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Quinta do Portal - Portugal
: coming soon...

Heritage vineyards Bekaa Valley, from www.vinheritage.comHeritage - Lebanon
I was fortunate enough to visit Heritage and other Lebanese wineries in 2005 (well, I did pay for my flight at least): click on the former highlighted link to read a brief profile of Heritage and notes on a few previous vintages, and the latter takes you to the beginning of my full report. Owner and winemaker Dr. Dargham Elias Touma (not a medical doctor but PhD in food and beverage science) is the latest in the family line, since its creation in 1888 to run the Heritage vineyards, winery and distillery. Talking about 'combining tradition and technology' in the same sentence has become a bit of a cliché in wine-speak. However, their wines do seem to express an appealing mix of 'modern' and 'traditional' in style, with plenty of rich fruit (ripe grapes shouldn't be too difficult in the Bekaa Valley with its hot dry summers balanced by high altitude vineyards) while the reds retain some kind of old-fashioned charm and complexity. It's also a bit unusual, and a pleasure, to be able to taste and find on sale almost mature vintages of an estate's top red wines, as you'll see below. Tried and tested March 2008:
2007 Blanc de Blancs (Sauvignon Blanc Chardonnay Ugni Blanc 13%) - attractive combo of zesty and aromatic, lightly exotic peachy fruit and oily aniseed notes; quite full yet very crisp with a tangy finish. 85
2005 Le Fleuron (40% Cinsault 10% Mourvèdre 10% Carignan 10% Tempranillo 10% Syrah 10% Cabernet Sauvignon 10% Grenache 13.5%) - colourful cocktail of grape varieties gives this nice ripe prune v peppery black cherry/olive fruit with tobacco and savoury maturing edges; fair weight with 'sweet' liquorice fruit v lightly dry bite and rustic finish. 85-87
2000 Grand Vin Bourgeois (40% Syrah 30% Cabernet Sauvignon 30% Mourvèdre) - smoky cassis and black cherry with pepper and resin/raisin liquorice notes; enticing rich dark fruit palate v savoury maturing fruit v quite firm yet sweet-textured tannins, good balance of power (14% alcohol) and still fresh acidity; lingering tasty savoury v sweet flavours v bitter twist makes it a nice match for 'boudin noir aux oignons' (black pudding with onion). 89+
2000 Heritage Chateau (Syrah Cabernet Sauvignon 14.5%) - complex smoky v herbal black cherry and cassis, developing meaty notes with liquorice edges; concentrated and lush showing tasty ripe raisin and tangy plum fruit v savoury leather, firm bite and power yet well-balanced with lovely depth and length. 92+
More info at www.vinheritage.com.

