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Recommended wines Reliable, independent buying advice from the wine anorak
July 2001
Wines under £8 | Wines over
£8
Previous months' recommendations: August 2000|September 2000|October 2000|November 2000|December 2000|January 2001|February 2001|March
2001|April 2001|May
2001|June 2001
My rating
system explained
Bargain picks: wines under £8
Zenato 'Ripassa' Valpolicella Superiore 1998, Veneto, Italy
Made by the ripasso technique, where Valpolicella wine is added to the gunk
left over from making Amarone (wine made from part-dried grapes), starting a
secondary fermentation that adds 'oomph' to the wine. This is a superb,
striking, concentrated wine, although some might find it a little bit sweet
and oaky. Concentrated purple/red colour, with a lovely characterful nose of
exotic herby/spicy cherry fruit with a slightly dusty edge. The palate is
dense and concentrated, with coffee and chocolate flavours and a noticeable
sweetness to the fruit. It's a ripe, lush style, with noticeable influence
from French oak, and lacking the slightly bitter (although not unpleasant)
finish often associated with Valpolicella. Very good/excellent (Bottoms Up
£7.99)
Montana Sauvignon Blanc 2000, Marlborough, New Zealand
New Zealand's most well known inexpensive Sauvignon is back on form. The nose is lovely and rich, with gooseberry and blackcurrant
(yes, honest guv!) notes and a rounded but intense character. The
palate is ripe and forward. It's a really classy effort, with bags of
flavour. Very good/excellent (£5.99 widely available)
St Hallett Poachers Blend 1999, Barossa, Australia
A blend of Chenin Blanc, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling, bottled
with an attractive yellow screwcap. This is a lovely fresh white wine with a
floral, citrus and tropical fruit nose. The palate is almost spritzy, with
some bright fruit flavour. This is a very attractive option at the price,
and I suspect the screwcap may have helped to keep the wine fresher for
longer. Very good (£4.49 Tesco)
Hugel 'Gentil' 1999, Alsace
A really useful white wine: good with food, and good without. This pale coloured blend of Alsace varieties has an attractive
grapey/floral nose with a honeyed edge. The palate is fruity and floral with
a touch of spice. A nice all purpose house white, this goes down very
easily. Very good (£5.99 Sainsbury)
Wines over £8
Château Fleur Cardinale 1995, Saint Emilion
It's rare to find anything serious from Bordeaux at less than a tenner, but
this St Emilion is super stuff with real class. Nice softly perfumed nose
with herby, smoky and cedary notes leads to a well balanced palate, showing
some minerality and smooth tannins. A great interpretation of a classic
style. Very good/excellent (£8.99 Bentalls)
Jean Heywang Klevener de Heiligenstein 1998, Alsace
Apparently, the rare variety of Klevener (not the same as Klevner, which is
used a synonym for Pinot Blanc in Alsace), has been a speciality of
Heiligenstein since 1742. This is a rich yellow/gold colour, and shows a
rich, ripe nose with a spicy edge and some botrytis-like notes. There’s a
touch of sulphur and some mineral-like elements too. It is soft, honeyed and
mineralic on the palate with lovely texture and length. There’s just a
touch of residual sugar: it is not bone dry but it’s not all that sweet,
either. A complex wine, best with food. Very good/excellent (£10 La
Vigneronne)
Saintsbury 'Garnet' Carneros Pinot Noir 1999, Carneros, California
It's rare that Californian wines make my recommended list. It's not that
they aren't tasty enough, it is just that they rarely offer good value for
money. 25% new oak is used to produce this 'entry level' Pinot Noir. It may
be the lesser of the Pinots that Carneros superstars Saintsbury produce in
terms of price, but it is a classy wine in its own right. The lovely
cherry/herby nose is attractive and savoury, with a slight medicinal edge.
There's lovely balance on the palate, with cherry fruit and nice complexity.
A real treat. Very good/excellent (£11.90 Justerini & Brooks, although
they are currently selling the 1998 vintage)
Elian Daros Chante Coucou 1998 Côtes du Marmandais
A big chunky red from the South West of France, showing massive concentration and extraction. An opaque purple/red
colour, the nose shows ripe blackcurrant
fruit, with minerals, spice and smoky notes. The juicy palate has dense,
firm tannins, ripe fruit and good acidity. Herb and olive notes add some
southern complexity. This dense wine is a bit chewy at the moment and really
needs a few years to develop some class to add to its power. Very
good/excellent (£8.50 la Vigneronne)
E-mail me with your recommendations or suggestions
at jamie@wineanorak.co.uk
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