Amidst the Cabernet-Sauvignon and Riesling WFs and the trade tastings, I have managed over the last couple or so weeks to squeeze in the following other wines worthy of note to drink with food; the only sure way, IMHO, to form an opinion.
Languedoc/Roussillon
I remarked to Germaine that this first one was a typically sweet fruited and generous Grenache dominated cuvée which I would have a hard time distinguishing from a good Côtes du Rhône or Campo de Borja; so it was a suitably humbling experience to read in a reference book that Saint-Chinian Côte d’Arbo 2006 – Mas Champart is in fact Syrah dominated; a succulent and good QPR wine with nice mineral touches (c. €10); 15.5/20++.
Coteaux du Languedoc Montpeyroux “La Jasse” 2004 – La Jasse Castel was robustly constituted and had its dark red fruit marked by a strong liquorice streak right from the entry which I have not met before in a Syrah dominated wine; Germaine liked it better than I did; 14/20.
Rhône
I had so far counted as one of my less satisfactory purchases the 6 bottles of Châteauneuf du Pape Sélection Reflets 1995 Clos du Mont Olivet; 2 bottles opened a few years ago were dull and a third was “given away” to one of my family (a lot of good bottles disappear this way). This bottle was the first to be really expressive with aromas of sweet cherry exalted by a welcome piquancy, good mouth-fill, shape, structure and length, a generous and quite deep body of darkening but still fresh fruit made more complex by notes of garrigue, humus and autumnal forest floor. I don’t give this wine a very long future and will try to drink the last two bottles in the next two years; lovely CndP right now; 16.5/20++.
In its own youthful way, with bursting primary fruit, leather and spice CDRV Cairanne “Réserve des Seigneurs” 2006 – Oratoire Saint-Martin was just as good; 16.5/20+. I wrote a more detailed WTN about it in May which still holds good.
We opened Côtes du Rhône 2007 – Domaine Cros de la Mûre after returning home from a deeply depressing investors’ conference organised by our stockbroker. This wine, made from the usual Grenache dominated cocktail of grapes in the Northern part on the Southern Rhône area, was just what we needed to lift our spirits; succulent sweet fruit, pepper and other spices, touches of garrigue and generously robust body; 15.5/20+.
Loire
Menetou-Salon Morogues Clos des Blanchais 2005 – Domaine Henry Pellé is made from Sauvignon blanc in a neighbouring appellation to the west of Sancerre; this bottle was delicious with fine aromas of white flowers and rhubarb and a palate which combined a quite full body with and crispness heightened by a touch of iodine; 16/20 ++. (I lack the experience to find distinguishing traits here from those of a good Sancerre or, for that matter, Pouilly-Fumé, Quincy or Reuilly, all made in the same region from Sauvignon blanc.)
Chinon 1996 – L’Echansonne Sélection Noël Pinguet- Olga Raffault was a nice youthful seeming, savoury and robust Chinon full of red fruit, especially plums and damsons, abundant acidity offset by good body and an appealing wet leather tang; 16/20.
The first bottle which I opened of Montlouis-sur-Loire “Clef de Sol” 2006 – Domaine La Grange Tiphaine (Damien Delecheneau) with a plain fish dish seemed a little heavy and alcoholic (14%) but this second bottle with a cod, salmon, mushroom, capers and cheese sauce pie seemed much better; generous and full without the razor sharp focus the Vouvrays from Huet and Foreau but showing very attractive fruit with some baked apple and pear, nice minerals and acidity with the alcoholic burn being covered by the richer dish; 16/20.
Italy
Valtellina “Sassella” 1997 – Conti Sertoli Salis, made from Nebbiolo (chiavennasca) 95% together with Pignola, Rossola and Brugnola valtellinesi, was another bin-end picked up for €5; it was a distinguished bottle with a very original flavour profile in a somewhat dark savoury register; colour was a quite light but vigorous garnet, the palate was classically shaped with good length, the body was also quite light at first but seemed to round out somewhat, the flavours were intense and the structure sufficient with aromas that were of sour, even slightly bitter, cherry mingled with minerals, fine herbs and tar; 16/20++.
I found another bottle of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2004 – Masciarelli, the basic cuvée, which is another exemplary QPR wine (c. €9); the right blend of robustly generous dark fruit, tang and structure; I’m not sure that I don’t prefer it to more ambitious and pricy Marina Cvetic and Villa Gemma; 15.5/20++.
I have also written before about Chianti Colli Senesi 2005 – Castello di Farnetella (c. €9), which is an exemplary basic Chianti; this bottle was even more expressive than the previous with aromas of plum and cherry mingled with wet leather and medium/full supple body with softer structure than in a “better” vintage and authentic tang; close to 16/20.
Nebbiolo d’Alba Occheti 2004 – Prunotto had plenty of colour, body, substance and some aromas of red fruit but was rather charmless and lacking in distinctiveness; it could improve but I won’t be buying any more bottles; 14/20.
Spain and Portugal
Rioja Reserva 2001 – Bodegas Navajas is another one from this producer which shows unappealing notes towards the finish of a sort which I normally attribute to toasty new oak (Reserva indicates that there probably was some); the closest descriptor of these notes on this bottle is dry toffee with a hint of quinine; they are more acceptable here than on the unwooded Joven, about which I wrote recently, being much better covered by the greater body, depth and substance including a lot of attractive sweet cherry tinged red fruit; perhaps a few more years of ageing will lead to integration; 14.5/20 now.
We bought Graham’s Tawny Port aged 10 years (in a 20cl bottle costing €4 approx.) for use in cooking and drank the remainder with cheese and dessert; it was deliciously nutty and elegant and I will have to resist repeats in order to keep my waistline and blood-sugar in condition; 15.5/20 ++.