White Wines

FRESH & ZESTY
7. Inzolia 2008, Vini del Sole, Sicily. 13% - £15.50
This wine is from some large unidentifiable concern. In wine circles this is held to be a ‘bad thing’. It’s funny because there are moments when you find a wine that is nice enough, whether in itself or in simple value terms, where you don’t give a monkey’s. So it is with this: don’t worry, don’t think too hard, it’s fine. Fresh, fruity with buzz, characterful, clean, some herb & slight citrus flavours.

10. Mas Oller Mar 2010, Picapoll/Malvasia, D.O. Emporda, Spain - £18.45
See Landlord’s Rant for details.

8. Pinot Grigio delle Venezie 2008, Alpha Zeta, Verona, Italy - £17.95
This is made by a Kiwi who flies in, tells growers to slash their yields, makes a great brew and flies out again. Must be rocket science! Dry, gluggable with scented pear, peach and apricot nose backed up with green fruit, mineral and spicy palate. And a long finish.

15. 2008 Navazos-Niepoort, Andalucia, Spain 12.5% - £36.50
A traditional style wine made from Palomino Fino grapes more usually used for sherry. The Navazos-Niepoort 2008 has been fermented in butt, using only naturally occurring wild yeasts, and aged under a veil of flor for five months, without fortification. This is a limited release of 4,000 bottles. The tasting note below is far better than anything I can write to describe this extraordinary, daring and beautiful wine. Nose is a complex yet delicate mix of citrus, apples, spice and even very slightly floral and grapey at first. Jesus Barquin, a principle member of the Navazos team, likened it to some styles of Savennieres but with minerality. Dry and a little peppery. There’s a merest hint of salt but more on the palate than on the nose. Tangy finish. Long and intense, especially given the lowish alcohol. A very unusual wine because it starts with that delicate floral note and then builds into something far more intense and persistent. Julia Harding MW. She only missed the ozone then!

12. Pinot Blanc 2009 ‘Piropo’ Mendoza, Argento Wines, Argentina 12.5% - £19.45
Pinot Blanc, forgotten relative of Grigio/Gris and Noir. Given some examples I have tasted over the years I’m not surprised. Shame, ‘cos when it’s good it carries a depth missing from some of the ‘aromatic’ varieties. This is Argentina getting something different right again, or at least the prolific Nick Catena who is rightly a big cheese down there and the man behind Argento. Almost too full to be in the fresh & zesty section, I got lemon, peach and some pears which ties in with what it says on the bottle. These Argentineans even do back label ‘Bull’ well!

9. Fiano 2009, Villa dei Fiori, Sicilia, Italy - £18.95
Fiano is an old Roman variety known in Sicily for about 2000 years. It has been touted as the next Pinot Grigio, but it doesn’t do big yields so can’t make cheap wine. Phewww! The nose is smokey with some sweet asparagus stuff going on that carries on to the palate which also shows some lychee and fresh pear. Finish is clean and fresh. The bottle says; ‘white fruit and blossom aromas’. Passed me by I’m afraid.

17. Sauvignon Blanc 2009, ARA, Marlborough, N.Z. - £19.25
See Landlord’s Rant

SOFT & ROUNDED
21. Chardonnay 2005, Marega San Floriano del Collio, Friuli. - £26.95
The oak invasion of the wine world is curious in its ubiquity. Yes, oak works for many wines, is relatively easy to make into barrels, but it has always struck me as strange that no other wood has even appeared, let alone challenged. The Romans used pine barrels, we can guess the effect, some Italian wineries still have large chestnut barrels, though usually they are very old. If you taste this marvellous wine made in Acacia Barrels, you have to wonder why this is the only winery I’ve found using the stuff. The result gives a perfumed nose that seems to have a touch of sweetness, but does not cloy. Palate has tangy fruit yet a soft feel that edges toward richness without becoming overbearing. Long finish. Lovely wine, STAR BUY.

16. Rioja 2006, ‘Erre Punto’, barrel fermented, Bodegas F. Remirez de Ganuza - £15.95
See Landlord’s Rant

19. Trio 2009 Reserva, Concha y Toro, Casablanca Valley, Chile. - £18.80
Concha y Toro are one of the biggest wine producers in Chile. This offering combines Chardonnay (70%) with Pinot Grigio & Pinot Blanc (15% each), presumably to make the Chardonnay acceptable to Chardonnay haters. Is this possible? It seems to be very hard to overcome this strange prejudice, however I am a fan of blending as, if done well, the whole can be greater than the sum of the parts. This is a good wine, with the two Pinots livening and brightening the weight of Chardonnay. Tropical fruits plus lemon freshness and a hint of earthiness. Fish and cheese apply here.

22. Pernand Vergelesses 1er Cru ‘Ile des Vergelesses’ 2006, Chandon De Briailles - £39.75
No good if you don’t like Chardonnay! But this isn’t really just Chardonnay because the real flavours are from the vineyard, that patch of soil that is the ‘Ile des Vergelesses’. The Domaine is high-maintenance, having given up herbicides, insecticides and chemical fertiliser without pushing ‘organic’ and ‘biodynamic’ credentials themselves. This is classic white Burgundy with some freshness not found in Meursault and Puligny. Depth of flavour and length of finish are what mark this out, showing as much mineral as fruitiness.

AROMATIC
20. Torrontes 2009, Salta, Finca La Linda, Argentina - £17.40
Torrontes is Argentina’s white grape. Whatever European origins there were have been lost to the new habitat in the cold, dry, high-altitude (5500ft) vineyards of Cafayate Valley in the North-western Salta province. This area has a reputation for the best quality the grape has to offer. La Linda is part of the Luigi Bosca stable. Fresh, floral nose, with rosehip and a touch of lavender. Balanced acidity on the palate with white peaches and an orange spice citrus finish. Gets the mouth watering nicely.

14. Albariño 2009, Pazo Señorans, Rias Baixas, Galicia 12.5% - £26.75
See Landlord’s Rant

FOOD SHERRIES – See Landlord’s Rant, or the Landlord himself!

“THIS CAN NOT BE SHERRY.” “IT IS JOHN, BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT.”

23. I THINK Manzanilla, Navazos, Andalusia, Spain 15% HALF BOTTLE - £19.95

No 24. La Bota de Fino Amontillado, Navazos, Andalucia, Spain - £59.00

No 27. La Bota de Fino de Machanurdo Alto, Navazos, Andalucia, Spain 15% £ - £39.00

ODD BOTTLES:
Riesling, Trimbach, Alsace £31.00 - £19.95
Fiano, Coriole, Aus £28.85 - £17.95
Gruner Veltliner ‘Kies’, Angerer, Austria 24.75 - £15.95
Gruner Veltliner ‘Nussberg’, Wieninger, Austria 27.95 - £16.95
Pinot Grigio, Norfolk Rise, Aus 16.50 - £14.95