Chateauneuf du Paped

Chateauneuf du Paped

You know when you've been Chateauneuf du Paped! This weekend I spent a fabulous time in the capital of the Southern Rhone, Avignon. A beautiful town, once home to the pope and just bursting with French flair, above average cuisine and saturated with CNdP, Gigondas, Hermitage, Tavel, Beaumes-de-Venise, Vacqueyras and all the other fabulous wines of this region.

I visited the region exclusively to tour the appellation of Chateaneuf du Pape and took a tour with Francois from Avignon Wine Tour. Going behind the scenes at the Domaine de Beaurenard vineyards and tasting a variety of wines here and at the excellent Brotte museum, Roger Sabon winery and also with Domaine de Nalys, some of the most well established producers of Chateauneuf du Pape and Cotes du Rhone wines.

The Chateauneuf du Pape area is best known for its red wines and this year got an extra bit of critical acclaim when one of its top producers, Clos du Papes, was awarded with the Wine Spectator "wine of the year" award. However, there are some very enjoyable white CndP wines though they make up only 5% of the output of the appellation. Speaking of "appellations", another enjoyable fact about the CndP area is that it is from here, CndP, that the AOC was created with local producer (and qualified lawyer) Baron Pierre Le Roy putting together the rules and regulations for Cotes du Rhone wines that would eventually be adopted for all the wine growing regions of France. This structure was later copied by countries the world over preventing an American company from calling their sparkling wine "champagne" for example.

Although I had the privilege of trying the latest releases in both CndP and Cotes du Rhone wines from many fine producers the highlight of the tour was certainly the Brotte museum. An extremely informative and well thought out history of the region as well as an explanation of wine production. The tour ends with a tasting of wines from all over the Southern Rhone with the sommelier asking if there are any specific wines you want to try and then fishing them out for you. I'd like to think this is because I am very special and/or attractive but I think everyone gets the same treatment.

At the Brotte museum you can try Gigondas, Tavel and Muscat de Beaumes de Venise which of course are not wines produced within CndP. So if you do tour CndP, which you definitely should, here is the best place to get a more rounded view of the Southern Rhone.

Avignon itself is a very attractive town, very expensive on the main avenue but with zero litter and filled with wine and souvenir shops. Never in my life have I been approached more often for money and cigarettes though. Avignon has a serious hobo problem that the town council really should be striving to clean up. Avignon is a tourist town and the sheer amount of drunks and people sleeping rough on the street casts a shadow over one of the gems in the French tourist crown.

My advise if to stay outside of the walls and try not to walk around alone after dark! Try to stay off the Rue de la Republique for your restaurants. Not only are these hiked up tourist prices but they're not the cleanest either with a cockroach joining myself and my dining partner on Saturday night.

Avignon, beautiful but grubby.

Château La Variere Anjou Villages Brissac Caberner Franc

Château La Variere Anjou Villages Brissac Cabernet Franc 2005

After all the Sainsburys bashing recently I decided I'd better switch supermarkets and found this, the Château La Variere Anjou Villages Brissac Cabernet Franc 2005 at my local Waitrose. Having had mixed experience of Cabernet Franc from North East Italy I thought it was time to get some French Franc but, always loving to go with the kooky, this is left field Loire.

It worked out well. A wine suitable to bring to parties (as I did for my flatmates partner this Friday) and a wine I can see going great with some Ardennes pate and harder cheeses the wine is total value at £8 and not your stinking vegetal Cab Franc but your smooth, subtle raspberry number that will get your house mates taking down the name on the label. Brava Waitrose.

This was the best value from a mixed bag on the night that included a promising showing from the Chiarlo Barolo Tortoniano '03 and a corked Stroblhof Blauburgunder Riserva.

