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05-Oct-2011
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Thriplow Shop
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Nick Wittering
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So Summer is now over and we can look forward to log fires and a cosy little drink with our dinner, or afterwards (or before!). Noel Young has produced a list of wines that we can get for you, as usual in cases of 12 reds and 12 whites (2 bottles of each of 6 wines), or if you prefer, we can make up a case of 12 mixed reds and whites (1 bottle of each) in either of the price categories.
New this time is an experiment after some customer feedback. We have launched a new option that we call The Connoisseur Collection. This is 6 reds and 6 whites, but each wine should be a stunner as they have been selected from Noel's more exclusive range (including interestingly some from his own Magpie Estate which always get plaudits. You simply won't get anything of this quality in a supermarket. Of course if you like any of these wines after tasting them, you can place a special order for cases of 6 or 12 later.
Please let me know if you would like any of these wines, in the next two weeks. As usual, all profits go to Thriplow Shop, and I will deliver your order at a time that is convenient to you. You pay me when I deliver, preferably with a cheque made payable to the shop. Here you are.... and thanks in advance.
Kevin
THRIPLOW WINE CLUB AUTUMN MENU
1. Great Drinking Whites 2 bottles of each - £77.00
Ca di Ponti Catarratto 2010 Italy
A ripe, versatile and approachable dry white from western Sicily. Floral peach and tropical fruit aromas with a hint of fennel. Rounded, with gently honeyed flavours on the palate that is balanced by lemony acidity.
Champs du Moulin Vin de Pays du Cotes du Gascogne Colombard 2010 France
A bright, fresh crisp French white with some delicious peachy fruit from the Colombard; an easy drinking quaffer. The new 2010 is really very good, herbaceous and really tangy and zesty.
Sierra Grande Chardonnay 2010 Chile
A fantastic expression of Chilean Chardonnay - full and ripe. Coming from the Casablanca Valley this is an unoaked Chardonnay. Aromas of citrus and hints of banana are followed by an intense mouthful of juicy fruit cocktail flavours with a balanced crisp acidity on the finish.
Bodegas Sierra Norte 'El Tesoro' Macabeo-Chardonnay 2010 Spain
This new white a blend of Macabeo and Chardonnay is quite characterful as well as being clean and correct. It doesn't give a lot away on the nose with hints of stone fruit and blossom but the palate is quite expressive for a 'value' wine with typical peach and pear flavours and almost a hint of Gruner like white pepper.
William Robertson Chenin Blanc 2010 South Africa
This 2010 has a touch more ripeness and weight to the palate than the 2009. It's a 1/2 degree more in alcohol, but as its arrival is timed with autumn, then the extra calories are welcome - I'm not in beach mode any more. Lovely weight of fruit with a hint of ripe apple and peach/citrus notes.
Pasquiers Sauvignon-Vermentino Pays d'Oc 2010 France
A wonderful and innovative blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Vermentino from Southern France. A quite deliciously refreshing change from plain Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon V blends aromatic Sauvignon with aromatic Vermentino and gives a tangy, more complete flavour.
2. Great Drinking Reds 2 bottles of each - £77.00
Champs du Moulin Pays d’Oc Grenache 2010 France
From Vaucluse in the Southern Rhone; a lovely bright juicy Grenache, white pepper on the nose with some warm berry fruit. A juicy style with lots of berry fruit, spice, pepper and soft tannins, a touch of smokiness too.
Sierra Grande Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 Chile
Full of blackcurrant and cedar like aromas and flavours so typical of its variety, this wine has a round, weighty palate and an appealing sweetness of fruit on the finish. We have sold the Merlot for years, cruelly overlooking this cracking Cabernet!
Ca’ di Ponti Shiraz 2010 Italy
The Ca’ di Ponti wines are well packaged and are a great value selection of wines. Not as heavy or fruity as a new world style of Shiraz but has nice weight of black and blue fruit with a characteristic hint of spice.
Paarl Heights Shiraz 2010 South Africa
Fruit cake and dark, smokey nuances on the nose with ripe, juicy fruit and black pepper notes on the palate. The best Paarl Heights Shiraz to date packed full of fruit, really great value.
Boheme Salento Primitivo 2010 Italy
Bright, juicy cherry fruits on the nose with lots of fruit and some typical smokey flavours and a lick of vanillan oak. Juicy and very easy drinking, a good pizza/pasta wine, also very quaffable on its own. It’s a very good value.
Les Olivieres Merlot-Mourvedre Pays d’Oc 2010 France
A really characterful inexpensive red. Crunchy red and black fruits on the nose, it’s young and bright, quite savoury with berry fruits spice and ripe tannins, it’s kind of what you think of when you want a glass of a full flavoured French red to go with a cheese platter, a simple lunch or dinner.
