Durius Natural Reserve 2005 Tempranillo - 14%

Part of the Marques Del La Concordia Range in North West Spain in the heart of the Arribes Del Duero Natural Park a reserve spaning  200 sq km.
I tasted the Durius Shiraz at the recent 'Spanish Fine Wine' event and was very impressed so I decide to take a chance with this Tempranillo and I'm glad I did.
Very dark inky colour. On the nose blackcurrant, leather, cloves.
Taste - A real mouthful of jammy backcurrants, initially slightly sour but finishing sweeter. Smooth and rich with a velvety texture, mocha and spice. The spice really hitting the back of the throat.

Overall a very good inexpensive Tempranillo from the very reliable Durius.

My Rating 7.5/10   Majestic £5.99 when buying two

Majestic 'Summer Wine Evening' 16/05/2012

Attended another Majestic event last night with friends, this time a 'Summer Wine' evening at their Ruislip Branch.
As always it was well organised by knowledgeable and friendly staff. We were greeted with a glass of Jacquart Brut Mosaique Vintage 2004 Champagne which was very refreshing with good fruit and that nice toastiness, a very pleasant start.
There were three tables set up one with a selection of four whites and two Rose's, the second with six reds and lastly there was a food table with nibbles At each of the wine tables there was a member of staff on hand pouring and answering any questions


White Table
 
Saint Clair Estate Selection Sauvignon Blanc - New Zealand
Clear straw like, Very powerful nose Pineapples, Peaches and Melons. Taste- Clean,crisp and dry lots of tropical fruits. Typical good quality SB from New Zealand. Went down well with all in our party.   

My Rating 7.5/10    £10.99







Royal Tokaji Dry Furmint 2010 - Hungary
Wine made from the Hungarian Furmint grape Variety. Furmint is taken from the word 'Froment' which means 'wheat-gold' colour.
Not too much on the nose, Apple (toffee apples). Tasting - Honey like flavour, slightly herby, slightly bitter, dry with a hint of nuts and toffee. Not tasted Tokaji before but this has tempted me to drink more. Good wine with an unusual and great taste.
My Rating 7/10    £8.49






St Aubin 1er Cru 2009 - Burgundy - France
Lovely French Chardonnay, Intense aroma of  fleshy fruit. Taste of bananas and overripe tropical fruits with creamy vanilla and toast flavour, nice finish. Again a very good wine but a little on the expensive side for some. 

My Rating 7.5/10    £18.99 









Saint Clair Pioneer Block Sauvignon Blanc 2011 - New Zealand
Second St Clair SB and a little more expensive. Not as aromatic as the previous but still smelling of tropical fruits. Taste - Pears, apples, herbaceous , acidity with a minerality. I enjoyed this but not sure I'd pay the extra £4.  Still a very good wine. Others in our party enjoyed the first St Clair more. I'd probably agree.
My Rating 7.5/10    £13.98





Chapel Down Rose 2010 - England  &  M De Minuty Rose 2010 - Provence
Ended the first table with two Rose's. First was the Chapel Down Rose from Kent, on the nose it was Strawberry fizz/refreshers all the way. Taste - Strawberries again dominate, sweetish to start but ends on a dry crisp finish but perfect chilled on a hot summers day and 11% alcohol not to strong.
My Rating 6.5/10    £9.99

M De Minuty Rose 2010 - Provence
From the largest Chateau in Provence. Very pale pink compared to the Chapel Down, A little floral on the nose but not much else. Taste - Citrus fruits and some water melon, quite acidic. We all agreed this was our least favourite on the first table.
My Rating 5/10    £9.99



In the middle of the Store there was a small selection of food including Cheese, cured meats, Salami, French Stick, crackers and dried fruits all of which added to the experience. The Gorgonzola cheese seemed to be a big hit with everyone apart from someone in
our party.
Back to the wine and on to the red table where there was another six bottles to try. and a couple of staff members on hand for questions. This table was very popular and was very busy and for a good reason the wines were excellent.


      

Red Table

Petalos Bierzo 2009 - Spain
I was looking forward to trying this as I have not tried Bierzo before. Made from the Mencia grape near Castilla y Leon near the Galician border. Aroma of wild berries and smoke. Taste - Liquorice, herbs, smoke and almost a chalky earthiness. Fairly spicy giving quite a kick on the back of the throat. Lovely alternative to Rioja.
My Rating 8.5/10    £13.99






Saint Clair Estate Selection Pinot Noir 2011

First of two Pinot Noir's on the table from The Marlborough region of New Zealand.
Nice Ruby colour smelling of smoke, plums and currants. Taste - Mouthwatering dark fruits,subtle Oak and faint smokiness make for a nice smooth tasting wine.
My Rating 7.5/10    £10.99





Castelmaure Corbieres 2009 - South of France
I've become a big fan of Corbieres and this didn't disappoint. This is from the Languedoc region of France.
Dark brooding colour
Very nice nose creamy vanilla, dark fruits, smokey.
Taste - Figs, tobacco, cigars, chocolate, earthy and rich.
This was one of my favourites of the night. Enjoyed by our party as well, even from someone who is not a great fan of Corbieres.
My Rating 8/10    £9.99





Flueurie Chanson 2009 - Beaujolais
Light Beaujolais made from the Gamay grape. Not a big fan of Beaujolais although I have not tried many but this was OK.
Aromas of Cherries and redcurrants also lightly floral.
Taste - mouthful of juicy cherries, but with a slight liquorice aftertaste. Also dried herbs evident.
My Rating 6/10    £9.59





Chateau Trimoulet - St Emillion 2009 - France
A blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon,  this was a pleasant enough medium bodied wine with blackberries and vanilla on the nose.
Taste - Very Fruity, quite smooth and velvety with some toasty oak .
A wine that would benefit from ageing although good now !

