For the number lovers, this is a blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. For the wine lovers, this is a full-bodied red with a complex bouquet of sweet vanilla, cassis, violets, raspberry, cocoa and mint. Length is fabulous with tannic structure to ensure a decade of aging.
Domaine Matassa blends and borders France and Spain in the Pyrénée-Orientales, in a region and a style that is distinctly Catalan. Schist and slate slopes surrounded by garrigue yield this biodynamic Grenache Gris (70%) & Macabeu (30%), whole-bunch pressed in wooden basket press and wild-yeast fermented in barrel before aging on lees for 18 months before bottling (lightly filtered but not fined). This richer white is best enjoyed at cellar temperature, with nutty, wild herbs, hay, hints of pear skin texturing and ample flake sea salts on this elastic, medium-plus palate. Acidity is humming and vibrating, streaming to the lingering finish. Electric, alive wine, this is age-worthy, drinking beautifully now, and will do with more cellaring.
Made from Castelão and Trincadeira, trodden by foot in traditional stone agars. Clear medium-deep cherry red. A powerful, complex, grapey nose leaps out of the bottle and is discernible well away from the glass, including influences of instant coffee, smoke, molasses, tea and fig. Surprisingly, the taste is of fresh mixed berries. The tannins are smooth, the acidity bright. Best now, before the fruit fades.
Light in colour with an entrancing perfume, showing fresh and juicy strawberry and sour cherry flavours; a touch herbaceous, pleasantly tannic, lean and focused with a mouthwatering acidity on the long finish. Absolutely delicious and perfect with fatty pork dishes.
Made from native Portuguese varietals. Clear pale gold. Fairly vigorous nose of apples and pears with a splash of lime. Medium-bodied, and amply fruity (more apples and a wedge of lemon) but in a reserved way with crisp acidity and a hint of bitterness on a long finish. A food wine, its palate-refreshing acidity slices nicely through a hearty fish chowder. Good value. Drink up.
Representing the third generation, Vassilis Papagiannakos shows how interesting Savatiano can be when taken seriously. Perfectly adapted to Attica’s extreme hot and dry climate, the indigenous grape thrives without any irrigation. This wine is made from vines averaging 50 years of age. Medium body with pretty aromas of pear and citrus with fresh acid and a nice mouth-coating texture. Outstanding value. Shines with seared scallops, halibut and, of course, grilled octopus.
This understated 1er cru is impressive time immemorial. Didier, third generation of the Gimonnet family, oversees this small Côtes des Blancs grower Champagne house. This wine, like all of their Chardonnay-centric wines, is crystal crisp and bright, with driving linearity through to the lingering finish. Five different harvests in the cuvee provide depth and complexity to this 1er cru, though the base is youthful, keeping the freshness and the piercing acidity of Cuis prominent. This bottle was disgorged in January 2015, showing notes of maturity. Nougat, green apple, sea salt, elderflower and lemon open onto schisty complexity, showing a base of brioche dough, with chalky purity, vivacious intensity and a shimmery, saline-laced lemon pith to the finish. Chardonnay’s pure elegance and finesse, with a shadow of bottle age, perfectly expressed.