Lee and Sandeman Bordeaux 2007/8

All wines tasted at the party held for baby Thomas on 25/08/2012. 13% ABV, £8.95. I am not mad on ‘cheap’ claret and generally, below £10 (or perhaps £20 in the case of red Bordeaux) I would rather opt for Chile. However, the reputation of this Old World-focussed London merchant (four stores in west and central London) and its excellent claret range plus some good reviews tempted me to try this. What a revelation! Well done, L&S. The wine is from a small Fronsac producer, apparently. It has all the characteristics of good Bordeaux – lovely blackcurrants on the nose, lots of juicy black fruits on the palate with plums, quite silky and well balanced with soft tannins. I suspect there’s a lot of Merlot in the blend. Don’t worry about the ’10 Year Rule’ – drink now. 16/20

Lee and Sandeman Bordeaux 2008

As above really. Firmer tannins, slightly more austere but opened up after being opened for a day (sic). From 2013. 15.5 / 20

Zeyssolff Reserve Particuliere Gewurztraminer AOC 2007

All wines tasted at the party held for baby Thomas on 25/08/2012. From my Blog from 2011, my views haven’t really changed much: ‘13% ABV, n/a UK (private import only). ca. €12. Medium golden colour, beautiful full, slightly honeyed nose with pear drops and apricots. Long and complex. Excellent balance medium sweet, with citrusy notes and melon with a dry finish. A stellar wine from a stellar vintage in Alsace. Improved from last tasting one year ago. From 2011, 17.5 / 20’

Mâcon Villages Blanc 'Les Roches Blanches' Louis Jadot 2010

All wines tasted at the party held for baby Thomas on 25/08/2012. 13% ABV. Cork closure. About £8.99 UK retail, widely available. A respectable Macon from the large by very well regarded Jadot stable. Ready to drink now, good apricots and oak on the nose, zesty chardonnay hit in the mouth. Shortish finish but a good value, easy drinking wine, showing that France can compete with the New World for value accessible wines. From 2012, 15.5/20

Lea and Sandeman White Burgundy 2011

All wines tasted at the party held for baby Thomas on 25/08/12. This wine was universally liked by those that tried it. From my Blog:’13% ABV, cork closure. £12.95 from L&S (discount for a case price). My favourite independent wine merchant has had a lovely house claret for some time and now they say they have found a house white Burgundy worthy to sit alongside it. They've started with the well-regarded 2011 vintage and have sourced this wine from a highly reputable St. Verain producer. Pale straw colour. Little oak apparent.

Nose still a little closed but has classic chardonnay character - pears and a hint of apricot and no overpowering buttery oak of some New World styles. The palate is quite rich with zesty apples but with a refreshing acidity and a firm minerality on the finish. This is a wine that will come into its own in the next year. A little closed at the moment but still very nice indeed. From 2013, 16//20’

Montes Alpha Chardonnay DO

Tasted 20/08/12. Cork closure. Last tasted 12/04/11. 14% ABV, ca. £13 UK retail (e.g. Majestic). This is the last of the half case I had of this. Four years old now and needs to be drunk up. Still toffee apple and toasty oak on the nose, deep golden colour. Rich and buttery on the palate. Great balance with acid finish now fading. Fantastic vfm. 16.5 / 20. From 2011. Drinking window 2 -3 years, so the '09's and 10's should be drunk soon. I lovely wine from my favourite Chilean winery. Drinking it now with sea bream roasted with garlic and rosemary!

