Sarah Ahmed – The Wine Detective

It’s that time of year to go for it on the wine front and, if you’re in need of some vinous inspiration, here are some of my favourite wines of the year for each of my areas of focus and a couple more besides, starting with Champagne of course!

Champagne

Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 1998 – very elegant and pure with subtle biscuit and toast autolytic notes to its taut, lemony fruit. Finishes long with a persistent fine bead. I bought some when Waitrose were running a 25% off deal but at £95 full whack, the Waitrose price still beats most; £100 at Majestic.

Raymond Boulard – I discovered this small house because it featured in “1001 Wines You must Try Before You Die,” to which I contributed. The UK importer is Marrs Leather in Cambridge and the barrel-fermented Petraea is excellent, complex and full-bodied – best to double-check prices and availability with Marrs.

Australia

Cullen Kevin John Chardonnay 2007 – this has been heaped with praise in Oz and is being touted as Cullen’s best Chardonnay ever, with good reason. It’s long, stony, pure and focused and has more in common with a driza-bone Australian Riesling than a Chardonnay with its racy lime, crisp apple fruit and an ever so subtle savoury leesy tang. Intense and, I found, a perfect match with pan fried king scallops with lime and coriander with taglioni. £29.95 at Slurp

Yalumba ‘The Virgilius’ Eden Valley Viognier 2007 – this, Yalumba’s flagship Viognier, delivers plenty of complexity and, though undoubtedly rich, has a lovely balance to its subtlely cedary fruit with succulent lychee, aniseed and good length. £22.50 at Noel Young Wines

Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier 2008 – this put me in mind of a Touriga Nacional from Dao or Beira Interior with its elegant, fleshy, fine and floral nose and palate shot through with violets and rock rose. There’s a real depth of flavour and youthful “grip” yet it’s elegant with fine tannins. Winemaker Tim Kirk describes it as a Shiraz for Pinot Noir lovers (of which he is one). Terrific. £35.95 at Slurp or £42.50 at Fortnum & Mason

Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard 2004 Merlot (Wrattonbully) – deep opaque purple with a crimson rim and an equally youthful, opulent, lifted nose of plum with red and blue berries and liquorice. Class in a glass, the palate is rich with velvety tannins, saturated with sweetly ripe fruit balanced by darker, more savoury undertones of liquorice, spice and eucalypt. Generous and vigorous, a really great example of Merlot. £28.80 at Nebuchadnezzar Wines

The Loire

Alphonse Mellot La Moussiere Sancerre 2008 – made by one of the region’s leading producers, a biodynamic estate, this is a characterful Sancerre with good oomph and persistence. Quite a funky nose and palate with lots of honey and apple blossom, the mid-palate showing a good weight of juicy blackcurrant bud and gooseberry fruit, cut with zingy acidity, giving length and persistence. Complex and good value for a wine of this quality and soul. £14.99 at Sainsburys

Agnes and Rene Mosse Anjou Blanc Mosse 2007 – stylish packaging and this biodynamic producer’s Chenin Blanc really delivers in the mouth too, with an edge of Christmas spice to its honeyed ripe quince and baked apples, spliced with minerals and steely acidity. It’s rich, with taffeta layers, yet dry, putting me in mind of strudel and mince pies. Would be great with turkey or goose. £12.80/bottle at Vinifera Boutique.

Chateau Soucherie Clos des Perrieres Savennieres 2007 – from a carefully tended 1.8 ha parcel (as the back label says “ici nous jardinons nos vignes…”), this is a terrific, sprightly example of modern Savennieres with a lovely depth of fruit, bright acidity and oak lending support and complexity. An expressive nose shows ripe white orchard fruits (apple & pear) minerals and oak. The oak is nicely integrated on the palate which has lovely upfront fruit. It tightens up on the finish, which shows mouthwatering apple sorbet-like acidity – this wine keeps going now, showing terrific persistence and, will go for some years yet. £13.50/bottle at Vinifera Boutique For sweet Chenin fans, Chateau Soucherie’s Coteaux du Layon Vieilles Vignes 2007 at £13/bottle is a fine example with impressive levity to the nose and palate at this price – cheaper wines can tasted a little slugged up with sugar.

Domaine Frédéric Mabileau Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil Les Rouillères 2008 - a lovely, floral, lifted nose and palate with jewel-bright red fruits and an underlying minerality. Long and persistent, a great example of this elegant vintage from one of the region’s best modern producers. Just over a tenner at Waitrose.

