Happy Christmas!
Some recent bottles:
A sign of the times – a Sainsbury's Taste the Difference English Sparkling Wine (2014) from Denbies Estate – at 107 hectares the UK's largest wine domaine. Made as so many UK sparkling wines are from the classic blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir. Very clean citric fruit with an attractively austere finish.
We drank the 2013 Brut Leckford Estate (roughly 55% Chardonnay grape, 25% Pinot Noir and 20% Pinot Meunier) from Hampshire (UK) on the same occasion as the 2014 Denbies. I had hesitated over the order to serve this two English sparklers. Fortunately the Leckford, which I served second and which comes from the Waitrose estate and was bought last year from one of their stores, was softer and rounder than the Denbies, so I guessed right. Denbies was the apéro and while, the Leckford was poured as the follow up apéro it also worked well with our first course – salmon ceviche.
As a treat before leaving London for the Loire we opened this bottle of 1983 Clos du Bourg, Vouvray from Domaine Huet. The level was slightly down from being full and there appeared to have been some slight seepage from the cork. I wasn't concerned, however, as we have had other old bottles from Huet where the level was much lower and the wine had survived amazingly well. The 1983 is still very youthful with touches of honey but still surprisingly austere in the long finish. By 1983 Noël Pinguet, Gaston Huet's son in law, was making the wine. I remain surprised that two generous men were capable of making wine that can remain austere for many years.
Lastly a bottle of the 2005 Côt (Malbec) from the much missed Clos Roche Blanche – Catherine and Didier have now retired. Still youthful, concentration of black fruits and tight structure – obviously plenty of life left in this.
