The Sampler Islington

Date: Mon, Jan 4, 2010 Wine Tasting

The Sampler Islington

The Sampler Islington is unlike any wine shop on this fair isle. Not because it carries the most exclusive range (though it does), not because it has the most special offers (that too) and not even because the walls are covered with enomatics (as the walls of Heaven).

The Sampler Islington is my favourite wine shop in the world because it allows, nay encourages, wine geeks like myself to stay for hour upon hour sampling great wines, genning up on Parker and Jancis and, most crucially, making new wine buddies. Forget Corkd and Snooth, if you want IRL wine chums then head up (or down) to The Sampler and make your way through the world of wine from as little as 30p a sample.


So it was, on a snowy, Pre-Xmas hike up to Islington, battling train delays and the snow that myself and The Wine Sleuth spent three solid hours working our way excitedly through 25+ wines from all over the world. The enomatics are handily split up into regions and grape varieties allowing you to taste correctly, going from white to light reds and finally onto the serious "fine wine" selections or, you can stand in the middle, dazzled by the variety and just amble over haphazard from Vouvray to Sangiovese to Pinot as I did until Denise kindly set the rules for the tasting! "Rules help control the fun", cheers Monica!

Eyes Left. This is a standard issue Sampler card. Don't lose it, don't leave it on the table and don't entrust it to your best friend. This is what goes for currency around these parts, no card; no vino. Let the staff know how much paper money you'd like this card to represent, they combobulate their till machines and, as if by magic, you have full access to the enomatics and all the wines within them. Tidy.

There's a range of 800-1000 wines at the Sampler, at any one times 80 of these will be available for sample, the rest available to buy. As samples start from as little as 30p, even if you just have a crisp £10 note you can still sample several great wines and have a great hours worth of fun.

To get an idea of the current range of wines available for sampling click here.

Look how shiny! Tasting samples are available in three different sizes. However the smallest size is certainly good enough for a sample and as variety is the spice of life, I'd recommend sticking to the 25ml and trying as many wines as possible. As the 1000 strong range are on rotation, you can come back the following month and be faced with a whole new set of wines. So, rule #1, stick to the small samples, more for your money innit.

Rule 2: If somethings worth doing it's worth doing right. The fine wines!

It's not often your eyes pass over the 1978 Chateau Cheval Blanc but with the 1998 Chateau Mouton Rothschild by it's side you must be careful to give all the "icons" their props. At any one time there are six "Icons" available, and in December those included these two greats plus JL Chave's Hermitage 1998, Conterno's Barolo Gran Bussia Riserva 1997, Screaming Eagle 1996 and Penfolds Grange 1978.

During my three hour visit I managed to taste my way through 27 different wines the most interesting of which have tasting notes to follow.

You can purchase Sampler gift vouchers and these would be perfect for any London based wine fan for Christmas next year, a Birthday or any other event where the swapping of gifts is customary.

The Sampler is located on 266 Upper Street, Islington and enquiries can be made on 020 7226 9500. However, I wont lie to you, by the end, Christmas or not, we were proper steaming. So, Rule 3 - if you do want to emulate myself and Sleuthy and enjoy yourself at The Sampler you might want to brush up on the art of spitting.

Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1998
Dense ruby red in colour. This wine is a monster from the first whiff on the nose till the finish, power all the way. Quickly developed aromas of tobacco, leather, blackcurrant and bitter chocolate. The palate is ultra drying with massive tannins but also shows good blackberry fruit. Hugely concentrated wine with a truly long satisfying finish. 95 Points

Chateau Guiraud 1er Cru Sauternes 2001
A beautiful mid golden colour, on the nose the wine was all oranges, creme and even smoke. To me it smelt like an orange pudding of sorts. On the palate this wine is beautifully rounded, thick and heavy with a long showstopping finish. Niiiiiiice. 95 Points

