General

Sanchez Romate Fino Perdido
The Wine Society £7.95. B+

A minimally treated Fino, bottled when the flor layer is at its thickest in April; average age of 8yrs.
Golden in colour, quite deep for a Fino. Nose shows the characteristic nutty, green almonds (as opposed to roasted ones), green olives, some brine; and plenty of flor, biscuity tones. Palate has nice cleansing acidity, still very refreshing; intense Fino flavours coats the mouth, leading to a very long finish. This feels more mature and has more depth and weight than your typical Fino. Well made, great bargain.

General

Tasted Sunday, 04 Sept 2011.


2007 Robertson Winery 'Almond Grove' Noble Late Harvest Riesling. South Africa.
Cambridge Wine £7.99 (375ml). B+

On the nose, loads of candied / tinned peaches and apricots, acacia honey and sweet oranges; deep golden in colour. Full on the palate; nice acid going through keeping it fresh and lively, plenty of fruit; quite high in residual sugar maybe 80g/l+ but not cloying; thick and viscous on the mouthfeel, like drinking liquid marmalade (with bitter tang at the end, and all). Quite short finish, unfortunately. Brilliant with apple pie.

General

Tasted Sunday, 04 Sept 2011. Both wines have been opened for 36 hours prior to tasting.

2009 Les Collines de Laure Syrah, Jean-Luc Colombo. Rhone Valley.
Cambridge Wine £9.99. B+(+)

A declassified Cornas. Nose has red berries, with some green leafy notes too; smells quite sweet actually.. On the palate, its soft and smooth, red cherries dominant throughout; really bright fruits to the fore, with nice vibrant acidity. The fact that its been open for two days has actually benefited this wine - I was told that it was rather tight and astringent when opened. Tannins really in the background and mellow. Would benefit from some bottle aging 3-5yrs.

2007 Vina Falernia Syrah Reserva. Elqui Valley, Chile.
Cambridge Wine £12.99. B+

On the nose, bags of sweet berries; some mint and green peppers showing; theres almost a burnt edge to it, smoky like; also plenty of oak on the nose; smells dense. Plenty of fruit on the palate, blackberries mostly; very extracted, with some bitter even tarry notes showing; woody and textured mouthfeel; heavy and lumbering. Needs more acidity for my liking, its a bit bogged down; big, no holds barred wine and plenty of fruit but maybe a bit too one dimensional?
The 2008 vintage of this wine won gold and a trophy at IWC 2011.

General

Tasted Friday, 02 Sept 2011.


2011 Arabella Sauvignon Blanc. South Africa.
Naked Wines £7.99. B+

Nose has mostly lime with touches of green notes maybe tomato leaves; grapefruit and passion fruit too, has some tropical character about it. Palate fat acidity, really quite wide and generous; clean ripe fruit through out, lemony freshnes, hinting at some minerality towards the end. Balanced and bright, this a well made, good value quaffer.


2010 Tesco Finest Steillage Riesling. Mosel Valley.
Tesco Wine £6.45. B

Lemon, quite fragrant with shite flowers dominating; unfortunately nose is a bit muted, not that expressive. On the palate its slightly off dry, perhaps 15g/l; acidity is a bit weird (and lacking, in my opinion); has the marmalade sweetness, with bitterness at the end. I know Mosel Riesling can feel and are supposed to be light, but this was bordering on the flabby and dilute end, somewhat disaapointing.