The £89.00 Seasonal Cellar September 2010 Tasting Notes

You can join our Seasonal Cellar club online or by phoning 01502 727222.

White wines

2009 Chardonnay, Maison Mayol, Vin de Pays d’Oc

From an area more renown for mass production, it was a delight to come across this flavour-filled Chardonnay. Influenced by extraordinarily energized winemaking guru Stéphane Vedeau who is making wines of incredible charm in the southern Rhône, the very pure, ripe peachy / melon flavours of this wine are enhanced by the addition of a small percentage of barrel-aged wine. This comes from a selection of the estate’s best parcels of Chardonnay, grown on chalky hills along the Mediterranean, where yields are naturally restricted and the quality is heavily influenced by the cooling sea air. Stéphane has brilliantly married the geographic and climatic attributes of this estate, to his deft, winemaking skills. White wine with fish ? It certainly will be in this case – fry a couple of fresh plaice fillets with garlic in butter and serve with fresh beans and new potatoes for a classic food and wine pairing.

2009 Viognier ‘Le Jade’ Vin de Pays d’Oc

Winemaker Jean Veyrier heads up one of the best co-operative wineries in the Languedoc-Roussillon, namely Les Costières de Pomerols, near the mussel-beds of the Étang de Thau. He produces some very stylish wines, many of which garner high praise from US wine guru Robert Parker. Although growers’ co-operatives have historically had bad press, there are obvious exceptions, and this is one of them. The grapes undergo a maceration peliculaire for several hours before being pressed, with no contact with the air. The juice is then chilled and racked off its sediment twice, before it undergoes a temperature controlled fermentation at 16°C. With no malolactic fermentation, and an anaerobic and cold treatment approach, all the natural acidity and freshness are locked in. Surprisingly big peachy flavours to accompany roast pork.

2008 Folie de Roi, Pacherenc de Vic-Bilh Sec

This weird-sounding appellation effectively covers the same area as its red counterpart, Madiran, down in the south west of France. Pacherenc in local dialect means ‘posts in a row’ and Vic-Bihl, which refer to some nearby Pyrenean foothills. A fascinating mix of odd-ball varieties – Arrufiac, Courbu, and both Petit and Gros Manseng. These make for a complex array of fresh, fruity, floral and herby characters in this appealing dry white. Made by the ultra-reliable team at the Plaimont winery, who have an admirable focus on polishing the finer characteristics of the region’s local grape varieties, bringing intriguing styles to a wide audience. If ever you tire of drinking single varietals, then this is the wine to re-invigorate the jaded palate. Great as an aperitif, but equally good with cold meat and simple salads.

2009 Loios Branco, Joao Portugal Ramos, Alentejo

Joao Portugal Ramos is a one-man dynamo who has created a substantial winery, with some 250 hectares of his own, with yet more vineyards under contract. Joao’s Loios Branco is grown on the limestone clay and schist soils of the Alentejo, in central southern Portugal. It is made from two varietals, which, like most Portuguese grapes, are nigh on impossible to pronounce coherently: Rabo de Ovelha and Roupeiro. Both are hand-picked and cold fermented in his modern winery just out of Estremoz, which combines novel methods of getting more character into his wines, whilst standing alongside old fashioned foot treading lagars. Limes and minerality, with a crisp, fresh modern twist. Drink with grilled sardines or escabeche ­– cold marinated meats. Also perfect with gaspacho – similar to Spain’s gazpacho, except for the spelling!

2009 Viura, Principe de Viana, Navarra

Navarra’s Bodegas Principe de Viana was established in 1983 in Murchante, to the north of the region, it has a gleaming new, technologically advanced cellar and access to fruit grown over 1400 hectares. Viticultural management employs the world’s most modern and contemporary technology aiming for ideal vineyard development. Planting is controlled by GPS and laser marking, while computers monitor the soil’s humidity, local weather stations and daily plant growth data. Proving that big doesn’t mean bad, this fruit-driven style combines varietal character and friendly approachability. Enjoy with traditional vegetable stews, trout and even paella.

2008 Chardonnay ‘Highwood’ South Australia

It may be a cliché, but at this price, who cares? Rich flavours of tropical fruits, melons and cashews, framed by creamy French oak. Rob Dundon plundered his favourite McLaren Vale vineyards for this expensive-tasting Chardonnay. Since he left Hardy’s to set up on his own in a suite of grand bluestone cellars, this prolific winemaker has racked up an impressive tally of wine show medals, aided by ex-Maglieri assistant cellar overseer Scott McIntosh. The oak in this wine means that you should stay clear of matching it with a similarly treated food, smoked salmon or smoked chicken as the flavours would clash. Head for something more meaty – good, peppery, pork sausages should work a treat.

