EXTRA SPECIAL CHABLIS, DOMAINE DE LA LEVEE 2011
Producer: Jean-Marc Brocard
Grapes: 100% Chardonnay
Alcohol: 12.5% Price: £9.50 Acidity: 3.8 g/l Residual Sugar: <2 g/l
Quite deep colour. Very full aroma – leesy and rich. The palate is long and leesy with bright acidity.
DOMAINE DES DEUX ROCHES POUILLY FUISSE VIEILLES VIGNES 2012 WINE SHOP
Producer: Domaine Deux Roches
Grapes: 100% Chardonnay
Alcohol: 13% Price: £17.98 Acidity: 3.3 g/l Residual Sugar: 3.1 g/l
Nicely fruity aroma. Very full palate. Lots of texture and a touch of oak. I nearly like it.
JEAN-YVES DEVEVEY RULLY BLANC 2009 WINE SHOP
Region: Burgundy, Côte Chalonnais Producer: Domaine Devevey
Grapes: 100% Chardonnay
Alcohol: 12.8% Price: £16.95 Acidity: 4.1 g/l Residual Sugar: <1 g/l
Very little aroma. A backbone of oak but this lacks bright fruitiness.
SYLVIAN LOICHET PERNAND-VERGELESSES BLANC 2011 WINE SHOP
Region: Burgundy Producer: Domaine Sylvian Loichet
Grapes: 100% Chardonnay
Alcohol: 13.5% Price: £17.95 Acidity: 5.4 g/l Residual Sugar: 2 g/l
Toasty oak on the palate. The palate has a nasty vinegary twang. Not good at all.
CHATEAU DE PULIGNY-MONTRACHET MEURSAULT 2009 WINE SHOP
Producer: Château de Puligny
Grapes: 100% Chardonnay Organic
Alcohol: 13.2% Price: £32.95 Acidity: 4.1 g/l Residual Sugar: <1 g/l
Textbook buttered toast aroma. Lovely full body, rich fruit, buttery oak. Fabulous.
LUGANA 2012
Region: Lugana DOC Producer: Tenuta Roveglia
Grapes: 100% Trebbiano di Lugana
Alcohol: 13% Price: £7.98 Acidity: 6.2 g/l Residual Sugar: 6.7 g/l
Bright, fresh pineapple aroma. Pretty sweet palate. Really sweet, like perfectly ripe pineapple.
EXTRA SPECIAL FIANO 2012
Region: Sicilia IGT Producer: Cantine Settesoli
Grapes: 100% Fiano
Alcohol: 13% Price: £6.98 Acidity: 5.6 g/l Residual Sugar: 2.4 g/l
Low on aroma. Good length. Quite spicy and the price is about right.
EXTRA SPECIAL FALANGHINA 2012
Region: Puglia IGT Producer: Concilio Spa
Grapes: 100% Falanghina
Alcohol: 12.5% Price: £7.00 Acidity: 6.1 g/l Residual Sugar: 1.4 g/l
Very little aroma. Nice, spicy taste. Very southern.
EXTRA SPECIAL RUEDA 2012
Region: Rueda DO Producer: Agricola Castellana S.C.L
Grapes: 100% Verdejo
Alcohol: 13% Price: £8.25 Acidity: 6.1 g/l Residual Sugar: <2 g/l
Lacking the expected catty aroma. Tangy and catty palate. Have had better. I pulled a bit of a face.
TAGUS CREEK CHARDONNAY FERRAO PIRES 2012
Region: Portugal Producer: Falua Sociedade de Vinhos
Grapes: 50% Chardonnay, 50% Fernao Pires
Alcohol: 12.5% Price: £6.25 Acidity: 5.5 g/l Residual Sugar: 4 g/l
Very smelly indeed. Oh dear!
FOSSIL 2012 WINE SHOP
Region: Lisboa Producer: Vale da Capucha
Grapes: 40% Arinto, 30% Gouveio, 30% Fernão Pires
Alcohol: 14% Parcel Acidity: 6.2 g/l Residual Sugar: 2.8 g/l
Fresh, green and inviting nose. Very savoury and tart. A little like gruner veltliner. Intensely sharp and exciting.
SILVER BULLET GRUNER VELTLINER LAURENZ V 2011 WINE SHOP
Region: Kamptal, Austria Producer: Laurenz V
Grapes: 100% Grüner Veltliner
Alcohol: 13.5% Price: £14.97 (50cl) Acidity: 4.8 g/l Residual Sugar: 1 g/l
Fresh green aroma. Quite abrasively textured and the alcohol seems clunky.
SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE WHITE
CONO SUR 20 BARRELS SAUVIGNON BLANC 2012 WINE SHOP
Region: Casablanca Valley Producer: Cono Sur
Grapes: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Alcohol: 13% Price: £13.95 Acidity: 6.8 g/l Residual Sugar: 4 g/l
Fabulous aroma of pea and asparagus risotto, I’d say. Really loud and in your face Glorious! The wine has enormous weight, ripe fruit and length. Stunning.
CONO SUR 20 BARRELS CHARDONNAY 2012 WINE SHOP
Region: Casablanca Valley Producer: Cono Sur
Grapes: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Alcohol: 13% Price: £13.95 Acidity: 7.2 g/l Residual Sugar: 6.2 g/l
Very oaky aroma indeed. Fat, ripe and very rich indeed. Too much for me, and that’s saying something.
WISHBONE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2012
Region: Marlborough Producer: Mount Olympus Winery
Grapes: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Alcohol: 13% Price: £10.00 Acidity: 7.7 g/l Residual Sugar: 3.6 g/l
Elder and peapod aroma. Tart and tangy. Long.
KING VALLEY VERMENTINO 2012
Region: King Valley Producer: De Bortoli
Grapes: 98% Vermentino, 2% Semillon
Alcohol: 13% Price: £9.00 Acidity: 5.4 g/l Residual Sugar: <1 g/l
Low on aroma, as expected. Pleasant dry white wine.
HENSCHKE INNES PINOT GRIS 2009 WINE SHOP
Region: South Australia Producer: Henschke
Grapes: 100% Pinot Gris
Alcohol: 14% Price: £25.97 Acidity: 5.3 g/l Residual Sugar: <1 g/l
Rich, spicy nose. Just off dry and with spicy palate. Moderate length.