Forty Wines Tasted

(2023) Doing what it says on the tin is a good thing in this case: an Extra Dry Prosecco (which actually means it's a little bit sweet with up to 17g/l of residual sugar) with the expected frothy and fun character, plenty of icing sugar and lemon aromatics, and actually pretty good acids to slice through the finish. This range supports the Queer Britain LGBTQ+ charity and the first wine I tasted in the range, a French pink, was not very good. This is better: typical, as good as any other of its genre, and you can drink it safe in the knowledge that you are contributing to this cause.  

(2023) I've always really enoyed this zero dosage cuvée from the family-owned Juve y Camps, made from the three traditional Cava grapes. It is dominated by Xarel.lo, and aged 36 months on the lees in bottle. As always, I get a custardy impression on the nose, but a lovely floral, floating note of delicacy above. Mouth-filling, luxurious bubbles, plenty of fruit sweetness despite the zero sugar, and a shimmering elegance into the finish. Delightful and delicious.  

(2023) It's hard to argue with Justerini's Champagne buyer, Julian Campbell, when he says: "It’s a hard act to beat at this price." From a sixth-generation winemaker whose family farm nine hectares of Pinot Noir in the Montagne de Reims, it's a blend of 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Pinot Meunier and 20% Chardonnay. Crucially however, there are around 50% of reserve wines in the blend, and it spends a full 30 months on the lees so the style is toasty and rich. Nuttiness, brioche and a lovely yeasty development join crisp green apple on the nose. In the mouth, the mousse is cushioning but fresh, the the citrus brightness of the fruit and acidity cuts through those buttery, nutty layers of development. A very fine Champagne at a good price.

(2023) This blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay from the 2015 vintage exhibits plenty of toast, hazelnut and brioche on the nose, with a peachy fruit undertow. The palate perhaps lacks a touch of verve, the fruit peachy and soft, the acidity moderate, but it is delightfully gluggable and finishes with good balance.

(2023) A more or less equal blend of the three classic Champagne grapes, aged two years, with fruit from the Marne Valley. There's a fairly deep yellow/gold hue to this. Modest bubbles rise from the glass. The nose is relatively reserved, with a little buttery biscuit and lemony fruit. In the mouth this is racy enough, though there's a sweet-fruited ripeness on the mid-palate. I find something a little bitter in the finish that detracts here, from anotherwise enjoyable wine.

(2023) The blend is 50% Pinot Noir, 30% Pinot Meunier and 20% Chardonnay for this wine, fruit from the Vallée de la Marne. The dosage is modest at 7g/l. Coppery pink in colour, the mousse is modest, and the immediate aromas are of bruised apple and mushroom, a hint of cranberry fruit. In the mouth this has a lively streak of lemony acidity that is the first impression. Quite rounded, there is a nuttiness and that bruised, oxidative character again. Not a rosé for those who look for a pretty summer fruit style, quite meaty.

(2023) Made from 100% Chardonnay, this is sourced from easterly planted vineyards in the Côtes de Blancs and stays three years on the lees. Very biscuity, those yeasty, umami notes of autolysis are nicely balanced against lemon fruit. The palate is dry - not sure of the dosage here, but seems low - allowing the citrus to power through, though always over a nutty, yeasty background. Probably my favourite wine of this trio.

(2023) You may well have tasted Viña Sol in the past, a big selling part of the Torres brand portfolio made with the indigenous Parellada variety. What a surprise to see an extension of the brand in the shape of a new wine made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc. It's an all present and correct Sauvignon with familiar elderflower and gooseberry notes, then a bit of residual sugar to the slightly cloying palate. Reminiscent of many cheapish Chilean Sauvignons for example, and not a wine I can get too enthusiastic about. Already on offer at £7 for Club Card holders.

(2023) Though I applaud the charitable aspect of this wine - the sale of one bottle provides one meal for a person in need in the Western Cape community - I'm afraid I preferred the Cabernet-Merlot partner, also in Morrisons at £9.00. There's nothing much wrong with this, but it feels both thin and a bit cloying, with some residual sugar being used to hide the rather shrill fruit and acidity. Not my cup of tea.  

