Owned by the same family that makes Marqués de Murrieta in Rioja (they were originally from Galicia). It’s a white pepper scented, bone dry style with plenty of texture and weight on the tongue, showing notes of stone fruit and pear and a crunchy, stony finish.
October Wine reviews
26 October 20142014 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough
( N/A, 13.5% )Is Cloudy Bay finally back on form after several lacklustre vintages? So it would appear from this latest release. It’s still a little pricey for what it is, but it’s appealingly fresh and refined, with subtle nettle and gooseberry fruit, a hint of struck match and a long, tapering finish.
2008 Wynns, Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra, South Australia
( £15.99, 14%, Waitrose )Sue Hodder is one of the best winemakers in Australia and bestrides the Coonawarra region with the quality of her reds. This, the 53rd vintage release of Black Label, more than lives up to the example of its predecessors. It’s sillky, elegant and low-key with cool climate finesse, filigree tannins and stylish plum and blackcurrant fruit. The acidity drives the wine here.
2010 Bouchard Père & Fils, Beaune du Château, Beaune 1er Cru, Burgundy
( £25.99, 13.5%, BJR Hanby, Cambridge Wine Merchants, Le Vieux Comptoir, Waitrose )Beaune whites are not as well known as its reds, although both tend to be under-rated. Leesy, soft and gently oaked, this is a comparatively forward style with subtle oak framing and notes of lemon butter and honey. The acidity of the 2010 vintage lifts the wine on the finish.
2012 Neudorf, Moutere Pinot Noir, Nelson
( N/A, 13.5% )Consistently among the top three Pinots in Nelson, the Finns’ best cuvée comes from the famous Moutere clays and tends to be quite a structured red, showing more tannin than many Kiwi Pinots, as well as backbone and acidity. It’s a thinking person’s Pinot that needs food to show at its best. Ambitious, cherrystone, pomegranate and raspberry fruit with a firm finish.