2012 was an excellent vintge for white Burgundy, from Chablis in the north to the Mâconnais in the south. This unoaked example from the Domaine Sallet Raphaël is a case in point, combining ripe, stone fruit flavours with tangy acidity and limestone-derived freshness. Very drinakble indeed, even for Chardonnay agnostics.
Food Match: Fish
2012 Bodega Castro Martin Albariño, RÃas Baixas
( £11.99 down to £8.99, 12.5%, Marks & Spencer )Angela Martin’s wines seem to get better with every vintage and are now among my favourite Albariños from RÃas Baixas. The combination of low yields, ageing on lees in tank for added weight and very pure, almost transparent fruit flavours is very enticing here: apple, pear and some quince with a hint of honey.
2012 Darting Estate Dürkheimer Kabinett Riesling Trocken, Pfalz
( £9.49 down to £7.12, 12.5%, Marks & Spencer )If your impression of German Riesling is that it tends to be sweet, try this off-dry number from one of the best names in the southerly Pfalz region. It’s very aromatic, with exotic, tropical fruit notes, a hint of carbon dioxide on the palate, lovely, crunchy, peach and apple fruit and bright, focused acidity.
2012 Palatia Pinot Noir, Pfalz
( £8.99 down to £6.74, 13%, Marks & Spencer )I’ve described this as the best value Pinot Noir in the UK before and I have no reason to change my mind, especially when it’s on a deal. It’s soft and fragrant with attractive strawberry fruit sweetness, supple tannins and fresh acidity. A hint of oak (from barrels, not staves) adds to the sense of a wine that is over-delivering. Well done, Gerd Stepp! If only Burgundy could do this under £9.
2012 Astrolabe Province Pinot Gris, Marlborough
( £17.99 down to £13.49, 13.5%, Waitrose )Both of my regular readers will know that I am not the greatest fan of Pinot Grigio/Gris when it’s watery and doesn’t taste of much. But this Kiwi example from the Awatere and Wairau Valleys is a very smart wine indeed. It’s just off-dry, with good texture and weight and beguiling flavours of pear and stone fruit. The wine finishes fresh and long on the palate. A really good food wine, too.
2012 Joseph Drouhin Rully, Côte Chalonnaise, Burgundy
( £14.99 down to £11,25, 12.5%, Waitrose )2012 was on the smallest vintages on record in Burgundy, but quality was high, even in “lesser” regions, such as the Chalonnaise. This lightly oaked, harmonious Chardonnay is fresh and crisp, with notes of nutmeg spice and citrus peel and a tangy, chalky undertone. Great value. And it will age well, too.
Bouchard Père et Fils Fleurie, Beaujolais
( £10.99 down to £8.24, 12.5%, Waitrose )Burgundian négociants such as Bouchard Père et Fils can be a great source of wines from neighbouring Beaujolais, too. This is mostly sourced from the Domaine du Château de Poncié and it’s a classically fruity, charming Fleurie, exhibiting fresh, juicy flavours of cherry, raspberry and pomegranate and a zesty finish.
2012 Loosen Brothers Grey Slate Dr L Reserve Riesling, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
( £9.99 down to £7.49, 10%, Waitrose )This is a step up from Ernie Loosen’s widely available (and very drinkable) Dr L Riesling, made exclusively for Waitrose. The result is a classic Mosel Riesling, with sappy, sweet and sour flavours, notes of lemon and lime and a finely-judged interplay beween acidity, fruit and residual sugar. Long and refreshing.
Dry Old Palo Cortado, Jerez
( £7.49, 19%, Marks & Spencer )Great Sherry remains one of the wine world’s great bargains, even in half bottles like this one from the high quality Emilion Lustau operation. This is a classic Palo – with slightly more weight than an Amontillado, but similalry nutty, savoury flavours. Bone dry on the palate, with lovely, old barrel-aged notes of toast and grilled almonds and a salty note from five years spent in a Fino solera system. Great as an aperitif, but also amazing with tapas.
2012 Melis Iocalia Vermentino di Sardegna, Sardegna
( £8.50, 13.5%, The Wine Society )A crisp, fruity, aromatic quaffer from Sardinia, with appelaing acidity, some boiled sweets on the nose and flavours of fennel, stone fruit and citrus. Very summery.
2012 Principe Pallavicini Poggio Verde Frascati Superiore Secco, Rome
( £8.50, 13.5%, The Wine Society )Proper, bone-dry Frascati with good concentration and plenty of herbal, Mediterranean flavours. Saline and slightly bitter (no bad thing here, if you’re drinking the wine with food), this is a tangy, palate-cleansing white with a nutty finish.
2012 The Society's Vinho Verde, Minho
( £5.95, 11.5%, The Wine Society )Summer may be over (at least in northern Europe), but this is still a delicously refreshing, low-alcohol Portuguese white that’s just the thing for sunny afternoons. It’s commendably cheap, too. Tangy, spritzy and zingy, it’s floral and dry with palate-tickling acidity and a citrus fruit bite.