As this was the last Friday before the clocks went back and the Autumnal weather was beginning to impose itself, it was time to turn red for the evening.
Wyndham 555 Sparkling Shiraz 1830
We welcomed our visitors with a suitably cheery wine: Wyndham 555 Sparkling Shiraz 1830
This Aussie sparkler is a full flavoured Shiraz from Wyndham’s premium vineyards.
In the glass the wine has a rich, ruby red appearance and a fine persistent mousse. Aromas of red berries with a touch of vanilla and spice make this medium to full weight offering is a non-vintage wine and blends younger wines to produce the primary fruit characters with older wines to soften and add complexity. (Decanter 2008 – Silver Medal Winner)
It works well and is versatile enough to be good for a celebration or party drink, or as an accompaniment to richer meat and game dishes and chocolate desserts. Cracking value at just £10.80 per bottle
Poggio Apricale IGT Toscana Tenuta Brunelli
Next we sampled the 2010 Poggio Apricale IGT Toscana Tenuta Brunelli
Produced in Montalcino, 200 km North of Rome, near Siena, this is produced on a small, family-owned estate covering just 15 hectares. The wine, not surprisingly, is very “Chianti-esque”, comprising 95% Sangiovese grapes, but offers more complexity due to
ageing taking place for 3 months in part Slovenian and part French oak barrels. The bottled wine is then stored for a minimum of 3 months before sale.
The medium-bodied wine exhibits fresh fruity flavours of strawberry and a little spiciness, with a touch of oakiness and vanilla, thanks to the barrel aging process.
With fairly high acidity, the wine is a great match for tomatoes, cheese and pizza, samples of which rapidly disappeared when offered around. Versatile and good value at £10.50
Marlborough Pinot Noir Delta Vineyard
We headed South again, this time to New Zealand for the 2010 Marlborough Pinot Noir Delta Vineyard
On the nose, aromas of ripe cherry, violet and a hint of spiced plums.
On the palate it is smooth and, juicy but with a pleasingly complex structure and a long finish.
This is a very classy New Zealand Pinot Noir at £17.30 per bottle.
Domaine Moulinier Saint Chinian Tradition
Our 4th wine of the evening came from the Langeudoc region of France.
2009 Domaine Moulinier Saint Chinian Tradition is produced on a small, 5th generation family vineyard. The low-yielding vines produce succulent, full-bodied wines packed full of flavour.
With black fruits on the nose and palate, some sweet spice and pepper on the palate, this Syrah-dominated example (70% Syrah, 30% Grenache) is a well-balanced, full-bodied wine that belies its price: Just £9.25 a bottle, which surprised everybody who tasted it.
Undurraga TH Cabernet Sauvignon Alto Maipo Valley
Our penultimate wine was the 2012 Undurraga TH Cabernet Sauvignon Alto Maipo Valley
Save 10% Was: £11.99 £10.79
Having just won the coveted ‘Producer of the Year’ trophy at the Somelier Awards in May of this year, Undurraga continues to produce great wines. The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon is no exception, a big powerful red.
On the nose, you immediately notice the blackcurrant and bramble fruitiness with elements of cedar, this continues on the palate with some earthiness and a long finish.
We certainly wouldn’t disagree with what Peter Richards MW Decanter Magazine said of this wine,
“Dusty, ripe fruit with leather nuances, juicy, engaging, brooding, with crisp acidity and very fine tannins. This is a classy Cabernet with good mix of sweet fruit and firm structure”
Lilian Ladouys Cru Bourgeois Saint Estephe
This wine has been rightly popular with our customers and at the time of writing, is on a special offer at £10.79, saving 10%
Our final destination from our World tour of Reds brought us back to France to taste 2003 Lilian Ladouys Cru Bourgeois Saint-Estèphe
Located in the Médoc region of Bordeaux, Saint-Estèphe is located in the Northern part of the Left Bank, situated next to Chateau Lafite Rothschild.
Notionally, Cru Bourgeois is a level below Cru Classé, but still of high quality, as we were about to find out…
With 11 years of bottle age, the wine desrved time to open up, so we took the opportunity to decant it earlier on.
On the nose it is classic Bordeaux – black fruits with earthiness, vanilla and sweet spice.
It has developed well, so that on the palate, the tannins have softened, balancing the acidity well to let the fruits and nuances of leather, cinnamon and liquorice come through. The finish is impressively long – a delicious and powerful, structured Bordeaux wine that is drinking well now, with the possibility to age just a little more.
A great food match for steak, veal, pork, beef and game as well as hard and soft cheeses.
Some of the vines at Lilian Ladouys date back 60 years, yielding grapes in smaller quantities but highly concentrated flavours. The murmurs of satisfaction heard around the cellars turned into mild gasps of delighted surprise when it was discovered that this impressive wine is on sale at £22.50, saving 10%
If you fancy trying a mixed half case (one bottle of each of the six wines described here) then click on this link and save 5%: Cost of the case, just £80.00
Reds From Around The World Tasting Half Case
Next tasting events: (click on the links for further details and to buy tickets)
Nickolls & Perks Christmas Fayre – Friday 28th November 2014
Upstairs, Downstairs – join us for a Seasonal Selection from A to D (apéritif to digestif) and Christmas food-friendly wines in between.
You’ll find plenty to like in this walk-round tasting evening which will give you a chance to try a range of luscious libations in the run up to the Festive Season.
We’ll be showing you an enticing mix of around 20 wines from around the world which hit the right spot for the season’s occasions, including Christmas Lunch and will feature examples of specially chosen wines and spirits. Tickets £15.00
Taylor´s Port Tasting with Joanna Delaforce – Thursday 4th December
Six of the best from Taylor’s, from 10 year old Tawny to Vintage 1983. Tickets £30:00
Champagne – Taste the Stars. Friday 12th December 2014
The famous French Benedictine monk may not have actually said, “Come quickly, I am drinking the stars!”
However, we’ll be tasting some star quality Champagnes this evening, including the fabulous 2004 Dom Pérignon!
Tickets £35.00