Gachot again…

An opaque, rather soupy red with lots of ripe red fruit on the nose. It tasted thin, in a good way, savoury/tangy with a sweet finish that rather fell away. Hard to identify, despite having tasted an identical bottle last November. Then the pinot was more obvious but apart from that my notes were broadly similar. That increasingly rare thing – an affordable decent red Burgundy.

(Domaine Gachot-Monot 2015, from Fingal Rock who are currently selling the 2019 for £22.50).

[Geoff: Now drinking beautifully. Surprisingly ‘fruit sweet’ for a Cote de Nuits wine but still with the heft of that sub-region. Yes, as my fellow taster states, VFM for a Burgundy – in fact VGFM. Think it needs time and there was a muddy sediment in the bottle. Think it was my last. Gachot-Monot are 5th generation family producers who own 7ha. in CdNV AC amongst others plots.]

Mainstream manzanilla…

Two manzanillas, of the type and quality you’d see in a bar in Sanlucar, not tasted blind.

Similar in appearance with the Gabriela being slightly a paler yellow. More difference of the nose where I found the Solear to be more assertive and typical, with the Gabriela muted. To taste the Solear was linear and penetrative, refreshing and clean. No sweetness either which was something I’ve noticed before with the wine. The Gabriela was more austere and also more distinctive and longer. Hard to pick a favourite, I’d happily drink either. Good with some excellent Angelachu anchovies from Tinned Fish.

Solear from Waitrose, Gabriela from Caves de Pyrene, both around £13.

[Geoff: It was an interesting comparison between the two manzanillas and their producers. Barbadillo: family owned (seven generations); the largest manzanilla producer; 75,000 sq. m. of cellars; c. 65,000 casks; 500 ha. vineyards. Bodegas Barrero: same family since 1986; 90 ha. in Balbaina Alto pagos; bodega 225 yrs old (not by same family). So, almost two different ends of the sherry spectrum. Solear 6-7 yo wine, Gabriela 5-6 yo. Both good manzanillas – Gabriela more herby and nutty, character (single vineyard Las canas); Solear, lighter, more generally appealing. ]

Chateau d’Arsac 2016

The recent history of d’Arsac and the obituary of its late owner Phillippe Raoux gives an understanding of how legal, detailed – and bureaucratic – the naming of wine areas are in France, especially in Bordeaux. In 2007 Raoux managed to get CdA partly included (50 ha. out of 102 ha.) in the Margaux appellation. This meant a re-drawing of the Margaux boundaries. He started this quest in 1986. Its blend is 70/30 CS/Merlot and is classed as a Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel.

It has colours of a mid-intense ruby with a slight purple rim. The nose is a deep cherry with some black fruits and an intriguing, delicate floral note. The red/black fruit combination is repeated on the palate which is medium-long, dry with some tannic structure. A well-made, mid-priced Bordeaux wine.

[Richard: and, for a while, a bargain since Aldi was selling at £10. Plenty of claret typicity with a Cabernet emphasis which I prefer. Still drinking well after three days under vacuum. Recommended if it comes round next year.]

Whites with character (2)…

Fifty miles to the east of the Cote d’Or, across the Saone valley, is the Jura. The soil is dominated by clay with some limestone; there are approximately 2000 ha and five ACs. Five grape varieties, two white and three red, are permitted. We tasted Domaine Dugois’ Savignan 2019 from the Arbois AC. Savignan is the Traminer grape of northern Italy and Germany.

An appearance of clear, deep yellow was followed by a nose redolent of both bruised apples and citrus, fresh and, I thought, a touch smoky. The palate, long and dry, was slightly orange citrus in the beginning but then became all herbs and hedgerows – really fresh, clean countryside flavours, despite being five years of age. There was no trace of the ‘veil’ of flor which typifies some Arbois wines. Yet another lovely wine – we’re on a good run currently.

[Richard: given that Savignan is often compared to sherry you’d think we taste it a lot. But we don’t – this is only the second time in 12 years. Why? Not easy to find – as with most Jura wines – and quite expensive. We should try more as this was very good with plenty of character and even hints of sherry, which I may have picked up because I knew it was a wine aged under flor. From a mixed case of ‘flor wines’ from Cave de Pyrene, about £25.]

Essex and Devon meet Burgundy…

A pale ‘Burgundian’ yellow wine with a lemony nose. Lemon-plus in the mouth with some minerality and a sourness which modulated to sweetness on the back palate. Savoury with decent length and a hint of reduction all led me to the region of central France, with England as my second choice. A very acceptable substitute as Burgundy gets more expensive. The vines are grown in Essex and the grapes vinified in Devon.

(Lyme Bay Chardonnay 2021, £24, MWW).

[Geoff: The grapes were picked late (31/10 – 7/11/21). Vinification includes fermentation in both stainless and old French oak. This was very impressive, fresh without being too mouth-puckering. There was some gentler, richer notes in the background {late-picking, wood influence) which gave it a super balance. Good VFM]

Carleone Classico…

Geoff invited me for a delicious cannelloni last night and I hoped that the above would be a suitable accompaniment. A very pure, clean expression of Sangiovese with smooth tannins with a pleasing blend of fruit and acidity. Lots of compatibility with the pasta and a pleasure to drink. Made by an Englishman who was head winemaker at Riecine (one of our favourites) for 25 years. From Vin Cognito, about £30.

