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Nicolas Reau Clos des Treilles Anjou 2015

Nicolas Reau Clos des Treilles Anjou 2015

Nicolas Reau Clos des Treilles Anjou 2015

clos des TreillesHaving tasted some very strange natural wines, I have to admit I put off tasting this for a while; my mistake!  This was amazingly good – it had the lightly honeyed touch of Chenin Blanc, a lovely quality of soft nuanced pear and quince fruits, well-balanced by a subtle mineral freshness. A seductive complex elegant wine that evolves with every sip.

Drink with lighter fish dishes. It went nicely with our Danish fishcakes – Fiske Frikadelle – boiled potatoes, peas and a homemade Remoulade.

Ex jazz player Nicolas Reau makes natural wine, intervening in the process as little as possible. This Chenin Blanc, from clay soils with some flint and limestone, is made from organically-grown grapes. Natural yeast are used for a fermentation without any temperature control; the wine is neither fined nor filtered, and only a small dose of sulphur is added prior to bottling.

€24.95 from Le Caveau, Kilkenny; Green Man Wines, Terenure; 64Wines, Glasthule.

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Best of the taste tests: the top wines from three Irish importers

First published in The Irish Times, Saturday 3rd June, 2017

Four very different importers held press tastings over the last few weeks. O’Briens will be well-known to all; they now have 32 shops around the country, mainly concentrated in the Leinster region, and form a very useful bridge between the multiples and the independent retailer, borrowing a little from each. Certainly they make quality wines accessible to many parts of the country and always have a good range of inexpensive wines available. The staff are invariably well-trained with good wine knowledge. I have featured the Domaine Begude wines before: the 2015 Etoile, a Chardonnay fermented in large oak barrels, would cost twice as much if came from Burgundy. I love it.

Marks & Spencer can claim to lead the multiples when to comes to quality. In general, you will pay a little more compared to the other supermarkets, but usually the wine will be that bit better. I like the way it is not afraid to offer quirky wines that you won’t see on the shelves of its rivals. At times, the M&S range approaches that of a good independent wine shop. In recent years, it has championed wines from all around the Mediterranean and eastern Europe. Among many interesting wines, including some great inexpensive summer whites that I will feature shortly, the Lirac below stood out as a very attractive medium- to full-bodied red wine.

Artisan wines

Le Caveau is a leading independent wine importer that concentrates on organic, biodynamic and “natural” wines. Set up by Burgundian and former sommelier Pascal Rossignol 18 years ago, they list a huge range of really interesting artisan wines, including a very fine selection of Burgundy. They have a small retail/mail-order shop (see lecaveau.ie) tucked away a car park in Kilkenny, and also distribute their wines widely through independent wine shops around the country. Proprietor Pascal Verhaeghe of Ch. du Cèdre was at the Le Caveau tasting, despite having lost his entire crop of grapes to frost the previous week. (“Everything!” he told me. “One hundred per cent.”) His Héritage below is a classic mix of traditional and modern. It is also very reasonably priced.

Quintessential Wines is run by Seamus Daly. Seamus worked in the restaurant business and for another wine importer before setting up his own business in 2006. He has a small retail shop in Drogheda and offers a nationwide online service, although most of his business is to hotels and restaurants. The range is full of interesting wines, of the kind that would not be of interest to many bigger importers. There are plenty of good well-made Albariño available between €10-15; the Zarate below is a real step up in quality, although if you have the money, the creamy rich single-vineyard Zarate Tras da Vina (€29.95) is even more delicious.

Lirac Les Closiers 2015, Ogier

14%, €15
Gently warming, with oodles of ripe dark fruits, and an attractive grippy quality.
Stockists: Marks & Spencer

Cahors 2014 Héritage du Cèdre

13%, €15.50
Light savoury blackcurrants and dark fruits with a clean, lightly tannic finish.
Stockists: Listons; Donnybrook Fair; McGuinness Wines; Green Man; Redmonds; 64 Wine; Avoca; Blackrock Cellar; Corkscrew; Fallon & Byrne; Le Caveau.

Domaine Begude Etoile Chardonnay 2015, Limoux

13.5%, €19.95
Impeccably balanced wine with lightly textured green apples and pears,

a hint of toasted brioche, all held together by a seam of refreshing acidity.
Stockists: O’Briens

Zarate Albariño 2015, Val do Salnes, Rías Baixas, Spain

12.5%, €21.15
A fine complex wine, with concentrated pure pear fruits and a wonderful mineral streak.
Stockists: Quintessential Wines, Drogheda; Clontarf Wines; Wicklow Wine; Hole in the Wall.

