THE DRINKER
EAT - DRINK - BE MERRY
LAITHWAITES SUMMER 2012 TOP WINES IN PRICE CATEGORY
SUMMARY
Laithwaites have excelled themselves in both the Spanish and Portugese categories, there are also some fantastic sparkling, fortified and spirits this winter.
Very strong in the £7 - £10 bracket and also at the very top end.
Wine of the day Portinho do Covo 2009.
KEY
The reds are written up in this colour
The whites in this colour
Pink in this colour
The fizz in this colour
Desert wines in this colour
WINE PRICE DRINKER RATING
>£10
Domaine des Cassagnoles, Cotes de Gascogne £7.99 85
Light and beautiful, hints of citrus and greengage, great value
Villa Farnia di Farnese Trebbiano 2011 (Ita) £7.99 89
Elderflower nose, good summer house wine, good finish, I'd buy this
Alma Andina Torrontes Sauvignon blanc 2010 (Arg) £7.99 91
Floral nose, zesy palate, tropical, hints of mango, forward, big, good
Don Cayetano Chardonnay/S. Blanc/Viognier (Chi) £7.99 90
Peachy nose, melon and tropical fruit palate, good holding acidity, well balanced
Stumble Vineyards Viognier 2010 (SA) £8.29 91
Tinned fruit salad on nose, peaches, good fruity palate, lovely wine
Laithwaites Sauvignon Blanc 2011 £8.99 88
Grass, light grapefruit, elderflower, full body, well made
McPhearson Lucie's Promise C. Sauvignon Rose 2010 £7.99 84
Full flavour, dry strawberry, confected but restrained, a lovely winter rose
Villa Masetti Pinot Grigio Rose (Ita) £7.99 85
Raspberry hints on nose, a good slurping wine, who'd of thought PG that's interesting?
Nine Tails Moscato Rose 2011 (Aus) £8.99 88
V Grapey nose, a fun wine, sweet and sparkling, mouth-watering, garden party stuff
Le Coer de la Presquile de St Tropez 2011 (FRA) £7.49 88
Strawberry nose, dry, summer fruit, lovely simple rose
Il Papovera Roasato 2011 (ITA) £6.99 88
Cherry nose, darker intense pink, very drinkable, good standard house rose
Altos de la Guardia Tempranillo, 2008 £8.99 86
Proper festive drop, ripe cherry, good body, soft tannins
Quinta das Mouras, Alentejo 2009 £7.49 90
Violet nose, soft warm fruit, elegant, approachable, smoky tobacco finish
Portinho do Cove 2009 (POR) £6.99 90
Light plum and leather nose, deep tannin, full rich, good house red candidate
Ermita de San Lorenzo Garnacha Cabernet Gran Reserva 2002 £8.99 92
This is what wine tastes like when it’s developing, leather, tobacco, beautiful
Le Prince de Courthezon Cotes du Rhone 2010 (Fra) £8.49 89
Ripe cherry nose, some hints of development, soft tannin, very good wine
Baron de Barbon Rioja 2010 (SPA) £7.99 90
Great price for a classic Rioja, fruity, woody, complex finish, great stuff
Chateau Geneau 2010 (Fra) £9.49 89
Pepper and plum nose, tight tannin, drinkable affordable Bordeaux
Chateau Constance Vielles Vignes, Corbieres 2011 (Fra) £8.49 90
Soft ripe balck fruit, good grainy tannic structure, hints of oak, top value
VX du President 2011 (Fra) £7.99 89
Big powerful red, bramble fruit, pepper and stewed fruit, good tannins
Finca Libertad Pinot Noir 2009 (Spa) £8.49 90
Big plum jam nose, integrated tannins, redcurrant, a good house red
Groote Kaap C. Sauvignon 2011 (SA) £8.49 89
Very big fruity nose, black cherry and blackberry, full on, well made
The Patriots Merlot 2011 (Chi) £6.99 87
Black cherry nose, soft relaxed tannins, forward silky fruit, good stuff
Nazares Tempranillo 2010 £5.49 85
Ripe plum and blackberry crumble, soft vanilla, light tobacco, great value
>£15
Domaine Servin Les Pargues 2010 Chablis (Fra) £13.49 94
Minerality on nose, pebbles and chalk, ripe fruit, green apple, great eg. of Chablis
Domaine Bott Geyl Pinot D'Alsace 2008 £12.99 90
Off dry, hoey, orange blossom, full body, elegant and ripe, aromatic
Pruno Ribera del Duero 2009 £13.49 88
Full rich ripe wine, lovely integrated tannins and a long complex finish
La Part du Boucher (Fra) £11.99 89
Typical Laithwaites wine, thrown the kitchen sink at it, nice story, good stuff
La Granicia 2009 (Ita) £11.99 87
Brick red colour, leather ripe black fruit nose, vanilla and violet, complex
Trapiche Broquel Bonarda 2008 (Arg) £10.99 87
Full fruit and soft leather nose, ripe black fruit palate, very good
Yering Station McIntyre Lane Pinot Noir 2010 (NZ) £11.99 91
Lovely farmyard nose, full ripe red/black fruit, elegant, subtle
<£15
Chateau de Puligny Clos du Chateau 2009 (Fra) £19.99 91
Creamy, peachy nose, blossom, ripe full body, good acidity, complex, elegant
Vie Di Romans Flors de Uis 2009 (ITA) £25.00 93
Complex and full nose, passion fruit, jasmine, resin - good, wonderful wine
South Ridge Cuvee Merret 2009 (Eng) £19.99 90
Hints of nettles, good body, really well made complex fizz with a long finish
Laithwaite Brut Premier Cru (FRA) £23.99 90
Toast, digestive biscuits, green apple, deep, everything you want from Champers
SUMMARY
Laithwaites have excelled themselves in both the Spanish and Portugese categories, there are also some fantastic sparkling, fortified and spirits this winter.
