Uncorked: Under this heading we collect various wines that we have tasted, and liked, recently. It can be wines that we have had during dinner at home, at wine tastings, press lunches, visits to vineyards, or other occasions.
We describe the wines just with a few short sentences, tasting notes that we hope will give you a short but accurate impression of what we thought of the wine, without delving into finer points tasting notes.
Some inspiration for more wine discoveries! As well as a perspective on what to expect from older wines.
This month:
Mainly reds but first two very interesting whites and a rosé. Several from lesser-known (but not lesser!) wine regions: Muscadet, Austria, rosé from Bellet, Cahors, Switzerland, Rhone Valley, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Languedoc, Valpolicella, the Roussillon, and even Bordeaux.
Want more inspiration? Read more about what we have tasted, often unusual and always interesting in all Uncorked back issues. Click the link to read more!
White
- Gneiss 2012, Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, Domaine de l’Ecu
Excellent Muscadet with some sur lie character. Fresh acidity, floral notes, aroma of grapefruit, a wine with vitality. Tasty and quite full bodied. Guy Bossard has long been a well-known biodynamic grower. The domain is certified Demeter since 1998. The wine is fermented with natural yeasts and aged for 10 months on the lees. Only a minimum of sulphur is added. (Around 14 euros)
- Gut Oggau Timotheus Weiss 2012 Grüner veltliner/Weissburgunder, Österreichischer Landwein
An interesting and unusual wine with flavours of apricot, dry honey and ripe apples. Possibly some residual sweetness detected in the aftertaste. Good acidity and freshness. Quite full bodied, perhaps due to a certain skin contact and fermentation in 500-liter oak barrels.
Rosé
- Domaine de la Source 2012 Rosé, AOP Bellet
This is an unusual rosé made from the very rare grape Braquet (also called Brachet). The wine feels more like a white wine. I tried it blind in a black glass and my guess was a white wine. The colour is pale orange with very subtle red berries on the nose. Also some citrus aromas, flowers and a certain softness in the mouth. The colour comes from five hours of skin contact. Braquet is a very unusual grape and it is grown almost exclusively in the small appellation of Bellet, very beautifully situated on the hills above the city of Nice. (around 16.50 Euro)
Red
- Cahors Pur Plaisir Château Haut Monplaisir 2010
A full-bodied, powerful wine with lots of berries and fruit. Good structure with tannin and acidity. The grape is Malbec. Château Haut Monplaisir is a well-known and high-class producer of Cahors and this is their prestige wine. It is fermented in new open 500-liter oak barrels. It has then been aged in the same barrels, but closed, in just over 20 months. Bottling without filtration. (around 25 euros).
- Domaine Le Pointu, Côtes du Rhône 2009, Cuvée le Vieux Chêne
Grenache dominates this wine light in colour but with plenty of aroma and flavour. The fruit is ripe, the structure is good, with tannins and fresh acidity. (around 14 €)
- Domaine Le Pointu, Cuvée Mathieu 2009, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Powerful, spicy wine that shows its southern origin. Traditional Chateauneuf-style wine. Some dried fruit in aroma and flavour. The tannins are still there but a more mature character is on its way. (around 32 euros)
- Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup Cuvée Sainte Agnès 2012
Wine with very ripe and warm fruit. The volatile acidity feels a bit high but not so much that it disturbs the balance. (about 15 euros)
- La Closerie the Camensac 2008, Haut-Médoc
Very pleasant and typical Bordeaux in a light style. Structured, soft tannins, cedar wood aromas. Great value for around 12 euros.
- Grain Pinot Champ Dury in 2013, Pinot Noir, Valais, Switzerland
It is very unusual that we drink Swiss wines. So quite exciting. This one is made by Marie-Thérèse Chappaz who is a biodynamical wine maker in the Valais region. It is an unusual Pinot Noir, not at all easy to identify in a blind tasting even if you can recognize the red fruit of the grape once you know what it is. The acidity is high, a bit astringent, there are fresh red berries and an intense attack in the mouth with plenty of fruit that then fades pretty quickly. Interesting wine that appeals to me, the Pinot lover.
- Les Muses Lirac 2011, Domaine du Joncier
Excellent, rich, spicy and powerful wine in warm climate style. Complex and long on the palate with fresh acidity. Present but quite soft tannins. Domaine Joncier is run by Marine Roussel, in the pretty village of Tavel. She is a very talented winemaker. Her vineyards are cultivated biodynamically. (around 19 euros)
- Morgon 2013, Beaujolais Cru, Domaine des Terres Dorées
One of our favourites in Beaujolais. Jean-Paul Brun works with very little sulphur and ferments with natural yeast. The wine does not feel like a typical Beaujolais, which may be due to the fact that Jean-Paul often destalks instead of using maceration carbonique. Fresh acidity, red berries, easy and lovely to drink, quite unpretentious. (around 12 euro)
- Carignan Vieilles Vignes 2012 Collection Cépages, Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes IGP, Vignoble d’Agly
A nice wine at a very reasonable price. Notes of fresh, wild herbs, full-bodied, balanced. Made by Le Vignoble d’Agly, a cooperative with 220 members-winegrowers. (around 6.50 euros).
- Villa Novare Vigneto Ognisanti 2012, Valpolicella Classico Superiore, Bertani
Balanced wine, pleasant to drink but perhaps a bit anonymous. Well done, straight-forward “normal” Valpolicella in a rather fancy packaging. Good fruit with some Italian cherry character. (around 12 euros)
- Marsannay 1999, Clos St. Louis
Fine maturity, light in style with plenty of Pinot character. Velvety aftertaste. Clos St. Louis is a family estate in Fixin run by Philippe and Martine Bernard. Their vineyards are in Fixin, Marsannay and Gevrey-Chambertin.
Want more inspiration? Read more about what we have tasted, often unusual and always interesting in all Uncorked back issues. Click the link to read more!
