El Maestro Sierra Fino, Jerez, Spain

Serious sherry is one of the bargains of the wine world. I love it. It is similar to champagne in that a lot of the interesting flavours come from the winemaking process rather than from the primary flavours of the grapes. Both wines offer flavour experiences you don't get any other way, and in both cases you have big houses producing dependable, consistent styles and smaller producers going their own way with exciting results.
This is quite extravagant on the nose for Fino, with seville orange and pithy lemon fruit, the lightness of meadow flowers, sea air and fragrant almonds/cashews all emerging from the quite deeply-coloured liquid. Real weight on the palate here, with fine ripe citrus acidity and intense, savoury grip coupled with floral dimension and the tang of salty cured meat on the finish. Long, ripe, bold Fino, and much more than an aperitif - this is serious food wine. Think pot-roast chicken with honey, saffron, pimenton (and sherry of course, but I'd get something a bit humbler for the cooking....)

Laurent -Perrier 2002 Champagne, France

This is always one of the most readily available of the Grande Marque vintage wines, and is quite often found 'discounted' at between £30-35, which is a fair price for it really. Quite expressive nose here, with red.currant, baked apple and lemon macaroon. It's savoury and citrus-led on the palate, with slight bitterness building towards the finish in this bottle - to me this bitter/pithy elements dominate, and the palate feels a little inelegant. I must confess that I'm not 100% convinced about this bottle, as I was expecting something much more complete. Your experiences of this wine?

The wines of Max Ferdinand Richter at Bottle Apostle

Last Thursday I was excited to attend a tasting with Dirk Richer, owner and winegrower (not 'winemaker'! ) of Max Ferd. Richer, one of the top estates in the Mosel. A Richter wine was one of my first really good Mosel Rieslings - it was the 1998 Graacher Himmelreich Spätlese, and I still have the empty bottle. I obviously enjoyed that wine, almost a decade ago, but there were some equally memorable wines on show at this tasting, including an unforgettable Eiswine....
Dirk Richter spoke of the history of the Riesling vine in the Mosel, and how the long season, slate soils and unique topography of the Mosel valley allow the vines to ripen their fruit perfectly, despite day-to-day weather conditions being similar to the southern counties of the UK. Thanks to all the folk at Bottle Apostle for another top tasting - get in touch with them if you'd like some of these wines. Here are my notes.

Riesling Classic 2011 TrockenThe relatively-new classic designation for off-dry wines is a useful one, with Mosel wines carrying this designation having under 15 g/l residual sugar and a minimum alcohol level of 11.5 %. This was quite heady and expressive with ripe white peach and clementine fruit on the nose, going in an almost tropical direction with touch of banana skin (sounds odd but it was there, and I liked it!), and a perfumed, almost rose-like floral lift. If those don't sound like classic Riesling descriptors, then the palate might seem more recognisable with its fine balance and weight, invigorating tangerine fruit and light spritz. Lovely stuff

Zeppelin Mülheimer Sonnenlay 201110.5% alcohol. Less fruit-led than the Classic, with a precise lime, floral honey and white pepper nose. A touch more sweetness is evident on the palate, with finishes with some attractive citrus pithiness. Less definition on the palate than the Classic for me, and a slightly lower refreshment value.

Brauneberger Juffer Kabinett 20119% alcohol (all the Kabinetts are around this level). Elegant restraint on the nose, with its sweet honeysuckle, clementine and peach juice framed by lightness and precision on the palate. 7.6 g/l acidity, 57.5 g/l residual sugar. Will be excellent in a few years.


Brauneberger Juffer Kabinett 2009Dirk described this as a 'perfect' vintage. Apricot, ripe red apple and sweet meadow flowers on the nose here, with that lime-cordial-turning-to-kerosine aroma that I love in good Riesling just starting to add some weight and complexity to the nose. The roundness of the mouthfeel is quite evident, the palate feeling generous but still balanced by 9.1 g/l acid. Lovely grip on the finish.

at the moment.

Brauneberger Juffer Kabinett 2008Seems to have developed faster than the 2009 - I'd describe it as lime marmalade on just-burnt toast, with a sprinkle of white pepper. There's a delicious sense of minerality and savoury depth on the palate, yet that fresh balance of tangerine fruit sweetness and acidity is still the spine of the wine. More angular and developed than the 2009, but at this moment I prefer it.



