Try before you buy: the future of wine?
by Natasha Hughes MW
Some 10 years ago, when I first started out as a wine, journalist I was commissioned (by a certain Tim Atkin) to write about why people bought the wines they...
Country: France
2011 Château Rouquette sur Mer, Cuvée Arpège, La Clape, Languedoc
( £9.95, 13.5%, The Wine Society )If you’re looking for a rare southern French white with lots of personality, this blend of Roussanne and rare Bourboulenc from cosatal La Clape deserves a slot in your wine rack. It’s rich and slightly honeyed with notes of wax and pear and a spicy, textured finish with just a hint of grape skin bitterness. A white wine with grip.
2008 Château Trillol Corbières, Corbières, Languedoc
( £8.95, 14%, From Vineyards Direct, The Wine Society )If you’re a fan of wild, Medieterranean herb-scented reds from the hills of the Corbières, this should be right up your grande rue. The oak is subtly done here, allowing the spicy, heady fruit to express itself. The tannins are svelte and nicely integrated, the fruit dense yet supple, the finish long and refreshing. The altitude of the vineyards is what gives the wine its balance and length.
2002 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs, Reims, Champagne
( Approx £100, 12, Widely available )If I had to choose just one Blanc de Blancs Champagne to lay down on a regular basis, this would be it. It’s hard to believe the wine is 10 years’ old, given its freshness and perky acidity. Floral, understated, citrus and brioche aromas sashay into a pure, focused, beautifully defined palate showing flavours of citrus, fresh bread and lighty grilled nuts. The finish on the wine goes on for a minute. Great now, but tuck some away if you can keep your hands off it.
2010 Château de Beauregard, St Véran, Burgundy
( £11.95, 13%, The Wine Society )The more I taste white Burgundies from the 2010 vintage, the more I love them. Frédéric Burrier’s unoaked Mâconnais white is very stylish indeed, with notes of stone fruit and citrus and a long, chalky aftertaste. Who needs barrels when the flavours are as good as this?
2009 Louis Max, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy
( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )Very light in colour, although there’s nothing wrong with that in Burgundy. Leafy, balanced and aromatic with summer pudding and wild strawberry fruit. The palate is very different, showing more oak, slightly firm extracted tannins, medium acidity and not quite enough fruit to balance the dryness. This may oopen up over the next two or three years.
2010 Taste the Difference Crozes-Hermitage, Rhône Valley
( £8.99, 13%, Sainsbury's )It was a smart move by Sainsbury’s to source their Crozes from the biodynamic wild child of the Rhône Valley, Michel Chapoutier. Sourced from three different terroirs in this comparatively large appellation, it’s a classis example of a cooler climate Syrah, albeit an unoaked one. Blackberry spice and smoked meat are the dominant aromas and flavours here, underpinned by good structure and supple tannins. Try chilling it slightly.
Pierre Mansour: Wine Society selector
by Matt Walls
It does not sell Armand de Brignac ‘Ace of Spades’ Champagne, nor does it sponsor the drinks at footballers’ weddings. The Wine Society doesn’t court the ‘glamour’ end of the...
2009 Chantal Lescure, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy
( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )Deep ruby, youthful, garnet coloured at the rim. Dense, compact, with some minty reduction. A little bitter with high acidity, perhaps suffering from bottle shock? High acid and tannin, not very complex. Lacks what should be the redeeming feature of the vintage: namely, fruit.
2009 Capitain-Gagnerot, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy
( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )Very pale garnet and hints of brick red. Forward or just a little developed? Strange toffee oak secents on top of the wine. Very fruity, with fresh acidity, but just a little confected, with strawbery coulis fruit. Forward, ripe, very 2009.
2009 Château de la Tour Vieilles Vignes, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy
( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )A mid ruby wine showing a slight cloudiness when I tasted it. This old vine cuvée is marked by smoky, vanilla oak on the nose, with meaty aromas that owe as much to Syrah as they do to Pinot Noir. Very woody on the palate too, with a chunky extracted finish. This may soften over time, but I think the oak will continue to dominate the fruit.
2009 Bertagna, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy
( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )Mid ruby/red with a pinkish rim. There’s some evidence of whole bunch fermetnation on the nose and palate here – a slight greenness that adds some texture and structure. The wine is quite extracted, but is clearly built for the longer haul, with notes of vanilla, fresh earth and raspberry and summer pudding fruit.