Some good value wines that impress

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Some good value wines that impress

good value wines

I’m aware that many of the wines I recommend here are quite expensive. So these are some wines that I’ve tried recently that represent excellent value for money. These are real stand-outs.

Château de Lascaux ‘Carra’ Pic St Loup, Languedoc, France
£13.99 Vintage Roots
14% alcohol
Organic. Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre. Really fresh and well defined with lovely bright black cherry and blackberry fruit, showing some peppery detail and hints of meatiness. Nice raspberry freshness on the finish. There’s lovely fruit here, but also nice structure and acidity. Super stuff for the price. 90/100

Tanners Super Claret 2012 Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux, France
£14.95 Tanners
13% alcohol
Made by Château Clément Pichon. 51% Merlot, 49% Cabernet Sauvignon. Beautifully fresh and vivid with a chalky edge to the blackcurrant fruit. There’s a nice greenness here with provides freshness and drinkability, and meshes beautifully with the supple, sweet fruit. So drinkable: this is what we come to Bordeaux for. Shows great balance. 90/100

Château Le Coin Sauvignon Gris 2015 Bordeaux, France
£10.99 Laithwaites
14% alcohol
Beautifully focused with a lovely herb, fennel and grapefruit edge to the nose. The palate has depth and texture with a slightly smoky, spicy edge to the pear and canteloup melon notes. It’s richer than you’d expect from a Sauvignon with lovely depth to the bold fruit. But it’s not overblown. There’s nice passionfruit richness, hemmed in by the grapefruit. 90/100

Nicosia Classic Etna Rosso 2013 Sicily, Italy
£12.49, £10.99 When you mix 6 or more, Laithwaites
13% alcohol
This lighter coloured red is a blend of 80% Nerello Mascalese and 20% Nerello Cappuccio, both local varieties that thrive on Etna’s volcanic soils. It’s fresh and aromatic with some spicy, mineral, slightly medicinal hints adding complexity to the red cherry and cranberry fruit. Elegant and moreish, and not lacking in flavour even though it’s a lighter-style red. So fresh and detailed. 90/100

Perdeberg Cellars The Vineyard Collection Chenin Blanc 2015 Paarl, South Africa
13.5% alcohol
£11.99 Virgin Wines
This is a lovely old-vine Chenin, with concentrated, fresh flavours of pear and peach with a hint of pineapple, as well as some ripe apple and spice. There’s a lovely lemony core here which keeps things nicely focused. A really tidy, precise wine with restraint, but also the potential for development over the next few years. 91/100

The Society’s Exhibition Pouilly-Fuissé 2014 Burgundy, France
13% alcohol
£18 The Wine Society
Full yellow in colour, this is a deliciously full flavoured white Burgundy with rich flavours of hazelnut and cream, as well as fresh citrus fruits with a bit of baked apple sweetness. After a while, the richer notes subside and it settles into a stony, mineral personality, with real presence and complexity. This wine shows good concentration and balance, and is drinking perfectly now. It’s made for the Wine Society by Frédéric Burrier of Maison Joseph Burrier and Château de Beauregard, who own 22 hectares in the Pouilly-Fuissé appellation. 93/100

Le Bijou de Sophie Valrose 2015 Cabrières, Languedoc, France
14% alcohol
£7.99 Waitrose
This is fabulous. It’s fresh, vivid and direct with blackberry and black cherry fruit, with some lovely meatiness in the mix. There are notes of pepper and clove adding savoury interest, and a deliciously floral, aromatic spicy garrigue edge to the fruit. It’s almost saline, too, with a savoury intensity and plenty of freshness. Grippy and delicious. So peppery. 91/100

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