Looking for superb Chardonnay? We’ve got you covered!

 Looking for superb Chardonnay? We’ve got you covered!

Domaine Corsin Mâcon-Villages (AOP) 202, 13% 

RRP €26.99 Mannings Emporium. Wineonline.ie. The Cinnamon Cottage Cork

This unoaked Mâcon is bright gold with refreshing citrus fruit on the palate and a long finish.

The nose is inviting and expressive, something magical about the lovely citrus notes. The aromas go on to the end, joined on the palate by more delightful fruit (peach and apricot). And our light gold wine - you also spot green tints - continues on its merry way, balanced by a refreshing acidity, to a very satisfactory finalé indeed.

Serve as an apéritif and with starters along with pork meats and goat cheese. The producers recommend a serving temperature of between 11°and 13°C. One of the best Chardonnays I’ve come a cross in a long while. Very Highly Recommended.

This was a good vintage in the Mâconnais and the harvest took place under perfect conditions; both yields and quality were excellent. The fruit for this wine come from vineyards around the villages of Davayé and Solutré, with a north-easterly exposure and an altitude between 200 and 280 metres. The Chardonnay vines are rooted in clay-limestone soils. The Mâcon-Villages plot “Les Prés Cousins”, is one of the oldest vineyards in Davayé, with an average vine age of 30 years.

Domaine Corsin, now in its fifth generation, has established an excellent reputation for making wines in Saint-Véran and Pouilly-Fuissé since 1864. They were among the first to label wines as Pouilly-Fuissé and Mâcon Blanc.

Innocent Bystander Chardonnay Yarra Valley 2021, 13% 

RRP €28.99 Mitchell & Son. Wineonline.ie. O'Donovans Off Licence. Drink Store. The Wicklow Wine Co. World Wide Wines

This year marks the golden anniversary of Australian Chardonnay. With varietal labelled Chardonnay first produced back in 1972, I thought It would be a good time to try at least one example of modern Australian Chardonnay.

Colour of this Yarra Valley wine is a light straw. Aromas, not overly powerful, are a pleasant melange of pear, apple and citrus along with floral elements.  And the crisp and dry palate follows the same criterion, nothing like the big buttery Chardonnay that the Aussies sprang on the world three or so decades ago, rather it is a supple presence on the palate, beautifully citrus and stone fruit flavours with a youthful acidity delivering balance and a dry and satisfying finish. Very Highly Recommended.

This sophisticated and complex wine, bursting with vibrant stone fruit character and a hit of zingy citrus, is one to seek out and enjoy. Pairings? Simple. “Great paired with people” says the label. More serious recommendations are Paella del Mar, BBQ chicken with fresh coriander salsa verde, smoked salmon and brie frittata. Then there’s fiction, fantasy and a little romance.

Innocent Bystander add: Yarra Valley Chardonnay is a queen amongst wines; sophisticated, serene and perfectly poised. A variety whose remarkable winemaking heritage combines with regional youth and vitality to deliver a rewarding, multi-faceted wine able to satisfy a thirst or take to the table.

The year 2021 was the tale of two seasons. Leading up to harvest it was very wet and cool. Then only weeks before picking the sun came out and led to fully ripe and flavoursome Chardonnay with excellent natural acidity.

This winery changed hands in May 2016, with a family company, Brown Brothers (should probably be called the Brown Sisters nowadays), taking over. Geoff Alexander joined the Brown Family Wine Group as Assistant Winemaker in 2005. In October 2007, Geoff was promoted to the position of Winemaker and is now responsible for a portfolio of red, white, sparkling and fortified wines at a range of price points including the Innocent Bystander brand. He is particularly interested in the development of new varieties and wine styles, something for which the Brown Family Wine Group is rightly famous. A company to look out for then!

Sicilian Duo by Donnafugata Shine in the Glass!

Sicilian Duo by Donnafugata Shine in the Glass!

