Beaujolais
Waitrose 2011 Beaujolais, France 6.99
100% Gamay from vineyards in the southern part of the Beaujolais region, planted on granite, clay and sandstone. Yields are in the region of 45hl/ha and the vineyards are south-east facing for maximum ripeness. The grapes were harvested by hand and fermented at 28 - 32°Cwith a period of semi-carbonic maceration in stainless steel tanks. Matured on lees in tank for 7 - 10 months. Winemaker Georges Duboeuf.
Suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Alc 12.5%, TA 5.1g/l, pH 3.5, RS 1.5g/l. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 274 branches.
Gorgeous, fruity nose. Really inviting. Savoury and definitely gamay, but not too confected. Imagine eating dried strawberries.
Henry Fessy 2011 Brouilly, Beaujolais, France 10.99
100% Gamay grapes from the vineyards of Brouilly, the most southerly of all the Beaujolais crus. 50 year-old vines planted on granite and schist soil situated 50km north of Lyon. Pruned using the Gobelet style with a density of 10,000vines/ha. Harvested by hand from the 25th - 28th August 2011. The grapes underwent a short pre-ferment maceration, and were then fermented with selected yeast for 5 - 7 days at a max. temperature of 26°C with regular pumpovers. 100% malo, no oak. Winemaker Laurent Chevalier. Suitable for vegetarians. Alc 13%, TA 5.10g/l, pH 3.5, RS 1.0g/l. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 178 branches.
Savoury aroma. Smooth, serious wine. Intense flavour and crisp acidity. Very good.
Burgundy
Joseph Drouhin, Chorey lès Beaune £15.99
100% pinot noir. Grapes were harvested by hand into small wooden crates and maceration and vinification took 2-3 weeks, with indigenous yeasts and controlled fermentation temperatures. Extraction was carefully controlled, with pigeage once a day at the start of the fermentation and remontage until fermentation was finished. Matured in French oak, 10% new, for 12-15 months. Winemaker Veronique Boss-Drouhin. Alc 13%, TA 5.7 g/l, pH 3.38, RS 1.9 g/l. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 226 branches.
Wonderful, wonderful aroma for the pinot nuts. What joy! Intensely, elegantly pinot on the nose, with some white pepper. The perfect red Burgundy palate. It hangs, effortlessly and gently, in the mouth giving exactly the right amount of fruit and savoury balance. Would love a case of this The price is great.
Domaine Lucien Muzard 2009 Santenay, Premier Cru Maladière, Burgundy, France 19.99
100% Pinot Noir, from the Maladière vineyard, a rocky slope, steep and south-east facing, on a cracked limestone subsoil with thin marl topsoil. Debudding in spring and no chemicals used - estate has now been granted the Ecocert certification with this vintage 2011. Vines are
45 years-old and were hand-harvested in mid-Sept with a yield of 45hl/ha. The grapes were 100% destemmed and alcoholic fermentation lasted 20 days in vats. Aged for 12 months in oak barrels with 30% new oak. Winemakers are brothers, Herve and Claude Muzard. Neither fined nor filtered prior to bottling so suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Alc 13%, TA 3.79g/l, pH 3.42. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 21 branches.
An appealing bacony nose. Gorgeous oaky, quite textured for pinot, savoury palate.
Nicolas Potel 2009 Nuits-Saint-Georges, Burgundy, France 24.99
100% Pinot Noir from 10 different vineyard parcels, with vines 40 - 60 years old planted on pebbly silt. The grapes were harvested by hand and sorted manually on arrival at the winery. All the fruit was destemmed then cold macerated for 6 days at 8°C. Fermented at 30°C for 10 days in stainless steel tanks, with punch downs 3 times per day and pumpovers twice per day for the first 5 days. 10% of the final blend was aged in new 228l Burgundian oak barrels, 60% in 1-year-old barrels and 30% in 2-year-old oak. Alc 13.0%. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 20 branches.
Warm, calming, smooth nose. The palate is good, but I prefer the Chorey Les Beaune, because it has more bite, more excitement. And practically half the price.
