Reliable, independent buying advice from the wine anorak
December 2002

Wines under £8 | Wines over £8

Previous months' recommendations: November 2001 | December 2001 | January 2002 | February 2002 | March 2002 | April 2002 | May 2002 | June 2002 | July 2002 | August 2002 | September 2002 | October 2002 | November 2002

My rating system explained. Use www.wine-searcher.com to locate a stockist in your area. 

Bargain picks

La Chapelle Nôtre Dame d’Aubune Beaumes de Venise 2001 Côtes du Rhône Villages, France
Vivid nose of juicy cherry and raspberry fruit with a spicy edge – very fruity. The palate is wonderfully vivid, dominated by vivid primary fruit. Good concentration and lots of character here: thoroughly enjoyable. Very good/excellent (Majestic £5.49 buy 2 save £1 = £4.99)  

Vincent Girardin Bourgogne Blanc 2000, Burgundy, France
Attractive smoky, minerally nose shows some complexity. The palate is full flavoured and quite assertive with good acid and a slightly spicy finish. An impressive minerally white. Very good+ (Majestic £7.49 buy 2 save £1 = £6.99)

Wilkie Estate Organic Verdelho 2002, Adelaide Plains, South Australia
From a six hectare vineyard established in 1978, this is an impressive expression of the Verdelho grape. Lovely bright lemony fruit on the nose with a herby twist. The palate is rich-textured with a slightly sweet edge from the residual sugar (9.8 g/l). It's not a sweet wine, but a little sugar left in a bone dry, acidic wine like this really fills out the texture. Appealing. Very good/excellent (£6.49 Waitrose)

Domaine Madelon Corbières 2001, Languedoc, France
There’s some spicy earthiness on the nose, which displays sweet ripe fruit. Lovely savoury, minerally complexity on the palate, with the ripe fruit balanced quite well by the acidity. Lots of character and very good value. Very good+ (Majestic £4.99 buy 2 save £2 = £3.99)  

Wines over £8

Mas Igneus FA206 2000, Priorat, Spain
70% Garnacha, 20% Cariñena, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Syrah, aged in 2 year old barrels for 6 months. Classy label. There's an intriguing herbal, mineralic twist to the richly fruited nose. The palate displays dense fruit with good acidity and a chalky, mineralic edge. Nicely poised and classically styled, capturing some of the Priorat 'terroir' character. Very good/excellent (£9.99 Waitrose)

Marqués de Griñón Dominio de Valdepusa Syrah 2000 Vino de Mesa Toledo, Spain
The Syrah vines at the 42 ha Valdepusa estate were 9 years old in the 2000 vintage, and modern vineyard technology such as drip irrigation, Smart-Dyson trellising and partial root zone drying has helped fashion a wine of sheer brilliance, albeit in a very modern style. Inky red/black colour, there's huge rush of juicy, ripe, sweet raspberry and blackcurrant fruit. Pure and intense. The palate shows lovely intense, thick ripe fruit with liquoricey complexity, good acidity and huge concentration. Stunningly modern but brilliant with it. My only slight criticism is that the 15% alcohol makes it taste a tiny bit hot. Very good/excellent (£12.99 Waitrose)

Mouchão 1997, Alentejo, Portugal
I’d been wanting to try this well regarded Alentejo wine for some time. Boasting a high proportion of the red-fleshed Alicante Bouschet grape variety, this is an opaque, inky dark wine. It displays an appealing deep nose with some sweetness to the fruit, and which opens up after a while to displaya spicy, chocolatey richness. The palate is thick, dense and nicely savoury with a pleasant bitterness on the finish and good acidity. Unsubtle, but lots of interest here: this is brilliantly individual and not too modern. Very good/excellent (Berry Bros £16.95)

Canard Duchêne Brut NV Champagne
Rich, creamy nose with a touch of toasty character. Fresh, lively full flavoured palate is quite classy and satisfying. Very good/excellent (Majestic £17.99 buy 3 save 33% = £11.99)  

Royal Tokaji 5 Puttonyos 1996, Tokaji, Hungary
Unusual complex nose, with slightly lifted acidity and honeyed, marmaladey complexity. Lovely bitter-sweet palate with marmaladey tangy fruit, good acidity and some herby, caramelly complexity. Very good/excellent (Majestic £13.99)  

E-mail me with your recommendations or suggestions at jamie@wineanorak.co.uk