Donnafugata `Sherazade` Nero d’Avola Sicilia (DOC) 2019, 13% 

RRP €23.99 64 Wine; Alain and Christine Wine and Card Shop; Avoca Handweavers Shops; Cashel Wine Cellar; Drink Store; Ely Wine Store; Fallon & Byrne; The Hen and Hog, Ashford Co. Wicklow; Jus de Vine; Mannings Emporium; McHughs Off Licence - Kilbarrack Rd; Red Island Wine Co; Searsons Wine Merchants; The Corkscrew; Thomas Woodberry’s; Whelehans Wines; wineonline.ie

A brilliant ruby is the colour of this Sherazade, produced from the Nero D’Avola grape, the red grape of Sicily. Aromas are fresh and fruity. And it is much the same combination on the palate. Much lighter than you’d expect and you can see why it is often recommended as an aperitif (slightly chilled). It tends more towards Pinot Noir and Gamay rather than Cabernet Sauvignon. Soft, with plum and cherry and smooth tannins and spicy fruit, this is a beauty, a fragrant and pleasant wine with outstanding freshness. Very Highly Recommended

The 2019 vintage began with a mild winter and a wet spring. The summer months were drier, the grapes were healthy and ripened well. Yields were lower than in the previous two years. Those excellent grapes promised much by way of aromatics and balance and that promise was delivered in the winery. 

Donnafugata suggest matching it with fish soup, pizza or classic tomato spaghetti. Luckily we had a take-out from the superb Osteria Da Mirco in Cork city and the Sherazade did very well indeed with the Parmigiana di melanzane, Cannelloni di Magro and Polpette al Sugo (with Tagliatelle) and we're able to confirm the producer’s suggestions! It was served, slightly chilled, at around 15 degrees.

Sherazade (or Scheherazade) is a major female character and the storyteller in the Oriental collection of tales known as the One Thousand and Nights.

Donnafugata `Sur Sur` Grillo Siclia (DOC) 2020, 13%, 

RRP €23.99 Alain and Christine Wine and Card Shop; Blackrock Cellar; Mannings Emporium; Martins Off Licence; Searsons Wine Merchants; The Corkscrew; wineonline.ie

This Grillo wine, from an ancient white grape variety of Sicily, has a very light straw colour. Its aromatics are quite intense, fresh and fruity, floral and herbal notes as well. And you get much the same combination on the light and lively palate with peach (especially) and melon to the fore. 

The producers recommend serving at 9-11 degrees and pairing with seafood appetisers, vegetarian first courses, and roasted fish. I got a lovely surprise with this one as it is perhaps the best Grillo that I’ve come across and Very Highly Recommended

Importers Liberty tell us the Rallo family has made wine in Marsala since 1851 in their ancient cellars tunnelled beneath the city. “They were one of the first families to begin making high-quality table wine when sales of traditional Marsala started to decline, launching the Donnafugata label in 1983 and championing the potential of the region’s native varieties.”

Grillo is an ancient autochthonous Sicilian grape variety, but it is also a cute little animal (the cricket) that brings good luck. The name sur sur, that means cricket, comes from the classical Arabic language which was once also spoken in Sicily. The voice of spring, with its scents and colors, is depicted on the label. It shows Gabriella (founder of Donnafugata, with her husband Giacomo) as a girl in flight, running barefoot through the flowers and fresh grass, following the singing of crickets that sounds sweet to her ears, like a thousand “SurSur… “

According to Wine-Searcher.com, Grillo has become a viable contender for the quintessential Italian table white: light, easy-drinking and often associated with very good value and competes well with better known Italian white grapes. 

Two Very Highly Recommended Reds From Chile

Two Very Highly Recommended Reds From Chile

Clos des Fous Cauquenina 2014, 14%, 

€22.99 Blackrock Cellar Green Man Wines Molloys Clonsilla The Corkscrew Wineonline.ie

Cauquenina, meaning “girl from Cauquenes”, is a blend of several varietals. Each lot was vinified and aged separately to create aromas of black pepper, tea leaves, graphite and violet and a full-bodied wine. Blend: 27% Carmenère , 25% Carignano/Carignan, 11% Petite Sirah, 10% Cinsault , 10% Malbec, 10% Pais, 7% Syrah/Shiraz. The amounts and varietals in the blend are not necessarily the same in each vintage.

