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August/September 2007Previous months' recommendations:
April
2006 | May 2006 | June/July
2006 |August 2006 | September/October
2006 | November 2006| December
2006 | Jan/Feb 2007 | March
2007 | June 2007 | July
2007
Caves
St Pierre Côtes du Rhône Preference Blanc 2006 France
Bright fresh and fruity with a hint of melon and some herbiness on the
nose. The palate is rounded and quite rich with a lovely soft, fat texture
to the fruit. It’s a bit floral, too. Really nice for the price. 85/100
(£4.99 Tesco)
Marks
& Spencer Famatina Valley Pinot Grigio 2006 Argentina
Bright,
crisp and fresh – so much so, it’s almost transparent, with lovely
purity and focus. Good acidity keeps the palate really fresh, with apple
and citrus fruit and a lemony finish. 86/100 (£5.49 Marks & Spencer)
Henschke
Louis Semillon 2005 Eden Valley, Australia
Made
from vines up to 50 years in age, this is a stylish, complex Semillon with
precision and balance. Tight, minerally nose shows a lovely, perfumed
lemony character. There’s a bit of toast and even a hint of struck
match. The palate is concentrated and quite complex with lovely spicy,
herby character, waxy richness and a fresh lemony finish. 92/100 (Waitrose
£12.99)
Boschendal
Chardonnay 2006 Coastal Region, South Africa
This
is a wonderfully balanced, complex new world Chardonnay, showing notes of
toast and vanilla, along with some fresh lemony notes countering the
richer, fatter fruit flavours. Broad and satisfying this has nice depth
and weight. 91/100 (£9.99 or 3 for 2 at Thresher, £7.99 Waitrose)
De
Bortoli Heathcote Shiraz 2004 Victoria, Australia
Bright,
fresh dark fruits on the nose with some vivid raspberry notes. The palate
is quite fresh with high acidity giving it a lively character. Nice
forward fruit here with some Syrah pepperiness. Vibrant with real
definition and presence to the fruit. A lovely wine. 90/100 (£7.99
Oddbins)
Leasingham
Magnus Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 Clare Valley, Australia
This
is a brilliant Aussie red in a full-on style from the Clare Valley.
There’s lots of fruit and plenty of oak, but the result is balanced and
very appealing. The nose shows some typical American oak, with spice, tar
and a hint of dill. The palate is dominated by very rich blackcurranty
fruit and some spice. Very satisfying. 89/100 (£7.99 Thresher but £5.33
if you buy 3)
Canale
Reserve Merlot 2005 Patagonia, Argentina
The
garish orange label isn’t a good indicator of what’s in the bottle.
This stylish red wine, from Patagonia in southern Argentina, is really
quite restrained and balanced – it’s not at all brash. The nose is
quite fresh, with bright dark fruits joined by a bit of gravelly
minerality and some vanilla and spice oak notes. The palate is quite
Bordeaux-like: there’s a freshness and savouriness to the dark fruits
that’s not usually found in the new world, with tar, spice and earth
notes joining the well defined dark fruits. This rather sophisticated,
well mannered Merlot is a wine that’s best with food, and which will age
well over the medium term. 90/100 (Marks & Spencer £9.99)
Marananga
Dam Old Vines Grenache Shiraz Mourvèdre 2005 Barossa Valley, Australia
From
celebrated producer Torbreck, this is a really interesting, articulate
expression of the Barossa. The Grenache grape, which is the major portion
of this blend, is a good variety for communicating Barossa terroir. Shiraz
and Mourvèdre add depth to this voice. The wine has a wonderfully
aromatic sweet, herby, spicy nose with an almost liqueur-like richness
offset by peppery freshness. There’s just the faintest hint of mint,
too. The palate is sweet, spicy and a bit herby. It’s one of those wines
where you think its sweet and simple one moment, but then have to revise
your judgement the next when some Barossa-penned complexity sneaks up on
you. A thought-provoking wine for current drinking. 90/100 (£9.99 Marks
& Spencer)
La
Motte Shiraz Viognier Pierneef Collection 2005 Franschoek, South Africa
With
a relatively large contribution from Viognier (9%), this is an attractive
wine. Deep coloured, it has a sweet, ripe, meaty nose with perfumed black
fruits and spicy depth. The palate is concentrated and ripe, showing
smooth dark meaty fruit backed up by spicy tannins. A dark, sweet, intense
wine with nice balance and a savoury edge. 90/100 (£9.99 Tesco)
Trinity Hill Syrah
2004 Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
This deep coloured Syrah has a thrilling, meaty, spicy, intense dark
fruits nose. The palate has great balance between the sweet dark fruits,
the spiciness and the peppery freshness. World class. 94/100 (c. £16,
Wines4Business)
My rating
system explained. Use www.wine-searcher.com
to locate a stockist in your area and my directory
of UK wine merchants for details of those listed here. See also: the wineanorak's
shopping list - recommended wines from each of the main UK retail
outlets. These recommendations are truly independent: I don't accept
payment or other favours for inclusions, nor do I sell wine.
E-mail me with your recommendations or suggestions
at jamie@wineanorak.co.uk
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