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09 November 2011

Chile: Nuevo Mundo


As you would expect from right-on importer Vintage Roots (goes to their site) with their long-standing organic-with-knobs-on credentials, this new range (Nuevo Mundo = New World in Spanish obviously) is sourced from the Maipo Valley by star winery De Martino (profile on them and Carmenere 1996-2010 vertical tasting report to follow, by the way!) entirely from certified organic vineyards managed with "increased water efficiency," as the blurb says. Not only that, I'm also told the wines are "100% carbon neutral (how's that then, transported by wind power perhaps?) and made from native yeasts with low sulphite levels..."

02 November 2011

Languedoc: Le Clos du Serre, Terrasses du Larzac

Sébastien Fillon set up shop as a brave new winegrower in 2006 having spent a few years trying to find ‘the right spot’. Well, he found it - and 15 different parcels of old-vine vineyard (including some 85 and 110 year-old Carignan) - in those breath-taking elevated wine-lands around St. Jean de la Blaquière: there really are serious stoney terraces up here unlike other parts of the so-called, and somewhat flatter "Terrasses du Larzac" mini-appellation. The easiest way of finding it is by heading up the spectacular A75 motorway from Montpellier or Béziers and follow the signs (doh!). His 'Le Clos' red blend sampled below includes one third of this virtually extinct variety of Cinsault apparently (that's a new one on me) selected from one distinct and obviously cherished parcel. Sébastien had the bright idea of creating a kind of investor 'vineholder' scheme to reduce the sum of money he had to borrow (building and equipping a cellar is a very expensive business), which has amounted to no less than 80 people pitching in and buying their own vines. Further wisdom: leclosduserres.fr.

2009 Le Clos Languedoc (Syrah, Cinsault 'oeillade', Grenache; 13.5% alc.) - has ‘inky’ spicy and floral notes, dark vs crunchy fruit profile, firm mouth-feel with hints of chocolate oak and light bitter twist, tight closed up finish. Good, needs a couple of years to come out of its shell perhaps. £10.99 Premium Wine Collections.
2009 Les Maros Terrasses du Larzac (60% Grenache plus Cinsault & Carignan; 14.5% alc.) - ripe fruity nose with spicy dark fruit combo, liquorice vs pepper too; big solid palate, tight closed up finish again, very attractive style with a touch of class. £15.99 Premium Wine Collections.

01 November 2011

Languedoc: Pinot Noir, Domaine de Clovallon

Further to my comments chiselled into a piece posted on WineWriting.com (Pinot Noir: Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand) on a case of 'Pinot fraud,' I'd say this one’s definitely Pinot. It's from this slightly off-the-wall estate found in Bédarieux on the ragged fringes of the Massif Central mountains.
2008 Les Pomarèdes Pinot Noir vin de pays d’Oc Domaine de Clovallon - Succulent silky “sweet/savoury” style and attractive Pinot character, shows a touch of dry grip vs fresh acidity on the finish. Very good for Languedoc PN although dear at £15.75 in the UK (Terroir Languedoc).
Click here to see my note on their lovely white wine. Mind you, most of the best ones are made in Limoux: click here for a bit of a rant and a few recommended producers.

31 October 2011

Spain: Catalonia & Aragón

Here are four tasty "wines of the moment" worth looking out for, sourced from two almost neighbouring, dynamic regions in northeast Spain, which are newish releases from Spanish specialist importer Burridges of Arlington St. based in Sussex, England, who supplies wine shops throughout the UK and Ireland. Stockists for the Cava include Firth Wines, Thomas Panton, some branches of Spirited Wines and members of the Merchant Vintners consortium: such as S.H.Jones, Portland Wine, House of Townend, Wallaces, Wineservice, The Vineyard (IOM) and Tanners. Retail price is about £8-£10 a bottle. More info @ burridgewine.com.

Castell d'Olérdola - Cava
I first came across this good-value Cava label in supermarkets and wine shops when I lived up the coast a bit from Barcelona for nine months back in the not too dim and distant. They're already listed in my Cava mini-guide, so it was good to retry a couple from this range made by the well-known Castillo Perelada group. Both wines sampled here see around 12 months lees-ageing in bottle, although the Reserva is then matured in their cavernous cellars for up to two more years after 'disgorgement' (ejecting the yeast sediment). They also produce Kosher Cava too, by the way.
Rosado (Trepat, Monastrell; 11.5% alc.) - the first one is a rare red Catalan variety, the second is what the Spanish call Mourvèdre; then again, they can call this Med-est of reds what they like, it all came from Spain originally! Quite delicate rosé fizz with lightly toasty notes vs red fruit cocktail, rounded off-dry vs lively mouth-feel and finish.
Reserva (Macabeu, Xarel.lo, Parellada; 11.5%) - made from the three white Catalan staples: classier and drier, quite rich with oat biscuit flavours vs intense and crisp-ish. Nice quality fizz.


Bodegas Esteban Martín - Cariñena
This relatively small region lies east of Calatayud and west of Catalunya, and its vineyards are found on a dramatic plateau at 400 to 800m altitude making it a little cooler in summer (but still hot and dry) and pretty cold in winter. Established in 2003, Viñedos y Bodegas Esteban Martín is a modern family-run winery based in Alfamén smack in the middle of Cariñena, and is circled by a whopping 150 hectares (375 acres) of their own vines mixing Spanish and French varieties.
Vinem Crianza red 2008 (mostly old-vine Garnacha, Cabernet, Syrah, Merlot; 14% alc.) - touches of oak grain adding coco notes and texture, quite lush and plummy with sweet fruit vs savoury edges, chunky and powerful with well-balanced oak / tannins / alcohol vs attractive fruit.
Vinem red 2010 (Garnacha, Syrah; 13.5%) - peppery with black cherry and liquorice, soft fruity style vs a hint of dry grip and oomph, attractive easy-drinking red with some guts too.

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Header image: Château de Flandry, Limoux, Languedoc. Background: Vineyard near Terrats in Les Aspres, Roussillon.