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Recommended wines Reliable,
independent buying advice from the wine anorak
July 2000
Wines under £8 | Wines over
£8
Previous months' recommendations: January
2000 | February 2000|March 2000|April/May 2000|June 2000
Bargain picks: wines under £8
Domaine Capion Cabernet Sauvignon 1997, Vin de Pays
de L'Herault
A really impressive domain-bottled Cabernet Sauvignon from the South of France, with a
dreadfully dull label. Concentrated purple/black with a creamy, herbal, chocolatey
texture. Leafy, rich blackcurrant fruit with firm tannins and good structure. A nice, new
wave Southern French wine. (Berry Brothers & Rudd, £6.95)
Château de Lancyre Grande Cuvée 1997, Pic
Saint-Loup, Coteaux du Languedoc AOC
From a 73 Ha estate, this is a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre matured for 12
months in barriques. A red/purple colour, this is wonderful stuff. A smoky nose is
followed by a smoky, meaty, herby palate with medium body and quite high acidity. There
are hints of tea and tobacco, firm tannins and some cherry fruit. Complex and refined,
this is archetypal Pic Saint-Loup with quite a life ahead of it. Very good/ excellent.
(£7.19, Tesco)
Trulli Primitivo 1998, IGT Salento, Italy
Winemakers Augusto Càntele and Kym Milne have produced a lovely spicy, meaty wine. Warm
flavours combine with a lovely dry spiciness (from the oaking?), with hints of cherry
fruit, olives and coffee. Nicely balanced and quite complex, super value. Very good.
(£4.99 Oddbins; £4.49 Tesco)
Château de Lascours 1998, Coteaux du Languedoc Pic
Saint-Loup, Rosé
Rosé wines are relatively neglected in the UK, but are drunk by the pitcher-full
in the South of France. Attractive Amber/pink colour. Lovely fresh, fruity wine with good
acidity, full flavour and a peppery edge. Clean and delicious when drunk well chilled. On
a warm summers evening, this is the ideal wine, good with food. (£4.45, winesoc.co.uk)
Château de Lascours 1998, Coteaux du Languedoc Pic Saint-Loup
Lovely stuff. Youthful red/purple colour. A savoury, peppery, herby wine with good
concentration and meaty undertones. Firm tannins underlying the fruit; lovely balance and
good complexity. Has the distinctive regional character commonly found in many Pic
Saint-Loup wines. Despite the meat/earthy character, it is not at all barnyardy or bretty.
Very good + (£4.65, winesoc.co.uk)
Wines over £8
Quinta do Passadouro LBV 1995, Niepoort
A lovely, premium unfiltered LBV, 100% foot trodden and fermented in lagares, and bottled
unfiltered in 1999. Concentrated and herbal, with spicy tannins and notes of coffee and
chocolate. There are also mineral, licqouricey elements. Complex and unlike most LBVs
needing a few more years to show its best. Excellent. (Bentalls £14)
Valentin Bianchi Malbec Reserve 1996, San Rafael,
Argentina
A superb example of Argentina's 'own' grape. Lovely rich meaty and medicinal nose with a
slightly burnt quality and some smokiness. Super-rich and soft on the palate with rich
licqouricey character. Slightly odd, but lovely. Rich and supple. Very good/ excellent.
(£8.99 Oddbins)
Château Musar 1991, Gaston Hochar, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon
I've recently changed my views about Musar. Previously, I had considered some of the
examples I had tried to be just too quirky and faulty to be enjoyable, but this 1991 is
delicious. Pale red/brick colour. Lovely rich nose with exotic notes of tea, leather and
sweet herbs. On the palate this is medium bodied with complex, savoury and herby flavours.
Quite alcoholic on the finish. A really interesting, unorthodox wine. Very good/excellent.
(Fairly widely available at about £11)
1998 Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru
Boudriotte, Ramonet
An outstanding wine. Sensational nose: rich and profoundly complex, with exotic
notes of spice, toasty oak, cabbage and minerals. On the palate, this is a huge savoury
mouthful, with minerals, spiciness, wood tannins and high acidity. Should improve for
decades, but approachable now. Excellent/outstanding. (If you can find any, this will be
an expensive but satisfying splurge)
E-mail me with your recommendations or suggestions at wineanorak@i.am |