(2023) It is fair to say that I am never quite as impressed by this wine as I was several years ago when it seemed a bit like a decent entry level white Burgundy with a lower price tag. Now? I don't know, it just fails to deliver much of a punch in any aspect, with a lightly mealy sheen to apple and citrus fruit and slightly short finish.

(2023) Note that the 2021 vintage tasted here in July 2023 has just been replaced by the 2022. I have not tasted that, but I can only imagine in this abundantly fresh style of wine youth is an advantage. The nose is all green apple and lime, streaking freshness, but there is an undertow because of the lees ageing that adds a little pillow of something more oatmeally. In the mouth it's a vibrant style that won't scare a Loire Sauvignon lover; loads of fresh-squeezed citrus and a lick of salt, into a long, textured and dry finish.

(2023) A lees-aged Muscadet from the Côtes de Grandlieu sub-region, rather than the possibly more familiar Sèvre-et-Maine. There's a faint tinge of bronze to the colour here, the wine exhibiting an apple freshness with a hint of something nutty too. In the mouth there's a touch of sweetness - hard to say if that is residual sugar, but the effect is to make the wine feel as if it just lacks a little of Muscadet's tang and ozoney freshness.

(2023) The Fairtrade certification assures you farm workers are treated well at Vergelegen’s estate, this Sauvignon Blanc from multiple carefully selected blocks, each parcel vinified separately before blending.  It's a very expressive wine, with hallmark elderflower thiols, yes, a little of that 'cat's pee on a gooseberry bush' character, and plenty of tropical, exotic fruit. In the mouth it continues its sensory journey, flooding the palate with both mango/nectarine fruit ripeness and a blast of citrus cut by grassiness to give a streaking grip and freshness to the finish. If the super-charged Sauvignon style appeals to you, this delivers in spades.  

(2023) There are quite a few Australian Chardonnays at around the £10 mark in UK supermarkets, often on promotion to nearer £8, and I dare say this new brand from Château Tanunda might be one of their rank. It is, however, one of the better ones I have tasted too: only 12.5% alcohol, not too sweet, with nicely judged oaking. Aromas are of crushed oatmeal and almon, a ripe and nutty Cox's pippen fruit beneath, just hinting at something more tropical. In the mouth medium bodied and fresh thanks to that low alcohol and decent acidity, the fruit staying nicely edgy - more lemon and ripe apple than tropical - through to the finish.

(2023) Made by Pagos del Rey, a group with wineries in several Spanish regions, this come from Rías Baixas, the most celebrated region for the Albariño variety. There's a touch of elderflower and kiwi fruit on the nose here, rather Sauvignonesque, a light smoke and peach beneath, only a whisper of the saline character these wines sometimes display. The palate has a certain richness. Is there a little residual sugar here? Though a big, citrussy acid core comes through on the finish, I do find this has that slightly sweet 'n sour, maybe even cloying character, meaning it lacks the ultimate crispness I look for in Rías Baixas.  

(2023) The main difference between this wine and the 'Grand Ardeche' Chardonnay is that this cuvée sees no oak, spending 10 months in stainless steel before release. Full malolactic has given this plenty of creaminess and a light oatmeal sheen. In the mouth the fruit is super ripe and sweet; the sweetness actually detracts for me, making this rather cloying before a blast of acidity that really doesn't sit very elegantly in the picture. Sorry Louis Latour, but not my favourite of your normally very reliable white wines. Costco members can buy for £11.15 at time of review.

(2023) A Vino de la Tierra de Cádiz appellation wine made from Palomino, grown on the distinctive chalky soils of the Jerez region known as 'albariza'. The colour is medium to pale straw-yellow, and the nose has a buttery character, then golden delicious apples moving into more exotic fruits. In the mouth it has that dry, apple core and straw-like character that I associate with Palomino dry wines, but there is a hint of juiciness and easy-drinking ripeness, and the classy saline touch to the acidity in the finish. Different, only 11.5% abv, and very enjoyable.

(2023) Unlike the regular Ardeche Chardonnay, the 'Grand' is fermented in oak barrels and spend a further 10 months in barrels, 20% new. The nose suggest toasted almonds and sesame seeds over ripe yellow apple, though the toasty oak and full malolactic does mark the wine quite noticeably. The mouth fills with a fruit ripeness and richness that would rarely be found in Burgundy, but the wine has clarity and presence too, with good citrus acidity and the creaminess of texture. Quite a bitter almond bite on the finish, perhaps suggesting this would be best with food. £14.99 as part of a mixed six at Majestic.

