1996 Chateau Gruaud Larose

Although I am in the wine business it is not that often that I get to try older vintages of top class Bordeaux wines. However it was my birthday last week and I chose 1996 Chateau Gruaud Larose to celebrate.This wine does not necessarily  need to be decanted, just opened for 20 minutes beforehand. It has lovely aromas of cedar and roasted herb intermixed with incense like smells.On the palate it is medium bodied with lovely blackcurrant and meaty flavours. This wine is drinking now and complimented my fillet steak perfectly.
We have this wine at €79.00 in Jus De Vine .

Seek it Out

Julie

JUS DE VINE, PORTMARNOCK

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Peter Lehmann, Mudflat Shiraz 2005

PL’s well lived in countenance

Mudflat is a nickname given to Peter Lehmann by his great friend the late Len Evans, in reference to PL’s well lived in countenance!, and this 87% Shiraz and 13% Muscadelle  is a wine quite unique to the Lehmann portfolio.Peter was one of the first to blend these 2 grape varieties together with the white grape adding elegance and floral aromas to the Barossa Shiraz
Deep purple in colour, the nose appealing of raspberry and plum, richly flavoured but with a soft ,intriguingly spicy lift and smooth finish.
Jus De Vine  have this wine on special down from €16.99 to €10.99.

Seek it out while stocks last.

Julie
JUS DE VINE, PORTMARNOCK

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2007 Vintage Guigal Rhone Wines on tasting with Pat Smith

Pat Smith kindly gave up his weekend to show the 2007 Guigal wines which have just landed into Jus De Vine. There is no one in Ireland  that knows Guigals wines better. Pat is a Rhone specialist who lived and worked there for 6 years. He was also decorated by the French Government for all his work in the business. He is now semi retired but when he tastes anything exceptional he will let us know and loves to come into our shop and talk about the wines and winemaker. He has promised another weekend in October when Pierre Amadieus Eagle's Pass 2007 Gigondas and Vacqueyras become available









   2007 Vintage from Maison E. GUIGAL
In the Rhone Valley and in particular the Southern Rhone, the 2007 vintage is the vintage of the decade. Robert Parker has backed this up by stating that the Cotes-du-Rhone red 2007 and Gigondas 2007 are the best ever made by Marcel Guigal for these appellations.



MAISON E. GUIGAL
The premier wine producer in the Rhone Valley. For decades now they are producing wine of the highest quality, with consistency the by-word to success. You will never be disappointed with a bottle of Guigal--the Guigal label is a stamp of quality whether a top Cote-Rotie or a basic Cotes-du-Rhone.

COTES-du-RHONE (Blanc) 2009
With 52% Viognier this wine is not unlike Condrieu. It is medium-dry with tropical fruit flavours and floral hints in the bouquet. It is fresh and crisp, ideal with any fish dish or just perfect on its own.
Available at Jus De Vine for 12.99

COTES-du-RHONE (Rouge) 2007
Parker says that this is the best Cotes-du-Rhone that Guigal has ever made. Judging by the reaction during the tasting, he's probably right. 50% Syrah (body & tannin), 40% Grenache (fruitiness), 10% Mourvedre (spicy/peppery). The wine is medium to full-bodied, silky smooth with a round fruity flavour--simply delicious.
Available at Jus De Vine for 12.99

GIGONDAS 2007
Big and full-bodied, a step and a half up on the Cotes-du-Rhone. The wine tastes of black cherries and ripe plums with still enough tannin to hold it together for at least 10 years. It has a nice smooth peppery finish--great food wine.
Available at Jus De Vine for 24.99

CROZES-HERMITAGE 2007
Made from 100% Syrah.This tannic grape variety makes this wine earthy with a mix of brambly fruit flavours. Big and full-bodied with tannin that is not too harsh--the result of oak ageing. Fantastic wine to have with goats Cheese, salami, lamb etc.

Available at Jus De Vine for 19.99

Julie


 JUS DE VINE, PORTMARNOCK

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Chateau Montesquieu Cotes du Rousillon

After 4 years in 66, I upped sticks this week and moved abode to across the city. Now living in "a mixed bathing" situation my wine choices had to be re-thought and wanting to make a good impression on my first night but with little or no money to my name I decided to opt for a Southern French that we have on special at the moment for a reasonable €9.99.

 This is a blend of  Grenache, Syrah and Carignan from close to Perpignan. It was a lovely rich ruby red with a purple rim and a gorgeous nose of blackberries, cloves and violets. A good weighty palate with juicy dark fruit flavours and fine silky tannins. We had it with simple lamb chops, roast potatoes, carrots and a dash of gravy which worked really well. The only complaint being that there wasn't enough... We're all gonna get on fabulously well!!

