Pocket Vintages - wine guide, wine recommendations, wine reviews

Chusclan 2004 Cotes du Rhone Villages

Another prize winner, at the 2005 Rhone wine awards and another big red - this time packing 14% alcohol.  This means that if you polish off a bottle of it you'll be using up about 12 of your 21 weekly alcohol units.

I can't tell you how much it costs because it was a gift from some friends coming round for dinner, but I drank it over the weekend and was very satisfied with it.

Open it up a few hours before you want to drink it, because it is tannic and chunky and will require some oxidisation.  But it is still smooth and fruity and perfect with roast lamb in my opinion.  I actually tried it with shepherd's pie and it went down a treat.

7/10

Chateau de Gaudou 2003

This big and boisterous Cahors was a silver medal winner at the South West France wine challenge in 2004.  It packs 13.5% alcohol and is everything you expect from a Cahors, except a big less tanniny (probably why it won something).

Normally I avoid Cahors because they tend to be fairly rough, but if you're after a working red wine then this is as good as any.  I think I bought it locally in France so probably only paid a few euros for it.  If you see it and it costs under £6 a bottle then buy it, otherwise I wouldn't bother.

6/10

Chateau Villemagne 2001 Corbieres

I picked up a case of this direct from the vineyard near Lagrasse in South West France.  Made by the owners Paulette and Roger Carbonneau, this wine is drinking very well now but will age a further 3-5 years no problem.

It is big, rich and smooth, still with that distinctive south west France 'ouvrier' basic and honest taste, but with a finesse that you don't often in AOC Corbieres wines.

It is a mix of Carignan, Grenache, Cinsaut and Syrah and would grace pretty much any meat dish, although would go perfectly with the local Cassoulet.

Only 3,600 bottles of this vintage were produced.  I just drank bottle number 00184.

Chapel Down 2006 Bacchus

I had a glass of this at Trinity Restaurant in Clapham the other day and I have to say that it scored top marks.

It is as crisp and fresh as you like and full of fruit.  An excellent white wine that can be enjoyed as an aperatif or with light fish dishes.

You can buy it from the Chapel Down website here but their case value of £108 plus £8 delivery seems steep.  I saw it on the Everywine website for less than £100 a case.

Amarone 2005 - Sainsburys Taste The Difference

I tasted an amazing Amarone in a little Italian restaurant near Paddington station the other day and decided it is time that I went on a quest for good value Amarone wine.

This is the Sainsburys taste the difference Amarone della Valpolicella 2005 and since 2005 was such as good vintage, I pretended not to notice the £13 price tag (certainly one of Sainsburys more expensive wines) and stuck it in the basket.

Pur yourself a glass and you will see that it is a rich, blackberry juice thick wine, slightly browning round the edges, which usually indicates age but not in this case.  It is definitely produced to be drunk now, or within 1 year of purchase (in line with 90% of supermarket wines) so if you stock up then tuck in quickly.

It doesn't smell particularly interesting but when you taste it you will get a mouthful of smooth, ribena-like nectar, with just a hint of tannin to make it a great wine to drink with red meats, but equally good to drink on its own.

This is a wine that stands up very well and would grace any dinner table and be agreeable to even the most critical dinner party guests.  But I would decant it first, simply because the label does not do justice to the wine.

Overall, an expensive supermarket wine but I would probably buy it again unless I can find something equally good at a cheaper price. The mission continues....!

Vina Alarde Berberana Reserva 2001

A better than average Rioja, from the 2001 Vintage and benefiting from a decent amount of time aged in oak barrels, this wine is drinking well now.

It smells toasty and alcoholic and weighs in at 13% alcohol.  It still gives away a good mouthful of fruit and the tannins have mellowed to allow this wine to be drunk with or without food.

Try it with roast chicken or roast pork for a good value delicious combo.

2000 Chateau Brane Cantenac

One of the 2nd growth Margaux clarets, I opened this on Xmas day to drink with the turkey.  I could see a fair amount of sediment in the bottom of the bottle and in hindsight should have decanted it first.  But I opened it up 4 hours before lunch and tasted it just before we sat down to eat.  On its own it was rich, smooth and with soft tannins.  It complemented the food perfectly and everyone enjoyed it.

We finished off a second bottle the following evening and having been open for 24 hours had actually improved on the first bottle.

This 2000 vintage is drinking very well now but will probably be a point around 2009 to 2010.

Chateau Cantelys 2004

From AOC Pessac-Leognan in France, this is a quality white wine that drinks well on its own or with white fish or chicken.

It packs a punch at 13% but the alcohol is well disguised by the peachy/lychee flavour - not overpowering by any means.  Still crisp and well rounded, this is a very impressive wine.

I can't tell you how much I paid for it because it was a gift from a hotel but you can always check out Wine Searcher for stockists.

Marquis de Fonseguille - Vacqueyras 2004

If you have never heard of Vacqueras, it has its own AOC in Southern Rhone and is well worth looking out for. It is just not that easy to find on UK supermarket shelves.

According to Wiki, Vacqueyras received the A.O.C. Côtes du Rhône (CdR) Decree appellation in 1937. It could add its village name to the CdR Village status in 1990 and received its own appellation - A.O.C. Vacqueyras in 1995. Vineyards are located in Vacqueyras proper and the neighbouring village of Sarrians. About 1300 hectares are under cultivation with a yearly production of roughly 40,000 hl.

Red and rosé wines are made from Grenache Noir, Syrah, Cinsaut and Mourvèdre grapes, white wines from Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne and Bourboulenc.

This one I found in a Calais supermarket for 6 euros a bottle and it is excellent. Really smooth but enough chunkiness and bite to go with any red meat dish.  Mainly Grenache (60%) and Syrah (30%), it will go down well at any dinner party and at this price is cheap enough to take to BBQs, although I would advise that you keep it to yourself and drink with pleasure, knowing full well that this could pass quite happily for a £16 bottle of wine.

Chateau Cissac 2000

I took a friend to Christopher's Restaurant in Central London a couple of nights ago.  Christopher's is one of those long lasting London restaurants that somehow has stood the test of time, despite having problems.  It is an Amercian restaurant (technically), specialising in steaks and seafood, and it has a Martini cocktail bar downstairs.  I have always thought it the place to go for lunch, to impress a potential client or toast a successful deal.  The prices are not cheap but the food is OK.  You can read the full review on The London Restaurant Review.

Anyway, point is that when I came to choose the wine, my friend told the sommelier that I too was a sommelier (wrong) so she immediately backed off and said that if I wanted help choosing then she was there but I probably wouldn't need it.  No pressure then!

Fortunately I spied a wine that I have tried before and knew to be good - Chateau Cissac.  I subtly referred to my copy of Pocket Vintages and confirmed that indeed, 2000 was an excellent year for Medoc.  At £48 it was about half way up the Christopher's price list.

Upon ordering, the sommelier agreed that this was an excellent choice so I breathed a sigh of relief and from then on we were the best of friends.

She decanted the wine although there was not a trace of sediment and after about 20 mins to breathe, we got stuck in.  It went perfectly with our filet steaks and was delightfully smooth with a rounded finish that left you wanting more more more.

I noticed that Surrey Fine Wines are currently selling the 2000 vintage for about £14 a bottle and since it is drinking well, I would suggest stocking up with a case now to see you through the autumn and winter nights.