JL Chave Hermitage Rouge 1998
Touch lighter than expected but still a dense ruby red despite the 11 years. On the nose acres of spice, smoke, olives and blackberry. The palate shows exceptional balance with a full rounded mouthfeel, still tannic but smooth and pleasant. Super powerful and thick from start to lingering finish. 94 Points

Gilet Vouvray 1976
Deep golden colour. Aromatically gorgeous and expressive with a honeyed nut profile. On the palate the wine reminded me strongly of Lyons golden syrup drizzled over Kelloggs Crunchy Nut Corkflakes. Full bodied with hints of marmalade on the finish. This is desert in a glass but not sickly sweet. 93 Points

Chateau Cheval Blanc 1976
A garnet red tinging brick on the rim. Another blockbuster nose, rich and desert like with notes of glazed cherries, tobacco and marzipan. Wonderfully fresh and lively still today on the attack but the midpalate does hollow out with the flavours coming back with gusto on the finish. 94 Points

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Christmas is always a chance to try many new wines and find a passion for new varities. I had a very Tuscan/Umbrian new year with loads of IGT Umbrian wines on show that I'll report on the next entry. What did you drink over the Xmas/New Year period? Any comments on these wines also appreiciated.

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Yarden Gewurztraminer

Date: Sun, Dec 20, 2009 Wine Tasting

Yarden Gewurztraminer

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Vinoteca Farringdon

Date: Sat, Dec 19, 2009 Wine Tasting

Vinoteca Farringdon

Vinoteca Restaurant in Farringdon has been my go to spot for a fair few months now. I've spent so many hours here over the past 3-4 months and tweeted my experiences so often that it's kinda bonkers that this is the first mention on the Wine90 blog.

Vinoteca is one of those wine bars that, due to the sheer variety of wines on offer, makes it a perfect stop for your lunch hour or for a mid afternoon wine by the glass option or even for a pre-dinner sherry. Yet, it's taken me a full year back in my hometown of London, to get my glad rags on and eat here.

It's confession time. I don't often write restaurant reviews. I find myself crippled with the same affliction which hit my dining partner that evening, I'm going to call it the palate collywobbles. Whilst she became obviously nervous at the pre-dinner wine flights fearing I would subject her every comment to full on scrutiny, I, by the same token, can start to doubt my own palate and description thereof, when it comes to food.

This may shock some readers, but I've been eating food since I was a toddler, that I should question my ability to taste food, I reassured my friend, is exactly as ridiculous as her fear that she might taste the wines incorrectly. As long as you have four of your five senses working for you on any given day, you can taste wine. Even I draw the line at listening to the wine, but if you do hear a whistle or a slight popping to your wine, then you're probably a little under the weather and should consult your GP.

So the scene is set, Vinoteca, wine flights, full meal, wine tasting virgin as dining companion, OK we're good so far? Great.

For any self confessed wine novice Vinoteca makes your life pretty easy. Food and wine matching can be a fun game to play but if you get it wrong, and you're stumping up plenty 'o pounds for your food, it can also be a perilous game. Fear not. At Vinoteca they have paired all the meals on the menu with a carefully thought out by the glass suggestion. However, I like to play fast and wild and Vinoteca's 280 strong by the bottle selection was too tempting so I opted for the very fairly priced 01 Borgogno Barolo Riserva. Not at all predictable behaviour on my part.

As this is no Tarantino movie, let's review the wines and the food in chronological order.

Pre Dinner Wine Selection

You can view all of Vinoteca's wines by the glass here. I chose;

Schloss Vollrads Erstes Gewachs Riesling 2004
A vibrant golden colour in the glass. Fast and fruity on the nose with acres of melon, honeysuckle and peach on the initial sniff with a lasting honey aroma towards the end. On the palate the wine is rich, juicy and more tropical than expected. Starts out quite fat with the acid rushing forth just before a fair finish that continues in that tropical theme. Rhinegau texture but colour and palate?! Not typical perhaps but enjoyable. 87 Points

