The Wine Society’s Spring Tasting
Highlights from The Wine Society’s Spring line-up
I doubt that there are many wine merchants committed enough to press tastings during the Zoom era to send out 48 bottles of wine to the press followed by an all-day tasting of said samples with six of their buying team hosting their own half-hour slot.
For us Lockdown thumb-twiddlers, it was a bravura performance by the Wine Society’s buying team and its in-house and out-house PR. Hats off for surmounting the logistics alone of bottling 48 phials of 50ml wine (alas not 50cl, as one member of the press inadvertently tweeted), packaging them up and sending them out fresh for the tasting.
Leaving aside the sight of voluminous beards and flowing locks, the latter not just belonging to the women wine buyers, what makes such a Zoom tasting particularly useful is to hear what each buyer has to say about their area. We learnt for instance of the surge in popularity of Austria and Greece, the latter the fastest growing country at The Wine Society, a resurgence of interest in Sherry and a renaissance in ‘real’ Beaujolais, that Spain is one of the best value wine countries in Europe with Rioja in particular exciting after two excellent reserva vintages in 2015 and 2016.
The Wine Society’s Grand Fromage, Pierre Mansour reminded us too of the abiding affection its members (now 170,000, active members) have for Bordeaux. His upbeat message was that, despite Brexit teething problems, some prices will come down in May thanks to an improving exchange rate and no duty increase this year. I wonder how many of the supermarkets will be following suit.
As we’ve come to expect from The Wine Society, the good wines hit-rate was high and the range shown covered a broad range of Spring and Summer-friendly styles, countries, grape varieties and prices. So, the most expensive was a (delicious) £35 red Burgundy, but less expensive pinot noirs from New Zealand hit the spot. There were a sufficient number of good value wines at around the £10 mark, or under a tenner in some cases, to get the saliva juices and lockdown savings moving in the right direction.
And while the body of the tasting was of many of the usual suspects such as red Bordeaux, white Burgundy and Rioja, samples shown included a smattering of exciting off-the-beaten track wines to reach the excitement antennae, among them, a spicy Mondeuse from Savoie, a couple of Greek stonkers and a luscious South African sweetie. It would have been nice to have seen some champagne and sparkling wine but not even The Wine Society could magic fizz into 50 ml. phials.
Here’s our Top 20 from the tasting:
Whites
Lubanzi, Chenin Blanc, Swartland, South Africa 2020 - 89 pts
12% ABV
Fresh and pineappley in aroma, there’s plenty of ripe stone fruit purity and concentration in this Cape Chenin, an attractively juicy texture with a taste of moreish stone fruit ripeness, balanced and refreshingly zesty and dry at the finish. Good value.
£9.95 - It also comes in cans at £3.95 for 250 cl.
The Society's Gavi, Piemonte, Italy, 2020 - 90 pts
12.5% ABV
An exclusive blend for the Wine Society from the Araldica Co-operative, this dry white’s distinctive fresh and herbal, savoury aromas are followed by an appealing peach and pear ripeness with a note of spice, streaked with the classic crisp precision of the Cortese grape for a delightfully dry finish. Under £10? This stonks.
£9.95
Birgit Braunstein, Pinot Blanc, Burgenland , Austria, 2019 - 90 pts
13% ABV
From one of Austria’s’s top biodynamic producers, this is a distinctive Pinot Blanc that’s, fragrant, savoury and intense, with a fresh, juiciness of fruit, whose lees-derived peachy richness is a tad spicy; a Pinot Blanc of substance, and substantial character.
£13.50
Domaine Cauhapé, Jurançon Geyser, South West France, 2019 - 91 pts
14.5% ABV
A Wine Society stalwart, Henri Ramonteu’s Béarnais blend is made from a fruit salad mix of Gros and Petit Manseng with Camaralet, Courbu and Lauzet grapes, a sexy dry white that’s herbal and grapefruit zesty, richly full-bodied and intense with powerful yet zesty pink grapefruit notes at the death; a takes no prisoners wine with immense flavour and character.
