, Waitrose)

Botrytised dessert wine from Sauternes.

roasted buttery peaches with vanilla sugar, honeysuckle, beeswax and orange blossom; sweet, waxy and viscous with apricotty-peachy sweetness, sweet spices, ginger and tropical citrus freshness. Long, savoury and complex. And utterly delicious.

Very Good and Good Value.

Pour as an apéritif with tapas, or later in the meal with cheese and sweet puddings.

******

Further reviews:

Finding value-for-money in Bordeaux 2020 by Liz Gabay: Finding value-for-money in Bordeaux 2020 - Elizabeth Gabay MW

L'Emigre Blanc | Site Officiel Bordeaux.com

L'Emigre Blanc | Virgin Wines

Wednesday Wines - Episode 8 - Matthew Jukes

Bordeaux For Chinese New Year

Two Bordeaux wines for celebrating Chinese New Year - from Ocado and The Wine Society

China loves Bordeaux; it is the top export market for Bordeaux's wines - and growing.

And it's not all about prized First Growths to be given as gifts and consumed far too young mixed with fizzy drinks.

Bordeaux is a  versatile region with white, rosé, sweet and fizz to be found, at more affordable prices than the overpriced Crus Classés; these wines are also a better match for Chinese food.

So, step forward a Crémant de Bordeaux fizz to kick off your celebrations and a substantial pink to match with Spicy Sichuan Prawns.

Calvet Crémant de Bordeaux Brut 2015 (£9.50, Ocado) Sémillon-Cabernet Franc blend, made by the traditional Champagne method. Fresh, citrussy and yeasty; orchard fruits, autolysis and linear minerality. Fine mousse and a persistent finish.

Thoroughly enjoyable.

Drink as an aperitif; will cut through rich starters such as mixed antipasti, bread and olive oil, asparagus and mayonnaise.

Château Bel Air Perponcher Reserve Rosé 2017 (£9.50, The Wine Society Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot / Cabernet Franc blend. Delicious strawberry and redcurrant fruit, some toastiness and weighty, substantial underpinnings. Harmonious, balanced and adept.

Thoroughly enjoyable.

Great for summer sipping, match with picnic food, prawns or salmon.

Everyday Bordeaux: New Generation Winemakers

The new generation of Bordeaux winemakers

Bordeaux is not so much a region as an entire oenological universe; name a style of wine and you can pretty much find it in Bordeaux - dry white, red, rosé, sweet and fizz; from young, fresh and juicy to complex, oaked and ageworthy.

Away from the headlines and $$$s of the trophy wines of the classed first growths, Bordeaux produces great everyday wines.

These two wines are examples of new wave of young winemakers pioneering initiatives and techniques, including sustainable winemaking practices and disease-resistant grape varieties to reduce the use of pesticides.

Château Doisy-Daëne Sec 2016, Bordeaux AOC Sauvignon Blanc (£20, The Wine Society) floral and blossomy with complex beeswax; fresh, fragrant and balanced with white-peach fruit, waxy lanolin and lingering crisp fruit aromatics.

Very Good.

Match with meaty white fish or strong cheeses, such as Chaource or Époisses.

Château Le Grand Verdus Generations 2015, Bordeaux Supérieur (£8.67, L’Assemblage) Merlot, Cabernet Franc blend; coffee grounds, cherries and earthiness; spice and dried green herbs; fresh with fine tannins.

Good.

Match with roast red meats and hard yellow cheeses.

Two Bordeaux Wines for Christmas

Two special Bordeaux wines from Dourthe for Christmas - available from The Wine Society and the Co-op

Christmas is a time to try out some better-quality wines - with good food and good company. These two Bordeaux, a mature red and a sticky, cost a little more but come with  impeccable credentials, are good value for the money and won't disappoint.


Château La Garde 2010 Pessac-Leognan (£23, The Wine Society) classic mature Bordeaux, with cassis, red plum fruit, spice and cedarwood; fresh and mineral with very fine tannins and a firm, muscular core. Drinking nicely now, will continue to improve for many years

Very Good.

