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| Beer and Wine |
Wine between £8.00 and £12.00 per bottle
Alta Tierra Syrah/Viognier 2006 - £8.29Price on 16-Jun-08 from Laithwaites.Alta Tierra Syrah first made the world sit up and take note at the inaugural Wines of Chile Awards in 2004 - scooping overall BEST Wine of Show Trophy. Back then judge and fine wine critic Steven Spurrier likened it to top Rhone Valley Syrah - the kind that starts at #20 per bottle. High praise indeed! Now try the winery's take on Cote-Rotie - the ultra-rare (famously pricey) Rhone Syrah. Just as in Cote Rotie, a dash of exquisite white grape Viognier is added to dark and spicy Shiraz - with uplifting, hedonistic results. Near-endless Elqui sunshine and winemaker Aldo Olivier's deft touch make for an opulent, brambly, pepper-edged Syrah. Viognier adds the most delicious aromatic lift. Enjoy with a prime cut of red meat.
Blandy's Duke Of Clarence Madeira 75cl - £50.05For 6 bottles - equivalent to £8.34 per bottle. Price on 21-Aug-08 from Tesco.Deep golden brown colour with honey and raisins on the nose, rich full bodied and soft textured; a great after dinner drink.
Domaine Marguerite Carillon Cdn75 - £50.10For 6 bottles - equivalent to £8.35 per bottle. Price on 21-Aug-08 from Tesco.Full yet very supple red wine with aromatic red berry fruit flavours.
Campo Viejo Reserva 75cl - £50.16For 6 bottles - equivalent to £8.36 per bottle. Price on 21-Aug-08 from Tesco.On the palate it is smooth and balanced, with an elegant, full mouth feel and along, lingering finish in which you can find cocoa and coffee flavours.
Montana Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 75cl - £50.27For 6 bottles - equivalent to £8.38 per bottle. Price on 21-Aug-08 from Tesco.Case of 6 Montana Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 75clMontana is New Zealand's leading winemaker with an international reputation for producing quality still and sparkling wines. Montana invests significantly in vineyards and winemaking to deliver only the finest wines. Grapes for this classically styled Sau
Tamada Saperavi Reserve 2005 - £8.39Price on 16-Jun-08 from Laithwaites.Authentic, original and thoroughly delicious, Tamada Reserve makes a great conversation point - because unless you're dining with those 'in the know', you can bet no-one else will have brought a Georgian wine! This rare gem comes from vineyards that were prized by Russian nobility, and draws on 3,000 years of winemaking heritage. Made from Georgia's Saperavi grape, Tamada is very long-lived - you can enjoy it now or cellar as you would fine claret. Perfect for dinner party drinking - elegant black fruit with a creamy, vanilla richness that comes from 12 months' ageing in French barrels. This seriously rich and smooth red goes beautifully with all kinds of food especially roasts and casseroles.
Alta Tierra Carmenere Syrah 2005 - £8.39Price on 16-Jun-08 from Laithwaites.From low-yielding vineyards on the edge of the Atacama Desert, this is a real discovery - only one other winery operates so far in the Elqui valley but the quality is attracting world-wide interest. The brainchild of Aldo Olivier and his cousin Giorgio Flessati, the Alta Tierra vineyards were first planted in 1995 and bore their first fruits for vintage in 2000. The sheer hard work (blasting rock to set up irrigation systems, shifting soil) and the wait are proving to be worth it ... the lack of pollution and consequent crystal-clear nights and sunny days giving amazingly concentrated, pure juice. This beauty combines Chilean success story Carmenere with the more international Syrah to great effect. Inky black with a medley of woodland fruits, warm spices and tobacco. Smooth and rounded, this is a most memorable modern classic.
Blanc Neuf La Bastide 2006 - £8.39Price on 16-Jun-08 from Laithwaites.Proudly showing its 'Best-in-Class' accolade, this brand new, golden white has real Grand Cru pedigree. It's made by Olivier Bayle (ex Lafite Rothschild!) and is so much like white Chateauneuf-du-Pape that our staff call it 'Baby Beaucastel Blanc' (a nod to the region's top estate). Olivier's big, rich reds have always been a huge hit - which is why he was delighted to take up our challenge to make a white every bit as serious. And what a triumph! A classic Rhone blend - Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne - barrel-fermented to add toasty richness to the crisp peach and apricot. ''This is beautifully balanced and creamily textured wine with an alluring, peachy nose and succulent honeysuckle and pear palate. A grand wine designed for fish main courses or roast pork, it is a real treat.'' Matthew Jukes
Domaine des Carbonnieres 2005 - £8.49Price on 16-Jun-08 from Laithwaites.Prime-sited vines in top villages enable this superb cellar to make world class reds with plenty of stuffing - emphasized by this peppery, brambly release from Seguret. Aromatic hints of sage, thyme and other herbs which grow among the vines ... then masses of dark fruit - this is the perfect accompaniment to bangers and mash!
