Tesco Red Burgundy Pinot Noir 2011
£6.99
Smells slightly nutty. The taste is similar. Nicely fruity but with a slightly bitter finish.
Produced by Louis Josse
Pinot Noir 100%
12.5 % alc

Labrune Pinot Noir 2012
£5.99
Little aroma. Toasty flavour. Not a bad price.
Produced by Les Grands Chais de France (LGCF)
Pinot Noir 100%
12.5 % alc

Tesco French Red, Vin de France
£3.75
Cherry aroma. Dry and slightly lacking fruit. Fair price.
Produced by Les Grands Chais de France (LGCF)
Grenache 50%, Carignan 25%, Merlot 25%
12 % alc

Cuvee Prestige Vin de France
£4.79
Almost no aroma. Over ripe fruity palate. Not nice.
Produced by Les Jardins du Languedoc
Cinsault 40%, Carignan 40%, Merlot 20%
11.5 % alc

Lucien Marcel Vin de Pays de l'Herault 2012
£5.99
Fruity nose. Vinegary palate.
Produced by Les Grands Chais de France (LGCF)
Carignan 80%, Grenache Noir 20%
12.5 % alc

Tesco Corbieres
£4.49
Light on aroma. Spicy but a bit bitter.
Produced by Les Grands Chais de France (LGCF)
Carignan 100%
11 % alc

Marselan Rare, Pays d'Oc Petites Ballades 2012
£5.99
Quite a farmyardy nose. Same on the palate. Quite good.
Produced by Les Jardins du Languedoc
Marselan 100%
12.5 % alc

Fontenoi Fitou 2012
£7.99
Pleasant enough spicy aromas. Dry, spicy and rustic. Not bad.
Produced by Les Grands Chais de France (LGCF)
Carignan 60%, Grenache 20%, Syrah 20%
13.5 % alc

Petits Détours Ventoux 2012
£7.99
Warm, spicy and pleasant nose. Spicy palate. Quite good.
Produced by Les Vins Skalli
Grenache 75%, Syrah 25%
14 % alc

Finest* Châteauneuf du Pâpe 2012
£13.49
Lovely aroma. Big, spicy and rather lovely. Good price.
Produced by Les Vins Skalli
Grenache 80%, Syrah 10%, Cinsault 5%, Mourvèdre 5%
14 % alc



Gaston Tureau Bordeaux Rouge 2012
£4.99
Smells cheap and insipid. Spicy, dry and quite hard palate.
Produced by Les Grands Chais de France (LGCF)
Merlot 85%, Cabernet Sauvignon 15%
12.5 % alc

Embleme Bordeaux Merlot 2012
£6.99
Not a great deal of aroma. Spicy and pleasant palate. Nice.
Produced by Les Jardins du Languedoc
Merlot 100%
12.5 % alc

Finest* Margaux 2008
£24.99
Beautiful aroma. Stunning. So inviting. Bright and exciting. This is beautiful.
Produced by Château Angludet
Cabernet Sauvignon 70%, Merlot 30%
13 % alc



Finest* Pauillac 2008
£29.99
Dark, spicy and exciting nose. Great palate, but it's very dry so you'd need steak or cheese. The Margaux wins, for me.
Produced by Château Grand Puy Ducasse
Cabernet Sauvignon 70%, Merlot 30%
13 % alc

Villa Taurini Barbera 2012
£5.49
Young and refreshing nose. Juicy, fresh acidity
Produced by MGM Mondo del Vino
Barbera 100%
13.5 % alc

Finest* Frappato 2012
£7.99
Smells like ripe cherries. Dark rich fruit. Good taste.
Produced by Caruso e Minini
Frappato 95%, Nerello Mascalese 5%
13.5 % alc

Piccini Chianti Classico 2009
£8.99
Really smelly - like a manure heap. Tastes very farmyardy as well. Too much for me.
Produced by Piccini
Sangiovese 90%, Merlot 10%
13 % alc

Finest* Bolgheri 2010
£11.99
Spicy and exciting nose. Ditto palate. This is really lovely. Bright and mouth-watering acidity. Very good.
Produced by Piccini
Cabernet Sauvignon 41%, Merlot 24%, Cabernet Franc 18%, Other red grape allowed 17%
13.5 % alc



Lava Beneventano Aglianico 2010
£12.99
This smells of sweet vanilla, like a bakery. It tastes very, very sweet. Not sure what'd you do with it.
Produced by Farnese Vini
Aglianico 100%
13 % alc

Beringer Classics Zinfandel
£8.99
Very, very sweet aroma. Almost like jasmine. Painfully sweet on the palate. Way too much for me.
Produced by Beringer
Zinfandel 95%, Petite Syrah 5%
14 % alc

Fetzer Crimson 2010
£9.99
Heavy bottle. Beautiful aroma. Intensely perfumed palate and very sweet. I almost like it. Just a bit vanilla-Disney.
Produced by Fetzer
Zinfandel 32%, Syrah 32%, Cabernet Sauvignon 29%, Petite Syrah 4%
13.5 % alc

