Category Archives: Red wine – Europe

Fourth Wave Wine, Farm Hand, Organic, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2019, NSW, Australia

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I had never heard of Fourth Wave Wine or their Farm Hand, Organic, Cabernet Sauvignon but I certainly like it. You get a hit of blueberry and then blackberry on the nose with additional flavours of cherry and this is a very fruit driven, soft but very dry red wine. It’s not complicated, just well rounded and very easy drinking.

It only got a commended at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2020 which is stingy, bronze medal surely! At £9 a bottle it’s great value and worth a case any day.

Fourth Wave Wine, Farm Hand, Organic, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2019, NSW, Australia

Fourth Wave Wine, Farm Hand, Organic, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2019, NSW, Australia

Les Clos de la Seigneurie, Cabernet Franc, Loire, France

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The Loire valley produce some of the world’s greatest Cabernet Franc and this Les Clos de la Seigneurie, Cabernet Franc is half decent. Not amazing but worth drinking. It’s very dry and there’s aromas of cherry and redcurrant with flavours of sour cherry that seem to take over from the other red fruit that’s there, it’s just there other flavours are too subtle. It’s cheap Cabernet Franc that’s drinkable and easy going with food, in our case steak and ale pie with veg in front of the Christmas tree.

Les Clos de la Seigneurie, Cabernet Franc, Loire, France

Les Clos de la Seigneurie, Cabernet Franc, Loire, France

 

San Marzano, Vindoro Negroamaro, 2015, Italy

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Italian wine gets a lot of mixed press and this red from San Marzano shows why.

This is a bold, dry red wine which is smooth and fruity. There are aromas of plum, blackcurrant, tobacco and leather with jammy fruit flavours. Its here that the wine for fails for me. The flavours are overtaken by the jamminess and this masks what should be a complex and fine wine. As it is its an OK red for a party in an impressive bottle.

At £20 a bottle its over priced.

San Marzano, Vindoro Negroamaro, 2015, Italy

San Marzano, Vindoro Negroamaro, 2015, Italy

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

 

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

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

Cantine Leonardo da Vinci, Leonardo, Chianti Riserva, 2013, Italy

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Chianti, Chianti, Chianti, the more I drink of it the more I see the point and this one from Cantine Leonardo da Vinci is pretty reasonable. Its a typical dry red with a chuck of tannins and plenty of red fruit flavours, raspberry, strawberry, cherry with vanilla and oak notes that have decent length. The taste is more pronounced that the aromas which I thought let it down a bit but the dryness is more than the fruit which for me, I would prefer the other way round.

Its £11 a bottle and that’s decent value, no outstanding but not bad.

Cantine Leonardo da Vinci, Leonardo, Chianti Riserva, 2013, Italy

Cantine Leonardo da Vinci, Leonardo, Chianti Riserva, 2013, Italy