A silver medal winner at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2019 this Albarino from Pazo de San Mauro, Galicia in Spain is a great example of the grape and region.
You get apple and pear aromas with lemon, pineapple and hints of orange on the taste with a zesty, concentrated finish. Oh at £10 a bottle its very good value for money, naff said.
Pazo de San Mauro 2018 Albariño, Galicia, Spain
Bulgaria makes some very wines, lets get that straight and this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc is not bad at all, not outstanding though. There are aromas of black fruit and smokeyness with spice as you would expect. Its a reasonable purple colour, very dry and flavours of black fruit, spice and pretty smooth. there are tannins but they don’t suck your mouth dry. The problem I have with it is it should have been drunk a few years ago, everything finishes too early or its too light in the smell or flavour. My fault in reality.
At Eur15 a bottle its not cheap either, better 7 year old reds out there for that money.
Minkov Brothers, Oak Tree, 2013, Bulgaria
England produces alot rosé and some are light with little taste and some are full of flavour like this one from Chet and Waveney in Norfolk. Made from the Regent grape, this 2017 vintage has smells of strawberries, redcurrant and hints of cream soda, it’s delightful. Theres a lot of flavour in this and good flavours. On taste front you get what you smell with a bit of raspberry. Well balanced and very smooth this is an outstanding rosé from any country. With or without food this is wonderful. The Redwing line is the latest Regent which I think retails at about £12 a bottle and is very good value, one of my top 5 rosé wines.
Chet and Waveney, Regent, dry rosé, 2017, England
New Zealand has knack of doing SOME great Sauvignon Blanc and great Pinot Noir, but whats this “Falcon” Pinot Noir from Lake Chalice like?
Its light, dry and pretty smooth. You get aromas of cranberry and strawberry with redcurrant and vanilla. These feed into the taste with a little plum and cherry adding to it. All light and subtle with a beautiful smoothness that makes you want to savour this wine rather than gulp it. Its not that expensive at £15 a bottle, at the lower end of New Zealand pinot Noir and very good value.
Lake Chalice, Falcon, Pinot Noir, 2016, New Zealand
Clos des Cazaux is a well establish and well regarded vineyards in Gigondas in the Rhone Valley. Made with Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre from vines averaging 50 years old. This is a bold, dry red wine with strong tannins, black fruits, leather, pepper and oak notes on the nose with red cherry, smokeyness, cigar flavours and an earth undertone when tasted.
Pair with game, grilled meats and strong cheeses otherwise the wine will over power your food. At Eur35 a bottle is a bit pricey for what you get but its Eur20+ bottle certainly.
Le Clos des Cazaux, La Tour Sarrazine, 2014, Gigondas, Rhone Valley, France
Priorat is usually known for red wine so to find this white wine “blanco” from Morlanda was a treat. Made with White Garnacha its high in acidity, a pale yellow colour with faint aromas and flavours of grass, green apple and an underlying creaminess.
That’s the issue I have with the wine, its low in flavours and at £18 a bottle its very pricey. Eur9 in europe is a bit easy to swallow but there’s better wines out there even at that price.
Morlanda, Priorat, Blanco 2017, Spain
This Paddy Borthwick Pinot Noir is from Wairarapa on the south part of the north island of New Zealand. Light, smooth, dry and fabulous is how I can best describe this wine.
There are aromas of leather, cherry, redcurrant and strawberry with a oaky earthy notes in there. There are additional flavours of mushroom, plum, tobacco which are all in balance with each other, nothing too much poking through. This is a very enjoyable and very drinkable wine, recommend all year round with or without food. Cracking.
At £18 a bottle its good value for an excellent New Zealand Pinot Noir.
Paddy Borthwick, Pinot Noir, 2014, New Zealand
Burrowing Owl in the Okanagan Valley have a reputation of excellent wines and this Cab Franc underlines this.
Like many Cab Francs is dry, fairly acidic with a decent hit of tannins and a little jammy in taste.
This is a bold wine with aromas and flavours of blackberry, black cherry, plums and chocolate undernotes. Spice, tobacco, oak and earthy flavours make this an interesting wine, very good on its own, possibly excellent with food, esp lamb kebabs and BBQ ribs.
As with most canadian wines its not cheap at approx £30 a bottle.
Burrowing Owl, Cabernet Franc, 2012, Okanagan Valley, Canada
This Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere blend from Indomita in the Maipo Valley in Chile is a good example of what Chile can produce. Wine Snobs look away.
Its a deep purple colour with aromas of red and black fruits, redcurrant, blackcurrant, plum, cherries and leather. There are additional flavours of spice, vanilla and oaky notes. Its a dry, bold wine that has tannins but no enough to strip your mouth.
We had this with a big juicy steak and it went very well, cutting through the fat and giving that warm fuzzy feel, granted many wines give that warm fuzzy feel but steak is the perfect partner for this wine.
At £14 a bottle its about the right price, get it in a sale and it could be great value.
Indomita, Duette, Premium Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, 2017, Chile
Made with the Graciano grape rather than the usual Temperillo grape , this Rioja is pretty good, excellent I would say.
There a black fruit, chocolate and coffee aroma mix that is added to in the taste department with red fruit and oak notes. Its a full bodied, smooth with firm, but well intergrate tannins and is excellently pair with red meat or in front of the fire just being sipped.
At over £25 a bottle is not cheap but I think it is justified.
Altos R Pigeage, Graciano, 2014, Rioja, Spain