Ogio Pinot Grigio 2011, Umbria‏, Italy - Tesco

Is Pinot Grigio still on the way up - or the way out. Does anyone care ?

Pleasant enough when well made, that it will fall out of favour is as sure as that it's currently overly-popular as the pub white of choice.

I actually rather like Pinot Grigio in general - when well-made, it has a thrilling acidity and racy minerality; it's just that it lacks the versatility to become a broadly classic or benchmark wine.

This Ogio Pinot Grigio is a pleasant quaffer with ripe orchard and melon fruit - the acidity is pleasantly citrussy and it is a distinctly easy-drinker,.

If it rather lacks depth or complexity, it at least goes down very nicely - nothing not to like here.

Match with the lightest of foods, or those needing a thirst-quenching accompaniment - garlic crostini with olive oil, soft white cheese or grilled plaice.

This bottle was given as a gift; it retails at Tesco for £9.99, apparently - which seems rather steep.

Other related articles
The Spectacular Summer Entertaining Case from Tesco
The Co-operative Premium Marlborough Pinot Grigio 2011, New Zealand

Links

Tesco Wine - website, twitter
Ogio - www.ogiowines.co.uk

Two Wines from Fine Wines Direct

I was recently sent two wines by Fine Wines Direct UK for review; I'd never heard of them before and there was no information included with the wines - even the back labels revealed precious little, but a bit of Internet research allowed me to add at least prices and some other background information.

Hopefully, the quality of the wines would speak for itself.

Baron de Plain-Point, 2009 VdF (£13.99)‏

Scant information on the label - just the year, the humble VdF tag, 13% alcohol and the location of the producer in Saint Aignan.

A quick check on the website tells me the winery is based in Bordeaux but the wine is a blend of old-vine Gros Manseng from Jurançon plus a selection of Sauvignons grown on the property which is then aged for 12 months on the lees in 600l vats.

It is a straw yellow in the glass; on the nose there is a mix of orchard fruit, quince and medlar, toasty thick-skinned yeastiness and a touch of oakiness.

On the palate, there is sweet ripe, slightly oxidative, apple and pear fruit, good mouthwatering linear acidity, toasty oakiness and savoury depth.

The palate is long and balanced with good persistence on the finish. There is a pleasant cidery rasp to the acidity that cuts through the sweetness of the fruit, almost a sherry tang.

A good food wine that improves with a bit of air; rather old school, which I like.

Match with simple but hearty dishes such as roast pork or chicken pie.

M de Plain-Point, 2006 Bordeaux (£12.49)

A deep cherry red in the glass, on the nose there are complex aromas of mushroomy woodsiness, old leather, bramble fruit and coffee grounds.

On the palate, there is more woodsiness, some cigar box, prune and bramble fruit and good, food friendly acidity.

The tannins are very gentle and quite mellow - the finish is more persistent than grippy and there is a slight rasp to the acidity.

It is very much a food wine - not just in having the acidity and tannins to match to food, but being transformed by the food.

We pair it, rather ambitiously, with tafelspitz - Austrian boiled beef served with salty matchstick chips, apple and horseradish sauce and sour cream with chives. It works; the mellowness of the wine matches the slow-cooked beef whilst the acidity cuts through the sauces with no excess tannins to clash.

Other pairings would include well-cooked dark meats such as slow-roast pheasant or duck or a beef stew.

Overall, I am very impressed by these wines that rather elude easy pigeon-holing - both have the mellowness and complexity of age and, yes, a price tag to match.

So they are wine geeks' wines - subtle, complex and sophisticated. Yet neither has a flashy label or appellation or anything particularly eye-catching to announce their superiority; they would need to be hand sold and recommended by word-of-mouth.

£13 for an aged Vin de France or a humble Bordeaux ? Take my word for it - it will be money well spent.

Other related articles
Rousseau de Sipian 2005
Affordable Right-Bank Bordeaux

Links

Fine Wines Direct - http://finewinesdirectuk.com/

South West France Wines Christmas Masterclass

Christmas season started earlier this week with The Wine Gang's Christmas lunch and matching wines from South West France at Comptoir Gascon.

A few months ago, I had heard the Gang's Anthony Rose talking through the region, its grapes and terroirs in depth. This time it was Tom Cannavan's turn to match some of their favourite SW France Wines to traditional Christmas dishes as interpreted by sister restaurant Cellar Gascon's Michelin-starred chef.