Match with a Christmas roast, Boxing Day cold cuts or a beefy stew.

Château Roumieu 2014 Sauternes (£12.99, Co-op - half-bottle) apricots, honeysuckle blossom, beeswax and candied lemons; sweet tropical fruits, sherbet, acacia honey, Sicilian lemons and overripe peaches with some musky beeswax. Long, sweet-sour-savoury and complex.

Very Good.

Match with crème brûlée or lemon torte.

Three Wine Men in Cambridge

Three Wine Men event in Cambridge

The Three Wine Men are - in vintage order - Oz Clarke, Tim Atkin MW and Olly Smith. Their line-up for this event inclued a mixture of producers, retailers and local-to-Cambridge merchants.

I got around as many as I could and noted down my top wines.

Wines of California
"Big and bold" is the hallmark of California - my top wine was the Edna Valley Pinot Noir 2015 (£14.99, Majestic); well-made, typical Pinot with cherries and earthiness, relatively low alcohol (for California).

There were bigger, better and more complex wines on show - if high-alcohol and high prices are your thing, try Carlisle Wines Zinfandel "Papera Ranch 2013" (£39.50, Noel Young).

Bordeaux
By contrast, the Bordeaux wines showed much more Old World structure; I liked all the wines here from the complex dry white Graves (M. de Malle 2013) to the precise, mineral  rosé (M de Mangot 2016).

If you want to experience the improving effects of age on a wine for the price of a current vintage, then try the 2002 Peyrabon from Cambridge Wine Merchants.

Top wine, however, was the complex and deft Sauternes Pineau Du Rey 2012 (£11.99, Laithwaite's).

Villa Maria
New Zealand's Villa Maria have made a name as a reliable producer of well-made wines with New World fruit and kiwi freshness. In their Cellar Selection range, a varietal Sauvignon Gris 2016 (£14.05) and Clifford Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2016 (£15.55) both impressed.

But my top wine was the layered, complex, substantial and extremely sophisticated Keltern Chardonnay 2016 (£19.50).

New Zealand
Best wine here was the amazing and somewhat legendary Greywacke Pinot Noir 2014 (£32.99, The Wine Society), a lovely, elegant Burgundian Pinot with cherries and spice.

At the other end of the price scale, Peter Yealands Sauvignon Blanc 2017 (£8.99, Co-op, Sainsbury's) is a well-made kiwi SB that really overdelivers for the price.

Alpine Wines
I've long wanted to check out Alpine Wines' range; there were two stand-out wines here:

Cicero Pinot Noir Alte Reben 2012, Graubuenden, Switzerland (£26.40) pale, almost rosé-coloured; red-fruits and farmyard, delicate yet with a structured and muscular core.

Heidi Schroeck Suesse Loewen Spaetlese 2012, Burgenland, Austria (£16.80) complex roasted stone fruits, light and incredibly fresh, almost dry on the finish.

Sud de France Top 100
Languedoc is a great source of well-made characterful wines; some sub-regions, such as St Chinian, are now beginning to establish their own local identity.

Cave de Roquebrun, Le Grange des Combes 2015, AOC St Chinian (£10 - £12.49, Majestic) floral, almost like perfumed soap, with crushed red fruits and smoke. Long and supple.

Local heroes
Cambridge Wine Merchants had an excellent white-label vintage port from 1983, whilst north-of-the-river Thirsty had two deliciously zippy-citrussy Mosel Rieslings on tap, Meierer and Mikeller.

Chablis and Rioja - The Re-match

Pairing a Chablis from Laithwaites and a CVNE Rioja. Again

Just to prove that the first successful pairing of Chablis with a starter and a Rioja with a main (plus cheese) was no freak occurrence, I decided on a re-run.

The wines on this occasion were only slightly less ambitious than previously and, in the case of the Rioja, actually drinking better right now.

