May 2022. Brazilian Wines by Nick Corfe of GoBrazil WInes

This is the 2^nd time we’ve had Nick Corfe – he’s the only company in the UK that specialises in Brazil wines. They aren’t the cheapest for various reasons, but they are very definitely getting the quality. A good evening.

https://www.gobrazilwines.com/

Whites

• Don Guerino sinais, serra gaucha, Rio grande do sul - italico riesling 2021. 12.5%, £13

8/10. Full bodied yet refreshing. To be drunk young. The grape is the Welsch Riesling, not the true Riesling.

• Don Guerino sinais, serra gaucha, Rio grande do sul - moscatto giallo 2021. 12.5%, £13

9/10. Moscatto Giallo is the so called Yellow Muscat and fairly rare. Tastes of grapes!, and honeysuckle etc.

• Campos de cima tres bocas blanco, campanha gaucha, rio grande do sul. - arinto/alvarinho/voignier 2021 12.5%, £16

7/10. This is sort of a vinho verde with a splash of viognier. Personally I didn’t think this works particularly well. You may like it.

• Guaspari vale de pedra blanco. serra de mantiquiera, sao paulo - sauv blanc/chard/voignier 2017. 13%, £23

7/10. This is a high altitude wine – all the vinyards are >1000m altitude. Again, for me, suffers from the same problem as the previous – Viognier can be very powerful, and can overwhelm the other grapes.

Reds

• Pizzato fausto, serra gaucha, rio grande do sul - merlot 2016, 13%, £14

8/10. Smooth, Full bodied, Well balanced – note 2016, so 6 yrs old.

• Don Guerino 'vintage', serra gaucha, rio grande do sul, - malbec 2019, 13.5%, £16

6/10 (personal view). Some of us encountered an odd background taste of burnt rubber (?), but plenty did like it, tasting caramel instead. Quite light for a malbec.

• Don Guerino el gaucho, serra gaucha, rio grande do sul - tannat 2020, 14%, £16

9.5/10. A Very dark, solid, full bodied wine. Still young for a tannat, so should improve for 10 years yet.

• Campos de cima assinatura, campanha gaucha, rio grande do sul - shiraz/tempranillo/tannat 2018. 14%, £24

9/10. Only 2000 bottles of this in existence. Another good solid, hefty wine. Nicely mature, and deceptively light given the grapes.

April 2022. AGM and Quality Wines

 

April – the AGM. As it’s been 3 years since the last AGM – for obvious reasons, Phil the chairman decided to push the boat out on the wine. One little benefit to us from all the chaos in the last 2 years is that the tastings we’ve had have all been in house, so no speaker fees, which left us with a bit a spare money. And of course, it has to be spent on wine doesn’t it?

An excellent selection, all in the £20 - £30 range, somewhat more than most of us would spend usually (if ever!) All wines are either from Majestic (M) or Waitrose (W). Note that at this price, the Waitrose wines might be on-line only

1. Nicolas Feuillatte selection Brut Champagne – France. 12%, £27. M

8/10. This is one of the highest selling champagnes in France, and the only coop in Champagne. A very well balanced, toasty/biscuity champagne

2. Rabl Schenkenbichl Riesling reserve 2018 – Austria. 13% £21. W

8/10. Some riesling petrol notes which you either like or don’t. Clean finish, reminiscent of a good viognier.

3. Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc 2021 – NZ. £13.5% £25. M

9.5/10. This wine screamed “quality”. You can taste where the money goes. A clean fresh, tasty great example of a NZ SB. Made by the same people who make Cloudy Bay.

4. Stags Leap Hands of Time Chardonnay 2019 – California. 14.5% £25. M

6/10. A cooler style of Chardonnay, with some oak. But it seemed to be in some odd halfway house between no oak and lots of oak. There was a powerful flavour of something like vanilla. Not convinced.

5. Craggy Range Te Muna road Pinot Noir 2018 – NZ. 13.5% £23. W

9/10. Cool climate PN. An excellent example. Smooth, fresh, full of flavour

6. Terre de Barlolo 2016 – Italy. 14% £20. W

9/10 Lighter than might be expected, quite still with tannins. Excellent

7. Reserve de Diacres Chateauneuf de Pape 2020 – France. 15% £25. M

9/10. Quite light for a CdP, but well balanced, dense, heady, spicy..