Tom started with a brief overview of the region in which they key theme was diversity; situated in the bottom-left quarter of France, it covers around 1/6th of the country's land mass and climatic influences are fourfold:

- the Atlantic on the west
- the Pyrenees to the south
- a Continental climate in the middle
- and the Mediterranean to the east

Each broad sub-region has its own set of grapes - some more familiar than others - whose names, Tom explained, are often appropriately descriptive: Fer Servadou has a wild, feral character; Arrufiac is something of a ruffian; Tannat is tannic and Duras has a certain toughness (dur in French)

Key statistics are that roughly 50% of output is PGI (the old VdP), whilst 25% is PDO (formerly AOC) whilst 25% has no geographic indication, meaning it is blended with wines from other regions into Vin de France.

Perhaps surprisingly for such a southerly region, 53% of output is white, 9% rose and just 38% is red - however, one has to bear in mind the cooling Atlantic influence and effect of altitude in the Pyrenees.

For each course, I tried the wines alone initially and then with food.

We started with two wines to match smoked salmon with toast - the toast itself was wafer thin rustic white bread toasted and season with olive oil, whilst the salmon was pink, fat and juicy.

St Mont, Vignoble de Gascogne 2011 (Marks & Spencer, £7.99) a blend of local grapes this was herbaceous, aromatic and zesty on the nose, with ripe citrus fruit and leesiness on the palate. Modern and cool in style, it worked very well as an aperitif but felt overpowered a little by the food.

Le Passe Authentique, Plaimon Producteurs 2010 (Waitrose, £8.99) a similar blend, with an extra year's ageing, older vines and battonage, this had less of the aromatic expression, but more depth and a sense of structural underpinning which proved a better match with the richness of the food.

Next was a Basque pate on Toast which had a meaty rusticity with some spice and sweet peppers; on this occasion, the toast was sweet, buttery brioche.

This was matched to two Cotes de Gascogne wines, where the traditionally workhorse grapes of Colombard and Ugni Blanc dominate.

Domaine de Tariquet, Dernieres Grives 2010 (The Wine Society, £14.99) a varietal Petit Manseng with a rich nose of botrytis and marmalade, this is a lovely wine - sweetness cut through with fresh acidity and very elegant. This matched very well with the sweetness of the brioche.

Domaine de Pellehaut, Ampelomeryx 2010 (independents, £10.49) an equal blend of Ch, SB and the two Mansengs, this is oak fermented and aged for 9m in oak, 30% new. A complex, toasty, zesty nose, slightly sulphurous, good acidity, structure and persistence. The spiciness of the wine and persistence match the pate, the acidity cuts through, but it does not stand up well to the sweet brioche.

For a ballotine of Turkey and Chestnut, we moved to Fronton where the thin-skinned and mildew-prone Negrette dominates - most of the wine here is sold in the bars of nearby Toulouse.

Chateau Plaisance 2011 (Caves de Pyrene and others, £10.49) a rosé from 80% Negrette, 15% Gamay and 5% Syrah; organic and using wild yeasts, this is almost a natural wine. Salmon pink, with a slightly toasty nose; earthy, bone dry and savoury on the palate, great structure and depth, needs food and matches the succulent turkey meat perfectly, but not so well the sweetness of the chestnut.

Ch Montauriol, Mons Aureolus, Vignobles N Gelis 2009 (York Wines, POA) a blend of 50% Negrette, 25% Syrah and 25% Cab, this spends 12m in Allier oak; on the nose there are expressive aromas of sweet vanilla red forest fruit, with more cherry fruit and vanilla on the nose. A little underwhelming on its own, it works really well with the sweetness of the chestnuts and is transformed into a wonderful match.

The main course of roast beef was accompanied by a bread sauce and a red sauce of cranberries, port and kumquats.

These were matched with two hefty reds from Madiran, just south of Bordeaux where reds are mainly Tannat, whose name is taken to refer to its tannic nature which needs either years to soften or a fish tank-like process of micro-oxygenation.

Ch Arricau-Bordes, Plaimont Terroirs et Chateau 2009 (POA) even served decanted, this feels quite youthful. I am not convinced by the effects of micro-oxygenation - the tannins feels artificially softened and not in keeping with the rest of the wine. A bit like botox. A rustic and earthy nose with vanilla spice, sous bois and cigar box. Good acidity, sweet vanilla and bramble fruit with a grippy finish. It works well with the beef and red sauce, but not the bread sauce.