The Chablis is actually a Petit Chablis - a junior Chablis grown on lesser soils with a more exposed aspect. However it is from genuinely old vines (a non-defined term) aged between 50 and 70 years; a well-executed lesser wine, what it lacks in terroir is compensated by age.

Domaine Dampt Petit Chablis Vielles Vignes 2015 (£13.99, Laithwaites) Orchard fruit, honeysuckle and toastiness; light, fresh and citrussy with good, mineral persistence. Pure, clean and adept.

Serve as a light aperitif.

CVNE Imperial Reserva Rioja 2010 (£24.40, Majestic, Co-op, Waitrose The Wine Society, independents) a hedonistic blend of ripe bramble and mixed berry fruit with spice and aged truffles, leather and gaminess. Fresh, substantial and supple with sweet vanilla spice and fine-yet-firm tannins. Very long and adept.

Very Good.

Serve with roast lamb or manchego.

Chablis and Rioja - Matching For Dummies

A Chablis from Laithwaites and a CVNE Rioja

We go together
Like rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong
Remembered forever
As shoo-bop sha wadda wadda yippity boom de boom
Chang chang changitty chang sha-bop
That's the way it should be
Wah-oooh, yeah!

- We Go Together, Grease (1978)

Chablis and Rioja are both food wines and complement each other like Grease's Sandy and Danny; a piercing, crystalline white to start, followed by a mellow, oaky red. What's not to like?

Chablis works as an aperitif or with seafood starters; mature Rioja matches garlic and rosemary lamb, or a cheese course.

It is, in short, a failsafe option; Food-And-Wine-Matching for Dummies.

Robert Nicolle Chablis 2015 (£14.49, Laithwaites) expressive with ripe apple-and-pear fruits, florality and beeswax; leesy and toasty. Hefty and substantial yet fresh.

Good.

CVNE Rioja Imperial Gran Reserva 2008 (£44.75, The Wine Society, Tanners) complex red and black fruits with dried herbs and sweet spices; muscular yet fresh with very fine, firm tannins.

Drinking nicely now and will improve further with age.

Very Good.

Dinner With The Wine Society

Dinner at the IPA with The Wine Society

The IPA's annual Finance Committee dinner this year featured wines from The Wine Society, introduced by Jo Locke MW and Ewan Murray.

We started with fizz.

The Society's NV Champagne Brut from Gratien, the base wines is from 2012 and still feels quite young and closed up.

Gratien is one of the few Champagne houses to ferment the base wines in oak for greater richness (the most notable other being Bollinger); three years of lees aging further adds to the complexity.

With starters
Riesling Dragon, Josmeyer 2008 from Alsace, complex and intense with an evolved, dieselly nose, ripe peach fruit and well-structured acidity.

It feels like a big wine, despite no oak and around 11% alcohol, and stood up to the strong flavours of smoked salmon with beetroot, pesto and capers.

Mains
Kanokop Estate Paul Sauer, Stellenbosch 2008 a Bordeaux blend described by Jo as New World ripeness with Old World substance and structure - which led to a discussion about a lack of a distinct South African identity.

The brand builders in the room latched onto the idea of South Africa having the most ancient soils as a possible core brand identity.

With plenty of primary bramble and blackcurrant fruit after almost a decade in bottle, this wine proved that South African wines can age to rival all but the top ranks of Bordeaux. The combination of fruit and substance matched perfectly with marinated lamb chops.

Sticky
Vouvray Le Mont Moelleux, Domaine Huet, 2005 an organic, biodynamic Loire, this proved popular with many who said they do not normally drink stickies.

Floral, fresh and precise, it felt more like the youngest wine of the night than the oldest and clearly has decades ahead of it.

The Society's Exhibition Grande Champagne Cognac a final cherry on top, this Cognac was apricotty with nuts almonds and vanilla; mellow and elegant.