Red wines

2009 Domaine du Vieux Chene, Vin de Pays de Vaucluse

Beatrice and Jean Claude Bouche, owners of this domaine, are impassioned wine-makers. Together they manage their vineyards using organic farming methods, creating wines of great character. Just to the east of Orange, the Domaine du Vieux Chêne vineyards spread out on a slightly sloped and very rocky plateau. This location offers the wines the benefit of a beneficial microclimate thanks to an especially high yearly level of sunshine.  Simple steak /frites – so long as you have plenty of garlic butter on the steak.

2008 Minervois ‘Les Mégalithes’ Les Hauts de Montfort

Stephane Vedeau owns a 50 hectare estate in the Rhône and heads up a youthful team. Enthusiasm is the order of the day here. All the vines are cultivated with a regard to the environment and so no herbicides or pesticides are used. Spreading his wings he consults for other vignerons throughout the Languedoc and bottles some of the wines where he advises, like this one, under his own label. Made from old-vine Grenache, it has brambly spicey aromas, with cherries, violets and liquorice. The Roman legionaries introduced vines to this corner of the Languedoc, and it is said that Pline and Cicero were fans of Minervois. In an area that doesn’t attract a great deal of publicity, it is encouraging to find emerging winemakers plying their trade here, using great quality fruit from ancient vines. This is no shrinking violet so consider this with one of your first autumn stews.

2009 ‘La Mano’ Mencia Roble, Bierzo

The region of Bierzo is situated in northwest Spain just inland from Galicia. History shows that winemaking in the area dates back as far as visiting Greeks and Phoenecians. La Mano refers to the work done by the harvesters who collect the Mencia grapes which are then de-stemmed and crushed before being put into large stainless steel tanks where the pulp is macerated for 48 hours in order to extract maximum aromas and colour. After fermentation the wine goes to mature in barrels of American oak for three months before bottling. Simple bright red fruit flavours that put you in mind of cold ham and boiled new potatoes.

2009 Monty’s Tuscan Red, IGT, Toscana

The wine writer Monty Waldin put his money where his mouth was and made his own biodynamic wine in the Roussillon. After two successful vintages in France he now moves on to repeat the same exercise in Tuscany. Now married to an Italian and living in San Gimignano, Monty maintains it is quicker and cheaper to get to New York than it is to get to Perpignan!  His Tuscan Red is predomiantly Sangiovese with around 30% Merlot. Why dilute a truly iconic Tuscan varietal with a ubiquitous French variety like Merlot? Monty believes that Merlot, planted on clay rather than sandy soils where it produces hot and hollow wines, rounds out and softens the sometimes structurally challenging Sangiovese. We think he has got the blend just about right, and drank it recently with calves’ liver.  Stupendous.

2007 Zweigelt ‘Little J’ Jurtschitsch Sonnhof, Neiderösterreich

The estate of the Jurtschitsch family comprises some 74 hectares of prime vineyard sites around Langenlois. The Sonnhof, with cellars 14 meters below ground, was a winery for the neighbouring Franciscan monks until the 18^th century, and since 1868 the house has been owned by the Jurtscitsch Family. As early as the 1970’s they switched over to compost- and plant-litter-based fertilizers and also decided to use plant protection methods favorable to beneficial insects. Starting with 2006 the vineyard management has been in transition to controlled organic methods. Their four-stepped, gravity winery, built in 2000, circumvents the need for the grapes, juice or finished wine, ever having to come in contact with a pump.This Zweigelt is youthful, clear and concise, with varietal aromas of sweet and sour cherries and refined fruit flavors.  We would suggest drinking this with gulasch (given the proximity to Hungary) or Austria’s answer to fast-food – the schnitzel. The family suggests, more prosaically, it can be enjoyed with all red meats or Italian food like pasta or pizza.

2008 Merlot, Bodegas Gouguenheim, Mendoza

Rich and powerful; packed with gamey blackcurrant fruit, with aromas of plums, blackcurrants, chocolate and violets. Just the sort of calibre you’d expect from high priestess of Mendozan winemaking, Susana Balbo. It was her influence (and that of top agricultural engineer Professor Pedro Marchevsky) that led Cognac magnate Patricio Gouguenheim to the immaculate heights of the Valle Escondido in Tupungato, 70km from Mendoza. In the Andean foothills, yet at 1000 meters above sea level, the Valle Escondido has 320 days of sunshine a year, with essential irrigation coming from the mountains. Maybe it’s the altitude, or the purity of the air, or the endless sunshine that creates the intensity of aromas, but there is little doubt that this is a Merlot of great charm and intrinsic, varietal character. When in the Andes, eat what the Argentinians eat  – lots of red meat in the form of barbequed steaks and ribs. They are more influenced by European cooking than Latin American, so pasta and pizza, chorizo and empanadas (small pastries made from meat, cheese) are the order of the day.

You can join our Seasonal Cellar club online or by phoning 01502 727222.