Tag Archives: France

Hugues Valrasque, Chateauneuf du Pape, 2017, Rhone Valley, France

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General the rule of Chateauneuf du Pape is that you spend a lot more than usual to get a good one and £18 a bottle for this Hugues Valrasque one is not quite enough. Its decent but what if you spent another £5 or £7, could you get a better one? probably.

Very dry, bold and reasonable smooth with a chuck of red and black fruits, cherry (lots of cherry on the nose), blackberry, fig, spice with an earthy, oaky undertone. The issue I have is that’s a little unbalanced and not quite “there”. It fails to elevate itself to a great Rhone red, decent but spend more.

Hugues Valrasque, Chateauneuf du Pape, 2017, Rhone Valley, France

Hugues Valrasque, Chateauneuf du Pape, 2017, Rhone Valley, France

 

Albert Mann, Grand Cru Furstentum Gewurztraminer, Vieilles Vignes, 2011, Alsace, France

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Albert Mann is a top Alsace producer and this Grand Cru Furstentum Gewurztraminer Vieilles Vignes shows why. its a soft, bold, semi sweet wine. There are aromas of lychee, apricot, blossom and pear.

There are flavours of tropical fruits, ripe pineapple, honey, apple and stone fruits. its a weighty wine in some respects but not as much as you may expect. There’s an elegance to this wine that you can’t help be grateful for because this may make those that won’t normally touch a Gertz actually like it. Pair this with asian foods, pork dishes or mild cheeses and this shines even more. Fantastic.

Albert Mann, Grand Cru Furstentum Gewurztraminer, Vieilles Vignes, 2011, Alsace, France

Albert Mann, Grand Cru Furstentum Gewurztraminer, Vieilles Vignes, 2011, Alsace, France

Château La Sauvageonne, Rosé 2018, Côteaux du Languedoc, France

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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

Château La Sauvageonne, Rosé 2018, Côteaux du Languedoc, France

Château Saint Martin de la Garrigue, Grès de Montpellier, 2012, France

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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

Château Saint Martin de la Garrigue, Grès de Montpellier, 2012, France

Château de Plaisance, Coteaux du Layon, Premier Cru Chaume, France

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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

Château de Plaisance, Coteaux du Layon, Premier Cru Chaume, France

Domaine de la Prevote, Touraine, Brut, Loire Valley, France

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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

la Prevote, Touraine, Brut, Loire Valley, France

 

Calmel & Joseph, Ams Tram Gram, Ceres, Rose, Languedoc, France

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Calmel & Joseph, Ams Tram Gram, Ceres, Rose, Languedoc, France

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.

Le Clos des Cazaux, La Tour Sarrazine, 2014, Gigondas, Rhone Valley, France

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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

Le Clos des Cazaux, La Tour Sarrazine, 2014, Gigondas, Rhone Valley, France

Chateau De Berne, Rouge 2014, Provence, France

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We went to Chateau De Berne and carried this Rouge 2014 back from Provence.

Wine in a square bottle is a De Berne thing, thankfully it doesn’t adversely effect the wine. Made with mostly with Syrah and chunk of Cabernet Sauvignon this is a dry, medium red colour and reasonably light wine. You get a hit of black cherry and plum on the noise with a hint of herbacious in there. This follows through in the taste with medium tannings and a pretty smooth texture. This is a fruit driven wine more than big tannins that grip your mouth.

At about Eur20 a bottle its not cheap, its good but a little overpriced.

Chateau De Berne, Rouge 2014, Provence, France

Chateau De Berne, Rouge 2014, Provence, France

Habsiger, Klevener de Heiligenstein, Alsace, France

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Made with the Klevener, of which there is only 4.5 ha of grapes in the region, this is not you typical wine from Alsace but Habsiger have done a good job. Its a mellow, soft wine, aromas of melon and Lychee with a taste of lemon poking through. Its not yu usual cheap, crisp, highly acidic, white wine.

Pesonnally I would have this on its own so the subtle flavours can be tasted. At Eur7 or 8 a bottle its an interesting wine that’s well worth trying.

Habsiger, Klevener de Heiligenstein, Alsace, France

Habsiger, Klevener de Heiligenstein, Alsace, France