Red Wines
Crasto Superior Tinto, Douro, Portugal
The precipitous terraces that hang over the River Douro have forever been famed for the production of fortified wine and their unique combination of grape varieties, grown in the lean, schistous soils. The modern winemaking era at Quinta do Crasto dates back to 1615, but its Roman ruins suggest even earlier viticultural activity. Pioneers of quality red wines as well as fine Ports, they have now branched out, or rather up, and their new wine comes from remote vineyards in the high Douro close by the Spanish border. This has all the intensity of a Port - rich, spicy, black fruit flavours, hints of muscovado sugar but with a wild, earthy quality.
CASA LAPOSTOLLE - Merlot 2008/9 75cl Bottle
Vinification: Must was fermented 12 days between 25-28C, followed by a 10 day post fermentation maceration. 40% of the blend was aged 8 months in one and two year old French barrels; 60% of the blend was aged in stainless steel tanks. Tasting Notes: Colour: Deep purple violet. Nose: Fresh Red fruit aromas (plums, cherries) with delicate notes of oak. Mouth: Attractive and full, with elegant, silky tannins that persist to a long and pleasant finish.
Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Wrattonbully Merlot 2006 Australia 75cl
TAPANAPPA WHALEBONE MERLOT 2006
Wine - Lively Loire 1
Domaine des Clairneaux and Domaine Couly-Dutheil Chinon France Domaine des Clairneaux Sancerre FranceJean-Marie Berthier created this domaine from scratch in 1980 in the north of the appellation. He grows the two classic grape varieties of the Sancerre appellation Sauvignon Blanc for the whites and Pinot Noir for the rosé and reds on the slopes above Sainte-Gemme-en-Sancerre. He aims for delicate refreshing wines that reflect their origins in this classic Loire valley region. His 8 or so hectares are fifty-fifty chalky clay and flint and are exposed to long hours of sunlight so his wines have a combination of ripe fruit flavours as well as expressing the lovely natural flintiness of Sancerre.2008 Sancerre BlancA delicious stylish balanced Sancerre that drinks beautifully early on and develops well with age. Quite a ripe style for Sancerre with almost New Zealand like gooseberry fruit along with pear and apple. Zesty but ripe acidity lovely minerality (anchoring it firmly in Sancerre!) and a clean long finish.2008 Sancerre RoséA beautiful glass of wine – it even looks gorgeous. 100% Pinot Noir rosé of delicacy and elegance. Medium bodied with fabulous summer pudding fruit; strawberry redcurrant and raspberry. Stunning. Domaine Couly-Dutheil Chinon FranceWhilst many people associate the Loire valley exclusively with white wine (Sancerre Pouilly Fumé etc.) much of the Touraine region on the banks of this river are planted to red varieties such as Cabernet Franc and Gamay. Amongst the best of these wines come from Chinon and this well established domaine in the heart of the appellation has been given a new lease of life by the younger generation. Jacques Bertrand and Arnaud Couly have recently closed down the negociant side of the business (thank goodness!) to concentrate on making wines exclusively from their own grapes and the change has been immediate dramatic and impressive.2006 Chinon La Gravières The Chinon La Gravières is from a vineyard next to the River Vienne (a tributary of the Loire) and is a perfect summer red packed with juicy dark fruits blackcurrant leaf and capsicum. It provides instant pleasure the moment the cork is drawn.
2006 Barco Reale di Carmignano, Tenuta di Capezzana, Contini Bonacossi
Once the property of the Medici Grand Dukes this is a 104 hectare estate now owned by the Conti Contini Bonacossi family with all seven children working in the business. Barco Reale comes from the younger vines on the estate and is matured in casks of Allier oak for 10 months.
CONCHA Y TORO - Explorer Merlot 2010 75cl Bottle
Aged in American oak barrels, this medium-bodied Merlot from Chile's Central Valley has a velvety texture with hints of plum, berries and spices. Perfect with pasta, risotto and lightly spiced red meat dishes. Explorer takes its inspiration from early Spanish settlers who used native birds to help them navigate and explore undiscovered territories. Chile's micro-climates allow each Explorer grape variety to be grown in perfect conditions, producing wines of intense complexity and flavours.
Tommasi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
Produced from the three Valpolicella grape varieties of Corvina Veronese, Rondinella and Molinara, cultivated high on the hillside terraces. After harvest the grapes are placed directly onto small open racks and brought to the open sided building where they are dried by the cool breezes of autumn and winter until the following February. The wine then undergoes a period of aging of at least four years in oak barrels before bottling. The colour is an intense ruby red, with a warm and intense ripe nose, whilst on the palate it is complex, smooth and full bodied, with clear shades of dried grapes.
