La rivista britannica Decanter ci consiglia questi 34 grandi vini per iniziare al meglio il nuovo anno.
Buona lettura e cin cin
Roberto Gatti
Kozlovic, Teran, Istria, Croatia 2012
17.25pts/20 (90+/100pts)
Kozlovic is one of the best-known estates in Istria, and while perhaps more famous for its Malvasia or more structured reds, this Teran is a fine, approachable quaffer. Full of juicy red cherry fruit and a hint of liquorice, it is a moreish and friendly wine crying out for a plate of antipasti.
Price £13.49 Bowes Wine, Great Wines Direct, Hallgarten Druitt, Guildford Wine Co, Novum, Stony Wines, Wine Therapy
Alc 13%
Cramele Reca˛s, Castel Huniade Feteasc˘a Regala, Romania 2012
17pts/20 (90/100pts)
Recas’ vineyards were first documented in 1447 and this cuvée, made from local grape Feteascã Regala, is named after a key historical landmark. A very inviting wine at an incredible price, showing lots of citrus and peach characters and a touch of honey on the finish.
Price £5.99 Adnams
Alc 13%
Planeta, Eruzione 1614, Carricante, Sicily, Italy 2012
17.5pts/20 (91/100pts)
Taking its name from the Etna eruption in 1614 that lasted 10 years, this fresh and elegant Carricante has an attractive lime and floral nose and a palate loaded with beautiful aromas, an elegant structure and limey finish. The 10% blend of Riesling brings a soft floral and honey touch as well.
Price £15.40 Carruthers & Kent, Enotria
Alc 13.5%
Chacra, Pinot Noir Barda, Patagonia, Argentina 2011
18.5pts/20 (95/100pts)
Pinot Noir is not a grape usually associated with Argentina but this bodega makes some of the best in the New World, especially at this price level. Beautiful purity of plum and berry aromas, and spice. The palate is silky smooth with lively red fruit characters and firm tannins.
Price £18.95–£26 Harvey Nichols, Lea & Sandeman
Alc 13.5%
Beyra, Beira Interior, Portugal 2011
18pts/20 (93/100pts)
Síria and Fonte Cal grapes from some of the highest vineyards in Portugal (700m) have produced a beautifully pure and fruitforward wine. There’s appealing freshness and minerality on the palate too, which is lively with just a hint of spice. And you get change from a tenner!
Price £9.50 Bottle Apostle, Drinkmonger, Pippa Sedgwick Wines, Reserve Wines, Wadebridge Wines, Worth Bros
Alc 13%
Rustenberg, Straw Wine, Coastal Region, South Africa 2011
17.5pts/20 (91/100pts)
Rustenberg has been making wine in the Simonsberg Valley since 1682. This moreish sweetie (where grapes dry on straw mats for four weeks) has aromas of apricot, peach and lemon. It’s vibrant with bags of stone fruit and citrus concentration.
Price £10.95–£15 (375ml) Harvey Nichols, Lea & Sandeman, Majestic, Stone Vine & Sun, Waitrose
Alc 10.5%
Domaine de la Taille aux Loups, Triple Zéro, Montlouis Pétillant, France NV
17.5pts/20 (91/100pts)
Chenin Blanc is a dexterous grape that can produce stunning wines whatever the style. This one is sparkling: light and fresh, with lots of green apple and lime fruit. There’s no sugar added during dosage, hence the name Triple Zero, which gives the wine a very dry mouthfeel.
Price £14–£18 Justerini & Brooks, Oddbins
Alc 12.5%
Josef Chromy, Tasmania, Australia NV
17.5pts/20 (91/100pts)
This producer is one of Tasmania’s best, as evidenced by the DWWA 2013 International Trophy for its Chardonnay. The estate’s Chardonnay is also in this fizz, joined by Pinot Noir, and the nose shows green apple and citrus fruit, while the palate reveals lightly toasted notes, crisp acidity and a long finish.
Price £20 Marks & Spencer
Alc 12%
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Loxarel, Xarel-lo Amfora, Penedes, Spain 2012
18pts/20 (93/100pts)
For more than four generations the Mitjans family has been caring for the vineyards that make this amphora-fermented and aged wine. The palate has a good nervosity and a great harmony between the limey acidity and the weighty structure.
Price £13–£16 Caviste, Les Caves de Pyrène, Market Row Wines, The Grape Store, The Solent Cellar, Wright’s Independent
Alc 13%
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Fabrice Durou, Durou Exception Malbec, Vin de France 2011
17pts/20 (90/100pts)
Made by the winemaker of the renowned Château de Gaudou in Cahors (the seventh-generation running this estate), this dense Malbec – called Côt in Cahors – is packed with blackberry and damson characters. The palate is fresh and vibrant and supported by soft tannins, leading to a deliciously juicy finish.
Price £6.75 Lea & Sandeman
Alc 13.5%
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Stonier, Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia 2010
17pts/20 (90/100pts)
The cool maritime climate of the Mornington Peninsula is ideal for early-ripening varieties like Pinot Noir, and Stonier has been planting it here since 1982. This cuvée has a lifted, floral edge to the forest fruits on the nose and the palate is bright and very perfumed.