8. Scala Dei Priorat 2016 – Spain. 15% £20. W

9.5/10. A monastic wine since the 12^th C.

March 2022 - Jen Connan. Wines from Bordeaux.

 

Wines of Bordeaux, presented by JEN CONNAN of Hertfordshire wine school

An excellent presentation by Jen – she’s very definitely worth having as a speaker/presenter.

Étoile de Timberlay Crémant de Bordeaux Blanc Brut NV (available from M&S) 

A sparkling wine made using the traditional method, with flavours of red apples and brioche, and floral notes. It's a blend of 62% Merlot, 33% Semillon with a dash of Cabernet Franc.12%, £9.50

Château Saint-Jean-des-Graves 2019 (available from Waitrose)

A fresh and aromatic Bordeaux white wine with notes of citrus, greengage, peach and white blossom. It's a 50/50 blend of Sauvignon and Sémillon. It undergos lees stirring to add body and complexity 12.5%, £9.99

Château Bel Air Perponcher Réserve, Bordeaux Rosé 2020 (available from The Wine Society)

Château Bel-Air is located in the Entre-Deux-Mers region where the Despagne family have cultivated their vineyards organically since 2008. Produced mainly from Cabernet Sauvignon with a touch of Cabernet Franc and Merlot. It has notes of strawberries, raspberries & roses. 12.5%, £9.95

Château Méaume Bordeaux Supérieur 2018 (available from Majestic)

Château Méaume is located approximately 15kms north of Pommerol. A blend of 90% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon with 2 years in oak. It has notes of plums, blueberries, blackcurrants, black cherries, tobacco, cedar and leather.14.5%, £9.99

Château Arnauton Fronsac 2014 (available from Majestic)

Fronsac is situated in Bordeaux’s Right Bank. It’s predominantly made from Merlot, with Cabernet France and Malbec. It has notes of plums, blackberries, blackcurrants, vanilla and cedar. 14%, £14.99

Château Lagrave Le Second Saint-Émilion 2018 (available from Waitrose)

The estate's second label. A blend of 90% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. 50% matured in oak. 50% matured in stainless steel. It has notes of plums, kirsch, cigar box and chocolate.13%, £14.99

The Society’s Exhibition Haut-Medoc 2014 (available from The Wine Society)

Made for the Society by Chateau Beaumont. Located on the Left Bank between Margaux and Saint-Julian. A blend of equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with just under 10% Petit Verdot. It has notes of blackcurrants, black cherries, vanilla, cedar and leather.13.5%, £14.95

Definition Sauternes 2013 (75cl) (available from Majestic)

Made for Majestic by the 1855 classified 2nd growth, Château Filhot. A blend of 60% Semillon 36% Sauvignon Blanc and 4% Muscadelle. It sspends 2 years in 30% new oak before bottling. It has pronounced notes of citrus and stone fruits and honey.13%, £19.99

The wines were all classic Bordeaux examples, with few surprises. The best was probably the Château Méaume at a very good price. But to be honest, it does feel like Bordeaux wines have stood still, while the rest of the world has moved on.

February 2022. A Mixed case for the Curious.

 

A Mixed Case for the Curious, Presented by our very own Keith & Sandy, Derek & Avril.

Sandy and Avril have between them tasted >300 grape varieties, and although none of these are obscure, they are perhaps a little off the beaten track.

• Cremant de Bourgogne. Louis Bouillot – Brut NV. Pinot Noir/Gamay/Chardonnay. Sainsbury’s £14
• Dry Furmint 2019. Furmint. Hungary, Tokaj Borvidek. Sainsbury’s
• Marquis de Pennautier 2019. Chardonnay/Viognier. France, Languedoc/Roussilon. Majestic £9.99
• Bodegas del Sur, Vinyard Select 2020, Alberino. Uruguay, Maldonado. EW Wines, Cornwall. £12
• The Original Orange wine 2021. Gros Manseng. France, Gascony. Morrisons. £10 was £7
• Beaujolais Quincie. Stephane Aviron. Gamay. France. The Wine Society. £8.50
• Chronic Cellars. Purple Paradise. Zinfandel 75% + 3 others. Pasa Robles 2019. California. Majestic. £14.99
• Don David El Esteco 2019. Tannat. Argentina, Salta. The Great Wine Company, Bath. £11.95.

