Man O'War Valhalla Chardonnay 2009 Waiheke Island, New Zealand
23.99
100% Chardonnay from the eastern end of Waiheke Island. Man O' War Station is spread across 4,500 acres of rugged coastal farmland. Grapes were hand-harvested from late-Feb to mid-March and whole bunch pressed before the un-racked, cloudy juice underwent a wild fermentation. The wines were then left to evolve over the winter without disturbance of the lees. Matured in 20% new 500l puncheons and 80% in 1-year-old, seasoned oak. Sulphured in the Spring to prevent malolactic fermentation from taking place and bottled prior to the following harvest. Winemaker Duncan McTavish. Alc 14.5%, TA 7.7g/l, pH 3.18, RS <2.0g/l. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 4 branches.
Golden colour. Quite a reductive aroma. White peppery. Well, what an extraordinary wine. Think white Burgundy. Oaky, rich, bright, exciting. A pity about the aroma. Chill it, pour it into a jug and leave for half an hour then pour back in the bottle. It’s fascinating.
Te Whare Ra TWR Gewürztraminer 2010 Renwick, Marlborough, New Zealand
19.99
100% Gewürztraminer. Te Whare Ra (pronounced TePharéeRha) translates from Maori to ‘house of the sun’. Vines are some of Marlborough’s very oldest, planted in 1979. They are extremely low cropping and only 14 rows in the vineyard are chosen for this wine. Estate is managed biodynamically and grapes were hand-picked and hand-sorted again in the winery. Fruit was destemmed and gently pressed in an airbag press. Fermented in
100% stainless steel at 10 - 12°C with specially selected aromatic yeasts. The majority of parcels spent time on the lees for added texture and flavour. Only 310 cases x 6 produced. Winemakers and owners Anna and Jason Flowerday. Alc 14.2%, TA 5.5g/l, pH 3.6, RS 15g/l. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 3 branches.
Beautifully rosy nose. Pretty sweet and floral. Like pink sweets. This would have to be a dessert wine.
Blackburn & James Chardonnay/Viognier 2011 Lodi, California
8.99
Produced by Bear Creek Winery in Lodi, the Chardonnay and Viognier were machine-harvested in the very early morning pre-sunrise at cool temperatures. Reductive winemaking techniques were used. Fermented in stainless steel for up to 3 weeks at low temperatures. Small amount of oak influence used on the Chardonnay portion of the wine, with a combination of both American and French oak. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Alc 13.0%. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 255 branches.
Quite a catty nose. Sweet, fruity and easy.
First Press Chardonnay 2010 Napa Valley, California
16.99
98% Chardonnay and 2% other white varieties primarily from the Yountville region of Napa Valley, with smaller portions from the warmer Rutherford district and also from the Russian River Valley. 2010 was an overall cooler vintage in Napa Valley with yields just below average. Partly fermented in stainless steel and partly in oak for depth and complexity. After primary fermentation, 50% of final blend underwent malo. Matured in combination of French and American oak for 6 months on yeast lees with bi-monthly stirring. Winemaker James Ewart. Alc 14.5%, TA 5.0g/l, pH 3.29, RS 2.0g/l. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 252 branches.
Ripe and tropical nose. Very toasty flavour. Not for me.
MontGras Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2011 San Antonio Valley, Chile
8.99
100% Sauvignon Blanc from a family-run vineyard worked sustainably in the stunning San Antonio region and just 12km from the Pacific Ocean. Vines are 10 years old and planted on granite soils with alluvial deposits. Grapes were hand-harvested from the 18th to the 29th March, destemmed and gently pneumatically pressed. Fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks at 12 - 16°C. Bentonite fined. Winemaker Santiago Margozzini. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Alc 13.5%, TA 5.4g/l, pH 3.15, RS 2.0g/l. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 255 branches.
Tropical, ripe, creamy sauvignon. The palate is like gooseberry fool. Sweet and lovely. Not for the Loire-ists.
