Herewith 65 wines from the current range at Majestic in the UK. It's not a flawless offering, but does a pretty good job of combining mainstream varieties and regions with some esoterica. There's certainly an option for every palate – with the exception of natural wine fundamentalists, perhaps!
The notes are presented by style, colour and descending score.
SPARKLING
White
Proper apple fruit, fragrant floral top-notes. Just about acceptable for a standard NV. (RH)
Alcohol: 12.5%
Drink:
2012
–
2014
Price: £25 (until 29/10) Majestic
White
Dull and uneventful. Puts the sham in champagne. (RH)
Alcohol: 12.5%
Drink:
2012
–
2014
Price: £18 (until 29/10) Majestic
15.5
/20
Rosé
Pretty discreet. Apple and perhaps a hint of cherry, but their 2003 Blanc de Blancs is way better – and cheaper. (RH)
Alcohol: 12%
Drink:
2012
–
2016
Price: £39.99 (until 29/10) Majestic
White
Impressively developed. Loads of crunchy green apple fruit – really brilliant. Benefits from the extra heat of the year, no doubt. At least as good as anything else at this price. (RH)
Alcohol: 12%
Drink:
2009
–
2015
Price: £34.99 (until 29/10) Majestic
15
/20
White
Bit of honey on the nose, but very neutral on the palate. White fruit. Soft fizz, but not much else going for it. (RH)
Alcohol: 11.5%
Drink:
2012
Price: £8.49 (until 29/10) Majestic
White
Weird confected character. Banana. Deathly dull. Clearly made to a price. (RH)
Alcohol: 11.5%
Drink:
2012
Price: £7.99 (until 29/10) Majestic
WHITE
White
Fantastic – if you want archetypal, balanced, sensitively made Gewürz, look no further. Explodes with aromatics. (RH)
Alcohol: 14%
Drink:
2012
–
2013
Price: £14.99 (buy 2 save £6 = £11.99 until 29/10) Majestic
15.5
/20
White
Unoaked. Yellow fruit, full body – alcohol seems a bit noticeable to me. (RH)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2012
–
2013
Price: £10.99 (buy 2 save £4 = £8.99 until 29/10) Majestic
White
Lime fruit, light and all a bit forgettable. (RH)
Alcohol: 13%
Drink:
2012
–
2013
Price: £6.99 (buy 2 save £2 = £5.99 until 29/10) Majestic
White
Grassy, herbal nose. Pine-fresh. Commercially very appealling, but smacks of alcoholic cordial rather than wine. (RH)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2012
–
2014
Price: £9.99 (buy 2 save £4 = £7.99 until 29/10) Majestic
White
Broad, waxy, interesting palate with peach, pear and a sort of peppery seasoning. Proper wine. Full and interesting and worthy. (RH)
Alcohol: 14%
Drink:
2012
–
2016
Price: £17.49 (buy 2 save 20% = £13.99 until 29/10) Majestic
White
Creamy and a little bit oxidised. Lots of chewy extract, and a hint of honey too. Nice right now, but needs dispatching quickly. (RH)
Alcohol: 14%
Drink:
2010
–
2012
Price: £13.74 (buy 2 save 20% = £9.99 until 29/10) Majestic
White
Mealy and rounded, bit of firework smokiness. Chardonnay by the numbers. (RH)
Alcohol: 13%
Drink:
2012
–
2013
Price: £9.99 (buy 2 save 20% = £7.99 until 29/10) Majestic
White
Closed on the nose but abolutely singing on the palate with honey, creamy vanilla and the waxiness of Chenin holding the alcohol well. (RH)
Alcohol: 14.5%
Drink:
2012
–
2016
Price: £11.99 (buy 2 save 20% = £9.59 until 29/10) Majestic
White
Going gold, and showing a smoky and slaty character plus loads of lime and floral character. Bit of honey seeping through. Very respctable for the price, and has lovely maturity. GV (RH)
Alcohol: 12.5%
Drink:
2008
–
2014
Price: £9.99 (buy 2 save £6 = £6.99 until 29/10) Majestic
White
Well defined fruit. Compact, intense. Clearly premium – for its extra intensity rather than extra complexity. (RH)
Alcohol: 13%
Drink:
2012
–
2013
Price: £12.49 (buy 2 save £5 = £9.99 until 29/10) Majestic
White
Lots of ripe fruit and green beans. Playful reduction on the nose. Rounded, softened acidity. (RH)
