Reliable, independent buying advice from the wine anorak
June 2002

Wines under £8 | Wines over £8

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

My rating system explained

Bargain picks

Tres Olmos Verdejo  Bodegas Gaciarevalo 2001, Rueda, Spain
From a family run Bodega with 40 ha in the middle of Rueda, one of Spain's leading white wine regions. This shows a wonderfully bright aromatic nose with appealing lemony fruit. With a pronounced herbal edge there's lots of fruit here and good acidity. Brilliant for the price. Very good/excellent (£5.95 Berry Bros)

Cosme Palacio Rioja Blanco 1999, Spain
I was a little bit uncertain about recommending this wine because it is largely dependent on the new oak barrels it was fermented in for its character. But it's an interesting, full flavoured wine with character rare at this price. Quite a striking nose showing attractive, forward herby fruit and pronounced vanillin oak character. Palate is fresh, crisp and modern. It’s lovely stuff: despite the massive oak component, the balance is right and it works really well. Very good/excellent (£5.99 Majestic, Oddbins)

Morgon 'Jean Descombes' Georges Duboeuf 2001, Beaujolais
For the last few years this has been one of my favourite Beaujolais. The bold raspberry fruit on the nose is very summery and quite striking. The palate is dominated by summer fruits, and the juicy acidity makes this a refreshing full flavoured red wine. Very good/excellent (£7.49 Majestic, buy 2 bottles save £2 = £6.49)  

La Casetta di Ettore Righetti 1999 Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso, Italy 
A brilliant interpretation of Valpolicella, and super value at the offer price. Deep coloured. Rich, herby, liquoricey, spicy edge to the fruit on the nose. The palate is savoury with a good concentration of rich, slightly sweet-edged herby fruit and firm acidity. Lovely. Very good/excellent (£7.99 Majestic, buy any six Italian wines save 15% = £6.79)  

Wines over £8

Niepoort Redoma 1999, Douro, Portugal
Dirk Niepoort is leading the way in the quality revolution that is currently taking place with Douro table wines, and this month I'm recommending a red and white pair. First, the red, which is made from 60 year old vines grown in North facing vineyards (in the hot Douro this is a good thing), principally Tinta Amarela. It has a rich, brooding liquorice-edged nose with some smoky blackcurrant fruit. The rich, herby, liquoricey palate shows great depth, with firm tannins rich, herby, spicy fruit. Savoury and rich, and showing lovely balance despite the size. Very good/excellent (£24.99 contact importer Raymond Reynolds for availability in the UK) 

Niepoort Redoma Branco 2000, Douro, Portugal
Tasted at a recent dinner with Dirk Niepoort, this savoury white really impressed me. Good concentration here. Forward, spicy nose with some lemony complexity and a bit of toasty oak. Quite rich textured palate shows some oak and rich, herby, lemony fruit. Lovely texture and minerality here. Very good/excellent (£8.99 contact importer Raymond Reynolds for availability in the UK) 

Bremerton Old Adam Shiraz 1998, Langhorne Creek
Bremerton produce lush red wines with a very soft tannin structure from South Australia's Langhorne Creek. This, their flagship wine, spends 22 months in oak. Deep coloured and concentrated, the nose displays a sweet, semi-exotic liquoricey edge to the fruit on the nose. The palate is dominated by rich, lush fruit with a sweet edge and soft tannins. Great concentration. A forward, full style, and the considerable oak influence doesn’t stick out at all. Very good/excellent (contact UK importer Seckford Wines for availability details)

CVNE Viña Real Gran Reserva Rioja 1991, Spain
I recently tasted through the whole CVNE range and was very impressed by the overall qualities. This one comes from the Rioja Alavesa (CVNE's Alavesa wines come in Burgundy shaped bottles; their Alta wines come in Bordeaux shaped bottles) and represents brilliant value for a top-notch wine with several years bottle age. Soft, mature, evolved nose of leather, tea, herbs and cinnamon. Lovely rich, spicy palate is still very much alive. Rich and complex, this is evolving really nicely, with some a nice texture and firm tannins. Finishes dry. Very good/excellent (£21.00 La Vigneronne)

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