Jean-Claude Mas Languedoc 2011 AoP

Tasted 15/08/12, 14%, cork closure. £8 UK retail (e.g. Sainsburys Taste the Difference). This is a classic southern French blend of Grenache, Syrah, Carignan and Mourvedre under the new regional appellation of Appellation d'Origine Protegee. The winemaker has a good pedigree and it shows - this is a lovely wine. Deep purple colour, nose of pimento, coffee and toasted spice. The tannins still have a firm grip but this is an elegant, well structured wine. Lots of juicy black fruit on the palate with coffee on the finish. Very enjoyable now, from 2013. 16/20

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Chateau Laurencon AoC Bordeaux Superior 2010

Tasted 09/08/12, 13.5%, cork closure. A good jobbing minor chateau claret, well worth its £8 (e.g. Co-Operative Group) and shows that at its best 'regional' or lesser France can compete in terms of VFM with New World varietals.
Bordeaux Superior can be (theoretically) better than AC Bordeaux but encompasses a massive range of quality.
This wine has a good claret character and is an (unquantified) blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot from the stable of Mme Rouzet et Fils. 2010 was a good year and even this minor wine probably needs another 18 months. But, it is acessible now. Mid purple colour, no sign of age. Good cassis and bell peppers on the nose, red fruits on the palate. The tannins are firm and need to soften yet and the finish is a little wanting. But this is a good value food wine that makes a change from cheap New World 'fruit bombs' at this price point. It certainly has classic Bordeaux style. From 2013, 15.5 / 20

Bodegas Pirineos Somontano DO 2010

Tasted 5/8/12, 13.5% ABV, cork closure. About £9 UK retail (various). A very interesting wine from one of the best producers in this somewhat obscure but resurgent northern Spanish region in the Pyrenean foothills. This is a blend of local Moristel grapes with Garnacha (Grenache) and Syrah. Mid ruby colour, great nose of berry fruits, coffee and a hint of pimento. The palate is very dry and a little tannic but good cherry fruit comes through on a long-ish finish. Coffee notes at the end. Good value, needs another year. Great food wine for a Mediterranean style lunch. From 2013, 15.5/20

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LEA & SANDEMAN White Burgundy 2011

Tasted 4/7/11, 13% ABV, cork closure. £12.95 from L&S (discount for a case price). My favourite independent wine merchant has had a lovely house claret (see tasting notes) for some time and now they say they have found a house white Burgundy worthy to sit alongside it. They've started with the well regarded 2011 vintage and have sourced this wine from a highly reputable producer.
Pale straw colour. Little oak apparent. Nose still a little closed but has classic chardonnay character - pears and a hint of apricot and no overpowering buttery oak of some New World styles. The palate is quite rich with zesty apples but with a refreshing acidity and a firm minerality on the finish. This is a wine that will come into its own in the next year. A little closed at the moment but still very nice indeed. From 2013, 16//20

Fiano DOC 2010 (Sannio)

Tasted 01/08/12, 13.5% ABV, cork closure. About £8 from Marks and Spencer. An interesting, extensively planted but lesser known Italian varietal, this one grown in Benevento in the Naples region.
Light golden colour. Unoaked. Pears and apples on the nose, and on the palate the a refreshing grip and minerality reminiscent of a petit Chablis. Zesty finish. Well made and a great food wine. From 2011, 16/20
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El Bombero DOC 2008

Tasted 31/07/2012, 15% ABV, cork closure. Sara described this wine as schitzophrenic and I think she is right. This was a real success for Laithwaites (ca. £8) and I have had various bottles, this one in stock since 2009. It's made from Grenache (Garnacha) from Carinena (Aragon) in northern Spain. It did well in many initial tastings for its upfront appeal and at 15% ABV it is well named 'The Fireman'. But, I think at 5 years old, it's lost its past its best. Deep purple colour, the nose is an attractive hit of damson and dark fruits, perhaps a little stewed. On the palate, there is an immediate attraction of damsons and prunes but then a real hole and then a sweetish, strawberry jam like finish. Drink up! However, went well with my strongly flavoured roasted cod. 15/20.

Next Chelsea and Fulham Wine Society tasting

Next tastings:

Languedoc-Roussillon, 8pm on Monday 15th October at Le Petit Canon, Parsons Green Lane, SW6. Tickets £5

Fortified Wine at 6.30pm on Thursday 8th November, Fulham Wine Rooms (www.greatwinesbytheglass.com) in SW6 : a presentation of Fortified wines by Ian McLaren. Tickets £30.

