La Patrie Gaillac Perlé 2011 £7.99 85% Loin de l’oeil and 15% Mauzac and Muscadelle. The grapes come from south-oriented vineyards on the right bank of the Tarn River with limestone soils and 20 year old vines. The grapes are mechanically harvested and pressed after a short skin maceration. Fermentation takes place at 18-20°C with cold settling. The wine is then left to mature on fine lees in stainless steel tanks. The wine retains very fine bubbles or ‘pearls’ from the fermentation producing a tingle on the tongue hence the name ‘Perlé’. Bentonite and gelatine are used for fining. Residual sugar: <2g/l. Winemaker: Jean-Noël Barrau at Cave de Rabastens. New available mid-October 425 stores exclusive cork 12.0%
Little on the nose. Medium dry and with southern acidity ie not much. Rounded and spicy.

Calvet Alsace Pinot Blanc 2011 £8.99 100% Pinot Blanc from Alsace. The grapes are harvested at perfect ripeness and undergo a traditional vinification with 1 to 2 weeks of alcoholic fermentation under controlled temperatures. The wine is then racked filtered and bottled. Residual sugar: 5g/l. Winemaker: Benoit Pattin at the Arthur Metz Winery (Marlenheim). New available end October 120 stores exclusive screw cap 12.5%
Some pinot spiciness on the nose. Flabby and off dry.  Not for me.

Sancerre Les Caillottes 2011 £11.99 100% Sauvignon Blanc. ‘Les Caillottes’ takes its name from a terroir rich in small limestones known locally as caillottes which are scattered throughout the marl and clay soils. The grapes are pneumatically pressed at a low temperature of 15°C and fermented at a low temperature of 16-20°C in stainless steel vats for 3 weeks. The wine is racked post fermentation and kept at a cool temperature on the fine lees to develop some length before racking at the end of March. The wine is fined with bentonite and membrane filtered prior to bottling. Residual sugar: 0g/l. Winemaker: Vincent Boutin for Pierre Chainier. New vintage available end October 400 stores exclusive screw cap 12.5%
Catty and herbal aroma. Bitter and not particularly pleasant.

TTD Pouilly Fumé 2011 £11.99 100% Sauvignon Blanc made by leading independent vigneron André Figeat on his family’s estate set beside the old Roman road that ran from Paris through to the Mediterranean. André selects the grapes for this cuvée from his domaine’s flint and chalk vineyards around the Central Loire village of Pouilly-sur-Loire. André works with low yields just 55hl/ha in 2010 (vs. the permitted 65) and careful vineyard management to ensure full ripeness. At harvest he adds inert gas to both trailer and press to preserve the characteristic aromas of the grape. After picking André ferments the wine at cool temperatures in stainless steel and then leaves it to mature on its fine lees until racking in the Spring. As the 2011 vintage had slightly lower acidity than usual André has bottled it with a slightly higher level of natural CO2 to help maintain the aromas and freshness of the wine. Residual sugar: <2g/l. New vintage available now 447 stores exclusive Diam cork 13.0%
Quite a ripe and full aroma. Not for the PF purists but it’s easy drinking because it’s rounder and with some sweetness.

Château Le Bernet Bellevue Graves White 2011 Bordeaux £9.99
50% Sémillon 40% Sauvignon Blanc 10% Muscadelle. Grapes are machineharvested and macerated for 12 hours to give body and structure to the wine then pressed and fermented for 10 days at 16°C in stainless steel vats. The wine is then left on the lees before bottling. The Château Le Bernet Bellevue is so-called due to its picturesque hilltop position with unobstructed views of the sundrenched landscape of the stunning Brion Valley South Bordeaux. Residual sugar: <2 g/l. Winemaker: Bruno Dominique and Pascal Guignard of Guignard Frères. New vintage available now 447 stores screw cap 12.0%
You can tell this is mainly semillon.  I was expecting some sauvignon on the nose and it’s muted by the semillon.  Savoury palate. Maybe with food.

