Reliable, independent buying advice from the wine anorak
February 2002

Wines under £8 | Wines over £8

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

My rating system explained

Bargain picks: wines under £8

Dom Ferraz Dão 1999, Portugal
A blend of the Touriga Nacional and Jaen grape varieties. Lively nose with spicy oak notes combining with cherry fruit and a pronounced herbiness. The palate shows juicy, herb-tinged berry fruit together with a spicy character (from the oak?), some tannin and plenty of acidity. Although it's quite a modern interpretation of Dão with all that spicy oak, it has maintained enough of its regional identity for it to be interesting. Great value. Very good+ (£4.99 Tesco)

Château Mourgues du Gres 'Les Galets Rouges' 2000 Costières du Nîmes
A concentrated deep red/black coloured wine, this has an enticing meaty, savoury, slightly cheesy nose. The palate shows lovely medium-bodied savoury character, with meaty dark fruits and some tannin. Superb food wine with real character: there's authentic, almost Northern Rhône-style Syrah here. Drinking well now. Very good/excellent (€5.40; £3.50 from cross-channel retailer Mille Vignes) 

Wines over £8

Mas Jullien 1998 Coteaux du Languedoc
Regular readers are probably a bit fed up of my repeated recommendations for wines from the South of French, but it's simply because it's such an exciting region, producing top wines at affordable prices. This is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Carignan vinified in barriques, and it's a lovely new-wave wine. The nose is sexy and arresting, with sweet, spicy, liquoricey fruit. The palate is immensely concentrated, with sweet, herby fruit and a lovely rich texture. There's well integrated oak and some tannin underneath the fruit that stops it becoming soupy. Very good/excellent (La Vigneronne £14.50) 

D'Arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz 1999, McLaren Vale, Australia
Hitting the shelves at the moment, this is another fine effort following hot on the heels of the wonderful 1998. A deep red/purple colour, this is very rich with a complex nose of herby, spicy, chocolatey berry fruit. The palate is hugely concentrated, with spicy oak, chocolatey fruit and tight, firm tannins. Not quite as compelling as the 1998, but still a superb wine if you are a fan of this style. Very good/excellent (£17.99 Oddbins, Bibendum) If you can't find this, also worth looking out for are D'Arenberg's Laughing Magpie Shiraz/Viognier 2000, and also their 28 Road Mourvedre and Custodian Grenache (both of which show a surprising amount of varietal character, together with the concentration and richness typical of this producer).

Catena Alta Cabernet Sauvignon 1997, Mendoza, Argentina
Lovely refined nose: very tight and classy, with creamy, cedar-laced blackcurrant fruit and a subtle leafy edge. Almost Bordeaux like. The palate shows a good density of ripe fruit with an attractive texture and good tannins and acidity. Very refined and well judged, this is one of the best wines I've tried from Argentina. Excellent (£19.99, Bibendum) The other Catena Alta wines are good, but this is a real standout. I preferred it by some distance over the Malbec and Chardonnay. 

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