Vincent Caillé Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Vieilles Vignes 2012
Strongly leesy aroma; nice tingly, lively sensations on the tongue. Persistent and very moreish. Very pleasant.
Bernhard Ott Grüner Veltliner Fass 4 2012 - Austria, Wagram
12,5% abv. A slight pear-like aroma suggesting cool fermentation isn't something I like to see but the otherwise clean, pure and citric aroma is. A fairly rich style of Grüner but, despite the producer's name, not over the top at all, and the acidity and ever so slight spritz help keep it moreish. Nice!
Montinore Estate Borealis 2012 - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
An unusual blend of 36% Müller-Thurgau, 30% Riesling, 20% Gewürztraminer and 14% Pinot Gris. Only 12,3% abc and with a couple bad puns on the label (Borealis - The Northern Whites - A Wine To Light Up Your Night), how could I not like it? Aromatic without being too dominated by Gewürz's spice and lychee aromas; it has nice "mineral" aromas too and a general sense of freshness instead of just floral/sweet aromas. Dry, ripe fruit and a surprising richness for a relatively low alcohol wine, but also some nice lemony acidity. An attractive and very pleasant little white.
"Rosé" that looks like a light red:
Lammershoek Pinotage CellarFoot Sink the Pink Pinotage 2013 - South Africa, Coastal Region, Swartland
12% and a "natural" wine with no added sulphur. It's more a pale red than a rosé; but the aroma is seductive with all sorts of fresh berry aromas, very clean and pure and lacking everything stereotypically varietal. Sweet/ripe fruit, lovely brightness and vivacity, very easy to drink and very easy to fall in love with. I suspect M. Lapierre might have flown to Swartland to make this wine!
Reds:
Domaine de la Cotelleraie (Gérald Vallée) Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil L'Envolee 2005
13,5% abv. Dark, inky fruit, no Cab lift, no herbaceous qualities, nothing that says Cab Franc to me; it's just generic ripe fruit. Soft, plump palate. Drinkable but anonymous.
Philippe Alliet Chinon Coteau de Noiré 2005
14% abv; aged in mostly new barrels. It's a good wine if your idea of good wine is recent Bordeaux or Napa Cab. I could, however, do without the masking effects of the oak, the ripeness and the size and would prefer something more representative of the grape and Chinon. Anonymous and quite frankly boring.
2011 Éric Texier Côtes du Rhône Chat Fou
Very pretty and aromatic wine with lovely beetroot aromas that seem more like Pinot than Grenache! Sweet fruit, nicely light body, not terribly acidic or tannic but it still has a refreshing finish. I like it, though some have criticized it for lacking structure.
Clos du Gravillas Vin de Pays des Côtes de Brian Sous les Cailloux des Grillons 2011
Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Grenache, Counoise, Terret Gris and Mourvèdre. It has a dangerously dark colour that makes me fear the whole wine will be tainted by purplosity. But the scent is actually quite refreshing for a southern wine: ripe strawberry aromas but also a proper savoury touch. The palate is fairly big and ripe but it has wonderful levels of acidity and tannins to keep things structured. It's actually moreish and refreshing on the finish (no doubt helped by the relatively low 13%). Very nice!
