The Independent - Anthony Rose
Chateau Chadeuil
Bordeaux and good value are not always comfortable bedfellows, but there were a couple of oxymoron-defying examples, a herbal, blackcurrantly 2004 Chateau Chadeuil, a discovery at Bordeaux Undiscovered.
The Daily Telegraph - Jonathan Ray
Top wine deals this week
Château Les Graves de Barrau
A complete and utter steal from the Bordeaux specialists to be grabbed while stocks last: a fully mature claret blended from 60 per cent merlot and 20 per cent each of cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. Soft, smooth and mellow, with velvety tannins and a touch of gravelly earthiness, it is delicious with garlic roast lamb or save it for the Christmas turkey (but don't keep it for much longer).
Fresh Escapes
Domaine de Ricaud Bordeaux Clairet
Clairet is a full bodied style of Rose particular to Bordeaux and if the name sounds familiar, that's probably because it was the most common style of Bordeaux enjoyed in England until the 18th century - hence the name claret. It has a distinctive rich colour and a ripe strawberry nose. On the palate it's brimming with lovely round red fruits - cherries and a hint of rose petals; summer in a glass, great value too.
Andrew Barrow - Spittoon
Le Roc du Chateau Pellebouc
Food magazine Delicious gave away, as with many other magazines, a 2009 calender with a recent issue. Each month displays a recipe, tuned to the season. What fun, thought I, to challenge my food and wine tasting 'skills' in recreating the recipe each month and selecting a wine to accompany. Here then is a wine, a Bordeaux red to accompany January's Baked Venison Sausages with Lentils (recipe on SpittoonExtra).
Smooth, rounded, nicely textured. A blend of Merlot (90%) 'for its roundness and balance' plus a little Cabernet Sauvignon (10%) 'to add to the body'. Deeply coloured with flavours of red fruits plus hints of spice. None of that tart, hollow, dusty-dryness you can find in cheaper Bordeaux reds - this has good fruit, a firm structure and lends itself nicely to the food in question; very nicely in fact.
Andrew BarrowScribblings Rating - 88/100 [3.5 out of 5]
Andrew Barrow, The Guardian
Everything's Coming Up Rose
Domaine du Ricaud Bordeaux Clairet
All the retailers I spoke to yesterday were very positive about the continuing growth or switch to rosés. Bordeaux-Undiscovered, run by importer Nick Stephens, said his figures corresponded roughly with the report, with sales of rosé wines increasing 40% during 2008. Perhaps the trend is edging towards 'almost reds'. Stephens said his darker rosés, including a delightful Domain Ricaud Clairet 2005, that saw sales increase by 53%.
Andrew Barrow - Spittoon
M de Malle
A touch of class here - from the blossom and wax aroma through to the 'tinged with the exotic' palate. A combination of softness, a gentle rounded mouthfeel with a complex wax and citrus burst on the finish. Dry. That citric burst finality comes complete with a hint of herb and a gravelly texture.
The wax references are courtesy of the Semillon component in the wine, the addition of which also tempers the forcefulness of the majority Sauvingon adding a touch of richness along the way. The blend, for those like me fascinated by such wine geekery, is 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Semillon. Alcohol 13.5%.
Is there also a hint of tarragon in the wine or is that just the mouth-watering aromas eminating from the kitchen? For Bordeaux Undiscovered recommend M de Malle Graves with chicken in a Tarragon Sauce to accompany. Rather than frying chicken breasts a hole poisson, stuffed with fresh tarragon was roasted and served with a sauce of chicken stock, roasting juices and Dijon mustard. A delicious match.
Nick Stephens, MD of Bordeaux Undiscovered, has a great report on the company blog of Chateau de Malle (an actual Chateau dating from the 17th century, more famous perhaps for its Sauternes and Italian style gardens rather than its white wines) in addition to the recipe details.
Andrew Barrow, The Observor
Domaine du Ricaud Bordeaux Clairet
The Rise of Rose
The bottle that Rob enjoyed so much, behind closed curtains obviously, was Domaine de Ricaud Bordeaux Clairet from one of the nether regions of the Entre-deux-Mers. (Just £5.75 down from £8.20 from Bordeaux Undiscovered).
On a man-acceptance scale this (colour aside), is right up there. Dry and delicious with or without food, it's a classic Claret (the ultimate real man's wine) blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (50%), Merlot (35%) and Cabernet Franc (15%); a classic Bordeaux spread but made to be a rosé rather than a red. Someone at least has been listening to what the British consumer really wants and has responded with a wine of excellent structure, fresh, clean flavours that end with raspberry jelly that also has a gorgeous mouth-feel and surprisingly good length.