 

Posted in: Irish Times

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Madregale 2015, Rosso Terre di Chieti

Madregale 2015, Rosso Terre di Chieti

DSCF7358Madregale 2015, Rosso Terre di Chieti

12.5%

€11.05

Light fresh juicy cherry fruits and no tannins. There isn’t really much more to say. Very good simple everyday drinking and great value for money.

Pizzas, lighter pasta dishes, and white meats. Or by itself.

This is made by Cantina Tollo, a well-regarded, large co-operative in the Abruzzo region. Chieti is the largest of the four provinces that produce Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.

Available from Avoca; Blackrock Cellars; Fallon & Byrne; Le Caveau, Kilkenny; Listons, Camden Street; MacGuinness Wines, Dundalk; Green Man Wines, Terenure; World Wide Wines, Waterford.

 

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Albizu Tempranillo 2015, Spain

Albizu Tempranillo 2015, Spain

DSCF7103Albizu Tempranillo 2015, Spain

Available for €11.95-€12.95 from Mitchell & Son; Avoca Rathcoole; Le Caveau, Kilkenny; Baggot St Wines; Blackrock Cellar; Corkscrew; Fallon & Byrne; Listons; MacGuinness; Green Man; 64 Wines; World Wide Wines, Waterford.

I have a weakness for unoaked (or very lightly oaked) Rioja. I love the lively aroma, the pure cherry fruits and the refreshing acidity. They come to together to form an easy-drinking but sophisticated wine, great for sipping alone or for drinking with a variety or red and white meats. This example, made by a Rioja producer, from grapes grown within the region, doesn’t actually have the name Rioja on the label, but it certainly tastes like it. This is a perfect example of the style. Worth buying in quantity for the season ahead.

 

 

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Hauts de Médian Petit Verdot 2015 IGP Pays d’Oc

Hauts de Médian Petit Verdot 2015 IGP Pays d’Oc

domaine-robert-vic-les-hauts-de-median-petit-verdoHauts de Médian Petit Verdot 2015 IGP Pays d’Oc
€14.50 from Le Caveau, Kilkenny & McGuinness, Dundalk.

Medium-bodied with ripe dark fruits, good acidity, and medium tannins on the finish. Well-made wine with a bit of structure. It needs a plate of food.

I would try this with red meats – grilled lamb chops sound about right.

Petit Verdot is a Bordeaux grape, often used in small amounts as part of a blend. Some producers argue that as little as 2-3% makes a big difference to the wine, adding a spicy or peppery note. Others argue that it is very similar to Cabernet Sauvignon, but as they both ripen at the same time (late), it is of little use. I like the solid dark fruits and structure it adds to a wine, and would like to see more of it in the Languedoc.

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Cheverny ‘Rouillon’ 2015 Clos de Tue-Boeuf

<strong>Cheverny ‘Rouillon’ 2015 Clos de Tue-Boeuf</strong>

ImageCheverny ‘Rouillon’ 2015 Clos de Tue-Boeuf
12%
€22.95 from Blackrock Cellars, 64wine, Glasthule & Le Caveau, Kilkenny.

Not many wine geeks will have heard of Cheverny. It is one of those very obscure appellations of the Loire Valley. The white wines are a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Arbois, Chardonnay or Pinot Blanc. The red is also a blend, of Gamay and Pinot Noir or Cabernet Franc.

Thierry Puzelat is one of the leading exponents of natural winemaking in France. His wines are made with no added yeasts and little or no sulphur. When they work, I find them spectacularly good, although I have tasted a few very barnyardy examples in the past. This was delicious, a refreshing fruit-filled wine with redcurrants and raspberries and a fine elegant acidity and an earthy touch. Serve cool with all sorts of pork and chicken dishes.

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Percheron Chenin Viognier 2015, Swartland, South Africa

<strong>Percheron Chenin Viognier 2015, Swartland, South Africa</strong>

Percheron-Chenin mk 5Percheron Chenin Viognier 2015, Swartland, South Africa
13.5%
€11.95 from World Wide Wines, Waterford; Blackrock Cellar; MacGuiness, Dundalk; Redmonds, Ranelagh; Le Caveau, Kilkenny; Green Man Wines, Terenure.