Alcohol: 13%
Drink:
2012
–
2013
Price: £9.99 (buy 2 save £6 = £6.99 until 29/10) Majestic
White
Grassy, green, lots of gooseberries. Fair enough for the (lower) price, though it’s andante at best. (RH)
Alcohol: 12.5%
Drink:
2012
–
2014
Price: £9.99 (buy 2 save £8 = £5.99 until 29/10) Majestic
White
Plain, flat. Austria doesn’t do cheap well, and Grüner has an unfortunate propensity to dullness. It's not a bad wine, just very routine. (RH)
Alcohol: 12.5%
Drink:
2012
–
2014
Price: £9.99 (buy 2 save £2 = £8.99 until 29/10) Majestic
White
They’ve squeezed some good flavour out of this – ripe and a little bit phenolic. Very fair for the price. Goes down very easily. VGV (RH)
Alcohol: 13%
Drink:
2012
Price: £6.24 (buy 2 save 20% = £4.99 until 29/10) Majestic
White
Stone fruit, quite a bit of spritz, finishes quite abruptly and has a sort of soapy tone to the flavour. (RH)
Alcohol: 11%
Drink:
2012
Price: £6.49 (buy 2 save £3 = £4.99 until 29/10) Majestic
16
/20
White
Ooh, very fragrant and bright, actually. Lime, flowers, soft and drinkable. Not the steeliest example, but not neutral and flat either. GV for Gavi at the lower price. (RH)
Alcohol: 12%
Drink:
2012
–
2013
Price: £8.99 (buy 2 save £4 = £6.99 until 29/10) Majestic
White
Nutty, dry, textural. Still fresh, but not really maturing – just ageing. Hints of bruised apple creeping in. Drink up. (RH)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2010
–
2012
Price: £9.99 (buy 2 save £4 = £7.99 until 29/10) Majestic
White
Not much to write about here, I’m afraid. A shadow of a Chablis. (RH)
Alcohol: 12.5%
Drink:
2012
–
2013
Price: £11.99 (buy 2 save £4 = £9.99 until 29/10) Majestic
White
Sensitively oaked, and evokes modern Australia – rather than vice versa! Rather neutral fruit, as is Chardonnay’s wont. Some flinty character on the finish. (RH)
Alcohol: 14%
Drink:
2012
–
2014
Price: £12.99 (buy 2 save £4 = £10.99 until 29/10) Majestic
White
Flinty, rather attractive nose that leads to a modest palate. Not bad for the price, but lacks the nutty, peachy opulence that Marsanne can have. (RH)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2012
–
2014
Price: £8.99 (buy 2 save £4 = £6.99 until 29/10) Majestic
White
Made by an unidentified co-op. Very little varietal character beyond a vague sort of citrussy thing. Fair enough, it’s cheap. Watery. (RH)
Alcohol: 12%
Drink:
2012
–
2013
Price: £5.99 (buy 2 save £2 = £4.99 until 29/10) Majestic
White
Spritzy, lemon-infused but all a bit run of the mill. Works well enough as a palate cleanser / glugger / aperitif sort of thing. (RH)
Alcohol: 13%
Drink:
2012
–
2014
Price: £7.99 (buy 2 save £2 = £6.99 until 29/10) Majestic
White
Sweaty, lemon drops, minerals. Knocks the socks off the Pinard Sancerre. Loads of length, loads of interest. Crisp acidity. (RH)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2012
–
2016
Price: £19.99 (buy 2 save £4 = £17.99 until 29/10) Majestic
White
Smoky, light and fragrant style. Not sure I like it much for £20. Seems a tad understated for that price. (RH)
Alcohol: 13%
Drink:
2012
–
2014
Price: £19.99 (buy 2 save £10 = £14.99 until 29/10) Majestic
White
Distinct yeastiness with the requisite lemon fruit. Good, classic stuff. Tasty if simple – but does what Muscadet should. (RH)
Alcohol: 12%
Drink:
2012
–
2014
Price: £8.99 (buy 2 save £2 = £7.99 until 29/10) Majestic
ROSÉ
Rosé
Yuck. There are some sulphur compounds on the nose that are pretty gross here. Palate seems better, though it’s very dull. Faulty bottle? (RH)
Alcohol: 14%
Drink:
2012
Price: £9.99 (buy 2 save £6 = £6.99 until 29/10) Majestic
RED
Red
Still youthful, lots of vibrant black fruit upfront. All exuberance. Very likeable – but doesn't seem to have the interest and depth at the price, which has gone up quite a bit recently. (RH)
