It’s often the same story; every time I come to these shows I get tired. A few old injuries act up, the back and legs start to complain (I even fall asleep on the tube on the way home on the first day of the show, overshooting my station by 31 stops!) and you get hassle and stuff breaks on the stand, there’s never any time for lunch – and you sometimes think: Aw, I’d rather be in the office, or at home in bed, or anywhere else really, but then what always happens is that you begin to taste the wine and, as Roger McGough says: “And soon the wine has/Pushed its velvet fingers down your throat” and you start to feel a glow, a soft heat, light-headedness, followed, hopefully by a certain Attila-the-Hun magnificence.
Anyway, this is the set-up: we’ve got a cool-looking stand, graphics based on our Novum booklet, a bit Ralph Steadman-ish, hits you square between the eyes when you walk through the show entrance – YES!!!! – and in our booklet we’ve categorized our wines as:
Graceful (adj. characterized by beauty of movement, style, form etc);
Generous (adj. willing and liberal, full or plentiful);
Insouciant (adj. light-hearted and carefree);
Extrovert (adj. going beyond usual bounds; unrestrained);
Commanding (adj. having the air of authority)
You can see the punters looking at the stand thinking: “Insouciant? Er…”
Anyway, in between watching them I start to taste.
Larry Cherubino Sauvignon, Western Australia 2010
Delicious aromas of citrus, candied fruit and peach, brilliant mouthfeel, sappy, acidity good but matched by perfect complexity of fruit. Supple, gorgeous and moreish.
Larry Cherubino Ad Hoc Hen & Chicken Chardonnay, Western Australia 2009
Rich & opulent nose, marzipan, apricot, complex but balanced. Palate is satisfying, rich, inviting (go arrrrn, swallow…) and with massive and refreshing length. Almost Heroic.
Vina Litoral Ventolera Chardonnay, Leyda Valley, Chile 2008
Oocha! Massive tropical fruit, check I’ve got the right bottle, yup. Huge, really jumping out of the glass. Glorious richness of aroma, wonderful, grand, transporting you somewhere else.
Sept Saisons Viogner, Languedoc Roussillon 2010
Easy for some of the French wines to be overpowered by the Big Bad New World, but this one more than holds its own – In fact, scores the vital away goal with a complex and green fruit nose & has that indefinable quality that good Viognier brings to the show. Beyond my vocabulary, but definitely Heroic.
Domaine Laurent Chatenay, Monlouis Quarts de Nouy Sec (organic) Loire 2010
Delicious peach & apricot aromas, magnificent body, huge & complex finish.
We’ve classified Patrick Piuze’s glorious Chablis under Graceful. “Must mean the wine and not Patrick,” says one of our sales team.
I leave Steve working his magic on Gerard Basset and head off to Viniversity Challenge where our MD Andrew Bewes has teamed up with Zuma’s Kelvin to take on the Boutinot team. AB cannot get a word in edgeways (novel) as Kelvin kind of just takes over and under the manic compering of Joe Wadsack we somehow triumph.
Back to the coalface.
Weingut Johann Donabau Gruner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau 2008
Love this wine – GV is a brilliant grape, steely and minerally in youth, then developing almost hazelnut characters in age. Always feel a wee bit sorry for it as it rarely gets the chance to age and no-one’s really sure what to do with it. Excellent crisp acidity, but with a rich satisfying mouthfeel, very fresh and floral. Long finish.
Oliver & Roland Gessler, Etoile, Cotes de Gascogne 2009
Very floral and moreish nose, draws in the nose, nectarines, perfect balance in the mouth, dry and long finish.
Grace Winery Koshu Kayagatake, Katsunama 2009
Stunning nose like being in an underground cavern, the dripping of the water etc. Like being transported back to the dawn of time. Getting carried away here. Ethereal, haunting quality, lovely steely mouthful and then a rich, dry satisfying finish. You pause after this – it lasts a long time in the mouth.
Boer & Brit Gezina Sauvignon Blanc , Stellenbosch 2010
Extravagant nose of gooseberries married to a hint of what smells like the branches of a tree, complex; excellent sniffability. Shock-and-awe in the mouth, gripping, like an electric shock, big, powerful. Terrific wine made by a couple of nutters down on the Cape.