At £8 the Château La Variere Anjou Villages Brissac has got me looking at other wines from the Anjou area. As high quality red is not something the area is known for real bargains can be found. If you have had some exposure to the wines of Anjou then you'll certainly know the area is awesome in their Chenin Blanc based sweet whites (Coteaux du Layon) but to have a red wine of this standard from the area is a little special so I highly recommend you keep your eyes peeled for this. It may not be £8 for much longer (especially after my review! Haw Haw)

Château La Variere Anjou Villages Brissac Cabernet Franc 2005 - BUY - £8

High intensity ruby red the wine opens up quickly giving off a generous nose of ripe berries and vanilla. On the palate an amazing initial attack, the wine is smooth and well balanced, some serious tannins but a good acidity keeping everything in check, 14.5% alcohol shows a little hot on the end. Enjoyable finish with fruit all the way through the tasting experience. Thoroughly enjoyable as a stand alone wine. 90 Points

Michele Chiarlo Barolo Tortoniano 2003 - BUY - £25

Ruby red with orange hues. A typical Barolo nose with obvious flowers, tar and truffles as well as a sweet strawberry note and touches of cinnamon. On the palate the wine is drinking well today though still quite tannic, good flavourful wine with a long finish though still a few years from a decent level of maturity. 91 Points

Expecting the Tortoniano to take off in a couple of years but for a lower end Barolo this is good value. For drinking today, buy 3 bottles of the Château La Variere Anjou Villages Brissac Cabernet Franc.

Where can I buy this Wine?

Just Waitrose - £8

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I went to see Sarah Silverman at the Hammersmith Apollo last night and she bombed in a similar fashion to the Stroblhof Blauburgunder Riserva. Question is: Which wine makes you want to curl up in a ball, start rocking back and forth, and hope the ground swallows Sarah Silverman up?

Or anything else wine related :D

Chinese Red Wine

Chinese Red Wine

Chinese red wine. That is, red wine from China. No, really. On Tuesday night whilst perusing the aisles of Morrisons supermarket I found one bottle of very dusty and rather trendy labelled Chinese Red Wine. It appears, from the inch thick layer of dust covering these bottles, that Chinese wines are not all the rage in deepest darkest Sutton but, as a Brit who will routinely cheer for the under dog, I took pity on it and took it home to accompany my low fat dinner. Chinese red wine and low fat dinners - Livin la Vida Loca!

Now, whilst trying to find out a little bit about the producer, the area the wine was produced etc etc, I found that no one else in the world, excluding myself has ever tried this wine. FACT. I can't find it to buy anywhere, I can't find another geeks notes, not on cellar tracker, not on the interweb, this wine is my own personal Narnia. In fact I'm really not sure it's called Silkroad anymore so I'm going to have to re buy and then edit this post! Apart from the review there is little more to say about Silkroad Cabernet Sauvignon. No photos or nuffink!

So instead I will tell you what we all know, in every situation in life and that is, that the Chinese are coming. China is one of the fastest growing markets for wine, with white wine a symbol of femininity and class for women and red wine a symbol of power and wealth for men. Whilst the fashion is for European and American top name wines the Chinese themselves are starting to produce better wines, and with their economy can produce wine extremely cheaply with both land and labour insanely cheap. That factor didn't pass itself onto "Silkroad", the wine was £5.99, and for such an unknown quantity this is quite a price.

China doesn't naturally lend itself to grape growing so the fact this wine tasted under ripe and at times, plain bizarre isn't a surprise. Knock £2 off this wine though and we're starting to get into a decent, quaffable price range.

Silk Road Carbernet Sauvignon 2005 - PASS - £5.99
Sitting dark purple in the glass the wine is aromatically forward with a chocolate/cherry nose but also a touch of fake sweetness. On the palate the wine is less interesting and a touch over acidic and under ripe. Pleasant to drink but not with the tell tale signs of classic Cabernet, disappeared fast on the finish. Despite all these drawbacks the wine was more than drinkable though I wouldn't buy it again for £6. 83 Points

Where can I buy this wine?
Morrisons. Supermarkets worldwide are embracing Chinese wines, probably because there is a massive mark up on it!

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Where is the most "left field" country from which you've sampled a bottle of wine?

Braida Barbera d'Asti Bricco dell'Uccellone

Braida Barbera d'Asti Bricco dell'Uccellone 2003

Braida Barbera d'Asti Bricco dell'Uccellone was another of those Italian wines that I'm really meant to be holding onto but had to break out in order to wash down the muck I've been tasting this week. I'm beginning to think there can only be two possible factors at work,

a) Italian wines are just the best value in the world FACT or
b) My taste buds are so attuned to Italian wines that no others are getting a fair crack of the whip

Over the past 4 days I've had a terrible run. A 2005 Morgon Beaujolais, an 2004 Pouilly Fumé, a 2006 New Zealand Pinot Noir and the Salisbury's SO Organic (Cecchi) Chianti all, in varying quantities, made it down my kitchen sink. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not that hard to please but all these wines didn't just pale in comparison to the Braida, they out and out stunk.