Apalta, Colchagua Valley from www.ventisquero.comViña Ventisquero & Pangea - Chile
A tutored tasting led by Ventisquero's head winemaker Felipe Tosso Bruna and John Duval, slightly well-known consultant for their Pangea "icon wine" (to use the marketing babble-speak), proved to be a laid-back and educational medium for launching the 2005 vintage. John's name may be familiar: he was Penfold's Grange winemaker for 29 years before setting up his own label in 2003. Ventisquero is baptized after a glacier, and apparently there's a particularly grey one (probably all that pollution drifting down from North America): hence the name of three of these wines.
Grapes are sourced from the company's "coastal vineyards" - relatively, then again Chile is essentially one very long coastline quickly followed by small mountains, narrow valleys then big mountains - in Maipo, Rapel, Casablanca and Apalta (Colchagua region, 160 km/100 miles southwest of Santiago). The latter valley (pic.) houses the Syrah for making Pangea, more specifically a selection from two main blocks at 250m/800 feet altitude, where vine age is only 8 years (bodes well for future quality looking at what they're already getting). Otherwise it's a high-tech viticulture, oak (new, French, longer) and bottle-age thing (they say 12 months before release).
These wines are mostly listed in restaurants in London and certain posh wine shops like Roberson (Kensington) and Harrods, for about £25-£30 (ambitious, then again owner Gonzalo Vial has sunk $50 million into the brand I'm told). Anyway, here are my (rather long-winded) notes and scores on the half-dozen premium reds tasted at London's Vinopolis on 26/6/07:
2004 Ventisquero Grey Merlot - plus a touch of Cab Sauv; 04 was a cool vintage for the area. Perfumed and floral with light red pepper complexity, plum and rhubarb fruit tones; nice texture with chocolate oak backdrop, ripe v tart fruit, quite elegant and well balanced; also shows subtle intensity with fresh acidity, fine choc tannins, weight of alcohol and slightly bitter blackcurrant and plum twist. 87+
2005 Ventisquero Grey Carmenère
- plus a touch of Syrah and Cab Sauv; 05 was a more generous vintage. Richer black cherry and olive even with soy sauce and leafy red pepper notes, more powerful alcohol and again the oak's not too obvious; bigger mouth-feel, a little more choc and spice in fact, fresh bite v fuller alcohol but not over the top; sweet v sour fruit, attractively textured tannins and elegant length. 87+
2005 Ventisquero Grey Cabernet Sauvignon
- plus 15% Syrah. Enticing blackcurrant raisin and plum fruit, a tad of wood spice and perhaps the Syrah comes through too; a little more vanilla than choc oak, adding sweet texture v blackcurrant and blueberry fruit, again has that herbal dimension; oakier style yet shows more concentration, alcohol weight comes through although still has fresh bite, firmer but rounded tannins; nice finish although the oak is a little intrusive, however this wine has vibrancy and depth of fruit. 88+
2005 Ventisquero Vertice Carmenère Syrah
- herbal notes on fragrant black cherry and olive fruit, light choc and coco oak; tastes more toasted on the palate yet concentrated and weighty, chunky sweet fruit v compact tannins; a little hot and toasty at the mo, should come together better as structure and depth are present. 89+
2004 Pangea Syrah
- plus 5% Cab Sauv. Fairly charred coco oak with herbal spicy black cherry underneath, quite complex nose actually; juicier fuller palate, nice fruit purity v choc oak texture, again sweet v sour character; quite punchy but fresh, moving towards delicate on its length; tightens up on the finish, promising: hopefully that oak will integrate successfully. Tasted again a bit later, a currant sweetness is already developing. 88-90
2005 Pangea Syrah
- richer black cherry and olive fruit with peppery wild herb edges, aromatic and pure, the oak sits better in the background; attractive cherry fruit v solid dry tannins with mouth-coating texture, the alcohol kicks a little but this certainly has depth and concentration. Ripe v fresh v toast v alcohol, it needs to come together but should go further than the 04; similarly coming back to it, there's a sweetness and vibrancy beginning to show. 90+

Quinta da Garrida near Vila Nova de Tazém, Gouveia from www.caves-alianca.ptCaves Aliança - Portugal
Part-owned and headed up by the indefatigable Mario Neves, Aliança is a big winery and distribution operation (they also represent some leading brands in Portugal) based in Sangalhos, between the lively coastal town of Aveiro and the rugged Bairrada hinterland. Neves has been busy buying and developing a handful of quality wine estates in other regions of Portugal such as Alentejo, Dão and Douro; as well as churning out their Casal Mendes volume brand and some good sparkling wines too. Winemakers Arminda Ferreira and Francisco Antunes are aided by hotly demanded (and paid I'd imagine) French consultant Pascal Chatonnet. Tasted at Boutinot's trade tasting in the Tower of London (mind your head) Feb 07, posted Aug 07:
2004 Quinta da Garrida, Dão - smoky fruit on a firm backdrop, still a little raw but nice mouthful of wine. 85+
2003 Quinta da Garrida Reserva Touriga Nacional, Dão - peppery tones with nice liquorice and black fruit, tight firm concentrated finish. UK retail approx £12 89
2004 Quinta dos Quatro Ventos, Douro - chunky meaty wine, black fruit with leather tones, lightly bitter twist v rounded with 'sweet' fruit. £12 89-91
2003 Quinta das Baceladas, Beiras - savoury cassis with herbal red pepper notes, maturing fruit v firm fresh and powerful; ripe & rounded though on the finish. £10 90

