Tasted 4 May 2011

Old World Whites

Taste the Difference Verdicchio Classico dei Castelli di Jesi 2010 £5.99
90% Verdicchio and 10% Trebbiano. The grapes for this wine are grown in vertically trellised vineyards on sandy loam soil within the authorised DOC region in the province of Ancona, central Italy. The grapes are picked by hand and the juice is cold fermented in stainless steel tanks for 15-20 days at controlled temperatures using cultivated yeasts. The wine is fined with bentonite and filtered prior to cold stabilisation and bottling. Residual sugar: 3g/l.
Winemaker - Ottavio Piersanti at Piersanti Mosaique Wines
New, available 1 June, 531 stores, exclusive, synthetic cork 13.0%
Fresh, pleasant, green nose with a hint of peardrops. Quite a fruity and appealing taste and pretty long. Not bad at all.

Taste the Difference Gavi 2010 £7.99
100% Cortese, predominantly from 35 year old vines on Araldica’s ‘La Battistin’ Estate and other selected vineyards in the Gavi area. It is an isolated area of chalky, mineral soil which allows full ripening and excellent drainage. Hand harvested grapes are fermented at 16°C in stainless steel tanks for 3 weeks. The final blend is enriched with around 3% barrel fermented wine and then it is aged on fine lees for a further 3-4 months before bottling. Residual sugar: 2.8g/l.
Winemaker - Claudio Manera from Araldica Vini Piemontes
New vintage, available now, 444 stores, exclusive, neutrocork 12.5%
Usual ripe greengage nose. Very inviting indeed. Light, refreshing and with lemony acidity. Really, this is a widely appealing wine. I’m thinking patio, early evening, handful of friends and some nuts. *

Spanish Steps Rueda 2010 £6.99
100% Verdejo. Grapes are from the ‘La Seca’ vineyards of El Puerto in the Nava del Rey where the soil is gravel with limestone subsoil. Both varieties are stainless steel fermented after an initial cold maceration. Residual sugar: 2g/l. Winemaker - Javier Rodriguez
New, available 1 June, 223 stores, exclusive, Diam cork 12.0%
Floral, rather than catty nose. Pretty sweet, slightly catty, and easy to drink.

Taste the Difference Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie 2010 £6.49
100% Melon de Bourgogne from prime vineyards cultivated using sustainable viticulture. 30% of the wines undergo maceration pelliculaire to add depth and complexity. The wine is matured for 6 months or more on its fermentation lees before bottling. Residual sugar: <1g/l.
Winemaker - Pierre Lieubeau
New vintage, available end July, 430 stores, exclusive, natural cork 12.0%
Little on the nose. Gripping acidity, some texture, green, clean, certainly wakes you up.

Taste the Difference Albariño 2010 D.O Rias Baixas £7.99
100% Albariño hand harvested from Galicia’s largest coastal plain - the Valle de Salnes. The vineyards are granite based with 20 year old vines that are cooled by Atlantic breezes. Fermented between 15-17°C in stainless steel tanks. Filtered prior to cold stabilisation and bottling. Residual sugar: 3g/l. Winemaker - Enrique Pineiro Cores at Adegas Gran Vinum
Available now, 321 stores, exclusive, Diam cork 12.5%
Slightly creamy on the nose. Some weight in the mouth. Tasty, just not quite bone dry. A popular wine to suit all palates.

Taste the Difference Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2010 £7.99
100% Sauvignon Blanc from vines averaging 25 years old grown in the heart of the Touraine appellation on chalky and clay soil vineyards overlooking the river Cher. The wine is fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks for between 8-15 days at 17-19°C. The wine is then further enriched by remaining on its fine lees for 6 months in stainless steel tanks. Fined with bentonite and filtered with Kieselguhr. Residual sugar: 3g/l. Winemaker - Pierre Chainier
New, available 1 June, 572 stores, exclusive, screw cap 12.0%
Elder on the nose. Very catty and strongly Sauvignon taste. Some weight, some fruit. Quite pleasant.

