Dry January is never easy. Not with Mrs Ray taunting me with her mid-morning Prosecco and early evening double G&T and not with the constant delivery of wines to be reviewed, tasted and – agonisingly – fully expectorated. This offer from mighty Corney & Barrow was a particular challenge. Not because I didn’t like the wines, but because I loved them. I wanted to neck the whole lot. Roll on 1 February!
The 2023 Homage à Colette (1) from the Languedoc is engagingly quirky. A blend of fresh, vibrant, unoaked Grenache Blanc and smooth, supple, oaked Marsanne, it’s peachy, citrusy, apricotty and slips down a treat. The bright jolly label honours the octogenarian Colette, a much-loved figure in the village of Rieux-Minervois. The wine does her proud. £9.41 down from £10.45.
The 2023 Andaina Godello (2) from the Adegas Galegas winery in Galicia, north-west Spain, gives little away on the nose. Indeed, I had to check that Mrs R hadn’t nicked my glass and substituted water. In the mouth, though, this 100 per cent Godello – a variety first planted here by the Romans – is deliciously herbal and fresh, with hints of citrus and ripe pears. £12.56 down from £13.95.
The 2023 Fratelli Antonio & Raimondo Gavi di Gavi (3) from Piedmont, northern Italy, is also reticent, only slowly unfurling fresh lime, roses and – I’m sure I didn’t imagine it – Turkish delight. Made from 100 per cent Cortese by the family-owned Sartirano winery, it’s steel-fermented for freshness, undergoes malolactic fermentation for texture and six months on the lees for weight. The result is a perfectly poised, enticing aperitif. £13.05 down from £14.50.
The 2022 Baudouin Millet Chablis (4) is rich and smooth rather than steely and austere and, gosh, it’s good. M. Millet picks his sustainably farmed fruit late and favours malolactic fermentation and long lees-ageing in search of his signature opulence. It’s Chablis at its most alluring, worth every penny. £21.65 down from £24.05.
The 2019 Le Faîte Saint Mont (5) from the fabled Producteurs Plaimont in Gascony is as fine as any previous vintage I’ve enjoyed. A blend of Gros Manseng, Petit Courbu and Arrufiac over which much trouble is taken (it’s partly pre-macerated, partly co-fermented, partly oak-aged, partly bottle-aged), it’s rich, honeyed, tropical, spicy and surprisingly refreshing too. A wine this quality from a more fashionable region would be thrice the price. £20.25 down from £22.50.
There’s nothing complicated about the 2021 Farfallone Sannio Aglianico (6): it’s just an appealing rich red made from 100 per cent Aglianico by the 1,000-strong La Guardiense cooperative in Campania, in the shin of Italy. Fermented in steel and aged in oak, it’s full of plummy, bramble fruit with a teasing touch of spice on the finish. £11.48 down from £12.75.
The 2022 Marchiori & Barraud Cabernet Sauvignon (7) is my pick of the offer. I was desperate to drain it. A cannily crafted blend of handpicked Cabernet, drawn from high-altitude vineyards across Mendoza, Argentina, it’s intense red/black with rich, bitter/sweet, spicy, chocolatey, cassis fruit that thumps the tastebuds with velvety softness. It’s a mouthful all right but elegant, too, and neatly balanced. £13.73 down from £15.25.
If the above is my favourite, the 2023 Eradus Pinot Noir (8) from Marlborough, NZ, is Mrs R’s. She’s an absolute pushover for fine Pinot and once we’d both agreed it was indeed red rather than rosé, so pale a pink is it, she knocked it back as if she was John Mills in Ice Cold in Alex. It’s ridiculously drinkable with the juiciest of ripe/sour cherry fruit, a touch of beef tea and the softest of tannins. £17.06 down from £18.95.
Finally, the 2016 Mont du Toit (9) from Wellington, South Africa. A fully mature blend of Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Shiraz, Merlot and Tinta Barocca, it’s gratifyingly complex. With concentrated ripe dark fruit, spice, mocha and cocoa, it’s as fine as any Cru Bourgeois claret. £22.05 down from £24.50.
The mixed case has two bottles each of wines 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 and 8. Wine 4 is available in unmixed dozens and wines 5 & 9 are available in unmixed sixes. Delivery is free for orders over £150.
Order online today or download an order form.
To find out more about our Winemaker Lunches, Masterclasses and Wine Tours, visit spectator.co.uk/tastings
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