Portugal

Soalheiro Primeiras Vinhas Vinho Verde 2007/2008 – a fabulous, modern Vinho Verde – set aside any prejudices and check this out. Both vintages have a marvellous balance which combine the best of Viognier crossed with Riesling! The 2008 is tighter, more mineral. This is terrific with shellfish or crab and has enough body to work with fish too. You’ll find the 2007 at Halifax Wine Company and Butlers Wine Cellar and the 2008 at Ultimate Wines

Luis Pato Vinha Barrosa 2003 – this ripe vintage produces a forward Baga from Luis Pato’s oldest vines. It won plenty of admirers at a tasting I presented at The Harrow Inn, Little Bedwyn in the summer. I reckon its plum and red cherry fruit with lifted incense spice makes a good foil for turkey and it certainly works with pork belly – £23.95 at Halifax Wine Company and £22 at Butlers Wine Cellar.

Fonseca vintage port 1977 – very complete, enjoyable now with expansive spicy plummy fruit; a mellow fellow and a good buy for a port of this maturity – £59.99 at Oddbins (and Fonseca Guimaraens Vintage Port 1986 is a steal at Sainsburys at £20.49)

Taylor’s Vargellas Single Quinta Vintage Port 1998 – expressive and approachable now, quite elegant with lots of liquorice and spice – £26.99/bottle at Oddbins or £25/bottle at Majestic who are also selling the 2001. The latter is huge – one to put away.

Bacalhôa, Moscatel de Sétubal 1998 – this fabulous fortified Moscatel shows heady orange, spicy orange peel, caramel and nuts and is lighter and fruitier than Portugal’s more famous fortifieds (port and sweeter Madeira styles). Great with mince pies and Christmas pud, especially if the recipe includes citrus peel. If you haven’t tried it before, now’s the time and, out of season, you will not find a better match than pasteis de nata (Portugeuse custard tarts) £18.99 at Waitrose

Barbeito Malvasia, 30-year-old, Lote Especial - Barbeito, my favourite Madeira producer have picked up a stack of awards this year and this wine won an IWSC 2009 Gold and Best in Class. It’s a beautiful wine, with fabulous length and Barbeito’s trademark racy citrus to its sophisticated nut-edged grapefruit, orange and orange peel, balanced by a delicate sweetness (Barbeito don’t add caramel). Tons of pedigree – £92.95/bottle at Berry Brothers & Rudd www.bbr.com

South Africa

Hamilton Russell 2008 Chardonnay – a fantastic drop, so cooly mineral, powerful and textured, its intense citrus fruit supported by classy, savoury oak. £17.49 at Hailsham Cellars and £18.99 at Averys.

Jean Daneel Signature Chenin Blanc 2006 – a complex and persistent wine with honey/dried honey and nougat to its silky stone fruits. Rich but by no means heavy, beautifully integrated acidity carries a long finish. Lovely now but will keep going a few years yet. Harvey Nichols.

Vilafonte Series M 2005 – lovely cedar-edged plummy but restrained nose and palate for this well-balanced, finely structured Bordeaux blend with 52% Merlot, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Malbec. Drinking well now – £19.99. For a few more quid (£23.99) you can buy the Cabernet-dominated Vilafonte Series C 2005 – it has chunkier tannins, so would benefit from decanting and shows plum, cherry and red berry with attractive lead pencil/pencil shavings and great persistence. Both available at South African Wines Online. www.sawinesonline.co.uk

Burgundy

Finally, I was recently recommended this producer and regret, could only find the 2004 and 2005 vintage in the UK, but I thought this was a great Burgundy to enjoy now, so I’m going to flag it anyway in case anyone has better luck than me wine detecting at this late hour and a little distracted by the thought of getting up in 6 hours to fly to Portugal! Please do comment on my blog if you do!  Hah! received an email to say the 2006 is now at Portland Wine (see the link below), still priced at £17.95.

Domaine Bachey-Legros Santenay Sous la Roche 2006 - lovely honey-edged nose and palate of baked and fresh apple, a sense of balanced richness with some classy, well-integrated oak and subtle beurre noisette. Drinking very well now. Well made, a natural, direct wine, not at all tricked up. The balance is very good here and this vintage won a Coup de Coeur au Guide Hachette 2010. The 2005 vintage is £17.95 at Portland Wine.

Wishing you a fine festive period and New Year!

Sarah Ahmed
The Wine Detective