Oaked Sauvignon Tasting

A tasting of oaked Sauvignons organised by Richard Bampfield MW, Jean-Christophe Mau and Chris Kissack at 67 Pall Mall

Sauvignon Blanc is currently the UK's favourite white grape; zingy, crisp and aromatic, it is a characterful antidote to oaky 90s chardie - if a bit of a one-trick pony.

So what happens when you give it a bit of deft oaking, lees-stirring and age?

Master of Wine Richard Bampfield invited me to find out at 67 Pall Mall.

Loire

Cailbourdin Pouilly-Fume Triptyque 2008 ripe, opulent and complex with orchard fruit. Good.

Masson-Blondelet Pouilly-Fume Cullus 2002 some aged funk on the nose, but pure orchard fruits on the palate. Complex, mellow and adept. Good.

Bordeaux

Ch Brown 2009 pure, fresh, elegant and poised with a mellow harmoniousness. Good.

Smith-Haut-Lafitte 2012 floral and aromatic; opulent, substantial and fullsome with a rich, leesy-creamy nuttiness.

Chateau d'Yquem, Y d'Yquem

- 2012 apricot and quince, supple elegant and very long; incredibly harmonious and balanced; adept and assured. Very Good Indeed.

- 2006 even richer, fuller and more complex than the '12; dried apricot, peach and tropical fruit, incredible persistence. Very Good Indeed - and then some.

As you might expect with an MW in charge of selection, these were all excellent wines - with an old-school elegant, adept complexity.

Other related articles
Bulgarian Masterclass

Reys Cambridge

A late lunch at Reys

Reys is Cambridge's newest eaterie; I couldn't make their opening night event so they invited me to bring the family along for a weekend late lunch.

Housed in a former pub-cum-pizzeria, the makeover that has resulted in Reys completes the transformation of Bene't St from back-end of nowhere to a dining destination in its own right; here you will now find a Jamie's, Cau, Pint Shop, Fitzbillies and Caffe Sicilia.

As befits its neighbourhood, Reys has the distinctiveness of an independent with the reliability of a small chain (the website states that although there is only the one restaurant for now, you never know).

Its signature dish is rotisserie chicken with bbq sauces and with a sensible price-quality-quantity ratio there's nothing here not to like.

A short but well thought-out food and drinks menu make choosing easy; friendly service and talking-point design make it a an enjoyable place to hang out with family or friends.

A welcome addition, then.

We ate:

- avocado on toast with chilli and coriander (*2)
- pulled chicken brioche bun with Asian slaw
- half flame rotisserie chicken with Reys bbq sauce

For the children:

- half a quarterly chicken with bbq sauce
- side of fries
- ice-cream

We drank:

- Coke
- Limonata, Aranciata
- Cider

The bill came to just shy of £60 and we found we didn't need to eat for the rest of the day.

We ate as guests of Reys.

Other related articles
Lunch at CAU Cambridge
Families and Friends Dinner at Fitzbillies, Cambridge
Viranel Tasting Dinner at Pint Shop

St Chinian Judging - The Results

The results of the St Chinian judging for Decanter - as presented by Winebird Helena Nicklin

Details of the results (in French): click this link to go to the results

Other related articles
Judging St Chinian Wines for Decanter

Casal de Ventozela Vinho Verde, 2014

A light, well-made and thoroughly enjoyable vinho verde from Majestic

Vinho Verde is Portugal's young "green wine" for early drinking; at its best, it is an easy sipper in summer in the garden or at other times of the year with friends or for an aperitif. Or if you just want something a little lighter and lower in alcohol.

Ripe citrus and orchard fruit with a touch of musky melonskin; sherberty, refreshing and technically flawless.

An easy-drinking aperitif, or match with seafood starters.

£9.99 from Majestic; provided for review.

Other related articles
Two Vinho Verde Wines for Summer
The Cambridge Tasting - Vinho Verde

CAVA London Experience‏

A cava tasting at 67 Pall Mall with the President of the CRDO del Cava, Pere Bonet, hosted by Ronan Sayburn MS

Low-priced supermarkets have a lot to answer for - when I think of cava, it is of cheap, generic fizz on deep discount at Christmas, sold to me with a distinctly East End accent: "And don' forgit the CAHvah; on'y [insert deep discount price here]".

Did I know cava is made by the traditional method of secondary fermentation in bottle? Albeit from non-champenois grapes?

Did I know there are vintage canvas, spending extended periods of time on the lees before disgorgement?

Did I know it has a cool-climate elegance, linearity and precision?

Well, yes and no. I knew some of this technically, but I never really thought of cava as a Champagne-alternative. I certainly didn't have the same enthusiasm for cava that I have for sherry or Champagne.

Until now.

A tasting of 20-odd cavas at 67 Pall Mall taught me this - cava is fresh and elegant with orchard fruit and citrus acidity. If it lacks the opulence of aged vintage Champagne, it is priced more competitively; choose wisely and you'll get Champagne quality for Prosecco money.

