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Recommended wines Reliable, independent buying advice from the wine anorak
October 2001
Wines under £8 | Wines over
£8
Previous months' recommendations: October 2000 | November 2000
| December 2000 | January 2001
| February 2001 | March
2001 | April 2001 | May
2001 | June 2001 | July
2001 | August 2001 | September
2001
My rating
system explained
Bargain picks: wines under £8
Palacio de Bornos Rueda Superior 2000, Spain
I've tried a few Ruedas in recent weeks, and it looks like a source of
tasty, value for money white wines. This, one of my favourites, is a blend of 90% Verdejo and 10%
Viura. It is a lovely, aromatic, full-flavoured
white wine: it’s a bit like a cross between a Sauvignon and a Viognier in
character. There are notes of elderflower on the grassy, herby nose, while
the
fresh, clean, full flavoured palate is crisp and attractive. No trace of
oak. Very good/excellent (about £5, Reserva y Cata)
Anselmi San Vicenzo 2000, IGT Veneto
Soave with a difference (deliberately declassified to IGT status), I
recommended Anselmi's 1999 San Vicenzo here a while back; I'm pleased to say
that the 2000 is even better. A blend of Garganega, Chardonnay and Trebbiano
di Soave, it has a lovely, rich floral nose with a nutty edge. The palate is
rich, full textured, fruity and nutty. Delicious stuff. Very good/excellent
(c. £7, Fortnum & Mason, Chandos Deli, Noel Young)
Valentin Bianchi Malbec 'Elsa's Vineyard'
1998, Mendoza, Argentina
A single vineyard wine made from 85% Malbec and 15% Barbera that would be
perfect with a fat Argentinean steak. It's a
lovely savoury red wine with a nice herby nose, showing some leafy notes in
the background. There are also notes of spice, tar and chocolate. The palate
is rich, soft and ripe with a spicy edge. Quite delicious: a full-on wine,
but not in a manufactured, confected style. Very good/excellent (£6.70 The
Good Wine Shop)
Dr Hermann Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese 1994, Mosel saar
Ruwer
Where else would you get seven year old Ürziger
Würzgarten Riesling Auslese for a fiver but Majestic? This is a good one,
despite the low price. Lovely smoky honey-tinged nose leads to a rich palate
with bracing acidity, some appley notes and a touch of spice. Expressive and
tasty, this doesn’t taste overly sweet, although there’s clearly quite a
bit of residual sugar here. Very good+ (£4.99 Majestic)
Wines over £8
Bergerie de L’Hortus Classique 1999, Pic St Loup, Coteaux du
Languedoc
Refreshingly, this new-wave southern French red is not some overoaked
14° alcohol monster, but instead is a classic example of why Pic St Loup is
one of the most impressive communes in the Languedoc. The nose is
deliciously meaty, herby, smoky and earthy, with some raspberry/damson
fruit. The palate shows meaty, olive-laced fruit with quite high acidity and
a lovely savoury character. Good balance. Very good/excellent (£8.50 Lea
& Sandeman, Handford)
Brancott Estate Sauvignon Blanc 1999, Marlborough, New Zealand
A single vineyard Sauvignon, some of which is fermented and aged in oak to
add complexity. The nose is intense and refined with restrained herby,
gooseberry notes. The palate is crisp and classy, with spicy, savoury
fruit. This isn't an in-yer-face style of Sauvignon; instead it oozes a
taut, restrained, classy aura. Very good/excellent (Oddbins c. £10)
Guigal Condrieu 1999, Northern Rhône
I have mixed feelings about Guigal's wines. Although the single vineyard
Côte Rôties are cult wines, the rest of the range seems to hitch a ride on
the back of their fame: I've been pretty unimpressed by most of the large
negociant range. But one wine that's almost always one of the best examples
of its type is the Condrieu. A rich, peachy, spicy nose leads to a lovely full, fat-textured palate with
some floral notes. It’s a lovely, balanced, full flavoured example of
Condrieu. It isn’t cheap, but Condrieu never is. Very good/excellent (Sainsbury
£19.99)
Ridge York Creek Petite Sirah 1998, Santa Cruz Mountains, California
The least expensive of Ridge's wines, giving a good example of the
house style that has made this Californian winery so successful. It's a really impressive example of Petite
Sirah, often considered to be
a lesser variety. The attractive herby/spicy nose leads to a powerful,
tannic palate. This is a huge, dense, chunky wine -- it's almost
impenetrable at the moment. Still balanced despite its size. Very
good/excellent (c. £15, La Vigneronne, Handford and other independent
wine merchants)
E-mail me with your recommendations or suggestions
at jamie@wineanorak.co.uk
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