2016 and all that (plus a couple of bargain reds)

What follows was meant to form the basis of a newsletter to my customers, but I thought better of boring them with my thoughts (and occasional ranting), so it now manifests itself as my first blog post since January. 10 months without hearing from me? How have you coped?!

Anyway, a lot has happened in 2016 – and to be honest, not a lot of it good. A succession of national (and international) treasures dropping like flies, suffering the shock of Brexit whilst on holiday in the south of France, the ensuing fallout as a nation became deeply divided over the whole shambles…. and now President Trump(!) This really must be the weirdest (and for me personally) the most frustrating year in my 55 years on this planet. The last newsletter I sent out to my customers was way back in June, shortly after yet another bombshell, as we were forced (through no fault of our own) to move all of our wine stocks out of the bonded warehouse to another storage facility. The 5-figure sum that we had to shell out to pay the excise duty was a big cash-flow hit for a small company like ours, and recouping it was a slower process than we had hoped. Hence the relative paucity of new wines added to the Leon Stolarski Fine Wines portfolio this year.  

The imminent threat of Brexit (I underline it because I believe it is by no means a done deal) is of course a constant worry. Whatever the arguments for and against - and, as you may have gathered, I personally can see little in its favour - the potential impact on wine importers, especially small independents like us, would be at best difficult to overcome and at worst disastrous. The 15% fall in the value of Sterling against the Euro is one thing (although we have been there before), but the possibility of leaving the single market and customs union is potentially a much bigger threat. Personally, I believe that unless and until we actually jump off that cliff, nothing is certain, but I guess only time will tell. Meanwhile, we carry on and hope for a workable outcome.... 

To be honest, there have been times this year that I have seriously considered packing it all in and finding something (actually, lots of things) more useful to do with my life. None more so than a couple of weeks ago, when a customer emailed me to say he was unable to complete his order on the website. In the 12-plus years of its existence, I had never encountered such a problem. Following no less than 3 days (and nights) of frantic efforts to fix the problem, I finally got to the bottom of things and managed to carry out a complete refresh/update that got things working perfectly again. Thanks in no small part to a thread from 10 years ago on a software user forum – isn’t Google wonderful?! 

However, having dodged a bullet with that one, I finally realised that it was time to put 2016 behind me and get on with something I have been threatening to do for a couple of years. And so, we have invested in the latest all-singing-all-dancing e-commerce software and I will be busy over the next couple of months preparing for a brand new site to go live, hopefully very early in 2017. Wish me luck! Furthermore, with 2016 almost out of the way, and with everything back on an even keel, we will be back on the buying trail very early in 2017. So rest assured that Leon Stolarski Fine Wines is still here – and here to stay. 

As for blogging, clearly I need to rediscover my enthusiasm and motivation. I'm not the sort of writer that can bang out an article (or even tasting note or two) in double-quick time - it takes concentration, attention to detail and the desire to provide regular input. Something(s) that I tend to lack, these days. Then again, if I can write tasting notes and other wine-related material on Facebook/Twitter, it will do no harm to copy them across to this blog, for my wider readership (if it still exists) to see. It might also help if I can, as the Leavers say, "get over it" and stop Remoaning! Meanwhile, here's a tasting note I banged out recently. ☺

Les Vignes de l'Arque Duché d'Uzes 2014

Almost a year on from my first taste of this wine, and it is really starting to sing. 50/50 Syrah and Grenache, it is full of bright, vibrant, chunky summer fruits, with a whiff of freshly-baked bread on the nose and just the right combination of ripe red/black fruit, rounded tannins and cherry kernel acidity on the palate, with a sprinkling of garrigue herbs and soft, peppery spice. Languedoc-does-Côtes-du-Rhône, to a very high standard indeed. A snip at £8.95 and the perfect pizza wine.

Mas Sibert Armélot 2014 Vin de France

Sometimes, you open a bottle that just sings from the very first sniff and sip - and this is one of them. A quirky blend of 40% Merlot, 40% Syrah and 20% Petit Verdot, which is very definitely more than the sum of its parts. Winemaker Simon Bertschinger was very selective in opting for very particular clones of Merlot and Petit Verdot, choosing the ones that offer ample acidity. Ripeness is a given, of course, as the grapes are grown on gently undulating slopes around Pézenas, but it is a testimony to the skill of this young (Swiss) winemaker that he can achieve such wonderful balance and vivacity - not to mention a wonderful sense of place - in his wines. And this is simply overflowing with luscious, tangy, sweet-sour raspberry, blackcurrant and red cherry fruit, with hints of garrigue herbs, soft citrus and beautifully ripe tannins. And oh, that acidity. It just grabs you, in the most gloriously mouth-watering, tongue-tingling way! At just £11.50, it is an absolute bargain - a simply wonderful, life-affirming wine!