Other related articles
Dinner With Private Cellar
Lunch with KWV

Rugby and Polo: Bordeaux vs Argentina

A classic Dourthe Bordeaux vs a plump, spicy Clos de los Siete from Argentina

If you want to find out the difference between the Old World and the New, you could do a lot worse than compare these two wines; both are oaked reds of about the same age costing around the same low-to-mid-teens money.

The Dourthe is classic Bordeaux; dark plum fruit and good structure with some aged complexity - an athletic-yet-deft rugby player of a wine.

The Clos de los Siete, made with input from consultant Michel Rolland, is riper and plumper with sweet black fruits and a supple texture; a classy easy-drinker, it is a flamboyant polo horseman.

The Argentine wine is technically the slightly better of the two but the Bordeaux has more elegance and subtlety - an honourable draw.

Château Pey la Tour Réserve 2011, Bordeaux Supérieur £11.50 Wine Society (Merlot-dominated red blend)

Clos de los Siete 2012, Vista Flores £15 Waitrose, Sainsbury (57% Malbec, 18% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Syrah, 2% Petit Verdot)

Other related articles
Dourthe N° 1 Rouge 2011 - The Wine Society
Angelica Zapata Alta Cabernet Franc Mendoza - 2010

Two Everyday Bordeaux

Two everyday Bordeaux from Dourthe, via The Wine Society and Booth's

Dourthe SB No 1, Bordeaux, 2014 (£7.95, The Wine Society) zippy, zesty, aromatic Sauvignon from Bordeaux; modern and fresh with a waxy, saline texture and a whiff of white pepper.

Pure and clean yet weighty. Very Good - and excellent value.

Match with pork and sage terrine or monkfish and herb broth.

Chateaux de Ricaud, Bordeaux Superieur, 2012 (£9.95, Booth's) juicy Bordeaux full of cherries and coffee grounds with fresh acidity. It has an old-world firmness and structure, but is slightly hot and alcoholic.

Match with meaty stews and spicy sausages

Other related articles
Dourthe N° 1 Rouge 2011 - The Wine Society
Two Bordeaux Wines from The Wine Society‏

Three Bergerac Wines

Three wines from Bergerac

 

Bergerac sits as an eastern rump-end beyond Bordeaux; further inland, with a more continental climate but mostly the same Bordelais grape varieties, it makes wines with a bit more gutsy effusiveness than its more-aristocratic neighbour.

 

Mayne de Beauregard, Bergerac 2013 (£7.99, Marks & Spencer) Pale in the glass and light at just 12.5% - more fresh and Loire-esque than southern. A blend of Cab, Merlot and Cab Franc, the Cab Franc seems to dominate, with cherries, red plums and classic pine needle aromas.

 

Juicy and refreshing - a classy, well-balanced and enjoyable quaffer.

 

Bergerac Rouge, Château Tour des Gendres 2013 (£7.95, The Wine Society) A darker, bigger, more-substantial beast from an unusual blend of Merlot and Malbec.

 

Complex nose of dark fruit, spice and undergrowth; more ripe dark fruit, spiciness, concentration and grip on the palate with a persistence and firmness on the finish.

 

More plumpness, presence and complexity than the Beauregard. Good.

 

Matches well with toad-in-the-hole.

 

Château Les Sablines Monbazillac 2012 (£9.99 / reduced to £7.99 until 30/12/14, Waitrose) Golden Sandy yellow, with aromas of orange blossom, musky roasted peaches and beeswax. Sweet ripe peaches, barley sugar, candied lemons and tropical fruits with good freshness.

 

A less expensive, if less-complex, alternative to Sauternes.

 

Match with creme brulee or lemon torte and Chantilly cream.

 

Other related articles

Three New World Wines for Christmas

Three Christmas Languedoc Wines

Wine of The Month: Three Christmas Languedoc Wines

Three Languedoc wines for Christmas

 

Languedoc wines make excellent Christmas drinking - big, spicy, food-friendly reds that match well with a roast dinner and all the trimmings.

