Up until recently I was buying Jackson Estate as a special occasion SB and Montana for regular quaffing, but this has replaced them both.

Very intense gooseberry and green pepper, the pepper fades fairly quickly to leave gooseberry and nettles with a very long moorish aftertaste.

Good enough to replace Jackson Estate and just about cheap enough to replace Montana.

5% of the wine is oaked to add richness but no oak flavour.

Tesco - ?7.59

Thanks for that Goosegogs. Always looking for good NZ SB. My favourite for weekend drinking at home - too good for weekdays when we usually drink (sorry, taste) samples that don't fit into any particular category and so just get a cursory slurp - sorry for tangent - is Stoneleigh which is ?6.99 at Waitrose, but is also at Thresher and so on 3 for 2. I think they've hiked the price up to allow for discounting, but it still works out quite a bit cheaper.

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mel

Hi,

I bought a bottle of Stoneleigh ( 2004 ) and Montana Reserve after reading your Quaffer's New Zealand SB tasting notes.

I really enjoyed the Stoneleigh which I thought was one of the few NZ SB's to really taste of tropical fruit.

Passion fruit I think..it was very nice whatever it was.

The Montana Reserve was a bit of a shock !

It had a lovely rich texture but it was quite herby, too herby for me.

It's amazing how different Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs can be.

I am a big fan of the Montana Reserve SB and appreciate its herbaceous / grassy character. For me, this style separates it from the standard, sometimes angular, entry-level priced NZ SB freely available.

There is some great value Chenin Blanc around, a grape variety that offers some of the best QPR IMO. If your local Waitrose is still running its French Wine Showcase I can recommend the Saumur Les Andides 04 & 05 reduced to ?3.99, spectacular value

I tried to get into Chenin Blanc a while ago, but failed to find a really good one that would tempt me away from cheap Aussie Riesling and Semillon..which I love and drink far too much of.

I tried a dry Ken Forestter South African CB with 14% alcohol. It had a decent enough limey flavour but it was so full bodied I gave up after the first glass.

Vouvray can have nice honeyed flavours but is always too sweet but the one Saumer I tried ( at a restaurant ) was very different. Dry, crisp and with a yeasty aftertaste very much like a really good muscadet.

I haven't seen a bottle of Saumer since though and don't have easy access to a Waitrose but will keep a look out for the Les Andides next time i'm there.

G

I know what Goosgogs means about Chenin Blanc. It's very dependant on who's growing/making it. In South Africa they call it Steen and it's a real work horse grape. However, with a bit of care, it can be pretty interesting. At a tasting on Monday night we tried Boschendal's, which is ?6.49 and was beautifully tangy with acidity, but also some structure. The tasting was by J C Karn of Cheltenham, which probably isn't in your area. 01242 513265. Haven't found it in a supermarket, but haven't tried too hard.

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mel

The 2006 is a massive let down.

A little oaky and a touch sweet.

There is very little to tempt me in the Tesco 'Finest' range at present with the exception of their Gavi & Denman Vineyard Semillon- both a good buy when on offer for around ?4

Their Finest Chablis (of which there is enough currently in store to float the Royal Navy) is possibly the most disappointing of all.

I have 10 bottles of the fabulous Finest Great Southern Riesling ?5.99 made by Howard Park Estate which I bought from a small Tesco store near Bridgend RFC.

Stunning wine ...dry lime and petrol yet with a very subtley sweet aftertaste.

Tesco have rebranded it as Finest Tingleup Riesling and charge ?7.99 for it now.

I haven't tried the new vintage yet

The Chablis is ok at ?4.97...lemon with a touch of stony minerals...better then most unoaked Chablis.

The Sancerre is rubbish and overpriced even at ?5.98.

At Somerfield...the McWilliams Hanwood Estate riesling is on offer at ?4.99. It's a little sweeter than most Aussies...i'd be interested to see what you think as we share a passion for Aussie rieslings and I quite like this.

Happy Christmas to all

Goosegogs

Goosegogs, are you in the trade? You have tried so many of these wines and describe them so professionally.

The Leasingham Magnus Riesling is my favourite so far, within my price range. On offer at Somerfield at the moment.

Happy Christmas on this beautiful, foggy morning.

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mel

Not as good as the Leasingham, but for value for money its hard to beat Peter Lehmann Barossa Riesling 2003 at ?3.99 in Morrisons

No, i'm not in the trade....I wish I was

I'm a scriptwriter who up until six years ago couldn't stand wine and drank nothing but lager.

But I had a glass of Sancerre at a wedding and fell in love.

My passions are for sauvignon blanc. Sancerre when at it's very best still edges out Marlborough I think. Australian rielsing and unoaked semillon, the odd unoaked Burgundy and dry wild strawberry laced rose from Pinot Noir or Tempranillo which at best is remarkably similar.

The next big thing I think will be Chilean sauvignon blanc...some of it is very good and deliciously smoky.

G

The 2006 Tesco 'Finest' Marlborough sb is a huge let down !

Previous vintages benefitted from the 5% oak and had rich blackcurrent leaf and gooseberry flavours but this vintage just tastes full bodied and the oak gives the wine a vanilla like taste.

Almost like custard.....might go well with spotted dick.

G ..Nose still not working but about to type up some tasting notes from December

Have you tried Amayna Barrel Fermented Sauvignon Blanc from Oddbins. It was impossibly expensive at £17.99 but they've put it up to £19.45 (so that they can then reduce it by 20% if you buy 6). If I were rich, I'd drink it regularly. I just cannot warrant £18+ on a bottle of wine unless sharing it with someone who really cares.

If you find yourself feeling flighty, with a £20 note in your pocket, around an Oddbins, it's a beautiful, beautiful drink. Compares with a good Pessac-Leognan, but with riper fruit.

Top 10 whites, I think.

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mel

http://www.oddbins.com/products/product ... code=84161

I haven't seen the barrel fermented wine from Amayna but the unoaked is very intense.....certainly the best Chilean i've had. But at £14 it's not up there with Clifford Bay or a really good Sancerre.

Good wine but way too expensive