The other day we prepared a pasta dish with a tomato ragu. I fancied a bottle of wine with it and thought a good basic Australian red would go well. I hadn't read the back of the label but Lindemans 2013 Merlot went down very well with my culinary concoction.
This wine is made predominantly from Merlot grapes grown in a variety of vineyards across the South East Australia region. It cannot claim to have a pedigree by originating from a single vineyard. I know that I rant about varietal labelling; so calling it Bin 40 goes some way to meeting my objections.
Because, the wine does not have a pedigree it would be dismissed by some wine experts. But, why be snobbish about perfectly acceptable wine? The Lindemans Merlot is a well crafted wine with a medium body and soft tannin and with a lovely fruity taste. It is little bit sweet but it is not "jammy" tasting. It is ready for drinking young which is just right for a spur of the moment decision. It goes well with food or it can be drunk on its own.
Of course, I would love to drink a top Australian wine on every occasion - from Charles Melton or Penfolds etc. - if I had the choice and the money. However, it is good to try an unpretentious wine every now and then to bring yourself down to earth. Bin 40 could have been produced anywhere in the world, as it is part of a standardised production process, so its quality is assured. The screw cap seal means that you are almost completely guaranteed that it will not be corked.
You know what you are getting and I knew that it would go with a tomato based dish without looking at the back label. I wouldn't choose to drink it with the finest roast beef and on a special occasion but for every day drinking it is fit for purpose.
There is nothing wrong with consuming processed food and drink every now and then and that is why I love baked beans on toast on the odd occasion and regard it as a bit of a treat.
Owing to to duty costs Lindemans Bin 40 Merlot is rather expensive but this does not stop it from being a popular wine. It gets faint praise from some wine commentators - even the winemaker!
https://www.lindemans.com/en-gb/our-wines/bin-series/bin-40-merlot?&lang=
http://www.drinksdirect.co.uk/acatalog/Lindemans_Bin_40_Merlot_75cl.html
Wednesday 17 February 2016
Friday 5 February 2016
Champagne Albans D'Aulbe Côte des Bar
Just before Christmas we paid a visit to Buxeuil to meet friends of our family who make some of the finest Champagne. Jean-Michel Diligent is a grower maker or a "recoltant manipulant". With his wife Francine he farms 5 hectares of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes in the Bar-sur-Seine district of the Aube which is south east of Troyes.
You may never have heard of the Aube and its Champagne but you have almost certainly drank some of this lovely fizz which is quite often blended into the sparkling wine of the more prestigious houses located further north in Epernay and Reims.
The vineyards of the Aube were not granted full Champagne status until 1927 after much resistance from the producers of the north. The northeners claimed that the soil is different in the Aube and of course it is. The soil in the Aube is based on the limestone marls of a Kimmerigian band of earth stretching from the Loire valley, through the Chablis and Tonnerre districts of northern Burgundy to the Côte des Bar in the south of the Champagne region.
The finest Champagnes of Epernay and Reims are grown on chalk but not all of the vineyards in the north of the region possess soil which is rich in chalk.
The soil of the Aube contains chalk as well as other limestones. It is my belief that although the soil does influence the quality and taste of a wine there are other influences which are just as strong. The quality of the grapes themselves, the climate and weather and the skill of the winemaker are just as important.
The wines from the Aube are less acidic and perhaps taste a little stronger and fruitier and more "forward" than the un-blended wines from the north of Champagne.
Jean-Michel Diligent makes his Champagne from the finest grapes and he pays a great deal of attention to his wine making to produce excellent non-vintage cuvées . He does not blend his Champagne with the products of any other vineyard.
He makes three types of Champagne.
Cuvée Brut Tradition which is made from the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay noble grapes. This has a taste of ripe fruits and fresh flowers. It has a finely balanced acidity. It is great as an aperitif wine.
Brut Rosé which is made primarily from Pinot Noir grapes; this wine is one of my favourite pink Champagnes. It has an intense nose of raspberries, strawberries and blackcurrants; it tastes fruity and it has a long length on the palate . Usually, I do not choose to drink pink Champagne but I did not hesitate to buy half a case when I tested this fine wine.
Cuvée Brut Elégance is my favourite of his Champagnes. It is made from 100% Chardonnay. It is a well structured wine with a balanced acidity. It is fruity and rich with a long length on the palate. This wine goes well as aperitif on its own or with a dessert - even though it is brut or very dry. I have also drunk this wine with a main course. Good champagne can be enjoyed on its own and with every course of food. Champagne is so good perhaps you don't need any other wine.
Jean-Michel makes the finest Champagne which easily competes on quality, taste and finesse with the wines from the north of Champagne. The next time you are in the region why not pay a visit to the lovely town of Troyes and then head south east on the N71 to the Côte des Bar, where some of France's finest wines await you.
http://www.champagne-buxeuil.fr/
You may never have heard of the Aube and its Champagne but you have almost certainly drank some of this lovely fizz which is quite often blended into the sparkling wine of the more prestigious houses located further north in Epernay and Reims.
The vineyards of the Aube were not granted full Champagne status until 1927 after much resistance from the producers of the north. The northeners claimed that the soil is different in the Aube and of course it is. The soil in the Aube is based on the limestone marls of a Kimmerigian band of earth stretching from the Loire valley, through the Chablis and Tonnerre districts of northern Burgundy to the Côte des Bar in the south of the Champagne region.
The finest Champagnes of Epernay and Reims are grown on chalk but not all of the vineyards in the north of the region possess soil which is rich in chalk.
The soil of the Aube contains chalk as well as other limestones. It is my belief that although the soil does influence the quality and taste of a wine there are other influences which are just as strong. The quality of the grapes themselves, the climate and weather and the skill of the winemaker are just as important.
The wines from the Aube are less acidic and perhaps taste a little stronger and fruitier and more "forward" than the un-blended wines from the north of Champagne.
Jean-Michel Diligent makes his Champagne from the finest grapes and he pays a great deal of attention to his wine making to produce excellent non-vintage cuvées . He does not blend his Champagne with the products of any other vineyard.
He makes three types of Champagne.
Cuvée Brut Tradition which is made from the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay noble grapes. This has a taste of ripe fruits and fresh flowers. It has a finely balanced acidity. It is great as an aperitif wine.
Brut Rosé which is made primarily from Pinot Noir grapes; this wine is one of my favourite pink Champagnes. It has an intense nose of raspberries, strawberries and blackcurrants; it tastes fruity and it has a long length on the palate . Usually, I do not choose to drink pink Champagne but I did not hesitate to buy half a case when I tested this fine wine.
Cuvée Brut Elégance is my favourite of his Champagnes. It is made from 100% Chardonnay. It is a well structured wine with a balanced acidity. It is fruity and rich with a long length on the palate. This wine goes well as aperitif on its own or with a dessert - even though it is brut or very dry. I have also drunk this wine with a main course. Good champagne can be enjoyed on its own and with every course of food. Champagne is so good perhaps you don't need any other wine.
Jean-Michel makes the finest Champagne which easily competes on quality, taste and finesse with the wines from the north of Champagne. The next time you are in the region why not pay a visit to the lovely town of Troyes and then head south east on the N71 to the Côte des Bar, where some of France's finest wines await you.
http://www.champagne-buxeuil.fr/
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