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The Roussillon -
French Catalonia
 Château Planères
This 60 hectare estate (150 acres) is located just outside the village of
St-Jean-Lasseille, off the N9 road between Perpignan and Le Boulou, stalked by
the Albères mountains which mark the Franco-Spanish border. Their top reds are
now classified
Côtes du Roussillon Les Aspres... more details
to follow. Tasted
26/9/05
2004 Côtes du Roussillon Prestige blanc (Macabeu,
Grenache Blanc, Malvoisie &
Vermentino) - shows complex yeast-lees notes, much tighter and more
concentrated palate than their basic white; good fresh intensity and finish.
85-87
2003 La Romanie blanc (mostly Malvoisie) -
butter and coconut dominate (10 months in cask with lees stirring) yet it's
fresh too, offering nice weight of fruit v toasty character; different, needs
food. 87+
2004 Côtes du Roussillon Prestige rosé
(Syrah, Cinsault &
Grenache) - lots of rose petal and ripe red fruits,
particularly straw/raspberry; lovely concentration and depth with a light touch
of tannin even. 87-89
2003 Côtes du Roussillon Prestige (Mourvèdre,
Syrah & Grenache) -
nice smoky 'sweet' fruit with background oak, ripe and supple then structured
finish with dry grip v appealing fruit. €6 88-90
2003 La Coume d'Ars (a lieu dit or specific plot, 50% 100 year old
Carignan, 30% 45 yo Grenache
& Syrah) - earthier bigger and chunkier with
attractive dark fruit background and firm tannins.
87-90
2003 La Romanie les Aspres (Syrah,
Mourvèdre & Grenache)
- spicy coconut overtones lead to a tight palate of peppery black fruits, pretty
firm yet elegant and long; needs time to develop. 90+
Rivesaltes Grenat - quite oxidised style but has plenty of
sweet Grenache fruit v dry tannins, nice finish too.
85-87
2004 Muscat de Rivesaltes Excellence (16%) - very floral, grape and
orange peel aromas lead on to lots of fresh sweet fruit (65 grams per litre
residual sugar) finishing with crisp bite of acidity and alcohol; lovely style.
90+
Domaine Hylari
Jean-Michel Hylari is based in the villages of
Estagel and Tautavel (northwest of Perpignan) and is focused on small quantities
of distinctive reds, dry whites and superb fortified Rivesaltes: aged Tuilé &
Ambré styles and youthful Muscat. Tasted
Sept-Nov 2005:
2003 Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache Syrah Mourvèdre)
-
Developing attractive smoky savoury notes on top of chocolate and liquorice
black plum fruit, good depth and style with pretty grippy bite still, but it's
also rounded on the finish. 90
2001
Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache Syrah Carignan 13%)
-
Beginning to oxidise and dry out a little, but still a nice drink now with its
rustic liquorice fruit and dry yet ripe palate; lighter than the 2003.
85
2004
Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache Syrah Mourvèdre) -
enticing black cherry & olive fruit with background cedar spice notes, nice
elegant liquorice and ripe plum style rounded off by firm dry yet supple tannins.
88-90
2004 Muscat Sec, Vin de Pays Catalan (13%) - Very floral, grapey and zesty with lemon
and orange peel notes; fresh and crisp palate with quite good weight too.
87
1994 Rivesaltes Tuilé, Vin Doux Naturel (Grenache
16%) - delicious Porty aromas of black fruits, liquorice, leather and cinnamon;
rich sweet powerful palate balanced by textured tannins, fresh cut of alcohol
and mature earthy dried fruit. Yum, nice with Gruyere, Comté or mature cheddar.
92+
2005 tank samples tasted in his cellar, late Sept 05:
Muscat d'Alexandrie - super aromatic with juicy grapey flavours, lovely
depth of fruit and fresh acidity.
Muscat à Petits Grains (Frontignan) - richer than above yet more apple
and citrus too, nice concentration and intensity of flavour.
Syrah (best parcels low yielding) - delicious perfumed ripe blackberry
nose, nice dry grip and extract v concentration and fresh bite.
Syrah (fermented at lower temperature) - attractive fruit although less
generous at this stage and firmer, perhaps more straightforward yet still very
nice.
