MoneyWeek

MoneyWeek, 2 October 2009 – 2001 Grans Murralles, Torres

2nd October 2009

2001 Grans Murralles, Torres, Conca de Barberà, Spain (£54.95, Handford Wines tel. 020 7589 6113). It is a crying shame that, after extensive research, only one merchant in the UK appears to sell this monumental wine. So, with this in mind, please give Greg Sherwood or James Handford (a brace of Masters of Wine, no less) a call and a pat on the back…

MoneyWeek, 25 September 2009 – 2008 Jale Rosé & 2008 Whispering Angel

25th September 2009

2008 Domaine de Jale Rosé, Cuvée Les Fenouils, Côtes de Provence, France (£56.35 per 6 bottles, Goedhuis & Co. tel. 020 7793 7900). I am feeling a little generous this week because it’s my birthday. That, and the fact that some of you think that I have peaked too early with my dismissal of all styles ‘summery’ so early in this autumnal…

MoneyWeek, 18 September 2009 – 2004 Hegarty Chamans, Minervois

18th September 2009

2004 Hegarty Chamans, Cuvée 1, Minervois, Languedoc, France (£15.50, Adnams tel. 020 8940 8684 & 01502 727200). I have followed this estate’s wines very closely since Sir John Hegarty and his partner Philippa Crane bought it in 2002. The transformation of the vineyards is still progressing, slowly and meticulously – this is a very painstaking…

MoneyWeek, 11 September 2009 – Don Gonzalo, Dry Oloroso

11th September 2009

Don Gonzalo, Dry Oloroso, VOS, Valdespino, Sherry, Spain (£24.95, half bottle £13.95, Lea & Sandeman tel. 020 7244 0522 & www.londonfinewine.co.uk). The onset of autumn signals an about turn in dining habits for me. Out go the airy fairy rosés and frisky Sauvignon Blancs and in come the thoughtful reds and lusty whites. I don’t fall all…

MoneyWeek, 4 September 2009 – 2006 Vacqueyras, Montirius, Southern Rhône

4th September 2009

2006 Vacqueyras, Garrigues, Domaine Montirius, Southern Rhône, France (£11.95, Berry Bros & Rudd, tel. 0800 2802440 and www.bbr.com). The biodynamic movement is gathering pace in the wine world. Achieving a natural and holistic balance between the soil, the vine and air surrounding it, in theory, creates a happy and hardy plant. The lack…

MoneyWeek, 28 August 2009 – 2007 Renato Ratti Nebbiolo, Piemonte

28th August 2009

2007 Renato Ratti Nebbiolo, Piemonte, Italy (£10.99, Marks & Spencer). I know nothing about this fabulously named producer, but I can tell you that this is one hell of a wine. Nebbiolo is an aristocratic red grape and the great wines of Barolo and Barbaresco are some of the most elucidating taste experiences imaginable. But these wines cost…

MoneyWeek, 21 August 2009 – 2005 Penfolds Bin 28

21st August 2009

2005 Penfolds, Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz, Barossa Valley, South Australia (£68.34 per case of six bottles - £11.39 per bottle, www.tesco.com/wine). Hold onto your hats gentlemen (ladies grasp your bonnets)! Bin 28 is nothing short of a legend in Australia and I am so obsessed with these Kalimna vineyards, in this wild outback of the Barossa Valley, that…

MoneyWeek, 14 August 2009 – 2008 Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc, Saint-Cosme

14th August 2009

2008 Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc, Saint-Cosme, Southern Rhône, France (£13.99, Richard Royds at The Haslemere Cellar tel. 01428 645081). The craftsmanship and build quality of this wine is of the very highest order imaginable. The usual white grapes have been employed - Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne, but cheeky little Picpoul pops up and it is he…

MoneyWeek, 7 August 2009 – Jules Taylor Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand

7th August 2009

2008 Jules Taylor Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (£12.99, Handford Wines tel. 020 7589 6113 & www.handford.net). The Marlborough region had a huge Sauvignon Blanc harvest in 2008 and a large number of wines were made from dilute fruit. This is why you may have come across a few weedy ‘08s in the last six months or so.…

MoneyWeek, 31 July 2009 – 2007 Cairanne Blanc, Domaine Oratoire St. Martin

31st July 2009

2007 Cairanne Blanc, Réserve des Seigneurs, Domaine Oratoire St. Martin, Southern Rhône, France (£9.99, Vine Trail, tel. 0117 921 1770 and www.vinetrail.co.uk). I seem to be having almost weekly wine epiphanies at the moment and long may this last. My latest revelation was this bargain-priced white Rhône. I know that a tenner is not strictly…

MoneyWeek, 24 July 2009 – 2006 Pegasus Bay Virtuoso Chardonnay, New Zealand

24th July 2009

2006 Pegasus Bay, Virtuoso Chardonnay, Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand (£20.00, case price, Wimbledon Wine Cellar, tel. 020 8540 9979, www.wimbledonwinecellar.com). There are only thirteen cases of this wine in the UK and the geniuses at Wimbledon Wine have earmarked them. The price that WWC has quoted us is miles under what you’d have to…

MoneyWeek, 17 July 2009 – 2005 Peter Lehmann Semillon, Barossa Valley

17th July 2009

2005 Peter Lehmann Semillon, Barossa Valley, South Australia (£6.99 Oddbins). The Barossa Valley might not be the first port of call for dry, aged, Semillon on the planet – Bordeaux and Australia’s Hunter Valley would muscle into view before you’d posed the question – but by golly this wine is a beauty. The very first time that I visited PL’s…