Chablis AC Domaine Vocoret Vieilles Vignes 2011

Tasted 09/06/13. 13.5% abv, about £16 UK retail. Well-regarded producer, this is a domaine bottled AC Chablis but at the upper quality end. This is from old vines, so still quite tight and closed. Needs longer. Rather restrained on the nose, hint of apples and apricots. Fresh grassy aromas but still has a lot to show yet. Rich on the palate. From 2014, 16.5/20

Crittenden Estate, Mornington Peninsula 2008 Victoria

Tasted 4/6/13. 13.5% abv, about £19.50 UK retail (Fortnum and Mason - case discount available). Recommended to me personally by F&M's wine buyer Jamie Waugh. Lovely wine - showing the best that the New World can offer. Much better than the over-priced (or under-priced), over-oaked Aussie chardonnay that we are exposed to rather too much. This is single estate, 100% estate grown wine, using older vines and a mixture of old and new oak. This wine has both richeness and a subtlety. Lovely toast on the nose but not too over-powering. Zesty and buttery on the palate with a long finish. Apricots and apples! Very well made wine, drinking very well now. From 2013. 16.5/20

Chablis Premier Cru Montmain Cuvee Vieille Vigne Denis Race

Tasted 18/04/2013, 13% ABV, cork closure, possible n/a UK, bought about £11 ex-cellars in Chablis, directly from the producer. This is the first bottle tasted.
The variable 2011 vintage in the Burgundy has blessed the whites more than the reds, it is argued.
Denis Race is a very well regarded producer and this old vines premier cru is a fine example of his craft.
Pale straw colour, nose a little closed. Well structured palate, still very young and not showing its hand: acidic and minerally for sure but the fruit is still hidden. Great potential. Needs longer. From 2014. 17/20

Chablis Domaine Gilbert PICQ et fils

Tasted 21/04/2013, 12.5% ABV, cork closure, possible n/a UK, £7 ex-cellars in Chablis, bought directly from the producer. This is the first bottle tasted.
The variable 2011 vintage in the Burgundy has blessed the whites more than the reds, it is argued. This 'ordinary' Chablis would benefit from little more bottle age but it is very good now, very accessible for young drinking. The acidity worked well with the penne pasta I had with a creamy sauce.
Pale straw colour, there's the classic Chablis nose of damp grass, green fruits and a hint of butterscotch. The palate is tart and zesty - mouth puckering acidity - showing its youthfulness but with a good depth of minerality and a fine finish. Great with food now, drink 2013-15. 16.5/20

Wine Ramblers tasting #3

Introduction to Wine 2 - 27th February at Fulham Wine Rooms
Information to follow shortly.....

Wine Ramblers tasting – Cederberg Winery of South Africa, 5th February 2013

Wine Ramblers tasting – Cederberg Winery of South Africa, 5^th February 2013

@wineramblers

Tasted at Fulham Wine Rooms

Wine Ramblers

Cederberg Cellars Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (Western Cape)

Light golden colour. Classic and elderflower gooseberry nose, but not a heavy style – very fresh and zesty. Group score.  3.8 / 5

Cederberg Cellars Chenin Blanc 2011 (Western Cape)

A pleasing style from a country that produces some radical interpretations of this French varietal. Pale straw colour, this wine was fresh, tart on the palate with greengages and mint on the nose. A short-ish finish but very pleasing overall and a great food wine.

Group score 3.5 / 5

Cederberg Cellars Ghost Corner Elim Semillon 2009 (Western Cape)

A premium wine. Very different in style to a Bordeaux Semillon. Light straw colour, green bell peppers on the nose, off dry and very crisp on the palate, zesty, long finish and fresh acidity. Lovely wine with a lot more life yet. Group score 4.1 / 5

Cederberg Cellars Bukettraube 2011 (Western Cape)

A fine wine from a rare grape varietal. Light golden colour, apricots and a hint of stewed fruit on the nose, slightly sweet and raisined on the palate. Juicy. Needs longer. Best white of the night. Group score 4.3 / 5

Cederberg Cellars Merlot Shiraz 2009 (Western Cape)

An unusual blend. Medium purple colour, gamey nose with spicy plums on the palate. Youthful, with firm tannins but an elegance. A good future. Group score 3/5

Cederberg Cellars Shiraz 2009 (Western Cape)

