The Society in the Press
The Gang Way of Wine Appreciation
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No, this is not a way to taste wine as you board a ship, but simply a selection of tasting notes from www.thewinegang.com. The Gang comprises five of the UK’s best-known and most respected wine critics, namely (from left to right) Olly Smith, Tom Cannavan, Anthony Rose, Joanna Simon and Tim Atkin. Their website offers (for a small annual subscription) a wealth of tasting notes and commentary on wines available from all sources ranging from the largest supermarket to the tiniest corner shop specialist, on-line and on the street. Click on the link for details of how to join.
www.thewinegang.com recently tasted a selection from The Society’s range. Here are opinions on just 10 of the 40 wines which appeared in their July and August reports.
The Society’s Exhibition Fleurie 2009, (Beaujolais), France, Dry Red (Cork), 13.0% abv. Yum, yum, yum. Juicy, gluggable, quaffable. Whatever adjective you choose, this is lip-smacking gamay from a great vintage, with bags of perfume and plum, cherry stone and raspberry fruit. Fleurie at its best. Picnic heaven. £9.50
Château Les Ormes de Pez 2001, Saint-Estèphe (Bordeaux), France, Dry Red (Cork), 13.0% abv. The 2001 red Bordeaux are starting to look like increasingly good value, given the silly prices of some of the 2009s. This light, elegant wine (for Saint Estèphe) has a touch of the farmyard about it, but it’s fine in context, with fine-grained tannins and supple, grassy fruit as a backdrop. £30.00.
Château de Lacarelle Beaujolais Villages 2009, (Beaujolais), France, Dry Red (
Cork), 13.0% abv. If you want to drink something red and well chilled this summer, might we suggest a bottle of 2009 Beaujolais? This one is fresh, crunchy and bright, with lively cherry and raspberry fruit. Make sure you serve this straight from the fridge. £6.95.
Quoin Rock Oculus 2007, Simonsberg (Stellenbosch), South Africa, Dry White (Cork), 13.5% abv. This doesn’t quite hit the heights that the 2005 did, but it’s still one of South Africa’s most interesting whites, made from barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. Peach, spice, vanilla and refreshing acidity combine nicely here, even if the oak is a little intrusive. £11.50.
Icarus Gravity Shiraz 2008 McLaren Vale (South Australia), Australia, Dry Red (Screwcap), 14.5% abv. It may be an indication of the crisis affecting the Aussie wine sector if you can source wines as good as this for less than £6. Sweet, smoky and ripe, with plenty of texture, prominent oak and a peppery, faintly raisiny finish. £5.75.
Malumbres Navarra Tinto 2007, Spain, Dry Red (Cork), 13
.5% abv. This has to be one of the bargains on the Wine Society’s list: a Garnacha-dominated Navarra blend with no oak to interfere with the fruit. Peppery,refreshing and comparatively restrained. £6.50.
Jaboulet-Perrin Syrah, Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes 2008 (Rhône), France, Dry Red (Cork), 12.0% abv. Nicholas Jaboulet has used fruit grown close to the slopes of Saint Joseph for this specially-commissioned northern Rhône Syrah. It’s on the firm side, but there’s good underlying blackberry fruit, topped with a dusting of pepper spice. £9.50.
Domaine Vistalba Temporada Malbec 2009, Mendoza, Argentina, Dry Red (Cork), 14.5% abv. Amazing value for money from Mendoza’s Vistalba winery, this violet-scented red is a fantastic base camp for Malbec lovers. Elegant, polished tannins and balancing acidity make this a delicious blend. The kind of thing that no party should be without. £4.95.
The Society’s Rioja Crianza, Rioja, Spain, Dry Red (Cork), 13.0% abv. Unashamedly traditional in style, The Society’s Rioja is light, elegant and nicely developed, with well-judged vanilla oak and sweet red fruits’ flavours. Very mellow and easy to drink. £7.50.
Three Choirs Midsummer Hill 2009, Gloucestershire, England, Dry White (Screwcap), 10.5% abv. A value for money (and you can’t say that about English wine very often) blend of Seyval Blanc, Reichensteiner and Madeleine Angevine, this is a catty, nettley, hedgerow-scented white with a crisp, dry finish. £6.25.
Stella Bella Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Margaret River (Western Australia), Australia, Dry White (Screwcap), 13.0% abv. We found a touch of funky reduction in this when we tasted it, although it did dissipate in the glass. Underneath the wine is crisp and almost minerally with tangy, nettle and gooseberry fruit. £11.50.
Jane MacQuitty’s top summer white wines
Posted by: | CommentsThe Times’ Jane MacQuitty has listed her 50 best summer whites, and these include the following Society wines:
McHenry Hohnen Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc 2009 £8.50 (cf Tanners £10.05)
David Hohnen and his winemaker daughter Freya reckon that this is their best sem-sauv vintage yet, and so do I. From a cool, fruit-concentrating year and made from almost equal parts of each grape but grown in different areas of Margaret River for added complexity, it makes for this stylish juicy summer aperitif. Harvesting at night and fermenting cool in stainless steel enhances this white’s tangy, tingly, herby, green pepper-stacked fruit.
