Mitolo Magic!

Thursday night was a Mitolo dinner at Russells of Broadway and what a great line-up of wines all matched to some terrific dishes created by head chef Matt Laughton. Brett Crittenden from Mitolo and was on hand to talk through the wines and add a bit of Aussie spirit to the event. The menu and wines were as below, I have added tasting notes and comments on all the combinations;

canapés
2008 Jester Sangiovese rosé, Mitolo

Superb dry rosé that was less weightier than previous vintages and all the better for it.
***
Grilled salmon with beetroot, apple and watermelon salad
2008 Sauvignon Blanc, Shaw and Smith

Wow! The pure zesty zip in this wine was a delight and it worked a real treat.
***
Braised heel of Scotch beef with mashed potato, glazed button onions,
wild mushrooms, salsify and a red wine and anise Jus.
2006 Jester Shiraz, Mitolo

Superb value, perfect weight and flavour with this very meaty and flavoursome dish.
2006 G.A.M. Shiraz, Mitolo

A big step up in complexity from the Jester, intense, satisfying and very, very long. A great match for the beef and especially the red wine and anise jus.
***
Warm Shropshire Blue, fig and walnut tart with honey dressing and watercress
2007 Jester Cabernet Sauvignon, Mitolo

Elegant yet weighty with a hint of sweet fruit.
2004 Serpico Cabernet Sauvignon, Mitolo

With a touch of maturity and delicious concentrated, intense, rounded sweet berry fruit.
***
Poached dried fruit compote with salted caramel ice cream
Rutherglen Muscat, Rosewood Vineyards, Chambers

I can think of no better dessert wine for this dessert. Stood up to the chilled ice cream and complemented the dried fruits to perfection.

A great night, enjoyed by all.............

Coonawarra maestro - Kym Tolley of Penley Estate

It was great to have Kym Tolley from Penley Estate call by yesterday afternoon. He is a very well respected Aussie winemaker who originates from two pioneering Australian wine families the Penfolds and the Tolleys. I wasn't aware that John Duval was a great friend of his - in fact he was best man at Kym's wedding and they worked together at Penfolds.
He loved seeing Chipping Campden even though it was a rather damp and miserable afternoon and we managed to taste through a few wines which I have listed below. Since a number of his wines were featured in the last edition of the Wine Advocate (and received very complimentary scores) he has had even greater interest from the American market.
We tasted through the following wines;
2004 Chardonnay Penley Estate, Coonawarra
Beautifully ripe without that overpowering opulence you often find in Aussie Chardonnay's. The oak enhances and lifts the fruit, showing no sign of fading, perfectly mature.
2005 Penley Hyland Shiraz, Coonawarra
Lovely fruit on the palate with a hint of chocolate and spice, fantastic silky texture. Kym reckoned that 2005 was a great year for Shiraz. We certainly don't disagree.
2006 Penley Phoenix Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra
2006 was a great year for Cabernet and this is a beautifully made wine with the emphasis on elegance rather than power. The terra rossa soils in Coonawarra are perfect for Cabernet and this is drinking well now but will be even better in a year or two. This wine was recently voted Australia's best value red by the Australian Penguin Wine Guide. A great accolade indeed.
We hope Kym is able to return to present a tasting, perhaps in the Autumn of next year. His wines offer incredible value for money and are well worth trying, we certainly will be showing some of them at our Christmas tasting.

A tour of Italy at Hicks Brasserie

Thursday night I conducted a hugely successful wine dinner at Hick's Brasserie at the Cotswold House Hotel.

The event was a complete sell out, we could have sold it nearly twice over!

The concept was quite simple - an aperitif with canapes followed by five courses each matched to a different wine.

The line-up and comments are as below:

Olives, salami, air dried ham
Prosecco dei Colli Treveigiani IGT ‘Frizzante’, Ca’ Morlin, Veneto

Light, fresh and quite delicious with the antipasto
***
Herb gnocchi, roasted butternut squash, braised pigs cheek, Parmigiano Reggiano
2007 Soave Classico, Pieropan, Veneto

Stood up to the pigs cheek beautifully, a great marriage!
***
Mascarpone & parsley risotto, grilled sea bass, white balsamic jelly

2007 Fiano/Greco, A Mano, Puglia

One of the surprises of the night, the lemon and apricot fruit with a hint of richness was a good foil to the risotto and balsamic jelly without overpowering the sea bass
***
Char-grilled poussin, orecchiette, aromatic tomatoes, artichokes, smoked aubergine, basil

2006 Chianti Rufina, Selvapiana, Tuscany

Beautiful wine at the early stages of it's life, elegant, balanced and complex with delicious layered fruit. A stunner!
***
Gorgonzola, apple & walnuts

2005 Palazzo della Torre, Allegrini, Veneto

The sweetness of fruit in this Valpolicella 'Cru' that is made in a 'Ripasso' style worked well with the blue cheese.
***
Honey & vanilla poached pear, salted chocolate & caramel mousse, tonka bean ice cream
2007 Moscato d’Asti, GD Vajra, Piemonte

The perfect wine to finish off, light in alcohol semi sweet and with a beautiful fruit/acid balance.