3. Great Drinking Mixed 1 bottle of each in Options 1 & 2 - £77.00
4. Top End Whites 2 bottles of each - £110.00
Paul Mas 'Claude Val' Vendanges Blanc Pays d'Oc 2010 France
An excellent value white from Paul Mas made with 6 varieties: Grenache Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Mauzac, Chasan, Vermentino and Sauvignon Blanc. Attractive nose with stone fruits and acacia honey, citrus and a touch of pear drop. Really fresh and tangy, with mandarin, citrus, grapey flavours and stone fruits, crisp acidity make it very inviting and refreshing. Has a lovely zesty intensity and is really characterful, easy drinking.
Les Vignes De L'Eglise Pays d'Oc Vermentino 2010France
Clean and bright, this aromatic wine is full of vibrant fresh fruit. Aromas of peach, mango, pineapple and pear intermingle and follow through onto the palate which is balanced and long.
Domaine de Saint-Lannes IGP Cotes de Gascogne 2010 France
Really delicious, perfumed Cotes de Gascogne. Herbaceous with grapey citrus fruit, leading to a really fresh, zesty, tangy palate with a lovely fresh citrus, zippy finish.
Tabali Reserva Viognier 2010 Chile
A fresher crisper style of Viognier. Classic honeysuckle, apricot and white peach on the nose. It's varietal but fresh, not at all fat, tangy white peach and apricot with limey acidity. It has some spice too, a lovely fresh style, all the fruit characters of Viognier but almost Sauvignon like crispness and acidity.
Ponte del Diavolo Pinot Grigio 2010 Italy
This Pinot Grigio from Grave in Friuli is as good as ever this is quite a 'gris' style with more palate weight than many; clean, precise flavours, for the more savoury palate. Retains a lovely clean zippy finish, spot on.
Raimat Castell de Raimat Costers del Segre Xarel.lo-Chardonnay 2010 Spain
New Wave Spanish Wine Awards 2011 winner; a brand new release and most impressive. Attractive, perfumed, peachy nose. White peach and spice on the palate with ripe pear and citrus, zesty with nutty oak which gives the wine complexity and length, really quite delicious!
5. Top End Reds 2 bottles of each - £110.00
Mont Rocher IGP Pays de l'Herault Carignan Vielles Vignes 2010 France
Delicious old vine Carignan. It's dense and juicy with really ripe fruit and soft tannins. Vibrant and youthful with just a touch of creamy oak.
Caves Alianca Dao Reserva 2008 Portugal
A new discovery and what a great find, such amazing value, made from the local Tinta Roriz, Alfrocheiro, Jaén, Touriga Nacional grapes. Immediately juicy with lots of bramble fruits and polished aromatics. Underlying savoury and herbal character with silky, supple black fruit. Soft tannins with hints of meat and liquorice with vanilla on the elegant finish. Cracking buy and perfect autumn and winter drinking.
Septima Malbec 2010 Argentina
Deep in colour, smokey on the nose with black cherry, rich and full with lovely dark berry and cherry fruits, spice, pepper and hints of liquorice and chocolate. Lively and fresh a touch darker and deeper and more savoury than the 2009; still very user friendly and an excellent value. Tannins are soft, though present and there is a lick of creamy oak.
Emiliana 'Adobe' Carmenere 2010 Chile
Savoury black fruit perfectly balanced with sweet and toasted notes given by wood, violets and a touch of spice, the main characteristic of the Carmenere grape. On the palate, this wine has soft and well balanced black fruits, dense and juicy with a touch of herb and oak, ripe tannins on the finish making it long and juicy.
Domaine Daniel & Denis Alary Cotes du Rhone 'La Gerbaude' 2009 France
Alary's La Gerbaude has a deep colour, along with classic Provencal notes of lavender, garrigue, liquorice, kirsch and spice. Medium-bodied with supple tannins as well as a lush, heady finish.
Magpie Estate 'The Beak' Shiraz-Grenache 2009 Australia
A blend of 63% Shiraz and 37% Grenache. Bright berry fruits on the nose, black cherry and plum with raspberry and white pepper. It's a classic juicy style, warm berry fruits to the fore, fresh and lively with spice and white pepper and some subtle oak notes too. Good acidity keeps it really well balanced and it's a big, yet balanced juicy mouthful and has the classic Beak hallmark of drinkability.
6. Top End Mixed 1 bottle of each in Options 4 & 5 - £110.00
7. The Connoisseur Collection 1 bottle of each - £140.00
Domaine de l'Aumonier Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2010 France
Vibrant green apple and lemon fruits abound in this unoaked organic Sauvignon Blanc. This is a big step up on most Touraine Sauvignon, having greater depth of fruit and more precision. Dry, with fresh, tangy citrus fruits, it's crisp and herbaceous; this is a lovely wine for any number of fish, white meat and salad dishes.
