Chianti Riserva San Colombano 'Baroncini' 2007 DOCG

Tasted 13/07/11 with Sara. 13% ABV, ca. £9.50 UK retail (Waitrose). Initially, I was rather disappointed with this 'IWSC Bronze Medal Winner' but after 3 days breathing (sic) it really came into its own! San Colombano have a good reputation in the Tuscan middle ground and I thought at 4 years old, this bottle was about ready to try. Upon first opening and even on a second day, we found this rather closed, extremely oaky and very dry. But it eventually opened up to reveal lovely cherries and strawberries on the nose, and the tannins softened. As it is this wine is good with food but it shows that there are still long-lived 'traditional' Chianti styles made at this level. Note to self - keep for another 3 years at least! From 2015, 16/20

Errázuriz Tapihue Block Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (Casablanca Valley)

Tasted 12/07/11 with Beata, Jean-Marc, Tom, Sara, et al. 13.5% ABV, about £8 UK retail. This wine has improved in the year since I bought it. This shows that even youthful, early-drinking wines benefit from some age. Pale straw colour. Very nice apple and gooseberry nose, refershing acidity on the palate. Quite well balanced now and drinking well. I do like Errazuriz reserva-level wines and their fine wines, but unlike say, Cono Sur and Concha y Toro, I find their entry level wines unremarkable but this is an exception. From 2011, 15.5 / 20

Vinchio Vaglio I Tre Vescovi Barbera d'Asti DOCG Superiore 2008 (Piedmont)

Tasted 10/07/11, 13.5% ABV. About £8.99 In Waitrose (currently on offer at £6.50). A lovely little wine and it shows that there is good vlaue for money to be had for every day wine in the Old World. Ruby red in colour with brown tinges, looks older than its age. Beautiful strawberries, dried fruits and toasty oak on the nose, red fruits on the palate. Good tannins and well balanced. Really superb food wine - good value even at full price. Drink now, 16/20

Casillero del Diablo Merlot 2008 (Casablanca)

Tasted 05/07/11, 13.5% ABV. This is widely available for anywhere between £6 and £8. This is an entry level varietal blend from Concha y Toro's global brand. Though labelled 'reserva' I am not sure why but.....
As always with CdD, their entry level varietals are far superior to most New World gluggers at this price point, and great value too.
This wine is medium purple, the nose has spice and red fruits and some oaky notes. The palate is fresh and fruity. Well balanced. Not remarkable but you get a good Merlot character. Drink now, 14 / 20.
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Finca Flichman Malbec Reserve 2009

Tasted 1/7/11 with Tom. 14% ABV. Currently on offer at Waitrose at £5.99 (from £7.99). The 2010 has just been released so I decided to drink up the '09 that I had since last year. It seems very similar to the Gestos, just not quite as elegant or rounded. Their website is worth a look: http://www.flichman.com.ar/home.html (Spanish only) but doesn't list this wine. My guess is this is a blend for the international market; according to the bottle based on two of their vineyards. I think the 'reserve' appellation comes from selected plots rather than barrel age. Anyway, it is clear, medium purple colour with a good nose of plum and strawberry. Tannins are soft. There's a rather short finish and I would have preferred a bit more grip with firmer tannins. Good value for money, nonetheless, if you like your Malbec soft-ish and for early drinking. 15/20, drink now.

Finca Flichman Gestos 2008

Tasted 27/06/2011, 14% ABV. The 2010 is about £7.50. I realised that I had had this wine in stock for nearly 2 years, so decided it was time to drink up. Argentina, particularly the great stables such as Flinchman, Balbo, Joffre and Catena, are producing superb affordable Malbecs for everyday drinking and for keeping too.. This wine falls into the former category but is a nice, elegant wine nonetheless. Dark purple colour, still very youthful. Smoke and ripe cherries on the nose, damsons and spice on the palate. Great value, versatile wine. Drink now.....15.5 / 20