Maraia Palazzacci Rosso di Montalcino DOC
Tuscany is now regarded as the Italian wine producing region. This Rosso di Montalcino offers hints of raspberry and violets on the nose. It is concentrated but elegant on the palate with a fine structure. The Maraia range is produced by the Jaures Baroncini family, who have been making wine since 1489. The wine is made from the local grape Sangiovese. The Rosso di Montalcino DOC is considered to be Brunello di Montalcino's little sister and is made to be drunk young.Super Tuscans...Some Italian wine producers have planted non-local grapes in Tuscany to produce wines of different styles. Some of these are now considered to be among the best wines in the world, namely Sassicaia and Ornellaia made usually from Bordeaux grape varieties. Some traditional producers, however, remain loyal to their region and only produce wine made from Sangiovese.
Wine - Woodthorpe Gamay Noir, Te Mata - 3
Delightful freshness with juicy fruit made from superior Gamay Noir cuttings imported from France in New Zealand’s North Island. Lovely red cherry and raspberry fruit violet notes a touch of earthiness.*Silver Medal - Decanter World Wine Awards 2009*
Lorentz Gew
An outstanding Alsatian dry white wine from 2010 - a fantastic vintage in the region. This Gew
Merlot, Casa Rivas, Chile
Soft, rich, vivacious plummy fruit in this South American Merlot for midweek drinking with char-grilled steak or roast beef. The latest addition to our Casa Rivas range (showcase for Chilean brilliance) comes courtesy of grandiose, century-old Viña Tarapacá. Their 2, 600 hectare Rosario de Naltagua plot lies in a loop of the Maipo River, 40 minutes' invigorating drive south of Santiago. Ideal growing conditions, notably cold nights and hot days, produce deeply- coloured wines like this.
2006 Entity Shiraz, Barossa Valley
John Duval is one of the great icons of Australian winemaking. Having headed up the mighty Penfolds and steered its flagship wine, Grange, to cult status, he set off on his own a few years back. From mega-corps to one-man band he now tends several patches of ancient vines in the Barossa Valley.
Cabernet Sauvignon, Maria Pinto Reserva, Maipo Valley
Grilled steaks are the way forward with this generous, velvety, blackcurrant-scented South American Cabernet. The latest additions to our Casa Rivas range (showcase for Chilean brilliance) come courtesy of grandiose, century-old Viña Tarapacá. They've 2,600 hectares of vines at Rosario de Naltagua plot in a loop of the Maipo River, 40 minutes' invigorating drive south of Santiago. Ideal growing conditions, notably cold nights and hot days, produce deeply-coloured wines like this.
Domaine Ott Rouge 2005, Château Romassan, Bandol
Mourvedre, Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah from Domaines Ott's Romassan estate have been blended together to create this classic red. The dominant Mourvedre gives this wine its spicy, animal personality and a generous bouquet of blackcurrant and morello cherry. It is rich in tannin, warm, and highly balanced. Makes for remarkable quaffing with beef ribs, spicy dishes and cheese.
2009 Côtes du Rhône Villages 'Le Ponnant', Le Ferme du Mont
Stephane Vedeau owns this 50 hectare estate and heads up a youthful team. Enthusiasm is the order of the day here. All the vines are cultivated with a regards to the environment and so no herbicides or pesticides are used. We visited the cellars on the day that the mobile bottling plant had arrived and France were playing in the world cup. It was chaos, we tasted in a corridor with people dashing to fetch capsules or to hurry over to the TV to catch up on the latest score. Stephane remained calm throughout and his wines shone through. In order to allow the full expression of a terroir both maritime and continental which is associated with the rounded stones found in this region, our Côtes du Rhône is matured in traditional concrete tubs, out of contact with the air, for at least 8 months. This purist approach allows the tertiary aromas unique to this region to develop fully.
Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cecilia, Central Valley
Chile's Central Valley lies just to the south of the capital, Santiago and spreads out along the banks of the river Maipo. The Central valley is, in effect, a subdivision of the Maipo Valley whose vineyards are situated on the rocky alluvial soils of the valley floor. The climate is warm rather than hot and well suited to making easily accessible and appealingly fruity reds and fresh, grapey whites.
Rosé Santa Cecilia, Central Valley
Chile's Central Valley lies just to the south of the capital, Santiago and spreads out along the banks of the river Maipo. The Central Valley is, in effect, a subdivision of the Maipo Valley whose vineyards are situated on the rocky alluvial soils of the valley floor. The climate is warm rather than hot and well suited to making easily accessible and appealingly fruity reds and fresh, grapey whites. Chile's Central Valley lies just to the south of the capital, Santiago and spreads out along the banks of the river Maipo. The Central Valley is, in effect, a subdivision of the Maipo Valley whose vineyards are situated on the rocky alluvial soils of the valley floor. The climate is warm rather than hot and well suited to making easily accessible and appealingly fruity reds and fresh, grapey whites.
