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Two Great Wines From Rioja

Posted by on September 13, 2023
Two Great Wines From Rioja

Two Wines on Wednesday this week, both from the Rioja 100Km of Diversity tasting last week.

Phinca Hapa 2020, Rioja Blanco, Bodegas Bhilar

Deep in colour with peaches and tangy orange peel on the nose. Both flavours continue on to the palate, blending in perfectly with opulent apricots, lime zest, and a strong mineral element. A fascinating and original wine.

#39.95, currently on offer at €25 from Searsons, Monkstown, www.searsons.com until the 24th September.

Bodegas Bhilar was set up in 1999 by David Sampedro and his wife Melanie Hickman. He is from the Rioja Alavesa, she from Hawaii. Today the vineyards are biodynamic and they specialise in small batches of single vineyard wines. The minimal intervention sustainable winery is built partially underground with concrete fermentation tanks. It is “off grid” using solar power.

There has been a lot of excitement about a new generation of Viura-based white wines from Rioja. This wine certainly fits into this category. The single vineyard Phinca Hapa is a blend of 82% Viura, 12% Garnacha Blanca and 6% Malvasía, fermented on the skins and then aged in large oak foudres.

Cantos de Valpiedra 2019, Finca Valpiedra Rioja Crianza

This is a very attractive smooth mature wine with elegant dark fruits, a subtle spiciness and tobacco. Medium-bodied, tannin-free and supple, this modern style Rioja offers very good value for money.

€21 from JNwine.com, Theallotment.ie.; The Vineyard, Belfast; The Vintage Wine Merchant, Antrim.

I would try this with white meats with a bit of flavour; roast pork or herby grilled chicken.

Finca Valpiedra is a single vineyard estate set up in 1994 by the well-known Martínez Bujanda family of Rioja. It has been part of the Grandes Pagos organization since its inception. The vineyard is relatively big, some 80 hectares close to the Ebro River in Rioja Alta. There is an excellent Reserva white wine fermented and matured in French and American oak, an unoaked Petra de Valpiedra, and the flagship red Finca Valpiedra Reserva. The Cantos de Valpiedra is the Crianza and comes from select stonier parcel of vines on the estate. It is made from 100% Tempranillo and aged for twelve months in 70% French and 30% American oak.

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FIVE GREAT WHITE WINES FROM ARGENTINA

Posted by on September 7, 2023
FIVE GREAT WHITE WINES FROM ARGENTINA

One slightly depressing note from the otherwise interesting Wines of Argentina tasting earlier this week. Several producers and importers mentioned that it was an uphill struggle to sell Chardonnay from Argentina – or Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Torrontés for that matter. It seems everyone wants Malbec and nothing else. I have nothing against Malbec but Argentina offers so much more. Chardonnay from Argentina can be very good and very keenly priced. Its local indigenous grape variety Torrontés produces some very interesting wines, and, included below is a Sémillon from Bodegas Mendel, one of my favorite white wines.

So instead of more Malbec, five great white wines from Argentina.

La Linda Chardonnay 2022 Luigi Bosca, Mendoza

La Linda Chardonnay 2022 Luigi Bosca, Mendoza
La Linda is part of the Luigi Bosca stable of wines. An unoaked Chardonnay with fresh tropical fruits aplenty along with peaches and nectarines. Opulent but balanced nicely with good acidity. Very good value for money.

€13.95 www.winesoftheworld.ie and Mary B’s Off Licence, Arklow.

Bodegas Salentein Barrel Selection Chardonnay 2021, Uco Valley

An award winner at the Noffla awards last year, and it is easy to see why; floral aromas, rich, textured stone fruits, with subtle notes of vanilla and spice. The oak is very deftly handled and there is plenty of refreshing acidity. This has been retailing for €20 over the last year and offered great value for money. It still does at €22.

€20-€22 – Widely available in independent off-licences including Barnhill Stores, Dalkey; The CoachHouse D14; Parcel Concierge, Dunshaughlin; McHughs, D5; Baggot Street Wines.

