This wine was such a surprise. I gave it to a friend of me who racked it for many years and the week before last it came back to me. This wine has matured well over twelve or so years. The wine has turned a garnet colour and has a pronounced aroma of dried fruits. The tannins in the wine are softening and the wine threw a sediment in the bottle. Many years ago I remember the tastes of red fruits but this taste has matured to a taste of prunes and dried fruits there was also a hint of spice. The taste was concentrated and complex and it had long length. The wine has benefitted from the ageing process. This is high quality wine with a distinctive taste at a reasonable price. It was a very pleasant surprise. The wine is produced from old vines in Provence and in a micro-climate on the Côtes du Ventoux from limestone based gravel soils. The vineyards of course are planted with grape varities suited to the Rhone valley and dominated by Grenache and Syrah. This is why the wine has a distinctive flavour.
Once again this demonstrates being patient; you do not need to drink wine immediately after bottling. Although Château Pesquié - Côtes du Ventoux can be enjoyed young, like all good wines it can be enjoyed after keeping for ten years or more. It is the balance between the quality of the tannins and the levels of acidity and alcohol which confer longevity. This wine is highly recommended.
Monday 18 April 2011
Istravino Teran 2004 - Croatian Wine
My wife and I were given a bottle of 2004 Istravino Teran. This is superb red wine. I have always liked the wines from this region whether they are Slovenian, Italian (from the Trieste region) or Croatian. As they are such good wines I can forgive them for varietal labelling - the Grape variety indicates the style of wine. To me Teran is good strong sturdy red wine which almost feels like good medicine when it goes down with good food. I urge everyone to try wines from this region if they can find them. Better still pay a visit to Istria for fine wine made to go with fine food. We drank this bottle with pasta combined with a strong tasting bolognaise source to which my wife had added black olives and truffles. The food did not overwhelm the wine.
Wine:Istravino Teran 2004
Date Tasted: 16 April 2011
Appearance:Clear and Bright,Red turning a Garnet colour
Nose: Clean. Pronounced smell of red fruits spice and vanilla.Starting to mature
Palate: High tannins which are now starting to soften. Medium alcohol. Full body. Medium+ acidity. Concentrated red fruits, Plums, Spice, Slightly empyreumatic. Medium+ length.
Other observations:
Good quality I guess it is reasonably priced. Compares favourably with Slovenian and Italian “Terans”.
Wine:Istravino Teran 2004
Date Tasted: 16 April 2011
Appearance:Clear and Bright,Red turning a Garnet colour
Nose: Clean. Pronounced smell of red fruits spice and vanilla.Starting to mature
Palate: High tannins which are now starting to soften. Medium alcohol. Full body. Medium+ acidity. Concentrated red fruits, Plums, Spice, Slightly empyreumatic. Medium+ length.
Other observations:
Good quality I guess it is reasonably priced. Compares favourably with Slovenian and Italian “Terans”.
Tuesday 12 April 2011
Matra Mountain 2009 "Pinot Grigio"
Benjamin Bardos has produced a modern style white wine with concentrated fruit flavours. We drank this wine with mixed fish and it even held its own swilling it down some smoked mackerel. It went down even better with the shell fish and crab. We drank it on an exceptionally warm April day and we were tempted to eat in the garden, however it was starting to get cold at seven thirty pm. This wine would be ideal however on a warm summer evening. It is very refreshing.
The quality of central European wines is steadily improving which can only be good for the the wine industry and the consumer. Hungary is of course famous for its heavier style Bull's Blood which was very popular in the 80's and early 90's but now the styles of both the reds and whites are lighter.
The most renowned of Hungarian wines, however, is Tokaji dessert wine. This wine is luscious and competes favourably with similar styled wines from France and Australia I really recommend that you try it. Slovakia also produces a Tokaji wine which is similar and is also really worth trying if you can obtain it - but of course I am digressing.
Once again varietal labelling is used for this wine. What is wrong with calling it Matra Mountain 2009 white wine? The wine drinker can find out more information from the back of the bottle or even buy a book and read about it. I have tasted many white wines which have a green fruit flavour: it is not unique to Pinot Grigio. Now I am ranting again.
Matra Mountain White from Benjamin Bardos is very good wine and worth every penny;I suppose this is what really matters.
Wine:2009 Matra Mountain – “Pinot Grigio”
Hungary- Benjamin Bardos
Date: 9th April 2011
Appearance: Bright and Clear. A very pale yellow almost watery
Nose:Clean smelling. Youthful. Intense aroma of green fruits
Palate:
Dry, medium plus acidity, medium alcohol, low tannin, light body. Concentrated tastes of apples, spices and green fruit. Apple tart flavour. Medium plus length.