Apothic Red 2011
£9.99
This smells of sweet vanilla, like a bakery. It tastes very very sweet - 16.4 g/l sugar. Not sure what'd you do with it. I like it, but am ashamed about that. Really, really commercial.
Produced by Apothic Wines
Zinfandel 39%, Merlot 15%, Cabernet Sauvignon 6%, Syrah 15%
13 % alc

Finest* Ribera del Duero Tempranillo Reserva 2009
£9.99
This is also intensely sweet with vanilla. Very oaky palate. Nice aftertaste.
Produced by Pagos del Rey
Tempranillo 100%
14 % alc

Finest* Viña Mara Rioja Crianza 2009
£7.99
Nice spicy farmyardy nose. Lovely palate. Bright and exciting. Oaky but not over the top.
Produced by Bodegas Eguia
Tempranillo 100%
13.5 % alc



Baron de Ley, Finca Monasterio 2010
£15.99
Coffee and chocolate on the nose. Great big spicy number. This is lovely. Very spicy.
Produced by Baron de Ley
Tempranillo 80%, Cabernet Sauvignon 20%
14 % alc



Finest* Carmenere 2013
£8.99
Smells spirity. A bit sweet and hot. Not enough complexity for me.
Produced by Viña Ventisquero
Carmenere 85%, Cabernet Sauvignon 15%
13.5 % alc

Finest* Stellenbosch Red 2011
£9.99
Nice stalky aroma. Good, stalky, green peppery, blackcurrant. I'd shave half a % of alcohol off it, but it's good for the price.
Produced by Journey's End
Cabernet Sauvignon 43%, Merlot 35%, Canernet Franc 17%, Petit Verdot 5%
14 % alc

Finest* Reserve Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
£14.99
A bit whiffy. Compost on a hot day. And some ripe blackcurrant. Nice palate. A bit minty, quite dark, with some blackcurranty. Good.
Produced by Vergelegen
Cabernet Sauvignon 95%, Merlot 5%
14 % alc
Sorry about the poor photo quality


Finest* Swartland Shiraz 2012
£6.99
Dull aroma. Warm alcohol. Juicy acidity. Can't get excited.
Produced by Origin Wine
Shiraz 100%
14 % alc

Finest* Marlborough Pinot Noir 2012
£10.99
Just a touch of pinot on the nose. Very light palate. Perfectly pleasant.
Produced by Yealands Estate Wines Ltd
Pinot Noir 100%
13.5 % alc

Tim Adams Protégé Tempranillo 2009
£9.99
Green and black peppery. Refreshing but the aftertaste is burnt toasty.
Produced by Tim Adams Wines
Tempranillo 87%, Shiraz 13%
13 % alc

Finest* Argentina Mendoza Malbec 2012
£7.99
Very little aroma. Dark and baked palate with high alcohol.
Produced by Catena
Malbec 100%
13.5 % alc

Terrazas Selection Malbec 2010
£12.99
Rather lovely, warmly oaky and appealing nose. Spicy, minty and exciting palate. Bright and lovely. The alcohol is warm, but this is ace.
Produced by Terrazas de los Andes
Malbec 100%
14.5 % alc





Louis Jadot Chorey Les Beaune 2009
£18.99
Gentle and appealing nose. Classic, smooth, with cherry acidity and leathery oak. Nice.
Produced by Louis Jadot
Pinot Noir 100%
13 % alc

_________________
mel

Louis Jadot Chorey Les Beaune 2009
£18.99
Gentle and appealing nose. Classic, smooth, with cherry acidity and leathery oak. Nice.
Produced by Louis Jadot
Pinot Noir 100%
13 % alc

That is what Mel said 10 months ago, last October.

This 2009 Chorey has matured rather beautifully since then, and I was lucky enough to find 4 in a Store clearance offer.
A very lovely Beaune now. Everything you could want from an "artisan" affordable burgundy. Lovely fruit, cherrry and raspberry middle palate, quite pale and elegant, a "little princess", yet building a superb mouth coating texture and weight in the glass, The oak is now so well integrated with the naturally sweet ripe fruit that the complexity of flavours on the profile is forest floor leafmold and gentle vanilla, wild mushroom & wild woodland strawberry.
Ok, the aroma is lighter than the premier cru Beaunes and Nuits wines, but that is more than rewarded by the sheer luxury of hamonious flavours. Low alcohol 13%, absolutely no jammy confection or reduction, beautifully balanced and lasting length on a sweet finish.
Such a lovely pinot noir, what more could you ask for. Decant for 2 hours (to open and build) and drink at one sitting with your dinner party friends. For QPR now, this wine is easily worth £19. ~ ~ ~ Hmnnn~ ~ ~ puu r r r r r ~ ~ ~.

Probably good for another 4 years if you find the 2009.

_________________
Duncan

Late the next evening.

This wine should not be oxidised for too long, a two thirds open bottle 28 hours later (not vacu-vinned), and the air has dried-off some of its beauty, particularly that sweet black forest gateaux finish. This is a fragile and feminine classic.

Therefore, if you have a few of these, keep in cool storage and drink up in three years. If serving, decant and spolsh for only an hour before supping.

cheers.

_________________
Duncan