£13.95
Domaine Lyrarakis, Armi Thrapsathiri, Crete, Greece, 2019 - 91 pts
14% ABV
Made from Thrapsathiri, one of Greece’s finest, albeit little-known white varieties, the distinctively aromatic herbal note is complemented by rich stone fruit flavours and an intense mouthfeel with an appealing touch of underlying nutty oak and a robust underlying freshness; a Greek white Burgundy in all but name.
£14.50
Bürklin-Wolf, Deidesheimer Riesling, Pfalz, Germany, 2019 - 89 pts
12% ABV
This dry Riesling from Bürklin-Wolf’s Herrgottsacker vineyard is fresh and clean showing a hint of petrol and citrus in its aromas, a light spritz on the tongue followed by a refreshingly citrus-zesty, medium-bodied fruit quality that’s mouthwateringly crisp and bone dry.
£14.95 - It also comes in cans at £3.95 for 250 cl.
Domaine de la Rochette Mont Sard, Mâcon-Bussières, Burgundy, France, 2019 - 90 pts
14% ABV
Fresh in aroma, very Chardonnay, even if it’s a non-aromatic variety, good fruit concentration that feels quite rich in the mouth thanks in part to barrel-fermentation yet fresh and peachy with a light touch of oak butteriness and a fruit quality that’s mouthwateringly fresh. Good bang for buck.
£14.95
Fefiñanes Albariño, Rías Baixas, Galicia, Spain, 2020 - 92 pts
14% ABV
It would be hard not to love this superfresh Albariño from the excellent Fefiñanes with its notes of fresh pear, lively fresh spritz and spiciness on the tongue followed by juicy apple and pear flavours that come with an intensity supported by a mouthwatering saline note as it finishes.
£17
Rosé
Heumann, Rosé Cuvée Villány, Villány, Hungary, 2020 - 88 pts
13.5% ABV
This pale pink Hungarian rosé made mainly from the Kékfrankos grape, aka Blaufränkisch, is intensely aromatic with a fresh spritz on the tongue and a spicy, raspberryish fruit quality that comes just in time for Spring, its fine incisive acidity cutting through for an elegantly dry finale, yet full-bodied enough for food.
£9.50
Red
Bononia Estate, Gamza Danube Plain, Bulgaria, 2019 - 87 pts
13.5% ABV
Pale ruby and cherryish in aroma, this Bulgarian red made from the Gamza grape (Hungary’s Kadarka, but you knew that) could almost be mistaken for a Beaujolais with its lipsmacking, cherry-juicy flavours, easy-drinking suppleness of texture and a mouthwatering freshness that makes it an uncomplicated but satisfying spring-into-summer quaffer.
£8.95
The Society’s Chianti Rufina, Tuscany, Italy, 2018 - 89 pts
13.5% ABV
Classic Chianti from the Grati family, showing typical Sangiovese characters in a cooler sub-district, Rufina, whose extra zesty freshness lends a lingering dimension to the herb and sour cherry fruit, closing on and a satisfyingly savoury note. Hmmm, might have to invest in a few bottles.
£9.95
Pauletts, Polish Hill River Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, Clare Valley, South Australia, 2017 - 90 pts
14.5% ABV
This Clare Valley Bordeaux-style blend is enticingly fragrant, showing a hint of sun-dried tomato and oak spice and a succulent fruit richness supported by a textural layer of oak that rounds it out nicely, that initial sweetness of fruit leading to a sophisticated savoury finish. Serious Aussie bang for buck here.
£11.50
Domaine Lyrarakis, Plakoura Mandilari, Crete, Greece, 2017 - 90 pts
13% ABV
Intensely aromatic, a smoky oaky note initially suggesting Rioja but, then there’s a big difference, a vibrant damson fruit quality from Crete’s Mandilari grape, concentrated by 11% of the grapes dried in the sun for three days, and complemented by a spicy mid-palate dark cherry fruitiness whose tactile grip steers you towards a delightfully savoury finish.
