Red Wines
Gold 2007 Domaine Gayda Syrah, Languedoc, France £8.35
Delivers on every level, intense black cherry, sweet plums and liquorice with and aniseed and white pepper twist, layer upon layer of dark saturated fruits, no doubt about it, this in my red wine of the year 2009
Silver 2006 Palazzo della Torre Allegrini, Veneto, Italy £14.95
With a 90 point rating from Robert Parker the 2006 Palazzo della Torre was in the lead for most of the year until it was pipped at the post by the 2007 Gayda Syrah. This is a very polished, elegant Palazzo della Torre with pretty layers of mocha, spices and new leather that add complexity to the fresh, vibrant fruit. Palazzo della Torre is 70% Corvina Veronese, 25% Rondinella and 5% Sangiovese. The addition of 30% dried fruit (Amarone style) adds an extra dimension of complexity.
Bronze 2008 Boekenhoutskloof Chocolate Block, Franschhoek, S.A. £17.95
As the name suggests, this is an intense wine, rich and muscular. A real broody character with mocha, spice, blackberry and liquorice, all blended in with a soft tannin appeal and smoky oak, it is easy to see why the wine has such a global following and why it is so damn hard to get hold of.
White Wines
Gold 2007 Vie di Romans Chardonnay, Friuli, Italy £26.00
Poor old Chardonnay has been on the end of a brutal kicking for the past couple years. A quick taste of this and you will be left in no doubt as to why Sauvignon Blanc is just a ‘now wine’ This little beauty would give any serious Burgundy a run for its money, intensely rich in flavour with honeysuckle, fresh pear and apple with a fine toasty oak, it is very classy indeed. With only 2500 cases made it fully justifies its heavyweight price tag.
Silver 2008 Quinta do Ameal, Vinho Verde, Portugal £10.55
Vinho Verde! Who would adam and eve it! Don’t tar every wine with the same brush, this is so far removed from the cheap and nasty slightly fizzy wine usually associated with this region. Crisp and floral with the most amazing mineral content, this is a pure pleasure to drink.
Bronze 2008 Condrieu ‘La Petite Cote’ Domaine Yves Cuilleron, France £45.00
Oh la la, I just could not resist this wine, even the hefty price tag didn’t put me off. Yves Cuilleron fashions some of the most profound and spectacular wines in not only France but the rest of the world. This is the essence of Viognier, white peach and a heady exotic apricot and mandarin fruit flavour, simply stunning.
Purchase a case which includes a 2 bottles of each wine for £235