The UK-based Wine Society continued its biannual tradition of showing off the great value it offers its members (who have admittedly to pay £40 for a life-time share in this wine-buying co-operative). Note the number of GVs and even VGVs below.
The reds were even more impressive, if anything, than the whites, although Mac Forbes' Blind Spot bottlings from all over Australia were outstanding value by any measure, especially when one thinks of the strength of the Australian dollar (although I thought the Yarra Chardonnay from his home patch one of the weaker wines in this range). There were some great bargains from Portugal, too.
Wines are listed by colour and in descending score order.WHITES
White
Château Cantegril is owned by father-and-son team Pierre and Denis Dubourdieu, who also own Château Doisy-Daëne. Cantegril is an enclosed 20-hectare vineyard planted in one piece on the limestone plateau of Haut Barsac. Roughly 75% Sémillon, 20% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Muscadelle.
Very rich and enticing on the nose. Perfectly representative even if not the most concentrated, so relatively open. You could already enjoy it even if it will age for an age. (JR)
Very rich and enticing on the nose. Perfectly representative even if not the most concentrated, so relatively open. You could already enjoy it even if it will age for an age. (JR)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2013
–
2023
Price: £19 The Wine Society
White
Gosh, how evocative to have such a sweet, relatively mature Mosel! Great price! Very difficult to spit. Racy. Delicate. VGV (JR)
Alcohol: 8.5%
Drink:
2011
–
2020
Price: £14.95 The Wine Society
White
Certainly a textbook Gewurz at a great price with just a hint of sweetness. Very upfront but great for varietal teaching! GV (JR)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2013
Price: £6.25 The Wine Society
White
Delicate, well balanced, slightly salty. Quite light and racy even if not exactly distinctive. Better than the NZ average. (JR)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2013
–
2016
Price: £14.95 The Wine Society
White
50% tank fermented and 50% barrel fermented. Broad palate entry and then very tight on the finish. Seems a little expensive in comparison to the Society’s Exhibition Limarí Chardonnay. Earnestly made. (JR)
Alcohol: 13%
Drink:
2014
–
2017
Price: £12.95 The Wine Society
White
Sulphides rule! And rob this wine of a little of its fruit. Hard finish. (JR)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2014
–
2017
Price: £11.95 The Wine Society
White
Part barrel-fermented. Juicy, green and with a hint of popcorn and bourbon. (JR)
Alcohol: 13%
Drink:
2013
–
2015
Price: £8.95 The Wine Society
White
Unoaked. Very competent but perhaps not quite as exciting as the rest of this amazingly good value Mac Forbes range. (JR)
Alcohol: 12.5%
Drink:
2013
–
2016
Price: £8.50 The Wine Society
White
Pungent and pure. Just the ticket. Very competent. (JR)
Alcohol: 12.5%
Drink:
2013
–
2017
Price: £10.95 The Wine Society
White
Brilliant texture, flavour and quality for the money. Such smoothness next to the Chilean Corte Ignacio example. Delicacy too. Herby flavours. Vibrant but probably not a long-term player. VGV (JR)
Alcohol: 11%
Drink:
2013
–
2015
Price: £8.95 The Wine Society
White
Big and off dry with quite a bit of residual sugar – borderline Kabinett and Spätlese? Very slightly phenolic but pure and quite well priced. (JR)
Alcohol: 11.5%
Drink:
2013
–
2017
Price: £8.50 The Wine Society
White
Pretty, well-judged sugar-acid balance in this sort of feinherb style. Again, amazing value. Bone-dry finish and very appetising. VGV (JR)
Alcohol: 12%
Drink:
2013
–
2016
Price: £7.50 The Wine Society
White
A beautiful wine showing the finesse and balance that may be achieved from cooler climate old-vine fruit (in this case from a vineyard at about 800 metres near Clanwilliam). Brightness of fresh, aromatic citrus fruit distinguishes this exceptional wine, from new star Virginia Povall.
