Author Archives: richardgore1200

Varga Pincészet, Aranymetszés Friss, Sauvignon Blanc, 2018, Hungary

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If all Hungarian Sauvignon Blanc was as great as this Aranymetszés Friss from Varga Pincészet I may never drink any other wine. Well not quite but this is AMAZING. Its a great easy drinking, medium style white wine with a lot of fresh peach, melon, lime, lemon and elderflower aromas and tastes with a bit of a sparkle in there. When its hot outside this is perfect. A bronze medal winner at the IWSC (a little stingy) the issue is getting it in the UK. There are better Sauvignon Blancs out there but this is a wine of a moment, a warm summers day, doing nothing.

Varga Pincészet, Aranymetszés Friss, Sauvignon Blanc, 2018, Hungary

Varga Pincészet, Aranymetszés Friss, Sauvignon Blanc, 2018, Hungary

Domaine Papillon-Lavoignat, Cremant Blanc de Blancs, Burgundy, France

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Majestic wine do have some crackers and this Cremant Blanc de Blancs from Domaine Papillon-Lavoignat in Burgundy shows off a cracker. Made in the traditional method with possible Aligote with Chardonnay. Its dry, fresh and fruit driven. delightful pale lemon it colour with pear, apple and lemon notes and creamy after note popping in there. Allow it to warm up a little to get the flavours as they are reasonable subtle. At £14 on a mix 6 at Majestic its a “spot on the money” excellent sparkling.

Domaine Papillon-Lavoignat, Cremant Blanc de Blancs, Burgundy, France

Domaine Papillon-Lavoignat, Cremant Blanc de Blancs, Burgundy, France

 

Chapel Down, Bacchus Sparkling, 2019, England

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Chapel Down make approx 1 million bottle of wine a year and this offering of sparkling Bacchus shows that a big(ish) UK wine maker can make decent wine.

With this dry white wine you get aromas and flavours of gooseberry, elderflower, pineapple and citrus with an undertone of grapefruit nodding its way through. Sure there are places like Hambledon or Camel Valley that make better but they also cost more and at £18 a bottle this is great alternative.

Chapel Down, Bacchus Sparkling, 2019, England

Chapel Down, Bacchus Sparkling, 2019, England

 

Château Mancèdre, Pessac-Léognan, 2012, Bordeaux, France

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I have been drinking a lot of Bordeaux reds recently and you get the same style, big and red but different qualities and this Château Mancèdre from Pessac-Léognan south of Bordeaux is a good example a well made wine from the region. This wine was not great when opened but give it a few hours to open up and the aromas and flavours come out nicely.

This is a bold, tannic and very dry red wine, you can feel the heat of the sun ripening the grapes in the glass. There’s a lot of oak still showing through even after 8 years with smells of leather, tobacco and black fruits. Flavours of black cherry, cloves with under notes of vanilla and redcurrant. At £20 a bottle its not cheap and possibly a little overpriced but thats Bordeaux for you. Drink it with a beef or a tomato pasta dish and sip rather than gulp is my suggestion.

Château Mancèdre, Pessac-Léognan, 2012, Bordeaux, France

Château Mancèdre, Pessac-Léognan, 2012, Bordeaux, France

Château Guiraud, Bordeaux Blanc Sec, 2019, Bordeaux, France

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I’ve not had many dry white Bordeaux wines and this one from Château Guiraud was tasted by me and 3 other, all socially distancing in the garden, on a warm Sept evening.

There’s aromas of smoke and hints of minerals and citrus, on the taste front you get notes of gooseberry and citrus and a big wack of grapefruit. Its this grapefruit that we had an issue with which over powered the other elements. The colour is a lovely lively lemon and the length is good and its a bit heavier in the texture than most white wine, which is good but its too unbalanced.

We had it with a few spring rolls but I think a creamy pasta dish or fish with lemon and herbs would be needed to make this worth drinking. At £16 a bottle is a bit pricey and there are better Bordeaux whites out there I was told.

hâteau Guiraud, Bordeaux Blanc Sec, 2019, Bordeaux, France

hâteau Guiraud, Bordeaux Blanc Sec, 2019, Bordeaux, France

Campo Viejo, Winemaker’s Art, 2015, Rioja, Spain

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Campo Viejo from spain produces a lot of wine and this winemaker’s art got a solid bronze at the Decanter World Wine Awards in 2018. Its a very easy drinking red Rioja.

It’s got a nice deep red colour, just starting to age a little, but its 5 years old after all. the aromas are red fruit, cherry and hints of blackcurrant and a little earthiness. The taste is firm, good concentration of fruit, with notes of spice, vanilla and hints of tobacco and a cloves. There are medium tannins that are soft but balanced and decent length of flavour.

I enjoyed this and under £10 a bottle is good value.

Campo Viejo, Winemaker's Art, 2015, Rioja, Spain

Campo Viejo, Winemaker’s Art, 2015, Rioja, Spain

Domaine L’Argenteille, la Roche des Fees Terrasses Du Larzac, 2016, Languedoc, France

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A silver medalist at the Decanter world wine awards in 2018 this Domaine L’Argenteille, la Roche des Fees Terrasses Du Larzac red with 40% Syrah, 30% Mourvedre, 30% Cardigan and 10% Grenache is quite a mouthful.

Big hit of red cherry and redcurrant on the nose that follows through on the taste with a little spice. It’s very dry and pretty bold with a decent amount of finish. It’s the dry cherry finish that seems to take over. Have with food, pizza or meat dishes and its good or wait a day for it to open up and become smoother to have on its own. £12 a bottle it’s decent value.

Domaine de l'Argenteille, Terrasses du Larzac, 2016, Languedoc, France

Domaine de l’Argenteille, Terrasses du Larzac, 2016, Languedoc, France

Yali, Wild Swan, Merlot, 2018, Chile

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This Tali, Wild Swan Merlot from Chile is produced by I’ve been out that is a champion wildlife preservation and it is under £8 bottle from the co-op in the UK. It’s a pretty typical supermarket Merlot lots of fruit, plum, cherry and redcurrant with notes of blackberry and minerals. You can taste the heat of the Central Valley in the fruit. Low to medium tannins and reasonably dry. It’s easy drinking and cheap which sometimes what you need.

Yali, Wild Swan, Merlot, 2018, Chile

Yali, Wild Swan, Merlot, 2018, Chile

Domains Du Sacre Coeur, Alsace, France

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Shiny lemon is best described the color sparkling in the light. The aromas are of petroleum but but with a smokiness and flint note. Dry on the taste with grass, green apple and hints of citrus. There’s acidity but it’s subtle. Get past the smell and it’s a good wine.

Domains Du Sacre Coeur, Alsace, France

Domains Du Sacre Coeur, Alsace, France

Chateau De Fesles, rosé d’Anjou, La Capelle, 2018, Loire, France

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Deep strawberry color with an orange note this is quite an aromic wine with notes of strawberry, redcurrant, orange and hints of grass which feed into the taste. It’s a sweeter wine on the taste buds but it’s quite dry and acidic. It’s a bigger rose wine in some ways, heavier and more complex than you may think, it’s not a drink and guzzle wine, more a sit and sip with food. A wine for cheese and biscuits certainly.

At about £12 a bottle it’s reasonable value for something that is a bit different.