 

Christmas is not a time to be taking risks; with so many people around the table, you need some serious crowd-pleasers that will keep everyone happy.

 

Domaine de Fontsèque 2012, Corbières (£11, M&S) a southern GSM+C blend of southern varieties, ripe dark fruits, freshness and a lick of toasty oak. Warming, hearty and spicy.

Château de Pennautier 2013 Cabardès (£7.95 The Wine Society, also at Majestic and Berry's) Another blend of generally southern French varieties, this wine is full of cassis, dark fruits, Christmas spice and even a touch of spruce pine.

It is substantial and warming, cut through with freshness and a slightly earthy character that certainly needs food.

Muscat de Saint Jean de Minervois, Vin Doux Naturel (£6.30, half-bottle, Tanners) roasted peaches and apricots, smothered in heather honey and dusted with sweet spice; rich and deliciously sweet, but also fresh and precise.

Match the reds with roast turkey with all the trimmings and sauces, whilst the sticky will work with crème brulee, lemon torte with Chantilly cream, or a chicken liver pate starter.

Other related articles
Two Co-op Reds For Christmas
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Dourthe N° 1 Rouge 2011 - The Wine Society

Dourthe N° 1 Rouge 2011 from The Wine Society

After the great year of 2010, Bordeaux vintages seem to have got ever more difficult with 2013 being an almost complete wash-out.

This 2011 has a typical - and quite expressive - Merlot nose of red fruits, leather and spice; juicy acidity with a supple texture and some persistence.

 

A relatively light wine, it feels modern and well-crafted but not especially substantial.

 

Like pretty much everything from The Wine Society, it is technically correct; a modern, entry-level right bank Bordeaux from a less-than-great year.

£8.50 from The Wine Society, provided for review.

60% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot

Other related articles
Dourthe Reserve, 2009 - Montagne St Emilion

Two Wines from South West France

Two South West France wines from The Wine Society and Les Caves de Pyrene

France's South West regions is one of the country's few remaining oenological frontiers - a diverse up-and-coming region of unfamiliar grape varieties and individual, characterful wines.

Les Vignes Retrouvées, Saint Mont, 2012 (£7.95, Les Caves de Pyrène / The Wine Society) 70% Gros Manseng, 20% Petit Courbu, 10% Arrufiac

Vibrant, aromatic, zesty and pungent; ripe grapefruit with quinine bitterness and flintsmoke minerality. Long and persistent. Very enjoyable. Good.

Serve as an aperitif, or with Mediterranean starters such as mozzarella with pesto and bread with olive oil.

Domaine du Cros, Lo Sang del Païs, 2013 (£10.99, Les Caves de Pyrène) 100% Fer Servadou

Ripe red and black cherries, violets, pencil shavings and dried herbs. Fresh and juicy with some spiciness and something feral; very fine tannins. Beaujolais-esque.

Pure, poised and long. Good.

Match with gamey dishes, such as duck, wild salmon or tuna carpaccio.

Wines provided for review.

Other related articles
Two Picnic Wines From South West France

Two Bordeaux Wines from The Wine Society‏

I've had nary a disappointing bottle from The Wine Society and these two Bordeaux for under a tenner each are both good examples from a classic region.

Both are also good value.

Dourthe No. 1 Bordeaux Blanc 2012 (£7.95)

Bordeaux is one of Sauvignon Blanc's spiritual homes - fuller than the Loire, less tropical than Marlborough.

Sandy yellow in the glass, there are typical aromas of blackcurrant leaf and nettles, with slightly more unusual hints of sage and salinity.

The palate is elegant and fresh, with mouthfilling, linear acidity and a clean, persistent finish.

Good aromatics matched with solid structural underpinnings.

Match with herby roast chicken, pork with horseradish apple sauce or meaty white fish.

Chateau Pey La Tour 2008 Bordeaux Superieur (£9.95)

A right-bank Merlot with a bit of bottle age, this is purple in the glass.

On the nose, there are aromas of coffee grounds, cigar box, forest fruits and a touch of spice.

