Author Archives: richardgore1200

Marks and Spencer’s Brut Cava, Prestige, Spain

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People poo poo Cava as a cheap sparkling wine. Yet a good Cava is just a good as champagne. Its made in the same method and has the same love and attention in the making, just with different grapes. In this case its made with local Macabeo and Parellada grapes, 25% Parellada, 75% Macabeo.

Its got green apple and lemon aromas which are joined with limes and stone fruit hints and finished with a light creaminess. Its high acidity makes it perfect to go with oysters and shellfish but I guess most people with drink it on its own, which is just fine.

At £10 a bottle its good value, get it on offer with £3 or £4 off and its great value.

Marks and Spencer's Brut Cava, Prestige, Spain

Marks and Spencer’s Brut Cava, Prestige, Spain

Lidl’s Winemaker’s Selection, Aerate Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand.

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Lidl do some great and interesting wines, they do some ropy wine as well.

Is this a good and bad sparkling wine? The plastic cap that you have to peel off is not a good start and I would urge Lidl to get rid of that idea. The wine on the other hand is a surprise. Its really half decent. A sparkling NZ Sauvignon Blanc with all the usual flavours of gooseberry, citrus and with high acidity. Its dry, refreshing and at £10 a bottle very good value.

Lidl's Winemaker's Selection, Aerate Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand.

Lidl’s Winemaker’s Selection, Aerate Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand.

Opi Malbec 2019, Mendoza, Argentina

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Malbec is normally, dry, bold and smooth. This is no different although both aromas and flavours are not quite as bold as I’ve had in the past. Its pretty smooth and and its dry. There are aromas of blackcurrant and an underlying dryness that makes this a sippable wine on its own or drinkable with food, bread and cheese is a good combination I found.

Flavours are black fruit as expected but they are not as expressive as I would have like. I like the dryness and smoothness. Its a good solid Malbec, just not fantastic. At £10 a bottle it is decent enough value.

I think the cat liked it!

Opi Malbec 2019, Mendoza, Argentina

Opi Malbec 2019, Mendoza, Argentina

 

Quinta dos Termos, Reserva do Patrão, Beira Interior 2016, Portugal

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You can get poor Portuguese wine, I can’t think I’ve actually drunk the bad stuff, yet. Is this the time ?

On the nose you get jammy black fruit with a little vanilla and spice. This is a full bodied wine with a decent amount of oak and ripe cherry, blackberry, some very nice fruit characters in there.
With or without food this is a very good wine. Fresh bread and a selection of cheeses made a great combination for this wine. A good old fashion steak and chips would be another great combination. At about £10 a bottle its good value.
Quinta dos Termos, Reserva do Patrão, Beira Interior 2016, Portugal

Quinta dos Termos, Reserva do Patrão, Beira Interior 2016, Portugal

Chateau Bonhamme, Mademoiselle, Languedoc-Roussillon, France.

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Made with Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and Cinsault this red from the Minervois area has exactly what you expect, Aromas and flavours of sour cherries, red fruit and oak, with spice undertones, It has balanced fruit and dryness, have it on its own or with food but have it over a few nights so you can enjoy it.

Chateau Bonhamme, Mademoiselle, Languedoc-Roussillon, France

Chateau Bonhamme, Mademoiselle, Languedoc-Roussillon, France

Brash, Chardonnay 2017, Margaret River, Australia

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Its a bolder Chardonnay than some people will like. There’s aromas of ripe tropical fruit, lemon and oak, its quite heady. There are flavours of stone fruit and a creaminess but its a heavy Chardonnay, eps with the oak notes. The finish is pretty long but that’s not a big positive.

In some ways this is an Australian Chardonnay that so many people expect. I would have liked more subtle flavours and lots less oak. Maybe if we had left it for a few more years it would have got better?

At £15 a bottle there are better out there.

Brash, Chardonnay 2017, Margaret River, Australia

Brash, Chardonnay 2017, Margaret River, Australia

 

Mohua, Pinot Noir 2015, Central Otago, New Zealand

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First they did excellent Sav Blanc and now New Zealand do excellent Point Noir.

With notes on the nose of flora, roasted peppers and cherries with undertones of pepper and coco you get a sense that this is a fine Pinot Noir. Flavours are lighter than the aromas, red fruit and oak come through with a fair bit of acidity. The tannins are smooth and this makes it very enjoyable.

I would have liked to try it with food, chicken or beef but on its own its lovely. The only downside is the £20 price tag per bottle. Its the price you pay for New Zealand Pinot Noir but it will put many people off.

Mohua, Pinot Noir 2015, Central Otago, New Zealand

Mohua, Pinot Noir 2015, Central Otago, New Zealand

Signé Bourgogne Montagny, Burgundy, France

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Burgundy Cru’s are excellent. You can also get excellent lower tier wines.

This little number has many excellent points, its light with lemon and minerality on the nose, it has subtle flavours of apple, vanilla, honey, citrus, its crisp, acidic and refreshing. It went very nicely with smoked salmon and cream cheese. At under £10 a bottle its very good value.

Signé Bourgogne Montagny, Burgundy, France

Signé Bourgogne Montagny, Burgundy, France

Clocktower, Pinot Noir 2015, New Zealand

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Light red fruit on the aromas and a browning of the colour points to this being a bit over it. 2015 Pinot Noir should have been fine but in reality this should have been drunk by year 2 or 3. There’s a fair bit of cherry, redcurrant, raspberry bit its very light. You get hints of coffee and coco but you have to really think about it.

It got a Commended at the Decanter Wine Wine Awards in 2017, which I would say was right for now but possibly a bronze back in 2017.

Clocktower, Pinot Noir 2015, New Zealand

Clocktower, Pinot Noir 2015, New Zealand

Chateau Ningxia Saint Louis Ding, Farsight, Merlot 2013, China

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Chinese wine is not rubbish. Said it, drunk it and really liked it.

Ribena is what you smell, concentrated and with sweet tannins. Flavour is much less than the aroma, you get a little blackcurrant, but lots of dryness. Normally I would say this was simple and one dimensional. A cheap wine that’s best as the last bottle of a party BUT the length is reasonable and the smell is great and given that its 7 years old its OK.

This would have best at 4 years ago when it would have been vibrant in colour and just fruity. If the chinese can do this in the few years they have been producing then in 10 years time the french had better watch out.

Chateau Ningxia Saint Louis Ding, Farsight, Merlot 2013, China

Chateau Ningxia Saint Louis Ding, Farsight, Merlot 2013, China