Other observations:Not a complex wine but concentrated green fruit aromas and tastes. Refreshing wine which should be drunk young. Good quality and value for money.
Price: About six pounds a bottle
The quality of central European wines is steadily improving which can only be good for the the wine industry and the consumer. Hungary is of course famous for its heavier style Bull's Blood which was very popular in the 80's and early 90's but now the styles of both the reds and whites are lighter.
The most renowned of Hungarian wines, however, is Tokaji dessert wine. This wine is luscious and competes favourably with similar styled wines from France and Australia I really recommend that you try it. Slovakia also produces a Tokaji wine which is similar and is also really worth trying if you can obtain it - but of course I am digressing.
Once again varietal labelling is used for this wine. What is wrong with calling it Matra Mountain 2009 white wine? The wine drinker can find out more information from the back of the bottle or even buy a book and read about it. I have tasted many white wines which have a green fruit flavour: it is not unique to Pinot Grigio. Now I am ranting again.
Matra Mountain White from Benjamin Bardos is very good wine and worth every penny;I suppose this is what really matters.
Wine:2009 Matra Mountain – “Pinot Grigio”
Hungary- Benjamin Bardos
Date: 9th April 2011
Appearance: Bright and Clear. A very pale yellow almost watery
Nose:Clean smelling. Youthful. Intense aroma of green fruits
Palate:
Dry, medium plus acidity, medium alcohol, low tannin, light body. Concentrated tastes of apples, spices and green fruit. Apple tart flavour. Medium plus length.
Other observations:Not a complex wine but concentrated green fruit aromas and tastes. Refreshing wine which should be drunk young. Good quality and value for money.
Price: About six pounds a bottle
Another Rant against varietal labelling
I went to wine bar last night in the City of London and asked the barman what he had for red wine. He recited a list of grape varieties. When I asked him where the wines had come from he had to look at the bottles and when I asked him to recommend something light he did not have a clue. I opted for an Oyster Bay "Pinot Noir " from New Zealand.The barman obviously had no real interest in wine and was only concerend that I bought a large glass rather than a medium.
The wine was perfectly acceptable , it had to be at 6 pounds per glass, and tasted good. However, it tasted nothing like a Burgundy, a " Pinot Noir " from Alsace or a "Pinot Noir" from Washington State. At least the wine was produced in a cool area suited to the growth of the Pinot Noir grape. Some of the "Pinot Noir" wines from hotter areas such as the South of France are abysmal. But , what should "Pinot Noir" taste like? There is no standard, so the label on the wine gives me no real clue about the style and quality of the wine. The same reasoning applies to Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio etc. Wine consummers have fallen for a marketing ploy.
When I go to the pub or supermarket to buy beer, I have no idea what type of Barley or Hops are used and I couldn't care less. The barman or supermarket offers me Harvey's or Adnams beer etc. The same system rules in the USA and Australia and even New Zealand; the beer is never identified by its ingredients. Perhaps beer drinkers are not so easily fooled by marketing men.
When you buy stilton or camembert cheese do you really want to know what breed of cows produced the milk? You do want to know, however, that it is made by a first class producer.
Some wine drinkers are now starting to get fed up with the varietal identification of wine. The next time someone asks you for a "white wine; not Chardonnay" offer them some Jean Marc Brocard Chablis - they might be pleasantly surprised.
The wine was perfectly acceptable , it had to be at 6 pounds per glass, and tasted good. However, it tasted nothing like a Burgundy, a " Pinot Noir " from Alsace or a "Pinot Noir" from Washington State. At least the wine was produced in a cool area suited to the growth of the Pinot Noir grape. Some of the "Pinot Noir" wines from hotter areas such as the South of France are abysmal. But , what should "Pinot Noir" taste like? There is no standard, so the label on the wine gives me no real clue about the style and quality of the wine. The same reasoning applies to Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio etc. Wine consummers have fallen for a marketing ploy.
When I go to the pub or supermarket to buy beer, I have no idea what type of Barley or Hops are used and I couldn't care less. The barman or supermarket offers me Harvey's or Adnams beer etc. The same system rules in the USA and Australia and even New Zealand; the beer is never identified by its ingredients. Perhaps beer drinkers are not so easily fooled by marketing men.
When you buy stilton or camembert cheese do you really want to know what breed of cows produced the milk? You do want to know, however, that it is made by a first class producer.
Some wine drinkers are now starting to get fed up with the varietal identification of wine. The next time someone asks you for a "white wine; not Chardonnay" offer them some Jean Marc Brocard Chablis - they might be pleasantly surprised.
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