Please email info@cfwinesociety.org  for more info

See CFWS website

Chablis Chablis 1er Cru 2009 Union des Viticulteurs de

Tasted 26/07/12, 13% ABV, cork closure. About £14 UK retail. There are 4 levels of Chablis and at least the lowest two can be treacherous. There is petit Chablis, Chablis, Premier Cru and Grand Cru, coming in at around £8 to £9, £10 to £12, £12 to £18 and £20+ respectively for each level at UK retail prices. Some regular Chablis can be very nice but it can often be disappointing as so much is produced of indifferent quality, that one of the world's iconic drinks is best enjoyed at Premier Cru level at least. Paying £2 or £3 more over the regular Chablis pays divdends.
This is a good quality Premier Cru - this wine is a blend from the best single vineyards from selected 1er Cru plots only, and the Union des Viticulteurs is highly regarded. 2009 was a solid year and this wine is ready now. No oak. Great zesty apples and lemon on the nose, with a fresh minerality on the palate. Refreshing, 'good value' Chablis. From 2012, 16.5/20

Asda Extra Special Cotes du Rhone-Village 2011

Tasted 24/7/12, 14% ABV, synthetic cork closure. Another Asda 'special' and not a bad one at that at c. £6.99.
This is a co-operative wine and a blend of greanche, syrah and mourvedre. It's quite rich but with soft-ish tannins from the fine 2011 vintage. There's plenty of ripe berry fruits in the mouth, with a hint of white pepper and coffee on the finish. You could keep it longer, but frankly I'd drink it now. A good dinner party introduction or party wine. Great value for money. 15.5/20, from 2013

Asda Extra Special Primitivo 2009

Tasted 14/07/12, 14% ABV, screwcap closure. On a personal note, with two month old Thomas Edward to share the looking after of with Sara, I seem to spend my time browsing the baby sections of supermarkets or buying online stocks of diaper and baby wipes rather than looking at fine wine lists! Hence, my recent exploration of Asda wines in the stratospheric £5 to £7 bracket!. Though Asda don't have such an extensive range or reputation as some other UK supermarkets, what they do have can be very good and they have won many blind tastings with some of their Italian wines. This wine is in the middle - about £7.99.
I have had some lovely Puglian primitivos over the last few years but this is one that really sits up and sings, especially at this price: nice dark cherry red colour with a hint of age and development showing. Damsons and dried fruits and vanilla on the nose, ripe blackberries on the palate. Softening tannins, with a good finish. Great little everyday wine, from 2012. 15.5/20
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Escarpment Pinot Noir 2009 (Martinborough)

Tasted 09.07.12, 14.5%, cork closure. Escarpment is a winery with a growing reknown and has won mutiple plaudits. Set up in 1998, this wine is just about their entry level at c. £16 UK retail. Whilst Central Otago region is the 'new kid on the block' where Pinot Noir is concerned, the North Island shows that it still produces some of NZ's finest pinot noirs. NZ pinor noir is not cheap but value for money-wide it excels.
This is very much a Southern Hemipshere pinot noir. It is medium cherry red in colour, with a great nose of red fruits, spice and ham. The palate has elegant tannins and soft berry fruits. There's a hint of liquorice and bitter cherries on the finish and the wine does not taste like 14+%. 2009 was a great year and it shows in this wine. Sophisticated. Will keep. From 2013 - 2020. 17/20