Till Next time
Clare
Cellars, the Big Wine Warehouse

Alcohol in Red Wine... How little is too little?

There appears to be a serious desire by consumers to find red wines with lower alcohol and at The Vintry we are finding that many of our customers just do not want to drink wines that are over 13.5% or so,unless it is something special like an Amarone.
So cool climate red wines tend to dominate for this type of purchase and in my experience the consumer will not go back to the higher alcohol styles.I suppose its a bit like giving up salt on your food.You miss it for a few weeks but then you forget about it and eventually develop a dislike of over salted food.
So I am always  on the look out for something decent  in a red and the lower the better alcohol wise as long as it is in balance.  Anyway this led me to the worst bottle of wine tasted in a long long time..and this dubious honour went to a bottle of B& G Merlot called 9 as it is only 9% alcohol. Talk about being caught unawares ! I was cooking our dinner on Friday evening and I fancied a glass of wine, spotted the bottle and remembered that I had to try it. To be honest, because I was cooking at the same time, I wasn't really paying close attention and just poured  it, immediately smelling  (nice forward uncomplicated  black fruits) and then quickly tasted it while glancing at the cooking food..WHOOAH, as my mouth puckered and my head spun around to stare in disbelief at the bottle.. Off dry, with a saccharine like impact, combined with a bitter tartness yet lowish acidity...Very strange indeed.  So 9% is far too low for reds. Maybe this wine was developed for another market, far far away that maybe(!) possibly(!) though hopefully not(!) might like this red wine style.
.

So the search continues!

Evelyn
The Vintry

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Farnese Montepulciano D'Abruzzo Colline Teremane 2005

  A double whammy of disappointment this week as not only did I have to miss wine club on Monday but it was also Italian night but thanks to Bren who kindly dropped myself and Ruth over the remains of all 15 reds tasted on the night all was not lost.

 Difficult to choose a favourite to be honest but really loved this top class Montepulciano. From the Abruzzo region, on the leg of Italy, this is Farnese's star wine and is only made in good years from carefully selected Montepulciano grapes. Aged for a total of 16 months in oak, 10 in barriques and a further 4 in barrell and from the best Montepulciano growing region in Abruzzo which in 2003 gaind the prestigious DOCG  appellation.

Did not get around to trying it till the Wednesday so at that stage had been opened 2 nights but still had a delicious fruit filled nose of dark plums with a touch of sweet dried fruits yet an earthiness underneath. Really smooth with a delicious velvety mouth, dry, well structured red with a complex spicy finish. Stood up really well with the coq au vin I'd made with the remains of the tasting bottles from the night before which I didn't expect as Montepulciano can often result in a lighter style of Italian red which would be swallowed up by this flavoursome dish.  Dinner guest, Liam, even went in for seconds despite it being a school night and even the lumpy mash seemed to be forgiven.

Sells for about €16.99 and due into us next week.
Till Next Time
Clare

Muga Reserva Especial 2005

  Arriving to the New Zealand wine fair with only an hour to go, it was a bit of a dash trying to get around to as many suppliers as possible to try new vintages and offerings for the coming year so a relaxing glass of wine was well deserved come six o clock! Thankfully as a result of many rubberarmed colleagues,  a gang of us ended up in Olesya's wine bar, Exchequer Streeet. It was my first time here but I had heard plenty of great things about this place and judging from the full tables on a Monday night in January the rumours had spread. Looking around the tables, the food looked delicious and the antipasti plate we ordered was probably the best I have had in Dublin.

 The wine was a little harder to make a decision on as the wine list is so extensive and includes a great selection of wine by the glass which is a good one to note for future visits. We eventually settled on a bottle of Muga Seleccion Especial 2005 from Rioja, €49 on their list. It is a Tempranillo based wine but there is a small proportion of Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano in it also. It spends 6 months in oak vats, 30 months in wooden barrell and a further year in bottle before being released resulting in a huge big compex wine. Toasty and nutty with tempranillo aromas of dark cherries and red fruits. In the mouth it was velevty smooth and had great weight to it. The smokiness and spiciness complimented the fresh fruit flavours and went on long after the last drop.  As I was the only female there I managed to pull the chivalry card and grab the last glass which might not be very new -womanish but a girls got to do what a girls gotta do!
Till Next Time
Clare
Cellars, the Big Wine Warehouse

Chateau Le Coteau Margaux 2003





 After escaping the flu all Christmas and feeling pretty invincible, I woke up feeling lousy on Tuesday morning and after two days of sleep and bad daytime tv, I could take no more so armed with a packet of Neurofen Cold & Flu I coughed and spluttered my way into work yesterday. By 4.30 I was dreaming of re-runs of "The Good Life" and my hot water bottle - a sure sign that all was not right! Throwing the towel in I headed home but not before one of my suppliers made me a present of a bottle of this Margaux on his list to cheer me up.

