Washington Hills Merlot 2008, Columbia Valley (£6.49 The Co-op) Overripe with rather hard baked blackberry character, concentrated but overdone, should have been picked earlier and made with less force. C(-) Powers Merlot 2006, Columbia Valley (£10.99 – £11.49 Handford Wines, Wines of the World, Bottle Apostle, Hennings Wines, Rodney Densem, […]
Monthly Archives: July 2010
Contea di Castiglione Barolo 2005, Piedmont, Italy (£9.99 Morrisons) Light and gentle, with a slightly cooked character to the plum, cherry and red berry fruit, hints of rose petal and rusty iron, and a fresh but chewy finish. B(-) Marco Porello Nebbiolo d’Alba 2008, Piedmont, Italy (£11-12 imported by Winetraders […]
Barolo, Nebbiolo d’Alba and Nebbiolo d’Adelaide Hills
Louis Moreau Chablis 2008, Burgundy, France (£9.99 Marks & Spencer) Has the lean, keen green apple backbone you expect of Chablis, along with a pleasant nutty character, but it lacks the substance to stand up to the structure. OK, but not fine. B(-) Louis Latour Mâcon-Lugny 2009, Burgundy, France (£8.99 […]
Chardonnay from France, Australia & New Zealand – and what ...
La Différence Viognier-Muscat 2009, IGP Pays d’Oc, France (£5.99 Tesco) Pure, fresh and honest wine, with the rich oily/peachy edge of Viognier combining with grapey freshness of Muscat to pleasing effect. B(+) Creyssels Languedoc-Picpoul de Pinet 2009, France (£7.75 Stone Vine & Sun) Richer than many Picpouls, with pear and […]
Languedoc whites plus a South-West interloper
Crossroads Syrah 2008, Hawkes Bay (£13.50 Mentzendorff) Has a fragrant, peppery roasted aroma, along with fresh blackcurrant, plum and raspberry fruit, but could use a little more body to live up to that fragrance. B Vidal Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2008, Hawkes Bay (£10.99 Waitrose, Halifax Wine Co, Trina’s Wines, www.nzhouseofwine.co.uk) […]
Six New Zealand Syrahs
First Drop Wines Bella Coppia Arneis 2009, Adelaide Hills, Australia (£12.99 from October 2010 New School Wines Ltd, The Secret Cellar, Cambridge Wine Merchants) Clean, fresh and zesty, combining fleshy pear fruit with crisp citrussy acidity and a slightly briny/savoury finish. B+ Zalze Bush Vine Chenin Blanc 2009, Western Cape, […]