Waterkloof Estate - Stellenbosch, South Africa
British importer/exporter/producer Boutinot (they also have offices in France and the States) purchased the 122 hectare (300 acre) Waterkloof estate in 2004. The plan, according to their website, is "to create a new flagship wine for South Africa, and one of the world’s great Sauvignon Blancs." Sounds like Paul Boutinot's words himself, not one to make modest claims or lacking ambition! They have some good Merlot as well and planted quite a bit of
Mourvèdre, which looks promising in South Africa's best coastal sites.
Waterkloof vineyard is located 3km from the sea in one of the country’s best known 'cool climate' regions. It lies on Schaapenberg Mountain in Somerset West and "benefits from the moderating effects of coastal breezes off the cool Atlantic currents flowing through False Bay," apparently. Winemaking and viticulture is headed up by Werner Engelbrecht "following natural winemaking methods," such as wild yeast fermentation and extra lees contact (light yeast deposits, standard practice for making quality white wines). The Waterkloof wines are sourced from the upper slopes (up to 400m/1250 feet altitude) and Peacock Ridge from the main body of the estate (200-290m/750 feet).
Tasted at their trade tasting in the Tower of London (mind your head) Feb 07, posted Aug 07. To find stockists of these wines, and those above and below, check out the Boutinot website.
2005 Peacock Ridge Merlot - herb v plum aromas lead to a quite lush palate with fresh firm finish. UK retail approx £7.50 87-89
2006 Circumstance Sauvignon Blanc - citrus fruit with green pepper notes, intense mineral mouth-feel with zesty length. £10 87+
2006 Circumstance
Mourvèdre rosé - zesty and elegant Bandol rosé style, mineral v oily palate, long and fresh. £9 87
2005
Circumstance Merlot - spicier and rounder than the PR Merlot with more oak showing at the moment; however, has good balance and classy length. £12 88-90
2005 Waterkloof Sauvignon Blanc - grassier incisive style, fatter fruit palate v eye-watering acidity, steely elegant length. £15 90+

Australia
A few assorted favourites from around Oz, all tasted at Boutinot's trade bash in the Tower of London (mind your head) Feb 2007, posted Aug 07:
Cascabel - McLaren Vale, South Australia
2003 Shiraz, Fleurieu region - smoky bacon notes mingle with peppery tangy fruit on the palate, quite powerful finish. UK retail approx £15 87
From www.taltarni.com.auTaltarni - Pyrenees, Victoria
2004 T Series Shiraz/Cabernet - nice spicy fruit, quite serious at this price. £6.50-£7 85-87
2002 Pyrenees Shiraz - complex maturing berry fruit with savoury edges, elegant soft palate and length. £12 90
2004 Heathcote Shiraz - more intense spice and black cherry fruit, tight palate with fresh finish. £16 90
2002 Cephas (Shiraz Cabernet) - more chocolate oak and concentration, tighter firmer finish. £17 90
The Lane - Adelaide Hills, South Australia
2001 Reunion Shiraz - quite meaty v dark fruit backdrop, maturing and soft v attractive dry tannins and powerful finish. Pricey £20-£22 89+
Tallarook - Upper Goulburn, Victoria
An exciting discovery, Luis Riebl's 'natural' wines are refined yet occasionally approach 'extreme' in winemaking style; and pretty good value too considering the quality.
2004 Chardonnay - milky v peachy, intense with creamy yet fresh and powerful mouth-feel. £9-£10 88-90
2004 Marsanne - quite yeasty and lactic nose, fat hazelnut fruit, oxidising yet complex and lingering; different. £9-£10 90-92
2005 Roussanne - intense herby tones with creamy white peach backdrop, quite delicate and fresh. £9-£10 88-90
2006 Viognier - delicate apricot and flowers on the nose, attractively lively v weighty palate. £9-£10 90-92
2004 Shiraz/Viognier - attractive herbal tones on perfumed black cherry fruit, elegant and soft v light grip and power. £9-£10 90-92
Keith Tulloch - Hunter Valley, NSW
2005 Semillon
- a bit reduced/funky on the nose, leads on to a tight closed up palate then subtle waxier finish, not very revealing at the mo. £9.75 87
2002 Kester Shiraz - very smoked bacon, savoury v peppery, tangy fruit with fresh finish. Expensive though at £18.50 a bottle. 87-89