By the way, if you want to follow me on Facebook and Twitter..........

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TTFN
   

I ain't drinking no F***in' Merlot!

Les Vignes de l'Arque Cuvée des Boissierres 1998 Vin de Pays d'Oc

100% Merlot, aged for 1 year in oak barrels. I bought this whilst on holiday in around 2000, so it had been lying on the rack in my under-stairs cupboard for the last 12 years - and it went down surprisingly well at the Nottingham Wine Circle last night. I say surprisingly, because there are many there who are not particularly fond of Merlot (and these days, I tend to count myself amongst them). But when Merlot is good, it can be very good, and Languedoc certainly makes its fair share. Tasted blind, some people were guessing at Bordeaux, and even some of the more ardent Merlot haters (the famous line from the film "Sideways" - "I ain't drinking no f***in' Merlot" - springs to mind) were rather enamoured by this one. I didn't write a specific tasting note, but recall it had its soft, plummy side (doesn't all Merlot?) but still had some nice grip, a touch of blackcurrant leaf and fruit, some polished old wood and forest floor notes and surprisingly good balance, with plenty of acidity to accompany the rich, ever-so-gently herby/spicy fruit. And tasting the remaining half glass whilst preparing dinner this evening - and despite the fact that it has now begun to oxidise a little - it is still rather lovely, in a Merlot sort of way(!) As with many 1998's from Languedoc, this wine has aged far more gracefully than most of its counterparts from the nearby southern Rhone. As an aside, when I first started selling wine in 2004, I carried a fairly full range from Les Vignes de l'Arque. And I still do - but very few of my customers now buy them, which is a shame, because I believe they provide excellent value for money. I don't currently offer the above cuvée (though on the evidence of this bottle, perhaps that is a mistake!) but if you are on the lookout for some under-the-radar Languedoc bargains, I can highly recommend them.

          

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..........
     

Some lovely wines enjoyed over the last few days

Last week was the first "bottle blind" tasting of the summer season at Nottingham Wine Circle. As usual, there were almost too many good wines for me to comment on in any detail, but two wines turned out to be rather special - and both courtesy of the ever-generous David Selby;

Albert Boxler Gewurztraminer 2000 Alsace Grand Cru Brand

This had some of us (me included) fooled into thinking it was a Pinot Gris - it really was that good(!) The nose screamed toffee, orange pith, violets and rich, earthy minerality. I guess the giveaway should have been the notes of lychee and rosewater, which I often find in Pinot Gris, but are always there in good (or in this case, great) Gewurztraminer. For what it's worth, there were even shades of a rich Riesling, courtesy of some appley notes and a touch of herbiness. In other words, complexity by the bucketload. With a nose like that, one would almost expect the palate to be a bit of a let-down, but it was nothing of the sort. It was rich but not cloying, floral without smothering the fruit, sweet-ish but with the most delicious streak of citrus-like acidity and a long, minerally, tangy finish. And once again, oh-so complex - in fact, one of the finest (if not the finest) Gewurztraminers I have ever tasted.

Charles Joguet Clos de La Dioterie 1997 Chinon

Now here's a real rarity - a Cabernet Franc that had me (not to mention most of the other Cab Franc naysayers in the Wine Circle) completely bowled-over. Almost Pinot Noir-like on the nose - perfumed, ripe, floral, earthy, with notes of raspberries and violets and a touch of cedar - and no stalkiness or green pepper! The brilliant nose was matched all the way by the brilliant, beguiling palate, which was deceptively light and elegant, with oodles of secondary red and black fruit flavours mingled with some really quite fresh notes of raspberry and strawberry, a touch of cream (presumably courtesy of beautifully integrated oak) and gorgeous, mouth-watering acidity. Very long and very lovely. In fact, its sheer elegance, lightness and complexity really would give many a fine Burgundy a run for their money. Fabulous wine.

And here's a couple of nice ones TLD and I enjoyed at home over the weekend..................

Les Vignes de l'Arque Vin de Pays Duché d'Uzès 2002

I remember seeing the articles on the news and in the press about the floods in Languedoc and Rhone in September 2002. Images of trees and furniture (and even a grand piano) floating down the swollen River Gard, following no less than 26 inches of rain in 24 hours, linger long in the memory. Aside from the damage to so many people's property and possessions, it was a disastrous end to what had been a pretty dismal vintage in both of these regions, with rain and cold (or at least not very warm) weather prevailing for most of what passed as summer.

