I have had the good fortune to taste a wide range of the Southern Rhône reds from the 2007 vintage and I have to say wow!
They all have a real purity of fruit with a great richness of fruit and good balancing acidity yielding wines that are both complex, elegant and will last the course.
My tip to you is to grab a few bottles of the 2007s as the 2008 are already being sampled and this is definitely a much lesser vintage and wine buyers the world over are hoovering up the 2007s.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape enthusiasts should be putting in a good word with their friendly wine supplier to try and secure some of the 2007s when they hit the market early next year. Perhaps this will be one of the few good aspects of our recession ridden economy, is that we will not be subjected to the ridiculous price hikes that our Bordeaux colleagues subjected us to for the 2005 vintage!
The word on the back street is to try and secure some Châteauneuf-du-Pape Clos des Papes 2007 - this is going to be as hot as volcano lava.
Sauvignon Blancophiles
For lovers of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc you will be glad to hear that the 2009 crop has been huge +30%.
This coupled with a lot of new fruit coming on stream will mean a lot of extra value this summer. Expect to find great value Sauvignon at €10. If you are looking for alternatives to Sauvignon Blanc, investigate the wines of Rueda (Spain) or Côtes de Gascogne (West France).
The 2008 Rueda's are racy, exciting and always offer good value, rarely being over €10. They are typically made from a predominant blend of Verdejo and I guarantee will have you singing Olé with delight when you stumble upon one.
I would particularly recommend the Motivo 2008 which will appear in Ireland next week.
Côtes de Gascognes are great fun to introduce into a blind tasting as typically they are made from a blend of Colombard & Ugni Blanc and for all purposes if well made have an uncanny resemblance to a Marlborough Sauvignon.
Try Domaine Duffour 2008. Similarily you should not really be paying over €10 for this style of wine.
Two delicious reds for this weekend
I'm going through a red wine phase, so here's my tips for the week...
Signature Côtes-du-Rhône 2007 from Caves de Rasteau €9.99
Made from a blend of 80% Grenache, 20% Syrah this is a really juicy red with layers of black cherry fruit with spicy notes. Rich and full on the palate this wine has a lively mouth feel and will definitely over deliver at this price point. Wine Spectator rated it 89/100!
Whitehaven Pinot Noir 2007 on promotion €12.99 reduced from €18.99
This is really a best kept secret and if you have any Pinot loving genes in you this is one to grab. Sam Smail the winemaker behind this wine makes it in exactly the same way as the top Burgundy houses make their wines; open tank fermentation, bâttonage and French barrique maturation.
The result is a wonderfully silky, sultry Pinot with layers and layers of red fruit and a wonderful long lingering finish. This one really knocked me Sideways!
Both are available at O'Briens around the country
PS - If there is any aspect of wine sourcing, enjoyment, tips etc, let me know and I will be happy to get back to you. Have a great weekend.