Grape sorters from www.tabali.clViña Tabalí - Limarí Valley, Chile
Their website says: "At 30º29’ latitude South, Limarí is currently Chile’s northernmost wine-producing region, although this is likely to change quickly as pioneering winemakers continue to push northward in search of new viticultural frontier." Indeed, according to Wines of Chile the Elqui Valley is the most northerly, although relatively recent for quality grape growing (there's only one major winery so far). Limarí is 400 km (250 miles) north of Santiago and close to the sea.
Fascinating, I hear you say, but there must be something special about the place, as I've now tasted a few very good wines from here. So, over to Tabalí (who, it has to be said, appear to have boosted their prices since winning a load of awards), tasted at Boutinot's bash in the Tower of London (mind your head again) in Feb 2007, posted Aug 07:
2005 Special Reserve Chardonnay - peachy and fresh v lightly buttered toast, nice acidity and elegant length. £17 87-89
2005 Special Reserve Pinot Noir - attractive herbal 'sweet and savoury' Pinot style with light creamy vanilla backdrop, soft v tangy mouth-feel. £17 87
2005 Special Reserve Shiraz - enticing smoked bacon and white pepper notes, firm and tangy v ripe and rounded finish. £17 87-89
2004 Special Reserve Blend (50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 35% Syrah) - a bit reduced/funky on the nose? Piquant cassis and blackberry fruit, more concentrated than above with solid tannins and fresh bite too, needs a bit of time to come together. £20+ 88-90

Viña Casa Marín - San Antonio, Chile
Continuing the geeky 'Chile's xxx-est' extreme location theme, the Casa Marín winery and vineyards are found in the San Antonio region "only 4 km from the coast... currently Chile's closest vineyard to the Pacific Ocean," as their website duly informs us. This new-ish wine area is west of Santiago and south of the more established Casablanca valley. Anyway, enough of the geographical blah blah; here's a few of Casa Marín's tasty wines, sampled at Boutinot's tasting in the Tower of London (mind your head once again) in Feb 2007 (notes posted Aug 07):
2006 Cipresses Sauvignon Blanc - piercing grapefruit and green pepper aromas set the scene for good weight on a rounded, off-dry leaning yet still fairly intense finish. £12.50 87-89
2005 Estero Sauvignon Gris - oilier showing fatter citrus fruit, quite rich with creamy edges, nice bite on its entertaining finish. £13.50 87-89
2004 Lo Abarca Pinot Noir - a bit oaky to start but soon reveals quite sexy 'sweet and savoury' Pinot style, freshness v gentle fruit. Not a bargain though at £18.50. 89-91

Vineyard in Carneros District from www.closduval.comClos du Val - Napa, California
Hardly a new discovery - at the grand age of 35, CDV is almost an old timer by Californian standards (well, I mean relative to the many new new wineries rather than the handful of 19th Century candidates) - but their wines retain a nice European-esque charm and elegance (not that I'm biased towards Euro wines). They also have extensive vineyards in Carneros (pic. above), source of some very enticing Pinot. Mind you, I didn't like their 04 Zinfandel though. Wines below sampled at Boutinot's tasting in the Tower of London (mind your head once again) in Feb 2007 (notes posted Aug 07):
2004 Pinot Noir - delicate perfumed morello cherry aromas with savoury edges, lovely fruit intensity v tight fresh length. £15.50 92
2003 Merlot (plus a little of both Cabernets) - gamey nose with light red pepper tones, chunky tannins and power v herbal fruit finish. £14.50 87-89
2003 Cabernet Sauvignon - inky herbal edges to its rich chunky palate, again shows light cedar and leaf characters on a riper rounder whole with very firm tannins. £16.50 90
1996 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon - mature savoury leather-tinged fruit, dry grip set on nice developing fruit finish. £31.50 90-92

