Château Saint Martin de la Garrigue, 2010, Grès de Montpellier, France

Posted on April 27, 2021 by richardgore1200

Dry, bold and really smooth is first impression s on this red from Château Saint Martin de la Garrigue.

There’s aromas of oak and earthy notes with hints of black fruit. The taste is plummy with black fruit and spice with firm tannins. Its 14% but seems like more. Its not “in your face” big and bold but its got flavour and its well integrated which is really appreciated.

Later vintages are selling for Eur18 a bottle which is well priced, sure not cheap but good value. I loved this on its own but it will go well with red meat and the first BBQ of the year. Treat yourself.

Domaine De La Desoucherie, Cheverny, 2013, Loire Valley, France

Posted on March 27, 2021 by richardgore1200

Domaine De La Desoucherie, Cheverny, 2013, Loire Valley, France

This white wine from the Domaine De La Desoucherie in the Loire Valley is typical of the whites from the region.

Its subtle and easy drinking, there are aromas and flavours of citrus and its about Eur8 a bottle. We picked this up when visiting the Loire Valley and its a shame in many ways that we can’t get this in the UK. Its a great white for the summer to just drink in the sun.

La Méridionale, Merlot, Syrah, Languedoc, France

Posted on March 9, 2021 by richardgore1200

La Méridionale, Merlot, Syrah, Languedoc, France

The South of France produces lots of Merlot and Syrah red wines and this one from La Méridionale is typical.

Blackberry, plum and cherry and you primary flavours for this pretty simple but drinkable red. Its very Dry, has decent enough body and depth of flavour with tannins that are a little rough and pronounced. Its not bad but its a food wine. pair it with steak or a burger and it will go down very well. At £7 a bottle its decent value too.

Cave du Vendômois, Chant’ Grives, Coteaux du Vendômois, France

Posted on January 16, 2021 by richardgore1200

The Loire Valley produce a ton of wine and this Chenin Blanc is a little different to the mass produced wines.

There are aromas of flowers and pear with flavours of ripe fruit, hints of pineapple and lemon. I love the orange hint in the colour, well maybe a bit more than a hint. Its a medium style wine that is a front of fire,comforty chair wine. At £7 a bottle very good value.

Cave du Vendômois, Chant’ Grives, Coteaux du Vendômois, France

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

Posted on December 17, 2020 by richardgore1200

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

Château Bonnet, Vieilles Vignes Chénas, 2017, Beaujolais, France

Posted on November 16, 2020 by richardgore1200

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

Domaine Huet, Vouvray Petillant, 2014, Loire Valley, France

Posted on November 8, 2020 by richardgore1200

Domaine Huet know how to make a great Loire Cremant. At £30 a bottle it should be great, is it?

Made with Chenin Blanc this has lots of small bubbles and subtle aromas of lemon and blossom with pear in there. These feed into the taste with hints of green apple and a bit pineapple in the background. Its classy i’ll give it that. £30 is a little steep though.

Domaine Huet, Vouvray Petillant, 2014, Loire Valley, France

Domaine Papillon-Lavoignat, Cremant Blanc de Blancs, Burgundy, France

Posted on November 4, 2020 by richardgore1200

Majestic wine do have some crackers and this Cremant Blanc de Blancs from Domaine Papillon-Lavoignat in Burgundy shows off a cracker. Made in the traditional method with possible Aligote with Chardonnay. Its dry, fresh and fruit driven. delightful pale lemon it colour with pear, apple and lemon notes and creamy after note popping in there. Allow it to warm up a little to get the flavours as they are reasonable subtle. At £14 on a mix 6 at Majestic its a “spot on the money” excellent sparkling.

Domaine Papillon-Lavoignat, Cremant Blanc de Blancs, Burgundy, France

Château Mancèdre, Pessac-Léognan, 2012, Bordeaux, France

Posted on October 28, 2020 by richardgore1200

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 Guiraud, Bordeaux Blanc Sec, 2019, Bordeaux, France

Posted on October 26, 2020 by richardgore1200

I’ve not had many dry white Bordeaux wines and this one from Château Guiraud was tasted by me and 3 other, all socially distancing in the garden, on a warm Sept evening.

There’s aromas of smoke and hints of minerals and citrus, on the taste front you get notes of gooseberry and citrus and a big wack of grapefruit. Its this grapefruit that we had an issue with which over powered the other elements. The colour is a lovely lively lemon and the length is good and its a bit heavier in the texture than most white wine, which is good but its too unbalanced.

We had it with a few spring rolls but I think a creamy pasta dish or fish with lemon and herbs would be needed to make this worth drinking. At £16 a bottle is a bit pricey and there are better Bordeaux whites out there I was told.

hâteau Guiraud, Bordeaux Blanc Sec, 2019, Bordeaux, France

The accidental drinker

Wine talk and reviews by an accidental drinker

Tag Archives: France

Château Saint Martin de la Garrigue, 2010, Grès de Montpellier, France

Domaine De La Desoucherie, Cheverny, 2013, Loire Valley, France

La Méridionale, Merlot, Syrah, Languedoc, France

Cave du Vendômois, Chant’ Grives, Coteaux du Vendômois, France

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

Château Bonnet, Vieilles Vignes Chénas, 2017, Beaujolais, France

Domaine Huet, Vouvray Petillant, 2014, Loire Valley, France

Domaine Papillon-Lavoignat, Cremant Blanc de Blancs, Burgundy, France

Château Mancèdre, Pessac-Léognan, 2012, Bordeaux, France

Château Guiraud, Bordeaux Blanc Sec, 2019, Bordeaux, France