Another very well made red wine. Ripe black fruits on the nose, with coffee and pimento, blackcurrant on the palate. A cut above many Southern Hemisphere shiraz. From 2103. Group score 4/5

Cederberg Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon V Generations 2008 (Western Cape)

The best red of the night and the best wine too. Inky colour, dense and concentrated. Firm tannins that need longer but a beautiful palate – a melange of cassis, pimento and dark fruits. Needs longer but lovely now. From 2014. Group score 4.3 / 5

Wine Ramblers Tasting #1 - January 22nd 2013

Wine Ramblers tasting – Introduction to Wine  #1, 22^nd January 2013

Chateau Moulin Caresse 2010 Montravel sec (Bergerac)

Great oily nose of gooseberry and ‘cats pee’ for a classic Sauvignon blanc. Fruit forward with zesty notes of tart apple. Drink now. Group score 4.1 / 5

Luc Pirlet Chardonnay 2010 (Languedoc)

Good vanilla on the nose, classic buttery and citrus notes on the palate. A youthful, fruit forward Chardonnay for early drinking. Rtaher restrained at the moment – could do with another 6 months of so in bottle. Group score 2.8 / 5

Godello, Bodegas Gargallo 2011 (Galicia)

Fragrant and elegant, a lovely Galician wine that turned out to be the best white of the night and universally loved. Blend of local Teixadura and Godello, 50:50. Good acidity to give it some longevity.

Group score 4.3 / 5

Alba Matusevic – Malvasia 2011 (Croatia)

Very interesting wine from Croatia, on the Italian border, made from this ancient grape variety. Raisins on the nose, hint of apricots on the palate. Toasty nose, off-sweet and rich on the palate.

Group score 4.1 / 5

Gran Cerdo 2011 (Rioja)

A softer Rioja for early drinking, not too tannic. Red fruits and cherries on the nose and strawberry on the palate. Blend of Tempranillo and Graciano grapes. From 2013.

Group score 4.1 / 5

Chateau de la Negly, Pavillon Rouge 2011 (Languedoc)

This is the Vin de Pays d’Oc of Negly, a high quality blend of local grapes. Ripe black fruits on the nose, earthy hints and a dark fruits on the palate. Group score 4.1 / 5

Le Fleur Morange Mathilde 2007 (St.Emilion GCC)

The great second wine of the Le Fleur – the leading wine of the ‘garage wines’ of St. Emilion.

Great balance of plummy fruit and acidity, classic austere nose that opens up of uncorking. Red fruit and pencils on the nose. The best red of the night. Group score 4.3 / 5

Vina Mayu Reserva Syrah Elqui 2007

This review was first published on the Wine Behind the Label website as their Wine of the Month

Tasted 17^th March 2012 with Neville Blech. 14% ABV, 75cl, cork closure, about £12 UK retail. I kept this wine for about 2 years and this has paid dividends. It is drinking extremely well now.

Deep purple, almost inky colour. Grilled meat, pepper and spice on the nose. Spicy thyme and cassis, brambly, dark fruits on the palate. The sweet oak shows through but does overpower. Full bodied but with a great balance, elegant. Truly lovely - one of my best wines of 2012, so far. A great winery from Chile’s ‘hottest’ region (actually, one of the coolest). From 2013, 18 / 20.

Wine of the Month and rise of Chilean Syrah

I have a passion for Chilean wine. This passion grows as I buy more, taste more and learn more about their wines. So much so, that I would like to make a Chilean Syrah my Wine of the Month.

About half my cellar is now from Chile. ‘Why?’ many of my Old World-loving friends ask. They cite fruit-forward varietal styles, derivative wines, young vines, ‘no reflection of terroir’, etc as reasons why they would rather have a Rhone Syrah or a Left Bank Cabernet Sauvignon. Curiously, I partly agree but only partly. I think this is a very old stereotype – in much the same way that many people believe that you can only have a good German wine if you pay a fortune, or that the Portuguese cannot make good table wine. Yes, there are very fruit-forward styles from Chile but even the ‘£4.99 glugger’ bangs-for-bucks will be better than many other New World wines at that price point. However, I want to focus on the quality sector. Viniculture and viticulture are now of the highest order and the industry is beginning to move away from targeting the lower end of the market and producing a range of wines at all price points and qualities. It is certainly very difficult to pay three figures for a bottle of Chilean wine or get one with much age but, the market is changing. Chile is now competing increasingly successfully in the middle market, with wines of longevity and distinction and a sense of terroir. Harpers recently reported that the UK is the second biggest market in terms of volume for Chilean wine and the biggest in terms of revenue. Most of the quality Chilean Syrah that I pay £11-£15 for at UK retail prices would need to be matched against £20-£30 Rhone wines to find equivalence. However, we are not just talking about value-for-money issues. We may not be talking Rayas or Cote Rotie yet but there is a quality and distinctiveness emerging, with many of the cool climate Syrah from Limari, Elqui or Bio Bio being truly inspirational wines. Some the loveliest wines I have had over the last two years have been Syrah or Carmenere from Chile. If Chilean Merlot (Carmenere) is their signature red grape, Syrah certainly has the potential to become their truly noble grape. Production is small at the moment but some fine examples are emerging.