From www.lauroux.com/armagnac.htmDomaine de Lauroux - Gascony
It's one of those 'realised a dream moving to France for good' stories. Even more so in British couple
Nicolas and Karen Kitchener's case, as they took the unenviable plunge of buying a vineyard near Manciet, Gascony, in 2004. Romantic yet brave idea, as vineyards and wineries can eat money for some time before seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, if at all even. So I wish them well.
Enough of the grim business talk. Nick and Karen are making a range of Côtes de Gascogne wines - red, white, rosé and sweet - as well as distilling and ageing several styles of Armagnac, with stocks of old ones available too. They kindly sampled me with their rather delicious 1986 (vintage dated 'brandies' are more the norm here compared to Cognac - apologies for mentioning the C word): tasting note and info below. Domaine de Lauroux has a self-catering gîte, and Nick and Karen also do B&B: check out their website www.lauroux.com.
1986 Bas Armagnac (bottled in March 2007, 42%) - comes across as quite powerful and fiery at first, but its 'sweet' aged fruit and vanilla oak undertones quickly mellow it out in the mouth; delicious pruney caramel fruit lingers on its punchy lively finish. A small measure works nicely after an overindulgent meal, soothing the palate and stomach. But remember it has 42% alcohol! Cellar door prices:
50cl bottle €30.40, 70cl €42.50 or magnum (!) €91.20. UK retail price £39-£45. Tasted May 07.

'The future': Roman Elisabeth and Heidi from www.pfaffl.atWeingut Pfaffl - Weinviertel, Austria
Pfaffl (Pe-faff-el) is yet another groovy-looking (those Austrians are rather good at designing wine-making and selling 'spaces') family-run estate, located about 15km north of Vienna; so within easy striking distance of Austria's fine capital city. Their wines - see snapshot below with my tasting notes and comments - are available from
Astrum Wine Cellars in London SW18 (020 8870 5252), but don't appear to have US distribution at the moment, although certain lucky Canadians can find them in the Liquor Control Board of Ontario shops. These three gems were tasted in May 2007:
2006 Hundsleiten
Grüner Veltliner (13.5%) - spicy pear with tangy yeast edges and powerful aromatic floral baked apple notes; full rounded mouth-feel v juicy peppery fruit, cider and creamy roast nut flavours v zingy and fresh; powerful finish v zesty mineral bite. 88-90
2005
Riesling am Berg (13.5%) - powerfully aromatic linseed oil, honey, citrus and mineral notes with almost a touch of botrytis? (noble rot character), intense and complex; powerful (again the alcohol certainly adds weight) with rich concentrated peach fruit and some sweetness v very fresh, mineral length v oily texture; lingering maturing Riesling fruit v medium dry finish although clean thanks to that acidity. 90-92
2004 'Excellent' (
Blauer Zweigelt Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 14.5%) - this modestly named red shows fragrant Black Forest gateau fruit - plum cherry and choc with light vanilla tones, commanding palate with fresh bite and nice depth of minty fruit; the oak is quite well integrated (often a fault with Austrian reds) set against bitter/sweet fruit and dry finish. Would perhaps rate it higher but the alcohol's a bit heavy, although with food it's fine. 88