Asda Extra Special Dao DOC, 2010

Tasted 01/07/12, 13% ABV, cork closure. Asda Extra Special £5. For those international readers who maybe don't know, Asda is one of the largest UK supermarkets and very much price-driven. Some of their wines, though, are surprisingly good and they do have a MW wine buyer.
£5 per bottle is pretty much as low as you can go these days (and most are awful, generic Aussie rubbish) but this otherwise un-named co-operative wine from Falua could be £10 and it would still be very good. One of my finds of 2012! 'Dao is the new Douro' in terms of innovation and quality improvement, moving away from its image of making unforgiving, massively tannic, dry, meat-marinating wines to ones of more international appeal using modern wine making techniques and foreign expertise.
This wine from the super 2010 vintage shows that.
It's a deep purple colour, beautiful black fruits on the nose with a whiff of Mediterranean spices. The mouth feel is quite elegant, very fruity and with some silky tannins. Great with grilled meat or a strongly flavoured salted cod dish. Ready to drink. This is my bargain of the year - but you worry at this price, is it sustainable - for anyone? From 2012, 16/20
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Château de Gaudou Cuvée Tradition 2010 Cahors

Tasted 04/07/12. 14%, cork closure. About £7 UK retail. Cahors was the orginal home of Malbec of course, though we now think of Argentina when we drink Malbec. This is a blend of mainly Malbec, with Merlot and Tannat and is an illustration of the resurgence of the varietal in Cahors, where they call their wines 'black wine' due to the dark colour derived from Malbec.The is dark red, with toasty oak on the nose and an explosion of ripe black fruits in the mouth, with soft tannins and a long finish. A lovely wine - a genuine, quality alternative to South America that is excellent value for money. 16.5 / 20 from 2012.

Trivento Malbec 2011 (Mendoza)

Tasted 25/06/12, 14% ABV, screw cap closure. (Asda Extra Special, £5.00. I think this is the ubiquitous Trivento Outra Vida by another name).
Trivento is a quality driven winery (part of Chile's Concha y Toro group) and this wine represents crazy value for money. 
Cherry red colour, very youthful, full berry fruits on the nose. Toasty oak. Boiled sweets with forward fruit in the mouth but mouth-puckering acidity. Soft tannins. No doubt this wine, barely a year old, is made for early (easy?) drinking but I'd still give it longer. Not as rounded and elegant as some (slightly) more expensive malbecs, this just about represents as low as you can go in price for an everyday wine but it's not bad at all. Good food wine. From 2013, 13.5/20

Quinta do Crasto 2010 (Douro)

Tasted 20/06/12, 14% ABV, cork closure. A ludicrous £7.99 sold under the Sainsburys Taste the Difference label (normal price about £10). The 2010's from Douro are receiving many plaudits and this wine scored highly in a recent Decanter tasting. It's a classic Douro blend of Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Touriga Franca.
Beautiful deep purple colour, dark fruits on the nose, plummy on the palate, elegant and well rounded. The wine has firm tannins in the mouth with a long finish of dried fruit with a hint of spice. A stellar wine from a great prodcuer masquerading as a budget wine. From 2013, 17.5/20

Gamekeepers Reserve 2008 (St. Hallett, Barossa Valley)

Tasted 20/06/2012, 14% ABV, screwcap closure, about £8 UK retail. This wine illustrates two points: 1. many wines, even commercial ones, benefit from a year or two of age, and 2. paying a few pounds more for an 'everyday' wine reaps rewards.
St. Hallett is a very well regarded producer, make lovely wines under their own label at all price points and also do a lot of badged wines for retailers - e.g Waitrose or M&S in the UK.
This wine is excellent vfm. Blend of shirz, grenache and the Portuguese grape Touriga (a hybrid in Aus, I believe). Deep purple colour, 4 years old now and just right. Lovely pimento, oregano and coffee on the nose, dark fruits and toffee on the palate. Drink now, 16/20

Yali Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (Colchagua, Chile)

Tasted 24/06/12, 14% ABV, screw cap closure. Great little Bordeaux blend from a quality-driven, up-and-coming winery. Widely available in the UK for about £8. I didn't realise I had this tucked away for a couple of years, so it's now 4 years old and just right. Young vines, but great cab sauv character of ripe berry fruits in the mouth and cassis and pencil box on the nose, balanced by some firm tannins. Great value 'luncheon wine'. Excellent with strongly flavoured Portuguese salted cod! 15.5 / 20, drink now.