Price £15.95 Asda
Alc 13.5%
Gonzalez Byass, Una Palma Fino, Sherry, Spain
18pts/20 (93/100pts)
Taking its name from the chalk mark made on the Fino casks during the Sherry’s final classification process, this vibrant and elegant wine is laced with almond and floral aromas with some seasoned spice. The palate is complex, fresh, nicely textured and very attractive.
Price £11.75–£13 Cambridge Wines, H2Vin, Lea & Sandeman, The Wine Society
Alc 15.5%
Sugrue Pierre, South Downs, England 2010
19pts/20 (96/100pts)
Made by Dermot Sugrue, former winemaker at Nyetimber, this is the second vintage from a vineyard planted on chalk in 2006. A classic blend of the three Champagne grapes, it boasts great purity and elegance. Lemon and apple aromas are followed by a palate of delicate stone fruit and crisp acidity: long, complex and absolutely delicious. Limited production.
Price £35 Swig
Alc 12%
The Society’s Exhibition, Albariño, Rías Baixas, Spain 2012
18pts/20 (93/100pts)
Albariño seems to be the flavour of the moment with lovers of white wine, and this example would be a great choice next time you have a hankering for seafood. A peachy nose with hint of white flowers, then a refreshing palate with a lot of citrus notes and rich fruit. Quite punchy with nice minerality on the finish.
Price £12.95 The Wine Society
Alc 13%
Dominio do Bibei, Lalama, Ribeira Sacra, Spain 2010
19pts/20 (96/100pts)
Located on the banks of the Bibei River where Romans once found large deposits of gold, this Mencía blended with Garnacha, Brancellao and Muraton displays plenty of vibrant red cherry characters with spice. The palate is nicely textured with fine acidity and freshness on the finish. A fantastic wine.
Price £19.95 Berry Bros & Rudd, Caviste, Field & Fawcett, Wadebridge Wines
Alc 13%
Lopez Martin, Carte d’Or Brut Premier Cru, Champagne, France NV
17.5pts/20 (91/100pts)
It’s a challenging task to source a good bottle of Champagne below £30. This small grower-producer has worked the region’s vineyards for generations, creating its own house in the early 20th century. This cuvée is unpretentious, packed with zesty ripe fruit and showing strong vinosity.
Price £27.50 Finest Fizz Biz
Alc 12%
Yalumba, Viognier, Eden Valley, South Australia 2012
18pts/20 (93/100pts)
Yalumba has spent the past 30 years mastering Viognier and this Eden Valley beauty is the quintessence of what the grape variety can put forth. Delicate stone fruit aromas with hints of floral make for an elegant nose. These flavours follow through on the palate, which has lovely texture and is quite complex.
Price £12.99–£14.99 Majestic, Waitrose
Alc 14%
Recaredo, Brut Nature Gran Reserva, Cava, Spain 2007
18pts/20 (93/100pts)
From a winery founded in 1924, this is a serious, bone-dry style of Cava which has plenty going on. There are lovely hints of hazelnut, smoke and white fruit on the nose, and this layered complexity continues on the palate and beyond, to a lingering finish. A great food wine.
Price £25.49 Les Caves de Pyrène, Ottolenghi, Theatre of Wine
Alc 12%
Domaine de la Meynarde, Plan de Dieu, Côtes du Rhône Villages, France 2012
17.5pts/20 (91/100pts)
The southern Rhône’s famous Mistral wind whips through the small Plan de Dieu appellation, where vines cling on to soils composed of ancient alluvial deposits. This rich red has delicious, rich cherry tones, firm tannin structure and a long, lingering finish. A perfect winter warmer.
Price £8.99 Marks & Spencer
Alc 14.5%
Clos Floridène, Graves, Bordeaux, France 2011
18pts/20 (93/100pts)
Denis Dubourdieu, a leading expert on white wine vinification, owns this estate and the wine is a true standard bearer for white Bordeaux. Lots of herbal aromas with apple and citrus notes precede a textured palate with nice fruit concentration and minerality on the finish. Drinking beautifully now but will age very well.
Price £18 Christopher Piper, The Wine Society
Alc 13%
Torello, Brut Special Edition, Cava, Spain NV
17pts/20 (90/100pts)
The Torello family has a long, rich history, for the Can Martí estate has been under its ownership since the end of the 14th century. The strikingly liveried cuvée, made from Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo, is forward but elegant in style with an attractive intensity of zingy, ripe apple fruit.
Price £17.95 Enotria
Alc 12%
Domaine des Aubuisières, Cuvée de Perruches, Vouvray, France 2012
18pts/20 (93/100pts)
From a 28ha property with vines spread out on some of Vouvray’s best soils, this is a delightful, great-value wine. The pear and peach nose is complemented by floral hints and the palate is fresh, mineral and vibrant with ripe fruit and honey notes, driven on by Chenin’s signature acidity.
