Tag Archives: wine reviews

Villa Maria Reserve Wairau Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2014 Review

Posted on by

Grapes Sauvignon Blanc

This wine is fruity and fresh. Savoury with the perfect balance of acidity: this wine is the perfect wine to bring in the New Year. Ripe fruit characters, intense aromas of passion fruit, grapefruit and blackcurrant with a subtle underlying of gooseberry on the nose. The palate is concentrated with tropical flavours and it has a long finish. Delicious. 

 

Winemaker Notes

A classic Wairau Valley style bursting with the trademark ripe fruit characters found in this sub region. The nose displays pure and powerful aromas of peach, grapefruit, blackcurrant, and underlying fresh aromatic herbs like rosemary and lemon thyme. The palate is concentrated with an enticing array of gooseberry, melon and guava flavours, balanced by a fine thread of acidity, and a savoury refreshing finish.

Vineyards

The fruit for this wine comes from a combination of vineyards with varying soils and viticultural techniques throughout the Wairau Valley. The common thread between the vineyards was an unrelenting focus on vine health. This was achieved by careful yield adjustments and water management as well as a balanced approach to vine nutrition

Winemaking

All Sauvignon Blanc grapes were harvested at the cool of night to retain aromatics and freshness in the grapes. The fruit was destemmed, crushed, and pressed before cold settling. The clear racked juice was inoculated with selected aromatic yeast strains. Cool, slow fermentation in stainless steel tanks took place to retain distinctive sub-regional and varietal characteristics

Vintage

The climate in Marlborough has high sunshine hours, but temperatures during the growing season are regulated by the cooling ocean influence. In 2014, Marlborough had warmer than usual spring, followed by temperate summer. Overall, it was a bountiful harvest with excellent quality grapes; intensely flavoured and picked in pristine condition. All Sauvignon Blanc grapes were harvested between early March until mid April.

Food match

Enjoy with:

  • Fish/Shellfish
  • Salads & Picnics
  • Mild Creamy Cheeses

 

Grapes: Sauvignon Blanc 100.0%

Region: Marlborough

ABV: 13%

pH: 3.00

Total Acidity: 6.80 g/l

Residual Sugar: 3 g/l

Drink: Now to 2 years 

Reserve Wairau Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2014

 

 

Wine Reviews By Matt Pain: Joseph Mellow Sancerre & Villa Maria

Posted on by

sancerrewinereview

 

Joseph Mellow Sancerre

 

Joseph Mellow Sancerre is a wine that is typically Loire with the chalkiness of the soil keeping it relatively light. It is a Pinot Noir, which is more typical of Burgundy but it does give a sophisticated wine rather than the more indigenous Chinon.

Red Sancerre is a relatively rare beast; only produced when the yield and harvest are good enough. This is well balanced, with damson or dark cherries on the palate.

Good for those who like a dry red wine but with a mellow finish.

Good with pheasant (that hasn’t been hung too long) or fowl. Or, of course, on its own with some jazz playing quietly in the background.

 

villamariawinereview

 

Villa Maria

 

Villa Maria have been making Sauvignon Blanc seemingly forever in cool Marlborough vineyards with unnervingly high quality results.

This is new though; a light sparkling wine, similar to the experience of a Portuguese Vinho Verde.

This is though, a lot better. It feels lighter than the still version though with the same citrus freshness.

Drink as a superior aperitif or with shellfish.

 

Available from tesco.com and ocado.com

 

 

 

 

Rosé Wine Special | Wine Reviews

Posted on by

rosewine rosewine1

 

Villa Maria Private Bin Rose 2013, RRP £9.99, Tesco, Majestic, Bargain Booze, Wine Rack, Village Wines (Amersham),  www.NZhouseofwine.com

This is a gorgeous dry rosé. It has aromas of ripe berry fruits. It is a very refreshing and drinkable wine.

Lourensford River Garden Rose 2013, RRP £8.20, Cheers Wines Merchants, BJR Hanby, Luvians, The Leamington Wine Company, Beaconsfield Wine Cellars,www.winedirect.co.uk

This rose is as interesting as it is delicious. It has fresh red berry and strawberry flavour and a unique and wonderful touch of spice greatly enhances the wine. Yummy.

Grant Burge GB11 Rose 2013, RRP £8.99, Nidderdale Fine Wines, The Wine Shop, www.thedrinkshop.com, Cheers Wine Merchants, Famous Wines

This is a brilliant light, fresh wine. It is a beautiful crimson red and has a wonderful, but not overpowering, sweetness to it. Has aromas of ripe strawberry, spices and candy. Goes very well with salmon. Delicious.

Cune Rosado 2012, RRP £9.49, Majestic, Dunedin Wines, Refreshers, Elies Cellars, Hailsham Cellars, Fountainhall Wines, www.winedirect.co.uk

This rose is a dark, clear red. Full of dark summer fruit aromas. This raspberry coloured wine also has floral notes. Light and refreshing. Stunning.