Alcohol: 14%
Drink:
2012
–
2016
Price: £30 (buy 2 save 20% = £23.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Red
The quality of the fruit is so evident here – clearly and reassuringly superior to cheaper Shirazes. Lovely meat and bacon on the nose, fragrantly spicy. Long finish enhanced by integrated oak. (RH)
Alcohol: 14.5%
Drink:
2012
–
2018
Price: £22 (buy 2 save 20% = £17.59 until 29/10) Majestic
Red
Smoky (but not rubbery) and firm on the nose, lots of bold black fruit. Dense. Needs time. Loads of potential. (RH)
Alcohol: 14.5%
Drink:
2012
–
2020
Price: £11.24 (buy 2 save 20% = £8.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Red
Blackcurrant, blackcurrant leaf, lots of fruit but a good structural backbone – plenty of tannin and acid here. Dry and savoury to finish. (RH)
Alcohol: 14%
Drink:
2012
–
2016
Price: £10.99 (buy 2 save 20% = £8.79 until 29/10) Majestic
Red
96% Syrah. Really excellent fresh black fruit, meat, perhaps a bit of floral lift. Long, textural, loads of bacon fat. Fearsomely impressive for this price. VGV (RH)
Alcohol: 14%
Drink:
2012
–
2014
Price: £8.74 Majestic
Red
American oak makes a big impression here, but the juicy, ripe black fruit holds up to it. A big, hearty, bruiser of a wine – but not as showy and complete as the 2009 and 2008 were. (RH)
Alcohol: 14%
Drink:
2012
–
2016
Price: £14.99 (buy 2 save £6 = £11.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Red
Blackcurrant juice, a bit of herbaceous bitterness and a very chewy mouthfeel. Quite hard work – was expecting more lusciousness. (RH)
Alcohol: 14%
Drink:
2012
–
2014
Price: £13.99 (buy 2 save £6 = £10.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Red
Black fruit mass in a really stonewalling sort of way. Hard work – undoubtedly impressive, but tiring. (RH)
Alcohol: 14.5%
Drink:
2012
–
2015
Price: £11.99 (buy 2 save £6 = £8.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Red
Blackberry fruit, soft structure, pretty simple but enjoyable enough. (RH)
Alcohol: 14%
Drink:
2012
–
2013
Price: £8.99 Majestic
Red
Forceful and impressive fruit definition. Bit of medicinal lift, but the attraction of this is the fruit bomb going off. (RH)
Alcohol: 14%
Drink:
2012
–
2016
Price: £9.99 (buy 2 save £5 = £7.49 until 29/10) Majestic
Red
Ripe, juicy, but stinky and reductive too. Pale and light, rough around the edges. Pinot Noir does not belong in Maule. (RH)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2012
–
2014
Price: £7.99 (buy 2 save 4 = £5.99 until 29/10) Majestic
16.5
/20
Red
Very lovely on the nose, really spicy and open with a claret style of woodspice. Long and full without being weighty. (RH)
Alcohol: 14.5%
Drink:
2012
–
2018
Price: £13.49 (buy 2 save £3 = £11.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Red
Crude, slightly light body. Red fruit, basic. (RH)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2012
–
2014
Price: £8.49 Majestic
Red
Baked summer fruit pudding, distinctively Portuguese and bold with a chunky, full body. (RH)
Alcohol: 14.5%
Drink:
2012
–
2018
Price: £8.49 (buy 2 save £3 = £6.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Red
Taut and firm, dense black fruit. Very powerful, almost cordial-esque. Spiced and a bit meaty. (RH)
Alcohol: 14.5%
Drink:
2012
–
2018
Price: £25 (buy 2 save 20% = £20 until 29/10) Majestic
16.5
/20
Red
Lots of creamy oak, bramble fruit. Very charming. Long and modern and absolutely drenched in vanilla. (RH)
Alcohol: 14%
Drink:
2012
–
2015
Price: £16.24 (buy 2 save 20% = £12.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Red
There’s a reductive, pongy artifice to this that I don’t much like. Perhaps just too young? (RH)
Alcohol: 14%
Drink:
2012
–
2013
