Cold Heaven Viognier, Santa Barbara, California ‘02
By the Bottle: £18.50, By the Dozen: £210 (£17.50 each)
Absolutely nothing to do with Chardonnay BUT it ticks all the boxes for what a really good Chardonnay should taste like. From the heart of the new world but with a style that would shame many a classy aristocrat from closer to home. Viognier’s beautiful fruit is can be shy in a finished wine. Worse it is often exploited giving a one dimensional blousy number that would impress no one but the winemaker’s mother. Anyone contemplating this marvellous grape should buy a bottle and taste the benchmark.
A truly a global recipe for fine wine. Many a winemaker could learn from the fruit management, where natural opulence is handled with gentle restraint, brilliant wood handling to support and enhance rather than dominate the fruit, the sensitive crispness achieve through the finest acid balance and finally the thoughtful preservation of the mineral character from the vineyard terroir that grew these grapes.
Fantastic, but don’t drink it too cold.
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Shaw and Smith, M3 Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills, South Australia ’07
Grapes: Chardonnay
A blueprint for the way forward.
From winemaking cousins Martin Shaw and Michael Hill-Smith, whose family has been big in Australian wine forever - Yalumba. I still wonder if there is any truth to the rumour that this might be a tribute to some place of conception – a rumour never yet officially denied…….
The perfect balance of good full bodied Aussie Chardonnay with cool climate
Tasty, and from a nice place to visit too, but that’s a whole new story......
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Pikes, Clare Valley Riesling, South Australia ’06
Each: £10.95
The label is lifted from the beer established by Henry Pike who first settled the family in
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Pinot Grigio, Borgo dei Vassalli, Friuli, Italy ‘06
Grapes: Pinot GrigioBy the Bottle: £8.40, By the Dozen: £95 (£7.92 each)
Pinot Grigio is everywhere and varies just as much. This wine comes from Isonzo in Friulia a veritable Sandbanks in Pinot Grigio terms. The Lorenzon family make two styles from their vineyards in Isonzo. This comes from the lower, richer warmer slopes in the south and gives a fuller less edgy style of wine.
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Loimer, LOIS, Grüner Veltliner, Austria ‘07
Grapes: Grüner Veltliner
Each: £7.95
Seriously, try this as a new direction, you wont be disappointed. Fred Loimer makes various regional and single vineyard cuvees all worth exploring for a full investigation of exactly what Grüner Veltliner can do. The LOIS is his introductory wine, introducing us to the appeal of Grüner. The wine sees only steel so is zippy and fresh – just as Sauvignon Blanc. Some added complexity comes from the fact that the grapes are sourced from vineyards all over – with different soils and ripeness levels. Finally Grüner itself adds some weight and its own individual touch – white pepper. Sniff it, taste it and just try to disagree, I dare you.
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Alpha Zeta, Corvina, Veneto, Italy ’07
Grapes: Corvina
Each: £5.65
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Calbuco, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chile '07
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon and MerlotEach: £5.50
DECEMBER OFFER - A dozen for £60 (£5.00 each)
The red in a pair that quietly show the real potential of
Vibrant colour and vibrant flavours. Tobaccoy complexity to the vibrant fruit that dominates, it will develop more of this and some chocolatey tones as it ages.