Bodegas Mendel Sémillon 2021, Mendoza

This has been one of the greatest white wines of Argentina for many years. It has less oak than in the past, a pity in my view, but it is still provides a wonderful combination of lush fruit and lightly toasty oak. White flower aromas, rich lightly honeyed ripe stone fruits, toasted hazelnuts and lime zest with a long dry finish. Keep a few years of drink now with creamy chicken dishes.

€22.50 – €26 from Wines on the Green, D2; McHugh’s, D5; Martin’s, D3.

Bodegas Atamisque Chardonnay 2021, Tupungato, Uco Valley

Atamisque make a range of great wines, marked by an elegance, concentration and structure that suggests they will age well. The Chardonnay is a classic, linear and tight with aromas of lemon curd and herbs. The palate is fresh and lively with generous pineapple and apple fruits, subtle oak and a persistent dry finish. Great wine, with more than a nod towards Burgundy.

€32 from Mitchell & Son, Glasthule and IFSC; Deveneys Dundrum; Redmonds, D6: D-Six off licence, D6; The Winehouse, Trim; Pete’s Wine Shop, ~D5; Nectar Wines, D14; Corkscrew, D2.

Bodegas Catena Zapata Alta Historic Rows Chardonnay 2020, Mendoza

Made from grapes grown in two vineyards, both at over 1,200 metres altitude. Fermented and aged in French oak, with partial malolactic fermentation. This is an impressive wine with subtle aromas of smoky oak and acacia blossoms; it explodes with flavour on the palate; the oak is there but never dominates, the fruit is elegant but intense, finishing very long and dry.

€35 from La Touche, Greystones; 64wine, Glasthule; Deveney’s, D14; Corkscrew, D2; Kelly’s, Clontarf; Wineoneline.ie.

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PRANZEGG CAMPILL 2019, VINO ROSSO

Posted by on September 6, 2023
PRANZEGG CAMPILL 2019, VINO ROSSO

Pranzegg Campill 2019, Vino Rosso

€40 From 64wine, Glasthule

Full of energy with piquant pure fresh dark cherries, plums and brambles. It has a mouth-watering twist of acidity that makes it a great food wine, and a light earthiness. Elegant, with a mere 12%abv.

We enjoyed a bottle of this delicious vibrant wine last weekend with salad and plainly roasted chicken. However, I suspect the vibrant acidity would give a perfect ‘cut’ to richer meat dishes.

There are times when I receive a sample of natural wine and breathe a deep sigh. While I am very much in favour of low intervention and have tasted many brilliant wines, I hate light fizzy acidic anemic red wines or even worse, wines there taste more of barnyards than fruit. So, I put off tasting this sample for a week or more, which was wrong of me. If you still need proof that low intervention wines can sing, then the Pranzegg Campill will provide ample proof.

Martin Gojer and his wife have a small vineyard in the hills above Bolzano in the South Tyrol. They farm on biodynamic lines, producing tiny quantities of white and red wines. Some of the vines are trained traditional pergola fashion.

This wine is made from the Vernatsch grape, otherwise known as Trollinger in Germany, where it is the fourth most planted variety, or Schiava in Italy. It originates in Trentino / South Tyrol.

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NUGAN ESTATE TASTING

Posted by on September 4, 2023
NUGAN ESTATE TASTING

N

Matthew Dugan and winemaker Glen Snaideri.

Matthew Nugan, owner and CEO of Australian producer Nugan Estate was in town today with European sales manager Gary Janes and winemaker Glen Snaideri to host a tasting of their wines.

Matthew’s Spanish grandparents fled the Spanish fled the civil war in 1938 and began a fruit packaging business in Griffith, New South Wales. The Nugan family was once the largest exporter of carrot juice in the southern hemisphere. Most of it went to Japan, Matthew Nugan tells me. It was part of a dynamic fruit and vegetable company that began making wine in 1993.