The palate is soft and supple with an inky texture and generous, well-rounded tannins - the ripe fruit is balanced by savouriness. Nicely mellow on the mid-palate, the finish is gently persistent.

Match with slow-roasted red meats - there is just a touch of gaminess, so venison would be an especially good match.

Provided for review; Pey La Tour also available from Cambridge Wine Merchants

Other related articles
Ch Reynon Bordeaux Blanc 2010 from The Wine Society
Ch Perponcher Bordeaux Blanc 2010 from The Wine Society
Ch Borjaud 2007 from The Wine Society
Affordable Right Bank Bordeaux

Links
The Wine Society - website, twitter
Dourthe - website

BoJo-Lé

Unrelated to London's Mayor, Beaujolais is the southernmost region of Burgundy, located closer to the Rhône than to Chablis and is traditionally associated with the rather naff Beaujolais nouveau.

The word often used to characterise Beaujolais is uncomplicated - easy-going, light and fruity wines.

Beaujolais itself is a 45-mile long stretch of mainly granite hills just south of Macon - prices tend to be high, not least historically because of Swiss demand for these wines from just across the border.

Here are five wines from the area that I was sent for review - they are all charming and well made, but you should expect to pay a bit more for Beaujolais than for a less-classic region.

White

Almost all Beaujolais is red and from the Gamay grape, but there are small amounts of white Beaujolais from Chardonnay.

Arnaud Aucoeur, Beaujolais Villages Blanc 2011 (Yapp Brothers, £11.95)
Canteloup and honeydew melon fruit on the nose, the palate shows ripe melon fruit, a touch of thick-skinned toastiness and some old-vine leesy savouriness. It feels well balanced, very pleasant and well-made.

What's here is good; the only minor complaint is that, for me, Chardonnay does best in a cooler climate and here in the warm south feels a little lacking in precision and acidic structure.

I find this a bit smiley and sweet-faced - as well-behaved and unchallenging as the girl-next door, but with a bit of a big bottom and muffin top.

However, this may just be me; Henry Jeffreys, Alex Layton and the staff at Yapp are all more appreciative of its curvaceous nature.

Red

Morgon is the longest-lasting of the Beaujolais Crus and the best come from the slopes of the Cote du Py

Jean-Marc Burgaud, Cote du Py Morgon 2010 (The Wine Society, £11.95)
Translucent purple in the glass, some black cherry, spice and old leather / farmyardiness on the nose. Ripe black cherry fruit on the palate, a touch of smokiness and good, precise acidity with firm tannins.

The texture is soft and smooth with a savoury persistence and good finish.

Elegant, adept and classy.

Ch Thivin, Les Grottes de Bulhie, Cote de Brouilly 2009 (The Wine Society, £16)
From the lower slopes of Mont Brouilly, the wines are generally deeper in colour and fruit. An unusually deep plum purple colour, there is dark fruit, stewed plums, warming roasted spices and a touch of woodsiness on the nose.

On the palate, there is red and black cherry fruit, some vanilla sweetness, a touch of pepperiness and a lovely rasp of sour-cherry acidity - long on the palate, it feels complex and mouthfilling with soft-yet-firm tannins.

Very well-made and interesting, a really lovely wine.

Domaine Alain Chatoux 2011 (Berry Bros & Rudd, £10.95)

Translucent purple in the glass, aromas of violets, red peppercorns, a touch of undergrowth and soft red fruits on the nose.

Pure cherry fruit and fresh, mouthwatering sour-cherry acidity on the palate, with some old-vine savouriness.

The palate is long palate and the finish balanced - charming and very accomplished.

Julien Sunier Fleurie 2010 (Roberson, £18.95)
Translucent purple in the glass, on first pouring the sweet vanilla dominates and whilst the ambition is clear, it is not yet harmonious.

It develops noticeably over dinner but it is only on the following day that it starts to balance out.