Casillero del Diablo Viognier 2009 Reserva, Casablanca Valley

Tasted 24/06/11, 13.5% ABV. About £7.50 UK retail. I am not a big fan of Viognier at any price (or from anywhere) and hence was not reall ylooking forward to 'cheap' Viognier, even from the quality-driven Concha y Toro giant. But, this wasn't bad. From their website: 'After being on the brink of extinction in 1965, this variety, a native grape of the French Rhône Valley, has seen a steady increase in its production to the point where it now stands as competition for the ever-classic Chardonnay. This is an aromatic wine with delicate flavours, mostly defined by its apricot and peach notes and low acidity'. About right. Zesty, I had a hint of pineapple too. Drink now, 14/20

I Satiri, Salice Salentino Riserva 2006 Candido

Tasted 24/06/11, 13.5% ABV. About £8.50 in Majestic. Good expression of the Negroamaro grape from Puglia - with some age - at a great price. Clear, red-brown colour with some age on the rim. Great nose of raisins, smoke, prunes and oak. Firm tannins, with lots of dark cherry fruit and a longish finish. From 2011, 16.5/20

Gran Vendema Rioja Gran Reserva 2002

Tasted 19/06/2011. 14% ABV, about £10 (Majestic). This is cheaper, 'new style' Rioja that is now coming into its own. It was a bargain a year ago when I bought a case and it is now drinking well but has life yet. Cherry red, showing just a hint of age around the edges of the glass. Leather, toffee and cinnamon on the nose. Elegant and full in the mouth with lively tannins still. Vanilla and berry fruits. This has improved since tasting it about a year ago. From 2012. 16.5 / 20

Barbera d'Asti DOCG 2009 De Forville (Piedmont)

Tasted 18/06/2011 with Sara, Beata and Jean-Marc. 14% ABV, £12.49 in Majestic. A good Barbaresco of the new style. Good for youthful drinking or will keep. Deep red colour, clear. Great aromas of smoke, spice, red cherries. Lots of tannin masking the fruit. In the mouth, it shows its credentials and elegance but it needs longer. Drink now with a rich antipasti or creamy sauce - but I'd keep it for a while yet. From 2013. 17/20

Errázuriz Wild Ferment Pinot Noir, 2008 (Casablanca)

Tasted 17/06/11 with Sara, Beata and Jean-Marc. ca. £12 UK retail. My last bottle of the '08 and improved on last year when I first tasted it. One of the best wines from Errázuriz, this is made from young vines but hand picked and selected bunches, and has 9 months in French oak after fermentation with 'wild yeasts'. This is an incredibly young-drinking but complex and elegant pinot noir, a universe away from tannic and long lived Burgundy-style wines. The nose is beautifully complex strawberries and rosehips. In the mouth it's long and elegant with smooth red fruits and a surprising richness. Highly recommended and superb value for money. From 2011, 17.5 /20

Macon-Uchizy AOC 2008

Tasted 17/6/2011 with Sara, Beata and Jean-Marc. 13% ABV, £8.99 Marks and Spencer. Very pleasant commune Maconnais, 100% Chardonnay by R & G Sallet. A very well balanced wine with a nice buttery roundness and citrusy flavours. Perhaps this shows that white French wine below £10 can compete with the New World! Recommended. From 2011, 16/20

Valdivieso Reserva Merlot 2008, Rapel Valley

Tasted 7/6/11, 13.5%, about £9 UK retail. This Merlot may be a long way from a 10 year old St. Emilion in style, but it is a fine example of great Chilean wine making. It's deep red with beautiful red berry fruits, cherries and a hint of allspice on the nose. The restrained oak gives a nice layer of vanilla. This is fruit-forward for sure but its elegant and refined and well balanced with smooth tannins. Lovely - what value! From 2011, 16.5/20
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Twitter: @garywinetasting
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Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG Filicheto Castellani 2006

Tasted 01/06/11 with Sara. 13.5% ABV, about £10 UK with Majestic. A 'cheap' VNdM but a good expression of the style and the Sangiovese grape. Light ruby red, showing some age. Lovely nose: full, cherries, vanilla and a hint of pepper. In the mouth, it's still quite full and a little tannic but long and elegant. There's lots of dry, juicy red fruits and a finish that is reminiscint of cherries and rapsberries. Not the highest echelon of this Tuscan region but a very nice wine, excellent value for money. From 2011, 16.5 /20

Cuvee Balthazar Syrah 2007 Vin de Pay d'Oc

Tasted 28/05/2011 with Beata, Jean-Marc, et al. 13.5% ABV, about £10 UK retail (e.g. Waitrose). 