Ch Bouscasse, Veilles Vignes, Vignobles Brumont 2006 (Fortnum & Mason, POA) aged naturally in oak for 16m, this is 100% Tannat. There are the first hints of brick red in the glass, the nose is intense, elegant and herbaceous with muskiness and dark berry fruit. The palate is spicy, herbaceous and complex with good fruit, concentration and intensity. Lovely secondary aromas of woodsiness with grippy, slightly grainy tannins. A very impressive wine and works well with all the food.

It would not be Christmas without a Christmas pudding - and it is a brave choice to try and match to a table wine, rather than an aged brandy. It is even braver to attempt the match to a dry red. The pudding itself was delicious and light, and we all helped ourselves generously to the accompanying cream.

Domaine d'Escausses, Cuvee des Drilles 2011 (Caves de Pyrene, £9.99) with spicy, fruity aromas, fresh acidity and lots of dark elderberry fruit, this matched the character of the pudding and cut through, but lacked the sweetness to be a proper match.

Domaine Rotier, Renaissance 2008 (Vine Trail, £13.25) a varietal Loin de L'Oeil, this was a delicious, amber coloured beeswax and marmalade sticky, with some weightiness from oak-ageing. It had the sweetness and acidity to stand up to the pudding, but was not quite weighty or characterful enough.

I couldn't help wondering whether a sneaky splash of the dry red in the sweet white might do the trick - the rich, dark fruit and spiciness of one with the sweetness of the other.

That actually proved to be the case for almost all the food and wine pairings: between them, the two wines had the expression and body to match, but individually they struggled with the complexity of the dishes - often, the match of sweetness and bitterness with the weightiness of the food.

It is hard to surmise underlying reasons for these near-miss matches - the complexity of the food, limitations of the wines - but it is worth noting that the best match came from the most complex wine, the Bouscasse with the roast beef.

Recommended Wines

All the wines were good, I thought - even if I was again not convinced of the benefits of micro-oxygenation.

My top wines were:

- aperitif: St Mont, Vignoble de Gascogne 2011 for its aromatic freshness
- white: Domaine de Pellehaut, Ampelomeryx 2010 for its complexity
- red: Ch Bouscasse, Veilles Vignes, Vignobles Brumont 2006
- sticky: Domaine de Tariquet, Dernieres Grives 2010

Other related articles
South West France Wine With Anthony Rose
Joseph Barnes Wines (specialises in Languedoc, SW France and northern Spain)
Voyager Estates Dinner and Wine Matching at Vinoteca (next door to Comptoir Gascon)

Links

The Wine Gang - website, twitter
South West France Wines - website
Comptoir Gascon - website

Two Co-op Wines for Christmas

The Co-op, like most retailers, is gearing up for Christmas with special offers and discounts.

Here are two wines that they recommend for your Christmas Dinner and which are currently on special offer.

Charles de Cazanove Brut NV, Champagne (£31.99 reduced to £15.99 until December 4)

Champagne to start is always a good thing and no other fizz makes quite the same statement as Champagne.

This Charles Cazanove Brut NV is a pale golden yellow in the glass and initially quite neutral on the nose.

With air, some more toasty, yeasty aromas emerge and on the palate, there is ripe orchard fruit, good savouriness and persistence on the finish, pleasant mousse.

Pleasant, easy-drinking and well-made, this would work well as either an aperitif, with a light starter or even as a pick-me-up with Boxing Day leftovers.

Ch Le Bonnat, Graves, 2008 (£15.99 reduced to £9.99 until December 4)

A classic roast dinner demands a traditional wine and this red Bordeaux would be a good match for your main course.

Still relatively youthful at four years old, it is a translucent purple in the glass with just a touch of paleness around the rim.

There is spicy oak on the nose whilst the palate is ripe, soft and long with oaky vanilla spice, and some well-integrated grip.

Again, like the fizz, it is a nice easy-drinker.

My only complaint with these two wines would be that, however well made they are, they feel a little safe and lacking in individuality.

However, in a group setting with various branches of the family around the dinner table, that could well prove to be an advantage.

