Reliable, independent buying advice from the wine anorak
February 2004

Wines under £8 | Wines over £8

Previous months' recommendations: January 2003 | February 2003 | March 2003 | April 2003 | May 2003 | June 2003 | July 2003 | August 2003 | September 2003 | October 2003 | November 2003 | December 2003 | January 2004

My rating system explained. Use www.wine-searcher.com to locate a stockist in your area. See also: the wineanorak's shopping list - recommended wines from each of the main UK retail outlets.

Bargain picks   

Porcupine Ridge Shiraz 2002 South Africa
This is quite brilliant, and one of my favourite wines at this price bracket in a while. It's from Boekenhoutskloof, a winery making a name for its premium Shiraz, and is unashamedly forward in its style, offering masses of sweet, rich, meaty fruit. There's a hint of the Rhône here, although the richness and sweetness of the fruit is very new world. A full flavoured meaty red of wide appeal. Very good/excellent 90/100 (£6.99 Waitrose)

Domaine de Canteperdix Viognier 2001 Vin de Pays de Cassan, France
This is an unusual, characterful white. Deep coloured, it has a striking perfumed nose with a rich herby depth to it. There's a lovely soft texture on the concentrated palate, which is nicely poised. Quite brilliant in a full-flavoured style. Very good/excellent 92/100 (£7.99 Sainsburys.co.uk/wine)

Picajuan Peak Bonarda 2002 Mendoza, Argentina
This red is sealed with a screwcap, which will no doubt help preserve its pure, juicy berry fruit. It's not a wine to take too seriously, but it does deliver a good dollop of bright, tasty fruit with an appealing spiciness and nice acidity. A good pizza wine. Very good 84/100 (£3.99 Tesco)

Le Catalan Grenache Noir 2002 Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalans, France
Brilliant value, this robust Grenache. Slightly peppery nose shows rich berry fruits with an earthy edge. The palate is broad, slightly sweet and has a nicely savoury edge. High alcohol, but Grenache seems to take this better than most grape varieties. A warm, southern wine. Very good+ 86/100 (£4.99 Thresher) 

Wines over £8

Seresin Sauvignon Blanc 2003 Marlborough, New Zealand
I recently tasted the entire Seresin range, and came away fully impressed. This Sauvignon displays a really forward, grassy, herby nose. On the palate there is lovely length to the fruit. Herby and full. Very good/excellent 91/100 (£10.99 Noel Young, Handford)

Hermann Dönnhoff Oberhäser Brücke Riesling Spätlese 2002 Nahe, Germany
Very striking pure lemon and mineral nose with some attractive floral notes. The palate is rich, broad and complex with high residual sugar and acidity holding the lemony melon fruit in nice tension. Very good/excellent 91/100 (£21.95 Berry Bros & Rudd)

Mitolo 'GAM' Shiraz 2002 McLaren Vale, Australia
Very deep coloured, this has an intense, spicy nose with ripe fruit and hints of roast coffee and tar. Well defined. The palate shows a huge concentration of super-rich fruit with spicy tannins. It's a bold, complex wine with many layers of flavour. Very impressive. Excellent 96/100 (£23.99 Noel Young)

Kumala’s Journey’s End Chardonnay 2002 Stellenbosch, South Africa
This premium Chardonnay, fashioned from hand-picked grapes barrel fermented in new French oak, is delicious. It has a remarkably complex nose of ripe, intense figgy fruit with a rich, slightly sweet spicy character, together with some nutty, toasty notes. The palate is rich and ripe with sweet edged, spicy creamy fruit and nutty richness. A big Chardonnay made in a very classy style. I'm normally more of a fan of growers' wines at this price level, but Kumala have shown that big companies can make very impressive wines if they put their mind to it. Very good/excellent 92/100 (£14.99 Waitrose)   

Graham's Vintage Port 2000 and Taylor's Vintage Port 2000 Douro, Portugal
2000 was a spectacular Port vintage, one of the best for decades. The wines have now been released, but it's quite rare to be able to get hold of them by the single bottle. Waitrose's two flagship branches, at Canary Wharf and Kingston, are offering a good selection by the bottle, and I'm recommending my two favourites from the range here. Graham's 2000 was made with robotic lagares. Firm, taut spicy nose. Wonderful concentration and structure on the palate: a big, spicy, tannic style. Not overly sweet. Excellent 95/100 (£50). Taylor's 2000 is very tightly knit. Lots of fruit. Hugely concentrated with sweet ripe fruit and bold, spicy tannic structure. A huge wine showing impressive structure. Excellent 95/100 (£55). If you can find it, try the Niepoort Vintage 2000, which to my palate is just as good if not better. All these Ports will require significant cellaring time.

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