Nugan now owns almost 600 hectares of vines, and produce wines from various Australian wine regions, including Coonawarra, McLaren Vale, King Valley, Langhorne Creek, and Riverina. The family also grows other fruits including olives and citrus fruits.

Nugan has been a mainstay of the SuperValu Australian wine offering for a decade or more now. It is easy for wine anoraks to knock their style of wine, but they are certainly popular and form a valuable bridge between everyday inexpensive brands and more niche wines.
The wines are unashamedly commercial; the whites are generally fresh and fruity, the reds rich and ripe with plenty of oak. They are one of the leading Australian producers of appassimento wines and produce Ripasso and Amarone lookalikes.

All of the wines below are available from SuperValu.

Nugan Estate Bossy Boots Sauvignon Blanc 2023, King Valley

Lightly aromatic with fresh, clean tropical fruits and a dry finish. Good everyday drinking. €12.99

Nugan Estate Single Vineyard King Valley Chardonnay 2021

Creamy, nicely textured Chardonnay with red apple and tropical fruits, subtle toasty oak and good acidity. All components work very nicely together. €17.99

Nugan Estate Third Generation Shiraz 2021, SE Australia

A classic Aussie Shiraz with rich sweet ripe dark fruits, plenty of power and an easy smooth finish. Not currently available.

Nugan Estate Stompers Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, Riverina

Sweet jammy cassis, dark fruits and milk chocolate with a touch of spice and ripe tannins. €12.99.

Nugan Estate Alfredo Second Pass Shiraz 2021, Riverina

Made in the Ripasso style using the skins of their Amarone-style Dried Grape Alfredo. Full-bodied and powerful with masses or ripe red fruits, milk chocolate and tobacco leaf. On offer at a very competitive €13.

La Brutta Zin Petit Sirah 2021, SE Australia

Big powerful wine with concentrated dark fruits, a good tannic structure and a nice bite on the finish. Perfect with steak. €14.99

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La Tremenda Bodegas Enrique Mendoza 2018

Posted by on August 30, 2023
La Tremenda Bodegas Enrique Mendoza 2018

La Tremenda Bodegas Enrique Mendoza 2018, Alicante

Elegant refreshing ripe dark fruits with a savoury note of black olives, and a light toasty spiciness. There is a lovely juicy fleshy quality to the fruit. It finishes with some well-judged dry tannins.

A good medium-bodied all-purpose wine that would go well with both red and white meats as well as Mediterranean vegetables. Keep it local and drink alongside one of those lovely paella-style rice dishes.

€19.95 from Lotts & Co, D4; Nectar Wines, Sandyford; Barnhill Stores, Dalkey: Martins Off Licence, D3; Redmonds of Ranelagh, D6; The Corkscrew, D2; McHugh’s Off Licence, D5.

Enrique Mendoza is based in Alicante in south-east Spain. He was one of the first producers in the modern era to concentrate on making quality wines. Starting out with international grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, more recently he has turned his attention to Monastrell aka Mourvèdre a variety that is indigenous to the region. As I mentioned in a previous blog on Bodega El Cèrron in Jumilla, some producers in Murcia and Alicante are looking to make lighter, more elegant wines from Monastrell. Mendoza certainly falls into this category. As well as several excellent single vineyard wines, he makes La Tremenda, his entry-level wine. Made in stainless steel and then aged briefly in oak barrels, it offers great value for money.

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Château Poitevin 2016, Cru Bourgeois, Médoc

Posted by on August 23, 2023
Château Poitevin 2016, Cru Bourgeois, Médoc

Château Poitevin 2016, Cru Bourgeois, Médoc
13%
€18.95 down from €21.95 until the 27th August from O’Briens.

This is a classic medium-bodied mature Médoc with a nice concentration of just ripe blackcurrant and blackberry fruits, good structure, a touch of spice and evolved smooth tannins on the dry finish. At less than €20, this is pretty good value for money.