The one question I kept getting asked was, 'when is the next event at Hick's?'.

It will be in the new year so keep a look out on our website here and once the dates are advertised make sure you book early!

Tastings and more tastings

What a busy couple of weeks.........
I presented a tasting to the Pershore Wine Society last week which as ever was great fun. The topic was the wines of New Zealand and after tasting through eight wines what was apparent was the sheer quality of the wines coming out of this country. New Zealand don't do average - all the wines were well above average to exceptional and all represented such value for money at their respective price points. Amazing, considering as a nation of winemakers they have only been producing wines commercially since the 1980's.
The stars of the line-up were the following;
2006 Brightwater Riesling, Neudorf, Nelson - Beautiful minerality, purity and that wonderful petroleum nose which seduces the taster. Top class.
2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Kim Crawford, Marlborough - A classic Sauvignon Blanc with a lovely pungency of fruit, zippy acidity and delicious weight of flavour.
2006 Estate Chardonnay, Kumeu River, Auckland - Rich, opulent and so very Meursault like. This took some time to open up in the glass, but when it did, wow what a smorgasbord of complexity and flavour.
2006 Pinot Noir, Peregrine Estate, Central Otago - Wonderful ripe, structured Pinot Noir with delicious cherry driven fruit, fine tannins and great depth.

A day later I presented a food and wine tour of France at Hicks Brasserie at the Cotswold House Hotel. Following an aperitif each course was matched to a different wine, the menu and wines were as follows and I have added in a few comments to boot.

Parmesan choux – smoked salmon, crème fraîche on cucumber
Crémant de Bourgogne, Vitteaut Alberti, Burgundy

(Amazing quality fizz, widely admired!)
***
Chicken liver parfait, red onions, toasted rustic bread
2005 Pinot Gris Réserve, Cave de Hunawihr, Alsace

(beautiful match to the parfait, residual sugar in wine complemented the richness to perfection)
***
Sea bream fillet “bouride”, creamed leeks with garlic mayonnaise
2005 Chateau Grand Bourdieu, Graves Blanc, Bordeaux

(White Graves is often overlooked, the richness and citrussy acidity was perfect with the bouride and garlic mayo)
***
Duck leg confit “cassoulet”, white beans, pork belly, Toulouse sausage, tomato
2006 Rully, Côte Chalonnaise, Burgundy

(the acidity in the Rully cut through the fattiness of the duck and the gamey Pinot was good with the pork belly and sausage)
***
Brillat-Savarin, quince jelly, chutney, fig & almond wheel
2005 Chinon, Domaine de Beausejour, Loire Valley

(white would have perhaps been better, but this ripe mid-weight red with moderate tannins did not disgrace itself!)
***
Apple tarte tatin, vanilla ice cream
2004 Muscat de Rivesaltes, Pietri-Geraud, Languedoc-Roussillon

(the highish alcohol stood up to the ice cream and the peach and apricot fruit matched the apple tart a treat, a fine finish!)

Next week we have a Tour of Italy wine dinner at Hicks and it is a complete sell out.....so until then Bon Appetit!

Douro Valley in harvest

1924 Colheita tasted at Villa Nova de Gaia

View from Quinta de Ervamoira

I have just got back from a wonderful trip to the Douro Valley as a guest of Ramos Pinto. This region has to be one of the most under-rated wine regions in the world and is simply stunning.
Ramos Pinto was established in 1880 by Adriano Ramos Pinto who made a name for himself with his innovative ideas which involved modernising selection, blending and ageing. Ramos Pinto were the first Port producer to plant individual varieties in separate plots. Their Quinta de Ervamoira property which is located in the wilds of the Upper Douro is nothing short of spectacular, this area was nearly flooded by the construction of a dam until the discovery of Palaeolithic stone carvings which saved this unique property in the nick of time. See the picture below, taken looking down on Ervamoira. You can only get to the Quinta by Land Rover as the road is very rough and unsuitable for normal cars.