A complex nose of spice, woodsy earthiness and black cherry fruit - more Pinot than Gamay.

The palate is elegant and long with black cherry fruit, sweet vanilla and notes of bitter green herbs. Lovely fruit expression and gentle-yet-precise acidity; gentle, firm persistence on the finish.

Unusually for a Beaujolais, I'd be inclined to cellar this for a bit longer to achieve harmoniousness, but even now (with aeration) it is quietly sophisticated and accomplished.

Food matches
Chardonnay is perhaps the world's most versatile food wine, so match with the usual fish, chicken or mild cheeses.

At a different time of year, all the reds would suit light autumnal game dishes such as cured duck breast or venison terrine, or work as perfect picnic wines.

Recommended Wine

These are all very well-made wines and choices come down perhaps as much to personal preference; for me, the most enjoyable wines here were the Thivin and the Chatoux for the lovely acidity.

Other related articles
Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages 2010‏
Wine in Threes (Louis Jadot Chateau Des Chaques)

Main image credit: BoJo Selecta http://www.sabotagetimes.com/people/bojo-selecta/

Château Reynon Bordeaux Blanc, 2010 - The Wine Society‏

This Château Reynon Bordeaux Blanc from The Wine Society was chosen by by the Association of Wine Educators for the Good Food Would Choose Bordeaux campaign as an example of a good, everyday Bordeaux.

With crisp, pure, herbaceous aromas on the nose and good linear acidity, it feels like a good, textbook straightforward Old World SB with faults neither technical nor stylistic.

Well-made and balanced it initially feels good, but no show-stopper - and priced in low double-digits, seems a little expensive based on a casual quaff. However, with a little concentration and consideration, the superior depth of flavour and length on the palate become evident.

Well-crafted, correct and precise, it reveals its charms slowly but surely.

Wine geeks may be interested to note that website states that: Reynon is situated in the Entre-Deux-Mers. [Winemaker] Denis is a noted professor of oenology at Bordeaux university specialising in white wines, and now advises many prestigious estates.

So, a talented winemaker with grapes from a lowly region - and that's rather how it feels; as technically well-made and correct as it can be.

Match with herby chicken dishes, mozzarella and pesto or white fish in a herby broth.

£10.95 from The Wine Society; provided for review.

Links

The Wine Society - website, twitter
Good Food Would Choose Bordeaux - www.goodfoodwouldchoosebordeaux.com/
Bordeaux Wines UK - twitter, Facebook

Chateau Bel Air Perponcher Reserve Rosé, 2010, Bordeaux - The Wine Society‏

A while ago, I reviewed six summer rosés - and although there has not been much summery weather recently, a bit of unexpected sunshine today is the perfect excuse to try this Bel Air Perponcher Reserve rosé from The Wine Society.

I reviewed the Perponcher Reserve white not long ago as part of a review for the Good Food Would Choose Bordeaux campaign, and thought it very good indeed. In fact, every wine I have had from The Wine Society has been impressive.

And the good news is that this is no exception; pale salmon-pink in the glass, there is a ripe stone fruit, watermelon and a touch of aromatic spiciness on the nose.

Long and mouthfilling on the palate, there is lovely, rounded acidity, watermelon, peach and nectarine fruit and a good depth of flavour, with a touch of thick-skinned toasty-yeastiness and a persistent, savoury and mineral finish.

Well-made and balanced, it is a lovely, food friendly wine. Sealed under screwcap, it's suitable for picnics and would match well with cooked meats, hard cheeses, quiche and salad. And if there's any left-overs, it continues to improve with a bit of air.

And for indoor drinking, try matching with matching with lightly cooked pink fish, such as salmon, trout or tuna, or a starter or mozzarella, basil and tomatoes.

£8,50 from The Wine Society; provided for review.

The 2010 is now out of stock, but the 2011 is available.

Links

The Wine Society - http://www.thewinesociety.com/
Good Food Would Choose Bordeaux - http://www.goodfoodwouldchoosebordeaux.com/