Monte Bernardi Chianti Classico 2005
A deep ruby red to the rim. Simple profile to the nose with straight and expected cherry and vanilla though also a little dusty with hints of chocolate and coffee or to be fanciful, a cherry Bakewell tart with cappuccino sprinkles. Same focused approach to the palate, definite Chianti though not complex, high acid, firm tannins, mid bodied with a balanced finish. 88 Points

La Guita Manzanilla
A light golden green colour but getting a touch of those "past it's primes" you can get when your Sherry is just that month too long in the tooth. Still retained great salt and nut flavours on the palate. On the nose detectable cantaloupe, hints of grass and lemon. Focus has diminished a touch perhaps due to being a month too old or a.n.other fault? As such can't rate the wine fairly.

THE FOOD

I like to think of myself as fairly unpretentious at least in the world of wine. In the food world however I know well enough what I want and that is..

A generous portion
Fresh ingredients
Tastes and textures that compliment one another
Lastly, I hate, with a passion detest, food that is overly dry or ... too moist.

I have to hand it to Vinoteca, there are so many restaurants trying to double as wine bars, and, wine bars trying to double as restaurants that fall so far short it's red cheeked embarrassing, but not here. The food outshone the wine. The food outshone the Barolo. The Italian Wine Blogger says the Food@Vinoteca outshone a Barolo. That's huge news.

To Begin: Selection of Spanish cured meats, almonds & olives - £7.25
Full size plate covered in typical Spanish meats which paired up really well with the sherry. These were not overly fatty cuts that you can find in many London restaurants, well presented.

Main Course: Gressingham duck breast, chanterelles & trompettes, farro, cimi di rape - £16
Succulent duck breast with the most mop-up-able jus I've had for a long while and once again generous portions and well presented.

There was no room for dessert. I don't think I've ever said or written those words before. Weird.

Borgogno Barolo Riserva 2001
A classic ruby red fading tawny to the rim. A sweet violet nose with touches of marzipan, tar and wild strawberries even. Still a little young, the palate is still a touch tannic and bitter but loosening up over time. A good freshness here though and a balance of force and elegance that showed toward the latter as the evening wore on. Didn't blow me away but still a solid 90 points for my palate.

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Where is your current go to restaurant or wine bar? Any city.

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Prager Gruner Veltliner

Date: Tue, Dec 15, 2009 Wine Tasting

Prager Gruner Veltliner

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Wine90's Wine of the Year

Date: Mon, Dec 14, 2009 Wine Tasting

Wine90's Wine of the Year

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Up the Dry Creek without a paddle

Date: Sun, Dec 13, 2009 Wine Tasting

Up the Dry Creek without a paddle

The world of Californian Wines is large, varied and daunting and even with my Official AVA maps and guides I still find myself lost in a sea of Valleys, Coasts and Creeks. There are a handful of wine bloggers out there who really do know their Oakville from their Oak Knoll and High Valley from their Hames Valley and all this week they've been offering guidance to the Italian Wine Blogger in return for tips on my equally confusing but endlessly rewarding chosen subject for 10; Italian vino.

So it was with great pleasure that I accepted an invitation to go along to the official Wine Institute of California's first Social Media event in Hoxton on Thursday to get a taste of the different varieties coming out of California that are available in the UK. Speaking with the organisers it seems there are real problems getting the Brits to drink mid range Californian wine but no problem at all enticing them with 3 for 10 Blossom Hill/Gallo wines.

It's frankly impossible to generalise when it comes to Californian wines. The area is huge and 4th only to Italy, France and Spain in terms of growing area, has a massively changeable climate north to south, coast to mountains also making vintage generalisations nigh on impossible and the grapes grown change like the dickens!

There is half as much Chenin coming out of California as there was five years ago and Pinot Grigio vines have sprung up 480% in the same time. Pinot Noir and Syrah are being newly planted and traditional Zinfandel vines are being torn up. However the stalwarts we come to associate with California continue to prosper and, even with this small 12 wine sample from Thursday night we can see that wines from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc continue to flourish and real quality can be found in the mid priced range.

