http://www.marksandspencer.com/Offers/b ... alOfTheDay

Some very interesting wines at an even more interesting half price for one day only - Central Otago and Marlborough pinot noirs and two S African sauvignons. I had to phone the order through as the reduction didn't show at the checkout as it was supposed to.

I can't see supplies lasting v long....

Hmmnn - that is a cracking deal, cheers Ed.

Now, do I risk the Otago Pinot noir - Bob Campbell didn't rate the 2005 Nanny Goat as it was under ripe, but 2007 was a much riper year, let me see, let me check. Is 2007 a riper year in central Otago ? 3 star rather than 4 stars for 2005 and 2007. 2006 would have been the vintage of choice for CO.

I may switch to the lighter floral MPN Sherwood Est from Jack & Jill in Canterbury for a fiver - it will store for 2 years.

I Dont Know......

Goose - any idea for the SA sauvignon blancs on offer ? Tourraine meets PF, and so on, and so forth

Cheers Ed, nice find

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Duncan

Springfield Estate and La Motte are the only two SA sb's that I would recommend. It's a nation that mostly produces vegetal sauvs. Not my thing at all. La Motte tastes exactly like Sileni The Straits.

Tesco have 25% off any 6 bottles. I bought 12 bottles of Peter Lehmann semillon 2005 for £4.22.

Thanks for the advice. I'll leave the vegetal ones alone, but I'll ask you what you mean by that description - I'm still an SB newbie apart from best Graves and the Loire of course, and other NZ MSB's you've shown me.

That Peter Lehmann is marvelous value - how do you find the 2005 vintage, it will go on for several more years yet.

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Duncan

Ed, you needed to hold your nerve, the discount comes through right at the very end, and after punching your card details in ! Yeah, OK, I did write down the contact number at 11:55 pm though before punching the green order button.

Bacchus Smiles down again:

No prizes for guessing which one hooked me ! But as it transpires, when the delivery note / despatch note was produced at the end, I always print it off, it said:

1 Qty: Nanny Goat Pinot Noir 2006, Central Otago - Case of 6
Product code:00627269 .....Which works out at £7.77 per bottle inclusive

Yep, I get the 4 star vintage in Central Otago (Not the 2007 per deal of the day pictures) I'm pretty chuffed with that fluke, my choice of vintage, and a candidate for cellaring for another 2 to 3 years - after qualifying the first of course.

Cheers Ed, I owe you a favour.

edited 2/7/09
I note this morning that M&S have altered the year, but the discount on the DOTD was still slightly wrong, since the transaction works out at less 55% Retail. Hope the wine is better than the maths

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Duncan

I wasn’t aware M&S had a deal of the day section. I didn’t go with any of these because I am not buying at the mo but link has been saved for 'ron.

The PL semillon is wonderful now, Dunc. Golden in colour mellow in taste.

Lanolin and lemon leaves.

One bottle in about five is still pale and fuller in body like a full bodied unoaked Bordeaux sauvignon semillon blend.

I will age all that I have for two more years as the winemaker once said that he who waits 6 years will be truly rewarded.

As for SA sb. By vegetal I mean tasting of aspargus in a decent one and tasting and smelling like GK's compost heap in a bad one.

Apparantly aged unoaked Marlborough starts to go the same way after about 3 years.

Ooo err...

Well, I went for half a dozen each of the NZ Pinots (the 2006 Central Otago one as you got Duncan - looks as if it may well be a very fine buy) and also the Ataraxia SB. Jancis Robinson rates the sauvignon highly on her website and I found more positive comments from elsewhere. It had better be good because my brother has ordered 24 bottles of it for his wedding, along with another 24 of the Marlborough Pinot. The latter should be a safe bet and a nice, light lunchtime wine I'd have thought.

I've got 3 bottles of 2001 Peter Lehmann semillon at the bottom of a cupboard; drink now do you reckon guys or hold in there for a couple more years?

(M+S deal of the day is usually 10% off a handbag or a stripy sundress by the way - no idea why I bothered clicking on it yesterday. Maybe I was secretly hankering after a radical change of wardrobe).

Hi Ed,

My local fine wine merchant is selling the 2001 vintage for £22.95. He doesn't sell newer vintages ( 2004+ ) as that would mean competing with Tesco/Oddbins etc.

It should be perfect now but who knows they may get better yet.

Don't suppose you wanna swap for my 2005

His 2001 will have been stored in a more appropriate manner than mine...maybe you're safer with your 2005

£22 for an '01 Lehmann?

If you have a Home Bargains near you check out their wine dept., they regularly sell older vintages of basic wines (bought on the cheap, many well past their best) but there is the odd gem. I recently picked up a bottle of '03 Wyndham Estate bin 777 Semillon/SB for £3.49, it was lovely and at its peak, lemongrass, honey, cleansing. I went back and got another six bottles. They also do the Wolf Bland Riesling for £3.49, not the best Reisling around but for curry night, this is a willing sacrifice.

The Nanny Goat 2006 CO pinot noir arrived today.

I have inspected the appearance under a tungsten bulb, and the wine is correct to my way of thinking, the guise is that of young ripe Santenay (say 2003) from a half decent domaine. Ruby gemstone with a spectrum through to a sunset sky at the moment. It will cellar, and eventually become brighter and completely free. So far so good, the New Zealanders can make an upside down Burgundy in Cote d'Or village habit

I shall wait a bit longer before assessing the 1st one for keeping the rest in store.

A quick check on Bob Campbell's notes for vintage NZ, confirms that he was seduced by the 2002's when drunk at the end of 2007. His scores for wines from the same domaine were generally higher for the aged 2002 against more recent years. This indicates that evolution is beneficial for wines that are still alive and kicking. Nanny Goat claim minimal fining, which is good.

I was dreading the possibility of New World over extraction. Not so, with this one.

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Duncan

GK - Home Bargains, really? I go into this because it's on the way to the cinema and they have very cheap sweets and the cinema pick n mix is a ludicrous price. I usually glance at the wine shelves with a shudder as they seem to major on Blossom Hill and worse. Will take a closer look.

Thanks

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mel

Mel, yep, mostly dross with the occasional gem if you're lucky.