Bisquertt Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2009 - A very decent Chilean quaffer

This is a solid easy drinker from Chile's Colchagua valley.

Now at five years old it's got a certain maturity, lots of forward fruit with balanced oak (i.e. not too much vanilla) and black cherry, some cloves and cassis.

You can't seem to go wrong with Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon. I've not had one I disliked.

Some are over the top on the fruit, the alcohol and the American oak (which gives the vanilla undertones)

This one was around £14 bought at duty free in Guilin airport in China.

Some of the other wines from Bisquertt seem to be a lot cheaper, the same in USD, so perhaps I over paid.

On the other hand this is apparently a reserve so who knows.

Anyhow, it's nothing hugely special, but goes down wonderfully as I drink it here in Taiwan on holiday, with, of all things, wasabi soy nuts.

Not ideal food matching, but the Bisquertt can handle it.

Perhaps this wine is not to everyone's taste, but very tasty nonetheless. A Burgundy fan probably won't like it.

The producer has a lovely website, and says Wine Spectator rated it a top value 2009 Cabernet.

Their site is here, worth a look around.

Excellent and rare aged white from the Loire: Domaine aux Moines Savennieres 1998, yes, I said 1998

About as unique as white wine gets, and I
mean that in a good way...

This is a really unusual white wine. I'm usually a red man, but am developing my white wine palate sporadically.

My tastes run to the stronger, heftier wines around. Although I draw the line at about 14.5% alcohol and am not a fan of the huge South African or Australian reds with over powering alcohol and/or fruit.

Back to whites, I have discovered good white Burgundy in recent years (2008 Meursault being a particular but pricey favourite).

Also Carbonnieux from Bordeaux is a cracker, if not cheap.

This white on the left here, Domaine aux Moines 1998 was an extraordinary find at Vinoteca in Soho, recently.

It's amazing aged white wine. You rarely see whites this old that are not sweet wines, so if you can find it, it is well worth a try. The dryness comes off as it breathes, although one out of the three bottles I have tried had gone over the edge. It's hard to explain how it tastes. Like nothing else in white wine.

Imagine a Sancerre with more richness, breadth and a little, well 'edge' to it. Plus the aged flavours. Not to everyone's taste, but very tasty nonetheless. It's about £15-20 at retail prices, which is a real steal, if you can find any left. 

Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano Risera 2007, two good options

2007: Bad in Bordeaux but superb in Montepulciano

From a layman's point of view, i.e. mine, 2007 seems to have turned out quite well in Montepulciano.

Back in 2010 a blogger who undoubtedly knows more than I, wrote that the:

"2007 vintage was a nervous and aggressive vintage in Tuscany, with brambly acidities and sharpness that have yet to settle out".

Further thoughts and reviews are here.

I've been sampling the odd bottle of Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano Risera 2007 from a couple of sources over the last two years and I think the vintage must have moved on considerably from 2007.

The Riserva vintages are not made every year so one should have relatively high expectations.

Some interesting background on the region can be found on the Berry Brother's site here.

Interestingly, I had no idea how much smaller the production volume is when compared with nearby Brunello and Chianti. Berry's says that: "Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG covers only 820ha - compared to 12,000ha for Brunello di Montalcino and 7,000ha for Chianti Classico".

Berry's also writes that: "Stylistically, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano combines the richness of Brunello di Montalcino with the perfume of Chianti Classico. Without the limestone spine of other top Tuscan sites, the wines tend to be medium to full-bodied with firm tannins, lively acidity, fleshy strawberry and cherry fruit and hints of tea leaves. The best examples should age 8 to 15 years while Riservas can last for over two decades."

So if you want to tell your friends you are drinking a wine that is slightly off the beaten track, this is a good one to sample. I find rare tuscan steak and wild boar both go very well with these wines.

What I like about the two 2007 vintages I have had is that they, unlike some other good italian wines, don't break the bank when you drink them in a restaurant. That matters quite lot given how pricey a lot of decent, and a lot of frankly mediocre, Italian wine can be.

First up, the wine pictured is available in London's Boca di Luppo for about £45. That's not bad for such a good eatery (Boca is fabulous, eat at the bar if you can).

Here's the producer website. Retail prices seem to be about £18-20 in the UK. That makes it a bit of a gem in my book. Their description of it as "dry, harmonic, fruity and velvety, with an elegant texture and long finish" is a decent one. I would add that it has that lovely slightly aged, earthy Sangiovese tinge on the end and into the finish of a sip. For the price, retail or in Boca, it's a decent option indeed.

The second option is Avignonesi's Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano Risera 2007 which I think is even better than the Carpineto above.

I always buy it at Negozio Classica in Notting Hill, London, which is one of my favourite places to hang out. It's always relaxed there, the food is fabulous and the italian wine selection unsurpassed. The restaurant is part owned by the Avignonesi vineyard, a trend I would love to see more of, and the benefits are clear. 

The Avignonesi Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano Risera 2007 is not cheap, around £50-60 as a I recall it in the restaurant, but as a special treat it is unmissable. And it likely come with an expiration date given how limited general Montepulciano production is. Drink it while it lasts. 

Jean-Marc Burgaud Morgon Cote Du Py 2011: Lovely Claret alternative

This a lovely Beaujolais wine, made from Gamay grapes. It reminds me of the Tracot I reviewed on here a while ago.

As a lighter alternative to claret yet with some similar characteristics (complexity, minerality) it's a good after dinner drink, when one might nibble on some Stilton whilst watching Boxing Day television.

Berry Brother's review says: "It has a tight, dense nose, with a waft of rich fruit coming through behind. The texture is silky but strong, supported by good acidity. An excellent cuvée."

That seems fair. It's also got a decent 30 second slightly acid finish.

Berry's has it for under £19, whilst the Wine Society has it at £12.50 a bottle.

A good claret alternative.

Poujeaux 2008: Solid, if unspectacular, every day drinking

Cru Bourgeois from Moulis

Poujeaux is often regarded as one of the best of the small region of Moulis. Here's a map.

I've tried a few before. The 2004 and another vintage which I forget

I liked the 2004, the forgotten one I was not a fan of. I recall it was far too austere for me. Or perhaps had not been stored correctly, who knows.

This 2008 is just the right side of restrained for me. It's mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, but with more Merlot than you can taste.

It's not got a huge amount about it, but sometimes that's what you want. A nice, simple classy Medoc without too much bright fruit. (God, I hate that term)

So for a simple reliable 2008, if you like classic Medoc, it's worth a punt. It's clearly changing quickly as it ages though, as you can see from the Winedoctor's reviews.

For UK folks, it's about £20 a bottle, and worth it at that price.

I picked up my bottle at Carrefour in Bordeaux (amusingly, having just been tasting the 2012 harvest out of the vat at Le Pin!.. ah how the mighty fall) for about 13-15 Euros I think.

Neirano Barolo Collezione Marchesini 2007

There's a far better picture of this wine, here, where you can buy it for £19.99 a bottle, which I think is well worth it at that price.

I'd recommend it with the steak at the Cadogan Arms in Chelsea, where it sits quite reasonably on their menu.

Château la Rivière: An worthy experiment under £20

Château la Rivière is a corker of a drinking merlot. It's not my favoured grape, but sometimes it can be really quite good, as long as one does not over pay.

Adnams, a UK retailers with impressive ethical credentials to boot, has some excellent offers on Château la Rivière right now.

At £18 a bottle, it's not the bargain of the year, but if you are looking to experiment with a fine drinking merlot at under £20, it's worth trying a bottle for sure.