If you like tasting notes... you're gonna love this! *flexes fingers* - Here we go! Remember folks, like always, if I am passing a wine it is only because I personally wouldn't buy it again for my own personal consumption, a party or a friend, it doesn't mean you will not like it. If you like, sweet apple notes and nettle finishes then you'll love the first wine. The Beringer burning banana plantation Chardonnay I gave just 84 points to yet I requested a bottle to take home because I knew my flatmate would love it. Always read the tasting notes. If your palate is actually identical to mine then... kudos!

Loredona Monterey County Pinot Grigio 2007 - PASS - £9
Sits straw yellow. A fresh, clean, crisp wine with a sweet green apple nose. On the palate good acidity with a distinctive nettle like bitter finish but refreshing. 86 Points

Dancing Bull Sauvignon Blanc 2006 - PASS - £9
A straw yellow colour and aromatic from 12 inches! Exaggerated notes of pineapple, fig and melon, very tropical and "starburst-esque". A mid bodied wine with a fruit forward flavour profile that left my tongue tingling on the finish, not in an acid way, in a sharp pointy needles way. Basic fruit explosion but good fun. 86 Points

Beringer Vineyards Founder's Estate Chardonnay 2007 - BORDERLINE - £9
vibrant mid straw yellow and a nose of a burning banana plantation makes this wine distinctive for $11. Luscious mouth feel and solid fruit on the palate with apricots and papaya in play. An extreme wine both on the nose and in the mouth, a case of knowing when you've been tango'd. 84 Points

Bonterra Vineyards Viognier 2007 - BUY - £10
Mid straw yellow. A really intriguing wine on the nose producing notes that make for a strange mix. Peach and lime intermingle along a tropical sugary theme with the lime flavours coming to the fore on the palate, strong finish, strong acidity making this wine a real QPR doozy. 89 Points

Hahn Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 - BUY - £10
A deep dark ruby red and thick in the glass. Aromatically obvious Cabernet Sauvignon with blackberries, a touch of graphite and a little smoky. Velvet texture and solid tannincs, fine balance, well done. 88 Points.

Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Pinot Noir 2006 - BUY - £15
Light ruby red with orange hues. Notes of bacon and cherry unfold quickly and on the palate the wine has a good balance with fine tannins. Good actually. 86 Points

And the Star of the Show... amazingly a wine I have written about already on the Wine90 blog. Only 3 Californian wines have ever shown up here and low and behold, my favourite mid priced, UK available, Californian Red was sat on the table. The EOS Petite-Sirah.

EOS Paso Robles Petite Sirah 2005 - BUY - £10
Deep purple in the glass and right off the bat you are hit with a blockbuster nose of cherries, spices and pepper. On the palate the wine is thick and jammy with a lustrous mouthfeel, flavourful and smooth with acres of blackcurrant in the mid palate. 14% alcohol held with absolute style, nothing harsh or hot in the finish which goes on and on with notes of chocolate. Not really complex just simply delicious. 90 Points

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Why is it that mid range Californian wines haven't really made it over the Atlantic? Or do you think they have? Also, please leave any tips for great Californian wines for me to check out to help expand my knowledge? Or, that are simply dee-lische?

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Chianti Classico 2006

Date: Tue, Dec 8, 2009 Wine Tasting

Chianti Classico 2006

2006 was a superb year for Chianti and Tuscany in general. For once, Tuscany could revel in it's 55 Tre Bicchiere awards while the usually undisputed King of Italian wine making regions, Piedmont, had to settle for a paltry 52. Within Italy sales of Chianti are on the rise and internationally there is growing demand for Chianti Classico which is now world renowned for offering fantastic QPR and has shed it's straw covered/tourist image. It's hard to generalise a vintage across an area as wide as Chianti but these wines are of high alcohol, good acidity and with a fine tannic structure so should age beautifully.