Colour is a deep ruby red. Aromas are quite intense, red fruit like strawberry and raspberry and darker such as cherry. The palate is light and dry; reminds me of a Beaujolais Gamay one moment, of a Burgundy Pinot Noir the next. These are two of my favourite grapes, so I’m very happy with it and its generous and smooth palate, smooth tannins too, its balance and its good long finish as well. Very Highly Recommended.

This quite original wine starts with each varietal being vinified and aged separately. Fermentation took place in cement vats. A portion (about 15 to 20%) of the wine was put into new French oak barrels and the other part in one-year-old barrels. The fermentations were slow and careful so as not to over-extract.

Clos des Fous is about four friends, four crazy guys that have chosen to ignore the experts about where to plant vineyards and to trust their own instincts. But don’t worry, the four are experts themselves, experts with a mission. The four (listed on the label in tiny print) are winemaker Pedro Parra, François Massoc (extensive experience in Burgundy), winemaker Paco Leyton (Altos las Hormigas, Puculan) and businessman Albert Cussen (strengths in admin and finance). 

They are about growing wines over “the Chilean extreme, fresh and unpredictable places, looking for natural balance”. “This is a unique and groundbreaking project based on a delicate and novel terroir selection. Following the Burgundy philosophy, our focus is to achieve wines with minimal intervention, letting the terroir express itself.” 

Clos des Fous (the madmen’s vineyard) is highly praised in Wines of South America: “Their approach produces wines that distinctively express their terroir, made with organic fruit and using techniques that are so minimalist that the wines are vinified without ‘safety nets such as fining or filtering'.”

Montes Alpha Carmenère Valle De Colchagua (DO) 2018, 14.5% 

€22.99 Baggot Street Wines, Ely Wine Store, Sweeney’s D3, Terroirs, The Corkscrew Wineonline.ie, World Wide Wines

Deep dark red is the colour here. Intense blackberry on the nose, tobacco (I barely remember that!), plus a touch of Mocha and toasty too. And that continues on the assertive palate, deliciously fruity and certainly full-bodied, one to be sipped and savoured, and the smooth tannins carry you into a long and pleasing finish. Yet another very satisfactory Montes wine and Very Highly Recommended.

The grapes were cold soaked at 10°C for five days to extract aroma and colour. Following this, they underwent fermentation in temperature controlled stainless-steel tanks for 12 days and were then kept on the skins to impart structure and colour. 55% of the final blend was aged in French oak barrels for 12 months.

Montes are serious players. According to the Wines of South America, Montes (founded in 1988) is credited for its pioneering work in the Colchagua’s Apalta district, the first to realise its potential as one of the best locations for red wines in Chile and “is among the most important wineries in Chile today”. As a further endorsement, their Alpha “M” (very limited production) is listed as one of the top 20 South American wines to drink before you die.

Liberty have some interesting background detail: They learned, when they started producing Montes Alpha in 1987, that they needed balanced yields and to harvest when the grapes were ripe. They adapted these practices to all their vineyards and the results were startling. Montes’ own vineyards now cover 75% of their requirements. The other 25% of fruit is produced in vineyards that they have planted, cultivated and picked. In other words, they control everything except the ownership of the land. In addition to this control over the vineyard, they also sell in bulk what is not good enough to go into the bottles that carry their label. Having made the selection in the vineyard, they are able to make a further selection in the winery. The results are there for you to taste.

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Two highly recommended wines to savour. A Hawkes Bay Chardonnay and a Touriga Nacional from the Dão

 Two highly recommended wines to savour. 

A Hawkes Bay Chardonnay and a Touriga Nacional from the Dão

Trinity Hill “Gimblett Gravels” Chardonnay Hawkes Bay 2017, 13%, 

RRP € 34.99 Baggot Street Wines; Blackrock Cellar; C Morton & Sons; The Corkscrew; wineonline.ie; World Wide Wines

Colour of this New Zealand Chardonnay is a bright mid-gold. Aromas are fruity, grapefruit and lemon and no shortage of floral notes. Quite stunning on the palate where, along with the minerality, you again meet the citrus accompanied by a lively natural acidity. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts in 500 litre oak puncheons followed by a further four months in tank on lees has enhanced the experience, including the texture. 

