The dirty dozen do it again: a terroir tasting

Scaling the heights - another new dirty dozen discovery

Last year the wine trade, myself included, waxed lyrical about the maiden dirty dozen importer tasting. Licenced to thrill, said dirty dozen did it again this week. The room fizzed with passionate folk and the wines were as eclectic as they were exciting – exactly what fires me up about wine.

Once again, I largely focused on my areas of specialism, though I couldn’t resist checking out Roberson’s southern French range. I sat next to buyer Mark Andrews last week when he was called upon to collect Roberson’s London Wine Merchant of the Year Award at Decanter World Wine Awards. He’s a regional rhapsodist and with good reason as you’ll see from my notes below.

Here are my stand outs:

Australia

Mac Forbes has changed the source of the wine named after his father, which has also evolved from a straight and very straight-backed Cabernet to a lither Cabernet blend (with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot). Mac Forbes Hugh 2010 from Gruyere, the Yarra Valley, is a remarkably refined wine, very classical, with blackcurrant, cedar and cigar. Wonderfully perfumed and pure fruited, it’s possessed of melt-in-the mouth tannins. Just lovely and only 12.5% abv. Imported by Clark Foyster.

The Loire

Contrasting styles of Chenin Blanc, also Sauvignon, showed off the Loire’s terroir. Domaine Riffault Les Chailloux Sancerre 2011 (Flint Wines) was tight, taut, precise and grapefruity – a terrific example of silex (flinty) terroir. On the other hand, from Chavignol’s steep kimmeridgian limestone-based slopes Gerard Boulay Clos de Beaujeu Sancerre 2010 (Vine Trail) was iron fist in velvet glove. A powerful, creamy, chalky, leesy, textured palate with blackcurrant bud and citrus is underscored and animated by steely grapefruity, mineral acidity, teasing out a long finish. Terrific.

On the Chenin front, Chateau de La Roulerie Anjou 2011 (The Wine Treasury) consistently offers great bang for buck in the shape of this bright and breezy serious but not too serious quince-scented, minerally beaut. Focused. Pricier but my joint favourite Chenin of the day, Richard Leroy Rouliers 2009 (Vine Trail) Vin de France (also from Anjou), showed quite exquisite balance, purity and precision to its ripe, juicy apple and quince fruit – loved its perfectly judged mouthwatering acidity and richness of fruit.

Moving east into Touraine, Francois Chidaine Montlouis Clos du Breuil 2011 (H2Vin) is a master of Montlouis (and Vouvray). This dry Montlouis – my other favourite – subtly reverberates with flavour, with lovely depth and layer to a creamy, leesy palate awash with perfumed pear, pear skin and ripe juicy apple notes. Gently insistent rather than thrusting like the schist-driven La Roulerie, it has lovely length.

As for red wines, Chateau de Coulaine Chinon Clos de Turpenay 2009  (Vine Trail) reveals a smoky mineral undertow and savoury edge to its abundant sweet, round, ripe red fruits; long, with fine, firm tannins. Very good.

Portugal

Raymond Reynolds has long specialised in Portuguese wines and represents many of Portugal’s best producers, so this is a chunky section which I’ve divided by region.

Douro: With vineyards from across the Douro, the growers’ umbrella brand which is Lavradores de Feitoria excels at making great value for money Douro whites as well as reds (click here for a report of a visit). Lavradores de Feitoria Branco 2011 (Raymond Reynolds) is no exception. Bright with citrine and melon notes, it’s fruity but not too fruity – a refreshing, really well made modern Douro white.

Once again this year my Regional Chair’s report for Decanter World Wine Awards edition (out this month) lambasts Portugal’s rosé entries. Surprising given that Mateus Rosé has done a great job, albeit in a very commercial style, for 70 years now (click here for my recent Case Study report on the brand). Of course, Niepoort can turn their hand to anything and do a great job, as with Niepoort Redoma Rosé 2011 (Raymond Reynolds). Salmon pink, it’s creamy yet delicate of flavour with floral-edged red summer fruits, lovely length and balance. Dry but with good depth and, though delicious now, with time I’m sure it’ll develop really attractive savoury notes.

Quinta do Vale Meao Meandro 2010 (Raymond Reynolds) – love the mineral freshness and intensity to this beautifully balanced Douro Superior red’s ripe plum and blackberry bergamot and chocolate inflected fruit. The tannins are exemplary – fine, with a brightly polished presence. Terrific.

Niepoort Senior Tawny Port (Raymond Reynolds) – this is a fruity tawny, from its ruby tinged hue to plummy palate, but it plum almond tart, shot through with delicious frangipane nuttiness. Long, warming and expansive without a hint of spiritiness. Uber-drinkable.