Ned Halley, The Western Daily Press, Today's Tipple
Domaine du Ricaud Bordeaux Clairet
The first to mention is Domaine de Ricaud Clairet 2006 at £5.75. Clairet is a Bordeaux name for rose, made by keeping the juice on the skins just long enough to impart a nice pink hue, and lots of character and flavour, too. This wine is a vivid magenta colour, smells of fruit blossom and is packed with strawberry-blackcurrant flavour. It is crunchy fresh, yet long on the finish. Easily the best rose I have tasted this year, it's simply delicious.
Les Graves du Barrau
Bordeaux, of course, did not make its name selling pink wines. It's claret, the region's red, that did it, and Nick has a nifty choice. Chateau Les Graves de Barrau 2002 costs £4.99 but tastes well above this level, still vigorously fresh and brambly in spite of its maturity, it's claret the way the French like it. Nick recommends decanting it, and I agree.
Chateau Les Tonnelles
Chateau Les Tonnelles 2004 (£7.99) is a big, bold red with dark fruit typical of its origin, the commune of Fronsac. I agree with Nick that the wine has a hint of blueberry, and that it will suit drinkers who like the upfront style of Australian red wine.
Chateau Laures
The dry white wines of Bordeaux are much-loved by the French, but largely overshadowed by New World competition here. Nick has some fine examples, such as Chateau Laures 2006 (£6.75), made from the region's traditional blend of sauvignon blanc and semillon grapes, richly coloured with a floral perfume and fresh, slaking fruit. This is a fine, delicate wine to drink either as an aperitif or with grilled fish.
Andrew Barrow, Spittoon
Chateau Laures
The Semillon really comes though on the nose giving a lovely herby touch to the lemon-citrus that dominates. Palate is nicely rich and full with a slight spritz and good acidity balancing it all out. A honeyed touch to the lemony complexity all melds together wonderfully.
Clive Platman Birmingham Plus
Champagne Blanc de Noirs Brut
Secondé-Collard Blanc de Noirs Brut NV (Bordeaux Undiscovered c£17)
Whilst a “Blanc de Blancs” Champagne will be exclusively Chardonnay, a Blanc de Noirs can be a combination of the two black varieties, Pinots Meunier and Noir. Chardonnay gives structure and finesse, whereas Pinot Noir provides richness and power. Pinot Meunier, the least well-regarded, offers red fruits and is faster maturing. It is therefore used as the backbone of cheaper supermarket blends.
Secondé-Collard are growers in Bouzy, on the south-east corner of the Montagne de Reims, which is famous for Pinot Noir. This cuvee is from a Grand Cru vineyard, meaning it is 100% Pinot Noir, as no Pinot Meunier vineyards qualify for Grand Cru status.
As expected, this was full and rich, but had an off-putting sulphurous note. Nevertheless, there was a minerally fresh quality as the wine broadened on the palate to give raspberry and chocolate flavours.
Theo - 50 Connect: Barbecue Bliss
Montagnac Cabernet Sauvignon
This remarkable little wine offers you masses of sweetly toned blackcurrants - just the thing to off-set the charcoal bitterness - with touches of green pepper and herbs.
Easy drinking and fun, this is a wine that will have your guests coming back for more.
Andrew Barrow - Spittoon
Fleur de Luze
Who ever makes scampi at home? A dish one may assume is now relegated to certain "family" restaurants and frozen ready meals. Of course the home-made version is leagues ahead of any ready-meal.
The inspiration for a little home deep-frying was a recommendation by Bordeaux Undiscovered in the press pack they supplied with a few samples. The match, Scampi with Tartare Sauce and this Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc was sensational and highly recommended.
Wine Tasting Note: Fleur de Luze, 2007, Bordeaux, France.
Stockist: Bordeaux Undiscovered [More on UKWOL] Price: £5.62 [More: Adegga / Snooth]
Fresh, light, gently grassy, lemony and refreshing. Hints of lime, grapefruit, apple and just a smidge of orange.
And simply THE best match for scampi - or in my case deep-fried, breaded prawns. Even handling the spiky tartare sauce wth aplom. Not being as forcefull as, say,a New Zealand, Sauvignon or as minerally as one for the Loire this, relativey simple, Bordeaux blanc seemed perfectly matched.
The Daily Telegraph - Jonathan Ray
Le Roc du Chateau Pellebouc
Claret's the thing for a Boxing Day lunch of left-over turkey (shudder). . . 2006 Le Roc du Château Pellebouc (12.5% vol, France; £8.75, Bordeaux Undiscovered 0800 876 6958) looks the business . . . young, firm and structured
