92
2012 Rippon Sauvignon Blanc, Central Otago
£17.95, 13%, Lea & Sandeman
If you're bored of identikit Kiwi Sauvignons that taste as if they've emerged from the same enormous tank farm, this complex, Loire Valley-like example from one of Central Otago's best producers will come as a pleasant respite. The estate is much better known for its superlative Pinot Noirs, but this biodynamic white deserves to be (almost) as famous. Fermented in old oak barrels, it has a mealy undertone to set alongside the flavours of lime, cream, grapefruit and gooseberry. It's a very subtle number that wouldn't look out of place in Sancerre, thanks to its chalky, palate-tingling freshness.
Available from (as of date of review): Lea & Sandeman
Drinking window: 2013-16
93
NV De St Gall Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs Champagne
£29 down to £21.75, 12.5%, Marks & Spencer
Well up to the very good standards of the Union Champagne co-op, this all Chardonnay fizz from Premier and Grand Cru villages is a very refined drop: fresh, focused and well structured with lowish dosage (residual sugar) and hints of brioche and citrus fruits. A Champagne that will age well, too, on past performance.
Available from (as of date of review): Marks & Spencer
Drinking window: 2013-17
93
2012 Darting Estate Dürkheimer Kabinett Riesling Trocken, Pfalz
£9.49 down to £7.12, 12.5%, Marks & Spencer
If your impression of German Riesling is that it tends to be sweet, try this off-dry number from one of the best names in the southerly Pfalz region. It's very aromatic, with exotic, tropical fruit notes, a hint of carbon dioxide on the palate, lovely, crunchy, peach and apple fruit and bright, focused acidity.
Available from (as of date of review): Marks & Spencer
Drinking window: 2013-18
93
20 Year Old Tawny Port, Douro Valley
£33 down to £24.75, 20%, Marks & Spencer
Made for M&S by Taylor's brilliant winemaker, David Guimaraens, this is the kind of Tawny Port that makes grown men (and women) cry. It's a very fine fortified, with a delicious balance between nutty, figgy fruit, added spirit and mature, barrel-aged rancio notes. Very sweet and very long on the palate, it would make a perfect Christmas treat.
Available from (as of date of review): Marks & Spencer
Drinking window: 2013-25
92
2012 Bodega Castro Martin Albariño, Rías Baixas
£11.99 down to £8.99, 12.5%, Marks & Spencer
Angela Martin's wines seem to get better with every vintage and are now among my favourite Albariños from Rías Baixas. The combination of low yields, ageing on lees in tank for added weight and very pure, almost transparent fruit flavours is very enticing here: apple, pear and some quince with a hint of honey.
Available from (as of date of review): Marks & Spencer
Drinking window: 2013-15
92
2010 Catapult Shiraz, McLaren Vale
£13.99 down to £10.50, 14.5%, Marks & Spencer
Wirra Wirra makes some of my favourite South Australian reds, wines that are ripe and full of fruit, but not ponderous or over-oaked. This is an Aussie take on a Côte Rôtie with 2% Viognier adding extra fragrance to the Shiraz. Dense and sweet, with plush tannins, good texture, well-judged oak and a savoury note. Ripe and well balanced with sweet bramble and blackberry fruit.
Available from (as of date of review): Marks & Spencer
Drinking window: 2013-17
91
2010 La Chapelle de Potensac, Médoc
£19.99 downto £14.99, 13.5%, Marks & Spencer
Made by the same team that produces the world famous St Julien second growth, Château Léoville-Las-Cases, this is a Médoc that really punches above its supposedly lightweight status. It's a Merlot-dominated blend with 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot for company. Elegant and well balanced, it shows the poise that is typical of the best 2010s, with subtle oak, sweet raspberry and cassis fruit and well-defined tannins.
Available from (as of date of review): Marks & Spencer
Drinking window: 2013-18
91
2012 Domaine de la Meynarde Plan de Dieu, Rhône Valley
£8.99 down to £6.75, 14.5%, Marks & Spencer
If you're only going to buy one red from this offer, this one delivers the best value for money at its 25% off price. It's the kind of southern Rhône red that reminds me of my student days in Avignon. It's a ripe, but not over-ripe Grenache-based blend, made from old vines on the Plan de Dieu plateau, showing serious tannins, backed up by flavours of wild herbs, plum and tapenade. Vibrantly delicious.
Available from (as of date of review): Marks & Spencer
Drinking window: 2013-18
90
2012 Mâcon-Villages-Uchizy, Burgundy
£10.99 down to £8.24, 13%, Marks & Spencer
2012 was an excellent vintge for white Burgundy, from Chablis in the north to the Mâconnais in the south. This unoaked example from the Domaine Sallet Raphaël is a case in point, combining ripe, stone fruit flavours with tangy acidity and limestone-derived freshness. Very drinakble indeed, even for Chardonnay agnostics.
Available from (as of date of review): Marks & Spencer
Drinking window: 2013-15
90
2012 Recanati Carignan/Petite Sirah, Judean Hills
£9.99 down to £7.49, 13.5%, Marks & Spencer
It's good to see a supermarket taking a punt on an Israeli wine, especially one made from Carignan and Petite Sirah, which are arguably better suited to the country's Mediterranean climate than the red Bordeaux varieties. This is concentrated and deeply coloured, with some oak ageing adding to the ripe, savoury plum and damson fruit . The tannins are supple, with good acidity for extra backbone.
Available from (as of date of review): Marks & Spencer
Drinking window: 2013-15