But what of this 2002 red, from a relatively unknown backwater of the Languedoc, around 15 km west of Uzes? Well, as with quite a few wines from this much-maligned vintage that I have consumed (and of course sold) in the past, it really does disprove the theory that all 2002's were thin, green and unripe. It is a 50/50 blend of Syrah and Grenache, aged for just 4 months in oak barrels. The colour is fairly evolved - light and bloody, with a hint of bricking at the edge. But the aromas and flavours are perferctly preserved and really quite fresh, which is a real confidence-booster, considering that this is the oldest wine sealed under a DIAM cork that I've ever drank (I have long been an advocate of DIAM as an alternative to one-piece corks, with only the potential longevity to be proven - until now). On the nose, we have refreshing aromas of raspberry, cherry and bramble, with hints of meat and savoury, polished leather, forest floor and eau de vie, whilst the palate delivers equally refreshing fruit and secondary flavours, with tannins which are reasonably grippy, perhaps even a touch stalky, yet essentially light - and certainly not unripe. But there is plenty of fruit left in a wine from a vintage which - perhaps by common consent amongst Languedoc and Rhone lovers - probably should have been drunk years ago. It isn't a great wine - few, if any 2002's ever were, or ever would be - but it is a thoroughly enjoyable one. I'm not entirely sure why I kept it this long, but the wait has done it no harm. I do actually still have a handful of 2002's from other growers tucked away here and there, and on this showing, I see no reason to drink them quickly. Who knows........ some may even turn out to be as good as this one.

Incidentally, if you fancy trying a bottle of the Duché d'Uzès Rouge 2009 (a totally different animal, and from a superb vintage), it will cost you the princely sum of £9.95. And the other wines from Les Vignes de l'Arque ain't half bad either.
   
Alain Graillot La Guiraude 1995 Crozes-Hermitage

This is the second or third of a handful of bottles I picked up at auction a couple of years back for a real song (around a tenner a bottle, if memory serves) and it is really is in fine fettle. 100% Syrah (I assume) with classic aged Crozes aromas of bramble, violet and lily of the valley. Actually, there are none of the smoky bacon/fat aromas one normally expects, with the savoury elements being more in the way of Provencal herbs, Asian spices and damp earth. But it really is a squeaky-clean example of its kind, and a beautifully balanced one at that, with deliciously ripe, but acidity-laden fruit - brambly, but with a lovely citrus edge and no impression of sweetness or extraction. There's still some tannin there, which adds a tangy, tea-like quality, but of the fragrant, flavoursome kind, rather than the bottom-of-the-pot kind, leading to a dry but mouth-watering finish. It really is a cracking wine, from a very fine Northern Rhone grower at the height of his powers. Yum!
    

A delicious trio of wines

Even apart from the lavish birthday celebrations last week, I've had the good fortune to enjoy lots of really good wines over the last few weeks - always in moderation, of course! But it's a bit of a job keeping all my notes together, so it may take a while to put them together into something more cohesive, before writing about some of the stand-out wines. Meanwhile, here are my notes on a rather delicious trio from this week.

Kurt Hain Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese No.12 2006 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer

Already a hint of petrol on the nose, making me think it may be quite advanced. But the palate is bright, fresh and simply crammed full of youthful fruit, with an astonishing intensity of flavour, combining stone fruits, sweet apples and soft citrus. The level of ripeness and residual sugar is pretty much up to Auslese level, but any suggestion of sweetness is more than offset by stunning acidity and a wonderful backbone of slatey minerality, all of which makes for a wine of incredible focus and balance. It makes your tabs laugh alright, but puts a real smile on the face at the same time, and the length on the finish is very impressive. It is a beautiful, world-class Riesling. In about 2 weeks' time, I will be taking delivery of a host of wines from Weingut Kurt Hain. I was hoping to be able to include some of this very wine, but by the time I placed my order, it had unfortunately sold out. The good news is that I will have the 2009 vintage, which is already every bit as good, and perhaps with an even better future ahead of it. Look out for it on my list, very soon - at £14.50 a bottle, it's a lot of a wine for the money.