Domaine du Grand Cros - Provence
Difficult to resist an email worded like this: "
Sturdy young British winemaker, Julian Faulkner, is not afraid to show his feminine side with his 2006 rosé release. In fact this year he is pinker than ever with 6 different rosés on offer. You might think his feminine side (or his big ego) got the better of him, but he wants to take you on a journey of exploration of different styles and tastes for this hot and growing wine colour..." Julian's estate can be found in Carnoules located in the Var 'département' (that's the curved, sticking out bit between Marseille and the French Riviera), which is Côtes de Provence country wine-wise. Check out their site for more info: www.grandcros.fr (which even allows you to choose a Flash - which I find very irritating - or non-Flash experience).
When I examined the samples they sent more closely (2 of each one), there was something odd about the shades of rosé colour. So I asked the question: "Is it my eyesight or are the two different bottles of Jules and L'Esprit a slightly different shade of pink (one of each appears a little deeper)? But I can't see any difference on the labels - an alternative approach perhaps for those who prefer lighter or richer coloured rosé?!" And their reply was: "That’s exactly it! There’s more Syrah & Grenache, less Cinsault in the deeper colored rosé, whereas there’s more Cinsault and Grenache and less Syrah in the paler rosé. We distinguish them by the Lot Number, which you can spot on the neck of the bottle: LF for the paler and LM for the richer. We reckon the lighter is more aperitif and the other one more food rosé. Locally our clients tend to prefer a lighter rosé." So now you know: commendably quirky if not a tad confusing winemaking ideas... Tasted March/April 07.
La Maîtresse Brut, sparkling rosé (traditional method 12%) - attractively red-fruity with light almond undertones, appley plus a touch of biscuit; refreshing off-dry finish. 87+
2006 Jules,
Côtes de Provence rosé (paler, Syrah Grenache Carignan Cinsault 13%) - zingy rose petal and redcurrant, light almond and cream v juicy fruit, tight crisp finish. 85-87
2006 Jules, Côtes de Provence rosé (deeper) - very similar, can you tell the difference apart from the colour? Perhaps slightly fruitier and richer with fuller texture; otherwise dry, tight and zingy. 85-87
2006 L'Esprit de Provence rosé (paler, Cinsault Grenache Syrah 13%) - juicy yet quite weighty and round v zesty tight finish; fuller, less 'fruity' & oily rose petal palate, seems a tiny tad less dry perhaps? 87
2006 L'Esprit de Provence rosé (deeper) - zippier with redcurrant and raspberry fruit, oily and weighty v fresh and crisp; more cherry fruit and light tannin too, nice length and mineral texture. 87-89
2005 Nectar rosé (
Mourvèdre Carignan Syrah 13%) - a bit strange, very deep colour; lightly oaky backdrop v rich fruit, dry and crisp v toasty notes; not for everyone, better with food e.g. a spicy fish dish. 87

Eden Valley Riesling Queen from www.peterlehmannwines.comPeter Lehmann Wines - Barossa
Perhaps better known for classic Shiraz and Cabernet, South Australia's Peter Lehmann hogged the limelight in 2006 for their white wines, especially Riesling (although I've always rather liked the Barossa Semillon too). In the International Wine Challenge, their 2001 Reserve Riesling was awarded Australian White Wine Trophy and Australian Riesling Trophy (how many trophies do you need in a competition like this by the way?); and 2005 Eden Valley Riesling a gold medal. If that wasn't enough, PLW then scooped IWC White Winemaker of the Year plus the International Wine & Spirit Competition's worldwide Riesling trophy. “Not bad for a traditional red winemaker from a traditional red wine district!” chief winemaker Andrew Wigan commented wryly. Anyway, I find the elegant pure style of their Rieslings very appealing, and these two, sampled in Dec 06, have around 12% alcohol by volume:
2005 Riesling, Barossa Valley - floral with oily citrus notes, chalky texture and freshness v maturing fruit roundness. 87+
2006 Riesling, Eden Valley - surprisingly soft and delicate with nicely intense flowery white peach fruit, zesty extract and subtle fresh acidity; a little closed up at the moment, yet it's underlying fine structure and length bode well. 89-91

And this red duo was originally featured under Previous Wines of the Moment, tasted October 2004:
2002 Barossa Shiraz (14.5%) - classic traditional style showing rich colour, viscosity and extract; spicy coconut nose enhanced by lovely ripe black cherry and currant fruit, complex earthy notes and lightly developing liquorice & 'tar' nuances too; good concentration and depth of 'sweet' fruit, nice bite of rounded tannins, smoky finish and long fruity flavour, making the big 14.5% alcohol not so noticeable. Great if you like this kind of wine: I do but only with hearty food! 90
2002 Clancy's Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Cabernet Franc, Barossa Valley (14%) - touch of complex volatile earthy notes, also mint with ripe black fruits, a hint of spice and a meaty edge too; nice rich cassis fruit supported by cinnamon oak, powerful firm finish yet also has 'sweetness', then gets tighter closing up a little. 87+