Viña Mayu won the Decanter Regional Trophy last year (DWWA Best Value Syrah) for their 2010 Syrah Reserva. Elqui is Chile’s most northerly region (about 30^oS), on the southern edge of the Atacama Desert - the world’s driest place. Just 29 hectares are currently planted with Syrah, in terraces that rise up to 2000 metres (6500 feet) into the Andes. Hence, the ‘cool climate Syrah’ comes from the altitude factor rather than the latitude – the sun is very intense here, being just a few degrees south of the Tropic of Capricorn. Mayu was formed as recently as 2005, with a mission statement to focus on fine wine. Winemaker Mauro Olivier Alcayaga was the first to introduce Syrah into Chile (in 2000). The grapes for the current Syrah Reserva come from two vineyards only - El Tambo (550m above sea level) and Quebrada de Talca (350m above sea level) and the has 8 months in French oak barrels before being bottled.

Matetic EQ Chardonnay 2009

 I tasted another bottle of this recently and haven't cahnged my opinion from my last review

Matetic review

other than I might now score it 17/20

Long Trek Pinot Noir 2008, Central Otago

Tasted 05/01/13, 13% ABV, cork closure. Archangel Winery. About £12 UK retail, available from Vintners.co.uk. Archangel is a new but highly regarded winery from Central Otago - the region that really is on the up and is producing superb Pinot Noir. I had two bottles of this vintage which I bought in 2009. I drank the first one young and had this one recently. I was very impressed with the quality. It was vibrant and seemed to have come into its stride. Light purple in colour - great nose of cherry, cedar and boiled sweets. Lovely red fruits in the mouth. Excellent finish. Great now. 16.5/20, from 2012.

Escarpment Kiwa Pinot Noir, (Martinborough), 2010

Tasted 20/10/12, 13% abv, cork closure. About £22 UK retail (Lea and Sandeman). Escarpment is a highly regarded up-and-coming winery in the new territory (for Pinot) of Martinborough. The entry level wine is widely available but the award winning Kiwa is much rarer. Quote: 'The Escarpment “Insight Series” allows individual vineyard expression from exceptional sites within the Martinborough Geographic Indication. This wine was grown on the Cleland Vineyard Cambridge Street, Martinborough from 29 year old vines'.
This is huge wine. We tasted one bottle from the case but have now decided to put the rest away for a while. This is not like an old world Pinot Noir by any stretch of the imagination. It is a big, tannic wine, with a large mouth feel of red fruit, spice, pimento and vanilla. However, it is clear that there is great potential here for development. This wine has real depth and elegance. It needs to be re-tasted in 2014, or so! From 2015, 18/20

Pierre Paillard Grand Cru Brut Champagne 2002

Tasted 08/12/12. 12.5% ABV, cork closure. About £35 UK retail. Thanks to Chris Tew for bringing it back from France at considerable below UK retail price. Paillard's reputation is well earned and this 50 / 50 pinot / chardonnay blend really hits the spot. The nose is creamy, apply patisserie, with a pleasant yeastiness. Good acidity but very well balanced with many years left. An elegant wine. Drink 2010 - 2020. 17.5 / 20

Taylors Terra Feita Single Quinta port 2001

Tasted 11/12/12 at CFWS Christmas Meal, 20% ABV, cork closure. About £25 UK retail. Single Quinta port (from a single estate in a non-declared year) at this level is about twice the price of LBV, but well worth it. This is 11 years old and drinking well now but would pay for some longer keeping. Dark purple, beautiful 'Taylor's Nose' of violets and blackcurrants. Rich and elegant with a long finish, tight tannins - a slight dry style, as you'd expect from Taylors - great fruit, damson and blackcurrants with a raisiny finish. Superb value for money. From 2012, 17.5 / 20