This wine seems rather less exciting than the breathless note from the Wine Society buyers (see italics above). I couldn't be more of a fan of South African Chenin from outlying vineyards but… it seems a little middle-of-the-road to me. Yes it's fresh. and perhaps a bit Loireish. Good dry finish. Very different from the usual dense honeyed model. Will probably wear well though. (JR)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2013
–
2016
Price: £14.95 The Wine Society
White
Light and fresh. Delicate grapey fruit with a dry finish – quite a contrast to the Torrontés tasted immediately before it. Rather Germanic build! I would never guess 14% alcohol. Well made. (JR)
Alcohol: 14%
Drink:
2013
–
2015
Price: £9.50 The Wine Society
White
Water white. Sweetish and sherbetty. Off dry. Charming and full of grapey fruit. Grapefruit finish. (JR)
Alcohol: 14%
Drink:
2013
Price: £7.50 The Wine Society
16
/20
White
Complex smoky nose. Creamy and rich. Then a dry finish. Really intriguing and rich. Flattering. Long. (JR)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2013
–
2017
Price: £12.50 The Wine Society
White
Rather industrial nose. Fast fade on the finish. (JR)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2013
Price: £7.75 The Wine Society
White
Good positive aperitif wine with some nettles and well-integrated fruit. Seems underpriced. GV (JR)
Alcohol: 12%
Drink:
2012
–
2014
Price: £7.95 The Wine Society
White
70% Moscatel, 15% Sauvignon Blanc plus others. Heady and sweet tasting then a bit watery on the end. Orange-flower flavours and a little astringency. Distinctive anyway… (JR)
Alcohol: 12.5%
Drink:
2013
–
0
Price: £6.75 The Wine Society
White
100% Roussanne from a single vineyard. I'm a fan of The Foundry but this seems a little simple at the moment. A bit pinched without much aromatic complexity. (JR)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2014
–
2015
Price: £11.50 The Wine Society
15
/20
White
Bit dull but very green, fruity and refreshing. Competent even if unexciting. (JR)
Alcohol: 13%
Drink:
2013
–
2014
Price: £7.25 The Wine Society
White
Hugely satisfying, broad, interesting blend. Drink up but VGV. (JR)
Alcohol: 13%
Drink:
2012
–
2013
Price: £6.50 The Wine Society
White
About 10% barrel-fermented wine. Very tight with something almost Sauvignon-like about this but super refreshing. As though there is quite a bit of carbon dioxide in here. Very pungent and GV. (JR)
Alcohol: 14%
Drink:
2013
–
2015
Price: £6.75 The Wine Society
White
Organic. A bit ordinary and mass market on the nose. Slightly industrial. (JR)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2013
Price: £6.95 The Wine Society
White
Tangy and bone dry. As though picked just a little before full ripeness. Clean and box ticking. (JR)
Alcohol: 12%
Drink:
2013
–
2014
Price: £8.50 The Wine Society
ROSÉS
Rosé
40% Nielluccio, 40% Sciacarello, 20% Grenache. You have to struggle a bit to find the Corsican maquis flavours under the high-tech low-temperature fermentation aromas. Perhaps they will have emerged in time for summer? (JR)
Alcohol: 12.5%
Drink:
2013
Price: £8.95 The Wine Society
REDS
Red
Fabulous value for such a mature wine sold in Australian dollars. Fully resolved and savoury. I honestly find it difficult to believe the price. The label isn’t exciting but the wine certainly is. VGV. (JR)
Alcohol: 14.5%
Drink:
2011
–
2016
Price: £11.95 The Wine Society
Red
Carignan, Syrah, Grenache. Massively exuberant then minerally. Just as attractive as many a Priorat with masses of character. VGV (JR)
Alcohol: 14.5%
Drink:
2013
–
2017
Price: £8.95 The Wine Society
Red
Sweet transparent and scented – very unlike the GSMs of old. Lots more acidity than a Châteauneuf. Almost more like a burgundy! Clean finish. GV (JR)
Alcohol: 14%
Drink:
2013
–
2016
Price: £7.50 The Wine Society
Red
Not mad about the sweet oak. More appetising than the pure Tannat though. Good fruit underneath the oak. (JR)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2013
–
2017
Price: £12.50 The Wine Society
Red
More serious than the Marselan, this has very sweet fruit with very slightly obvious oak. As though icing sugar had been sprinkled on it. Not thoroughly refreshing. (JR)
Alcohol: 14%
Drink:
2013
–
2016
Price: £11.95 The Wine Society
Red
Lively, clean and fruity though far from the best value in this Wine Society collection. Pretty. Sweet and light. (JR)
Alcohol: 12.5%
Drink:
2013
–
2015
Price: £7.95 The Wine Society
Red
60% Gualtallary fruit at 1450 m, for perfume and finesse, and 40% (from two different wines each 20%) from Agrelo at 950 m.