Price: £8.74 (buy 2 save 20% = £6.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Red
Unobjectionable, but crude. Tastes like it costs a fiver. (RH)
Alcohol: 14%
Drink:
2012
–
2013
Price: £6.24 (buy 2 save 20% = £4.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Red
Lovely fragrant, lifted nose and plenty of firm, dark fruit. Very typical – the acidity, power and tannin is all in place – but there are better Chiantis at this price. (RH)
Alcohol: 14.5%
Drink:
2012
–
2016
Price: £26 Majestic
Red
Plenty of spicy, sappy oak. Tight, modern, furry. Bitter notes alongisde the black cherry fruit. (RH)
Alcohol: 13%
Drink:
2012
–
2018
Price: £12.49 (buy 2 save £5 = £9.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Red
Attractive blackcurrant and leather. A bit anti-climactic on the palate, but pleasant enough. Tuscan bitterness. (RH)
Alcohol: 13%
Drink:
2012
–
2015
Price: £9.99 (buy 2 save £4 = £7.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Red
Chocolate, black cherry fruit. Sweet spices on the palate, but a burning inferno on the finish. Charming on the nose but not quite the finished article on the palate – simply too much alcohol. (RH)
Alcohol: 15%
Drink:
2010
–
2015
Price: £25 (buy 2 save £4 = £23 until 29/10) Majestic
Red
Smoky, sophisticated, flinty nose – real complexity and class here. A drinker rather than a keeper, but very satisfying and classic. Grows on the length. (RH)
Alcohol: 12.5%
Drink:
2012
–
2017
Price: £25 Majestic
16.5
/20
Red
Fabulous earthy, developed, fragrant nose. Good amount of grip, in a resolved, rounded way. This has the Margaux flair. (RH)
Alcohol: 12.5%
Drink:
2008
–
2015
Price: £8.99 (375ml) Majestic
Red
Classic pencil fragrance and fully ripe black fruit – no greenness – firm, grainy tannins. More St-Julien than Margaux, maybe? (RH)
Drink:
2011
–
2017
Price: £19.99 (buy 2 save £10 = £14.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Red
Very good blackcurrant fruit, has the lightness of 2007 but that’s no bad thing. Served slightly cool at lunchtime, it would make you very happy. A tiny bit green, perhaps, but that’s forgiveable at this price. (RH)
Alcohol: 12.5%
Drink:
2010
–
2015
Price: £9.99 (buy 2 save £4 = £7.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Red
Ripe, rich, modern but recognisably Cahors-esque thanks to a firm finish and restrained fruit sweetness. (RH)
Drink:
2012
–
2015
Price: £8.99 (buy 2 save £4 = £6.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Red
Plummy, baked fruit. Very decent, savoury structure. Rustic but sophisticated and well-made. (RH)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2012
–
2015
Price: £7.99 (buy 2 save £4 = £5.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Red
Really earthy, savoury stuff here. Emphasises the non-fruit spectrum in a very convincing way. Toned, dark and with lovely lingering spice. (RH)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink:
2011
–
2018
Price: £19.99 (buy 2 save £10 = £14.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Red
Lovely redcurrant with a touch of bitterness that works well here. Juicy not jammy. Very youthful and primary yet – deserves a bit of time. (RH)
Alcohol: 13%
Drink:
2013
–
2020
Price: £17.49 (buy 2 save £4 = £14.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Red
Nice stalky and strawberry fruit here. Tangy acidity, fine lines and crisp fresh finish. As good as you could hope for red burgundy at the price. (RH)
Alcohol: 13%
Drink:
2012
–
2016
Price: £14.99 (buy 2 save £4 = £12.99 until 29/10) Majestic
15.5
/20
Red
Conventional, safe, lovely bold acidity. Fresh, bright, correct, but not especially good value. There are better cru Beaujolais available at this level. (RH)
Alcohol: 13%
Drink:
2012
–
2013
Price: £9.99 (buy 2 save £2 = £8.99 until 29/10) Majestic