Of the Wines, the Furmint and the Gros Manseng were perhaps the least well liked; the Furmint does have quite an unusual nose. The Gros Manseng is made using the traditional Georgian Qveri system.

Otherwise, all good. The best VFM would be the Wine Society beaujolais, very definitely a steal at £8.50, while the Zinfandel at £15 would be somewhat expensive – good, but pricy.

We're Back!

 We are very nearly back to normal service. We expect to be able to continue with our regular meetings at Oak Farm Library, 3rd Thursday of the month, 8pm. Just had the 1st last Thursday 17th Feb.  

We do have a program of speakers lined up through to July, but at the moment are playing it month by month. 

With luck we'll be able to publish it shortly as the Covod situation  relaxes further.

 

November 2021 - Wines from Jeff Carrell

 

Wines by JF Carrell in the Languedoc Roussilon. Presented by Bill and Margriet.

JF Carrell (Jeff) is a new wine maker in the Languedoc and is ploughing his own furrow, so to speak. Experimenting, seeing what works.

All available through The Real Wine Company.

 

Whites/Roses

1. Domaine d’Ansignan, Les Grenadine, 2020 13% Grenache / Maccabeu / Carignan / Syrah / Pellut. £13 (This is a Rose/Light Red)

2. Plein La Vue, 2019. Sauvignon Blanc 2019, 12.5%. £12.50

3. Domaine St. Roch, 2019. 13.5% Viognier. £11.50

4. Morillon Blanc, 2019. 14.5% Chardonnay. £13.50

Reds

5. A Vue de Nez, 2019. 14.5% Cabernet Franc/ Syrah. £13.50

6 Les Darons, 2019 14.5% Grenache (70%), Carignan (20%), Syrah (10%). £11.50

7 Le Grenache Under my Skin, 2018. 15.5% Grenache (80%) Syrah (20%). £15

8 Maison Carrel Corbieres, 2019. 14.5% Grenache(40%), Syrah(30%), Cinsault(20%), Carignan(10%). £15

One notable point is the alcoholic strength of these wines – all the Reds are 14% +. And one at 15.5%? - Crikey!

October 2021 - WInes from Lidl and Aldi

 

Presented by Tony Hooper, a long time UWS Member

Aldi and Lidl are relatively speaking the new kids on the block for supermarket wine. But are they any good?

Tony got these wines for the Septemer meeting which was cancelled, so some of them may no longer be in stock – Aldi and Lidl (in particular) have very fast changing ranges

As per usual, 4 whites, 4 reds, with range of countries and grapes.

Whites.

1. Feteasca Regala – Romania. 11.5%. £4.79. Aldi

2. Assyrtiko 2020 – Greece. 13%. £6.99. Aldi

3. Val de Salis Viognier 2020– Pays d’Oc, S France. 13.5%. £7.99. Lidl

4. Jurancon 2019 – France. 12% £7.99. Lidl

Reds

5. Morgon (Beaujolais cru) 2019 – France. 13.5%. £7.99. Lidl

6. Domaine Coutougno 2019 – Fougeres, Languedoc, France. 13.5%. £6.99. Lidl

7. Canyon Springs Old Vine Zinfandel 2017 - Lodi, California. 13.5%. £6.99. Aldi

8. Rasteau, Domaine de la Combe Dieu 2019 – France. 14.5%. £7.99. Lidl

Tony had done his research – of the 8 he’d tried 7 (I think) and not a duff one amongst them.

The first – excellent VFM – light fresh, that little bit different. The Assyrtiko and Viognier, both perfectly good modern whites, while the Jurancon is a sweeter wine.

Of the Reds, the Domaine Coutougno is a Carignan/Cinsault/Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre blend – classic S French varieties – and none the worse for that. The Zinfandel is a steal – a 2017 Old vine Zin for £6.99? Buy it.

And the Rasteau similarly – a powerful, well balanced red. 14.5% can often overpower the wine – not this one. Buy this as well.

There are none of these that I would not buy. Just popping out now…..