(2023) From an arid inland area of the Little Karoo on slate soils, this is a blend of Chenin Blanc and Colombard. Justerini ask "South Africa’s answer to Chablis?" and they have a point. It is fermented and aged in old oak, but plenty of acidity and low pH give a very crisp, rattling style. There are some aromatics, herby and chamomile-like, but the bracing palate is searingly dry, with lemon and salts powering mid-palate and finish. Crying out for some seafood or simply prepared white fish, and delicious of its style.

(2023) This is the entry level Chardonnay from one of Margaret River's star estates, and one of the founding wineries of the region. Winemaker Virginia Willcock loves a bit of flinty character and this is both wild fermented and with just 12.5% alcohol obviously picked early to emphasise that character and refreshing natural acidity. Seven months in French oak barriques (13% new) and batonnage give it richness too. Cashew and oatmeal on the nose, a touch of butter and lemon, and that wisp of fresh-struck flint. In the mouth it is medium bodied and elegant, with a sweet edge to the oranges and lemon fruit, plenty of acid bite and great clarity to the finish. Very good value on a £10.99 mixed six deal. Watch the video for more information and food-matching ideas.

(2023) From a winery established only in 2018, with 22 hectares of old vineyard in the mountainous Dão region. This is a blend of native varieties Encruzado and Bical, fermented cement and stainless steel, with just 10% in large oak. It bottled after a year on the lees. Yeasy note, but taut and apple-fruited with a light, hazy almond cream. Fresh and really quite zippy on the palate, the fruit has an intensity and is edged with herbal notes of dill and the finish has a saline and lemon zest and mouth-watering acidity.

(2023) Once known as 'Fiano Minutolo' when the grape was mistakenly identified as Fiano (the famous grape from neighbouring Campania), this Puglian variety of unknown origin is much more aromatic. There's a slightly pinkish tinge to the colour . On the nose, lots of floral and peach down prettiness, chamomile and a lemon balm fragrance. Despite having only 12.5% alcohol, there is body and texture in the mouth, and while the peach ripeness of the fruit is delicious on the mid palate, a freshening zip of citrus and touch of salty, herby savouriness gives lovely balance. Watch the video for more information.

(2023) Once again there's some sugar here, with 5.9g/l, on soils of schist, gravel and clay. The vineyard is 17 years old, and sits at some altitude - 288 to 313 metres. Moderately aromatic, the typical Gewurz aromatics there but restrained and subtle. In the mouth this tastes pretty dry, with some phenolics picked up from skins and some time in older barrels. 50% was also wild yeast fermented which adds some textural and aromatic complexity, but perhaps at the expense of Gewurz exuberance. The touch of sweetness in the finish offsets a slightly bitter citric element nicely, and the subtle perfume of lychee does translate into a little juiciness. No UK retail stockists at time of review.

(2023) A wine I've enjoyed in previous vintages, but arguably this is the best so far. I remember a fabulous dry white from Château Doisy Daëne that I tasted many years ago that so fragrant with peach down elegance, hints of guava exoticism and a juicy, crisp but not aggresive pink grapefruit clarity and acidity. This reminds me of it so much, any barrel ageing adding a subtle sheen of almond, but almost disappearing into the shimmering elegance of the finish. 54% Semillon, 46% Sauvignon Blanc, 50% aged in barrel for six months.

(2023) I've tasted various vintages of this wine since first visiting Ixsir over a decade ago. I have tobsay this isbthe best vintage yet of this Obedei, Muscat and Viognier blend. The floral of the aromas are presumably driven by the Muscat, to  delightful effect, musky, peachy and with lots of fragrance. The palate does somehow reflect that aromatic exuberance, lots of juicy peach, keen lime and a bracing saline-infused finish. Delicious, but with a bit of muscle too.

(2023) Fans of the hugely popular Whispering Angel may not even realise that producer, Château d’Esclans, makes a whole range of rosé wines costing up to £100 per bottle. This will set you back a bit more than Whispering Angel, but to that wines dry, red-fruited charm and purity, it adds a mineral intensity. There's also a subtle creamy and full texture, partly from fermentation in French oak, in a wine that is Whispering Angel's older sibling, showing that much more gravitas. A delicious rosé and gastronomic too, eat with salmon prepared however your prefer or creamy mushroom pasta or risotto.