Perfect with red meats – the classic roast leg of lamb would be great – or firm cheeses.

After many years of wrangling, the Cru Bourgeois system was relaunched in 2020. There are now 250 Châteaux spread out across the Médoc entitled to call themselves Cru Bourgeois. 45 of those are Cru Bourgeois Supérieur, and a further 14 are Cru Bourgeois Exceptionel. A well-made Cru Bourgeois from the Médoc can offer great value for money; there are also disappointments, something to be expected when you have such a large group, but the new system seems to provide far great consistency. According to the official Bordeaux website, the Crus Bourgeois make up over 40% of the entire Médoc production.

Cru Bourgeois straddles the gap between the much more expensive Grands Crus Classés and mere petits châteaux. For me, they should have classic Médoc structure and fruit; ripe but savoury dark fruits, granular tannins and good acidity. Those from the better-known communes such as Margaux or Saint-Julien should show some typicity too.

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Bodega El Cerrón Remordimiento 2020, Jumilla

Posted by on August 15, 2023
Bodega El Cerrón Remordimiento 2020, Jumilla

Bodega El Cerrón Remordimiento 2020, Jumilla
14%
€19.95

This is a delicious medium-bodied wine with supple pure dark fruits, an attractive freshness, and a herby touch with light tannins. It offers great value for money.

Food: A good all-rounder, light enough to go with most white meats, it would also make a great partner for grilled or roast lamb.

From 64 Wine, Glasthule; Redmond’s, D6; Blackrock Cellar; Jus de Vine, Portmarnock; Fine Wine & Food Athlone.

Monastrell grown in the Murcia region of southwest Spain can produce very big, tannic, alcoholic wines. There are exceptions though. Earlier this year, I was delighted to come across the wines of Bodega Cerrón. All four wines I tasted were fresh, elegant and vibrant with a wonderful purity of fruit. I feature the Remordimiento as it has the widest availability, but the Matas Altas (€25 from Drinkstore, D7) is well worth seeking out.

Juan José and Carlos Cerrón are the fourth generation to farm a series of small plots of vines located at 870-980 metres around the village of Fuente-Álamo in the Jumilla D.O. The ungrafted bush vines are farmed biodynamically in limestone soils.

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Herbert Zillinger – a new Austrian star.

Posted by on August 9, 2023

I have tasted the wines of Herbert Zillinger three times over the last year or so. On each occasion I have been blown away by them. I met Zillinger briefly at VieVinum, the biannual showcase Austrian wine fair. He came across as modest and unassuming but very assured when talking about his wines.

Zillinger is based in Weinviertel, a large area in north-eastern Austria, better known for producing decent everyday wines, usually made from Grüner Veltliner. The Zillinger wines are anything but everyday. He and his partner Carmen farm biodynamically in deep loess soils. They work naturally, adding only a small amount of SO2. Zillinger are members of respect-BIODYN, a group of biodynamic producers in Austria, Germany and elsewhere, including some of the very best estates. The results are spectacular. As he writes on his website “we don’t compromise. We create unique wines, wines with a profile, structure and ‘USP”. I am a big fan of Grüner Veltliner from Kamptal; these wines are different but every bit as good.

Wine Mason is the Irish importer. They list four of his wines. I see from his website he produces over a dozen, all in small quantities.

Neuland Grüner Veltliner 2021, Weinviertel
Tight and closed at first, but then explodes with flavour; layers of textured ripe green fruits, lots of ginger spice, and a dry finish. 17/20

€26 from Barnhill Stores, Dalkey, Co. Dublin; TheAllotment.com; Lilith, Dublin7; La Touche, Greystones; MacCurtain Wine Cellar, Cork; The Wine Pair, Dublin 8; SIX, Dublin 6.

Horizont Grüner Veltliner 2021, Weinviertal
Intense ripe peaches and apricots, with spice aplenty, a very mineral backbone and long finish. Gorgeous wine. 17.5/20

€29-31 from Redmonds, Ranelagh, Dublin 6; La Touche, Greystones, Co. Wicklow.

