We were given this wine by a friend who had kept it too long and we made the situation worse by keeping it for another three years ourselves. My wife cooked a superb fillet of pork and I though I would give the wine a try. It had lost all its fruit. The wine should have been drunk by 1995 or 1996 and not in 2013.
The wine had some of the attributes of a well matured wine; the tannin had completely softened and there was a slight taste of prunes rather than plums but that was it. I could drink one glass but no more and the rest could not really be kept for cooking as there was no flavour left.
It shows the real difference between a standard quality wine and a good one. A 1990 Château Gruaud Larose would still taste perfect after twenty years or so in the bottle and would have retained its fruit flavour; provided of course that it had been kept under favourable conditions. So, this is one of the reasons why it costs so much more despite its renowned name and rarity value.
If you get a chance to taste both types of wine after more than twenty years in the bottle and at the same sitting then jump at the opportunity. You will be amazed at the difference.
RESERVE DU MUSEE 1990 was produced by Benoit Valérie Calvet. Their website can be seen below
£3.59 supermarket plonk indeed which is as good as wine at 10 times the price. I'll let you decide.
This calls for a blog about self-proclaimed wine experts and pundits.
http://www.benoitvaleriecalvet.com/in-the-words-of-others/
Monday 16 September 2013
Domaine de L'Arjolle - exciting wines
On a recent trip to the Languedoc we paid a visit to Domaine de L'Arjolle hosted by one of the founders of the Domaine - Louis-Marie Teisserenc.
Domaine deL'Arjollle is part of the Indication Géographique Protégée of Côtes de Thongue Appellation. This appellation gives the winemaker more freedom to plant grapes such as the Zinfandel which would not be allowed for wine production under the rules of the Languedon-Roussillon Appellation d'Origine Protégée.
The Domaine is located in the attractive village of Pouzolles which is not far from the town of Pezenas. The Domaine has a wide range of soils and the grape variety is matched to the soil to produce some exciting wines which reflect the climate,weather and soil of the appellation.
Gravel soils are used for the production of Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache grapes. The Syrah grapes used in the blend for their red Paradox wine are grown on calcareous marls and clay. Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes are grown on alluvial soils. Many of the Domaine's red wines are blended from grapes from the differing soils to add to the complexity of the blend.White grapes such as Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Viognier are grown on sandy marls which are mixed with limonite which contains iron oxide compounds.
At first we paid a visit to the modern winery and then tasted a full selection of the wines and some of these wines were tasted with the local cheeses.
My wife and I were completely impressed with all of the wines which we tasted as they had all of the concentration and complexity that one would expect of high quality wines. They were also bursting with fruit.
I could have bought a half case of each wine tasted but we were limited for space. So I selected two to take back to London.
The Paradox 2010 a blend of Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Grenache. This dry red wine was full of fruit with a hint of vanilla and spice and was concentrated and complex with a long length on the palate. Even though it had 14% alcohol it did not taste hot and all of the elements of the wine where well integrated. It had a high level of tannin which will soften with keeping and I shall not drink the first bottle for at least a couple of years. The wine is of exceptional value for money at 16.5 Eur a bottle.
Zinfandel 2010 another dry red wine with concentrated and complex flavours of red fruits: it was high in tannin which will soften and had medium acidity. It also had a flavour of liquorice and spice. All the elements of the wine were also well integrated. At 14.55% alcohol this wine did not taste hot either. I loved this wine. Despite difficulties with the wine authorities the Domaine has one hectare of Zinfandel planted in Pouzolles.
Both of these wines are really suited to be drunk with food and I would not recommend them for consumption on their own owing to the high alcoholic content.
The wine growing and making techniques combine all the best features of the old and the new to produce modern styled wines with more than a hint of classical quality.
The wines can be bought from the Domaine who will welcome you and if you cannot go to France you can obtain the wines from the Wine Society. If ever you are in the Pezenas area, a visit to Pouzolles is worth it as the village is dominated by a magnificent twin towered 15th century castle. My photograph does not do it justice.
http://www.arjolle.com/shop/wine-list-p1.html
Domaine deL'Arjollle is part of the Indication Géographique Protégée of Côtes de Thongue Appellation. This appellation gives the winemaker more freedom to plant grapes such as the Zinfandel which would not be allowed for wine production under the rules of the Languedon-Roussillon Appellation d'Origine Protégée.