Les Pins Couches Rose 2013, RRP £9.99, Fresh and Wild, Les Caves du Patron, Luvians, Noble Green Wines, Bacchus et Al, Clifton Cellars, Kingsgate Wines, The Whalley Wine Shop, Cambridge Wine Merchants, Partridges of Sloane Street, Wine Rack, Wimbledon Wine Cellars

Light in colour. A dry rose with subtle fruit flavours in abundance. Has notes of herbs, black olives and fresh fruit. A brilliant French wine that encapsulates what the Mediterranean coast would taste like if it was a glass of rosé. Has spices and freshness all in one. Is a blend of syrah and mourvédre. Elegant and wonderful.

Joseph Mellot Sancerre Le Rabault Rosé 2013, RRP £16.99, Famous Wines, Eagle Wines, The Leamington Wine Company, Kingsgate Wines.

This wine was a big hit at a cheese and wine night I had in my apartment. Is a nice salmon colour. Is very fresh and fruity and highly drinkable. Good stuff.

 

Frost are doing a wine awards. Wine makers please enter by sending bottles to Frost HQ and readers please email frost magazine@gmail.com with wine suggestions. Thank you.

 

 

Domaine Vintur Cuvee Le Gentleman 2011 Wine Review

Posted on by

Domaine-Vintur-Le-Gentleman-wine reviewI am fussy about red wine. Some of it just tastes like acid and gives me a headache. So was Domaine Vintur Cuvee Le Gentleman 2011 (£14) drinkable? Yes, more than. It is a very good, full bodied red wine with a great taste and no bad aftertaste. It has a bit of spice and is well balanced. It has ripe, dark fruits and a good balancing of acidity,

This lightly oaked wine has full, fresh tastes of cherry and red fruit. It is a very fruity red wine. It has lots of flavour and does not have the acid-like aftertaste I feel some red wines have. It is also dominated by grenache.

My favourite thing about this wine is that it is not too heavy. It is just fresh and light and full of flavour. Worth every pound of the 14 it cost.

The wine is dedicated to all the cyclists who have climbed Mon Ventoux – one of the most famous final ascents in Tour de France history by the English owner of the estate Graham Shore.

What They Say.

Cuvée Le Gentleman 2011, Appellation AOC Ventoux

Our flagship red wine, made from grapes selected from the best and oldest vines. 70% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre and 5% Carignan. Aged for 20 months before bottling with a light touch of oak.

The wine is complex. It has a round nose rich in woodland fruit, with a hint of oak. The palate is full and succulent, with fresh cherries and notes of the garrigue -Provençal herbs- and spice. Its tannins complement the length and balance of the sweet wild fruit and give a rounded full finish.

It is named to honour all the men who have ridden up Mont Ventoux by bike and to celebrate Bradley Wiggins’ Tour de France win in 2012. It is a wine to enjoy with meats, cheeses and on its own. Ready to drink now but with aging potential.

 

Frost Wine Reviews: Chardonnay Semillon

Posted on by

Hardys Stamp of Australia Chardonnay Semillon: This is a zesty, citrus, fruity wine with a crisp, dry finish. A delicious Chardonnay with buttery, subtle oaky goodness. Ripe apples and peaches. I can also taste lime.

Food matches: Asian dishes, corn dishes, lobster in butter.

Available from Tesco, Sainsbury, Morrisons Asda RRP £6.79

This wine is ideal for drinking now but can be kept for up to 1 year

Semillon

Semillon has a rich, waxy nearly fat texture but a low acidity, it’s often blended with Sauvignon Blanc. Semillon is a vigorous vine but it is a thin-skinned grape which leaves it susceptible to sunburn. It doesn’t really get diseases, but gets rot, the bad kind (Gray Rot) that destroys the grapes and the good kind (Noble Rot or botrytis) that shrivels the grapes to raisins.

Frost Wine Reviews: Kumala Zenith Rosé

Posted on by

Kumala Zenith Rosé is a vibrant pink rosé. It is clean and fruity. Rosé is always a good bet for parties, you never know if people will like red or white. It is better to buy a Rosé as if it is slightly off, it is not as bad as a harsh red or a stale, acid white. The sweetness will mask anything gone wrong. I love Rosé, although some people can find certain brands too sweet.

I did not find the Zenith Rosé too sweet, it is a clean, fruity wine that has a lot of strawberry, perfect for summer. It has an average, and good, alcohol content of 12%. It is a South African wine made from red grapes. A small amount of French oak is fermented with the wine to give it’s strawberry flavour and the creamy aroma.

With lovely aromas of strawberry, this fruity wine is great for those looking to treat their taste buds alongside a delicious summer salad

Morrisons and JS RRP £8.99