This was followed by a marvellous lunch in this incredible setting after which we set out for Quinta do Bom Retiro located near Pinhao. The property consists of 109 hectares at a height of between 110 and 400 metres with 62 hectares planted to vines with an average age of 25 years. The varieties produced here are all red and include Tinta Barroca, Touriga Francesca, Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo) and Touriga Nacional.

Ramos Pinto produces some marvellous tawny Ports that offer such versatility and can be served as an aperitif, with cheese, pudding or just sipped on their own as a digestif. I was also hugely impressed by the still (unfortified) wines from the Douro which seem to have improved beyond recognition and are a great match to the rustic food one finds in the region. White Port with tonic makes a delicious aperitif when the weather is warm and worth taking note for next summer!

The highlight of the two days was a tasting of wines at the Ramos Pinto HQ in Villa Nova de Gaia which included tasting a 1924 Colheita (vintage tawny). Ramos Pinto don't sell Colheita's however this was used as a blending wine in their older tawnies and was simply stunning. With a beautiful aged colour it exhibited toffee and caramel aromas and tasted incredibly intense and nutty.

Sadly the vintage has been badly disrupted by rain this year and 2008 is unlikely to be a declared year. In fact since 2003 it seems that only 2007 will be declared, leaving us rather short of declared vintages in the last five or so years.

It's Rosé time all year!

Opened up a Côtes du Rhône Rosé from Domaine de la Mordorée today and wow what a great rosé this is. Principally Grenache and Syrah, it has a beautiful deep colour and a nose of ripe, fragrant red fruits very reminiscent of strawberries and cream. On the palate it is very full and weighty, the grenache really shines through with a delightful sweetness of fruit backed up by the intensity and spicyness of the Syrah. Amazing long finish.

Mordorée are renowned for their Lirac, however all their wines offer such value for money. This rosé would be a great match to a Moroccan tajine (it's very similar in style to some Moroccan rosé's I have had in the past) and the other night I had a bottle with some smoked mackeral and it was a superb match, the spicy sweet fruit acompanying the smoked flavours superbly. This wine really doesn't need summer weather to be enjoyed, in fact more rosé is being matched to food and drunk all year round.

Rocking good Mâcon

Gosh, there's nothing like a good award winning wine to create a bit of interest. Had a bottle of the 2006 Mâcon-Loché from Domaine Marcel Couturier the other night and the consensus was that this was indeed very serious wine.

It was awarded five stars in a tasting of 2006 Mâcon Villages in Decanter wine magazine. Now there are an awful lot of wines being sold on the back of medals won, look closely and many of these medals mean absolutely nothing (take note offenders - mainly the mass mail order merchants). However I have a great deal of respect for how Decanter conduct their tastings; 1. All tastings are blind. 2. Tasting panels consist of a balance of specialists, experts, MW's and wine journalists whose scores are averaged out. 3. Tastings are carried out in a controlled environment. 4. Award winners are re-tasted blind for final confirmation. 5. No bottles are ever seen in the tasting room or at the discussions afterwards.

That seems very thorough to me, in fact I do not know of many other organisation who are quite so strict in their evaluation methods (certainly when I worked for Michelin and we evaluated restaurants their approach was as just thorough) and one has to respect such high standards.

How did the wine taste;

Bright and slightly golden in colour, beautiful nose with the aroma of white peaches intermingled with vanilla and buttered toast. Lovely weight on the palate with great breadth of fruit and a hint of minerality and so very pure, feminine and defined without being over the top. Long persistent finish. Bravo! This would disgrace many a 1er Cru white burgundy.

Bella Chianti Classico

There are times when you taste a wine and it really confirms your belief in a region and it's wines.

Drinking a bottle of the 2001 Chinati Classico from Castello di Bossi was enlightening, I knew it was likely to be good but it was perfectly mature and showed superbly, it really felt like it was at it's peak.

This Chianti is made from 100% Sangiovese and is aged in cask for 12 months. With delightful perfume on the nose, reminiscent of violets and with a savoury edge, complex and soft on the palate with lovely rounded tannins and a long finish. A perfect match to a mushroom risotto with pancetta, the weight of flavours worked perfectly. A shame we only have seven bottles left!

The New Portugal - Forget Mateus Rosé!

We held an in-store tasting of a range of wines from our Portugal promotion on Saturday and it was quite a surprise how well the wines went down with our customers.

The wines that showed best were the following;

2007 Alvarinho Quinta do Soalheiro - Beautifully fresh and pure with great balance and length.

2006 Correio Tinto, Quinta dos Rocques - Award winning (Silver at IWC and Decanter Bronze at World Wine Awards) wine that offers unbeatable value at £6.95, lovely fruit and depth.