Von Buhl Riesling QBA 2005 - £8.49Price on 16-Jun-08 from Laithwaites.When it comes to top-quality Riesling there is concord amongst experts. They differ only in choice of superlative the'most sublime'...'most mouthwatering and elegant'... 'aristocratic'...'prince of grapes'. The family-owned Von Buhl estate has been one of the finest producers of supreme quality Riesling since it was founded in 1849. Today their Rieslings consistently receive ratings over 90 points from Wine Spectator and Robert Parker. A leading German wine publication lists a Von Buhl wine amongst the best 100 in the world, and their top releases sell for #150-a-half bottle! The vintage (very sunny with a short, early harvest) was, according to one local expert ''perfect! One of the best in the last 50 years.'' Elegantly pairing Riesling's lightness of touch with ripe, full-flavoured fruit. Luscious, not sweet, yet zippy too - and with a delightful echo of peaches and pears. Fresh and appetizing with almost any food, from salmon to chicken to cheese and fruit - even Indian and Thai curry.
Fortaleza de Imas 2005 - £8.49Price on 16-Jun-08 from Laithwaites.Incredibly, Rioja 2005 has officially outscored the highly acclaimed 2004 vintage in terms of colour and flavour - which is great news for Rioja fans! Better still, this cherry and vanilla-scented treat was crafted by Gonzalo Rodriguez (who used to make Spain's most expensive wine, #150-a-bottle Vega Sicilia). Indeed you would be hard pushed to find a better assurance of quality than the Baron de Ley winery at Fortaleza de Imas on the left bank of Rioja's Ebro river. 100% Tempranillo barrel-aged for six months creates a beautifully smooth, richly concentrated Rioja that will continue to develop for nearly a decade!
Cour de L'Abbaye Edelzwicker 2006 - £8.49Price on 16-Jun-08 from Laithwaites.La Cave de Kientzheim is nestled in the middle of Alsace's premium vineyard region, surrounded by illustrious Grand Cru neighbours. Its master winemaker Jean-Phillipe Venck is an expert at capturing the fresh fruit purity, known and loved by experts worldwide. This luxurious Edelzwicker - 'noble blend' - is one of his very finest whites; a skilful blend of Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Sylvaner that the locals usually reserve for themselves. A wine of brilliant clarity, with pronounced aromas of lemon, lychees and peach, underpinned by very subtle spice. Fresh and citrussy, yet elegant and finely balanced, this is a magnificent wine ideal for fine dining ... and a gorgeous aperitif.
Chateau Bourdillot 2006 - £8.49Price on 16-Jun-08 from Laithwaites.Over the last hundred years, the Haverlan family have crafted tiny quantities of hand-picked, old-vine whites at Chateau Bourdillot. Their wines are typified by intense notes of citrus and pineapple, thanks to the skills of winemaker Henri Ducourneau.
Clos de Mont-Rachet - £8.49Price on 16-Jun-08 from Laithwaites.''One of the claims to greatness of Burgundy 2005 is the wonderful Macon-Villages whites'' - The Times Burgundy fans look to Macon-Villages for fine Chardonnay at a great price. Clos de Mont-Rachet is an 11th century vineyard famed and envied for its rich, elegant whites. Here in 2005 Alain Pierre made his best Mont-Rachet yet, exceptionally pure and wonderfully concentrated. Alain is a Chardonnay specialist extraordinaire winning both the French and International Chardonnay Trophies at the 2006 International Wine Challenge (although as a modest man he attributed all his success to his team and the fantastic Macon Villages terroir). Fresh and floral with enticing acacia aromas and lashings of lively citrus and tropical fruit. Try it with charcuterie, delicate fish dishes or ripe goat's cheese - a wine that's guaranteed to delight any dinner-party guest!
Oyster Bay Merlot 75cl - £50.96For 6 bottles - equivalent to £8.49 per bottle. Price on 21-Aug-08 from Tesco.Elegant, assertive wines with glorious fruit flavours.
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