Les Vins de Vienne Sotanum M.M.I Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes

Vins de Vienne is a collaboration between three of the Northern Rhone's top growers - Yves Cuilleron, Pierre Gaillard and Francois Villard and this wine, made from Syrah (and perhaps a little Viognier) grown on the slopes around the commune of Seyssuel, just north of Vienne. Therefore, it cannot qualify as Cote-Rotie (which lies a few miles to the south, and on the other bank of the Rhone) but my goodness, it smells and tastes an awful lot like Cote-Rotie - and a very good one, at that. It is quite a deep, rich purple/red colour, but just beginning to show a little maturity at the rim. It smells lovely - crunchy black and red fruits, violets and lilies, damp earth, just a hint of smoky bacon and some well-integrated, top-quality oak. The palate shows plenty of depth and even some richness, but is supremely balanced and elegant, with softening tannins and really juicy acidity. There's plenty of black fruit in there, but also a layer of sweet and sour cranberry, which gives a refreshing lift. Finishing the dregs of this wine tonight (i.e. day 2) it has lost a little of its initial vitality, but gained even more complexity. Indeed, this is one of those Northern Rhones that - for me, at least - displays an almost Burgundy-like flavour profile and elegance. If you have some, I'd say you can start drinking it now, or age it for at least another 5 years. A real stunner, which cost me about £16 at auction, although current vintages aren't cheap, retailing at up to £35.

Les Vignes de l'Arque Vin de Pays Duché d'Uzès Rouge 2009

I wrote a note on this wine late last year, from a tasting sample sent to me by Les Vignes de l'Arque, whose wines used to feature heavily on the Leon Stolarski Fine Wines list. And thanks to that sample (plus a whole host of other good wines) they are now very firmly back on my list. They arrived in stock last week, so it was never going to be too long before I opened another bottle of the Duché d'Uzès red, and (as if I didn't know it already) it is a cracker. It has amazinly intense aromas and flavours of bramble, plum skin and blackcurrant, with further notes of orange peel, soft spices, tobacco, oak vanillin and meat/leather. A riper, more sun-drenched red wine would be hard to imagine, with those red and black fruits complemented by chocolatey tannins and really good acidity acidity. At 14.8% abv, it is no shrinking violet, but it remains beautifully balanced, without even a hint of heat - just fruit, fruit and more fruit. Oh, and a bit of fruitcake thrown in for good measure. For the money (£9.95) this is a brilliant wine, and without a shadow of a doubt provides the best quality/price ratio on my list. You'd be mad not to try it!

   

A couple of lovely young Viognier wines - one dry, one sweet

Continuing my recent theme of white wines, here's a couple of lovely 100% Viognier wines we've enjoyed over the past few days, one dry, one sweet - and both lovely!

Domaine Gayda Viognier 2009 IGP Pays d'Oc

100% Viognier, aged on its lees for 6 months before bottling. As with the Chemin de Moscou red I reviewed recently, this wine is a blend of grapes sourced from two distinct Languedoc and Roussillon terroirs - in this case, from limestone soil in Haut Minervois and schitous slopes in the Fenouilledes, so yet another example of new-world thinking, combined with old-world terroir. The colour is a bright, limpid straw/gold, with just a hint of green. On opening, there is a faint whiff of banana, which very quickly dissipates - perhaps just a touch of reduction, as is often the case with screwcapped wines. Once that is out of the way, we are left with a rather attractive combination of peaches and apricot, orange blossom and other floral notes.

At this juncture, I am distracted - nay, overcome - by a strong and rather off-putting odour of cheap Lynx deodorant, wafting down into my dining room from upstairs, accompanied by the incessent din of American Indie/Punk/Thrash/Screaming blaring out of Alex's hi-fi system. Hardly conducive to peaceful contemplation and vinous navel-gazing. Shame I can't close the door, but there are (as usual) too many wine boxes in the way! Never mind - with a bit of luck, he'll be off out with his mates, any minute now.....

Anyway, back to the wine. It's a really smooth, rather attractive expression of Viognier, with soft apricot and peach flavours countered by just the right amount of zesty citrus fruit and even a hint of stony minerality. The 6 months this wine has spent sitting on its fine, yeasty lees seems to have polished away any rough edges and tempered the tendency to pithinesss that can occasionally afflict wines made from this variety. There's a faint whiff of garrigue herbs on the nose, which also manifests on the palate, but just enough to add a little complexity and interest to a wine that definitely majors on fruit. In fact, this is another wine from Domaine Gayda which calls on new world practices and techniques, whilst very definitely speaking loud and proud of it's Languedoc (and Roussillon) origins. A really nice wine, which just happens to provide an excellent match for this evening's Thai chicken curry, and excellent value at £8.99 from Cambridge Wines.