And then there was Braida. I'd forgotten how much I love Braida, the producer, the bottles, the taste of top quality Barbera. Along with Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Barbera is providing the best quality QPR in all of Italy and the advantage of Braida's top end Barbera (this one), is the ageing potential. Sadly, every bottle of Bricco dell'Uccellone I've ever had (there's a 2001 note on here too somewhere) never reaches it's Christmas destiny. It's just too damned GOWJUS.

I'll tell you what's not GOWJUS, Wither Hills Pinot Noir 2006. £15 and smells like cabbage.

Wither Hills Pinot Noir 2006 - PASS - £15
Brooding dark purple in the glass to the rim. Total vegetable nose, cabbage water, mud, some minerality, no fruit. On the palate the wine picks up, well balanced, good integrated tannins, a little spice and smoke but still there with the veggies. Good finish, a well made wine, just not to my tastes. If you like your vegetable style wines, you may like it, never a Pinot, would have called it Cabernet Franc all the way down the line. 85 Points

Sainsburys SO Organic (Cecchi) Chianti 2006 - PASS - £8
Pretty ruby red with good intensity. Pretty nose, dark cherry and vanilla, little raspberry too but aromatically closed. Hugely tannic on the palate, thick mouth feel, flavour profile is overwhelming currants, tastes under ripe. 83 Points

Braida Barbera d'Asti Bricco dell'Uccellone 2003 - BUY - £21
Deep purple in the glass. Aromatically opens up after an hour to develop a characterful strawberry nose accompanied by some coffee beans. A standout palate with luscious mouth-feel, good balance of acidity and tannins and a continuation of fruit to the finish which lasts a good 30 seconds. Nice job. 90 Points

Where can I buy this Wine?
Europeans - Enoteca Ronchi - €30
Americans - Wine Exhange - $45
Brits - Telegraph Wines - £21

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I'm trying to think of a great name for a dog. I have been told that "Beaujolais" (even though Beau for short is cute I reckon) is ridiculous. Name ideas for my dog please.

Dr Loosen Graacher Himmelreich

Dr Loosen Graacher Himmelreich

Dr Loosen Graacher Himmelreich comes in a variety of sweetness styles (Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese) and for around £10 is one of the more reliable Rieslings around that price point. Dr Loosen's range of Rieslings is phenomenal and for those of you, like myself, getting into Riesling this producer is a good place to start to get well acquainted with the grape. They also produce an award winning Eiswein for those of you who like it super sweet.

As one of the major Mosel producers you shouldn't have any problem at all sourcing this wine, readily available in many wine shops as well as supermarkets and down my local Sainsburys too.

Last night I went Mexican, and despite forgetting both the Salsa and the Guacamole managed to produce some very edible Fajitas! Spicy Mexican food and wine is always a tough combo but the Kabinett Riesling was not a bad match at all though probably more suited to shellfish and blue cheeses.

Actually, I went a bit crazy yesterday picking up a New Zealand Pinot Noir but more interestingly, Sainsburys BOB SO Organic Chianti (actually a Cecchi production) and will be interested to see what Cecchi are doing for Sainsburys for the £7 price tag. These notes will follow next week as will an interesting announcement about Wine90. Oooooooohhhhhh. *drumroll* Yes, there is a reason I've been a bit quiet lately, all will be revealed, be patient!

Dr Loosen Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett 2007 - BUY - £10

Sitting straw yellow in the glass the wine gives off generous amount of honeysuckle, pears and minerals. On the palate the wines initial attack is obvious fruit, continuation of pears (in syrup), creamy and fresh. Striking balance but shocking sweetness that had me check the label on two separate occasions. Easy drinking, simple finish, but lively and very enjoyable. 89 Points.

Where can I buy this wine?

Europeans - Vivavin - €8

Americans - Dee Vine - $21

Brits - Sainsburys - £10

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Fajitas and............... ? Is this a time where a cold beer is required?

Bovio Barolo

Bovio Barolo

Bovio Barolo was my party saving wine this weekend as the mega brands, Concha Y Toro and Penfolds faded into the bland background of wine obscurity against the mighty (if unheard of) Bovio. Cracking open the reserves clearly I am missing the mighty Italian wines. As much fun as trying the international varieties is sometimes you just have to come home to old steady and drink what you know you'll enjoy. That being said, on Sunday night myself and two friends shared a fantastic Chilean Carmenere (Adobe) at the Willie Gunn restaurant in London's, Earlsfield. We paid £19 but obviously these are restaurant prices and hiked up x3. You can find, what I'd consider a 89 point wine, for around £5-6 in many of the high street stores.