Winemaker Pierrick Harang’s take on the new style ‘Super Vin De Pay’, this is a world away from cheap, barely adequate D’Oc wines of yesterday. Well worth the money, this is a super-charged syrah, lovely dark fruits nose, spicy and fruity with a great finish. Well worth the money. From 2011, 17/20

Barossa Shiraz Reserve 2007

Tasted 21/05/2011 with Alex, Jane and Sara. 14.5% ABV, about £9 UK retail from Waitrose.The '08 is available now - this was my last bottle of the '08. See:
http://garyswinetasting.blogspot.com/2010/12/barossa-shiraz-reserve-2007.html
Lovely, a point now... 18 / 20, great value for money

La Casita Sauvignon Blanc Reserva Coquimbo Valley, 2009

Tasted 18/05/2011. 13.5%. About £7 UK retail. A 'jobbing' Chilean varietal - some fresh acidity and minerality with a citrus fruits on the nose. A rather short finish, probably not worth more than £7. Drink now, 14/20

Cumot Nebbiolo d'Alba Bricco Maiolica DOC 2007

Tasted 19/05/2011 at the WHICH group. 14% ABV. Ca. £23 UK retail from Lea and Sandeman. A minor Barbaresco from Piedmont. Lovely wine, brick red with brown tinges, showing some age. Leathery notes, tar, liquorish and dark fruits on the nose. Great balance with lots of cherry and strawberry fruit and a long finish. A tad pricey but a really enjoyable wine. From 2011, 17.5 / 20

Errazuriz Estate Merlot, Aconagua Valley, 2009

Tasted 19/05/2011. Tasted previously in  http://garyswinetasting.blogspot.com/2010/11/errazuriz-estate-merlot-aconagua-valley.html
Re-visiting this after a year, I feel an extra year has added to the wine. The tannins have softened a little, drink now. Quite spicy on the finish/ 15.5 / 20

Douro DOC 2008

Tasted 10/05/11, 13.5% ABV. £6.99 (currently £4.99). Tesco Finest label is a Falua wine by Antonina Barbosa. A pleasant enough wine, if unremarkable. Light ruby colour, good toasty oak and blackcurrants on the nose. Soft tannins and red fruits on the palate. A rather short finish. Not bad - good value for money at the current price. Drink now, 14.5 / 20
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Twitter: @garywinetasting
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Post Scriptum de Chryseia DOC 2008 (Douro)

Tasted 04/05/11 at Central London Wine Society. 13.5% ABV, about £20 UK retail. The second level 'boutique wine' from the Prats and Symington collaboration, a fine table wine from port country. This is selected parcels of touriga nacional grapes. Deep purple colour, very youthful. Cedar wood, dark fruits and figs on the nose. Elegant with great tannins, needs a lot longer.From 2013, 17/20

Planalto Reserva 2009 (Douro)

Tasted 04/05/11 at Central London Wine Society. 12.5% ABV, about £8 UK retail (e.g. Majestic). An unremarkable from the Sogrape group. Light golden colour, off-dry, zesty nose and slightly smoky and resinous on the palate. Rather short finish. From 2011, 14/20

Rayuela Merlot, 2010 Central Valley

Tasted 06/05/11 at home with Sara. 14% ABV, about £7.50 at Majestic (currently on offer at £5.99 if you buy two or more). A great little, fruit forward Chilean wine. Nice, every day drinking, pleasant varietal Merlot character. Youthful (2010!) deep violet colour with cherry and mixed spice on the nose, vanilla and chocolate notes in the mouth with nice plummy fruit. Soft tannins - drink young. Another demonstration of how excellent entry level Chilean wines can be - this is the entry level wine of the Viu Manent winery - new to me and exclusively imported by Majestic. (Rayuela means 'hopscotch' in Chilean Spanish vernacular, apparently). They do reserva wines under the Viu Manent label. From 2011, 15.5 / 20

