Maison Roche de Bellene, Vieilles Vignes, Volnay, Burgundy, France
Good French Pinot Noir is very hard to beat and this one from Maison Roche de Bellene in the Volnay region is excellent. Dry, soft with excellent balance and flavours of cherry and raspberry with notes of oak and slight hints of earthiness. At £40 bottle its rather pricey but worth a try. Its like buying a second hand Rolls Royce, on my wish list 😉
Langlois-Chateau, Vieilles Vignes, Saumur, Loire, France
Purchased on our trip to the Loire this white wine from Langlois-Chateau in Saumur in the Loire. Made with Chenin its dry, light and acidic. Loads of aromas and flavours of yellow apple, pear and pineapple with notes of vanilla and hints of butter, a slight creaminess and a little honey in there.
At £20 a bottle its not cheap but its a quality wine. Enjoy with friends over a meal, went well with home made pizza.
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
At £40 a bottle you expect something very special. A friend bought this round for a dinner party we were hosting.
There are delicate aromas of red fruits, redcurrant and hints of raspberries with an earthy and undertone. These come through in the taste but its subtle. Very smooth and elegant but pretty dry.
Its a premium Burgundy and not an everyday wine. We had it with a Norfolk Black Turkey and the extra flavour from this type of turkey worked very well with the light red fruit flavours but also took the edge off the dryness of the wine.
Would I spend £40 a bottle, no, its more my personal taste than anything else. I prefer cheaper fruit driven Pinot Noirs from Burgundy.
Gevrey Chambertin, Vieilles Vignes 2014 from Domaine Rossignol-Trapet in Burgundy, France