Following my round-up of white wine highlights from the recent Bibendum (major UK agent/wholesaler) tasting, here are some nice reds from their range. A few real gems here.
Gal Tibor Titi Egri Bikaver 2016 Eger, Hungary, Eger
A blend of Kékfrankos, Kadarta and Syrah. Beautifully packaged. Fresh, stony cherry and plum fruit nose with a damson twist. The palate is really fresh and supple with some sour cherry and plum fruit, with a bit of grip. Open, delicious and expressive. Has good acidity. A very satisfying lighter-styled red, but not lacking in flavour. 93/100
Weingut Kopp Spatburgunder Roter Porphyr 2015 Baden, Germany
This is beautiful: it’s very fresh and supple with nice raspberry and black cherry fruit, with a hint of sour cherry and damson on the finish. Very fresh and bright, but also has some substance. A really compelling Pinot Noir. 93/100
Domaine Frederic Magnien Marsannay Mogottes Monopole 2014 Burgundy, France
Light, supple, fine and spicy with juicy red cherry and plum fruit. Has a savoury, cedary edge to the fruit. Good concentration here: digestible and expressive. 92/100
Norman Hardie Pinot Noir 2016 Niagara Peninsula, Canada
Has a slight lift to the nose with lovely fresh, pure, supple red cherry fruit. So light and refined with incredibly delicacy and elegance. Has a little grip here, too. Lovely. 93/100
Prophets Rock Cuvee Aux Antipodes Pinot Noir 2015 Central Otago, New Zealand
This is the collaboration with Francois Millet that I described here. Distinctive, fine green hints on the nose with cherries and warm herbs. The palate is fine and expressive with lovely elegance, and well integrated green notes as well as raspberries and plums. This is so distinctive, with lovely elegance and balance, and nice green notes. 94/100
Moli dels Capellans Atrepat 2016 Conca e Barbera, Spain
A varietal Trepat. Lively, lifted spicy red fruits nose. Very bright and expressive on the palate with juicy, bright red fruits. Lovely vivid fruit but the volatile acidity is a bit high, so be warned. 90/100
Castello di Ama San Lorenzo 2014 Tuscany, Italy
Sangiovese/Merlot blend. Complex, juicy and spicy with nice grip and weight. Lovely raspberry and blackberry fruit with some damson bite on the finish. 92/100
Oscuro Malbec 2017 Mendoza, Argentina
Supple and elegant with nice sweet, bright cherry and berry fruit. Very expressive and delicious with a smoothness but also freshness. 91/100
La Posta Armando Vineyard Bonarda 2016 Mendoza, Argentina
Juicy and bright with lovely cherry and plum fruit. Ripe but fresh with a nice spicy twist to the finish. Lovely supple, easy wine. 90/100
Some Young Punks Naked on Roller Skates Shiraz Mataro 2016 McLaren Vale, Australia
Smooth yet vivid with bold ripe berry fruits. Has some floral cherry freshness and a bit of grunt under the sweet, bold fruit. Lovely weight here. Sweetly fruited and modern but balanced. 91/100
Tornatore Pietrarizzo Rosso 2015 Sicily, Italy
Varietal Nerello Mascalese. A bright, lighter styled red wine with a juicy berry fruits edge to the fresh plum and cherry fruit core. Notes of herbs and fine spices, with a bit of grip on the finish. Supple and expressive. 93/100
Ermitage Pic St Loup Pic St Loup Saint Agnes Rouge 2015 Languedoc, France
A blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre. Slightly lifted herb and black cherry nose. Vivid, structured yet quite elegant on the palate with a twist of balsamic vinegar under the juicy blackberry and black cherry fruit. Hints of olives, too. The volatile acidity adds an extra element to this: a complex, savoury style. 92/100
Garage Wine Company The Ploughmen Carignan Garnacha Mataro 2013 Maule Valley, Chile
Very pure, aromatic red cherry and plum fruit nose. Juicy raspberry and cherry fruit palate with some leafy green notes, a twist of cedar, and high acidity. Very expressive and fresh. Such a distinctive wine. 90/100
Bodegas Tomas Cusine Vilosell 2014 Catalunya, Spain
Tempranillo, Syrah and Merlot. Really supple and fresh with nice structured, balanced juicy berry fruits. Has nice grip and lovely supple ripe fruit. Modern but balanced and lovely. 91/100
Domaine Catherine and Pascal Jamet St Joseph 2015 Rhone, France
Broad, meaty and ripe with lovely olive tapenade savouriness, as well as some sweet berry fruits. Has lovely depth and wildness, with some peachy richness under the red and black fruits. Stylish and delicious. 93/100
Phincas Village Estate 2013 Rioja, Spain
There’s a minty edge here to the fruit. Lively but quite rich, with direct, sweet berry fruits and well integrated oak. Has a bit of grip, too. Modern and well balanced. 91/100
I was interested to see your review of the TiTi wine. I’m pretty sure I bought some of this wine (vintage unknown) early during 2017. As often seems to happen, our local Lidl was flogging off surplus stock left over from Christmas and, unless I’m mistaken, TiTi was one of them. It was reduced to half-price, i.e. about £3 if I recall correctly, so I bought some for cooking purposes. If I sound a bit vague, it’s because I don’t record any details of wines bought for culinary use, but the packaging and name are so distinctive that I believe we’re talking about the same wine. I do taste my cooking wines before using them, and I recall thinking this one was a pleasant, fresh example, well worth the money paid (but then, it would have had to be pretty rank not to be worth £3). Was it a 93-point wine? Probably not in my book. But, if I’d tasted it among a selection acquired from Bibendum, I might have regarded it differently, of course…
That’s interesting: I really liked the wine and if you got it for £6, let alone £3, that would have been a staggering bargain
As much as anything, Jamie, I was impressed that Lidl’s buyers were capable of finding relatively obscure wines of such quality and that Lidl thought it commercially viable to market such a wine to its customer base.