Links

The Co-op - website, twitter

Other related articles

Sainbury's Etienne Dumont Brut NV
Co-op Veuve Monnier NV
Waitrose Dourthe Reserve 2009 Montagne Saint-Emilion

Private Cellar Annual Tasting

When you have MW Nicola Arcedeckne-Butler buying your wine and name your company Private Cellar, it is only appropriate that you hold your annual tasting in the grandly gilded-and-wood-panelled surrounds of the Queen's Room and Parliament Chamber of the Middle Temple in the legal quarter of the City.

And besides, I've never met a lawyer who did not appreciate good wine.

Arriving early at the tasting, there was room to move around freely, but before long it was a bit like being at a student house party. Except that everyone was rather more smartly dressed.

With 34 wines on show, I decided I could get round all of them if I was quick enough, so my notes are all the briefer as a result.

Overall impressions were that quality is both high and consistent - as one would hope - with a focus on the traditional and modern classics.

The few older wines showed much better than the generally younger ones and the revelation of the evening was some very interesting South African wines from Springfontein.

I was less convinced by the Californian wines (but that is generally the case) and there was even a very good Burgundy for under £30.

The Champagnes were well-made and elegant, but lacked the yeasty rasp of food-friendliness I look for.

A general feature of almost all the whites was excellent acidic structure - rounded, prominent and mouthfilling.

Regional / varietal typicity was high - again as one would expect with an MW buying, which makes note-taking easier.

However, as a WSET Diploma friend once told me, a good rule-of-thumb is the more notes you scribble down, the better the wine; that certainly applies here. Anything especially worthy of note gets an additional Good, Very Good or Very Good Indeed.

Prices generally start at £8 per bottle with most somewhere in the teens.

Muscadet FildeFer, Sauvignon 2011 (£7.95) not sur lie but lemony, pleasant and light

Ugni Blanc / Colombard, Domaine Laguille 2011 (£7.95) herbaceous, crisp and zesty

Les Rafelieres Sauvignon Blanc IGP Val de Loire 2011 (£7.95) nettles and blackcurrant leaves on the nose and palate, flinty and mineral. Good.

Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon, Domaine Laguille, Cotes de Gascon 2010 (£7.95) musky, earthy and juicy - not so convinced by this one.

Merlot Maison Mayol 2009 (£8.25) more interesting, coffee aromas, sweet vanilla spice, red and bramble fruit, grippy

Pavillon du Chateau Beauchene, Cotes du Rhone 2011 (£8.95) earthy, spicy, soft texture, elderberry fruit and mintiness

Chateau de Sours Blanc, Bordeaux 2011 (£11.25) herbaceous and pure, with good acidity; thoughtful and precise.

Chateau de Sours Rouge, Bordeaux 2010 (£11.95) coffee grounds and mintiness, ripe juicy fruit, grippy

Reserve de Sours Sparkling Rose, Bordeaux NV (£13.95) traditional method fizz - crisp, fresh and elegant with soft red fruits; feels young.

Bordeaux Ets Jean-Pierre Moueix 2008 (£9.75) cigar box and pencil shavings, meaty with cool mint and bramble fruit; youthful and grippy (unoaked). Will age / needs decanting.

Chateaux Cap de Haut, Haut Medoc, 2007 (£14.95) lovely tobaccoey nose, good bramble fruit, mintiness, fresh acidity and tannins well-integrated (oaked)

Chateau St Brice Grand Cru St Emilion 2002 (£23.50) complex nose and palate, drinking very nicely now, still lively on the palate but harmonious and balanced. Very Good Indeed.

Chateau Haut Roc Blanquant GC St Emilion 2005 (£23.95) complex and minty; youthful compared to St Brice. Good.

Bourgogne Blanc Sorin Coquard (Cote d'Auxerre) 2010 (£11.45) lemony and toasty with sweet, creamy leesiness. Good.

Chablis, Limblin & Fils 2011 (£13.95) precise, rounded, zesty / pithy, great acidity and persistence. Good.

Macon Villages, Domaine de Bel Air 2009 (£11.95) Soft creamy texture, good fruit, nicely balanced.

Villa Serra, Caunes-Minervois 2010 (£12.50) juicy and spicy with cool mint; grippy finish.

Beaune 1er Cru Les Sceaux, Anne-Sophie Debavelaere 2009 (£20.75) red fruits, soft texture, nicely balanced and savoury

Gevrey Chambertin, Domaine Lucien Boillot 2009 (£29.62) fuller, softer, more complex; mouthfilling and elegant with ripe fruit and pleasant grip on the finish. Good.

