Chapel Down, Union Red, 2014, England
English red wine was a standing joke at one stage and it was not undeserved, but this Union Red by Chapel Down proves that a cheap English Wine can be good, even at 10 years old! Made with Pinot Noir, Rondo and Dornfelder, it’s dry, light but with decent flavours of cherry, violets and just a touch of oak poking through. The length is good and its still fresh, although the colour is fading. What do you expect after 10 years.
Wildekrans, Barrel Select Reserve, Pinotage, 2014, South Africa
This is the best Pinotage i have tasted, Wildekrans, Barrel Select Reserve, 2014 is stunning. Purchased during a trip to the vineyard in 2017 its a dry red with well integrated tannins, incredible smooth and luxurious in the month. Red and black fruit flavours with oak and vanilla notes, a little spice and overall softness made it a wine to sip over a few evenings, which is rare in our household. At £25 a bottle in 2017 I wish I had brought more home.
The vineyard also did a honey and wine tasting, a wonderful experience.
Amisfield, Pinot Noir, Central Otago, 2014, New Zealand
New Zealand Pinot Noir has a very good reputation and this 2014 from Amisfield shows why. There’s plenty of red and black fruit aromas and flavours with cherry being dominant but there are notes of chocolate, leather, coffee and an under lying earthiness to it all. Dry, smooth and quite light this is great on its own or with food, we had it with turkey and thought it paired very well.at £40 a bottle it’s not cheap.
Domaine Rochou, Les Chateliers, 2014, Loire, France
Another great red wine from the Loire this Domaine Rochou, Les Chateliers shows French wine at its best. It’s not particularly complex or out of this world but it’s very good all round with good length, plenty of black fruit, blackcurrant, plum and hints of blueberry. There’s oak, leather, earthiness and smoothness which makes this a red wine that you want to drink with or without food. At about £15 a bottle it’s excellent value.
Agrelo, Gran Enemigo, Cab Franc, 2014, Argentina
You don’t see as much Cabernet Franc as you should given how amazing this grape is and this Agrelo, Gran Enemigo from Argentina is flipping brilliant. Its dry, smooth, good tannins which are well integrated with plenty of red and black fruit flavours that last so long. There’s oak and earthiness that balance just so beautifully.
Its not cheap but for special occasions just perfect. We had it with slow cooked brisket which was amazing.
Chateau Fuisse, Pouilly Fuisse, Le Clos Monopole, 2014, FranceYou know if you have good wine friends when they bring you a bottle of this Chateau Fuisse, Pouilly Fuisse, Le Clos Monopole, 2014 to dinner.
Some of the other people at the dinner table were very excited when they saw this wine, I was very excited when I drink this wine.
Coming from burgundy you do expect good wine but this was exceptional it was medium bodied reasonably dry with excellent balance of acidity and flavours. You had lime, peach, apple and honey flavours with mineral notes with an underlying creamy butter that had just the right level of oak underlying it all.
The worst thing is that at £60 a bottle most people will never get to try such an amazing mine.
Deinhard, Grauer Burgunder, 2014, Pfalz, Germany
German wines are generally very good but not necessarily the ones in the UK, you have to hunt them out and pay that little bit more like for this Dr Deinhard Grauer Burgunder.
Made with Pinot Gris this is a growing up wine with plenty of citrus flavour and subtle mineral notes coming through.
At about £20 a bottle it’s little bit on the pricey side but then again you do have to pay extra to get good German wine in the UK.
Coteaux du vendomois, Chant Grives, 2014, Loire, France
The Loire in France makes some rather excellent wine and this Coteaux du vendomois, Chant Grives, 2014 good example of a reasonable priced everyday drinking wine that should just be enjoyed. Given its 8 years old there was plenty of right citrus fruits in there with honey notes it’s a semi sweet wine made with the Chenin grape.
Borda Sabate, Torb 1190m organic, 2014, Andorra.
Borda Sabate is over 1000m above sea level, so sea level rises are unlikely to concern them. This Torb is at 1190m and organic. I’ve not had Andorra wines before but this was add good wire with dark fruits plum and bramble notes with a bit of tobacco and oak in there. A little earthy maybe but we had it with food so worked well.
The only gripe I really have to get used to is the cost at around £40 is quite a lot of money for this wine.
Tiansai, Skyline of Gobi, Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot, 2014, China
China can make some really good wines and this is a example of a really good drinking red wine. It’s stood the test of time quite well at 7 years it’s very drinkable, still it’s not particularly powerful but you do get lots of fruity notes with a little chocolate and leather. It’s a sort of wine you would open it a dinner party, partly for the novelty value, that it’s from China but because it’s so drinkable. Give it another 10 years and I reckon China’s going to be producing some world-class wines for the everyday drinking.