wa3.gif (3780 bytes)

bbg6.gif (4199 bytes)bbg2.gif (4871 bytes)bbg3.gif (5278 bytes)bbg4.gif (4492 bytes)bbg1.gif (3459 bytes)

 

 

 

 

 Last month's recommended wines

January 2000

Wines under £8 | Wines over £8

Bargain picks: wines under £8

D'Arenberg Custodian Grenache 1996, McLaren Vale, Australia
Deep, rich, complex, concentrated wine. It has that distinct, burnt rubber Grenache nose. On the palate the lush fruit is countered by dry, chalky tannins and a touch of spicy oak. There is a port-like concentration, but it avoids being too 'soupy'. I think this is one of D'Arenberg's best efforts, but don't be tempted to hold on to it for too long. Excellent. (£7.99 Oddbins)

Lindemans Bin 65 Chardonnay 1999, South Australia
This may not excite wine geeks, but it would be churlish to deny credit to Lindemans for consistently producing such a full flavoured and sophisticated all-purpose wine, year after year in industrial quantities and at a knockdown price. It is our house white. (£4.99, universally available) Penfolds Koonunga Hill Chardonnay is equally consistent, but 50p more expensive.

Seaview Shiraz 1997, McLaren Vale, Australia
Really well put together, serious Shiraz with ripe fruit, pepper spice and nicely judged sweet oak. Excellent for the price, this is a real crowd pleaser that had people coming back for more and more when I served it at a recent family gathering. (£5.99 Oddbins)

Domaine de la Grande Bellane Valreas 1997, Cotes du Rhone Villages, France
A bright purple colour. Full herby, peppery nose with meaty, smoky fruit on the palate. Dry, tannic finish with a hint of bitter red fruit. Overall, this is a deep, exotic and sophisticated wine, but the moderately high acidity means that for it to be enjoyed at its best it needs to be paired with food. A good value offering far more than most wines from the Southern Rhone at this price. (£5.99 Fullers, Tesco; £6.49 Sainsburys). The 1998 vintage is now on the shelves in many shops: this is different in character, with more emphasis on peppery fruit, but is still good.

Quinta do Crasto 1997, Douro, Portugal
A blend of 50% Tinto Roriz, 25% Tinta Barocca, 15% Touriga Nacional and 10% Touriga Francesca. Red/purple in colour, this juicy herb and cherry-laced red has enough spicy complexity (perhaps from the partial new American oak treatment) to maintain interest. Rich and medium bodied, soft and ripe, there is a smoky edge to the berry fruit, and a touch of chocolate. Pretty good, but if you can afford it I recommend paying the extra £2 for the Reserva. (£5.99, Fullers)

Quinta do Crasto Reserva 1996, Douro, Portugal
This is a blend of old vine varietals that has spent 9 months in French and American oak. Purple black with a concentrated nose of bitter cherries and a hint of olives. Immediately after opening it is a little reserved, with a palate dominated by tart bitter cherry fruit. After about half an hour the wine begins to open out beautifully, revealing a pleasant herbiness/gaminess, and complex spicy fruit character. Quite a complex package, and one that will reward some cellaring. The oak is not really noticeable. Very good. (£7.99, Fullers)

Mas Llaro Grande Reserve 1998, Cotes du Roussillon, France
Beautiful stuff and great value. This is a deep, smoky wine with a youthful purple colour. The nose is distinctly herby and smoky. Quite a clean wine (it's not bretty), but plenty of secondary complexity. Good concentration, ripe fruit. I don't know the cepage, but I'd suspect there is a strong Mourvedre component in here as well as some Grenache. Real interest here. (£4.99, Oddbins)

Wines over £8

 

Cape Mentelle Semillon/Sauvignon blanc 1998, Margaret River, Western Australia
From the same company as New Zealand's cloudy bay comes this deliciously full flavoured white wine. The fresh citrus character of Semillon (50%) is combined beautifully with the grapefruit and gooseberry character of Sauvignon blanc (50%). This wine has opulent fruit and fresh bracing acidity in harmony. Clean, fresh and complex, this is very good. Excellent food compatibility for modern bistro-style cooking, too. (£8.75, Bentalls)

Redoma 1994, Douro, Portugal
This Douro red from Niepoort is made from Tinta Amarela, Touriga Francesa and Tinta Roriz vines with an average age of 55 years. It was bottled unfiltered in July 1997. An opaque purple black, this has a powerful nose of cherries and olives, with some garrigue-like herbal notes, some chocolate and some coffee. On the palate it is concentrated, with firm, dry tannins. This is a massive wine! Huge and savoury, dark and brooding, with bitter cherries and herbs coming to the fore, the oak it has seen is virtually undetectable. Imagine a bone dry, young port. Sensational stuff, distinctly Portuguese, and one of the most memorable wines I have had in recent months. (£13 Bentalls)

Château Phélan Ségur 1996, St Estephe, Bordeaux
This previously underperforming property was taken over in 1985 by the Gardinier family and, according to Le Classement of Bettane and Desseauve, ever since 1988 the quality of the wines has been on the upturn. Deeply coloured, with a rich, complex nose. On the palate sheer power (there is currently huge tannic structure) is combined with ripe fruit. It is herby, complex and exotic. Very good. It will be interesting to see how this one ages. Still on the shelves at Oddbins' regular branches, priced £19.

Campbells Old Rutherglen Muscat (NV), Australia
Rutherglen Muscat is a unique wine style, perhaps only paralleled by the wonderful Pedro Ximenez sherries that make rare appearances on retailers shelves in the UK. Rich, aromatic and complex, this raisined dessert wine is smooth and deep. It is soft and beautifully integrated, but you won’t want more than a glass, or else it becomes a little cloying. It is like drinking liquid Christmas pudding. This is an old oak solera begun in the 1950s. (£13.99 Oddbins Fine Wine)

Veritas Heysen Vineyard Shiraz 1997, Barossa Valley
Huge, sweetly fruited chocolate-laden Shiraz. Soft texture and rich, complex, seamless palate make this very more-ish stuff. It is a big wine. There is plenty of oak and some might find it a bit soupy, but I find this style immensely reassuring on a cold winter's night. (£11.99 Noel Young Wine)

Rockford Dry Country Grenache 1996, Barossa Valley
This has the typical Grenache characteristics that are quite hard to describe: the nose is peppery and rubbery, slightly burnt, with spicy raspberry-like fruit on the palate. It is juicy and delicious, and the fruit partially hides quite a substantial structure. Complex and interesting, this is excellent stuff. (£8.49 Fullers)

Quinta do Crasto Late Bottled Vintage Port 1995, Douro, Portugal
Port lovers among you should check out this excellent wine which tastes more like a vintage port than an LBV: it is a traditional styled wine from Grade A fruit. Powerful, concentrated, spicy and still quite tannic, this is delicious now but will also repay a decade of cellaring. A real bargain. (Oddbins £9.95) The 1992 and 1994 vintages are equally good.

Les Clos de Paulilles Banyuls, Hors D'Age, Ambre, France
My first brush with a Banyuls: a fortified wine from the South of France that is supposed to be one of the few wines that pairs well with chocolate. Orange pink with honeyed nose of sweet strawberries. Hard to describe the flavours, but combining sherry-like and tawny-port like flavours with a some orangey, sweet, grapey fruit. Very delicious and a bargain. Much more interesting than Muscat de Rivesaltes, and a great dessert wine for a bargian price. (£8.99, Oddbins)

 

E-mail me with your recommendations or suggestions at wineanorak@i.am