Champagne Chauvet Brut Blanc de Noir NV (£23.50) gently pressed, this has weightiness without varietal Pinot character - crisp, elegant and light.

Champagne Chauvet Brut Reserve NV (£24.95) with a year more in bottle, this has more on the nose and feels more balanced.

Champagne Chauvet Rose NV (£24.95) crisp, fresh and persistent, it feels elegant and light.

Soave Gregoris, Antonio Fattori 2011 (£8.95) lemony with grapefruit and zest; crisp, precise acidity and rounded mouthfeel

Chianti Classico, Il Molino di Grace 2006 (£15.75) meaty, cherry fruit and spice, sweet vanilla; juicy and grippy, feeling harmonious but still youthful. Good - and good value for a wine of this pedigree and age.

Dolcetto d'Alba Rubis, Rocche Costamagna 2010 (£13.95) Ripe plummy fruit, soft texture, lots of grip.

Barolo Rocche Annunziata, Rocche Costamagna 2007 (£23.88) complex nose, cherry and liquorice, mintiness, long on the palate with good acidity and grip

McNaught & Walker Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Awatere Valley, Marlborough 2010 (£15.95) 7% new oak, unusual lychee aromas on the nose and palate; tropical fruit, precise acidity and mintiness

Terroir Selection Sauvignon Blanc, Springfontein 2010 (£13.95) made by a German in South Africa, these are more European in style - good acidity, leesy, full and creamy, persistent; technically impressive. Good.

Terroir Selection Chenin Blanc, Springfontein 2010 (£13.95) barrel-fermented with batonage; full and creamy on the palate with herby cress notes and good acidity

Terroir Selection Pinotage, Springfontein 2007 (£13.95) coffee grounds and ripe dark berry fruit, sweet vanilla and mocha

Joseph Phelps Freestone Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast 2010 (£165 for 6 IB) creamy, toasty with tropical melon fruit and ripe, sweet vanilla - feels simple and underwhelming

Joseph Phelps Freestone Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast 2009 (£165 for 6 IB) Burgundian nose, sweet red fruit on the palate; technically good, spoilt by too much sweet ripeness

Joseph Phelps Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (£170 for 6 IB) sweet ripe Big Red; it's perfectly OK.

Joseph Phelps Insignia, Napa Valley 2009 (£595 for 6 IB) sweet ripe fruit, complexity and spice, good muscular grip. Good. Just not good value.

Recommended Wines

My top wine of the night was the 2002 Saint Brice - a really lovely claret that is drinking beautifully now, but still has plenty of life left in it.

Chatting to Private Cellar director Laura Taylor at the end, she commented on how many people had also picked that as a favourite.

She also added that it will not be made any more as the domaine has been merged with another, so this is the last we shall see of it - sadly.

My ideal mixed case from Private Cellar, then, would also include:

- Les Rafelieres Sauvignon Blanc IGP Val de Loire 2011
- Chateau Haut Roc Blanquant GC St Emilion 2005
- Bourgogne Blanc Sorin Coquard (Cote d'Auxerre) 2010
- Chablis, Limblin & Fils 2011
- Gevrey Chambertin, Domaine Lucien Boillot 2009
- Chianti Classico, I'll Molino di Grace 2006
- Terroir Selection Sauvignon Blanc, Springfontein 2010

Links


Private Cellar - website, twitter, Facebook

Other related articles
Lawyers, Accounts and Wisdom

Troplong Mondot 1998

A Perfect Lunchtime - Fischer's Baslow Hall

There comes a time in every parent's life when you finally get to leave the kids with their grandparents for an extended period and have some time being adults again, rather than merely parents.

Last weekend, the start of half-term, we made the familiar drive up to my childhood home in Cheshire to make the drop-off.

Our route from Cambridge invariably takes us through the Peak District and, having made my adoptive home in a very flat part of the world, I always appreciate the change in scenery.

An earlier tweet to local Michelin-starred chef Mark Poynton of Alimentum had put me in touch with Darren Goodwin of Losehill House who was fully booked with a series of weddings, but recommended we try Fischer's Baslow Hall.

Set just back from the main A61 from Chesterfield to Buxton, I have lost count of the number of times I must have passed the place without it registering as potentially somewhere to visit - there is merely a slightly lurid green and turquoise sign by the road and a drive that leads up a hill, with no sight of the hotel and restaurant from the road.