Santa Rita Late Harvest Moscatel, 2008 (Limari)

Tasted 01.05.11 with Clem, Ian and Tom. 12% ABV, about £11 UK retail (50cl). Santa Rita is an off-shoot of the Concha Y Toro group. Though this is 'late harvest', it's certainly botrytised too. This is hand picked grapes. . A lovely wine, well balanced. Lovely nose of 'Oxford marmalade', a nice sweetness with refreshing acidity. The nose has rose petal and and lemon too, the palate quite rich. Great value for money. From 2011, 17 / 20.

Anakena Single Vineyard Late Harvest 2009, Rapel Valley

Tasted 01.05.11 with Clem, Ian and Tom. 13% ABV, £9 UK retail (50cl). A Viognier and Muscat blend. Intense yellow colour, pear and apricots on the nose, dry apricots on the palate. Not too sweet: balanced by good acidity. From 2011, 16 / 20

Zohar Torrontes 2009 (Mendoza)

Tasted 01.05.11 with Clem, Ian and Tom. 13.5% ABV, about £10.99 UK retail. A premium wine from Susana Balbo. The wine has a light golden colour and is youthful and accessible. Nice tropical fruits on the nose and elegant, complex notes of citrus and zesty fruit in the mouth. There's also peach and violets on the nose. A top-drawer Torrontes. From 2011, 16 / 20.

Vinalba Malbec Reserva, 2009 (Mendoza)

Tasted 01.05.11 with Clem, Ian and Tom. 15% ABV (!), £10.99 (Majestic). A middle level wine from the
Herve J Fabre stable, a notch up from their entry level Malbec. Deep purple colour, ripe black fruits and smoke on the nose, beautiful blackcurrants and plums on the palate. Nice integrated toasty oak flavours. Quite elegant and rounded for such a young wine. You could keep it - but I wouldn't: drink now. From 2011, 16.5 / 20

Novas Winemaker's Selection Syrah 2007 Casablanca Valley

Tasted 01.05.11 with Clem, Ian and Tom. 14.5% ABV, about £12.50 UK retail (e.g. Majestic). This is the third bottle I have tasted recently and am still convinced it is a bargain.I quote what I blogged previously:
http://garyswinetasting.blogspot.com/2010/11/novas-winemakers-selection-syrah-2007.html
'This is a wonderful cool climate syrah and a fine example of what Chile can do at its best. A winery with a stellar reputation has produced this gorgeous and incredibly drinkable wine (despite the 14.5% ABV). The nose is full of notes of chocolate and toffee, with some tar and caramelised sugar thrown in. Long and full on the palate, this is an elegant and very well made wine. Refined and fruity but not too dry'.
Definitely needs longer - there is more to come from this one....From 2012, 17.5  / 20

Maycas del Limari Chardonnay, 2007

Tasted 01.05.11 with Clem, Ian and Tom. 14% ABV, about £9 UK retail. Disappointing and not worth the money. I am a big fan of the red wines from Maycas but this chardonnay fails to deliver. Rather non-descript on the nose - a hint of vanilla - but thin and green in the mouth for a 4 year old+ wine. We suspect it's a bought-in blend of young vines with a possibly poorer vintage. Rather acid without balancing fruitiness. Drink now 14 / 20

Casa Lapostelle Pinot Noir Cuvee Alexandre 2008, Atalayas Vineyard (Casablanca Valley)

Tasted 30.04.11 with Chris, Fran, Rosalind and some of the Wednesday Wine Group. 14.5%, about £20 UK retail. Casa Lapostelle at its best - youthful, bright purple colour. Powerful crushed fruits and strawberries on the nose, in the mouth it's full and powerful, with a hint of spice, lovely vanilla masking some of the fruit still. This is a limited production from selected blocks. This one will age - keep for another 3 to 5 years. Very good value for money. From 2015, 17.5/20