Les Vignes de l'Arque Saveur d'Automne 2009 IGP Pays d'Oc Doux

This is the last of my sample bottles from a grower whose wines used to feature very prominently on the Leon Stolarski Fine Wines list - and will do so again, very soon. Also made from 100% Viognier, grown in a vinous backwater of the Gard, west of the ancient town of Uzes, and aged in oak for around 9 months. Clear, pale straw colour, with orange glints. A delightfully intense nose, with complex aromas including apricot, orange, fresh grapes, honey and root ginger, with the perfume heightened even more by a strong floral/rose element, akin to turkish delight. The barrel ageing has imbued the wine with a subtle note of oak vanillin. The flavours are moelleux, rather than full-on sweet, with the inherent richness countered by really good acidity and a touch of grape tannin. There is a core of rich, ripe, densely concentrated fruit and a touch of spicy, alcoholic warmth, whilst the finish offers a final flourish of tropical fruit and candied citrus. The oak is beautifully judged and integrates seamlessly with the fruit, making for a wine of considerable complexity. In fact, a little goes a long way, but fortunately this wine is perfectly capable of sitting in the fridge for a good many days after opening, during which it just gets better and better. Another lovely Languedoc sticky.
       

December so far - snow, more snow, new wines, plus some lovely sample bottles

As usual, I can't believe it is over a week since I posted a blog entry. Time flies when you have a million-and-one things to do, but there's no let-up, when there are umpteen new wines to deal with - and just as many sample bottles to get through!

December is always hectic, but the unusually early (and unusually long) bout of wintry weather we have endured over the past couple of weeks have made things that bit more difficult. Although the bulk of my wines are stored in bond, I have to keep sufficient stocks of all of them at my store in Nottingham, to enable me to quickly fulfil orders as they come in. Which means regular 80-mile round trips up the M1 to Rotherham - hardly ideal, but Rotherham just happens to be the nearest and most convenient bonded warehouse to me. And two separate deliveries of new wines (from no less than five growers) in the past couple of weeks has meant two trips in less than ideal conditions. On the first occasion, I left dry, sunny Nottingham and arrived at Rotherham to find 6 inches of lying snow. By the time I got back home, a good 4 inches had been dumped on us, and traffic was beginning to grind to a halt. By the second time, a week later, Rotherham was almost literally knee-deep in snow, although the motorway was fairly clear - until I found the M18 blocked for my return trip, which meant going the long way, down the A1 to Worksop, then cross-country via the A614. Which would have been a real pain, were it not for some rather alluring winter landscapes along the way...........

Still, I managed once again to get home in one piece, although by that time, the view from the dining room window was this......

Even so, we actually managed to get to our monthly wine evening in Nottingham, the same evening, courtesy of the NET (tram), which clearly needs more than almost a foot of snow to put it out of action!

So what of the wines? Well, I've already posted notes on a few of them, and all the new stuff is now up on my website. And if you are on my mailing list, you'll hear all about them tomorrow or Tuesday. But I've also been enjoying (and in the odd case, not enjoying) a good few sample bottles over the last couple of weeks, so here are my notes on some good ones, from two growers whose wines once featured heavily on my list - and will almost certainly do so again, in the near future.

Les Vignes de l'Arque Vin de Pays Duché d'Uzes Blanc 2009

A blend of Viognier, Grenache Blanc and Roussanne. Lemon and flowers on the nose, with notes of oregano, fennel, nettles and cut grass. The palate is medium-to-full bodied, with fresh, zesty lemon, orange, stone fruit and spiced apple flavours, countered by those herby nuances, with a liquorice and orange peel richness to the finish. With air, everything melds together into a rather lovely, refreshing, yet mouth-filling wine. It isn't hugely complex, but it is far from a simple quaffer. In fact, it bears comparison with a good many lofty white Rhones I've had. Nice wine. Projected selling price - £8.75.

Les Vignes de l'Arque Merlot 2009 Vin de Pays d'Oc

A clear, bright, ruby red colour, with a nose of blackcurrant, plum and tobacco, with hints of coal tar and orange peel. The palate is mellow and full of fruit - black cherry and cassis - with good acidity and a nice tannic structure - not too soft, but not too hard. I'm not the biggest fan of Merlot, but this is a really well-made wine, which gives me far more pleasure than either cheap Claret or soupy new-world Merlot. Projected selling price - £7.95.