Very strong in the £7 - £10 bracket and also at the very top end.
Wine of the day Portinho do Covo 2009.
KEY
The reds are written up in this colour
The whites in this colour
Pink in this colour
The fizz in this colour
Desert wines in this colour
WINE PRICE DRINKER RATING
>£10
Domaine des Cassagnoles, Cotes de Gascogne £7.99 85
Light and beautiful, hints of citrus and greengage, great value
Villa Farnia di Farnese Trebbiano 2011 (Ita) £7.99 89
Elderflower nose, good summer house wine, good finish, I'd buy this
Alma Andina Torrontes Sauvignon blanc 2010 (Arg) £7.99 91
Floral nose, zesy palate, tropical, hints of mango, forward, big, good
Don Cayetano Chardonnay/S. Blanc/Viognier (Chi) £7.99 90
Peachy nose, melon and tropical fruit palate, good holding acidity, well balanced
Stumble Vineyards Viognier 2010 (SA) £8.29 91
Tinned fruit salad on nose, peaches, good fruity palate, lovely wine
Laithwaites Sauvignon Blanc 2011 £8.99 88
Grass, light grapefruit, elderflower, full body, well made
McPhearson Lucie's Promise C. Sauvignon Rose 2010 £7.99 84
Full flavour, dry strawberry, confected but restrained, a lovely winter rose
Villa Masetti Pinot Grigio Rose (Ita) £7.99 85
Raspberry hints on nose, a good slurping wine, who'd of thought PG that's interesting?
Nine Tails Moscato Rose 2011 (Aus) £8.99 88
V Grapey nose, a fun wine, sweet and sparkling, mouth-watering, garden party stuff
Le Coer de la Presquile de St Tropez 2011 (FRA) £7.49 88
Strawberry nose, dry, summer fruit, lovely simple rose
Il Papovera Roasato 2011 (ITA) £6.99 88
Cherry nose, darker intense pink, very drinkable, good standard house rose
Altos de la Guardia Tempranillo, 2008 £8.99 86
Proper festive drop, ripe cherry, good body, soft tannins
Quinta das Mouras, Alentejo 2009 £7.49 90
Violet nose, soft warm fruit, elegant, approachable, smoky tobacco finish
Portinho do Cove 2009 (POR) £6.99 90
Light plum and leather nose, deep tannin, full rich, good house red candidate
Ermita de San Lorenzo Garnacha Cabernet Gran Reserva 2002 £8.99 92
This is what wine tastes like when it’s developing, leather, tobacco, beautiful
Le Prince de Courthezon Cotes du Rhone 2010 (Fra) £8.49 89
Ripe cherry nose, some hints of development, soft tannin, very good wine
Baron de Barbon Rioja 2010 (SPA) £7.99 90
Great price for a classic Rioja, fruity, woody, complex finish, great stuff
Chateau Geneau 2010 (Fra) £9.49 89
Pepper and plum nose, tight tannin, drinkable affordable Bordeaux
Chateau Constance Vielles Vignes, Corbieres 2011 (Fra) £8.49 90
Soft ripe balck fruit, good grainy tannic structure, hints of oak, top value
VX du President 2011 (Fra) £7.99 89
Big powerful red, bramble fruit, pepper and stewed fruit, good tannins
Finca Libertad Pinot Noir 2009 (Spa) £8.49 90
Big plum jam nose, integrated tannins, redcurrant, a good house red
Groote Kaap C. Sauvignon 2011 (SA) £8.49 89
Very big fruity nose, black cherry and blackberry, full on, well made
The Patriots Merlot 2011 (Chi) £6.99 87
Black cherry nose, soft relaxed tannins, forward silky fruit, good stuff
Nazares Tempranillo 2010 £5.49 85
Ripe plum and blackberry crumble, soft vanilla, light tobacco, great value
>£15
Domaine Servin Les Pargues 2010 Chablis (Fra) £13.49 94
Minerality on nose, pebbles and chalk, ripe fruit, green apple, great eg. of Chablis
Domaine Bott Geyl Pinot D'Alsace 2008 £12.99 90
Off dry, hoey, orange blossom, full body, elegant and ripe, aromatic
Pruno Ribera del Duero 2009 £13.49 88
Full rich ripe wine, lovely integrated tannins and a long complex finish
La Part du Boucher (Fra) £11.99 89
Typical Laithwaites wine, thrown the kitchen sink at it, nice story, good stuff
La Granicia 2009 (Ita) £11.99 87
Brick red colour, leather ripe black fruit nose, vanilla and violet, complex
Trapiche Broquel Bonarda 2008 (Arg) £10.99 87
Full fruit and soft leather nose, ripe black fruit palate, very good
Yering Station McIntyre Lane Pinot Noir 2010 (NZ) £11.99 91
Lovely farmyard nose, full ripe red/black fruit, elegant, subtle
<£15
Chateau de Puligny Clos du Chateau 2009 (Fra) £19.99 91
Creamy, peachy nose, blossom, ripe full body, good acidity, complex, elegant
Vie Di Romans Flors de Uis 2009 (ITA) £25.00 93
Complex and full nose, passion fruit, jasmine, resin - good, wonderful wine
South Ridge Cuvee Merret 2009 (Eng) £19.99 90
Hints of nettles, good body, really well made complex fizz with a long finish
Laithwaite Brut Premier Cru (FRA) £23.99 90
Toast, digestive biscuits, green apple, deep, everything you want from Champers