Some recent wines, including some new additions to my list

TLD and I have been enjoying some pretty nice wines over the last week or so, including some that I have now added to the Leon Stolarski Fine Wines list (if there is a link, you can buy it - if not, then you can't!);

Cono Sur Sparkling Brut NV Bio Bio Valley, Chile

Mostly Chardonnay, with a little Riesling and Pinot Noir, this has an impressively strong mousse, with plenty of fine, long-lasting bubbles. Lovely fresh, floral, lemon and apple aromas, with biscuity notes and a hint of lime oil suggesting a touch of richness. And indeed the palate does deliver some richness, with that lime oil note adding a perception of sweetness to what is essentially a pretty bone-dry wine, though chock full of citrus and tree fruit flavours, loads of mouth-watering acidity and a lingering finish. This is a mightily impressive wine and, having bought 6 bottles from a local supplier (and now drank 2), I was going to go back for more. Unfortunately, they have now sold out......... :-( But I shall enjoy my remaining 4 bottles. 12.0% abv.


Cono Sur Riesling Reserva 2009 Bio Bio Valley, Chile

The freshness and vitality in this wine is evident from the little "sigh" of residual CO2 it gives as you twist the screwcap, releasing a wave of lemon, lime zest and floral aromas and a fair whack of classic Riesling slate and wet stone. The freshness is heightened by a delightful "prickle", evident on both the nose and the palate, with an immediate lime zestiness which fair races across the mouth and almost makes your eyes water. But this wine is anything but simple, for it offers masses of lime/lemon and tart apple flavour and a hint of lime oil richness - and real mineral depth, rather like a really good, almost-dry Alsace Riesling. In fact, I have tasted Alsace Grand Cru's that have given less pleasure than this little beauty. You may be thinking "Cono Sur?! Aren't they a big Chilean producer making (in the main) mass-market wines?" Well think again, for this really is a top-quality example of its kind, produced in one of the coolest and most southerly vineyards in Chile, and clearly ideal for growing this most wonderful of white grapes. The back label says "Enjoy upon purchase", and whilst I do not disagree (for it gives great pleasure now) it gives even greater pleasure on day 2, so I fancy it will evolve nicely over the next 2 or 3 years - perhaps a lot longer, given that it is sealed under screwcap. A brilliant wine - and a complete steal at just £8.50.

Jean-Marie Bouzereau Meursault 2000

This is the second one of three bottles I picked up relatively cheaply a year or two back and the second time it has been bang on the money. Pale gold, watery rim, very bright and limpid. Clean, fresh, slightly lemony aromas, with a touch of apple and loads of mineral/damp earth - high-toned and really very expressive, in a non-Meursault way (by which I mean no overtly oaky, struck-match things going on). It really is very integrated and winey and undoubtedly Burgundy in origin. The palate is super fresh, with not a hint of toffee/oxidation - which is increasingly rare in a 12 year-old white Burgundy, these days - but certainly not lacking in evolution or complexity. Lots of apple pie/cream/cinnamon flavours and again plenty of earthy minerality. It doesn't have any pretensions to anything particularly grand (or even premier!) but it is a mightily enjoyable wine, which partnered some fishcakes and a bit of baked salmon with some home-made mayonnaise very nicely. 13.0% abv.

Valiano Chianti Classico Castelnuovo Beradenga 2007

A mediu-deep cherry red colour. Aromas of cherries, too, of both the black and red varieties, with bramble, damp earth, polished wood and mixed spices - it really is quite heady stuff, when it opens-out. The palate initially seems a little dumb/closed, but emerges after half an hour in the decanter, with flavours of sweet and sour red cherry, soft citrus and bramble. There's a nice layer of rustic tannins, again quite earthy and spicy, with lots of juicy acidity and a touch of agnostura bitters on the finish. A delicious wine, which does everything you want a decent Chianti Classico to do. 13.0% abv. A bargain at £9.95.

Chanson Père et Fils Côte de Beaune-Villages 2007
A light-to-medium ruby red colour, with some darker, more evolved tinges which, along with the nose, suggest this wine has spent at least some time in older oak barrels. Aromas of raspberry and wild strawberry are accompanied by notes of cedar, polished wood, forest floor and a touch of vanilla. The palate too shows a touch of evolution - medium-bodied, with plenty of bright, juicy red fruit flavours, mouth-watering acidity and a gentle tannic grip, giving the wine a nice sweet and sour quality. Offering a nice degree of complexity and evolution, this is lovely to drink right now - what I would call a Burgundy lover's Burgundy. 12.5% abv. How often do you see decent Burgundy at under a tenner, these days? £9.95.

And finally (for now, at least) this real cracker of a wine from my beloved Languedoc.........................

J M & V Alquier Les Bastides d'Alquier 2005 Faugères
Still quite a youthful purple colour, with just a touch of blood/cherry red on the rim. The aromas coming out of the glass are deep, dark and considerably complex, offering a mix of bramble, redcurrant and black cherry fruit, with hints of orange peel, exotic spices, leather, damp earth and eau de vie. 18 months' ageing in oak barrels (30% of which were new) has imparted a subtle oakiness that caresses rather than assaults the senses, making for a totally harmonious and beautifully-scented wine. The palate is awash with the flavours of the south - big, bold red and black fruits, pepper and spice, garrigue herbs, a touch of meatiness and again a hint of damp earthiness. And whilst still quite youthful, the oak and tannins are already nicely integrated and everything is held together by a core of juicy acidity, whilst the finish is long and grippy, with sweet and sour flavours that linger for an age. It is delicious on day one, but spectacularly good on day two. By anyone's standards, this has the hallmark of a very fine wine. And by Faugères standards, it really is the benchmark wine of the appellation. 14.5% abv. £17.95.