Tommasi Ripasso della Valpolicella Classico
A subtle and wonderfully charasmatic cherry scented red wine, given an extraordinary depth of flavour by refermenting the blend of Valpolicella grape varieties on the skins left from the Amarone wine and matured for 18 months in large oak barrels. The wine shows a spicy pepper nose, with a hint of raisins. Intense, spicy and sweet cherry flavours abound on the palate, a well balanced wine.
2009 Château Perron, Lalande de Pomerol, En primeur, 12 bottle case 12 bottles per case
This Right Bank estate is currently in the very capable hands of Bertrand Massonie – who is the third generation of the family to run it. Fifteen hectares on sandy gravel top-soil over ferruginous sub-soil planted to 80% Merlot and 10% of both Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Minimal use of chemicals (lutte raisonée), unrivalled attention to detail in the vineyards and hand picked grapes contribute towards the quality here. 30% new oak will round out this wine to perfection, and I envisage this in 8 years time as being the perfect bottle to be enjoyed with roast lamb. It will evolve into a delightfully ‘grown-up’ claret, with its combined red and black fruit attributes and some attractive tobacco leaf tones. Very good. 2017 – 2022.
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2010/2011, Grifone
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, not to be confused with the Tuscan village of the same name, is made from the Montepulciano grape variety from the Abruzzi region. This is the signature wine from the area, with coastal plantings at the foot of the Apennines mountains. Whilst standards in this region can vary, this is a reliable, medium-bodied wine with lots of red cherry fruit and soft supple tannins. The ripeness of the fruit and the soft tannic structure make this the perfect party wine or for drinking with light pork dishes.
Familia Schroeder 'Alpataco' Cabernet Sauvignon
Intense red colour with violet rim. Complex red fruit aromas and hint of spice. The oak has given a touch of mocha and coffee and has a lovely mouth feel with sweet structured tannins and a long lingering fruity finish.
Pauletts Andreas Shiraz
Great depth of color, richness of flavours spice, berry fruits, chocolate and mocha, coupled with the harmony of fruit, acid and tannin make up the rewarding mouth feel and ultimate enjoyment of this wine.
Cortefresca Merlot della Venezie IGT
Deep red in colour with a purple rim, the nose is fresh with lots of red berry fruits and cherry aromas. On the palate, the wine is fruity with hints of spice and supported by mild tannins. Very approachable and easy-to-drink in style.
Oyster Bay Merlot, Six Bottle Gift in Wood 6 x 75cl Bottles
An excellent value gift from popular New Zealand winery Oyster Bay. Lively aromas of summer berry fruits reminiscent of raspberry and strawberry lead to a zesty, flavourful and refreshing palate with a lingering finish of crunchy red apple. Now available in a very stylish wooden case.
Scanavino Barbaresco DOCG
Fantastic crimson-purple colour, this prestigious Barbaresco offers oak, liquorice and black fruit on the complex nose. It is wonderfully warming on the palate with a good concentration of fruit supported by silky tannins. The finish is long and complex. More on Barbaresco...Barbaresco is situated in the Piedmont region of Italy in the north of the country, and is produced using the indigenous Nebbiolo grape. It was granted Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) status in 1966 and Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita status 1980. Barbaresco is one of the most famous and prestigious wines produced in Italy.
CONCHA Y TORO - Trio Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 75cl Bottle
The blend combines 70% Cabernet Sauvignon giving structure and fruit concentration. The Shiraz (15%) contributes richness and intense aroma while the Cabernet Franc (15%) brings elegance and freshness. Trio wines are a true expression of fruit from one of Chile's most revered winemakers. Each Trio wine is a blend of three different grape varieties, or in the case of the Sauvignon Blanc, a blend of grapes from three distinct vineyards, skilfully transformed into fruity, complex wines.
MUD HOUSE - Central Otago, Red Label Pinot Noir 2010 75cl Bottle
Colour: Bright ruby red. Nose: Subtle aromas of berry fruit compote and sweet spice. Palate: A soft palate with fresh bright red fruit and subtle spice flavours. The palate lingers with delicate acidity. Comments: After arriving at the winery the grapes were gently destemed to open fermenters. After a five day cold soak the fermentation was started with a mix of wild and cultured yeast. The grapes were hand plunged or pumped over twice a day to extract the colour, flavour and tannin structure. After pressing, each parcel was kept separate for maturation. At the Mud House, they craft wines using a combination of technology and traditional winemaking methods with the courage to do things their way. Mud House nurture their vineyards throughout New Zealand so that our grapes reach optimum ripeness, ensuring varietal character and flavour.