Delicate, rich and elegant this beauty finishes long. It is a very distinctive, harmonious Chardonnay, is closer to cool Burgundy rather than the rest of the (warmer) New World, and is Very Highly Recommended. Try with Pork (including belly), rich fish (salmon, trout, tuna), and poultry.

The year 2017 was a very good one in the Hawkes Bay area, a moderate spring with low frost risk and generally good flowering led to an extremely dry and warm summer, recording above average temperatures in January and February before rainy weather came in late February followed by humid conditions with heavy rainfall from March to May.

Importers Liberty: Winemaker Warren Gibson has been with Trinity Hill since 1997. He is also in charge of the 80 hectares of vineyard owned by Trinity Hill and knows Hawkes Bay and the Gimblett Gravels exceptionally well. The wines reflect this. Warren and his team make wines that show the best of what Hawkes Bay and the Gimblett Gravels can produce. The wines have an elegance, balance, drinkability and precision of flavour that makes them a joy to drink.

The gravelly soils resulted from a flood in 1876 when the Ngaruroro River changed its course and a vista of gravel was left behind. Probably best known for red wines. But Chardonnay grown here has distinctive floral notes and pronounced minerality on the palate. 

The Gravels have been described as “the most famous single vineyard in New Zealand”. And from these gravels come surprising wines. It is now a highly sought-after sub-region renowned for the quality and Trinity Hill was one of the first to plant grapes on the Gimblett Gravels in Hawkes Bay in 1993. And soon after Warren Gibson arrived.

Quinta Dos Carvalhais Touriga Nacional DAO (DOC) 2017, 13.5%

RRP € 31.99 Baggott Street Wines, Lucey’s - The Good Food Shop, Wineonline.ie

Info on the label is brief and to the point

Complexity 4/5; Tannins 3/5; Body: 4/5; Fruity: 4/5; Oak: 4/5.

Pair with: Seafood, fish, chicken.

12 m in oak.

Serve at 16-18 degrees.

This intense, complex and elegant Touriga Nacional from the heart of the Dão has a dark ruby colour, slighter lighter at the rim. Aromas hint of its black fruit and the well-integrated spice from its 12 months residence in oak. Vibrant dark fruit and spice again on the palate and more besides. Great depth, acidity too and smooth, harmonious all through to the persistent finish.

The Touriga Nacional is a much loved indigenous variety but you rarely see it, in these parts, on a solo run. Quinta dos Carvalhais are credited with spearheading the quality renaissance of wines from the Dão in the early ‘90s. And it is located in the heart of the Dão. The 105-hectare estate, with 50 hectares under vine, was purchased by the Guedes family in 1988. They invested a huge amount into improvements in both the vineyards and the winery.

And part of that improvement is a series of single varietals from indigenous grapes. Along with the Touriga Nacional, look out for Encruzado and Alfrocheiro. While our bottle is single varietal, some three different batches of Touriga Nacional grapes were used in this Highly Recommended wine, each of which was harvested separately.

This wine is aged for 12 months in used and new 225-litre French oak barrels. The final blend was made to fully express the high quality of the Touriga Nacional, as well as the distinctive character of the Dão region. Serve at a temperature between 16ºC-18ºC. Pairings advised for this “Very gastronomic and perfect for meal-times” wine are “with dishes such as octopus à lagareiro, oven-roasted pork and mushroom risotto”.

Two to Recommend: A Kiwi Gruner and an Aussie Shiraz.

Two to Recommend: A Kiwi Gruner and an Aussie Shiraz.

Tinpot Hut `McKee Vineyard` Gruner Veltliner Marlborough 2017 13.0% ABV

RRP € 24.99 Baggot Street Wines, Drink Store, Wineonline.ie

Very pale gold in the glass with micro bubbles clinging to the sides. Aromatic for sure, citrus prominent and subtle hints of the grape’s trademark white pepper. The lovely mouthfeel makes an immediate impression as does the lively acidity. And then the fruit, peach and nectarine, quickly begins to show in this excellent crisp wine. Terrific lip-smacking finish lingers. Very Highly Recommended.