Radikal Grüner Veltliner 2019, Weinviertal
Rich, powerful and exotic with intense honey, pineapple chunks, some herbal notes too. Lingering finish. A sensational wine that will develop further. 18/20

€68-70 from Lilith, 31a Prussia Street, D7.

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A New Addition to The Irish Wine Geese.

Posted by on August 4, 2023

Irish green entrepreneur Dr. Eddie O’Connor has acquired Château Tour des Termes in Saint-Estèphe, one of the leading communes of Bordeaux. He purchased the estate from the Anney family, who have worked on the estate for five generations. O’Connor’s first move was to appoint Julien Brustis as Director General to work with Christophe Anney on a smooth transition.

O’Connor, a wine afficionado, commented “I have always wanted to own a vineyard in Bordeaux, the world’s greatest wine producing area. Building on what has been achieved by Christoph Anney and his forebears we intend to create a sustainable vineyard which copes in the best way possible with global warming”.

O’Connor has been working in the sustainable offshore wind energy sector since developer of offshore wind in the Irish and North Seas since 2003 and Onshore wind in the Irish and North Seas since 2003 and further afield in Chile and the U.S. since 1992. He has dedicated his career to decarbonisation of energy supply using the Supergrid.

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Heimann & Fiai, Hungary

Posted by on April 18, 2023
Heimann & Fiai, Hungary

Every now and again you come across a producer that might be special. I met Hungarian winemaker Zoltán Heimann on a visit to Dublin last year. He is obviously a very bright and capable winemaker, and he is making some fantastic wines.

The Heimann winery was established by his parents, his mother making the wine and his father, also Zoltán, involved in the viticulture. They are based in Szekszárd in the southern part of the country, red wine country I am told. Zoltán studied winemaking at Geisenheim, Montpellier and Bordeaux before returning home.

The family has a passion for Kadarka and Kékfrankos, two indigenous grape varieties. Zoltán senior has been working with the local university to produce better lower-yielding clones of both varieties to improve the quality of their grapes.

Kadarka has a long history in Hungary, and was an important constituent in the legendary Bull’s Blood/ Bikavér. Handled carefully, it can produce mouth-watering fresh wines with crunchy dark fruits.

Kékfrankos is the Hungarian name for Blaufränkisch, a variety grown all over central Europe. There are several leading proponents in Austria producing great wines. The wines are typically low in alcohol, medium-bodied, with pure fresh fruits. I love them.

I tasted three wines from Heimann and was blown away by them. All had an amazing purity, lively acidity, and perfectly ripe fruits combined with a beguiling freshness.

Hungary has been making great wines for decades now; we just don’t see them here in Ireland. The Heimann wines, along with some from other interesting Hungarian producers, are imported by Balázs Rakamazi of Vinifinesse. JN Wines also import wines from the Sebestyén winery also in the Szekszárd region.

Kadarka Szekszárd 2021, Heimann
Fresh reviving red fruits and morello cherries with nicely balancing acidity and a touch of spice. A lovely vin de soif. 16/20 €26.75 – €26-28.

Kékfrankos 2018 Heimann
Dried rose petals, leafy developing leafy smoky notes with red fruits and a mineral bite. 16.5/20 €26-28

Kékfrankos Bati Kereszt 2019, Heimann
This is a seriously good wine; lovely fresh nose, dark fruits, plums and blackcurrants and floral notes; the palate has the same bright, ripe, rounded fruits and a chalky dry finish. Classic Kékfrankos / Blaufränkisch. 17.5/20 €35-37

The Heimann wines are available from the following outlets: The Corkscrew, D2; 64Wine, Glasthule; Blackrock Cellar; Clontarf Wines, D3; Pinto Wines, D9; Pete’s Provisions, D5; Elm Epicurean, D4; Margadh, D13; Provender Stores, D8.

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