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:
Surprisingly pleasant dry muscat, legendary wine from Napa Valley, matured wines from Champagne, Bordeaux and Hermitage, delicious carignan, unusual white varieties from Piedmont, fantastic syrah from New Zealand. And much more.
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!
Sparkling wines
Champagne Jacquesson 1996, Avize Grand Cru, Champagne
This was our New Year’s Eve champagne, and it was delicious. Quite full-bodied for a blanc de blanc, dark in colour, complex, with notes of honey. Very mature, of course. It was disgorged in December 2004, so eight years on the lees. Very dry with a dosage of only 3,5 grams. From a high-quality small house in Dizy.
White wines
Domaine Vaquer Escapade Muscat Sec 2019, IGP Côtes Catalanes, Roussillon
This is a completely dry muscat. Some producers in Roussillon today use their muscat vines for both dry wines and sweet muscat de rivesaltes. This is an unpretentious but excellent everyday wine with a discreet aromatic character from a superb estate in Les Aspres.
Domaine Laguerre, Ciste Blanc 2017, Côtes du Roussillon
Domaine Laguerre is hidden away in the mountains in the small village of Saint Martin de Fenouillet. The landscape is gorgeous, and the wines are fantastic. Ciste Blanc is made from macabeu, grenache blanc, grenache gris, vermentino and roussanne. There is a hint of oxidation which gives a good body. The nose is rather discreet but pleasant with almonds, citrus and some apricots. The palate is rich and concentrated with vibrant acidity.
Vinos Fríos del Año 2016 Sémillon-Sauvignon Vert, Juan Alejando Jofré, Curicó, Chile
Juan Alejandro Jofré previously worked for Viña Maquis, one of our favourites in Colchagua. Since 2013, he makes his own wines, both red and white, in the elegant style that has become his hallmark. He often harvests earlier than his neighbours to get good acidity in the wines. Here he blends sémillon and sauvignon vert with a remarkable result. It is full-bodied, with some fatness from sémillon but still very fresh, and there are aromas of honey and nuts.
Erbaluce di Caluso DOCG (skin contact), Cantina della Serra, Piedmont, Italien
Dark colour from 18 days of skin contact. A delicious wine with character. There are structure and ripe apricots and peaches in the aromas. Erbaluce is a local Piedmont grape that is more or less only grown there. Erbaluce di Caluso is just west of the more famous Gattinara and Ghemme in northern Piedmont.
Erbaluce di Caluso DOCG, Ramblé 2019, Cantina della Serra, Piedmont, Italy
This is another erbaluce wine from the same producer as above. Ramblé 2019is a bit discreet on the nose with aromas of citrus and green apples. Fresh on the palate and a certain length.
Timorasso 2018 Derthona, La Colombera, Colli Tortonesi DOC, Piedmont, Italy
Timorasso is a very unusual grape in Piedmont, but definitely interesting and exciting. The wine is slightly aromatic on the nose. It opens up on the palate, which is full-bodied with a lovely mouthfeel and complex aromas. Lovely freshness. Colli Tortonesi is in the province of Alessandria.
Red wines
Swift 2016 Syrah, Lauren Swift, Bridge Pa Triangle, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
Lauren Swift is a winemaker at Ash Ridge and makes her own wine under the label “Swift”. Here, whole bunches of syrah have fermented in barrels with hand punch down. The wine is neither fined nor filtered and has only 12% alcohol. Completely dry and well-structured with lots of dark fruit. Delicious with a personal touch. 2016 was the first year this wine was made. It is made from 60% “Chave” syrah and 40 % mass selection. Only 881 bottles were made.
Le vignoble d’Elian 2017, Côtes du Marmandais, South West
The Côtes du Marmandais is located along the Garonne river upstream from Bordeaux. Elian da Ros made his first vintage in 1998. His father grew grapes and vegetables and delivered them to the cooperative. However, Elian had dreamed of making wine since he was 14 years old. He now farms 19 hectares of cabernet franc, merlot and syrah on the left bank of the Garonne. The wine is excellent with intense fruit, fresh acidity and spicy oak notes.
Un baiser, Clos des Vins d’Amour 2015, Maury Sec, Roussillon
This organic wine comes from 100-year-old vines of grenache (80%) and mourvèdre. Very tasty and surprisingly powerful for a grenache. Lovely fruit in an easy-drinking style but still with good structure and intensity. Maury is an appellation for sweet wine doux naturel. Since some years back, growers have been able to use AOP Maury Sec for their dry red wines.
Saumur Champigny 2019, Domaine des Roches Neuves, Loire Valley
Thierry Germain, the owner and winemaker, is one of the big names in the region and a cabernet franc maestro. His wines are always quite powerful, this one as well. It is well structured with typical fresh, green cabernet franc aromas: a delicious wine and a good representative of cabernet franc in the full-bodied style.
Domaine Vaquer L’Expression Carignan 2018, IGP Côtes Catalan, Roussillon
Delicious and powerful wine but still refreshing with superb juicy fruit. Flavours of cherries and black currants. The taste is nuanced, aromatic and with a long finish. Shows how lovely carignan can turn out with a skilled winemaker. 12 euros.
Château Lagrange 1979, Saint Julien, Bordeaux (Grand Cru Classé 1855)
Light and elegant with a nuanced and mature, developed character. On the nose, distinct tobacco aromas remain. Smooth and silky on the palate. A superb mature Bordeaux. Purchased in 1985 for 105 SEK (~10 euro) at the Swedish retail monopoly Systembolaget.
Hermitage 1993 Le Pied de la Côte, Jaboulet, Northern Rhône Valley
Tasting old wines from the Northern Rhône Valley is often a pleasure. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they are better when they are old, just different. I liked this Hermitage 1993 from Jaboulet (from the time when the Jaboulet family still owned it). It is an old wine, of course, and relatively light in style but still intense, with a certain spiciness. A little dry at the finish. We bought it at the winery in 1996 for 80 francs.
B.V.Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 1981, Beaulieu Vineyard, Rutherford, Napa Valley, California
A magnificent wine, still full of life. It has matured, complex aromas of tobacco and leather and an excellent structure for is age. A pleasure to drink. The wine is named after the founder of Beaulieu, the Frenchman Georges de Latour. He had a significant influence on the entire wine industry in California, not least thanks to the fact that in 1938 he hired the legendary André Tchelistcheff as a winemaker. The wine was purchased at the Swedish retail monopoly Systembolaget in 1988 for 294 SEK (~30 euro).