Stella Bella Chardonnay 2008 £12.50
Stella Bella is one of the shining lights of Western Australia, though you’d never know from the quirky labels. It is made from hand-picked, separately vinified chardonnay grapes collected from eight different vineyards in the southern Margaret River area, in order to capture complexity. This ’08 barrel-fermented and aged Aussie chardonnay truly does stand comparison with white Burgundy. I loved its elegant smoky, toasty, hazelnutty fruit and so will you.
Soave L
a Rocca, Pieropan, 2007 £22 (cf £25 at Majestic)
Soave from the Veneto region in northeast Italy is awash with watery, faintly lemony whites that are just not worth the money. The Pieropans have long bucked the trend with full-bodiedm flavoursome SOaves made from the traditional garganega grape grown on their 30ha of superior, lower yielding vineyards. The family’s single vineyard offerings, such as La Rocca from vineyards high on the Monte Rocchetta hill just below its medieval castle, are their greatest Soaves. These are picked late, often at the end of October. La Rocca’s fine, waxy, floral, apple and pear fruit is a real summer treat.
Samos Anthemis 2003
£11.50
A 15% fortified Greek vin doux, or vin de liqueur, as this Samos sticky proudlu bills itself, is a post-prandial bottle that most Top 100 drinkers would pass by either here or in Greece. What a pity. Within lies a gorgeous, fat, smoky, raisiny pudding wine, spiked with aniseed and made from the oldest and noblest member of the muscat family, the muscat blanc à petit grains. Fortified immediately after pressing and matured for five years in French oak casks, this spicy muscat has an ancient pedigree that makes it probably the world’s oldest-known grape variety. Served cool, Anthemis is perfect with bold summer desserts such as a fruit crème brulée or praline and honeycomb ice cream.
Las Medallas de Argüeso Manzanilla
£6.95
My editor thinks this is one of the worst sherry labels ever and, alas, he has a point. But it would be a tragedy if you ignored this gilded, bemedalled bottle because within lies oneof the best manzanillas: a magnificent, yeasty, tangy, floral and iodine-charged, five year old explosion of flavour from one of the best Sanlùcar Sherry bodegas of all, Herederos de Argüeso, founded in 1822. Manzanilla comes from the seaside town of Sanlùcar de Barrameda; the spongy layer of flor yeast that gives the drier sherry styles of fino and manzanilla its flavour grows more vigorously here. Hence this magnificent fortified wine.
Jane MacQuitty Tastes 30 Bank Holiday Rosés
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The Times
Jane MacQuitty tastes 30 Bank holiday rosés and includes:
FC19081 2009 Château Sainte Eulalie, Minervois (The Wine Society 01438 741177, £6.95) Terrific dry, spicy, plum and cherry-packed, 13 per cent alcohol, albino rabbit-eye pink. Also from the Languedoc, but this time the prime La Livinière hillside location. It is made predominantly from the syrah and cinsault grapes, topped up with a dollop of grenache and a dash of carignan.
SP5641 2009 Rioja Muga, Haro (The Wine Society, £7.75; Waitrose, £8.15; Majestic £8.99, or buy two for £7.99 each) Even Rioja has to evolve. Not so long ago I loathed the evil pinks that traditional Rioja produced, but this family-run winery has blended together red garnacha and tempranillo with white viura to create a pretty pale-rose pink ’09 whose fine, dry, spicy, peppery palate is a delight.
CE5401 2009 Leyda Pinot Noir Rosé Single Loica Vineyard, Viña Leyda (The Wine Society, £9.50; Great Western Wine, £9.95) Viña Leyda was one of the first to plant vines in the granite soil of the prime Leyda valley, whose rolling hillsides, only eight miles from the Pacific, are cooled by quality-enhancing sea breezes. Renowned for pinot noir, this starry, single-vineyard, rich crimson rosé bursts with racy, plummy, strawberry fruit.
Your London Wedding Magazine highlights Wedding & Gift List Service
Posted by: | CommentsEdit: This post concerns The Society’s Wedding & Gift List service. Though The Society will continue to honour existing Gift Lists, members can no longer request to set up their own Gift Lists.
If you’re already living in domestic bliss with your husband-to-be you may struggle for gift list ideas. So, why not leave practicalities aside and treat your tastebuds instead? The Wine Society has come up with an online wedding and gift list service that will allow you to raise a toast long after the big day. After all, “what could be more civilised than starting married life with a sizeable supply of good wine to drink?” asks The Wine Society’s Louise Herring. With a wide range of tipples on offer from £4.75 to £250 there’s sure to be something to suit every guests’ budget.
