Pocket Vintages - wine guide, wine recommendations, wine reviews

Dirler Cade Alsace Riesling

I was down in Brockenhurst last week, a beautiful village in the middle of the New Forest.

Within the village you will find a lovely restaurant called Simply Poussin.  You can read the review of the restaurant here.

The manager recommended a 2001 Riesling to go with my starter and I was blown away.  It was complex and mature yet retained a lovely fresh zesty crispness that I don't normally associate with Rieslings this old.  It had a touch of the classic petrol but this was not over-powering and you were left with a well rounded mouthful of pure class.

I could not find any 2001 Dirler Cade's online, although Berry Bros has a couple of the 2004 and 2005 vintages which would lay down very well although you could pop one open now and enjoy.  At around £13 a bottle it is not cheap, but should prove a worthwhile investment.

Wolf Blass Yellow Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Regular readers will know that I purchased 12 bottles at a bargain price from Majestic recently. I opened the first bottle last night.

Screw cap, but don't let that put you off - this Cabernet Sauvignon is built to be drunk within a couple of years.  It is an incredibly rich, powerful wine and packs a punch at 13.5% alcohol.

It is a big mouthful, very fruity and toasty, with a little tannin but not so much that it puts you off having a glass on its own.

This really is incredible value at the moment and a delight to drink.

Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon

A friend treated me to a bottle of Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 last night to accompany a delicious BBQ.  It was his last bottle from a case he had purchased from Majestic over a year ago.

When we tasted it we were bowled over - drinking perfectly, really smooth and bursting with black fruits.  It would have been lovely drinking on its own but was even better with the grilled lamb that we had from the BBQ.

I went hunting for some but Majestic don't have it and I could only find the 2003/4 available through EveryWine.  This would also be a good buy and worth keeping for another year or so before drinking.

I also tracked down the wine-maker and this is what he says about his 2004 Vintage:

"Our 2004 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon unfolds in deep, dense layers of blackberry and black plum, cassis, and a hint of cedar. These expressive flavors come from the diverse soils and climates of vineyards located primarily in the Oakville and Stags Leap District American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) of Napa Valley. With supple, well-integrated tannins, the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon is what the winemaker calls “a complete wine”—a beautiful flow of aromas, flavors and textures from start to finish."

Priorat Spanish Wine - Heredad Soliterra 2004

This one packs a punch at 14.5% and is from the Priorat region of Spain, in Catalunya.  Some say an up and coming area. I say that it is already a star and just needs to secure better distribution to compete with good ole Rioja.

It is made with three grapes - Garnacha, Carignan and Shiraz and the result is a rich, full-bodied mouthful of 'new age' Spanish wine - not a Tempranillo grape in sight!  It is also matured in oak barrels for 3 months which gives it a more rounded and toasty flavour.

2004 was generally a good year for Spanish wine-makers and this is a good result that will complement any lamb, beef or BBQ dinner.  It will keep for another 5 years and will probably be 'a point' this time next year.

Chapel Down Brut NV

I've been meaning to try a bottle of this for ages.  English wines in general are getting a good amount of press at the moment because of the focus on global warming, which (some say) is warming up Britain and making it easier to grow grapes.  Tosh I say.  I think the real reason that English wines are winning awards now is because wine making techniques have improved.

English Wines Group is the largest Engligh wine producer and is based down in Tenterden in Kent.  They are now experimenting with standard grape varietals such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and produce a fairly wide range of white, red, rose and sparkling wines.

Chapel Down Brut NV is one of their best sparkling wines and has been compared to some of the better Champagnes.  They sell it for £15 a bottle with a discount for buying 6 or more online.  I went to France recently and found it selling for £9 a bottle in a wine merchant in Calais, so bought a case and opened one up.

It is a very smart looking bottle/label and fizzed well upon opening.  The liquid was pale with a straw like tinge and didn't give much away on the initial sniff.  Upon tasting, the wine was decidedly biscuity and not as bone dry as I would have liked.  Not a bad mouthful and good value for the money I paid, although I would baulk at paying £15 a bottle for it.

Overall an interesting sparkling wine to open up with friends pre-dinner - it will certainly provoke discussion, but certainly not one to worry the top champagne houses.

2003 Finca Sobreno Crianza

I recently had a bottle of this red wine from the Toro region of Spain, north west of Madrid and in an area that enjoys very hot summers and very cold winters.

