Tasted 24th March 2011

Hilltop Kékfrankos 2009 £ 9.50
Lively, fresh, appetising red with dark cherry colour that is rightly much prized in both Hungary and in Austria (as blaufrankisch).This 2009 is a particular success 12%
A most appealing nose - maybe because it's the first red - but I can't put a finger on the nose. Dark aromas, slightly toffee, perhaps bottled cherries. Tastes fruity, but dark and moody. Some tannin and coffee on the finish.

Cheverny Rouge, l'Enclos du Petit Chien, 2009 £ 7.50
Alpha Loire DomainesA delightful blend of pinot noir and gamay with 10% each cabernet franc and cot (malbec) from the ripe, healthy 2009 harvest. 12.5%
Smells like nitrous oxide or maybe just the mask that you inhale it through. Not inviting at all. Darkly woody and fuzzy in the mouth.

Zweigelt Classic, Hans Igler 2009 £ 9.50
Made by specialists Hans Igler in Deutschkreuz, Mittelburgenland. The vines are located south of the Neusiedlersee beneath the Ödenburger Highlands on sandy clay and gravel soils and shielded by the hills. 13.5%
Purple red. Little nose. Young and dark and compares with cabernet franc in style and flavours.

Hilltop Premium Red 2009 £ 7.50
A cracking blend of cabernets sauvignon (67%) and franc (25%) with a dash of merlot (5%) and local kékfrankos (3%) from the Szekszard region of Hungary. 13%
Warm, spicy nose - quite odd. Spicy taste with a hint of cabernet, but spicier and more rustic/baked than straight cab. Young and fresh.

Dão Duque de Viseu, Quinta dos Carvalhais 2007 £ 7.95
Produced from one of Sogrape's single properties, this is a blend of touriga nacional and tinta roriz, spicy and tasty with typical Dão freshness. 13%
Quite dark and muddy to look at. A bit stinky and bretty. Very bretty taste. Nicely mature and quite interesting but with tannin on the finish.

Château La Grave de Bertin, Bordeaux 2009 £ 7.25
A family-owned property of 48 acres on limestone-clay soils near St Sulpice et Cameyrac in the Entre-Deux-Mers. The 2009 blend is 70% merlot, 20% cabernet sauvignon, and 10% cabernet franc. 13%
Very light on the nose. Stalky and not that great.

Château du Pavillon, Canon-Fronsac 2006 £11.95
Château du Pavillon was bought in 1925 by current owner Michel Ponty’s grandfather. The 4.5ha vineyard is planted with 100% merlot on soils of clay and sand with vines averaging 30 years of age. Harvesting is by hand and the wine is aged for 12 months in oak (around 15% new with the rest up to five years). 13%
Love the label. Dreamy nose. Very, very Bordeaux. Quite tannic and, in fact, seems more Medoc than St Emilion initially. Some warm merlot spice on the finish and some farmyard. Calling out for steak.

Château Beaumont, Haut-Médoc 2004 £12.95
The vineyard is planted with 60% cabernet sauvignon, 35% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot.
As ripe, fresh and charming as ever, this property is hard to beat in terms of value for money. 13%
Visually showing some age. Nice vanilla and blackcurrant on the nose and a lovely, lovely taste. Spicy oak and warm fruit (not alcohol warm, but warmed). A hint of farmyard. Like it. *

The Society’s Exhibition Margaux (Rauzan-Ségla) 2004 £20.00
This elegant second wine from on-form classed growth Rauzan-Ségla has already won many friends and
new converts. Fragrant. plump and still with quite firm but fine tannins, this has class, elegance and length. 13%
In the very best possible way this smells like a pig farm. Sweet and stinky. Lovely.
Light feel of Margaux with floral taste and spicy oak. Black peppery and with a perfumed finish. *

Hilltop Cabernet Franc 2009 £ 9.50
Hungary enjoyed an outstanding vintage in 2009 and the reds have the lovely fragrance and finesse of wine
made from healthy ripe fruit. This shows cabernet franc's delightful 'grassy' fragrance with lovely sweet fruit. 13%
Spicy blackcurrant on the nose. Quite young tasting. Ripe, sweet and easy with a slightly savoury finish. OK.

Vigo Etna Rosso, Romeo del Castello 2008 £22.00
They have 3 hectares of 70 year-old nerello mascalese and 10 more planted in 2004 at 700 metres. Salvo Foti consults here and the wine is stored for them at Benanti's cellar. It spends a year in barrel. 14%
Pale, with a woody and interesting nose. A little spirit on the nose, which I don't like. The flavours under the alcohol are pretty interesting. Pity.

Biferno Rosso Riserva, Camillo de Lellis 2006 £ 7.25
Biferno is a 70% montepulciano and 15% aglianico blend, the former from the Adriatic coast and the latter from warmer inland areas. There is also 15% trebbiano to soften the wine. It is aged 18 months in large oak barrels then another 18 months in stainless steel. 13%
Showing its age. Nice twirly label. Slightly baked fruit aroma. Quite oxidative. Tried another bottle. Quite stinky and farmyardy with furry tannins. Warm. Am undecided.

Dolcetto d'Alba, Podere Colla 2009 £ 9.50
Lovely fragrant well-balanced example of this 'serious but smiling' grape variety, made by Tino Colla and his niece Federica. The Collas are known for keeping the natural characteristics of the grape uppermost and this wine receives no oak. 13%
Sweet, pretty fruity nose, which fades after a while. Nice taste. Gentle tannins, but quite rustic flavours. Baked.

Barbera d'Alba, Enzo Boglietti 2009 14%
Enzo Boglietti makes amazingly good barbera. 2009 is one of his very best - wonderfully ripe and generous.
Little on the nose. Ripe and sweet but with quite high alcohol. However, the burn fades and the finish is nicely fruity.

GB Burlotto Barolo 37.5cl 2006 £13.50
A fragrant Barolo from an excellent vintage and a grower whose wines combine finesse with power in delightful balance - in this instance in a useful half-bottle. 14%
Half bottles of Barolo, what will they think of next? I suppose for restaurants if the laydee doesn’t like red wine. Pale, as expected. Warm hay and aniseed nose. Tastes pretty old. Past it.

Sum, Torreguaceto 2007 £ 9.95
A great example of a real rarity. 'Sum' is the susumaniello grape, revived by Gregory Perruci, which had practically disappeared off the face of the map and was not recorded in Puglian wine laws. With low yields in a ripe vintage like 2007, it shows wonderfully expressive fruit and grip yet retaining freshness. 14%
The first time I've tasted the susumaniello grape. Very interestingly fragrant.
Tropical and very ripe. Sweet, dark flavours. I'd compare it to an Amarone. Nice violet/grape taste on the finish.

Dunico, Masseria Pepe 2007 £14.95
A superb example of primitivo made from grapes from very old vines planted near the sea on sandy soil,
picked at optimum ripeness. Youthful tasting still with lovely ripe healthy fruit. 15%
Dark, baked nose, like blackcurrant wine gums. Sweet, like Bassetts liquorice. Very dark, baked, taste.

Cruz de Piedra Garnacha 2009 £ 5.50
Made by Bodegas Virgen de la Sierra who have superb high altitude vineyards in Calatayud. The secret to
the rich quality of this wine is ancient garnacha bush vines which produce fruit full of flavour and power. 14%
Sweet, ripe fruit. The taste is also sweet and ripe but with refreshing juicy acidity. Light and easy.

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