Palacio de la Vega, from Pernod Ricard's websitePalacio de la Vega - Navarra
One of the leading Bodegas in northeast Spain, Palacio de la Vega has been a personal favourite for many years; although I was surprised to find out from their annoying 'Flash' website that it's only been going since 1991. The winery's now owned by mega giant Pernod Ricard, which isn't necessarily a bad thing when you look at some of their other wine brands (Champagne Mumm, Etchart in Argentina, Australia's Wyndham Estate as well as the slightly better-known Jacobs Creek). Anyway, I haven't yet visited PDLV's vineyards and cellars - must pop down to Navarra one of these days - but thought the wines below, bought in various Spanish supermarkets, were worth sharing (if you can still get the 99 Reserva in the UK or US?). They also show that a mix of Spanish and so-called international varieties can work well together when grown in a suitable environment, which seems to be the case in Navarra. Tasted Sept-Dec 2006:
2002 Crianza (Tempranillo Cabernet Sauvignon, 13.5%) - slight sulphide (?) aromas when first opened but it develops nice smoky cassis notes underpinned with cedar oak; full, quite rich & rustic mouth-feel v tangy tight length, quite powerful yet balanced, firm tannins v maturing fruit. 87-89
2005 Rosado (Garnacha Cabernet Sauvignon, 13%) - full-on chunky raspberry and strawberry fruit, ripe and rounded v subtle acidity and tight length. 87+
1999 Reserva Tempranillo (13%) - enticing developed earthy peppery notes v light vanilla and black cherry; concentrated blueberry fruit with background layer of oak, nice texture and maturity v still firm-ish tannins and fresh bite. A complete wine showing balance and style, drinking now yet I think will improve for another couple of years; try with pasta in a cépes & aioli sauce. €6-7 90-92

Golden Kaan logo from www.golden-kaan.comGolden Kaan - South Africa
The Golden Kaan brand was created by German multinational drinks company Racke in partnership with Cape winery KWV. Typically there are different tiers of quality, wine style and packaging: varietal range, Reserve Selection and Winemaker's Reserve. The basic spread isn't up to much apart from the two Pinotages - you have to ask why they sent samples of 2004 vintage southern hemisphere whites? - but it gets a bit better as you go up; although in some cases 'reserve' appears to mean more oak. However, a couple of them are pretty good and show where their strengths lie. Tasted September-November 2006:
2004 Pinotage, Western Cape - attractive smoky style showing rustic lushness v tangy plum, red fruits and burnt spices; fair weight and rounded tannins. Better with hearty food such as pork and garlic sausages, as it's a little bitter on the finish on its own. 80-85
2005 Pinotage rosé - plenty of vibrant red fruit notes, quite rich then tangy and spicy, juicy and ripe v crisp and dry. 85-87
2004 Chardonnay - a bit flat and fading with hard acidity.
2004 Sauvignon Blanc - too old otherwise not bad.
2004 Merlot - a bit rough and thin; softer the next day but it's just the alcohol holding it together.
2004 Shiraz - vanilla and smoked bacon essence; fruitier the next day although a bit boring with clumsy oak chip character and 14% alcohol keeping it alive.
2004 Cabernet Sauvignon - OK, better than the Merlot or Shiraz with ripe cassis v herbal red pepper style and soft-ish mouth-feel; still at basic vin de pays level though.
2005 Sauvignon Blanc Reserve Selection (12%) - the first bottle was a bit sulphide on the nose, but it goes with some air; develops a nicer mix of tropical fruit v gooseberry zing, quite mineral and long actually. 87
2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Selection (13.5%) - mature minty berry fruit, quite soft liquorice palate finishing with dry bite; nice enough but lacks a bit of substance and depth of flavour. 83-85
2003 Shiraz Reserve Selection (14%) - appealing mature rustic v herbal peppery & smoky bacon notes, combines with liquorice and black cherry fruit, quite firm with punch of alcohol; not so complex, again went well with fried liver but less attractive on its own. 85
2003 Chardonnay Winemaker's Reserve, Coastal Region (14%) - pretty oaky start yet has plenty of rich tropical pineapple and buttery yeast-lees complexity, developed fruit supported by quite powerful alcohol v touch of fresh acidity and aniseed bite; try with guinea fowl, mushroom & gruyere risotto or trout in a rich sauce? 87-89
2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Winemaker's Reserve, Stellenbosch (13.5%) - better after one day open: at first it's all vanilla coconut oak then develops gamey cassis and plum notes, lusher palate v that coco oak (although remains pretty toasty); quite firm yet fresh finish goes some way towards countering the coating of chocolate tannins. 87-89

