01438 741177
Hello thero - adding a review in a mo
The Liberator - Sleeping Beauty. This is truly delicious for me. It reminds me the most of good white Burgundies but crossed with something bulky and aromatic like Viognier. Silky, rich, complex, with a touch of cream and citrus, baked apple, stuck match, mineral notes and apricot. There is both body and acidity here. I really need to find more wines like this one!
21 Likes
8 Likes
Their cab sauv and sauv blanc are ALSO âgran reservaâ YAY !! . Makes one wonder about the two tiers below the âbasic pinotâ; there are Classic Varietal, Reserva and Gran Reserva.
TWS CDR Blanc and a beer in my case with our stab at Pork SatayâŠ.turned out really well.
The wine as an aperatif - straightforward white rhone good value.
10 Likes
Looks great - any chance of a recipe?
Finishing off the bottle of Aldi Princes de France Condrieu from a couple of days ago and think I am enjoying it more after itâs had this time open. It seems richer and creamier and the âoddnessâ has gone down. I am wondering though if this is a wine for which the term âconfectedâ is truly appropriate. It somehow gives the impression that it come from a factory rather than a winery.
8 Likes
Donât think Reserva, Gran Reserva etc on labels are indicative of much in Chile, at least compared to how specific the criteria for these terms are in places like Spain and Italy.
IIRC, they primarily indicate a minimum ABV, in some cases can refer to having seen some oak. Convenient for marketing in Europe, I guess. My knowledge might be incomplete, perhaps someone else can add more detail.
2 Likes
After last nights stupendous Bruckner 8 at the proms I stayed in Wimbledon with my old wine chum and we supped these two blinders
30 Likes
Yes, I donât think they carry any standard meaning. Even in Spain they are really only regulated in DO wine so I could imagine someone concocting something if required.
I would expect from Chile, if the winemakers are being honest, that the Reserva wines would have seen oak / been storedâŠ
2 Likes
Yes, even in Spanish DOs, for me itâs very subjective how much of a quality indicator the terms are, since they often relate to type and duration of oak (and bottle) ageing, so are a quality indicator to the extent these things matter to the consumer.
In RdD for example, a number of good producers (notably Vega Sicilia) donât use Reserve, GR etc on labels because they donât feel the need to comply with DO criteria that were largely copied and pasted from Rioja.
Itâs the same in Rioja, with many great wines being released as âgenĂ©ricosâ. The rules there now do acknowledge village and single vineyard wines so as to not focus only on oak regimes.
No, means precisely nothing in Chile (and elsewhere). A (nameless!) winemaker there told me as much.
3 Likes
Yeah, wasnât that concession in response to the ârebellionâ in Alavesa particularly, minds presumably being concentrated when Artadi left the DO?
That situation in Alavesa does seem to have turned a bit nasty again recently, with threats and counter-threats, and the Basque regional govt also getting involved to add some real politics to the vinous ones.
Apologies for taking the weekday drinking thread a bit OT. Nothing wrong with a bit of Chilean GR Pinot NoirâŠ
1 Like
Yes, itâs not perfect but lots of winemakers big and small have been avoiding oak based pricing so to say. Small you have the likes of Artadi, JosĂ© Gil or Miguel Merino releasing wines more based on terroir than aging regime, and then big ones like Ramon Bilbao following with their single vineyard releases such as Lalomba. I think Rioja is really exciting right now given the diversity, plus you can find really great stuff that isnât over the odds expensive (for example Sierra de Toloñoâs Raposo and La Dula).
PS: apologies for nerding hijack but sometimes best let this things blow and die. I desist now!
4 Likes
I was expecting to enjoy this
https://www.thewinesociety.com/product/the-societys-exhibition-margaret-river-chardonnay-2022
It starts off with the oak but then is rather light and gentle. Didnt get the impression the oak was masking the fruit, more that there wasnt lots there. The reviews on the website seem to match my experience.
15 Likes
Posted under recipes.
1 Like
On a warm but dull evening here in SW Herts this was given 40 minutes in the fridge, due to ambient storage, prior to opening.
A Van Loggerenberg âGeronimoâ Cinsault 2020. By no means atypical these days in that itâs made from the fruit of dry grown bush vines, matured in old French oak, and bottled without fining or filtration.
A beautiful translucent ruby red in the glass. Dried flowers, ripe red fruits and damp earth/potting soil on the inviting nose and then once again on the freshly flavoured, lithe and supple, medium bodied palate. Fresh acidity and gentle tannins provide an all too easy to drink structure to the sweetly ripe, slightly savoury, frut flavours.
More pretentiously perhaps, a hedonistic wine that doesnât require much in the way of intellectual thought to enjoy its easy going pleasures. So, all in all, perfect for my tastes. 
18 Likes
Garnacha Las Pilas 2020 by Luis Olivan. Nice cool Garnacha. Supple, fruited, all red berries, raspberry and strawberries. Some structure there to keep it up. Fresh and delicious. Some spicy notes.
From a run of 3.000 bottles.
17 Likes
My bottle on Saturday evening didnât see the next day, I think I have 1 or 2 left. Will try decanting the next one.
1 Like