Aldi Greek wines

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 (page temporarily missing).
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

Mountain Valley - Montenegro

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

World Wide Trophy for Best Sparkling Wine goes to...England

RidgeView Merret Bloomsbury 2002 snatched the award in the International Wine and Spirit Competition 2005. This blend of Champagne varieties Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier is made at the vineyard and winery situated north of Ditchling in Sussex. The estate currently produces between 40 – 50,000 bottles a year, and is a family business set up by Mike and Christine Roberts only in 1994; their son Simon shares the winemaking. RidgeView’s sparkling wines are named after Christopher Merret, who apparently recorded making traditional method sparkling wine in 16th Century London with the Royal Society 30 years before Dom Pérignon in Champagne. Open Monday to Saturday 11am to 4.30pm for sales and tastings, their wines are also stocked by Waitrose, Sunday Times Wine Club, the Wine Society and independent specialists around the country. Further info: tel 01444 241441, ridgeviewestate@aol.com or www.ridgeview.co.uk
Tasting notes of Merret older vintages might be resurrected at some point...

Portugal: Porto Solene, Douro valley

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

Lots more Port & Douro here.

Monastrell - Mourvèdre - Mataro strikes back!

Or a tasting trip to Jumilla, South Africa and Australia. Monastrell - Mourvèdre - Mataro: the three most common passports this great grape variety travels under. You'll find lots more tastings of M-based wines and info on the mega Bandol page of my other blog (opens in new window as do the following links:) and this Pic St-Loup feature, as well as articles ("Understanding Mourvèdre," originally written for Wine Business Monthly in the US) and news items. Anyway, I've also included wines below where Mourvèdre is blended with other grapes - such as Tempranillo, Grenache, Syrah/Shiraz, Cabernet even - or wines made entirely from those varieties, because they were worth mentioning too... Tasted May 2005 at the London wine trade fair.

SPAIN - JUMILLA

Finca Omblancas
2003 was the first vintage from this winery-to-watch, and amazingly their Delaín  wine was made from 3 year old vines.
2003 Delaín (Monastrell, 13.5%) - quite smoky and full-bodied, shows nice ripe liquorice and herb flavours leading to fairly structured, firm and powerful palate with good length. 87
2003 Denuño Monastrell - lovely complex 'sweet' berry fruit with liquorice and herb notes; quite concentrated, lush and ripe v meaty framework. 88-90

Bodegas Valle del Carche
2004 Vega Carche Monastrell  - nice ripe fruit with reasonable depth and a touch of tannin in the mouth. 85
2004 Tempranillo - more structured with grippier and fresher palate yet has generous rounded fruit too, tangy v liquorice. 87
2000 Reserva (Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon & Syrah) - shows more upfront oak layered with lovely savoury tobacco v ripe berry fruit, nice depth and style with firm well-textured mouthfeel, power and class. 90-92

Casa de la Ermita
2004 Monastrell (organic) - delicious ripe and savoury fruit, raisins v firm tannins and smoky long finish. 90
2002 Crianza (Tempranillo, Monastrell & Cabernet Sauvignon) - smoky maturing complex nose, again offers lovely ripeness v structured backdrop with elegant length. 92

Casa Castillo
2004 Vendimia (Monastrell & Tempranillo) - attractive 'modern' juicy fruit style, quite chunky and grippy on the palate showing fair concentration. 87
2001 Las Gravas (Monastrell, Syrah & Cabernet Sauvignon) - complex, grilled and developed fruit; very firm yet has richness and depth too. 90+

Bodegas Salzillo
2002 Zenizate Crianza (Monastrell) - concentrated with lovely coating of ripe yet savoury fruit and firm, nicely maturing tannins. 89+
2004 rosado (Monastrell) - attractive chunky fruit displaying ripe raspberry and strawberry, weighty finish. 87
2003 Camelot Dulce Monastrell ("Knights of the Round Table...on second thoughts, let's not go to Camelot; it's a silly place..." Guess the movie? Email me and you'll win...my respect) - very rich, oxidised and meaty set against loads of raisin and liquorice fruit, with balancing bite on the long complex finish. 90+
N.B: the Dulce, sweet style is made from very late picked Monastrell grapes fermented to 11%, fortified with spirit to about 15% and aged in old casks. This leaves at least 50 grams/litre of natural sugar.

