Majestic, Parcel Series, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, USA

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Majestic, Parcel Series, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, USA

Majestic, Parcel Series, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, USA

I am a big fan of majestics parcel series wines and this Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley is a classic example why. For this particular wine it’s best to leave its open up so decant beforehand. Initially the aromas and flavors were quite lacking when we tried it on the second day it opened up there was a huge difference, much much better.

There are aromas and flavours plum and black fruits with some vanilla, and chuck of spice which adds to the dry smooth finish which on day 2 was a decent length. Its one of the better Cabernet Sauvignons out there, from anywhere. At £25 a bottle on a single bottle price it’s expensive but on a mix 6 it comes to a very reasonable £16.

Château Bonnet, Vieilles Vignes Chénas, 2017, Beaujolais, France

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Get a good Beaujolais because otherwise you are likely to be put off for years as it was in my case, this one from Château Bonnet is decent and a good one to start with.

Light, smooth and dry are 3 words i would start with to describe this wine. There are aromas and flavours of red fruits such as raspberry and cherry and also of plum and blueberry with a bit of pepper in there. Its not a complex wine but is very pleasant and easy drinking which is what a lot of consumers want. It reminds me of Australian wines 15 or 20 years a go when they had got it right, right what the consumer liked and wanted. Its just a shame that it costs about £18 a bottle.

Pair with pasta and lighter meat dishes, such as chicken.

Château Bonnet, Vieilles Vignes Chénas, 2017, Beaujolais, France

Château Bonnet, Vieilles Vignes Chénas, 2017, Beaujolais, France

Morrisons, The Best Priorate, 2016, Spain

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Morrisons and the other supermarkets can do some excellent drink now wines, Morrisons ports have won gold and silver medals at Decanter. This Priorat is bold, dry and pretty smooth with well integrated tannins. Aromas of blackberry, chocolate and herbs and flavours of cherry, plum with a bit of raspberry.

Its not the greatest red Priorat but that said for £10 its very good, solid bronze medalist in my humble opinion.

Morrisons, The Best Priorate, 2016, Spain

Morrisons, The Best Priorate, 2016, Spain

 

Kelly Washington, Sauvignon Blanc, 2017 Marlborough, New Zealand

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Kelly Washington have produced this organic Sauvignon Blanc in Marlborough, New Zealand and its very good, nee excellent. Decanter gave it 92 points which is spot on, its a fresh youthful looking pale lemon in colour with plenty of sparkle. There are aromas of flint, lime, honey and a bit of smokiness in there, subtle. its not your typical sauvignon blanc from New Zealand but more french. You get flavours of gooseberry but the citrus notes and mineral freshness are what you pick up on more and its delightful.

We went to the Smokehouse in Maldon, Essex as their food is amazing and they allow BYO so the £20 a bottle retail made it worth the money, sure its not cheap but its worth it.

Kelly Washington, Sauvignon Blanc, 2017 Marlborough, New Zealand

Kelly Washington, Sauvignon Blanc, 2017 Marlborough, New Zealand

 

Domaine Huet, Vouvray Petillant, 2014, Loire Valley, France

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Domaine Huet know how to make a great Loire Cremant. At £30 a bottle it should be great, is it?

Made with Chenin Blanc this has lots of small bubbles and subtle aromas of lemon and blossom with pear in there. These feed into the taste with hints of green apple and a bit pineapple in the background. Its classy i’ll give it that. £30 is a little steep though.

Domaine Huet, Vouvray Petillant, 2014, Loire Valley, France

Domaine Huet, Vouvray Petillant, 2014, Loire Valley, France

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