That’s £15 per half by the way, just in case you were amazed by the bargain on offer here. Still, it’s a lovely Sauternes, made by a property that made some of the best sweet wines in Bordeaux in 2009. This is honeyed and intense, but with less concentration than the same château’s grown up wine. Sweet vanilla pod and crème brûlée notes combine with a citrus lift on the palate. Classy stuff.
Country: France
2011 Les Jamelles, Réserve Mourvèdre, Vin de Pays d'Oc, Languedoc-Roussillon
( £6.99, 14%, The Co-operative )Mourvèdre rarely gets solo billing in the south of France, even in Bandol, its home from home, so it’s good to see this on a supermarket shelf. It’s minty and rich, with sweet bramble and blackberry fruit and the tannins for which the grape is famous.
2011 The Co-operative Chablis, Chablis, Burgundy
( £9.99, 12.5%, The Co-operative )2011 was a slightly tricky vintage in Chablis, so hats off to the Co-op for finding a wine that delivers under £10. It’s a fairly soft, forward style, but there’s enough steeliness to stop it cloying. It’s fresh and appealing with no oak and supple pear and spice on the palate.
Gaillac the Tortoise
by Matt Walls
Say the word ‘Gaillac’ and what does it conjure up? Not a lot. Florent Plageoles of leading estate Domaine Plageoles confirms “we have a big image problem”. It’s not that...
2008 Château Doisy-Daëne Blanc Sec, Bordeaux
( £19.95, 12.5%, Tanners )Who says Sauvignon Blanc doesn’t age? When it’s made by Denis Dubourdieu, an academic and hands on winemaker who specialises in the variety, it can be spectacularly good. This is like a mini white Graves, with toasty, bottle-aged complexity, zesty acidity, tangy grapefruit-like flaovurs and a smoky undertone. The wine is delicious now but has more ageing potential if previous releases are a guide.
2010 Domaine Morin, Cuvée Ovide, Sancerre, Loire Valley
( £18.95, 13%, Roberson )The old vine concentration (we’re talking 50 years and counting) is immediately apparent on the nose and palate here. It’s a very subtle, minerally, focused style of Sauvignon Blanc that tastes as if it’s been drained through a bed of limestone. Pithy, restrained, saline, yet very concentrated wtih a finish that skips across your tongue. Drinking this, Ovid would have been moved to poetry.
2011 Waitrose Beaujolais
( £6.99, 12.5%, Waitrose )2011 turned out to be a very drinkable vintage in Beaujolais, just as it did in neighbouring Burgundy, and this own-lablel from teh Georges Duboeuf stable is a red-fruited thirstquencher with pithy acidity and notes of cherry and raspberry.
NV Franck Bonville Grand Cru Champagne, Champagne
( £39, 12.5%, Marks & Spencer )OK, this costs nearly £40, but so do plenty of Champagnes that aren’t anything like as good as this Blanc de Blancs from growers, Herny and Ludovic Beaufort. The wine tastes as good as it looks, with masses of rich, nutty, bready flavours, a lowish dosage and 20% reserve wines to add extra concentration and weight. This is what I’ll be drinking as we open the pressies on Christmas morning.
2011 Domaine de Paparotier Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, Rhône Valley
( £8.99 down to £6.74, 15%, Marks & Spencer )If you’ve got a sweet tooth but don’t want to spend more than £10 on a bottle of something special for Christmas, this southern Rhône fortified ticks all the right boxes. It’s a very elegant style, wtih subtle fortification, aromas of wild flowers, honey and peach and a refreshing finish that doesn’t cloy in the slightest.
2009 Château Dasvin-Bel-Air, Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux
( £9.99, 14%, Aldi )There are some surprisingly good wines at this increasingly popular discount chain, particularly at Christmas. This Bordeaux cru bourgeois from a celebrated recent vintage is a case in point. It’s a light, elegant, easy-drinking claret with fine tannins, good freshness and plenty of juicy cassis and green pepper notes. A red that really delivers at the price.
2007 Domaine Saint Gayan, Gigondas, Rhône Valley
( £15.95, 15%, Yapp Brothers )A wine that needs a cold day, snow on the ground and frost on the windowpanes, to show at its best, preferably with a stew bubbling on the stove. It’s a rich, compact, full-throated southern Rhône red with masses of savoury, peppery sweetness, warming alcohol and dense, sun-soaked flavours, with tapenade, clove and blackberry to the fore. Great now, but will age too.
2005 Château Pierre-Bise, Coteaux du Layon Rochefort, Loire Valley
( £17.50 for 50cl, 11.5%, Stone, Vine & Sun )Sweet wine heaven! I often prefer the Chenin Blancs from the Loire to Sauternes and, sure enough, this is a candidate for my dessert wine of the year. It’s very rich, yet elegant and poised at the same time, with only 11.5% alcohol. Honey, apple, quice and vivid acidity combine to perfection on your tongue. A remarkable wine that only seems to get better with age.