Price £9.99 Majestic
Alc 13%
Cennatoio, Vin Santo del Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy, 2000
17.5pts/20 (91/100pts)
Made in small oak barrels this ‘holy wine’, made from Malvasia and Trebbiano, has its origins in the Renaissance where it was used in religious ceremonies. Amaretto-like, with toffee-coated hazelnuts and a concentrated palate, this could only be from the heavens above.
Price £15.95 (500ml) Stone Vine & Sun
Alc 16.5%
Weingut Thörle, Riesling Feinherb, Rheinhessen, Germany 2012
17.5pts/20 (91/100pts)
From a family-run winery that has been making wine here for four generations, this Riesling has delicate floral aromas with plenty of minerality. The structured palate boasts lots of pretty fruit with a steely backbone and good, direct acidity.
Price £12.95 Caviste, Field & Fawcett, Wadebridge Wines
Alc 12%
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Mas Coutelou, Le Vin des Amis, Vin de France 2012
17pts/20 (90/100pts)
From the Béziers area in Languedoc, this exciting domaine (no stranger to these pages) has been making wine with minimal intervention since 1987. Predominantly Syrah with some Grenache, the nose is packed with juicy black fruit and the palate is vibrant and fresh with great depth of flavours.
Price £12.95 Roberson Wine
Alc 13%
Gusbourne Estate, Brut Reserve, England 2008
17.5pts/20 (91/100pts)
This fine estate was established 10 years ago by a South African orthopaedic surgeon and ex-rugby player. Here, the nose shows roasted almonds with buttery notes and ripe stone fruits, while the palate is fresh, firm and persistent.
Price £24.30–£27 Armit, Lea & Sandeman, Oddbins, St Andrews Wine Co, Tanners, The Secret Cellar
Alc 12%
Les Vins de Vienne, St-Péray, Rhône, France 2012
17.5pts/20 (91/100pts)
A collaboration between leading producers François Villard, Yves Cuilleron and Pierre Gaillard, this comes from St-Péray – a small, all-but-forgotten white wine region in the northern Rhône. It has plenty of ripe apple flavours on the creamy, textured weighty palate and the finish is long and lingering.
Price £14.99 Waitrose Direct
Alc 13.2%
Viña Mayu, Syrah Reserva, Elqui Valley, Chile 2010
18pts/20 (93/100pts)
This won a 2013 DWWA Red Rhône Varietal Regional Trophy and it’s easy to see why. Assertive, dark berry fruits give added complexity from strong peppery and iodine components. Despite that lovely savoury facet there is still plenty of sweetness to the fruit and a long finish.
Price £10.99 Asda, Sainsbury’s
Alc 14%
Ken Forrester, Workhorse Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch South Africa 2012
17.5pts/20 (91/100pts)
Planted in the shadow of the Helderberg mountain, the 35- year-old vines here benefit from cool, ocean breezes. First are punchy aromas of wet grass, then a weighty, complex palate high in acidity with a good intensity and structure. A rich Chenin that would pair well with food.
Price £7.99 Marks & Spencer
Alc 14%
Domaine Lagneau, Beaujolais-Villages, Burgundy, France 2011
17pts/20 (90/100pts)
From a cellar built in the 12th century comes this rather serious Beaujolais – this is nothing like Nouveau! It displays amazing concentration of ripe red cherry and loganberry fruit and the supple, ripe palate is immediately rewarding but with a refreshing lightness throughout.
Price £9.95 Stone Vine & Sun
Alc 13%
Te Whare Ra, TWR Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand 2012
17.5pts/20 (91/100pts)
The grapes for this wine come mainly from the Awatere Valley where cooler nights and warmer days have helped accentuate the vibrant aromas. The palate has lime and apple fruit and crisp acidity. An intense, stylish and serious glass of wine.
Price £18.95–£21 Bottle Apostle, Hallowed Ground, Harvey Nichols, Swig
Alc 13.5%
Penfolds, Koonunga Hill Shiraz-Cabernet, South Australia 2011
16.5pts/20 (88/100pts)
First produced in 1978, this classic Australian blend is named after Penfold’s renowned Barossa Valley vineyard. The 62% Shiraz shines through, with rich and spicy aromas and flavours of red and black fruits. Pure, generous and well made. Always a reliable weekday red.
Price £9.99–£10.49 Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose
Alc 13.5%
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Gramona, Brut Nature Gran Reserva, Cava, Spain 2008
18.5pts/20 (95/100pts)
It may have taken 132 years for this historic wine merchants to add a Cava to its portfolio, but it has taken the plunge in style. Gramona is one of the finest Cava houses and this is a vibrant glass of fizz, with an abundance of ripe apple and stone fruits mingling with more savoury, almond characters.
Price £16.95 Berry Bros & Rudd
Alc 12%
Waitrose, Blanc de Blancs, Champagne, France NV
18pts/20 (93/100pts)
It’s often been true that anyone after a great-value, own-label supermarket Champagne could do far worse than reaching for one of Waitrose’s offerings, and it seems that’s still the case. From the Côte de Blancs area, this sparkler has plenty of breezy, lime and apple characters, plus an appealing texture.
Price £24.99 Waitrose
Alc 12.5%
( Fonte Decanter.com )
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