The Edinburgh Wine Club

January 21, 2016

Guess The Theme!

(All the wines have a connection with the name George!)

WINE	APPELLATION or REGION	GRAPE	COUNTRY	PRODUCER	SUPPLIER	PRICE	COMMENTS	Ranking 1-3; Best White; Best Value
1/.Muscat Sec 2014 13%	Cotes de Thongue, Herault	Muscat Sec.	France	Domaine de Saint Georges d’Ibry, Abeilhan	From the vineyard	7 eu	Good fruit, light and soft, and long flavour with pleasant oily aftertaste. Pineapple for some, and fragrant and floral for others. Like Gewurtztraminer at end, with a hint of spice.
2/.Nisia 2013 13%	Rueda	Verdejo old vines.	Spain	Bodegas Jorge Ordoñez, Malaga	Cru	£14.50	Chardonnay type nose which gives expectation of sweetness in the taste. But palate is rather different, with lots of lime and citrus, and ends a bit like Chenin Blanc. Very dry – almost smoky.
3/. Lucindale Sauvignon Blanc 2015 12.5%	Limestone Coast, South Australia	Sauvignon Blanc.	Australia	Family DiGiorgio, Coonawarra	From the winery	18 Au dollars	Very pure acidity, with very impressive length of flavour. Floral, cantaloupe, lemon – and without harshness. Touch of mint on the nose.	Best White; Best value
4/.Orovela Cuvee Chandrebi 2006 12.5%	Kakheti	92%Saperavi; 8%Cab. Sauvignon	Georgia	Orovela Winery and Distillery, Khorkheli	The Georgian Wine Society (also Waitrose)	£12.99	Bouquet was the best feature – very intense, horticultural, cabbage, spice. On palate liquorice, earthy, pomegranate juice, but didn’t last. Very astringent. Disappointing overall. A couple of years past its best?
5/.Megas Oenos 2010 13.5%	(PGI) Peloponnese, Nemea	Aghiorghitiko (St George’s grape) 80%, Cabernet Sauvignon 20%	Greece,	Domaine Skouras	Wine Society	£18.50	A lovely wine. Very strong on nose – plums. Very smooth palate of rich fruitiness, not much tannin, with a hint of coconut and a touch of sourness. Technically well made. Reflects the softer and sweeter character of Cabernet Sauvignon grown in a southern climate.	2nd
6/. Chateau Tour de Pas St-Georges 2007. 12.5%	Saint-Georges-Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux	65% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon	France	Delbeck Vignobles,	The Cardinal’s Cellar	£19.49	By George a good wine! Lovely bouquet. Very dark. Red fruit, such as ripe raspberries, with flowers such as lavender. Syrupy, with soft, ripe tannins. Not bitter – transfused. Some spice and cedarwood, and a hint of minerality.
7/. The George, Cabernet Sauvignon 2010	Yarra Valley, Victoria	Cabernet Sauvignon	Australia	Yering Farm	From the cellar door	27.5 Au dollars	A wine of a very deep colour. Bouquet of damson jam, with some pepper and spice and liquorice. The palate is sweeter and softer than the nose suggests – lots of fruit, silky.	3rd
8/. Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Damodes 2004	Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Damodes, Burgundy	Pinot Noir	France	Domaine Jean Chauvenet	Wine Society	£37.00	A particular pleasure to have a Burgundy of this age. The marked bouquet attracted epithets ranging from “sublime” and “sensational” to “cabbage” and “Brussels sprouts”. There were light cherries on the palate, with a light, long finish. The tannins had faded with age, and it was quite sweet, quite rich.	1st
9/. Lucindale Botrytis Semillon 2011 12%	Limestone Coast, South Australia	Semillon	Australia	Family DiGiorgio, Coonawarra	From the winery	20 Au dollars	Another range of epithets for the nose: from ripe apricot and asparagus to Swarfega, WD40, and cutting oil….despite that everyone liked it. On the palate tremendous fresh acidity initially – then dissolves into richness of ripe fruit. Very long finish. Orange zest with apricot underneath, and a hint of nuttiness. Noted that initial freshness was important for a dessert wine to avoid it being too cloying.