Back to the Bovio, this was sadly my final of a 12 case I purchased back in Christmas. The Bovio Barolo is a really good value wine, most quality Barolos start at the £30 mark, this wine comes in underneath that and the 2003 vintage can happily be awarded 91 points to my palate. The wine is fruit forward but extremely tannic, really shouldn't be drinking today but there are foods, like my partners "Lemony chicken" that the huge tannic base seemed to compliment quite strangely ... and against the textbook. When I say Lemony, I'm talking obscene Lemony. 5 Lemons on one chicken, Is that even legal?

Penfolds Rawsons Retreat 2007 - PASS - £6
Shiraz/Cabernet blend sits purple in the glass. Uninspiring nose, candied fruit, sugary but not too bad, some good fruit too. Fruit on the palate, a hollow and unsatisfying finish. Serviceable but not great. 84 Points

Sainsburys Taste The Difference Gewurztraminer 2006 - BUY - £7
Dark golden yellow. Explosive spicy nose, petrol and melon. Great mouth feel, good balance, fruit continuing to the finish, seems off-dry but is not. Exceptional value from Sainsbury's. Highly recommend. 90 Points

Bovio Rocchettevino Barolo 2003 - BUY - £24
Dark ruby red to the rim. Exceptionally forward nose, wine not decanted, mineral, vanilla and dark fruits show quickly in a beautiful mixed general aroma. The palate is hugely tannic but bright acidity and lively fruit contribute to the best Bovio Barolo I've tasted. If I had 3 thumbs, they'd all be up. 91 Points.

As you can probably guess where to purchase the Sainsburys wine (which is a BOB in the UK, non UK residents seek out "Cave de Turckheim" - same wine, different label, then It's the Barolo displayed below.

Where can I buy this wine?
Only a handful of stockists sell the Bovio label - Barolobrunello.com, Handford Fine Wines, and Decorum Vintners. All European.

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Surely you folks must have tried a Penfolds? Which supermarket is your favourite for buying wine (the Waitrose/Sainsburys debate continues) and for you in the USA too, which superstore is selling the best wines? As always, any other comments or feedback are appreciated. Ciao for now!

Terza Volta Malbec

Terza Volta Malbec

Terza Volta Malbec - Everyone who's anyone is drinking Malbec these days. Taking over the groovy grape mantle from Aussie Syrah I was interested to see what the hullabaloo was about. You can never judge a grape from one bottle and that's a jolly good job because this wine is dullsville.

In yet another case of my head being turned by a funky name and a pretty bottle I reached out for this Malbec (along with a Tokaji and Gevrey Chambertin) on Wednesday night at a very interesting local shop Wines of the World. In this wine store there are no Penfolds or Gallo wines, nor even the top producers I would recognise from Italy but an interesting selection of lesser known producers yet still covering all the main regions and grape varieties. If you make it over to Earlsfield, hook a left out of the station, walk 100 meters and there you have it.

So where does Malbec come from? Well Malbec is actually a Bordeaux grape that has a lot of business in Cahors, it's a grape that has been embraced by the Argentinian growers and does especially well in the most famous region of Argentinian wine, Mendoza. The Mendoza Malbec wines are apparently less tannic than the Malbecs of Cahors which, given this wine, must be like swilling your mouth with mud (or Greek coffee).

So, if it's not this Malbec that's setting the wine set on fire which Malbec is it? Achaval Ferrer? Vina Cobos? Impossible to find in the UK thus far and incredibly pricey. Who is producing quality Malbec in the £20 region? Comments purlease below! :D

So onto the review

Terza Volta Malbec 2006 - PASS - £9

Intense deep purple in the glass to the rim. A very interesting sour and spicey nose with detectable sour cherry. On the palate the initial attack is strong and under ripe, detectable tannins with some fruit on the mid palate turning watery and uninteresting on the finish. 86 Points

£9 and 86 points. Yep that's a pass. We're in pounds now, did you notice?

Where can I buy this wine?

Why would you?

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Malbec recommendations? Was 2006 a good Argentinian vintage? Are you part of the Malbec Mob?