Bordeaux
Château Tour Chapoux 2011 Bordeaux Supérieur, France 9.89
80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. Vines are 25 years old and planted at 4,500vines/ha on clay and limestone soils to the extreme east of the Bordeaux region. Harvest was very early and grapes had optimal maturity with a yield of 50hl/ha. Free-run juice only, fermented in stainless steel tanks with thermoregulation at 28 - 30°C for 20 days, with daily pumping-over, then matured in concrete and stainless steel vats for 10 months. Bottled July 2012. Winemaker Charles-Henri Bisson. Alc 13.3%, TA 2.0g/l, pH 3.6, RS 2.0g/l.
IWSC and IWC Bronze Medal Winner. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 259 branches.
Light on the nose. Stalky and savoury palate. Just enough ripe fruit. Very French.
Baron des Tours 2011 Médoc, Bordeaux, France 10.49
50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc. The vines are planted on clay and limestone soils and tended with traditional viticulture. Grapes were machine-harvested in late September with a yield of 50hl/ha. Fermented in stainless steel tanks with no oak influence. Winemaker Carole Buchou. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Alc 13%, TA 5.13g/l, pH 3.66, RS 1.7g/l. IWSC Bronze Medal Winner. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 234 branches.
Very Medoc. Cedar, savoury aroma. A big mouthful. A lot of oak, a fair blast of alcohol and some ripe fruit. Nowhere near New World.
Château Segonzac Oak Aged 2010 Premières Côtes de Blaye, Bordeaux, France 9.99
60% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Malbec. Château Segonzac was founded in 1887 by the then French Agricultural Minister - it is now owned by Thomas Herter. Located 50km north of Bordeaux, 3km downstream from the walled city of Blaye. The 30ha vineyard is planted on limestone and clay at a density of 5,500vines/ha, facing south-southwest on a sunny slope. The grapes were harvested at their ripest and a reduced yield of 50hl/ha. A cool fermentation took place with micro-oxygenation. The new wine was stored in tanks for 4 months and for 9 months in oak barrels. Alc 15.1%, TA 3.5g/l, pH 3.5, RS 0.75g/l. IWSC Bronze Medal Winner. Special Offer, Save 20%, £9.99 - £7.99 from 10/10 to 30/10. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 176 branches.
Nice woody, farmyardy nose. The farmyard continues into the mouth. This is 15.5%!! What are they thinking? It’s quite a nice wine, but the finish is hot. What a pity.
Château Laroque 2008 Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France 26.99
87% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon from a vineyard plot of 27ha in Saint Christophe des Bardes, just outside Saint Émilion. The vines are 35 years old, planted on clay and limestone soil at density of 5,500vines/ha, yielding 45hl/ha and tended with lutte raisonnée. Grapes were hand-harvested in mid-late Oct, sorted twice, once in the vineyard and again at the winery. Cold soaked at 15°C for 48 hours, then fermented in temperature-controlled cement tanks with selected yeast for 21 - 28 days. Gently pressed in a pneumatic press then 80% matured in tank and 20% in French oak barrels for 18 - 20 months (50% new and 50% 1 year old). Bottled May 2010. Winemaker Bruno Sainson. Suitable for vegetarians. Alc 14%, TA 3.6g/l, pH 3.43, RS < 3.0g/l. DWWA Silver Medal Winner. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 153 branches.
Mmm lovely aroma. Like new oak barrels. Quite a woody taste, but it is really lovely. Spicy, balanced, refreshing. Yum.
Château Saint-Pierre 2007 Saint-Julien, Bordeaux, France 50.00
75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. The vineyard is owned by Mr and Mrs Triaud and is planted on gravel soils overlaying clay and sand. Traditionally tended with hand-harvesting of the grapes and a manual sorting to discard any sub-standard berries. Winemaker, Monsieur di Costanzo ages 60% of the final blend in new French oak barrels with the remainder being matured in 2nd fill oak. Alc 13.2%, RS 0.2g/l. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 4 branches.
It’s only 10% cabernet franc but the nose has that fresh, green Loire thing about it. There’s also ripe blackcurrants, spicy oak. It feels a bit warmer than 13.2% quoted, but the flavour is delicious. Oaky, savoury, with a little bottle age on the fruit. Very good. Damn, just seen the price. Gorgeous after-taste as well.
South of France
Waitrose Southern French Grenache 2011 IGP Pays d’Oc, France 7.99
100% Grenache Noir from a single block of old vines in the Gard region of Southern France. Largely grown on the limestone hills, these old vines were machine-harvested in the 3rd week of September. The fruit was vinified with traditional techniques of using concrete vats, daily délestage and remontage for 18 days. No oak. The vineyard is run on organic principles however it is not accredited. Winemaker Eric Monnin.