£12.95
Jean-François Quénard, Mondeuse Terres Rouges - Vin de Savoie, Savoie, France, 2019 - 90 pts
12% ABV
The cool climate spicy aromatics of this vivid, youthful Alpine Mondeuse borders initially on Syrah, with juicy sleek blackberry fruitiness in an almost Crozes-like vein, added to which there’s a gentle grip to its medium-bodied fruit and a delightful, balancing freshness.
£13.50
Ktima Foundi, Xinomavro Naoussa, Naoussa, Greece, 2016 - 91 pts
13% ABV
Distinctively savoury and spicy in aroma, this Xinomavro from Greece’s Ramnista sub-region is almost Nebbiolo-like, its sweetly rich dried cherry fruit bringing a traditional feel that recalls Piemonte, with those firm grippy tannins and marked acidity; a sort of Mediterranean Nebbiolo d’Alba. The Wine Society’s notes say ‘sour-cherry, sun-dried tomato and black-olive notes’ and I wouldn’t disagree. In fact, I’m in, well in.
£14.95
The Society's Exhibition Rioja Reserva, Rioja, Spain, 2015 - 92 pts
14.5% ABV
Essentially La Rioja Alta’s Alberdi, the fine aromas of traditional, maturing, sweet autumn bonfire smokiness are complemented by a rich and juicy mouthfeel whose captivating supple-textured ripe fruit (100% Tempranillo) is underpinned by sweet notes of oak and leather, softening down into an irresistibly savoury Rioja classic.
£16.50
Château Dutruch, Grand Poujeaux, Moulis-en-Médoc, Bordeaux, France, 2015 - 91 pts
13% ABV
The Wine Society like this medium-bodied Claret a lot and you can see why; behind the classic and classy aromas of a slow maturing red with its hint of vanilla oak (but not too much), there are appealing notes of vanilla and cassis in a juicy, classic Médoc blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc that’s alluring and satisfying.
£20
Dog Point, Marlborough Pinot Noir, New Zealand, 2018 - 92 pts
13% ABV
Bright in colour, fresh and fragrant showing a touch of vanilla oak and attractive Pinot Noir berry fruit, this medium-bodied Marlborough Pinot is juicy with a red cherry and raspberry succulence, its oak melting into the wine for an appealing roundness and textural finesse, rather like a young Savigny-lès-Beaune thanks to a nice, food-friendly firmness on the finish.
£25
Domaine Sylvain Pataille, Marsannay Les Longeroies, Burgundy, France, 2017 - 92 pts
13.5% ABV
Behind the typical Pinot Noir perfume, this is a red Burgundy from the Côte de Nuits that’s soft and supple in texture with a hard-to-resist raspberryish Pinot fruit purity in medium-bodied vein, a juicy succulence underpinned by well-judged oak and a youthful backbone of freshness, ensuring a five to seven year life if you can hang on to it that long.
£35
Sweet
The Liberator, 'Napoleon Bona Part Five' Noble Late Harvest, Western Cape, 2019 - 90 pts
10% ABV
Scented Seville oranges in aroma with an almost marmaladey, extremely rich orange-laden fruit and a top note of Muscat grape, there’s plenty of satisfyingly juicy and citrus-fresh fruit in this nobly rotten blend of 64% Muscat de Frontignan and 36% Chenin Blanc from Nederburg, despite all that semi-viscous richness
£10.95 - half bottle
— posted by Anthony Rose
We rate our wines out of a 100-points scale.
Our reviews and recommendations are completely independent and we do not have any commercial affiliation with the importers and/or retailers listed.
Please note that prices are correct at the time of our tastings/reviews but are subject to change without us being notified.