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