Brian Elliott on last month’s Wine Society Bordeaux tasting
Posted by: | CommentsScotland on Sunday
Brian Elliott says:
Well-made Bordeaux offers a velvet texture and an extended range of flavours that include cinnamon, mint, cigars, brambles, cherry, chocolate and blackcurrant – often in combination. Its complexity and intensity has few rivals. But experiencing this need not cost a king’s ransom (ironically, a term believed to originate from the time France’s King John was held prisoner in Bordeaux).
All those thoughts came to mind at last month’s Wine Society Bordeaux event. The event was attended by a host of A-list Bordeaux producers who are defying a lack of confidence among growers in some parts of the world. Beneath the Gallic charm, there was a strong sense that here were leaders, not followers, and the bottles ranged from the superb – but eye-wateringly expensive – Château Palmer to the wine from Château Beaumont. The perfume, balance and ripeness of the prestigious CM11461 Château Beychevelle 2006 illustrate how good claret can taste. But reflecting this château’s worldwide popularity (and confirming concerns about cost), it does carry a £33 price tag.
CM12891 The Society’s Exhibition Haut-Medoc 2006, Château Beaumont, Haut Medoc. Very approachable claret with supple and well-balanced fruity finesse. £11.95, at The Wine Society.
Rose Murray Brown’s Current Favourite Reds
Posted by: | CommentsThe Scotsman
Rose Murray Brown puts together a case of her current favourite reds including:
BU17561 Vougeot Premier Cru Cras 2000, Domaine de la Vougeraie (£45 The Wine Society www.thewinesociety.com) Fine, perfumed, crunchy red fruit, meaty savoury notes, a beautifully mature red Burgundy tasting absolutely at its peak.
Jane Anson on Victoria and Languedoc
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Business Destinations – Apr 10
Jane Anson recommends:
Kooyong Massale Pinot Noir 2008 (£16, The Wine Society) Mornington Peninsula is one of the best renowned ‘cool climate’ regions of Australia; it still gets plenty of sunshine (being close to Melbourne), but as the name suggests is surrounded by water on three sides. There are beaches and waterfront cafés that make this a popular summer destination, but as far as the wqine is concerned, plenty of cooling breezes that mean good drops in temperature at night-time. This Kooyong Pinot Noir has all the earthy ‘rustic’ characteristics that pinot nuts search for, and at 13% it’s not too high in alcohol. This is a lovely wine, one that still tastes riper and richer than many Burgundy pinots, and would be perfect with a roast duck. Maybe they’ve had a bit of practice with that pairing, as the vineyard is located next to the Devilbend Nature Reserve, and the name Kooyong means ‘where the wild fowl gather’.
La Clape Arpège, Château Rouquette sur Mer, 2008 (£8.95, The Wine Society) Cool climate regions are hard to find in the Languedoc region of southern France. This estate, near the Roman port of Narbonne, used to be on an island (called La Clape), but over the years the gap beween the island and the mainland silted up, and today you can drive right there. The sea views and propensity for producing excellent and unusual white wines remain, however, and this 60% malvoisie , 40% roussanne blend certainly fits in. It is unoaked, but has plenty of structure (there are 3,000 hours of sun each year here, so maturity is never an issue), with a gentle hint of blush, a sour twist of wild herbs and a lovely dry finish.
Andrew Neather on Lebanese Wines
Posted by: | CommentsEvening Standard
Andrew Neather looks at Lebanese wines and says that:
In a Rhône style, the syrah based LE381 Château Ksara Reserve du Couvent 2007 is highly enjoyable, full of sweet, baked fruit underpinned with firm tannins.
Jane MacQuitty’s Top Five Champagnes
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The Times
Jane MacQuitty’s top five Champagnes include:
CH1871 2000 Bollinger Grande Année, The Wine Society (01438 740222) £59 A great vintage year and Bollinger is one of the great Champagne houses, so tuck into this rich, dreamy, beefy, nutty Champagne while you still can.
Joanna Simon Wines of the Week
Posted by: | CommentsFrom Joanna Simon’s wine and food blog:
SA6051 2009 The Foundry Grenache Blanc
The white wines coming out of South Africa just keep getting more and more exciting. Chris Williams makes a terrific Viognier, but this is the first time I’ve tasted his Grenache Blanc. It’s fairly full-bodied and has a smidgen of Viognier, which gives a perfumed apricot edge to the apple, pepper and mineral flavours, but it’s a less showy wine than the Viognier, as you’d expect. There’s a little bit of oak to round it out and round it off and the finish is clean and dry. 13.5% abv £7.95, The Wine Society
SP5531 2008 Cruz de Piedra Garnacha
Ebullient, young Spanish red made from 60-100 year old garnacha growing high up in the Calatayud mountains southeast of Rioja. Juicy, sweet-tomato and red-berry fruit spiced up with lots of earthy white-pepper flavours; medium-full, dry and fresh. 13.5% abv. £5.25, The Wine Society; £5.99, Adnams Cellar & Kitchen