Vinho Verde: Quinta do Ameal Loureiro 2011 (Raymond Reynolds) – in top form, with herbal and floral accents to its concentrated citrus core and a long, focused, mineral finish. Terrific line and intensity. Adega de Monção, one of Portugal’s leading co-operatives, have garnered some great press this year. The 2010 Alvarinho ( Deu la Deu) came out top in the super-competitive category which is White Single Variety International Trophy over £10 at Decanter World Wine Awards. Clark Foyster list Adega de Monção Vinho Verde 2011, perhaps the region’s best value Vinho Verde, which Julia Harding MW selected for her 50 Great Portuguese Wines. Fresh, tangy and prettily talcy, it’s a lovely wine. I’ve recently reported on a very extensive vertical tasting of Anselmo Mendes’ wines here and, this week, Anselmo Mendes Alvarinho Muros Antigos 2011 (Clark Foyster) looked super youthful, with greengage and green citrus bite on a tight, taut palate. This zingy, mouthwatering wine bounces off the walls! And it couldn’t contrast more with Quinta do Dorado Alvarinho Superior 2009 (Indigo Wines), which is round, rolling and silky of fruit, with peach, hints of roast peach skin and leesy, savoury sour dough notes.

Lisboa: Casal Figueira Vinhas Velhas 2010 (Raymond Reynolds) made from Vital, the grape not the water, was selected by Julia Harding MW for her 50 Great Portuguese Wines. Sample bottles prepped especially for Harding’s tasting were corked so it was good to taste it. It’s a subtly weighty, complex wine with notes of fennel, celery salt and melon to its long stony palate. Very good.

Bairrada: Casa de Saima Tinto 2010 (Raymond Reynolds) was in cracking form, the region’s/Baga grape’s signature smokiness whisps through this red, together with clove and dried spice. A charge of ripe red fruits lends great vitality and length, as do textured tannins. A visceral, energetic wine. Filipa Pato Nossa Branco 2011 (Clark Foyster) takes modern Bairrada whites to a new level. This week, the sweet oak showed a little more, but the minerality and lively undertow of lime to this, another 50 Great Wine, wins the day. Long and lively, with lovely texture and balance.

Dão: Though reduced on the nose, Casa de Mouraz Tinto 2010 (Raymond Reynolds) displays lovely texture and layers of flavour in the mouth, with creamy red fruits, juicy blood plum, liquorice and cinnamon spice and, I fancy, a slatey minerality. Long, elegant and made from biodynamically cultivated grapes.

Alentejo: Quinta do Mouro Vinha 2009 (Raymond Reynolds) – capturing the essence of this warm, sunny region, Mouro’s baby wine has oodles of warm, autumnal flavours – a rich, round palate of sweet ripe plum and dried fig is supported by smooth, chocolatey tannins. Somehow, it’s all delivered with levity and grace – great balance. Magnum Vinhos Flor de Maio 2010  (Clark Foyster) has a mafioso ring to the name and it’s a big, surprisingly bony blend of Trincadeira, Syrah, Touriga Nacional, with dense black fruits behind. I was convinced it must include Alicante Bouchet. An antidote to the region’s jammier offerings, it’s made by former Dão Sul man Carlos Lucas.

South Africa

Indigo are amassing a really attractive range made by Cape young guns. Carsten Migliarina Chardonnay 2011 from Stellenbosch has the region’s signature muscular (ripe peachy) fruit; vibrant acidity teases out a long finish with delicious spicy, toasty oak. I discovered Jurgen Gouws Intellego wines at November’s Swartland Revolution (click here for my report). The follow up Intellego Chenin Blanc 2011 shows firm, concentrated quince and fleshier peach with a lick of aniseed spice/ginger and mineral undertones. Quite taut now; will benefit from a little more bottle age.  Intellego Skin Contact 2011 does as it says on the tin – Jurgen has worked with skin contact lover Craig Hawkins at Lammershoek and this is a really lively, dancing wine with pink grapefruit, spice and floral talcy notes buoyed by fresh acidity and a fine spine of tannin. Like it. From The Wine Treasury the pale ruby, garnet edged La Vierge Pinot Noir 2010 from Hermanus was as delicate as it looked, intense too with well-defined reducurrant and cranberry fruit, well integrated sous bois notes and lovely freshness.

Other

Spain: I cannot claim to have had many Galician wines but K5 Arginano Hondarribi Zuri 2011 (Raymond Reynolds) from DOC Getariako Txakolina is not the type you pour from on high into a tumbler. It’s a spritz-free zone and shows wonderful salty, briney intensity with zippily clean bright lemon and fresh cut granny smith green apple notes. Lovely balance, focus and length. A winery to visit if in San Sebastián – looks v impressive and what a wine.

Languedoc: Domaine de l’Escarpolette Blanc 2011 (Robersons) is a blend of Macabeo and Muscat which undergoes 10 days skin contact. It takes the edge off the over-floral antics to which Muscat can be prone. It’s dry, perfumed, but not overly so, with lifted orange peel, spice and pronounced mineral notes on an intense, textural, citrus-driven palate. Very good. Domaine de l’Escarpolette Rouge 2010 (Robersons) has wonderful levity for a Grenache/Cinsault/Carignan blend – lovely fine scented red fruits with a sheerness of minerality and lift of dried spice puts me in mind of Australian’s shift towards so-called warm climate Pinot Noir styles of Grenache. Mas Coutelet Vin des Amis 2011 is a deeply coloured, think ink, blend of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Carignan which couldn’t be more different. It reveals damask layers of heady, waxy fruit and flowers with admirable balancing freshness. Like a Beaujolais on steroids.