Tasted 24th May 2011
England
Bolney Estate Foxhole Vineyard Pinot Noir 2010 Sussex, England 11.99
100% Pinot Noir grapes from the Bolney Wine Estate at the 39 acre Bookers Vineyard in the heart of rural Sussex. The grapes were warm
fermented to aid colour, flavour and tannin extraction for 3 days, then the juice pressed from the skins and ferment completed at a
cooler temperature with a slower more gentle finish. Aged for 6 weeks in 2 year old oak barrels (75% French and 25% American oak)
and full malolactic. Winemaker Sam Linter. Alc 12.85%, TA 4.5g/l, pH 3.61. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 16 branches.
The very palest colour. Like a Spanish Rosado. Light, fresh, cherry nose. Very light taste indeed, with a slight sparkle. Blind, I’d think this was a rosé. It’s pleasant, actually, but realistically, it’s rosé.
Romania
La Umbra Merlot 2009 Dealurile Munteniei, Romania 5.99
Buyer’s Highlight- New to the range and exclusive to Waitrose, this is a fruit-packed Merlot made from hand-picked grapes grown in
the foothills of the Carpathian mountains. It really shows the quality and modern style winemakers are now achieving in Romania.
100% Merlot from young vines which were planted in 2006 on chalky soils, interspersed with marine fossils. The vines enjoy a sunny
exposition on south, south-east facing slopes in the foothills of the Carpathian mountains. The days are warm and nights are cool in this
region, which lies at the same latitude as Piedmont in Italy. The grapes were hand-harvested in October 2009, overseen by two winemakers:
Lorena Deaconu, a native Romanian; and Italian consultant winemaker Fiorenzo Rista. The fruit was macerated and fermented at 28°C for
10 days. Alc 14.0%, TA 5.17, pH 3.6, RS 7.44g/l. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 238 branches.
Refreshing cherry on the nose. Bright and fresh taste with a touc of oak on the finish. Good. Wouldn’t necessarily guess it was Merlot, but it’s very appealing.
Bulgaria
Enira 2007 Thracian Lowlands, Bulgaria 9.99
80% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Syrah from the Bessa Valley. The vines are 6 - 10 years old, planted on clay-limestone soils
with gravel, on a gentle south-facing slope at 5,000vines/ha. Grapes hand-picked at optimum ripeness, in a relatively late harvest which
was delayed by rain. Cold maceration pre-ferment for 5 days at 12 - 16°C. Fermented in concrete vats at 28 - 30°C for 8 - 10 days with
regular pumpovers and pigeage. Natural malo in tank and aged in oak barrels for 12 months (50% 1-year-old, 50% 2-year-old).
Winemaker Marc Dworkin. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Alc 14.82%, TA 5.4g/l, pH 3.5, RS 3.4g/l. Available from Waitrose Wine
Direct and 237 branches.
Very tall, thin, bottle. Showing its age. Beautiful aroma. Heady, tropical fruit aroma. Oak, but it’s older and gentle. This is lovely. Perfectly judged age. It is absolutely perfect now. Buy this for a dinner party of wine friends. They’ll love it and be interested in its origin. Really, this is beautiful. If you like wood and age. *
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