Auntsfield EstateFrom www.auntsfield.co.nz - Marlborough, New Zealand
Graeme and Linda Cowley are renovating and replanting this vineyard in the upper Wairau Valley, which had been abandoned for 100 years. The fruit for the Sauvignon, International Wine Challenge 2006 gold medal winner, was grown near "the long cow paddock." The Hawk Hill Pinot is named after magnificent harrier hawks riding the thermal currents over Auntsfield’s north facing slopes, and was awarded two silver medals (IWC and Decanter World Wine Awards 2006). Their full range is available in the UK direct from www.thecellaret.com Tasted June 06:
2005 Long Cow Sauvignon Blanc - lovely classic style capturing the best of Marlborough's climate: purity and intensity of green yet tropical edged fruit, nice elegance and length v concentration and power. 90+
2005 Hawk Hill Pinot Noir - I found this a bit clumsy when first opened with charred oak and high alcohol (at least 14.5% from memory) dominating; the next day it better expressed those hoped-for floral 'sweet and savoury' Pinot characters, which pulled in the reins a little. Perhaps just too young at the moment, but I'd prefer much less toasted new oak a wine like this... 87

Mount Donnybrook - Western Australia
Three wines from Western Oz made by Michael Hope for ALDI stores in the UK and I guess Ireland too, given that the prices are quoted at £6.99 or €11.99 a bottle? Overall pretty good value for money, although I found the Shiraz the least interesting (too oaky). Tasted May 06:
2003 Shiraz (13.5%) - dominated by vanilla oak at first, the day after opening it showed more savoury characters v spicy black plum fruit, quite restrained style yet still fairly rich v soft tannins; would be better with less oak though. 85+
2003 Cabernet Sauvignon (14%) - much less oaky than the Shiraz offering attractive earthy cassis fruit, ripe soft palate v quite powerful alcohol; nevertheless, it's also fairly elegant and fine. 88+
2005 Chardonnay (13.5%) - light mealy creamy oak notes with ripe peach and pineapple; nice 'sweet' fruit v subtle toast and yeast-lees characters, fair power yet fresh and dry finish. 87+

www.raimat.comRaimat - Catalonia
Raimat, owned by the Cava group Codorníu, practically invented the Costers del Segre DO zone in Catalonia. The adventure began back in 1914, when the Raventós family bought 3200 hectares of barren land in Lleida...
Tasted between Oct 2005 and Jan 2006:
2001 Clamor red (Cabernet Sauvignon & Tempranillo, 13%) - smooth maturing style that nicely mixes traditional Rioja and Bordeaux, smoky silky Pinot Noir-like fruit with firmer, leather-tinged yet vanilla-rounded finish. €5-6 89
2004 Rosado (Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon & Pinot Noir, 12.5%) - unusual and superb rosé, with full bodied quite fat strawberry palate leading to balanced classy finish. 89
Brut Nature Mètode Tradicional (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay & Xarello, 12%) - this really quite fine and flavoursome sparkling wine, shaped by similar production methods to Champagne, comes from outside the Cava area. Fairly rich, buttery and tropical fruit gives way to developing yeasty complexity with fresh, dry and elegant length. Brut Nature means no added dosage, i.e. not sweetened with less than 5 grams natural residual sugar; so pretty dry to you and me. 90+
Tasted June 2006:
2005 rosado/rosat Casal Raimat (Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot, 13%) - not sure if this is just the new vintage with change of name and packaging, or a different wine. Anyway, it's good stuff as usual, quite rich and full yet aromatic and fresh. 87+
2005 Casal Raimat blanco - distinctive white, nice mix of juicy fat fruit with yeast-lees intensity and crisp length. 87+
Tasted July 2006:
2003 Clamor crianza (Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Tempranillo 13.5%) - again shows that subtle mix of smoky rustic tones and complex berry fruit, silky mouthfeel, although firmer and bigger than the 2001; all layered with not too much vanilla oak flavour. €5+ 89+
Tasted October 2007:
2006 Casal Raimat
rosado (Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot, 13%) - vibrant raspberry and blueberry fruit, weighty with light grip even v fresh and zesty. 87+

 

 

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Mini-profiles 2005