Baruneberger Juffer - Sonnenuhr Auslese 2006Moving on to the sweeter styles, the golden yellow colour of this wine precedes a nose of rich candied pineapple, tangerine, pink grapefruit, lime cordial and barley sugar. Those crystalline fruits give the palate a lovely broad richness, yet, as you would expect, the acidity keeps it clean as a whistle as it finishes very long with tropical dried fruits. Still very primary, but this will be delicious in 10 years +!
at the moment, + in time

Graacher Dompropst Riesling Auslese 1992A treat to taste this currently unavailable wine. The heady, kerosine-edged nose carries a little savoury cheese rind and flint/smoke along with preserved stone-fruit and lime cordial aromas now. It is undoubtedly still very fresh, with impeccable balance, the sweetness 'drying out' over time (Dirk's words) and leaving us with quite a feminine, delicate wine in this case. Very striking


Mülheimer Helenenkloster Riesling Eiswein 2003Well we were lucky to taste this, for sure. Everything is magnified in this fabulous wine, its nose exploding with candied tropical fruit, dried mango and apple, marmalade, and ginger spice. Tremendous concentration and opulence on the palate, each mouthful evolving kaleidoscope-like as you drink it as those crystalline fruit move though honey, barley sugar, lemon peel and spice. Staggering and unforgettable now in what is still a fairly primary stage - I'm sure it will continue to impress over many years.
My first in 50 or so posts this year on Bunchpressed.

A little update on 2012 in Kent so far

It seems like every year in England is extraordinary in some way; some month or other is always the hottest, or the coldest, or the wettest in living memory. Last year, it was a freakishly cold August. This year, after one of the warmest Marches ever, we had the wettest April for 100 years and an abject May-June period (save for one hot week). It has been winter and summer on and off (although mostly winter), which, I suppose, added together gives you something like spring. Here are the vines I look after in Kent last weekend (the 11th June 2012)


The wind over the last few weeks has really tested the new shoots, and together with some very heavy rain there is a small amount of bruising at the tips. Not too much to worry about, though - last year we had hail at the beginning of June that heavily bruised the vines and damaged early flowers. 2012 has got off to a hairy start, though without the warm March and hot week during May we would be behind schedule enough to be worrying about having enough growing season left...
Just to get an idea of the relative progress this year, here are the vines at the same stage of maturity in 2011, almost a full month earlier on the 15th May 2011


We had a scorchingly dry start to the year - in fact, by the time of fruit set, I was worried about drought stress. The vines were will in flower by the end of the 1st week of June.
Finally, here is a picture of them just coming into flower on the 26th June 2010. This is about where I expect them to be by the end of June this year. Flowering at the end of June is what we want to stand the best chance of avoiding wet/cold/windy conditions during fruit set. If the fruit sets, there will be wine (unlike last year...)!

Tessari Soave Classico 'Le Bine Longhe' 2009, Veneto, Italy

Soave is consistently one of my favourite white wines from Italy. It's also quite a difficult wine to generalise about, because it ranges from dilute plonk, through elegant, mineral seriousness to tropical, nutty richness. A lot depends on site and yield, with many producers bottling single vineyard wines costing upwards of £15 per bottle in the UK. This looked like a good buy at £13 - especially when I noticed on the back the words 'parziale appassimento'. This means that the grapes were given an extended hang on the vines to dry out and concentrate.
The style of the wine bears this out, with quite extroverted dried mango, apricot danish, toasted almonds, candied citrus peel and meadow flowers on the nose. That tropical plushness is there on palate, but it's far from blowsy, balanced out by pithy ripe lemon classic savoury nut flavours on the finish. It's the impact and depth of flavour that really impresses me here - I have a big soft spot for this style so long as it's all in balance.

The Wine Pantry's English Wine Festival, and some thoughts on 2008s

I went down to this mini-festival of all things English on Sunday, held in the Jubilee market section of Borough Market. It was also the day of the Jubilee Pageant on the River, and in typical fashion the skies were grey and drizzle was abounding. There were jolly scenes in the market though, with lots of wines on show, as well as some tasty nibbles (although I probably should have saved the smoked eel until the end). I tried to focus on the sparklers. Firstly, a few tasting notes, then a few general thoughts:

Jenkyn Place Brut 2008Chardonnay/Pinot Noir/Pinot Meunier. Fragrant green apple, lemon zest and macroon aromas here, with the citrus character dominating the palate, which is a little bit brisk at the moment. I find it verging on a lemon juice flavour profile, which may be down to the vintage (more of that later)....dosage a little low perhaps?

Meopham Valley Cuvée 2008Unusually Pinot Gris is included in this wine, along with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Slightly riper fruit profile here, more red apples and even a touch of berry fruit. Shades of richness too, with ground almonds and a bit of bakery aroma. Pure and elegant mouthfeel - an easier wine to enjoy that the Jenkyn Place at the moment.

Gusbourne Estate Blanc de Blancs 2008Another 2008 to compare here. I like the scented bramley apple and vanilla nose, and there's a noticeable step up in savoury complexity on the palate here over the last two wines. It is still brisk and verging on austere, but it feels very fine and essentially in balance, and will benefit from a few years tucked away.

Nyetimber Blanc de Blancs 2003A step back in time, and a step up in, well, most respects. There's some vinous depth to this wine, with toasted macaroon and whitecurrant aromas, vanilla and dried apple on the palate and a lovely lift of honeysuckle on the finish. 2003 was an unusually warm year, but there's no lack of freshness and precision to accompany the slightly more generous nature of this wine. Somewhat alarmingly for some of the younger wines here, this is just starting come into its own and will be drinking very nicely for a few more years.