The Tinpot Hut story began in 2003 when winemaker Fiona Turner and her husband Hamish established their own 20 hectare vineyard in Marlborough's emerging sub-region of Blind River. Naming her range of wines after a historic Marlborough mustering hut, the 'Tinpot Hut' links the area's sheep farming past with its current state as one of the world's most dynamic wine regions. 

Fruit is sourced from Fiona's 'Home Block' and is supplemented by grapes from selected vineyards (grown by the McKee family, Fiona’s friends and neighbours). Fiona is assisted by Matt Thomson, a friend and colleague with whom she has worked for many years.

Tinpot say: The 2017 growing season presented some challenges with a major earthquake in November affecting trellising at the home block. Variable weather during the flowering period in Spring delivered moderate crop levels and a cool and windy Summer required a lot of canopy manipulation. This hard work rewarded us with good quality fruit showing classic flavours and balance. Careful harvest decisions along with fast, flexible picking and good management in the winery have ensured an exciting spectrum of flavours in the harvested grapes.

Suggested pairings: Enjoy with oily seafood such as salmon and tuna or, alternatively, roasted pork and duck.

16 Stops Shiraz South Australia 2019, 14.0%, 

€ 15.99, Baggot Street Wines, Blackrock Cellar, Clontarf Wines, Drink Store, Ely Wine Store, Fresh - The Good Food Market, Jus de Vine, Station to Station Wine, The Cinnamon Cottage Cork, Wineonline.ie, World Wide Wines

 

This Shiraz (no messing around with Syrah here) has a crimson colour,  a little lighter towards the edge. Aromas are of dark fruit, including plum. Only a small proportion has been matured in French oak hogsheads for added complexity. And the oak supports rather than dominates on the palate which has intense fruit. The lively spice though is not as shy. Round tannins evident too as this well balanced wine proceeds smoothly to a dry finish. Quite a bit of character and Highly Recommended. Good value too by the way.

Importers Liberty: We felt it was best to invest in premium regions for our 'entry point' Australian wines. Given the quality of the fruit from which they are made, the 16 Stops wines offer tremendous value for money.The wines are made with fruit from the McLaren Vale and the Adelaide regions. They are produced alongside the Willunga 100 wines in McLaren Vale and benefit from the same expert input from Mike Farmilo.

The name 16 Stops refers to the number of stations on the railway line from Adelaide. It was built in 1915 to transport goods and people between the country town of Willunga and Adelaide. I know an Australian who would rename it as 16 Stubbies.

Top Wines 2020 Short List. Look to Chile's Itata for red, to Spain's Navarra for white

 Top Wines 2020 Short List

Found my Red in Itata, White in Navarra

Hard work in Itata - from a Liberty Wines Zoomed Masterclass 2020.

Pedro Parra “Vinista” Itata Chile 2018 Liberty

Clos des Fous “Pour Ma Geule” Itata Chile 2016 Liberty

Montes “Outer Limits” Cinsault 2017 DO Valle del Itata Liberty

Leonardo Erazo “A Los Viñateros Bravos” Volcánico País 2018 Itata (Chile) Le Caveau

Azul y Garanza Naturaleza Salvaje Blanca Navarra 2019 Mary Pawle

Blank Canvas Grüner Veltliner Marlborough (2013) Liberty

Ata Rangi “Lismore” Pinot Gris Martinborough 2018 Liberty

While most of the wine I drink these days comes from Europe (much of the red from France), it seems my favourite red wine area for 2020 is Itata in Chile. Light reds are emerging as a personal favourite and here in Itata, with the likes of Pedro Parra, Aurelio Montes and Leonardo Erazo working their magic, we are enjoying beautiful bottles based on País but also Cinsault. The four listed above are superb and I'm not inclined to pick any one over the others.