A wine we stock in Cellars but unfortunately had not tried in a good while so all was definitely not a loss for the day. It's from the left bank so Cabernet Sauvignon based but wines from this appellation are typically not as full-bodied as it's neighbours. Considering the other two Margauxs we stock are Chateau Palmer and Chateau Brane-Cantenac, this is a great introduction to this area at only €29.99.

Feeling mildly better by dinner time I treated myself to a glass of it with some steak and mushrooms and although my senses were not at their best, it was delicious. A verdict seconded by Ruth when she came home.

In the glass it is not as dark as you might expect from a bordeaux blend but on the nose it has tobacco, green peppers and blackcherries. Plenty of fruit on the palate; again cherries and some blackcurrants and a lovely long vanilla finish. After two glasses of this and an early night I felt brand new today and it tasted way better than any lemsip I've ever had.

Till next Time

Clare

Cellars, the Big Wine Warehouse

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Woop Woop Shiraz 2008

We've taken to keeping the door open in the shop, even in the extremities of minus, minus degree Celsius.
Thursday felt like a 12 hour shift in the cold-room of a 1980's ''Super Crazy Prices''. I ventured home to my mums house for dinner.
I brought a bottle of Woop Woop Shiraz 2008. This is made my my new favourite Australian wine producer - Ben Riggs. This man is the wine genius behind The Black Chook, the Award winning ShooFly and the blockbuster Gold Star Red- Mr.Riggs and this is his entrant level wine.
The Woop Woop punches way above it's weight for the €10 price point.
It pours a rich deep red almost black colour.
The nose is a mix of ripe berry and plum fruit, black pepper and liquorice.
The palate has this lovely ripe fruit but not overly sweet, quite elegant for an Aussie Shiraz at this price point. Spice and liquorice are both evident on the finish. It has this rich long finish. I did question whether it was a smaller bottle size, it didn't seem to last as long as a standard 750ml.
In fact, it took approximately 25 minutes to drain it.
I have to say one of the best quality Australian reds at this price point that I have tasted of late.
Well worth traipsing out in the cold weather to purchase.
WoopWoop Shiraz 2008 @ €10... Buy it!!
Ruth.

Franz Haas Pinot Nero 2008

Pinot Nero on the Vine

In the foothill of the Alps you will find Franz Haas making one of the purest and well balanced Pinot Nero from the unique terroir of the Alto Adige.
The Pinot Nero 2008, is considered by  Franz as a white wine equivalent amongst  his reds as it is light and transparent in the glass, shows  strawberries blackberry and raspberries, plum and a touch of spice.It is  fresh and lively on the palate with a wonderful berry finish that lasts and lasts. This wine was served to us with roast duck and worked magnificently. The current vintage is served under stelvin and  is worth seeking out for those who enjoy a light elegant wine with great flavours.

The wine is available at Jus De Vine for 26.99 Euro

Celeste by Miguel Torres

I had been neglecting my mother for the last couple of weeks so to make amends we went for a bottle of wine after work in The PortHouse, Dundrum - as posted on previously by Evelyn. It was heaving for a Wednesday night and a combination of bad eye sight and a dark corner seat led me to a hasty decision on the wine list but a very hasty beneficial one.
Celeste by Miguel Torres, Ribera del Duero, Crianza was a wine I stocked about 3 Decembers ago and had forgotten. Not for any other reason that the selection of wines from this region has become quite broad and prices more affordable.
We drank the 2006 Celeste. It pours this rick blackberry colour. The nose is an array of dark berry fruit, cherry, blackberry with tobacco, vanilla and liquorice.

Trish Deveney aka: Mum

The palate starts like a fruit bomb and falls off to elegant tannin, dark chocolate and some oak.
It went great with the complimentary Pinchos especially the tortilla on French stick???.. Not sure what the Spanish equivalent is but it tastes delicious.
Celeste Crianza 2006 will be available in Deveney's as a result of a Wednesday night in The PortHouse.
Definitely one for the Tempranillo club.
O&O
Ruth.

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