This is only the “entry point” wine from Hawkes’ Bay producer, Trinity Hill, but what a cracker is it. The addition of a splash of Viognier gives a little more aroma, but it’s the Syrah that drives the wine and gives it focus. Violets, plums and cracked pepper on the nose and palate, with spicy tannins and oak adding extra complexity.
Score Range: 86-90
2012 Thymiopoulos Winery, Atma Malagouzia/Roditis, Central Greece
( £10, 12%, Oddbins )Greek white varieties deserve to be better appreciated, partly because theu retain acidity and pefume in a warm climate. This is a case in point: aromatic, lime-scented and surprisingly light, with good, sappy acidity and undertones of summer flowers.
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.
2012 Château de la Roulerie, Les Grandes Bosses, Anjou, Loire Valley
( £9, 13%, Oddbins )Possibly a little closed at the moment, but this dry Loire Chenin Blanc hints at good things to come in the glass. Tangy, taut and crisp, with pure green apple fruit, lovely focus and a minerally backdrop. Time should confer more weight and some honeyed, bottle-developed characters.
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 Mas Las Cabes, Jean Gardiés, Côtes du Roussillon, Languedoc-Roussillon
( £9.50, 13.5%, Oddbins )Jean Gardiés is one of the leading names in the Roussillon, making balanced, herbal reds that have a true sense of place. Violets, thyme and rosemary combine appealingly here on the nose, backed up by flavours of raspberry and mulberry, medium weights tannins and a long finish.
2011 François Lurton, Janeil, Gros Manseng & Sauvignon, Côtes de Gascogne
( £7.25, 12.5%, Oddbins )The sort of wine that has made Gascony one of the best value-for-money white wine regions in France, this is a comparativley unusual blend of Sauvignon and Gros Manseng, a grape more often found in Jurançon. It’s tangy, refreshing and crisp, with peach, apricot and grapefruit flavours and a zesty finish.
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 Semeli Wines, Feast, Moschofilero, Peloponnese
( £8.50, 12%, Oddbins )It’s a pleasure to be recommending a bottle from Oddbins as my wine of the week once more! And what better way to start than something from Greece, long an Oddbins speciality? This is a musky, perfumed, dry white with hints of pear and rosepetal, crunchy acidity and a tangy, seafoood-friendly finish. A great introdcution to an indigenous grape variety.
2012 Quinta de Azevedo, Vinho Verde
( £5.99, 11%, Majestic )If summer ever arrives in the UK – come to think of it, spring would be welcome, too – this is a wine that I’d be happy to have in my fridge or ice bucket. Crisp and aromaitic, with notes of fresh limes and lemon peel, showing a touch of spritz and tastebud-tingling acidity. Tangy and light, it’s the sort of wine I could drink all afternoon. Portugal at its value for money best.
2011 Gut Oggau Theodore, Burgenland
( POA, 12%, Dynamic Wines )Terrific freshness in this blend of Grüner Veltliner and Weissburgunder (AKA Pinot Blanc) – a beguiling hint of onion skin on the nose gives way to a creamy and slightly vegetal palate, and a mineral finish. This wine spent a few days on the skins, giving it just a bit more structure and body than you might expect.