Taste the Difference Pouilly Fumé 2010 £12.49
100% Sauvignon Blanc grapes are hand harvested from the flint and chalk vineyards around the central Loire village of Pouilly sur Loire and vinified in a winery that backs onto the old Roman road leading to Paris. The wine is cool-fermented in stainless steel tanks and then left to mature on its fine lees until racking in the Spring. Residual sugar: <1g/l. Winemaker - André Figeat
New vintage, available end June, 430 stores, exclusive, natural cork 13.5%
Low on the nose. Pithy taste. Quite short. Disappointing. Pleasant, but that’s not enough.

Taste the Difference Sancerre 2010 £12.59
100% Sauvignon Blanc grapes which are hand harvested from flint and chalk vineyards on the hill slopes of Sancerre in the central Loire. The majority of the grapes come from the steep south-facing flint of the ‘Clos du Roc’ vineyard just behind the winery itself. The wine is fermented at cool temperatures in stainless steel before remaining on its fine lees until racking in Spring. Residual Sugar: <1g/l. Winemaker - Florian Mellot.
New vintage, available end of June, 430 stores, exclusive, natural cork and new, lighter ‘ecova’ bottle. 11.0%
Light on the nose. Nicely tangy taste, though. Long, pithy, vibrant. Lovely. *

Taste the Difference Mâcon Villages 2010 £6.49
100% Chardonnay. Blended from three individual Burgundian terroirs including Verzé, Prissé and Milly which have a combination of siliceous and granitic soils. Fermentation takes place at 18°C in stainless steel tanks and then the wine is aged on lees in stainless steel tanks. Fined with bentonite and the filtered with Kieselguhr. Residual sugar: 1g/l. Winemaker - Georges Brichon
New vintage, available from June, 321 stores, exclusive, screw cap 12.5%
Nice leesy nose. Leesy taste as well. Fresh, clean, nicely long taste. Very good price. +

Taste the Difference Petit Chablis 2010 £7.99
100% Chardonnay. Fermentation takes place using carefully selected yeasts - the wine then undergoes malolactic fermentation and then matures on its fine lees in tank for 3 months. It is then aged for a further 3 months in tank before bottling. The wine is bentonite fined and undergoes tangential filtration prior to bottling. Residual sugar: 1g/l.
Winemaker - Bertrand Cherel
New vintage, available end June, 444 stores, exclusive, natural cork 12.0%
Little on the nose. Green, clean and with some length. A good alternative to Chablis AC.

Macon-Villages ‘La Cote Blanche’ Cave de Lugny 2010 £7.99
100% Chardonnay from the south facing vineyards in the villages of Lugny, St Gengoux and Chardonnay on clay and limestone soils with an average vine age of 35 years. The wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks under temperature controlled conditions at 16-18°C. The wine is then matured on lees for 7 months prior to bottling. Bentonite fined and then tangentially filtered. Residual sugar: 1.9g/l. Winemaker - Gregoir Pissot
New, available 1 June, 572 stores, screw cap 13.0%
Some ripe fruit on the nose. Intense flavour. Sits nicely in the mouth. Pretty good.

Taste the Difference Languedoc White AOC 2010 £7.99
40% Grenache Blanc, 20% Marsanne, 20% Viognier and 20% Vermentino. This AOC Languedoc blend is sourced from low yielding vines with an average age of between 20-40 years. Vines are planted on limestone clay soil. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks at 16°C. It is then aged on its lees in stainless steel vats for a minimum of 6 months. Residual sugar: 2.5g/l.
Winemaker - Jean Claude Mas of Domaines Paul Mas
New, available from 1 June, 531 stores, exclusive, FSC certified Diam cork 13.5%
Slightly herbal but interesting nose. Ripe, fruity, spicy and needs full-flavoured food.

Taste the Difference Grüner Veltliner 2010 £7.99
100% Grüner Veltliner grapes from 25 year old vines on limestone soil vineyards on the Pannonian plain and Traisen River in Austria. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks for 10 days at 18°C and the wine remains on its lees for 3 months in stainless steel tanks. Bentonite fined, suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Residual sugar: 2g/l. Winemaker - Markus Huber
New vintage, available June, 223 stores, exclusive, screw cap 12.0%
Little on the nose. Quite fruity taste, which is unexpected. Pithy finish. Fair.