Bodegas Bleda
2004 Castillo de Jumilla Monastrell rosado  - earthier style than rosé above with very deep colour, nice fruit and a touch of dry grip on the powerful palate.87
2004 Monastrell - ripe pure berry and tobacco fruit, luscious black cherry palate with a bit of tannin adding framework. 87
2000 Reserva (Monastrell & Tempranillo) - mint and cigar notes lead to mature savoury v ripe 'sweet' flavours, tight structure and power v lingering dried black fruits. 90
2002 Divus (Monastrell) - cedar new oak aromas but shows ripe rustic complexity too, very concentrated with good balance of oak, firm tannins and fruit. 92+

Bodegas Viña Elena
2002 Pacheco Crianza (Monastrell) - rich dried fruits on the nose then firm savoury texture, quite powerful and concentrated. 90

Bodegas Agapito Rico
2004 Carchelo (Monastrell) - nice juicy 'modern' style fruit, rich black cherry flavours then firmer finish. 87

Three more Dulce Monastrells:
2003 Nuestra Señora de la Encarnacion - complex oxidised nose with very minty yet savoury nuances, concentrated sweet liquorice fruit with bite of tannins, acidity and alcohol. 89
2003 Alceño, Pedro Luis Martínez - amazing blackberry fruit with slight 'rancio' characters, firm tannins yet long fruity finish. 92+
2000 Bodegas Olivares - minty wild herb aromas with black cherry and dark chocolate, super concentration v bite of tannins and alcohol (16%); fab. 95

SOUTH AFRICA
These 3 wines were all made by Charles Back.
2004 Spice Route Mourvèdre, Swartland - shows quite a bit of spicy oak but also vibrant berry and herb fruit underneath, good depth on a tight rounded framework. 89
2004 Fairview Mourvèdre (+10% Shiraz) - nice spicy berry fruit leads to a gamier palate, attractive ripe tannins add a touch of grip to the fair depth of fruit. 872004 Charles Back Shiraz-Mourvèdre - lively spicy black fruit nose, liquorice v gamey background flavours, tight and firm yet nicely rounded. 89

AUSTRALIA

Mitchelton, Victoria
2002 Crescent Shiraz-Mourvèdre-Grenache - plenty of coconut spiced oak, tight concentrated and firm palate; needs time although perhaps too much oak for the fruit to really develop? 89
2002 Parish Shiraz-Viognier - meatier more savoury fruit, rich and dark with lovely depth, firm and powerful yet elegant length too. 92+
2003 Shiraz - more delicate style with herby berry fruit and creamy wood, firm dry tannins v lingering 'sweetness'. 87

D'Arenberg, McLaren Vale
2002 The 28 Road Mourvèdre - attractively smoky ripe & minty berry fruit, a touch of background oak adds chocolate flavours too; firm and powerful, tightly textured finish. 89+
2003 The Cadenzia Grenache-Shiraz-Mourvèdre (+ Viognier) - more berry-ish and open, liquorice Grenache fruit leads to structured yet perfumed mouthfeel! 87
2003 The Laughing Magpie Shiraz-Viognier - delicious aromatic, pure spicy Syrah nose lifted by a touch of background choco oak; nice ripe texture and fruit extract without being too heavy. 89+
2002 The Dead Arm Shiraz - herbal intensity set against very ripe fruit, subtle concentration v textured oak, dry yet ripe finish, big but not too. 90+
2003 The Dead Arm Shiraz - very perfumed blackberry and herb fruit, the oak isn't very integrated at the moment but this has sumptuous depth and tight firm finish. 92+