Reichsrat von Buhl, Bone Dry Rosé it’s not what you might think of a German rose wine. It’s a beautiful dark rose colour with hints or orange, with slight aromas of strawberry and redcurrants and this follows through in the flavour with a little citrus undertone. It’s bone dry and it’s the finish makes this refreshing and slightly different to what you may expect.
At £15 a bottle it’s not cheap but very enjoyable.
Reichsrat von Buhl, Bone Dry Rosé, 2018, Pflaz, Germany
From Gerard Bertrand, this Château La Sauvageonne rose from the Côteaux du Languedoc is a staple Majestic shop rose. I can see why, its a beautiful colour, bronze, orange hints, its nice and light with a dry crisp finish.
There’s not a great deal of aroma or taste for that matter, everything is subtle. Maybe that’s the strength of this wine?. There’s strawberry, rose petal and redcurrant with a bit of vanilla and I did like this wine very much, I think I had a faulty bottle as the level dropped very quickly in the bottle, could have been evaporation!. At £17 a single bottle is way over priced, at £11 a bottle on a mix 6 basis its expensive but no one who drinks it will complain.
Château La Sauvageonne, Rosé 2018, Côteaux du Languedoc, France
Sitting in the Languedoc Roussillon in the south of France this blend of Mourvedre, Syrah and Grenache Noir is typical of the area and Château Saint Martin de la Garrigue make a very good job of blending.
Dry, bold and a good chunk of tannins makes this like many other reds from the Languedoc. There’s a fair bit going on here, spice, leather, plum and black fruits on the nose with underlying tobacco and oak notes, these following in the taste with prunes, chocolate hints and herbs. The tannins are a little much for me, if you have it with food, such as beef than you won’t notice the tannins. At £12 a bottle it’s great value.
Château Saint Martin de la Garrigue, Grès de Montpellier, 2012, France
Made from local Chenin grapes from the Coteaux du Layon, Chaume area, this Premier Cru from Château de Plaisance is excellent, read on if you want, but this is excellent.
A lightish, medium wine with a fantastic dark orange colour this has aromas and flavours of citrus pineapple, lime, mango, apricot and an underlying honey note that has hints of orange, not so much rich in flavour or texture but nicely balanced. I’m tempted to say drink on its own but it went well with fresh fruit and the cheese board at the end of the meal.
At £20 a bottle is on the nose for value and has a long shelf life, we probably drank ours 5 or 6 years to early but is was wonderful.
Château de Plaisance, Coteaux du Layon, Premier Cru Chaume, France
Purchase on holiday when we visit the Loire Valley, this Sparkling wine is made with 100% Chenin and in the traditional method. Thats the plus points.
Its far more acidic and green than I remember it on holiday, lots of citrus and green apple in there but it was too much on its own, with a bit of smoked salmon it was better. Its not undrinkable but compared to the Luxembourg Sparkling we had first it was no where near that in quality.
At Eur6 a bottle its best left or make it the 3rd or 4th bottle to open at a party.
la Prevote, Touraine, Brut, Loire Valley, France
Buy it. That could be the quickest review ever! Schloss Johannisbery is a top producer and this Silberlack Riesling is wonderful, from the mid golden colour to the aromas of apricot, peach, pear and floral notes on the nose that have hints of smokeyness. There are flavours peach, lemon, a little green apple with honey and a bit of spice. Its concentrated with a clean mineral taste that is long lasting and refreshing.
At £35 a bottle its not cheap but worth every penny.
Schloss Johannisberg, Silberlack, Riesling, Trocken, 2016, Germany
There’s a fair bit of wine that comes out of Brunello, some good and some great, like this offering from Il Poggione. This is a rich Sangiovese wine but the aromas are quite subtle, some red fruit and spice but the flavours is where you get mountains of red fruits, cherry and violets. You get spice, meaty flavours with an earthy tone all in balance.
At £45 a bottle its not cheap and although excellent I would find it hard to recommend someone buying this when there are cheaper wines that deliver 90% of this wine.
Brunello di Montalcino, Il Poggione, 2010, Italy
Mission Hill in the Okanagan Valley, Canada is a premium winery by any standard and this Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is a classy wine. Its not a full on, ball breaking Cab Sauv though.
At 9 years old this has aged well, the aromas and flavours a restrained, more than subtle, like a rock climber scaling a cliff face and each hand or foot exactly where it should be. There’s pepper, herbal, blackcurrant and an underlying smokey note on the nose and additional sour cherry, plum and black olive with hints of an earthy undertone. Its a mid bodied wine, pretty smooth but with tannins in there and very dry. Its best drunk now as I can see the flavours and aromas weaken over time.
At £15 a bottle its good value
Mission Hill, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, 2011, Okanagan Valley, Canada
I love Languedoc rose wine, easy drinking and perfect for the summer and this is what this Calmel & Joseph, Ams Tram Gram, Ceres rose wine is like.
Made with 40% Mourvèdre, 30% Cinsault, 30% Grenache noir this is a wonderful pale pink in colour with light fruity notes of wild strawberry and pink grapefruit. Its a fresh, crisp wine with light flavours of grapefruit and raspberry with a hint lemon. Its acidic and dry but the freshness brings these into line.
Pair this with a chicken or prawn salad for the perfect summer lunch and at about Eur7 a bottle it won’t break the bank.
Case D’ Alto is an organic vineyard in Campania, Italy and makes DOCG wine. This guarantee level of quality is not always what its meant to be.
Its made with the Fiano grape and has decent straw coloured with floral notes on the nose and a fresh clean taste, slight minerality on the taste with flavours of pineapple, melon and grapefruit.
Its a decent wine but the silver medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards I think is a little generous.
Case D’ Alto, Eclissi Fiano di Avellino, DOCG, Campania, Italy