Well, crikey, that was fun! The recent inaugural Spectator tour of Champagne, that is. We had a hoot, visiting five producers and enjoying two first-rate dinners courtesy of Taittinger and Pol Roger. We learned lots, laughed lots, drank lots and I don’t think a single spittoon was sullied during the entire trip. Bravo!
Oh, and hats off to Peter Brown who came top of the rigorous end of tour examination and who got a bottle of Pol for his troubles. Well done, Peter!
After a week of fizz, though, however swanky the wines (and some were very swanky), it’s a joy to encounter some tasty still wines of great value such as these we’re offering here. All come from Penedo Borges, a state-of-the-art boutique bodega in Agrelo, Luján de Cuyo, a sub-region of Mendoza, Argentina, and are shipped exclusively into the UK by our partners, Mr Wheeler. Here, at 1,050 metres in the foothills of the Andes, it’s both sunny and cool, perfect conditions for harvesting fully ripened grapes with great colour, structure and freshness.
The 2021 Penedo Borges Prisma Single Vineyard Gran Chardonnay (1) is our solitary white, part of which is aged in oak and part in steel. With lively freshness and an enticing creaminess plus hints of peach, vanilla and baked apple, it’s extremely classy. Only 750 cases made. £16.50 down from £17.95.
The 2020 Penedo Borges Cepas Single Vineyard Malbec (2) shows just how brightly Malbec shines in Mendoza since its arrival from France in the 1860s. A deep, dark red, it’s rich, fruity, soft and full of damsons, cherries and blackcurrants with just a hint of vanilla. Why have French Malbec if you can have this? £12.95 down from £13.95.
The 2020 Penedo Borges Cepas Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc (3) is a wonderful example of one of my favourite grapes. It’s gloriously succulent with plenty of sweet, fresh, plum-like fruit, a touch of leafiness, pepper, spice and even a whisper of chocolate on the finish. £12.95 down from £13.95.
The 2020 Penedo Borges Cepas Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (4), full of blackcurrant, spice, mint, eucalyptus and vanilla, completes this trio of extremely modestly priced single vineyard reds. Part of the blend is aged in steel, part in American oak and part in French oak, a complex process which underlines the bodega’s quest for perfection. £12.95 down from £13.95.
The 2019 Penedo Borges Prisma Single Vineyard Gran Blend (5) is a purple/red oak-aged blend of Syrah, Malbec, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc and Petit Verdot that’s full of opulent, sweet, peppery, briary fruit backed by a long savoury finish. It’s soft, smooth and velvety, but don’t let that blind you to the fact that it’s a punchy 15 per cent vol. £16.50 down from £17.95.
The 2018 Penedo Borges Selección de Parcelas Single Vineyard Malbec (6) is drawn not just from a single vineyard but a specific, top-performing parcel within said vineyard. Aged in both American and French oak for 12 months, it’s dark and concentrated, with violets on the nose and plush red and black fruit, coffee and spice on the palate. £22 down from £23.95.
Its partner, the 2019 Penedo Borges Selección de Parcelas Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (7), is similarly full-flavoured, intense and high in alcohol. It’s so well-balanced, though, and so fresh that all is in harmony and one glass is far from sufficient. Only 270 cases made. £22 down
from £23.95.
Finally, the 2018 Penedo Borges ‘Icono’ Edición Aniversario (8) – a 91-pointer in Decanter – produced to celebrate the tenth anniversary of its initial release. A Cab Franc-led blend with Petit Verdot, Malbec, Cab Sauv and Syrah, it’s from the very best barrels in the winery. A French wine of this quality and complexity would be at least three times the price. £27.50 down from £28.95.
The mixed case has two bottles each of wines 1-4 and one bottle each of wines 5-8. Delivery, as ever, is free.
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