Home

Home

Welcome to the same look, same style, old and unimproved version of the wine90 blog, London edition. I'm back, I'm home and I'm absolutely cream crackered (dats Cockney for Knackered innit). That being said it's good to be in Blighty. The sun is shining, the chicken shops are a plenty and the range of wine and wine shops in my little corner of SW London is plain OFF THE HOOK. I'm talking big major wine shop FACING specialist vintage wine shop just past the station and if walking in that direction bores me, I can about turn and hot foot it down to Sainsburys. What a world we live in eh?

For those in the know, (well actually a recap for those not in the know) I have spent the last few days travelling from Venice, via Milan, Mont Blanc, Geneva, Gex, Reims to make my way back home to London after 3 years in Italy. During that time this blog was 98.4% dedicated to Italian wines. From today it'll be more like 33.3%, as I continue to bring wines from all over the world into my tasting history.

The original idea was to get a few shots while on the road. Sadly, all I managed to get were shots of the road.

While in Gex I found myself amongst the pressing throng of the Gex Bleu cheese festival. All roads into Gex, bar one, were shut down for the benefit of the 2 table exhibition of one of, as it turned out, my least favourite blue cheeses EVA. If you do ever find yourself in Gex, you're probably lost.

So through the twisty terrain of the alpine foothills in Jura I began thinking about the next wines to appear on the blog, and after careful consideration opted for wines I already owned that were pretty similarly priced. Photo above... Not Gex neither.

So here they are. The truly honoured first wines of the same old Wine90 London Edition. Chateau Gloria 1995, Pio Cesare Barbaresco 2003, Chateau Doisy-Vedrines 2003 and from the new world (fan fare, toot toot toooooooot) Ridge California Lytton Springs 2005 a mostly Zinfandel wine with some Petit Sirah and Carignane playing wing men.

For those with concerns for my personal health, this was something of a party and not just a regular Sunday's drinking sesh.

Chateau Gloria 1995 - PASS - £25

Still very dark purple. On the nose notes of cherry, but heavy on the earth. Smooth texture with both lower tannins and acidity levels than expected, not giving off a lot of fruit, it felt closed down. Finish was average. Clear quality but the lack of fruit on the nose and the palate is telling. 86 Points

Pio Cesare Barbaresco 2003 - BUY - £30

Light ruby and transparent in the glass, the nose was an all Piedmont affair with a real Barolo nose plus a smattering of floral notes. On the palate the wine is still quite tannic but balances ok with the acidity. Superb mid palate of violets and sweet spices. Long pleasing finish that was a tad too hot but didn't take away from my enjoyment of the wine. 91 Points

Chateau Doisy-Vedrines Sauternes 2003 - BUY - £20

Golden yellow in the glass with a sweet (and I mean SWEET) nose of honey, creme brulee and custard. A mid bodied wine with good acidity and extreme sweetness, nice length to the finish. Good bargain Sauternes. Turned to sickly quickly but that is a 75cl you see above. 90 Points

Ridge California Lytton Springs 2005 - BUY - £20

Sitting deep purple and hue-less the Ridge California Lytton Spring would fool no one in a blind contest, maybe we have some Petite Sirah and Carignane here but this is true blue Zinfandel USA. Blackcurrant, Ribena Berry nose for weeks with a touch of spice too. Mouth filling and big on the palate, heavy blackcurrant on the mid palate the wine is super well structured, 14% alcohol not a problem. 92 Points

Passing the Chateau Gloria only for drinking today, I'm sure this wine needs another 10 years in bottle and if you can wait that long, then £25 investment for a 1995 Bordeaux from such a respected producer is actually a BUY situation. For drinking today? The worst wine of the 4.

Lastly, for anyone else who drinks their wines with Jelly Babies, I can say, with no shadow of a doubt, that by mixing the black and red Jelly Babies together you get a perfectly complimentary food match for Pio Cesare Barbaresco. Those with a sweet tooth will enjoy Jaffa Cakes and Sauternes. That's it Gals and Pals and by jove, it's good to be home.

Where can I buy this wine? (Ridge California Lytton Springs)

Europeans - Weingarten Eden - €26

Americans - Vingo Wine - $26.99

Brits - AG WINES - £20

Australians - Stephen McHendry - AUS$64

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What's the best thing about your town? Tried any of these wines? Blue cheese - nectar of the gods or food of the devil?