Viña Leyda Garuma Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2011 Leyda Valley, Chile
10.99
100% Sauvignon Blanc (Clone 1 Davis), made with grapes taken from the coolest area in the Viña Leyda vineyards, with southerly exposure, so it is the last Sauvignon Blanc to be harvested. Fruit was hand-picked early in the morning on 14th and 30th March and 9th April. Perfect clusters were selected on a sorting table, cold macerated in the pneumatic press at 8°C for 12 hours and then pressed at low bar, separating the free run juice only for this wine. Juice was then chilled to 8ºC, clarified and fermented in stainless steel tanks at 12.5 - 16.0°C for 22 days until dryness. Left on lees for 4 months. Winemaker Viviana Navarrete. Alc 13.5%, TA 5.01g/l, pH 3.16, RS 1.5g/l. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 45 branches.
Green gooseberry aroma. You could mistake this for Marlborough. Bright acidity, gooseberry flavour which lasts and lasts. Lovely.
Tabalí Encantado Reserva Especial Chardonnay 2011 Limarí Valley, Chile
11.49
100% Chardonnay from vineyards planted 29kms from the Pacific Ocean, which has a great influence on the climate due to the Humboldt Current cooling the area. Grapes were hand-harvested in the 2nd week of April and then placed in 20kg crates. Rigorously sorted and destalked before being cold macerated for 3 days at 8°C. Majority of the blend was fermented in small, temperature controlled stainless steel tanks, with the remainder being vinified in French oak barrels with regular bâtonnage until bottling. Winemaker Felipe Muller. Alc 13.5%, TA 4.12g/l, pH 3.30, RS 1.4g/l. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 265 branches.
1st bottle ?corked.
2nd bottle. Ripe and fruity. Lovely taste. Just a duff bottle.
Cederberg Waitrose Foundation Chenin Blanc 2011 South Africa
8.99
100% Chenin Blanc from the highest lying vineyards in the Cape Wine lands, 950 - 1,050m above sea level. Sustainable viticulture with organic practices followed for the last 10 years to create this, their first organically grown Chenin Blanc. Grapes were handpicked and had skin contact for 8 hours, then gently pressed and the juice settled at 10°C. Fermented at 12°C with selected yeast for 24 days in stainless steel tanks then matured on own lees plus Sauvignon Blanc lees for 5 months with weekly bâtonnage. Winemaker David Nieuwoudt. Suitable for vegetarians. Alc 13.0%, TA 6.7g/l, pH 3.42, RS 2.4g/l. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 241 branches.
Wet-woolly nose. Bright acidity and a hint of sweetness.
De Grendel Sauvignon Blanc 2011 Cape of Good Hope, Coastal Region, South Africa
10.99
100% Sauvignon Blanc from the De Grendel vineyards situated 7km from the Atlantic Ocean. Vines are grown on slopes 200m above sea level, on soils of well-drained broken shale. Satellite images were used to classify the vineyards according to growing patterns. 9 lots were vinified individually and blended afterwards to ensure complexity and depth. All the fruit was hand-picked during early morning and received skin contact, followed by 3 days of settling, racking and inoculation with selected yeast cultures. Fermentation lasted 14 - 22 days at 13°C, followed by 100 days of full lees contact. Alc 13.7%, TA 6.2g/l, pH 3.31, RS 2.8g/l. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 217 branches.
The nose on this is a little reductive. Green, clean and pleasant.
Vredenhof Cellar Reserve Chardonnay 2011 Western Cape, South Africa
6.99
100% Chardonnay sourced from vineyards in Robertson and Wellington, selected based on terroir and varietal style. Every block is vinified separately in appointed cellars under the explicit direction of oenologist, Jaco Potgieter. Grapes were fermented in stainless steel tanks at 14 - 16°C with toasted French oak staves. The young wine was then racked off and left on the fine lees for complexity and integration. Final blending and bottling took place at the cellars in Wellington. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Alc 14%, TA 5.9g/l, pH 3.63, RS 4.5g/l. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 269 branches.
Slightly catty nose. Nice, bright and fresh taste. Good price.