Vinalba Malbec Reserva 2009 (Mendoza)

Tasted 12/12/12. 15% abv. Cork closure. About £10.99 UK retail. Vinalba has an increasingly high reputation and of their three mainstream malbec wines - the reserva sits between the entry level and the Gran Reserva, I think this one strikes the best balance between price and quality. I tasted the '09 Gran Reserva and wasn't impressed. The Reserva also shows that it pays to keep good South American red wine for a few years.
This wine was just right - 5 years old and at its peak. Beautiful deep purple colour, coffee and dark fruits on the nose and a creamy mouthful of dark fruits - it screams malbec but a well made one. From 2012, 15.5 /20

La Réserve de Léoville Barton 2006 St-Julien

Tasted 8/12/12 with Sara, Beata and Jean-Marc. 13% ABV, cork closure. About £25 to £30 UK retail. This wines shows that France still comes up trumps on most occasions. This is the second wine of my favourite chateau from my favourite Bordeaux commune. Like its daddy, this wine is superb value for money. It is a typical Left Bank blend of cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc but with some merlot in the mix too.
Though '06 might be a bit too much like young drinking for some tastes, this wine is superb now. It's elegant, balanced, with silky tannins and rich, beautiful cassis on the nose, with a hint of 'cigar box', and berry fruits on the palate and a fine finish. Great little wine. From 2013, 17/20

Brooks Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2008 (Oregon)

Tasted 18/11/12, 13.5% abv, cork closure, £25 UK retail (e.g. Stone, Vine and Sun, Winchester). This wine is $21 in the US, so the UK price doesn't seem bad for a top Oregon pinot.....the Pacific Northeast of the US produces more-European style pinot than California or South America where big wines are common - this is a lighter, more elegant style. Less in your face - Burgundy lovers would be happy. Light cherry red in colour, still youthful. The nose is candied fruit, cherries and rosehips. Great red fruits, forward in mouth , with a dry, long finish. A lovely wine, a real sense of terroir and the wine makers skill. From 2013, 17/20.

Beaujolais Nouveau 2012, Georges Duboeuf

Tasted 16/11/12. 12% ABV, cork closure. I last tasted this wine in its 2010 guise, during which time it has gone up by a £1 to £6.99 in Waitrose (or £7.99 on an offer in Majestic), but given the yields this year, it's not surprising. Most of France had a washout harvest but apparently, in Beaujolais, it was a small but concentrated vintage.
This is better than Duboeuf's 2010. Bright cherry red colour with cherry and hint of cassis on the nose. It's light and fruity with a short finish but a very pleasant luncheon wine that doesn't take itself too seriously. Nice red fruits in the mouth, 15/20, from 2012.

St Joseph Blanc Domaine Perret 2009

Tasted 14/11/12. 13.5%, cork closure, about £16 UK retail (e.g. Goedhuis). An unusual white wine from St. Joepsh. Made from Marsanne and Roussanne varietals, this is a fleshy, minerally, almost salty wine, rich and great with fish or roasted chicken or even game. Light golden colour, the nose is clean and a litte closed, with some pears or apricots,  like a young Chablis. But the palate is alive and full, with good weight, dry with a long finish. Notes of capsicum and melon lingers in the mouth. An interesting wine, worth a try. From 2013, 16/20

Chateau La Tour Blanche 2003 Sauternes

Tasted 10/11/12 with Sara, Chris and Fran. 37.5cl, cork closure, 13% abv. Medium golden colour. Excellent, concentrated nose. Apricots, almonds and seville oranges. The palate is sweet but not overwhelmingly so. Medium bodied. Candied peel, orange marmalade, vanilla and lemon. A lovely wine, perhaps needs a little more acidity to balance the sweetness. From 2012. 17 / 20

Prince Florent de Merode Corton Les Bressandes Grand Cru, Cote de Beaune 2002

Tasted 10/11/12 with Sara, Chris and Fran. 75cl, cork closure, 13%. About £60 UK retail (at release). A privilege to share this wine from  a great vintage - drinking very well now.  This wine had real finesse and elegance, great cherry red colour in the glass, little sign of age, the nose was refreshingly youthful. There was real weight and structure on the palate, complex melange of red fruits and a hint of spice, this is a classic Corton. 18/20, from 2012.

