I recently tasted through a selection of modestly priced wines from one of Scotland’s best fine wine merchants, Raeburn Fine Wines of Edinburgh. Mail order and online ordering are also offered through raeburnfinewines.com.
white wines
Andando, Premium Sauvignon Blanc 2008, Chile
I have to say this Sauvignon from Maule, rarely cited as a Sauvignon Blanc hotspot in Chile, is a cracker. Beautifully fragrant with intense peach fruit, a touch of tropical lychee and just the merest hint of anything grassy, it floods over the palate with that peach and pineapple ripeness, but tempered and cajoled by a lovely acidity that pushes through, over a creamy texture, to leave this satisfyingly rich, but pin-sharp. 88/100. £7.99, Raeburn Fine Wines. See all stockists on wine-searcher.com
Cinco Tierras, Torrontès 2008, Argentina
There’s a touch of gold to this pale yellow wine, and a nose that’s only gently floral and herbal, and much less expressive than many examples of this grape. There’s a touch of tangerine skin and some lemony notes. On the palate this has a bit of phenolic grip, the pithy bite of citrus and plenty of acidity keeping it crisp and fresh, if fairly simple. Seems rather too high a price for the content of the bottle in the final analysis. 86/100. £8.99, Raeburn Fine Wines. See all stockists on wine-searcher.com
red wines
Bodega Torre San Milan, Gorrebusto Rioja Tempranillo 2008, Spain
Very bold, crimson colour for this organic Rioja. Striking nose: meaty and gamy, with a clear fruitiness betraying very little oak influence, but some dense, dark, leafy notes. On the palate this is chewy and dark, the flood of bittersweet plum fruit and that gravelly earthiness with plenty of concentration and an underpinning, roasted chestnut and meaty density. A very impressive wine at its price. 88/100 £6.99, Raeburn Fine Wines. See all stockists on wine-searcher.com
Domaine Le Soula, Trigone Vin de Pays de Côtes Catalanes 2998, France
Gérard Gauby’s Trigone is a 100% Syrah wine from the Languedoc, harvested at just 35hl/ha and aged in tanks, not barrels. There’s a lovely little whiff of love hearts and Parma violets, the fruit beneath reminiscent of cherries, raspberry and red liquorice. The palate is no less complex and alluring, the fruit staying bright and focused on those fresh, red fruit flavours, with a certain burnt orange tang and a freshness to the tannins and acidity that extends the finish. 90/100. £9.99, Raeburn Fine Wines. See all stockists on wine-searcher.com
Niepoort, Drink Me 2007, Douro DOC
Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Amarela, Tinta Barroca. The playful “Drink Me” is in fact a blend of indigenous grapes with a little French oak ageing, specifically made for the UK market by maestro Dirk Niepoort. There’s a savoury cherry fruit quality on the nose with just a hint of sweet, damp earth and spices. On the palate it is elegant and well-balanced, the sweetness and freshness of the red fruits set against some spice and then lean, clean tannins and acidity, the whole picture long, food-friendly and refined. 88/100. £9.99, Raeburn Fine Wines. See all stockists on wine-searcher.com
Agricola Marion, Borgomarcellise Valpolicella 2008, Italy
Beautifully expressive on the nose, with minerals and gravel, a curranty, dry fruitiness and little lifted cherry and graphite notes. On the palate a real sweetness and bloody ripeness of fruit comes through. There’s a pastille edge of brightness, but the earthiness of the fruit, the firm, chewy tannic backbone and the spine of acidity makes this serious, but all the time fresh, savoury and deliciously drinkable. Very fine. 90/100. £11.50, Raeburn Fine Wines. See all stockists on wine-searcher.com