The cooler Awatere Valley is producing someof Marlborough’s most distinctive Sauvignons at the moment, lighter and fresher in style than those of the neighbouring Wairau Valley. This is a very elgant Kiwi number, which wouldn’t look out of place in the Loire, with tangy elderflower and citrsu fruit notes and a fine, stony finish. Very poised, very self-assured.
Food Match: Vegetables
2010 Le Passé Authentique, Producteurs de Plaimont, Saint-Mont, South-West France
( £9.99 down to £7.99, 13%, Waitrose )There aren’t many (any?) wines on supermarket shelves made from three such obscure varieties as Gros Manseng, Arrufiac and Petit Courbu, but that’s only one reason for buying this wine, especially on a deal at £7.99. It’s crunchy, refreshing and unoaked with notes of pink grapefruit, apricot and lemon zest, with an underlying note of stony minerality. The wine lingers on the tongue like a haunting refrain.
2010 Vivera Salisere Etna Bianco, Etna, Sicily
( N/A, 13%, N/A UK (Available from the winery) )Carricante made in quite a modern style, with a sauvignon-like nose of gooseberries and grapefruit, a hint of quince, and dry, salty tang. This wine spent 10 months on the lees, which has given it attractive weight, but not at the expensive of the freshness or the fruit. Organically produced.
2010 Biondi Outis Etna Bianco, Etna, Sicily
( N/A, 13%, Vino Passione )Carricante sometimes has a nutty, savoury feel to it – and this is a good example in that style. Quite weighty, with a typically mineral, bitter finish that works brilliantly to refresh the palate.
2011 Giuliemi Quantico Etna Bianco, Etna, Sicily
( N/A, 13%, N/A UK (Available from the winery) )Made in tiny quantities (only 1,500 bottles a year) by Giuliemi, from organically grown fruit. This is a blend of Etna’s indigenous Carricante, plus a splash of Grillo, which seems to add richness, and bring a rather unctuous texture to the party. Intense lime and grapefruit aromas, spicy, honeyed character and great minerality. What makes this all the more amazing is that no sulphur was added. Stunning, if atypical. When is someone going to import this to the UK?
2010 Cantine Russo Rampante Etna Bianco, Etna, Sicily
( N/A, 12.5%, N/A UK (Available from the winery) )A great example of Etna Bianco, with 70% Carricante and 30% Catarratto. Bone dry, flinty and herby, with green melon and capsicum on the nose. Rampante is one of 60 or so “Contrada”, or vineyard sites particularly known for high quality production in Etna. The fruit is ripe, manifesting a baked apple character as it develops in the mouth.
2011 Biondi Chianta IGT Sicily, Etna, Sicily
( N/A, 13.5%, Passione Vino )A single vineyard Carricante, with minute amounts of Catarratto, Minnella and Muscatello in the blend. There’s an enticing hint of vanilla pods on the nose, a very subtle reminder that this wine spent 9 months in French oak. There’s nothing heavy handed about it though – the fruit is predominantly grilled peaches, with a splash of woodspice and terrific freshness.
2010 Cantine Russo Mon Pit Methodo Classico Spumante Brut Rosé, Etna, Sicily
( N/A, 12.5%, N/A UK (Available from the winery) )Nerello Mascalese is versatile enough to make terrific sparklers – like this bready, toasty rosé spumante. The fruit is spicy, and rather savoury, with an intriguing nose that reminded me of red onions (it wasn’t oxidised, I should hasten to add). The mousse is soft but persistent. Bone dry, refined and complex – a serious Rosé, Bravo!
2010 Tenuta di Fessina Erse IGT Sicilia, Etna, Sicily
( £18, 13.5%, FortyFive10º )It’s rare to see a completely unoaked Nerello Mascalese (Although most producers are using large, old oak vessels these days). This shows just how charming Mascalese’s fruit can be. Red cherries and redcurrants are balanced with a floral and slightly herbaceous note, in a style that’s not a million miles away from younthful village Burgundies. Erse is the goddess of dew, which seems appropriate for this fresh, youthful yet intense wine.
2011 Crozes-Hermitage, Alain Graillot, Crozes-Hermitage, Rhône Valley
( £19.25, 12.5%, Yapp Brothers )Alain Graillot and his son, Maxime, make some of the best value wines in the northern Rhône Valley, often on a par with more expensive fare from nearby Hermitage. This blend of mostly Marsanne with 20% Roussanne is a stunner: aromatic, mealy and very complex, with notes of brown toast, fresh flowers, oatmeal, peach and citrus fruit. The oak is very subtle, while the finish is long and staisfying. It will age nicely too under screwcap.
2011 Domaine Les Yeuses Vermentino, IGP Pays d'Oc, Languedoc-Roussillon
( £6.50, 13%, Lea & Sandeman )Vermentino, or Rolle, is one of those grapes that should be more widely planted, partly because it retains acidity and freshness in warm climates, but also because it has plenty of flavour. This is typical of the variety, and at a very appealing price: orange peel and citrus zest with an undertone of Mediterranean herbs and a tangy aftertaste. Perfect for the last few days of summer.
2011 Blind River Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough
( £9.99, 13%, Majestic )There’s so much mediocre Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc around (bland, sweet, overcropped and sometimes all three) that it’s a pleasure to recommend one that has real personality. This comes from the cooler Awatere Valley and is beautifuly taut and refined: a focused, almost minerally white with one foot in the Loire Valley, stylistically speaking. Fresh, crisp and tangy with notes of elderflower, wet stones and kiwi fruit, it lingers tantalisingly on the palate.