Savoury nose and sweet, flattering palate entry with well-judged combination of ripe sweet fruit and structure. Serious, grown-up wine. With some floral, rose-petal top notes. All pleasure. Though sweet rather than dry on the end too. I suspect it's more than 14%. GV (JR)
Savoury nose and sweet, flattering palate entry with well-judged combination of ripe sweet fruit and structure. Serious, grown-up wine. With some floral, rose-petal top notes. All pleasure. Though sweet rather than dry on the end too. I suspect it's more than 14%. GV (JR)
Alcohol: 14%
Drink:
2013
–
2019
Price: £9.95 The Wine Society
Red
The Wine Society tasting note says it all: 'Fresh tasting, mineral, and fragrant.' Actually manages to be quite lifted and lively. No heat. No raisined-fruit notes. Really VGV (JR)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2013
–
2017
Price: £8.50 The Wine Society
Red
Sweet and vibrant nose then a bit dull and sour on the end. Somehow the richness promised on the nose has been sucked out of it. (JR)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2013
–
2014
Price: £5.50 The Wine Society
Red
The second wine of Gruaud-Larose, farmed organically. Not overblown. Well mannered with an undertow of the drama of the vintage. Throbs a bit on the palate. (JR)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2013
–
2020
Price: £19 The Wine Society
Red
Matured for a year in French oak barrels, 35% of which were new. Good stuff! Mature, inexpensive claret from St-Seurin de Cadourne. Strong gravelly note. Appetising. Great with a roast. GV (JR)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2010
–
2018
Price: £12.50 The Wine Society
15.5 +
/20
Red
Fairly standard issue. Slightly inky. Not much charm. Wait? (JR)
Alcohol: 14%
Drink:
2015
–
2020
Price: £9.95 The Wine Society
Red
85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. Great price! Juicy and light. Well-balanced stew of rusty nails. Old-fashioned claret that hides its alcohol extremely well. For traditionalists. GV (JR)
Alcohol: 14%
Drink:
2012
–
2015
Price: £6.95 The Wine Society
16.5
/20
Red
Useful half bottle. Lovely pure scent, even from this challenging vintage. Juicy with a slatey sort of dry finish. Classic stuff! (JR)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2013
–
2017
Price: £5.25 per half bottle The Wine Society
Red
Deep crimson. Very nervy and rich on the nose with sleek, well-groomed fruit. Certainly as good as many an Austrian Blaufränkisch. Well done but a tad bumptious and sweet. (JR)
Alcohol: 15%
Drink:
2013
–
2016
Price: £16 The Wine Society
15.5
/20
Red
Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch blend. Dusty fruity nose. Lots of ripe fruit. Slightly cinnamon spicy. Finishes a little suddenly but a very good introduction to Austrian red. GV (JR)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2013
–
2014
Price: £8.50 The Wine Society
Red
Lower key and less dramatic than many a Douro red, but so much cheaper! Lots of character per penny. Like a blend of 90% Médoc with 10% port. GV (JR)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2013
–
2016
Price: £6.50 The Wine Society
Red
Rather sweet and modern and a tad industrial. Quite a jolt in this tasting! From the Cantina di Montalcino, I see, so presumably the co-op? (JR)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2013
–
2015
Price: £6.95 The Wine Society
Red
Proper wine at a supermarket price. Just slightly dull on the end but lots of round, Adriatic fruit and a dry tarry finish. GV (JR)
Alcohol: 13%
Drink:
2012
–
2015
Price: £6.95 The Wine Society
Red
Wonderfully seductive complex nose. Lighter and more open than many 2008s. Ethereal. Tar and roses indeed. A wine to demonstrate Barolo's allure to doubters? (JR)
