Happy long weekend all. I’m kicking it off with a white wine! White is definitely not the norm for me but I loved this at the Press Tasting and had to buy a couple of bottles.
I hope everyone is making the most of the long weekend. This is a yummy start, on to the red later tonight!
Chapoutier St Jo Les Granits Blanc 2019. Lovely stuff. Peaches and apricots on the nose, some honey, with a little apple; it’s creamy and buttery, with mouthwatering acidity, yet sense of sweetness, with that stone fruit and some white pepper spice. A touch tight and hot at first, but this mellows after some time open. Finish goes on a long while, leaving some spice and creaminess behind, and that signature marsanne bitterness. I don’t think has shown its full self yet
Hawkes Bay Chardonnay, I bought a couple of bottles on the strength of your notes ! initially on opening I wasnt convinced (a bit too rounded/ lacking structure ?) - remarkably it just kept on improving over time & the next day was brimming with interest & distinction. A great wine !
You can’t go wrong with these two with the current weather!
Question: is there a better white than this Soave for £15?I don’t think so
I’m glad you liked it in the end. I’ve enjoyed it on opening but my palate for white isn’t great, this is one of the few whites that I’ve been looking forward to opening.
Might need to leave some and move on to the Red soon then!
Answer: no, there isn’t. Pink Nyetimber is lovely too.
With pizza in the garden, I went for Rapsani (2018). Delicious, as ever. Somehow it seems to thrive on sun and outdoor eating…. Far from my last bottle, thankfully.
100%!
Planning to bbq a butterflied leg of lamb with garlic, herbs and plenty of extra virgin olive oil and open a bottle
Really good indeed! We drink fairly regularly as it goes with a variety of foods
Perfect combo. Nothing more to say.
Interesting you say this, as I opened one of the very same last night and had the very same first impressions - just a tad too round & oaky and mushy. However, much better to my tastes this evening - a bit leaner & cleaner, and really enjoyable.
This could be a contender 
https://www.thewinesociety.com/product/craggy-range-te-muna-road-martinborough-sauvignon-blanc-2022
Tried one of these….
With a fish supper….Cornish Sole aka Megrim.
I really like TWS bringing new wine/varietals etc, but for me this was a holiday wine. Sitting on a sunny terrace in Italy with a seafood lunch/ dinner, sand between your toes happy days.
A La maison, I found it a tad sweet on the finish, flowery, reasonable depth, and we have to many choices here in this space with a drier finish, which would’ve been my preference and works for me.
Well done and hats off to the team for bringing it forward to try. I would be happier with TWS Verdicchio or Falanghina….and keep a few £ for something else.
Back to my Homeland for a week or so, bookending a friend’s eldest son’s wedding here near Tralee this weekend, so we’re’ hostages to the fortune of hotel wine lists.
Last night in the restaurant (Ballygarry hotel), jam-packed full and creditable efficient (worryingly fast, in fact) service, and belly-laugh marked-up wine list with mistakes. Sample page attached.
I cut our losses with a bottom-end Zinf which belonged in the middle racks at Sainsbury for under a tenner but which was €38 here. One redeeming feature, the actual Kerry Lamb main was quite nice.
Opened this Pinot Blanc last night. Very nice. Lime, grapefruit and citrus pith. A hint of spice and almond on the finish. Currently on offer and good value at the original price let alone the discounted one.
You might find this more to your liking
https://www.thewinesociety.com/product/mission-estate-barrique-reserve-hawkes-bay-chardonnay-2020
01438 741177