Alc 14.5%. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 153 branches.
Sweet berry fruits on the nose. Nicely rich, berry – maybe fruits of the forest – palate. The alcohol slightly leads, but it is Grenache. Nice wine at a good price.
Château Saint Nicolas 2011 Côtes du Roussillon, France 7.99
30% Syrah, 60% Grenache and 10% Carignan. Wine has been made at Château Saint Nicolas since the 10th Century and the estate is flanked by the Mediterranean Sea and the imposing, snow-covered Pyrenees. Soil is limestone and sand and the 40-year old vines which yield just 25 -
30hl/ha are Guyot trained. Grapes were vinified with traditional winemaking techniques - the fruit was pressed into concrete and stainless steel tanks, then fermented for 2 - 4 weeks at 23 - 30°C with pigeage and daily pumpovers to extract concentration and add depth and flavour. Matured in tank. Winemaker Eric Monnin. Alc 14.0%, TA 3.8g/l, pH 3.6, RS <2.0g/l. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 249 branches.
Another fruits of the forest nose. Lovely taste. Quite herbal. If you can’t decide between the WR Southern French Grenache and this one, at the same price, pick this one. It has another dimension, a weight, a length. Good.
Château Aydie Vignobles Laplace 2009 Madiran, France 13.49
100% Tannat from a private estate, owned for 4 generations by the Laplace family. Vines are planted on clay and chalk hillsides and are 38 years old, at a density of 6,000vines/ha. Grapes were hand-harvested at 42hl/ha and given a cold pre-ferment maceration at 10°C for 5 days in wooden vats, followed by a warmer maceration for a further 27 days. Fermented at 22°C with natural yeast, light pigeage and micro-oxygenation. Malolactic and maturation for 18 months in 400l oak barrels. Bottled in June 2012. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
Alc 13.6%, TA 3.7g/l, pH 3.7, RS < 2g/l. DWWA Bronze Medal Winner. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 240 branches.
Deep, liquorice aroma. Pretty tannic. Don’t try and drink this without steak. However, with it, it’d be gorgeous. Savoury and dark.
Château L’Hospitalet, La Réserve, La Clape 2010 Coteaux du Languedoc, France 11.99
40% Syrah, 30% Grenache, and 30% Mourvèdre. The vines are 30 years old and planted at a density of 4,500vines/ha, yielding 40hl/ha. Grapes were hand-harvested starting in mid-Sept followed by total destemming. Fermented in small stainless steel tanks for 2 - 3 weeks with pumping over twice a day in small capacity with long soft cycles. Malolactic fermentation took place in 225l French oak barrels, where the wine was subsequently aged for 12 -15 months. Winemaker Gérard Bertrand. Alc 14.5%, TA 0.78g/l, pH 3.77, RS <1g/l. DWWA Silver Medal Winner. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 123 branches.
I bought a load of this last time it was on offer. Sadly, there are no offers listed here. Blackcurrant aroma without being leafy like claret. There’s also a sweet, vanilla note about it. This Bertrand chap knows a thing about wine. It is sweet, despite <1 gram of residual sugar. It is a very attractive mouthful. Quite savoury and herbal on the finish. Spicy and exciting.
Rhône
Cave de Saint-Desirat 2009 Saint-Joseph, Rhône, France 12.99
100% Syrah from 30 year-old vines planted at 140 - 250m altitude on steep, mainly south-facing slopes on a multitude of terraces supported by dry-stone walls called ‘chalets’. The soil is granite and rock with a shallow arable surface and the vines are planted at a density of 5,500 vines/ha and gobelet pruned. Grapes were hand-harvested with a yield of 37hl/ha. No pressing and fruit was 100% destemmed before a 4 - 5 day cold maceration at 5°C. Fermentation took place in stainless steel, lasting 10 days at 28 - 31°C with regular pumpovers and pigeage, followed by an inoculated malo. Stored in stainless steel tanks with no barrel ageing or fining. Suitable for
vegetarians. Alc 12.8%. IWSC and DWWA Silver Medal Winner. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 254 branches.
Quite a stinky nose. This is good, but £12.99 is pushing it, although for a St Joseph it’s reasonable. Perhaps I just don’t understand St Joseph.
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