News on more (lots more) new wines very soon.................
                 

Some rather nice reds from the last week

Despite the fact that winter is nearly over (OK, so we may have a little more snow on the way, but the nice weather will soon be back!) I'm still in the mood for hearty red wines. And this quartet have served very nicely, thank you.........

Les Vins de Vienne Sotanum MMIII Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes
Although the vineyards fall outside of the designated area for the appellation, this is to all intents and purposes a Cote Rotie - and, given the vintage, a rather good one. The nose is really quite intense, though not in a soupy way, and despite the fact that it has been given the "full treatment" (long extraction, some classy oak, heavy bottle, deep punt) it doesn't overwhelm. Darker aromas of black cherry, bramble and olive tapenade are offset by notes of raspberry, citrus and a hint of violet. A core of rich, almost sweet fruit on the palate might seem a touch too much, were it not for that raspberry and a delicious streak of citrus acidity, which may or may not have been adjusted in the winemaking process - though if it has, it has been very skilfully done. And although the tannins are quite prominent, they are remarkably supple, and I get the feeling that everything will integrate nicely with a few more years in bottle. Which is a feeling that gets stronger after 2 or 3 of days, for although the wine is beginning to oxidise a little, it is actually more impressive and enjoyable than when first opened (for our monthly get-together at Le Mistral in Nottingham). I wouldn't quite say it is elegant - yet - but it may become so eventually, which would be no mean feat for a 2003, and if Parker likes it (I don't actually know) then it would be purely coincidental. Whatever, I like it a lot and will look forward to trying my last bottle in another 5 years or so. I also have a couple of 2001's left, too! I can't remember exactly what I paid for this at auction, but probably around the £15-£17 mark, which is pretty good value.

J M Alquier Reserve Les Bastides 2004 Faugères
I've enjoyed a few older vintages of this wine before (notably 1995 and 1997) but don't recall drinking one this "young". I wasn't sure what to think at first - very savoury, meaty and tobacco-scented, with the fruit lurking in the background - but it opened out rather spectacularly with air, with waves of spiced bramble and raspberry, subtle notes of redcurrant and kirsch, spiced fruitcake and garrigue herbs. And all of those components come together beautifully in the mouth, making for a wine of considerable complexity - full of restrained power, yet possessed of real balance and elegance. And I keep going back to that nose, which continues to develop and change over the space of a couple of hours, with notes of tobacco and forest floor, incense and herbs, not to mention layer upon layer of complex fruit aromas and flavours. It really is a breathtakingly beautiful and complete wine, which can only get better and better...... and better. J M Alquier isn't exactly an "under the radar" grower as far as Languedoc aficionados are concerned, but even the best Languedoc wines are generally under-appreciated and relatively unknown to the wider wine-buying public. Which is why you can still buy world-class wines like this for under £20. And since I bought mine for about £10 per bottle (again, at auction), I think I got myself a pretty decent bargain - and I'm glad I still have another 3 bottles tucked away for the future. Benchmark Faugères - in fact, one of the Languedoc greats.


Quinta do Poco do Lobo 1991 Bairrada (£12.95)

I do love old wines - especially when they are cheap! Of course, there's no point in ageing wine for too long, if it doesn't have the stuffing, but this one is right on the money at 21 years of age. I've blogged about this wine before, so I won't bore you with too much detail..... Suffice to say that it is a tobacco, spice, herb and fruit-scented bundle of loveliness, with a fabulous core tangy red fruits, ground pepper, spicy/grippy tannins and mouth-watering acidity. The first half went beautifully with spaghetti in a sauce comprising lashings of olive oil, sweet white wine, creme fraiche, sweet garlic, chilli, red capsicum and oregano that I threw together last night (along with copious amounts of home-made wholemeal sourdough bread). The remainder should pair equally well with pork chop and chips tonight..........

Les Vignes de l'Arque IGP Duché d'Uzs Rouge 2009 (£9.95)

This one isn't exactly expensive either, but hardly anybody buys it, so I thought I'd open a bottle to see how it is coming along. Well two bottles, actually, as the first one was corked to buggery - these things happen, unfortunately. Thankfully, the second bottle was in perfect condition (one does get paranoid about these things, especially when one is selling the damn stuff!). A 50/50 blend of Syrah and Grenache, with the benefit of a few months' ageing in oak barrels, it simply reeks of super-ripe grapes, black cherries, black olives, garrigue herbs, toasted brioche and a touch of eau de vie, whilst the palate is an absolute riot of deep, dark, sweet and sour red and black fruits, with great concentration and just enough acidity to keep it all nicely together. A mini-Chateauneuf, which is beginning to open out nicely, though I suspect it is a few years short of its peak.

Next up, Vinisud Part 2, with details of a couple of fine Provence growers..........