2006 is thought to be the second best Chianti Classico vintage in the last 15 years, coming two years after the best vintage, 2004. As is often the case when you have a great vintage, the second brilliant vintage in quick succession can offer great opportunities for those looking to invest in wine. It is often forgotten that the mighty Sangiovese, even outside of Brunello di Montalcino is capable of ageing and any one of the four wines in this review will be drinking beautifully in 2016 and some even possibly up to 2030.

Reliable and Excellent Producers of Chianti Classico
There are some producers who can be relied upon year in year out with their Chianti Classico wines being among the best of the vintage, however, I can't guarantee any of these wines will be excellent in any given vintage, I'm not Matt Skinner. These are four of my favourites from 2006 that you should be able to easily locate.

• Felsina Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia £20-25
• Barone Ricasoli Chianti Classico Castello di Brolio - £15-20
• Fontodi Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna del Sorbo - £25-35
• Castello di Volpaia Chianti Classico Riserva - £12-16

The top two wines here are among my personal top five wines of the year and I'm not just talking about Chianti, or Tuscany, or Italy, I'm talking unbeatable value, two of the best wine bargains of the year anywhere. Capiche?

You may notice a glaring omission from this list, Castello di Ama. While there is no denying that both the Bellavista and Casuccia bottlings are extraordinary I can't recommend these wines as great value both retailing around the £100 mark.

Fattoria di Felsina Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia 2006 - BUY - £25
A deep brooding ruby red the wine takes a while to express itself on the nose however when it does the bouquet has sumptuous notes, spice and earthy with blackberries and cherries mingling with floral tones too. This is a full bodied Chianti that is fresh with strong acidity, drying tannins and a great structure for ageing potential. Powerful and vibrant give this wine some respect and another five years at least. 94 Points

Barone Ricasoli Chianti Classico Castello di Brolio 2006 - BUY - £15
Almost purple in colour this wine is stunningly aromatic and typically Chianti Classico. Dried fruits, spices, cherries and chocolate on the nose. The wine is mid-full bodied, tannic and with a bitter finish. This wine won the best Italian wine of the year with Wine Spectator magazine and so the price has gone up since my video review you can see here. 89 Points

Fontodi Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna del Sorbo 2006 - BUY - £30
A deep purple wine and full bodied, this Chianti Classico takes hours and hours to open up and really should be cellared for a further 10 years to get close to its best expression. However, today the wine is bringing a sour cherry, tobacco and chocolate nose if decanted for several hours. On the palate the wine is high on both tannins and acidity and the structure and power here is immense. Some red fruits on the palate but mostly earth and just dense. One of those wines where drinking today is pleasurable but not a patch on having a little patience, it's gonna be a monster! 94 Points

Castello di Volpaia Chianti Classico Riserva 2006 - BUY - £14
The lightest of the four, a medium ruby red and also the least dense this Chianti Classico is made in a smooth style and is medium bodied. On the nose the wine has classic sour cherry, some vanilla but also a heap of earth too. The wine can be drunk today but will improve, is smooth in style with the typical high acidity and great fruits on the palate. A touch watery and clipped on the finish. 89 Points

Where can I buy this wine? (the lowest price available - just click the link on the country)
Felsina - USA - EUROPE - UK
Barone Ricasoli - USA - EUROPE - UK
Fontodi - USA - EUROPE - UK
Castello di Volpaia - USA - EUROPE - UK

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Chianti Classico recommendations, stories, tales of woe, all things Chianti Classico! Where did you have your first Chianti? Food match-ups?

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Beaujolais 2007

Date: Mon, Nov 30, 2009 Wine Tasting

Beaujolais 2007

And now for something completely different. A Beaujolais 2007 taste off, Morgon Vs Fleurie with my good friend and wine blogger, the Wine Sleuth.




A great way to finish off this November's final blog entry as we turn our attentions away from the Italian wine for just a moment and focus on Beaujolais. A few days ago I was sent a couple of Beaujolais wines from the very famous British wine company Berry Bros and Rudd and decided to do a blog entry for Beaujolais which has never really been covered here.