Cavit Bottega Vinai Gewurztraminer 2010 Italy
Aromatic nose with lychee, flowers, ginger and citrus. Not at all viscous on the palate, it's tangier and fresher than a typical Alsace Gewurztraminer. Lychee with citrus and peach/nectarine fruit, a touch of spice with good acidity and a lovely fresh tangy finish. Really delicious style and very drinkable. It makes a delightful change.
Domaine Paul Mas 'Vignes De Nicole' Pays d'Oc Chardonnay-Viognier 2010 France
A 2011 Top 100 IGP winner. I have always liked this wine and the new 2010 is really very good. As I have said before I think it's a blend that works really well. Partly fermented and aged in new oak for a few months. Citrus and apricot on the nose with spice and a hint of oak. It's dry and tangy, clean and fresh, quite floral with apricot, peach, citrus, ripe pear and apple with spice and oak. It's still very young but already hugely enjoyable.
Rolf Binder Wines 'Highness' Riesling 2011 Australia
Christa is making some lovely Riesling's at present and this is another winner. Quite floral on the nose with lime, apricot and jasmine. It's crisp and fresh, just off-dry with ripe apple, lime and apricot with a lovely grapey and citrus zest finish. Really well balanced and already drinking well, though sure to age too.
Chablis Le Colombe 2010, France
Typical of what decent Chablis should taste like - not a trace of oak, pungent and flinty on the nose with a tad of creamy fruit underneath, this gets richer as the mineral characters give way to a gently fruity core, and is then cut back by a long juicy bite.
Sherwood Estate ‘Stoney Range’ Sauvignon Blanc 2010 New Zealand
Quite tropical on the nose with citrus and mango, passion fruit and blackcurrant. It's got a touch of residual sugar on the palate, really crisp and tangy, herbaceous with zesty citrus allied to passion fruit, blackcurrant, elderflower and a touch of peach. Fresh and well made, if you like plenty of fruit in your Sauvignon with good acidity you will love this
Baron de Badassiere Carignan IGP 2010 France
The Badassière Carignan is bright red in colour with deep purple hints. The nose is aromatic and lifted, with cassis, plum and herbs giving way to spice and a touch of game. The wine is aged entirely in tank for an extended period to allow the wine to be ready when bottled. The palate is medium to full with attractive berry fruit intensity, fresh acidity and firm but smooth tannins that give this structure for a couple of years‘ ageing if required.
Masseria Pietrosa Salice Salentino 2010 Italy
A really delicious, bright, modern Puglian red from one of the main grape varieties Salice Salentino. Perfumed, bitter-sweet nose with chocolate and creamy oak. Similar palate, brambly berry fruits with chocolate, spice and creamy oak, tannins are very ripe, delicious.
Bodegas Renacer 'Punto Final' Malbec 2010 Argentina
From 50+ year old vines, this latest release is an absolute cracker. Black cherry, pepper, spice, meat and oak on the nose. Dense with plush ripe black berry and cherry fruit, spice, liquorice and chocolate, with a touch of oak on the finish. A lovely dense, savoury, yet juicy Malbec of huge appeal.
Chateau Haut Rian 1eres Cotes de Bordeaux ‘Cuvée Prestige’ 2009, France
A lovely Merlot dominated juicy style of claret. Bright with plum and cassis fruit allied to toasty oak, it's fresh and really quite vibrant with soft tannins. A really appealing style, made from the best vineyards in limited quantities, loves a Sunday roast!
Magpie Estate 'The Fakir' Grenache 2008 Australia
A selection from three vineyards, again we declassified our best Gomersal Grenache into this wine, and for the first time we blended in 10% Mourvedre to give some backbone and extra spice. Aged in c20% new French oak and bottled 22 months after vintage. Quite pale in colour- typical of 2008 Grenache. Nutmeg, cherry, plum, roasted meats and a touch of mocha like oak on the nose. Medium bodied with soft tannins, has typical berry and plum fruit with spice and toasty, creamy French oak. The palate is soft and juicy, sweet fruits and savoury characters combining nicely. It's ready now and is a wine best enjoyed in the first 2-3 years. As with previous releases a hugely versatile food wine, it tends to caress flavours rather than compete.
Bodegas Finca Manzanos Rioja Crianza 2007 Spain
An excellent award winning Rioja Crianza. Ripe berry fruits, meat and some oak on the nose. Bright cherry and plum fruit with a lovely dense meaty core, soft tannins, spice and again a touch of oak. Quite a deep style of Crianza and very enjoyable, long and pretty soft.
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