Horse lovers will be aware that Percheron is a breed of draft horse, originally from the west of France. It appears on the label, as the producers have apparently bought some to work in the vineyards, as is currently very trendy. The wine is pretty good, a blend of 80% Chenin Blanc, South Africa’s workhouse (sorry!) grape variety and 20% Viognier. Put them together and you get a light, clean, fresh wine with peaches and apricots, a subtle creaminess and a dry finish. Try it with prawn dishes.

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Tour de Gendres Rouge 2014, Bergerac

<strong>Tour de Gendres Rouge 2014, Bergerac</strong>

tour 2011Tour de Gendres Rouge 2014, Bergerac
12.5%
€15-15.50 from Avoca, Rathcoole; Baggot St. Wines; The Corkscrew, Chatham St.; Donnybrook Fair; Liston’s, Camden St.; World Wide Wines, Waterford; 64wine, Glasthule; MacGuiness, Dundalk; Le Caveau, Kilkenny; Green Man Wines, Terenure.

At one time, this was one of my all-time favourite red wines. I hadn’t come across it for a while so for a while, so I was delighted to see it at a tasting recently; it is as good as ever and still something of a bargain. Made by the de Conti family in Bergerac (right next-door to Bordeaux) this is modern French winemaking at its best. Light fresh blackcurrant and plum fruits, no oak and a dryish finish. Clean and moreish; perfect everyday wine to match up with roast meats – pork, lamb or beef, or pâtés and other charcuterie.

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Gloire de mon Père 2014, Tour des Gendres, Bergerac

Gloire de mon Père 2014, Tour des Gendres, Bergerac

gloryGloire de mon Père 2014, Tour des Gendres, Bergerac

€22 from Le Caveau, Kilkenny, Green Man Wines, Terenure, 64wine, Glasthule and other leading independent wine shops.

Smooth elegant wine with ripe blackcurrant fruits, a touch of spice and a long dry finish. Serve it with roast red meats.

Luc de Conti has long been a shining beacon in Bergerac, an underrated region next door to Bordeaux. I am a big fan of the Tour de Gendres ‘classique’ (see above) his entryish level red that sells for around €15. However for €7 more, you can buy the Gloire de mon Père, and glorious it is too. A blend of 50% Cabernet sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 20% Malbec, this is a Bordeaux lookalike of the very highest quality; except if it came from Bordeaux it would cost a lot more.

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A Weekend’s Drinking

IMG_1888

A few very nice bottles over the weekend mostly grabbed from my stash of ageing wine.

Domine des Anges Ventoux Blanc 2014
13.5%

A blend, I think, of Grenache, Roussanne and Bourbelenc. Good quite rich peachy white with a bracing acidity. It cost around €13 a bottle (Cases.ie and Red Nose Wines, Clonmel), and is good value at that. Sent a few months ago as a sample, which I coravined to keep fresh.


Lettre d’Eloïse Chardonnay 2013, Coteaux Bourguignons, Bertrand Ambroise

13%

Good clean fresh, well-made Burgundy with a lip-smacking wet-stone character, light oak and a zesty lemon edge. Nice wine. Imported by Le Caveau. Sells for around €20 I think.

Westhofener Riesling Trocken 2011 Wittmann
13%

I have been drinking a lot of Riesling (and a lot of Wittmann) recently. Philip Wittmann makes some lovely wines. This I bought a year or two ago, and it has matured nicely; medium-bodied with light honey, beeswax and a subtle nuttiness finishing dry. Great sipping wine while making dinner.

Moulin-a-Vent 2008, Les Trois Roches, Domaine de Vissoux
12.5%

I love Beaujolais and this is one of the great producers. I bought six bottles of this six years ago and recently started working my way through it. Delicious light soft cherry fruits. Wish I had bought more.

Fayard 2012, Côtes du Ventoux, Domaine de Fondrèche

14%

I am not sure what sort of a vintage 2012 was in the southern Rhône but this was a very enjoyable wine. Medium-bodied with a wonderful purity of dark fruit, and hints of spice. A world away from some of the big, dare I say clumsy, wines of the Southern Rhône. I had kept it for a year or so.

Fontodi Chianti Classico 2006
14%

I bought six bottles of this and the 2007 vintage a few years back, and am both, but I think I prefer the 2006. Rich and quite powerful black fruits, cherries and blackcurrants, but with a nice refreshing streak of acidity and a good finish. Will keep for a few years yet.

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