(2023) A new wine from the respected house of Cartuxa, this is an unoaked blend of typical Alentejo varieties Aragonez (Tempranillo), Trincadeira and the red-fleshed Alicante Bouschet, along with Syrah. The wine is a medium to dark and quite vivid crimson. The nose is really attractive: vinous, so fresh and grapey but plummy too, more of a red fruit character than black, with a nice floral lift. Super sweet and ripe, creamy and mouth-coating as it hits the palate, the tannins are very fine and soft so this is a real pizza or barbecue glugger, but the pert acidity and touch of peppery spice does enough to also keep it fresh. Watch the video for more information.

(2023) Like its Chardonnay white wine partner in Waitrose, I really did like this Shiraz on a quality/price ratio, and thought it a little bit better than a whole swathe of big brand Aussie wines that hover around the £10 mark in supermarkets. There's a hint of dry, bloody and iron-filings strictness on the nose, but that merges with copious black berry fruits and the support of some toasty and charry oak. In the mouth that sweet fruit wins through, juicy and blackcurranty, with nicely judged tannins, a brisk line of acid and warming oak to finish.

(2023) Fruit comes from the Western Cape's expansive Coastal region, and spent over a year in American and French oak. Journey's End will provide one meal for someone in need in their local community, for each bottle purchased. Brambles, plum and gentle spice on the nose, a little suggestion of bubblegum perhaps. In the mouth it is juicy and fruity, a hint of sappiness is refreshing, the oak not apparent as it finishes with some sweetness from residual sugar, but balanced acidity and a modest tannic grip.    

(2023) Sourcing fruit from across the Rioja region, this wine spends 14 months in American oak barrels, which imparts plenty of vanilla and coconut, as well as warming spices to the rich black fruit. In the mouth there is copious ripeness and richness to the fruit, but again the oak adds charry, coffee-ish layers of spice and warmth. The tannins are quite plush and the acid just nicely pitched to freshen with a cherry juiciness. For a big volume supermarket Rioja that will surely be a crowd-pleaser, it is very well done. (£8.75 'Club card price' at time of review).

(2023) A nice rendition of mid-priced Malbec, sourced from a high-altitude vineyard in the Maipú sub-region of Mendoza. Here, fruit from 16-year-old vines is cold macerated before fermentation, and this wine does not see oak. It's a particularly smooth and juicy black-fruited wine, blackcurrant and blueberry and a pleasing little ashy or herbal lift. In the mouth plenty of bright fruit, creamy tannin and a juicy acidity into the finish.

(2023) From Castilla-La Mancha, this is another wine to have adopted the still novel paper bottle which I have introduced with other wines: lightweight, and 100% recyclable. The wine is Merlot, made for Laithwaites by Bodegas Fernando Castro. Deep crimson in colour, with vinous black cherry and spice aromas, a stripe of red liquorice. On the palate brimming with primary fruit, sweet, buoyant and easy drinking. It's perhaps a little too sweet and easy for it's own good, lacking a bit of structure, but a barbecue crowd-pleaser surely. £10.99 in a mixed 12.

(2023) A blend of 80% Negroamaro and 20% Primitivo from Salento in Puglia, the wine region that forms the heel of Italy's 'boot'. There's a soft rim to the deep ruby colour, then tobacco-spiced, autumnal notes that are briary and truffly. In the mouth the fruit is sweet and copious. Indeed, the sweetness overwhelms slightly, making this one for those who appreciate a dollop of residual sugar in their reds, which I really, really don't. £10.49 as part of a mixed dozen.

(2023) A nice rendition of mid-priced Malbec, sourced from a high-altitude vineyard in the Maipú sub-region of Mendoza. Here, fruit from 16-year-old vines is cold macerated before fermentation, and this wine does not see oak. It's a particularly smooth and juicy black-fruited wine, blackcurrant and blueberry and a pleasing little ashy or herbal lift. In the mouth plenty of bright fruit, creamy tannin and a juicy acidity into the finish.