The only problem is cava's image - it's that rather blue-collar ad again.

Would I choose cava for my goddaughter's Christening or niece's wedding?

Let's put it his way; I wouldn't necessarily drink it with a whole meal, but I would happily order a bottle as a group aperitif or with canapés and be pleasantly surprised.

With an audience of mainly on-trade and high-end buyers, don't expect to see too many of these in your local supermarket any time soon.

But do be prepared to accept a sommelier's recommendation to try a cava at the start of your meal.

The wines

1. NV Freixenet Reserva Real, Brut (Freixenet)
2. NV The Wine Society Cava, Brut, Reserva (The Wine Society)
3. NV Segura Viudas, Gran Cuvée, Brut, Reserva (Bibendum)
4. 2012 Parxet Brut Reserva
5. 2012 Codorníu, Reina Ma Cristina, Blanc de Noir, Brut Reserva (Codorníu)
6. 2010 Parxet Titana Pansa Blanca Brut Reserva
7. 2010 Torello Brut Reserva “Special Edition”
8. 2006 Freixenet, Casa Sala Gran Reserva (Freixenet)
9. 2009 Gran Juve y Camps, Brut, Gran Reserva (Ehrmanns)
10. 2010 AA Migrin Brut Nature Gran Reserva
11. 2010 Vilarnau Gran Reserva Brut Nature (Gonzalez Byass)
12. 2008 Pedregosa Reserva de l’Hereu Brut Nature
13. 2009 Pares Balta, Blanca Cusine, Gran Reserva
14. 2009 Albert de Vilarnau, Gran Reserva (Gonzalez Byass)
15. 2009 Augustí Torelló Mata Gran Reserva Brut Nature Barrica
16. 2008 Gran Torello Brut Nature Gran Reserva
17. 2007 Gramona, III Lustros, Brut Nature, Gran Reserva (Fields, Morris & Verdin)
18. 2007 Mestres Visol Brut Nature Gran Reserva
19. 2006 Recaredo, Brut de Brut, Serral del Vell Estate, Brut Nature, Gran Reserva (Les Caves de Pyrene)
20. NV Marta, Passió Rosado Reserva Brut

Other related articles
Codorníu Cuvée Barcelona Brut
Vilarnau Brut Cava, NV

Modern Greek - Moi, Je M'en Fous

Three wines from Domaine Messenicolas, Greece - via The Greek Delicatessen

Roughly translating as a coarse Gallic shrug, Moi Je M'en Fous is a range of three wines from Domaine Messenicolas in Karditsa in central mainland Greece.

The wines are available in the UK via either The Greek Delicatessen, or if you are in Cambridge, The Olive Grove restaurant.

With edgy name and distinctive labels, you might think this is style over substance - but these wines have won numerous international awards and are definitely worth seeking out. 

White 100% Malagousia; fresh white peach and ripe, baked apple fruit sprinkled with sweet spice; flawlessly adept and rounded. Very Good 

Red 100% Limnionas fresh red-plum fruit notes with some pepperiness and a substantial minerality. Very Good. 

Rose 100% Muscat Hamburg; translucent pomegranate red. Musky red berry aromas and fresh, pure fruit. Long and precise. Very Good.

Match with salmon or prawns.

They retail for around £12; provided for review.

Other related articles
Greek Drama - The Final Act: Nico Lazaridi

Domäne Wachau - The Tour

A tour of Domäne Wachau with Kerstin Klamm

A special occasion took us back to Vienna for a short break; so we decided to accept Roman Horvath's invitation to travel up the Danube to the pretty village of Dürstein and a tour of Domäne Wachau.

Outsize bottles in the visitor centre

Domäne Wachau is a co-op with around 250 growers, but not all the wine is blended - soil profile of the single vineyard sites

The bottling line - strangely hypnotic

The Kellerschlössl - built by the monks in the 1600s when they ran out of room in the monastery

The vines

The Kellerschlössl ghost (part 1)

 

The Kellerschlössl (interior) - now used for weddings and functions

The cellar - with bottles back to 1947 (everything previously was consumed by the Russians during occupation)

1969 is an especially good vintage - the bottles are 70cl and feature a "halo, gifted by an angel"; humidity gets up to 100%, so wine labels (and other things) deteriorate very quickly

Austria's foreign minister conducted the post-war negotiations down here

The Kellerschlössl ghost (part 2)

The old telephone

Big butts - the best wines are fermented in 2-3 year-old oak

The cellars extend around 1km in total - and at this time of year, there is the gentle plop-plop of wine fermenting

Some experimental wines - three barrels of fortified Riesling (plus three of fortified rosé)

A trainee cellar-hand scraping crystals off the barrel

Other related articles
Terroir and Vintage in Austria's Wachau Valley with Domäne Wachau
Domäne Wachau Beerenauslese Terrassen 2008