Finca OS Cobatos, Godello Blanco, Monterrei 2010
Subtly works its magic on you, White peach and nettle nose, grassy, good acidity in the mouth, then you hold it for a while and it begins to caress the palate with warm flowery and fruit flavours. Takes discipline (realdisciplineboy!) to spit.
Biblia Chora Ovilos Semillon/Assyrtiko Barrel Fermented, Kavala 2010
A Hugie! Massive and complex nose. What is it Steve says: “Puligny on Steroids!” Ravishing nose, rich and oaky but with the ballsy fruit to withstand wood, searingly good in the mouth, massive length. Touched by the Hand of God, this beauty.
Got my Mojo working, that one. On to some reds and no messing.
Sibaritas Pinot Noir, Chile 2010
Lovely soft smoky pinot, nothing extravagant, but honest (bloody good price – are we underselling this?) Almost but not quite opulent, but definitely velvety. Juicy and gorgeous.
Gaia Agiorgitiko, Koutsi 2009
Herby, brambly, very attractive nose, very summery fruit-like. Rich and full-bodied, warm, satisfying, very more-ish
Bodegas Solar de Urbezo, Vina Urbezo Tinto, Carinena 2009
Serious fruit, Rich, fruitcake-like, big nose, got the wow factor, incredible Rich mouthfeel, very long finish. Almost heaven.
Andeluna Grande Reserve Malbec, Uco Valley 2006
Great aromas of plums and mulberry, but with added bits – currants, vanilla etc – really concentrated, heady nose. Delicious rich sweetly satisfying mouthfeel. Steak required. Touched by the Hand of God.
Moli dels Capellans, Seleccio Crianza, Conca de Barbera 2008
Fabulous Rich chocolately nose, dark, complex, curranty, broody, beefy. Superb complexity. Great sniffability (people are staring at me!) Generous, creamy mouthful, coffee-ish finish. Not quite Heroic, but almost.
Chateau de Fayau Bordeaux 2009
Lovely lovely little wine. Creamy, plummy merlot nose, really inviting, medium-bodied on the mouth, great balance, great drinkability. Exactly what Bordeaux should be doing at this price.
Woolaston Pinot Noir, Nelson 2006
Inviting raspberry scented pinot, but complex dark fruits lying just beneath the surface. Attractive medium bodied in the mouth, a touch gamey, but lots of fruit.
Vina Perez Cruz, Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva, Maipo Valley, 2009
Mmm. Broody, magnificent, big, big. Dark blackcurrants, (the old cigar box, maybe not) and great integration of woody nuances. Glorious sweet fruit in the mouth, rich, ripe stunningly good. There is a certain beauty here. Heroic.
I often read the poems of Anthony Hecht. He had a troubled life, Hecht and the poems are often about war and human carnage. But his poems are composed with a richness of language that I search for when I try to describe taste.
Valle Reale Vigne Nuove Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2009
A serious nose, a little garrigue-type, warm herby fruits, difficult to put in to words, something of the scents of the dark forest path about it, gamey, animal-type smells. You keep coming back to this. Plummy in the mouth, complex, mouthfilling, rich serious long finish. Excellent balance. Almost Heroic.
Larry Cherubino The Yard Mourvedre Grenache Shiraz, Western Australia 2009
Achingly good! Complex, serious fruit but lifted onto a plane above the rest of us, great combination of jamminess from the Grenache, blackcurrants from the haunting Mourvedre and brambly redcurrants from the Shiraz (I think!). Long long finish. Touched by the Hand of God.
We need to get Larry over here to work the market, show off his magic. These are brilliant wines. Larryweneedyou!
I am reeling after this last batch. Definitely need a beer. Luckily, Mr. Daniel has just the job and pulls out his home brew from under the table. And so I sip this as the feeling returns to my mouth. Have a wander. Place is jumping. Good stuff here, not your usual wine show. But now I’ve had enough so I stagger to the door.
So – Hannah (looking radiant in her pregnancy), fellow long-suffering Toon Army fan Chris and Urbane Mark – well done, guys. Great show!
6/7/2011
