Vallée Blanche Malbec 2010, Pays d’Oc, France (£7.49 Majestic) Reasonable violet-scented plummy fruit and soft spice, but the muddy vanilla character from use of oak destroys the delicate flavours – think of someone with too much foundation… C+ Carmen Reserva Carmenère 2010, Colchagua, Chile (£9.49 Majestic) More of that clumsy […]
California
Stone Barn Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, California (£7.99 Bibendum, House of Fraser) A manufactured feel about this jammy black fruit, complete with pips, and a ripe but rather forced/baked finish. C- Delicato First Press Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Napa Valley, California (£17 Bibendum, Whole Foods) Oddly disjointed, with one side that shows […]