We set off from my parents' Cheshire village mid-morning and followed a scenic and hilly route that took us through Pott Shrigley, up the Brickworks with its Victorian post box and along a winding route to Buxton.

From there, we headed down to the genteel surrounds of Ashford in the Water and skirted Chatsworth Estate before arriving at Fischer's in Baslow, sitting at the foot of the dramatic cliffs of Froggat Edge.

Opting for a Tio Pepe fino on arrival, choosing the Taste of Britain tasting menu was, for me, a no-brainer and Mrs CWB allowed herself to be persuaded, so the only decision left to be made was the wine.

I asked for a recommendation from the half bottles and we were advised that a Sancerre 2009 Lucien Crochet that I had already spotted would work best with most of the courses.

Built from Derbyshire stone, the feel of the interior of Fischer's is traditional and Old School with a touch of formality - I rather like it; it has none of the self-conscious knowing irony and painted-on quirkiness of the metropolitan style - even if perhaps, with hindsight, we were a little under-dressed in our designer casual.

The first course was a simple, classic consomme that belied the tone of the rest of the meal - a thimbleful of perfectly clear and delicious soup, the only touches were a garnish of finely chopped chives and two cheese gnocchi.

What remained consistent across the rest of the meal was the superb quality of everything and the sensible portion sizes that left us full but able to finish everything.

From here on, there were six courses of beautifully presented, dainty-yet-complex dishes that took traditional European ideas and blended them with some Pacific Rim influences to give intense flavours, varied textures and unexpected matches.

The Taste of Britain theme of the meal was perhaps the least convincing element - yes, there's nasturtium from Baslow Hall Gardens, hand-picked Cornish crab and wild Scottish venison, but it felt like it might have been better described as a quick trip around the world.

Having tucked into the breads - slices of brown, treacle-flavoured loaf and white pesto and tomato rolls, we were brought a tempura of partridge breast - the soft tender meat wrapped first in seaweed and then in crispy batter.

And if this were not complicated enough, it was also served with toasted nuts and grains and a pine-nut puree - in lesser hands this would have been a quirky idea that didn't quite work, but this was executed perfectly and felt seamless.

The wine also worked superbly  - mouthfilling and flinty, with prominent acidity, it cut through the food and felt like part of the meal.

The roast pumpkin mousse was served in three cylinders made from pumpkin flesh, with Berkswell custard and grated truffle with a sticky Pedro Ximenez sauce.

A crab and bloody Mary cannelloni was served with a savoury ice-cream, freshened up by lime and lemongrass snow.

Again, what could have descended into ostentatious cheffiness and over-complexity worked perfectly in practice as a result of deft execution.

The main was a saddle of venison - two neat little cubes of perfectly tender meat, seared on the outside and still pink in the middle that had even the well-done-loving Mrs CWB cooing with delight - and came with suitably charred aubergine puree and Norfolk cucumbers.

Pre-dessert was a white chocolate mousse with a refreshing lemon verbena sorbet, whilst the dessert itself of chocolate tree trunk with orange and chocolate mousse, lime and dark chocolate sorbet was declared by Mrs CWB to be "very rich".

This led me to observe that it really needed a brandy and an espresso to go with it, which earned me a look that said "You're driving - don't even think about it".

Instead, we made the short, steep drive up to Froggat and, hand-in-hand, strolled along the Edge where the clouds parted and the sun came out giving us a breathtaking view over the rugged, north Derbyshire countryside.

A perfect moment at the end of a wonderful lunch.

The Taste of Britain menu is available from Monday to Friday and costs £50 per person, or £90 with matching wines for those not driving.

Links

Fischer's Baslow Hall - website, twitter

Other related articles

The Box Tree, Ilkley, at 50 - written for Jancis Robinson's site
Dinner at L'Alembic
Dinner at Alimentum
Lunch at The The Three Horseshoes
Lunch at the Hotel du Vin

Wine of the Month - November (And a Wine to Drink Out)

On the cusp of autumn and winter, November is a month for warming spicy reds, maybe still with a bit of autumnal mellow fruitfulness.

Bright days after clear nights bring misty mornings with a watery sun hanging low in the sky, golden russet hues and the season for gamey dishes.

This month we have a good range of reds to cover all seasonal eventualities, plus a wine for drinking out with a brilliant food match.