(2023) An organic certified wine from granite and schist soils in the Alentejo, a big blend of Alicante Bouschet, Aragonez (Teempranillo), Syrah, Trincadeira, Cabernet Sauvignon and Touriga Franc. Having fermented each variety separately, the blend is aged 12 months in American (60%) and French (40%) oak barrels. A lovely nose, so fragrant with wild strawberry and black cherry notes, a potpourri of spicy, floral overtones and a creamy underlay of oak. In the mouth it combines sweet, ripe and glossy fruit with a bit of solid structure. There's an intensity here, a bittersweet concentration that dries the mouth with extract, tannin and acidity. This should soften over five or six years in the cellar, or match it to a  steak or something from the char grill now.    

(2023) Raúl Pérez's has restored his old vineyards in Bierzo, Galicia, which is an area bubbling under with many people having discovered the quality of the wines made from the Mencia variety. The wine was fermented in oak vats that are ex-Vega Sicilia. Bold crimson in colour, there's a high-toned, medicinal edge to the aroma over solid red fruit. Is this a touch of Brett perhaps? In the mouth ripe but not too gloss, a nice authentic touch of rusticity to fruit and tannins. The finish is a little dry, which again makes me suspect a touch of Brettanomyces here that, for me, just detracts.

(2023) From a single vineyard of dry-grown bush vines that was planted in 1889 on red-brown clay in the heart of the Barossa Valley. The wine spends 100-days on skins post-fermentation, and I believe it has minimal contact. Soft, autumnal tinges to the ruby colour. Chocolate and fragrant potpourri spices are joined by pert raspberry notes, in a wine that has a wonderfully resolved, mature nose but still with a vital fruit quality. Pure, ripe and plush Grenache, filling the mouth with fruit and spices, but balance it superb and it is an utter pleasure to drink now. Reminiscent of a maturing Château Rayas perhaps, and Grenache showing its Pinot side so perfectly.

(2023) The new vintage of this old vine Grenache is made in a lighter style. A small part of the blend is a saignée, or 'bleed-off', as sometimes used to make rosé, blended back with wine that was 50% was fermented with whole bunches. It spent 15 months in the barrels. It does indeed pour a paler, still crimson, but more Pinot Noir-like colour. Lots of raspberry and summery fruit on the nose, a touch of white pepper, and just a suggestion of darker fruit and the barrel component beneath. Creamy and fruity on the palate, the tannins have a bit of heft to them, and there is keen, tart raspberry acidity to add more souring edge. Very drinkable but with a bit of strictness about it. £15.60 for club members.

(2023) This blend of Carignan, Grenache and Shiraz comes from Costers de Segre in northern Spain, a place of high altitude, little rain and scorching heat. Hence the name. The wine spends nine to 12 months in French oak, 30% new barrels each year. herbs and dried fruits are the initial impression, some intriguing clove-like spicing and lots of subtle perfume moving from baked plum to floral notes. In the mouth this has quite a singular style: the fruit is relatively high-toned and very much in the red spectrum, elevated acidity and tight, firm but smooth tannins all giving an impression of a wine singing in the upper register, while the background oak spice just grounds the whole picture. An interesting wine try with something like grouse or pigeon perhaps.  

(2023) It's well over a year since I last tasted an early bottling of this 80% Merlot Bordeaux which was aged in both clay amphora and different sized barrels. Then I scored it 89/100 and commented on its smooth and fruit driven character, edged with bloody and gamy notes and spicy black fruit. This bottle shows the gamy side a little more, hessian and dried fruit, and hinting at pencil shavings. In the mouth it remains creamy and juicy, a slick of cassis over resolving tannins and nice cherry acidity.  

(2023) The Emma in question is daughter of Creation's owners Jean-Claude and Carolyn Martin. I was lucky enough to be at the winery when the first Pinot was made by Emma, the 2012 vintage, when she was aged just 11. Her latest release is made with wild-yeast fermentation and minimal intervention. It was matured in French oak barrels for 12 months, 40% new and 60% second-fill. Only 800 bottles were produced. It's a pale coloured and nicely perfumed Pinot in a reserved and rather classy style. Delicate wood spices and firm red berry fruit the main components. The palate is lovely. There's plenty of juicy, ripe red fruit, touching into strawberry, but the svelte texture and background of creamy, dark oak-derived substance gives solidity too. Excellent acidity and again, spiciness, into a long finish.