Wirral Life May 2018 | Page 39

Saumur-Champigny, ‘Cuvée Tradition’ Clos des Cordeliers (Domaine Ratron) 2015 I want to start with a single varietal from the Loire Valley. In many ways this wine is what Loire Valley cabernet franc is all about. It is medium bodied, although I would suggest probably on the lighter side of medium, and bright ruby in colour. On the nose you get an abundance of red and black fruit. You get the same fruit on the palate. It is not a particularly complex wine but, with its fine tannins, you get a fresh and soft finish. Despite its comparative youth, it is ready for drinking now. This is available online from a number of sources (e.g. £11.50 a bottle from the Wine Society or £14.95 from Berry Bros. & Rudd). Great value. Great little wine. Warwick Estate Cabernet Franc, Simonsberg Stellenbosch 2013
 From Stellenbosch in South Africa, this wine is ripe, but not too heavy or overbearing. It is almost crimson in colour. On the nose you again get ripe red/ dark fruit, along with a hint of smoke and a touch of herb. On the palate you get plenty of dark sweet black currant fruit, a bit of eucalyptus comes through, along with a touch of herb and pepper. Wonderfully balanced, with a decent finish, this wine is well worth a try. At around £20 – £25 a bottle (it can currently be sourced from the Wine Society, Farr Vintners and Amazon amongst others) it represents good value for money, for a decent wine. Pulenta ‘Gran Cabernet Franc XI’ 2011 This is a wine that I have been drinking for a number of years now – and it never disappoints. This wonderful wine comes from Mendoza in Argentina. Dark ruby in colour, it is wonderfully perfumed, smooth, slightly peppery, slightly spicy, but jammy and full of gorgeous red fruit. On the palate this is sweet and smooth (no doubt due to its ripe tannins). The 2011 vintage of this great wine seems to be in a great place at the moment. At around £25 a bottle, when purchased, it now represents amazing value for money (compared with some wines you can get for the same price). The 2011 vintage is now likely to be hard to find, but any Internet search will reveal that the 2013/ 2014 vintages of this wine are available to buy (e.g. the 2014 vintage is on sale from Wine Direct at £23.75 a bottle). Whichever vintage you can find, give it a go. This is a great wine. Le Macchiole ‘Paleo Rosso’ 2010 This is a superstar from Tuscany in Italy. It is a big, but a wonderfully complex, wine. You get black fruit, blueberry, cherry, some spice, some herbal touches, flowers and even a little chocolate on the nose. The palate is smooth, fresh, full of lovely fruit, with touches of herb and pepper. This is a sophisticated wine, it is a delicious wine and is a wine that has years of aging ahead of it. Tremendous – but as you may expect not cheap! Again the 2010 vintage may be a little hard to come by, but later vintages are selling for anywhere up to £75 a bottle. Again any online search will reveal stock (e.g. Lea & Sandeman are currently sell