Domaine Sainte-Rose Le Mistral Merlot 2008 Vin de Pays des Cotes de Thongue

This has a nose of plum and cherry, mixed spice, garrigue herbs and cigar box, the result of some well-judged oak - and if (as the ex-cellars price suggests) it has been "chipped", it is very well done. The palate has a medium concentration of plum and cherry fruit, with good balance between tannin and orangey acidity. The fruit seems quite young (perhaps from young vines?) and fairly light-bodied, but is actually quite elegant and refreshing, and almost "Italian", in its sweet/sour/savoury style. Another rather enjoyable Merlot. Having said that, I probably only really want one southern French Merlot for my list, and the Vignes de l'Arque version will probably win the day, on the basis of a truly excellent quality/price ratio.

Domaine Sainte Rose Le Pinacle Syrah 2009 IGP Cotes de Thongue

The label says 95% Syrah, 5% Viognier, co-fermented then aged for 12 months in French oak barrels (although I'd swear there is a whiff of American oak). The colour is opaque purple, with the tiniest ruby rim, whilst the nose is intense and expressive, with quite a marked oak influence. But it is the sort of oak that is beautifully fragrant, without masking the delightful aromas of bramble, blueberry and orange fruit. There's a hint of florality to it as well - not your typical northern Rhone lilies, but perhaps violets and spring flowers. There's also an intriguing note of butterscotch (no doubt from the oak) and a touch of meatiness. The palate is less dense and oaky than one might expect (and with a respectable - and believeable - 13.5% abv). I suspect the grapes might have been picked relatively early, in order to preserve the freshness and ph in the finished wine. And it seems to have worked a treat. There's plenty of black fruit, with bramble, a touch of blackcurrant, a hint of orange, gentle coffe/mocha oak, a smidgen of dark chocolate and a dusting of herby/savouriness. Superficially, it is quite a glossy wine, but delve beneath that slightly modern veneer and it feels very together, very integrated and really rather complex. It isn't Cote Rotie, but it does a very good impression of some of the better northern Rhone Vins de Pays and "lesser" appellation wines. Indeed, it is probably rather unfair to pronounce on this wine at such a young age, and I feel it could evolve into something quite special, with a few more years in bottle. At a projected price of around £18, though, it wouldn't be cheap. I also feel that the minimalist (and rather dark) label doesn't really do justice to what is in the bottle - I really believe that such a lovely wine calls for a much more demonstrative (i.e. traditional) label!

The wines of Les Vignes de l'Arque were amongst the very first wines I ever imported and the first vintage of the Vin de Pays Duché d'Uzes Rouge that I sold was the amazing 2001. In fact, over subsequent vintages, it was a consistently brilliant performer, and one which I was confident enough to buy without actually tasting. Until the 2006 vintage, that is, when the style changed completely. Apparently, they started using young vine fruit for this, their flagship red cuvée, and I was left with a good few cases of rather thin, weedy wine on my hands, which I ended up selling-off very cheaply. That, along with a failure to send me some promised samples, whilst on holiday in a different part of France a couple of years ago, meant that Les Vignes de l'Arque eventually disappeared from my list altogether. So it was with some trepidation that I contacted winemakers Arnaud and Patrick Fabre recently, to say hello and ask how their wines were fairing. Arnaud emailed me back very quickly and seemed genuinely pleased to hear from me - and also seemed only too pleased to send me some samples. These duly arrived (no less than 8 different cuvées) a couple of weeks ago, and the first couple of bottles (see above) were as good as ever. But the one that I wanted to taste most of all was this one - had they seen the error of their ways and reverted to the old tried and tested formula........?

Les Vignes de l'Arque Vin de Pays Duché d'Uzes Rouge 2009

Well, all I can say is a resounding yes! The nose is fabulous - a riot of bramble and plum skin and a hint of blackcurrant, with further notes of orange peel, soft spices, tobacco, oak vanillin and meat/leather. It manages to be both fruit-filled, primary and complex at the same time. The palate is simply crammed full of ripe, sun-drenched black and red fruits, with rich, chocolatey tannins and ample acidity. And the 14.8% abv doesn't make it in the slightest bit hot - just rich, ripe, orange-tinged fruit, spice, a touch of savoury and immense concentration. It may need a year or two more in bottle to really get into its stride, but it is gloriously drinkable already (and gets better and better after a day or two in the decanter). This is a brilliant wine, and easily as good as any previous vintage I have tasted - and I'm thrilled to bits to have reacquainted myself with it! And at a projected retail price of around £10, it will be one of the best bargains on my list - once I can get some shipped over in the New Year.