Aside from the Itata wines, Beaujolais, Burgundy and the Loire (Cabernet Franc), will also feature on my shopping lists. Indeed, the Passetoutgrains below is a gem. Navarra has some outstanding winemakers including Azul y Garanza and Tandem. Also in Spain, Bodegas Pinuaga made a big impression on me early in the year.

No Itata equivalent in the whites but the two from New Zealand  are outstanding and are distinctive examples of Grüner Veltliner and Pinot Gris. Austria is, of course, the home of Gru-Vee and Diwald come up with the goods year after year as indeed does Judith Beck. The three French whites featured are each worth looking out for. And Spain has come up with a stunning Garnacha white, by Azul y Garanza, pipping the Kiwis for my white of the year!

The Short List 2020

RED

Chile

Pedro Parra “Vinista” Itata Chile 2018 Liberty

Clos des Fous “Pour Ma Geule” Itata Chile 2016 Liberty

Montes “Outer Limits” Cinsault 2017 DO Valle del Itata Liberty

Leonardo Erazo “A Los Viñateros Bravos” Volcánico País 2018 Itata (Chile) Le Caveau

France

J.M. Cazes Domaine des Sénéchaux Châteauneuf-du-Pape (AOC) 2016 O’Brien’s

Domaine Lacour Bourgogne Passetoutgrains (AOP) 2017 Le Caveau

J-C Regnaudot Pinot Noir Bourgogne (AOC) '17 Le Caveau

Château du Cèdre Héritage Malbec, Cahors (AOC) 2016 Le Caveau

Domaine de Brau PURE Pinot Noir, Pays D’Oc (IGP) 2015 Mary Pawle

Italy

GD Vajra Nebbiolo Langhe (DOC) 2018 Liberty

Spain

Bodegas Pinuaga Tinto “Colección” Vino de la Tierra de Castilla  2016 Mary Pawle

Tandem Ars Nova Navarra (DO) 2014 O'Brien's

Azul y Garanza  “Naturaleze Salvaje” Navarra (DO) 2017 Mary Pawle

Portugal

Casa Ferreirinha Vinha Grande Douro (DOC)  Douro Tinto 2017 Liberty

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WHITE

Spain

Azul y Garanza Naturaleza Salvaje Blanca 2019 Mary Pawle

New Zealand

Blank Canvas Grüner Veltliner Marlborough (2013) Liberty

Ata Rangi “Lismore” Pinot Gris Martinborough 2018 Liberty

France

Meyer-Fonné Gentil Alsace (AOC) 2018 Le Caveau

Bertrand Ambroise Lettre d’Eloïse Chardonnay “Coteaux Bourguignons” (AOC) 2017 Le Caveau

Rijckaert Chardonnay Arbois (AOC) 2018 Bradley’s/Wine Mason

Germany

Lingenfelder Riesling Trocken Kabinett Freinsheimer Musikantenbuckel Pfalz (DP) 2018 O’Briens

Portugal

Casa Ferreirinha Vinha Grande Douro (DOC) Douro Branco 2019 Liberty

Austria

Diwald Grüner Veltliner (Wagram, Austria) 2018 Mary Pawle

Beck Weissburgunder Austria 2019 Le Caveau 

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Red and White Doubles

Fancy a good pair of red and white on your table at Christmas table or indeed at anytime? Why not try the Le Caveau pair, the Passetoutgrains (16.95) and the Gentil (18.00), listed above.

Lingenfelder Riesling Trocken Kabinett Freinsheimer Musikantenbuckel Pfalz (DP) 2018

Tandem Ars Nova Navarra (DO) 2014. Both from O’Brien’s

Diwald Grüner Veltliner (Wagram, Austria) 2018 Mary Pawle

De Brau Pure Pinot Noir Pays D’Oc (IGP) 2018 Mary Pawle

GD Vajra Nebbiolo Langhe (DOC) 2018 Liberty Wines

Pieropan Soave (DOC) Classico 2019 Liberty Wines

Andre Goichot Fleurie (AOC) 2018 Supervalu

Guy Saget Sancerre (AOC) 2018 Supervalu 

See the Long List here. 

And the Good Value List here.

Both should help you you in your quest for good wine in the run-up to Christmas and well into the New Year.