2006 Redoma Rosé, Niepoort - Not many rosé's are fermented in oak but this beauty is and it is a glassfull of vibrant red fruits that is stonkingly delicious.

2005 Vertente, Niepoort - Made from 20 year old (young) vines, silky and elegant this got better and better and when I finished it off with my supper it was positively singing.

Niepoort 10 Year Old Tawny - Marvellous tawny with great weight, concentration and balance.

Boal 10 Year Old, Barbeito - This has to be the most under-rated drink in the world. Great balance of sweetness and acidity, delicate and so very refined.

Buckland Manor - The Cotswold Wine Experience!

Last night we held a wine dinner at Buckland Manor. It would be hard to find a more idyllic spot than the small hollow at the foot of the Cotswold Escarpment where Buckland is located. The gardens looked splendid and we were able to enjoy a glass of Blanc de Blancs Champagne from Francois Billion (en Magnum) on the terrace (great elegance and finesse, allied to serious length). The wines with dinner showed very well and the line-up and tasting comments are as below;

2006 Bourgogne Blanc, Cuvee des Forgets, Patrick Javillier Aromas of wet stone and white fruits, beautifully elegant on the palate with lovely weight, balance and great length. Superb with the crab starter, a great marriage.

2005 Estate Chardonnay, Kumeu River Showing beautiful maturity, rich and refined with such Burgundian poise. Very good with the Turbot which was with a lobster ragout.

2005 Vieux Chateau Gaubert Graves Blanc Weighty with creamy citrus fruit and good intensity. Still very young and surprisingly fresh.

2003 Argilus du Roi, AC St Estephe, Bordeaux Showing beautifully, a cracking 2003 showing none of the prune like characteristics one often finds with this vintage and still with plenty of life left in it. In fact, this wine got better and better the longer it remained in the glass. Impressive.

2003 Vigna del Sorbo, Chianti Classico, Fontodi Very, very fine and a testament to the dedication that this property puts into their wines, especially in such a difficult vintage. Amazing bouquet, layer after layer of rich cassis fruit, amazing acidity coupled with soft tannins and a very long finish.

Chambers Rosewood Vineyards Rutherglen Muscat Sweet as ever, raisiny and so very moreish. Went well with the rich chocolate tart.

Charlie and I had great fun presenting the wines, the dishes and wine combinations worked well and everyone seemed to have an enjoyable time. We look forward to the next event at Buckland on 5th November which will be an evening featuring the wines of Penley Estate from Coonawarra. Proprietor and winemaker Kym Tolley will be presenting the wines.

Albarino - the new Viognier

What is it about Albarino, but it suddenly seems to be all the rage. It definitely seems to be the new Viognier - is that because it has distinct similarities and is so well priced?

Both are very aromatic, generally best drunk young and are produced from a varietal that is shy bearing and not easy to grow. Good examples of either have that moreish apricot and peach fruit that is so very seductive.

I happened to drink a bottle of the 2007 Albarino from Paco and Lola at the weekend and what a joy! Matched to possibly the most perfect dish - fishcakes with home-made mayonnaise.

The weight and slight oiliness of the Albarino allied to a delicious cut of acidity produced a marriage made in heaven. In fact it seems like I can still taste it now! It's unusual to think of white wines worth drinking from Spain, but if you have never drunk this Galician juice definitely give it a go, if you have, try it with home made fish cakes, you'll thank me for evermore!

Summer Tasting High Jinks!

Saturday night was our Summer Tasting and it was a great evening with over 120 attendees having the opportunity to taste over 100 wines from our extensive range.
The emphasis was definitely on having fun and enjoying the wines in informal surroundings. It was great to have Broadway Deli, Fromage to Age and Tapas in a Box there too, some great produce on sale and a superb range of nibbles to go with the wines.

Having tasted my way through all 105 or so wines prior to the doors opening and taking my place behind the tables (for me the order of the day was definitely spitting!) what were my personal highlights?

2006 Langhe Nebbiolo from Vajra - Perfumed and hauntingly scented, pure, elegant and refined. There was a deep down feeling that this would taste so much better with food. No wonder Vajra has such a great reputation and like red Burgundy one has to work at this type of wine to understand and appreciate it.

2003 Chianti Classico 'Vigna del Sorbo, Fontodi - Pure, intense and concentrated with layers of fruit and complexity. In what was a difficult vintage Fontodi have shown what great wine makers they are with this stunning, compelling wine which still has years ahead of it.

2005 Vieux Chateau Gaubert, Graves Blanc - A blend of 50% Semillon and 50% Sauvignon Blanc, barrel fermented. White Bordeaux is seriously under-rated and this example shows why. With wonderful richness and concentration and a long, long finish. Matched to rich seafood dishes this would be superb. Perfect with smoked haddock risotto.