The Domaine is located in the attractive village of Pouzolles which is not far from the town of Pezenas. The Domaine has a wide range of soils and the grape variety is matched to the soil to produce some exciting wines which reflect the climate,weather and soil of the appellation.
Gravel soils are used for the production of Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache grapes. The Syrah grapes used in the blend for their red Paradox wine are grown on calcareous marls and clay. Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes are grown on alluvial soils. Many of the Domaine's red wines are blended from grapes from the differing soils to add to the complexity of the blend.White grapes such as Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Viognier are grown on sandy marls which are mixed with limonite which contains iron oxide compounds.
At first we paid a visit to the modern winery and then tasted a full selection of the wines and some of these wines were tasted with the local cheeses.
My wife and I were completely impressed with all of the wines which we tasted as they had all of the concentration and complexity that one would expect of high quality wines. They were also bursting with fruit.
I could have bought a half case of each wine tasted but we were limited for space. So I selected two to take back to London.
The Paradox 2010 a blend of Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Grenache. This dry red wine was full of fruit with a hint of vanilla and spice and was concentrated and complex with a long length on the palate. Even though it had 14% alcohol it did not taste hot and all of the elements of the wine where well integrated. It had a high level of tannin which will soften with keeping and I shall not drink the first bottle for at least a couple of years. The wine is of exceptional value for money at 16.5 Eur a bottle.
Zinfandel 2010 another dry red wine with concentrated and complex flavours of red fruits: it was high in tannin which will soften and had medium acidity. It also had a flavour of liquorice and spice. All the elements of the wine were also well integrated. At 14.55% alcohol this wine did not taste hot either. I loved this wine. Despite difficulties with the wine authorities the Domaine has one hectare of Zinfandel planted in Pouzolles.
Both of these wines are really suited to be drunk with food and I would not recommend them for consumption on their own owing to the high alcoholic content.
The wine growing and making techniques combine all the best features of the old and the new to produce modern styled wines with more than a hint of classical quality.
The wines can be bought from the Domaine who will welcome you and if you cannot go to France you can obtain the wines from the Wine Society. If ever you are in the Pezenas area, a visit to Pouzolles is worth it as the village is dominated by a magnificent twin towered 15th century castle. My photograph does not do it justice.
http://www.arjolle.com/shop/wine-list-p1.html
Thursday 5 September 2013
Château Maucaillou 2009 Red AOC Moulis
This red wine is a good solid example of Bordeaux dry red. It is typical of the Médoc and exhibits all the qualities of a good red wine. It is well balanced and the softening tannin is well integrated into the structure of the wine. It has complex and concentrated flavours of red and black fruits with a slight vanilla flavour derived from its maturation in oak casks It will improve in the bottle for a few years longer.
I use this wine as a reference point. Any red wine which tastes better will be of exceptional quality and will be of exceptional value for money if it costs less than £20 a bottle.
If I am paying £15 to £20 pounds for a bottle of red then I expect wine which is just as good as the Château Maucaillou and I would be disappointed if it did not live up to these standards.
Château Maucaillou should be drunk with a good meal and it goes perfectly with beef. You can buy it for about 23Eur a bottle in France. I rate this wine much more highly than Snooth does.
http://www.snooth.com/winery/chateau-maucaillou-moulis-en-medoc/
I use this wine as a reference point. Any red wine which tastes better will be of exceptional quality and will be of exceptional value for money if it costs less than £20 a bottle.
If I am paying £15 to £20 pounds for a bottle of red then I expect wine which is just as good as the Château Maucaillou and I would be disappointed if it did not live up to these standards.
Château Maucaillou should be drunk with a good meal and it goes perfectly with beef. You can buy it for about 23Eur a bottle in France. I rate this wine much more highly than Snooth does.
http://www.snooth.com/winery/chateau-maucaillou-moulis-en-medoc/
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