Grenache (after 4 days fermentation) - lovely fruity spicy black cherry
and liquorice tones, rich and ripe v fresher cut; still plenty of sugar left,
should reach at least 15.5% (will be blended with lower degree Syrah and Mourvèdre).
Vignerons de Terrats
Exemplary co-operative wine cellar - sporting a
bizarre kind of giant stack of vats work of art - in the Côtes du Roussillon,
situated
southwest of Perpignan, northwest of Collioure. Charming village and scenery too
(I live down the road by the way). Tasted Aug-Sept 2005:
2004 Le Blanc de Blancs de Terrassous (Grenache
Blanc Vermentino Macabeo 12.5%) - Nice and dry & smooth, interesting
nutty floral leafy characters underneath, crisp but has weight too. €4 from the
cellar or supermarkets. 87
2004
Le Rosé de Terrassous (13%) - Ample ripe juicy
red fruits and medium-full rounded yet dry palate with a hint of crispness to
balance. €3.90 from the Cave. 87
2001
Terrassous Côtes du Roussillon (Grenache Carignan
Syrah 13.5%) - Attractive ripe developed fruit showing gamey leather
edges, liquorice and plum with earthy backdrop and firm-ish tannins. About €4.50
from the cellar. 89
2004
Terrassous Côtes du Roussillon (Grenache Carignan
Syrah 13.5%) - Straightforward enjoyable blackcurrant/berry and blueberry
fruit, medium weight finishing with light bite of tannins and acidity. €4 from
the cellars or supermarkets. 85
New vintages of Terrassous
wines here.
 Domaine du Mas Blanc
Following a flying visit the other day to Jean-Michel
Parcé's cellar in Banyuls sur Mer, a few notes on some of his wonderful Collioure
and Banyuls wines. Posted 26/9/05.
2003 Banyuls blanc (Grenache Blanc Malvoisie
Muscat d'Alexandrie 16.5%) - Unusual bromide nose leads to minerally
palate, finishing more Muscaty and aromatic; good balance of alcohol and
residual sugar. 85
2001
Banyuls Rimage, la Coume (Grenache Noir 17.5%)
- Fairly oxidised nose (intentionally) showing lovely spicy 'garrigue' fruit
with perfumed wild flowers, attractive grip of tannins v sweetness with good
bite and length. 92-94
2001 Clos du Moulin,
Collioure (80%
Mourvèdre + Counoise
13%) - Lovely ripe smoky complex nose with sweet berry, liquorice,
mushroom and lavender; soft v structured mouthfeel, dry texture with bite of
tannin and acidity layered with rich wild raspberry fruit, subtle elegant length
and concentration. 90-92
2003 Mosaique, Collioure - More up-front and straightforward than
the Clos Moulin, ripe blackberry fruit then quite structured closing up a little
on the finish; again shows richness v elegance v firmness.
87+
Fruité Catalan
In contrast,
is this the new face of French wine? I stumbled across these wines in a
supermarket outside Montpellier - couldn't miss them really, piled high with
distinctive yet simple butterfly motif packaging and bright pinky purple
capsules and plastic corks. The 'brand' sells here for €2.99, and the producer (Vignerons
Catalans near Perpignan) is obviously doing some serious promotion, offering '3
for 2' backed up by billboard advertising. Perhaps this is the way to attract
younger people to wine drinking (moderately, of course, given the increasingly
draconian laws in France) - uncomplicated presentation and easy wine styles. I
think they should make them a bit more interesting - the wines are perfectly OK,
just lack a bit of substance... Posted 14/6/05.
2004 Fruité Catalan red, Côtes du Roussillon
(12.5%) - Easy drinking soft fruity, Beaujolais-esque style, straightforward
summer BBQ red with broad appeal.