2005 Bourgogne Rouge Gerard Raphet - Good Bourgogne Rouge is hard to find, many examples are thin, watery, insipid and poor value. Raphet puts as much effort into his Bourgogne Rouge as his Clos de Vougeot and this example is light in weight with delicious aromas of red fruits, perfumed, seductive and with remarkable flavour. Great with a roast duck breast!

Did you attend the tasting? Post a comment and let us know what your favourite wines were!

Mouton to Ornellaia

Not bad weather this weekend, in fact how a weekend in the Cotswolds can be transformed by a bit of sunshine.

A picnic at Waddesdon (south of the Cotswolds) with a group of friends was an ideal opportunity to sup a few glasses of Ca dei Frati Rose. It's quite amazing that this is our best selling rose and it retails at £11.75 even though we have a wide selection well under this mark, how many merchants could claim that their best selling rose is over the £11.00 price point?

What does it taste like? This seductive blend of Marzemino, Sangiovese and Barbera has such a softness along with a creaminess interwoven with raspberries and strawberry fruit. As we often say 'once tasted forever smitten'.

Waddesdon Manor is seriously impressive, a late 19c manor house in the French style sited in the heart of the Buckinghamshire countryside. The attention to detail they put into the Manor is similar to the effort they have put into their wines. At the present time Mouton seems to be on a roll.

Tasted the 2006 Volte from Ornellaia this weekend (effectively their third wine). A blend of 52% Sangiovese, 36% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Sauvignon made from young Cabernet and Merlot vines with some contracted in Sangiovese. Aged for 10 months in 2-4 year old French oak previously used for Ornellaia and Masseto. When first opened it seemed to be pretty closed up, quite hard and tough and not very giving. After two or three hours it really started to show it's true colours and on the nose it was delightfully perfumed with cassis and spice and a hint of cedar. The palate was elegant, soft and refined with charming bramble fruit and an elegant finish with appealing finesse. and polish. Not a wine to cellar long term but at its peak over the next couple of years. It was a great match to some old spot sausauges, in fact some of my greatest matches are to simple dishes (try serious white burgundy or vintage Champagne to fish and chips).

Awards.....the Oscars of the Wine Trade

Last week we happened to have a visit from a mystery shopper working for the International Wine Challenge. The chap bowled in bright and early and was dressed like a country gent, I had nothing to suspect when he pulled out a detailed menu that he wanted wines matched to, in fact this is no rare occurence, many of our regulars trust us with food matches for their important dining occasions.
Twenty minutes later after coming up with some suitable suggestions for the array of dishes (tuna with a salsa, pork with a PX sauce and lemon shortbread) he let it slip he was not a genuine customer. Last year we were one of two Central England Small Merchant Finalists, perhaps we may better our second place - watch this blog, the results are out in early September.

We also have been shortlisted as one of eleven merchants for the Decanter Small Merchant of the year award. This is a great honour as we are in some exhalted company and whilst our customers are the most important judge of what we do, to be picked out by a team of respected judges such as those at Decanter means alot to us. Need to keep an eye out for another mystery shopper lurking in the shadows.......

Cotswold Wine Blog..........

Welcome to the blog of a Cotswold Wine Merchant.

I am Richard and run the business on a day to day basis, Bennetts Fine Wines is based in Chipping Campden and this happens to be one of the most picturesque and historic of all the Cotswold Towns. We happened to be featured in Decanter Wine Magazine a couple of months ago their quote 'this shop is more than a pretty facade, it's a serious wine merchant' certainly rings true.

It seems like this summer is likely to be rather unsettled, but for now the sun is shining and there are so many new summer wines that deserve to be drunk............

I'll keep you posted as to how I am getting on.....

I tasted the 2006 Soave Classico from Inama last week and what a beauty it was! The white wines from Northern Italy are some of the most overlooked wines and Veneto produces some real gems. This wine is made from pergola trained Garganaga grapes (try saying that after a few glasses) grown on volcanic soils with no oak ageing whatsoever. It had wonderful flavour and great purity and depth. Such a refreshing change from Sauvignon and Chardonnay.

Our summer wine tasting takes place a week on Saturday. I spent yesterday finalising the tasting list of over 100 wines (105 to be exact), such a wide and great range and some very special stuff; 2000 Roederer Blanc de Blancs, 2005 Beaune Clos de Mouches - Drouhin, 2004 Mount Edelstone from Henschke to quote a few. Besides the 'specials' there are lots of more affordable wines including some superb rose's. Let's hope we have a good turnout. It's always such a fun event.