Alcohol: 14.5%
Drink:
2013
–
2021
Price: £28 The Wine Society
Red
Xynomavro, 40-year-old vines. Looks and smells quite evolved with obviously dry-grown, hot-climate fruit – even a light suggestion of raisins, caramel and tar – but very well balanced with refreshing acidity on the finish. Though I must confess I had been hoping for a bargain… (JR)
Alcohol: 14.5%
Drink:
2012
–
2017
Price: £20 The Wine Society
Red
More complex nose than the Craggy Pinot made especially for the Wine Society. Polished and sophisticated. Pure pleasure. Not cheap though. (JR)
Alcohol: 14%
Drink:
2013
–
2018
Price: £23.50 The Wine Society
Red
From their Te Muna Road vineyard. Interesting nose that splits the difference between muddy and liquorice. Confident, mature-vine sort of fruit. The merest hint of beetroot. Well done! (JR)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2013
–
2018
Price: £16 The Wine Society
Red
Very aromatic and ethereal after the much earthier Marsannays. Juicy and pretty without ersatz sweetness. Only a hint of coffee flavour. A fine example. Though just a tad dry on the end. (JR)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2013
–
2018
Price: £21 The Wine Society
Red
Intense and rewarding, though still awfully dry after a very clean, pure exposition of Marsannay fruit. Still tight. Wait! (JR)
Alcohol: 13%
Drink:
2015
–
2019
Price: £21 The Wine Society
15.5
/20
Red
Pale cherry red. Bracing and uncompromising. None of the friendly sweetness of the Chilean. A little dour for the moment. (JR)
Alcohol: 12.5%
Drink:
2014
–
2018
Price: £14.50 The Wine Society
Red
70% open-topped tanks and with new oak reduced from 40% to 20%. Slightly green note on smooth, gentle Pinot fruit. Refreshing and nicely judged but a tiny bit simple. (JR)
Alcohol: 14%
Drink:
2013
–
2016
Price: £11.95 The Wine Society
Red
Barbera and Bonarda. Lifted, fruity nose. Then real structure. Lots of flavour bubbling within a strict framework. More mineral than fruity. Great confident palate impact. GV (JR)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2013
–
2017
Price: £8.95 The Wine Society
Red
Scented and exuberantly ripe. Bone dry and tangy – almost as though there were a little dried grape in here – but masses of pure personality. VGV (JR)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2013
–
2015
Price: £6.95 The Wine Society
Red
Exciting mineral streak cuts through the vibrant fruit. Dry finish, thoroughly French! No fun without food but lovely with fairly light dishes and saucisson, Should age well. (JR)
Alcohol: 12.5%
Drink:
2013
–
2017
Price: £9.50 The Wine Society
Red
Very fine and fresh and dense. Explosive but appetising fruit. GV (JR)
Alcohol: 12%
Drink:
2013
–
2015
Price: £8.50 The Wine Society
Red
Very fresh and pretty on the nose. Bone dry but some very charming, open Pinot fruit on the way there. (JR)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2013
–
2014
Price: £11.50 The Wine Society
Red
La Morra. No clarification or filtering. Quite pale crimson. Lovely purity on the nose. Very fresh and zesty. Marked acidity but absolutely no layers of make-up. Does this make it a natural wine? GV (JR)
Alcohol: 14%
Drink:
2013
–
2017
Price: £8.50 The Wine Society
Red
Aragonez (Tempranillo), with Touriga Nacional, Alicante Bouschet and Trincadeira, and small proportions of other local grapes. Ridiculously cheap. Harmonious, intriguing nose. Soberly but attractively labelled. Damson fruit and definitely sweetness before acid and light tannin. A very well-judged whole. VGV (JR)
Alcohol: 14%
Drink:
2013
–
2015
Price: £5.95 The Wine Society
