You get this wine a good deal cheaper if you become an “angel” (don’t ask), but it’s still worth the full bottle price as a rich, minerally, unoaked Verdejo from the cool Rueda region. Gapefruit zest and some stone fruit on the palate with a fresh, tangy finish.
July Sample Tasting
12 August 2012NV Paradiso Prosecco, Veneto
( £11.99, 11.5%, Naked Wines )Not the cheapeast Prosecco on the market by soem distance, but this is worth the loot: light bodied, just off dry, wtih fine bubbles and flavours of boiled sweets, citrus fruit and a hint of peach. Long and refreshing.
2009 Assyrtiko de Mylos, Santorini
( £25, 14.5%, Theatre of Wine )There can’t be many more complex Greek whites than this old vine Assyrtiko from the volcanic island of Santorini. Rich and textured, wtih aged flavours of toast and honey underpinned by steely acidity. There’s a lovely undertone of Mediterreanean herbs here, a hint of sweetness and a long, minerally finish. Very complex stuff.
2011 Phaedra Xynomavro Rosé, Macedonia
( £9.99, 12.5%, Waitrose )The best red grapes, Greece’s Xynomavro among them, invariably produce the best rosé wines. Good on Waitrose for listing a Greek example with ambition and personality: raspberry and wild strawberry fruit, a touch of sweetness and a nip of tannin on the finish.
2010 Thymiopoulos Rosé de Xinomavro, Naoussa
( £12.99, 14%, Theatre of Wine )This is something of a curiosity, but there’s nothing wrong with that: copper-tinted, almost Pinot Noir like, with sweet and savoury fruit flavours, refresing acidity and a long, wild strawberry finish. It’s got a nip of tannin, too, which makes it perfect with food. Try it with a summer salad.
2010 Neudorf Moutere Pinot Noir, Nelson
( NZ $49.90, 14%, Contact the winery for details )Lighter and more approachable than the Home Block release, but not far behind it in quality, this is a ripe, structured, red fruits scented Pinot with savoury, toasty oak, subtle, filigree tannins and some grip on the finish. Another wine that needs a year or two in bottle to show at its best.
2010 Neudorf Moutere Pinot Noir Home Vineyard, Nelson
( NZ$79.90, 14.5%, Contact the winery for details )This is unashamedly New Zealand, even Nelson, in style rather than a Burgundian copy. It’s rich, savoury and textured, a wine whose pale colour belies its concentration, depth and complexity. The oak is a little too evident at the moment, but don’t hesitate to give it five or more years in bottle. Sweetly fruited, perfumed and very long.
2011 Neudorf Moutere Riesling, Nelson
( £17, 9% )The Riesling from this brilliant Nelson winery is often overlooked, such is the quality of its Chardonnay and Pinot Noirs, but this medium dry style is a delight, all lime peel and stone fruit, with a steely backbone of acidity that wouldn’t look out of place in the Rheingau.
2010 Neudorf Moutere Chardonnay, Nelson
( £35 (approximately), 13.5%, Local stockists from the vineyard )Neudorf’s status as one of the very best Chardonnay producers in New Zealand is only enhanced by this delicious new release: nutty, savoury, bready notes with well integrated oak, citrus acidity and nuanced lemon, vanilla and peach flavours. The wine has the concentration and structure to age further in bottle.