Award winning wines

A tasting of award wining wines from both Decanter World Wine Awards 2010 and International Wine Challenge 2010. Tasted 28 Oct 2010.



Blanc Neuf la Bastide 2008. Rhone, France.
Decanter International White Blend under £10.
Laithwaites, £7.99

Reviewed earlier

Esporao Verdelho 2009. Alentejo, Portugal.
IWC Silver.
Cambridge Wine Merchants, £10. B+

Lime zest on the nose, chalky minerality, quite stony on the nose. Palate is clean, fresh, plenty of zip – grapefruits, lime. Refreshing, lively, good.

Weingut Turk Erlesenes Vom Gruner Veltliner 2008. Austria.
IWC Austria Dry White trophy, IWC Gruner Veltliner Trophy
Noel Young, £17. A-

Nice minerality comes through on the nose, chalky, granite; lots of green and herby notes (maybe basil / marjoram?). Palate is tingly, zesty; plenty of zip, though not much by way of fruits. Acidity is soft, wide and filling; palate lingers for a long time too. Class – top notch Gruner.

Vina Casa Marin ‘Cipreses Vineyard’ Sauvignon Blanc 2009. Chile.
Decanter International Sauvignon Blanc over £10 Trophy, IWC Bronze.
Noel Young, £14. A-

I dont normally like new world Sauvignon Blanc but this is an excellent example of the best. All the correct notes: green bell peppers, gooseberry, green tomatoes, leafy and herby. All very lively nose, very green notes, but not as over the top as some New Zealand variety. Theres plenty of citrus fruit; fat acidity, touch of sweetness even – all very much in harmony and very well balanced. Excellent mouthfeel and presence.

Peter Lehmann ‘The Wigan’ Riesling 2004. Australia.
Decanter Australian Riesling over £10 Trophy.
Noel Young, £12. B+(+)

A consistent performer. Kerosene, petrol on the nose, balanced with lime cordial, lots of organic notes which is unusual for an Aussie Riesling (the bottle age certainly doesnt hurt). Plenty of fat and aggressive acidity, the secondary characters are coming through also. Generous, yet precise, could use a touch more residual sugar, its a bit too punchy at the moment.



Schubert Wines ‘Block B’ Pinot Noir 2008. New Zealand.
Decanter International Pinot Noir over £10 Trophy. IWC New Zealand Pinot Noir Trophy.
Noel Young, £27.95. A(+)

Nose is quite something, like an aged Burgundy – earthy, manure, almost metallic coppery notes, woody, even some peppers. Theres also a touch of green-ness, like grass. Palate is lush, lots of sweet fruits, cherries everywhere, raspberries. Gorgeous wine, so much mouthfeel and presence; really fantastic, so together. I can only salivate at the potential this wine might have, a few more years, just to peak. I now know how this wine won all the awards – entirely justified.

Vina Chocalan Merlot Seleccion 07. Maipo, Chile.
Cambridge Wine Merchants, £8.50. B

Plenty of red fruits, some tannin starts to grip at the back. Green, leafy, quite raspy. Nice for a Merlot, does have presence and certainly plenty of wine for the money.

Vina Falernia Antakari Carmenere Syrah 2008. Chile.
IWC Gold. Decanter Silver.
Laithwaites, £7.50. B+

Again, lots of fruits, theres a bunt edge, tar maybe? Correct wine, nothing really wrong with it. Well put together. Good value.

Coudoulet de Beaucastel Rouge 2007. Rhone, France.
Noel Young, £19.50. A-

Second wine of famed Chateaunneuf du Pape icon Ch. Beaucastel. Lots of fruits, spice, cinnamon, quite fragrant notes, even some violets, nose is brilliant and has everything you'd want. The palate is good, settled, and expressive – certainly more so than when I had this last year – red fruits, good intensity. Now starting to drink well, an dmost importantly, expressing itself.

John Forest ‘Collection’ Syrah 2006. New Zealand.
IWC New Zealand Syrah Trophy.
Noel Young, £17. A-

Plums, red fruits compote, almost floral, damsons. Really mature nose and old world, peppery. The palate is full with fruits but not overwhelming, nice density; some tannins start to grip at the back. Its a real grown-up take on Syrah, nicely poised. Lovely.

Heartlands Director’s Cut Shiraz 2007. Australia.
IWC International Shiraz, IWC Australian Red, IWC Australian Shiraz Trophies.
Noel Young, £16.50. A-

Big, bold and forward. Menthol, winegums and pastilles to the fore; ribena and eucalyptus notes. Heady stuff. Palate is filling, generous and has good presence; plenty of dark fruits, extracted but not immediately tannic (only starts to grip at the back). Big wine, if you like the powerful style of Aussie Shiraz, but its still carries itself well and with balance. Very good overall, certainly rivals d'Arenberg's Dead Arm, for example, and will probably age with grace.

Seifried ‘Sweet Agnes’ Riesling. New Zealand.
Decanter International Sweet over £10 Trophy.
Nakedwines, £18 (375ml). A

Quite something. Touch of keroesene on the nose, smells like a Spatlese, not something really sweet. Lemons, lychee, floral notes abound too, nicely expressive. Plenty of acidity in the palate, like sour mangoes and citrus, really tangy, but balanced by lots and lots of sugar, I suspect this is way in excess of 100g/l. Good coating in the mouth; this is not shy, its a supercharged desert wine if I ever had one, really pumped up; but yet, not without poise. Truly remarkable, I'd like to see if this develops.

Fonseca bin 27. Portugal.
IWC Reserve Port Trophy.
Noel Young, £10. B+

A correct port, plenty of sweet fruits, yields well. Doesnt have the overly-fortified feel. Good value.