El Patito Feo Graciano Roble 2009, Navarra, Spain (£8.99 Virgin Wines) Slightly boisterous youngster at the present, but calms down to show pure, plush blueberry and blackberry flesh, a fresher raspberry edge, notes of clove and new leather, and a warm dusty finish. B+ Tesco Finest* Viña Mara Rioja Reserva, […]
Red Wine
Casillero del Diablo Merlot 2010, Rapel, Chile (£6-£8 widely available) Quite a flashy, fleshy style, with rich ripe blackcurrant and blackberry plus touches of vanilla, but there’s also a more restrained leafy, cedary edge to add some freshness. B+ Groote Post Merlot 2010, Darling, South Africa (£11-13 Francis Fine Wines, […]
Wine Tasting Video: Merlot & Malbec from the southern hemisphere
Prestige de Calvet Bordeaux Rouge Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 (£10-50-£11 Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons) Quite simple, but has a friendly roundness, with juicy crunchy plum, blackcurrant and blueberry flesh and a touch of toffee. But a daft price. C+ Château Brassac Bordeaux Supérieur 2009 (£11.99 selected Co-operative stores) A year older, but […]
Wine Tasting Video: Merlot-based reds from Bulgaria & Bordeaux
Welcome back after the summer break – did a bit of filming over the holidays, so while it’s all busy busy busy on the tasting calendar, you’ll be seeing several new videos up here in the near future. I did post a video on YouTube while I was on holiday […]
Wine Tasting Video: Italian reds – Teroldego, Montepulciano & Nero ...
Tesco Finest* Gigondas 2008 (£13.29 Tesco) Good mix of fresh berry, bramble and plum with a more developed fruit-cake-y raisin edge, a ripe yet fresh bear hug of a wine with a herby tang to the finish. S- Also tried the 2009 at the recent Tesco press tasting, similar in […]
Wine Tasting Video: Gigondas & Vacqueyras
Panamera Cuvée Napa 2007, Napa Valley, California (N/A in the UK) OK dark deep baked berry, but overdone smoky bacon oak, which lingers when the fruit has begun to fade, ripe but overblown and clumsy, with nothing in the way of freshness. C- First Drop ‘Mother’s Ruin’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, […]