Saint-Véran Blason de Bourgogne 2010 £10.99 100% Chardonnay from famous terroirs of the Saint-Véran area in Burgundy. The grapes are grown on limestone and clay soils with a south-east exposure. The grapes were mechanically harvested in September 2010 from selected vineyards before pneumatic pressing and cold settling prior to fermentation. Fermentation is carried out with carefully selected yeasts in stainless steel tanks. The wine is then matured for 12 months on fine lees in tank. Bentonite is used for fining and the wine is aged in stainless steel tanks for 6 months prior to bottling. Residual sugar: 1.2g/l. Winemaker: Georges Brichon. New vintage available now 330 stores screw cap 13.0%
Lemony aroma.  Lacking much beauty.  I haven’t rated this wine highly in the past.

TTD Chilean Sauvignon Blanc 2012 £6.99
100% Sauvignon Blanc sourced primarily from the Errazuriz vineyards in the Casablanca Valley. This vintage also includes 15% fruit from Errazuriz’s newest vineyard at Manzanar in the Aconcagua Costa region of the Aconcagua Valley 12km from the coast. Here the vines are subject to a significant coastal influence that moderates temperatures during the ripening period. The grapes are hand-picked in early to mid March and the must is then lightly cold-clarified and fermented in stainless steel tanks at 12–16°C. Fermentation lasts 15 to 20 days after which the separate lots are aged on their lees for 3 months. Residual sugar: 2.67g/l. Winemaker: Wladimir Medel at the Errazuriz Winery. New vintage available December 461 stores exclusive screw cap 13.5%
Strongly catty aroma – very inviting actually. Savoury green and bright.  It’s not Marlborough but it’s bright and rather nice.

TTD Coolwater Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2012 £8.99 100% Sauvignon Blanc carefully blended from parcels that predominantly come from Yealand’s vineyard in the Awatere Valley Marlborough. The grapes are machine-harvested at optimal ripeness chilled gently pressed fermented cool stabilised and filtered prior to bottling. Residual sugar: 3.5g/l. Winemaker: Tamra Washington of Yealands Estate Winery - a family owned carbon neutral winery located in the Awatere Valley Marlborough New Zealand. New vintage available now 587 stores exclusive screw cap 13.0%
Crisp green pepper aroma. Carries through onto the palate. Crisp and very tasty. Good.

Mount Riley Sauvignon Blanc 2012 £9.49 100% Sauvignon Blanc over 90% from the Wairau Valley and the balance from the Awatere Valley. Marlborough’s 2012 growing season was long due to cool Summer temperatures and the harvest was low yielding as a result of cool weather during flowering. The grapes are machine-harvested then crushed and de-stemmed prior to pressing. Fermentation in stainless steel tanks is induced with carefully selected yeast strains then carried out over a period of 17-25 days at 9-13°C to preserve aromatics. The wine is fined using milk and isinglass and filtered to 0.45 micron. Residual sugar: 3g/l. Winemaker: Matt Murphy from Mount Riley a family-owned and operated winery in Marlborough. New vintage available end October 536 stores exclusive screw cap 13.0%
Quite a floral and creamy aroma. Very savoury salty taste.  Might suit some people. Really very salty.

Giesen Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2012 £9.49 100% Sauvignon Blanc from 40 separate Giesen and contract-grown vineyards spread the length and breadth of Marlborough’s Wairau Valley. Juice from all vineyards is fermented separately at relatively cool temperatures using selected aromatic yeast strains. At the end of fermentation each wine is tasted and evaluated prior to blending to build up a database so helping to plan for each vineyard for the year ahead. Residual sugar: 3.5g/l. Winemakers: Andrew Blake Anna Kingscote and Hamish Kempthorne. New vintage available end October 587 stores screw cap 13.0%
Light and refreshing aroma. Savoury palate.  Nice long flavour.  I preferred the 2011.

Waipara Hills Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2012 £9.49 100% Sauvignon Blanc from a variety of vineyards around the Marlborough region. Typically the vineyards have alluvial soils and a maritime climate. Grapes are machine-harvested and vinified in stainless steel tanks with a range of yeasts at cool temperatures (12-15°C) for approximately three weeks to ensure maximum freshness. After being racked off the lees the wine is kept chilled for several weeks prior to being warmed before blending and undergoing a light bentonite fining followed by crossflow filtration before bottling. Residual sugar: 3.5g/l. Winemaker: Simon McGeorge at the Waipara Hills Winery established in 2001. New vintage available now 237 stores screw cap 13.0%
Floral and inviting nose. Spicy herbal and crunchily fresh taste.  Good.