Moet and Chandon Grand Vintage Rose 2002

Tasted 10/11/12 with Sara, Chris and Fran. 12.5% ABV, about £50 UK retail. I generally don't like rose-anything but the much maligned but now improved M&C come up trumps with this one. 51% Pinot Noir and 49% Chardonnay and Petit Meunier, this wine has just been released from the incredible '02 vintage and is ready to drink now. Floral nose of blueberries and cherries, dry on the palate with a long finish. Elegant, well balanced and well made, this was a very enjoyable aperitif. From 2012, 17/20

Upcoming Events at Chelsea and Fulham Wine Society

Last night's fortified wine tasting with Ian was very enjoyable indeed.

That was our last regular tasting of 2012, and the final event will be the Christmas meal on Tuesday 11th December from 7.30pm (note Tuesday not Thursday). The meal will take place in the regular tasting room at Fulham Wine Rooms. We can accommodate a maximum of 20 for the meal and I am taking bookings now. The all-in price will be £40, including service (see menu attached - they can also do gluten free meals). This covers the cost of the food and I will provide the wine 'free' from the Society's coffers. Luckily, we don't need to pay corkage, etc. Hence, I have a good budget for the wine and I should be able to provide some excellent choices, starting with champagne and ending with the port! I'll circulate the wine list once I have worked it out.

I think I will take payment in advance from late November and ask you to make your provisional menu choices. The following people have told me that are coming so far: Ian M, Cheryl, Ann W, Vic, Glenda, Ian B. Please let me know if you'd like to come along.

On the 22nd of November, I'll again be presenting some fine, old and rare St. Emilions for my friend David Beguier-Barnett, as before at Broadway House in Fulham:

Broadway House

or see

My Blog

Tickets are available from Broadway House or David. For those that also enjoy younger Right Bank claret (like me!), David has now added some wines from the 2000's to the event.

St. Emilion tasting, 22nd November 2012

Where: Broadway House (Fulham Broadway) 

Subject : Wine Tasting - Thursday 22nd November 2012 , 7.30pm

This is a very exclusive event and we want to invite you to Broadway House, our Private Members' Club, to join us.

All of these unique wines are all from David Beguier-Barnett's collection (ex-chateau cellars) and the bottles have not moved from their cellars since 'la mise en bouteille au château' until now.

David will be opening at least 5 vintages on the night with tastings of wines such as Chateau Monlot Capet and Chateau de Ferrand from 1962 to 1996 with canapés and you will hear from guest speaker Gary White.

At recent tastings, Chelsea & Fulham wine Society President, Gary White, tried all the bottles from the 1960's to 90's and scored them between 14.5 & 18.5/20. 

All the wine are St Emilion Grand Cru and Grand Cru Classe.

'The Sampler' in South Kensington (a specialist in old, fine wine) is selling the 1966 (Chateau Ferrand and Monlot Capet) and 1982 (Vieille Eglise) by the glass and bottle.

There are limited spaces for this event, so booking and payment for your tickets in advance is required. Tickets cost £35 including wine and canapés.

To get tickets please email Suzanne@broadway-house.com. Or me david@beguier.com.

Looking forward to see you on the 22nd November and share half a century old wine! -  David

M:07770694009

Casillero del Diablo Reserva Shiraz 2007 (Rapel Valley)

Tasted 01.10.12, 13.5% ABV. Screw cap closure. An entry level wine from Concha y Toro. Normally these wines are respectable but this one disappointed and is not as attractive as when I last had it. Basically, this wine should be drunk younger - I had forgotten that I had this bottle that was from a 5 year old vintage. Still a vibrant purple colour but the fruit had gone and acidity had become more prominent. 12.5/20. Lesson = well made wine, blended from young vines - drink young. From 2009!

Wither Hills Marlborough Pinot Noir 2011 (Asda Extra Special)

All wines tasted at the party held for baby Thomas on 25/08/2012. This was the disappointment of the night. It is Wither Hills entry level Pinot Noir sold for £11 under the Asda label. It did improve after opening but was still disappointing – far inferior to the Moko Black. Good medium purple colour but rather thin and astringent. Poor fruit and generally poor value for money. Drink now, 13.5 /20