(Chianti Classico, Tenuta di Carleone, Tuscany, Italy 2020)

[Geoff: We’ve been tasting some excellent wines recently and this was no exception. The winery is relatively new, 2012, and is centred on a 100 ha estate of which 30 ha are planted with Sangiovese, the wine being 100% Sangiovese. No yeast or fining agents are used by the winemaker, Sean O’Callaghan. It’s a refined expression of CC, pure, light, slightly tannic with gentle red fruit flavours and that defining acidity. It puts all those cheaper expressions of CC very much in the shade. Certainly a re-order for me.]

Whites with character (1)

An orangey gold wine with hints of orange on the nose – or was that auto-suggestion? Soft fruit perhaps. The taste was full, rich, tangy with pleasing sour hints. There was also a suggestion of oxidation which added to the complexity given by the time in bottle. An interesting and rewarding drink, 100% Chenin Blanc. Very enjoyable.

(Château de la Mulonniere Savennieres L’effet Papillon 2015, Waitrose, £20)

[Geoff: Savennieres is reckoned to produce the best white wines of the Loire – this is a good example and excellent VFM. The wine, being nine years old, has developed lots of deeper notes and the production process has certainly helped. Picked when over-ripe, the grapes are fermented in stainless steel (freshness) and oak (richness) the wine being matured in old oak barrels (less vanilla than new oak) for nine months. The result is, as R. states, full flavours with a hint of acidity – lovely. It carries its 14.5% ABV very well.]

Amontillado ‘Origen’ Callajuela…

The Blanco Brothers began trading in 1998 by supplying base wines to other bodegas but now they are known as independent bottlers, in Sanlucar, in their own right. They own 28 ha. of vineyards spread across four sites in the ‘sherry triangle’; the wine we tasted was 50% Anina, 30% Macharnudo and 20% Callajuela. Their USP appears to be the late picking, two weeks after their neighbours’ harvests. The wine ages seven years under flor as a manzanilla then five years, oxidatively, without flor as an amontillado.

The colour was a clear orange, whilst the nose did not have a strong chamomile note. A delicate orange citrus was apparant and this carried through on the palate. It had a lovely richness, a strong but not obtrusive flavour with a distinctly nutty long finish. Once again, a sherry able to drunk not just as an aperitif. Recommended.

[Richard: an excellent sherry, from a very good bodega, refined and nuanced yet powerful and penetrative. Long and savoury. From Forth and Church, £30 but now sold out.]

2010 Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

Following the traditional Roederer champagne house we now have Domaine Brunier – six generations of vignerons – who make Vieux Telegraph, ‘Le Crau’, Chateauneuf du Pape 2010. CdP is a much-abused brand name, rather than wine area; there are some truly shocking examples around. This was not one of those, mercifully. The famous La Crau is a hot plateau dominated by pebbles, btw.

The appearance was a slightly cloudy, mid-intensity ruby/tan. The 14 year old wine had a fresh, sour cherry nose, bags of acidity with some vanilla in the background. The palate showed a lightweight wine of red and black fruits with tannins. There was richness, slight licorice notes and a dry, long finish which had pleasing bitterness. A great wine, with bags of character – a pleasure to drink.

[Richard: we’ve tasted this twice before – in 2016 when it was clearly too young and 2020 when we both liked it although Geoff was keener than me. That’s still the position in 2024. In fact when I opened it (G tried it on day 3) I wasn’t keen at all with the hard, aggressive, tarry notes of the Grenache in full flow. But it mellowed and I ended up broadly in favour, although it is still not a favourite style. From Tanners, £33 when purchased.]

Perpetual Revolution…

Louis Roederer is still, after seven generations, a family-run champagne house. Founded 16 years before the French Revolution they sell more than 3.5 million bottles in over 100 countries. According to their web-site, they have been revolutionising their blending process, creating a ‘Perpetual Reserve’ and an oak-aged Reserve and adding to both the 2018 vintage. The % proportions are 31/10/59. This is for the 243 Collection, our tasted wine. The grape ratios are Chard. 42%, PN 40%, PM 18%. The details are all given on their web-site and it’s interesting to nerds like us to see how the 243 Collection differs from, say, the 244 Collection (stocked by M & S). Still awake?

App: pale yellow, grey rather than green tinges, v. fine mousse. Nose: delicate, slight citrus, grapefruit and apple Palate: fresh, dry, preserved lemons, firmness, minerality, rich finish. Lovely champagne, well-balanced, very moreish (8 g/l sugar).

[Richard: part of a mixed case from TWS last Christmas when a lot of champagne has a ‘supplier discount’, so around £30. About £45 now. A very classy sparkling wine, the best I can recall tasting for a long time. Rich and complex. We don’t often try the grand marques but this is one of the best, A NV from Roederer tried in 2014 was also impressive.]