So, a quick round up on Beaujolais for those who are not familiar with the region.

Beaujolais is the southern most wine region of Burgundy. Within Beaujolais exists 10 cru denominations, Beaujolais-Villages, regular Beaujolais and Beaujolais Superieur. It's generally agreed that the best examples of Beaujolais come from the 10 cru areas and each of these cru provide their own distinctive take on Gamay (the grape that makes Beaujolais).

Stylistically Beaujolais wines can generally be defined as fresh 'n' fruity light red wines and in most cases with an over-riding cherry fruit profile. Each of the 10 cru wines however impart their own distinctive characteristics on the wine and, as you can see in the VT for example, Morgon, while just down the road from Fleurie is easily distinguishable even by the likes of myself and the wine sleuth!

If you're hankering to get into Beaujolais you will find it a hard task indeed if you don't memorise the 10 cru regions of the appellation. Many of the cru Beaujolais wines are not marked "Beaujolais" at all, simply "Morgon" or "Fleurie". Below is a guide to help you.... and to remind me and that American chick.

A quick guide to the 10 Beaujolais Crus

Chiroubles - Producing one of the lightest and most elegant Beaujolais wines and the best of the bunch to be drunk young.

St Amour - Northernmost Cru whose wines benefit from a few years age. Dull when young the wines grow into supple, spicy wines with a few years on the clock.

Brouilly - The largest of Beaujolais' areas, the wines are fruity and best drunk young unlike...

Cote de Brouilly - A more concentrated Beaujolais, grapey and rich, that also benefits from some time.

Fleurie - The most famous Cru on the street Fleurie has a huge following. The wines are typically flowered in aroma, cherry in flavour, feminine in style and easy drinking.

Morgon - The second largest cru and perhaps the most complex and distinctive Beaujolais. Can fool you with gooseberry flavours you're not expecting from a Beaujolais. The terroir here is decomposing slate quite unlike the other crus and this impacts on the wine. Not to be drunk young, lacks fruitiness of other Beaujolais wines in its youth.

Juliénas - Distinctive cru with solid structure and distinctive fruits including peach, blackcurrants and raspberries. Depending on the producer Juliénas can be drunk young or take a few years to develop to it's full potential.

Moulin à Vent - The most robust, tannic and full bodied of all the Beaujolais cru. Moulin a Vent wines are usually the most expensive and with age become Pinot-esque and in their youth are still superb examples of Beaujolais.

Chénas - Next door to Moulin a Vent, the wines need at least three years to develop and when they do this is one of the most complex and strongly perfumed Beaujolais wines.

Régnié - Light, supple and a great example of young Beaujolais. The latest of all the Beaujolais crus (incorporated in 1988) the wines of Regnie can be a little diverse in style.

Domaine Louis Claude Desvignes Morgon La Voûte St.Vincent 2007 - BUY - £10.95
Ruby red in colour, the wine starts off a little dumb on the nose with basic spice and cherries. After an hour or so the wine opens up big time and all kinds of aromas come to the fore including blackberries and wet stones. On the palate the wine is a little bitter but with a great texture, sound acidity, fine tannins, good structure and balance. Good example. 88 Points

Domaine Métrat Fleurie Vieilles Vignes La Roilette 2007 - PASS - £12.65
Identical ruby red in colour, on the nose the wine is simply raspberries and hints of cherry. The palate follows this identical and simple profile, the balance is good and the acidity is fine and this is a typical example of Fleurie with more fruit on the palate but still too watery and one dimensional for my personal taste. As a Fleurie Beaujolais it's very good but this style of wine is not to my personal taste. 85 Points

Where can I buy this Wine?
Both available at Berry Bros and Rudd

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Simply, Beaujolais, love it or loathe it?

