All reds decanted at least 3 hours prior to serving.
NV Eugenie Bezard Cuvee Tradition Brut
Cambridge Wine £19. B+
Citrus, some lemon; touch of bread and toast, slight brioche notes. Palate is fresh and zippy, nervy acidity, lively and happy fizz. Well made.
2009 Sumarocca Cava Brut
The Wine Society £7.50. B+
Some yeasty and bready notes, also fruit. Very fresh on the palate; gentle, classy mousse; a good Champagne look alike, and at this price, great value.
2010 Anchorage Sauvignon Blanc. Nelson, NZ.
Naked Wines £11. B+
Plenty of the green varietal notes; asparagus, cut grass and green capsicum; theres some lemon there; also some wet stones, minerality. Fresh acidity, fruit is there; not the full on varietal character that you'd expect, nice restraint.
2008 Domaine Beaurepaire, Clos de Petit Croix, Menetou Salon. Loire Valley.
Hedonist Wines £12. A-
Nose is so aromatic and lifted; honey and acacia, sweet oranges and tangerines, ripe peaches; really smells rather sweet. On the palate its full and textured filled with white stone fruits, fat acidity fills all around, plenty of minerality to back it up. Lovely, very drinkable.
2009 Mercurey Blanc, Vincent Joussier.
Hedonist Wines £12. B+
Some oak treatment evident on the nose, along with a nutty note; palate is full and textured, but restrained, ripe fruits there too. Tight, focused but unfortunately a bit linear.
2007 Escarpment Chardonnay. Martinborough, NZ.
Slurp £12. B+
Smells like a bakery in there; full on barrel fermentation, yeasty, very biscuity and toasted, theres a creamy fatness too, vanilla and maybe even a bit of smoke. Palate is rich and textured, ripe fruits, very full on the mouthfeel, almost mealy; all in, its a bit too over the top for my liking, just overdone.
2006 Savigny les Beaune, Domaine de la Galopiere.
£25. A-
Beautiful lighter colour, sour cherry and raspberry, then touches of damp earth and forest undergrowth, osme violets thrown in. Palate is lush and sweet, plenty of raspberries and sour cherries again, some oak gives a bit of weight, that slight woodiness; acidity is crunchy but long. Generally rather light and fleeting, but still lively and vibrant, very well put together, nice poise.
1996 Chateau Maucaillou, Moulis en Medoc.
Tanners (oddments) £14. A-
Plummy, some raspberry and floral notes, then lush red fruits, with cedar and sweet spices; attractive, if not textbook nose. Palate is supple and very aprproachable, very yielding, almost melts in the mouth; red fruits doesnt jump at you, just lingers; acidity keeping everything together. This has aged well and is drinking beautifully.
1996 Abadia Retuerta Cuvee El Campanario. Sardon de Duero, Spain.
£22. A-
Dark fruits, jammy compote, blackberry and bramble, decent warmth showing; then some sweet spices, particularly cinnamon and cloves and sweet oak also showing. Palate again is soft and very approachable, fruit is yielding, still lively acidity given its age. Drinking very well.
2006 Castillo La Paz Tempranillo. La Mancha.
Cambridge Wine £7. B+
Some hot alcoholic notes showing on the nose, high notes; sweet oak and lots of fruits, red berries. Palate is fruit dominated, juicy if slightly burned palate; nice acidity; but this runs through very quickly on the palate, not complex stuff.
2006 Caecus Rioja Reserva.
Hedonist Wines £15. B+
A lot of sweet oak and sweet spices on the nose, cloves, cinnamon and star anise; then fleshy currants and red berries, hint of floral notes at the end; very attractive. Palate is very juicy and lush, lots of ripe fruits is dominant; decent acidity holds it together. Drinking very well now, classy.
2002 Panizzi Folgore, DOC San Gimignagno. Tuscany.
Hedonist Wines £18. A-
Fragrant, floral, roses almost; then some gamey, cured meats notes, all backed up by lots of red fruits. Palate is very filling, almost luscious in the mouth, so generous with the fruits; lingering, vibrant acidity too. This has everything in balance; very expressive.
2008 Ferngrove Orchid Series 'King' Malbec. Frankland River, Western Australia.
Cambridge Wine £20. B+
An attractive deep purple sheen. A cool, minty / eucalyptus nose showing, wine gums and licorice; full on blackberries, like ribena pastilles; a touch of greennness too and floral notes (turkish delight, perhaps). A lot going on in the nose. Palate is full with sweet dark fruits, rounded and succulent, its not excessively extracted, actually feels lush.`Almost a fresh, lighter take on Malbec; completely unexpected.
1989 Riesling Spatlese, Burger Hahnenschrittchen, Weingut Werner Muller. Mosel.
Cambridge Wine £13.25. A-
Lemon and lime zest on the nose, very lively and tangy, slight touches of petrol; floral and light on the nose. Palate is filled with vibrant acidity, so very lively, only slightly off dry, maybe 10g/l or so, nothing much. Feels light and refreshing on the palate, graceful.
2003 Banyuls 'Cuvee Mediteranee' Domaine Pietri-Geraud
Leon Stolarski £19. A-
Deep tawny in colour. Coffee, dusted cocoa; dried figs and prunes, treacle and slightly burnt caramel, raisins and some marmalade; does smell rather hot, slightly oxidized too. Palate is generous, a lot of dark fruits, but very smooth, lots of acidity keeping things fresh; not heavy, like a cross between an aged tawny and madeira. Really coats the palate and lingers a while. Lovely.
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