Villa Maria Reserve Clifford Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2012 £13.99 100% Sauvignon Blanc from a variety of low to moderate yielding vineyards in the Awatere Valley of Marlborough featuring a spread of vine ages and viticultural techniques. The common thread through all the vineyards is close attention to vine balance and health which enables the vineyard to optimise the site expression and unique characteristics of the Awatere Valley. The fruit is de-stemmed and cool-fermented in stainless steel tanks with inoculated yeast strains to maximise the aromatics. The wine is matured for four months on lees before being gently fined and filtered prior to bottling. Residual sugar: 2.25g/l. Winemaker: Jeremy McKenzie at Villa Maria’s Marlborough winery.New vintage available now 116 stores screw cap 13.0%
Clearly and obviously of better quality even from one sniff.  This has more weight more flavour more fruit. Long and intense.



House Sauvignon Blanc NV £4.49 100% Sauvignon Blanc from vineyards that are situated in the centre of the Breedekloof Valley of the Western Cape. The grapes are harvested in the early morning hours to maintain juice quality and minimise oxidation. The wine has a maximum of 12 hours skin contact with temperatures as low as 10°C. The wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks at temperatures of 12–14°C for about 14 days and lees contact for at least 4 months. The wine is then fined and cold-stabilised prior to crossflow filtration and bottling. Residual sugar: 1.6g/l. Winemaker: Nicolaas Rust at UniWines. New blend available now 548 stores exclusive screw cap 12.5%
Oh dear! Tasted straight after the Villa Maria which is full on and about 3x the price this appears very drab. There’s no varietal character on the nose.  It’s dry and has some sauvignon on the finish but by that time it’s too late.

Porcupine Ridge Sauvignon Blanc 2012 £7.99 100% Sauvignon Blanc from Robertson Malmesbury and Stellenbosch. The wine is cold-fermented under reductive conditions in stainless steel tanks with lees contact for three months. Residual sugar: 1.8 g/l. Winemaker: Marc Kent at Boekenhoutskloof the current Platter Guide Winery of the Year. New vintage available end October 461 stores screw cap 12.5%
Clean green aroma. Rather astringent and spring oniony taste. Not good.

Bellingham The Bernard Series Roussanne 2010 W.O. Paarl £9.99100% Roussanne from free-draining mountain top vineyards in Paarl. The grapes are hand-harvested and fermented at 16ºC in stainless steel. A small portion is matured in small oak barrels for a short period to enhance complexity and texture. The wine sits on fine lees for six months again to enhance the texture. Residual sugar: 3.55g/l. Winemaker: Niel Groenewald.New vintage available now 116 stores exclusive screw cap 14.5%
A bit stinky. Sweet ripe and quite spicy taste  Interesting.

Evans and Tate Split River Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2011 £9.99 60% Semillon 27% Sauvignon Blanc 9% Chenin Blanc 4% Chardonnay from Margaret River (86%) and Pemberton (14%). The fruit is harvested in the coolest part of the night to capture the freshness in all varieties. The cool grapes are then quickly delivered to the winery and de-stemmed only (no crushing) before being softly pressed in an airbag press with only the highest quality juice being used to make this wine. The juice is settled for 2-3 days at 10°C before the clear juice is racked off and warmed ready for yeast inoculation. A strong cool fermentation follows and then most batches are clarified to remove the yeast lees before being chilled stabilised and filtered once prior to an early bottling. Residual sugar: 0.53 g/l. Winemaker: Matthew Byrne at Evans and Tate. Available now 237 stores screw cap 12.5%
Light on the nose. Hard and astringent palate.

TTD Hunter Valley Semillon 2006 £9.99 100% Semillon Blanc sourced from the Hunter Valley in New South Wales. Once received at the winery the hand-picked grapes are de-stemmed gently crushed and the juice allowed to drain off. After 48hrs settling the clear juice is racked and inoculated by natural yeast. The fermentation is slow and cold to retain flavour. One month after fermentation the wine is stabilised and filtered and has no oak treatment to ensure pure fruit expression. The wine is bottle-aged to gain complexity. Residual sugar: <1g/l. Winemaker: Gareth Stephens at The Mount Pleasant Winery. Available now 237 stores exclusive screw cap 10.5%
This wine which my Sainsbury’s has decided to stop stocking is absolutely gorgeous.  It shouts of HV semillon.  Lovely promise of structure on the nnose. Savoury waxy and bright.

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