Rustenberg Chardonnay 2011 Stellenbosch, South Africa
12.99
100% Chardonnay from the north-west slopes of the Helderberg and Simonsberg Mountains in Stellenbosch. Vines are 10 - 26 years old, planted at an altitude of 300 - 450m and the dominant soil is a mixture of Tukulu and Hutton decomposed granite. Grapes were hand harvested between 1st and 28th Feb, then whole-bunch pressed very slowly with a pneumatic bag press. After 24 hours cold settling in stainless steel tanks, the juice was drained off into 40% new and 60% 2nd-fill Burgundian 300l hogsheads for natural fermentation. Matured in oak for 12 months with fortnightly bâtonnage and a natural malo. Bottled March 2012. Winemaker Randolph Christians. Alc 14.17%, TA 6.0g/l, pH 3.45, RS 3.0g/l. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 252 branches.
Lovely expensive oak on the nose. New, and so inviting. White Burgundy look-alike. Oaky with bright and lovely fruit. Fair price. Good dinner party white.
Fox Gordon Family Sauvignon Blanc 2011 Adelaide Hills, Australia
11.99
100% Sauvignon Blanc from the Atkins Family Vineyard at Kuipto Forest belonging to Sam and Rachel Atkins - one of the coldest, latest ripening areas of the Adelaide Hills. The slopes and aspect of the vineyard face both east and west enabling different parcels of fruit to be picked at different times for complexity. Leaves were plucked on the western side to enable the sunlight to penetrate and the grapes were machine-harvested in late-March with a yield of 84hl/ha. Fruit was pressed in a small press and, following fermentation, lees contact was used to develop flavour on the mid-palate. A small % was put through a warmer ferment to increase mouthfeel. No oak. Not fined - just cold settled. Winemaker Tash Mooney. Alc 13.0%, pH 3.29, RS 1.38g/l. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 217 branches.
Light, catty, fresh nose. Light and rather Australian. They just don’t get close to NZ or Chile. Lacking intensity.
McWilliam's Isabelle Mount Pleasant Tumbarumba Chardonnay 2011 Victoria, Australia
9.99
100% Chardonnay, hand-picked in mid-March over 3 days from 3 different vineyards, with red clay soils over decomposed granite. Grapes were transported in cold trucks to the winery and whole bunch pressed at 4°C. 30% of the wine was sent direct to barrel, the balance was put in tank and allowed to settle for 12 hours. Lightly racked the following morning to a buffer tank, before yeasting with a strain designed to enhance stucture and fruit concentration. Ferment lasted 22 days, followed by bâtonnage every 2nd day for 8 weeks in French oak, 10% new. After 9 months, the barrels were individually assessed and blended to a true Tumbarumba style. Alc 13.0%, TA 3.32g/l, pH 7.54, RS 1.61g/l. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 225 branches.
Wonderful aroma. Seems a little semillon-like. Pithy and waxy nose. Full, with texture. Nice wine.
Tyrrell's Single Vineyard Belford Semillon 2006 Hunter Valley, SE Australia
17.99
100% Semillon from dry grown vines which are 79 years old. The Belford Vineyard is 4.92has, planted on ancient river beds on fine sandy loam soils, situated 15km north/north-west of the Tyrrell’s winery. The grapes were harvested 2nd week in February 2006. This vintage experienced more moderate temperatures with some rain. A cool fermentation lasted for 6 days in stainless steel, the wine was then immediately racked off gross lees to settle on secondary lees for 4 weeks before clarification. Fined, filtered and bottled in June 2006. Winemaker Andrew Spinaze. Suitable for vegetarians. Alc 11.0%, TA 6.47g/l, pH 2.96, RS 3.5g/l. Available from Waitrose Wine Direct and 10 branches.
This label has four gold medals on it. It has the perfect HV semillon nose. Richly waxy, herbal and heady with ripe fruit. Savoury, almost salty, and a little less weighty than the Vat 1. Maybe a little short. The Vat 1 is more expensive, but better.