The wines from this biodynamic estate in Marlborough are now among the best in the South Island. This is the pick of the current Pinot Noir releases, sourced from clay loam soils and showing an extra dimension of concentration, tannin and sap. It’s savoury and sweet, with taut acidity, subtle oak and impressive vivacity, line and length. A wine that wouldn’t look out of place in Burgundy.
Red Varietal: Pinot Noir
Ten things you need to know about the 2011 Burgundy vintage
by Tim Atkin
My full report on the very enjoyable 2011 vintage in Burgundy will be published in January 2013, once I have tasted another 1000+ plus samples in London, but these are...
NV Graham Beck Chardonnay/Pinot Noir Brut, Western Cape
( £13.99 down to £10.24, 12%, Waitrose )Pieter Ferreira is way ahead of anyone else making sparkling wine in the Cape at the moment, as demonstrated by this partially-barrel fermented fizz. It’s sappy and fresh, but with attractively yeasty autolysis notes, very fine bubbles and a tapering finish. A New World fizz that’s better than a lot of cheap Champagnes.
NV Bertrand de Bessac, Cuvée du Marquis Brut, Champagne
( £29.99 down to £24.49, 12%, Waitrose )A blend of 60% Pinot Noir from the Aube and 40% Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs, this has a hefty proportion of toasty reserve wine to add to the ripe fruit from the 2009 vintage. The result is a delicious fizz with real complexity, power and depth as well as the backbone to age.
2009 Domaine Lucien Muzard, Premier Cru Maladière, Santenay, Burgundy
( £19.99 down to £14.99, 13%, Waitrose )A Premier Cru Burgundy from a great recent vintage for less than £15? Bargain time! This is rich, sweet and savoury, with bgas of sweet fruit, plenty of smoky oak and the concentration and texture to age in bottle for another five years at least. The finish is fine and refreshing, reflectingf the limestone slope on which it was grown.
Do New World wines age?
by Tim Atkin
What’s the difference between a New and an Old World wine? Twenty-seven years ago, when I started writing about the subject, the distinction was clear-cut. The received wisdom was that...
NV Sainsbury's Blanc de Noirs Champagne
( £20.99 down to £15.74, 12%, Sainsbury's )Well, that’s my Christmas Party fizz taken care of. This is outrageously good value, a superb own-label Champagne that ranks with the very best buys in the high street right now. It’s a toasty, bottle-aged blend of mostly Pinot Meunier with 40% Pinot Noir and it’s singing at the top of its voice. Small bubbles, great length, richness and complexity, with lots of extra weight from 30% reserve wines. Buy, buy, buy.
2010 Joseph Drouhin, Chorey-lès-Beaune, Burgundy
( £15.99 down to £11.99, 13%, Waitrose )Drouhin is one of my favourite Burgundy négociants, equally adept at producing reds and whites. There may be some 2009 of this wine in the stores (as there is on line) but both recent vintages are superb. This is light, graceful and fragrant with fresh, crunchy acidity, a touch of minerality and balanced, nuanced red fruits’ flavours. Very impressive for a “mere” village wine.
Champagne: where the party’s really at
by Matt Walls
Sometimes I feel very lucky to be living in the UK when it comes to getting hold of good wine. Since the UK has historically been an importer of other...
2009 Jean-Jacques Confuron, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy
( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )To me, this was one of the wines of the tasting: a pale, scented, delicately crafted Clos de Vougeot that deserves a slot in any Burgundy lover’s cellar. Aromatic and fine, with well integrated oak, wild berry fruit, sappy acidity and superb texture and balance. Who says the 2009s aren’t well balanced?
2009 Jacky Confuron-Cotetidot, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy
( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )Yves Confuron’s wines are very distinctive, partly because of his use of stems but also because of his way of expressing his vineyards. Mid garnet/pink, with a stemmy, but highly aromatic nose. Quite traditional in style, with a firm tanninc backbone giving structure to the sweetness of the fruit. Fresh acidity, finely poised.
2009 Guillemard-Clerc, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy
( ££££, 13.5%, Fine + Rare )Showing some development already. On the nose and palate, this is rather old-fashioned in style, exhibiting notes of dead leaves, some meaty reduction and simple tomato skin flavours. A poor show for a Grand Cru Burgundy.