My Rating  7/10    £14.99




Saint Clair Pioneer Block Pinot Noir 2010 - New Zealand
This for me and our party was the best wine of the night. All the Saint Clair wines we tried were excellent. Good looking bottle with it's faded look.
Great Nose - Plums, black cherry, mocha, also what to me smelt like I was standing in a damp forest. Very nice !
Taste - Very smooth mouthful of ripe plums, chocolate / mocha, faint taste of nutmeg lurking in the background. Spicy oak.
We all agreed this was a great wine.
My Rating 8.5/10 (very close to being a 9)    £15.98




 To sum up, once again a well run tasting by the Majestic team as they all have been, always good wines to taste with the odd surprise. I'll be keeping an eye out for the next event.

El Portico - Rioja Crianza - 2007 - Spain - 13%

Another Decanter award winning wine, this time given the Regional Trophy for the best Red Rioja under £10 in 2010.

In the glass nice deep ruby colour with a fading tawny hue around the edge which looked very inviting.
Aroma wise, instantly recognisable as a Rioja. Cherry, blackcurrants, spice also candle wax, dried herbs, butter and bacon fat.  It really was a great smell.
Taste didn't dissapoint mouthwatering Juicy red fruit with vanilla and a kick from the spices. Initially a mild sour taste but finishing slightly sweeter. Again that smooth waxy feel in the mouth with a little heat made it a very nice drink indeed. Decanting would definately improve it as the taste got better as it sat it the glass a while.

My passion for Rioja and everything Spanish is evident and this is a lovely drink.

Various supermarkets, around £7-£8

                                                        My Rating 8/10

Solear Babardillo Manzanilla Sherry - Southern Spain - 15%

Originating from the coastal town of Sanlucar de Barramedain in Southern Spain and is one of the most popular sherries in the country.
I'm a recent convert to this type of dry, delicate but extremely refreshing sherry. Not to everyone's taste but with the right food and occasion it's a fabulous drink. This has to be drunk young and well chilled and will only last at it's best for a couple of days.
On the nose it smelt like a shipwreck with that salty sea and damp wood. Almonds and Camomile also come through.
Taste wise, again Almonds, Marzipan and damp wood, it's also has a salty flavour.
It's extremely dry but served very cold it's great. I drank this with Spanish Tapas which included Olives, Iberico Ham and Chorizo and it complemented it beautifully.

If you don't usually drink Sherry or only the sweet stuff, give this a go, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Waitrose (Half Bottle) around £4.50


                                                       My Rating 7/10

Dr Loosen Riesling - Germany - 2010

A German Riesling from the Dr Loosen winery in the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region.
First of all if you're having Asian or Chinese food this is a great pairing.

Straw like colour when poured with perhaps a small tinge of green. The aroma smelt of wet stones, Lychees, some peach and apple.
On the palate very fruity almost like a bowl of fruit washed up on a pebbly beach. A little sweet to begin with but not lasting as it fades to a dryish finish which was unexpected. Being low in alcohol (8.5%) it was very easy to drink and refreshing, as I said earlier very good to wash down a Chinese or spicy Asian  meal. Drink chilled but not too cold as the taste improved as it warmed slightly.

Bought a couple of bottles on impulse and I'm glad I did. A nice Riesling and one I will be having again.


                                                     Various Supermarkets between £7-£9

                                                     My Rating 8/10

Milford Point Sauvignon Blanc 2011 - Marlborough New Zealand - 11.5%

The Marlborough wine region of New Zealand represents 62% of total vineyard area in the country. The area is widely considered by many critics to produce the world's best Sauvignon Blanc.

Picked this out to accompany a seafood pasta and turned out to be a pleasant enough choice.
Very clear, bright colour but not much on the nose, perhaps a little freshly cut grass mixed with lemon zest.
The taste was very dry, crisp, refreshing and a nice acidity with lemon, limes and nectarines completely dominating.

If you like your wine very citrusy this is not bad but I would have liked the flavour to last longer, no real lasting finish.

Would I drink it again, yes, on a hot summers day well chilled. Overall a good wine and typical of a Sauvignon from New Zealand but tastes even better with food. 

Various Supermarkets                    Price ? (gift)

                                                        My Rating 6.5/10

Marques Del Norte Rioja Reserva 2007 - Spain - 13.5%

Once again back to the Marques Del Norte Rioja, this time the 2007 Reserva. This is a consistently good wine and at the bargain price of  £5.48 it's up there with  the better Rioja's I've tried this year.
Being a Reserva with a little age it had an brown tinge (brick like) when poured.
Baked Cherry, Vanilla and Coffee are the first aroma's followed by a slight leathery earthiness.
On first sip, spice and sour cherry are dominant, with a creamy vanilla feel. After a short while a little mint comes through with the lingering spice still in the background, slight dusty taste reminding me of that rustic Spanish sun drenched landscape.

This for me is a great Rioja and it tastes superb when decanted for a couple of hours.I didn't finish all the bottle, had the rest the next day and the taste was even better.

Around £5 it's hard to find a better Rioja.  Bonito !

                                                       Asda £5.48 on special offer
                         
                                                       My Rating 8.5/10