90
2016 Les Nivières, Saumur, Loire Valley
£9.49 down to £7.99, 12.5%, Waitrose
I often prefer unblended Cabernet Franc to Cabernet Sauvignon, especially at this end of the market. This unoaked, tufa limestone-sourced example from Saumur has long been one of my favourite supermarket tipples. Perfumed, encticing and grassy, with fine-boned tannins, refreshing acidity and gratiflyingly low alcohol.
Available from (as of date of review): Waitrose
Drinking window: 2018-23
94
2015 Dog Point Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Section 94, Marlborough
£17-22, 13.5%,
A wine that's consistently a match for all but the very best (and much more expensive) wines of Pessac-Léognan, this deftly oaked Marlborough Sauvignon ages brilliantly too. Leesy, rich yet beautifully balanced, it combines flavours of vanilla spice, gooseberry fool, lanolin and vivid acidity. One of the region's very best expressions of the grape.
Available from (as of date of review):
Drinking window: 2018-24
92
2016 Dog Point Vineyard, Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough
£13.50, 13%, The Wine Society
There's always something of a rush to list and sell the new vintage of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, so it's good to see a winery (and a retailer in the shape of the Wine Society) that takes a more relaxed approach to vintages, selling wines with a bit of bottle age. Tangy, savoury and dry, this is a complex, flinty, well balanced white with no oak, allowing the quince, greengage and gooseberry fruit to shine.
Available from (as of date of review): The Wine Society
Drinking window: 2017-20
93
2012 Neudorf, Moutere Pinot Noir, Moutere, Nelson
£29, 13.5%, Available from the winery
Pinots from the clays of Moutere always remind me of the wines of Pommard in Burgundy. They are rich, bold, even slightly sturdy wines that are textured, a little gruff even, and extremely impressive. Structured and concentrated, this is savouery, spicy and intense, with notes of incense and sweet summer berries, supported by tannins.
Available from (as of date of review): Available from the winery
Drinking window: 2017-22
93
2014 La Loba, Ribera del Duero
€16.20, 14.5%, Desoutter & James
Serious, youthful, good value Ribera that's at the lower end of the scale in terms of oaking. Sourced from century old vines in Matanza de Soria, this is part of a new wave of balanced, elegant Tempranillos with lovely freshness and poise. Scented, floral and complex with notes of bramble and balackberry and a refreshing finish.
Available from (as of date of review): Desoutter & James
Drinking window: 2018-22
93
2016 Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough
£14.99, 13, New Zealand House of Wine; The New Zealand Cellar
Kevin Judd is arguably the most famous exponent of Sauvignon Blanc on the planet, thanks to his work at Cloudy Bay and subsequently at his own Marlborough winery, Greywacke. He certainly knows how to invest the variety with considerable complexity, using wild yeasts to add extra nuances to the exotic lime, gooseberry and stone fruit flavours. Long and very satisfying.
Available from (as of date of review): New Zealand House of Wine; The New Zealand Cellar
Drinking window: 2017-19
94
NV Taylor's, 20-Year-Old Tawny Port, Douro Valley
£35, 20%, Amazon, Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason, Wine Society, the drinkshop.com
Taylor's isn't as well known for its Tawnies as some houses are - its LBVs and Vintage Ports are up there with the very best - but it should be, based on the quality of this 20-year-old release. Figgy, sweet and complex, with beautifully integrated spirit and notes of umami and orange zest. One of those Ports that you don't want to pass to your neighbour.
Available from (as of date of review): Amazon, Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason, Wine Society, the drinkshop.com
Drinking window: 2016-30
94
2015 Sybille Kuntz Riesling Auslese Feinherb, Mosel
TBC, 12.5%, www.sybillekuntz.de
One of a series of delicious releases from Sybille Kuntz in 2015, this is rich, but not heavy in the slightest, handling its 50 odd grams of residual sugar with ease, thanks to its thrillingly vivid acidity. Honey, spices, lime and remarkable palate length are the hallmarks of this classic-meets-modern Mosel style.
Available from (as of date of review): www.sybillekuntz.de
Drinking window: 2016-28
93
1998 Fonseca, Guimaraens Vintage Port, Douro Valley
£27.99, 20.5%, Waitrose
Mid-way between a single quinta and not-quite-a-vintage Port, this is rich, sweet and easy to drink, but with more structure and concentration than is immediately apparent. Spicy, peppery and showing a little bit of fiery spirit, this has dark, creamy fruit flavours and a complex, chocolatey finish.
Available from (as of date of review): Waitrose
Drinking window: 2016-20
93
2007 S.C. Pannell Nebbiolo, Adelaide Hills, South Australia
£32.09, 14.5%, Liberty Wines
The list of impressive Nebbiolo producers outside north-west Italy isn't a long one, but Steve Pannell, who has worked in Piedmont to familiarise himself with the grape, would definitely be on it. Suitably pale in colour, with the variety's unique combination of austerity and voluptuousness, firm tannins and sweet, savoury autumnal fruit, this wouldn't look out of place in a line up of Barolos.
Available from (as of date of review): Liberty Wines
Drinking window: 2016-19
