WINNING
REVIEWED BY WES GAME
ENGLAND
Albourne Estate, Bacchus
FRANCE
Louis Moreau, Petit Chablis, Chardonnay
£13 AlbourneEstates.co.uk
£11 Waitrose/Majestic
I’m a great fan of English sparkling wine, but not
of still wine….or am I? This wine won “Overall
Winner UK Wine of the Year 2015”. I had heard
of Bacchus as the Greek god of wine, but not as
a grape variety. If I had blind tasted this, I would
have said it was a New Zealand Sauvignon
Blanc. Fresh and crisp with plenty of grapefruit
and a little gooseberry, it has great acidity and
a long length of flavour. I then read the label
to find it describes itself as similar in style to a
New World Sauvignon Blanc and is produced
overlooking the South Downs near Brighton.
Well I never! You’ll have to wait until 2015’s is
released this summer to get some. You won’t
regret it.
Louis Moreau founded the vineyard in 1814
and now has its 6th generation family member
running the estate. Chablis produce the best
white wines of Burgundy, which is why some
prices reflect this. Chardonnay is one of the
most versatile grape varieties and depending
on how the wine is made, and if it is oaked, can
have a huge impact on the flavour of the wine.
This example is light and crisp with plenty of
green apples, grass and citrus aromas. There
is a flinty mineral impression also as this wine
is unoaked. Chill for a day and share a bottle,
if you can, whilst enjoying the summer sun (I’m
writing this in hope!).
SPAIN
La Cantera Reserva, Tempranillo &
Garnacha
FRANCE
Les Charmes De Bastor Lamontagne –
Sauternes, Semillon
£8 Laithwaites
£11 half bottle, Laithwaites
I have to declare my personal interest in this
wine as it has been one of my favourites for
the past few years, and not just because it’s
great value! Made by Javier Domeque in the
Carinena region of Spain, it is often overlooked
by its famous neighbour Rioja. Made from
Garnacha and Tempranillo (the grape of Rioja),
this wine is medium bodied and easy to drink
with or without food. Whilst it has been in oak
barrels for 14 months, it only has subtle vanilla
and oak flavours. Cherry red in colour with red
fruit flavours, this wine is more complex than you
would think for the price. The wine is stored in
the bottle for several years before being released
to drink so it is velvety smooth. I have no idea
how it can be sold for under £10.
Sauternes is famous in Bordeaux for its sweet
dessert wines and this one is no exception.
The Semillon grape is very thin skinned and is
susceptible to botrytis/noble rot. Grown near the
Garonne River, the cool misty condition cause
the grapes to rot in the autumn. This produces a
low yield of grapes with high intensity of flavours
and sweetness but balanced with high acidity.
This gives plenty of apricot and toffee aromas
together with the expected marmalade flavours
and perhaps a hint of candy floss. Enjoy with a
creamy summer dessert.
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