80
2004 Fruité Catalan rosé, Côtes du Roussillon
(12.5%) - Quite weighty restrained strawberry and raspberry fruit, juicy
mouthful with dry-ish finish. Probably the best of the three, try with Roquefort
risotto. 83
2004 Fruité Catalan white, Vin de Pays Catalan (12.5%) - Fresh and
zingy, quaffing citrus style, needs a bit more flavour but it's OK as a simple
apéro. 80
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EmpordàEmpordà-Costa Brava is a small wine region in
the northeast corner of Catalonia, in the heart of which you'll find the
attractive town of Peralada (Catalan spelling) not too far from Figueres, home
of the magnificent eggs-and-baguettes Dalí museum. You can visit the old
Castillo de Perelada cellars, where they still age their top of the range wines,
but the main winemaking facilities are in Girona and Villafranca. They also have
a nice wine shop and café, so you can stock up after a guided tour and posh
lunch in the casino, or inexpensive one at the restaurant in the square across
the road! I think they're producing some of the finest Cavas you'll find
anywhere, as well as a good range of reds, whites and rosés. Tasted Sept-Nov
2005:
Cava Brut Reserva non-vintage (NV) (Macabeu
Parellada Xarello) - Subtle floral almond biscuit aromas, more chocolatey
on the palate with crisp dry and tight length. Nice with chocolate and coconut
sponge. €4
88
Cava Brut
Rosado NV (Monastrell
Garnacha) - Deliciously frothy summer fruit
cocktail, leading to fresh choco-nutty off-dry finish. €4.50
90
2002 Cava Brut Nature (Macabeu Parellada
Xarello) - You'll think it's Champagne: really quite refined with subtle
intensity of yeasty oily almond flavours, crisp elegant length and very dry
refreshing finish. About €6-7 a bottle! 90+
2004 Blanc de Blancs (Garnacha
Blanca Macabeu Chardonnay 12.5%) - Offers good
depth of nutty and oily fruit v zesty citrus edge; aromatic start then fills out
on the palate to more buttery and peachy, yet finishes crisp and long. Bargain
at €3. 87
Blanc Pescador Vino de Aguja NV (11.5%) -
Refreshingly unusual dry white showing crisp yeasty gummy fruit with nutty
mineral notes, slightly sparkling too with light elegant finish. Seafood
delight.
85
2004 Rosado (Cariñena
Garnacha Tempranillo 13%) - Quite fine rosé showing lovely raspberry and
rose petal aromas, medium-full weight of fruit finishing more elegant, crisp and
dry. About €3 87
2002 Tinto Crianza (Garnacha
Tempranillo Cabernet Sauvignon 13%) - Try with smoked bacon and spinach
pasta: developing smoky leather notes underneath a savoury damson and raisin
heart, medium-full in the mouth with dry grip and a vanilla-oak coating. €4
87
New vintages of Perelada
wines here.
 De
Bortoli Yarra Valley
Some new releases from this leading Victorian winery, as in
the Australian state, obviously, rather than demonstrating prudish 19th Century
tendencies.
Tasted Oct 2005:
2004 Estate Grown Chardonnay, Yarra Valley (13%) - More complex
nose than the Gulf Station showing lightly toasted oats and vanilla notes plus
richer buttery pineapple fruit as well; weighty start becoming more elegant on
the finish, with better balance of fresh acidity v concentration of 'sweet'
fruit. Also more interesting the following day. 90
2003
Estate Grown Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley (13.5%) - Delicious elusive Pinot
aromas: perfumed 'sweet and sour' red cherry v savoury backdrop, complex
just-ripe pungency v silky fruit and tannins, nice fresh length and style. Good
with Catalan sausages (rich and porky). £13.99 in the UK.
92+
2004
Estate Grown Shiraz Viognier, Yarra Valley (13.5%) - Attractively restrained
style showing ripe smoky black fruits with light earthy leather edges, soft
mouthfeel finishing with subtle dry grip and perfumed fruit.