Turi Pinot Noir, Chile, 2009, Bacchanalia (£7.99)

Originally from Burgundy, Pinot has made a second home for itself in Chile - this Turi Pinot Noir from the Central Valley which benefits from cooling sea breezes that favour the development of Pinot.

It is distinctly Burgundian on the nose with vegetal aromas, truffleyness and soft red fruits; there are more ripe juicy red fruits on the palate with savoury spiciness and mushroomy, farmyardy aromas.

The texture is soft and delicate - it feels elegant and pretty with a balanced, gentle finish.

Match with salmon, mushroomy pasta or lighter game dishes.

Rosso Del Palazzone VR, Cambridge Wine Merchants (£12.99)

From an estate in Montalcino, this non-vintage wine (a blend of several years) is made from the Sangiovese grape, known locally as Brunello.

It is reddish in the glass showing signs of age. On the nose there is red fruit and woodsy undergrowth.

The palate shows good ripe cherry and red fruit, aromas of undergrowth and some liquorice and spice; the acidity feels juicy and mouthwatering, soft, harmonious tannins and a savoury, persistent finish.

It feels very accomplished and well-made indeed, with the mellowness of a few years' age.

Jancis Robinson also rates this wine and made an earlier version her wine of the week, describing it as a baby Brunello di Montalcino at a fraction of the price ... with a hint of the warmth of this corner of south-eastern Tuscany - much lusher than the average Chianti - but without any excesses of oak or alcohol.

Chateaux Ollieux Romanis, 'Lo Petit Fantet d'Hyppolite' 2011, Joseph Barnes Wines (£10)

In France, Carignan is traditionally a southern workhorse grape, but old-vine examples can produce great results.

From Corbieres, this Carignan (mixed with a splash of Grenache and Syrah) is a deep cherry red in the glass. On the nose, there are aromas of cherry fruit and hints of green herbs, muskiness and spice.

The palate is warming and spicy with ripe, slightly cooked, damson and red and black cherry fruit, some aromatic notes, savouriness and a softly mouthfilling texture.

The acidity is juicy yet rounded and there is some gentle grip on the finish.

A very enjoyable easy-drinker with good acidity, match with hearty spiced dishes, such as darker game, salamis and herby sausages

Legaris Ribera del Duero 'Roble', Noel Young Wines (£9.99)

From Spain's Ribera del Duero, this young crianza (just three months in oak) is made from 100% tempranillo; dark inky purple in the glass, on the nose there is lots of dark berry fruit and oaky spice.

The palate is ripe with brambly fruit, sweet vanilla, full with soft tannins and juicy acidity with a peppery grippiness developing.

It feels quite up-front and youthful, but with air, some more secondary, truffley aromas develop.

Match with roast lamb or a beef stew.

Marichal Reserve Collection Tannat Canelones, 2011, Uruguay - Hotel du Vin (£6 / 125ml, £7.95 / 175ml)

This unusual Uruguayan red is made by boutique winery Marichal from hand-harvested Tannat; originally from France, Tannat is now Uruguay's most prominent grape.

A deep cherry red in the glass, there are aromas of dark berry fruit and spice on the nose.

The palate is soft-yet-full with ripe dark fruit, gentle tannins and good acidity; there is some complex dark chocolateyness, hints of liquorice and Christmassy spice with a persistent, savoury finish.

An elegant food wine, the hotel recommends matching this with their Monkfish Grand-mere, garnished with pearl onions, pancetta and wild mushrooms.

Recommended Wine

These are, as ever, all very good wines.

The most unusual is the Uruguayan Tannat from Hotel du Vin which is definitely worth trying for the dinner-party bragging rights alone.

But my recommended wine this month is the Turi Pinot Noir - a well-made, New World Burgundian-style Pinot with good balance and a soft texture for well under a tenner is quite special indeed.

Links

Bacchanalia - http://www.winegod.co.uk/
Cambridge Wine Merchants - http://www.cambridgewine.co.uk/
Joseph Barnes Wines - http://www.josephbarneswines.com/
Noel Young Wines - http://www.nywines.co.uk/
Hotel du Vin - http://www.hotelduvin.com/

Other related articles

More Wines of the Month
A sweet red Uruguayan Tannat at Hotel du Vin

Main image credit: http://thepetersoncollector.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/jims-notesmusings-from-pete-bog-1.html