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Jean Leon Wine

Date: Wed, Nov 25, 2009 Wine Tasting

Jean Leon Wine

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First vineyard you ever visited? Most stupid wine question you ever asked? Or anything about Jean Leon wines or wines from Penedes.

* Terroir expressif is my phrase. I just invented it today. No, you may not use it.

Italian Wine Blog - Wine90

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Mastroberardino Taurasi Riserva Radici 1997

Date: Tue, Nov 24, 2009 Wine Tasting

Mastroberardino Taurasi Riserva Radici 1997

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Bravo Wine Spectator Top 100

Date: Mon, Nov 23, 2009 Wine Tasting

Wine Spectator Top 100

I'm a week late on the Wine Spectator Top 100 wines, they went ahead and released the results before telling me and I'm mighty peeved. Luckily, they have redeemed themselves by placing 4 Italian wines in the Top 10 and 2 of those I've reviewed this year!

Wine90! Finger on da pulse! See the full Wine Spectator Top 100 Wine List Here

It is brilliant to see Brancaia in the top 10 - I self ordained their Il Blu my Top QPR Italian wine of the year, and also, another home boy winner, my favourite Chianti Classico, Barone Ricasoli at number 5 and is the top ranking Italian wine of the year. Nicely done WineSpectator.

Every year it is argued on what criteria Wine Spectator are evaluating these wines but it would appear it is certainly price/quality ratio and availability in the States. Although these wine awards do have their critics they are far and away a better guide to the best wines of the world than the Decanter awards which I find utterly baffling and completely misleading.

Italian Wines that made the list:

#5 - Baron Ricasoli - Chianti Classico Castello di Brolio 2006 - $54
#7 - Renato Ratti - Barolo Marcenasco 2005 - $44
#8 - Fontodi - Colli della Toscana Centrale Flaccianello 2006 - $110
#10 - Brancaia - Toscana Tre 2007 - $20
#11 - Poggio Il Castellare - Brunello di Montalcino 2004 - $50
#13 - Fattoria di Felsina - Toscana Fontalloro 2006 - $52
#15 - Marchesi de' Frescobaldi - Brunello di Montalcino Castelgiocondo 2004 - $65
#16 - Uccelliera - Brunello di Montalcino 2004 - $65
#27 - La Massa - Toscana Giorgio Primo 2007 - $65
#30 - Setti Ponti - Toscana Crognolo 2007 - $35
#35 - Viticcio - Chianti Classico Riserva 2006 - $32
#37 - Petrolo - Toscana Torrione 2007 - $40
#46 - I Greppi - Bolgheri Greppicante 2007 - $28
#61 - Monte Antico - Sangiovese-Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon Toscana 2006 - $12
#70 - St Michael Eppan - Pinot Grigio Alto Adige 2008 - $15
#79 - Livio Felluga - Pinot Grigio Collio 2008 - $24
#80 - Argiano - Toscana Non Confunditur 2007 - $25
#81 - Paolo Scavino - Barolo Carorbic 2005 - $90

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Which is your wine of the year?

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Castel de Paolis Muffa Nobile 2005

Date: Sun, Nov 22, 2009 Wine Tasting

Castel de Paolis Muffa Nobile 2005

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Vacqueyras 2006

Date: Thu, Nov 19, 2009 Wine Tasting

Vacqueyras 2006

Vacqueyras, one of the Southern Rhone's baby Chateauneuf du Pape wines is starting to compete with Gigondas as the second wine of the area. Now starting to move away from it's rough and rustic image, Vacqueyras is taken more and more seriously by producer and critic alike. Not quite yet on par with Gigondas, the difference in price between the two is stark with top end Vacqueyras wines (like the two reviewed below) available for around £15, you can pay double this figure for a similar high quality Gigondas.

2006 is an interesting vintage for the Southern Rhone, and suffers (or benefits from, depending on whether you sell, grow or drink the wine) from being in between two top class vintages. If you're in the wine industry or a big wine geek you will know about the hype surrounding the Chateauneuf du Pape '07's. No bad thing for CnDP, Gigondas and Vacqueyras wines from 2006 as they now offer exceptional value (something like the '04 Bordeaux principle but really only among the wines from the best producers).