90
2004
Gulf Station Chardonnay (13%) - Bright and fresh lemony nose with a mealy
backdrop, a bit sweet and sour in terms of ripe exotic fruit v bite of acidity
and alcohol, but gets better after being open for a while; perhaps less in your
face than some but still a bit simple. 85
2005
Gulf Station Semillon - Sauvignon - Immensely aromatic and zingy:
fresh gooseberries and kiwis set against a more exotic fruit background, zippy
fresh and crisp palate length; a bit one-dimensional perhaps but lively little
number nevertheless. 87
Mountain Valley Montenegro
To be brutally honest, the reds in this range go from
average to pretty good but the whites are a waste of space, at least the samples
I tasted - see my comments in each of the tasting notes. All the wines come from
Plantaze's vineyards in the Lake Skadar region, located between the Adriatic
coast and surrounding mountains (hence the name no doubt). With a bit of work in
the vineyard and winery (and on the pricing), I'm sure we'll be seeing more and
better from Montenegro. Tasted August 2005:
2004 Chardonnay - This wasn't good: faulty winemaking or something has
left a heavy handed sulphur character; and that bitter finish implies unripe
grapes and/or too much skin contact or badly acidified wine. No chance at £5.49.
Under 70
2004 K white (11.5%) - Clean towards neutral and, like the Chardy
(although not as marked), sulphur dominated with a bitter finish.
75
2003 Cabernet Sauvignon (12.5%) - Simple 'Vin de Pays' type showing black
cherry / currant fruit, soft-ish palate v dry coating on the finish. OK but at
£5.99... 80
2004 Sauvignon Blanc - Not faulty at least, this is just about OK with
some floral and citrus characters; but too boring to ask £5.49 for it.
75
2004 Merlot (12%) - Attractive enough Merlot style offering spicy
biscuity plum fruit, reasonably fleshy mouthfeel with light bite of tannins.
Again not bad but put it up against a Merlot from France or Chile at the same
price... 84
2003 V red (Vranac 12.5%) - Similar soupy
rustic style to the Vranac but richer and riper, shows quite good depth of fruit
although, for me, the finish becomes slightly rough after a while. £7.49
84
2003 Vranac - Not bad at all actually: maturing rustic leather aromas
with nice peppery undertones, fairly smooth and ripe finish. £5.49
85
Aldi Greek wines
Could do much better. These wines aren't very
recommendable: not terrible but rather average. I've tasted more characterful
Greek wines - admittedly more expensive than their £3.99 price tag. The reds are
generally over-oaked and a little bitter; the white is probably the best one of
the four. Anyway, here goes... tasted August 2005.
Click here for Aldi Posh wines - more like it.
2003 Goumenissa red (Xynomavro Negoska
12.5%) - Goumenissa is the region by the way. The 'best' of the 3 reds:
still a tad unripe in the background but this is fruitier, rounder, less oaky
and more 'winey', even if a bit basic. £3.99 80
2004
Mantina white, Peloponnese (100% Moscophilero
11%) - Pleasant enough aromatic floral v nutty oily fruit, mineral touches and
freshness on the off-dry finish. £3.99 80
2003
Naoussa red, Macedonia (Xynomavro 12%) - Spicy
cinnamon oak covering, pleasant enough but lacks fruit and body, finishes a
little tart as well. £3.99 75
2003
Nemea red, Peloponnese, Nemea valley (Agiorgitiko
12%) - A bit less oaky than the Naoussa showing better depth of fruit and
roundness, but still somewhat non-descript. £3.99 77
Porto Solene
These two new ports from Quinta de São Cristóvão look
the part with stylish elegant picture label, flat-shouldered 50cl bottle in
clear glass and little black coffin box. Unfortunately I couldn't find a picture
to copy on the internet! Bottled in 2004, the Ruby is aged for around 6-7 years
and the Tawny 8-9 years, and both offer pretty good quality and classic styles
with lovely youthful fruit (perhaps too so, it needs a couple of years further
ageing to integrate the alcohol) in the case of the former and more mature rich
nuttiness from the latter. Tasted July 2005:
Ruby Special Reserve NV, Douro valley (20%) - A little fiery and
youthful, but this has plenty of lively and quite concentrated plum and
blackberry fruit underneath to please, rounded off with light touches of earthy
leather and some dry tannin to offset the sweetness. Try with mature hard
cheeses (not Stilton or similar blue). 87
Tawny Special Reserve NV, Douro valley (20%) - Serve chilled:
seductive roasted pecan nut fruit adds tanginess to the aged molasses sweetness,
with 20% alcohol also lending some balance; keep chilled as it gets a bit sickly
once warm. 87
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Castillo
de Perelada: Cava /