The Co-op is not my shop of choice, there I have said it, it is out there. To pan for gold you have to wade through dirt and every now and again you find nuggets in the most unlikely places.
This week's nuggets are both on offer. The first from Spain, is half price and I have to say I went back and have bought a case, after tasting. It is called Espelt and comes from the Costa Brava Carinena, in the North Eastern part of the country. It is made from Garnacha grapes grown on 55 year old vines.
The wine is matured in French New Oak barrels and comes from the 2008 vintage, personally I feel this wine will continue to age in the bottle and will benefit from all the years you allow it to mature.
The wine's colour is a dark cherry red, with a reddish clearness on the rim, this highlights that it will mature some more. The nose is rich with figs, cherries,leather and Mediterranean spices.
There are huge cherries and tobacco on the palette, which settle down to plums and dried herbs.
On the whole, this is a great meaty Spanish wine, punching well above it's weight on price. Espelt is going cheap and ready to sleep a few years in the cellar or drink now.
The second nugget is a Viognier from California, made in 2011, it is called "The Boulders".This very pale straw coloured wine, has a nose of lemon zest melded with petrol.
It must be said, that the sharp nose deepens into pear and then pear kirsch, as the wine opens.
The taste is very much one of tinned peaches, pears and apricots. There were notes of Californian melon coming through on the finish.
The Co-op had this reduced by a £1.00, to £4.99 and I think worth a try. Happy panning!
No comments:
Post a Comment