16.5pts – Vernatsch aka Schiave/Tronllinger grown on sandy soils in Kurtatsch hills, at 300–400 m above sea level. 80-year-old vines. Temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel with regular pumping over. Malolactic fermentation and five months’ maturation in old 6,000-litre Slavonian oak barrels. Tart and tangy but so juicy next to the much more austere Loire Cab […]
16pts – 100% Gamay Noir. East-facing, 4-ha vineyard at 350 m on deep granite soils. Vines average 45 years. Yields 50 hl/ha. Vinification without addition of SO2, 12 days’ maceration with remontage once a day, max 25 °C. All natural yeasts. Stainless steel and concrete tanks. No fining or filtering. Bottled March 2019. Cherry lip […]
17/20 Aged for 10 months, 70% in stainless steel, 30% in barrels. Buttery, creamy, toasty. Lots of rich apricot fruit too – but the acidity manages to keep the edges neatly tucked in. Expressive and bracing for Viognier. (RH) Drink 2019–2029 in , 16th Sept 2019
A couple of years ago I wrote six columns for the short-lived, highbrow, erotic magazine The Amorist. Its editor, Rowan Pelling, is a pal of mine and I relished the chance to write about wine and erotica. I think my articles turned out well, if a little light-weight in comparison with many of the other […]
Domaine Vallet Ritou Syrah 2018 Vin de France is a gleaming syrah, with a plume of bright scent, an underlying sensation of hard rock and bacon fat. It’s a syrah for drinking in its youth but there is just a trace of a savage hinterland. As with the [Ritou] viognier, the grapes come from the […]
When it comes to white I naturally incline to dry, focused wines with a clean edge of acidity, but at this particular point in the calendar viognier suddenly appeals. I tasted a beautiful example last week. Domaine Vallet Ritou Viognier 2018 Vin de France is made in the Rhône by a St Joseph producer whose […]
Chiroubles is one of my favourite Beaujolais Crus (the 10 jewels in the Beaujolais crown that go under their own appellation names), but it’s never been one of the most popular in the UK. It’s one of the smaller Crus, admittedly, but I think the problem is more to do with pronunciation: the likes of […]
A wonderful example of northern Italy’s Lagrein grape – deep coloured and bathed in black cherry, spice, violet and slightly ashy mineral flavours, all carried by nimble tannins and Alpine freshness and energy (Lagrein’s tannins can be a bit coarse, so the velvet-smoothness here is all the more welcome). It’s a variety with fascinating origins: […]
This sophisticated pink fizz has emerged as one of England’s finest. Its tantalising aromas of ripe raspberries, redcurrants and biscuits lead to a racy but delicate sparkling wine. in , 7th June 2019
Quincy is one of the Sancerre satellites and typically a step above Touraine sauvignon but lighter and less magisterial than Sancerre. This one hums along, with fine and precise riffs of grass, citrus and stone. in , 7th June 2019
Holiday pinot noir that seems to have a faint waft of lavender and blowsy florals amongst the usual red and black cherries. Made from pinot noir grown amongst the craggy Cévennes mountains in south-central France. in , 7th June 2019
I hadn’t tasted this palest pink wine when I wrote my recent top rosés list and it is an absolute belter – all the elegance and class that you find only in Provence. If you’re planning a party know that it’s also bottled in magnums. in , 7th June 2019
I was lucky to see a very early sample of this wine and it is amazing.Also available in magnums (150cl) and jeroboams (300cl) get your order in for one of the most enchanting, classiest and most restrained rosés of the season. in , 13th April 2019
Tempranillo is the rioja grape, but this is from the northern Spanish region of Navarra. It comes in fresh and tangy then goes well beyond the “cheap red” brief, to fill out with darker flavours, structure and depth. Very smart. Hello, tomato and chickpea salsa. in , 8th March 2019
It’s the streamlined shape of this elegant wine that makes it such a pleasure. It’s made by Telmo Rodriguez from (mostly) verdejo, sometimes dubbed “the Spanish sauvignon”, though I find it more nettley and less shouty. Very stylish. in , 8th March 2019