It is made from Tinta de Toro grapes, which is the regional name for Tempranillo, that good old Spanish workhorse of a grape.  This is a big wine and heavy in alcohol at 14%.  2003 was generally a good year in Spain and Finca Sobreno is worthy of a 7/10 rating in my opinion.  I drank it with roast pork and it tasted fantastic.  Open it up and let it breathe for a few hours before serving and you will notice that it is definitely smoother than when you first opened it up.

Waitrose are currently selling it online for £6.64p a bottle.  You can order online here.

1998 Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou

This is a second growth St Julien, from the Medoc region of Bordeaux (left bank).

I bought a case of this for around £250 about 5 years ago and it has been ageing in the cellar ever since.  The 1998 appears to be ready to drink now - I opened the first bottle last night for a taster and decanted it for around 3 hours before serving. It could have done with being decanted for longer, although there was little sediment, I think it would have improved the flavour.

The wine was very smooth, but not quite silky and not too tannic.  It may well keep another few years but judging by that first bottle I would say start drinking now.  It would make an excellent accompaniment to fillet steak.

Berry Bros are selling it for around £58 a bottle, but discounted to around £45 if you buy a case of it.  You can order it online here.

I would give this one 7/10 but will try another bottle in a month or so, decant it for much longer and see what happens.

Château de Fonbel, Grand Cru St. Emilion 2001

I was at The Ivy Restaurant in Central London last night.  Didn't see any celebrities but did pick an excellent wine off their list, which is comprehensive and reasonably priced.  You can look at The Ivy wine list here.

I referred to my Pocket Vintages 2007 Old World Edition whilst perusing the wine list and decided that the Chateau de Fonbel 2001 looked like a good bet.  After all, PV said that 2001 was a very good year for St Emilion.

It was absolutely delicious.  The waiter did not decant it although there was sediment at the end so it would have benefited from decanting.  The wine was smooth, fruity and full of body and went very well with the steak I was tucking into.  This is drinking very nicely now and will probably improve for another couple of years.

I noticed that BBR is selling it for only £12.21 a bottle when you buy a case of 12, which I think is very reasonable.  The Ivy was selling it for £49 a bottle, which is four times mark up.  Click here to order from Berry Bros.

British Airways Wines

I just got off the plane from London and Seattle and wanted to give the low down on the BA wines in Club.

Jancis Robinson has helped create their 'award winning selection' and I have to admit, it's a good list.

Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve is the house champagne, made from a classic blend of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay.  Majestic are currently offering a third off the vintage 2003 Charles Heidsieck here (if you're interested).

The two whites on offer were:

Benzinger Los Carneros Chardonnay 2004 - I didn't try this one but it is described as a complex blend of green orchard and ripe tropical fruits by the BA team.

Pouilly Fume 2005 Jean-Claude Chatelain - I did try this one and it was delicious - classic French Sauvignon Blanc - it was dry but rounded, showing its class, without too much fruit to ruin the zestiness.

There were three reds on offer:

Avila Syrah 2004 from Santa Barbara - I almost went for this one since I knew it would be nice and blackcurrenty with a touch of spice, but I stuck with the Old World wines and went for the...

Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2004 Domaine du Vieux Lazaret - from the southern Rhone valley this was another classic wine drinking very well.  It went down a treat with my steak but was light enough to glug on its own.  According to the booklet, 2004 was a very good year for Rhone wines and that helped me decide.  I chose well and had three glasses of it.

The final red was Chateau Fourcas Hoston 2003 Cru Bourgeois Superieur Listrac - what a mouthful!  Just the name put me off but the description on the list did no better, starting off with '2003 was a very awkward year for winemakers in Bordeaux'.  Well I disagree in part.  The better chateaux did a very good job with what nature brought them but the not so clever winemakers did not. But Jancis knows her stuff so I'm sure this would have been a worthy complement to the BA steak as well.

Summer White Wine Recommendation

I've tipped this one before and it remains one of my favourite white wines available from Majestic.

St Claire Vicar's Choice Sauvignon Blanc 2006 is about as zingy as you can get.  If you like crisp, bone dry white's then this will no disappoint.

I like it on its own - a glass or two before dinner is super in the summer, but it will accompany any fish or chicken dish perfectly.

Stock up now whilst it is on offer from Majestic - only £7.99 a bottle when you buy two.