Vacqueyras is usually a wine fairly easy to distinguish with most producers in the area, even those that have moved into heavy bio-dynamie, eager to keep the wine true to its historical roots. Vacqueyras wines have always been dusty, tannic and rugged but as that style falls further out of fashion and with two very prestigious and fashionable neighbours in Cheateauneuf du Pape and Gigondas, Vacqueyras has had to pave a new road for itself and the two producers reviewed here today, Montirius and Perrin & Fils are both attempting to do just that but in rather different ways. Although both biodynamic producers, the two wines have been styled to appeal to two very different types of Vacqueyras drinker.

This isn't the first time I've tried the Montirius Vacqueyras 2006 Garrigues this year. The wine appeared in a Berry Bros and Rudd sponsored Twitter Taste Live event and went down a real storm, the wine was fruity, full of cherries and Walls vanilla but here I was three months later and this delightfully complex and expressive Vacqueyras had turned green in a matter of three months. Perhaps a case of bottle evolution, some kind of bottle fault or, if you believe in such things, perhaps it was a "veggie day"*

I gave the Montirius Vacqueyras Garrigues 2006, 91 Points on its last outing in August. Now in late November it appears to have completely changed and my score for it at this drinking window descends also. Remember as you read this review that this wine may just be entering a non drinking phase, the Montirius is a prestigious and fine Vacqueyras wine, in fact consistently one of the best of it's type produced annually.

Montirius Vacqueyras 2006 Garrigues - BUY (but don't drink today!) - £13.50
Deep ruby red in the glass. 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah the fruit today was hard to tease from the nose however the wine does stay true to the region with dusty earthy notes and a hint of blackberry and over-ripe raspberry. Mid bodied, the wine is green, tannic and austere on the palate with a mid length finish. A good structure but the under ripe taste is baffling. 84 Points

Perrin & Fils Vacqueyras Les Christins 2006 - BUY - £12.65
Ruby red in colour. The wine quickly offers a heady bouquet with knockout Blackberry jelly, vanilla and an interesting sweet note on the nose. On the palate the wine is smooth with fine ingrained tannins and is a very pleasant and well rounded Rhone wine though, if blind, would not have picked this wine as a Vacqueyras. 89 Points

There is a theory that slowly, year on year, wines are becoming more and more alike not simply because the technology of modern wine making is available to everyone and techniques/information is more easily shared but because wine producers are playing for points (critic's) and trying to appeal to an "international" palate (whatever that is). This presents a danger for an AOC like Vacqueyras if you are a purist and want your wines to reflect the nuances of the soil/climate and taste the way they have done for generations. However, if you are a producer in an area as prestigious as the Rhone but as unknown (to the general public) as Vacqueyras, you may be persuaded commercially to produce an every-Rhone wine and appeal to a mass market.

If you know you like Rhone wines and you're not fussy about every bottle being a clean and obvious example of its exact AOC then the Perrin & Fils will suit you better, easy to drink, obvious Rhone though not obvious Vacqueyras with a nice price tag too.
If you want an a true example of Vacqueyras or something to hold onto for a while and see the true potential of Vacqueyras then go for the Montirius.

Where can I buy these wines?
Both these wines are available at Berry Bros and Rudd.

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Do you have any examples of bad bottles or dumb periods? I don't know, aside from cork taint, a more disappointing end for a bottle of wine. I was so excited about the Montirius too *sigh*

*There are those that believe the waxing and waining of the moon effects water in the bottle as it effects the tides of the sea and that wines go through periods of fruit/veggie etc depending on the day you open it in a lunar cycle. That's lunar cycle, not loony cycle.

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Matt Skinner The Juice 2010

Date: Tue, Nov 10, 2009 Wine Tasting

Matt Skinner The Juice 2010

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