Pewsey Vale, Yalumba’s Eden Valley outpost, makes some of my favourite Aussie Rieslings. They are good young but develop stylshly in bottle. This is crisp, focused and tangy with lime and pink grapefruit flavours and a stony, pithy backbone of acidity. Long and focused on the palate.
Price Range: £10-£20
NV Jansz, Premium Non Vintage Cuvée, Tasmania
( £15.75, 12.5% )Jansz’s “ordinary” cuvée is pretty good, so you’d expect a premium cuvée to be even better. And, guess what, you won’t be disappointed. This is a little richer and toastier than the regular release, with notes of toast and cream and a supple cushion of bubbles. Appealingly dry.
NV Tio Pepe, Fino En Rama, Jerez
( £13, 15% )If you love Fino Sherry – and who doesn’t? – this is about as good as it gets: an unfined, unfiltered fortified that was bottled in April when the flor yeast is at its thickest on the surface of the wine, giving it that bready, savoury complexity. More deeply coloured than the regular Tio Pepe, this is a salty, tangy delight that’s absolutely brilliant with a plate of anchovies or almonds. Essence of Andalusia.
2011 Greywacke Pinot Gris, Marlborough
( £13.33, 14%, thedrinkshop.com )Made in a spicy, off-dry style that takes its inspiration from Alsace rather than northern Italy, this is a finely weighted Pinot Gris, with musk, peach and pear flavours, a creamy texture and enough acidity for balance. Exotic, but refreshing at the same time.
Greywacke Wild Sauvignon, Marlborough
( £17.49, 14%, Excel Wines )Kevin Judd is a master of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. As its name suggests, this is his wild yeast-fermented expression of the grape, along the lines of Cloudy Bay’s Te Koko. It’s a stunning wine, combining notes of white Burgundy, white Bordeaux and Kiwi fruit exuberance. The older oak is very subtle, the savoury, grapefruity, yeasty flavours perfectly judged.
2011 Esprit de Puisseguin, Puisseguin Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux
( £11.99, 13.5%, Waitrose )After the hoopla surrounding the 2009 and 2010 vintages in Bordeaux, 2011 was bound to be a bit of a let down, despite the fact that it produced plenty of decent wines. This is a case in point: a Merlot/Cabernet Franc blend that’s supple and forward (especially for the vintage), with attractive, grassy, refreshing flavours and a nip of tannin.
2009 Cillar De Silos, Ribera del Duero
( £15.50, 14%, Oddbins )Serious, concentrated, inky Tempranillo from Ribera with excellent structure and acidity. This is less oaky than some of this bodega’s releases and better for it in my view, with flavours of plum and spice, a touch of vanilla and a backbone of tannin. Should age well, too.
2011 Domaine Thymiopoulos, Jeunes Vignes de Xinomavro, Naoussa
( £12.50, 13.5%, Oddbins )Xinomvaro can be pretty toothsome stuff, even when the vines are young. But this combines the Nebbiolo-like tannnins and dryness with some sweet, supple red fruits. The overall effect is vey tasty indeed, with hints of rose petal, raspberry and wild strawberry set against a background of savoury, spicy tannins. Delicious at the price.
2009 Verget Saint Véran Grand Elevage, Mâconnais, Burgundy
( £17, 13%, Oddbins )White Burgundies from the 2009 vintage don’t lack opulence, but the best ones have freshness and bite, too. This is certainly on the ripe and honeyed side, but it has enough freshness for balance, with notes of vanilla and nutmeg spice, pear and citrus fruit and an appealingly honeyed texture.
2011 Cillar de Silos, Joven de Silos, Ribera del Duero
( £10.50, 14.5%, Oddbins )The young red from Cillar de Silos is still a pretty substantial wine, with masses of juicy, plummy, brambly fruit, notes of violet and raspberry on the nose and a backbone of tannin. Bring me a leg of lamb!
2011 Jacques & Nathalie Saumaize, Saint-Véran, En Crèches, Mâconnais, Burgundy
( £11.50, 13%, The Wine Society )Supple for a 2011, but showing good underlying acidity, this southern Burgundian Chardonnay is all about fruit and focus, not oak. It’s taut and fresh with a whiff of orange zest, and flavours of fennel, white peach and pear.
2012 Dog Point Vineyard, Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough
( £12.95, 13.5%, Berry Bros & Rudd, The Wine Society )As good as ever, this textbook Marlborough Sauvignon has more depth and layers than most local examples, combining grapefruit and guava fruit with pithy acidity and notes of green herbs, green pepper and zing. These Sauvignons age surprisingly well, too.