Camel Valley Pinot Noir Brut Rosé 2010 This is all lively, primary fruit; strawberries, raspberries and a touch of creaminess, set off by a grassy, meadow-like aroma. The palate certainly fits the style, with a strawberry-cordial like sweetness to balance out the acidic zip. It's quite a young, simple wine - very fresh and fruit-driven, but not my favourite rosé here.

Gusbourne Estate Sparkling Rosé 2008
This is made from all three champagne grapes. It is mineral and restrained, with rosehip and icing sugar on the nose and a supremely elegant mousse delivering pure strawberry shortcake flavours. Balance and finesse here.

Nyetimber Rosé 2008Chardonnay and PInot Noir. This is slightly more outgoing and expressive than the Gusbourne with its complex redcurrant-led fruits and pleasing savoury dimension on the palate. There's a little biscuity richness going on too. Really like this.

Hush Heath Estate Balfour Brut 2008Pale salmon in colour with fragrant fresh strawberry and crabapple fruit, delicate minerality and impeccable balance on the palate. It feels ethereally bone dry and (drier than the Gusbourne and Nyetimber examples), but absolutely pulls it off. Unique.

I also tasted the Camel Valley Sparkling Red 2010, from Rondo grapes, partly because it is something I had thought of doing with my Leon Millot in Kent. Fun stuff, all herb-tinged cherry and hedgerow fruit, with sprightly but gentle bubbles. Made me want a barbeque and a cheeseburger. And more importantly, some sunshine....

In general it was the Rosés that stole the show here - they work better as younger wines than most white sparklers, and all three of the 2008s were in a more drinkable place than their white counterparts. Chardonnay, the latest to ripen of the three champagne grapes, had a very tough year in 2008 - Stephen Skelton reports that in some cases acidity levels reached 14 or 15 g/l. Those are truly epic acidities. I felt that the Jenkyn place was just over the edge in this sense, and could have done with a higher dosage. I enjoyed the Meopham, and the Gusbourne was in balance but felt young and coiled up - it will open up over the next 3 or 4 years, but I think that the most successful 2008s will be ones that include a fair percentage of the Pinots.
A special mention must go to Nyetimber here. This is a winery on a mission - they are simplifying their portfolio, beautifully rebranding their wines and selling their wines with just a bit more age behind them than some of their competitors. I slightly worry that, with cooler vintages like 2008, we might be releasing some difficult adolescents into the world. Camel Valley is an example of how to turn around some delicious wines in a short period of time, but for vineyards with ambitions towards a more complex, savoury style and lower dosages, time is an essential ingredient.

Chapel Down Vintage Reserve Rosé Brut

I've been following Chapel Down, based in Tenterden in Kent, for many years. I grew up in the area and remember the first visit to the vineyard about a decade ago, when still wines were a bigger part of the portfolio but the concept of English Sparkling Wine was just starting to get a little bit of a buzz.
Chapel Down were one of the pioneers of quality winemaking in the UK, establishing themselves in the 1980s with still wines from Seyval and Müller-Thurgau and with its (still excellent) Bacchus wines through the 1990s. For me, one of Chapel Down's problems through the 2000s was that it was a bit slow off the mark in joining the vanguard of top sparkling wine producers making wines from only champagne varietals. Whilst they had shelf presence in Marks and Spencer and Waitrose and were well-known name, they never quite had a world-class sparkler out there in any quantity to compete with specialists Ridgeview, Nyetimber, and the newer names such as Gusbourne.
All that is changing. Whilst their range is still very large, I think it is slowly coming into focus. This 100% Pinot Noir is by far the best wine I have ever had from them. In fact, I would go so far as to say it is one of the best I've ever had from the UK.

This has been in my cellar for a year. It is a beautiful peachy-pink colour, which gleams invitingly through the clear glass on this very classy bottle. Immediately this very engaging on the nose, with wild strawberry and loganberry fruit, crabapple and red rose. What I really love is the malty, burnt-sugar richness that accompanies the fruit, which reminds me of digestive biscuits and toasted meringues. This comes through on the palate very nicely with a well-judged sweetness (you only notice it if you think about it) like crabapple jelly. The elegant acid structure you expect from English sparklers is there, but there's real vinosity here that screams 'Pinot!'. This is stunning stuff - it comes in at £22.99 on their website and makes most pink champagne look absurdly over-priced and underwhelming. Also, I must say that it makes Hush Heath and Nyetimber Rosé look rather expensive....

Colosia Fino, Jerez, Spain

I love fino. I think sherry is slowly winning the battle against the Harvery's-Bristol-Cream-sipping granny image it needs to shake off in the UK, but there's still a way to go before it gets on the radar of most shoppers looking for something to go with dinner. This is beautiful and complex on the nose, with aromas of sweet fennel seed and pine, fresh seville oranges, almonds oyster. That 'seaside' element is quite strong here, like wet pebbles on the beach. There's real savoury intensity on the palate, with more of that sweet and salty oyster flavour, finishing with almonds and a gentle floral lift. Just love it