Ascheri Gavi di Gavi 2010 £12.99
100% Cortese grapes from the Ascheri vineyard in the hillside of Piedmont where the vines are planted on clay & marls at an altitude of 280-320m above sea-level. The grapes are hand-harvested and cold fermented at 18°C for 15 days before ageing in stainless steel vats for 4 months. The wine is then bottle aged for a further 2 months before being released.
Residual sugar: 5.1g/l. Winemaker - Giuliano Bedino
New and exclusive, available 1 June, 175 stores, natural cork 13.0%
Lovely nose. Really complex and interesting. Quite sweet, but with a savoury finish. Lots of flavour and body. Yum.*

Sancerre ‘Roc de L’Abbaye’ 2010 £15.99
100% Sauvignon Blanc from one of the most prestigious appellations in the Loire Valley. The grapes are hand picked and the wine is fermented at cool temperatures and then matured on its lees to gain extra richness in flavour. The fruity, mineral style of wine is a reflection of the 3 types of flint found in the vineyards. Residual sugar: <2g/l. Winemaker - Florian Mollet
New and exclusive, available 1 June, 175 stores, natural cork 12.5%
Clean and green nose. Intense and very exciting taste. Just right. Delicious.

Joly Puligny Montrachet Vieilles Vignes 2009 £29.99
100% Chardonnay from Domaine Joly which lies just to the south of the historic village of Puligny Montrachet, in the Cote d’Or. This domaine has belonged to the Joly family for over 80 years and their vineyards cover just under 4 acres on limestone soil. All grapes are vinified on the property and fermentation takes place in a combination of inox tanks and casks. The wine undergoes battonage and is then aged in oak barrels for 12 months. No fining agent is used.
Residual sugar: <2g/l. Winemaker - Sandra Joly
New and exclusive, available 1 June, 55 stores, natural cork 13.0%
Not the aroma I’d be expecting from PM. The taste’s great though. Plenty of oak, and clean fruit. Sits nicely in the mouth. Not tremendously long.

Jean-Paul Mollet Pouilly Fumé ‘Antique’ 2010 £15.99
100% Sauvignon Blanc from old vines in the central Loire appellation of Pouilly Fumé, based around the village of Pouilly sur Loire. Made in the family’s cellars in the village of Boisgibault, the wine is matured in tank on lees until bottling in the spring. This wine has not been cold stabilised or filtered and may throw an entirely natural tartrate sediment. Residual sugar: <2g/l.
Winemaker - Florian Mollet
New vintage, available end June, 175 stores, natural cork 13.0%
Light but fresh nose. Lighter than the Sancerre, but long and very refreshing. Pretty typical but the Roc de l’Abbaye Sancerre is better.

Dr Loosen Gracher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett 2010 £11.99
100% hand picked Riesling from the Graacher Himmelreich vineyard on the banks of the river Mosel. This vineyard’s steep, south east facing slopes and deep soils produce wines that combine the elegance of Wehlen with the rustic strength of Bernkastel. Blue slate in the soil gives mineral character and allows excellent ageing potential. The grapes are cold fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. The wine is fined using Bentonite and Kieselguhr filtration takes place. Residual sugar: 45g/l. Winemaker - Ernst Loosen
New vintage, available now, 175 stores, screw cap 8.5%
Not much on the nose. Delicious taste. Just lovely. So clean and yet ripe. Off dry, luscious and memorable. *

Leitz Rheingau Riesling Spätlese 2009 £12.99
100% Riesling from the banks of the Rhine, made by Johannes Leitz, ‘Gault Millau’ Winemaker of the Year 2011. The grapes are hand harvested and are fermented when they reached optimum ripeness for Spätlese in controlled stainless steel tanks. Residual sugar: 25g/l.
Winemaker - Johannes Leitz
New and exclusive, available 1 June, 55 stores, screw cap 8.5%
A hint of grapefruit on the nose. Quite pithy, almost bitter. It has sweetness but the acidity cuts right through it. I prefer the Dr Loosen Gracher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett at £1 less.

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